Bears training camp diaries with Sam Roush, Neville Gallimore | Week 1 
As told to Gabby Hajduk

Tight end Sam Roush — a third-round selection from Stanford — and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore — a seven-year veteran who signed with the Bears in free agency — share their training camp experiences from rookie and veteran perspectives exclusively on ChicagoBears.com. This series will feature both players giving first-person accounts once a week throughout training camp.

Our summer break between OTAs and training camp was much needed. It was the first extended period of downtime that I've had since before my senior year of college, because after the season ended, I went right into combine training.

I spent the first two weeks of our break in Utah, where my grandparents live, with my entire family. We played a lot of board games, mainly Catan, went out to the beach and just had some quality, relaxing time together. I still needed to keep up with my workouts, so I found a random high school field to run on and then went to a gym that I worked out at whenever I'd go to Utah during college breaks.

Then, it was back to work. First, Caleb had a bunch of us out in L.A. for a couple days, which gave me a chance to get more comfortable with the routes since it's my first time running a lot of these things, and since the offense is complex, there's a lot of reads on these routes that we have to be dialed on. I was back at Halas Hall July 10 so I could take full advantage of the offseason training program that we have and just feel as prepared as possible for camp. And I got to sign my contract, and that was pretty cool. I was very happy about that.

Report day came quickly. The rookies, first-years and quarterbacks reported last Saturday, which was nice because we did our conditioning test that same day then immediately got to work on the first four installs. So most, if not all, of the plays that we've run so far, we had already walked through or at least talked about in the meeting room. Obviously, us rookies have more to learn as we go through camp, so it was nice to get a jump start in the first week.

That initial report day, I didn't feel nervous, more so excited to get going. But our first day of practice, I definitely felt the nerves. And then Friday, seeing the fans out for the first time, that was a much different experience than I was used to at college. But I had to remind myself, it's still football. The nerves mostly come from the pressure I put on myself to succeed and get things right. I never want to be a guy that a coach or team isn't confident in to get it right.

Perfection is something you can chase and isn't somewhere anyone will ever get, but I want to be as close to it as possible. I know it's a process, but I still want to adjust as quickly as I possibly can. I think the most important thing is keeping an eye on your progress. Coach Johnson said something in meetings the other day that really stuck with me. It was along the lines of, "immediate progress is overrated," meaning it's okay if we don't go out there Day 1 and get everything right. It's okay to start a little bit off, but make progress each day and keep building on that.

My biggest goal for training camp is to not be a mistake repeater. I know I've made plenty of mistakes the first few days, but as long as I'm learning and getting better each day, I'll be happy with the way things are going. I want to finish each phase of training camp better than when I started it.

I also want to be known as someone who is consistent, especially in technique. I want to have my technique right 100% of the time. And I want my teammates and coaches to know that when I do something right, I'm going to do that thing right 100% of the time.

Now being about a week into camp, I've been able to establish a good routine. One of the main things has been getting to the building early, around 6:45 a.m. so I'm ready to go for script review with the tight ends each day at 7:15. After we go over what the day of practice is going to look like, I spend another 10 to 15 minutes reviewing the script and install by myself to make sure I know what I've got.

Obviously, practice, meetings, walk-through, lift and recovery are pretty much scheduled out each day, but something I've really prioritized is watching practice film before we meet as an offense or as position groups. I think it's important to evaluate yourself before you're evaluated by the coaches, so when you're asked questions, you have an answer. Once I get back to the hotel at night, it's usually around 8:30. I try to take an hour to decompress, whether that's calling my girlfriend, calling my family or just watching a show. Right now, I'm watching Pluribus on Apple TV.

I know camp is long, but I am looking forward to going through the process with the team. I'm excited for more practice days with the fans out here and having the opportunity to interact with them. Cole and I did autographs at Walter Payton Center Friday for a bunch of kids, and that was the best.

They were fired up, and it always feels good to give those experiences to kids.  Now, it's onto Week 2.

Heading into training camp this year, I've felt very fortunate to be in my seventh NFL season. Each camp I've been a part of has had its own sauce, but I knew Bears camp was going to be different. When I signed here in March, it was clear the standard of this team, the way they practiced, the way they did everything — it was different.

