Knights of Andreas 1.09: Returns

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Knights of Andreas

Part I

Chapter Nine – Returns

 

Devin Hester takes the opening kickoff, sees a hole, accelerates, and is leveled by linebacker and special teams captain Marlon Martin. Farmers Field cheers for the big hit, and the instant replay entices oh’s and ah’s from fans, many of whom did not know Martin’s name before today.

 

He gets their attention again when Hester takes his first punt return of the afternoon and gets punished in a similar way. The energy created by Martin’s play seems to carry over to the Knights’ defense. Chicago’s receivers get no separation in coverage, and L.A.’s front seven continuously dominates their offensive line. All this clearly flusters Jay Cuter, who ends the first quarter with two interceptions and eleven passing yards.

 

The Knights’ offense, unfortunately, fails to take advantage. Julius Peppers is doing what Jared Allen did last week, forcing Maverick is roll right constantly. Except, unlike Minnesota, the Bears secondary has players like Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings.

 

With a nonexistent pass game, Coach Daniel tries his best to counter by running the football. In practice this week, Michael Bush tweaked his ankle and was eventually declared out for the game, so Darren McFadden spells his carries with second-year back Jerome Jaxson.

 

Facing 3rd and 5, Daniel substitutes Jaxson for McFadden. Maverick lines up in shotgun and the Bears back off, expecting a pass. Maverick hands off to Jaxson, who bursts through a hole in the offensive line. He runs for Brian Urlacher and jukes right. He gets around Urlacher but is still brought down—for a seven-yard gain. First down.

 

Daniel feels a little extra celebration for Jaxson’s play, but he subdues it, not wanting to reveal his personal bias. He’s rooting for the kid, and with Bush out, this game figures to be the most he’s seen the field so far.

 

 

 

The crowd at Rentschler Field amps up for the opening kickoff. Their beloved Huskies are 4-0, though tonight’s game against Syracuse is their first true challenge. Expectations are high for the 2009 season, their fifth under head coach Caden Daniel.

 

From the sidelines, Daniel watches his kick return team get set, especially junior Jerome Jaxson. Two and a half years ago, the four-star prospect from Long Beach, California was destined for USC. At the last second, Daniel reached out to the young man and discovered his wish to move away from his troubled California lifestyle. A few days later, Jaxson shocked everyone by picking up the Huskies hat during his selection press conference.

 

He has since become the crown jewel of that recruiting class and a star player for the Huskies. Daniel expects Jaxson to get some Heisman buzz this season, and he seems primed to be a top draft pick in the NFL, something Daniel believes will encourage him to forgo his senior season.

 

Jaxson eagerly awaits the opening kick as it flies through the air. He catches it and runs forward as the coverage sets up in front of him. He drifts left and spots an opening. He accelerates, and an unseen defender flies in from the right and hits him.

 

His right knee feels like it’s on fire. He doesn’t realize he has fallen to the ground and no longer has the football, and he screams uncontrollably in pain. The crowd of forty thousand goes silent.

 

Jaxson does not return to the game, and the following day, UConn’s worst fears are confirmed: torn ACL and MCL. Jaxson’s junior year is over.

 

 

 

After three quarters, a pair of inept offenses has led to a 10-6 lead for Chicago. With a 7-3 record, the Bears have their sights set on the playoffs, and they expect to beat the lowly Knights.

 

The Knights take the field on offense with Jerome Jaxson as their running back. Daniel has watched he and McFadden split carries evenly today, and he believes Jaxson is playing better. He is more committal with the ball and seems to find more running lanes than McFadden, though neither one is getting much blocking.

 

The Bears defense shows blitz, and Maverick calls a blocking adjustment. From the backfield, Jaxson hears it and gets ready. He takes the handoff and runs left. He sees a hole and guns for it. A Bears defender closes the gap and he stops, moves right, and takes off. Somehow, no one brings him down. He finds some daylight and turns on the jets. Safety Chris Conte is the last man to beat; Jaxson stutter-steps and cuts left. Conte falls to the ground, and Jaxson’s speed takes it the rest of the way. 13-10, Knights. Jaxson tries to dance in the end zone but is too tired for anything excessive. He returns to the sideline and gives his head coach a hug.

 

Devin Hester returns the ensuing kickoff from deep in the end zone. Marlon Martin heads for him along the sideline but can’t dodge a Bears blocker. He manages to get around him but feels his jersey being held. At the last second, he dives for Hester, but misses. He looks around for a flag—nothing. Meanwhile, Hester takes the return all the way. 17-13, Bears.

