As Primo Berto sits in wait for the final two games of the DSFL season, he beams in pride while speaking about the Dallas Birddogs positions in the standings. “These are guys that deserve to win. 7-5 is a big improvement already but we want to keep getting better and surprising people.”
Yet when I speak to him, his happiness at the team’s position tied for first place in the SFC doesn’t completely mask a bittersweet feeling he has about his own performance. After a monstrous rookie season, the expectations were high for Berto’s second campaign terrorizing opponent backfields. No one has been harder on Primo Berto than himself. To understand why that is, we first delve into what makes him tick as a player and as a person.
Primo Berto was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, the youngest of four brothers. As the youngest, the roughhousing usually led to him getting the short end of the stick. “I was the youngest one, and the smallest one. When we play wrestled as luchadores, I was the one taking the pins.”
Yet that all changed when he hit a growth spurt at 12 years old. Suddenly he towered over people, and as the tallest kid in class he gained a new perspective, both literally and figuratively. He started getting noticed for his size. At 14, his family moved to Immokalee, Florida. It was at Immokalee High School where the head football coach saw Berto, already 6’1”, and encouraged him to try American football. “I knew what it was, but I had always been into futbol you play with your feet, and never thought I would grow to love the sport as much as I did. It was love at first tackle.”
Defensive Tackle came natural for Berto. He wasn’t entirely familiar with all the rules going into practice. They sat a lineman in front of him and asked him to find a way through or around him, and that simplicity worked just fine for him. His big frame hid his deceptive speed, able to knock someone off their feet or spin around them with comparative ease.
After a successful senior season helping his team to winning the 6A state championship, he accepted a scholarship to play football for the University of Miami. Berto speaks with an air of gratefulness, knowing that the course for a kid from the humble beginnings of Guanajuato, Mexico to make it to a top American collegiate sports program isn’t exactly one that was often travelled or even plotted before.
“I have to be thankful. If it wasn’t for that coach encouraging me and me looking for something to help me fit in in an unfamiliar place, who knows what I’d be doing right now? My family have been so supportive and now I just want to provide for them. I can do that by ensuring I have the highest standards every time I’m on that field.” After 4 years of high standards in the hot Miami sun, Primo Berto was scouted by a few DSFL agents looking to find the next man that can make a big impact.
At 6’4” and 305 pounds, Berto certainly made a big impact when he was drafted into the DSFL for the Dallas Birddogs. He went in the 5th round, #34 pick overall. Berto was coy when asked about his feelings on his draft position. “If the GMs believed that 33 players were better than me, who am I to question their expertise? On top of that, what could I do about it except play my game and try to show Dallas they were right to believe in me? At that point I was just happy to be in the league, and I couldn’t be happier about the team that picked me.”
A common theme of my talks with Berto is his appreciation for the Birddogs organization, something he doesn’t hesitate to expand upon. “Oh man, I would not be as focused as I am if it wasn’t for that locker room. So many guys that were class acts, always willing to help and always willing to be a friend.”
He didn’t have any harsh words even as the Birddogs finished with a struggling 3-11 record. “You just have to buy in. You know you won’t win every game, but with Dallas it was all about assembling a competitive team in the future even when in the present not everything’s clicking. We were trying to get everyone on the same page.”
For whatever Dallas struggled with as a team, there were also bright spots. Pope Francis and Primo Berto proved to be a menacing defensive tandem. As a tactical decision, the head coach chose to employ Berto’s speed as a Defensive End. By year’s end, it was clear Berto had arrived and staked his claim as an elite DSFL pass rusher and run stopper. He finished the season with 42 tackles - 19 of them for loss (good enough to be a Birddogs record), and 7 sacks. He ended up nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive End of the Year, as well as making the Pro Bowl with 9 out of 10 votes.
The 3-11 record wasn’t the end of the world for Berto. He believed in the system and believed the hard work would come good. When it came time for the ISFL draft he received interest from the majority of teams, but again went later in the draft board, this time going 40th overall to the New York Silverbacks. “It’s clear teams have reservations about me and my output. I think whereas in the past I hadn’t paid that any mind, this season I went into it with the unhelpful mentality of proving people wrong.”
This is Berto’s explanation in his words, however it’s clear something physically hasn’t clicked in combination with whatever mental block he may have. 12 games in, he’s sitting on 30 tackles, 4 for loss, and 3 sacks. You wouldn’t believe these stats came from the same rookie who only seemed to be improving last season, but the infamous sophomore slump may have reared its ugly head once again. The only improved metric is the contact he’s initiating, with 2 forced fumbles and a recovery this season. Whatever the issue, his decreased pressure on the backfield hasn’t seemed to hold the team back, with 4 more wins than last season already with 2 more games left to play. The possibility of reaching the playoffs is in front of the Birddogs noses, and Berto doesn’t hide his ambition for that.
“I can go back and forth thinking about what’s worsened this season personally. Maybe I got complacent, maybe my routine doesn’t challenge me to grow anymore. Whatever the case is, I have to keep plugging away because it’s much bigger than me. The fact is, the team has improved and the ultimate chance for us to show what we’re made of could be coming up if we keep our eye on the ball.”
True, it would be poetic for the struggling sophomore to rediscover his mojo under the bright lights of the important games. So is it a sophomore slump or is it a sleeping giant? One thing is for sure, the small kid from Guanajuato isn’t taking the wrestling pins lying down anymore, he’s going to fight for what he wants. Primo Berto is on the warpath, and the opposing quarterbacks may as well be his enemy across the squared circle.
