On my way out of the HEB Center, I encountered several Athletes from the opposing team; our vehicles were parked next to one another…go figure.  I put my gear in my vehicle and was about to drive off, and I thought “Maybe you ought to roll down your window and let them know how impressed you were/are with their courage in the face of so many devastating injuries to their people.”  I hate seeing Athletes, or really anyone for that matter, suffer an injury…even if they are on the opposing side.  I’ve had more than my fair share, and I wouldn’t wish injury on my worst enemy, let alone on these Ladies who came to Austin to get down with the get down.

So I rolled the window down and was approached by two of the players; I introduced myself and proceeded to thank them for the great game, and to extend my most sincere condolences for their peers.  They were very gracious, and the conversation was good.

And then it happened.  She said it.

“I can’t believe we lost.”

I mean…what in the actual?  Can’t believe you lost?  Really?  I don’t know about you, but that takes some SERIOUS stones; it’s one thing to think it but it’s an entirely different thing to say it out loud.  And to say it to a Coach of the opposing Team…

I’ll admit, she kinda caught me on my back foot.  I had to know, so I asked:  “How’s that?”

So she went through the laundry list of injuries to key players; this is a legitimate, and truly unfortunate, thing.  Like I said, I hate it when folks get banged up.  It’s too close.  But the whole “we didn’t win because X,Y, and Z got hurt” doesn’t wash with me.  I mean, if my Aunt had a d*ck she’d be my Uncle.

“We knew what you were doing before you did.”  This I do believe.  MULTIPLE times during the game I watched the opposing Coaching Staff eye-balling our signal caller; Good for them, stupid move for us.  But that’s something we can fix.  We will.

But the last thing she said, and the thing that really kept me up all night, was this:

“I mean, y’all beat such and such, and you couldn’t do anything in the second half against basically our second string (sic) when we got rolling.  Chances are pretty good we’ll see you in a few weeks and if that’s all you’ve got…might be time to rethink your strategy.  Cuz you won’t get lucky again (sic).”

Let’s unpack this:

1. Yes, we did defeat last year’s Champions and the team most keyboard warriors have picked to win in this year.  Neither of those was easy, or pretty, but we managed it.
2. The second half of the game was NOT our best effort.  Mental mistakes cost us over, and over, and over.  Multiple first downs were gained and multiple points were scored because we simply got outplayed by a team who wanted it more and executed when we didn’t.  Now I don’t say this to be a downer…God knows I am proud of you Ladies.   I say this because I looked around the field and I saw the same looks in some of your faces as I saw in the faces of that other team …when it hit home that the Acoustic didn’t come out to play a football game…we came to win one.  That look was fear…fear that we were out of time and out of options.
3. When the chips were down, the Athletes on our team made it work.  You found a way.  We made a stop when we had to make it, and we scored the final touchdown when we had to.  Our Head Coach set the bar higher than their staff could reach.  We had just enough when it mattered.  This might not always be the case.
4. Yes, playoff math is a fuzzy as all hell, but it seems likely we will see them again in four weeks.  They want that rematch.  Battered and bruised as they are, with most of their key players having suffered season/career ending injuries, they want that rematch.  This tells me something.  What does it tell you?

There were many, many lessons from Saturday night.  Lots of takeaways.  Lots of things to think about.  These lessons were cheap; we got the W, no one got hurt, and we basically stayed in the driver’s seat for the rest of our season…playoff math doesn’t really affect us at this point, win, lose, or draw against Nashville.

Los Angeles hit us hard, and proved something to me, and hopefully to every single one of you Ladies who takes the time to read this:  We are almost ready to be Champions.

Almost.

Come to practice.  Be on time.  Know your assignment.  Know your alignment.  Know your routes.  Know your coverage responsibilities.  Know them like you know the faces of your Parents.  Or your Husbands.  Or your Wives.  Or your Children.

Champions do.

If we do all of that, we will make the final.  Hell, with all of that and a little luck, we might even win the damn thing.  But if we don’t…if we take our foot off the gas now…if we don’t hold one another accountable for the things we do and the things we don’t do…then we run the very real risk of handing our shot at glory back to Los Angeles in four weeks.

They’re counting on it.

I am counting on you.