Camp Kikakee With Larry Fitzgerald

If Camp Kikakee has no meaning for you, then you're either too old or too young.  At any rate, Larry Fitzgerald apparently has a football camp - and it's not for kids:

Now entering his seventh NFL season, Fitzgerald has turned into the mentor and turned his hometown into the place to be for professional pass catchers in the weeks before training camp begins in August. With a star-studded list of instructors, Fitzgerald invites players of varying experience to train with him at the University of Minnesota.

What started as a group of about five or six players a few years ago has swelled to about 40 athletes, all working on an efficient and demanding routine that lasts for three weeks.

Greg Jennings, Brandon Marshall and Sidney Rice have participated in the past. On Tuesday, Green Bay tight end Jermichael Finley, Seattle rookie Golden Tate, New Orleans defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, St. Louis linebacker James Laurinaitis and Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson were among those in the group, which changes from week to week.

True, it might seem a little odd that Fitzgerald is training fellow NFL veterans, but he's got some help:

Legends like Jerry Rice, Carter and Irvin stop in to help teach youngsters like Tate and Denver rookie Eric Decker(notes) the tricks of the trade. One of Irvin’s lessons, for instance, was for receivers to anticipate the snap count rather than waiting to hear it from the quarterback to gain a split-second in the never-ending search for an edge.

It also sounds as if the camp is more like a training camp than it is for show:

The mornings are basically on-field chalkboard sessions. Ideas are shared and compared. But let there be no doubt, the workouts are as demanding physically as they are enlightening mentally. Different days are devoted to different things, be it improving speed, agility, strength, technique. One of the mornings concluded with the players running 16 110-yard sprints, with limited rest in between. It was enough to make an onlooker feel like he was going to lose his breakfast.

Don't get me wrong - I don't think guys are out there going until they hurl.  But as the article states, to get guys to go before training camp during some of their last days of freedom....to Minnesota?  Yeah, Fitz has some serious pull.

Kind of cool to see him doing this at such a young age.  Most NFL stars are busy running camps for high school kids, but how many are running them for their peers?  That so many NFL players would think there's value here and come out for these is just another testament to his ability as a player.  Having guys like Jerry Rice as instructors can't hurt, either.