After the disappointing end to the season twenty eight season for the Berlin Fire Salamanders where the team had shown much promise, the team had return their home facilities for the first time since that disappointing loss to eventual ultimus winners Yellow Knife Wraiths. The nucleus of the group was rather unchanged as this is not an old team, rather an aging team which is about to hit it's peak in the coming season twenty nine. The team had felt like they had been bullied by the physical prowess of the Yellow Knife Wraiths and as such they all decided to return to training far earlier than the coaches requested. Have you ever seen Last Dance with Michael Jordan? (If not you definitely should) and bulk up like Chicago Bulls did after they got bullied by the Detroit Pistons. Anyway everyone returned back early as agreed, that is everyone except Matt Krause the teams star return man and number 1 cornerback. Nobody had heard from Krause since our loss to the Wraiths and there was even murmurs that he retired or worse yet eloped to Chicago (what a hell hole). It was not until security was called to the reception of the training facility a few weeks ago that we were aware Krause had returned. He was a behemoth of a man and the loss had clearly taken its toll on him as he was huge. Anyway Krause is now the best and most dominant offensive lineman in the league.
Whoo what a ride. I surely didn't think that I'd be in this position drafted number two overall to the Dallas birddogs. it's all happening fast my head spinning and I definitely feel the pressure I gotta come out here and perform now for this team that put a lot of faith in me and my abilities. so as I walked through the tunnel for my first training camp see the fans and the teammates all gearing up getting ready for the season I absolutely can feel that pressure. but I'm here for a reason and it's cause they saw something in me that I feel like I was able to communicate. I am here to contribute I'm here to win I'm here to bust my butt so that Dallas can get to the playoffs. I came in early to get some working with the coaches to learn this new playbook. coaches get me situated working on my speed and strength moving into the first week. I have always felt like I was pretty strong, but the coaches here feel like getting that speed up and working on that lower body and quickness off the ball is going to help me achieve where I want to get to the fastest so that's what we're working on changing things up working on different things. I want to come in here and play the right side but I'm going to definitely do with the team needs and wants even if I'm uncomfortable or it's new for me.
Training camp for the Colorado Yeti is always an event to see. It never is the same thing twice because of the curious cast of characters who frequent the team. This year was no different as the players came in excited and ready to get started. The first stage of their training camp was based in the far reaches of Canada where the team spent their time training against Melvin Murder-Moose's distant family. As large, majestic, and tactical creatures they made for incredible scrimmage opponents. The team had to adjust to the chillier weather and the snow as they worked on strength and speed training as they ran with the moose of the north. The offensive and defensive lines got the most out of this training because as it turns out, moose make for some incredible linemen due to their size and strength. After that though, phase two was in the Arctic where they were able to train with the people of Adelie de Pengu and newly drafted Emperor de Pengu. Here they spent a ton of time training technique due to swimming, diving, and hunting for fish as they had to gather their own food from the icy waters. This training was incredible for the skill position players and the secondary due to learning some finesse moves they didn't previously think possible as the Pengu people were incredibly graceful and had a ton to teach the players. In the final stretch of the training camp, the entire time returned to Colorado mostly ready for the season. All that remained was going out for tacos. This training was enjoyed by all because everyone loves tacos.
Colorado Yeti training camp is a miserable annual tradition, hosted every offseason in upstate Colorado at an open air facility. The coaching staff is committed to having the team train in only the harshest conditions, and if the weather forecast isn’t for rain everyday of the camp, the team pays to have some of those rain machines they use for making movie scenes erected above the stadium to ensure wet, soaked conditions throughout the camp. Combined with the cool, ever present Rockies wind, and a temperature that gets down into the 40s, and you have a pretty harsh training environment designed to get the absolute best out of the players.
Perhaps the most interesting development of this season's training camp was the addition of rookie offensive lineman, Manhattan Project. As one might expect, this hot tempered and rather explosive rookie came into the training camp with a bang and proceeded to light everyone up with his trash talk. Several pundits had suggested at the time of the draft that the coaching staff may struggle to defuse tensions between Project and his teammates, and this proved to be quite the challenge throughout the proceedings. Only time will tell if the Yeti will be able to manage their recent first round pick.
Here in season two of my London Royals journey, we will be looking to defend our kingdom Ultimini title. That means a lot of hard work, both on and off the field but as a group, we are determined to go back to back. We are training hard, with grueling sessions in the gym along with dedicated skills training and even mental aptitude workouts that will help us to maintain peak condition.