Guts vs Glory

by Jason B. Osoff

  Mike also had a great game. For him to achieve his goal of rushing for over 1,500 yards, he had to average just under 100 yards per game. He came close to that number, but their defense was too much for him. The wide receiver we picked up in the Selection Showcase was a young player, so he was still adjusting to the professional level. He caught a few catches, but not enough for the other team to divide their coverage between the receiver and the running back. Even though it wasn’t Mike’s best game as a running back, it was still a game that we would never forget; our first professional football game playing together.

  The following two games were even more successful for us. I totaled 6 tackles in those games, while Mike averaged 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. The receiver was starting to get better, so the defenders had to protect both Mike and the receiver at the same time. Additionally, our defense was getting better, and we even managed to win one of those two games.

  On September 29th, our little baby boy, James, was born. I’ve had many proud moments as a player, but that was my proudest moment ever as a father. There were so many people in the hospital room visiting him that the hospital wanted to start selling tickets to get in. Sadly, the next day, I had to board the team plane for our October 1st game. I hated to leave because I wanted to spend the rest of my life holding that child and his mother, but there I was away from them after James’ first day of life. I was so distracted that it affected my game. The offensive tackle held me up so much at the beginning of the game that I eventually had to sit the bench for most of the remainder.

  Losing that game gave our team had a record of 2-2. The coaches liked our progress on defense, however, and even felt that we were progressing faster than expected. The defensive coach felt his players were adapting well to the changes and wouldn’t need to be replaced during the game as often. With the horrible timing of my poorly played game, I was no longer seen as a starting contender and any chance I had at starting was gone. I would still be able to play as a backup, but I would spend most of the game watching from the sidelines. My performance during that game may have been the reason why I wasn’t promoted, but being there for my son’s birth was worth giving up some playing time.

  I continued to watch the game from the sidelines and eventually my playing time gradually increased. I made the most of small amount of playing time I got and was able to record the 3rd most tackles on the defensive line. Meanwhile, Mike was just over 100 rushing yards shy of achieving his 1,500 yard goal. The last game of that season would end up making an impact on both of our careers.

  Chapter 95

  In the professional football league, 32 teams are divided into two conferences. Each conference is divided by four divisions and each division consists of four teams. At the end of the regular season, only six teams from each conference are allowed to play in the playoffs. Four of those spots are reserved for the team with the best record in each division. The other two spots are left for the two teams with the best record that didn’t win their division. After three elimination rounds of inter-conference play, the two teams left from either conference play each other in the Professional Football League’s Showdown Game.

  We had a mediocre year, so we clearly weren’t the best team in our division. However, with an impressive win streak in the middle of the season, accompanied by some timely loses by other teams in our conference, we were playing for one of the two spots left for non-division winners in our conference. All we had to do was win our last game and we would be sent to the playoffs. Our team had a lot on the line.

  Going into halftime, the game was tied. Mike had rushed for only 53 yards and had yet to cross the goal line. Surprisingly enough, it was our defense that kept us in the game, as both teams only had one touchdown each. After a long season of ironing out wrinkles, our defense was finally solid enough to compete against any team in the league. As long as we could continue to hold those guys for one more half, all we needed was one more score to go to the playoffs.

  In the 4th quarter, we got the score we were looking for. The score came from Mike’s 80-yard touchdown scamper, putting him well over 1,500 yards. All we had to do was keep them from scoring to win the game. With our much-improved defense, we knew it was a task we could easily handle. The defensive coach went back to his plan of keeping the defensive line fresh, so he continued to rotate us through on a more regular basis. With less than a minute to play, it was my turn.

  The other team was 60 yards away from tying up the game. When their quarterback called for the ball, we saw the center snap it, but we never saw the quarterback move. As I was trying to get past the offensive line, I saw the football lying at my feet. I was no longer worried about getting past the offensive line; my instinct again kicked in and I jumped on the ball. As soon as I landed on it, I had an entire field of football players on me. As more opponents jumped on, I could feel my arms getting pinched by other players. I felt their punches to my kidneys. They were trying to inflict so much pain on me that I would focus more on self-preservation and less on the ball. What they didn’t know was I had been through enough pain during my career that I wasn’t going to let a pinched arm or a body punch get in the way of keeping that ball safe. With the ball back in our possession, we were able to run the clock down to finish the game. And suddenly, our rebuilding year turned into a playoff run.

  Chapter 96

  Being 1 of 12 teams in the playoffs was an honor; being 1 of 53 players to play for our team was a dream come true. I retained my role as a backup defensive end, and was able to contribute 2 tackles in the game. Mike continued to run the ball well, and scored 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, those 2 touchdowns weren’t enough as we lost to the team that would go on to win the Showdown Game. Even though we lost the game, it was still one of my favorite games and I enjoyed every part of it.

