Guts vs Glory (15 page)

When we came back to the practice
field the following Monday, the five of us were suddenly part of a large group
again.  We didn’t know what was going on, and were concerned that we would have
to tryout against those guys as well.  Even though we were ready for it, we
were relieved to discover that the big group was actually the rest of the team. 
Apparently, they were off the previous week due to the heat.  Since they were
already on the team they didn’t need to suffer during the hottest time of the
year.  The five of us were pulled to the side and explained our role.

Even though we were official
Dragons, and just as much a part of the team as any of the other players, we
had the important role of being on the scout team.  The scout team consisted of
23 players; 11 on defense, 11 on offense, and one kicker.  Each of us had our
own position with no backup.  The coaches figured that if we needed to take a
break during practice, we didn’t need to be on the team.  It was our
responsibility to learn the plays and formations of the teams that the Dragons
would be playing against.  During the practice week, we would emulate that team
so that USM would know what they were up against at the end of the week.  The
following week, we would have to quickly learn the plays and formations of
another team.  The coach then gave us the rest of the bad news.  Even though we
were given the difficult task of studying 12 different teams over the course of
12 weeks - without ever taking a break - the scout team was not allowed on the
sidelines during the game, and would not travel with the team.

On the scout team, there were two
coaches.  Mine was the offensive coach.  His job was to make sure our offensive
group memorized and emulated flawlessly the team we were scouting for each
week.  He told us that even though we were on the scout team, we should still
be proud of ourselves for being part of the team as a whole.  We had a very
important role because we allowed our guys to be better prepared for the week. 
More preparation meant a better chance of winning the game.  It was up to us to
be flawless during practice because if we messed up, our team of starters could
not practice efficiently.  Rather than viewing ourselves as the scout team, it
was suggested that we view ourselves as players from major college football
teams from all over the country; a different player every week.  If we still
struggled with all of that, there were many others out there who were willing
to take our place.

After being inspired by the coach,
we were ready to be assigned our positions for what would be the rest of the
season.  It was easy to figure out who would take what positions on our
offensive line.  One of our guys was the center on the team that won the
National Junior College Title Game the previous season.  Two more were
considered the best linemen in Michigan high school football but weren’t good
enough to earn scholarships and they felt they were too good to play at the
junior college level.  One was a left guard, while the other was a left
tackle.  A fourth guy played right guard at Byron Junior College the previous
season, which conveniently left me with the right tackle position.  Our
offensive line was made up of the best offensive linemen who couldn’t make the
USM depth chart, but could’ve easily started for any junior college.  Although
it would’ve been impossible for us to win any games at this college level, we
made it our goal not to be losers.

The scout team spent the rest of
the summer training with the rest of the team.  The summer practices were
similar to the practices I endured at Whitaker Junior College.  The entire team
spent the summer together working on our speed and strength.  Our scout team
was full of athletes with various college playing experiences, so the coaches
wanted to make sure that we were all on the same level.  It was their goal to
get us all to the same intensity so that we could compete with the starters. 
We spent long days under the hot sun running, blocking, and hitting with the
rest of the team.

The weight room was nothing like I
had ever seen before.  The room itself was amazing.  All of the machines were
brand new, and the room included any piece of equipment imaginable.  While in
the weight room, the coach had a specific workout routine created for each of
our position groups.  The routine for the offensive linemen was more intense
than any routine I had ever created for myself.  The routine also came with a
meal plan which allowed for healthy eating while rapidly increasing muscle
growth.  Those routines would make us stronger and leaner than ever before and
would allow us to compete at the major college level.

As the summer went on, I could feel
myself getting stronger.  I had already gained 10 pounds of muscle, and added
more weight to my bench press.  I was even losing inches off of my waist. 
Although I was already on a high protein diet, it was the first time that I was
actually watching what I was eating.  Not only was I getting stronger, but I
could also run faster and breathe easier.

Mike didn’t change as much as I did
over the summer.  He had already been on the team for two seasons, so the
coaches had plenty of time to mold him into the player they needed.  As a
candidate for the Gilreath Award, he had to work on his speed.  The teams we
would be playing against that season would make it their primary objective to
stop him.  They would have to catch him first, though.

Practices weren’t fun by any means,
but after two years, at least we were back on the same field again.  As
teammates, Mike and I were able to push each other, and keep each other focused
on what needed to be done for the upcoming season.  When we weren’t practicing,
we spent the summer in our air conditioned dorm room playing video games and
surfing the internet.  Not only were we hanging out together on a daily basis
like we used to, but we were finally able to do it without worrying about
breaking rules or getting into trouble with a judge.  We just simply felt like
adults able to make our own decisions.

A week before regular season
practice was set to begin, we were given a week off.  The coach wanted to reward
us for a good summer practice, and wanted our bodies to be prepared for the
upcoming season.  Mike and I decided to go home that week.  We drove in a car
that we had bought together.  The car that his parents bought for him had
already died and since, thanks to my parents, I didn’t have to pay for college,
I was able to put some money towards a more reliable car.  The car got us home
safely where we spent a week with our families and old friends.  I was able to
visit my former junior college coach and brag about making the team.  The week
flew by as it was time to say goodbye to our families.  We headed back to
campus for four months of college football fun.

