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Boss 1st Article - JBLAZE_THE_BOSS - 05-30-2017
*ARTICLE*
This was originally in the Pressers section. I want my article graded separately from my presser, so I made a post here and edited my original post. Full disclosure.
Mikhail "Mike" Brady Boss is the top quarterback prospect in the NSFL Draft. The newest league on the market is searching for a man to be the poster child, and that poster child may very well be Boss. The man is a four year senior out of Boston College and he's being touted as The Next Big Thing of professional football. He's loud and energetic when he's on the field, but collected and compassionate off of it. He's the perfect combination of killer instinct and mental strength. Mike was a relative unknown up until his sophomore season in high school, but he's been putting in extra work to try and make up for lost time. He's now established himself as one of the biggest prospects in recent memory and there will be teams fighting for his services. It wasn't always like this for Mikhail, but he deserves every moment in the spotlight that he has.
Mikhail was born to his father Mikhail Sr, and his mother, Martha. He was born in the Ukraine in 1997, far away from American football and Chestnut Hill. He was an only child, his mother Martha saw her boy as her pride and joy. She believed that he was perfect and was a true gift from God himself. With this in her mind, she often brought her baby to church and got him acquainted with those in their village at a young age. She did this so the town would feel a sense of closeness to her son, and the town ate it up.
Mikhail's father was a blacksmith, and by the time he was old enough to go to school, life in the Ukraine was difficult. The craft of being a blacksmith had long passed its use in the war-torn country, as people were growing more poor by the day. Believing that there wasn't much of a future left for his family, Mikhail Sr began the process to move his small family to the United States of America. He wanted his own dream, and wanted to go to the first state of freedom in America. The state where the first American Dream was truly founded. Escaping religious persecution from the oppressive British, the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. He knew Massachusetts would be open to allowing immigrants to come to their state, and things were set in motion.
On October 26, 2003, The Boss Family arrived at Boston's Logan Airport. This was a new dream for the family, and six year old Mikhail Jr was going to be able to live most of his life in America under the blanket of sweet freedom. The family decided to move into a small apartment in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts. Brockton isn't exactly a suburb of Boston, but it's close enough. Mikhail Sr got a job as a manager of an Olympia Sports in the mall, where Martha worked as a clerk at the local grocery store. The family was living their American Dream as both parents were employed and their child was attending an American school.
Inspired by both the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, Mikhail Jr began practicing football and baseball. His favorite players were Tom Brady and Pedro Martinez. He would watch every game and every television show he could about baseball and football. At the library at school, the young boy would take out books about both sports and learn as much as he could. He was a bright young man with a passion for learning. He knew at an early age the sacrifice both of his parents made to come to America. He had family left behind in the Ukraine that he would never see again, but didn't quite know until a few years in.
Mikhail Jr was growing up, and his parents continued to have steady work despite the fluctuating American economy at the time. With a growing boy, the family decided that they needed to move somewhere with a better sports program. Mike showed an incredible passion for football and baseball and his parents wanted to capitalize on it. The family ended up moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts and Mikhail was put into the school system and on both sports teams through the school.
Being the new kid in middle school wasn't easy for Mikhail Jr, but he was able to use sports to offset his social awkwardness. He was a kid who cared more about studies and learning than he did socializing. By playing sports he was able to build a bridge to both worlds and expose himself to all different types of people and different groups. He worked hard to get rid of his strong Ukranian accent. By the time he was 15 and ready to join high school, his European accent had been replaced with a Boston accent. This man could not escape hilarious accents no matter where he lived.
Mikhail was on the football team and the baseball team for all four years at Cambridge high school. He was a pitcher in baseball and of course a quarterback at football. He didn't play these positions until he hit his growth spurt a few years earlier, but he really made up for lost time. He had the strongest arm in Massachusetts and was recognized as such several times by several different media outlets. He was an immigrant who came to America and mastered both of their national past times. He was not highly touted at all for both sports when it came to full scholarships, but that's exactly what he was in the need of. His family was poor and European, not a good combination. The only two legitimate Division I football schools to offer him a full scholarship was Washington State and Boston College.
Afraid to leave his overbearing immigrant parents, Mikhail enrolled at Boston College. As an excuse to never have to see his parents, he would organize events around town and campus to take up his time. He continued to play football and was named to the team as a freshman. He didn't start, of course, but was running the practice team against the starters each week. He was groomed to eventually take over the starting spot for his sophomore season.
Mikhail was named starting quarterback Week 6 of his sophomore season and never looked back. Boston College lost to The Citadel in the Meineke Car Care Bowl in his sophomore year, but Boss vowed to come back his junior season more motivated and ready to lead the Eagles to a legitimate season. Boss had dreamed since he was a young boy to be the QB at BC and someday replace Tom Brady with the New England Patriots. He looked like a serious competitor his junior season, when the Eagles finished the 12th best team in the country and Boss was the ACC QBOTY. This was Boston College's highest finish in nearly 10 seasons, and Boss was the big man on campus. The Eagles defeated Stanford in the Liberty Tax Slayer Bowl and had established himself as a true pro football prospect.
His most recent season was his best, as he finally eclipsed 5,000 yards and 35 TD's on the season. The Eagles were the 5th best team in the country and fell short at the end of the season against USC in their Bowl Game. Boston College had never played in such a prestigious game in their history, but Boss was able to lead them to the promised land. The Eagles lost 42-36 against the Trojans, and Boss was a senior and now forced to take his game to the next level.
