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Vikings rookies absorb all they can in first days of training camp

With Irv Smith Jr. only days away from the start of training camp and a pro football career, he sought advice. He ended up leaning on his father for guidance — just one of the many perks of being the son of a former NFL tight end.

While Smith did get some tips, he also received an earful of stories of his dad’s training camp stories. When Irv Smith Sr. played for the Saints, he traveled to La Crosse — a thousand miles from Louisiana — in August as part of the “Cheese League” when as many as six teams had training camps in Wisconsin.