Garett Bolles was the big man on campus at the University of Utah and on the fields of the Mountain West, but he’s quickly learning that the NFL is a whole different beast.
Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 spoke to Bolles after Monday’s OTA practice to get his thoughts on joining the Broncos and the learning curve involved with making the leap from the NCAA to the NFL.
When asked about the biggest change that he would have to get used to, Bolles cited the continuous work that goes into learning a new playbook and working with a brand new team and system in Denver.
“You have to be on top of your game every day,” Bolles said. “You have to study your playbook in the building. You have to study your playbook in the hotel. The game definitely speeds up after college, the guys are moving so fast, they’re bigger and stronger. You have to be on your A-game every single day.”
The transition to the next level has not been a walk in the park for Bolles. He mentioned that he was working through digesting so much new information, but he is grateful to the veterans and players ahead of him on the depth chart for helping him through this new beginning and making progress each day of work.
“At first I was [swimming in it] I’m not going to lie about that,” Bolles admitted, “but I’m starting to feel comfortable with knowing what I’m supposed to do and now I just have to get comfortable with knowing what I’m supposed to do every day … Every single day is a repetition. You have to keep your hands, you have to watch your eyes, you have to watch your feet, you have to keep your shoulders square and your hips in line. I’m just trying to work on that, trying to get better every single day. I have guys in front of me that are leading me and guiding me and directing me on where I have to go. I have to trust them.”
Bolles has not had the benefit of only focusing on a single position. The coaching staff has put him in a few different spots across the O-line and is throwing him a number of different looks. The rookie is trying not to dwell on his mistakes, knowing it is all part of the process, but he is still holding himself to a high standard of performance as minicamp rapidly approaches.
“They move me around because they want me to learn, and I just have to grasp everything that comes at me. I have my mistakes,” he said. “That’s going to happen because I’m thinking a lot and trying to get comfortable in my position. I just have to continue to work hard every single day and find things to work on. Today I worked on my hands and my stance. The other day I worked on staying low, the other day I worked on finishing my blocks and keeping my pad level down. So every single day I have something to work on and something to craft so when the season comes, or when camp comes I’m ready to go when the pads are on.”
It’s all about making progress for the rookies in the NFL, and Garett Bolles is doing that one day at a time.
Listen to the full interview with Bolles, including his thoughts on bringing more bite to the Denver offensive line, in the podcast below.
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Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
