THE SUN BEATS DOWN on your correspondent as the our boat sails lazily into the Estalian bay at the end of our long journey from Marienburg. The Pomblight has been flowing for days as the improved weather signifies we have left the Empire.
THE IMPOSING VENDETTA DOME sits high above bay of San Luis and it is here that we will meet the Headcoach of the San Luis 49ers, Herr GotrekSlayer.
WE COME TO SAN Luis to get to the bottom of the curious case of the number one pick in Draft 2.
DRAFT 2 STARTED WITH the only catcher to date to be taken as the number one overall pick, Alshon Jeffery. Coaches salivated as Jeffery seemed not only stronger than most catchers, but also more agile. He was also very difficult to knock down.
HEADCOACH VALEN DEBARTOLO HAD installed his famous West Coast Offence and the 49ers were the run ‘n’ gun darlings of the league. What havoc would Coach Valen bring to the DLE in control of a beast like Jeffery.
THE ANSWER WAS INCONCLUSIVE as at the end of his first season, Jeffery had almost as many blocks (51) and CAS (4) as he did TDs (5) and Rushing Yards (54).
WHAT WAS WORSE, WAS the gossip and rumours swirling round the 49ers franchise during Jeffery’s rookie season which culminated in the abrupt depature of Coach Valen midway through season 3.
A DASHING NEW COACH nicknamed Neubau took over the 49ers and a controversy ensued when Jeffrey found himself riding the pine. However still, Jeffrey offered a glimpse of what could be with 11 TDs on 132 yards rushing for the season.
THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED IN the off-season in San Luis. There were dark mutterings of foreign visitors to the training ground in the dead of night, a plague of rats infested the streets around the stadium and it was said an eerie green light hung over the stadium once the sun had gone down.
THIS ALL COINCIDED WITH a fantastic new training regime put in place by Coach Neubau which resulted in numerous players seeing immediate improvements. One look at Jeffrey and you could see he had become stronger, far stronger than any catcher in the DLE, and he shrugged of hits that would knock other catchers off the pitch. It was remarkable and sudden transformation.
JEFFERY SET NEW HIGHS in TDs (12) rushing (226) and turns (229) in a stellar season 4. A change in use of Jeffrey the following season, saw him more as a impact runner, scoring 11 TDs on 143 yards. Jeffery played in a career high 234 turns and also chipped in with 48 blocks. Jeffery had established himself as one of the premier players in the DLE.
BUT THEN, LIKE THAT, it was gone…. The 49ers traveled north to Templehof, but not all the team came home from that fateful road trip. Jeffery’s career was cut short on his season 6 debut, suffering such grievous damage that not even the team’s apo could save his life. Coach Neubau could not return to San Luis, too many memories of the past, which paved the way for Herr GotrekSlayer to assume the reigns of the 49ers. In mourning, the stadium shed its name of Candlestick Park as 49ers vowed to slay the monster that was Templehof, or die trying.
AS WE SAIL AWAY from the picturesque bay of San Luis, with bottles of the finest Estalian wine as hospitality from current Headcoach GotrekSlayer, we reminisce about those run ‘n’ gun 49ers. Jeffery finished in the top 10 all time in TDs (39), but leaves a hole in the San Luis franchise that has not been replaced and leaves the fans wondering what could have been.
