I wish I could get you to understand what it’s like, the rings, the trophies, the locker room, the pressure to win it all, the team, MY team. To the world we have the best job in the world, to the world everything seems easy for us. “The Star Quarterback”, AGGHH, just say the thought of those words sends a chill down my spin. Everyday, EVERY place you go no one every asks about how you’re doing, about your life, it’s always about the team, always about the next game. Things are only worse after a loss though, the week after a loss can seem as though it goes on for an eternity, after a loss you can’t turn on the t.v., going outside is out of the question. I mean come on, I’m still a husband and a father here, I need to let the dogs out, take the trash out, take my kids to school in the morning. But after a loss all of that is out the question. I remember that game last year against Cleveland, we were up 27-21 with 2:06 to play, 3rd & 3 on their 44 yard line, coming out of their last time out I see from the huddle that they’re going into weak zone coverage with the ‘backers coming from the inside, all the while the box is yelling to go inside counter-trey, THAT FUCKING PLAY hadn’t worked all night behind our shaky line and hitting fearing-over the hill-tired ass ‘back, anyway coming out of the huddle I spot that the rook wide out had an inside edge on his man who was in full tell on the zone coverage I saw, as we’re going to the line I call a PA Counter Trey Fake, a play that had worked perfectly 3 Weeks ago in the game against Philly, since the line up for both plays are the same the D would’ve never known the switch if they were blitzing the run anyway. So as we get to the line I see the eyes of the Mike ‘Backer just giving me their play with his eyes, like knowing what I was thinking he hurries to call the switch, defense scrambling around to get into Man, I yell “HIKE”, everything's in motion, bodies of men a blur, colors flashing, bright lights, silence and my throw—Had the be the best throw I’ve EVER seen in my life, dead silence and just a bit of chill in the air. Man, it felt like time had just stopped right there and the only things moving were my eyes, the ball, and then- CRUSH, Blindsided by the strong side Blitzer who had gotten around the outside edge, slammed back into reality, like being suddenly awakened from a dream, shoulder on FIRE, head ringing from bouncing off the ground and all the sounds, I see over the top that the rook had caught the ball and was blazing down the open field, YES!! YES!! YES!!, This game was over, we had done it and I had lead, as he crosses into the end zone and breaks into some crazy pose, I hear this piercing sound throw all the ringing in my ears, WHISTLE, FUCK, Sideline Ref. This blind motherfucker has been calling shit on us all night - “FLAG”, He yells, “Pass Interference…OFFENSE, Number 81”, The Rook – Wait what, As all the heads in the stadium turn to Big Screen, I’m pissed, I’m yelling at everybody and had to be separated from both the ref and the rook for his STUPID mistake, Looking up on at the replay-It shows that at the snap the rook beat his man bad with his inside step and as the corner fell he fell inside towards where my guy was going, as he did reached out and grabbed my receiver and the the rook pushed him off and continued his route, therefore the call should’ve gone the other way. So now it’s 4 & 19, were punting and I’m getting an earful from the Coach on the sideline for changing the play. All the while Cleveland, has gotten the ball and has driven it all the way back down to our 17-yard line with 27 seconds to play, wouldn’t you know the score the Touchdown. kick the Extra Point and take the lead with 0:09 left to play. As soon as the final whistle snaps. there is no getting out of this place alive, as soon as I take off my helmet I standing there with Suzie Whatshershits. asking me who’s idea it was to change the play. “Thanks Coach”, I’m thinking, that idiot bastard has already found someone else to blame, NOT his shitty play calling or that FUCKING SORRY LINE. All the way to the locker room, all I hear are the voices of these Slacker Fans with their misspelled signs, I swear the tunnel is the only place where there is piece, the only place that for some reason quiet, in the locker room the "Blame Game” has already started, and everybody is in their little click, I mean seriously a “click” that showers together? Because no one really cares that we lost, they only care about how the Highlights will show them, me I could give a fuck about all the media and fame, but I am still thinking about how that was one hell of a play out there, and I’ll have to remember to tell the rook about it sometime, maybe on the plane. Back to the point at hand though, Losses are horrible, that whole next week “the play” was the talk of the world, “Why’d he change the play”, somehow everything that we seem to do is “About the contract”, something that most of us have never read or have seen. We just know how much we’re getting after everyone else gets theirs.
To be Continued…
Comments
Post a Comment