Marcus D. Washington

2009 - Grey Cup Champs!!!

I was blessed to be a part of the Montreal Alouettes football organization throughout the year as the season concluded in a way that I could have never imagined.  I was a part of one the most amazing & illustrious Alouettes seasons ever.  I gained a lot of knowledge and experience throughout the season up in Montreal, Quebec on the field and off the field.  My congrats to Jim Popp, Marcel Desjardin, the entire football operations staff and football team of the 2009 Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes!

2009 - Camp with Montreal Alouettes

I was asked to come participate in Rookie Mini Camp for the Montreal Alouettes this summer where they held their training camp at St. Jean sur Richelieu.  I arrived in Montreal on June 1st and shuttled out to St. Jean to get things started.  Although I am primarily a RunningBack, instead of lining up to go against the LineBackers I decided to go head to head with the Defensive Backs as a Wide Receiver.  I learned a significant amount from Coach Marcus Brady (former Alouettes QuarterBack behind Anthony Calvillo) and even some of the other Receivers about running sharp routes, releasing off the ball, and protecting the throw.  I feel as though I cannot be contained by any LineBacker or Devensive Back!  I was very pleased with my performance, as were the coaches and staff, but not signed.

2009 - Edmonton Eskimos Workout Results * Proven 4.4 Speed!

I finished a workout for the Edmonton Eskimos this past Sunday at the University of Cincinnati. My test results for the 40 yard dash was officially a 4.47 as determined by Assistant General Manager Paul Jones.

Overall I had a confident performance and the workout went extremely well. I dominated in the one-on-one sessions, did not drop a single ball, and performed well in all of the speed & agility tests that I was asked to perform. Never have I felt better about my overall performance at any other tryout.

BSAA Leader of Men Appreciation Ceremony

Monte Brooks, Ray Lewis, and I at BSAA event in Harlem, NY

I had the pleasure of attending the Black Sports Agents Association’s appreciation ceremony of Mr. Ray Lewis not only for being a successful, dominating force on the football field, but for being an inspirational role model off of the field.

It was truly amazing to listen to this man speak. His words reached down into my soul and evoked a sense of obligation to be a positive influence to each generation that is to follow me. As a professional athlete I owe it to the people that helped me pursue my dreams to help others increase their chances to pursue theirs. “Money fades, but a Legacy lives on forever”. Thank you Ray Lewis! It was a pleasure to meet, listen, and be inspired by you.

2009 - Toronto Argos Workout Results

I just finished a workout with the Toronto Argonauts this past weekend which went very well! After the tryout on Saturday morning I was invited back to a second workout in the afternoon which was a more exclusive session for the coaches to assess us. Following the practice session we all met to talk over the progress we had made during the day, then Sunday morning we had one final practice session to wrap up the tryout. Overall it was a great experience to get past the testing process and just simply be expected to play football. It was great working with the other players on the team, Coach Andrus, Coach Buratto, as well as the rest of the coaching staff and football operations personnel. I look forward to working with this teams personnel and this program in the near future! The video from this workout is pending and will be uploaded soon.

2009 - Montreal Workout Results/Video

The video for the Montreal Alouettes workout I participated in can be viewed at Workout 02-14-09.  The quality of the video is in real time and sufficient enough to where you can put a clock to it to determine the actual times I ran in my drills.  So, pull out your stopwatch and “CLOCK IT” for yourself!!  You will have a chance to time my 40 yard dash, short shuttle, and L-cone drill.

RiverCity Rage - St. Louis, Missouri

This year I was signed by the RiverCity Rage football team in the Intense Football League out of St. Louis, Missouri.  The team is led by coach Rik Richards who has a very prestigious track record as a head coach.  Coming into training camp it was easy to mistake our team as a all-star football squad.  The team was full of CFL players, NFL players, AFL players, and whichever talented Collegiate graduates coach could find.  Playing with this team allowed me to gain significant knowledge in route running and definitely sharpened up my on field football knowledge once again.  There’s nothing comparable to putting on the pads and playing full contact football!

My departure from the Rage was premature, but not at the expense of my athletic ability.  Economic hardship seems to effect all levels of professional football, but I still appreciate the opportunity I was given to play there.  My talents did not go unnoticed during my stay in St. Louis, and Coach Rik Richards would be a great man to contact in reference to my coachability.  Although I’m not with that team anymore I am still trained; back in Wisconsin working out, and ready to move on to my team.

New Athlete with a New Focus

I’ve got my mind right, and I’m ready to perform.  Never have I felt as well conditioned and focused to play the game of football as I am now.  I see myself as being blessed to be in the situation I am currently in, and to have the opportunity to attain significant knowledge along this tough journey I have traveled.  I have not yet reached the level I aspire to be at, but at no point prior to now have I felt more capable and ready to reach the next level of my career. 

At the age of 24 I am in my prime physical shape, and mental state of mind.  On the field I have a significant range of agility and speed that was documented in my most recent workout for Montreal.  Compared to the new guys coming out of the combine, my numbers are VERY impressive!  Off the field I don’t bring any excess baggage to the table other than a positive, driven attitude to be a significant contributor to my team.   I am a fully matured individual with a non-existent history of issues off of the field, and my level of maturity can easily be assessed within a simple 5 minute conversation.

There is a mapped out journey for everyone in life.  Surely there has been a greater reason that I have not been chosen to play for a top level professional team yet outside of my testing results and film.  Whatever reason that may be I will leave it to a higher power to determine, but I’m going to continue to do everything I need to do to have this journey conclude in the NFL.  I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and years into pursuing this career.

I’m ready!

2009 - Montreal Alouettes Workout Results

I participated in a tryout for the Montreal Alouettes down in Orlando, Florida on February 14th, 2009.  My workout results and video footage from the workout are pending but will be uploaded soon.

Overall the workout went very well.  It started with about 80 or 90 guys and got reduced down to just 7 WR’s, 7 DB’s, 2 RB’s and 2 LB’s.  Although I am a Runningback I was picked as one of the final 7 Wide Receivers.  I was able to catch a few passes from Chris Leake who has been signed by Montreal already.  I was impressed with his skills and hope that I’ll be able to catch many more passes from him in the near future. 

House of Speed - Burlington, Wisconsin

Right now I am currently training in Delavan, Wisconsin at the prestigious House of Speed.  I have already been training for a full week out here with Wes Courier, Jr who is an amazing father, trainer, and standup gentleman. 

He attended Western Illinois University in 1988 and played football for their #2 ranked conference championship team as a wide receiver alongside Don Beebe.  After college he played for the USA National Football Team before attending NFL and CFL tryouts in pursuit of his own professional football career.  His fastest 40 time ever recorded was a 4.37 at a tryout for the Toronto Argonauts. 

Training along with me is Carlos Sims (Western Illinois University) and Jamel Harris (Temple University), both professional prospects as well.  It is a pleasure to be able to train with Wes who is a longtime trainer and once had aspiration to become a professional athlete just as I do today.  He truly pushes us to achieve our full potential and knows what it takes to accomplish the goals we wish to achieve.  With his guidance I am positive I’ll be able to make a major impact on someones professional roster this year!