Kalil, Gross & Hangartner pen The Rookie Handbook

Life is hard for a rookie. Beyond the normal stress of starting a new job, learning the ins and outs of the office place and adjusting to the personalities of more than 50 new co-workers, you also have all of your successes and failures broadcast weekly to an audience of millions. It’s no wonder so many players may feel lost in this great big world they suddenly find themselves in. Luckily, three veteran Panthers have come together to throw a lifeline to any floundering rookies. Three veteran panthers have have written a helpful guide to surviving their first pro season.

As a hard as it is to believe Ryan Kalil, Jordan Gross and Geoff Hangartner were all rookies once. There was a time, not too long ago when no one knew who these guys were or what to expect come game day. It’s a safe bet that all three felt a bit of the first year jitters. As newcomers Vernon Butler and James Bradberry prepare for their first games, Kalil & Co. are providing advice from those who have been there.

Tongue in cheek to say the least, the Rookie Handbook offers advice on everything from surviving a bad haircut to picking out the proper performance wear. The Rookie Handbook is a published version of the actual guide created by the three Panther’s linemen to deal with some of the more frequent issues that tended to arise year and year out with new arrivals. The crew recently revealed on The Rich Eisen Show (who contributed the book’s foreword) that the whole deal started off as a joke.

We've got the pleasure of knowing some pretty dumb rookies over they years. - Ryan Kalil

Jordan Gross is quick to state that the book itself is very sarcastic. There’s plenty to entertain the average reader. Much of the material, comes form actual experiences such as the ‘Nude Interview’ chapter. This entry details the etiquette around sports reporters entering the locker room and and when it’s appropriate to find a towel.

The players credit Kalil with having the idea assure they helped along the way to guide the project.

Kalil is the big picture idea guy and Jordan and I are the refinements. - Geoff Hangartner

So it seems like this project is as accurate a glimpse the average outsider is going to get to the goings on of your average NFL franchise on a day to day basis. Also Kalil assures us there were no ghostwriters in the creation of The Rookie Handbook so ‘If it sucks, it’s definitely because of us.’

The illustrated guide with art by Matt Stevens and foreword by Rich Eisen is a go to resource for any questions an up and comer may have. Lucky for the rest of us, the Rookie Handbook isn’t just for football players.The guide serves as a practical guide for a number of life’s obstacles and promises to be a humorous and informative read for people in all walks of life.

As a bonus, this unique book offers insight into what goes on behind the scenes, once the players leave the practice field and hit the showers. Plus while it’s the first print appearance from Gross and Hangartner the book does make a nice addition to a growing list of published writing by Ryan Kalil.

The Rookie Handbook is available for pre-order on Amazon with a release date of September 6, just in time for the 2016 NFL season!