 

The offense tries to strike back, but Jaxson can’t make any electrifying plays, and Maverick can’t find any open receivers. The Bears soon get the ball back but fail to do much with it. Before long, the Knights have the ball with a 1:25 to go, the would-be game-winning drive.

 

The Bears back off in prevent defense. Maverick takes a snap from his own thirty. Johnson runs a curl route and Maverick flings it to him for ten yards. First down.

 

Maverick steps up with rushers coming on the outside. Feeling the pressure, he spots Miller over the middle. He fires, and Miller catches it in traffic. First down, and the Knights are across midfield.

 

Maverick stares down D-Jam for a fade route. He’s single-covered, so Maverick takes a chance. D-Jam tracks the ball, jumps, and comes down with it. He tries to get his second foot down in bounds. After he hits the ground, the nearest official declares it a catch. The Bears sideline objects, but Maverick sets the huddle. No challenge comes from upstairs.

 

From the twenty, Maverick drops back, then takes the ball himself through the middle. He’s got grass in front of him, but the Bears close in quickly, so he slides down at the ten. He looks up at the clock: 0:21, 0:20—Coach Daniel calls timeout, L.A.’s last of the game.

 

Daniel calls a quick pass play to get closer to the end zone, then a screen pass to Jaxson, hoping to catch Chicago off guard. Maverick takes the quick snap and fires to Bishop, who catches it and is hit immediately for a five-yard gain. As the clock ticks down, the crowd goes frantic as Maverick sets the formation.

 

He takes the snap from shotgun and looks to the end zone, trying to sell it, then flings the ball to the flat. Jaxson catches it and watches the blocking set up in front of him. Linebackers force him toward the sideline, where Tim Jennings waits for him. He’s forced through his blockers and lunges for the end zone. Defenders hit him in midair and he falls to the grass. He’s past the goal line and into the end zone—but the football isn’t. Several Bears defenders recover the fumble on the three-yard line to end the game.

 

 

 

As the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft begins, the Knights prepare for their final selection. It’s their first draft under new management, and while they’ve followed a wait-and-see strategy with their big board so far, they have a pre-arranged agreement to draft a certain player if he falls to their last pick. He does.

 

“Well, coach,” Chance Phillips says, “I imagine this is a sentimental selection for you.”

 

“Sure is, Chance,” Caden Daniel says. “But I also believe he’s the best player available at this point.”

 

Phillips doesn’t necessarily disagree; it becomes more difficult to define “best player available” as the draft hits the late stages, and Phillips always liked taking chances in the later rounds. He also likes drafting running backs late, but his personal sleeper, James Starks, is gone, so Jerome Jaxson is their man.

 

Medically, Jaxson’s rehab is going well, and the Knights’ medical staff has given the green light. His forecast for the 2010 season isn’t promising, but he should be healthy by November, at the very least. And the Knights have a competent backfield; they’re not counting on anything from Jaxson immediately. Phillips, though, likes the potential for returns on a long-term investment.

 

As suggested by Phillips, Wayne Schneider abandons protocol and lets Coach Daniel deliver the call to his former player.

 

 

 

During practice, Jerome Jaxson thinks nothing of his team’s 3-9 record, nothing of the fact that there are only four games left in the season. He thinks only of his breakout performance, and how it was marred by his costly fumble. He had a great game, he knows, but it would have been legendary had he gotten the ball across the goal line for the game-winning touchdown. Jaxson treats every practice rep as if it’s the last play of the Bears game all over gain.

 

Despite his error, he feels reinvigorated by finally seeing substantial playing time. After his ACL fully healed late last season, he received a few carries here and there, never in any key situations. He was shocked by how much quicker defenses were, how quickly they closed gaps, compared to college. More scattered carries this year have slowly accustomed him to the speed of the game, but now he has finally broken through.

 

To be fair, he is and has been the team’s primary punt returner. And despite no touchdowns (yet), Jaxson is proud of his progress, though he feels he has yet to reach the elite ranks among guys like Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs.

 

As the offensive players run through drills, Coach Daniel migrates to the other side of the field and finds his defensive coordinator. An idea has been stuck in his mind since Sunday, and he has refrained from mentioning it until now.

 

“Coach,” Daniel says, “got a second?”

 

“Sure thing, boss,” Merle Harden says. “What’s on your mind?”

 

“Kirk Morrison. How is he playing, in your estimation?”

 

“Coach, we talked about Kirk in film review. You know how I feel.”

 

“Well, how about this: Marlon Martin. You think it’s time to give him some reps at linebacker?”

