August 3, 2005

QUARSHIE BEGINS TRAINING CAMP WITH RAIDERS
by Sean Leahy

little car trouble was not enough to keep Michael Quarshie away from his first NFL training camp.

Michael Quarshie, center in No. 73, runs with his Raiders teammates. PHOTO: Tony Gonzales Courtesy of Oakland Raiders Raiders Training Camp Held in Napa, California, north of Oakland See pictures from Raiders camp Read the Raiders' training camp notebook For more information on NFL training camps: Atlanta Falcons Training Camp Cam NFL.com Training Camp Site ESPN Training Camp Coverage Full Schedule Raiders' Training Camp Daily Itinerary Time Activity 6:30 a.m. Wake up call 6:30 - 7:30 Breakfast 7:00 Get taped for practice 8:50 - 11:00 Practice 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch 2:00 - 2:45 Unit meetings 3:50 - 6:00 Practice 6:00 - 7:30 Dinner 7:30 - 10:00 Meetings 10:00 Snack 11:00 Curfew

The defensive lineman arrived at Raiders camp in Napa, Calif., last Wednesday a few hours later than he expected because of car failure on the way from Oakland. But he was ready at 6:30 a.m. the next morning to step onto the field for the Raiders' conditioning test.

Michael participated in the team’s rookie mini camp prior to the start of training camp, said he is taking the same approach he has always had to football: working hard, learning and trying to improve his technique.

Yet Quarshie said he has noticed increased intensity at the Raiders camp than he saw in his college days at Columbia. “You really lose a sense of time,” he said of the Raiders’ workouts. “You walk off the field after morning practice and you think it’s six at night.”

The itinerary at Raiders camp begins with a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call. It is then filled throughout the day with two on-field practices, unit meetings, meals and a little time for rest and recovery.

Raiders coaches have been exposing Quarshie to work all along the defensive line in early camp drills. “I’ve gotten a chance to work a lot in different positions and I played several positions on the line,” he said.

Quarshie said he has been learning from his veteran teammates. “Everyone handles themselves pretty professionally around here,” he said. “People are courteous and the veterans have been helpful. I keep getting good pointers from them.”

The Raiders’ facilities have been a marked improvement over those he had been familiar with in the Ivy League last year. “Yeah, they really take care of us,” he said. "The food they serve us is really good, and the fields and weight room are great. There are also a lot of trainers and other personnel to help us."

Plus, the facilities are better. The Napa Marriott, with its adjacent practice fields, is an upgrade over the 102-block bus ride Quarshie made from Columbia’s campus to its practice facility last year.

Quarshie’s goal over the next few weeks at training camp is simply to work hard, study and hopefully improve his technique. He plans to listen and learn from the help his coaches and veteran teammates have been sharing.

And if he has any free time, maybe he’ll join the AAA auto club so he won’t have to repeat his car trouble experience.

When his car’s alternator failed on Highway 29 en route to training camp, Quarshie was stuck with a three hour wait and $95 bill for a tow truck. Having never driven regularly in the U.S. throughout his time in college, Michael said he learned a lesson about being prepared for mishaps on the road.

“I was standing on the highway looking at a grape vine and thinking ‘I’m supposed to be in training camp and here I am on a highway looking at a broken car,’” he said.

“As soon as I get a chance,” he said about the AAA auto club, “I’m going to join.”