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Leon Hall is a defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals. Last season, the University of Michigan senior was a unanimous choice for the All-Big Ten Conference First Team and was a finalist for several national awards. In April, the Bengals drafted him in the first round, 18^th overall. This is the first in a series of blogs that Hall will contribute to SI and SI.com during the 2007 NFL season.

It's been a little over two months since the draft, and I'm ready to get out on the field and play. Our training camp kicks off on July 26, which is coming up really quickly. But I've got a lot going on before then, and I'm just trying to enjoy my last couple of free days before we kick into gear for the season. It's been a good summer, and it's going to end in style.

This last week has been crazy, for sure. Last Saturday, I was married in Detroit to my fiancée Jessica. We had a lot of stuff planned and a lot of friends and family in town, so it's good that it's all over now and we can just relax at our place in Cincinnati. The whole engagement and wedding experience was great. The one nerve-wracking part was asking Jessica's father for permission to marry his daughter. My plan originally was to propose to her on Valentine's Day, so I planned on taking her parents to dinner a month or so before then. But I kept postponing it, probably because I was nervous. Next thing I knew, it was a few days before Valentine's Day, and I still hadn't asked her parents the question. So I decided to just call them on the phone, and I basically said, "Hey, how's it going? So I want to marry your daughter." And luckily, there was no hesitation and they said yes. After that, I was all set. The rest is history.

I'm really happy with where I ended up in the draft. I've spent a good amount of time out in Cincinnati for the rookie minicamps and other team functions, and I really like the city a lot. The whole town is very excited for the season, which is a good feeling. I'll go to dinner with Jessica or just somewhere around town, and people will notice me and say "congratulations" or "we're glad you're here." People will come up to me and say a lot of different stuff, but it's really just a good feeling knowing that I'm in a place where the fans love their football and love their players. I'm excited.

Jessica and I also found a house downtown that we love, so that's been an experience as well. It was crazy going through the whole process, signing all the papers and doing the closing. But in the end, when they hand you the keys to your own place (my first), it's a great feeling. Jessica is going to do most of the furnishing of the place, as that's kind of her thing. I have a little input here and there, but basically I just told her no foofy stuff in the place. Other than that, she'll take care of it. She's also the cook of the house. I mean, I can throw something together if I have to eat, but she's the one who's good at it. She's actually been talking about taking a culinary class at the University of Cincinnati lately. And I've told her I'd be all for that. She's a great cook already, but if she wants to learn more, that's great news to me.

Lastly, I've just been working out in the mornings and relaxing during the day. I'm a big video gamer, which gets on Jessica's nerves sometimes. But I'm into everything, from tactical war games like Gears of War, Rainbow Six, and Halo on the Xbox, to all of the sports games like Madden, Fight Night and College Football. I really enjoy going online and playing other people from all over the world, so maybe you'll run up against me one of these days. My friends and I are very relaxed and spontaneous, so one day we might go-kart, and the next play some basketball and laser tag. Really just keeping it loose and having fun, enjoying these last few days before training camp.

I'm excited to be doing this blog all season, and the next time we talk I'll be in the thick of training camp. Our first preseason game is in Detroit against the Lions, so that's pretty cool as well. I'm ready to go.