Travels

I’m currently sitting at Charles De Gua airport in Paris. After 5 days in Milan, 2 days in Paris, a day in Nice, a day in Cannes, and then one more night in Paris, I am heading back to Italy to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. I finally have some time to sit and write for a bit because they over-booked me on my flight from Paris back to Bologna. I am now instead taking a flight into Rome, but have to wait here at the airport for 5 hours. From Rome, I will take the train into Naples and from there figure out how to arrive at the Villa in Positano. As far as my travels have been concerned, I must say that I really enjoyed Milan. Prior to visiting Milan, I have heard nothing but bad things sucha as: there is nothing to see in Milan, its always smoggy and cloudy, the food sucks, and so on and so forth. A friend of a friend of mine, who travels around the world as a model, invited me to come experience fashion week in Milan. After experiencing all that Milan has to offer, I have concluded that I actually really enjoy Milan. It is a vibrant city full of great energy, pretty women, and diverse industry. Yes, Milan is not as beautiful as many other cities in Italy, but it seems like a great place to work and live. Also, on the last day in Milan, we took the train up to Lake Como. Here we rented a boat and took a tour of the lake. The villas here are incredible and the lake itself is gorgeous. Set in the base of the Alps, the lake offers a quiet, serene retreat just minutes away from the bustling city of Milan. We had a very enjoyable day on the lake looking at the houses and the scenery, imagining where our future villa will be. After a day on the lake, it was time for me to catch a train back to Bologna for my flight to Paris in the morning, but b y the time we arrived back in Milan, the last train of the night had already gone out and I would have to wait til morning to go. We decided to share one last night in Milan together. We went to another fashion week party, I stayed up the whole night and then jumped on a train around 6 a.m. back to Bologna. Once back in Bologna, I had just enough time to catch the bus back to the apartment, grab some things I needed then get a cab to the airport to catch my flight. In my rushing to get to the airport, I forgot the suit a teammate had lent me for the wedding I was to attend in Nice. I did not figure this out until I was at the airport, but I figured I would find a solution once arriving in France. I got to Paris around 3 in the afternoon where I met a friend of mine from college at a hotel near the Louve. We decided to start the sightseeing right away…I was running on fumes without sleep, but was not about to wuss out of seeing Paris. My friend was amazed to find that I knew my way around the city. I have only been to Paris once before when I was 15. I won a trip to Europe and was accompanied by my mom. Paris was one of our destinations, so I remembered a lot about where things were located and what to see. Paris is a very very big city and is quite remarkable. There is a ton to see and do. In a day and a half, we covered a good amount of the sites, but my favorite thing we saw was the museum of modern art. They had some very cool exhibits here that were very strange, but also very intriguing. We walked the museum for several hours with our last exhibit of the day being the ……………………. This really can’t be fully explained in words but the just of it was this dark lit room with speakers lined on both walls. At the end of the room there was a forest trail being projected onto the wall by this huge machine. I decided to stand in front of the machine and gaze down the path in the forest. After a short time of staring at the screen, I notice myself wanting to move forward as if I was actually walking down the path myself. Every logical reasoning in my head was telling me to just stand still, but something in my subconscious psyche was pulling me forward and forcing me to continue down the path. I would slowly inch toward the wall, taking one small, cautious step after another. I was being sucked into the experience. As I got closer to the wall and figuratively further into the woods down the trail, my heart began to race and my steps became more timid. Finally when I was just a foot or two from the wall, I decided I had had enough and stepped away…sweating. It was very very bizarre. It was almost like some sort of hypnosis or something. Very strange, but very neat at the same time. The next day we traveled to Nice. The hotel we stayed at was incredible! After checking into the hotel, we spent several hours working out and relaxing in the hotel spa and fitness center. The weather wasn’t very nice, so this was a good alternative to spend the day. That night, we had a delicious meal of sushi at the hotel restaurant…finally! Sushi! It has been far too long that I’ve gone without good sushi and this place hit the spot. We took the waitor’s recommendation which included three big plates of different kinds of sashimi, rolls, etc. It was delicious! We spent the next day driving into Cannes then laing on the sand on the sea. The wedding was at 2:00 that day, but we missed that and just went to the reception at 7, but arrived at 9. I had purchased a pair of slacks and a nice shirt so that I would look presentable. The wedding reception was at a beautiful villa in the hills overlooking the sea in a small town very near to Cannes. It was very very nice. It was all French people for the most part, but our table almost all spoke English. Many of them had gone to Stanford for graduate school, so I was pretty much surrounded by a bunch of geniuses. All the people were very nice and welcoming, and even offered to extend a helping hand in my search for the next step which is finding a nice career path. The wedding was similar to typical American weddings, but different at the same time. Before we arrived, there was a heavy cocktail reception so dinner was not served until around 10. In true European style, dinner was stretched out over a couple hours, culminated in the “cutting of the cake” for desert. Only, there wasn’t a cake, instead there was a pastry creation of the San Francisco bridge. The bridge didn’t last long however because the table it was on completely collapsed, destroying the entire creation…those San Francisco earthquakes are really no joke. After the disaster, people ate dessert, danced, etc. The night ended around 5 in the morning with the bride and groom being thrown in the pool and then all the groomsmen and friends jumping in after. It was a fun time, especially with having not have knowing but one person going into it. The last day on the French Rivieria was spent on the sea. We rented a jet ski and cruised around the coast and then lounged on the beach for a while. On the way to the airport we were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the little 2 lane coastal highway. Making our flight did not look promising. We arrived at the airport just a half hour before departure. I took care of the rental car check in while my friend ran ahead to drop off her luggage and check us in. Fortunately for us, she had an Ace in her pocket that allowed us to check in and skip the line, despite the fact that they had already closed it. We made it! It was then back to Paris for one last night. We arrived back at the same hotel, but a much less desirable room. We requested a change, but the next was not much better because the AC unit was not working. At 12:15 at night, when all I wanted to do was sleep, we were looking for a hotel with vacancy to stay. After about 20 min or so in a taxi, we came upon a nice one and got lucky. After that, we got one final meal together before saying our goodbyes in the morning. I ordered the fixed menu which included oysters, French onion soup, duck, and some sort of strawberry sorbet for dessert. It was a very good last meal. My friend’s flight left earlier than mine, so we said our goodbyes this morning and she left to the airport. After a nice filling breakfast and shower, I too departed for the airport…only to find out that they overbooked me and I would be sitting around the airport ALL DAY! Oh well, that’s just part of traveling sometimes. Its all going to work out. I’m taking a flight into Rome now and from there the train into Naples. The tricky part is going to be getting from the Naples train station to the villa…is probably going to be another late night.

