My thoughts were quickly interrupted by the offensive line coach. As predicted, I made the cut of 75. At that cut, the line coach got rid of two linemen. A few days later, the offensive line coach only needed to get rid of three players. For a second straight year, I didn’t make the 53 man roster. As I left the room with the other cut players, the line coach pulled me to the side and told me that I would have a better season the upcoming year. That comment made me curious as I couldn’t figure how another year on the practice squad could get better. It would be a few months before I got my answer.
Chapter 89
That year, the team did a complete turn-around from the previous season. The year before, the team was only two wins away from making it to the playoffs. This year, the team only had two wins going into the last game of the regular season. The coaches never told us why we were doing so poorly, but the media certainly had their opinions. In the evenings, I would read the newspaper in an effort to understand what was happening to our team.
The sports reporters believed that we were so dedicated to the run, that we forgot to work on our other weapons (like defense). Mike got the ball a lot, but he was the only one getting the ball, according to the newspaper. It made it really easy for the teams playing us because all they had to do was put a little more attention on him, and less attention on the rest of our offensive. Unfortunately, no matter how much he scored, with a bad defense, the other teams had no problems scoring touchdowns. Finally, after much speculation in the papers, the coaches spoke out about the team’s hardships.
After 14 regular season games, the head coach brought us together for a team meeting. He finally admitted that the papers were right in calling our defense horrible and the reason for us not winning games. Even though there were only two games left in the season, the coach was going to make a drastic change right away. He then introduced us to the new defensive coach. The new coach announced that he would spend the week observing our defense and take notes as he drew up a better attack plan for us. The next week, we would put that plan into action and use it during the last game of the season. Before we left the room, he made it clear that the defense was in for a shakeup.
A week later, our new defensive coach followed through with his plan. In the beginning of the season, teams were able to trade their players for players from other teams. Unfortunately, that process was only available during the first half of the season, so teams were unable to trade during the second half. Instead, the new defensive coach simply traded players on the defense with players from the practice squad. Not everyone from our squad got the promotion, so I knew my hard work on the team was finally paying off when I got called up to the regular roster team.
The coach wanted me as a defensive lineman. He was impressed with how well I had progressed during practices and how well I was able to keep up with the starters on the team. He didn’t want me as a starter, though, because the starting defensive linemen were going to stay where they were. Instead, he wanted me as a backup because the backup defensive end was about to find his way off the team. I spent the rest of the week practicing with the real team. Thanks to my time working with this defensive line, I was already familiar with the plays and the players, and I already had experience in working against the starting offensive linemen. The practices that week simply gave me extended time on the field to get used to working with the roster team, instead of working against them.
Chapter 90
After watching 31 games from home, I was finally able to watch a Michigan Knights’ regular season game from the sideline. The game was a home game, so I was used to the atmosphere of our home stadium. It was even less intimidating than the exhibition games I was used to because the stands were even less full during that game. I guess fans had stopped showing up when their team had only won two games. With plenty of room in the stadium, I had no problem getting tickets for my wife and parents.
As a backup lineman in college, I was used to watching the game from the sideline because backups weren’t used very often there. At the professional level, however, backup players were used all the time on defense. In the pros, coaches wanted the linemen to play as hard as they could for every play, but knew that would cause exhaustion. To alleviate the tiredness, defensive players were allowed to rest for a few plays, so that they could come back into the game fresh. As a spectator at home, I knew that backups were used often, but I was still surprised when the defensive coach called me in.
We were playing against the Florida Pythons in the last game of the season. They already had a spot in the playoffs, so they were benching their star players. Even though I would be trying to take down a second-string running back and quarterback, I would still have to get through their first-string offense line because they didn’t get the game off. Out of the huddle, I stood in my new defensive end position. Once the ball was snapped, I was ready for the offensive tackle coming at me. Thanks to two years of hard work in practice against our starting offensive tackles, I was ready for him. There was a little struggle, but I got by him. Once I did, I found the running back and took him down. After that play, the defender I relieved was ready to come back in. On my way back to the sidelines, the new coach came over to me and shook my hand. He knew how hard I had been working at practice and was excited to see that his new attack plan was really working.
As the game went on, our defense was able to keep the Pythons from scoring, and I was able to take down the running back two more times. Towards the end of the game, as our defense was getting ready for yet another drive, I got called back in. The time was running down, so we knew they would be trying hard to score as quickly as possible. Because they didn’t have much time, we were expecting their quarterback to throw the ball as far as he could down the field. That meant the quarterback would be the only one behind the offensive line, as he would send everyone else out to catch the ball. As defensive linemen, our only objective for that play was to tackle the quarterback as hard and as fast as we could.
