Oso good: Garza ready to give back to Rio Hondo Wednesday

RIO HONDO - In nine years as a professional football player, Roberto Garza's learned a thing or two about the game, life and himself. As a rookie in 2000 with the Atlanta Falcons, Garza was a strong 22-year old kid trying to keep up with the big boys.

Making the team, learning the playbook and staying in step with the veterans was his priority.

To an extent it still is. But Garza's quickly learned that as the years pass, so does the body's ability to perform like a 22-year-old.

"Everything hurts a little bit more," Garza said. "It's a little harder to recover so that's become a challenge."

Garza takes his workouts more seriously nowadays. Not that he didn't in the past, but at 30-years old Garza's way of thinking has changed. Despite being a veteran, Garza understands that there are younger players coming up every season ready to take the veteran's job. So Garza hits the weight room with a purpose.

"I've worked hard for my job and I'm going to continue working hard," he said. "I'm not just gonna hand it over. I make money off my body and I have to take care of it. "I've worked hard to get where I'm at and I love what I do."

And it's in that love for the game of football that Garza finds motivation.

Garza said waking up at 7 a.m. every morning to work out isn't always the easiest thing in the world.

But he does it.

Garza needs to know he's done everything he could to get ready.

"I don't want to stand the sideline during the first game and think, ‘I shoulda done this or that,'" Garza said. "I need to know that I've done all I can to prepare."

Garza's made 48 straight starts as an offensive lineman and hopes to eclipse the 100-start mark this season. He's currently made about 85 starts. Garza's started at right guard the past three seasons. But before he bounced around from tackle to center to guard.

He said the recent consistency in his new position has added years to his football life in a way.

"I feel like I just started playing," he said. "For so many years, I was bouncing around on the offensive line.

"I feel comfortable where I'm at now."

And that rings true for his position on the team and his position in life.

Playing in the NFL has afforded Garza many opportunities. He does a lot of charity work in Chicago and returns to the Valley every year to put on the Los Amigos de Roberto football camp. The camp accommodated about 110 kids on Monday in Brownsville and Garza expects the same today in his hometown of Rio Hondo.

Garza hopes to get the Valley community more involved in the following years and looks forward to coming home every year.

"I start off by talking to the kids and telling them to believe, work hard and dream big," Garza said. "It takes a lot of hard work and they can dream to be anything. A doctor, lawyer or a NFL player. You just can't give up."

And true to his word, Garza - who's only missed three days of working out this calendar year - will soon return to Illinois and hit the weight room to prepare.

"You have to leave everything out there," Garza said. "What else do I have to do. I go workout then I can go fishing or play golf. Life is good.

"If not me, who? If not now, when?"