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It turned out to be exactly that…another late night. I arrived to Rome around 8:30 then took a train from the airport to the central station. When I arrived at the central station I discovered that the last train to Naples for the night had already gone out and the next one was not leaving until 5 in the morning. It was around 11:00 or so and I had not eaten so I decided to venture off to find a restaurant still open. I found a little sub-par place near to the train station and got a much needed pizza. After that, I stopped in to check the rates at a couple hotels and hostels, but they all wanted 60 Euro, despite the fact that I was only going to be there for a few hours. I somehow stumbled upon a bar with a bunch of young travelers and Internet connection. A kind Aussie lent me his passcode to access the Internet. I needed to figure out the best way to get to Positano from Rome, its not an easy task. I mapped it all out and spent a couple hours just wasting time surfing the web. The bar finally closed down at 2 so I forced to venture out on the streets. I kept looking for a place to stay, but it wasn’t looking too promising. Most hotels were closed at this hour or the person working the desk would be asleep on a couch in the lobby…hard at work. Finally after about an hour of just walking around, I walked into a hotel for one last try. I convinced the guy to let me relax in the lobby for an hour or two. Turns out it was his last day on the job and he was having some difficulties with the printer. I helped him get it right then took a chair in the lobby and caught a few zzzzz’s. At 4:30 a.m. I walked to the train station and caught the train to Naples. I was in and out of sleep, fearing I would miss my transfer station and be totally screwed, but somehow I made it to Naples on time. My first impressions of Naples is that it smells and is quite dirty, just like many people had told me. I hopped in a cab to try to get to the Port where there was a ferry to take me to Positano, but the cab driver said that the ferry does not leave until 11 on weekdays, whereas I thought a could catch one at 8:30. He ended up trying to take me to the port anyways, but I refused and made him take me back to the train station. I was going to hop out without paying him because he didn’t take me anywhere except in a circle around the block, but when I went to leave he started with the Italian yelling. He wanted 8 Euros…I said 5, but I only had a 10. I gave him the 10 and he kept the whole thing…typical. At the train station I caught a different train to Sorrento. When I arrive there, I will catch a bus down the coast to Positano (supposedly a gorgeous drive) hopefully in time to catch the boat to Capri for the day. Trains, planes, and automobiles…oh so much fun!

