Arrowhead Pride Interview

Follow the link to check out my interview for this Cheifs site.

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2008/5/7/481848/inside-the-mind-of-a-fullb

Mini Camp

Last weekend I went through my first mini camp as a Chief. Although technically a "rookie" mini-camp, I was one of five veteran players to be invited. It was a good opportunity to learn the new offense and show what I can do on the field. The camp consisted of two practices on Friday and then one practice on Saturday. Many of the guys at the camp were players competing to earn a contract as a Kansas City Chief. It reminded me of a few years ago when I signed as a free agent with Cincinnati. I could see how nervous some of the guys were and I remembered being the same way, but no matter how nervous you are, you have to just go out and play. You have to eliminate mistakes because the odds are already against you. You have to do everything right and go above and beyond what is asked of you. The camp had close to 80 guys and by the end of the day, probably only about 20 would be Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL is a very competitive business and it doesn't matter if you are a rookie or a seasoned vet. You are constantly being challenged by newcomers and evaluated by coaches and management. I felt the camp went very well for me. It was a long week having to do the camp after a full week of workouts, but I fought through it and feel confident in my performance. There were 3 other fullbacks at the camp and I believe that they will be taking four of us into training camp. This means that it will be very competitive at this position and I will have to be at my best, which is exactly what I intend on doing. During the camp, I had the opportunity to hear Coach Edwards give a speech for the first time. He is a very motivational guy and what I like about his approach is his no bullshit attitude. He seems to tell you how it is, what he expects you to do, and that it is up to you as an individual to either meet the expectations or be left behind. He also seems to be very fair, which can be a rarity these days.

Long Day

Last night I experienced my first Kansas City Thunderstorm. It came through at 2 in the morning. For those of you that know me, you know I have very crazy and vivid dreams. I was lying in bed and saw flashes of bright light. I was sound asleep at the time, but the lightening and thunder woke me. Because I was still half asleep, my imagination took hold and I thought someone was outside taking pictures. As I drowsily stumbled around my place looking out the windows for the suspected Peeping Tom, I started to grasp reality and realize that it was an intense thunder and hail storm. The hail and wind was so loud that I thought the windows were going to shatter into a million pieces. This morning at workouts, everyone was talking about how intense the storm was and how it woke everyone up in the middle of the night. We all had a good laugh about it. After workouts (which have been high intensity this week), I had two different classes that I attended...I started two programs: one is the Pro Series Program which covers a wide range of topics such as personal finance, investing, retirement, brand building and personal marketing through charities and appearances, etc. The second class is actually considered an Internship Program specifically about wealth management. Both classes are extremely interesting and helpful, but especially the Internship course. The instructor, Tup, as he is called is very engaging and really does a great job of teaching and keeping our attention. Kansas City does a great job in their Player Development programs and goes above and beyond what other teams around the league do as far as preparing you for your post football career and making sure you are making the most out of the money you are earning. One coach in Cincinnati tried to start something similar to what we have hear, but I was one of two people to attend and due to the lack of participation, the program fizzled out. Here the rooms are packed with guys eager to learn and further their education in various ways. I really commend KC for putting so much time into this area because it is soooo important, but is often ignored. So, after a long day beginning with my sleep being messed up by the T Storm I can finally kick my feet up and relax. I might go up to a place called the 810 Zone for dinner tonight. My landlord is part owner so we get half off food and unlimited arcade games. There is a golf simulator machine that is awesome and also a shotgun game where you shoot deer and buffalo an quail that is pretty cool as well. So, "Let's go shoot some Quail! I'm psyched!" Plus, we won't have cable hooked up til Wednesday, so it is a good way to pass some time. That is all for now, its a sunny sky tonight so hopefully no crazy thunderstorms or weird dreams tonight.

Getting Settled

After a week of being put up at the Sheraton, it was time to find my own place. It was such a quick process. I went from being in California one day to living in Kansas City the next, with less than a week to find a place to live. I really wasn't interested in doing an extended stay hotel again. I did that in Cinci and it got old pretty quick...it just never felt like home. Its been a wild journey thus far and as I reflect back on the last 2 years its crazy to think how many times I've moved from one place to another. I've been transporting all my crap via my car and four suitcases. Since graduating college, I've lived in 12 different places for no less than a month in each. The places I've stayed range from a friend's couch in an extra bedroom, a couch/shared bedroom at my parent's place, and crappy extended stay hotel rooms to a condo 2 blocks from the beach, a 3,000 square foot house, and an old victorian mansion. Although I have moved a lot, the good thing is that each new place I find to live seems to be an upgrade of the previous place. The new place I found is no exception. I used the greatest housing resource available...Craigslist to find a new spot (its what I've used to find almost every place I've rented). After spending a couple days searching and looking at places that didn't really wow me, I finally stumbled on a great spot. It is a condo located on the Plaza...the Plaza is a really cool area with tons of restaurants, parks, bars, and shopping. Its actually a really nice area and some of the homes around here are amazing. Many of the houses have unique architecture that give them a historical look and feel and have huge lawns surrounding the property...much different from California where you are literally stacked upon your neighbors. So the place I moved into is great, its across the street from the Contemporary Art Museum (which I will check out soon), is walking distance from the plaza, and is surrouned by several parks. The condo itself came fully furnished and all utilities included which makes it easy to move in and out of. I guess it was featured in one of the KC living magazines as well...I really lucked out. I finally have my car out here now which my brother in law drove out from California. I paid him to drive it out here to save a little money. He thought he was going to make some good cash until he got popped for speeding in Kansas...bummer. My car is covered in bugs and in desperate need of a bath. So after I got all settled in on Saturday, I felt like going out and seeing what Kansas City had to offer as far as nightlife. I started the night at Kona Grill for some sushi...it wasn't up to California sushi standards, but nonetheless, it wasn't too bad. I met up with someone I had met at one of the shops in the Plaza. After hanging at Kona for a bit, we decided to go to the Power and Light District downtown. It was a very lively and happening place. There are about ten different bars and clubs that all surround a beer garden where you can hang out or walk from one place to another with your drink. There were people everywhere and lines at every spot, but fortunately we didn't have to wait...I don't do lines (not to sound arrogant, but I just really don't see the point). Anyway, we went to a place called Rock Bar. It was packed and you could hardly move. It was very fun and very surprising because I really didn't expect Kansas City to have this much to do. Another great thing about the city is that places don't close until 3 a.m. Its great! It was nice to finally get out of the hotel and out of the area where I was before because there was absolutely nothing out there besides the hotel and Denny's. Kansas City has a very nice feel to it and thus far, I enjoy it very much. I start week 2 of workouts tomorrow...I was pretty sore all last week, so hopefully I got that out of me and my body has adjusted, although everybody says that they have been sore each and every week because we keep doing different stuff that targets different muscles. To conclude I can say that I'm excited about the new experience and opportunity here in Kansas City and I plan on making the most of it!

