Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/305196
48 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 f rienced as a Boilermaker, when he was rarely taken from the field. But it allowed him to go full-bore on the snaps he was in. "You really have to accept the role that they're giv- ing you," said Short, who is entering the second year of a four-year, $4.63-million deal. "I'm not a starter and not playing as many snaps, and I'm not the guy that everybody is focused on, so you just accept the role and do whatever they ask you to do. "If coach asks you to play the 3 (technique, shading the guard), you play the 3; if he asks you to play the 1 (technique, shading inside guard), you play the 1; if he asks you to go outside, you go outside. It was a relief knowing that we're still win- ning and I was playing less snaps and I didn't feel winded. "… All we had to do was go out there and even if it was two plays, you go out there and bust your butt for two plays. All you have to do is tap your helmet and you've got somebody else running in, so the rotation was phenomenal, the way we had it set up." But adjusting to the NFL, the speed of the game and the preparation necessary to succeed didn't come right away. In training camp, Short says he was trying to survive, learning as much as he could about the Pan- thers and find his niche. Then, after the first couple games of the season, when he had only three tackles, Short realized that his usual game prep wasn't going to be enough in the NFL. He needed to give more, so he studied more. "It's your job, and in your job you have to know what you're doing," he said. "So I have to know what the two guards and the center are doing, and know how to anchor the double blocks. Those first couple weeks, I wasn't really studying like that, but some of the older guys were like 'Man, it's going to help you. It didn't in college, but it will here.' And that's the same thing it did for me. "After a couple weeks, I started going in to study more in film session early in the mornings, before the coaches even come in, to watch the practice (the day) before and the guys that I'm going against that week. The preparation with the film is unbelievable, it just helps you out so much." PLAYING ON SUNDAYS The following is a look at former Boilermakers on NFL rosters. Dallas Cowboys #8 QB Kyle Orton #93 LB Anthony Spencer Tennessee Titans #31 SS Bernard Pollard #58 LB Shaun Phillips Carolina Panthers #99 DT Kawann Short Cleveland Browns #38 DB Royce Adams Green Bay Packers #96 DE/LB Mike Neal New England Patriots #50 DE Rob Ninkovich New Orleans Saints #9 QB Drew Brees New York Giants #17 QB Curtis Painter Oakland Raiders #- RB Kory Sheets Philadelphia Eagles #67 OL Dennis Kelly San Diego Chargers #61 C Nick Hardwick Seattle Seahawks #56 DE Cliff Avril Washington Redskins #91 LB Ryan Kerrigan Free Agents TE Kyle Adams TE Dustin Keller RG Uche Nwaneri OT Mike Otto Tom Campbell Short, along with former teammate Joe Holland, was in the stands for Purdue's spring game on April 12. He was looking forward to OTAs, which started later in the month.