1249 words
Yet when I speak to him, his happiness at the team’s position tied for first place in the SFC doesn’t completely mask a bittersweet feeling he has about his own performance. After a monstrous rookie season, the expectations were high for Berto’s second campaign terrorizing opponent backfields. No one has been harder on Primo Berto than himself. To understand why that is, we first delve into what makes him tick as a player and as a person.
Primo Berto was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, the youngest of four brothers. As the youngest, the roughhousing usually led to him getting the short end of the stick. “I was the youngest one, and the smallest one. When we play wrestled as luchadores, I was the one taking the pins.”
Yet that all changed when he hit a growth spurt at 12 years old. Suddenly he towered over people, and as the tallest kid in class he gained a new perspective, both literally and figuratively. He started getting noticed for his size. At 14, his family moved to Immokalee, Florida. It was at Immokalee High School where the head football coach saw Berto, already 6’1”, and encouraged him to try American football. “I knew what it was, but I had always been into futbol you play with your feet, and never thought I would grow to love the sport as much as I did. It was love at first tackle.”
Defensive Tackle came natural for Berto. He wasn’t entirely familiar with all the rules going into practice. They sat a lineman in front of him and asked him to find a way through or around him, and that simplicity worked just fine for him. His big frame hid his deceptive speed, able to knock someone off their feet or spin around them with comparative ease.
After a successful senior season helping his team to winning the 6A state championship, he accepted a scholarship to play football for the University of Miami. Berto speaks with an air of gratefulness, knowing that the course for a kid from the humble beginnings of Guanajuato, Mexico to make it to a top American collegiate sports program isn’t exactly one that was often travelled or even plotted before.
“I have to be thankful. If it wasn’t for that coach encouraging me and me looking for something to help me fit in in an unfamiliar place, who knows what I’d be doing right now? My family have been so supportive and now I just want to provide for them. I can do that by ensuring I have the highest standards every time I’m on that field.” After 4 years of high standards in the hot Miami sun, Primo Berto was scouted by a few DSFL agents looking to find the next man that can make a big impact.
At 6’4” and 305 pounds, Berto certainly made a big impact when he was drafted into the DSFL for the Dallas Birddogs. He went in the 5th round, #34 pick overall. Berto was coy when asked about his feelings on his draft position. “If the GMs believed that 33 players were better than me, who am I to question their expertise? On top of that, what could I do about it except play my game and try to show Dallas they were right to believe in me? At that point I was just happy to be in the league, and I couldn’t be happier about the team that picked me.”
A common theme of my talks with Berto is his appreciation for the Birddogs organization, something he doesn’t hesitate to expand upon. “Oh man, I would not be as focused as I am if it wasn’t for that locker room. So many guys that were class acts, always willing to help and always willing to be a friend.”
He didn’t have any harsh words even as the Birddogs finished with a struggling 3-11 record. “You just have to buy in. You know you won’t win every game, but with Dallas it was all about assembling a competitive team in the future even when in the present not everything’s clicking. We were trying to get everyone on the same page.”
For whatever Dallas struggled with as a team, there were also bright spots. Pope Francis and Primo Berto proved to be a menacing defensive tandem. As a tactical decision, the head coach chose to employ Berto’s speed as a Defensive End. By year’s end, it was clear Berto had arrived and staked his claim as an elite DSFL pass rusher and run stopper. He finished the season with 42 tackles - 19 of them for loss (good enough to be a Birddogs record), and 7 sacks. He ended up nominated for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive End of the Year, as well as making the Pro Bowl with 9 out of 10 votes.
The 3-11 record wasn’t the end of the world for Berto. He believed in the system and believed the hard work would come good. When it came time for the ISFL draft he received interest from the majority of teams, but again went later in the draft board, this time going 40th overall to the New York Silverbacks. “It’s clear teams have reservations about me and my output. I think whereas in the past I hadn’t paid that any mind, this season I went into it with the unhelpful mentality of proving people wrong.”
This is Berto’s explanation in his words, however it’s clear something physically hasn’t clicked in combination with whatever mental block he may have. 12 games in, he’s sitting on 30 tackles, 4 for loss, and 3 sacks. You wouldn’t believe these stats came from the same rookie who only seemed to be improving last season, but the infamous sophomore slump may have reared its ugly head once again. The only improved metric is the contact he’s initiating, with 2 forced fumbles and a recovery this season. Whatever the issue, his decreased pressure on the backfield hasn’t seemed to hold the team back, with 4 more wins than last season already with 2 more games left to play. The possibility of reaching the playoffs is in front of the Birddogs noses, and Berto doesn’t hide his ambition for that.
“I can go back and forth thinking about what’s worsened this season personally. Maybe I got complacent, maybe my routine doesn’t challenge me to grow anymore. Whatever the case is, I have to keep plugging away because it’s much bigger than me. The fact is, the team has improved and the ultimate chance for us to show what we’re made of could be coming up if we keep our eye on the ball.”
True, it would be poetic for the struggling sophomore to rediscover his mojo under the bright lights of the important games. So is it a sophomore slump or is it a sleeping giant? One thing is for sure, the small kid from Guanajuato isn’t taking the wrestling pins lying down anymore, he’s going to fight for what he wants. Primo Berto is on the warpath, and the opposing quarterbacks may as well be his enemy across the squared circle.
1249 words
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