The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

[WVUFan]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

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--- The Diary of Fritz Brady --- November 13, 2006
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My family and I sat down and had a talk about my future. Dad seems to think I would be miserable in Virginia Tech, and that Blacksburg and the program there is not a good fit for an upstanding young man such as myself.

Translation of Dad Speak: I don't want you to go to Virginia Tech because I hate them.

My mom reiterated that no matter what I do, they're behind me, which is nice, although Dad then said "We just want what's best for you, and the Hokies aren't what's best for you.", and that pretty much negated everything Mom had just said.

Then the phone rang again. This time it was another Cavanaugh -- Matt Cavanaugh, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Yeah. When it rains, it pours. He wanted to let us know he would PERSONALLY be at the first round playoff game against Capital. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Panthers, and he wanted to see me under pressure in a playoff situation. He said that the Panthers had a system in place that my style of play fit in perfectly with, but there was more to being a quarterback than just the ability to pass, and he needed me to know that how I acted on the field and how I commanded the offense was just as important to him than my arm strength.

He ended the call by saying stress and tough situations happen to everyone, but the best rise about and allow the stress to feed him on the field. He wanted to see that from me. My dad's face was beet red when I told him it was the Panthers.

I told him that I wasn't really considering the Panthers, because no self-respecting West Virginian would ever go to that school, but I lied. What the coach had said really appealed to me, because he wasn't just blowing smoke and talking about how great the school was and how good they thought I was. He wanted me to know he was gonna be there because he knew I would stress out over it. He wanted to see how I acted under duress, in pressure. I have to respect that kind of honesty from a recruiter, and it made me all the more curious as to what it would be like to play under him. That, and Coach Wahnstadt used to coach in the NFL, and the Miami Dolphins are my favorite football team. Dan Marino is who I aspire to be like as a football player, although I do want to win some titles.

And Marino went to Pitt. Could be destiny.

[superjames1992]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

Goodness, you're getting offers from all of WVU's rivals!

[R1zzo23]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

Question: Are you making this story up? If so, I'm guessing you haven't gotten into the game at all yet, right?

I'll be following.

[WVUFan]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

In game time, I'm all the way through the high school playoffs. I am without internet until Thursday (I cancelled cable and have ordered Directv, so my new internet isn't installed until this Sunday), so I'm writing info down for when I come to work.

I'm selected a few teams that offered my Legend scholarships, and picking rivals for WVU seemed apt for this kind of dynasty.

But, yeah, I'm through the HS aspect in the actual game. The story is fictional, though.

[WVUFan]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

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The Diary of Fritz Brady --- November 14, 2006 ---
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So, we're preparing for Capital in just a few days, and I've been spending more rep time than normal because of the cornerback that Capital has. He picked me off a few times when we lost to Capital earlier in the year. So, my mind is a little frazzled when my coach called me into his office after practice.

He wanted to know if my mind is on straight, that I'm focused on Capital and not on Pitt or Virginia Tech. I already knew Marshall would have someone at the game, because they're gonna be scouting a few people, like #23 from Capital and me. The coach specifically told me NOT to go onto Scout.com or any recruiting page until after the Capital game.

So, obviously, I'm gonna check out Scout.com and see what he didn't want me to see.

I'm a blue chip recruit. The #3 rated quarterback in the nation.

THE FREAKING NATION.

What ... what the hell? When did this happen? I knew that teams would be interested in me, but the last time I checked I was barely a 4 star on Scout.com. Holy God. I better get 400 yards passing against Capital or I'm gonna disapoint people.

Then I realized why he told me not to look (although he should have never said anything because I haven't checked this site since last year). This adds a whole new angle to this game. I just can't win it. I have to be dominant.

Oh, yeah ... Dad told me the offensive coordinator from West Virginia called. They're interested. Dad said he had a good 20 minute talk and that he KNEW WVU would be the place for me. Dad acts like I've already signed my letter to the Mountaineers.