Burl Baby Burl

The first of the Americans has left Italy. Burl left this Tuesday on a flight back to the states. During the short month and a half that he was here, he injected new life into the Doves through his constant pranks, sayings, and as we like to call it…jerrying. Burl came here in response to the shoulder injury that I suffered. He provided valuable WR and DB knowledge to our guys and his personality meshed well with all. His little American elementary school tricks and pranks worked wonders on the guys here and with him around, there was sure never to be a dull moment or comfort zone. You always had to have your guard up because you never knew when you were going to be the victim of his constant badgering and pestering…it was all in good fun. The biggest power one had against this was simply to ignore him, but there are some unfortunate few that just never learned (Drew). Whenever an Italian met Burl they struggled terribly with the pronunciation of his name. They would try to say it, but it would usually come out as, “Bruh, Bir, Bool”…even Coach Ricca had written name as Burrell. From this somehow stemmed a number of catchy jingles associated with his name, such as Surfin Bird (made famous from the Family Guy Episode…). Here is the link: and also the chorus to Disco Inferno…Burl Baby Burl. I made this short clip in tribute to Burl’s adventures here in Italy, I know he will be missed.

The Wrap-UP

So things in France didn’t go quite as planned. Our aspirations of making it to the EFAF Championship game fell short. As far as the game is concerned, we played toe to toe with them the first half. It was 7-7 with a couple minutes left in the half. They moved the ball down the field to approximately the 10-yard line. With 7 seconds left on the clock, they tried a sweep play. I came down hill to fill the alley (I was playing safety due to my shoulder) but missed the tackle and our contain man wasn’t there. The guy broke the corner and bursted towards the end zone. We had good pursuit and strung him out stopping him just short of the end zone (or so we thought). The refs gave them the touchdown despite the fact that he was short. We went into half-time down 14-7…it was a big momentum changer. Instead of being tied and having the first possession in the second half with the possibility of taking the lead, we were now playing catch up. We came out at half time and were able to move the ball, but we gave them the ball back due to a fumbled snap. On the ensuing possession, they scored to go ahead 21-7. The game went downhill from here. We were overmatched with their speed offensively and precise talking on defense. The resulting score was not pretty, but we gave it all we had. In this case, we lost to a better team…I’m just mad it had to be the French.

So, now the season is over. Now its time to figure out what the next move is. I have travel plans set for at least the next month. I will go to Rome again, the Amalfi Coast, Nice, Paris, Cannes, Bari, Napoli, and Pompeii for sure. Other places I would like to go include: Spain and Croatia at the top of the list, also possibly Greece, Germany, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. It all depends on how long the money lasts. As far as when I will be back, I’m not sure. I’m looking for opportunities to work here in Italy or the EU. I will be getting my Italian citizenship soon (hopefully soon), which would allow me to stay as long as I want. So I’m in the process of figuring all this out.

