SteVo+ 3,702 Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) Knights of Andreas Part I Chapter Eleven – Suck for Luck Tuesday morning, practice gets off to a sluggish start. Something is in the air. The locker room is quieter than usual, as is the field. Players move in and out of drills as if they’re white collar, 9-to-5 employees counting the minutes to clocking out. Though their record has been bad all year, the now 4-10 Knights have officially joined the ranks of non-playoff teams. The rest of the league is gearing up for playoff football, while the Knights’ season is already over. No one really expected a playoff berth this season, of course, but that doesn’t make the rest of the schedule easier to play. Happily (and perhaps mercifully), the Knights’ final two games are at home. And with this week’s game against the Chargers, who are vying for the AFC West, they have a chance to play spoiler against a divisional foe. One player apparently more motivated than his teammates runs through defensive drills as his coordinator barks orders and feedback. “Nice jump there, Sam,” Coach Harden says, iced coffee in hand. “Good anticipation. Again, let’s go.” Sam Luck lowers his body into its five-technique stance and goes again. Now in his second year as a 3-4 defensive end, he has grown accustomed to the position. He has always responded well to change, a trait that has served him well, but he misses the days of playing in a 4-3. He misses Stanford. He feels his NFL career is off to a great start, and that’s the problem—no one else seems to agree. Chance Phillips walks past the film room and spots Wayne Schneider watching footage of someone. Curious, he walks in and identifies the familiar figure: a college quarterback. Wayne hears footsteps and turns around. “Afternoon, Chance,” he says. “You’re wasting your time,” Phillips says. “I know. He’s fun to watch, though, isn’t he?” “There’s no chance he’s ours, for multiple reasons.” Though submersed in his own team as any general manager should be, Phillips is familiar with the hype surrounding the upcoming draft, including the allure of drafting Andrew Luck. The Colts, after winning their first game of the season, still lead the way at 1-13. The Rams and Vikings are both 2-12, but they currently have franchise quarterbacks, or they say they do. It’s a fascinating story for journalists and fans, but for Phillips, it is simply not his concern. “Let me ask you something, Chance.” Schneider stops the tape and spins his chair so he faces Phillips. “Don’t think of answering from a GM’s perspective; your honest opinion doesn’t change anything. If you could do this season over, add a bunch more losses, but it meant that you could draft Andrew Luck, would you do it?” “Wayne, Maverick is our—” “I know he’s our quarterback and that’s not going to change. Like I said, I’m just asking. Not as an owner consulting his GM, but as one football fan to another. Would you do it?” If the season had played out differently, Phillips would have already focused on the draft class more seriously, and he would have watched hours more of tape. He would have seen enough of Andrew Luck to give a thorough analysis of him as a prospect. As it happens, he’s already seen more than enough to answer Schneider’s question. “Yes, I would.” Schneider turns back to the film, ostensibly satisfied. Phillips brushes the thought away, not wanting to dwell on the impossible. “I bet there are a lot of GMs who would say that. It is what it is. And as it happens, we already have one Luck from Stanford.” Radio City Music Hall buzzes in anticipation again Friday evening, this time for the beginning of the second round. This is the first year of the NFL Draft’s new three-day format, with only the first round in the books so far. The league has spent the past nineteen hours discussing the first round and looking ahead to the second. In Los Angeles, fans look forward to the next two rounds after their team drafted their franchise quarterback last night. They are excited but still curious about their new GM, Chance Phillips. He had no choice but to take a QB with the Knights’ first pick; his two picks tonight will tell fans a lot more about how he wants to rebuild the team. They will not have to wait long to find out; the Knights have the second pick of the second round barring a trade, 34th overall. Many fans want a protector for Maverick, possibly Roger Saffold from Indiana. Others want an explosive playmaker like Jahvid Best from California or Arrelious Benn from Illinois. Some want a playmaking safety like Nate Allen from USF or T.J. Ward from Oregon. From