Be Frank: Behind the Links
Bethany Frank
Issue date: 10/21/09 Section: Sports
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It becomes this momentum and before anyone realizes it, they have become part of the game. They join the players in screaming at the ref during a bad call. They join the coaches in screaming at the players for missing a good catch.
But the best part about being a fan is the luxury of being able to leave at halftime when things get bad. After all, you were just there to see the band, right?
Regardless of the game, Sunday mornings the coaches join at the field house and prepare to do it again in a week.
The team then piles into the Ready Room every Monday and waits for that week's assignments with the weight of a little medal link around each player's neck. That link might be a silly piece of medal to the fans, but to the team it holds a deeper meaning.
"The link represents the bond between teammates that already exists but is usually not spoken," Center Marcus Washington said. "It stands as a reminder for each player that he is part of the team and that his actions affect everyone else."
Kasey Brown, cornerback, elaborated more on the link saying, "The link means that we are a bond and a team working toward one common goal, and that is to win. It let's my teammates know that whatever happens I have his back, and he has mine."
The link became a center point for the team and even found a place in the weekly schedule. Each day of the week has a link, each with a little more paint on it than the first.
"It represents the work we do each day," Head Coach Bradley Dale Peveto said. "Their sweat, blood and tears are in that link as they take the field to play for victory."
Mondays the gray link stands as a reminder that they start fresh and have a whole week ahead of practice, Peveto continued.
"You have this anxiety [on Mondays]," he said. "But the link ain't got no paint on it."
But by Saturday, the link is completely gold, and the Ready Room has a completely different aura about it.
"The link is a reminder not to be the weakest link," Yaser Elqutub, linebacker, said. ""It reminds you who you are and to put your team first."
On Saturday I received the pleasure of following the team around.
My journey began at 9 a.m. while we "broke bread" and ate breakfast. I sat with the coaches and was blown away at the conversation.
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