As far as the Doves are concerned, it has been a great experience. The best thing is all of the great friends I have made here. They have really made this a terrific experience and will be friends for life…brothers. I hope that all the issues that existed between the players and the organization can be resolved so that they may build on this year and work to get better as a TEAM. They have a strong core of young guys who have the potential to be a great team, but they need to continue to learn and to work hard. Hopefully the organization will be able to provide them with the tools and resources needed to become…FOOTBALL PLAYERS and not just guys that play football.

I will try to keep this updated as much as possible with all my travels and experiences as I go. Thank you all who have followed this and have been able to share in the many experiences, successes, and failures of the football season here in Bologna. It has been amazing and I’m not ready for it to end.

Champions of Bologna!!!

After 3 months of a roller coaster season, the long awaited and highly anticipated game of the year is now over…resulting in the Doves being able to stake our claim as Champions of Bologna! This was definitely a special game. The enthusiasm and eagerness that the guys had all week leading up to the game was something that we didn’t have all season. The practices were great, the team spirits were high, and we were all mentally focused to play a football game. If we had this same emotion and prepared the same way the entire year, there is no doubt that we are a playoff team. The games we lost, for the most part, were close and we had opportunities to win, but we were lacking that little extra passion and emotion to go the extra inch. In this game against the Warriors, guys completely sold out. They hustled, they tackled, they blocked…they played football. Finally we clicked on all cylinders. In front of the biggest crowd we’ve had all year, half wearing the red and white of the Doves and the others in blue and white, the Doves came to play. Their offense was no match for our defense, and for the first time all year, we shut out the opponent. For the first time all year, we minimized the big plays. For the first time all year, we tackled across the board…from the defensive line, to the linebackers, to the DBs, and even on special teams. This is what made the difference. Despite what many had anticipated (that the game would turn into a brawl), both sides showed great respect for one another and true sportsmanship prevailed. Offensively, we had a more balanced attack with Burl in at wide-receiver. It allowed Terrell and I to grind it out running the ball and then gash them with a nice completion. Finally, we looked like a football team. The biggest part to our success was probably just the mentality. I don’t think many guys could picture losing to the Warriors, it just wasn’t in our minds. This is the way that every game should be approached…in confidence. It showed on the field from the opening kickoff…we out hit them and by the time the game was near its end, they were giving up…they wanted no more of the Doves. It was a sweet victory for us…we all had a great celebration when the final whistle blew. It was our moment to savor one of the special moments we’ve had this season.

Now, we move forward. Despite all that has been happening this year, we still have the opportunity to play for something special. We will travel to France this week to take on the Black Panthers of Thonon Les-Baines and a chance to play for the EFAF Cup Championship. They run the Wing T offense…which we have seen and defeated already once this year. If our defense continues to play the way it has been, we should be just fine in shutting them down. I need not mention the hatred that exists between the two teams just based on geographic location alone. There is definitely something to play for here, a chance to play for a title and the opportunity to prove superiority over the French. This is our chance to make this a special season and to forget all the struggles and turmoil that we’ve been through. This is our moment. We need to seize it. We need to be champions.

