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“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t even try to deny it. Griffin is suited up and looking mighty determined for an all-pro, veteran starter in the preseason.”
“It was nothing.”
“Bullshit. I want in.”
“You want in on what?”
“On you taking the starting quarterback job.”
“Relax, with that.” Waving my hand, I encourage him to speak quietly. “I am not trying to create problems in the locker room or for this team. I just want an opportunity.”
Cooper slowly checks over his shoulders, one after the other, with a smirk, nods his head, and winks. “I’ll be open.”
The stadium looks sold out, even though it’s only a preseason game. This is the first chance most of the Silverbacks’ fans have had to see their team in months, so the place is packed. The crowd is a sea of red and black—the team colors—all around.
The stadium sound system is blasting “Crazy Train” at an obscene volume as we rush out onto the field. The crowd’s response is deafening and their energy feels electric, sending chills over the surface of my skin.
I’ve always loved this time of the year. Late summer football brings with it all the hopes of the upcoming season. As an athlete, you hope all of the workouts have made your body hard enough and strong enough to survive the season without an injury. You hope the endless film study sessions, team meetings, and reps on the field will be enough to succeed.
There’s something special about athletic competition, especially at the professional level. And for me, football has always been the highest form of competition, and it’s been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. But this season feels different. I’ve put the work in and have never felt more ready. It’s time to lock in and show the world how good I can be. This is my time, but only if I perform.
“Feeling good?” The QB coach, Coach Parker, slaps me on the back along the sidelines.
“Feeling great,” I shout back above the noise.
“Good. Stay loose. Coach Chubb has Barlow starting but you’re looking at a healthy dose of reps behind center tonight.”
“I’m always ready.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Now, let’s get some payback on these fuckers.”
Our opponents tonight are division rivals, the Carolina Cougars, the team that ended our hopes of a playoff run last season. There’s no shortage of hard feelings in our locker room for the Cougars, and while it’s only preseason, things could easily get chippy.
The Cougars defense doesn’t waste any time letting us know they came to bully us around. They blitz on the first play and easily sack a slow-to-evade Brett, hitting him both high and low.He’s slow to get up and even slower leading the huddle to call the next play. By the time they get to the line of scrimmage, the play clock is almost up. It’s close, but Brett doesn’t get the ball in play in time to avoid a penalty.
It’s a horrible start that only gets worse when Brett takes another sack on the third play.
“Three and out! Are you fucking kidding me?” Coach Chubb is furious and doesn’t hide it as the offense jogs back to the sidelines.
Brett doesn’t say a word as he walks straight to the bench with his head down.
“Start warming up.” Coach Parker lets me know I’m going in on the next offensive series.
I’ve only thrown two passes to warm up behind the bench when our defense forces a fumble on the Cougars’ first snap of the ball, getting the offense right back out on the field. The crowd responds like a clap of thunder, roaring their collective approval.
“Alright, O’Rourke, it’s time for you to show me what you’ve got.” Coach Chubb grabs me by the chest pads and pulls me in close. “The team is all yours tonight.”
Damn right. And I’m not giving it back.
The huddle is silent and everyone looks concerned. I’m not at all surprised, as they just watched their starting quarterback basically shit himself in front of our hometown fans.
“Who’s ready for a little payback?” I smile with confidence and let them all know the first play. “Double right. Single jet. Hard, on three. Double right. Single jet. Hard, on three. Break.”
Double rightcalls for the wide receiver and tight end to line up side by side on the right.
Single jetcalls for the wide receiver, Griffin Moore, to line up on the outside and break long down the sideline. The tight end, Cooper Grind, will hang back to assist with protection blockingand then run a shorter route across the middle for a second option.
