flea
May 17th, 2007, 01:56 PM
http://www.nfleurope.com/teams/story/BER/10185942
Shows how far some guys will go
Making giant leaps
May 17, 2007
By Andy Lutzky
Just a few years ago, tackle Samuel Gutekunst played in the lowest division of German football, something close to what we think of as pickup after-school football. It wasn’t a glamorous, fan-hungry sport, nor was it professional.
Samuel Gutekunst has made huge leaps in his young football career. (City-Press)
Devoid of professional coaches and experienced players, the game plans and offensive plays essentially boiled down to, “You block that guy and you run deep.” Gutekunst always blocked “that guy.”
Last season, Guetkunst got paid to play football—and not just any football. He took on perennial NFL All Pros, like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Adalius Thomas, and Terrell Suggs, among many others.
He was one of eight talented national players to take part in the NFL International Practice Squad Program, spending the entire NFL season with the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens.
“They told me three of four weeks after the season that I would go to Baltimore,” Gutekunst said. “I was surprised, but at the same time, I was happy that I made it. I was so excited to go over, because the NFL is a big step.”
It seems like all Gutekunst does is take giant leaps forward in his football career, year after year.
He began his football career in the aforementioned manner of football, something you might find some school kids playing in the street before dinner time.
“We didn’t really have any coaches,” Gutekunst recalled of his initial football experience. “Our quarterback coached the offensive line, receivers, and quarterbacks. He did most of the coaching, but he wasn’t really a coach. I didn’t really know what to do.”
Still, Gutekunst showed enough to impress the Saarbrücken Hurricanes, a first-division team about an hour and a half from his home in Frankfurt. He believed his size and athletic ability helped him stand out among his peers.
While he learned a great deal playing with the first division, he still recognized the great disparity between where he was and where he could be.
“It was nothing compared to NFL Europa,” Gutekunst said. “It’s still first division Germany, but it’s not professional football. You still go to work. It’s a hobby. You don’t do it professionally. You don’t get paid.”
Gutekunst poured hours and hours into his so-called “hobby.” Besides his three hours of travel time to and from practice every day, he put in his two and a half hours of work on the football field and with his teammates.
That made his eventual ascent to NFL Europa all more worthwhile.
Playing with NFL Europa almost seemed like a new world to him. Players played faster. Coaches coached better. And, you get paid to play.
Gutekunst has also been coached by two of the better offensive line coaches in the league, in Frankfurt’s Whitey Jordan and Berlin’s Don Lawrence. He even experienced a championship season last year, when his Galaxy defeated the Amsterdam Admirals in the World Bowl.
Of course, after spending his first two NFL Europa seasons in Frankfurt, the move to Berlin came as a bit of a surprise.
“The coaches talked to me about getting ready for the season in Frankfurt, and all of a sudden, they said I’m going to Berlin,” Gutekunst said. “At first, it was a shock.”
Gutekunst felt torn on the inside: he had to leave his home team, where he played for two seasons and won a World Bowl. The move to Berlin, however, offered him a chance to become a starter on the offensive line—and a chance to take his game to the next level.
All it took was some time with his teammates, and Guetkunst was sold on his new team.
“Now, five games into the season, I feel pretty good over here,” Gutekunst said. “Berlin is a nice city, and the coaches and team are great. The whole organization is very good. I just feel blessed to be with this team.”
And after winning a championship with the Galaxy last season—and coming within two games of a Super Bowl berth with the Ravens—Guetkunst is prepared to add some more jewellery to his collection.
“I’ve got a big ring at home,” Gutekunst said. “And, I hope I get a second one this season.”
Shows how far some guys will go
Making giant leaps
May 17, 2007
By Andy Lutzky
Just a few years ago, tackle Samuel Gutekunst played in the lowest division of German football, something close to what we think of as pickup after-school football. It wasn’t a glamorous, fan-hungry sport, nor was it professional.
Samuel Gutekunst has made huge leaps in his young football career. (City-Press)
Devoid of professional coaches and experienced players, the game plans and offensive plays essentially boiled down to, “You block that guy and you run deep.” Gutekunst always blocked “that guy.”
Last season, Guetkunst got paid to play football—and not just any football. He took on perennial NFL All Pros, like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Adalius Thomas, and Terrell Suggs, among many others.
He was one of eight talented national players to take part in the NFL International Practice Squad Program, spending the entire NFL season with the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens.
“They told me three of four weeks after the season that I would go to Baltimore,” Gutekunst said. “I was surprised, but at the same time, I was happy that I made it. I was so excited to go over, because the NFL is a big step.”
It seems like all Gutekunst does is take giant leaps forward in his football career, year after year.
He began his football career in the aforementioned manner of football, something you might find some school kids playing in the street before dinner time.
“We didn’t really have any coaches,” Gutekunst recalled of his initial football experience. “Our quarterback coached the offensive line, receivers, and quarterbacks. He did most of the coaching, but he wasn’t really a coach. I didn’t really know what to do.”
Still, Gutekunst showed enough to impress the Saarbrücken Hurricanes, a first-division team about an hour and a half from his home in Frankfurt. He believed his size and athletic ability helped him stand out among his peers.
While he learned a great deal playing with the first division, he still recognized the great disparity between where he was and where he could be.
“It was nothing compared to NFL Europa,” Gutekunst said. “It’s still first division Germany, but it’s not professional football. You still go to work. It’s a hobby. You don’t do it professionally. You don’t get paid.”
Gutekunst poured hours and hours into his so-called “hobby.” Besides his three hours of travel time to and from practice every day, he put in his two and a half hours of work on the football field and with his teammates.
That made his eventual ascent to NFL Europa all more worthwhile.
Playing with NFL Europa almost seemed like a new world to him. Players played faster. Coaches coached better. And, you get paid to play.
Gutekunst has also been coached by two of the better offensive line coaches in the league, in Frankfurt’s Whitey Jordan and Berlin’s Don Lawrence. He even experienced a championship season last year, when his Galaxy defeated the Amsterdam Admirals in the World Bowl.
Of course, after spending his first two NFL Europa seasons in Frankfurt, the move to Berlin came as a bit of a surprise.
“The coaches talked to me about getting ready for the season in Frankfurt, and all of a sudden, they said I’m going to Berlin,” Gutekunst said. “At first, it was a shock.”
Gutekunst felt torn on the inside: he had to leave his home team, where he played for two seasons and won a World Bowl. The move to Berlin, however, offered him a chance to become a starter on the offensive line—and a chance to take his game to the next level.
All it took was some time with his teammates, and Guetkunst was sold on his new team.
“Now, five games into the season, I feel pretty good over here,” Gutekunst said. “Berlin is a nice city, and the coaches and team are great. The whole organization is very good. I just feel blessed to be with this team.”
And after winning a championship with the Galaxy last season—and coming within two games of a Super Bowl berth with the Ravens—Guetkunst is prepared to add some more jewellery to his collection.
“I’ve got a big ring at home,” Gutekunst said. “And, I hope I get a second one this season.”