Knights of Andreas 2.05: Sheriffs of the West

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Knights of Andreas

Part II

 

Chapter Seventeen – Sheriffs of the West

 

Reporters and cameramen circulate from locker to locker, asking as many questions as possible. The players, on their way out for the day after a victory, soak in the praise.

 

Jonathan Maverick, yet to put his shirt on, draws the biggest crowd of microphones.

 

“Mav,” one reporter asks, “what happened on that play before halftime with the officials?”

 

“You know, the refs were pretty terrible out there today. And when we think we’re getting screwed, we’re not going to just let it go.”

 

A few lockers down, Brian Penner answers a similar question.

 

“Nobody shoves us around. The refs can make bad calls; that’s part of the game. But if the other team wants to get in our faces about it, that’s a bad idea for them.”

 

Around the corner, a modest crowd directs questions toward Chet Ripka.

 

“How does it feel, as a veteran on a rebuilding team, to start the season off 3-0 when the franchise has had a losing record for so long?”

 

Translation: how happy are you that the final years of your career won’t be wasted on a shitty team?

 

“It feels great,” Ripka says. “The guys upstairs have put a lot of talent on the roster, and you’re starting to see that on the field.”

 

“Do you think this is a sign of things to come, that you guys are for real?”

 

“You never want to get ahead of yourself. It’s one game at a time in this league. We’re 3-0 now, but we could easily finish 3-13. Everybody in this locker room knows that.”

 

Meanwhile, Sam Luck enjoys a jovial interview.

 

“Pretty quiet game for you today, Sam. No sacks, no tackles in the backfield. How disappointed are you in that?”

 

That’s a shockingly tough question, but Luck doesn’t flinch. “You know, in football, different players step up at different times. What’s important is we got a big win. Will I work hard to play better next week? Absolutely. But we’re 3-0. Am I disappointed? Absolutely not.”

 

A few minutes later, at his formal press conference, head coach Caden Daniel fields plenty of questions about his undefeated football team.

 

“As I said earlier,” Daniel says in response to a redundant question, “we executed really well out there today against a tough football team. We have a few things to clean up, and we’ll be ready for Denver next Sunday.”

 

“Coach,” Adam Javad says, raising his hand, “with the Broncos losing today, they’re 1-2 while you guys are 3-0. Despite all the hype about Peyton Manning, do you feel you guys are the favorites in that game? Has the team gotten to that point yet?”

 

“I’ll leave that question for Vegas, I think. Everyone on this team is aware of Peyton Manning’s talent, regardless of his record. So it’s really independent of who’s the favorite going in or anything like that. We have to prepare for a football game, like any other week.”

 

 

 

When the coaching staff shows up for film review Monday morning, it becomes clear this is not like any other week. Reviewing the Pittsburgh film shows more strength than weakness, a welcome development the Knights aren’t used to seeing.

 

The coordinators develop their game plan with renewed confidence. After all, their team is 3-0 for a reason. Scheming against the Broncos inevitably stirs up conversation about Peyton Manning, and Merle Harden, predictably, seems the least concerned coach in the room.

 

“If we can handle Aaron Rodgers, we can handle Peyton Manning,” he says.

 

“That was last year,” an assistant coach says.

 

“Yep, and we’re a year more experienced on defense. Don’t worry about Manning, gentlemen. For his sake, he better be practicing with pass rush in his face.”

 

“He’s one of the best against the blitz, coach,” Coach Everett says.

 

“Not against my blitzes he’s not.” Harden’s eyes fall on Everett with intensity. He won’t stand for anyone questioning his defense, especially someone on his own coaching staff.

 

“Take it easy, Tom,” Daniel says. “It’s our job to outscore Peyton, not play against him. And I should speak for everyone when I say I have supreme confidence that the defensive game plan will keep Manning at bay.” He and Harden look at each other. Harden feels relieved and satisfied, thankful for the head coach’s respect. “Okay, let’s split up and get to work.”

 

 

 

When players arrive for practice Tuesday, Harden has his defensive strategy perfected, at least in theory. The Knights will blitz often, usually from the middle, and play press coverage. With an effective blitz, any quick throw is likely intercepted, and the most likely outcome is a sack. The only danger is an ineffective blitz coupled with failed press coverage, which leads to an easy touchdown. Harden has received plenty of criticism for this strategy in the past, with many critics claiming it is too prone to being burned. In his college days, the critics were right, but those were college football players, amateurs. He coaches professionals now.

 

Not surprisingly, Malik Rose is giddy to play press coverage for an entire game, and boastfully predicts two interceptions. The entire linebacking corps looks forward to frequent blitzes, as does Chet Ripka.

