What a great start to the season. The stadium was rocking and the crowd was awesome! We knew it was going to be a great challenge, and we also knew it was a big game. First game of the year, Sunday Night football on primetime TV and at home against the Cowboys. They are a good football team with a lot talent. They probably have the biggest offensive line in the NFL. All this added up to a lot of excitement and great anticipation.
I felt like we waited forever to play the game. I watched college football all day Saturday, and then Sunday I sat around at our hotel watching NFL games all day. I was getting real tired of waiting. I could hardly contain my emotions running around warming up a couple hours before the game. They were playing other NFL games on the big screen while I was warming up. At this point I was fully tired of watching football and couldn’t wait for the game to start. I knew I would be going against Alex Barron, who was a former first-round pick and one of my teammates with the St. Louis Rams. I know him well and was ready to play a great game.
Finally it was time for introductions and I remember standing in the giant helmet waiting to come out. The atmosphere was electric. By the time the game started I was more than ready to play. The game itself was very close and our defense played well. They did a lot of dinking and dunking, which gave them a few yards, but as a defense that won’t get you beat. We were making them work for every yard they got and didn’t give up the big play, which is what will beat you. The two things that really stood out to me in the game were right before halftime when DeAngelo Hall stripped the ball and returned it for a touchdown. I had already taken two steps to jog towards the locker room for halftime when I heard the crowd get real loud. I looked up and saw D. Hall racing for the end zone. The other big play was at the end of the game when Brian Orakpo drew the holding call from Alex Barron. I think he drew three holding calls throughout the game. In reality, those are just as good as sacks, they might not go in the stat column, but as you know that last holding call was huge in us winning the game.
I do have to clear the air about one thing. I’m tired of hearing people say we were lucky to win that game. We had many chances to put them away before we actually did, so you could say they were lucky to still be in the game. Then Barron definitely held Orakpo and by rule there is a 10-second runoff. We beat them clearly within the rules of game and therefore clearly won the game and did not need luck.
All in all the team played well, I played well and we have a great start to this season. It’s a 16-round fight, we won round one and we are now on to round two. The Houston Texans are a very good team and they looked very good against an excellent Colts team. Last year they were number one in the NFL in passing and so far this season they are number one in NFL in rushing. The season is very young but once again we have a great challenge in front of us and I can’t wait to play.
Just a little update on the friendly weight room rivalry between myself and Phillips Daniels; We were both in the cold tank today at the same time, so we spent the whole 20 minutes arguing about who was stronger. Then we finally decided that in the offseason we were going to have a lifting competition between the two of us. I want to do every lift there is but he just wants to pick and choose certain lifts, which just happen to be the lifts he’s good at. I say why not do every lift? He doesn’t want to do it, because he knows the more lifts we do, the more it favors me. Truth be told, we push each other and I make him better.
On a more personal note, we just found out my wife is pregnant with our second child. Our first child is a 14-month-old little boy who is full of life and attacks me the moment I walk in the door from work. I love coming home knowing he is going to maul me and throw a huge temper tantrum if I dare put him down and try to eat supper. I’m learning every day just how awesome children are and how much I love being a dad.
This marathon which is known as an NFL season is off to a good start. It’s important to keep things in perspective. Round one went to the Redskins, round two is right around the corner. As the season goes along, we need to absorb the jabs that are sure to come along, land more punches than we miss, and in the end we will throw the knockout punch.
Here is a quote I like:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but instead, what you do in the face of it.”
-Author Unknown
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Adam Carriker