There were five offensive linemen blocking our four defensive linemen, yet somehow three of us were able to break through the line. With three big guys coming at him, the quarterback panicked. He was already facing my direction, so I was able to lock eyes with him as I came solidly at him. With the quarterback locked on me, he had no idea that there was another defender coming from behind him. The quarterback knew he couldn’t afford to get sacked, so as he was being thrown down to the ground, he quickly got rid of the ball. Unfortunately for him, he threw the ball too late and it didn’t quite make it past my outstretched hands. Instinct took over as I grabbed the ball out of the air and ran the other direction for a touchdown.
It was only our third win of the season, but the team was still excited. After 15 struggling games, our team finally had a solid defense again. Our head coach did the right thing by getting a new defensive coach during the season, and the new coach did the right thing by trusting in me. After two hours of celebrating with our families and teammates outside of the stadium, Mike, Christine and I went home to celebrate on our own. That day, I played my first game as a Michigan Knight, and scored my first touchdown as a professional football player. Even though it was one of the greatest days of my playing career, Christine had news that made that day 10 times better. Nine months later, our family would be growing by one.
Chapter 91
Once the season was over, I went right back to my temporary job as a security guard. I knew it would be my last year on the force because, after training camp, I would either be on the regular roster, or looking for a real job. Christine and I also started looking for a house of our own. Even though Mike’s house was big enough for all of us, we wanted to raise a child in our own home. After a few months of looking, we finally found a modest house within our price range. The house was a few miles away from Mike’s, so we would still be able to spend plenty of time together.
With the team’s horrible season, Mike worked out harder than usual during the off-season. We both wanted to
contribute to the team, but we had different ideas of how to do so. He made it his goal to rush for over 1,500 yards, while carrying the team back into playoff contention. My goal was to make a considerable impression during training camp and make it to the regular roster because I would not be eligible to play on the practice squad for a third year. I knew the new defensive coach had been impressed by my performance that season, but I also knew that he was planning on making more big changes.
The team never communicated to its players what changes they made during the off-season, so it was up to us to find out on our own. Just like I did during the previous season, I got most of my information from the newspaper. Apparently, as soon as the season was over, the team got rid of more than half of their starting defensive players. Most of those guys were traded to other teams for picks in the Selection Showcase.
During Selection Showcase Week, teams were given one pick per round, for a total of seven picks. Teams were allowed, however, to use any of their picks to barter with other teams. Teams would generally trade their picks for one or more players from another team. The traded player’s value usually correlated with which round the pick came from. So if a team was willing to trade a high-caliber athlete, they would expect to receive a pick from the first round in return. If, however, the player wasn’t as talented, they would expect to receive a pick from the sixth or seventh round. After trading some of their players to other teams, the Knights were able to score additional picks in the first, third, and fourth round.
In addition to those multiple picks, the Knights also earned the first pick due to their poor record. With their second overall pick, the team chose a very talented wide receiver. They then used the rest of their picks to build up their defense. By the end of the selection process, most of the players who had been cut by the team at the end of the season had been replaced by younger players who had the potential to develop into high-caliber athletes.
After Selection Showcase Week, the Knights continued to trade more of their players to other teams. They traded some of their high-priced athletes for multiple athletes from other teams. For the price of one defender, the Knights were able to receive two or three affordable defenders who hadn’t quite developed yet, but still had potential for growth. So when it was all said and done, the Knights had gotten rid of most of their veterans for a bunch of young defenders who would be competing with me for a spot on the regular roster.
Chapter 92
Going into training camp my third year, I was left with one final chance to make the team. My only chance of making the roster team would be to have the best training camp of my life. My advantage was my experience with the team, and my touchdown during the previous season didn’t hurt. My disadvantage was the many new faces on the team and the experiences they’d had playing for other teams.
After our first big team meeting, we met in our positional groups. That year, rather than working out with the offense, I worked with the defense. The group wasn’t any different than the offensive line group, but the numbers were a little different. During the regular season, the team would have eight defensive linemen on the roster. In the room that day were 14 players fighting it out to make the team. That meant six players would have to be cut at the end of summer. When I was in the offensive line group, the coach had already made up his mind for starters, so there were less of us fighting for fewer backup spots. With the new defensive coach and his new action plan, though, nobody was guaranteed a starting spot so all 14 of us were fighting for a starting job.
During the full-contact practice, I was able to use my strength and speed against the new guys on the team. I felt confident as I was able to keep up with all of them. Because there were very few veterans in our group, our whole group worked to their full potential for the entire two weeks. Most of us received at least one injury, but we all bounced back and survived the full-contact practices. By the end of the training camp, all 14 of us were still on the team, and still itching for a position.
