NOTE: This segment was recorded before Tommy Armstrong revealed last evening that he had been released by the Vikings

Welcome, everybody, to the Carriker Chronicles, the people's show! I just finished working out, but let's light this candle, shall we? As many of you may know, Tommy Armstrong has made the move from the offensive side of the ball to the defensive side of the ball and he will be playing the safety position with the Minnesota Vikings going forward into next year, the preseason and so on. I'm still hoping they give him the ball on the offensive side of the ball, let him run the Wildcat just a smidge, I think that would be fun to watch! But I'm also looking forward to seeing Tommy play safety, a position he played in high school.

When I heard this news, it reminded me of my high school days. As some of you may know, I played quarterback on my high school team, back fifty five years ago. Okay, I'm not that old, it just seems like it when I talk to my little kids. In fact, I was higher recruited as a quarterback instead of a defensive end. My sophomore year of high school, my first year starting as a varsity quarterback, my coach didn't want me getting hit and he didn't want me playing defense. During the defensive part of practice, I never played defense in games, but during the defensive part of practice I had to have something to do. So at 6-5, 235 pounds at the time, he stuck me with the secondary, he put me at the safety position. This way nobody would ever touch me. I'm running around out there with guys who are 6 foot, 160 pounds at the time.

Going into my junior year, he put even more emphasis on protecting me. So I was the starting quarterback again, but again I didn't play defense in games, I didn't even play defense in practice! So when it came to the defensive emphasis in practice, I became the scout team quarterback. All I did was play quarterback all the time.

Going into my senior year, I approached my coach and I said, "Coach, I don't really like playing quarterback. I want to hit somebody!" He looked at me, and he said, "Adam." I'll never forget these words, I'll never hold a grudge, we're still friends to this day. He said, "Adam, you're too nice to play defense." Kind of funny to think about now, but going into my senior year I had the most interesting shoulder pads I've ever seen in my life.

I played defense and I played quarterback on offense, still need a quarterback. I was the only guy who played both ways in the games on my team. I had these big ol' linemen shoulder pads on my left side so I could play defensive line. Then I had these tiny little quarterback pads on my right side. They were real funky looking shoulder pads. The other thing was, some of you may not know this and some of you might, I actually was better at baseball than I was at football growing up as well. I had a 95 mile per hour fastball as a sophomore. At the end of my sophomore season, I popped this tendon in my elbow and had to have Tommy John surgery. I had to choose between having Tommy John surgery and playing football. It's pretty obvious which choice I made now, but I share that story to share this with you.

I thought I was going to college and I thought I was going to make a living beyond college using my right arm. Look at this arm now, does it look like it's built to throw a baseball anymore? No it is not! I can throw batting practice to my seven year old son and that is really about it, but that's all I need to do anymore.

The reason I say this is because I hardly played any defense at all, especially on the defensive line until my senior year of high school. Tommy Armstrong making this transition, he played safety in high school, but he has not played it in the last four and a half years. I think one of the reasons defensive end and defensive line and defense worked out for me period is that I loved to hit people! On the basketball team, I was the enforcer! I was the Dennis Rodman of my basketball team. I was that guy who would get rebounds, play defense, if you needed someone knocked on their keister, I was that guy to do that. So that's why defense worked out for me.

I think Tommy has the right mindset. I've seen where he's excited and pumped to be playing safety, so that's the most important thing. But my two biggest pieces of advice beyond that. Number one, repetition. For the past four and a half years my friend, you've been working on three-step drops, five-step drops, seven-step drops; throwing the post pattern, the hitch, the deep fade, the in, the out. While your competition has been doing back pedaling drills, tackling drills, and things of that nature. So repetition! Work on your footwork, work on tackling. You're going to know things because you played quarterback that nobody else knows that you're competing with. Now you've got to get into the playbook and look at things from a defensive perspective and the defensive side of the ball. Repetition, repetition, that muscle memory, that right now other people are going to have the advantage, but you can catch up on.

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, my second piece of advice you've seen before. It's worth repeating, though. I'm excited to see how Tommy does in the upcoming preseason and hopefully the season with the Vikings. The first time he lays somebody out, we might have to make him an honorary Blackshirt for a day. In fact, I might even let him borrow my Blackshirt, but only for a day. You've got to give it back after that. The first time he lays somebody out, Tommy my man, get up and Throw the Bones!