Wile_E_Coyote
09-30-2005, 05:49 PM
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2005/09/30/boomer_grigsby__rookie_diary8/
Rookie Diary
Week Four – September 30, 2005
Well it’s now Week Four of my NFL experience and the coaches have already told us that we’re not rookies anymore. It’s time to stop acting like rookies and we no longer have that excuse. We’re veterans by this time and we have to step up. We’re playing Philadelphia this week and they’re a really good team, everybody has to step up their performance from last week and play a better game.
We’re coming off the Denver loss, which was rough. That was my first experience losing in the regular season. We lost in the preseason, but to me losing is losing. It’s awful and it drives you to improve. Kansas City is blessed with so many veterans and such a good coaching staff that they’re able to make sure we respond in the right way. At least that’s the way it’s been on the practice field this week. I think we’ve got a better chance of bouncing back because of those guys.
Being at home this week is huge for us too. We have such an advantage playing at Arrowhead and it’s a fact that home teams in the NFL have a substantial advantage.
I think the thing that gets to a player more than anything after a loss is when you look at your own personal performance. The loss itself is crushing, but knowing you could have helped more is unsettling. I had a game in college once when I had 26 tackles and we lost. The most memorable missed tackle of my entire career was in that game. I missed a tackle on the goal line and they scored. So I had 26 tackles in the game and we lost, but if I’d have had 27 we’d have won. So if you lose and you personally felt like your performance contributed to the loss, that’s when it hits you the most. But going back to work and bouncing back is party of being a professional.
So far this season I’ve been a bit of a homebody. I bought a house recently and it’s kind of been a lot for me to handle. It’s not that the house is too much, but every day when I walk in and look around at everything it’s almost bare. I don’t own anything. In college I lived in an apartment for three years, but they were always furnished, so I never had to buy furniture.
I got a big kick out of my parents coming down and telling me that I had a nice house and everything. But I don’t know how I really feel about it. I look around at some of the nice things I have like the house and my new truck and I almost feeling guilty, like I should give the truck back and go back to my college car. There’s nothing wrong with having some nice things, but I know that I have to stay grounded. It wasn’t always this way and it won’t always be this way.
Getting here wasn’t not easy. But it’s a lot easier than staying here. They say the NFL stands for Not For Long and that’s the truth. You’re really just renting your seat here.
It’s weird for me to think that I play for money now. I would never say that the reason I play is for the money. I probably would have left college and played for whatever a starting salary is at a normal job. If I weren’t in the NFL I would probably be playing in Canada or the Arena League just because I love the game. I play the game because of what it brings, the fellowship of your team and how you can build a Band of Brothers. The relationships that you build in football can last forever.
We got back crazy late from Denver after the Monday night game. We landed around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. We got Tuesday off, but we were expected to lift and workout or watch tape, but then we got right back to it on Wednesday, so it took a day or two to get your body clock back on schedule.
One last thing I want to say is that it’s fun meeting people in the public and seeing fans who recognize me. The people of Kansas City have acted so generous to me that it brings joy to me to see how much of a kick I can get out of somebody. Just yesterday I met a little girl who was wearing a Chiefs cheerleading uniform. Her parents recognized me and they told me that she had Chiefs Day at her school where all the kids come in Chiefs clothing. It still amazes me how die-hard and loyal people are to this team. It makes me love being here even more.
I've been getting some fan mail addressed to Mr. Grigsby. I appreciate the respect, but I’m pretty much just Boomer. I don’t think I’ll ever go by Mister in my life. So all of you Chiefs fans can feel comfortable calling me Boomer.
Next week we’ve got a bye so I’m taking a break from the Diary and heading back to Illinois. But be sure to check back the following week before we play the Redskins.
I got some heat for closing last week’s Diary with the female line from Anchorman (Thanks for stopping by). So this time I’m getting it right!
You stay classy Kansas City.
