Offensive Line Vets Create Own Amusement

For the old hats – especially on the offensive line -- spring ball is definitely old hat.

Most of what takes place they've been doing for quite some time now, they just know it better, are a bit more adept at the ins and outs. There's no outward payoff at the end of the 15 practices – no measurement against another team in a game – but there's a full understanding of the tangible gains to be made.

After all this time, after so many similar reps, the vets along Colorado State's offensive front still walk away from a session smiling. It was definitely something Drew Moss said to Jacob Gardner. Or it could be the ludicrousness they see when realizing Saveyon Henderson gave himself his own nickname.

"It's fun to have fun out there. There's no game at the end of it, so you're grinding for no reason other than to better yourself," Moss said. "You have to have a little fun out there, just joke around with Jacob because he didn't get any plays today. You have to joke around about stuff like that."

Gardner, longer in the college football tooth than the rest, had a day off earlier this week. To rest his old bones. Considering the beating the until has taken this spring – injuries have taken a toll and will continue to in Saturdays' spring game – he regarded it as a well-earned reward.

That it and would make his target bigger.

"Jacob's new nickname is the old man, even though he's not close to being the oldest in the group. He's the savvy vet," Moss said. "Like, 'hey grandpa, the ball's over here you old man.'"

Gardner wears it because he feels it. He remembers being the new kid in camp when he started years ago. He was filled with youthful exuberance and his body felt fresh. He felt it would always be that way, through all the lifts, despite the weight he'd add to his frame and the number of hits he would take and deal throughout his career. Not him, he thought.

That time has officially arrived, and he's good with it.

"I get called grandpa. I do feel it at times, and definitely today," Gardner said after Tuesday's workout. "It's funny, because I used to see the older guys I play with and I'd be all springy, and specifically one guy, Jermaine Ledbetter and Tyler Orsini, were both two older guys who told me one day you're going to feel like this. Now that I'm here, I feel it. I know I've reached that level those guys did. I'm proud of that. I definitely wear it with a badge of honor."

At least he's earned the moniker from his teammates. It's not like he did something outlandish like putting the contact info in your phone as Mr. Groovy.
Who would do something like that?

Saveyon Henderson, and when it came up in a group chat, it set off a new path for them all to follow.

"It comes with confidence. I did give myself that name," Henderson admits. "Before I got here, I had changed my contact name on my iPhone to Mr. Groovy. There's two reasons.

"One, I was just being goofy. The second reason is I'm a drummer. I've been playing drums my whole life, and I like to consider myself to have a bit of grooviness. When Jacob and Drew saw my contact name, they immediately changed it. They texted me and let me know they changed it, so it's been a joke in the offensive line room now."

Once it appears, a good joke is one they will never let go. None of them. At any given moment, Henderson is now fair game. If he does anything out of step, he's going to hear about it for the rest of the season.

Moss, however, would like to set the record straight.

"Nobody calls him Mr. Groovy except for him. He doesn't say it a lot, but it was also his text name, and he has a cool picture of his photo. It's him putting up a sign with some singers and a backwards hat. He is a good drummer."

Another positive is it is one of the few pet names they call themselves which are actually printable on a family-friendly site.

Through time, they've come to embrace the tedium of spring camp. They definitely know the value of those workouts, even on the days when they may not feel good. The reason they are there is never hard to find.

"It's the little things. Just remember the roots and where you started and the reason you started to play football," Henderson said. "Spring ball can get tiring after year four, and it starts to get a little bit repetitive. I think realizing you get to play the game you love with some great guys, and you get the opportunity to get better each day, watch them having fun is what makes it all worth it and what makes it fun each and every day.

"People forget when they're not in the football business that's it a strict and hard business, and when you have guys who can make your day better, who you can joke with and call brother, it makes your day better -- in the classroom, on the field or in the meeting room. It just makes it easier and takes the pressure off as well. It sets the narrative it's a joy and you're lucky you have it."

Then there's the other five percent, stuff about the game, which is new, some of which they have to produce on their own. All the reps through all the years have gained them some insight into their craft, which sometimes has to be reexamined and construed on the fly to be successful.
"We get to work on our own craft, and we get to go against our own guys, and they become more experienced with things we do, so we're forced to think of new ways to beat them," Gardner explained. "It becomes more focused when you start getting enough reps against somebody like Nuer Gatkuoth or Cam Bariteau, it forces you to think outside the box.

"It's also fun playing next to knew people you've never played next to before, so you learn how they operate. Especially at center, you get different guards coming in and they expect different things from you. It's the same for Drew at guard."

Moss concurs, though he's not entirely happy with the reason he's found some small bit of joy through the past four weeks.

As an offensive line, cohesion is preferred. With the injuries in camp, there's been a lot of in and out with players, even players at different positions. He started every game at right tackle last season, but he's likely to play guard this year. In camp, he's had a lot of both.

"We're getting down in numbers, so it's been a grind the last few practices. That's also kind of fun, because you play at right guard and then you go out to left tackle," he said. "That is kinda fun, but it's kinda hard though."

But spring after spring, practice after practice, they move forward. They've seen most of it, been successful too. But doing it again, over and over with people you've done it over and over with, that is, well, kinda fun.

Even if the body tells a different story.

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Cam Bariteau

Jacob Gardner

Nuer Gatkuoth

Saveyon Henderson

Drew Moss

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