inside their war room in Los Angeles, management watches as the second round officially begins and the Rams are on the clock. They’ve had a full night’s sleep and extra hours to debate, but the draft has made it very simple for them: only two players with first round grades remain on their board; they’ll take whomever St. Louis doesn’t. Before long, the pick is in. Chance Phillips and everyone else look down the table at a man on a cell phone. “Saffold,” he says. No one is surprised; inside information indicated the Rams would take him, and now only one first round grade remains on the Knights’ big board. “I suppose that makes matters easier for us,” Phillips says. Everyone nods in agreement. “Thank you, gentlemen,” Coach Harden says. “Always good to get an elite player in the trenches.” “He’s not elite yet, coach.” “He’ll get there.” Commissioner Goodell announces the Saffold pick, and fans cheer. The Rams fans in attendance seem satisfied. As their clock ticks down, no trade offers come in, and Phillips phones in the pick. A few minutes later, Goodell is at the podium again. “With the 34th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Knights select Sam Luck, defensive end, Stanford.” Fans react in mild surprise, not expecting Luck’s name to be called until the middle of the second round. Coach Daniel begins practice Wednesday by assembling the entire team at midfield, the first time all season he has done so. “Gentlemen,” he says, “yesterday’s practice was one of the worst we’ve had all year.” He studies his players’ expressions as this statement sets in. They shouldn’t be surprised, but they need a kick in the ass. “I know what you’re thinking. We’re out of the playoffs, so who cares, right? Right? Well, I’ll tell you what. If you don’t want to play, go turn your jersey in and we’ll find someone who does. Because San Diego is coming into town this Sunday whether we like it or not, and they’ve got something to play for. We will not let them walk all over us in front of our fans. We will not. For the last few weeks, I’ve been saying nonstop that we’re going to fight to the end, playoffs or not. Nothing has changed, gentlemen. We will be fighting to the end.” He stops and looks around; a few players look mildly inspired, and that’s a start. But they need to know mediocre effort in practice will not be tolerated. “Now that we’re all on the same page, laps. Everybody. Now.” Players get to their feet and sulk toward the perimeter of the field. Coach Daniel prepares to watch, making sure no one slacks. He has already informed his coaching staff of the higher standards regarding today’s practice, and that they too must be held accountable, or else face consequences. Truthfully, Daniel is worried about consequences for him, not so much everybody else. The 4-10 record is bad, obviously, but if his team rolls over these last few games, his job will come under heavy scrutiny. He has felt this pressure a few weeks now, and doesn’t expect anything to change. Ah, life in the NFL. He dwells on the game ahead as his players run around the field. Now out of the playoffs, there are some players deeper on the depth chart he would like to get more playing time, but the Knights’ opponent this week is in a playoff race. It would be disrespectful to the game for them to do anything but play to win. On the track, Sam Luck runs his laps while some teammates take their time to get going. He didn’t need a pep talk to feel motivated today; last night he heard a clip on a local sports radio station that has since stuck in his head. The radio host was discussing the Knights, debating how much responsibility falls on GM Phillips so far, and one caller phoned in to talk about the 2010 draft. “I think it’s a total whiff,” the caller said. “Look at the first three picks. Maverick? Miss. Luck? Miss. Veldheer? Miss. You have to go to Grantzinger in the fourth round before you get to somebody half decent.” “Now hold on a second,” the host said. “I think the jury’s still out on all those guys. Maverick, obviously, still has a way to go, and okay, maybe Veldheer isn’t so good, but what’s wrong with Luck?” “He stinks! What’s he doing for the team? He had all these sacks at Stanford, all these spectacular plays. Where are they? He’s a bust.” Luck jogs around the track with the word “bust” echoing in his head. He knows he’s not a bust, but he wants to prove it to the fans. He had, indeed, made many great plays at Stanford. Lots of game-changing sacks and the Pac-10 career record for defensive touchdowns. Though he never told anybody, he didn’t want to get drafted by a team