A smiling Louis Rees-Zammit looked upward at a grey-and-blue sky and saw a familiar glimpse of his old life.
“I’d say to the boys, if we went outside and we seen this weather, we’d be like, ‘Oh, it’s a decent day today,’ ” the former Wales rugby star said.
talksportLouis Rees-Zammit is still smiling after making two big career changes[/caption]
Minutes later, the rookie practice squad wide receiver for the 1-5 Jaguars saw the other side of his new life.
Jacksonville was preparing for its second consecutive game in London, bouncing from a posh hotel to Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley stadiums.
LRZ was closer than ever to his childhood NFL dream, but also still stuck on the outside, staring in.
“I knew this this journey was going to be tough,” Rees-Zammit said in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.
“You get a lot of doubters within that and you try and not listen to them.”
The 6ft 2in and 209lbs former Wales and Lions star is back in the United Kingdom, 22 miles from central London, and wearing a long-sleeved black Jaguars shirt with an instantly familiar NFL logo attached to the side.
But while Trevor Lawrence tries to justify his $275 million contract, and Jacksonville prepares for New England rookie quarterback Drake Maye after falling to Chicago No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, ‘Rees Lightning’ is focused on improving his pad level, mastering a route tree and learning one of the thickest playbooks in the sports world.
“You just try and focus on what you can control,” the 23-year-old said. “For me, that is working as hard as I can every day — on and off the field — to get an opportunity.
“It’s going to take time for me to learn this playbook. I’ve learned so much for the six weeks I’ve been here, but there’s a little bit more to go.
“I’m just trying my hardest, to be honest with you. It’s going to take a lot of time — it’s going to take time because these players, they’ve been playing for a lot of years.
instagram@lrzammitLRZ met HRH while promoting the NFL’s international growth[/caption]
instagram@lrzammitRees-Zammit is still waiting for his NFL breakthrough and knows it will take time[/caption]
x@HoganNFLThe former Wales rugby star also shared a joke with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell[/caption]
“So for me to just come in and and start straight away, it’s impossible.”
Christian Wade preceded Rees-Zammit and also tried to pull off the impossible in the NFL.
The 33-year-old Slough native, who has returned to rugby after four practice squad seasons with the Buffalo Bills, believes that LRZ can go farther than he did.
“One hundred percent,” Wade exclusively told talkSPORT. “All it takes is … he needs to get the trust of his coaches. So they know, OK, we can put him in the game.”
From March through August, Rees-Zammit saw his name included in the same celebrity news headlines as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
In a brief five-month span, Mahomes made a lasting impression on the Penarth native.
“He’s probably the best player in the NFL right now, and he could go down as one of the one of the greatest of all time,” Rees-Zammit said.
“It was a pretty crazy experience, being able to be on the same field as him and just see how athletic he is, see how he reads the game.
“That’s what separates him from from other quarterbacks. The things he’s able to do is unbelievable. And you see him in games, he does the exact same things in practice.”
LRZ chose to make the impossible even harder, signing with the Jaguars instead of taking a place on Kansas City’s practice squad, after being a surprise late training camp cut by the Chiefs.
To help him during the life and career transitions, Rees-Zammit’s parents and brother also moved to Jacksonville.
“I’m absolutely loving changing from running back to receiver,” Rees-Zammit said. “I think it suits my my speed, getting out of breaks and stuff like that.
The Chiefs saw Rees-Zammit as a running back but he wanted to play wide receiverGetty
“It was great in Kansas City, learning the role of running back and learning pass protections, and getting the ball in my hand early.
“I’m very grateful for that organization, for giving me that opportunity. But I think it just probably wasn’t the position for me.
“I’ve come here at Jacksonville and they’ve given me the opportunity to play receiver, which is unbelievable. It’s one that I’m learning every day.
“I’m learning so much every day from my players, from my teammates, from my coaches. This is a position I’ve always wanted to play.”
As the game-day active Jaguars warmed up at Tottenham last Sunday, Rees-Zammit shared a laugh with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell near the sideline.
“We were just talking general NFL and how my transition was,” the Jacksonville rookie said.
“I was telling him a couple of stories. It was great to meet him and just talk about my journey. And his point of view and his side of it, as well, and how he thinks I’m going to do.”
This week, a former Wales rugby star connected with the Prince of Wales, promoting the power of flag football while spreading the NFL’s international reach.
Prince William threw an impressive spiral as Rees-Zammit watched onGetty
“He (Prince William) played water polo or something when he was younger, so he’s got a good arm on him,” Rees-Zammit joked.
“He was a lot better than me, which I was shocked about. He had a great spiral.
“He was managing to throw it like it was easy, so fair play to him.”
Sharing camera time with Mahomes, Goodell and Prince William surely added additional followers to LRZ’s Instagram account, which was approaching 500,000 in Week 7.
But he chose the Jaguars over the Chiefs for one reason.
To accomplish the impossible by playing in the NFL as a wide receiver, after first making his name as a Wales rugby winger.
“I wouldn’t have gone for this if I didn’t want to chase this dream,” Rees-Zammit said.
“I’m trying to learn a million things at once. But at the same time, I’m I’m enjoying it.”
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