Dameon finally got his scepter.
Okay, so let me explain. Kyle Brandt, a fellow Ivy Leaguer, created a segment for "Good Morning Football" over the past few years called Angry Runs. It quickly became my favorite segment on that, or any other, show, honestly. I loved Brandt's free flowing description of a true angry run featuring broken tackles and hard running, with the energy that he brought to the run's highlight. Once he's presented all of the runs, the crew of GMFB determines the winner and the trophy is delivered - this wonderfully, medieval scepter. That scepter perfectly personifies the Angry Runs and runners in the NFL on a weekly basis. I'm envious of Brandt's genius putting that segment together every week. Regardless, I just always wanted a Texan to win that scepter.
Well, in Week 5, this happened.
I saw The Run happen in person and I was still dumbfounded that rookie RB Dameon Pierce did, well, THAT. He had a run at the University of Florida, where his helmet got ripped off on a run against rival Florida State. With his helmet OFF, he DOVE into the end zone between three Seminole defenders for a touchdown. When I saw that on film last year, immediately, Pierce became one of my favorite runners.
After we drafted him, I hoped that at some point, he'd produce a run of that caliber for the Texans and, perhaps, be mentioned in the Angry Runs segment.
He did.
The Run in Jacksonville broke the tackle counter and it broke the back of the Jaguars too. Two plays after The Run, he plowed into the end zone from one yard out for the game-winning score. As soon as we got on the bus for the way home, I tweeted to Kyle Brandt something akin to "Found your Angry Run of the Week, bro."
The following week, I'm waiting with baited breath to see Dameon win the scepter. I watched the whole segment and waited for those words…he didn't win.
The three in-studio hosts picked Jets DT Quinnen Williams pie-facing Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill as the scepter winner that week. My level of disgust was at an all-time high but I hoped Dameon would get redemption and Brandt was confident that Pierce would get another shot. Unfortunately, an injury ended Pierce's season before he could win that coveted scepter over the last half of the season.
But, Brandt decided to have an Angriest Run of the Year and there was still a chance because Dameon's run against Jacksonville was one of the three finalists. On Thursday night at NFL Honors, when DeMeco Ryans won AP Assistant Coach of the Year, Pierce won the Angriest Run of the Year scepter.
Ultimately, it was THAT scepter that mattered most and Dameon finally got his scepter.