with a 3-4 defense. At 6’5”, 285, he certainly has the frame for it, but he feels the 4-3 is a better showcase for his talents. During the first conversation he had with Merle Harden, his defensive coordinator insisted politely that he was wrong, and that he would make a great 3-4 player if he were willing to work for it. Luck makes a habit of studying his own stats, so he knows that among 3-4 linemen, he is near the top when it comes to QB pressures. And based on all the stats and analysis he can find, his run defense grades near the top of the league as well. His sack total, however, is only two. Without the sacks, Luck may never get credit for the caliber player he is. He has thought of scheduling a meeting with GM Phillips, but he doesn’t want to come off as whiny or ungrateful. After all, he’s only a sophomore in the NFL, too low on the food chain to be playing for leverage. He still has two years left on his rookie contract, though 3-4 ends typically don’t get monster contracts—unless they have the sack numbers. By Wednesday afternoon, the pace on the practice field has picked up, and the overall tempo seems back to normal. Coach Harden monitors his defense during scrimmage drills, not sure how well they’re responding to Daniel’s pep talk. To be fair, Harden has noticed one of his troops slacking off. Maverick takes the snap and scans the field. Harden focuses on the line of scrimmage and his pass rush—or lack thereof. Kamerion Wimbley is resting on the sideline for the moment, and Sean Brock might as well never have subbed for him. “Coach,” Harden says, “can I have a second?” Daniel nods and blows the whistle. The players relax, grateful for the extra rest. Harden makes a beeline for #51. “Brock!” he screams. “What’s your problem?” “What do you mean?” “Look around. See your teammates?” Brock obliges, not sure what’s going on. “Yeah, I guess. What am I looking for?” “Sweat. See how they’re panting, almost like they’re tired?” “So?” “So how come you don’t seem tired?” “Because I’m in better shape than everybody, coach.” Brock smiles to complement his sarcasm. Harden steps forward so his nose is almost touching Brock’s facemask. “You got some fuckin’ balls to be mouthing off, son. You don’t want to play? Fine. Hit the showers. See you tomorrow.” Harden walks away and waves Wimbley back in. Brock sulks toward the locker room, and Daniel blows the whistle to recommence practice. Less than an hour later, the tempo is still good, and energy is amping up. Still in scrimmages, Maverick drops back on a passing play and stares down D-Jam running a post. He fires over the middle and Wilkes jumps, but he can’t reach the overthrown ball. Wilkes jogs back to the huddle with a smile on his face. “I bet Andrew Luck makes that pass,” he says. “What do you think, Mav?” “Shut up, D-Jam,” Maverick says. “Let’s do it again, guys, try to get it right.” “Why don’t you try to get it right?” Maverick ignores him and waits for the formation to set. He calls out the cadence and takes the snap. D-Jam breaks over the middle again, and Maverick throws as hard as he can. The off-target pass drifts left and into Chet Ripka’s hands. Maverick puts his head down, ready to try a different play. “Don’t worry about that one, Mav,” Wilkes says. “I guess it’s just—bad luck. Get it? Bad luck!” He removes his helmet to sprinkle water on his head. Maverick calmly asks for the football, receives it, takes a few steps toward his receiver, and pelts it at his head. It strikes his face near his eye, and before Wilkes can react, Maverick is running toward him, throwing punches. The scuffle gravitates the entire team within seconds. Everyone tries to break up the fight, but the two prove difficult to restrain. Outside the pile, Coach Daniel crosses his arms. He wanted more energy in practice, but this isn’t exactly what he had in mind. The fight eventually ends. Maverick and Wilkes say nothing to each other the remainder of the week. Farmers Field gets loud for the opening kickoff against San Diego, hoping to see division rivals knocked out of the AFC West race. The Knights are 1-5 at home so far, and the fans would like to see at least one more win before the season ends. At least one fan, however, disagrees. From his corner end zone seats, Jay Cooper holds up a massive “SUCK FOR LUCK” sign, praying one of the CBS cameras will pick it up at some point during the game. He has assembled a master plan for his football team: lose the last two games to finish 4-12, secure a top five draft pick, and package Jonathan Maverick to trade up for the number one selection. It’s foolproof; all the Knights