Bruce Smith

My hero is Bruce Smith. He is my hero because this was my first year playing football and he helped me get better at what I love to do.

When I first started I didn’t know much and wasn’t that good. My dad suggested that I watched Bruce on the TV and watch his “moves". After a while I started to pick up some of the main moves like the swim. The more I watched him the more I learned. One day at practice my coach asked me if I had been working on anything outside of practice. I simply replied, ” I have watched Bruce Smith.”

That year I kept getting better and better. In the second game against the “Cowboys” I had the hit of the season. As soon as I got past the tight end I saw the entire field moving to the right. Since I play on the left side I had to pursue all the way across the field. That’s not as easy as it seems. You must pursue at the depth of the deepest man. I did that and was sprinting across the field after the back, when the right side of our line broke through and turned the back around. Right when he turned around I was right underneath him. I hit him so hard I could hear the breath rush out of his lungs even over the crack of our shoulder-pads. I gave credit to Bruce Smith because I used his swim move to get past the tight end.

I also learned a new attitude for the game. Even though we were the best team in the league, I learned to play each game as if I was playing against the best team in the world. That helped me to not get cocky, although I often got a little full of myself. Almost eliminating my personal penalties (accept for clipping) and rocketing my self-confidence through the roof. If I hadn’t learned that I would be less of a player, even with the moves.

I owe a lot to Bruce, the moves, the mind, and the confidence. If I hadn’t listened to my dad that one day and watched this great d-end I might not be as great as I am today. Maybe someday I’ll be the greatest. Our coaches did a good job, but none as good as Bruce.