(S14) PT 2 - Game day

[infinitempg]

My routine on game days has become like second nature to me, it's really a habit at this point. The most important part comes the night before - I always make sure to get in bed by 10PM local time to make sure I'm well rested in the morning, even if we have a late night kickoff. If it's a home game, I'll get up in the morning, go for a quick 1 mile jog, and then make an all-American breakfast of bacon, milk, and an omelette with bell peppers, onions, and cheese. Usually, I'll eat that while getting a little bit of extra film study in, and then I'll drive to the facilities to get some last second meetings and reps in with the offense. This is all usually very relaxed - we're still a few hours from kick off and are just trying to get loose - so we tend to have a lot of fun while still making sure we're all on the same page. Once we get back in the locker room though, it's all business. Coach will run us through the gameplan one more time, and then we're on our own. I usually listen to some pump up music before switching to Rocky Mountain High, right before we head back out, just to cool me down and put me in the right state of mind.

[dropbear]

When Jay Longshaw wakes up on game day, the first thing he does is reach over and grab the nearest can of beer that’s not empty, and drain the room-temperature liquid in a single gulp. Next, he grabs his pack of cigarettes and walks onto the balcony of his newly purchased penthouse apartment in Norfolk, lights up a smoke and pisses off the balcony. It’s usually around midday by the time he’s puffing on his sweet tobacco stick, which means the hotel’s pool is invariably filled with kids. So, to get his arm warmed up for the day’s game, he grabs his bag of authentic game balls that were intended for a local charity and starts throwing bombs straight at the kids when they come up for air. One time, he thought he’d made one drown, but it turns out he was just staying under water to keep safe. When he runs out of footballs, Jay drops his cigarette off the balcony, gets changed and heads straight to the stadium. There’s usually at least one woman in his penthouse bed, so on the way through reception he’ll tell the security that there’s someone he doesn’t know in his room, and could they please escort her out of the building. If there’s a better way to prepare for a game of football, Jay don’t wanna know about it.

[NylarthePhoenix]

Routine is not especially important to Apollo Reed. Before a game, Apollo simply strives to make any possible last-minute things that he can do to make sure he is in top condition for that week's game. However, the one thing he will never forget to do on game day is to call home to his mother. Since she practically raised Apollo by herself from childbirth, Apollo's bond with her is still strong to this day and he can be heard by teammates talking with her for up to an hour. Besides this, Apollo spends the day hanging out with teammates either running through drills and strategies again, or just developing relationships with his fellow teammates, specifically his fellow Running Back and the offensive linemen that will be protecting him in the upcoming game. In order to hype himself up, Apollo Reed likes to listen to old 80s hairbands while either doing running drills around the field or working out in the practice room. Sometimes he even attempts to sing along to his music, much to the dismay of his teammates and anyone else sharing the locker rooms, exercise rooms, or practice field. If the game is an away one, Apollo likes to set aside a few minutes to explore the hosting city. Currently, Apollo has tried to get the team QB from pissing off of penthouse balconies. "Its scaring practically everyone," he reasons, but to no avail.

Word Count: 237

[timeconsumer]

Cooter has a very complex ritual on gameday that he must stick to precisely in order to ensure mental calmness on the field. Cooter likes to first start off by waking up at 5am that morning. He takes a shower, grabs a beer and slams back a few pills before smoking a cigarette. Then he kicks out the girl from the night before and tells her "You're welcome". Cooter then makes sure to grab his lucky jockstrap out of the drawer or suitcase, it depends if it is a home or road game, and puts it on. He can't wait until the locker room to put on the lucky jockstrap, it doesn't work if he does that. He throws on some old jeans and a flannel shirt and heads out the door to get to the game. Once he's in the locker room nobody is allowed to talk to Cooter or get within 10 feet of him. He doesn't wear headphones because he thinks that they cause brain cancer, but he wears ear plugs. Then once he's in the locker room he has another cigarette and cleans his gun. Nobody is quite sure why he always cleans his gun in the locker room before a game but he said it helps him think, they try not to ask too many questions.

[BrewCrew]

On a usual gameday, Deon Taylor wakes up at 7 am and immediately gets into the shower. He spends a little extra time in the shower to visualize what he is hoping to do in the game. After his shower, he makes himself a simple breakfast which is 3 eggs and a piece of toast. While eating, he takes one last look at the playbook to mentally prepare for the opponent. After taking his last bite and one last look at the defensive schemes, he hops in the car and heads to the stadium. He gets a quick and easy workout in with a few members of the defense before heading in for a walkthrough with the secondary. After the walkthrough, he likes to talk to his defensive back coach. Whether it’s asking a scheme question, going over film or just chatting, he likes to check in with his coach. By this time, the whole team is getting ready in the locker room. He heads in and puts on his headphones while getting ready. Music is very important to Deon’s preparation for games. He says it gets him locked in for game time. Once fully suited up, he goes out with his teammates to stretch and await kickoff. Right before the start of the game, Deon likes to huddle up with his secondary group and say something motivational to bring into the game. Now it’s game time.

Word Count: 237

[tlk742]

PBE