 

“Five hundred dollars to whoever gets the most sacks on old man Peyton,” Sean Brock says on the practice field.

 

“Fuckin’ A, Sean,” Zack Grantzinger says, “didn’t you hear about Bountygate this offseason?”

 

“I’m talking about sacks, not injuries. Stop being a pussy.”

 

The banter continues throughout the day, and more importantly, players leave the facility confident in their strategy with only one day of practice in the books.

 

 

 

As the league looks ahead to week 4, the Knights/Broncos game absorbs a lot of hype involving various storylines. Denver’s two-game losing streak, Los Angeles’ hot start, age vs. youth, etc. CBS takes note and responds accordingly.

 

When the distribution maps come out Wednesday, the late afternoon game in Denver is assigned to approximately 90% of TV markets in the country, essentially a national broadcast. CBS edits their week 4 advertisements to focus on Knights/Broncos as the “game of the week.”

 

 

 

As practice week goes on and the physical aspect of preparation gives way to the mental side, Harden works closely with his defensive captain on the audibles and hot routes for which Manning is notorious. He begins practice Thursday by gathering the entire defense together and saying, “When he runs up to the line and starts jerking off with his hands and screaming voodoo nonsense, you do nothing. Don’t respond to any of his bullshit. If the formation shifts, if personnel adjust, then maybe we adjust with it. But if Peyton just gets up and shouts, you don’t do a fuckin’ thing.”

 

A few hours later, Harden sits in the film room with Randall, Grantzinger, and Ripka. They study tape of Manning’s adjustments at the line of scrimmage. Wanting to make a point, Harden pauses the film.

 

“Okay, now on this play, take a look at—” His speech halts and devolves into a fit of laughter. The players look confused until they glance at the screen; the film has frozen at an awkward moment that shows a hilarious contortion of Manning’s face. All four of them laugh.

 

The laughter stops when Griswold “Flash” Johnson appears in the doorway. The rookie sees the still frame of film and the blank expression on his face doesn’t waver. He just stands there for a moment, and nobody else is sure what to say.

 

“Fuck him,” Johnson finally says. “Fuck his audibles, fuck his commercials, fuck his injured neck. We’re gonna beat his ass.”

 

He walks away, leaving his teammates and defensive coordinator in shock. Manning’s face no longer makes them laugh either.

 

“A lot of anger inside that young man,” Harden says.

 

 

 

The weather in Denver reaches seventy-two degrees just before kickoff. Sparse clouds interfere with an otherwise sunny day with a mild breeze—perfect football weather.

 

From the press box, Chance Phillips views the field through an open window, though he’s too tense to enjoy the fresh air. Atypical for road games, Wayne Schneider sits next to him.

 

“Can I say something?” Phillips says.

 

“Shoot,” Schneider says, drinking a cup of seltzer water.

 

“I’m nervous.”

 

“Me too. But I feel confident, too. We have a good team this year.”

 

“I agree, but just how good?”

 

“I suppose we’re about to find out.”

 

 

 

Fittingly, the Broncos get the ball first, and Peyton Manning stares down the Knights defense for the first time in his career. The Mile High crowd is amped up but knows to temper the decibels for their signal caller. Manning studies the defense and shouts audibles immediately. Briggs Randall stares him down, changing nothing to the defense. None of the Knights move an inch as the Broncos shift their tight ends around.

 

Manning takes the snap. All four linebackers come on a blitz. Manning looks left and fires to Eric Decker in the flat; Richard Marshall is right on him. Decker makes the catch and is tackled for a two-yard gain. From the sideline, Harden calls another blitz.

 

Manning hands off to Willis McGahee, who runs into a wall of blitzing linebackers for no gain.

 

On third down, the Broncos line up with five receivers; the Knights stick to their 3-4 formation. Manning shouts more audibles, and Randall holds firm, adjusting nothing. Manning takes the snap, sees another blitz, and throws for Brandon Stokley in the slot. Griswold Johnson dives out of nowhere and swats the ball away. Three and out.

 

Harden congratulates his defensive troops as they return to the bench. Not that he had any doubt, but his strategy can and will work. They just need the offense to score some points.

 

Maverick and the Knights offense take the field with decent field position. Per an odd coincidence, Maverick uses the same strategy the Knights are trying to force their opponent into: quick passes.

 

After throwing through a few tight windows, Maverick moves the chains with a nine-yard completion to Logan Bishop. In the huddle, Maverick relays the play-action call to his teammates.

 

“Here we go, D-Jam. Six right here.”

 

“Let’s do it, brother.”

 

Maverick surveys the defense: man coverage, no blitz. He takes the snap and looks the safety off; pressure comes up the middle. There’s no way to go deep, so he throws to his checkdown in the flat. The ball lofts in the air too long and Chris Harris takes it the other way. Darren McFadden somehow runs him down, but the Broncos set up shop already in the red zone.

