Carrying a Load

From DenverBroncos.com

Seventh-round pick Josh Barrett is enjoying some of the perks of rookie life already this season. On his way in from practice, Barrett was spotted alongside fellow rookie defensive back Jack Williams carrying quite a few extra helmets.

"It’s kind of an unwritten law I guess and a rite of passage in some respects, but it just comes with it," Barrett said. "No big deal."

Barrett said there hasn't been any hazing in the locker room, though. Adding that no one's been taped to any goalposts -- yet.

"Nothing like that," he said. "The guys here are real cool, if you have questions they’ll take time and answer them. There hasn’t been any hazing by any means."

There is a little extra responsibility that comes with being a rookie, Barrett said, and a lot of it has to do with high expectations, both from yourself and from teammates and coaches. Barrett has been meeting those expectations so far in camp, and says the transition has gone fairly smoothly. The biggest difference between college and the NFL, he said, is freedom.

"Between the coaching staff, the personnel, you’re more of a grown individual at this level," he said. "If you don’t do something or if you’re not responsible, that’s on you. This is a profession, whereas in college you were a student, that was pretty much a profession in itself, and then football came. It’s different in that respect."