Here are some pics of the new place.

A New Beginning

After an amazing weekend up north in Berkeley for the Cal Alumni NFL weekend, I hopped on a plane to Kansas City to begin the next chapter in my NFL career as a Kansas City Chief. After a long weekend and an even longer plane flight, (I got delayed in Phoenix for over 2 hours) I finally hit the pillow of my hotel room at 2:30 a.m. Kansas City time. I struggled to fall asleep due to the anxiety and anticipation of the coming morning. I would be at the stadium in just a little over 4 hours from now to sign all the papers and begin workouts. When I arrived in the locker room just a little past 7:30 the first person I saw just so happened to be the head coach, Herm Edwards. I introduced myself and he welcomed me, cracked a couple jokes, and put me in touch with the management to sign my contract and then the equipment staff to get me suited up for the workout at 8:30. Fortunately, the first day of workouts was easier than I had anticipated and made me thankful that I had actually been working out and staying in shape over the past three months. I have a really good feeling about the new situation and am excited to compete for a spot on the roster. Most the guys were full of energy and really welcoming and friendly. The team is centered around young guys who are eager and hungry to get on the field, which is exactly what I'm looking for. After the workout, I bummed a ride back to the hotel from one of the QBs, stopped at Subway for a $5 footlong, then went back up to the room and took a much needed nap. This is the just the beginning of big things to come!



http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/04/14/kansas_city_agrees_to_terms_with_fb_chris_manderino/

The Journey Begins

My journey in the NFL began with a phone call late Sunday afternoon on April 30, 2006 simultaneous with a two-time Kobe Bryant buzzer beater. I remember watching the draft come and go without my name being called and waited anxiously in the following hours for the phone to ring...presenting me with that unique opportunity that thousands of kids across America dream of their whole life...to play in the NFL. The minutes seemed like hours, hours like days. My mind began to wander into negativity and pessimism. Had the past three months of training and sacrifice been a total waste? What do I do if I don't get the call? Should I go to Europe? Should I get a job? It was agonizing. To take my mind off things, I watched the Lakers in their playoff battle against the Phoenix Suns. The game was back and forth the entire way and I remember having to take a friend to the airport at the beginning of the fourth quarter. I waited it out to the last possible minute, almost causing my friend to miss the flight. On the way home from the airport, I listened to the game on the radio. After a last second buzzer beater by Kobe in the 4th, the game was now in overtime. There was suspense in the commentator's voice with every dribble and every shot...as the seconds ticked away and the sun faded into the San Francisco skyline...so did my hopes to play in the NFL...still no call and the last day of the draft almost over...By now I had almost completely forgotten and given up hope on what I had so eagerly been anticipating the last few days, weeks, months, shit...YEARS!...THE CALL...then just as Kobe hit a runner to send the game to overtime, the phone rang...it was my agent...HOPE, "Mando, we just spoke to the Cincinnati Bengals and they said they may want to sign you, they should be calling you soon." Could this be it? Is this my chance I thought. No less than 5 minutes had passed when the phone rang with an unknown number...there was less than a minute to go in the game...I was forced to turn the radio down to a dull murmer...
"Chris?" questioned the voice on the phone
"Yes, this is Chris," I answered as I half listened to the voice on the line and half to the commentator of the game.
"This is Jim Anderson with the Cincinnati Bengals," the voice said..."this is it, the last possession," said the commentator in the background..."how would you like to be a Cincinnati Bengal," the voice continued.
"I'D LOVE TO!" I exclaimed.
"OK, well our player personnel guy will be calling you with the details and arrange a flight for you to get out here. Look forward to meeting you..." the rest of the conversation blurred together with the commentator's voice. I expressed my eagerness and excitement and just as I was hanging up the phone, the Lakers were inbounding the ball...I turned the volume up and the excitement returned to the commentator's voice...and Kobe has it!...he dribbles to the top of the key...3,2,1...its good! Lakers win! Lakers win!
The pandemonium that ensued as I drove my 94' beat up black Explorer down the Oakland freeway was enough to cause a 10 car pile up. I was ecstatic! The door of opportunity in the NFL opening for me came simultaneous to Kobe closing the door on the Suns. It was a moment of pure happiness, joy, and accomplishment...little did I know at the time what a roller coaster ride of emotional ups and downs life in the NFL would bring...but at least for this brief moment I was up! WAAAAAAAYYYYYY UP!