(S2) - Weekend PT #5 - Team Bonding

[PlotzkeA]

Oh man, what don't Harrison, Broadway and I do together... since joining the hawks these guys have been like brothers to me. I never had a brother, so throughout my life my team has been my brothers and these guys are no different. From the jump they brought me in as one of their own. Bringing me into the group and harassing me with all the shenanigans and tom-foolery that they do to each other makes me feel strangely happy. Something as simple as walking out to the practice field and laughing at Broadway dancing to "My Humps" is what being a teammate is all about. We have grown so much together over the beginning of the season, that not only are we hanging out, but our wives and girlfriends are getting together a lot as well. I just bought a house in Baltimore and these guys helped me move in, set up cable and also showed me where the best restaurants and bars are in the city. To be honest, I was afraid that these guys would have their own clique already before I got into the locker room, but it has been such a great experience getting to know these two guys and learning from them, they are honestly the best friends a guy could ask for.
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@evryday
@Noppadet

[Roshambo]

A somewhat common pre-game warm up ritual across most sports has started to take hold in the Otters’ locker room thanks to kicker Joey Langdon. Kickers are normally fairly timid and Langdon is no exception. There have been times where a majority of the Otters didn’t notice him in the room, or forgot they had a kicker entirely.

“Ronaldo was a pretty outspoken guy, so when he left and Joey took over it was pretty polarizing…” Dominic Verns mentioned when asked prior to Week 7. “He’s either super sneaky or just never around - we’re not sure which. Some of us honestly thought we just took turns on special teams.”

Langdon finally spoke up and brought juggling into the Otters locker room culture. Not circus juggling of course, but juggling a soccer ball, also called fittingly “keepie uppy” or “kick-ups.” Many Otters players have gone on record to say it helps not only to lightly warm up but also to gather focus - though again most easily forget the man responsible for starting it.

Isaiah McGill credits Ragnar Kronen. Kronen mentioned he thought it was brought up by Spector. Spector deflected and said it was most certainly Clegane. Clegane simply said “I do not care.”


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[Vikain]

Big Ball Ping Pong

[youngcricket]

The Outlaws are already a very close team, but they are in constant communication to increase their brotherhoods. They often go out to dinner throughout the week and sit down to discuss strategy before the game of the week. They also enjoy talking about football and other games that are happening. Every week after their game, the tucks will host a party to watch whichever game comes on after the Outlaws. The team often bonds and enjoys getting to watch the Otters lose. As a team, they joke around and talk about fun experiences they remember from other games in these types of parties. For the linebackers, they also have Thursday meetings where they get together and dissect how they are going to stop the run game and prevent catches out of the backfield. Hariff Ernston is typically a leader in these situations, but other times Jaylon Lee steps up and takes the initiative. As a team, there is a belief that these meetings are the reason the defense has been so successful over the past two seasons and why the Outlaws are thought of as having one of the best, if not the best, linebacker corps in the league.

[JBLAZE_THE_BOSS]

"For ONCE"

[Deusolis]

Unlike apparently every other linebacking group in the entire NSFL, the San Jose SaberCats don't have a famously tight-knit core of linebackers. While AC, Manny, Noah and Alex have a tremendous amount of personal and professional respect for one another, they're also grown men with differing sets of interests. With the exception of AC, the guys are remarkably introverted. You could count on one hand the number of small-talk based conversations that group has had on one hand. But, there is one thing that unites the seemingly disconnected group: cooking.

The magical thing about food is that, if you do your job right, success is defined by the absence of words. You can't talk with a perfectly-seasoned steak in your mouth. The weekly cooking contests between the group allow the guys to channel both their culinary passion and their competitive drive, all the while making sure the rest of the team is well-fed. Do they ever really determine a winner? Nope. But that just reflects the diversity of the group's individual abilities, everybody is absolutely great at something.

Starting with the absentee golden boy himself, Alex manages to infuse beer into every batter and sauce base he's ever made. And somehow, it turns out better each time. Mann, who's ventured east of the Mississippi for team trips and team trips alone, makes the best stir fry this side of Beijing. AC, who doubles as the team's chocolatier and baker, and Noah fill similar seafood niches, albeit with different specialties. Noah has developed a reputation as a scallop whisperer and clam extraordinaire while AC is a pro with shrimp and crabs, with both flairs being derived from their upbringings.