We came back to practice the Monday
following our break.  The scout team was separated from the regular team. 
After spending the summer getting in shape with the rest of the team, we were
given our own practice field where we could run our own practices.  While on
the field, our scout team coach explained to us the plan for the week ahead. 
During the first two days of practice, we would be working on scouting the team
that the Dragons would be playing at the end of the week.  The first day we
would watch their game film and study what our individual roles would be.  The
coaches would use that time to look at the other team as a whole, and
understand what plays they ran during specific situations.  The second day, we
would work on the selected plays in our small groups.  The last two days, we
would work with the rest of the team so they could see what plays the other
team ran.  First we would walk through those plays and how they aligned with
our team’s plays.  Then, on that last day, we would run a scrimmage that would
be similar to a dress rehearsal.  In the scrimmage, both the starting offense
and defense would play against the scout team.  The team was given Friday off
to recover; that day would also be used as a travel day for away games.  On
game days, the scout team would only be able to watch the games from the stands
and only if we bought a ticket for the game.  Our weight room time during game
week would be spent with the rest of the team after practice, which allowed us
to work out in our positional groups.

Just like the coach said, we went
right into the team film room.  Our scout team watched a game from last season
involving the team we would be playing.  Even though our schedule would start
with four weaker teams outside of our conference, our coaches still took every
game seriously.  I watched their right offensive tackle the entire time during
that first film.  After the film room, we went to the weight room to work out
with the rest of the team.  The offensive linemen and I had already created a
bond, so I found those guys fun to work out with and looked forward to that
part of the day.

The following day, we worked again
in our scout team.  It was a pretty easy day for me as my job wasn’t too
challenging.  But two days into the week, I was given an opportunity to finally
block a real defender.  As a lineman in junior college, no one got by me.  I
was only hoping I would have that kind of success for another season.  My power
and speed had grown rapidly over the summer, but I would still be blocking
against a defender who was a starter for two New Year’s Day post-season games.

After two unchallenged years, my
success was finally halted.  I think my nerves got the best of me because, when
the ball was snapped, I froze.  The giant defensive end got past me in record
time.  For the next play, I got my head back in the scrimmage; I had to if I
wanted to stay on the team.  I imagined the other guy was just another player
in junior college.  When I stood up, I was no longer intimidated.  I did what
came naturally and held the guy up at the line.  For the rest of the day, he struggled
against me.  At the end of the scrimmage, I was confident in my job and knew I
could handle football at this new level.

We again went back to the weight
room at the end of practice.  I was extremely motivated because I finally felt
the results of the new workout routine with my new group.  Those results told
me that my hard work in the weight room was paying off, and as I worked harder,
the outcome would be even better.  Once we were done with work out, the coach
told the players on the team where and when to meet on game day.  And just like
that, the week was over for me.  I had three days off to myself.  I knew I
should’ve been happy for the extended weekend, but I instead felt left out. 

I spent the entire weekend getting
ready for the start of classes.  I didn’t know what the semester would bring,
but I knew I would have to be prepared if I wanted to keep up my impressive
grades.  Classes hadn’t started yet, so there wasn’t any school work to study. 
Instead, I studied the campus and how to get to my classes from where I was.  I
also looked up my teachers online so that I had an idea of who would be
teaching my classes.  Finally, I made sure I had all of my supplies, clothes,
essentials, etc.

During the game on Saturday, I
watched the guys on our team.  I knew most of them and I wanted them to do
well.  They were the people that I had worked hard with in practice and I knew
they deserved success.  I kept a good eye on the defensive end that I worked
against in practice.  Rather than viewing him as competition on the line, I was
able to see him as a student and wanted him to use my lessons of getting past a
tough offensive tackle.  Every time he did, I felt better about myself as a
teacher.  I felt like all of my hard work at practice was paying off, not just
for me, but for him as well.

A few days later, I was ready for
my first class.  It was held in the lecture hall I had expected two years ago. 
It was a room of nearly 300 students.  The chalkboard was the size of a
billboard, and the professor looked like anything you could imagine from TV. 
We never introduced ourselves, nor did we get a chance to say anything.  He
spent the entire two hours talking, and we spent the entire two hours taking
notes.

The next class was nearly similar. 
The only difference was, in that class, I noticed her.  She was perfect. 
Christine was the prettiest girl in the class, and she made me smile just by
looking at her.  Her eyes seemed to speak to me.  After class, she came over to
me and told me she had been in my previous class.  She could tell that I was
keeping up with the professor.  She apologized because she knew I was a
football player and that, at first, she thought I was just another dumb jock. 
She suggested that we could hang out sometime during the week to exchange
notes.  We then exchanged numbers.

I nearly ran to the dorm to tell
Mike about her.  He told me that my symptoms were common for someone who was
falling in love.  I had never been that crazy about a girl before, so I didn’t
know what to do next.  He told me he had been in love numerous times while at
school, and would be able to give me great advice.  He told me to treat the
situation like I would a practice.  Instead of worrying about the end result, I
would have to do what I was used to doing and worry only about the task at
hand.  In that situation, what I was used to doing was being myself.  The task
at hand was simply exchanging notes without letting my feelings trip me up.

After seeing Christine the
following day in yet our third class together, I knew it was meant to be. 
After practice that day, I called her up to study.  She came over to our dorm
because we had air conditioning that actually worked.  After exchanging notes
for an hour, we exchanged conversation.  We didn’t stop talking until morning. 
The next day, Mike teased me for not getting past first base, but I was happy
to just be on the field.