 

“That one’s on me boys,” Maverick says back on the sideline. “We’ll get it back next drive.”

 

Apparently feeding off the momentum, the Broncos reach the end zone in just three plays and take a 7-0 lead.

 

“Unacceptable!” Harden shouts to his troops. “We’ve been practicing red zone defense all goddamn week. Don’t go soft on me, gentlemen.”

 

 

 

Maverick sticks to his vow of avoiding turnovers, though the Knights offense is devoid of big plays. They manage to tilt the field position battle in their favor at the start of the second quarter, and Sebastian Janikowski gets them on the board with a forty-five-yard kick. 7-3, Broncos.

 

The story is the same on the other side of the ball. Harden’s creative blitzing keeps Manning from hitting on any deep passes, though the Broncos convert a few third-and-longs thanks to missed tackles, causing louder shouts of disapproval from the sideline.

 

The first half ticks away fast amidst a defensive battle until the Broncos have the ball at the two-minute warning. During commercial, Harden calls Randall over to the sideline.

 

“I’ll kill myself before I run the prevent in this spot,” Harden says.

 

“I know, coach.”

 

“Just keep doing what you’re doing. It’s worked all half; no reason to abandon it now.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Randall obeys, but Manning moves the chains anyway. Operating quickly, Manning finds the short completions he has employed all game, getting first downs but using a lot of time.

 

By the time the clock reaches the final minute, the Broncos face third and four. Randall hears Harden’s play call and relays it to his teammates as fast as possible.

 

“Omaha! Hut!”

 

Grantzinger and Brock bite on the hard count, and Manning audibles, having sniffed out the outside blitz. Randall tries to keep from smiling and backs off a step. Manning snaps it. Randall and Connor blitz from the inside as the outside linebackers drop off into the flat. Connor breaks through and Manning fires toward the sideline—Grantzinger leaps up, snatches it out of the air, and takes off the other way. McGahee runs him down and makes a laughable attempt to tackle him before he reaches the end zone. 10-7, Knights.

 

Grantzinger gets mobbed on the sidelines by his teammates, while Daniel seeks out his defensive coordinator.

 

“That’s a great looking blitz, coach.”

 

“Thank you, sir.”

 

“Only now, Peyton gets all of halftime to look at it.”

 

“No problem. So do we.”

 

 

 

Fifteen minutes of halftime adjustments later, both offenses come out firing.

 

Daniel runs plays exclusively from the shotgun, desperate to connect on some passes beyond ten yards. Maverick makes some impressive throws that put the Knights in the red zone. Rahim Moore drops an interception, and Maverick makes him pay on the subsequent play, connecting with Alex Johnson on a wheel route for a touchdown. 17-7, Knights.

 

The Broncos employ jumbo packages to block L.A.’s blitzes and run the ball more frequently. The run game is surprisingly effective, and just as Denver reaches field goal range, Manning finds Demaryius Thomas in the end zone, wide open thanks to Griswold Johnson biting on a double move. 17-14, Knights. Johnson pouts on the sideline as the stadium celebrates, and Harden gives the rookie an earful.

 

Daniel keeps his foot on the gas. The Knights convert on a few third downs, and a perfectly timed screen pass to McFadden gets them in field goal range. Daniel runs another screen, this one a receiver screen to Wilkes, and he breaks a few tackles en route to the end zone. 24-14, Knights.

 

 

 

During the commercial break following the end of the third quarter, Chet Ripka tries to motivate his teammates. The Broncos face third and eleven deep in their own territory; if the Knights can get a stop here, the offense can make it a three-score game and end it. This game seemed like a tall task all week, but a huge win is within reach. Just one more play.

 

Ripka backs off as Manning takes the snap. Denver’s offensive line picks up the blitz. With time, Manning scans and fires deep. Ripka sees Thomas, covered by Rose, break over the middle towards him. He looks up as the players converge on the underthrown pass. Ripka has his hands ready, but someone runs into him. In a blink, Thomas is running free with the ball, no defenders in sight. 24-21, Knights.

 

The Los Angeles sideline looks up at the replay and cringes at the sight of Malik Rose’s shoulder driving into Ripka’s helmet. Thankfully, Ripka jogs back to the sideline. He finds a seat on the bench and the doctors surround him.

 

“You okay, Chet?”

 

“I’m fine, just got dinged on the head.”

 

“What the hell happened?” Harden says, joining the conversation.

 

“Misjudged the ball,” Ripka says. “Caught Malik’s shoulder instead.”

 

“Malik?”

 

“Don’t know,” Rose says. “Thought I had it.”

