Hello, and good time appropriate greeting fellow ISFL and DSFL players! (Thank you, Tesla, for that gem. I try to use it every time I write media now!)
I am Haseo, and Zack DiNozzo is my second player here in the ISFL. I went inactive with my first player, Zack Mouse, after becoming a co-General Manager in the PBE. I found that I didn't have the time that was necessary to be able to continuously update and earn money via media, jobs, etc with Mouse that I would have liked, so I just stopped updating unless someone pinged me. That worked out well for Bondi Beach (or as I knew them.. Myrtle Beach) as they won an Ultimini with my corpse in S26. I even defended two passes and had two interceptions in that Ultimini, so I guess I didn't do too bad for a DSFL player! I thought that no ISFL team would have any use for a 350-ish TPE inactive so I retired Mouse when I found out I was in my last season of DSFL eligibility. No point in having a player that won't see any playing time, and I don't want to take up a roster spot that someone who was actually active could have, you know?
Well, after stepping down from my co-GM role in the PBE, I wanted to try and make a comeback here in the ISFL. I created right after the DSFL Draft. AGAIN. My timing couldn't be more impeccable. This is the second time I've done that, and it was by complete accident. Anyway, I was picked up off of waivers by the Norfolk Seawolves immediately. Apparently I'm all of a sudden their number one receiver. No pressure right?
I didn't even look at TPE numbers for any of the teams since I'm just here to have fun, but man... I gotta tell ya, if you told me I would have this much fun losing with a team, I would've called you insane. The Norfolk locker room is awesome. On top of that, I have @bex throwing the ball to me (when I don't drop it anyway), which kind of takes me back to our MiLPBE days when I was her catcher for the Chicago Kingpins. I'm still catching things that she throws at me.. I think she throws harder in the PBE to be completely honest. As I expected, the GMs on the Seawolves have been fantastic, and have been a great help in getting me reacclimated to the ISFL and how everything works.
I'm a big football fan, but I think I have more love for baseball if I'm being completely honest. It helps that each sport plays at different times of the year most of the time as well. I'll probably get called out on this, but I'm a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who used to have the most Super Bowl rings of any team until Tom Brady and his punchable face decided to go on and put together the greatest dynasty that football has ever seen, and then leave that dynasty to demolish the NFC with a completely new team, eventually winning yet another ring, giving HIM more rings than any other TEAM. That's insane. I hate Tom Brady's face but I have to respect the play. The dude just balls out every single season. Can't wait for him to retire though.
Enough about me, I'm writing about the rookie season of my new create, Zack DiNozzo. Let's break it down week by week, shall we?
Week 1 - Dallas Birddogs @ Norfolk Seawolves: 31-28 W
DiNozzo: 6 targets, 5 catches for 32 yards; 3 pancakes
My first target came near the end of the 1st quarter, and... it was an interception. Maxwell beat me to the ball and took it for 44 yards the other way. Sorry, Bex. I got another chance on the very next drive and actually caught the ball this time, but was tackled immediately. During the second quarter on our first drive, Bex threw one to me at the goal line, but I fell just short of the touchdown, and we had to settle for a 19 yard field goal by Bly. Next drive, I had another chance at my first touchdown when I caught a 4 yard pass from our 5 yard line. Jay Cue Jr punched it in on the next play. I was very disappointed with myself here... I didn't convert either of my goal line chances, and it sucked. At the end of the second quarter, I had an 11 catch that got us from our 14 yard line to our 25 yard line, giving Bex some breathing room. You wouldn't see anything from me until the 4th quarter and my catch being nullified because of a bot penalty.
This wasn't bad for a debut game for a rookie tight end, in my opinion. It could've gone a little better but the gameplan for the season was most likely already completed before I joined the team. I did some good blocking as well, getting 3 pancakes.
Week 2 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Tijuana Luchadores: 23-26 L
DiNozzo: 4 targets, 4 catches for 44 yards; 1 pancake
I was able to stretch the field a little bit on my longest play of my DSFL career up to this point for an 18 yard gain in the first quarter. I followed that up an 8 yard catch to set us up for a stab at the endzone on the TIJ 27. 3 plays later, I had a target from the 10 yard line that I caught for 9 yards and was stopped just short of my first career touchdown. That was pretty disappointing, but we were able to score on the next play. I was basically invisible until the 4th quarter when I was able to convert a clutch 4th and 3 with a 9 yard catch. We weren't able to win in overtime, unfortunately. We had a chance to win the game in regulation but Bly missed a 36 yard kick.
Week 3 - Nofolk Seawolves @ London Royals: 17-40 L
DiNozzo: 10 targets, 4 catches for 27 yards; 2 pancakes
I had targets for days in this game but failed to do anything with them. I dropped a few, which really grinds my gears. My first target towards the end of the first quarter resulted in an interception. I caught my 2nd target for 3 yards but dropped the 3rd. I dropped the 4th one at the start of the third quarter and couldn't get to the 5th target on the very next play. I caught my 6th target for a 12 yard completion at the beginning of the 4th quarter but couldn't get to the 7th two plays later. At the end of the fourth quarter, I caught my 8th and 9th targets back to back for a total of 12 yards, and couldn't get to our last play of the game which resulted in a turnover on downs, and London just kneeled the ball at that point to end the game. I was really unhappy with myself after this game as I was given an opportunity to do something for the team and I squandered it. I failed my quarterback, my teams, my coaches, and most importantly, I disappointed myself. I'm a better player than that. I had to reset and have a good game the next week.
Week 4 - Kansas City Coyotes @ Norfolk Seawolves: 40-14 L
DiNozzo: 9 targets, 6 catches for 55 yards; 1 pancake
My number was called on quite a bit in this game, similar to the Royals game last week. As good as the stat line looks at the end, the start was anything but. I missed the first 3 targets thrown my way; at least they weren't drops! At the end of the second quarter, I caught my 4th target for 3 yards at our 24. The Seawolves would punt the ball two plays later. Halfway through the third quarter, I caught my 5th target for a 28 yard completion, which broke my previous high of 18 yards from Week 2. I caught my 6th target two plays later for another measely 3 yard gain. I caught my 7th target for another 3 yard completion at the end of the third quarter, after having the previous gain of 4 yards wiped by an Unneccessary Roughness penalty on John Silver. I dropped my 8th target at the start of the 4th quarter before I redeemed myself with a clutch 14 yard reception later on that gave us a first down at the KCC 21 yard line. The Seawolve went on to lose this one by 26 points. I'm beginning to notice that our defense is... not got good at all. It's beginning to get a little frustrating, seeing as how our offense can march down the field but end up making a mistake and turning the ball over deep in opposing territory. In the last two weeks, our defense has looked like swiss cheese. I thought it couldn't get any worse... and then it did.
Week 5 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves: 41-0 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 5 catches for 56 yards; 2 pancakes
I seem to notice a trend here. third straight week with at least 8 targets. Not bad for a rookie! I didn't get my first catch until a minute into the second quarter when I caught a 7 yard pass from Raeni. Almost 10 minutes later, I caught my second ball for 6 yards. I've noticed I'm only getting short distance targets this game as that's all the defense is giving us. There aren't a lot of options down the field since we're going against the best defense in the league. I need to make sure that I don't let anybody get to Raeni. She's seen enough punishment this season. My first 10-plus yard catch came with little more than a minute left in the quarter when I go for 13 yards to get us away from our endzone. I missed a ball halfway through the third quarter and couldn't settle down after taking a shot from Anton Bruckner, causing a false start penalty, sending us further back into our own territory. Apparently that shook Raeni's trust in me slightly as I don't see anything until the beginning of the fourth quarter. I put us into Minnesota territory with a 14 yard grab and took yet another shot from Anton Bruckner. This guy's all over me. In the middle of the quarter, I miss two consectutive targets and cause us to turn the ball over on downs. It's just not my day today. I'm just blocking at this point. Raeni calls my number again with 2 minutes to go.. I catch and run for 16 yards but one of our guards throws a punch and gets hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play is over. The play counted but we still end up going back to where we started. We ended up getting shut out in this one; man that's not a good feeling at all.