 

Harden thinks. “It’s not the worst idea I’ve heard. I’m not about to pull my defensive captain from the field, though. And Randall’s playing too good to ride the bench.”

 

“It’s your call, coach. Just wanted to throw it out there.”

 

 

 

Marlon Martin sits on the couch at home, glued to his Xbox 360 console, his favorite offseason habit. It piles up hours devoid of physical activity, but Martin works out enough to make up for it. Besides, he’s a free agent; all he can do is wait right now.

 

His contract with the Atlanta Falcons expired weeks ago, and despite being Atlanta’s special teams captain, he hasn’t been re-signed yet. His blowhard agent, who he’s contractually locked to, is setting his price high, marketing him as the best special teams player in the NFL, excluding including kick returners.

 

Martin hates that tag. He’s always considered himself a linebacker, not a special teamer. He played linebacker in high school and at Penn State, where he was a two-time second team All-American. But after drafting him the sixth round, the Steelers found a place for him on special teams, and that’s where he honed his skills. After three years, they cut him loose, and he bounced from team to team the next few seasons. The Falcons are his fourth team of a career that is seven years old. Will they re-sign him, or will he soon have a fifth?

 

His phone rings; it’s that damn agent.

 

“Marlon! How’s my favorite special teamer doing?”

 

“What do you want?”

 

“My man, I have delivered. I know you were skeptical, but I promised you we’d get an offer with terms we wanted, and I’m calling to tell you it has happened.”

 

“Um, great, I guess. Atlanta?”

 

“Nope. Los Angeles. They matched the details I insisted upon: two years, 2.2 million. We’ll give Atlanta the choice to match those terms, of course, and if they do, I play both teams against each other until one ups their offer.”

 

That sounds fair. Martin is disappointed he’s not a Falcon, but they still have the chance to match the contract. With his 29th birthday approaching, Martin is reaching the point where winning is his top priority. Atlanta is coming off a 13-3 season and, despite going one-and-done, has a bright future, Martin feels. He wants to stay there.

 

But if it’s not going to happen, Los Angeles doesn’t sound so bad.

 

 

 

When Chance Phillips first hears that Marlon Martin is seeing reps at inside linebacker, he’s intrigued. He saw Morrison as a defensive cornerstone of the roster he inherited, but the last two seasons haven’t gone well for him. At first, Phillips (and everyone) thought it was a byproduct of switching to the 3-4; now it appears his skills have simply deteriorated. Briggs Randall is playing great, but the Knights possess neither depth nor a replacement for Morrison. Martin is now potentially that replacement, even though Phillips only signed him for special teams. He knows how good of a linebacker he was at Penn State, but that was a long time ago.

 

Coach Harden watches closely as Martin takes reps alongside Kirk Morrison. Everything seems fine: his technique is solid, he knows the playbook, and he tackles well. Nothing compares to real game experience, though.

 

On the other side of the ball, Michael Bush is given a clean bill of health, and Coach Daniel breaks the news that he has been demoted to third string. Jerome Jaxson’s performance against Chicago has earned him second string, and Daniel plans to spell him and McFadden again this Sunday.

 

 

 

The Knights arrive in Miami on Saturday welcomed by warm weather, abnormal for an away game. The Dolphins started the year 0-7 but have since climbed to 4-8, one game better than Los Angeles. It’s the same setup as the Minnesota game: two bad teams, nothing to fight for. But for the Knights, any win is a confidence booster right now.

 

Temperature at opening kickoff is eighty degrees, the best weather the Knights have seen outside of L.A. this season. After serving his usual special teams duty, Marlon Martin waits on the bench for his turn. Morrison and Randall start as inside linebackers and stay there the first few possessions, during which Miami scores no points.

 

Miami’s third offensive possession starts with the Knights leading 3-0. Martin is summoned and spells Randall, who high-fives him on the way. Finally, Martin sees the field from the linebacker position. He barely has time to size up the offense before Matt Moore hands off to Reggie Bush, who runs for Martin. He tries to figure out which lane to take, and an offensive lineman plants him. Bush runs past for a nine-yard gain.

 

Martin gets set for 2nd and 1. Everyone anticipates a Miami run. Moore hands off to Bush again, and Martin finds his lane immediately. He collides with Bush at the line of scrimmage, a pile forms, and forward progress halts.

 

On 3rd and 1, Martin covers Bush out of the backfield. He runs a route and Martin runs to his right, ready for a pass. But Moore looks the other way and finds Anthony Fasano for a first down catch. Martin runs toward the play as it ends, and guard Richie Incognito gives a late shove to Zack Grantzinger, putting him on the ground. Grantzinger pops up, ready to gauge Incognito’s eyes out, but Martin gets in between the two. A shouting match ensues, and Martin says nothing, remaining between both players. The officiating crew restores order, and no penalties are called.