  During the off-season, I was able to spend plenty of time with my family. With the money I earned as a professional football player, I no longer needed a second job during the off-season. I was able to play the game I loved so much, and was paid more money than I knew what to do with. I was too busy during the season to spend any of it, so after paying off our house, we put the rest of the money away for our future. We had decided early that we weren’t going to blow it all because we didn’t know if there would be more money coming the next year. Christine enjoyed her teaching job and still continued to work for the love of the job, while I spent my down time keeping in shape.

  A week into the off-season, I heard some news that would no doubt impact my playing status on the team. Right after the season was over, two of our defensive ends decided to retire. They were getting older and weren’t enjoying the game as much as they used to. They had both planned on leaving a season earlier, but after only winning three games that season, they decided to stay another year; not wanting to go out on a bad note. With those two players leaving, there would now be two openings on the starting defensive line.

  Months later, as I watched the Selection Showcase Week on television, I wanted to see how the Knights were going to fill the void left by those two defensive linemen. During the 1st round, we picked up a center. In the 2nd and 3rd rounds, we picked up two wide receivers, and in the 4th round, a kicker. In the final three rounds, we continued to pick up more offensive players. At the conclusion of Selection Showcase Week, our team had not picked up any additional defenders.

  I continued to read the sports section daily to see if the Knights would trade some of their players for additional defensive ends. After a month, however, they weren’t a part of any trades. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to do the math on this one. The Michigan Knights lost two starters on the defensive line. They had seven chances of picking up talented college athletes to fill the void, but went with offensive players instead. They then had two months to trade some of their players in the hopes of getting defensive linemen to take the starting role, but chose not to. As a result, I would be walking into training camp with the exact same group of defensive guys from the previous
year. With no additional competition to worry about, and with two available spots on the defensive line, I would no longer be fighting to make the team; I would be fighting for a starting role.

  Chapter 97

  Training camp certainly had a different feel by my fourth year. I was really starting to feel like a veteran, even though it was just my second season off the practice squad. I was well aware of the camp schedule, and already knew what to expect. The meetings were more challenging for me since all of the plays presented were identical to the ones used the previous years, making it a struggle to stay awake. Again, I knew my primary objective would have to be using the two hours of hitting practice after lunch to prove my worth.

  In those sessions, I knew I would have to be the best one on the field. I would have to use every minute I had to earn one of the starting spots. The defensive coach was left with a bunch of young guys who all spent a year developing into the athletes he wanted. That put us all pretty much on the same page, and with the same opportunity to become a star. Fortunately, I was used to playing against starting offensive linemen, I had my plays memorized and I was in great shape. Unfortunately, so was everybody else.

  In college, I was able to use my memorization skills as my biggest weapon to stand out from the guys who were stronger than me. During my first year on the practice squad, I was able to use my strength as my best weapon to get past the offensive tackle. With this group of guys who were as strong, as mean, and who knew the plays as well as I did, I didn’t know what my secret weapon would be. Then, it dawned on me. In the pros, a defensive lineman wasn’t judged by how well he knew the plays, or how strong he was; he was simply judged by how many tackles he contributed to the team. At the end of the previous season, I had the 3rd most tackles of any defensive lineman on the team. Additionally, I was smart enough to jump on a fumble and took us to the playoffs. I would have to ride out that momentum and hope the coaches remembered my contributions to the previous season.

  With my new thinking, I was able to worry less about my competitors, and focus more on my individual work. I began the camp in the best shape of my life, yet I continued to get stronger in those two weeks. During the hitting sessions, I barely struggled against the offensive tackle across from me, nor did I get winded during our speed and conditioning drills. I was having the best training camp of my life.

  Mike, of course, had it a lot easier than I did. With his impressive run last season, he was guaranteed a spot on the team for the next five seasons. After his first season on the team, the general manager was so impressed with his running ability, that he guaranteed him a spot on the team for three seasons and would pay him a total of $12 million. At the conclusion of the previous season, his three years had expired so he was given a new contract which would keep him on the team for five years and paid him $5 million a season. Since the team was spending so much money on him, he knew he would start no matter how poorly he performed during camp.

  Chapter 98

  We never talked about how much money either one of us made; I just knew that he made a lot of money. But once I read about his new contract in the paper, it made sense why the starting players didn’t play much during exhibition games. Simply put, teams didn’t want to lose any money by injuring their star players during scrimmages. Once the teams knew who their starters would be, it was up to the backup players to play out the rest of the game. The concept made sense when I was making $6,000 a week and was playing nearly half of the exhibition games. It made less sense as I was standing on the sidelines with Mike for most of the exhibition season.

