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+---- Thread: *Crossley Chronicles #5 (/showthread.php?tid=24981)
*Crossley Chronicles #5 - ajtigger - 08-12-2020
The last four weeks of football have been an absolute blur. The DSFL preseason is now complete and the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers plundered their way to three wins out of the four games. The team was firing on all cylinders with our power rushing attack and also featured stout defensive performances that would have made any coach proud. It has been great getting to know my teammates and coaching staff over these weeks and I will happily go to battle on the grid iron with them any day of the week. The locker room already feels like home to me and I could not be happier with my landing spot in the DSFL.
While the team has been achieving at a high level, I still need to better my game moving forward. My first game against Kansas City was by far my best game of the preseason. Maybe it was just because I was so hyped to be wearing that jersey for the first time but I came out flying. I scored the first touchdown of the game and added another later in the 3rd quarter. It was an absolute high getting into the endzone even if it was just an exhibition game. Thank you to Owen Holloway for the absolutely perfect passes that lead to these touchdowns. I also want to give a shout out to my boy from the prospect bowl Crayne Whebet. He also had 2 TDs this game. Really feel like we are going to have a great professional rivalry (still mad you got picked ahead of me in the draft).
After the first game, the wheels really fell of the wagon. I wound up with only 4 more catches for a meager total of 41 yards. That is going to have to improve if I want to contribute to a winning team here in Myrtle Beach. I need to do a better job creating separation from the opposing corners to give my quarterback the best chance to complete the pass. I had a discussion with the head coach and general manager and both assured me that they are pleased with my progress and I will still have earned a lot of playing time for the upcoming season based on all my hard work during the preseason and training camp. At the end of the day, Football is a team game and as long as my team is doing everything, we can to win I will be happy whether I have massive individual stats or not. I just want to do everything I can to prove I belong at this level.
Our team had a 3-day break to head after the last preseason game before reporting back to Myrtle Beach for the season. I decided to head back to Philly to spend some time with my family before the grueling DSFL schedule takes over. Our last night we went to a family favorite Ristorante Pesto. For those who do not know, this little South Philadelphian gem is my pick for best Italian in the city. Portions are huge and every plate is to die for. Only downside is the whole BYOB thing but hey just means you can have exactly what you want with your meal. After dinner instead of driving the usual way home, my dad decided to drive down to the art museum. He pulled in front of the Rocky Balboa statue and started blasting the movie’s theme music from the speaker. He turned around looked at me and said “you know what to do.” I told him come on that is something only tourists do. He looked me squarely in the eyes and said “No son, this is something anyone leaving Philadelphia should do before going out to take on the world.” So, I got out of the car and started sprinting up those steps as fast as I could. I felt silly at first, but by the time I reached the top and looked back over my city I felt a rush and a new sense of purpose. I won’t just be playing for me this season, I will be playing for my team, my family, my home city and now my adopted city of Myrtle Beach. I am ready to begin my first professional season in the DSFL. Let’s go Buccaneers.