Week 6 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Portland Pythons: 41-14 L
DiNozzo: 6 targets, 4 catches for 85 yards; 4 pancakes
Well, we knew this one was going to be tough going in. Portland's defense is manned by one of the most feared linebackers in the DSFL in Xavier Walls. This man is an absolute monster. However, I wouldn't see him a lot. I saw a whole bunch of their number 1 cornerback, Lip Gallagher. Lip was all over me, but I still think I had a decent game in spite of that. I missed my first target and got leveled by Lip on the second. I got it with a catch and run of 39 yards with 5 minutes left to go in the first quarter. I couldn't find any space and Lip kept me in check for the rest of the first quarter and 7 and a half minutes into the second when I caught a 10 yard pass. Still not finding any room, I'm surprised I was able to get open for a 14 yard catch on the last play of the first half. I'm pretty sure Lip was just playing bend but don't break here. My last catch and run of 22 yards came with 5 minutes left in the third quarter when I got by Lip but ended up getting tackled by some scrub named Alexander Roach. I'm not even sure who this guy is, but he barely got me. I guess barely counts more than almost in this instance.
Week 7 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Bondi Beach Buccaneers: 56-24 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 7 catches for 79 yards; 1 receiving TD; 2 pancakes
Going into this game against Bondi Beach, I felt like I had something to prove. My friend, Zack Mouse, used to play for Bondi Beach when he was in the DSFL and won an Ultimini with them a few years back. He had tickets and wanted to see me play against his old team; so I talked to Raeni before the game and we came up with a gameplan. This was going to be MY game. Oh boy, was it ever. I proceeded to have the best game of my DSFL career up to that point. I ended up going off for 7 catches, 79 yards, my FIRST career touchdown, and I knocked a couple guys on their backs when they tried to get to Raeni. I did it all, and boy did it feel good. I didn't see my first target until 3 minutes left in the first quarter when I caught it for 10 yards. This is fine; Raeni was getting chased around quite a bit so I knew I had to step in to block some. I dropped my first target of the second quarter, but made up for it at the 3 minute mark when I caught a 12 yard pass to put us within 13 yards. Jay Cue ran for only a yard on the next play. In the huddle, Jay slapped my helmet and said "Rae, give the rook a chance here." I was floored, here was the offensive captain of the team asking our quarterback to give me a shot at the end zone. Well now I can't make him look bad. When the ball was snapped, I run a little stop and go route and Raeni finds the seam and I catch the ball at the goal line for my first touchdown! I couldn't believe that I had caught my first touchdown until I went back into the huddle to block for the extra point. I asked what we were doing and everyone just kind of looked at me like I was stupid. "Zack, you caught the touchdown, man. We're just blocking so Bly can get us the extra point". Oh. OH. YEAH! I got hyped up and got the ball I caught from coach when I got back to the sideline. This one's going in my trophy case... My first professional touchdown! I thought it couldn't get any better than this. Raeni obviously trusted me some more as she threw two straight targets to me at the end of the half, and I caught them for 11 and 15 yard gains. My last two catches of the day came in the fourth quarter when I caught a 4 yard dumpoff with 7 minutes to go, and caught a 14 yarder at the two minute warning. We lost this game, but it was a personal win for me as I had caught my first touchdown. I really wanted to make a run at Tight End of the Year since Rookie of the Year was so far out of reach at this point. I feel like I can contribute a lot to the team since I'm the fastest player in the receiving group. I talked with Coach about it after this game, and we decided I would play a bit more on the outside as a wide receiver.
Week 8 - Norfolk Seawolves @ London Royals: 20-17 L
DiNozzo: 5 targets, 3 catches for 50 yards; 1 receiving TD; 3 pancakes
Coming off the last game against Bondi Beach, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I had gained some more trust from my quarterback and coaching staff, and I was going to be focusing more on catching the ball. This improves my chances at Tight End of the Year since nobody really looks at pancakes for the tight end position. It's all yards and touchdowns. I saw 5 targets on the day, catching 3 of them for 50 yards and my second touchdown of the season. I dropped my only target of the first quarter and lined up incorrectly in the second quarter. I caught a 13 yard pass with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter but fell just shy of the first down marker, forcing Bly to punt the ball. I could've made it but I lost my balance and fell out of bounds. I felt terrible but the guys told me not to worry about it. London's field isn't the greatest and some players have been known to lose their balance here. At least that's what they tell me. Whether or not they're messing with me, I felt somewhat better about myself. At the 12 minute mark of the fourth quarter though, I did a stop and go route, and got some separation from the corner. Raeni finds me open at the first down marker and I see nothing but grass in front of me. I take it 30 yards to the house for my second touchdown! It was my best play of the season so far and it felt just as good as the first one. I caught a 7 yard pass later on in the contest but we ended up losing 17 to 20. London's a tough team, and they beat us pretty bad the first time around, but we managed to do a bit better this time around, limiting them to 20 points instead of allowing 40.
Week 9 - Kansas City Coyotes @ Norfolk Seawolves: 33-14 L
DiNozzo: 9 targets, 5 catches for 61 yards; 2 pancakes
Finally back home after a rough 3 week road trip. This was a decent game but not one of my best. I'm putting up receiving yards but I'm not getting many touchdowns. Raeni seems to be favoring Papillon for some reason. I really need to work with Raeni this offseason to build some more chemistry with her. Anyway, we lost to Kansas City early on in the season and it's revenge time! Or so we thought. After going up by two touchdowns by the start of the second quarter, Quinton Crash decided to make his presence felt in a big way. Within a span of 7 minutes and some change, he catches an 8 yard touchdown pass, a 16 yard touchdown pass, AND a 75 yard touchdown pass. This man could not be stopped. Our defense looked like swiss cheese out here, and it was painful to watch on the sidelines. We're a young team, but Crash made us look like we were Pop Warner players. After that we played bend but don't break, as Izuku Campbell nailed 4 field goals for the rest of the scoring. Our offense couldn't get much done either; we fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. I personally only caught five of my nine targets for 61 yards. I'm doing my best but one man can't win a football game on his own. I knocked a couple guys on their butts and didn't allow anyone to touch Raeni so I'm hoping that she starts trusting me more since I'm not letting anyone get to her.
Week 10 - Tijuana Luchadores @ Norfolk Seawolves: 20-17 L
DiNozzo: 11 targets, 5 catches for 47 yards; 2 pancakes
Ok, so we're at home again this week. It was nice getting to spend some time with my family before I had to head back out on the road with the team. It's always nice seeing Mom, Dad, and Tali when we can all get together like this. It's hard to get us all in the same place at once with me playing professional football, Mom and Dad still being with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Tali's doing her residency on the other side of the country. Anyway, we lost to Tijuana in a close game at the beginning of the season, so hopefully we can take them down and tie the season series. We traded scores for the first 3 quarters and then our offense couldn't get much going after the third quarter. We ended up losing 20 to 17, and it was a bit of a heartbreaker since we had the lead going into the fourth quarter. We just couldn't get the job done, and the whole team was feeling pretty down at this point in the season. We only have 1 win on the season and we're mathematically eliminated from the post-season... I think. Personally, I didn't help much as I had a false start penalty, and caught less than half my targets. Those catches were only good for 47 yards, though I did get a couple pancakes during the game. I can say with pride that I'm not letting anyone even get a hit on my quarterback. Raeni's really happy with my blocking, but I need to stop dropping all these passes or else she'll quit throwing to me.
