The world's first online community dedicated to the offensive line
The O-Line Poem
Saw this on another site, loved it, had to post it here.
Some come from the game with no scars, no pain-
We emerge with bloodied hands, and bones so sore that it takes a few hours the next morning before we can walk upright.
Some come from the game with pants still shiny, shirt barely dirty-
We are only faintly recognizable, as the mud and grass of trench warfare take all the newness and shine from our uniforms and our souls.
Some come from the game with impressive stats of yards rushing and passing-
We measure our progress in short bursts that no paper will keep track of, that no record book will ever immortalize.
Some come from the game with parents loudly bragging and fans cheering as names come over the P.A. system-
We deal in a world of brutal anonymity, silent except for the grunts of collision and the quick praise of our coaches.
Some come from the game with egos blazing, claps on the back, the sounds of the crowd in their head-
We measure our worth by the holes we open for players with smaller numbers; their brief nod is our only applause.
Some come from the game as prima donnas, barely working in the off season, giving lip service to the idea of physical improvement-
We spend our time in the weight room, iron plates and shiny steel our friend, our enemy, our taskmaster.
Some come from the game with thoughts of I did this, or I did that-
We recognize that the parts build a greater good, that teamwork is not an outmoded concept in today’s world.
Some come from the game thinking of us as swamp things in uniform, they joke about our speed, our hands, and our seeming lack of grace-
We take the brunt of the jokes, even laugh along, and just as we take the brunt of the physical force aimed at them.
In our little world we stand.
Our boundaries are the sleds and the chutes.
Our teachers are men who dwell in the dual worlds of detail and violence, who teach by a voice that can either wake the dead or gently ease two hours of pain.
This is our world. It starts with us.
WE ARE THE LINE.
-- Paul Shanklin, Voorhees HS, New Jersey, 1991
Views: 497
Comment
-
Comment by cesar obregon on October 2, 2011 at 9:52pm
-
ungran poemagraxporcompartir
-
Comment by Thomas Joseph Swain on July 26, 2011 at 11:48am -
outstanding beyond description
-
Comment by o_line_coach on April 27, 2010 at 12:10pm -
Great poem, shared it along with fellow coaches. Thanks
-
Comment by jake lord on April 20, 2010 at 9:35pm -
im a TE, but the best and most enjoyable drills we do are the lineman drills. and these poems really typify the game of the line man. good find
-
Comment by JayJay Worrall on April 15, 2010 at 10:43am -
Love it.....sums up O line exactly! Its exactly why i wouldnt swap trench fighting for anything else!
-
Comment by LeCharles Bentley on April 14, 2010 at 9:57pm -
Great Stuff!
-
Comment by Matthew Graham on April 14, 2010 at 3:31pm -
Heres a Similar one that was on the same site. Also love this one, I read both and thought just how true it is.
http://hawgtuff.net/OLINE%20POEM.pdf
OLINE POEM
Halfbacks dance and halfbacks flirt, while linemen crawl and eat dirt.
When game time comes, backs run the ball. When glory comes, they get it all.
But if 100 yards they gain, it's through the linemen's swear and pain.
While halfbacks cry when they see blood, linemen hide it under mud.
Some backs have moves and others speed, but spirit's all a lineman needs.
Backs are good and some are fine, but they'd be nothing without the line.
A halfback loves and then he weds, but linemen only love their sleds.
The fans all see halfbacks run, but few see what the line has done.
And that's why those who know agree, there’s half a game the fans don’t see.
© 2012 Created by Matt White.
Powered by
You need to be a member of O-LineWorld to add comments!
Join O-LineWorld