While we are all putting in hours and hours of time and sweat during camp, the real heroes of training camp are the wives and mothers at home holding down the fort and ensuring that things run smoothly.
This time of year, and over the next several months, some guys get tunnel vision so much that they tend to not think as much about the sacrifices being made by significant others away from the offices and practice field. Even if they do, they rarely show the proper amount of appreciation.
The coaches who see the big picture are the special ones.
Take this example from Brooke Esposito, for example. She's the wife of Lou Esposito and the mother to their four children.
Lou Esposito is heading into his first full season as the Broncos defensive coordinator following an impressive run as the team's interim defensive coordinator following the dismissal of Tim Daoust back in mid-November. Esposito was an original member of Tim Lester's staff after previously serving as the first head coach in program history at Davenport (D-II - MI) and (like Lester) he also previously served as the head coach at St. Joseph's (D-II - IN).
But back to where I saw this creative idea, via Brooke's twitter account. Knowing how much his wife juggles while he coaches, Espo put a recruiting letter in the mail to surprise his wife and to show his appreciation for all that she does for their family.
As you can see from Brooke's reaction to receiving the letter, the simple gesture went a really long way. We can all learn from that example.
https://twitter.com/beespo/status/1161012257914073088?s=12