Today Joe and his top 5 talent are sitting on his mother's couch, still complaining. Today Tom's heart pays off as his teammates elect him special teams captain.

No one in the NFL owes you anything. Not playing time nor the time of day. Tom appreciates the privilege of being a part of it. Joe thinks the world owes him something.

Welcome to the Big Leagues

The toughest part about being an NFL rookie isn't all the extra games. It's not the speed of the game — though that does take getting used to. No, the toughest thing about being a rookie is that, for the first time in your athletic life, you're not The Man anymore.

You were the stuff of legend in high school. Your 4.3 speed caused a mini-recruiting war that allowed you to write your own ticket to any college in the country. You performed well enough to be drafted into the game of games. And now you're getting yelled at for forgetting to bring enough grape jelly packets.

But no matter how rough things go, after you make the team you must remember that you were drafted for a reason: the team saw in you a potential contributor.

What separates players in the NFL isn't usually talent, but their attitude and their ability to understand and implement their coach's system. Take, for example, LB Jonathan Vilma. Vilma came into the League like a flash, recording 100+ tackles and making the Pro Bowl his second year. But then coach Eric Mangini came to the Jets and switched to a 3-4 defense; Vilma was better in the 4-3 and found the transition difficult. Just this off season he was traded to the New Orleans Saints.

Does anyone actually think that Vilma can't play? No one who knows football. But the 3-4 just wasn't a good fit. He knew it and the Jets knew it. If things don't click you can't start doubting yourself as a player before considering whether it's the system that's your problem. Vilma is lucky that his successes came before his struggles, or else he might not have gotten another shot. If things go the other way around for you, remember that you're in the League for a reason. Now you're just looking for a better fit.