 

Unsatisfied and frustrated, Harden walks away. The big play he had feared finally struck. Thankfully, the Knights still have the lead, but for how much longer?

 

 

 

The Knights take over with 7:33 to go, their most important possession of the day. Maverick moves the chains again, but lack of a run game prevents them from reaching the red zone. The clock does tick, though, and Janikowski boots through another field goal. 27-21, Knights, 3:18 to play.

 

As Manning readies for the potential game-winning drive, coaches and players pace the Knights sideline with nervous stomachs. They’ve played a great game, but a six-point lead isn’t enough. Not against this quarterback.

 

Ripka rejoins his teammates against the Broncos offense. Manning throws to Stokley on a receiver screen. He cuts upfield for a first down. 3:09, 3:08…

 

Manning hurries the pace a little. Harden sends a blitz, and Manning fires deep. Eric Decker beats Richard Marshall in coverage, but the bail sails out of bounds. The crowd exclaims in frustration, as Manning just missed the game-winner.

 

From the sidelines, Coach Daniel watches helplessly. His team has changed and grown a lot since last season, but this feels like the same script: a tremendous offensive effort wasted by a defensive breakdown, resulting in a crippling loss. Daniel can’t stand that negativity, but he also can’t do anything to counter it. And to be fair, a 3-1 record (going into the bye week) is respectable, but the Knights have earned a victory today; they’ve earned a 4-0 record.

 

Manning takes the snap and finds Decker in the flat. With Thomas blocking ahead, he cuts upfield for a first down. 2:55, 2:54…

 

Manning goes no huddle and Randall relays the play call. He and Grantzinger show blitz. Manning takes the snap and looks right; both linebackers come up the middle. In coverage, Rose sees Thomas about to come for a stop route. Knowing the Knights are blitzing, he jumps the route. The pass comes flying in, and Rose doesn’t miss it. His momentum pushes him away from a diving Thomas, and no one catches him. The stadium goes dead, and the Knights take a 33-21 lead.

 

Rose’s teammates smother him in congratulations that remind him of the Lions game against Megatron last year. Most proud of all is Coach Harden.

 

“Out-fucking-standing. That’s stuff of legends right there, Malik. Game-winning play.”

 

Meanwhile, the Knights miss the two-point conversion and have a twelve-point lead with 2:42 left. The sideline buzz doesn’t fade, and the Knights defense goes right back to work, limiting Manning to short passes that chew up the clock.

 

It goes by quickly, but soon enough the Broncos face fourth down from midfield, 1:50 left. The Knights show blitz and back off, only rushing four. Manning stares down tight coverage, and Sam Luck breaks through off the edge. Manning goes down, and the Knights take over.

 

Maverick takes snaps from the victory formation as the stadium empties. The Knights celebrate a big win, and with a bye next week, they have time to enjoy this one. Their presence has surely been announced now. Just months ago, the Broncos had used free agency to leap themselves into elite contention in the AFC, while the team in Los Angeles was a middling franchise stuck in rebuilding. Now, the biggest free agent signing in recent memory has led his team to a 1-3 record, while the Los Angeles Knights stand atop the division at 4-0.

 

Welcome to the AFC West.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Maverick 791]

Zack would pick off Peyton when he plays him. >_>

 

Great stuff, Steven. Your writing leading up to the game was done excellently because I was really pumped once we got to the actual game.

[GA_Eagle 595]

Kapow awesome. Waiting for the concussion chapter

[RazorStar 4,025]

Aw piss, I didn't get to beat the shit out of Peyton. Hell of a defensive performance, and now we stand on top of the division. Pretty nice stuff.

[Vin+ 3,121]

We gonna go visit the Superb Owl.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

I think this may be the best chapter yet.

[SteVo+ 3,702]

I think this may be the best chapter yet.

 

It's definitely one of my favorites. When I was planning Part II, I was giddy to write it.

 

"Ooh, we're gonna pick-six Peyton twice. This is gonna be fun."

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Zack would pick off Peyton when he plays him. >_>

Fuckin' right.

 

 

 

Awesome work, as always. Thanks for letting us destroy Peyton at least once.

[BigBen07 285]

Awesome story telling! Can't wait to see what happens next

[Cherry 1,302]

When he runs up to the line and starts jerking off with his hands and screaming voodoo nonsense, you do nothing. Dont respond to any of his bullshit."

 

Greatness.

[Bangy 19]

Great work as always Stevie, these are getting better by the episode

[SteVo+ 3,702]

Hump day bump day. Merry early Christmas, Knights.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Loved seeing my character shine in this one, and I love that he won't play prevent!

 

Great build up. Great description of each of Denver's players skillsets. Loved reading this chapter.