SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 16, 2015 Knights of Andreas Part II Chapter Twenty-One – Exchanges and Extensions Second and seven from midfield, 6:14 left in the third quarter. The Knights line up on defense, trying to stop the Bucs from recapturing the momentum. Josh Freeman hands off to Doug Martin, who runs off-tackle right. He sees nowhere to go, heads for the edge, and Grantzinger brings him down for no gain. Farmers Field cheers as both teams get ready for a big third down. The Bucs took control early and led 10-7 after the first quarter, but Los Angeles has since recaptured the lead, 17-10, and the momentum. If not for red zone turnovers, they would have a two-score lead by now. Grantzinger and Brock both get ready to blitz as Freeman takes the snap from shotgun and drops back. Grantzinger beats the right tackle and forces Freeman left. Brock spins around the left tackle and brings Freeman down. The crowd roars for the Knights’ sixth sack today, Brock’s third. After a punt, the Knights take over backed up in their own territory, but Maverick doesn’t mind. Over the last few weeks, he has felt less and less pressure as playmakers have emerged around him. Today’s game is no exception. Jaxson goes over one hundred rushing yards, though the Bucs stack the box and force third downs. Maverick drops back and finds his go-to target, Logan Bishop, who nears a hundred receiving yards and already has a touchdown on the day. After a holding penalty and a botched hand-off that Maverick covers, the Knights face third and twenty-two. Maverick drops back and stares down Johnson on a wheel route. He seems covered, and Maverick doesn’t force it. He looks over the middle, but Gerald McCoy breaks free. Maverick runs right. A linebacker closes in as Maverick spots a black jersey open. He fires toward the sideline and takes a hit. Bishop, the open man, grabs the errant pass with both hands and plants his feet in bounds, falling onto the Bucs sideline. The refs signal first down, and Bishop jogs past Coach Schiano, fuming at a safety for blowing coverage. Bishop jogs away from Schiano’s wrath, and Maverick congratulates him on a “fucking clutch ass catch.” A few plays later, the Knights face second and goal with the third quarter ticking down. Maverick fakes a hand-off and looks for Bishop—a blitz comes up the middle. Panicked, Maverick lobs it to Bishop, who is covered. Make a play, Logan. Bishop leaps over the linebacker covering him, snags the ball, and wrangles the helpless Buc away. Mark Barron comes running in, but Bishop stiff-arms him to the grass. He runs free into the end zone for his second score of the day. 24-10, Knights. Bishop soaks in the praise from his coaches and teammates on the bench. The Knights have dominated like this before, but dominating on a personal level is a feeling Bishop has yet to experience in the NFL until today. Los Angeles maintains control of the game until Tampa Bay gets the ball back with 7:36 left, down 24-13. If the Knights are going to allow a comeback, it will start now. Freeman finds the only consistently open receiver, Mike Williams, for a first down. Malik Rose has completely shut down Vincent Jackson (just like his days as a Charger), leaving Freeman little options. The defense tightens up and forces third and four. With the stadium booming, Coach Harden sends an all-out blitz. The inside rushers get picked up. Brock gets forced to the edge but makes Freeman step up into a crowd. Grantzinger breaks through and strips the ball. Freeman dives for it, but Brock is there first, and the Knights take over. Brock and Grantzinger celebrate yet another sack. The Knights win, 31-16, and in the locker room, both pass rushers get plenty of attention from reporters. When the media leaves, Brock makes it clear the adulation isn’t over. “Up to eight now, baby!” he gloats. “Eight sacks! And my man, Zack, right behind with seven.” “Must be nice to just rush the passer every down,” Grantzinger says. “Some of us actually stop the run and cover, too.” “See, that’s the problem, Zack. You’re too damn grumpy all the time. Smile, man, and keep the sacks coming. Someone’s gotta be the number two pass rusher on the team.” Briggs Randall can’t help but interject. “No offense, Sean, but for the record, Zack was our sack leader until today.” Brock: “Until today, Briggs. And in second place he will stay.” Grantzinger: “Keep talking.” Brock: “We’re halfway through the season, and I’m halfway towards my big contract. On pace for sixteen sacks, it’s gonna be great.” Grantzinger: “I bet you don’t get to ten.” Most of the locker room hears the banter, including Logan Bishop. Brock’s boasting about his future contract makes him consider his own situation. In a contract year, Bishop will become a free agent again in months, just after his 28th birthday. The stars seem aligned for the big payday every football player dreams of—the one Brock can’t stop talking about—but Bishop already knows where he wants to be. “Fine then,” Randall says, seeing an opportunity, “put your money where your mouths are, gentlemen.” Grantzinger: “I don’t see Brock putting money