 

Martin readies for 1st and 10 with his eyes on Incognito. Moore takes the snap and drops back. Incognito backs up, ready to block any blitzing linebackers. Morrison fakes a blitz and Incognito slides left; but Morrison backs off, and Martin charges the line. He lowers his shoulders and, despite being eighty pounds lighter, plows Incognito backwards onto his own quarterback. Moore stumbles, and Grantzinger finishes him off for the sack. Incognito chirps at Martin, who walks away without a word.

 

The rest of the game continues in the same way; the Knights have the edge physically and mentally. They seem hungrier and play better in every way. Anytime Miami’s offense strings together a few first downs, the Knights’ defense responds with a big sack or interception. Offensively, Jerome Jaxson provides a steady run game, freeing Jonathan Maverick to distribute the ball to all his receivers. Maverick runs his offense with precision and accuracy.

 

Though Coach Daniel fights it, the players feel their one-play-at-a-time focus lift a little. They play relaxed, able to admit, for the first time all year, they are dominating their opponent. They lead 10-0 after the first quarter, 17-3 at halftime, and 24-10 after the third quarter.

 

For Jaxson, he feels almost as if he’s back at UConn, back in control. He sidesteps defenders like they’re college opponents. By the fourth quarter, he’s over a hundred yards rushing with one touchdown—and no fumbles. More importantly, the Knights have a 27-10 lead.

 

Coach Daniel calls another run from the sidelines. There’s still eight minutes to go, and the Knights have let similar victories slip away before, but he feels confident this time. Facing third down from the edge of field goal range, he calls a toss to Jaxson, riding the hot hand.

 

Maverick studies the defense and flips the play. Jaxson takes the pitch left and guns for the first down marker. He passes it and jumps over a would-be tackler, who hits his leg and spins him midair. As soon as he hits the ground he feels it, a burning pain in his knee.

 

His right knee.

 

He writhes in pain again and knows something’s torn. His teammates come to his aid and the Dolphins sideline goes quiet around him. On the opposite sideline, Coach Daniel watches in horror as the Knights’ trainers rush toward the commotion.

 

After a few minutes, Jaxson is taken to the locker room by cart and given applause from what’s left of the Sun Life Stadium crowd.

 

The final minutes of the game tick down quickly for the Knights. They add a field goal to their lead and Miami is unable to do anything else on offense. Knights win, 30-10.

 

In the locker room, Coach Daniel commends the team for a dominating performance and insists there is still much progress that can be made with three games to go. He notes that despite their 4-9 record, they have not yet been eliminated from playoff contention.

 

Conversation picks up around the locker room as players dress for a long flight home. Marlon Martin seeks out his defensive coordinator for evaluation on his play.

 

“I’ve got eleven guys to watch every play, Marlon,” Harden says. “We’ll review film as usual and let you know.”

 

Martin nods despite the unhelpful feedback. After finally breaking through and seeing defensive snaps, his career outlook has completely changed. He only played a handful of series, and mostly in garbage time, but it’s a start. Is a starting job possible in the near future? Martin suddenly feels thankful he signed a two-year contract with Los Angeles.

 

A few minutes later, Daniel makes his way to his postgame press conference. Per custom, he opens with injury news.

 

“Jerome Jaxson suffered a right knee injury. We’re not exactly sure what at this point, though x-rays are negative. He will have an MRI tomorrow in Los Angeles.”

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Double lolBangyfail, first with the fumble, then calling Josh Cribbs an elite talent.

 

I also like how "Incognito chirped at Martin, who walks away without a word." Nice. lol

 

Great stuff as always. Your writing is starting to mature even more as you go into depth.

[Bangy 19]

Yay I appeared but god damn it Stevo an injury . I too noticed the Josh Cribbs reference as well lol however average he is/was at WR, still will say at the point he was an elite return man.

 

Once again loved the episode especially the cliff hanger for me anyway with how bad the injury is. Also thanks for sticking with a good amount of my back story just got to wait a week to see what happens.....

[RazorStar 4,025]

Excellent chapter Steven. Also awesome that I completely destroyed Incognito.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Wonderful job as always, Stevo. I like the Razor dynamic.

[Maverick 791]

Excellent stuff, Steven.

 

Jaxson's done. Time to air it out more

[Bangy 19]

Excellent stuff, Steven.

 

Jaxson's done. Time to air it out more

 

Yo Jaxson put the team on his back bro, made you look good for a game.