I don't have the heart to tell him that if I had to sign today, I would sign with Pittsburgh. Maybe the Hokies. But not WVU.

God, now I don't wanna play on Friday. I just want to be a normal kid for one minute. If this is what it feels like to be a quarterback for a college, I'm not sure I want to do it.

[WVUFan]

Entry: November 16, 2006

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The Diary of Fritz Brady -- November 16, 2006
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I'm sitting in the visitor's locker room in Charleston, West Virginia. It's an hour or so before the game starts, and I'm suited up already ... have been since 5 pm about a half hour after we got here. I do that alot. Even
though I'm used to the pads in the years I've been playing, I feel like this is the first time I've ever wore them. They feel wierd, as if they're the wrong size or that something is out of place. I know this isn't true, because for the first half hour to hour, I always feel this way. I guess it's just my mind's way of getting ready for the game.

So I always suit up early, get the wierd feeling out of my system. That way I can be ready for the game. Coach Richmond comes in and let's me know #22 isn't playing tonight. He got suspended late Thursday for doing something or the other, and he's ineligible for this game. I know he's telling me this to settle me down, but it actually made me worse, as if the coach thinks I couldn't win the game if the corner was in it. Not the best way to boost my self-confidence.

That's another thing -- I'm the quarterback of the Winfield General -- I should be BMOC. I'm one of the most "sought after" quarterbacks on the east coast. One would think I would be more confident in my abilities, since everyone else seems to be confident in me, but for every accolate I get feels like more weight on my shoulders.

Roddy Parsons, the halfback, comes over and wants to know what I'm writing. I tell him it's notes on defense. It's not the most manly of things to be keeping a diary, but there's really no one that I can confide in like this without it making me out to be whiny. Who else would listen as the star quarterback, Kennedy Award winning guy bitches about how much his life sucks? I know I wouldn't if I was someone else. Kids dream of having lives like mine. Girls fall over themselves to be near me (I never understood that, by the way. What is it about tossing a football 30 yards that women find attractive?). Times like this, when everyone is looking at you to be some sort of leader that I wish I could give away this life.

Yeah, I'm whining again.

---

My dad just came in to wish me luck. He told me there was 6 major college scouts in the stands tonight just for me, and 3 more for me and Roddy. I tell Roddy about the scouts for him, and he looks pumped. Roddy's dad was a laid off State Road worker, and things haven't been as easy for him as it has for me. Money in the southern part of West Virginia isn't easy to come by, and Roddy really needs a scholarship, where my parents could probably pay for my education if it comes to that. It really helps to see Roddy happy and pumped. This guy has been through some rough times, and he still seems to be as excited to play today as he has since we started playing football together in pee-wee leagues.

Y'know, I really don't have any right to be pissed off. My life is pretty good, and I hold my future in the palm of my hands. Just go out and play like I know I can, and I can go to whatever school I want to. Play well there, and there's millions of dollars waiting for someone like me in the NFL. I'll betcha that would make my dad proud.

Let's get to it.

[superjames1992]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

Do you live in Winfield? I used to live in Hurricane which is about 15-20 minutes away. I lived in Pendleton Wood, a subdivision on the outskirts of Hurricane. I moved in April to High Point, North Carolina. That's why I am a Mountaineer fan living in North Carolina!

[WVUFan]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

Do you live in Winfield? I used to live in Hurricane which is about 15-20 minutes away. I lived in Pendleton Wood, a subdivision on the outskirts of Hurricane. I moved in April to High Point, North Carolina. That's why I am a Mountaineer fan living in North Carolina!

I live in Huntington, so I picked a school nearby for some frame of reference. I'm originally from northern West Virginia, but the media coverage for the small schools up there wouldn't have made sense for the type of dynasty this is.

I bought my Saturn in Hurricane. Nice little town.

[DarkEagle18]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

I will follow!!!

[Qb]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

I can't even imagine the grief a hoople-head would take quarterbacking the Panthers... You'd better be good if you sign with Pitt!!!