in his ass.” Randall: “Listen! Whichever one of you has more sacks during the final eight games wins, pays the other one…I don’t know, whatever you guys decide.” Brock: “Wait, so we’re considered even now even though I have one more sack? How the fuck is that fair?” Grantzinger: “Stop bitching, Sean. We’ll say more sacks total. He’s right, Briggs, you can’t just start counting now.” Randall: “Fine. It’s settled, then. Whoever has more sacks at the end of the season wins.” “What if they finish tied?” Marlon Martin asks. Martin’s presence in the conversation—and the dilemma he has brought up—pauses talk for a moment. Randall: “I guess we’ll deal with that if we need to. Come up with a tiebreaker, or something. For now, the Los Angeles Knight sack exchange has reached an agreement.” Week 9’s conclusion marks the regular season’s halfway point for several teams, the Knights included. They still lead the AFC West at 6-2, though the Broncos have reached 5-3. The Chargers are struggling at 3-5, and the 2-6 Chiefs appear out of contention. Elsewhere in the league, the Falcons remain undefeated at 8-0, and the Texans stand atop the AFC at 7-1. It’s still far too early for a solidified playoff picture, but there is one immediate certainty for the Knights: this week’s game against the Ravens, AFC North leaders at 6-2, is their biggest of the season. Throughout practice week, Coach Daniel enjoys more offensive freedom than ever. He entered the season apprehensive about the offense’s potential and depth of receiving targets, but Bishop, Johnson, Wilkes, and Jaxson have all emerged as viable playmakers. Factor in the increase of talent on the offensive line, and the Knights offense is in the middle of an incredible step forward. As Daniel watches Jaxson run drills, he can’t help but wonder about his ongoing relationship with Rachel. It was something he always suspected at UConn, and he has no idea how much of an ongoing thing it has been over the last few years. He brushes it off and focuses on practice. Despite the recent offensive results, one man is unsatisfied. The only offensive player not to shine against the Bucs, and still reeling from his penalty against Kansas City, Jefferspin-Wilkes holds everything in during practice, doing his best to get everyone’s attention on the field. In the locker room, he dresses quickly and seeks out his quarterback. “Mav, got a second?” “Sure. What’s up, D-Jam?” “I think there are some more ways I can help you out.” “Oh, not this again.” As Wilkes states his case, Bishop, on the other side of the locker room, makes a private phone call to his agent, whom he hasn’t talked to in awhile. “What can I do for you, Logan?” the agent asks over the phone. “I want you to start working on an extension with Los Angeles.” “Now?” “As soon as possible.” “Logan, the thing is—” “I know I’m due to hit free agency this year, and we can always go that route, but I want to stay here. I like Coach Daniel, I like this offense, and I’d rather get something down sooner than later.” “Very well. I should warn you, though, that I know Chance Phillips, and he rarely discusses contracts mid-season. I’m not sure we can get a deal signed. We will, however, open up the dialogue and exchange some numbers. To get things rolling.” “That’s great.” Meanwhile, Maverick is ready to leave for the day and finished with Wilkes. “Look, D-Jam, the game plan is what it is. I’m not trying to shy away from you. When I see a receiver open, I throw to them. I don’t have time to play favorites. That’s all.” Maverick walks away, and Wilkes retreats to his locker, walking past Bishop, who hangs up. “Hey,” Bishop says. “You finish reading Friday Night Lights yet?” “What? No. I mean, I’m working on it.” Friday afternoon, as Knights management finalizes travel plans to Baltimore, Chance Phillips and his team run through some numbers. “Let me inform everybody about a development,” Phillips says. “I heard from Logan Bishop’s agent the other day. He wants to work on an extension.” “That’s good news, isn’t it?” DeMartine asks. “Definitely. Gives us an edge in free agency, at the very least.” “What’s the harm in locking him up now, Chance?” “I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it.” This is a new problem for Phillips; now that the Knights have built a roster of talent, it is his job to retain as much of that talent as possible under favorable financial conditions. But Bishop is far from the last decision he’ll be making in the coming months. Phillips looks at the giant board of all fifty-three Knights under contract. Sean Brock is a free agent to be, as is Marlon Martin, who has suddenly become part of a three-man rotation at inside linebacker. Phillips needs to get clarification on that from Harden, whose contract also expires this year. He doesn’t want to think about shifting coordinators now that the franchise is gaining some continuity. Looking further, quite a few starters will enter contract years in 2013: Darren McFadden, Jerome Jaxson, Marcel Reese, Jared Veldheer, Khalif Barnes, Sam Luck, Zack Grantzinger, Dan Connor, Chet Ripka, and Sebastian Janikowski. Phillips definitely wants