Jordan Gross is getting his first real relaxing time at home in Fruitland, Idaho, in five years. But in the next 10 days, the former University of Utah star and wife Dana will head back to Charlotte, N.C., where he will begin his first NFL training camp July 23.
Because the NFL season is so much longer and more intense than a college season, said Gross, the Carolina Panthers tell their players to go home and "relax and clear your mind" at this point in the summer.
"It's nice to have a little more freedom. They trust us to be ready for camp," said Gross, who took the "relaxation" part to heart and has floated the Payette River a couple times and spent the past 10 days or so visiting family and friends, going to movies and having barbecues in Fruitland.
"Just country stuff. I'm not a city boy," said Gross by telephone, adding, "It's nice being done with school."
He's continually working on his physical conditioning, of course, and says, "It's cool to get ready for camp. I'm excited to go compete with the pads on." Early summer workouts are in shorts and helmets without hard hitting. So far, the speed and efficiency of the NFL has impressed him, but he has found his personal strength adequate for the step up to professional ball.
Gross spent June 28 through July 3 in Florida for the NFL's rookie symposium, during which first-year players are taught how to cope with their newfound status.
Gross, the No. 8 overall choice last April, is the highest-ever Ute NFL pick. A consensus All-American and finalist for the Outland Trophy as a left offensive tackle, he began minicamp earlier this summer as the No. 2 right tackle. But Gross earned the No. 1 spot on the Panthers' depth chart at right tackle during Carolina's three-week "summer school" session last month.
Gross has yet to sign with the Panthers. The process "hasn't even started yet," he said. But he's been told, "most first-rounders sign right when camp is starting," often the day that camp opens, so he's not worried. Former USC quarterback Carson Palmer, the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, is the only first- or second-rounder to have signed so far.
That means Gross hasn't yet seen the millions of dollars that should come his way soon. He made $500 a week while working out at minicamp and "summer school."
The Grosses have a townhouse in Charlotte, about 15 minutes from the stadium, and have moved their things out of their college home in Salt Lake City.
Gross said Charlotte is a bit bigger than Salt Lake but, being a country boy, he's happy, "It's not some big metropolis. The people are nice. The owner's a good guy."
The Panther offensive linemen have treated the couple well. Starting left tackle Todd Steussie, a 10-year veteran whom Gross is expected to someday replace, spent extra time in voluntary workouts with Gross.
"It's as much for me as it is for him," Steussie told the Charlotte Observer last month. ". . . He's played at a high level in college and he's a smart kid. We're kind of picking each other's game apart and evaluating each other . . . It's helping me, too."
Also, former Ute receiver/returner Steve Smith, who's been with the Panthers for two years, and his family have hosted the Grosses a couple of times already this summer. "Steve's been real good to my family. He tells me what to look out for. It makes it nice for me to have somebody to talk to," Gross said.
Another former Ute, Kevin Dyson, is also on the Panthers' roster, having signed in the offseason after a couple of years with the Tennessee Titans, but Dyson tore an Achilles tendon in an early workout. Gross said most of the team was shocked to learn the severity of Dyson's injury that could keep him out the whole season. "It was a letdown for the team and a letdown for me. I was excited to play with him," Gross said.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com