Full Pads & Helmets

By Uncle Hans

I am done with the first week of football camp and that's halfway. This is my locker. We went to full pads and helmet on Thursday. There are only 27 players so everyone has to learn both the offense and the defense. For a rookie football illiterate like myself it is overwhelming. The guys are very patient and quick to help me out.

I am still the worst player in virtually every category. Kind of discouraging. I am very handicapped by being unable to catch the ball. I have very small hands and a surgeon's instinct to keep my hands out of danger. On Wednesday I dropped three in a row so when the 4th came in I made a serious effort to catch it with my body. It turned out to be a Bullet Pass, but I did catch it. This was my arm Wednesday evening.

Here it is on Friday morning. It looks worse than it feels. Today it's already fading. I am slowly improving. My anterior thighs are the only real sore spot and this morning they felt pretty good.

I am on the taxi Squad which means when the starting offense is at work I stand in the different defense positions to allow them to learn their assignments. When the starting defense is working I stand in the different offense positions for the same reason. Having so few players is a blessing for me because I am actually useful to the coaches and the team.

These are my work clothes. Renee said I look serious. Black for us is the color of Defense and I have been leaning towards outside linebacker.

The defense uses a lot of single safety formations and my attempt at cornerback only proved that I was too slow for that work. Without a safety behind me I can't keep up with a wide receiver. In the jargon of the game, outside linebacker is called a dawg.

     The group is together for the better part of 14 hours a day starting with breakfast at 7:15 a.m. and often ending with a snack and devotional after 9 p.m. There are lectures, some inspirational talks, and two, two hour practices on the field. The guys are very supportive, I participate in every drill, they don't laugh when I do poorly, and they congratulate me when I occasionally do something right.

     My goal when I came here for practice was:

I want to be ON the field but not IN the way

Because of the shortage of players and the fact that they actually need me, and the fact that they all gently teach me, I am achieving that goal.

I love it, but the actual hitting has just started today and that's my last remaining hurdle.

Uncle Hans

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