I am stronger…I am faster…I am in better position…I play lower…I am the hammer, not the nail…I know what he’s gonna do before he does it…I will dominate him all day…but what if I’m not any of those? Then what? No no no, I am all those things and more and I will prove it again this week…right? Of course, because I am stronger…I am faster…  This is the mental thoughts and scenarios that run through my mind on game day ever since college because in high school I didn’t know any better (which was probably not a bad thing).  Every game day I wake up with little thoughts but to dominate my opponents that day, the same one I have been studying on tape for the last week, learning their tendencies or favorite moves and their potential weaknesses and put together my own game plan on how I will have the best of them that day.  Does it always work? Unfortunately not, because they are doing the exact same thing I am doing (or they should be doing so).  I am a melting pot of emotions on game day, ranging from excited, to nervous, to anxious, to funny just to name a few.  I tend to start getting quiet the night before a game and especially on game day, a process my parents never quite understood or liked but they know it will happen every game.  I strive for that perfect game ever since college, the one where I dominate my opponents on every single play from start to finish but so far it hasn’t happen because out of 60+ plays a game, you’re bound to not be perfect and get beat on a few of them, hopefully you keep those not so perfect plays to 4-5 and still finish playing a good game…just not perfect.  Along with this motivation I am also constantly plague with this feeling that things could go very wrong and I could be the weak link of the team that day…a scary feeling for any professional athlete.  However, this feeling actually adds fuel to my already roaring engine and makes me sure to play every play like the game depended on it.  I’ve asked other guys how they feel before a game and the answers were just as diverse as Jonathan St-Pierre’s lunch.  I had a good friend of mine who would throw up before each game, even though he had been playing for a long time.  Others are very relaxed and actually have a nap minutes before we go out for warm-ups.  Some are a ball of anxiety or anger, listening to their favorite music and occasionally screaming out random lyrics.  The one thing we all have in common is that everyone has a very focused look on their face…you can tell that they are zoned in and thinking about the battle to come ahead…I know I am because I am faster…I am in better position…I play lower…

    Big game tomorrow night for us…why you ask? Because it’s the next game, simple as that.  The Ticats are a very good football team on both sides of the ball and have a very active group on the d-line.  Some fans might say that they don’t have any big name players on that d-line but let me say that after watching game tape on them all week that some of those guys will be household names before the end of the year.  Our o-line isn’t too shabby either (depending on which expert local reporter you ask) so I anticipate this being a good battle in the trenches tomorrow night.  Hopefully Mother Nature is kind to us and gives us a nice day outside so no one has to wear their ponchos in the stands.  By the way, my mom was in town about 3 weeks ago and saw someone (besides my girlfriend) wearing a #57 with my name on it.  She asked Leslie “Who’s that wearing Marc’s jersey?” to which she replied she didn’t know.  A quick game of “You go ask him, no you do it” went back and forth but neither of them did so I figured I’d try to find him this next game…after all, if you’re gonna buy my jersey I’d love to sign it and take a few pictures with you after we win the game…so when we do win, make your way down the bottom of the bleachers and I’ll keep an eye out for you…and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…

Marc Parenteau #57