Week 11 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves: 38-37 L
DiNozzo: 1 target; 2 pancakes
The Minnesota Grey Ducks absolutely destroyed us in the early part of the season by shutting us out and putting up 41 points on us. This game was personal for us. We had to win this one, even if we didn't win another game all season. It was time to make the Grey Ducks pay. The start wasn't great... We let Bobby Tarantino break off an 84 yard catch and run touchdown to start the game. After that, we settled in and showed up for the rest of the first quarter with Bly kicking a field goal, Raeni getting a touchdown run of her own, and she threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to Squidward Tentacles. Squidward do be lookin' fine in a Norfolk uniform, by the way. After Minnesota started the scoring off again with a Huntsman touchdown run in the second quarter, we responded with a touchdown of our own; Raeni hit Holton Hillburn for a 3 yard dart and Bly kicked another field goal. The third quarter is where it got hectic... Minnesota gets far enough to get a field goal, and then proceeds to rattle off two touchdowns within two and a half minutes before Raeni UNLOADS ON EM with an 85 yard touchdown run. It was a thing of beauty. She needed some oxygen afterwards. Our last score was a Bly kick with 26 seconds left in the third. The fourth quarter was back and forth with neither team scoring until Joe Bay caught a touchdown from Jacob Raske and this thing was an absolute DIME in the back of the end zone. You could see Bay catch the ball with one hand like Odell Beckham; it was amazing to see, even if he is on the other team. Our hope came down to Gluteus Maximus missing the extra point, but he indeed made it. The Minnesota defense stifled us to a three and out on our last drive, sealing our fate. A one point loss is the worst feeling in the world, in my opinion. You just couldn't finish or hang on, and it hurts. I was feeling pretty down with myself after this game because I only saw one target. I don't know what I was doing wrong.. I wasn't even on the field very much. I wasn't sure if this was some kind of punishment from Coach or just a gameplan thing for Minnesota. I don't know why you keep your best receiver on the sideline against one of the toughest defenses in the league... Oh well. I'm only a player, what do I know.
Week 12 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Portland Pythons: 41-13 L
DiNozzo: 2 targets, 1 catch for 15 yards; 2 pancakes
Coach had pulled me aside before this game in Portland. "I know you probably think you're being punished right now, but our offensive line isn't protecting Raeni like they should. I'm going to be having you block a lot more tonight since you haven't allowed a sack all season, and we need to protect our quarterback better." Great, now I know what happened last week, and I can expect more of the same this week. Fantastic. Rookie of the Year is so far out of my grasp there's nothing I can do but accept it and do the best I can. I don't even pay attention to the score. I just get ready, set, and block for the whole first half. Hououin Kyouma's 44 yard interception return touchdown was epic to watch though. The coverage was insane, and the catch was awesome. The whole sideline lost it. I lost track of time after that. I went to get set again after a play, "Magnet", as we like to call Rudy Gray, tapped me on the helmet and said "Dude, it's halftime. Let's go in the locker room." Oh man. I was so out of it I didn't even notice. I go to the locker room and barely listen to Coach's speech. I'm just numb. I honestly don't like blocking even though I know it can sometimes be part of the job as a tight end. I'll do it with no issue, but it doesn't mean I like it. Once I see everyone heading out to the field again, I follow along and do my job. In one huddle I feel Raeni punch me playfully in the chest. "Hey, this one's coming to you, big boy." What? Me? Ok, I thought I was just blocking but here we go. I notice we're at our 8 yard line, so I know we need to get some separation from the end zone. I manage to break free of the linebacker covering me and come up with a 15 yard catch, putting us at our 24 and giving us some breathing room. Raeni gave me a high five and said "I'm sorry man, but I need you to block some more.. you're doing so well that I don't even have to worry about whatever side you're on, and I appreciate it." Well, that makes me feel better. Back to the grind I went and I had my number called again in the 4th but it was underthrown slightly so I missed it. I look up at the scoreboard after hearing the final whistle and realize we lost again. It's starting to sting slightly being on a team that's only won one game. I know we're really young, but it still hurts when you're a competitor who does everything allowed by the rulebook to win. On to the next one, I guess.
Week 13 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Dallas Birddogs: 28-0 L
DiNozzo: 7 targets; 1 pancake
Magnet called for a huddle before the game, and got us all fired up with the usual chant whenever we play Dallas. "WHAT DO BIRDDOGS DO?" he yells. "TWEET WOOF!" is the response. For some reason, repeating this multiple times gets everyone fired up. I really find it hilarious. Think about it... Birddogs go tweet woof. It's so corny that it's funny. Anyway, after the pre-game huddle, I had a meeting with Coach and Raeni before the game, and aired out my grievances about being asked to solely block for the past couple of weeks. I thought it went well, as they agreed they should be throwing the ball to me as that's what I was signed to the team for. I really hate that I had to miss the DSFL Scouting Combine and the Draft due to my injury, but it is what it is and now I can only do what I can to prove to everyone and myself that I belong in professional football. I blocked of course, but I also had target after target thrown to me and I couldn't come up with any of them. I dropped a couple, but the rest were over or under thrown. I really think the defense got to Raeni by the end. She was running for her life all game and I felt bad. I did what I could when I had to block but it just wasn't enough. We couldn't mount much offense as we only converted 3 of our 13 third down chances. Raeni only threw for 121 yards and the team of Jay Cue Jr and Dante King only managed 90 yards on the ground. The Dallas defense came to play, and we didn't have our A game today. What a shame.
Week 14 - Bondi Beach Buccaneers @ Norfolk Seawolves: 44-20 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 5 catches for 76 yards
Well, at least we're ending the season at home. When we exit the tunnel, it doesn't feel like home as the home crowd is actually booing us. I wonder if it's because we've only won the one game so far, and that was three months ago by this point. That's probably it. Well, I can't focus on that. I need to get my head in the game and help us get a win here. I tried to help convert a long third down on the first drive but I trip over my own feet and get brought down 12 yards short of the first down marker. Frustrated with myself, I take it out on the linebacker who is on me all night. If I run a route, he's covering me; if I block, he's trying to blitz. I do not let this man by me at all. I could tell he was getting frustrated by the end of the quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Dante King breaks off a 50 yard rush to put us on the Bondi Beach 33 yard line. We can smell blood in the water. The offense picks it up, and we open lanes for King and Jay Cue Jr who get us to the 17 after two more rushes. I catch a 9 yard pass to put us into 1st and Goal territory, which has been a rarity for us this season. King punches it home on the next play for a 7 yard touchdown. Keep in mind we were already down by 14 before he scored so we're all kind of mellow about it. We keep getting tossed around like we're ragdolls on the scoreboard as Bondi Beach keeps scoring touchdowns or field goals. I got hit hard after the ball went by me by Cayson Nzeocha and was off the field for a little bit as the hit rung my bell pretty good. I passed concussion protocols so Coach just gave me a breather until halftime. That hit messed with me pretty good since I missed some plays and dropped a couple balls. I didn't actually catch another pass until I converted a crucial 4th and 4 with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. That got everyone hyped up; we may not win this game but we're going to go down fighting and not let them beat us by a full 4 possessions! At least, that's what I thought. I didn't realize that I was inching closer to the top tight ends in receiving yards. When I catch a pass for 11 yards a minute later, everyone's getting more hyped. Raeni looks at me on 2nd and 9 from our 45 and says "You know you only need like 40 yards to possibly get nominated for Tight End of the Year, right? You may not win, but you may get on the ballot at least". That sounds good for a rookie. Ok, give me some room and I'll see what I can do. I run a slant route and get some separation from Nzeocha, and get some revenge as I catch it 20 yards down the field and started sprinting as hard as I could. Nzeocha caught up to me pretty quickly, but I had taken that pass for 42 yards, and may have secured myself a nomination for the Tight End of the Year award! Everyone celebrated in the locker room after the game as that's one of the few good things to come out of the season, and I did it with less than a minute left to go in the last game of the season!
