NFL Lesson 1: It all happens very quickly.
Bernhard Raimann had just under two weeks to mentally arrive at his first destination. A chance to actually get it in the biggest football league in the world.
It’s already time to leave the old homeland of Michigan behind. Call the Indianapolis Colts. And ask for the first mini-camp for the rookies next weekend. Just the first of many program items.
The journey really begins now.
It is almost exactly four months before the start of the regular season, in which the Burgenland-Viennese is fighting for a regular place on the offensive line. Probably as a left tackle, the position in which the 24-year-old has always acted and the Colts have fresh needs after Eric Fisher left.
“I’ll prepare every day as if I were already the starter. I’ll do my best every day. I know I have the potential and the ability. Now it’s about showing the coaches that I can do it.” , Raimann bursts with the necessary self-confidence before the start.
The “stupid thoughts” found their way
Which didn’t suffer from the draft, which didn’t quite go as expected. Assessed as a late first-round pick, Raimann slipped back to 77th position by the third lap before Indianapolis struck.
“There has probably never been a player who got through this check completely. You can only accept that as a player and show these teams over the next few years what they have missed.”
“Of course you have stupid thoughts then. ‘Oh crap, I’m not going to get drafted, something happened and I have to find another way…’. I also had to go out the door a few times and get some fresh air, try, to reset my mindset. It’s an extremely stressful situation”, the long waiting time didn’t pass by without a trace.
“I’ve tried as best I can to remind myself: The draft is just a beginning. No matter where you go and what time in the draft, it’s just the starting point. It’s not the goal – it’s a long NFL career. I knew I just needed one chance. It worked. When the call comes, it’s a huge load lifted from your heart.”
Real ailment or calculation of the teams?
Immediately prior to the draft, reports surfaced that Raimann might have rattled through medical checks on some teams. That hurt his draft value and was probably one of the reasons for the later pick.
Raimann knew about these assessments before the draft.
“The whole thing is a business. Every team wants to get the best players as cheaply as possible, so they try to find as many bad things as possible. They look at every bone and cartilage, and in every body there is something that isn’t fits 100 percent. And some teams find things that are still acceptable for others,” Raimann shrugs his shoulders afterwards.
“There has probably never been a player who got through this check completely. You can only accept that as a player and show these teams over the next few years what they have missed.”
Athletics as the key
Raimann could not have foreseen that it would ultimately be the Colts. However, there was a gut feeling. The “foals” showed increased interest in him even before the draft.
Oldie Matt Ryan becomes Raimann’s quarterback…
Photo: © getty
“They were high on the list because I had good meetings. There was also a big difference in how often I met with them – every couple of weeks. That’s helped me build good relationships. It’s a great team for me as a person and as a football player, they already have a good team, a great city and the support of the fans.”
And athletically, a “fit” should definitely be given. That’s the assessment after the first conversations.
“Schematically, some of the plays are very similar to what we played in Central Michigan. One big difference is how complex the play structure is. There aren’t a lot more playcalls and adjustments, including from the offensive line itself, at the NFL level only from the quarterback. There are calls for different things that all mean the same thing at college. The assignment of tasks is much more precise and you have to remember a lot more”, is the first assessment.
“But the schemes fit my skillset well. I’m a relatively athletic lineman.”
It was this athleticism that impressed the Colts so much about Raimann. “They see a lot of potential. However, they think that they still have to work a lot on my technique,” he knows his own upsides.
Super Bowl – already in the first year?
Raimann does not even consider the big hit in the first season to be entirely out of the question.
–… but should be learned from Line colleague Quenton Nelson
Photo: © getty
The Colts embarrassingly missed the playoffs last season, falling down against the worst NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, on the last day of the game.
However, something has happened since then, with Matt Ryan, an experienced quarterback who has had something to prove in the late phase of his career, was released from the Atlanta Falcons.
“We definitely have a chance of making the playoffs and we’re also a Super Bowl contender. We have the potential to go all the way to play in Arizona next February,” the Austrian believes in the opportunity .
A Line colleague outshines Ryan and Taylor
The fact that with Ryan and star running back Jonathan Taylor two experts can work in the most important offensive positions and instruct their linesmen accordingly is a starting bonus for Raimann.
“It was never about the money for me. I had a good childhood and never had the stress of having to fetch my parents off the streets.”
But he is more happy about another neo-colleague: Quenton Nelson, who is considered one of the best guards in the NFL – possibly of all time.
“Being able to learn from him how he approaches things every day, how he does his job and what makes him so special is a great opportunity for us rookies. I think the Colts have very good veterans in every position,” she said Experience that Raimann can take advantage of is an advantage.
The money doesn’t matter
But before this environment can have an effect, Raimann first has to get used to the big stage. And look for an apartment – one of the first tasks to be tackled with the new salary.
Incidentally, the fact that the starting salary is lower than would have been the case with the prophesied first-round pick does not bother the 24-year-old.
“It was never about the money for me. I had a good childhood and never had the stress of having to fetch my parents off the street. They always made it clear to me: Whatever happens, I should do it out of my passion for sport, not for the money. They would help me out, whatever happened. That always gave me a lot of strength as well.”
Now her Bernhard has reached a point where financial help will no longer be necessary. He would certainly be happy about another visit, then to Indianapolis.
And with him and his parents, lots of Austrian football fans who will soon be able to dress up in jerseys. At the first camp, Raimann’s jersey number will also be known.
May she often be seen on the field on the first day of the game.
Textquelle: © LAOLA1.at
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