have to do is lose. The Chargers, at 8-6, lead the division by a narrow margin; the Broncos are technically 7-7 but currently tied against the Bills in Buffalo. If they lose, the Chargers can clinch the division with a win against Los Angeles. San Diego’s offense takes the field first. Coach Harden excitedly calls an all-out blitz. Phillip Rivers takes the snap. Grantzinger and Morrison rush inside; Wimbley sweeps inside and Randall outside. The Chargers offensive line breaks down immediately. Rivers flushes left, Randall forces him back, and three Knights bring him down simultaneously for an eleven-yard loss. After a meager one-yard-gain by Ryan Mathews, Rivers drops back on third and twenty. No one’s open, but no one’s blitzing. Seeing nobody else, he fires to a wide-open receiver in the middle of the field—Luck bats the pass away and it falls to the ground. The Knights take over with good field position. Maverick lines up under center and fakes a handoff to McFadden. He looks to his primary receiver: Johnson breaks open, but into tight coverage. Maverick fires as hard as he can. Johnson catches it, absorbs a hard hit, and celebrates the first down near midfield. Maverick takes a quick snap from shotgun on a familiar play. The blocking sets up well, and Maverick looks downfield: D-Jam breaks on a deep post route, single covered. Maverick steps up and flings it into the air. Covered tightly by Eric Weddle, Wilkes slows down a bit for the slightly underthrown pass. They both reach the end zone and jump for it, but Wilkes outreaches Weddle and hauls it in. He falls into the end zone for the touchdown. As Farmers Field goes wild in celebration, Maverick and Wilkes meet on the sideline and high five without saying a word. After returning from commercial, CBS announcers inform the audience that the Broncos have defeated the Bills in overtime, meaning a Chargers loss would tie the two teams atop the AFC West. When the Chargers get the ball back, they make the mistake of running Ryan Mathews to Sam Luck’s side. He sidesteps his offensive lineman with ease and brings Mathews down for a loss on consecutive plays. Facing third and long again, Rivers takes a deep drop and finds Antonio Gates short of a first down. With space to work with, Gates tries to juke an oncoming Briggs Randall, but Randall lowers his shoulders and delivers a vicious boom that sends Gates to the grass. Farmers Field roars. This continues the entire first half. The Knights’ defense piles on big hit after big hit, and the Chargers look shaken. Meanwhile, Maverick spreads the ball around turnover-free, and while the Chargers prevent any further big passing plays, some well-timed big runs from McFadden help pile on the points. At halftime, the Knights lead, 21-3. Coach Daniel delivers no pep talk in the locker room. He is genuinely stunned by his team’s dominance, and perhaps San Diego is choking on their end, but whatever the reason, he can’t argue with the success of the first half. The Chargers seem to turn things around in the third quarter. After the Knights go three and out for the first time, Phillip Rivers puts a few throws together, and a screen to Ryan Mathews sets up an Antonio Gates touchdown. 21-10, Knights. Looking to respond, the Knights maintain a balanced attack. Daniel wants to get McFadden more involved in the second half. This leads to a quick third down for Maverick, who is forced out of the pocket immediately. He tucks the ball and runs for the sideline, diving for a first down. Balanced play calling moves the chains and ticks the clock down. On the edge of the red zone, Maverick hears a play-action call. He fakes a handoff to McFadden and rolls left. Miller is open; he throws across his body and knows he’s made a mistake the second the ball leaves his hand. Shaun Phillips intercepts the pass, and San Diego takes over. A nervous silence falls over Knights fans in attendance, while Chargers fans cheer, the momentum finally swinging in their team’s favor. Rivers leads his team down the field quickly and easily. With the third quarter about to end, the Chargers are twelve yards from the end zone, a comeback officially in progress. Rivers takes a shotgun snap and scans the field. Sam Luck breaks to the edge, double-teamed. He splits the two linemen, though they force him forward, behind the pocket. He recovers quickly and sees Rivers still with the ball. He lunges for him as he’s about to throw and knocks the ball out. The nearby referee signals fumble; Luck scoops it up and takes off. The crowd surges back to life as Luck runs across the field, offensive linemen in futile pursuit. Eventually, Malcolm Floyd emerges from the chasers and brings Luck down at the twenty. Luck savors the mob of teammates and the wild applause. That play was definitely reminiscent of his Stanford days. Maverick takes the field with the crowd behind him. The first call is play-action again, and he doesn’t make a mistake. Johnson beats his man off the line and Maverick hits the corner of the end zone. Johnson catches it in stride and drags his second toe through the grass. 