As I sit here on the eve of one of the biggest nights of my life, the NSFL draft, I could reflect on all that I have accomplished in my career so far: all the victories and records and accolades. But, I realize that after tomorrow night…….none of it will matter in the NSFL; only what I make of my future.
For months now, I’ve been answering questions, having my mind poked and prodded, exposing thoughts and feelings on everything from my college coach’s play calling to my favorite kind of cereal. I’ve walked through all my game tape at least twice, reciting plays, breaking down every little decision I ever made on the field, laying out my flaws for the world to see. I’ve been put on display, like some purebred in a dog show; asked to run, jump, lift weights, speak. But football, real football, is what happens when we put away the stopwatches, the Q&A’s, the “Sports Science”, the underwear Olympics and all the chatter that comes along with it. If you think these interviews and spreadsheets full of numbers alone can define how good I will be, just wait until you see me play.
I’m far from the "perfect" prospect, but in football things are rarely perfect. Every game is different; from the weather, to the team you’re playing against, to who happens to be healthy enough to line up with you on the field that week. I made mistakes, oh I made a lot of mistakes and they all show up on tape. Every false start, every time I slipped, every time I missed my assignment. But, I hope that what you notice is that I got better, that I learned from my mistakes, and that every play, every second of every game I put my heart into. I’m not perfect, I’m a football player. I’m someone who’s desire is to win, who’s not afraid to do the dirty work in the trenches, who doesn’t hesitate for a second to make a sacrifice for the good of his teammates. If you think that without being “perfect”, and checking off all the little arbitrary boxes the scouts have on some sheet you can't be a good player, just wait until you see me play.
My father was a football player. He didn’t make it in the NFL, but he played in the CFL. His career got cut short when his knee was torn to shreds in only his fifth season. He had worked so hard to get to that point and just like that it was all gone, taken from him in the blink of an eye. But, I never heard him lament or complain one bit about what happened. I know given the chance he would go back and put in the work to reach that point again because it was his passion. He taught me the value of working hard for your goals, about the value of patience and perseverance. His mother raised him and his brothers on her own. He played for her, he played for them and he played for me and our family. I was told by critics that I would never have what it takes to be successful in college, but I proved them wrong. Now more critics are here to say I’m not ready for the NSFL. If you don’t think I know what it takes, that I don’t know how much work it is, that I don’t know what I will have to sacrifice, just wait until you see me play.
People have said I have no fire, no passion; that I’m a bad prospect because I have no personality. If you’re talking trash to me on the field don't wait for me to say something back. I’d rather just just knock you over on every play until you shut up. For me that’s been much more effective. You can say whatever you want, act like a hotshot, even strut around like you own the league before you even take one snap as a pro. But, when it’s just you and 11 guys on the other side of the field that would like nothing more than to absolutely destroy you and your teammates good luck relying on your big mouth. In that moment, that split second it takes to run a play, all that matters is who wants to win more; not how much you talk before the game or how much fame and recognition you have. None of that will ever be enough to help you get past me in that moment. So if you think that someone has to talk a big game to play a big game, just wait until you see me play.
I know the draft buzz will continue nonstop even now on every channel and all over the internet until the draft is finally over. They’ll keep saying things about me like: “He played at The U, he must have an ego”. “He’s too short", "too tall", "too heavy", "too light", "too slow", "too dumb", "too lazy”. They’ll do this until their mouths and fingers fall off and even then I’m sure they’ll keep making noise. They’ll nitpick and point out any play where my quarterback got sacked and say I’m no good in pass protection; hoping, praying they’re right so eventually they can say, “I told you so.” GMs and coaches will continue to question my dedication even after all I did for my teammates when I was team captain at Miami. And even though I've made it this far, they'll still wonder if I can adjust to the speed and complexity of the professional game. Reporters will continue to hound me for a soundbite just so they can turn it around and use it to project my entire career. To them, everything I will ever accomplish can be known from one thing that I said or one tweet that I sent.
All of them, they’ll take all of this information they've gleaned from the draft process: my workouts, my interviews, where I went to school, even my father’s career; and they’ll put it all in one little box and say, “This is exactly who Micah Hendrix is and what he will be in the NSFL” Well I'm telling you, whether you're an analyst, a GM, a scout, a coach, a player or even a fan, if you think you already know who I am and what I am capable of, just wait until you see me play.
M.H.
