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TIME OUT 9-16-20
One Week Down
ddc

It truly is my favorite time of year; Fall. I love the weather, the holidays are rapidly approaching and of course, football season has arrived! Week one of the National Football League has come to a close and for the most part each game was competitive. Although there were just a few or, in most cases, no fans in the stands I think the production crews in each stadium did a wonderful job making us believe that they were there.

Sunday, Sept. 13 marked the one-year anniversary of my accident and when I woke up Sunday I thanked the Lord that my leg was only broken and not worse. I also prayed for the safety of all the players and coaches that took the field on Sunday. There were a few injuries but only a few were severe. Colts running back Marlon Mack (Achilles), Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill (broken ankle), Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin (torn ACL) and Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (broken collarbone) were the most devastating of Sunday.

Week one is always interesting to view because of all the rookies that take the field for the first time, as well as veterans that moved on to other teams. First overall draft choice Joe Burrow was impressive in his first start for the Bengals. The young quarterback nearly won in his debut but the Chargers edged the Bengals 16-13. Burrow went 23/36 with 196 yards passing and an interception. On the ground he carried the ball eight times for 46 yards and a touchdown. In the afternoon the new look Buccaneers took on the Saints. In case you did not know, Tom Brady is now a Buccaneer and so is tight end Rob Gronkowski. The hype and build up was there for us fans but without preseason play this year, you can tell that Brady and receivers were not on the same page. Brady’s final numbers looked like this in the 34-23 road loss in New Orleans 23/36 239 two touchdowns and two interceptions. Gronkowski had two grabs for 11 yards.

Yes, I love football and I enjoyed watching it more this year because my son got to watch it with me. He is almost five but sat down and watched a little with me and when I got excited he quickly joined in. My favorite was when there was a touchdown scored he would yell “TOUCHDOWN” and run in circles, then give me a high-five. Football truly does bring families together.

 

Dennis Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.