DC Combines

Up at 3am, brushed my face and washed my teeth before jumping in the car with Dusty and a thermos of delicious coffee he had made. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts for some coffee for the masses and then arrived later than early but earlier than late at the bubble where tryouts were being held for the DC Current. After some tossing and individual warmups, we got right into a few drills designed to prove skill and athleticism at game pace. The first went well, I got a few handblocks and completed most of my break throws, was able to break away on a few cuts and stayed right on the cutters hip while on D. The second drill, 4v4 scrimmage with little to no subbing, was much tougher. Haven't been playing, and certainly haven't been playing at that pace. The third drill was a one-on-one, cut/play defense forever kind of drill that was exhausting. Right after I finished a round on O, the film crew pulled me aside for an interview. Yes, I was out of breath. After that we did some deep cut continuation, where I mostly didn't get skied but didn't always get it myself, and then 5v5 on a medium-sized field, where my team turned it over as I was busting open for a deep cut and then I got beat in the endzone after the turn. Shit.

Afterwards I drove a kid home who had sustained a concussion in the one-on-one cutting drill, he was pretty cool and probably fine but wanted to be safe. Dusty followed and then the two of us went for breakfast at a local diner, where I forgot to order the biscuit because normally it isn't an option in places like Jersey. Good conversation, glad for the rest, and a little more coffee before hitting the road back to DC for the second combine of the day.

This one, for the DC Breeze, was outside on a turf field covered in snow. Conditions and organization were substantially different, so it had a different energy and a more lighthearted feel. Apparently I ran a 4.9 40yd and was in the top 5 for the longer sprints, but during the scrimmage portion I got cold and wasn't moving very well. I was worried about another edition of the torn hip/groin problem I had last year around this time. Thankfully I seemed to make it through okay, despite being pretty sore from the earlier combine.

Afterwards I bounced back to Jersey, this time heading through PA to avoid tolls and Delaware. Had to stop for fuel and coffee on the way home, but the Starbucks and the music really made for a relatively enjoyable trip, even though I was making it alone. Lots of NJ-DC in the last few months, but already looking forward to another trip for tryouts next weekend.