The Diner's Rookie Diary
by Sam Monson
10/5/2008
 
Fresh on the heels of the victory vs. Tallaght, your humble Diner reporter was thrust into an enforced absence from the DCU Saints, being packed off to cover the NFL Draft. It's a tough job, but somebody had to do it... It pained me daily to be away from the team, and there wasn't a part of me that was not longing for the gruelling training instead of the cursed relaxed 25 degree sunshine of the east coast of America. Curse that 25 degree sunshine!
 
Whilst I was away the next game rolled around, and despite my absence (or even because of it), the Saints managed to open up the pass game, throwing 4 TD passes, including one to wide out Thomas Mevel, playing his final game before a return to France, in a 32-3 win over the Dublin Rhinos. Our record was now 2-1, level in our division with the Dublin Rebels, perennial powerhouses of the IAFL, and our next opponents.
 

 
Preparation was called for, we needed to be at the top of our game for the Rebels, and a Friday night training session was arranged. Despite suffering from jet-lag (well, I was tired...), your Diner reporter fought the rush hour traffic to get to the north side of the city (shudder) in time for training. The need for preparation had obviously not been effectively conveyed to everybody – we had no QB (ok, he had a good excuse, his plane from Milan was delayed and at the time he was in Paris – I can accept that one) and had a grand total of three offensive players in attendance. Training was spent playing the part of an Offensive Lineman (unconvincingly) in a drill for the linebackers and full-back, before me and the kicker started playing catch. Playing catch...I mean, honestly!
 
Game time came, and on a baking hot Sunday afternoon we were looking to play giant-killer. Something was different though, then it struck – coach was kitting up! The man usually seen decked out in a navy tracksuit and hoodie, was pulling on football pads that look like they had been prised from Lou Groza's cold, dead hands. Seriously, these things looked medieval! Some poor sod rode into battle in 1205 with nothing more than a woollen overcoat because these things went missing, resurfacing in 2008 in Coach's kit bag.
 

 
Sadly, even the medieval pads weren't enough to get anything out of this game. We didn't perform as we can during the game, and ended up on the wrong end of a 25-0 scoreline. The normally excellent Defense had a bit of an off-day, missing a few tackles, taking some poor angles to the ball, and being exposed a bit by speed around the edge. That was enough for the Rebels to put 25 points up, and the Offense never got going enough to peg it back. Despite the Rebels shutting down the run up the middle, there was plenty of space on the field, which we never managed to attack effectively. This was a reality check – we may have beaten up on a pair of weaker teams, but if we want to contend in this league, we need to be able to beat teams like the Rebels.
 
On a personal level, your humble Diner reporter had his first T.O. moment. It seems wide receiver just might have been the right position for me after all. Late in the second half, lined up in the slot and running a post route, I made my cut and found the middle of the field WIDE OPEN. We're talking corner to corner. The covering DB had been left behind, the right side corner was on the edge being taken deep, and the safety had cheated to the left side. I could have invited 50 of my friends to camp in the space I had alone in the middle of the field. I waved. I yelled. I watched the ball sail left into double coverage and narrowly escape being picked off. Jogging back to the huddle I had to suppress a prize-winning childish tantrum.
 
The next game falls on the 25th of May – a rematch against the Dublin Rebels. We have work to do.
 
Next instalment – a tooth of all things puts me out of training.
 
Archive Rookie Diary:
Rookie Diary April 29th
Rookie Diary April 17th
Rookie Diary April 5th
Rookie Diary April 2nd