It is hard to have really strong convictions about rivals and enemies when for your entire life you were cheering for them instead of against them. I grew up in Kuna, ID, just 30 minutes from Boise. Portland is several hours closer to us than any other NSFL city. As a wee lad, when I just started going to school and my views of the world were being shaped, I received a stuffed Portland Python for Christmas. My Dad had a S07 Portland Python McCoy jersey.
Fast forward and I’m graduating from Boise State University and I’ve declared myself eligible for the DSFL. Those couple of weeks leading up to the draft are blur in my memory. There are only a few things I remember, like filling out the Rookie Survey and making sure I listed Portland as my favorite team. However, there was like 100 other Rookies who played in the Prospect Bowl and probably filled out the same survey. I have a feeling that for most of the DSFL GMs I was lost in a long list of DBs; and nobody goes to Idaho to scout players.
Then I read an open letter by GM timeconsumer, basically saying “Hey if you want to be a Marshal, contact me.” I thought, “Yeah sure why not, I’ll send him a message. Ending up in Texas is better than ending up in Florida.” You got to remember this was before the season began. Being from Idaho all I knew about Florida was that almost every tv show(Seinfeld) I’ve seen makes fun of it and Florida Man is weird, scary, and someone I never wanted to meet.
Portland GM PSanchez55 did reached out to me at one point, I remember that. I don’t know if I said something wrong or offense, maybe I just wasn’t vocal enough about wanting to play for Portland, but come draft day, it was timeconsumer who drafted me. With the 28th pick of the S14 DSFL Draft I was made a Marshal. That day when I was drafted to the Marshals, I had a lot of crazy emotions going on inside me. I was happy I was drafted. I was sad that I wasn’t drafted by Portland. I was glad I wasn’t in the same conference as Portland, because it meant I wouldn't have to play against my childhood team as much. Extreme anxiety because now I’d be moving more than 30 minutes from home.
San Antonio has been great. When I first arrived the people were really nice, my neighbors were super accommodating. Maybe it helped that I’d bribe them with game tickets and sideline passes in exchange for rides to the stadium. Remember I’m from a small town in Idaho. San Antonio has more residents than the entire state of Idaho. The traffic is scary. In the long run it was worth it to bribe my neighbors to drive me to the stadium on game days. There has been a few team parties at my place, and not a peep from my neighbors. Trust me when I say Quenton Bode and Mo Berry can make a jet plane sound peaceful in comparison.
Through pre-season and the first couple of weeks into the season when I got to the stadium, I would do a ritual visit of the field before going inside to the locker room. Every time I got emotional reminiscing about my time at Boise State. It was too weird playing on green grass again, after spending five years at Boise State. I missed playing on The Blue. I still hadn’t accepted San Antonio as my team.
The first four weeks those were my thoughts, but then week 5 came along and we’d be facing Portland. Something finally clicked. Suddenly the Marshals are my team, my family, I belong here regardless of the grass color. Not sure I can pinpoint anyone thing, but a conglomeration of the media attention I received after recording 7 turnovers in 4 games, the smack talk flying all over the message boards and news media between SA and Portland before week 5, and definitely my teammates unquestionable dedication and energy to each other.
That week 5 game we sent the pythons home with a loss. Three weeks later they sent us home with a loss. For rest of the season they were our enemy. I savoured their losses against Tijuana and Kansas City. The Marshals and the Pythons were clear favorites to be league champions, and that was our mission. To defeat Portland and win the Ultimini. It would be either us or them. There can be only one survivor. Then it happened. We loss. Blindsided. After finishing the season with a 13-1 record. After beating that same team 4 times during the regular season. We would be watching Tijuana play Portland.
This season in the DSFL has been wild. I’m going to spend the S15 NSFL draft just as I spent the S14 DSFL, at home in Kuna, Idaho partying with family, friends, and supporters. I felt it would be a good idea to recenter myself and remember who I am and where I came from before the next step in my career. I’m grateful for getting to play with such incredible teammates like Mr. Big Chest. While I suspect Mr Big Chest will be playing for San Antonio his entire career, I can’t wait to see where the rest of my teammates end up. Good luck to every NSFL offense as they will have to contended with 42 Alexander, Quenton Bode, or Mo Berry destroying them. Then the most important player of our team this season, Morgan Marshall; if you draft him and he doesn’t lead your team in TDs I will fight you. Lastly I want to say thank you to timeconsumer for giving us the best experience a group of fresh overwhelmed rookies could ever have asked for.