28-10, Knights, as the third quarter ends. In the fourth quarter, the Knights tack on another touchdown for good measure while the Chargers only manage another field goal. Knights win, 35-13. As players head to the locker room, Jay Cooper boasts his sign and scolds his team. “You fucking idiots! Can’t even tank correctly! You will suck forever! Forever!” Behind the crowd, Coach Daniel waves at the fans in appreciation. He thinks of a postgame speech and mentally prepares a calm word of commendation for his team, underscoring the need for this focus to continue. But instead of a typically excited locker room, he walks into a frenzy. The Knights celebrate as if they’ve made the playoffs. Gatorade of various flavors is spilled all over the floor, and towels wave everywhere. Stripped down to his jock strap, Brian Penner runs in circles, screaming like a mad man. Though it’s not his style, Luck joins the party, celebrating his two sacks and sack-fumble. Astounded, Daniel realizes there will be no postgame speech. And he knows better than to be perplexed at the celebration for a meaningless win. No win is meaningless. “Strange, isn’t it?” Coach Harden says, standing next to Daniel. “A little bit, coach. But they’ve earned it.” “They definitely earned it.” “I just find it odd, considering the week of practice we had. Maybe they play better when they’re pissed off?” The chaos distracts the conversation; Maverick, in the middle of dressing into street clothes, is submerged by multiple bottles of Gatorade and smacked in the ass with towels simultaneously. The locker room goes wild as Maverick screams, sees Penner among the perpetrators, breaks down into a fit of laughter, and gives him a bear hug. “You know,” Harden says, “I think it’s safe to say we’re coaching a group of uniquely fucked up individuals, coach. And for my money, that’s a good thing.” Edited July 20, 2014 by SteVo 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted July 20, 2014 This is the best one yet, I think. I chuckled at the radio show caller part. Really, really, accurate. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted July 20, 2014 Haha, my guy is a douche. Great chapter though man. Knights defense will be awesome before long. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted July 20, 2014 Great chapter, now that the whole team is being brought together. Also winning is nice, and crushing the chargers is beautiful. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barracuda 629 Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) You fucking idiots. Edited July 20, 2014 by Barracuda 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted July 20, 2014 Haha suck for luck. Cuda fandom plan ruined (I'm also guessing the call was his). Mav getting into a hissyfit and scraps an the team fibally finally comes together. The Penner running like a madman made me laugh hard. Probably my favourite one so far man. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted July 21, 2014 Yeah, these past two chapters have been brilliant, Stevo. I want the next chapter already, lol. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maverick 791 Posted July 21, 2014 Jonathan Maverick>>>>Andrew Luck And Wilkes is a bitch I probably kicked his ass Wish we got Saffold instead of Sam Luck Awesome chapter Steven. A lot of good material in here. I love the dialogue between the players. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GA_Eagle 595 Posted July 21, 2014 You outdo yourself on a weekly basis 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted July 21, 2014 You outdo yourself on a weekly basis 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted July 31, 2014 (edited) D-Jam TD, making fun of Maverick, Jay Cooper hype, this one had everything! Loved the final quote, it should be the slogan for TGP Edited July 31, 2014 by theMileHighGuy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 3, 2014 Great chapter, and I agree about the TGP slogan thing. Welcome to The Gridiron Palace, a collection of uniquely fucked up individuals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites