The Prague Post
May 10th, 2008
Reader's Survey     Endowment Fund     Book of Lists ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions

Home » Archives » Sports

Hits and misses from third string

Chatter and bench time as practice starts

By Dave Faries
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 19th, 2008 issue

During the long ride home from the Lions’ practice facility in Horní Počernice, Josef Fuksa rattles on about all topics, as long as they relate to football.

He loves the sport. Known alternately as “Pepa” or “Hightower,” the massive offensive lineman has been invited to three NFL player development camps this season. Under his jersey he wears a “football on the brain” T-shirt.
As he maneuvers through weekend traffic, the conversation drifts toward former teammates.
Remember František Janýr? Of course. Impossible to forget, really: a squat, bulky brute with long and frizzy black hair, making him look every bit the Samoan warrior.
“Why isn’t he playing?” I wonder.
“He’s 33,” Pepa responds. “He’s too old.”
Then, after a brief pause while the difference — his 33 versus my 46 — sinks in: “Sorry.”
Yeah, well, playing football is not like riding a bike. Although strapping on pads and pulling the helmet over the ears still makes you feel almost indestructible, a few decades of repetition have gone missing.
The real quarterbacks, Libor Navrátil and Petr Boháček, throw passes that slice the air. Mine loop lazily, plummeting toward the back shoulder of a receiver breaking across the middle. More embarrassingly, during “good hands” drills — where QBs deliberately toss balls high, low or behind their targets — I tend to hit my guy in perfect stride.
Third string is a lonely place. The frontline players must learn new formations and plays. So this new phase of training includes hour upon hour of walkthroughs, simulations and contact drills. Coaches begin to make coach noises:
“Libor!”
“Why is that football on the ground?”
“Šimmi is killing you.”
We benchwarmers look on, waiting for our two or three allocated plays. There’s time for random conversations with first- and second-unit backs as they rotate in and out. Running back Michal Formánek tells about the day he racked up over 300 yards and six touchdowns — 11 years ago.
“Couldn’t do that now,” someone insists, which I take as another slam against “veterans.”
“Not talking about his age,” says Tim Weldon, one of the assistant coaches. He gestures at Formánek’s expansive midriff. “I’m talking about the baby.”
Jan Gabriel shows off his faded helmet, so old the team’s first logo still shows in outline form. Reserve running back Michal Kozlíček trots off the field and hands me a buckle. “Can you fix this?” he asks, holding the now buckle-less strap from his shoulder pads.
I play — when I play — in shoulder pads that refuse to tighten, a belt knotted to secure torn halves and pants that unzip at the slightest strain.
This last part is only a minor problem. The practice facilities — weekends at Horní Počernice, weeknights in Prague 8 — don’t have locker rooms, so we strip off street clothes and swap into our gear in front of curious passers-by.
Still, it all feels like football: When I bobble two consecutive snaps out of the shotgun, drawing a stern “we’re wasting time” from head coach Martin Kocián; when we run a “Detroit right spread 6969” — a fancy way of calling a pass — and I fling the ball into an empty space because I confused 6 and 9; when I fall a foot short of the goal line during a three-on-three short yardage drill.
It feels like football. Not like riding a bike. There are plays to memorize, defenses to read and dozens of small details to retain: remember to allow the big guys up front to bark out blocking adjustments; if you roll out, gain depth and then attack the line to convince defenders you intend to run before hurling the ball downfield.
And always ignore that big blue defensive jersey about to crash into your body in less than one second.

Dave Faries can be reached at dfaries@praguepost.com


Help us improve The Prague Post - fill out our Reader's Survey.

Other articles in Sports (19/03/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Book of Lists

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.