8/15/2007 5:51:59 PM
I Like Those Odds

I can remember my last football game in high school where our tailback/weak side linebacker suffered a concussion in the first quarter and then we lost our left guard/defensive end to a knee injury in the third quarter. On most teams this wouldn’t be much of an issue, but you see we only had 13 players on our team and 12 were needed on the field at any given time. The referee and coaches conferred to decide what to do about the remainder of the game. They decided that in light of safety issues, we must call the game as it stands which put us as 6 point losers in the first round of the play-offs and done for the season. I was beside myself with anger. I honestly couldn’t understand what the big deal was! So we play down one man, so what? I would have bet anything that we still would have won the game, and felt like I would personally see to it. Needless to say, my objections went unheard and it was on to basketball season.
All week I’ve fielded questions such as, “Why bother even showing up with all the injuries this week in Regina?” and “Do you guys honestly think you stand a chance with 10 starters out of the lineup?” The aforementioned memory I think definitely outlines my line of thinking about injuries and unfortunate occurrences coming into play on game day. I’ve always felt that if I made enough plays individually, we would be in any game with a chance to win at the end. If I didn’t, then shame on me and I need to work harder. It’s somewhat of an individualistic vantage point to take in a supremely team oriented game like football of course, I realize that. However, it’s not a feeling that I could escape if I wanted to…and I know I’m not the only one that harbors such feelings. If I’m being truly honest, I still feel like if we end up a man or two down offensively and have to play with 10 or 11 we still have a fighting chance.
I think that a truly confident athlete always feels as if he will be the deciding factor in the outcome, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. 10 starters out you say? That’s a shame, and I pray for their quick return. That being said I know that if their replacements think anything like I do they’ll have some extra pep in their step this week, as this could be their one audition and gateway to great things. It must be an odd thing to anyone who has never been part of competitive sports to understand how two players who play the same position, can both in their heart of hearts feel that they are undoubtedly the best option at that same position…yet only one plays. Ricky Ray is our starting quarterback but if you think for a second that Stefan Lefors and Steven Jyles don’t believe that they could do the job just as well or better if given the same opportunities, you’d be mistaken. It’s a necessary confidence for each of us I think to feel as if we can not only compete on the level of, but dominate the opposition if given the opportunity on any given night and be the difference in a game.
Because of the existence of that mentality, I know that we’ll be just fine in Regina. We’ll field a team of players that while we may not all be household names to most, we’ll be household names to some group of people, somewhere. Somebody somewhere can remember Lenny Williams, and Jason Flowers being superstars not too long ago. Someone can tell a story of how Damion Cook and Rhett McLane used to beat up on them in practice as if it’s their one claim to fame. These guys are stars in their own right and in many cases have anticipated an opportunity such as this to step into the spotlight once again and shine. I for one won’t be shocked to see them do so.
Granted, I may be under playing the magnitude of the situation somewhat. I may even be naïve in my feeling that injuries or not, this team will pack a punch this weekend. In fact, my personal ideology and approach that if I dominate the man across from me for the better part of the day we may win, could be construed as somewhat selfish and contradictory to the team concept on the whole. I’m ok with that if that’s what it comes off as. Then again, imagine if every single one of us that suits up in Regina this weekend to take on the Riders was to take that exact same approach. “If I dominate the man across from me for the better part of the day, we will win.” I wonder what type of team effort would come from that line of individual thinking?
Time will tell ultimately what effect these injuries have on us, and each of us that play this weekend will have a hand in deciding the outcome. Whether or not the result ends up in our favor will come down to a team full of individuals feeling like they can make the difference and show what they can really do, given the opportunity. If our level of preparation and intensity are high, and we can capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves we will have success. If it comes down to a handful of plays that could go either way, I believe we’ve got a great chance to be on the right end of them.
Bet against us if you want to, it’s a free country. ©

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