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Ready to be graded (642 words)
Until recently, the sight of a polar bear walking the streets of San Antonio would be cause for alarm. Now, however, it's a sight to be celebrated.
In the most recent draft of the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL), the San Antonio Marshals drafted linebacker Quenton Bode in the third round. Bode, who played at Nebraska for four years, is a polar bear--the first polar bear to play professional football. Shortly after being drafted, Bode moved to San Antonio, and quickly began familiarizing himself with the city. He was spotted recently on the River Walk, where he was beset by eager fans. Bode spent a good deal of time talking with the fans, taking pictures, and signing autographs. Someone even brought a replica of Bode's Nebraska jersey, which the linebacker happily signed. "I think he's great, and I think he was really underrated in college," the fan said. "So when San Antonio took him sixteenth overall, I was mega happy."
The move to San Antonio has been quite a shock for the native of Anchorage, Alaska. "Nebraska was okay," he said, in regards to the weather. "And I'd heard that Texas was hot, but I'd never actually experienced it for myself. But now that I'm here...man, I never thought it could get so hot I would ask how you guys put up with up, but I'm gonna have to learn that myself if I hope to do well here. I sweat more just walking down the street than I have in some football games I've played." Despite the heat, however, Bode has found himself enjoying most everything the city has to offer. "When I first moved here, I was one a really tight budget," he said. "Or, at least, I thought I was. When I went back and looked at the numbers and how my contract works, I realized I had a lot more money than I thought. So I decided to buy a house, and I've spent a lot of my time getting moved in there."
Bode hasn't been spending all of his time exploring and moving in, however. He's been hard at work preparing for the upcoming DSFL season, in which he expects to play significant minutes. "I've been talking with the GMs and the coaching staff," Bode said, "and the expectation is that I'll be starting, and one of the anchors of our defense. Which is great to hear, obviously."
He began an intense training program almost immediately after moving to San Antonio, and according to Bode, he was seeing massive improvements. Both the Marshals organization and Bode himself were eagerly awaiting preseason, to see just how much Bode has improved. But just before preseason was to begin, Bode was diagnosed with an undisclosed shoulder injury, and was forced to sit out the entire preseason. "It definitely sucked, not getting to take the field," he said. "Apparently I played with this injury during some, if not all, of the Prospect Bowl, and I played really well. But the medical staff wouldn't hear it, and they made me sit out. So on the one hand, I was bummed I couldn't play. But on the other, I'm glad the organization cares about me so much. Not playing was the right decision--I'm back to full health, and I'm fully expecting to play Week One of the regular season." [Editor's note: The Marshals went a perfect 4-0 in their preseason games, including two shutouts.]
Some experts are predicting that San Antonio will be the team to win the DSFL Championship this season, and Bode certainly agrees. But, regardless of the outcome, the newly minted Marshal knows that he'll be welcomed by the city with open arms.