Proving Ground: Life in the DSFL
Season 1 : Episode 2 S1E02
Zed Keppler has granted an unprecedented level of access to HOBO Sports to film and chronicle the life of a budding athlete trying to make his mark on professional football.
Today is the day of the NSFL Draft. You have one rookie season in the DSFL, then you are drafted by a higher club team. That team controls your rights. The team can either bring you up to the big leagues immediately or they can keep you in the DSFL to continue your development.
“Do you care if you move up right now?” I ask. “No, no not really,” Keppler said. “I just want to get better you know, I know everybody says that but it’s true. Every team has a training facility.” Keppler is not kidding with me. This is an ongoing theme. After spending the better part of 4 weeks with him one thing is certain, he wants to just worry about himself and get better.
The draft is in six hours, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. Keppler, surrounded by his girlfriend, his daughter, and a few friends are hanging out having lunch together. It’s BBQ, full spread. There aren’t any teammates to be seen, not even Dirk his personal trainer is in attendance. There are laughs, jokes, and even some name calling. You can’t tell that there is a huge even that will effect his next four, five, ten years.
“It’s not a big day. It’s just a day. The work remains the same regardless of tonight”
I ask Keppler if he’s nervous, if he has any nerves at all for what approaches. “I could say no, but I’d probably be lying just a bit. Look, I’m not worried what my number is. But you know, it’s looking at my girls and telling them we are moving.” The number that Keppler references is where he falls in the draft. What pick he goes, not really what team. “You kind of get a feel from around the league, you know, for interest.” Keppler went through predraft interviews with around 8 of the teams. The training that was provided at X-Ath certainly helped. Or did it? “I’d say it helped a bit. You can’t really prepare for some of the stuff they throw at you,” Keppler said laughingly. I asked what was the weirdest thing he was asked or tasked to do. He didn’t answer. Another blow off from my seemingly tired questioning. He said it involved a monkey robbing a store but would not go in to much detail at all.
It is draft time. Keppler and his “watching party” gather in around and make themselves comfortable.
I have to be honest with you this part of reporting is absolutely incredible to be able to witness. The draft begins and it's just like every other draft. The fanfare, the dressed up stages and lights. But for my current party this draft is everything. It is not like every other draft. Keppler is watching intensively, but you can tell he is still relaxed not really worried about the ongoing. he seems in good spirits anxious, not nervous. One round in the books. Keppler's name is not called oh, he is also not worried or haven't you look of anxiety about him. The room is not quiet but it's also not as festive as it was earlier. The second round comes and goes a few running backs taken off the board. There are a ton of Trades in this draft, not unusual at this point but it is of note, it kind of bogs it down between the first three rounds, but round three passes and no mention of Keppler. It is interesting to hear the different GM's going back and forth talking about why they selected each player and what they thought of him. is nearing the end of Round 4 no, still no call. Keppler is noticeably different now. He set straight almost leaning on to his knees, his eyes are tied to the scroll at the bottom of the TV.
Two more rounds go by, we are now in the middle of round 7. The phone rings. Kapoor doesn't recognize the phone number. He answers stands up and walks into the kitchen. it seems like it's a good conversation but he has not given any indication on what the call is about. it is Dirk, his personal trainer from X-Ath. I imagine he calls to tell him that it's okay and it's not a big deal. Keppler looks a little relieved after the conversation is watching party tries to cheer him up. He is restless now, almost pacing behind the couch. “How many running backs have been taken he asks,” to seemingly no one. There is not a person that is quick to answer him. Probably because the number is relatively large and or they haven't been paying too much attention. Keppler looks like he wants a list. He wants a number. it is the end of round 8 and he still has not been called. It's pretty clear that some of the GMs do not even understand or know who they are picking. At this point it is getting personal. He is getting not anxious, but angry. It is the end of round 9 and I do not think Keppler thought he would fall this far. I don't think anybody in the room thought it would take this long to hear his name come off the board. he is in better spirits anyone's about 30 minutes ago it seems like he has slipped into a point of pruvit mode instead of anger, or anxiety, but more Revenge. It does seem like ages but the phone rings again. Keppler answers it but this time he does not go to the kitchen he stays inside the living room, places the phone on speaker on the table. It is the GM of the Arizona Outlaws. He is to be there next pick. The 4th pick of the 10th round.