After the DSFL regular season was over, I met up with Raeni for lunch and asked her if we could do some workouts together in the off-season. We were clicking some games, and others we weren't. I wanted to improve our relationship some and hopefully we have some chemistry on the field in the coming season. After she agreed to meet me at the practice facility here and there in the off-season, I paid for her meal as a thank you for helping me so much during my rookie season, and went to hang out with some friends while I had the chance. Minicamp didn't start until a few months after the playoffs, and I wanted to relax for the first time in 6 months. I flew to Cleveland and met up with some friends who went to Ohio State with me. I saw the sights as I had never been to Cleveland, and watched playoff games in the man cave of my former roommate, who recently got married and had a little one on the way. We watched and were surprised to see it come down to Tijuana and London in the Ultimini. I was rooting for London as I was a fan of Red Arrow Jr's dad, Red Arrow, who played in the Pro Baseball Experience until recently for Sarasota. I have his autograph somewhere. I called Junior the day after the game and gave him my congratulations. I asked him if he wanted to do some workouts as well. He sensed that I was hungry for more than just a nomination for an award and agreed to meet with me on days that Raeni didn't. I'm looking forward to this off-season program I have set up for myself.
At the DSFL Awards presentation, I was excited to see if I had indeed secured a nomination at least for Tight End of the Year, and I did! I finished 5th in voting, but being considered a top 5 tight end is amazing for a rookie, in my opinion. After the awards show, I did some conditioning to stay in shape for the International Simulation Football League Scouting Combine. Every DSFL rookie is invited to show their skills for the ISFL General Managers and Scouts. I thought I did well as I ran a decent 40 yard dash and didn't miss any passes during the receiving portion of the Combine. After the Combine, there's nothing I can do except keep myself in shape. I do get an invite to the ISFL Draft, which is nice. It's a 6 hour event this season; every pick will be announced and every rookie will have chat with the Commissioner for a few seconds, give her a handshake or a hug, and then go to the team's designated "war room" somewhere in the arena. This season, the draft was located in Berlin, Germany.
I had to make sure my passport was current, and off I went to visit Germany for the very first time. I met up with Jay Cue Jr and Dante King at the home of the Fire Salamanders, Berlin Field, and we sat together with our parents and their agents in the green room. The draft started, and we didn't have to wait long to cheer for someone in the group as Dante King was selected first overall by the Baltimore Hawks. This came as a surprise to nobody as the Hawks desperately needed a running back and Dante was the best one other than Jay in this draft class. Later on in the first round, Jay was selected 11th overall by the Yellowknife Wraiths. I didn't look into the Wraiths much as I didn't think I'd be on their radar since they already had a good tight end. After that, it was just myself and our three families sitting and waiting. There was a 15 minute break after the first round and everyone got up to get some drinks. Dante and Jay's families wanted to stay with me but I told them to go and catch up with their sons to meet their team's General Managers. Their agents were already gone by this point. I actually didn't have an agent as I felt like I was really only going to be offered the minimum amount for a rookie in whatever round I was drafted in since I felt like I had a lot to prove.
To my surprise, I was selected by the Orange County Otters with the 20th overall selection, with the 6th pick of the 2nd round. I got up from my chair in disbelief, went down the tunnel after putting on an Otters hat, and walked out to a capacity crowd that was cheering for me. Apparently everyone loves the DSFL as much as college football, and will cheer on any player who can successfully make it to the ISFL. I walk up to Commissioner Bex and give her a hug. She asked me how her sister Raeni is doing. I didn't know Raeni had a sister, let alone that said sister was the Commissioner of the ISFL. We chatted for a few seconds and took some pictures for the media.
After walking through the tunnel on the other side of the stage, I'm ushered back to the Otters "war room" to meet the General Managers and Scouts. I am immediately glomped by my friend Goat Tank as soon as I walk into the room! "Man, I am so excited that you're here. I forgot you were even in the draft this year. When I saw your name on the list of draftees, I immediately told the General Managers that you were someone to keep an eye on. They did their research and liked what they saw. They were surprised you fell this far considering you were nominated for Tight End of the Year! Anyway, enough about that. Let me introduce you to Mori and Blasoon."
As I'm shaking the General Managers' hands, they informed me they wanted to start negotiations for a contract while we were waiting for their next pick in the third round. I told them I'm willing to take the minimum as I feel like I had a lot to prove, and if I did well enough to earn a second contract, I'm willing to wait until then to get paid. I signed a 4 year, $4 million contract with a clause that I was to be paid $4,000,000 for each season that I'm sent back down to the DSFL. This was completely fine with me as I wanted to give a little now, so I can hopefully earn a bigger contract when this one was up.
After signing the contract, my parents were allowed in the room to meet Mori and Blasoon. After promising to take good care of me, they asked my parents if they could spend some time getting to know me. My parents left and went back to Washington D.C. since they had to work in a couple of days and wanted to get some rest before having to head back to the Navy Yard. I waited in the war room with everyone until the Otters' third round pick, Will Stern, came back.
After meeting Will, I left to go back to the hotel I was staying at with Jay and Dante. We went out and celebrated maybe a little too much. I woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover and decided to head home with them instead of spending a couple more days in Berlin like I had planned. I wanted to get back in the gym and prepare myself for possibly making my ISFL debut. When I got back to Norfolk, I was about to start packing my things just in case I was going to be playing for Orange County. I got a call from Mori and he let me know that I was going to be playing for Norfolk this coming season. That's completely fine with me. I unpacked my things again, and was able to relax for about a week.
I went to visit my parents in Washington D.C. and was surprised to find my sister, Tali, staying with them while she was in town as well. We went to see a couple movies in the week that I was there. I'm pretty sure she didn't enjoy watching Die Hard VI. I guess seeing an elderly Bruce Willis taking down bad guys didn't interest her much, but I've always been a big fan of the franchise. I got a call from both Jay and Dante on my last day with my parents. They wanted to meet up one last time before they leave Norfolk for Yellowknife and Baltimore, respectively. After having lunch with them, I had to get home and change into my workout gear.
I'm about to head out for my first off-season meeting with Raeni, and I can't wait to see what I can accomplish in the upcoming DSFL season. There's no telling what the future holds for me, but I hope that I can live up to the expectations that the Otters have for me, and surpass my own expectations. I really want to make it to the Hall of Fame one day. Now's the time to nut up or shut up. It's a long path to the Hall, and it starts now.
