However, he did land a free-agent deal with the Denver Broncos and made it through the team's offseason training program. But the calf injury returned, and he was released. A few other NFL teams contacted him, but he wasn't healthy. He couldn't run, couldn't hit. But he never considered giving up the game.

He enjoyed coaching linebackers at Lincoln North Star. He still talks to a lot of his players. But that visceral feeling never left him. You know, the feeling he had this week as game day neared.

"I sometimes wanted to push the high school kids out of the way and say, 'Here's how you do this, I'll really show you,'" Banderas said with a chuckle. "There was just really no way I could let myself get into the normal workforce just yet."

Mind you, Banderas is working an 8-to-5 job. But it's a football job, an important distinction. The Stallions have meetings at 8 a.m., practice at 10 and then it's back to meetings. There's mandatory weightlifting twice a week. Keep your body ready to compete, Erickson says, and stay out of trouble.