Written By Drew Stanton

January 22, 2009

For those of us players not preparing for the Super Bowl, it seems that we are all doing whatever makes us happy. 

For some, it is a vacation to a warm destination. Others, including me, continue to dwell where we play or are from, for various reasons.  My main two reasons are that I am getting married in June, and I have been anxiously waiting to see who our offensive coordinator and quarterback coach are going to be.

First, getting married is something I have been looking forward to since the day we got engaged.  Unfortunately, once you really get down to the nitty-gritty, it can become frustrating at times.  Luckily, my beautiful bride-to-be has been unbelievable in coordinating things and the majority of stuff has gone smoothly.  Registering at stores, on the other hand, can be extremely overwhelming.

Cake tasting, though, not overrated at all. 

During the off-season I really get a chance to relax and focus on the things I deem important outside of football.  Obviously, the wedding is important, but spending more time with my fiancée has been great. 

Being an athlete I can only go so long without wanting to do physical activity, that is just how I am wired.  But it is important to try and find that balance of when the season ends and when you get back to training very hard.  I think this year I have a good understanding and have everything mapped out for an off-season program.  I have started doing yoga 5 times a week and enjoy it tremendously.  I have been doing yoga off-and-on for about three years now, but have become very dedicated to my practice this year.  It is amazing all the benefits I receive from doing it, and I try to do it as much as possible when we report back.  Plus it helps having your fiancée be a yoga instructor.  A new yoga studio has open in downtown Plymouth called The Yoga Room, and I have been going there a lot and will continue to do so.

I really do not have much to report about Coach Schwartz.  He called me yesterday and left a message from the Senior Bowl.  I do not know how much you can take from a voicemail, but I was very excited after getting the message.  I called him back, but his phone went to voicemail right away, which meant he was probably on the plane back to Detroit.  I then went in today to introduce myself in person, but he was in an interview with someone who I would love to get here in Detroit, but will remain nameless at this point.  His secretary informed me that it would probably last the rest of the day, so I will attempt again tomorrow. 

I will give you updates as I get them, but my first impression of Coach Schwartz is a great one.  And people around the building seem to share my sentiments. 

Look for my Super Bowl predictions coming very soon, as I give my opinions on each team on both sides of the ball.

Drew Stanton is a quarterback with the Detroit Lions. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.drewstanton.com.