Apart from football, with the season winding down and my stay here in Italy somewhat ambiguous, I’ve been trying to see as much as possible by visiting new places. The recent places I’ve been include Rome, Portofino, Santa Margherita, and Cinque Terre…all of which I absolutely loved. In Rome, we walked the entire day…probably close to 9 hours, just trying to see as much as possible. This city is truly amazing. It is so vibrant and lively. There are people out in the streets at all hours of the day and night. The architecture and the ruins of ancient Rome are something to marvel at. I will return to Rome soon to see what I was unable to the first time. I still need to make it to Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel. After this next game, win or lose, we will have some free time, so I plan to go then. As for Portofino…absolutely amazing. We went swimming in a lagoon next to the Prime Minister’s house. The water was crystal clear, the sun was shining, and we had not a care in the world. We were able to enjoy this wonderful paradise due to the generosity of one of our teammates (Thanks Puma) who has a house in Santa Margherita, which is within walking distance to Portofino. This was just one of those special places in Italy where you really feel that you are in a different country and someplace special. The amount of wealth that existed here was amazing. We probably spent several hours just staring at the beautiful yachts and houses…fantasizing about the good life. It was really a great trip. On the way back to Bologna from Portofino, we awoke very early because I wanted to go to Cinque Terre, which was on the way back. We loaded up the Punto and were on the road by 8:30. It was about an hour ride to Cinque Terre, but little did we know at the time what kind of drive it was going to be. We headed up and down a little road through the mountains lining the coast. The little Punto struggled with the weight of the four football players and slowly climbed up and down the hills. We would hold our breath on each turn, peaking around the corners for oncoming traffic on this tiny road. When we finally reached the bottom of the hills, in Monterosso, the Punto had had enough. There was smoke pouring out from under the hood…we thought we were stuck here…which would have been fine with me. Cinque Terre was beautiful. We left the car parked with Terrell inside to sleep. Burl, Drew, and I set out on my mission to find the secret beach. I had read a NY Times article the night before on the Internet which had suggested this as one of the things to do in Cinque Terre.

“With three towns to hit in one day, take the quick regional train via the Spezia line (www.ferroviedellostato.it, 1 euro) to Corniglia, the smallest and most remote of the five villages. Forgo the 365-step climb to its tourist-filled center. Instead take the road much less traveled, to the clothing-optional private beach, Guvano, that only locals seem to know about. It's not easy to find: above and to the right of the train platform head down a narrow flight of stairs, follow a brick coastal wall and turn right, until you come to an industrial tunnel with a metal gate. Ring the bell to the left. Someone on the other end will buzz you in. Walk through the 10-minute-long path to a private vineyard overlooking two phenomenal beaches. Pay the gatekeeper 5 euros for your little slice of sunbathing heaven. Be sure to stock up on water and snacks at the train station; there are no concession shacks at the beach.”

It was like a treasure hunt trying to find this place and when we finally did, it was completely locked. There was a sign on the gate saying something in Italian. When I later translated it, it said that the tunnel leading to the secret beach had been re-purchased by the railway on January 1st of this year…too bad for us. So instead we ventured out on a walk to the next town over, but little did we know what we were getting into at the time. It was a 4 km hike through the coastal hills that wined up and down and back and forth. 30 minutes into the hike, we were all dripping with sweat and in dire need of finding a place to jump in the sea. An hour and a half later, we finally arrived to the town we were in search of. There was a tiny bay where we took a dip in the water…so refreshing! We then caught a train back to Monterosso and found Terrell just waking up from his nap in the Punto. Now the true test was whether or not this thing would make it out of here. We filled it up with water and were on our way…it got us back, safe and sound.

Its been an amazing three and a half months out here thus far and I really don’t want it to end. I hope we can win this weekend to prolong my stay and delay my travel plans that I have for after the season. There is so much I still want to do here and to see. I love Italy!

THE DERBY!!!!

After almost 100 days here in Italy it is finally here…THE DERBY. This game is the first game that was mentioned when I stepped foot off the plane and met my new Italian teammates. The countdown had begun long before I arrived, but they didn’t waste a single second to make sure I was aware of what this game meant and why the countdown was for this game and not just until the start of the season. In the states, we would always have a countdown during summer training of the number of days until the opening game, but here, the countdown was for our last guaranteed game of the season vs. “The Others” known only as THE DERBY. Now this day is finally here and the long anticipated wait is over. The two teams in Bologna will meet head to head for the first time in 20 years. Football is back in Bologna, the rivalry is alive, and its time to decide who will own bragging rights as the best team in Bologna for the next year. As for my own personal vendetta…I just have one word to say…GATORADE…I haven’t forgotten and it’s time to see who will be sliced like an apple. In case you are unaware of this incident, you can look it up in my archived posts. I don’t want to say too much. The team’s spirits are high, we are the most healthy we have been since the first game of the season, and we are ready to fly high. Tonight the countdown will be over and a new one will begin…hopefully with our arms raised high in victory, personal vendettas settled, and a TEAM resolved.