While at home this offseason I found a childhood momento that I love. The stuffed Portland Python that I received for Christmas so many years ago. I realized that, Poof! All my hate had already evaporated. Like falling back into a dream, my inner child came rising up inside of me. I was a Portland Python fan again. Except when they play San Antonio.
Fast forward and I’m graduating from Boise State University and I’ve declared myself eligible for the DSFL. Those couple of weeks leading up to the draft are blur in my memory. There are only a few things I remember, like filling out the Rookie Survey and making sure I listed Portland as my favorite team. However, there was like 100 other Rookies who played in the Prospect Bowl and probably filled out the same survey. I have a feeling that for most of the DSFL GMs I was lost in a long list of DBs; and nobody goes to Idaho to scout players.
Then I read an open letter by GM timeconsumer, basically saying “Hey if you want to be a Marshal, contact me.” I thought, “Yeah sure why not, I’ll send him a message. Ending up in Texas is better than ending up in Florida.” You got to remember this was before the season began. Being from Idaho all I knew about Florida was that almost every tv show(Seinfeld) I’ve seen makes fun of it and Florida Man is weird, scary, and someone I never wanted to meet.
Portland GM PSanchez55 did reached out to me at one point, I remember that. I don’t know if I said something wrong or offense, maybe I just wasn’t vocal enough about wanting to play for Portland, but come draft day, it was timeconsumer who drafted me. With the 28th pick of the S14 DSFL Draft I was made a Marshal. That day when I was drafted to the Marshals, I had a lot of crazy emotions going on inside me. I was happy I was drafted. I was sad that I wasn’t drafted by Portland. I was glad I wasn’t in the same conference as Portland, because it meant I wouldn't have to play against my childhood team as much. Extreme anxiety because now I’d be moving more than 30 minutes from home.
San Antonio has been great. When I first arrived the people were really nice, my neighbors were super accommodating. Maybe it helped that I’d bribe them with game tickets and sideline passes in exchange for rides to the stadium. Remember I’m from a small town in Idaho. San Antonio has more residents than the entire state of Idaho. The traffic is scary. In the long run it was worth it to bribe my neighbors to drive me to the stadium on game days. There has been a few team parties at my place, and not a peep from my neighbors. Trust me when I say Quenton Bode and Mo Berry can make a jet plane sound peaceful in comparison.
Through pre-season and the first couple of weeks into the season when I got to the stadium, I would do a ritual visit of the field before going inside to the locker room. Every time I got emotional reminiscing about my time at Boise State. It was too weird playing on green grass again, after spending five years at Boise State. I missed playing on The Blue. I still hadn’t accepted San Antonio as my team.
The first four weeks those were my thoughts, but then week 5 came along and we’d be facing Portland. Something finally clicked. Suddenly the Marshals are my team, my family, I belong here regardless of the grass color. Not sure I can pinpoint anyone thing, but a conglomeration of the media attention I received after recording 7 turnovers in 4 games, the smack talk flying all over the message boards and news media between SA and Portland before week 5, and definitely my teammates unquestionable dedication and energy to each other.
That week 5 game we sent the pythons home with a loss. Three weeks later they sent us home with a loss. For rest of the season they were our enemy. I savoured their losses against Tijuana and Kansas City. The Marshals and the Pythons were clear favorites to be league champions, and that was our mission. To defeat Portland and win the Ultimini. It would be either us or them. There can be only one survivor. Then it happened. We loss. Blindsided. After finishing the season with a 13-1 record. After beating that same team 4 times during the regular season. We would be watching Tijuana play Portland.
This season in the DSFL has been wild. I’m going to spend the S15 NSFL draft just as I spent the S14 DSFL, at home in Kuna, Idaho partying with family, friends, and supporters. I felt it would be a good idea to recenter myself and remember who I am and where I came from before the next step in my career. I’m grateful for getting to play with such incredible teammates like Mr. Big Chest. While I suspect Mr Big Chest will be playing for San Antonio his entire career, I can’t wait to see where the rest of my teammates end up. Good luck to every NSFL offense as they will have to contended with 42 Alexander, Quenton Bode, or Mo Berry destroying them. Then the most important player of our team this season, Morgan Marshall; if you draft him and he doesn’t lead your team in TDs I will fight you. Lastly I want to say thank you to timeconsumer for giving us the best experience a group of fresh overwhelmed rookies could ever have asked for.
While at home this offseason I found a childhood momento that I love. The stuffed Portland Python that I received for Christmas so many years ago. I realized that, Poof! All my hate had already evaporated. Like falling back into a dream, my inner child came rising up inside of me. I was a Portland Python fan again. Except when they play San Antonio.