I am Haseo, and Zack DiNozzo is my second player here in the ISFL. I went inactive with my first player, Zack Mouse, after becoming a co-General Manager in the PBE. I found that I didn't have the time that was necessary to be able to continuously update and earn money via media, jobs, etc with Mouse that I would have liked, so I just stopped updating unless someone pinged me. That worked out well for Bondi Beach (or as I knew them.. Myrtle Beach) as they won an Ultimini with my corpse in S26. I even defended two passes and had two interceptions in that Ultimini, so I guess I didn't do too bad for a DSFL player! I thought that no ISFL team would have any use for a 350-ish TPE inactive so I retired Mouse when I found out I was in my last season of DSFL eligibility. No point in having a player that won't see any playing time, and I don't want to take up a roster spot that someone who was actually active could have, you know?
Well, after stepping down from my co-GM role in the PBE, I wanted to try and make a comeback here in the ISFL. I created right after the DSFL Draft. AGAIN. My timing couldn't be more impeccable. This is the second time I've done that, and it was by complete accident. Anyway, I was picked up off of waivers by the Norfolk Seawolves immediately. Apparently I'm all of a sudden their number one receiver. No pressure right?
I didn't even look at TPE numbers for any of the teams since I'm just here to have fun, but man... I gotta tell ya, if you told me I would have this much fun losing with a team, I would've called you insane. The Norfolk locker room is awesome. On top of that, I have @bex throwing the ball to me (when I don't drop it anyway), which kind of takes me back to our MiLPBE days when I was her catcher for the Chicago Kingpins. I'm still catching things that she throws at me.. I think she throws harder in the PBE to be completely honest. As I expected, the GMs on the Seawolves have been fantastic, and have been a great help in getting me reacclimated to the ISFL and how everything works.
I'm a big football fan, but I think I have more love for baseball if I'm being completely honest. It helps that each sport plays at different times of the year most of the time as well. I'll probably get called out on this, but I'm a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who used to have the most Super Bowl rings of any team until Tom Brady and his punchable face decided to go on and put together the greatest dynasty that football has ever seen, and then leave that dynasty to demolish the NFC with a completely new team, eventually winning yet another ring, giving HIM more rings than any other TEAM. That's insane. I hate Tom Brady's face but I have to respect the play. The dude just balls out every single season. Can't wait for him to retire though.
Enough about me, I'm writing about the rookie season of my new create, Zack DiNozzo. Let's break it down week by week, shall we?
Week 1 - Dallas Birddogs @ Norfolk Seawolves: 31-28 W
DiNozzo: 6 targets, 5 catches for 32 yards; 3 pancakes
My first target came near the end of the 1st quarter, and... it was an interception. Maxwell beat me to the ball and took it for 44 yards the other way. Sorry, Bex. I got another chance on the very next drive and actually caught the ball this time, but was tackled immediately. During the second quarter on our first drive, Bex threw one to me at the goal line, but I fell just short of the touchdown, and we had to settle for a 19 yard field goal by Bly. Next drive, I had another chance at my first touchdown when I caught a 4 yard pass from our 5 yard line. Jay Cue Jr punched it in on the next play. I was very disappointed with myself here... I didn't convert either of my goal line chances, and it sucked. At the end of the second quarter, I had an 11 catch that got us from our 14 yard line to our 25 yard line, giving Bex some breathing room. You wouldn't see anything from me until the 4th quarter and my catch being nullified because of a bot penalty.
This wasn't bad for a debut game for a rookie tight end, in my opinion. It could've gone a little better but the gameplan for the season was most likely already completed before I joined the team. I did some good blocking as well, getting 3 pancakes.
Week 2 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Tijuana Luchadores: 23-26 L
DiNozzo: 4 targets, 4 catches for 44 yards; 1 pancake
I was able to stretch the field a little bit on my longest play of my DSFL career up to this point for an 18 yard gain in the first quarter. I followed that up an 8 yard catch to set us up for a stab at the endzone on the TIJ 27. 3 plays later, I had a target from the 10 yard line that I caught for 9 yards and was stopped just short of my first career touchdown. That was pretty disappointing, but we were able to score on the next play. I was basically invisible until the 4th quarter when I was able to convert a clutch 4th and 3 with a 9 yard catch. We weren't able to win in overtime, unfortunately. We had a chance to win the game in regulation but Bly missed a 36 yard kick.
Week 3 - Nofolk Seawolves @ London Royals: 17-40 L
DiNozzo: 10 targets, 4 catches for 27 yards; 2 pancakes
I had targets for days in this game but failed to do anything with them. I dropped a few, which really grinds my gears. My first target towards the end of the first quarter resulted in an interception. I caught my 2nd target for 3 yards but dropped the 3rd. I dropped the 4th one at the start of the third quarter and couldn't get to the 5th target on the very next play. I caught my 6th target for a 12 yard completion at the beginning of the 4th quarter but couldn't get to the 7th two plays later. At the end of the fourth quarter, I caught my 8th and 9th targets back to back for a total of 12 yards, and couldn't get to our last play of the game which resulted in a turnover on downs, and London just kneeled the ball at that point to end the game. I was really unhappy with myself after this game as I was given an opportunity to do something for the team and I squandered it. I failed my quarterback, my teams, my coaches, and most importantly, I disappointed myself. I'm a better player than that. I had to reset and have a good game the next week.
Week 4 - Kansas City Coyotes @ Norfolk Seawolves: 40-14 L
DiNozzo: 9 targets, 6 catches for 55 yards; 1 pancake
My number was called on quite a bit in this game, similar to the Royals game last week. As good as the stat line looks at the end, the start was anything but. I missed the first 3 targets thrown my way; at least they weren't drops! At the end of the second quarter, I caught my 4th target for 3 yards at our 24. The Seawolves would punt the ball two plays later. Halfway through the third quarter, I caught my 5th target for a 28 yard completion, which broke my previous high of 18 yards from Week 2. I caught my 6th target two plays later for another measely 3 yard gain. I caught my 7th target for another 3 yard completion at the end of the third quarter, after having the previous gain of 4 yards wiped by an Unneccessary Roughness penalty on John Silver. I dropped my 8th target at the start of the 4th quarter before I redeemed myself with a clutch 14 yard reception later on that gave us a first down at the KCC 21 yard line. The Seawolve went on to lose this one by 26 points. I'm beginning to notice that our defense is... not got good at all. It's beginning to get a little frustrating, seeing as how our offense can march down the field but end up making a mistake and turning the ball over deep in opposing territory. In the last two weeks, our defense has looked like swiss cheese. I thought it couldn't get any worse... and then it did.
Week 5 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves: 41-0 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 5 catches for 56 yards; 2 pancakes
I seem to notice a trend here. third straight week with at least 8 targets. Not bad for a rookie! I didn't get my first catch until a minute into the second quarter when I caught a 7 yard pass from Raeni. Almost 10 minutes later, I caught my second ball for 6 yards. I've noticed I'm only getting short distance targets this game as that's all the defense is giving us. There aren't a lot of options down the field since we're going against the best defense in the league. I need to make sure that I don't let anybody get to Raeni. She's seen enough punishment this season. My first 10-plus yard catch came with little more than a minute left in the quarter when I go for 13 yards to get us away from our endzone. I missed a ball halfway through the third quarter and couldn't settle down after taking a shot from Anton Bruckner, causing a false start penalty, sending us further back into our own territory. Apparently that shook Raeni's trust in me slightly as I don't see anything until the beginning of the fourth quarter. I put us into Minnesota territory with a 14 yard grab and took yet another shot from Anton Bruckner. This guy's all over me. In the middle of the quarter, I miss two consectutive targets and cause us to turn the ball over on downs. It's just not my day today. I'm just blocking at this point. Raeni calls my number again with 2 minutes to go.. I catch and run for 16 yards but one of our guards throws a punch and gets hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the play is over. The play counted but we still end up going back to where we started. We ended up getting shut out in this one; man that's not a good feeling at all.
