Sometimes the words are hollow, said without much feeling, offered more to prod than to be believed.
“Practice like it might be your last practice.”
Then there’s Ben Garland, whose NFL clock ticks the loudest in this Broncos training camp. Garland, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, runs the sprints, lifts the weights, sweats the details on the field and in the team’s meetings knowing by the end of the month he will set a new vector, heading for his active duty service in the U.S. Air Force.
“I know all of those decisions are out there and they’re closing in,” said Garland, a defensive lineman. “But right now, I’m just trying to get through training camp and do the things I need to do to contribute and get better day by day. Every minute is important to me here.”
The Grand Junction native must decide if he has done well enough to have a future in professional football, or if he will accept a coveted spot waiting for him in pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base near Del Rio, Texas.
If he chooses pilot training, he is looking at a minimum of eight years of active duty, in addition to the time it takes in training. If he doesn’t enter pilot training, he would have a five-year military commitment that eventually could be reduced to two years of active duty if he requests a waiver. He would also have six years of reserve duty.
The latter option would allow him to pursue an NFL career, as safety Chad Hall has done with the Eagles.
To fly or not to fly?
“He loves the game. You can see that,” Broncos safety Brian Dawkins said. “He’s a dedicated individual to do what he’s doing. There is no question about that. If you know this might be the only time you could be out here, that’s a tough thing. To have that looming over you, that’s a mental battle a lot of people wouldn’t want to face.”
Garland will have to decide by the time the Broncos are closing in on their third preseason game, Aug. 29 against the Steelers. Until that point, he is using leave he accumulated in his time at the Air Force Academy to participate in Broncos’ camp.
The Broncos can put Garland on reserve/military at any point if he decides to keep his NFL dream alive. That would enable the team to keep his rights.
“I think the guys are extremely fond of him,” coach Josh McDaniels said. “And proud to be associated with a player that’s got a greater good in mind, and he’s going to be dedicated to that cause. I can’t say enough good things about him. We look forward to having him for a while, and wish him the best as he goes and does what he has to do.”
If Garland elects to enter pilot training one significant issue for him will be the extra 20 pounds he has added in the Broncos’ workout program. He is 6-feet-5 and weighs nearly 300 pounds. That’s a bit too much when flying airplanes. Garland said he would “have to weigh about 245 in boots or pretty close to that.”
He has talked with Chad Hennings, a former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman and an Air Force graduate, about the transition. Hennings had a shorter active duty commitment and received a weight waiver before embarking on a military career that saw him fly 45 missions over Iraq.
“He lost all the weight to fly and put it all back on to play,” Garland said. “But you’re talking about pilot training, it is one of the most difficult things you can go through, one of the most rigorous things you can do. You have be disciplined, ready for hard work, and the guys who go through it and complete it are real heroes.”
While some players wonder what’s waiting for them if there is no roster spot in their future, Garland knows what the choices are and when he must make them.
He says if his NFL career boils down to one August worth of work in the Dove Valley sun, he could live with that.
“It’s all worth it,” Garland said. “What an experience to go through right now, training with these amazing athletes, working with them, being part of a team. It’s a dream come true for me.”
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