Smelling the End Zone

Here is the clip from Terrell's incredible game-winning touchdown...this is what you call NOT BEING DENIED!!!

WE WILL!!!

These two simple words may have changed our season. A team on the brink of collapse…a team with their backs up against a wall…a team with individuals challenged to look themselves in the mirror…made a decision. The decision was these two tiny little words… WE WILL! Although seemingly insignificant and small when separate these two words together evoked courage, determination, desire, and heart within our team. The biggest of the two words being WE. WE…not I, not me, not my…WE. We will travel 13+ hours to Belgrade by bus. We will put aside the distraction of the Belgrade nightlife so that we are ready to play. We will not make excuses on gameday. We will make sacrifices. And most importantly…WE WILL…PLAY AS A TEAM!!!

It all began after the “Fireworks” that I wrote about in my last entry. We had just suffered our third close lost in a row, and like I said, it was because we didn’t play together as a team. Something had to change. The coach, others, and myself challenged the guys to look inside themselves and to make a choice…a choice of whether their own individual concerns were more important than the goals of the team. On Wednesday at practice, it was clear what the choice was. The choice was for the success of the TEAM. On Wednesday we came out and had a real football practice. We put guys in hitting drills for the whole team to watch and see. They were critiqued in front of their peers and challenged by the coaches to give more effort. There seemed to be a new sense of accountability resonating through the group of guys. People were forced to either be humiliated by their efforts or to rise up with a “screw you” mentality to make plays. Guys were beginning to understand what “maximum effort” really meant and what football is all about. We stressed the importance of everyone winning their individual battles and that doing so gave us a “chance” to win. We stressed that you can’t pick and choose when you want to fight, but that you must ALWAYS fight because you never know which play is going to make the difference. Wednesday’s practice gave us the momentum we needed for the long trip and challenge that awaited us in Belgrade.

Saturday morning we set out to Belgrade around 9:00 a.m. After a couple hours of napping, I was wide-awake and we needed something to pass the time…POKER! This being the longest trip I’ve ever taken to play a football game, I was curious as to how we would all respond. When we finally arrived in Belgrade, everyone was anxious and excited to get off the bus, check into the hotel, and hopefully get to see some of the city. We had a mandatory dinner immediately following checkout…after which we would have a team meeting. The whole road trip was a far cry from those I’ve come accustomed to in college and the NFL. No police escort, no plush hotels, no buffet style meals with pretty much anything you would like to eat, no free Gatorades and water waiting for you everywhere you go, no chartered flights, no in-hotel therapy to prepare your body for the game…simply the bare necessities. A hotel in which there were single beds with mattresses about as comfortable as cardboard. Certain rooms did not have bathrooms and others guys had to double up in the same bed. I could tell that guys were unhappy about the situation, but a speech by Coach Ricca helped clear the air. He stressed the importance of not letting an opportunity slip through our fingers and how his own hands shape successes and achievements of a man’s life not by luck or circumstance…”every man is the sculptor of his own destiny….” The message was clear. We were not in Belgrade to run around and get crazy the night before the game. We were in Belgrade on a business trip. We had a chance to still make something of our season and the chance was NOW.

The morning of the game was more of the same inadequacies…lack of sleep due to terrible hotel rooms, a joke of a pre-game meal consisting of cold hotdogs, bread, spam, and cheese…UGH….getting lost trying to find the game field…but none of it matters. Once you step on the field, it doesn’t matter…all that matters is who wants it more and who would play better as a TEAM.

