My name is Dale Beck and for as long as I can remember I’ve loved the game of football. I grew up playing the game, starting with little league (go Kanawha Redskins!) when I was 6, my first year of eligibility, up to my high school days playing center at Patrick Henry High School, and my one year of college ball at D3 Randolph-Macon College, before transferring to focus on a different line of education. Along the way, I got to experience the game from a coach’s point of view, as my step-father, Ray Long Jr., was the legendary head coach of Patrick Henry from 1982 – 2009. Along the way, he led the Patriots to 228 wins (the most in central Virginia history), a state title, and 2 more state title appearances. During that time in the 90s, I was a ball boy; running around during practice, catching kicks, and tossing balls in during the game. I got to see some of the greats to play in VHSL history and learn a lot about the game of football in the meantime. After my time at Randolph-Macon, I continued to have football as a part of my life. I volunteered to help the Patrick Henry offensive line staff from 2007 – 2008. From 2009 – 2011, I helped run equipment for the James Madison University football team. Here I am about to get hit with, then head coach, Mickey Matthews’ jacket during the upset win against Virginia Tech.
After that, I got the opportunity to coach for the Deep Run High School Wildcats. I coached the offensive line for the varsity squad and was head coach of the freshman team, while also taking the duties of equipment manager. After 3 years with the Wildcats, I stepped away from coaching to focus on a booming IT career and growing my family. This blog is my way to stay close to the game I’ve loved for so long and continue to feed my thirst for knowledge about the history and intricacies of the game. I try to take a look at the game from different statistical, opinionated, or satirical ways, mainly being broken down by position. I attempt to find The Best 53 based off these different criteria.
Advanced statistics provided in part by Pro Football Reference
Salary cap information provided in part by Over The Cap
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