  Our annual roster announcements were made a few days before the first exhibition game was set to kickoff. For the first game, I wasn’t surprised to hear the defensive line coach call my name as a starter. I figured that the defensive coach was going to do what he did the previous year; give everybody a shot at starting. In my first game, I had a couple of good tackles before sitting out of the game for three quarters. Going into the second game, the defensive line coach declared me a starter for yet a second straight game. Surprised, I asked him why. He told me that he liked the way I had improved over the course of three seasons on the Michigan Knights. He had watched me come in as a center who barely made the practice squad, and turn into a defensive end who helped take us to the playoffs. Because of my work, determination, ability to progress, and commitment to the team, he wanted to give me a shot at starting during all of the exhibition games, with the reminder that it was mine to lose.

  I loved being a starter at first. I was treated with respect on the team, and had more confidence than I had money. But as the exhibition games went on, I was beginning to feel disappointed. I loved the game of football, but I loved playing it even more. Unfortunately, I spent most of the exhibition games on the sidelines, where I had watched the games as a backup for half of my football life. I suddenly felt like I was being punished for being a starter. I wasn’t making that much money on the team, so why couldn’t I go out there and hit somebody?

  By the third exhibition game, after hearing me complain for the last time, Mike told me to snap out of it. He reminded me that the defensive line coach had told me this was mine to lose. If I survived the exhibition games and continued to play the only way I knew how, I would have a career as a starter on my favorite professional football team. With less time on the playing field, I had less of an opportunity to screw up. All of the sudden, I loved the sidelines.

  At the conclusion of the exhibition games, I racked up 10 tackles in the short amount of playing time. It was no surprise that I made it to the 53 man roster. What did surprise me was my meeting with the general manager. I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the boss’s office for the first time. In high school, a meeting with the principal was never good. I had only met the general manager once, so I knew the meeting was either really good, or really bad. As I sat down, he got right into it. He told me he had good news and better news. The good news was, as a starter, he wanted to raise my pay to $1 million for the upcoming season. The better news was, if I continued to have a good season, they would give me a big contract that would guarantee me a place on the team for a few years, while making a lot more money, and would include a bonus just for signing the contract.

  Chapter 99

  I went on a spending spree the next day. I flew my parents, Christine’s parents, and even Mike’s parents in to Lansing so that we could all celebrate together. I even invited the other three players that would be starting on the line with me. We had a lot to celebrate. First of all, Mike and I would both be making a lot of money. Second of all, we would both be starting on our favorite team. Third, and best of all, after seven long years, the two of us would not only be playing on the same team together; we would both be starting on a professional football team that had a good chance to make it to the Showdown Game.

  All of our parents stayed in town to watch the Michigan Knight’s home opener. It was a game that everybody was excited about. Mike and I were obviously excited, which in turn made our families excited, but the rest of the state was excited too. After declaring the previous season a “rebuilding season”, we came back and made it to the playoffs. Then, we had a defense full of young players with very little experience, and an offense fueled by only one running back. This year, our defense had gained a year of experience after finally shaping in to a solid unit, while our offense gained an additional weapon. After a season of no expectations, who knew what we were capable of in a season with high expectations?

  As we rushed onto the field in our silver and gold home uniforms, The Kingdom erupted. Prior to that season, our stadium was simply known as the place where the Michigan Knights played their home games, and was named after a company that paid a lot of money to sponsor us. But the general manager wanted to add hype to the already-hyped season. He talked the sponsor into naming the arena “THE KINGDOM… presented by ‘Some Company That Paid a Lot of Money’. He then spent a lot of money on changing the interior so that it lo
oked like we were battling our opponents in a jousting arena during the Renaissance Era. They even served turkey legs without silverware, just like they would at a Medieval Times restaurant.

  With the team’s high expectations, a solid defense, a heavily armored offense, and an arena disguised as an event known for its beheadings, the anticipation for kickoff was intense. Finally, as the ball was kicked into the end zone by our new kicker, numerous cameras flashed and we were ready to go to work. Since our opponent had the ball first, I would waste no time as a starter. The very first play of the season would end with a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, compliments of yours truly. After stopping the offense from gaining 10 yards, it was our turn with the ball. After Mike broke free for a 75-yard dash, the game broke open. Granted, we were playing the worst team in the league, we were still more than happy to take the 28-point win.

  As we ran off the field, we were overwhelmed by sports reporters. I was used to them on the field, I was used to them talking to Mike, but I was not used to them talking to me. They really had no idea who I was, or where I came from, but they were impressed with my 4 sacks and 10 tackles. I knew I wouldn’t have that kind of game every time, but I was more than willing to soak in the 15 minutes of fame while it lasted. By the end of the day, they predicted I would break the record in tackles by defensive linemen, while Mike would break 2,000 yards. He was already 1,700 yards away from it.