I was excited about the field…field turf…the nicest field I’ve played on here in Europe thus far…it even had a functioning clock and scoreboard. The field was one of many sports fields in a huge park on the lake. It was a beautiful sunny day, around 85 degrees, perfect day for a football game. I was nervous and apprehensive about my shoulder. I decided I would tape it up and try to play despite not knowing how it would really feel once I got hit. We decided that I would only play fullback, no defense and limited carries. Terrell was also a bit banged up due to a broken nose, so he would be kept off of defense as well. This meant it was up to all Italians (and Drew) to stop the Blue Dragons. It was a back and forth battle. We took the lead when I scored on a short fullback dive in the first quarter but later stalled offensively several times when we had the opportunity to go up by two touchdowns. Despite several defensive stands, they eventually found the end-zone twice…taking a six-point lead into half time (only six b/c Toni came up huge on the PAT attempt for a block). The third quarter was scoreless. We began the second half with trying to use Terrell as QB because our QB, Willo, had an injured shoulder and could not throw limiting us to only the run game. After several attempts, which backfired with an interception and a couple three and outs…we decided to go back to our guns in the 4th quarter. Our defense was playing awesome. Guys were banged up, bruised, bandaged, and beaten, but they were relentless and giving them hell. They couldn’t run the ball very effectively against us. The defense got us the ball back early in the 4th quarter…it was crunch time. With no passing game it was on Terrell, the offensive line, and myself to go get the go-ahead score. I noticed a deficiency in their defense, which we were able to take advantage of and run the ball down their throats…even with 9 men in the box. 5 yards, 8 yards, 12 yards…Terrell and I rotated carries running the ball with authority. I put all apprehension of my shoulder out the window at this point b/c my team needed me to help go win a football game. We drove the ball down inside the 15-yard line. The next play Terrell broke loose to the outside…as he neared the goal line, there were 3 defenders all pursuing him from different angles…at the last minute, he went airborne…he got hit from all three defenders simultaneously, sending him into a human whirlwind 5 feet in the air…it was literally one of those scenes from a movie that you don’t think is really possible…the one where the guy leaps for the end-zone with seconds left on the clock, completely sacrificing his body for the score…this was that moment…as his body came to a halt like a sac of bricks, I looked to the referee for the signal…TOUCHDOWN DOVES!!! The successful PAT put us up by one point with just over 7 minutes remaining. It was now on our defense to make a stand…they did just that. They forced their offense to punt, giving us the ball back with 5 minutes to go. One more drive. Everyone knew we were running the ball, but they just couldn’t stop us…we wouldn’t be denied again. We took the ball all the way down to their 10-yard line and ended the game in the best offensive formation in football…VICTORY!

It was a flood of emotion as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Guys were exhausted, beaten, bruised…they left it all out on the field…on this day, we grew up. We became a TEAM. In this moment, I was so proud and happy. To think that only 6 days earlier, we were on the brink of collapse…this victory could not have been anymore sweet. It wasn’t just the fact that we won; however, it was the WAY that we won. It took everyone on that field and on the team to contribute…to give it their all…it was evident in the tears of joy that rolled down the guys faces and in the way that guys could hardly walk off the field that we had done just that…WE GAVE IT OUR ALL…WE DID!!!!

We have three games remaining for sure, with the possibility of a fourth. We will play in Rome this week, the DERBY the next, then in France for the semi-final of the EFAF Cup. I hope we can continue to build on this newfound spirit and energy. I hope guys will fully comprehend and understand the difference in this game to those of the previous three…it wasn’t different people on the field…it was just the way we played and the will to win and play as a team that made the difference. The team rose to the challenge and emerged victorious…there is no better feeling than to be broken, beaten, and completely exhausted but to be able to raise your arms in victory and hug the man next to you that went to battle by your side. This is football, this is the meaning of A TEAM…and this is what kept a smile on my face the whole way home on the 13 hour bus ride with the TEAM back from Belgrade.