Foosball Musings

Can we talk about some of the best names in the business of football?

Stump Mitchell. Running game coordinator of one of the most dynamic running games in the NFL at the Cleveland Browns. He played runningback in the nfl in the 80s & early 90s. After, he wanted to stay involved in the game so he coached at every level. High school, college and then pro. This guy has helped legends like Clinton Portis realize their potential.

Enter D’Ernest Johnson. After losing their feature backs: Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt, Johnson got his number called. In a ‘next man up league’ Mr. Johnson was that man. He ran for 146 yards last week on a solid Broncos defense, essentially, winning the game.

This is a kid that did not get drafted. Largely due to his running of a 4.81 40 at the combine. This is slower than some lineman. He joined the AAF (Alliance of American Football) after being cut by the Saints, made a name for himself and got picked up by the Browns. There he got to work with Stump. Years of hard work and belief led to his triumph last Thursday.

The NFL can be a league of harsh realities, so some of my favorite stories are about the guys that beat the odds for a moment in the sun.

Another story from my Packers.

Rasul Douglas started this year’s training camp with the Raiders. He was cut. Then he was with the Texans in the preseason before being cut. Then the Cardinals signed him to their practice squad. After being drafted in the 3rd round in 2017, it was beginning to look like his career may never come to fruition. Until… the Packers had a slew of injuries in their secondary and signed him to the team on October 6th.

Fast forward to October 28th. Less than a month later. The Packers were on a winning streak after surviving several close games. The Cardinals were even hotter, undefeated in fact. The Cardinals did/do have the best offense in the league right now and the Packers defense has been giving up a lot of yards & points.

Despite the Packers defensive coordinator undergoing Covid protocols for the game, our gameplan looked masterful. Our defense was holding the Cards at bay for most of the game. The fourth quarter comes and the Pack is up by 3. The Cards drive all the way down the field to within the 10 yard line. It doesn’t look good.

I am ashamed to say, I had a long day at work and fell asleep midway through the game.

I woke up the next morning with a text from my dad. All it read was, ‘Wow’.

I look up replays and see that, on the last impactful play of the game, the Cards are poised to score. Murray throws to A.J. Green in single coverage against our guy Douglas. Green pivots short and inside. The ball sails past him to the outside and Douglas reaches out and snatches the ball like Mister Miyagi. Interception! That’s the game!

My dad described the moment best, ‘3 options in that millisecond when the ball is in the air: Overtime if it hits the ground, Loss if Green catches it, & Win if we catch it.

I’m not much of a revenge guy but its hard not to grin when a guy who was let go by a team less than a month before snaps the game out of their hands… My lifelong love affair with football continues.