*Marcus Kane: The Story So Far

[Dangles13]

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Kane speaks to media for first time in seasons[/div]

Man, it seems like it was just yesterday that I was a nervous wreck waiting to hear my name called on draft day. What a difference four years can make in this crazy game we call life. I went from being a brash and obnoxious kid who fell all the way to 25th overall in the second ever NSFL draft to a quiet and calm veteran journeyman who never quite lived up to the hype. I ran into an old high school buddy of mine and we took a trip down memory lane; re-lived the "glory" days of high school when we were kings. I miss those days, simpler times man, everything was so easy and the hardest decision I faced was which party I wanted to go to.

My friend and I shot the shit for a few hours but then he had to get home to his wife and kids. I couldn't sleep after he left and I kept reminiscing about my pro career. The more I thought about what I've done up to now the more depressed I got; how could I have let my play slip so much? As I cogitated on my past I heard my father say in the back of my mind "look at the positives, look how far you've come when so many have failed to get even here". I knew he was right, in my heart of hearts I knew that he spoke wisdom so I sat down to chronicle what I've achieved thus far.

Season 2

Earning a starting job in pro football is very fucking tough. I had a chip on my shoulder after sliding down to the 4th round and I wanted to start right away and felt I had the tools to do so. Yellowknife leadership liked the enthusiasm but told me I would have to earn my spot so I started to work my ass off. I put out my "Hit List" where I made promises to murder the ever loving shit out of various offensive players. I hit the gym and worked on getting bigger and faster so I could over the starting strong safety role for the Wraiths. It didn't take long before I was coming off the bench less and less, my play was backing up my large mouth. We finished in a 3 way tie for first in the NSFC but lost to Baltimore in the playoffs. In 14 games I managed to rack up 51 tackles with 4 sacks as well. I was not just a physical presence in the box either, I managed to snag two errant passes for interceptions and knock down another four as deflections. I saved my best for the playoffs. Even though we lost to the Hawks I had 7 tackles, two for a loss, a sack AND a pick that almost got us back into the game. Definitely nothing to write home about but still it was a starting point for me and I made me hungry for more.

Season 3

After a promising rookie season I expected big things for myself and even bigger things for the Wraiths. I was so fucking wrong though. Yellowknife finished 7 and 7 and missed the gotdamn playoffs. I think this is the year that sapped my passion for the game and sent me spiralling into mediocrity. The up and down nature just didn't jive with what my brain wanted and I broke. On the field I definitely took a step forward though. I racked up 25 more tackles this season and two of my 76 pad rattlers were for a loss. I managed to scoop up my first fumble recovery and got my very first safety too. I managed to bring down QBs six times, showcasing my knack for jumping the snap. I only managed to snag one interception this time around but I did knock the pigskin down five times. Even though this was personally a better season I just had such high hopes for the Wraiths that I was deflated, just like Brady's balls.

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Kane looking dejected at closing meetings after missing playoffs
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Season 4

Yellowknife staved off some tough competition from Baltimore and Philly to take the NSFC division and return to the playoffs. I am ashamed to say this is the season I mailed it in, I stopped showing up to practices and I stopped hitting the gym. Hell, most of the time you couldn't even find me in the locker room. I closed myself off to the team and my play reflected it. I was benched for the first time since my rookie season as younger and hungrier players stepped up to the plate. However, Coach saw something in me decided that I would slot in nicely as a linebacker. I'm big and physical and half of job as a strong safety was stacking the box anyways. I dropped down to 56 tackles this season and only stuffed one runner behind the line as I adjusted to playing LB. I did continue to showcase my ability of getting the QB with 4 sacks and I also forced my first fumble and scooped up the loose ball. My coverage as a linebacker was clearly lacking as I only snagged one pick and one deflection. In the playoffs we knocked off the Liberty before falling to those damn Otters in the Ultimus and I didn't play so well. Notching 9 tackles in two games to go with only 1 sack, not enough to get my team the Ultimus.

Season 5

The Wraiths best season to date; a 10-4 record saw them easily take the NSFC and finish second overall in the league. Spike Crown called me in for a personal meeting this season to have a heart to heart with me. We talked about not just football but life and the shit that was bugging me. Spike showed me how to love football again and convinced me to get back into the gym and to attend team meetings. I started showing up in the locker room more often and got to know some of my teammates again. I was told that I would be starting at linebacker from day one and I should have an easier adjustment this time around. Putting on muscle has helped me to penetrate the line more frequently as I had a whopping 11 sacks and 3 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. My tackle total was only 66 but I was used more in a gunner role and less in coverage, I like this role. I still managed to pull in one interception but my biggest accomplishment was swatting down 8 passes. I also forced two fumbles this season and collected two loose balls as some veteran backers showed me some neat tricks. I also got my first career touchdown this season on a fumble recovery; always great to score, even better when you are a defender. My renewed passion for the sport also saw me accumulate 4 defensive performances of the week! We got back into the playoffs and dispatched a tough Hawks team. I was even player of the game with 9 tackles, a sack and one pass deflection. Add in my 8 tackles and 2 sacks against the Otters and I am pretty pleased with the personal results. We faced off against our rival Otters for the Ultimus for the second year in a row. We lost another close one. Third time is the charm right?

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Kane all smiles since returning to practice[/div]

Season 6

The season is young and the Wraiths are in a 3 way tie for first with a 2-1 record in the NSFC. Philly and Baltimore are both great teams but I have faith in us. I am on pace for 76 tackles, 4 picks and 9 pass deflections but I pray that with me work ethic stronger than ever I will be able to improve on those numbers as I do my part to get Yellowknife back to the Ultimus for year 3! I am excited but I know that nothing is guaranteed and anything that can happen, will happen.

[SwagSloth]

Good write-up!