GREEN BAY, Wisc. – Returning to Lambeau Field following the first day of practice for the Green Bay Packers Training Camp Thursday morning, Quinten Rollins had a huge smile on his face.
And he didn’t even practice.
Rollins, the 2010 Wilmington High School graduate drafted in the second round by the Packers, missed practice because of an injury but was happy because he was able to take part in the Packers tradition of riding youth bicycles to and from practice.
“That was fun,” Rollins said in the Packers locker room. “That was probably the best part of the day.”
Rollins’ partner on the ride back to Lambeau Field after practice was Raymond Beecher of Little Chute, Wisc., who was wheel-chair bound.
“He couldn’t ride a bike,” said Rollins. “At the end of the day, we are more than athletes. To put a smile on Raymond’s face and his mother’s face … that was great.”
Rollins missed practice because of a hamstring injury he sustained during a recent conditioning session at Miami of Ohio.
“It’s just a minor setback,” said Rollins. “I’ll be fine.”
Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy said Rollins missing his first training camp practice “doesn’t help” because Rollins had built a solid foundation since the draft.
“Especially with all the reps he participated in this spring and did a lot of good things,” McCarthy said. “We gotta get him right, gotta get him healthy.”
Rollins has been the picture of health as an athlete, dating back to his days a star football and basketball player for the Hurricane. Likewise, he left Miami with little on his resume regarding injuries.
“I’ve never sat out two practices in a row,” Rollins said.
He said he couldn’t remember the last time he missed practice time, in either basketball or football, because of an injury.
Rollins said he was working out at Miami when the injury occurred.
“It was something that just came out of nowhere,” he said. “I’ve never had a problem with hamstrings before. It kind of tightened up on me. I came back here and told the trainers.”
Rollins didn’t walk any different than normal and believes trainers are just doing their jobs.
“They are just being cautious,” he said. “They are trying to get me as healthy as possible so I don’t have the same problem during the season. They’re bigger things down the road.”
So while most of the rest of the team practices, Rollins watches and takes notes. While several media members tried to get Rollins to put out a “woe is me” attitude because of the injury, the former Hurricane was rock solid.
“That’s where my faith comes in,” he said. “There’s a reason I’m not out there now. God has a plan and he obviously has something in mind that I don’t know.”
