The Falvello Law Firm

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

More than Football

I love football. My earliest memory is of football and wanting to play in the big Turkey Day Game.

To the perpetual annoyance of my family, I make life analogies to the sport. Sometimes they listen.

In particular I like College football because in any given game, a team of young men who are given no chance achieve something they and their alums will never forget.

On New Year’s Eve something more than that took place in two Bowl games of lesser media consequence, but meaningful to those who know the game; and especially meaningful to our Country. In one game Air Force played a highly touted Houston team that was ranked most of the year and had one of the best College quarterbacks in the country leading a high scoring offense full of big time receivers.

On paper of course Air Force was a heavy underdog, outmanned and undersized; playing a simple option offense.

The other game had Navy playing another big time program. This one, Missouri, with the No.1 recruited quarterback in the country a couple years ago and one of College Football’s highest paid coaching staffs.

Just like Air Force, Navy was outmanned and undersized.

No doubt the coaches and players from Houston and Missouri prepped by watching film of these smaller, slower opponents run their very simple run option offense, figuring their own talent could easily handle these guys in a way that lesser teams, beaten on the field, could not.

The sports pundits and on-line voters agreed in high percentages.

What actually took place in both games was inspiring to a fan like me and a heartwarming, lump-in your-throat moment to anyone who loves this Country and the young men and women of the Armed Services who put their money where their mouth is every day for each of us.

In the early game Air Force ran and threw the ball. Little guys running over bigger guys; jumping over bigger guys; hitting bigger guys harder than they thought possible.

The later game was no different with Navy’s guys running right at the bigger, faster Mizzu defense; and Navy’s defense hitting the Mizzu offense with a relentless conditioning and intensity you can not experience watching film.

Air Force won 45-20; Navy won 35-13. But the games’ score is not the point of this.

To Air Force and Navy players there were few, if any, pro contracts looming in their future. After the game the seniors would be deployed with the rest of their fellow graduates for at least a five year gig. But to them one could tell this was more than just a football game.

On every play, offense or defense, each player had to beat their man and in that way winning each play as a team. Superbly physically conditioned, they never came off their game, not even for a moment. They did not buckle to those chosen to defeat them.

As for Houston and Missouri, no doubt they are all good players, but good players not trained day in and day out to not only defeat your opponent, but to outlast them in every way defeating their will as well. Their opponents on this day took it to them with something they had not seen before. Their opponent this day would pay any price to defeat them.

By the fourth quarter you could see it on the faces of the Houston and Missouri players. The scoreboard was the secondary indicator of defeat. The soldiers had accomplished their mission.

Thus far,this has been an unusually good Bowl season. Bobby Bowden winning to complete a string of 33 consecutive winning seasons. Tim Tebow with a record breaking performance in the Sugar Bowl to finish an extraordinary career at Florida. Auburn-Northwestern; Penn State-LSU; Ohio State-Oregon. All great games. All media darlings.

But let’s not forget the Air Force and the Navy. They play on the field of football as they will protect us in the defense of our Country. Outstanding young men unafraid of long odds and no-win scenarios.

posted by Connie at 1:51 PM 0 comments