Rams RB Ganaway is 'freaky fast'/PD

[RamBill]

Rams RB Ganaway is 'freaky fast'
• By Jim Thomas

Rams RB Ganaway is 'freaky fast' : Sports

Some NFL players go to the beach, head overseas or just relax back home at this point of the offseason.

Rams running back Terrance Ganaway heads to work at Jimmy John’s on Fourth Street in Waco, Texas.

“I’m on the line that makes the sandwiches,” Ganaway said. “I bake bread. Take the cashier spot. I had to sweep the other day. Clean the tables. I mean, all types of stuff. Slice the meat. Wrap the meat.”

Everything that any other employee of the sandwich shop chain would do except get in his car and deliver sandwiches.

“I’m in the heat of the battle,” Ganaway said. “Trying to make sandwiches fast is Jimmy John’s policy, so it’s kind of stressful.”

Following his first pro season, the Baylor product found he had a lot of free time on his hands. Too much free time.

“I just wanted to stay fit, stay out of trouble, and really just try to save money and not spend a lot of money,” he said. “So I just jokingly tweeted that I needed a job in Waco. Was anyone hiring?

Well, a Jimmy John’s employee tweeted back: “We’re hiring.”

Ganaway looked into it, applied for a job and got hired. For the last several weeks, he has been working part-time — 12 hours a week — from 5-9 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Ganaway doesn’t have any children, but he jokes that when he does, he’ll tell them he once worked two jobs to get them through school.

“My No. 1 job is being an NFL player,” Ganaway said. “So don’t get it confused as to me working at Jimmy John’s has me lazy. ... I know what I have to do. I know how to get in shape and I know what it takes to perform at a high level. Really, Jimmy John’s is just to keep me out of trouble in all the down time we have in the offseason.”

Claimed off waivers from the New York Jets at the end of the 2012 preseason, Ganaway appeared in only three games for the Rams and didn’t have a carry or catch. With Steven Jackson, Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead on the roster, he had little in the way of opportunity, especially since he wasn’t with the team during training camp and the preseason.

But the Rams were intrigued enough with Ganaway to keep him on the roster all season. And if Jackson voids his contract and ends up playing elsewhere, Ganaway could fill a big-back role at 6-1, 240, in what could be a running back-by-committee approach with Richardson and Pead.

“From April 15 when we start (the offseason conditioning program) to the end of the season in December, it’s a long, grinding process,” Ganaway said. “And I just want to make sure my body’s healthy, ready to go and ready to answer when they call my number.”

Ganaway works out just about every day; twice on some days. But for 12 hours each week, it’s all about the sandwiches. Not unlike an NFL rookie, Ganaway has struggled to learn his sandwich-making playbook.

“Got to learn everything on the menu,” he said. “It’s something that I’m learning every day. You’ve got to know your sandwich.”

And with many customers, there are audibles to contend with.

“I’ve been getting a lot of audibles on sandwiches,” he said. “So on an Italian Nightclub — no onions — I’ve got to make sure there’s no onions on there.”

Ganaway made the NFL’s minimum wage this past season with the Rams — $390,000. He’s not sure what he’s making at Jimmy John’s.

“I’m probably guessing minimum wage — $7.25 to $7.50 (an hour),” he said.

But he’s not there for the money. He says he enjoys being in the trenches, so to speak, and loves his co-workers.

“They’re good people,” he said. “I’m very outgoing, so I love meeting people.”

Baylor fans love meeting Ganaway. The former teammate of Robert Griffin III was a star in his own right in 2011 for the Bears, rushing for 1,547 yards, scoring 22 touchdowns and setting or tying 12 school records.

But not every Baylor football fan recognizes him when ordering a sandwich.

“You know, I’m in uniform,” Ganaway said. “I’ve got an apron on, with a visor. I’ve got gloves. So unless I recognize somebody and I say, ‘Hey, what’s up man?’ They look at me kind of weird and say: ‘Why are you working at Jimmy John’s?’ ”

In those instances, Ganaway doesn’t mind talking football. In fact, he had his own self-styled promotion one night, giving out one of his signed rookie cards to every 25th customer.

“I wound up giving pretty much all the cards away,” he said.

However, there’s not always time for gridiron gab, or renewing acquaintances with familiar faces from his college days.

“I tend not to worry about who’s coming in, especially when that sandwich line gets long and I’ve gotta make a million sandwiches in about two minutes,” he said.

