Back in college we were doing 1 on 1 drills between offensive line and defense squad.
As luck would have it, i was up against a normally capable player who was, if what others said much later was accurate, sadly stoned that day.
As a result I literally ran him over.
Because the lines were the same length the next time up I smashed through him again.
On the third time I hit him so perfectly and hard that he flew backwards through the air ... and I had nothing to lean against but air so I fell on my knee and hurt myself.
I approached the trainer who told me to get back in line.
But getting out of line meant I wasn’t up against the same guy and, wouldn’t you know it, the offensive line coach took notice.
So with him watching, now with a hurting knee that was swelling up fast and getting stiff I found myself against a guy who had been a walk on and so impressed the coaching staff that they gave him a full ride scholarship ... a real dynamo.
Yeah ... that worked out well.
The next day, a Friday, my knee was swollen and draining blood into my leg ... it was the only practice I ever missed and probably one of the few practices that coach ever remembered me by.
... knowing my luck....
So while I normally think Der Wanker a complete moron as a general (and an actual asset to the allies) this was one of those times I understand the worry that it’s going too easy and something is amiss.
Great story! You should teach History if you don’t already. Analogies like that removes the young mind from focusing on strage sounding names, places and dates long passed; instead getting to the crux of the issue in a memorable way.