Even though the guys don't pretend to be best friends, put them in a kitchen and they're tighter than Mike Boss when he sees Isaiah Rashad.

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[jparks98]

The Colorado Yeti team is more than just teammates, they're like a family. They are always bonding and hanging out with each other. There is one bonding ritual that is close to every person on the team’s heart. That is the faux funerals they have for the Quarterback, Logan Noble, after losses. After losses, the whole team is usually down and upset about the game. After the loss to the wraiths I week one, Johnathon Saint decided to put a tombstone in front of Noble’s locker. Nobody took too kindly to the gesture as everybody thought he was mocking the team. When the team confronted him about it, he said that he wanted to lighten the mood from losses and that it satirizes how much Logan gets hit every game. As time went on, people eventually started leaving flowers at Logan Noble’s locker. By the time the Yeti received their third loss of the season, the joke had turned into a full blown funeral service that the whole defense took part of. Obviously, the offense did not take part in the service, especially the offensive line. The first offensive lineman to take part in the service was the Yeti’s newest addition, Antonio Sandoval. That same day, offensive stars, Boss Tweed and Kendrick Hendrix decided to take part too. When asked to speak on it Noble said that he takes it in stride and he is just glad that the boys are having a good time.

[automatic]

It's become an Otters tradition since season 1 for the players to go out and sing karaoke after they win a game. Whether at home at their favorite Karaoke bar, or on the road where they find one in the city they visit, the Otters never miss Karaoke night. Sometimes they rent a private room if the bar has those available, but as they are rare it often results in the Otters taking over the bar entirely. The amount of drinking involved is substantial. One time in Colorado the team accumulated a bar tab of over $3000 in food and drinks. Some of the most famous and memorable performances include:

The whole team jumped on the bar to sing "Sweet Caroline" and as they stomped on the bar during the chorus, they broke the top of the bar off.

Petrakis doing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and nailing the entire dance routine, after 8 shots.

When the Sabercats showed up to the same bar after a game in San Jose, and joined in with the Otters for a rendition of "No woman, no cry" by Bob Marley.

Mike Boss spotted a hot blonde at the bar and got the whole team to be his backup singers while he serenaded her with "You've lost that lovin' feeling."

The entire offensive line sang "Jessie's Girl"

They've also been banned from at least 4 Karaoke bars in North America at this point.

[Gwdaja]

Anyone in the NSFL knows that the hardest time to stick together as a team and keep animosity low is when a losing season is underway. Well, in Season 1, the Hawks saw plenty of losses...but the thing is, they remained one of the closest teams in the league. There's a bond between the players and it's only grown into Season 2, especially with the success they've seen so far. So...what's their secret? Well, according to some sources, they have team "sleepovers" throughout the season, usually weekly and sometimes even more often. Apparently 'fun' is the key focus for them -- which leads to better friendships, more enjoyment. And that can only breed happier, healthier players who will work hard on the field. One has to wonder if that tactic would be a distraction. Why not be watching film or running drills in that time instead? Apparently the coaches find it vital to individual player's and overall team success that they are genuinely enjoying their time on the team and in the league. Because who wants to be stressed out by their job and/or hate it? It is only football and a job after all, and for the Hawks players, they found a job they like.

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[ADwyer87]

The Outlaws linebacker core is better than any other in the league. You should have already known that by now, but did you know that they are also one of the closest? Lets look at how they have grown as a unit by looking at how they are spending the break until their Week 9 bye week.

Harrif Ernston is chilling in the team hot tub when Luke Luechly busts in, totally shit faced. With his henny bottle in hand, he jumps into the hot tub, fully clothed, and starts passing it around to everyone. When it gets to Ernston, he just stops with it. Whats up with that?

"I dont know, like, what will happen to me when I drink?" Harrif says?

"You mean you've never tried alcohol before, Ernston?" Said Jaylon Lee, middle linebacker who was one of the other players in the hot tub at the time.

"Well, of course not", replied Ernston, "I'm not 21 yet and my mom always said it wasn't good for you"

"Lol, what the hell dude, how are you supposed to get all lubed up for the game if you arent gonna get you drink on?" Said Luechly. The fact that he actually said "lol" shows this was not his first henny bottle of the night.

Ernston said "Idk, I just never felt comfortable with it. My mom always said no drinking, and to stay away from the marijuanas. Now if you'll excuse me I gotta go, my curfew is almost up."