Green Bay -- His parents still have season tickets. The Lambeau Field memories run deep for Drew Vanderlin. He still remembers sitting in the stands when the Packers finally beat the Dallas Cowboys in 1997.
"It was one of those things where they had beaten us like 15 times in a row, including playoffs, and everybody was saying, 'OK, this is our year,'" Vanderlin said. "And it finally happened. It was a great game."
Now, this local kid might have a legitimate shot to make it himself. Vanderlin was around Green Bay on a tryout basis for rookie orientation in the spring, but didn't stick. Now, he's on the team's practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 288-pound defensive end from Michigan Tech grew up in Green Bay, attending Green Bay Southwest High School.
After falling short in May -- and not hearing from any other teams in the NFL for two months -- Vanderlin latched on as a strength and defensive line coach at UW-Stevens Point. He worked out every day, but even Vanderlin admits he was resigned to the fact that his playing days were probably over.
"At that point, I was like, "Well, if football doesn't work out, I have to start looking at my future,'" he said. "That's what I wanted to get into. That job, that opportunity came about and I took it. When I got the call yesterday, they were absolutely fine with me leaving. They said, 'You gotta do what you gotta do. We can't take you away from your dream.' So I'm very thankful for what they've done. Who knows, whenever this ends, hopefully I can be back there."
He hopes that doesn't happen any time soon, of course. The practice squad group is often in flux, so Vanderlin is hoping to maximize his opportunity. Former seventh-round pick Lawrence Guy signed with the Indianapolis Colts this week, opening some room for Vanderlin, who finished second all-time in sacks (20) at Division-II Michigan Tech.
Eventually, he'd like to get into coaching. But those plans can wait. For the long-time Packer fan, the dream is alive.
"I was talking to my parents yesterday, I do want to run out of that tunnel onto the field," he said. "It's something I want to keep working for."
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