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+---- Thread: *Becoming a Marshal: the Tale of Bubba Thumper (/showthread.php?tid=14166)
*Becoming a Marshal: the Tale of Bubba Thumper - woelkers - 07-03-2019
It is just after seven o’clock in the morning, and the Breakfast Klub, a Houston establishment known for its chicken and waffles, is full to bursting with people. We arrived almost an hour ago, just to be sure we could get a table at open, because missing a chance to grab a bite at the Breakfast Klub before trekking to San Antonio was not an option. The big man sitting across from me allows his goofy grin the spread just a touch wider as he sips the sweet tea in front of him, and as he sets the glass down and turns his attention to me, there is no doubt in my mind that Bubba Thumper is happy to be back in Texas.
“I honestly would have been happy playing anywhere,” Thumper claims, and I can tell from his expression that he means it. “The fact that I get to keep playing football, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.” This has always been a sticking point for Thumper; the underdog since he first set foot on the gridiron his freshman year of high school, Thumper is hungrier for tackles than I am for my order of wings and waffles, half of which I know I’ll be taking to go. “But to land in San Antonio, so close to home…I had to pinch myself when I heard my name, you know?”
I, of course, can only imagine what it meant to Thumper when the Marshals selected him with the ninth overall pick of this season’s DSFL draft; sure, I played a couple snaps at wide receiver in high school, but that was the beginning and end of my football career, for good reason. However, sitting through draft night with Thumper and his family tells me all I need to know to understand exactly how Thumper is feeling; anybody going as early as he did after playing the underdog role for his entire career to that point would be justifiably emotional, and Thumper doesn’t deny shedding tears when the Marshals used the ninth pick to select him for the closest thing to a hometown team he has in this league. “No, I won’t lie, I definitely cried hard in the moment,” Thumper concurs, taking the moment to thank the waitress as she sets his order – wings and waffles, with a side of biskits and gravy – in front of him. “The opportunity to play in this league is obviously big by itself, but to be so close to home, to be able to have my parents at every game, you’re talking about a dream come true.”
We spend the rest of breakfast chatting about Thumper’s home and family, maybe the only two things he loves more than the game of football. Thumper was born and raised just a three-hour drive from the Marshal facility, a fact he is certain his parents, Eugene and Irma Thumper, could not be happier about. “Papa Thumper, he was so proud when he heard them call my name,” recalls Thumper, pausing his breakfast for just a moment to satiate my curiosity, “he obviously never made it to this level, he never got past the junior college game even, so to see his son joining the Marshals, he was thrilled about it. Momma…well, I think she’s just happy I won’t be too far from home. She worries herself sick about me, even now. Afraid her baby boy isn’t getting enough to eat, I guess”. He chuckles at that thought, and I can’t help but join him; as expected, my plate is still more than half full, while he’s washing down the last of his breakfast with what remains of his sweet tea. I signal the waitress and request a to-go box while he covers the bill; it’s about time we hit the road.
The drive to San Antonio from Houston is filled mostly with idle chit chat; Thumper remembers vividly the couple of times he and his father made the trek to catch the Marshals in action when he was still a student at North Shore High School. “Obviously when we could, we would go to Austin instead,” Thumper tells me, seated behind the wheel of his Ford Expedition, “the drive is shorter, and Austin is the higher-level club. But we came to San Antonio two or three times, too. I never dreamed I’d be making this trip as a member of the team one day”. Thumper smiles at this thought, and I can’t help but smile with him; that signature goofy grin he’s got is contagious. I’m sure he’ll have the fans in San Antonio smiling soon, too.
We arrive in San Antonio just slightly more than three hours later, at right around eleven-thirty, which Thumper jokes is just in time for lunch. I chuckle, but then I realize that Thumper is only half-joking; instead of heading for the Marshal facility, he steers the car in a different direction, towards San Antonio’s Barbecue Station. My stomach still hasn’t quite recovered from breakfast, but I’m not about to turn down grub from somewhere one of the biggest foodies of the draft recommends, so I order myself a chopped chicken sandwich, figuring it can travel with me if it has to; Thumper orders himself a plate of smoked chicken, with side orders of potato salad and green beans, once again impressing me with how much he can eat.
