Deon Butler's Rookie Diary

Deon Butler visited Ann Arbor, Mich., during the bye week to see his alma mater, Penn State, beat the Michigan Wolverines. The nostalgic trip allowed him to come back to Seattle refreshed, excited and ready to make the most of his opportunities as a Seahawk.

In this week's installment of his rookie diary, Butler talks about being around some familiar Penn State faces, shares his memories of playing for the ageless Joe Paterno and answers four questions submitted by readers.

(If you would like to Deon to answer your question in a future diary entry, leave it in the comments section here or send it to jbrewer@seattletimes.com.)

'They had me pumped up'

"I had a good time in Ann Arbor. Michigan has had our number, but we kicked their tails. It was good to see the coaches, the staff and the players. I didn't know how it would be just watching instead of playing, but it was fun.

"The best part was the tailgating. I never knew about this stuff. I was just used to driving into the stadium in a bus and getting ready to play. I didn't know what people actually did during a tailgate. The people out there are crazy. They had me pumped up. I was with some Penn State people, and when somebody from Michigan walked past, we'd talk trash. Then, when you walk past Michigan people, they'd talk trash to us. The things that were said were just really funny. The whole pregame atmosphere was something to marvel."

'He doesn't act anything like his age'

"I got to talk to all my coaches, including Coach Paterno. Joe Pa is a lot more into it than people would think. His leg is healthy now, so he's running out onto the field again now. He's 83, but he still can relate to college kids, even though he's from a totally different time. I remember being there, and he was telling stories about recruiting Jim Brown, and I was thinking that I hadn't even seen a full Jim Brown game, but it was really cool to think about how far back he goes.

"He's got an incredible memory, though, and he's really funny. As soon as I saw him after the game, he said, 'All it took was for you to leave for us to beat Michigan.' Then he started telling me about the Puget Sound and being out in the Pacific Northwest when he was in the military.

"Joe Pa jokes a lot. He doesn't act anything like his age. He always looks angry, but sometimes, when he's out there barking, he's saying regular stuff. You think he's cursing someone out, but he's not. That's just how he talks."

Reader Question No. 1: What's the most surprising part about the NFL? What's the thing you thought would be a big deal but isn't?

"They're normal guys. I thought everybody in the NFL was super-duper professional, always serious. It's more of a kid environment, though. Not that they're immature; they very much care about football and want to win. But they're not corporate. That really surprised me.

"There aren't any taboos in the locker room, either. Everyone is open to laughing and joking and making fun of each other. We can be really silly during down times. Like the other day, the wide receivers were talking about how they tie their loops on their shoestrings. It was really funny. It got real loud in here. It was just a bunch of kids goofing off."

Reader Question No. 2: What's going to happen when a young lady catches your eye? How is Mom going to deal with her rearranging your apartment?

"I don't even know (laughs). Hopefully, she'll be prepared. Right now, she's still the general in my life. She probably doesn't even want me to be married. She'll probably put her two cents in now and then about the lady, but she'll be all right.

"More importantly, how am I going to react? How am I going to deal with this lady? I don't want her to leave her curling iron hot and next to the sink, OK?"

Reader Question No. 3: Any talk of you working your way into the return game?

"Not really. The coaches are comfortable with Nate (Burleson) and Justin (Forsett) on punts, and Josh Wilson does a great job on kickoffs. I don't think I helped myself in that San Francisco game earlier this year when I brought that kickoff back from 8 yards deep in the end zone and only took it to about the 15-yard line. The special teams coach (Bruce DeHaven) got pretty mad at me. I got chewed out on that one. So I can 'guesstimate' that got me kicked off kick returns."

Reader Question No. 4: Who among the wide receivers talks the most trash?

"T.J. (Houshmandzadeh), hands down. He talks to anybody — the referees, the other sideline, the fans, anybody. When he gets mad, watch out. There's no telling who he's going to talk to. It's a different world with trash talk for me. In college, there was no pushing after the whistle, no extracurricular activities at all, really. If you did, they'd throw a flag. Here? They let you go at it a little bit. And all of the veteran guys know each other, so they won't necessarily be talking junk just to be mean. They're just out there having a good time with players they've known for years. It's a small world in the NFL."

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer