***
I’m an elite athlete and one of the best defensive players in the National Football League. I’ve been a self-motivated player my whole life, but there’s something about Cap’s energy that unifies our defense and gets us super excited to seek and destroy our opponents’ offense.
I narrow in on my target.
His name is Hunt McCall, and he’s the new wonder kid quarterback for Philly’s team. He’s a big guy for a quarterback, with an insanely accurate arm, and the unique ability to wiggle his way out of the pocket when he needs to make a play. He’s an offensive player’s wet dream and a defense’s nightmare. But today…he’s going to get shut down by the toughest defense in the league.
Ours.
I get in position on the field and when the play starts; I keep my eyes focused on the kid. I’ve been in the league for five years now and have seen a lot of players come and go. This guy is good, but needs to be brought down a peg or two because he’s full of himself. Before he even played one snap in an NFL game, he received three major endorsement deals from billion-dollar brands, and he makes sure everyone knows it. I remember him sitting at NFL draft day already dripping in diamond jewelry. That shit annoyed me.
I’m going to get the sack.
I’m going to bring McCall down to the ground like they have taught me to do ever since I played pee wee ball as a boy.
Go for the kill.
Sack the quarterback.
Philly’s offense tries a typical fake move with the ball, but I see right away that McCall hasn’t passed the ball to his favorite running back.
He still has it in his possession.
And the cocky asswipe is going to try to run it himself to get the first down. Quarterbacks who think they can run against our defense instead of throwing the ball irritate the hell out of me.
Now I’m mad.
I’m determined to bring him down and dig my cleats firmly into the earth as I propel myself toward him like an angry bull in a ring.
In just another second, I’ll reach him.
Focus on his legs, Dak.
Focus on his legs.
The world calls me Dirty Dak because they have branded me as one of the league’s dirtiest players, but with all the new NFL rules basically treating quarterbacks like newborn babies, it’s harder than ever to be an effective defensive player.
What the hell do they expect?
It’s football, not badminton.
I have to be careful not to do anything that will give my team a penalty and get the play called back. Been there, done that, and it isn’t a good feeling to let your team down.
I can’t pull on his face mask.
I can’t hit him head on with my helmet.
I can’t tackle him with all of my weight and just lay on his ass.
This has to be a clean hit.
Low and swift.
Stop him and keep moving.
But of course, that shit is a lot harder to do than you would think it is.
The crowd roars for their quarterback as he gets closer to making the first down. He’s trying to outrun Reynolds, but doesn’t see me coming from his left side. I can feel it in my bones that this is going to happen.
