OT: Fun poll: Who here has played football at any level?

[Mike the Brit]

You have a "Swiss cheese memory?"
Does that mean you played in the NFL?

OK. OK. Bad joke. Not funny...but not irrelevant either.

Well, you don't have to play in the NFL to have TBI, you know.

 

[1960Pats]

I played HS football in a school so small that if I hadn't played they wouldn't have been able to field a team and I still sat on the bench.

Our graduating class size average was about 19 students.

So if you count that I played in HS.

My HS class (public school 3 cities away from Boston) had 500 kids. And we were rated class B. There were plenty of schools bigger than ours.

In the same city 20+ years later, my kids were in HS classes in the 230-240 range.

So what happened?

 

[Tony2046]

My HS class (public school 3 cities away from Boston) had 500 kids. And we were rated class B. There were plenty of schools bigger than ours.

In the same city 20+ years later, my kids were in HS classes in the 230-240 range.

So what happened?

I was in a military school overseas.

As far as Massachusetts goes I'm not sure although the town I live in just passed an override to help reduce the student teacher ratio. Necessary because the state reduced funding apparently due reduced federal funding. **** rolls down hill type of thing I guess.

 

[patfanken]

thanks for sharing that.
also explains how you know so darn much about the game.
thanks again.

Thanks for the compliment, but here's the interesting thing. I really didn't understand the game until I started to coach it. When you've played the game for a relatively long time, you THINK you know it, and I got to play it on all 3 levels (DL, LB, and DB). It was only after starting to coach it did I start to realize just how much there was to learn. And after almost 20 years of high level HS coaching I was STILL learning.

I have a lot of respect for what Bill does as coach. Mostly I respect how he trains coaches. They have had one of the best teaching staffs, year in and year out, in the league, and for the most part none of his AC's have NFL experience.

Your playing experience helps on occasion, but only in that it may help you understand some situation your player is going through. Players in the NFL won't give a **** about how good YOU were as a player. That respect only lasts a minute, if you aren't making them better. However if you consistently help show them how to be better football players, work hard, and show that you have their backs, you will earn their trust and confidence.

Do you think anyone cares that BB was a better lacrosse player in college, or never played a down in the NFL? No, they only care that they can see themselves improving as players, and know that they always will have a great game plan and coaches to put them into positions to succeed, not just fit in.

 

[borg]

Never played but I did marry a former Raiderette

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Well, you don't have to play in the NFL to have TBI, you know.

Yes. That's why I understand it's so important that they develop a way to scan for the disease that is not post mortem; then we'll be able to understand how widespread it actually might be in our society.

And, especially yes in my case because I have a teenage son who has had one diagnosed and possibly one additional un-diagnosed concussion and has never played Tackle or even Touch Football in his life. He has to be very careful not to have another in the foreseeable future (his diagnosed concussion was about 18 months ago). We go out of our way not to be "over protective" as parents, but it's on our mind often when he's playing rough with his friends, as teenagers are wont to do.

That's why I hesitated about the joke...it's not a funny business, but sometimes I think humor helps folks to talk about serious topics.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

High school and 2 years of playing Division 3 NCAA. I was a tight end. More of a mini-Mulligan than a Gronk.

I had knee surgery after sophomore year & that led me to give it up, since I was marginal at best anyway and was putting in a pretty tough academic schedule.

 

[oldrover]

Never played but I did marry a former Raiderette

I too married a cheerleader... high school football... a team called the Trojans. You can imagine the taunts.

 

[SalemPats]

played in HS, but was better in hockey, got drafted to the Q, went to play in the OHL because my parents got a job in Toronto. They have a package that every year you play junior hockey in Canada they pay for one year of schooling. I did 2 years there, went to University for 2 years then went overseas for a couple of years (did not make much) came back finished school and got a job. Sports gave a lot of us an opportunity here

 

[HTownChris]

Played from 7th grade through high school. I did recover an onside kick to preserve a win in our senior homecoming game and got my name in the paper the next day....that's been my life's 15 mins of fame

 

[Canuck]

I was one of those small white wr/cb in HS. To be honest, it was a small HS and whoever wanted to play could within reason. My neighbor and friend in HS was 6' and 200 lbs. Getting tackled by him was like getting hit by a Mack Truck. He tried out for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL but never made it out of training camp.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

I too married a cheerleader... high school football... a team called the Trojans. You can imagine the taunts.

Totally never understood naming a condom for the Trojans. The one thing they're famous for is allowing a supposedly solid object through the gates which then broke open in the middle of the night spilling guys out all over the place and leading to ruin.

 

[Joker]

Totally never understood naming a condom for the Trojans. The one thing they're famous for is allowing a supposedly solid object through the gates which then broke open in the middle of the night spilling guys out all over the place and leading to ruin.

