Post by lightning25 on Nov 19, 2011 16:11:57 GMT -5
The Underdog: The Story of Danny Wright
Danny Wright was never a standout player. Born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a town well known for being the setting of a famous book, Danny always wanted to be a football player, especially a running back. Growing up in the 90’s, the now 22-year old Wright idolized Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, despite growing up in the territory of the Bills’ rivals, the New England Patriots. Of course, Danny remained a Patriots fan, however when he was running around in the backyard with a football, he was always pretending to be – you guessed it – Thurman Thomas.
Despite his size, Wright was a great running back in high school.
Despite being a great player and a huge football fan, Danny did not play varsity high school football until his senior year. It wasn’t that he was a bad player – on the contrary, he was very good – but it was that he was too short. At 5’10”, he tried out for the team countless times, but never made varsity. He did not play any high school football at all until his junior year, where he made the JV team by a hair, and was a third stringer only used for mop-up duty. However, for the next season, the Gloucester Fighting Fishermen hired a new head football coach. Danny tried out for the last time, with his last ounce of hope. Luckily for Danny, the new coach saw potential in Danny, and Danny Wright made the varsity team for the first time in his life during his senior year.
However, Danny didn’t seem like he would be making a difference for Gloucester any time soon. Most of his time was spent sitting on the bench, watching the team’s star running back lead the way. It was clear that Danny would not be taking the starting spot any time soon. He fell into a deep depression, knowing he would never really make a difference for the team. Then, everything changed.
Wright (#54) early in the season playing his most common position, left bench.
During a game in the state quarterfinals, in a tied game nearing the end of the fourth quarter, Gloucester’s starting running back got hurt. The fans and students were panicking. The players were panicking. However, the coach was not. He knew this was Danny’s time to shine. “Wright,” he said, “You’re in.” Danny, never having heard these words, was ecstatic. He tried to hide his excitement, walked up to the coach, thanked him, and ran onto the field. He seemed small compared to the other players, but in his mind, Danny was big. It was third and nine, with the ball on their own 45 yard line, when it began. The commonly known “Power O” running play was called. Danny played it like he had been the starting running back his entire life. He followed his lead blocker (which in this play is the guard) and made a beautiful run. He ran and ran and ran, breaking tackles left and right. He was wide open by the time he crossed the 20. For the first time in his life, Danny Wright had scored a touchdown. With under a minute left in the game, Gloucester was up by a touchdown, thanks to their backup tailback’s 55-yard touchdown run.
But of course, the legend of Danny Wright had to live on. After their win in the quarterfinals, Danny went on the lead the team to a Massachusetts state title, with a total of 440 yards in both games. He was the ultimate underdog. Danny was the ultimate hero on campus. Along with his great performance in football, he was also on the honor roll for Gloucester High School, with a GPA of 94%. He did not attract any football scholarships, but he was accepted into a multitude of great academic schools. He was accepted by Boston College, Vanderbilt, Amherst, Wesleyan, and Stanford, among others. Danny was very close to choosing Amherst or Wesleyan, but then Boston College gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse: to be a walk-on on the Boston College Eagles football team.
Wright in his senior year at BC.
Danny played well at Boston College, never starting but having a solid career in his first three seasons at BC. He worked hard in football and in academics, with a major in Economics and a minor in History. He had a 3.75 GPA after his four years in Boston. He worked hard, and then in his senior year, Danny finally got the starting job outright. He played the hardest he had ever played, working to show his coaches that they had made the right decision. Danny played the best season in his life, finishing the season with over 1,000 rushing yards and a full season under his belt.
However, he was still doubted. He was undrafted and unsigned in the NFL because of a “lack of experience”. Danny was upset with this and wanted to prove himself to those who had doubted him. He was considering the UFL and even the Arena Football League when he got a call from a former teammate that changed everything. It was Tom Rayder, the former star quarterback for the Eagles. Tom told him about the UFSL – a new league with four teams and other players like Danny who had been overlooked. Danny was convinced. He would join the UFSL and prove even more doubters wrong.
Wright (right, with mouthguard) in his last game for the Eagles.
Wright is an underdog, but he has a lot of strengths that attract general managers. First off, his speed is uncanny. He is one of the fastest players in this draft, and is sure to leave a lot of defenders in his dust. He has to be able to run for his position, but Danny can run with the best of them. Also, he is great and breaking tackles. He is amazingly strong for his size and has been known to run over linebackers. And finally, Wright has an amazing ability to accelerate. He can not only run fast, but he can get to his top speed in an amazing time. Watch out for Wright to speed by defenders in any game.
However, with strengths come weaknesses. One of Danny’s biggest weaknesses is his inability to hold the ball. He cannot carry the football. He is known to fumble a lot, and this is one of the things that coaches will clearly work with him on once he gets to training camp. Another large weakness is his agility. Danny is fast, but he cannot get around defenders. He usually relies on breaking tackles. As well as carrying and agility, Danny, uncharacteristically for a power back, is not very strong. This is clearly another thing to be worked on so he can fully use his trucking style.
Danny will most likely have a good career in the UFSL, however with only two teams needing running backs, there is a good chance he will be drafted late, or possibly even for another position, shown by his playing linebacker in the draftees game. This isn’t something unknown for Danny – he’s quit accustomed to being the underdog.