to extend a few of them before next season, but which ones? The next few months will be very busy. Another field goal by Justin Tucker sails through the uprights, and the Ravens lead, 23-3, with 13:10 to go in the fourth quarter. The Knights sideline feels more like a MASH unit today. Chase Grodd, Jared Veldheer, Jerome Jaxson, Logan Bishop, and Alex Johnson have all gone down with injuries, and the offense has suffered the consequences. Bishop and Veldheer have returned to the game, but are far from 100%. Maverick has taken five sacks and many hard hits. Defensively, the Knights play well, but with Baltimore dominating time of possession, they can only do so much. The Knights only have four first downs on the day. Ready to subject himself to more slaughter, Maverick hears the annoying bickering of Jefferspin-Wilkes in his ear. “I told you, Mav. I told you! I get more involved, this doesn’t happen!” Maverick does everything he can to keep from punching his teammate in the mouth. It’s clear, though, that Wilkes isn’t shutting up about this anytime soon. In the huddle, Maverick relays the call, a short passing play. Daniel is desperate to get some kind of rhythm going offensively, even if a win is out of the question. Wilkes shakes his head and puts his hands on his hips, scoffing at the conservative call. Everyone notices, and for Maverick, that’s the last straw. He takes the snap, ignores the called screen, and throws to Wilkes as hard as he can. Wilkes catches the bullet pass, a little surprised, and runs upfield. He spins away from a tackler and dives forward for a first down. “Interesting,” Daniel says. Everett looks at him, having heard the play call, too. Maverick looks to the sideline, waiting for the next call, as if nothing happened. Daniel calls another screen, and Maverick relays it in the huddle. From shotgun this time, Maverick takes the snap and surveys the field. Wilkes abandons his called stop route, bolting for the end zone instead. So be it. Maverick steps up and bombs it even though he’s covered. Wilkes runs with Cary Williams stride for stride, but Maverick’s pass is right on the money. Williams turns to look for a pass that was already thrown, and Wilkes runs into the end zone. 23-10, Ravens. Maverick and Wilkes find spots on the bench a fair distance from each other while the team celebrates modestly. Daniel isn’t sure to celebrate with them, scold them, or ask them what the hell is going on. After the Ravens chew some clock but are forced to punt, the Knights get the ball back with 7:36 to play. For Maverick, nothing has changed. If D-Jam wants the ball, he’s going to get the fucking ball. Maverick takes the snap and throws to Wilkes, who stiff-arms Williams for a four-yard gain. Operating with a quick huddle, Maverick takes another snap, looks to Wilkes, who’s covered pretty tightly, and lobs one. The pass sails out of bounds. Third and six. Maverick lines up in shotgun and the Ravens show blitz. He has no idea what route Wilkes is running, and he doesn’t care. He takes the snap and a mob of purple jerseys run for him. He sees Wilkes running a slant and fires over the middle. The pass somehow gets through and Ray Lewis pummels Maverick down. Wilkes catches the pass in stride, shakes off his man, and jukes Ed Reed. He runs with open grass in front of him. The Knights sideline comes to life as Wilkes sprints to the end zone. No one catches him. An abysmal performance and wave of injuries has somehow turned into a one-score football game; 23-17 Ravens, 6:50 to play. Daniel walks the sideline to find Harden. “Get us the ball back, coach, we’re gonna win this fucking thing.” The Knights force multiple third downs, but Joe Flacco manages to find open receivers against Harden’s blitzes. The Ravens move the chains and the clock ticks under three minutes. Two Ray Rice runs and two Los Angeles timeouts later, it’s third and five. Harden sends an outside blitz and Flacco drops back to pass. Brock rushes around the edge but gets planted. Grantzinger bull-rushes and forces Flacco forward, where Martin comes running in for the sack. “One more for the sack exchange!” Randall yells. Daniel decides to keep his last timeout and lets the clock tick down to the two-minute warning. He finds Maverick on the sidelines. “D-Jam, come over here,” he says. Wilkes strolls over. “You want to call the plays, Mav? That’s fine. Just keep moving the chains. Understood?” Maverick and Wilkes nod. The Knights get the ball on their own thirteen. Eighty-seven yards, 1:53, one timeout. Maverick stares down Wilkes in formation. He suspects the Ravens have caught on by now, but they’ll need to prove they can cover him before he throws elsewhere. Wilkes runs an out route and Maverick hits him between the numbers. Wilkes gets tackled in bounds for a nine-yard gain. 1:43, 1:42… Maverick shouts out the play call and hurries everyone to their place. He takes the snap and throws to Wilkes on a simple back-shoulder fade. Wilkes catches it and is brought down in bounds. First down. 1:32, 1:31… Maverick looks to Wilkes again but pass rush forces him right. He sees Bishop open and hits him. Bishop gets