Boomer
***straight hits with DJ***
real media player required
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2005/09/30/straight_hits_with_dj/
Rookie Diary
Week Four – September 30, 2005
Well it’s now Week Four of my NFL experience and the coaches have already told us that we’re not rookies anymore. It’s time to stop acting like rookies and we no longer have that excuse. We’re veterans by this time and we have to step up. We’re playing Philadelphia this week and they’re a really good team, everybody has to step up their performance from last week and play a better game.
We’re coming off the Denver loss, which was rough. That was my first experience losing in the regular season. We lost in the preseason, but to me losing is losing. It’s awful and it drives you to improve. Kansas City is blessed with so many veterans and such a good coaching staff that they’re able to make sure we respond in the right way. At least that’s the way it’s been on the practice field this week. I think we’ve got a better chance of bouncing back because of those guys.
Being at home this week is huge for us too. We have such an advantage playing at Arrowhead and it’s a fact that home teams in the NFL have a substantial advantage.
I think the thing that gets to a player more than anything after a loss is when you look at your own personal performance. The loss itself is crushing, but knowing you could have helped more is unsettling. I had a game in college once when I had 26 tackles and we lost. The most memorable missed tackle of my entire career was in that game. I missed a tackle on the goal line and they scored. So I had 26 tackles in the game and we lost, but if I’d have had 27 we’d have won. So if you lose and you personally felt like your performance contributed to the loss, that’s when it hits you the most. But going back to work and bouncing back is party of being a professional.
So far this season I’ve been a bit of a homebody. I bought a house recently and it’s kind of been a lot for me to handle. It’s not that the house is too much, but every day when I walk in and look around at everything it’s almost bare. I don’t own anything. In college I lived in an apartment for three years, but they were always furnished, so I never had to buy furniture.
I got a big kick out of my parents coming down and telling me that I had a nice house and everything. But I don’t know how I really feel about it. I look around at some of the nice things I have like the house and my new truck and I almost feeling guilty, like I should give the truck back and go back to my college car. There’s nothing wrong with having some nice things, but I know that I have to stay grounded. It wasn’t always this way and it won’t always be this way.
Getting here wasn’t not easy. But it’s a lot easier than staying here. They say the NFL stands for Not For Long and that’s the truth. You’re really just renting your seat here.
It’s weird for me to think that I play for money now. I would never say that the reason I play is for the money. I probably would have left college and played for whatever a starting salary is at a normal job. If I weren’t in the NFL I would probably be playing in Canada or the Arena League just because I love the game. I play the game because of what it brings, the fellowship of your team and how you can build a Band of Brothers. The relationships that you build in football can last forever.
We got back crazy late from Denver after the Monday night game. We landed around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. We got Tuesday off, but we were expected to lift and workout or watch tape, but then we got right back to it on Wednesday, so it took a day or two to get your body clock back on schedule.
One last thing I want to say is that it’s fun meeting people in the public and seeing fans who recognize me. The people of Kansas City have acted so generous to me that it brings joy to me to see how much of a kick I can get out of somebody. Just yesterday I met a little girl who was wearing a Chiefs cheerleading uniform. Her parents recognized me and they told me that she had Chiefs Day at her school where all the kids come in Chiefs clothing. It still amazes me how die-hard and loyal people are to this team. It makes me love being here even more.
I've been getting some fan mail addressed to Mr. Grigsby. I appreciate the respect, but I’m pretty much just Boomer. I don’t think I’ll ever go by Mister in my life. So all of you Chiefs fans can feel comfortable calling me Boomer.
Next week we’ve got a bye so I’m taking a break from the Diary and heading back to Illinois. But be sure to check back the following week before we play the Redskins.
I got some heat for closing last week’s Diary with the female line from Anchorman (Thanks for stopping by). So this time I’m getting it right!
You stay classy Kansas City.
Boomer
***straight hits with DJ***
real media player required
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2005/09/30/straight_hits_with_dj/