Knowing that his name is about to be called they all gather around the television and anxiously await the selection. And there it is his name is on the screen, the GM's are kind of quiet. No one really says anything about the selection the GM doesn't really tell anybody why he selected him but they did say that he was raw but exemplified the kind of attitude that exists in players that want to get better always. And there it is. A night that started so well, got rough in the middle but did end up as Keppler wanted. He is a member of the NSFL.
“It’s time to work, no better time than today to get better.”
It is the Monday after the draft. Keppler arrives at the X-Ath facility at 5 a.m. It's about an hour earlier and he normally gets there. There is no talk about what happened on Sunday and Saturday, it's all about Focus for today. “Time to put in that work time to get better,” Keppler says defiantly. “To be honest it really doesn't matter what happened. Today was going to be the same no matter what. It's time to work no better time than today to get better. This Monday was never going to change.”
“Do you think some of that Revenge pushes you forward,” I asked. He looked at me and Shrugged that typical smirk that he gives. Dirk meets everyone at the door he pulls Keppler close and gives him a good pat on the back I just simply says let's get to work. Now that the Speed and Agility drills fade from the combine drills needed to run for the draft, the focus now is more based on speed in game situations. dark with the other athletes run specific drills to set up and get better at things like whole recognition burst play recognition and things like that. The importance of film is 4 times of that before the draft. Now you try to see Tendencies, where the linebacker cheats all those types of things to get better than he was last year. Keppler is a student of the game, he loves watching tape. But it's also better to have people that have more years of experience go through there certain recognitions and tell Tales from the defensive side of the ball. it is now 7:15 p.m. . Keppler has been at the facility for just over 14 hours. “It's been a good day, this is the way it needs to be,” Keppler says as he hints on the things to come in the days leading up to the new season.
“It’s just money, nothing worth fighting over”
6 days after the draft the time comes for Keppler to sit down with the outlaw GM and go over contract negotiations. He does this on his own, he does not have an agent. Keppler doesn't even really have a financial advisor. It's something that he Prides himself on, having grown up the way he did in Mississippi with his grandfather. He pretty much taught him all he knows about money and to this day it's held him true. the phone call last for about an hour give or take a few minutes. It seemed cordial from both sides. He hangs up high fives me and his girlfriend and gives us the details. the contract seems normal enough. I guess better than what you would expect from a tenth rounder. He is to stay in Portland this year with the pythons. “Which is great because we have unfinished business from last year and I can't wait to get back with those guys.” I asked him what he's going to do with that signing bonus. He doesn't even hesitate. “ Pay off this house. Buy a condo in Phoenix. the best thing you can invest in its real estate. Plus I don't like paying anybody payments for something I have to live in.” he doesn't have lavish house, or lavage cars he drives a Chevy Traverse. His girlfriend drives a Kia Soul, it's still in her name. If you saw them on the street you would think they are the average American family. my grandfather told me money didn't raise no fool and he didn't either. We keep it tight to the vest, only focus on assets that are going to grow wealth not stupid stuff like cars or houses with two thousand extra square feet and a house you can't possibly still. Because that's a problem you buy a large house you have to spend the money to put things in it. Foolish.”
So with the contract in place and his focus in Portland for the time being Keppler sets out to again train harder then anyone else so he can become faster bigger stronger than anyone else. “ there is a lot of stuff you can’t coach in football. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it.“ another wise Chinese proverb from Keppler. He is right to some extent but deep down he knows there are things that are just God given. “Take a look at Michael Jordan. Yeah that was God given, but would he have been as great if he didn’t work on it. No. God gives you the Clay but it’s your responsibility to mold it and refine it and get better. Did Michael Jordan have God-given talent when he got cut from his high school team. Did he have God given talent when he showed up freshman year at UNC. Yes. Was he the best basketball player in college basketball that year? No. It takes work and you have to study and push yourself.”
This is the final week of training on his own before he meets with his team to enter in a training camp. This year is a big year for him. It’s a proving ground. Last year‘s top running back moved up to the NSFL. That leaves Keppler a prime candidate to take over the leading position. Something that he has had before, but does not take lightly at all. Because it’s the last week Dirk has been more than happy to facilitate harder training. He almost relishes it. Even though he will now train with the team and undergo OTA’s. He will still be a main stay at the facility.