Week 6 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Portland Pythons: 41-14 L
DiNozzo: 6 targets, 4 catches for 85 yards; 4 pancakes
Well, we knew this one was going to be tough going in. Portland's defense is manned by one of the most feared linebackers in the DSFL in Xavier Walls. This man is an absolute monster. However, I wouldn't see him a lot. I saw a whole bunch of their number 1 cornerback, Lip Gallagher. Lip was all over me, but I still think I had a decent game in spite of that. I missed my first target and got leveled by Lip on the second. I got it with a catch and run of 39 yards with 5 minutes left to go in the first quarter. I couldn't find any space and Lip kept me in check for the rest of the first quarter and 7 and a half minutes into the second when I caught a 10 yard pass. Still not finding any room, I'm surprised I was able to get open for a 14 yard catch on the last play of the first half. I'm pretty sure Lip was just playing bend but don't break here. My last catch and run of 22 yards came with 5 minutes left in the third quarter when I got by Lip but ended up getting tackled by some scrub named Alexander Roach. I'm not even sure who this guy is, but he barely got me. I guess barely counts more than almost in this instance.
Week 7 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Bondi Beach Buccaneers: 56-24 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 7 catches for 79 yards; 1 receiving TD; 2 pancakes
Going into this game against Bondi Beach, I felt like I had something to prove. My friend, Zack Mouse, used to play for Bondi Beach when he was in the DSFL and won an Ultimini with them a few years back. He had tickets and wanted to see me play against his old team; so I talked to Raeni before the game and we came up with a gameplan. This was going to be MY game. Oh boy, was it ever. I proceeded to have the best game of my DSFL career up to that point. I ended up going off for 7 catches, 79 yards, my FIRST career touchdown, and I knocked a couple guys on their backs when they tried to get to Raeni. I did it all, and boy did it feel good. I didn't see my first target until 3 minutes left in the first quarter when I caught it for 10 yards. This is fine; Raeni was getting chased around quite a bit so I knew I had to step in to block some. I dropped my first target of the second quarter, but made up for it at the 3 minute mark when I caught a 12 yard pass to put us within 13 yards. Jay Cue ran for only a yard on the next play. In the huddle, Jay slapped my helmet and said "Rae, give the rook a chance here." I was floored, here was the offensive captain of the team asking our quarterback to give me a shot at the end zone. Well now I can't make him look bad. When the ball was snapped, I run a little stop and go route and Raeni finds the seam and I catch the ball at the goal line for my first touchdown! I couldn't believe that I had caught my first touchdown until I went back into the huddle to block for the extra point. I asked what we were doing and everyone just kind of looked at me like I was stupid. "Zack, you caught the touchdown, man. We're just blocking so Bly can get us the extra point". Oh. OH. YEAH! I got hyped up and got the ball I caught from coach when I got back to the sideline. This one's going in my trophy case... My first professional touchdown! I thought it couldn't get any better than this. Raeni obviously trusted me some more as she threw two straight targets to me at the end of the half, and I caught them for 11 and 15 yard gains. My last two catches of the day came in the fourth quarter when I caught a 4 yard dumpoff with 7 minutes to go, and caught a 14 yarder at the two minute warning. We lost this game, but it was a personal win for me as I had caught my first touchdown. I really wanted to make a run at Tight End of the Year since Rookie of the Year was so far out of reach at this point. I feel like I can contribute a lot to the team since I'm the fastest player in the receiving group. I talked with Coach about it after this game, and we decided I would play a bit more on the outside as a wide receiver.
Week 8 - Norfolk Seawolves @ London Royals: 20-17 L
DiNozzo: 5 targets, 3 catches for 50 yards; 1 receiving TD; 3 pancakes
Coming off the last game against Bondi Beach, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I had gained some more trust from my quarterback and coaching staff, and I was going to be focusing more on catching the ball. This improves my chances at Tight End of the Year since nobody really looks at pancakes for the tight end position. It's all yards and touchdowns. I saw 5 targets on the day, catching 3 of them for 50 yards and my second touchdown of the season. I dropped my only target of the first quarter and lined up incorrectly in the second quarter. I caught a 13 yard pass with 12 minutes to go in the third quarter but fell just shy of the first down marker, forcing Bly to punt the ball. I could've made it but I lost my balance and fell out of bounds. I felt terrible but the guys told me not to worry about it. London's field isn't the greatest and some players have been known to lose their balance here. At least that's what they tell me. Whether or not they're messing with me, I felt somewhat better about myself. At the 12 minute mark of the fourth quarter though, I did a stop and go route, and got some separation from the corner. Raeni finds me open at the first down marker and I see nothing but grass in front of me. I take it 30 yards to the house for my second touchdown! It was my best play of the season so far and it felt just as good as the first one. I caught a 7 yard pass later on in the contest but we ended up losing 17 to 20. London's a tough team, and they beat us pretty bad the first time around, but we managed to do a bit better this time around, limiting them to 20 points instead of allowing 40.
Week 9 - Kansas City Coyotes @ Norfolk Seawolves: 33-14 L
DiNozzo: 9 targets, 5 catches for 61 yards; 2 pancakes
Finally back home after a rough 3 week road trip. This was a decent game but not one of my best. I'm putting up receiving yards but I'm not getting many touchdowns. Raeni seems to be favoring Papillon for some reason. I really need to work with Raeni this offseason to build some more chemistry with her. Anyway, we lost to Kansas City early on in the season and it's revenge time! Or so we thought. After going up by two touchdowns by the start of the second quarter, Quinton Crash decided to make his presence felt in a big way. Within a span of 7 minutes and some change, he catches an 8 yard touchdown pass, a 16 yard touchdown pass, AND a 75 yard touchdown pass. This man could not be stopped. Our defense looked like swiss cheese out here, and it was painful to watch on the sidelines. We're a young team, but Crash made us look like we were Pop Warner players. After that we played bend but don't break, as Izuku Campbell nailed 4 field goals for the rest of the scoring. Our offense couldn't get much done either; we fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. I personally only caught five of my nine targets for 61 yards. I'm doing my best but one man can't win a football game on his own. I knocked a couple guys on their butts and didn't allow anyone to touch Raeni so I'm hoping that she starts trusting me more since I'm not letting anyone get to her.
Week 10 - Tijuana Luchadores @ Norfolk Seawolves: 20-17 L
DiNozzo: 11 targets, 5 catches for 47 yards; 2 pancakes
Ok, so we're at home again this week. It was nice getting to spend some time with my family before I had to head back out on the road with the team. It's always nice seeing Mom, Dad, and Tali when we can all get together like this. It's hard to get us all in the same place at once with me playing professional football, Mom and Dad still being with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and Tali's doing her residency on the other side of the country. Anyway, we lost to Tijuana in a close game at the beginning of the season, so hopefully we can take them down and tie the season series. We traded scores for the first 3 quarters and then our offense couldn't get much going after the third quarter. We ended up losing 20 to 17, and it was a bit of a heartbreaker since we had the lead going into the fourth quarter. We just couldn't get the job done, and the whole team was feeling pretty down at this point in the season. We only have 1 win on the season and we're mathematically eliminated from the post-season... I think. Personally, I didn't help much as I had a false start penalty, and caught less than half my targets. Those catches were only good for 47 yards, though I did get a couple pancakes during the game. I can say with pride that I'm not letting anyone even get a hit on my quarterback. Raeni's really happy with my blocking, but I need to stop dropping all these passes or else she'll quit throwing to me.