It started in OTAs with DA (Dennis Allen). It was one of the first practices, and we were doing a pursuit drill. I made a "rookie" mistake, me being new, and I ran the complete opposite direction than I was supposed to. I had to do 10 up-downs for the mistake, and afterward, Grady (Jarrett) came to me and was like, "Man, it's okay, it'll just prepare you for the 40."

I had heard some of the guys in the spring talking about the 40 up-downs that DA requires each player on the defense to do at the start of training camp. But then I got back to Texas this summer, and even one of my trainers knew about it. He started implementing them into the workout. I was like, "Yo, what?"

By the time we reported for camp Tuesday, I wasn't even worried about the conditioning test. I know I'm in shape, but I was just thinking of these 40 up-downs. We did them Wednesday and by the time we got to 25, if there was music playing, I didn't even hear it. And then it was like, "Oh, we go practice."

But when you do little things like that and you go through a grind like that off the bat, that's what brings teams close quickly. We were all feeling it, but nobody tapped out and that makes you want to be a part of a group. You have to hold yourself to a different standard because you want to be there for your guys. That was the first thing I realized when I got here: man, this team, the culture here, it's just different. I can't even explain it. But that Chicago Bears logo, what it means to be a Bear or even a Bears fan, is different, and in a good way.

Fans came to practice for the first time Friday and I got a real look at how deep the fandom is. I signed a few autographs and one kid asked for my towel. I was like, "Are you sure? It's real sweaty." This kid didn't care. He wanted my towel. I'm looking at his parents like, "Are y'all okay with this?" It made me laugh because this fanbase is just different. It's like, "Okay, I love y'all, too." If it's that deep, I love it.

When I was with the Rams and we played the Bears at Soldier Field, I remember being in the game and thinking, "Yo, the vibe in here is lit." Now that I'm able to be a part of it, I just want to be one of the guys that can contribute and uphold the standard and be a part of something special. When you have a group of talent like we do, but then everybody is so selfless, it's special. There are no egos. You've got a whole bunch of personalities, but not egos. Everybody just wants to win and compete. It's a grind, but I'm loving it here.

While I've been in this league for a bit, there's still some adjustment when you start camp with a new team, just trying to build those connections and fit into the camaraderie they've already established. It's been smooth, though, and I've really enjoyed working with this group of D-linemen. Playing alongside Grady especially has been enjoyable. It's funny because he was a guy that I've always watched, just being a student of the game. I've always had a lot of appreciation for his game, so when the Bears called me and I knew he was on the team, I was like, "Oh snap!" When you go from watching somebody's tape to working with them on the daily and being able to pick their brain, it's really dope.

A benefit to being a vet now is I know how long camp can feel. We're only through Day 4. You have to take it day by day and not get too high or too low. I'll still be Nev, cracking jokes and whatever, but lock in when it's time. Some of the rooks, they get some anxiety or get down on themselves easily, but the best thing about football is we get paid to play a child's game. You've gotta have fun with it. That's my advice to the young guys.

My main goals for camp this year are pretty simple. Just being as consistent as possible and stacking days. I want to be a technician at practice, hone in on the things being asked of me and be a great teammate. I'm a firm believer that plays will come, but it's what you're able to do when you're tired and you have to trust your technique and trust your teammates. That's what counts once the season comes.

I've also learned what my camp essentials are. I always have my Bible on me. I have to have my giant Yeti water bottle. That's mandatory. I have to have my portable fan for the hotel. That thing comes with me on gamedays and everything. The one I had literally broke in the middle of the night Thursday, and I was honestly sick. So I need to buy a new one. I need my sleep music, like white noise, and then every camp, I have a couple shows I tap into. Right now, I'm tapped into Season 5 of Raising Kanan.

What's really helped me settle into camp this year is knowing I spent really great quality time with my family this summer. That's something I found a better balance in this offseason — prioritizing my training while also making consistent time for my family. My son is 1-and-a-half years old now, and he's running around and finding his personality. We found out that he loves animals, so I found this place called Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas where they do one of those safari tours. Me, my wife, our son and a couple of our friends and their kids did that, which was dope.

For the first time in about 10 years, I got to be home in Canada for my mom's birthday. Usually I'm already in camp or I was at college, but this year it timed up that I could go home then come straight to Chicago to report. That was special.

I don't realize how much I miss my family until I get to camp and things start moving quickly. I was really intentional about maximizing this summer with them, because you don't want to go into camp and wish you could've done more with them. My wife and son are coming up here Sunday, so I'm excited to see them and for us to share this experience.