NamVet4
09-28-2003, 09:31 AM
I gave this a lot of thought and decided that it was time to commit pen to paper, uh, keyboard to CRT, uh whatever!
The game of football is more than stats and great plays, or not so great plays.
On Sunday Sept 21, as the last hours of summer raced by, all the pre-season hype was being replaced by game day reality. The 1st NFC East conference game of the season was over – with a loss! Not a blowout, but a loss more self-inflicted than self earned. Injuries and mental mistakes made a tough day for this fan, and I know I wasn’t alone.
Injuries are tolerated, even if not expected, and always come at the wrong possible time. Mental breakdowns are pure disappointment and never come at the right time.
During preseason coaches tell the starters, rookies, free agents and walk-ons that everyone is responsible for their own performance. Train hard, get in the weight room and read the playbook! Every day of two-a-days they hammer home: think before reacting and exercise good judgement. The offense drills with audible calls, thinking and reacting. Defenses adjust on the fly! Coaches stop mid play to point out “what ifs” and press home the point of “Think before you act”. This is pro football where you play for pay. No political buck-passing is tolerated in the game of football. You’re expected to be in a heads up mode at game time.
On game day, we sit in the stands or in front of our TVs, full of anticipation and bravado, while the players make that last minute mental adjustment and psyche themselves up. Being professional they don’t give any thought to screwing up!
Then – boom - dropped pass, broken route, jumping offside. Well, folks, that causes the head coach’s stomach to spin counterclockwise real fast. In the stands and in front of the TV thousands of voices cry out in agony and despair. What the hell was that? Who did that? What was he thinking? And as instant replay confirms our shock and dismay the truth begins to sink in. He screwed up! We expect more, no, demand more than that from our players. After all we have waited all off-season to see our Team execute each play like a finely honed machine. Our spirits slip into the abyss. We make a valiant effort to drag them up and get ready for the next play. We are still; after all, fans and true fans get over it and get ready for another brilliant play that will become part of the pantheon of great plays for our team. Then – boom – two screw-ups in a row. Now the players are making it personal. They are tormenting us, the fans, because we failed to offer enough support. Boom – another one and this time we scream at the refs – those poor, blind, vitamin A deficient bastards who cannot see an eight inch number on a jersey when it is clearly placed within 1 inch of their nose! Now we seek to rationalize the dumb mistakes and lay blame on anyone and anything that can offer us some comfort and provide a glimmer of hope.
So why do we as fans, have to endure broken plays and dumb penalties?
We endure them because ourTeam makes them. A Team of young men who get that thrill in the pit of their stomach just like we do! Every game to the player is a new beginning, just ask any coach. Experience is merely a reference point, like a buoy in the harbor, but this next game is uncharted water offering great risk and reward. We are ready to sail with our Team towards glory!
So here it is, another Sunday afternoon and we look to the heavens and invoke the blessing of the football gods on our Team. We supplicate to all the powers of the pigskin imploring them to grant our Team victory. We rigorously perform our pre-game rituals, convinced that we, individually and collectively, are the manifest destiny that will help our team put up the big W! And yet, as we go about this fanatical exercise, in the deep silent recess of our football soul a little voice, nagging within us, murmurs “No more screw ups!”
NamVet, from a different point of view.
The game of football is more than stats and great plays, or not so great plays.
On Sunday Sept 21, as the last hours of summer raced by, all the pre-season hype was being replaced by game day reality. The 1st NFC East conference game of the season was over – with a loss! Not a blowout, but a loss more self-inflicted than self earned. Injuries and mental mistakes made a tough day for this fan, and I know I wasn’t alone.
Injuries are tolerated, even if not expected, and always come at the wrong possible time. Mental breakdowns are pure disappointment and never come at the right time.
During preseason coaches tell the starters, rookies, free agents and walk-ons that everyone is responsible for their own performance. Train hard, get in the weight room and read the playbook! Every day of two-a-days they hammer home: think before reacting and exercise good judgement. The offense drills with audible calls, thinking and reacting. Defenses adjust on the fly! Coaches stop mid play to point out “what ifs” and press home the point of “Think before you act”. This is pro football where you play for pay. No political buck-passing is tolerated in the game of football. You’re expected to be in a heads up mode at game time.
On game day, we sit in the stands or in front of our TVs, full of anticipation and bravado, while the players make that last minute mental adjustment and psyche themselves up. Being professional they don’t give any thought to screwing up!
Then – boom - dropped pass, broken route, jumping offside. Well, folks, that causes the head coach’s stomach to spin counterclockwise real fast. In the stands and in front of the TV thousands of voices cry out in agony and despair. What the hell was that? Who did that? What was he thinking? And as instant replay confirms our shock and dismay the truth begins to sink in. He screwed up! We expect more, no, demand more than that from our players. After all we have waited all off-season to see our Team execute each play like a finely honed machine. Our spirits slip into the abyss. We make a valiant effort to drag them up and get ready for the next play. We are still; after all, fans and true fans get over it and get ready for another brilliant play that will become part of the pantheon of great plays for our team. Then – boom – two screw-ups in a row. Now the players are making it personal. They are tormenting us, the fans, because we failed to offer enough support. Boom – another one and this time we scream at the refs – those poor, blind, vitamin A deficient bastards who cannot see an eight inch number on a jersey when it is clearly placed within 1 inch of their nose! Now we seek to rationalize the dumb mistakes and lay blame on anyone and anything that can offer us some comfort and provide a glimmer of hope.
So why do we as fans, have to endure broken plays and dumb penalties?
We endure them because ourTeam makes them. A Team of young men who get that thrill in the pit of their stomach just like we do! Every game to the player is a new beginning, just ask any coach. Experience is merely a reference point, like a buoy in the harbor, but this next game is uncharted water offering great risk and reward. We are ready to sail with our Team towards glory!
So here it is, another Sunday afternoon and we look to the heavens and invoke the blessing of the football gods on our Team. We supplicate to all the powers of the pigskin imploring them to grant our Team victory. We rigorously perform our pre-game rituals, convinced that we, individually and collectively, are the manifest destiny that will help our team put up the big W! And yet, as we go about this fanatical exercise, in the deep silent recess of our football soul a little voice, nagging within us, murmurs “No more screw ups!”
NamVet, from a different point of view.