Editor's Note: Bryan Randall has been in Atlanta since mid-May participating in about four weeks of OTAs (Organized Team Activities), the practices which take place between mini-camp and the opening of fall training camp. Here's the latest from Bryan in Georgia.

After coming back from the mini-camp, when we got back up here the practices and everything have pretty much been the same. We�re practicing three times a week. Usually it�s Monday, Wednesday and Thursday practices starting out at 7:30 in the morning. Special teams meet at 7:30 in the morning, then offense and defense will go at 8:00 to probably about 10:00. Then we have a special teams practice before the regular practice around 10:30, then everybody on the whole team will get together and we practice around 11:00.

At about 12:30 everyday, the rookies have meetings with their coaches. And then the rookies would, depending on the day, either lift or run at 2:15 every day. Our running and lifting was every day, not just three days a week. Even the days we weren�t practicing, we were still coming in to meetings. We get the weekends off, so that�s a good thing.

On special teams, basically I�m just kind of feeling my way through it. I�m not necessarily on first or second string on any of the special teams, but right now I have been involved in all the special teams meetings. Kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return. I�ve never been on special teams before, so it�s something new to me.

Our practice facility is located in Flowery Branch, down by Buford, a couple of miles from Suwannee near Gwinnett County. They�ve got us staying near Lake Lanier, actually in the same area that we stayed for the mini-camp, except that now we are staying in a hotel instead of the cabins. The cabins were much nicer than the hotel (laughs). At the cabin we had a room to ourselves, and then there was a living area, a kitchen and a big refrigerator. Now at the hotel, it�s two to a room and not nearly as big.

Last time, during mini-camp, I was rooming with Roddy White. This time I�m with DeAndre Cobb, the running back from Michigan State. They put all the rookies in the same hotel, and all the veterans just stay where they live. We won�t actually have to stay in the same quarters until training camp. It�s great. He�s real easy going and easy to get along with, so we haven�t had any problems.

The style of strength and conditioning is kind of different. Right now, since all the rookies are lifting together, the routine is kind of repeated just about every other day that we lift. We�re pretty much doing the same thing with just minor changes. He�s already told us that as time goes on, things will be a little different. He�s just got to get a feel for the players and what they can do, so they can kind of individualize our workouts.

They just want to get our bodies in the best shape possible to play at our peak performance. When we came in they got our body weight, measured our body fat percentage and all that. It�s real important that we work to get to the peak of our bodies to make sure that we are able to perform at our best from a physical standpoint.

When I got here, I weighed about 228 or 230. I felt like I wanted to get to about 220. I don�t know why, but for some reason it has been hard to lose weight while lifting. Even with the practices and everything, it�s hard to lose the extra pounds. I�m not sure if my body fat has changed over time, but I feel like my body is changing. It�s just the weight is still there. I�ve just found that I haven�t been able to get it where I want it to, but it could be for a different reason.

At Tech, I�d start the season around 225. During the season it would fluctuate to around 221, 223, somewhere around there.

I feel a lot more comfortable than I did with the position. Even when I came back from the mini-camp I felt more comfortable, just from looking at the plays and digesting them, and letting things slow down. I feel that now I�m capable of getting out there, calling the play and running the play and executing the play, if given the opportunity. From the time leaving mini-camp to the four weeks that we�ve done now, I feel like I�m coming along each week.

The physical things are there. The mental side is what has to come along, and I feel that slowly but surely I�ve been able to pick up some things, some little things, that have helped.

My arm is live. The thing is, I really don�t get that many reps in practice. It might be a day where I go out there, throw at the beginning of practice and warm up, and then never get a rep through the whole practice. I�m mental repped to death. You�ll learn that in this league, the number one quarterback is going to take most of the reps, second string is going to get a couple, the third string is going to get very few. Even the third string quarterback, he may only get two reps in one period, maybe one in the next period and maybe two in another period. And if he�s getting that many, then the fourth stringer just has to get one whenever he can fit in.

I�ve worked in a couple of reps here and there, but basically they�ve been limited. I guess they�ve been slowly but surely trying to work me in, giving me a couple of more reps here and there. But the way I feel right now, is that if I were able to get more reps, then I am definitely capable of being successful.

I guess they are evaluating me during the few reps that I get, when I�m throwing routes to the receivers, doing one-on-one drills with the receivers. I mean I�m really not sure. I guess they�ve got their own feel and they�re just judging different things, but it�s really hard to tell.

I haven't really gotten any feedback from the coaches. It�s been a couple of times where they say you�ve got to get all the mental reps that you can, and be able to come along mentally, because if there�s ever a time where I have to play in a game then I�m going to have to know what to do. That�s one thing they�ve told me.

I�ve had to sit back and ask a lot of questions. Through the whole practice I just sit back there with the quarterbacks coach, and if there�s something I don�t understand then I�m asking him, Ty [Detmer], Matt [Schaub] or Mike [Vick] what�s going on and why is this happening. But I�m always out there asking questions and they�re always willing to help.

If you go out there and watch Ty, he can still get it done. He�s so smart and he knows where to go with the ball. His physical tools are kind of wearing down and he�s smart enough to stay on top of things, but there�s no question that he has the most knowledge of the offense. No question about that. He has the knowledge of a coach in the offense.

When it comes down to it, believe it or not, the west coast offense and our offense at Tech, I�m not going to sit here and say there are a lot of similarities, but the plays are similar in a lot of ways. We have a lot of plays at Tech and a lot of routes at Tech that are just the same that they are here, but it�s just different terminology. I guess that�s why the adjustment wasn�t necessarily that hard, it�s just a matter or terminology. The plays aren�t that complicated. There is a little variation here and there, but it�s not that different from being at Tech for four years.

I actually got to hang with DeAngelo [Hall] one night. He took me, Roddy and one of Roddy�s friends out to dinner. We went to a real nice restaurant, one of his favorites, and I can see why. I don�t know if I could afford the bill to be going there (laughs). It was a little too nice for me to be going there. But it was nice.

DeAngelo is a professional about it. It seems like to me that he�s grown up a lot and matured a lot since he�s been in Atlanta.

But as far as hanging out with other players, rookies really don�t get to do that because we�ve got to do so much stuff, and a lot of the guys just go home, relax and get away from it. I�ve actually been hanging out with T.J. Duckett, the running back from Michigan State. He and my roommate went to school together. When I didn�t have my car up here, he came to pick us up and we hung out with him a couple of times.

For most of the veterans, this last few weeks of practices ended today. We�re going to have two OTAs [Organized Team Activities] next week for rookies and selected veterans. After next week, it will be over for all the veterans. The rookies have to stay here until the middle of July, I think the 15th, working out, running and lifting. I talked to a couple of other players, and they said that some other teams don�t do that. After OTAs are over, everybody leaves, rookies included.

Training camp opens July 25th. So we get to go home on July 15th, and then we have to report back on July 25th.

I don�t necessarily miss Blacksburg. I guess it�s getting into something new, you know, right now it�s just all exciting to me. I�m having fun down here. I�m ready to get things going. I look forward to every day, going out there and doing something.

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