Rhein Fire cornerback Therrian Fontenot writes a diary for Packers.com, logging his NFL Europe venture. This weekend, the 4-2 Fire host the 2-3-1 Berlin Thunder. This week, Therrian writes about the game, his experiences in Düsseldorf and the unique bond he has with his teammates.
I just finished a meeting with Darren Sharper and a couple of the NFL Network guys. They just basically asked me about going up against Berlin this weekend. I had two picks the last time we played them and they asked me about Berlin's routes and also about the Packers. I've only really done a few interviews, which has really been good, but I've also had a lot of time to just hang back and get ready for the games.
I'm not any more confident than I was last time we played Berlin, even though I was successful against them. I'm just watching extra film, doing extra studying and just looking forward to playing a great offense. They have two good, accurate quarterbacks who know where they're going with the football and run the offense really well.
We've lost the last two games. I don't think the spirit of our team has been negatively affected by the losses. There are a couple of plays and calls we wish we had back, but we're still high on ourselves. We're just ready for this week
I've had a chance to go out in Düsseldorf a little. We go to this American place called Louisiana's to hang out. It's a lot of fun. We're also welcomed there and we have a lot of fun with the fans after the games. Downtown Düsseldorf is amazing. There are a lot of people who are friendly to us. We talk to people and try to speak a little German to them. I know a few a words like "entschuldigen," which basically means "excuse me," and "dank", which is the short version of "thank you."
I never thought I'd be playing football in Germany and learning to speak the language. My mom told me that my uncle, who was in the Army, was stationed over here. When I found out I was going to Europe, I was kind of skeptical about it, but now I think it's one of the best experiences I've ever had. It's a different way of living. Over here, people don't waste or take anything for granted - they recycle everything. In the showers in America, people just let them run and run. But here, in our locker room, the showers here run for about 10 seconds and stop, so you have to keep pressing the button to get more water. As far as transportation, there are so many people that walk or ride their bikes.
I enjoy my teammates here. When we go out, it's almost like a family. We're all over here together in a different country, so we count on each other for a lot. Here, we come home to the hotel and do everything as a team. We go out as a team. We also have a defensive back night, where all the DBs go out together. I've never been around a team with this kind of chemistry.
I want to say "hi" to all of our Rhein Fire fans here. We had a wild crowd out here last week and they're going to be with us for the whole ride. They love watching the game of football and they're real supportive.
I also want to give a shout out to my family again and all of my homeboys. I appreciate you e-mailing, texting, sending me pictures I haven't seen and telling me I'm doing a good job. I know you're all still watching me and I appreciate it.
