Post by JABF on Dec 23, 2020 14:46:41 GMT -6
I don't have The Athletic anymore but sounds like a cool story. Anyone care to post a small snippet perhaps?
... I can't post the entire thing because it's behind a paywall, but here's a snippet:
LINK
What the Bears have in Sam Mustipher, who might be their next, great center
During the Bears-Rams game on Oct. 26, Sam Mustipher Sr. looked down at his phone to read a text when he heard his wife Tricia scream.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked Tricia, who could barely get any words out as she pointed at the screen.
Mustipher turned to the television to see his son trotting on the field to play his first regular-season NFL snap at center.
“You’re talking about tears of joy and being so proud of him,” Mustipher Sr. said. “And for all of the people who doubted him for one reason or another, for him to just continue to progress, put the time, the effort, the energy in and surround himself with people who believe in him and supported him, it was one of the absolute best days of my life.”
Two months later, the Bears are in the middle of an offensive renaissance, and Mustipher has played a key role.
Not only did the Bears find a stopgap lineman, they found an undrafted player whose ceiling could be the franchise’s next long-term center.
Sam Mustipher Sr. played defensive tackle at West Virginia. He knew his son would be big and eventually follow in his footsteps in the trenches, so he and his wife weren’t too concerned about warnings from their pediatrician.
See, when Sam Jr. was 5 years old, he weighed 130 pounds.
“The pediatrician used to always tell us, ‘He really needs to lose some weight,’” Mustipher Sr. said. “But my wife would always leave there and laugh because we knew he would be playing sports and he would grow and his body would develop into appropriate dimensions after he started growing taller.”
Mustipher’s introduction to football came on the sideline as a toddler. From ages 2-5, he tagged along with Mustipher Sr., a high school coach.
He would get players water and their helmets. He’d carry their pads. He looked forward to accompanying his dad to games.
“It’s really like I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old,” Sam Jr. said.
Mustipher never played quarterback. He’s never thrown or caught a ball or had to cover anyone. He’s only been a lineman. He played both ways until his sophomore year of high school, then only stepping in on defense when necessary.
What the Bears have in Sam Mustipher, who might be their next, great center
During the Bears-Rams game on Oct. 26, Sam Mustipher Sr. looked down at his phone to read a text when he heard his wife Tricia scream.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked Tricia, who could barely get any words out as she pointed at the screen.
Mustipher turned to the television to see his son trotting on the field to play his first regular-season NFL snap at center.
“You’re talking about tears of joy and being so proud of him,” Mustipher Sr. said. “And for all of the people who doubted him for one reason or another, for him to just continue to progress, put the time, the effort, the energy in and surround himself with people who believe in him and supported him, it was one of the absolute best days of my life.”
Two months later, the Bears are in the middle of an offensive renaissance, and Mustipher has played a key role.
Not only did the Bears find a stopgap lineman, they found an undrafted player whose ceiling could be the franchise’s next long-term center.
Sam Mustipher Sr. played defensive tackle at West Virginia. He knew his son would be big and eventually follow in his footsteps in the trenches, so he and his wife weren’t too concerned about warnings from their pediatrician.
See, when Sam Jr. was 5 years old, he weighed 130 pounds.
“The pediatrician used to always tell us, ‘He really needs to lose some weight,’” Mustipher Sr. said. “But my wife would always leave there and laugh because we knew he would be playing sports and he would grow and his body would develop into appropriate dimensions after he started growing taller.”
Mustipher’s introduction to football came on the sideline as a toddler. From ages 2-5, he tagged along with Mustipher Sr., a high school coach.
He would get players water and their helmets. He’d carry their pads. He looked forward to accompanying his dad to games.
“It’s really like I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old,” Sam Jr. said.
Mustipher never played quarterback. He’s never thrown or caught a ball or had to cover anyone. He’s only been a lineman. He played both ways until his sophomore year of high school, then only stepping in on defense when necessary.
In 2019, Mustipher spent his rookie season on the practice squad. He was the only true center on the team, but essentially a third-string player behind Cody Whitehair and James Daniels.
When Castillo arrived and replaced Harry Hiestand, he asked Mustipher to add about 10-15 pounds to get to 320.
Mustipher went to work. He worked out twice a day, sometimes three times a day, during the pandemic offseason.
“He attacked the offseason like I’ve never seen him attack anything before during his short life span,” Mustipher Sr. said. “He significantly improved his diet, which was already good. He focused on his flexibility, his strength, taking care of his body. He put a lot of time and a lot of finances into taking care of his body.
”
When Castillo arrived and replaced Harry Hiestand, he asked Mustipher to add about 10-15 pounds to get to 320.
Mustipher went to work. He worked out twice a day, sometimes three times a day, during the pandemic offseason.
“He attacked the offseason like I’ve never seen him attack anything before during his short life span,” Mustipher Sr. said. “He significantly improved his diet, which was already good. He focused on his flexibility, his strength, taking care of his body. He put a lot of time and a lot of finances into taking care of his body.
”
By this point, Mustipher was no longer the unknown, undrafted center.
“I think that Sam Mustipher has brought a very great energy to our huddle, him and Bars, I think that the energy that those guys bring that shows up on tape,” receiver Allen Robinson said. “We see those guys helping guys up, we see those guys always constantly being around the ball or if it’s downfield on a pass play or if it’s a run play that gets a tackle for loss or it’s an explosive run you always see those guys around the ball and I think that’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Said Montgomery, “Sam coming in and leading the charge, that’s big. He came in the same year as me, you’d think he has been in the league 10, 11, 12 years the way he coaches out there. He just takes charge. He’s the general on the line and they believe and buy in.”
“I think that Sam Mustipher has brought a very great energy to our huddle, him and Bars, I think that the energy that those guys bring that shows up on tape,” receiver Allen Robinson said. “We see those guys helping guys up, we see those guys always constantly being around the ball or if it’s downfield on a pass play or if it’s a run play that gets a tackle for loss or it’s an explosive run you always see those guys around the ball and I think that’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Said Montgomery, “Sam coming in and leading the charge, that’s big. He came in the same year as me, you’d think he has been in the league 10, 11, 12 years the way he coaches out there. He just takes charge. He’s the general on the line and they believe and buy in.”