We usually hear these stories from players, but even first-time coaches at the pro level have their “Welcome to the NFL” moments.
Such was the case for Dave Canales, who is set to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ new offensive coordinator after spending 14 years as an assistant on Pete Carroll’s staff with the Seattle Seahawks.
Canales joined the Seahawks after spending time with Carroll as an assistant at USC, but he quickly learned just how much higher the standards are at the game’s highest level.
In an interview with his alma mater back in 2014, Canales brought back an embarrassing memory from his first NFL training camp with the Seahawks.
“My very first NFL training camp, I went to practice missing several practice cards,” Canales recalled. “We didn’t have enough to finish a period, so practice stopped because of me. That was really embarrassing and the pivotal point when I realized the magnitude of the Seahawks machine. If one cog is out of place, the whole machine stops. In high school or college, we could just skip something and move on to the next thing, but in the NFL, every single play is important. It made me realize how much detail and energy goes into each day at this level.”
Whoever ends up making the practice cards for Canales’ offense in Tampa Bay better not leave any behind.
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