Dear Diary,
The Regular Season is here! I won’t lie, I had some pre-game jitters in Week 1. Its always exciting to really get back on the field and play in games that matter. Considering we were playing Norfolk, who was sort of my “old team”, it made it even better. We’ve practiced really well in Portland, and I think I have a nice grasp on the system we’re running here. The coaches and GM’s have been nothing but supportive. I really hope this is how it is for all of the other franchises too. I’m already proud to be a Python, and after the 4-0 preseason, I have some high hopes for us.
So we game planned as best we could for a Norfolk team that we have zero tape on. They have a new QB in Wolvie Justice, taken first overall. They have a new WR, Kenny Omega, that they drafted as well. It’s a different team than the one that I played on last year for a few games. The game was back and forth for a few drives as the teams figured out what each other was up to. Then we really poured it on. My fellow rookie John Wachter scored a TD at the end of the first, and before you knew it, our defense got a safety after the kickoff! 9-0!
Then, it fell apart for us a bit. That O’Sullivan guy just ran over our defense. He scored two TDs in the second quarter, and before you knew it, we were down 14-9 at the half. The teams played a hard fought third quarter, but we broke through and JR Vance caught a 4 yard TD to end the third and gave us the 16-14 lead. But on the ensuing drive, O’Sullivan broke loose for a long, 56 yard TD to give Norfolk the lead back. Luckily, we answered with a drive of our own, and Jon Shalioko broke free for a 20 yard TD and a one point lead! We didn’t get the conversion, so it was up to our defense to keep them out of field goal range. Our boys held strong and before you knew it, my first professional football game was over, and we walked out with a thrilling 22-21 victory! In such a fun game, I only had 4 catches for 41 yards. Nothing special. But, I wondered if there’d be more games like this one. I’m not sure my heart can take that every week.
I got my answer the very next week. Tijuana came to Portland for our Week 2 game, and it was wild. Again. This game was almost exactly like the week before! First, Goose scored a TD in the first quarter. Then Nuge added a field goal and we walked into halftime feeling confident with a 10-0 lead. And then the Spinelli show started! Spinelli ran for two touchdowns in a span of about 3 minutes of game time. All of a sudden, we were down 14-10. So much for feeling confident. Luckily that would be all Tijuana would muster. Our defense showed why they’re going to be a top unit in the DSFL this season. They made the proper adjustments and really slowed Tijuana. The offense however, still needed to find its groove. Finally, we got the drive we needed in the fourth quarter. With about 7 minutes to go, Christ found Lewis for a TD that gave us the 16-14 lead. Another nail biter. And on top of it, we missed the extra point!
But, our defense held strong, and we left our home stadium with a 2-0 record, with wins of 1 point, and now 2 points. Looks like we might win by a field goal next week. I only had a measly 2 catches for 18 yards. I don’t know what’s wrong with me right now, but there’s been a few too many drops. I’m sure I’ll step it up soon! That’s all for now.
Ready for Grading - 666 words
GRADED
The Regular Season is here! I won’t lie, I had some pre-game jitters in Week 1. Its always exciting to really get back on the field and play in games that matter. Considering we were playing Norfolk, who was sort of my “old team”, it made it even better. We’ve practiced really well in Portland, and I think I have a nice grasp on the system we’re running here. The coaches and GM’s have been nothing but supportive. I really hope this is how it is for all of the other franchises too. I’m already proud to be a Python, and after the 4-0 preseason, I have some high hopes for us.
So we game planned as best we could for a Norfolk team that we have zero tape on. They have a new QB in Wolvie Justice, taken first overall. They have a new WR, Kenny Omega, that they drafted as well. It’s a different team than the one that I played on last year for a few games. The game was back and forth for a few drives as the teams figured out what each other was up to. Then we really poured it on. My fellow rookie John Wachter scored a TD at the end of the first, and before you knew it, our defense got a safety after the kickoff! 9-0!
Then, it fell apart for us a bit. That O’Sullivan guy just ran over our defense. He scored two TDs in the second quarter, and before you knew it, we were down 14-9 at the half. The teams played a hard fought third quarter, but we broke through and JR Vance caught a 4 yard TD to end the third and gave us the 16-14 lead. But on the ensuing drive, O’Sullivan broke loose for a long, 56 yard TD to give Norfolk the lead back. Luckily, we answered with a drive of our own, and Jon Shalioko broke free for a 20 yard TD and a one point lead! We didn’t get the conversion, so it was up to our defense to keep them out of field goal range. Our boys held strong and before you knew it, my first professional football game was over, and we walked out with a thrilling 22-21 victory! In such a fun game, I only had 4 catches for 41 yards. Nothing special. But, I wondered if there’d be more games like this one. I’m not sure my heart can take that every week.
I got my answer the very next week. Tijuana came to Portland for our Week 2 game, and it was wild. Again. This game was almost exactly like the week before! First, Goose scored a TD in the first quarter. Then Nuge added a field goal and we walked into halftime feeling confident with a 10-0 lead. And then the Spinelli show started! Spinelli ran for two touchdowns in a span of about 3 minutes of game time. All of a sudden, we were down 14-10. So much for feeling confident. Luckily that would be all Tijuana would muster. Our defense showed why they’re going to be a top unit in the DSFL this season. They made the proper adjustments and really slowed Tijuana. The offense however, still needed to find its groove. Finally, we got the drive we needed in the fourth quarter. With about 7 minutes to go, Christ found Lewis for a TD that gave us the 16-14 lead. Another nail biter. And on top of it, we missed the extra point!
But, our defense held strong, and we left our home stadium with a 2-0 record, with wins of 1 point, and now 2 points. Looks like we might win by a field goal next week. I only had a measly 2 catches for 18 yards. I don’t know what’s wrong with me right now, but there’s been a few too many drops. I’m sure I’ll step it up soon! That’s all for now.
Ready for Grading - 666 words
GRADED
![[Image: tTMB4jP.jpg]](https://imgur.com/tTMB4jP.jpg)
