Saturday, February 16, 2008
Football = Great
I love football.
I know, I know, we've discussed the NFL at length over the past few weeks. And I'm unbelievably excited about the amazing action we saw this weekend.
But the best game I saw wasn't on national television, nor will it be discussed at length on ESPN anytime soon.
To me, the best game of the week happened in La Jolla when our own Valley Center Jaguars took on the Vikings on Friday night.
I'm sure you've seen that we (yes, I'm allowed to root for the Jags -- I'm the hometown sports writer) just missed completing a great comeback in the fourth quarter and ended up losing by a field goal. But the outcome isn't what made the game such a treat to watch.
I love seeing really good competition, and this game had a lot. At first, the Jags looked -- well, I have to be honest -- pretty much out of it. They were slow getting off the ball on the snap, they looked confused in their assignments, and seemed to be easily disheartened, especially when the first pass of the game got picked off.
But I also got to see first-hand one of the aspects of sports that is invaluable in our society -- heart. The coaches talked to the players at halftime, and the players responded with a new attitude that translated into better play in the second half.
The little things started to happen the way they should, like a great block by a receiver to allow the running back to pick up a few more yards. The sideline started to pick up the enthusiasm levels, and the Valley Center crowd followed suit. Even the coaches themselves were getting more and more excited, like when offensive line coach Kelly Stewart screamed, "We're going for it! We're going for it!" on a key fourth-down conversion attempt (that the Jags converted, by the way).
Sure, the game came down to a few inches, and I know Tyler Bernard feels like he let one slip away. But he especially elevated his level of play in the second half, and on the sideline, I could sense how his calm confidence affected his offensive teammates. During the Jaguars' final drive, everybody but Bernard was jumping and yelling, but the junior quarterback huddled the team up and called the next play to keep the clock from running down any further.
This Jaguars team is going to win a lot of games, and they're going to put up some impressive numbers along the way.
But what I'm most excited about is getting to see how this team comes together when it matters, how they learn to lean on each other when all the chips are down, and how they bounce back from a tough loss after giving all they had.
And it may not be a Sportscenter highlight reel, but it's going to be something worth watching.
I know, I know, we've discussed the NFL at length over the past few weeks. And I'm unbelievably excited about the amazing action we saw this weekend.
But the best game I saw wasn't on national television, nor will it be discussed at length on ESPN anytime soon.
To me, the best game of the week happened in La Jolla when our own Valley Center Jaguars took on the Vikings on Friday night.
I'm sure you've seen that we (yes, I'm allowed to root for the Jags -- I'm the hometown sports writer) just missed completing a great comeback in the fourth quarter and ended up losing by a field goal. But the outcome isn't what made the game such a treat to watch.
I love seeing really good competition, and this game had a lot. At first, the Jags looked -- well, I have to be honest -- pretty much out of it. They were slow getting off the ball on the snap, they looked confused in their assignments, and seemed to be easily disheartened, especially when the first pass of the game got picked off.
But I also got to see first-hand one of the aspects of sports that is invaluable in our society -- heart. The coaches talked to the players at halftime, and the players responded with a new attitude that translated into better play in the second half.
The little things started to happen the way they should, like a great block by a receiver to allow the running back to pick up a few more yards. The sideline started to pick up the enthusiasm levels, and the Valley Center crowd followed suit. Even the coaches themselves were getting more and more excited, like when offensive line coach Kelly Stewart screamed, "We're going for it! We're going for it!" on a key fourth-down conversion attempt (that the Jags converted, by the way).
Sure, the game came down to a few inches, and I know Tyler Bernard feels like he let one slip away. But he especially elevated his level of play in the second half, and on the sideline, I could sense how his calm confidence affected his offensive teammates. During the Jaguars' final drive, everybody but Bernard was jumping and yelling, but the junior quarterback huddled the team up and called the next play to keep the clock from running down any further.
This Jaguars team is going to win a lot of games, and they're going to put up some impressive numbers along the way.
But what I'm most excited about is getting to see how this team comes together when it matters, how they learn to lean on each other when all the chips are down, and how they bounce back from a tough loss after giving all they had.
And it may not be a Sportscenter highlight reel, but it's going to be something worth watching.
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