[WVUFan]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

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--- The Diary of Fritz Brady -- November 17, 2007 --
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At first, things didn't look good. First snap and I got sacked because I held the ball too long. Then there was a fumble, and Capital recovered. They scored, I threw 2 more incomplete, poorly thrown balls, and we're down 10-0 at the end of the first. I didn't complete a single pass.

With about 3 minutes left in the second quarter, I was doing my snap count when I looked over towards our sideline, and at Jimmy Mayfield, the wideout on that side. There was no one covering him. I then looked over to the other sideline, and the coach there was scrambling to get a guy onto the field. I quick counted and snapped the ball. The safety was confused, and covered the slot receiver instead of Mayfield, so I tossed a pretty bad pass, which he caught, and ran untouched 67 yards for a touchdown. We were still down, but I began to see the coverages better, and the game seems to slow down for me.

As I started to complete a few passes, the defense began to pull into a nickel defense, and that's when Roddy came into play. Roddy ended up with 80 yards and a touchdown, and pretty much all of it came in the 4th quarter, when we had a lead, and Capital's defense was wore down. We won, 34-14, and I finished 10 for 18, 274 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. Dad says the scouts were impressed.

Capital has good linebackers. They hit very hard, and I got sacked 3 times, once from behind. For what it's worth, as much as it hurts to know you're gonna get hit, you can prepare for it. When you get nailed from behind, you can't brace for any impact. It rattles you to the very core, and after some linebacker attacked me (I fumbled the ball on it, by the way), I felt something pop in my back. I'm writing this from bed, and I can feel the muscle relaxers starting to work, so it's not as bad as it was earlier, when I was thinking the linebacker hid a shiv in his uniform and stabbed me in the small of the back with it when he sacked me. I think it feels something like that.

The doc at the game says it's just a strain, that with rest, I should be ready for next week against Poca. I'll be reaaaaaallly ok if the muschle relaxers feels as good as they are now.

---

Donald Duck is funny.

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I think im in love with amber bensen. she waas teh chik from buffy the vampire slayer. She's hot. And a lesbain. that's hot. my back doesnt hurt anymore.

[WVUFan]

Entry 7

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--- The Diary of Fritz Brady -- November 18, 2006 ---
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Today I received my very first full scholarship offer from a Division I-A school. Two, in fact, in the same day. Earlier in the day I got a full ride offer from Marshall University, which isn't that far away from here. Marshall's got some amazing players who have recently been there, and are currently in the NFL, including two quarterbacks in Byron Leftwich and Chad Pennington. They're in Conference USA, but with the right material, Marshall could be a school I could excel in. Plus it's close to home, which is nice.

Later in the day, I get a pretty big surprise when the Tennessee Volunteers call me out of the blue and offer me a full scholarship. They had evidently been at the game, but didn't inform either the coach or my parent they were there. After my game and the "way I conducted myself on the field", they believed I could be the next big Tennessee quarterback.

Wow, playing in the SEC would be a huge challenge, and one I would be very fearful of, and very excited to be a part of. They say that the kind of pressure that's involved in being a starting quarterback in the SEC prepares you the best for the pressure of the NFL. I would consider it an honor to be even considered by a school like that, but I dunno if I want to play for them. My dad sure as hell wouldn't approve of it.

I was getting up for school this morning, and my dad was hurting pretty badly. I didn't take any pills for it, because they make me loopy. My dad said I can't hold my back or act like it's hurting when I'm in public. "You don't want the scouts to see you hurt ... they might back off thinking you're really injured."

Well, I think I AM really injured. It sure as hell isn't just a pulled muscle.

"Just suck it up and act like everything is fine. You can't back out of practices, either. That's when the scouts will REALLY be watching. You can take some pain meds so it doesn't hurt as bad when you throw."

