Bears training camp diaries with Sam Roush, Neville Gallimore | Week 5
As told to Gabby Hajduk

For the final time, 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.

It's crazy to think my first training camp is over. It was honestly a fun experience. Even going back to college, I think I've always enjoyed camp more than most people just because of how tight knit the team gets. I was really looking forward to that part. And I obviously just love football.

Most importantly, though, I got a lot better. I think as a team we got a lot better. I've said all along, as long as I feel like I'm improving in some regard day after day and the coaching staff feels the same way, then I'm happy with the way things are going.

Being a rookie, I think my biggest areas of growth through camp were adjusting to the speed of play at the NFL level and then learning a new, more in-depth playbook and being able to operate that consistently. You can obviously know a play in your head, but to be your best and really work your technique, you have to be able to play fast. So, when you get on the field and a play is called, it needs to be automatic. You should immediately know what your assignment is, what looks we're expecting and what techniques you need to hone in on.

My growth in that regard has definitely been gradual. And it's up and down. You'll come in one day thinking, "all right, I got it." And then it's, "We're putting in 21 personnel today." And I didn't play fullback in college, so now there's new categories of alignments and plays in my brain that I never really had to access before. So then you struggle off the bat, and once you feel confident there, it's, "alright, we're putting in our short yardage goal line plays," and that's completely different than anything you've been doing. When you're learning a new playbook, those ups and downs are expected, but I'm getting closer and closer every day to being in the automatic head space.

And that's something that you can always improve on. I could be eight years into my NFL and I'll still be learning. That's a process that never stops. I think what really helped me progress with the playbook was the nine practices we had in May and June. That work gave me a helpful head start, so when we came back from summer break, I already had an idea of what I was getting into. And the work we did in OTAs directly translated to camp, so I'm grateful for that work we did in the spring.

Even though I really did enjoy camp, it was obviously still hard. The days are long, you're constantly being challenged and as a rookie, you're learning so much at once. But I was surprised by how much of a brotherhood there is here, similar to the way it was in college. There's a supportive culture that the Bears have fostered and from what I understand, it's not like that everywhere. That is helpful when you're going through a tough camp and you look over and the dude next to you has been doing the same thing. It gives you confidence that you can do it too.

There's something endearing about shared suffering. If we're all going through it together, it makes the challenge 100 times better than if you're doing it alone. So I'm just appreciate of the guys and the coaches for creating such a strong culture.

As far as the final stretch of camp, we went to Tennessee for a joint practice with the Titans and then our last preseason game. My play on Saturday was more consistent than it was in the first two games. I was definitely happy with that. I think I did a better job blocking and I had that catch on fourth down which was cool.

Plays like those are good for confidence, because you never want your first time in a critical situation to be in a game that counts. That's why we rep different situations in practice a lot. The coaches are trying to make sure we cover all the bases, so we're never at a point in the game where we're not prepared for a situation. So, yeah, that fourth-and-1 catch felt good.

I think my route running in general during the game was better than it has been, and again, I was just more consistent across the board. Obviously, consistency is what I'm working towards because you want your coaches and teammates to trust that you're going to do the job right 100% of the time. And I wasn't super happy with the way that practice went Tuesday back at Halas or Thursday in Nashville, so it was nice to get a bit of a win in the game and feel good about that going into the season now.

Once we're through these next couple days, the entire focus shifts to Week 1 and the regular season. I haven't had time to set any specific goals for my rookie year yet, but at the end of the day, I just want to do my job and do it well.

As long as I continue to get better and execute my role, good things will happen for me and the team. I appreciate all the Bears fans for following along through my first camp. Now it's time to move onto the season, and I'm excited to get going.

I can't believe camp is already over. This was definitely one of the most intense camps I've been apart of since being in the league, but with good reason. The constant theme I've been sharing each week is the standard here is different. The brand of football we want to play, how we go about our days, how we attack each practice — it's all unique to us. And seeing how our work from the first couple weeks has translated to joint practices and preseason game, it's clear there's a method to the "madness."

So, yeah, this camp was definitely one where you had to be on point every day, both mentally and physically. There was no ducking the quality of work and the standard that is expected here.

That work, though, should translate to the the regular season in a great way. In football, you're building these calluses. You're only gonna get in shape by playing football. You're only gonna get prepared by constantly being in those tough situations — two-minute, long drive, no rotation — yet still needing to perform at a high level and do things the Bears way.

When you put all those things together and you have those simulations in practice day in and day out, come December and January, when the body typically starts to wear down and the mileage stacks up, you feel like you've already experienced that. It won't came as a shock to us. I also feel like the staff here does a great job of taking care of us and giving us that time we need to recover yet still exposing us to that sudden change because in an NFL season, a lot can happen. The schedule is constantly changing — you're playing a night game then a noon game then you're playing Sunday and have to turn around and play Thursday. So this camp has done a great job emulating what the season entails.

With all that in mind, this camp has really strengthened my toughness and knowledge of the game. There's still a level of consistency I'm chasing in terms of technique and living up to the standard. But with football, you're never going to be perfect. You're always chasing that. And I already consider myself a tough player, like I don't shy away from the smoke, but since being a part of this team, there is a level of toughness that I had to grow into, accept and really hone in on. Because there's levels to it, and you can't play here if you don't have a tough mindset, if you're not able to embrace the hard days, if you're not willing to put your head down and understand that if you play for the Chicago Bears, you're gonna work. That's the only way to earn your respect.

When you play D-line, specifically, that type of work just brings you close extremely fast. It's been really cool to be a part of this room and just spend time together. We got to do another dinner together in Tennessee before the last preseason game, and I'm a firm believer that whenever you can go through an intense camp but then share that downtime with your guys, it's the best combination. You grind with your brothers, you go through that pain, you find ways to come together and perform at a high level then you can all take a load off and chill and talk trash. It's in those moments you get to know the personal side of each guy and really grow together away from football.

My prayer and my plea for this year is that we just stay together and keep focusing on the main thing. There's a lot of people who have things to say, but I know the quality of work we have put in. I know the kind of guys we have in this room. I know what guys are playing for. I know what guys are willing to do for the brother next to him.

I feel like we have an incredible opportunity in front of us. But we have to stay together. There's gonna be high and lows. We'll have to learn lessons along the way but as long as we continue to improve, we lean on each other and we stay on the same page, we'll be fine. So I look forward to the opportunity we have as a unit this season.

I just can't believe I'm headed into my seventh NFL season. I'm ready to go. I like to keep my goals personal, but the main one is simple. I want this season to be the best version of me. I want to put on display that work that I've been putting in before I got here and since I came to Chicago. I want Bears Nation to be happy with what they got.

So my goal is to make sure that my presence is felt on the field with every opportunity I get. And bigger picture, my goal is to win a Super Bowl. That's why we all play this game. Win a Super Bowl, take care of the family and win with my guys.