Before our first preseason game against Oakland, I went to bed thinking this was going to be just like other games. But then I woke up, and I was real nervous.
It didn’t get much better when our bus pulled up to the stadium and I went into the locker room. When I saw my jersey, the butterflies really hit.
These were the real jerseys. They’re stitched, and your name’s on the back, which was real cool for me. I took a picture of it right there in the locker room. Yeah it’s corny, but I didn’t really care.
It was so cool for me because I’m still such a football fan. It’s the same game that I played my whole life, but now there are so many famous people out there. I was out there warming up with Jerry Rice and actually got to say “Hello” to Warren Sapp.
The first half I didn’t get in. I knew my material and what I was going to do when I got in there. Midway through the third quarter coach put me in there, and I played the rest of the game.
At one point, there was a break for an instant replay review. I was able to take a moment, soak everything in, and think about how I’ve fulfilled my dream. I was actually playing in an NFL game.
I made a few mistakes. I had a clipping penalty on one of our special teams, clipped a guy right in the back. We’ll talk about that in meetings, I’m pretty sure. I’m not really looking forward to that.
Other than that, it went pretty well. Our tight end fumbled after catching a 30-yard pass. I was blocking for him and fell on it. You feel a lot of different things when you’re under that pile. They pull everything to try to get you to let go of the ball.
I had one pass thrown to me and beat the defender on a slant and go route. The guy mauled me and was called for pass interference, so that was good. Even though I didn’t make a lot of plays, it was a great memory.
If I never play another game, what I’ll remember is looking across and seeing the actual Raiders helmet. I was actually playing … the Raiders. Seeing that emblem was amazing. This wasn’t Eastern Michigan I was playing against.
This was what I had lived my whole life for, and it was what I had wanted. It felt like I arrived.
Inside his mailbag
P.J. Fleck, a graduate of Kaneland High School and Northern Illinois, is with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free-agent wide receiver. He writes twice a week for RedEye. E-mail him at chicagosports.com/college.
Here are some of the latest notes readers have passed along to Fleck.
“From one Kaneland and NIU alum to another. Doing a great job, keep up the good work. We are all pulling for you to make it.”
–Jim Yagen, Sycamore
“Keep up the great work. They should be noticing by now your great hands, heart, leadership ability and work ethic. You’re hanging tough, and that is wonderful to see. You have always been a great example for our young men.”
–Bill Gibbs, St. Charles
“Hang in there, P.J. We are all pulling for you and your dream of playing in the NFL! Stay healthy, and you are in our prayers.”
–Keith Fogle, St. Augustine Beach, Fla.
“Keep up the good work and attitude. I started watching you when you were in the playoffs with Kaneland. I was quite impressed with your skills and never-quit attitude.”
–Rick Warren Sr., Genoa
“I wanted to pass you a few words of encouragement. Like you, I played football for a small Illinois high school and college. Good luck.”
–Rob Wellen, Oak Park
“I wanted to tell you how impressed I’ve always been by your play, especially your work ethic. When you were a freshman at NIU, I worked for the media services department, and they recorded practice for the team. One of the first [and few] times I did get to work a practice session, you really stood out. You made every sprint at full blast, and every cut was sharp and quick. You were working as hard as any athlete I’ve seen. After that, I told people about you, and I told them to expect big things.”
–George Tuft, Prospect Heights