We waited anxiously as the defensive line coach announced who would be starting during our first exhibition game. Everybody had the same chance of playing, so nobody was sure of their place on the team. We were waiting like lottery ticket holders waiting for their numbers to be drawn, as the coach began his announcements. After the first, second, and third-string players had been announced, there were only two of us left; a player from last years practice squad and me.
After the first exhibition game, the new defensive line coach decided to switch up our lines again. The coach put me on the second-string with three other players from last season’s team. The mix-up confused all of us as we couldn’t understand what happened in the game to create such drastic changes. The coach explained to us that he had only four games to figure out who his starting defensive line was going to be. Since nobody was guaranteed a spot, everybody would have to rotate through the lines so that we would all have a fair opportunity to try out.
By the end of the four games, I was able to play in each group. After not playing at all during the first game, I was able to record 3 tackles in the second game while on the third-string. As a second-stringer, I added another 2 tackles. When I finally got my chance to start in the 4th game, I had an outstanding 4 tackles; 1 of those being a sack. I don’t know if it was the excitement of finally being a starter, or if my hard work was paying off, but that last game as a starter was my best game ever. After four exhibition games, I even had the most tackles among defensive linemen.
Chapter 93
I really wasn’t surprised that I made the first cut. Not only was I used to making the 75-man roster, but I knew that my impressive amount of tackles during the exhibition games were enough for me not to be the first lineman cut. My time on the practice squad, as well as my time in the weight room, allowed me to get back into my comfort zone with defense. During the exhibition games, I felt like I was back in high school again and was riding a huge wave of momentum. I knew I would be able to get impressive numbers once I got my comfort level back up. If it weren’t for the new defensive coach, though, I wouldn’t have had a shot at playing as much as I did during exhibition games. Even though I was looking good out there, however, I was still competing against guys who had always looked good on the field and had been playing defense a lot longer than me. So I knew my rejuvenation on defense would be enough to make the first cut, but I wasn’t as sure about the second.
Days later, I experienced something that I never had before. My name was announced as a regular roster player. Finally! I didn’t have to awkwardly leave the room as a cut player. The defensive line coach had been very impressed with my performance during the exhibition games, and was excited about my constant progress. He said I wasn’t quite ready to be a starter, but I definitely had the potential to start the following season as long as I kept improving. The other three backup players were new to the team. As it turned out, the defensive coach wanted all of his young players to start as backups, and slowly work their way into starting roles as they became more comfortable playing at the professional level.
As a backup in the pros, I knew my life was going to change. First of all, I would be able to reap the benefits of being on the roster team. I would be able to watch the games from the sideline and travel with the team, my name would be in the program sold to fans at games, and my family would receive free tickets to all of our home games. Also, I would be receiving a significant pay increase. My $6,000 a week would turn into a $500,000 for one season. I had never had that kind of money in my life, let alone in one year. Finally, Mike and I were one week away from our achieving our high school goal; after seven years, we would finally be playing together in the pros.
In the first week of regular-season practice, our head coach spent a lot of time walking us through plays. The team wanted to use that season as a rebuilding year, so the coach didn’t feel like he was wasting practice time by helping out the young talent. He was more concerned about the long-term value of the team, and less concerned ab
out the current season. I loved it because we were able to use the time in practice as more of a learning process. I was already used to the team’s plays, but I wasn’t used to being in them. Walking through the plays allowed me to get used to my role as a defensive end without worrying about someone trying to hit me. I knew if I appreciated it, the rest of the young guys did too. Even the veterans were treated like they were new to the team. They didn’t mind because, over the course of many years, they too were tired of getting beaten up.
Our last day of practice was by no means a walk-through, though. The head coach retained the tradition of using the last day of the week as a scrimmage day. We were all expected to hit as hard as we could, while flawlessly executing plays at full-speed. It took a while, but eventually we were all running at full speed, hitting at full strength, and executing plays without error. Finally, after a long summer, and a long week of walk-throughs during practice, we were starting to look like a solid team.
Chapter 94
I felt my heart race as Mike and I walked onto that field together. We had finally accomplished a dream that took so long, and so much work, to achieve. It wasn’t long before I had my first opportunity to play during the first game of the season. The defensive coach, as part of his new plan, wanted his backups to play as often as possible. He wanted to keep his starters fresh while allowing the backups to get plenty of exposure to real games. Because of this, I was able to play nearly half of the game and was responsible for 4 of our defensive tackles. The rest of the defenders also had great numbers but, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to stop our opponent from scoring more than us.
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