Future Past
Its sometime
into the future where teddy is being forced to reflect back on his NFL career,
and that key question arrives at his doorstep. It's then that we reflect
back upon Dan Marino's career by comparison to Teddy's timeline up to that
juncture. Dan was so young ... with so much career in front of him ... when he
faced the mind of Bill Walsh and what proved to be ... the unbeatable Joe
Montana. It would be Marino's one and only opportunity at winning it all for the
Dolphins. Not that it applied directly to Teddy's career, but it brings us to Teddy's
state of mind, as he began his recovery from his horrific untouched injury.
Exactly how
did you feel seeing this franchise taking what could have been your one and only
opportunity of winning it all for this franchise in that 2016 season".
"Well, as you can imagine, it hurt immensely, as up to that instant in
time, this team had been assembled into a well oiled machine ... where my last
three passes ... my 3 pass TD drive, indicated a new level of personal
achievement, that indicated a floodgate of NFL lore that was about to
happen. In what seemed like an instant later, my dreams where dismantled
before everyone's eyes. It was beyond hard."
"But looking back on it all now, it became quite clear that it was
never just about Teddy Bridgewater. It never would be. There were
way to many that were willing to sacrifice for me so that statement could never
ring true. Would I be willing to re-experience it again ... of course not,
but you can't take things like this back or just pretend like it didn't
happen. It was one of my life's lessons, some of which are unfair, but it
all happens for a reason".
"For example, the lessons of life's fragility, made me a stronger
person. It allowed me to appreciate each moment with more fervor. It
made me an instructor for those that posses a special gift, to teach the
personal moments of life's transitions that make and break us. For as you
know a gift is meaningless until it is developed behind a strong personal
character."
"Sure it will always be hard to talk about however its a blessing to
know that my personal sacrifice brought so much to so many people. Sure it would
have been great to lead this franchise to its first championship, but again, it
was never about me personally. It was about my personal sacrifices ... my
humility ... that allowed every part of this franchise to prosper. At
least that's how I've dealt with the pain of that unfortunate incident over
these many years."
"I found a way to lead this team, as I was asked to do, even though
I couldn't be on that field. For the purpose of this article, I cant share
with you how or what that was, but it was clear that there was a long shadow
cast upon that field, based upon the sum of all its parts, where none of us were
willing to disappoint any aspect of it.
"At the time, there was 55 years of a sordid history that needed to
be rectified. Somehow we found a way to make something very special
happen. If I became the focal point in the process, it was a small price
to pay ... as it was never about Teddy Bridgewater ... it was about the sum of
all its parts ... dating back to its inception. Sure ... to this day it
still hurts ... but again, it was never just about me ... and in that, I take a
great deal of personal satisfaction. It was a great thing to be a small
part of that"
The Viking Ghost Writer
http://MyVikingBlood.org
Date: September 10, 2016