“You see that right there? You can get about 15 eggs a week no problem”
Keppler looked over to me, trying to gauge how surprised I'd be. Seeing the largest chicken coop I’ve ever seen in an Urban area. He has quite a few personal hobbies outside of football...hoarding chickens seems to be the most unusual. There's no law about Livestock in the suburb of Portland that he lives in, actually quite a few families around here have a few goats, chickens definitely, and even one house has a horse.
“And we are talking about little white eggs you get at the grocery store, these are large large eggs you only need two, not the three or four you would need by going to Kroger”. He picks up the egg, about the size of a seven-year-old’s fist. He hands me three more and tells me to help him bring him into the workshop.
“This is where the magic happens,” he says as we walk into the Thousand square-foot Workshop. it's modest but has enough tools to make an entry-level woodworker jealous. alongside the walls are several shelves of scrap wood all purple heart while not in thin pieces of things that he has made in the past. He shows the cutting boards, bird houses, planters all the rookie stuff like that in the middle of the workshop however is his next project. “This is the best thing I've done to date.” It's impressive. It looks like a dining room table that he's building, it has layered wood out and looks like enough epoxy to make a project three times over. The shine on it it's something to behold, you can see the other half of the room just by looking at it.
“I have one more coat to put on it and then I will be finished can't wait to finally finish it.” I asked if he's going to sell it. He simply responds “would you give up one of your kids for adoption?” I guess that's a no.
“Downtime? What downtime?”
When asked what he does in his downtime Keppler will simply respond that “ there is no downtime.“ after following him pretty closely we all know that’s a lie. Truth be told even in the industry that I am in if you don’t break away from your job and have an outside outlet you’re gonna burn out pretty quick the same speaks true for professional athlete. His hobbies range from normal, to pretty weird, two things I’ve never heard about and probably things I still don’t even know about. Keppler has been opening up more so to me over this experience but he is still overall a pretty guarded person.
Not a lot of time for hobbies once the season starts.
Season 1 : Episode 2 S1E02
Zed Keppler has granted an unprecedented level of access to HOBO Sports to film and chronicle the life of a budding athlete trying to make his mark on professional football.
Today is the day of the NSFL Draft. You have one rookie season in the DSFL, then you are drafted by a higher club team. That team controls your rights. The team can either bring you up to the big leagues immediately or they can keep you in the DSFL to continue your development.
“Do you care if you move up right now?” I ask. “No, no not really,” Keppler said. “I just want to get better you know, I know everybody says that but it’s true. Every team has a training facility.” Keppler is not kidding with me. This is an ongoing theme. After spending the better part of 4 weeks with him one thing is certain, he wants to just worry about himself and get better.
The draft is in six hours, but you wouldn’t be able to tell. Keppler, surrounded by his girlfriend, his daughter, and a few friends are hanging out having lunch together. It’s BBQ, full spread. There aren’t any teammates to be seen, not even Dirk his personal trainer is in attendance. There are laughs, jokes, and even some name calling. You can’t tell that there is a huge even that will effect his next four, five, ten years.
“It’s not a big day. It’s just a day. The work remains the same regardless of tonight”
I ask Keppler if he’s nervous, if he has any nerves at all for what approaches. “I could say no, but I’d probably be lying just a bit. Look, I’m not worried what my number is. But you know, it’s looking at my girls and telling them we are moving.” The number that Keppler references is where he falls in the draft. What pick he goes, not really what team. “You kind of get a feel from around the league, you know, for interest.” Keppler went through predraft interviews with around 8 of the teams. The training that was provided at X-Ath certainly helped. Or did it? “I’d say it helped a bit. You can’t really prepare for some of the stuff they throw at you,” Keppler said laughingly. I asked what was the weirdest thing he was asked or tasked to do. He didn’t answer. Another blow off from my seemingly tired questioning. He said it involved a monkey robbing a store but would not go in to much detail at all.
It is draft time. Keppler and his “watching party” gather in around and make themselves comfortable.