Mikhail Boss Jr graduated from Boston College with a degree in Communications, and is now looking to graduate to the NSFL. His life was going great, until tragedy struck. On his way to see his son graduate, Mikhail Brady Boss Sr was gunned down in broad daylight due to gambling debts owed to the Irish Mafia of Boston. It turns out that because Boston College lost to USC, Mikhail Sr bet $30,000 on his son's team winning and was unable to pay up when the team lost. Due to his son not being able to finish the job, Mikhail Sr was shot in the face in traffic on Tremont Street. While some looked at this like it was a tragedy, Martha Boss would never be able to forgive her son.
With his father dead and his mother no longer speaking to him, it's safe to say that Boss has had a rocky road leading up to the NSFL Draft. Just weeks ago he seemed to be ready to be a top round pick, but now his entire world has been turned upside down. He has no more reason to live, other than himself, as his other surviving family members will forever be stuck in Ukraine. Whatever Mike accomplishes from here on out will be for himself and on his own shoulders.
Taking a look at his future when it comes to performing at the next level, let's consider his strengths and weaknesses. No player is perfect, and Boss is no exception to this rule. There are parts of his game that he excels at and parts of his game that need to be improved greatly. Here's an analysis on both sides of the spectrum.
Strengths
1.) Arm Mike has a big time arm. When he needs to throw the ball deep down field, it's not a problem for him. If the game situation comes down to a Hail Mary, well, Boss is the guy you want behind the center taking the ball. His ability to force the ball wherever he wants to force it is something that every coach wants in this league. He can make plays with just his arm, and it leaves scouts wowed. He's not a gunslinger like Dan Marino, but he can absolutely put the ball where he needs to in order for plays to be made.
2.) Accuracy To accompany his big time arm, he's also money when it comes to placement. He can put a lot on the ball or take some off in order to hit the receiver where he needs to be hit. He's dynamic in the sense that he can play the long ball as well as the screen West Coast style game. The transition to a pro-style offense was a major thing that helped Boss and his accuracy the past season or so. Mikhail once completed 15 consecutive passes in a game, and a lot of those throws weren't exactly easy. His completion percentage in his senior season was second in the nation and he only seems to be improving.
3.) Intelligence Boss is a student of the game and knows exactly which move to make. He watches the most film out of any other QB in the draft, and that's not even up for debate. His addiction to watching film began in middle school after idolizing Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, knowing the importance of preparing for their opponent. Boss also likes to read old football books and get an idea as to how the game progressed naturally. He's a historian of the game. It's not uncommon for him to suggest a play from 1945 just to keep the defense honest.
4.) Ball Protection Boss is someone who excels at the art of ball protection. His turnovers went down each season in the NCAA, and that's a trend that NSFL coaches would want to keep an eye on. He knows when to throw the ball away and when to take a chance to throw the ball. He's had single digit interception numbers in both seasons he was the starter, and has only fumbled the ball four times in his entire NCAA career. Boss making sure the offense holds onto the ball is a major component to game management.
Weaknesses
Speed It's no secret at all that Boss isn’t the fastest QB in this class. He won't break out an 30 yard runs. He won't be able to scramble for 10 seconds and really extend plays. If the team he goes to intends to run an option based offense, it would be a disaster. Boss needs to be able to spread the ball out and get rid of it quickly. His lack of speed means that the defense can cheat a bit and cover more receivers as they know he isn't a threat to take off.
2.) Sacks While Boss is smart enough to throw the ball away or find the open receiver, it is alarming the amount of sacks he takes. Sometimes he gives up on a play and hits the floor before it fully develops. He will take a sack if his first three looks aren't available and that could lead to issues at the next level. Each time he takes a hit, there's a chance that the team loses the ball or he gets injured. His lack of speed is going to mean that his sack numbers are bigger than most, but that's no reason to avoid drafting him. If he has the right set of receivers, his sack numbers should go down.
3.) Endurance The NSFL is going to be a different kind of game. Does Boss have the endurance needed to lead his team all the way to a win if the game goes to overtime? He needs to continue working on his conditioning and assure the doubters that his frame isn't going to be held against him. Boss isn't exactly frail, but he isn't built like Ben Roethlisberger, either. Boss needs to be able to take a beating as well as step up with a burst of energy when needed.
4.) Flexibility on the Field A problem that could end up being there for Boss would be the fact that he's built only to be a quarterback. If there aren't any quarterback jobs out there, it would mean that he will fall drastically in the draft. He's going to freefall and be lucky to be drafted if the QB slots get filled up before he's taken. There were rumors that he could end up looking at the TE position down the line, but this would be a worst case scenario for Boss. His doomsday means that he's stuck playing somewhere other than QB. Don't be surprised if he tries to bolt for the CFL or NFL at the first chance he gets. Boss is serious about being under center and may struggle adapting elsewhere on the field.
This is just a brief look into the life of Mikhail Brady Boss Jr, but he may be one of the most interesting prospects in the draft. A young man native to Ukraine moving to America in pursuit of the American Dream for his family. Mikhail now faces the world after his father was brutally murdered for his own failures, and his mother blames him for destroying their family. Now that his motivations to come to this country in the first place have essentially been destroyed, will Boss be able to rise above the situation and become the player that he knows he can be? Or will he succumb to the failures around him and sink back into oblivion? Boss has a lot of difficult decisions ahead of him, but if he lands a starting job in the NSFL, his story will continue to be fascinating.
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