Week 11 - Minnesota Grey Ducks @ Norfolk Seawolves: 38-37 L
DiNozzo: 1 target; 2 pancakes
The Minnesota Grey Ducks absolutely destroyed us in the early part of the season by shutting us out and putting up 41 points on us. This game was personal for us. We had to win this one, even if we didn't win another game all season. It was time to make the Grey Ducks pay. The start wasn't great... We let Bobby Tarantino break off an 84 yard catch and run touchdown to start the game. After that, we settled in and showed up for the rest of the first quarter with Bly kicking a field goal, Raeni getting a touchdown run of her own, and she threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to Squidward Tentacles. Squidward do be lookin' fine in a Norfolk uniform, by the way. After Minnesota started the scoring off again with a Huntsman touchdown run in the second quarter, we responded with a touchdown of our own; Raeni hit Holton Hillburn for a 3 yard dart and Bly kicked another field goal. The third quarter is where it got hectic... Minnesota gets far enough to get a field goal, and then proceeds to rattle off two touchdowns within two and a half minutes before Raeni UNLOADS ON EM with an 85 yard touchdown run. It was a thing of beauty. She needed some oxygen afterwards. Our last score was a Bly kick with 26 seconds left in the third. The fourth quarter was back and forth with neither team scoring until Joe Bay caught a touchdown from Jacob Raske and this thing was an absolute DIME in the back of the end zone. You could see Bay catch the ball with one hand like Odell Beckham; it was amazing to see, even if he is on the other team. Our hope came down to Gluteus Maximus missing the extra point, but he indeed made it. The Minnesota defense stifled us to a three and out on our last drive, sealing our fate. A one point loss is the worst feeling in the world, in my opinion. You just couldn't finish or hang on, and it hurts. I was feeling pretty down with myself after this game because I only saw one target. I don't know what I was doing wrong.. I wasn't even on the field very much. I wasn't sure if this was some kind of punishment from Coach or just a gameplan thing for Minnesota. I don't know why you keep your best receiver on the sideline against one of the toughest defenses in the league... Oh well. I'm only a player, what do I know.
Week 12 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Portland Pythons: 41-13 L
DiNozzo: 2 targets, 1 catch for 15 yards; 2 pancakes
Coach had pulled me aside before this game in Portland. "I know you probably think you're being punished right now, but our offensive line isn't protecting Raeni like they should. I'm going to be having you block a lot more tonight since you haven't allowed a sack all season, and we need to protect our quarterback better." Great, now I know what happened last week, and I can expect more of the same this week. Fantastic. Rookie of the Year is so far out of my grasp there's nothing I can do but accept it and do the best I can. I don't even pay attention to the score. I just get ready, set, and block for the whole first half. Hououin Kyouma's 44 yard interception return touchdown was epic to watch though. The coverage was insane, and the catch was awesome. The whole sideline lost it. I lost track of time after that. I went to get set again after a play, "Magnet", as we like to call Rudy Gray, tapped me on the helmet and said "Dude, it's halftime. Let's go in the locker room." Oh man. I was so out of it I didn't even notice. I go to the locker room and barely listen to Coach's speech. I'm just numb. I honestly don't like blocking even though I know it can sometimes be part of the job as a tight end. I'll do it with no issue, but it doesn't mean I like it. Once I see everyone heading out to the field again, I follow along and do my job. In one huddle I feel Raeni punch me playfully in the chest. "Hey, this one's coming to you, big boy." What? Me? Ok, I thought I was just blocking but here we go. I notice we're at our 8 yard line, so I know we need to get some separation from the end zone. I manage to break free of the linebacker covering me and come up with a 15 yard catch, putting us at our 24 and giving us some breathing room. Raeni gave me a high five and said "I'm sorry man, but I need you to block some more.. you're doing so well that I don't even have to worry about whatever side you're on, and I appreciate it." Well, that makes me feel better. Back to the grind I went and I had my number called again in the 4th but it was underthrown slightly so I missed it. I look up at the scoreboard after hearing the final whistle and realize we lost again. It's starting to sting slightly being on a team that's only won one game. I know we're really young, but it still hurts when you're a competitor who does everything allowed by the rulebook to win. On to the next one, I guess.
Week 13 - Norfolk Seawolves @ Dallas Birddogs: 28-0 L
DiNozzo: 7 targets; 1 pancake
Magnet called for a huddle before the game, and got us all fired up with the usual chant whenever we play Dallas. "WHAT DO BIRDDOGS DO?" he yells. "TWEET WOOF!" is the response. For some reason, repeating this multiple times gets everyone fired up. I really find it hilarious. Think about it... Birddogs go tweet woof. It's so corny that it's funny. Anyway, after the pre-game huddle, I had a meeting with Coach and Raeni before the game, and aired out my grievances about being asked to solely block for the past couple of weeks. I thought it went well, as they agreed they should be throwing the ball to me as that's what I was signed to the team for. I really hate that I had to miss the DSFL Scouting Combine and the Draft due to my injury, but it is what it is and now I can only do what I can to prove to everyone and myself that I belong in professional football. I blocked of course, but I also had target after target thrown to me and I couldn't come up with any of them. I dropped a couple, but the rest were over or under thrown. I really think the defense got to Raeni by the end. She was running for her life all game and I felt bad. I did what I could when I had to block but it just wasn't enough. We couldn't mount much offense as we only converted 3 of our 13 third down chances. Raeni only threw for 121 yards and the team of Jay Cue Jr and Dante King only managed 90 yards on the ground. The Dallas defense came to play, and we didn't have our A game today. What a shame.
Week 14 - Bondi Beach Buccaneers @ Norfolk Seawolves: 44-20 L
DiNozzo: 8 targets, 5 catches for 76 yards
Well, at least we're ending the season at home. When we exit the tunnel, it doesn't feel like home as the home crowd is actually booing us. I wonder if it's because we've only won the one game so far, and that was three months ago by this point. That's probably it. Well, I can't focus on that. I need to get my head in the game and help us get a win here. I tried to help convert a long third down on the first drive but I trip over my own feet and get brought down 12 yards short of the first down marker. Frustrated with myself, I take it out on the linebacker who is on me all night. If I run a route, he's covering me; if I block, he's trying to blitz. I do not let this man by me at all. I could tell he was getting frustrated by the end of the quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Dante King breaks off a 50 yard rush to put us on the Bondi Beach 33 yard line. We can smell blood in the water. The offense picks it up, and we open lanes for King and Jay Cue Jr who get us to the 17 after two more rushes. I catch a 9 yard pass to put us into 1st and Goal territory, which has been a rarity for us this season. King punches it home on the next play for a 7 yard touchdown. Keep in mind we were already down by 14 before he scored so we're all kind of mellow about it. We keep getting tossed around like we're ragdolls on the scoreboard as Bondi Beach keeps scoring touchdowns or field goals. I got hit hard after the ball went by me by Cayson Nzeocha and was off the field for a little bit as the hit rung my bell pretty good. I passed concussion protocols so Coach just gave me a breather until halftime. That hit messed with me pretty good since I missed some plays and dropped a couple balls. I didn't actually catch another pass until I converted a crucial 4th and 4 with 2 minutes to go in the 3rd. That got everyone hyped up; we may not win this game but we're going to go down fighting and not let them beat us by a full 4 possessions! At least, that's what I thought. I didn't realize that I was inching closer to the top tight ends in receiving yards. When I catch a pass for 11 yards a minute later, everyone's getting more hyped. Raeni looks at me on 2nd and 9 from our 45 and says "You know you only need like 40 yards to possibly get nominated for Tight End of the Year, right? You may not win, but you may get on the ballot at least". That sounds good for a rookie. Ok, give me some room and I'll see what I can do. I run a slant route and get some separation from Nzeocha, and get some revenge as I catch it 20 yards down the field and started sprinting as hard as I could. Nzeocha caught up to me pretty quickly, but I had taken that pass for 42 yards, and may have secured myself a nomination for the Tight End of the Year award! Everyone celebrated in the locker room after the game as that's one of the few good things to come out of the season, and I did it with less than a minute left to go in the last game of the season!