I have to be honest with you this part of reporting is absolutely incredible to be able to witness. The draft begins and it's just like every other draft. The fanfare, the dressed up stages and lights. But for my current party this draft is everything. It is not like every other draft. Keppler is watching intensively, but you can tell he is still relaxed not really worried about the ongoing. he seems in good spirits anxious, not nervous. One round in the books. Keppler's name is not called oh, he is also not worried or haven't you look of anxiety about him. The room is not quiet but it's also not as festive as it was earlier. The second round comes and goes a few running backs taken off the board. There are a ton of Trades in this draft, not unusual at this point but it is of note, it kind of bogs it down between the first three rounds, but round three passes and no mention of Keppler. It is interesting to hear the different GM's going back and forth talking about why they selected each player and what they thought of him. is nearing the end of Round 4 no, still no call. Keppler is noticeably different now. He set straight almost leaning on to his knees, his eyes are tied to the scroll at the bottom of the TV.
Two more rounds go by, we are now in the middle of round 7. The phone rings. Kapoor doesn't recognize the phone number. He answers stands up and walks into the kitchen. it seems like it's a good conversation but he has not given any indication on what the call is about. it is Dirk, his personal trainer from X-Ath. I imagine he calls to tell him that it's okay and it's not a big deal. Keppler looks a little relieved after the conversation is watching party tries to cheer him up. He is restless now, almost pacing behind the couch. “How many running backs have been taken he asks,” to seemingly no one. There is not a person that is quick to answer him. Probably because the number is relatively large and or they haven't been paying too much attention. Keppler looks like he wants a list. He wants a number. it is the end of round 8 and he still has not been called. It's pretty clear that some of the GMs do not even understand or know who they are picking. At this point it is getting personal. He is getting not anxious, but angry. It is the end of round 9 and I do not think Keppler thought he would fall this far. I don't think anybody in the room thought it would take this long to hear his name come off the board. he is in better spirits anyone's about 30 minutes ago it seems like he has slipped into a point of pruvit mode instead of anger, or anxiety, but more Revenge. It does seem like ages but the phone rings again. Keppler answers it but this time he does not go to the kitchen he stays inside the living room, places the phone on speaker on the table. It is the GM of the Arizona Outlaws. He is to be there next pick. The 4th pick of the 10th round.
Knowing that his name is about to be called they all gather around the television and anxiously await the selection. And there it is his name is on the screen, the GM's are kind of quiet. No one really says anything about the selection the GM doesn't really tell anybody why he selected him but they did say that he was raw but exemplified the kind of attitude that exists in players that want to get better always. And there it is. A night that started so well, got rough in the middle but did end up as Keppler wanted. He is a member of the NSFL.
“It’s time to work, no better time than today to get better.”
It is the Monday after the draft. Keppler arrives at the X-Ath facility at 5 a.m. It's about an hour earlier and he normally gets there. There is no talk about what happened on Sunday and Saturday, it's all about Focus for today. “Time to put in that work time to get better,” Keppler says defiantly. “To be honest it really doesn't matter what happened. Today was going to be the same no matter what. It's time to work no better time than today to get better. This Monday was never going to change.”
“Do you think some of that Revenge pushes you forward,” I asked. He looked at me and Shrugged that typical smirk that he gives. Dirk meets everyone at the door he pulls Keppler close and gives him a good pat on the back I just simply says let's get to work. Now that the Speed and Agility drills fade from the combine drills needed to run for the draft, the focus now is more based on speed in game situations. dark with the other athletes run specific drills to set up and get better at things like whole recognition burst play recognition and things like that. The importance of film is 4 times of that before the draft. Now you try to see Tendencies, where the linebacker cheats all those types of things to get better than he was last year. Keppler is a student of the game, he loves watching tape. But it's also better to have people that have more years of experience go through there certain recognitions and tell Tales from the defensive side of the ball. it is now 7:15 p.m. . Keppler has been at the facility for just over 14 hours. “It's been a good day, this is the way it needs to be,” Keppler says as he hints on the things to come in the days leading up to the new season.