Danny Wright was never a standout player. Born and raised in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a town well known for being the setting of a famous book, Danny always wanted to be a football player, especially a running back. Growing up in the 90’s, the now 22-year old Wright idolized Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, despite growing up in the territory of the Bills’ rivals, the New England Patriots. Of course, Danny remained a Patriots fan, however when he was running around in the backyard with a football, he was always pretending to be – you guessed it – Thurman Thomas.
Despite his size, Wright was a great running back in high school.
Despite being a great player and a huge football fan, Danny did not play varsity high school football until his senior year. It wasn’t that he was a bad player – on the contrary, he was very good – but it was that he was too short. At 5’10”, he tried out for the team countless times, but never made varsity. He did not play any high school football at all until his junior year, where he made the JV team by a hair, and was a third stringer only used for mop-up duty. However, for the next season, the Gloucester Fighting Fishermen hired a new head football coach. Danny tried out for the last time, with his last ounce of hope. Luckily for Danny, the new coach saw potential in Danny, and Danny Wright made the varsity team for the first time in his life during his senior year.
However, Danny didn’t seem like he would be making a difference for Gloucester any time soon. Most of his time was spent sitting on the bench, watching the team’s star running back lead the way. It was clear that Danny would not be taking the starting spot any time soon. He fell into a deep depression, knowing he would never really make a difference for the team. Then, everything changed.
Wright (#54) early in the season playing his most common position, left bench.
During a game in the state quarterfinals, in a tied game nearing the end of the fourth quarter, Gloucester’s starting running back got hurt. The fans and students were panicking. The players were panicking. However, the coach was not. He knew this was Danny’s time to shine. “Wright,” he said, “You’re in.” Danny, never having heard these words, was ecstatic. He tried to hide his excitement, walked up to the coach, thanked him, and ran onto the field. He seemed small compared to the other players, but in his mind, Danny was big. It was third and nine, with the ball on their own 45 yard line, when it began. The commonly known “Power O” running play was called. Danny played it like he had been the starting running back his entire life. He followed his lead blocker (which in this play is the guard) and made a beautiful run. He ran and ran and ran, breaking tackles left and right. He was wide open by the time he crossed the 20. For the first time in his life, Danny Wright had scored a touchdown. With under a minute left in the game, Gloucester was up by a touchdown, thanks to their backup tailback’s 55-yard touchdown run.
But of course, the legend of Danny Wright had to live on. After their win in the quarterfinals, Danny went on the lead the team to a Massachusetts state title, with a total of 440 yards in both games. He was the ultimate underdog. Danny was the ultimate hero on campus. Along with his great performance in football, he was also on the honor roll for Gloucester High School, with a GPA of 94%. He did not attract any football scholarships, but he was accepted into a multitude of great academic schools. He was accepted by Boston College, Vanderbilt, Amherst, Wesleyan, and Stanford, among others. Danny was very close to choosing Amherst or Wesleyan, but then Boston College gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse: to be a walk-on on the Boston College Eagles football team.
Wright in his senior year at BC.
Danny played well at Boston College, never starting but having a solid career in his first three seasons at BC. He worked hard in football and in academics, with a major in Economics and a minor in History. He had a 3.75 GPA after his four years in Boston. He worked hard, and then in his senior year, Danny finally got the starting job outright. He played the hardest he had ever played, working to show his coaches that they had made the right decision. Danny played the best season in his life, finishing the season with over 1,000 rushing yards and a full season under his belt.
However, he was still doubted. He was undrafted and unsigned in the NFL because of a “lack of experience”. Danny was upset with this and wanted to prove himself to those who had doubted him. He was considering the UFL and even the Arena Football League when he got a call from a former teammate that changed everything. It was Tom Rayder, the former star quarterback for the Eagles. Tom told him about the UFSL – a new league with four teams and other players like Danny who had been overlooked. Danny was convinced. He would join the UFSL and prove even more doubters wrong.
Wright (right, with mouthguard) in his last game for the Eagles.
Wright is an underdog, but he has a lot of strengths that attract general managers. First off, his speed is uncanny. He is one of the fastest players in this draft, and is sure to leave a lot of defenders in his dust. He has to be able to run for his position, but Danny can run with the best of them. Also, he is great and breaking tackles. He is amazingly strong for his size and has been known to run over linebackers. And finally, Wright has an amazing ability to accelerate. He can not only run fast, but he can get to his top speed in an amazing time. Watch out for Wright to speed by defenders in any game.
However, with strengths come weaknesses. One of Danny’s biggest weaknesses is his inability to hold the ball. He cannot carry the football. He is known to fumble a lot, and this is one of the things that coaches will clearly work with him on once he gets to training camp. Another large weakness is his agility. Danny is fast, but he cannot get around defenders. He usually relies on breaking tackles. As well as carrying and agility, Danny, uncharacteristically for a power back, is not very strong. This is clearly another thing to be worked on so he can fully use his trucking style.
Danny will most likely have a good career in the UFSL, however with only two teams needing running backs, there is a good chance he will be drafted late, or possibly even for another position, shown by his playing linebacker in the draftees game. This isn’t something unknown for Danny – he’s quit accustomed to being the underdog.