After the DSFL regular season was over, I met up with Raeni for lunch and asked her if we could do some workouts together in the off-season. We were clicking some games, and others we weren't. I wanted to improve our relationship some and hopefully we have some chemistry on the field in the coming season. After she agreed to meet me at the practice facility here and there in the off-season, I paid for her meal as a thank you for helping me so much during my rookie season, and went to hang out with some friends while I had the chance. Minicamp didn't start until a few months after the playoffs, and I wanted to relax for the first time in 6 months. I flew to Cleveland and met up with some friends who went to Ohio State with me. I saw the sights as I had never been to Cleveland, and watched playoff games in the man cave of my former roommate, who recently got married and had a little one on the way. We watched and were surprised to see it come down to Tijuana and London in the Ultimini. I was rooting for London as I was a fan of Red Arrow Jr's dad, Red Arrow, who played in the Pro Baseball Experience until recently for Sarasota. I have his autograph somewhere. I called Junior the day after the game and gave him my congratulations. I asked him if he wanted to do some workouts as well. He sensed that I was hungry for more than just a nomination for an award and agreed to meet with me on days that Raeni didn't. I'm looking forward to this off-season program I have set up for myself.
At the DSFL Awards presentation, I was excited to see if I had indeed secured a nomination at least for Tight End of the Year, and I did! I finished 5th in voting, but being considered a top 5 tight end is amazing for a rookie, in my opinion. After the awards show, I did some conditioning to stay in shape for the International Simulation Football League Scouting Combine. Every DSFL rookie is invited to show their skills for the ISFL General Managers and Scouts. I thought I did well as I ran a decent 40 yard dash and didn't miss any passes during the receiving portion of the Combine. After the Combine, there's nothing I can do except keep myself in shape. I do get an invite to the ISFL Draft, which is nice. It's a 6 hour event this season; every pick will be announced and every rookie will have chat with the Commissioner for a few seconds, give her a handshake or a hug, and then go to the team's designated "war room" somewhere in the arena. This season, the draft was located in Berlin, Germany.
I had to make sure my passport was current, and off I went to visit Germany for the very first time. I met up with Jay Cue Jr and Dante King at the home of the Fire Salamanders, Berlin Field, and we sat together with our parents and their agents in the green room. The draft started, and we didn't have to wait long to cheer for someone in the group as Dante King was selected first overall by the Baltimore Hawks. This came as a surprise to nobody as the Hawks desperately needed a running back and Dante was the best one other than Jay in this draft class. Later on in the first round, Jay was selected 11th overall by the Yellowknife Wraiths. I didn't look into the Wraiths much as I didn't think I'd be on their radar since they already had a good tight end. After that, it was just myself and our three families sitting and waiting. There was a 15 minute break after the first round and everyone got up to get some drinks. Dante and Jay's families wanted to stay with me but I told them to go and catch up with their sons to meet their team's General Managers. Their agents were already gone by this point. I actually didn't have an agent as I felt like I was really only going to be offered the minimum amount for a rookie in whatever round I was drafted in since I felt like I had a lot to prove.
To my surprise, I was selected by the Orange County Otters with the 20th overall selection, with the 6th pick of the 2nd round. I got up from my chair in disbelief, went down the tunnel after putting on an Otters hat, and walked out to a capacity crowd that was cheering for me. Apparently everyone loves the DSFL as much as college football, and will cheer on any player who can successfully make it to the ISFL. I walk up to Commissioner Bex and give her a hug. She asked me how her sister Raeni is doing. I didn't know Raeni had a sister, let alone that said sister was the Commissioner of the ISFL. We chatted for a few seconds and took some pictures for the media.
After walking through the tunnel on the other side of the stage, I'm ushered back to the Otters "war room" to meet the General Managers and Scouts. I am immediately glomped by my friend Goat Tank as soon as I walk into the room! "Man, I am so excited that you're here. I forgot you were even in the draft this year. When I saw your name on the list of draftees, I immediately told the General Managers that you were someone to keep an eye on. They did their research and liked what they saw. They were surprised you fell this far considering you were nominated for Tight End of the Year! Anyway, enough about that. Let me introduce you to Mori and Blasoon."
As I'm shaking the General Managers' hands, they informed me they wanted to start negotiations for a contract while we were waiting for their next pick in the third round. I told them I'm willing to take the minimum as I feel like I had a lot to prove, and if I did well enough to earn a second contract, I'm willing to wait until then to get paid. I signed a 4 year, $4 million contract with a clause that I was to be paid $4,000,000 for each season that I'm sent back down to the DSFL. This was completely fine with me as I wanted to give a little now, so I can hopefully earn a bigger contract when this one was up.
After signing the contract, my parents were allowed in the room to meet Mori and Blasoon. After promising to take good care of me, they asked my parents if they could spend some time getting to know me. My parents left and went back to Washington D.C. since they had to work in a couple of days and wanted to get some rest before having to head back to the Navy Yard. I waited in the war room with everyone until the Otters' third round pick, Will Stern, came back.
After meeting Will, I left to go back to the hotel I was staying at with Jay and Dante. We went out and celebrated maybe a little too much. I woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover and decided to head home with them instead of spending a couple more days in Berlin like I had planned. I wanted to get back in the gym and prepare myself for possibly making my ISFL debut. When I got back to Norfolk, I was about to start packing my things just in case I was going to be playing for Orange County. I got a call from Mori and he let me know that I was going to be playing for Norfolk this coming season. That's completely fine with me. I unpacked my things again, and was able to relax for about a week.
I went to visit my parents in Washington D.C. and was surprised to find my sister, Tali, staying with them while she was in town as well. We went to see a couple movies in the week that I was there. I'm pretty sure she didn't enjoy watching Die Hard VI. I guess seeing an elderly Bruce Willis taking down bad guys didn't interest her much, but I've always been a big fan of the franchise. I got a call from both Jay and Dante on my last day with my parents. They wanted to meet up one last time before they leave Norfolk for Yellowknife and Baltimore, respectively. After having lunch with them, I had to get home and change into my workout gear.
I'm about to head out for my first off-season meeting with Raeni, and I can't wait to see what I can accomplish in the upcoming DSFL season. There's no telling what the future holds for me, but I hope that I can live up to the expectations that the Otters have for me, and surpass my own expectations. I really want to make it to the Hall of Fame one day. Now's the time to nut up or shut up. It's a long path to the Hall, and it starts now.
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