They are called trojans because they let you breach the walls and come inside safely with your little men ensconced in safety.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Up until junior year of HS....(Senior year had back surgery)....pop warner played LB, C and TE...HS was mostly CB and WR...I was actually fast then...now....yeah

 

[jmt57]

Fencer got it right. It was the Broncos, and yes in 71 I was a late cut. The league I played in was the Atlantic Coast league that had teams running from Quincy, MA in the north to Richmond and Roanoke in VA. I made $25o/game, which was more than the $175/wk I was making teaching school in Boston.

I went to the Broncos because one of my coaches got me an invite and they sucked so bad then, I though I had a better shot at making the team. Fencer almost got it right on my position. I was a 200 lb NT/LB in college. I played OLB in Quincy and my first preseason with Denver. I actually had my closest shot as a SS.

In the end, though I was fast enough, I wasn't a good enough athlete. Though I had lettered in 4 sports in HS, and 2 (lacrosse) in college, I was always a better football player than athlete. Watch some time how these DB's can get their bodies into positions to defend passes. Sadly, I came to understand, that I couldn't do that, though I was great against the run.

But it was a different time then. 45 man rosters, 14 game seasons, around $15K minimum wage. Preseason was longer. Most included 2 a days. Most practices featured contact, and somehow most of us survived. Bruised and battered, but survived.

I played my last year at 6'1 200, and I was considered a big SS. But those were still the days when most offensive lineman where still in the 260 range and there were still OLB's playing at 220. I failed the previous year at 210, hence the position change.

Now almost 50 years later, I am no longer 6'1 and I struggle to keep my weight under 220. Getting old sucks, but on the bright side, I have my memories, and in those memories I get better and better every year. By the time I'm 80, I'll be coming here and claiming I actually made the team.

Oops, got many of those details wrong, sorry about that.

I can't recall with whom or what group (little league? boy scouts? neighbors?), but I do recall going to watch a few of those games in Quincy.

Atlantic Coast Football League

Atlantic Coast Football League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[WhoaDirty]

Played from 7th grade through high school. I did recover an onside kick to preserve a win in our senior homecoming game and got my name in the paper the next day....that's been my life's 15 mins of fame

I had a buddy from middle school who played for a different HS team as a kicker. He drilled an outside kick right at me and I somehow caught it (there was a reason I was a lineman and not a full back), and proceeded to lay him out on the return. Didn't make the paper, but it was a highlight.

 

[patfanken]

Oops, got many of those details wrong, sorry about that.

I can't recall with whom or what group (little league? boy scouts? neighbors?), but I do recall going to watch a few of those games in Quincy.

Atlantic Coast Football League

Atlantic Coast Football League - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you so much for those links JM, and the pictures of the gates to the Quincy HS field. Which btw I got to coach there when I coached at Archbishop Williams and Weymouth South HS in the 70's and 80's.

Another aside. It was interesting to see Bob Tucker's name. He and Marv Hubbard were the 2 big success stories from that year (69). In fact you could say I was one of the reasons Tucker became such a success. When we played Pottstown, in an outstanding coaching decision, I was tapped to cover Tucker one on one on most pass plays. Needless to say, I was outstanding with over 15 solo tackles in that game IIRC. Unfortunately for me I think 11 of them were on Bob Tucker. Whenever they needed a first down they send Tucker out. He'd jump. I'd jump, He'd catch the ball, I'd tackle him. About the only good thing you could say for me was he didn't have many YAC. I had a better game against Hubbard. I tackled him several times and managed to remain conscious for the entire game.

King Cochran was another player mentioned in the link. He was a good QB, but he was most memorable because he was signed to a $100,000 contract to play. That was HUGE money back then even in the NFL. As a lowly starter from a small college, I made $250/game and was thrilled to have it, since it was more per week than I was making in my first year of teaching school.

Again, JM, thanks for the memories and the links, (even though you cost me another hour of sleep )

 

[meatface]

I played pop warner for two years, I was always more of a hockey player

 

[meatface]

I played HS football in a school so small that if I hadn't played they wouldn't have been able to field a team and I still sat on the bench.

Our graduating class size average was about 19 students.

So if you count that I played in HS.

the school im teaching at in SD only has 16 kids on the team, I guess they do 9 on 9 out here

 

[meatface]

played in HS, but was better in hockey, got drafted to the Q, went to play in the OHL because my parents got a job in Toronto. They have a package that every year you play junior hockey in Canada they pay for one year of schooling. I did 2 years there, went to University for 2 years then went overseas for a couple of years (did not make much) came back finished school and got a job. Sports gave a lot of us an opportunity here

where did you play? Sweden, Switzerland, KHL?