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I couldn't concentrate. It feels like my hips and my lower back are being stabbed over and over with a hot poker. Every time I move, it shoots pain, and I don't like pills, but I had to take a few painkillers my dad had given me early in the day just to make it through. I was a trooper and didn't show pain, even when Matt, one of my linemen, slapped me in the back to "congratulate" me. I think I would have preferred him to punch me square in the face than touch my back.

Denise wanted to know what was wrong with me. I grimaced when she hugged me. I told her I was sore. I don't want her fawning over me if she knew I was hurt. Sometimes I think the only reason she goes out with me is because she sees a million dollar contract in 5 years. Like a long term investment.

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Practice was PURE. HELL. I popped two Percosets before practice, had the red jersey on and I still felt pain when I threw. The throwing motion is ... I can't describe how much it hurts to throw the ball. But I can't show pain. I can't let anyone know that my back is hurting. There's too much on the line, both this week and for my future.

My dad is right. I have to suck it up. These Percosets will help.

[WVUFan]

Entry: November 24, 2006

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The Diary of Fritz Brady -- November 24, 2006
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"Highly touted quarterback Brady looked tired and lethargic" -- Herald-Dispatch

"Brady often threw into double coverage and looked confused" -- Winfield Explorer

"This is the top recruit in the east? It doesn't look good for college football." -- Charleston Ledger

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I'll be honest, and maybe this'll change as the days go on, but I don't remember a whole lot about the last game. We won, 22-16, and I
know I didn't do well -- 8-24, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and I know that our field goal kicker and Roddy Parsons won the game for us, and I certainly didn't help. Best to forget it and move on to Barboursville next week.

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I saw Denise talking to Jimmy Mayfield. She had her hand on his shoulder.
Bitch. Doesn't Mayfield know who the HELL IS GETTING HIM INTO COLLEGE? If it wasn't for me, his *** would be going to the coal mines after school. No, he's going to Glenville State because I have a goddamned golden arm. A little loyalty isn't too much to ask.

I need to get my Percoset perscription refilled. Dad says he'll take care of it. He says I need to get my head on straight, throw the ball right and that him and the coach will take care of the rest.

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Barboursville has a good secondary. I need to have my A-Game on. Just my A-Game without Mayfield. I'll be damned if I throw him the ball. Bastard's don't get the ball if they don't show respect.

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I wonder where my dad is with the refill. My back is hurting.

[WVUFan]

Entry: November 26, 2006



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--- The Diary of Fritz Brady -- November 26, 2006 ---
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I've decided to move away from the old notebook and transfer everything into my handy-dandy computer. My dad bought me a flash drive, which I can carry around with me, so I can put my diary in, save it the hard drive, and no one but me can see it. Plus I can put pictures and videos in too.

Like me, standing all tough-looking and everything, complete with the wrapped up right ankle (I hurt it in practice the other day). A good friend of mine, Kristy, took this picture last week during the fuzzy bad game I had against Poca. She says it makes me look at noble and heroic. Pretty cool.

Virginia Tech offered a full ride today. I grabbed the envelope when the mail came so Dad didn't see it. That makes the Hokies, Tennessee and Marshall.

I keep getting told that Denise is screwing around behind my back with my wideout, Jimmy Mayfield. He's going to Cincinnati on a scholarship, and I meant what I said before -- there's a rule that says you don't screw the quarterback's chick if you're A GODDAMNED WIDEOUT, who don't get the ball if the quarterback is pissed.

And I'm pissed. He doesn't get within 10 yards of the ball. I don't care if I was thinking of dumping Denise, you don't do that to a teammate.

I thought about confronting him, but Roddy told me not to, that it'd mess with the team chemistry and divide the team between me and him. We don't need that before we play the semi-finals in the state tournament. That's fine, but he still ain't getting the ball.

I don't care if we lose.

If my Dad would read that, he would have a heart attack. Luckily he bought me this flash drive, so he'll never know.

[superjames1992]

Re: The Diary of Fritz Brady REDUX (NCAA 08)

Whatever you do, don't throw the ball to Jimmy Mayfield!