May 23, 2014 at 2:31 p.m.
Heed his words: Packers' TE Ryan Taylor shares wisdom with RHS football team
Heed his words: Packers' TE Ryan Taylor shares wisdom with RHS football team
They filed in just before 11 a.m. and filled the seats in front of the stage, talking to each other while they waited for the presentation to begin.
Standing in front of them on the stage were the familiar faces of Grid Iron Club members Aaron Panke and Dan Linsmeyer. They talked quietly between themselves and a few others.
In the middle of it all, standing a head above the others with shoulders practically as wide as goalposts, stood a new face. He was dressed casually in a gray T-shirt and jeans. His hands were in his pockets and he rocked back and forth on his heels in the least assuming way possible. It didn't matter though. He stood out.
If this was Chris Ferge, he certainly looked the part.
Activities Director Brian Paulson took the stage after a few stragglers finally found their seats a little after 11 a.m. After a few opening remarks, he broke the news.
"Mr. Ferge is going to come up here two weeks from now to talk to everyone who's interested," he said. "You will have the opportunity to meet with him then. He would have liked to be here today, but he has teaching obligations and wants to leave on a good note."
Confusion rippled through the crowd. If Ferge wasn't the behemoth standing before them, then who was he?
Dr. Emily Stuckenbruck, the new Dean of University Transfer Liberal Arts at Nicolet College took center stage and introduced herself. She used to work at the University of North Carolina, where she used to teach this unknown man before moving to Rhinelander.
Finally, when the suspense had reached its zenith, Stuckenbruck made her big reveal. The 6-foot-3-inch giant was Green Bay Packers' tight end Ryan Taylor. He was there to speak to the team and share some advice. For a team that's experienced so much instability over the last few months, it was a welcome surprise.
"I was expecting to see the head coach and learn what we were jumping into with him this year," Mason Shallow said. "It took me off guard. It was really exciting. I couldn't believe it was actually a Packer standing up there."
Taylor started to speak and immediately made it clear to the group that not long ago he was sitting in the same seats they are now.
"I grew up in North Carolina," he said. "I'm from a small town called Winston-Salem, a tobacco town. I didn't know what I was going to do coming out of high school. I was sitting in your chairs with no idea of what I was going to do with my future. Football was a secondary thing for me. I played JV my sophomore year."
Eventually, Taylor worked his way into the starting lineup, playing wide receiver. He was originally planning on playing lacrosse in college, but when his play on the gridiron started turning heads, he earned himself a scholarship offer from UNC.
Upon arriving on campus, he soon experienced his own coaching change.
"When I got to North Carolina, we had one coaching staff that ended up getting fired during my freshman year," he said. "We brought in a guy by the name of Butch Davis who was a professional coach in the college ranks in a couple of ways. He ended up paying a couple players and got fired for it.
"I got buried in the depth chart because he brought in his own guys. I wasn't playing much tight end at all and I ended up primarily playing special teams. I know as football players, you know special teams isn't the most sexy of jobs."
Taylor was candid with the team and earned a few laughs. It was his message that kept the players on the edge of their seats though. He had been there and he'd done it right. They could learn from him.
"I was coming off an injury in my redshirt senior year," Taylor said. "Up until this point, I had never started a game. I had a couple really good guys playing ahead of me, but I always thought I could do more. Most importantly though, I never let the fact that I wasn't playing bring me down. I always knew I could do more and always worked to that point. I worked in the weight room, I worked in the classroom to stay eligible and I worked on my craft on the field, even though I wasn't getting many opportunities. I knew that if I kept working hard, they would come."
Around halfway through his final year of eligibility, Taylor got his shot. First, the starting tight end went down with an injury. Not long after that, the backup tight end went down. Suddenly he was thrust into the spotlight and all that hard work was finally paying off.
"With five games left, I got my first start," he said. "I started catching balls and set the record for receiving yards and catches in a single season in just five games. I had a great bowl game and I ended up getting the attention of some scouts."
Before his breakout stretch, Taylor wasn't even thinking about the NFL. He was planning on going into sports marketing and even had a job lined up. Titletown was calling though.
"By the grace of God, I was drafted in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers," he said. "I tell you guys this because I want you to understand there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. What you can control though is how hard you work and your attitude toward that. There were a lot of times in college when I wanted to walk up to my coach and quit football. I just wanted to be a regular student and focus on my degree, and little bit of partying. I didn't do that because I knew if I kept working hard, there'd be an opportunity."
For a program that's traditionally struggled with numbers, that message couldn't have been more relevant. Taylor was familiar with the state of the Rhinelander program and said it's nothing to be down about. It only breeds greater opportunity.
"I know you guys have had a few down years, and that's all right," he said. "You always have the opportunity to turn that around. You can come out next year much better, but that starts in the weight room. The offseason practices are a huge time to get the playbook down and get your fundamentals down before the season.
"That's what we're doing right now. We're working every day to get the plays down and get on point with Aaron Rodgers so we can beat the Bears, the Vikings and all the other teams we all hate."
At the end of the day, that's what separates those who succeed and reach their goals from those who don't. Taylor said there are examples of people who refused to put the time in everywhere, but it doesn't have to be the case.
"I just want you to understand that it's not always the most glamorous job, but it keeps you moving forward and it creates those opportunities for you down the road," he said. "It gets you where you want to be. It takes a ton of work. I know lots of guys who were more talented than me in high school and college, but didn't put in the work in the weight room or academically to create those opportunities."
Taylor answered questions for a long time. He gave the players a window into the day-to-day life of a Packer. He revealed Clay Matthews' obsession with bicep curls and professed his love for the power clean.
He hates the Detroit Lions and San Fransisco 49ers above all else and, after spending one entire offseason in Green Bay, vowed to never endure another Wisconsin winter.
The kids picked his brain for as long as he could before being ushered off to lunch. A few snuck back in for one more question, and Taylor was happy to oblige.
The Hodag football program is on the brink of serious change. If the program turns around, Taylor's words may have in some way contributed.
"It helps get the excitement up around the program," Panke said. "They've got a new coach coming in and this is going to help them get ready for a big season."
The players were already chomping at the bit. An hour with a Green Bay Packer will have that effect though.
"His overall attitude is something I'll remember," Mason Shallow said. "You have to keep your head down and do your work. When the going gets tough, you have to go even harder. Motivation-wise, this is a big thing. We had some bad vibes at the end with Coach Moore, so we're looking forward to turning the page, starting fresh and seeing where we end up."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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