tackled before he can get out of bounds as Ravens fans sarcastically cheer for a different receiver catching a pass. 1:19, 1:18… Maverick takes his time setting the next play, needing proper protection. He takes the snap and drops back. Wilkes runs deep. Maverick steps up to throw, but he’s double-covered over the top. He rolls left, buying more time. Bishop tries to cross the field but he’s covered. Wilkes runs back towards Maverick, who throws in his direction. Wilkes leaps and grabs it, coming down in bounds on the Baltimore forty-yard line. 0:54, 0:53… Everyone on the Knights sideline stands, a historic comeback drawing closer and closer to reality. They scream at the players like fans yelling at the TV. “Hurry up! Line up!” “Let’s go, Mav! Move the chains!” “Spike it! Spike it!” Maverick lines everyone up and takes the snap. It looks like the Ravens are triple-covering Wilkes, and he throws it anyway. On a post route, Wilkes jumps and catches the ball, then gets hit hard on the Baltimore twenty-one. Whistles blow everything dead. The clock stops at 0:38. Daniel, having called timeout, signals Maverick towards the sideline. “Everything out of bounds or in the end zone, if you can,” Daniel says. “No timeouts left.” “Jaxson’s been open out of the backfield every play,” Everett says. “So dump it off if everybody’s covered downfield.” “First play,” Daniel says, “just get five yards, get out of bounds. Let’s slow it down.” Maverick nods, goes back to the offensive huddle, and relays the play call. He lines up in shotgun and studies the defense. He can’t tell what kind of coverage he’s about to get. He takes the snap and looks to Wilkes on an out route. Williams jumps the route, so Maverick lofts it deep. Wilkes is late adjusting, heads for the pass, dives, and catches it with his fingertips. Ed Reed dives in to bring him down in bounds on the Baltimore ten. 0:30, 0:29… “Hurry up! Hurry up!” “C’mon, Mav! C’mon, Mav!” The Knights run to the line for first and goal, and Maverick spikes it. The clock stops at 0:22. Daniel calls a simple play: out and stop routes, everything in the end zone. The Knights can’t stop the clock anymore and can’t afford to waste plays. Maverick lines up in shotgun and senses a blitz. He calls out blocking adjustments. He takes the snap and drops back. The Ravens blitz, but the offensive line picks it up. Maverick doesn’t see anybody open. Jaxson runs out of the backfield over the middle. Maverick rolls right, still not finding anything. Wanting to throw it out of the back of the end zone, he fires but gets hit from behind. The wobbly pass drifts through the air; Jaxson catches it and gets tackled. The refs spot the ball at the two while the clock ticks. 0:10, 0:09… “God damn it, Jerome!” Maverick yells. “To the line. Now! Go, go, go!” Knights sprint to the line as Maverick calls a play, not spiking it. He looks at the clock one last time. 0:03, 0:02… Maverick takes the snap and rolls left. Wilkes is double-covered. He looks to the middle. Bishop is there, but too many Ravens are around. Maverick tries to traverse the field, running back through the collapsed pocket. He dodges defensive linemen as a few linebackers blitz and flush him to the right side. He runs for the pylon, but defenders close in. Jaxson is covered. Bishop is covered. He stops in place and heaves the ball back to the opposite corner of the end zone. Wilkes, covered, runs back for it, spins around midair, and catches it with one hand. He comes down well within the end zone. Touchdown, Knights. For the first time all day, Maverick smiles, mobbing his wide receiver in celebration as the stadium goes dead. The officials review the play, uphold it, and Janikowski’s extra point gives the Knights the win, 24-23. A few offensive linemen hoist Wilkes on their shoulders, and he enjoys a ride to the locker room courtesy of his stat line: ten catches, 225 yards, three touchdowns—all in the fourth quarter. After the locker room interviews, post-game press conferences, a trip to the airport, and two-hour delay before takeoff, the team is still hyped during the plane ride to Los Angeles. Maverick and Wilkes take in all the praise, of course, though they say very little to each other. Somewhere at cruising altitude, when things have calmed down, Brian Penner walks over to both of them. “Either tonight,” he says, “or tomorrow night—and not a day later—you assholes will sit down and buy each other a beer. That was the most fucked up comeback I’ve ever been a part of. Next time, we do it the normal way. Deal?” “Deal.” “Deal.” When the team lands safely back home, Coach Harden turns his phone back on. He notices he has a few missed calls, but waits until he gets off the plane to check them. As he hauls his luggage into a cab headed for team headquarters, his phone rings. Caller ID reads “Trisha Harden.” Merle finds this strange; his daughter never calls him on game day. “Hello?” “Daddy.” She sounds strange. “I just landed. What’s up, Trish?” “I…I think I need your help.” She slurs her words, and Merle understands. “Are you drunk?” “I’m in my car, but…I don’t think I should drive anymore.” “Where are you? I’m coming to get you right now.” 