Football is a game of organized chaos, not unlike the adventure that comes with being a first-time parent. Long snapper Carson Tinker has learned the ropes of being a father over the last seven months, facing the challenges that come with life's most important job.
Much like his NFL career, Carson takes a lot of pride in being a father to his son, who he and his wife, Annie, have affectionately nicknamed Hootie.
"My favorite part of being a dad is knowing that is my son," Carson said to First Coast News on Monday.
"I have so much pride in him and I love showing pictures. I'm that guy now. People used to show pictures of their kids and I was like 'yeah, whatever, man,' but I get it now. I think that's just my favorite part, I have so much pride in him and who he is and know that [he] is my son."
Unlike most active NFL players, Carson has been able to be part of Hootie's journey from the start. While his team was experiencing its most successful season in recent memory, the veteran long snapper was sidelined as he recovered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery.
Carson suffered the injury during the early stages of training camp. He was forced to undergo surgery and an intense rehabilitation process just months after finding out that Annie was pregnant with their first child.
While the injury ended Carson's season before it began, it also allowed for him to be present during the final stages of Annie's pregnancy and Hootie's Dec. 3 birth.
"I wouldn't ask for [the injury] again, but it was definitely a blessing in disguise," Carson said. "I was able to be there throughout the whole thing."
Annie went into labor around 8 a.m. on a Saturday, but Hootie wasn't born until around 1 p.m. on Sunday, just as Carson's teammates were set to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Jacksonville.
At the time, Carson wasn't concerned about wins or losses on the football field. While the 30-10 win over Indianapolis was a huge victory for the Jaguars, Carson was celebrating the biggest win of his personal life.
"I was super happy for my teammates and the team," Carson said. "I was positive. I never got down [about] not being able to get out there. I think that it was good for me with the fact that sometimes you get so caught up in the season and football when you're playing and I didn't have those stresses of a normal football season and I was able to really be focused on my wife and be there for her. I do appreciate that I was able to do that."
Set to experience his first Father's Day, Carson's priorities have transformed since this time last year. Hootie's presence has changed his outlook on life.
"I think the biggest thing that has changed is I'm more cognizant about my actions," Carson said. "Because I feel like my actions have a direct impact on someone's life and he's always looking up to me - he's only seven months old - but I can already see him picking up on certain things that I do. Like today, we went to get smoothies and he saw me drinking from the straw, so he grabbed the cup and he tried to drink from the straw. I always have someone looking at me and watching me who I am directly responsible for now."
Carson had planned to be a dad since before he entered the NFL. His aspiration in the league revolved around his eventual family life.
"I've always played football with the goal to provide for my family," Carson said.
"Even before I had a kid, I hoped that one day I'd have a family. That's always been in the back of my mind. Now though, I've always wanted to play as long as I can and I hope I can do this for 20 more years, but I definitely now want to play long enough to where he can see and know what I do and fully appreciate it. I want him to be able to see and know that his dad played in the NFL and fully grasp what the NFL is."
Annie has evaluated Carson's parenting skills on a daily basis. She has been impressed by her husband's natural acclimation to being a father.
"Carson was truly made to be a dad," Annie said. "From the day we found out we were having a baby, he just stepped right into the role. He has become sweet and patient with Hootie and so forgiving and patient with me."
Carson has a similar admiration for Annie's motherly endeavors because he knows how much she sacrificed to become a mom.
"The sacrifices she made during the pregnancy and the sacrifices she's making now in order to do the best that she can [with Hootie]," Carson said, regarding what impresses him most about Annie since she's become a mom.
"All the sacrifices she's made, I've always respected her but I don't think I could do a lot of the stuff that she's done throughout the pregnancy and the past six months."
Carson has already formed a buddy bond with his infant son, according to Annie. The two pals play games and participate in guitar lessons on the family's porch.
As with long snapping, Carson believes you have to find a rhythm as a parent. He has seemingly found a routine that works for his newly extended family.
His advice for impending fathers revolves around figuring out the process for yourself. Unlike long snapping, there is no perfect approach to parenting and Carson believes everyone finds their own way to attack the challenges that along with being a dad.
"Especially during that last trimester, everyone wants to give you advice, but I feel like all of the advice [I would give someone else] that I have, is stuff that I learned over the past six months," Tinker said.
"You'll figure it out. Probably the biggest thing though is - you get in a rhythm, you and the wife figure it out, you get in a good routine - and I feel like you have to be intentional about your relationships, especially with your wife, because it is easy to get in a groove and just forget about your friends and your wife ... It's so easy to give everything you've got to your kid but you have to make sure you take care of your [other] relationships too."
Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.