Leroy Hill Out Til Week 8. Fans Rend Their Garments.

I remember for my 12th birthday my dad took me to Toys 'R' Us and told me to find a toy a 12 year old would like. I figured this was his fucked up way of telling me to pic out my present. Vague directions such as these were nothing new, my dad was often rather indirect about what he wanted. It was easier for him to get mad later that way. Anyway, I frantically searched up and down the aisles for my present, admiring action figures, looking over board games, ogling legos. Then I found it, my excalibur, a Nerf Ballzooka. 8 barrels of ball blasting menace sure to make me the king of all Nerf wars. I was stoked. I could already imagine the pwnage I would inflict upon my opponents. I could picture them running from a hail of little yellow Nerf balls.

I took my prize up to my dad, doing my best not to lose my cool from my excitement. He brought it up to the cash register, paid for it, took it out to his Blazer and put it in the back. There it remained for weeks, mocking me. Every time I got into the back seat I would inevitably look into the back seat and see the ballzooka sitting there in it's box just waiting to be used. Every time I'd look at it and get depressed thinking of all the cool things I could be doing with it. My dad eventually gave it to one of those buy a present for a needy kid places in the mall.

Losing Leroy Hill for 8 weeks after just a few plays in the first game reminds me exactly of this situation. Hill was to be a integral part of the new look West Coast defense. His blitzing and ability to track down plays in the backfield made him an intriguing weapon for D coordinator Gus Bradley. Now Bradley has to sit and watch as hill stands on the sideline with a groin injury. He'll probably cast a longing glance at what he can't have, much like a 12 year old me. The difference is Bradley gets Hill back after a few long weeks where as I never got my ballzooka.