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 16, 2015 The hell just happened? Did we just... clown the Ravens? Because that was pretty amazing. I'm interested to see where all the partial story lines end up going, because this is going really well right now. Top 5 Character Rankings (this is a thing now): 1. Wayne Schneider 2. Chance Phllips 3. Briggs Randall 4. The Real Johnny Football 5. Merle Harden 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted January 16, 2015 Good Guy Logan. Dat cliffhanger doe. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted January 16, 2015 Top 5 Character Rankings (this is a thing now): 1. Wayne Schneider 2. Chance Phllips 3. Briggs Randall 4. The Real Johnny Football 5. Merle Harden Locker room has officially become TGP chat, with SteVo delivering some great one-liners. Btw, fuck the Ravens. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted January 16, 2015 Great stuff as usual. I'm loving the growing competition between Zack and Sean. It's also hilarious how Mav and Wilkes led a comeback but they were still pissed at each other after. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 17, 2015 Need moar comments! The more feedback I get, the better I can make this for you guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GA_Eagle 595 Posted January 17, 2015 Just read it. I was really enjoying the madden style comeback. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted January 17, 2015 Another great episode Stevo. I loved how you have gotten the personas of members here into their characters, the sack competition is nice and I really liked how you did the comeback to win between Mav and D-Jam. Another thing I liked was the fact you still included the ongoing story with Jaxson and Daniels but only as a backdrop for it too be re visited later. Also I wonder if the drink is a Harden family problem.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
әightninә. 39 Posted January 17, 2015 I love the multiple story-lines. Always an interesting read. #FreeSamLuck 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted January 18, 2015 Wow, Stevo. My favorite chapter by far, and that's even if you remove any reference to my character. The Mav/D-Jam confrontational comeback was just perfect (love that we bitched the Ravens like that, too, lolz). The sack competition should be fun. I'm betting that they tie and we continue the bet in the post season. I think your dialogue has been improving steadily and I've really enjoyed the interactions. Oh, and it's pretty epic to read this while listening to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted January 18, 2015 Wow, Stevo. My favorite chapter by far, and that's even if you remove any reference to my character. The Mav/D-Jam confrontational comeback was just perfect (love that we bitched the Ravens like that, too, lolz). The sack competition should be fun. I'm betting that they tie and we continue the bet in the post season. I think your dialogue has been improving steadily and I've really enjoyed the interactions. Oh, and it's pretty epic to read this while listening to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack. Speaking of music, when I was writing the Maverick/D-Jam comeback I was listening to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEXCpLOd1NE 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBen07 285 Posted January 18, 2015 Holy shit. Didn't expect that cliffhanger! Nice work, Stevo! Can't wait for the next chapter. Also loved how we schooled the Ravens in the end! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted January 18, 2015 (edited) Best chapter ever If the only thing we take away from this one is that Cary Williams is a punk bitch, 10/10 would read again. (Alternative ending of punching out Cary and getting ejected, Knights lose). Dunno how Wilkes' reaction to being carried off the field would go. Probably shocked at first, but now he's definitely gonna have an ego like circa-2005 Chad Johnson after that. Mav will come around eventually. Then it got like, real, real, at the end and I was like The next episode is gonna be like that super serious episode of Fresh Prince when Carlton gets addicted to speed, I can feel it. Edited January 18, 2015 by theMileHighGuy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 24, 2015 Every character develops in every chapter. I love it. The Jerome/Rachel thing is so real--Dad always knows from the get. It just doesn't get past any father. As for Harden--I'm getting really excited about how this is all fleshing out for him. These characters have certain flaws, all of them, and that makes them very real. Now, one suggestion I have is some of these characters need to show themselves as bad people, eventually. Bad people are everywhere. Who's going to make that first awful decision? Malik gonna get a DUI? Javad gonna ruin Harden's reputation? Phillips gonna trap Javad with blackmail? Maverick gonna take Little Bitch Syndrome to the next level?WILL D-JAM DO SIT-UPS IN HIS DRIVEWAY? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites