Tier 1, Task 1:
The Dallas birddogs were in their second season as a team and already they had to practically rebuild their entire team. After suffering a vast amount of players being called up to the NSFL from their season one team, the front office had to scramble to fill holes, especially on the defensive side of the ball. After the draft, the offensive players they did draft were often asked if they would considering moving to the offensive side of the ball. Players like d’Alcott and McGallager would change from Wide Receiver and Tight End to Safety and Cornerback respectively.
After an average start, they entered week 6 with a 2-3 record. Their week 5 game against Tijuana was the stuff of their worst nightmares. In their worst showing of the season, Dallas would lose 30-9 and be utterly humiliated doing so. While no points were scored by either team in the second half of the game, by that point it didn’t matter as all Tijuana had to do was hold on to their three touchdown lead which their defense was more than capable of doing. It was the lowest point of the season for the young core who had been dreaming of so much more. As they returned over the border to Dallas, they were mobbed by reporters who were demanding answers for how the season had gone so far. It was here where rookie safety and Dallas native Raphael d’Alcott would step up to the interview podium and give this now famous speech:
“I know this wasn’t the result you wanted and I apologize. These aren’t the results that any of us want and it's not what we want for our team going forward. So to everyone in the Dog Pound, I’m sorry. I promise you one thing, these losses will be good things in the end. The Good Lord wouldn’t give us these hardships if he didn’t believe that we could overcome them. I promise that you will never see any player work harder than me for the rest of this year. I want to bring Dallas home a title and I will give every ounce of blood and every drop of sweat to make it happen. God bless you all.”
This speech, now referred to as “The Vow”, stunned the reporters as the Birddogs left the airport. It was a rallying point for the players as they wouldn’t allow their season to go in flames this way. If they were going to revive their season and fight for the playoff spots, they would do it starting with week six. A rather fitting week to start again considering who their next opponent was. The London Royals.
London had joined the league at the same time as Dallas and thus they were natural rivals. The Royals had a 4-1 record going into week 6, led by their new star safety, Greedy Sly. They were one of the league's best offenses at the time, averaging more than 24.2 points a game and had weapons all over the offense. Their defense was also strong, often leaving opponents with two touchdowns at best most games. London was the heavy favourite coming into this match up but this match up meant so much more to Dallas. The birddogs had a goal in mind and the players were ready for the war that was to come.
When the rest of the league woke up, they couldn’t believe what they saw. Dallas, a team that many had left for dead, a team that the pundits were mocking and calling trash, had not only withstood London’s attack, but won the game in incredible fashion. While 21-18 was the final score, anybody who watched that game saw one of the finest overall performances from any DSFL team that season.
The Dallas offensive game came alive in that game as the birddogs would carve up the London defense. Luca Scabbia would lead the charge and in one of his finest performances of the season, he would catch 6 passes for 77 yards. He kept Dallas offense charges alive and got crucial first downs when they mattered most. Dallas three running backs would also have incredible games, as Kichia Jones, Arik Eller and free agent signing Bob Murphy would come bine for over 200 yards and over 6 yards a carry between them, an incredible feat for the rookie team.
Then the defense showed their stripes as they would limit London to two quarters of scoring points. A week after making the vow, Raphael d’Alcott would lead the Dallas defenders. He had moved over to Cornerback to stifle the London receiving core and he would not disappoint, getting 4 tackles and two critical pass deflections. His clutch play kept London receivers from getting any major yards. Bradley Owens would also have a standout game as the rookie linebacker would tear through the London running backs, getting 10 tackles in a game for the fourth week in a row.
Dallas would ultimately end the season 7-7 and miss the playoffs but in this game, they showed just how good they could truly be and in a rivalry game that meant so much to them, they showed their true colours. The Vow had been made true.
The Dallas birddogs were in their second season as a team and already they had to practically rebuild their entire team. After suffering a vast amount of players being called up to the NSFL from their season one team, the front office had to scramble to fill holes, especially on the defensive side of the ball. After the draft, the offensive players they did draft were often asked if they would considering moving to the offensive side of the ball. Players like d’Alcott and McGallager would change from Wide Receiver and Tight End to Safety and Cornerback respectively.
After an average start, they entered week 6 with a 2-3 record. Their week 5 game against Tijuana was the stuff of their worst nightmares. In their worst showing of the season, Dallas would lose 30-9 and be utterly humiliated doing so. While no points were scored by either team in the second half of the game, by that point it didn’t matter as all Tijuana had to do was hold on to their three touchdown lead which their defense was more than capable of doing. It was the lowest point of the season for the young core who had been dreaming of so much more. As they returned over the border to Dallas, they were mobbed by reporters who were demanding answers for how the season had gone so far. It was here where rookie safety and Dallas native Raphael d’Alcott would step up to the interview podium and give this now famous speech:
“I know this wasn’t the result you wanted and I apologize. These aren’t the results that any of us want and it's not what we want for our team going forward. So to everyone in the Dog Pound, I’m sorry. I promise you one thing, these losses will be good things in the end. The Good Lord wouldn’t give us these hardships if he didn’t believe that we could overcome them. I promise that you will never see any player work harder than me for the rest of this year. I want to bring Dallas home a title and I will give every ounce of blood and every drop of sweat to make it happen. God bless you all.”
This speech, now referred to as “The Vow”, stunned the reporters as the Birddogs left the airport. It was a rallying point for the players as they wouldn’t allow their season to go in flames this way. If they were going to revive their season and fight for the playoff spots, they would do it starting with week six. A rather fitting week to start again considering who their next opponent was. The London Royals.
London had joined the league at the same time as Dallas and thus they were natural rivals. The Royals had a 4-1 record going into week 6, led by their new star safety, Greedy Sly. They were one of the league's best offenses at the time, averaging more than 24.2 points a game and had weapons all over the offense. Their defense was also strong, often leaving opponents with two touchdowns at best most games. London was the heavy favourite coming into this match up but this match up meant so much more to Dallas. The birddogs had a goal in mind and the players were ready for the war that was to come.
When the rest of the league woke up, they couldn’t believe what they saw. Dallas, a team that many had left for dead, a team that the pundits were mocking and calling trash, had not only withstood London’s attack, but won the game in incredible fashion. While 21-18 was the final score, anybody who watched that game saw one of the finest overall performances from any DSFL team that season.
The Dallas offensive game came alive in that game as the birddogs would carve up the London defense. Luca Scabbia would lead the charge and in one of his finest performances of the season, he would catch 6 passes for 77 yards. He kept Dallas offense charges alive and got crucial first downs when they mattered most. Dallas three running backs would also have incredible games, as Kichia Jones, Arik Eller and free agent signing Bob Murphy would come bine for over 200 yards and over 6 yards a carry between them, an incredible feat for the rookie team.
Then the defense showed their stripes as they would limit London to two quarters of scoring points. A week after making the vow, Raphael d’Alcott would lead the Dallas defenders. He had moved over to Cornerback to stifle the London receiving core and he would not disappoint, getting 4 tackles and two critical pass deflections. His clutch play kept London receivers from getting any major yards. Bradley Owens would also have a standout game as the rookie linebacker would tear through the London running backs, getting 10 tackles in a game for the fourth week in a row.
Dallas would ultimately end the season 7-7 and miss the playoffs but in this game, they showed just how good they could truly be and in a rivalry game that meant so much to them, they showed their true colours. The Vow had been made true.
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875 words![[Image: PwV6l0O.png]](https://i.imgur.com/PwV6l0O.png)