It’s a lesson he learned the hard way, when one of the store’s shift managers came down on him for spending too much time talking football on the job.

“It was a changeup that I had to adjust to at work,” Ganaway said. “But it’s really a great environment and I love working there.”

[Bing69]

Good for him, you dont see many people who make $390,000 doing something constructive with their spare time.

A little concerning is the fact that its to keep him out of trouble....what kind of trouble would he be getting into?

[Rammed]

Good for him, you dont see many people who make $390,000 doing something constructive with their spare time.

A little concerning is the fact that its to keep him out of trouble....what kind of trouble would he be getting into?

I'm guessing the same as any (young) person with time on their hands. Partying.....
Smart man having a shedule next to working out and a sense of responability to keep to that.

[Vinnie25]

So he works at Jimmy John's and his buddy and former teammate RGIII endorses Subway... awwwwkkkkwwwwwaaaaard!!!

[sb2sb2sb]

So he works at Jimmy John's and his buddy and former teammate RGIII endorses Subway... awwwwkkkkwwwwwaaaaard!!!

Other than the fact jimmy johns is 100× better. Man, that bread is so delicious. Better subs and working legs, advantage Ganaway.

Haha, sorry, had to do it.

[AvengerRam]

I like Jersey Mike's.

[berg8309]

Good for him, you dont see many people who make $390,000 doing something constructive with their spare time.

A little concerning is the fact that its to keep him out of trouble....what kind of trouble would he be getting into?

When people have absolutely nothing to do, they have a tendency to get in trouble. I see it all the time.

[RockinRam]

5-9pm? He still has the whole night to party!

[richtree]

I have mixed feeling about this...

#1 I know that I would train better on any given day knowing that after 8 hours of sleep I didn't have to makea sandwich for 4 hours a day

#2 I don't mind him doing this, but he is making a ton of cash and taking away a job from a young kid in texas that is probably struggling to make ends meet.

Love, love, love his work ethic -- but mixed feeling about this being good for Rams and the community

If I was the manager, I probably wouldn't hire a guy that only works 12hours a week and has to leave in a few months.....I guess its a odd situation...

head scratchin

[Nick]

When people have absolutely nothing to do, they have a tendency to get in trouble. I see it all the time.

I see the point you're making, and I agree that sometimes the idle do find themselves getting into trouble. But I think it's equally likely that a person with a good head on their shoulders can find something constructive to do with their evenings without phrasing it as a way to keep themselves out of trouble.

To me, that sounds like someone who would be in trouble otherwise, which causes me to raise an eyebrow. I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it had he just said he wanted to make a little extra money. But volunteering the "stay out of trouble" part makes me wonder.

[RealRam]

Good for him, you don't see many people who make $390,000 doing something constructive with their spare time.

A little concerning is the fact that it's to keep him out of trouble....what kind of trouble would he be getting into?

No, it just doesn't seem to be real "trouble" to me. So far, I think TG is a good young man with a possible future with the Rams (maybe an occasional FB). And his sandwhich making off-season job may just be a positive side to his character, staying busy, humble. At least that's what it sounds like.

IMO, that Thomas article is a good read.

[HUbison]

5-9pm? He still has the whole night to party!

...in Waco??

[HUbison]

So he works at Jimmy John's and his buddy and former teammate RGIII endorses Subway... awwwwkkkkwwwwwaaaaard!!!

I don't care who you are, that's just funny right there!

[HUbison]

I like Jersey Mike's.

I'm a Quizno man myself.

[Agrajag]

I'm going to go ahead and guess that he had a friend that works there and I'm guessing that he has multiple friends that work there at this point.

Why wouldn't the manager hire him short term? I imagine that you see employee turnover in a store like that anyway, so it has to be a decent business draw and if he keeps his work ethic up it's win win. Part time? Well just about everyone on the planet understands how management actually prefers part time help during peak hours.

Taking a job away from a kid struggling to make ends meet? I'm sure that kid would have long since applied if he wanted the job.

A lot of people take jobs that don't have to for the extra money and the social element. This kid did it to keep things real, keep himself humble and remind himself why he has to do what he has to do to stay at the NFL level. I think it's awesome.

Oh the horror, next on news 5, Sam Bradford caught popping tags at the the thrift shop, wearing your granddad's clothes, looking incredible!