“It’s just money, nothing worth fighting over”
6 days after the draft the time comes for Keppler to sit down with the outlaw GM and go over contract negotiations. He does this on his own, he does not have an agent. Keppler doesn't even really have a financial advisor. It's something that he Prides himself on, having grown up the way he did in Mississippi with his grandfather. He pretty much taught him all he knows about money and to this day it's held him true. the phone call last for about an hour give or take a few minutes. It seemed cordial from both sides. He hangs up high fives me and his girlfriend and gives us the details. the contract seems normal enough. I guess better than what you would expect from a tenth rounder. He is to stay in Portland this year with the pythons. “Which is great because we have unfinished business from last year and I can't wait to get back with those guys.” I asked him what he's going to do with that signing bonus. He doesn't even hesitate. “ Pay off this house. Buy a condo in Phoenix. the best thing you can invest in its real estate. Plus I don't like paying anybody payments for something I have to live in.” he doesn't have lavish house, or lavage cars he drives a Chevy Traverse. His girlfriend drives a Kia Soul, it's still in her name. If you saw them on the street you would think they are the average American family. my grandfather told me money didn't raise no fool and he didn't either. We keep it tight to the vest, only focus on assets that are going to grow wealth not stupid stuff like cars or houses with two thousand extra square feet and a house you can't possibly still. Because that's a problem you buy a large house you have to spend the money to put things in it. Foolish.”
So with the contract in place and his focus in Portland for the time being Keppler sets out to again train harder then anyone else so he can become faster bigger stronger than anyone else. “ there is a lot of stuff you can’t coach in football. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it.“ another wise Chinese proverb from Keppler. He is right to some extent but deep down he knows there are things that are just God given. “Take a look at Michael Jordan. Yeah that was God given, but would he have been as great if he didn’t work on it. No. God gives you the Clay but it’s your responsibility to mold it and refine it and get better. Did Michael Jordan have God-given talent when he got cut from his high school team. Did he have God given talent when he showed up freshman year at UNC. Yes. Was he the best basketball player in college basketball that year? No. It takes work and you have to study and push yourself.”
This is the final week of training on his own before he meets with his team to enter in a training camp. This year is a big year for him. It’s a proving ground. Last year‘s top running back moved up to the NSFL. That leaves Keppler a prime candidate to take over the leading position. Something that he has had before, but does not take lightly at all. Because it’s the last week Dirk has been more than happy to facilitate harder training. He almost relishes it. Even though he will now train with the team and undergo OTA’s. He will still be a main stay at the facility.
“You see that right there? You can get about 15 eggs a week no problem”
Keppler looked over to me, trying to gauge how surprised I'd be. Seeing the largest chicken coop I’ve ever seen in an Urban area. He has quite a few personal hobbies outside of football...hoarding chickens seems to be the most unusual. There's no law about Livestock in the suburb of Portland that he lives in, actually quite a few families around here have a few goats, chickens definitely, and even one house has a horse.
“And we are talking about little white eggs you get at the grocery store, these are large large eggs you only need two, not the three or four you would need by going to Kroger”. He picks up the egg, about the size of a seven-year-old’s fist. He hands me three more and tells me to help him bring him into the workshop.
“This is where the magic happens,” he says as we walk into the Thousand square-foot Workshop. it's modest but has enough tools to make an entry-level woodworker jealous. alongside the walls are several shelves of scrap wood all purple heart while not in thin pieces of things that he has made in the past. He shows the cutting boards, bird houses, planters all the rookie stuff like that in the middle of the workshop however is his next project. “This is the best thing I've done to date.” It's impressive. It looks like a dining room table that he's building, it has layered wood out and looks like enough epoxy to make a project three times over. The shine on it it's something to behold, you can see the other half of the room just by looking at it.
“I have one more coat to put on it and then I will be finished can't wait to finally finish it.” I asked if he's going to sell it. He simply responds “would you give up one of your kids for adoption?” I guess that's a no.
“Downtime? What downtime?”
When asked what he does in his downtime Keppler will simply respond that “ there is no downtime.“ after following him pretty closely we all know that’s a lie. Truth be told even in the industry that I am in if you don’t break away from your job and have an outside outlet you’re gonna burn out pretty quick the same speaks true for professional athlete. His hobbies range from normal, to pretty weird, two things I’ve never heard about and probably things I still don’t even know about. Keppler has been opening up more so to me over this experience but he is still overall a pretty guarded person.
Not a lot of time for hobbies once the season starts.