Our lunch conversation turns towards his goals for the season ahead, and for the future beyond. Thumper hesitates a moment, chewing slowly while he considers his answer. He swallows and says to me, “Obviously, the priority in this league is winning, and I’m not here to settle, so the hope is that we’re a serious contender for the championship this season. I’m here to contribute to a team that hangs banners, and hopefully we have a chance to prove that when the postseason rolls around”. This is a lofty goal, but in the DSFL, anything is possible, and considering not only Thumper, but the entire roster, the Marshals certainly can’t be counted out of the conversation this early. “Of course, the numbers and the awards, they look nice at the end of everything too, but I’m not as concerned about all that if I can collect rings, so hopefully that’s what they’re looking for here in San Antonio”. I, of course, doubt any team in this league would object to a player wanting to win the Ultimini, but I keep my mouth shut about that.
As Thumper is choking down the last of his chicken, I ask him who he’s looking to emulate during his time in this league. “There are a couple names that come to mind,” he says, wiping barbecue sauce from the corner of his mouth. “Jayce Tuck, he was a contributor his whole career. I doubt I’ll match his numbers, but I wouldn’t mind if people drew the connection. Adamle Tomlinson has that big season for Orange County in 2018; it would really be something if I could get close to that, even just once. Maybe Dan Miller, just to offer a name at defensive tackle”. As many of my readers probably know, these names aren’t small-time guys; Thumper, whether he admits it or not, likes to think big for himself. If I didn’t know what he was capable of, I’d dismiss these suggestions as ridiculous, but Thumper has the potential to be mentioned in the same breath as the best of them, if he’s careful.
Once again, I ask for a to-go box for roughly half of my sandwich, Thumper covers the bill, and we hit the road; by the time we arrive at the Marshal facility, it is just about one o’clock, and Thumper is raring to go. He’s into the gym, still recovering from an incident involving plenty of red paint and one Jimmy Dugan, before I’ve even shut the passenger door of his SUV; for somebody who hasn’t received much praise for his speed, Thumper is certainly quick when he wants to be. And, of course, the kid is strong; it takes him almost no time at all to pound through his standard twenty reps on the bench press, something several players in the Marshal locker room can’t even do. However, I’ve come all this way with Thumper for one reason, and it certainly isn’t to get a sense for how easily he could fold me in half; I want to see Thumper on the field.
I don’t have to wait long to get my wish; soon, the Marshal coaching staff has him on the facility’s practice field, and it doesn’t take much knowledge of the game to see why Thumper went ninth in the draft. The man is sweating from the moment he starts working opposite the team’s offensive linemen, but he gives everything he has in every single drill. It doesn’t always, or even often, pay off for Thumper; as quickly as he finds himself shedding his blocker, Ashley Owens, the number one pick and new top option for the Marshals at running back, always seems to be a step faster. Thumper works for almost an hour trying to get his hands on Owens, recognizing that he’s beat, but not willing to stay beat, until finally, he manages to push his blocker directly back into Owens; the split second it takes Owens to recover from the surprise of running into the back of his own lineman is just enough for Thumper to get hold of him, and Owens is on the ground before he even knows what hit him. The advantage, of course, still goes to Owens, who took the ball to the house on the very next snap, but the look in Thumper’s eyes after his first taste of blood told me all I need to know: this is a dangerous man to be standing across the line of scrimmage from, and he absolutely not quit trying to drive running backs and quarterbacks alike into the turf. And above all, if there is one thing I know, I know this: this Thumper kid has the potential to be something truly special.
*Becoming a Marshal: the Tale of Bubba Thumper - run_CMC - 07-03-2019
Awesome article! I can’t lie, it’s pretty cool to see my name in an article, but beyond that it’s awesome how you’re developing Thumper’s story. Very glad to have you as my teammate!
*Becoming a Marshal: the Tale of Bubba Thumper - Duilio05 - 07-03-2019
Sorry you had to see our prize gym in a mess like that. I had expected it cleaned and repainted before any of you rookies arrived.
*Becoming a Marshal: the Tale of Bubba Thumper - woelkers - 07-03-2019
(07-04-2019, 01:57 AM)run_CMC Wrote:Awesome article! I can’t lie, it’s pretty cool to see my name in an article, but beyond that it’s awesome how you’re developing Thumper’s story. Very glad to have you as my teammate!Honestly glad I have the cream of the crop to work with on the practice field.
(07-04-2019, 03:28 AM)Duilio05 Wrote:Sorry you had to see our prize gym in a mess like that. I had expected it cleaned and repainted before any of you rookies arrived.We got 'em good with that wall around Dugan's place though. I'm glad I'm in this gym and not that house.