Another Training Camp, but now he's a veteran

Marc Mariani knows what training camp is all about now. No longer is he a wide-eyed former walk-on from the University of Montana, or, a former Havre Blue Pony trying to eke out a dream in the NFL – at least not when it comes to training camp.

Instead, Mariani is a veteran of the nearly two-month grind that NFL players go through to get ready for a new season. And, entering his seventh NFL camp, and his second with the Chicago Bears, which starts Thursday morning just outside of Chicago, Mariani knows exactly what he has to do, and exactly what to expect.

"Really looking forward to this training camp," Mariani said recently when he was back in Havre for his NFL Play 60 event. "I feel really comfortable with the coaching staff and with the guys in our room. We have an absolutely stud group of receivers, and this is going to be a really great, competitive camp."

And, for players like Mariani, who are seemingly always on the fringes of the 53-man roster, camp isn't just about preparation for the upcoming season, a season the Bears open Sept. 11 in Houston, it's about competition, and there will be plenty of it this summer.

Chicago has its true franchise star at WR in Alshon Jeffrey. The Bears also have a proven veteran in Eddie Royal, while Marquess Wilson was a breakout performer a season ago. Those three players are likely roster locks, but, with Royal injured for much of last season, Mariani garnered a starting nod, and, for 58 plays, Mariani, Jeffrey and Wilson were the Bears' top wide receiver trio in Chicago's three-wide sets.

Of course, that really benefitted Mariani, who tallied career-highs in both catches and yardage. He broke out for 22 grabs for 300 yards, and 90 percent of his grabs were turned into first downs. In other words, Mariani became a precious commodity for Bears' quarterback Jay Cutler.

However, there will be another WR this training camp, who was a roster lock, though he didn't play a single snap in 2015. Former West Virginia All-American Kevin White missed his rookie campaign with an injury. But, there's no denying his supreme talent and freakish athletic ability, and the Bears certainly envision him opposite Jeffrey, giving them a big-time dynamic duo in the passing game.

So, with Jeffrey, White, Royal and Wilson most likely locked into the Bears' 53-man roster before training camp even begins, Mariani finds himself in familiar territory, battling for the next 60-plus days to make the opening-day roster. Of course, Mariani has been one of the most consistent return-men in the league over his six-year career, and that certainly helps his chances, but he also sees the hard work he's put in, and the production he had last season as advantages going into the preseason.

"Definitely looking to pick up where I left off," Mariani said. "I feel like I've had a really good offseason, so I'm looking to have a big fall. I know nothing is guaranteed, but because of what I was able to do last year, and the work that's been put in since, I'm really optimistic that I can go in there and do what I do well. If I do that during this training camp, I'll be in good shape."

And what Mariani has done is prove himself time and time again. First, with the Tennessee Titans where, in 2010, he not only made the roster as a seventh-round draft pick, but broke Tennessee's single-season total return record, and made the Pro Bowl. He flourished again the next two years for the Titans, though he never got much of a chance to prove himself as a wide receiver during the regular season.

Then, a gruesome leg injury in the preseason derailed Mariani's chances of having another big year for Tennessee, and by the time he made a full recovery, he was the last Titan to be cut from the roster during his fifth preseason in Nashville. After that, Mariani was out of football for much of the 2014 regular season, but, the Bears needed help in the return game and Mariani was the man they called.

He finished the 2014 season with Chicago by racking up nearly 700 return yards and averaging and NFC North best 25.2 yards per kick return in the Bears' last six games. The following summer, he was back in training camp with Chicago, and he once again proved himself by earning a roster spot yet again, which ultimately led to the best offensive season of his career. Prior to the 2015 campaign, Mariani had caught five passes in the NFL for 24 yards.

Mariani became an unrestricted free agent last offseason, and though there were suitors, the Bears made him an offer, and he resigned with Chicago in the spring.

And that once again brings him right back to where he's seemingly always been – going into another NFL training camp with something to prove. Chicago will probably carry five full-time wide receivers, maybe six at the most. And Mariani is on the edge of the list of guys who were locks. And while he knows he has challengers, like Joshua Bellamy and Daniel Braverman, one thing that is different about this training camp, as opposed to many others Mariani has been in over the years is, his confidence, and his veteran presence on the field, and in the locker room.

Because make no mistake, Mariani has already made it in the NFL. He's seen it and done it all, and, when it comes to the 2016 Bears' training camp, Mariani is now a veteran, and being a veteran player in the NFL is a big, big deal.

"I have to continue to work, continue to go out there with a chip on my shoulder like I always have," Mariani said. "I don't think I'll ever lose that. I always feel like I have to prove myself, over and over again. But, I also know how much hard work I've put in this offseason. It was a great winter, and OTA's and mini-camps went really well for me. I think I have made a lot of strides and gotten better, even from last year. So, with what I was able to show last season, and the work I've put in, I feel really good about where I'm at right now. And if I go into this camp, and do what I've always done, then I'll have a chance to help the Chicago Bears win games on Sunday's and that's my goal, just to do whatever I can to help this team win football games."

The Bears' first practice of 2016 is set for Friday morning. Chicago has preseason games Aug. 11 against Denver, Aug. 18 at New England, Aug. 27 against Kansas City and Sept. 1 at Cleveland.