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Connecticut NFL Prospect Stays in Shape with Limited Facilities Connecticut NFL Prospect Stays in Shape with Limited Facilities

How Jack Driscoll is being tested both physically and mentally

By Nick Ursini

Nick Ursini: 2020 IS A YEAR THAT JACK DRISCOLL WILL NEVER FORGET. HIS CHILDHOOD DREAM OF BECOMING AN NFL PLAYER CAME TRUE WHEN EAGLES HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON CALLED HIM ON APRIL 25TH. EVEN IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES, DRISCOLL IS NOT LETTING ANYTHING GET IN HIS WAY.

Jack Driscoll: “I don’t think anyone will ever forget this year. Like you said for you it’s not ideal for your masters and for us it is not for football, but at the end of the day you just have to make your way.”

Nick Ursini: JACK IS NO STRANGER TO USING NON-TRADITIONAL WAYS OF ACHIEVING HIS GOALS. HE GRADUATED FROM UMASS-AMHERST IN THREE YEARS THEN SPENT TWO SEASONS AT AUBURN AS A GRADUATE-TRANSFER STARTING AT RIGHT TACKLE. NOW HE IS USING THOSE SKILLS TO KEEP HIMSELF IN SHAPE DURING A TIME THAT IS TESTING BOTH HIS PHYSICAL AND HIS MENTAL STRENGTH.

Jack Driscoll:” It’s one of those things where you have to make the most of it. It is a lot of self-dedication and self-discipline.”

Nick Ursini: DRISCOLL’S ROOTS TRACE BACK HERE TO DANIEL HAND HIGH SCHOOL.WHEN HE LEFT GRADUATED IN 2015 HE WAS 235 POUNDS, NOW HE IS 306 POUNDS.WITH CERTAIN FACILITIES CLOSED, HE’S HAS TO GET CREATIVE ON HOW TO COOL DOWN HIS BODY AFTER A WORKOUT.

Jack Driscoll: “You kind of have to find ways on your own to do stuff. You know I don’t have a cold tub, so I was going into the surf club every day for an ice tub so I can recover my body, stuff like that.”

Nick Ursini: THE CORONAVIRUS HAS MADE MASS GATHERINGS VERY TOUGH.ESPECIALLY IN A TEAM SPORT LIKE FOOTBALL, THOSE FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS ARE CRUCIAL. BUT EVEN THOUGH DRISCOLL IS A ROOKIE IN THE NFL, HE’S NO ROOKIE TO ADAPTING TO A NEW ENVIRONMENT

Jack Driscoll: “It’s tough because I’ve talked to rookies in the past and this is a good time to get to know the rookies and your coaches well and now you are doing it all virtually, so you’re not getting that person to person interaction. But at the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat.”

Nick Ursini: FROM HIS LAST GAME AT AUBURN TILL THE TIME HE GOT THAT PHONE CALL FROM HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON, DRISCOLL DESCRIBED IT AS LIKE A FOUR MONTH JOB PROCESS BUT NOW THAT PROCESS IS OVER WITH AND HE’S ONTO A NEW ONE WHEN HE SAYS WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT TO RETURN TO THE FIELD… HE WILL BE READY REPORTING IN MADISON CONNECTICUT FOR NCC NEWS… I’m NICK URSINI

MADISON, C.T. (NCC News) – Ever since elementary school, Madison, Connecticut resident Jack Driscoll always dreamed of playing in the NFL.

On April 25, that dream became a reality.

“As soon as Philadelphia was on the clock, my phone rang and I knew,” Driscoll said.

The Driscoll family is no stranger to the NFL. Driscoll’s father, John, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 12th round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

The major difference between 1989 and 2020, is that John did not have to deal with a global pandemic that stopped professional sports.

“I don’t think anyone will ever forget this year,” Driscoll said. “But at the end of the day you just have to make your way.”

Driscoll graduated from UMass-Amherst in three years, then spent two seasons at Auburn University as a graduate transfer starting at right tackle.

Even with limited training opportunities, Driscoll is not letting that stand in his way.

“It’s one of those things where you have to make the most of it,” Driscoll said. “It is a lot of self-dedication and self-discipline.”

One method he uses is how he cools down his body in the ocean after a long workout.

“I don’t have a cold tub, so I was going into the Surf Club every day for an ice tub so I can recover my body,” Driscoll said.

Face-to-face interactions are difficult during the coronavirus pandemic. Even though Driscoll is a rookie in the NFL, he is no rookie to adapting to a new environment.

“It’s tough because I’ve talked to rookies in the past and this is a good time to get to know the rookies and your coaches well and now you are doing it all virtually, so you’re not getting that person to person interaction,” Driscoll said. “But at the end of the day, everyone is in the same boat.”

From his last game at Auburn in January until April 25, Driscoll described it as like a four-month job process, but he made it clear when the time is right to return to the field, he will be ready.

 

Reported by
Nick Ursini

Nick Ursini

Nick Ursini is a Broadcast and Digital Journalism graduate student with a Sports Communication Emphasis. Nick is from Madison, CT and received his undergraduate degree from Ohio University in May 2019.

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