Graded
For months now, I’ve been answering questions, having my mind poked and prodded, exposing thoughts and feelings on everything from my college coach’s play calling to my favorite kind of cereal. I’ve walked through all my game tape at least twice, reciting plays, breaking down every little decision I ever made on the field, laying out my flaws for the world to see. I’ve been put on display, like some purebred in a dog show; asked to run, jump, lift weights, speak. But football, real football, is what happens when we put away the stopwatches, the Q&A’s, the “Sports Science”, the underwear Olympics and all the chatter that comes along with it. If you think these interviews and spreadsheets full of numbers alone can define how good I will be, just wait until you see me play.
I’m far from the "perfect" prospect, but in football things are rarely perfect. Every game is different; from the weather, to the team you’re playing against, to who happens to be healthy enough to line up with you on the field that week. I made mistakes, oh I made a lot of mistakes and they all show up on tape. Every false start, every time I slipped, every time I missed my assignment. But, I hope that what you notice is that I got better, that I learned from my mistakes, and that every play, every second of every game I put my heart into. I’m not perfect, I’m a football player. I’m someone who’s desire is to win, who’s not afraid to do the dirty work in the trenches, who doesn’t hesitate for a second to make a sacrifice for the good of his teammates. If you think that without being “perfect”, and checking off all the little arbitrary boxes the scouts have on some sheet you can't be a good player, just wait until you see me play.
My father was a football player. He didn’t make it in the NFL, but he played in the CFL. His career got cut short when his knee was torn to shreds in only his fifth season. He had worked so hard to get to that point and just like that it was all gone, taken from him in the blink of an eye. But, I never heard him lament or complain one bit about what happened. I know given the chance he would go back and put in the work to reach that point again because it was his passion. He taught me the value of working hard for your goals, about the value of patience and perseverance. His mother raised him and his brothers on her own. He played for her, he played for them and he played for me and our family. I was told by critics that I would never have what it takes to be successful in college, but I proved them wrong. Now more critics are here to say I’m not ready for the NSFL. If you don’t think I know what it takes, that I don’t know how much work it is, that I don’t know what I will have to sacrifice, just wait until you see me play.
People have said I have no fire, no passion; that I’m a bad prospect because I have no personality. If you’re talking trash to me on the field don't wait for me to say something back. I’d rather just just knock you over on every play until you shut up. For me that’s been much more effective. You can say whatever you want, act like a hotshot, even strut around like you own the league before you even take one snap as a pro. But, when it’s just you and 11 guys on the other side of the field that would like nothing more than to absolutely destroy you and your teammates good luck relying on your big mouth. In that moment, that split second it takes to run a play, all that matters is who wants to win more; not how much you talk before the game or how much fame and recognition you have. None of that will ever be enough to help you get past me in that moment. So if you think that someone has to talk a big game to play a big game, just wait until you see me play.
I know the draft buzz will continue nonstop even now on every channel and all over the internet until the draft is finally over. They’ll keep saying things about me like: “He played at The U, he must have an ego”. “He’s too short", "too tall", "too heavy", "too light", "too slow", "too dumb", "too lazy”. They’ll do this until their mouths and fingers fall off and even then I’m sure they’ll keep making noise. They’ll nitpick and point out any play where my quarterback got sacked and say I’m no good in pass protection; hoping, praying they’re right so eventually they can say, “I told you so.” GMs and coaches will continue to question my dedication even after all I did for my teammates when I was team captain at Miami. And even though I've made it this far, they'll still wonder if I can adjust to the speed and complexity of the professional game. Reporters will continue to hound me for a soundbite just so they can turn it around and use it to project my entire career. To them, everything I will ever accomplish can be known from one thing that I said or one tweet that I sent.
All of them, they’ll take all of this information they've gleaned from the draft process: my workouts, my interviews, where I went to school, even my father’s career; and they’ll put it all in one little box and say, “This is exactly who Micah Hendrix is and what he will be in the NSFL” Well I'm telling you, whether you're an analyst, a GM, a scout, a coach, a player or even a fan, if you think you already know who I am and what I am capable of, just wait until you see me play.
M.H.
Graded
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Regular Season Stats
[OPTION](S2) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S3) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S4) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S5) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S6) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S7) 14 Games Played
[OPTION](S8) 14 Games Played
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Playoff Stats
[OPTION] 27839
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Trophy Case/Achievements:
[OPTION]Most Likely to Break the Team Bench When Sitting Down
[OPTION]Pumpkin Chuckin' Rally 2017 Semifinalist
[OPTION]Most Likely to Get Traded in S8 (T-1st)
[OPTION]Ultimus Champion S7, S8