SteVo+ 3,702 Posted February 6, 2015 Knights of Andreas Part II Chapter Twenty-Four – Players Only Fridays are usually the last practice before Sunday’s game, occasionally the team’s last day in town before a Saturday flight. This particular Friday, the players are off while the coaching staff and upper management have the day to think about last night’s game and its implications. Just three weeks ago, the Knights were 7-2 and playoff bound. They have since fallen to 8-5, most likely left fighting for a Wild Card spot. The weekend ahead will solidify the details of the Knights’ playoff hopes. In the meantime, Chance Phillips prepares for what is sure to be a nerve-wracking month. Meetings proceed at headquarters as usual, but Phillips senses tension in the air. This is certainly not how he imagined his team’s first playoff push under his reign as general manager. The day gets worse when news breaks of Sean Brock’s arrest the previous night for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana. Consequences from Brock will not necessarily be immediate; the league’s policy against such things is firm, but they always let the legal process to run its course first. If Brock receives a suspension, it likely won’t be until the beginning of next season. In between film sessions, Phillips and Wayne Schneider meet with Coach Daniel to discuss the incident. “Can we expect any action from you, coach?” Schneider asks. “Not in this case, I don’t think,” Daniel says. “I’ll obviously be speaking with Sean as soon as I get the chance, and Coach Harden will as well, but as far as punitive action, the league’s stance on marijuana is pretty firm. I don’t want to step on their toes.” “So we can count on him playing the rest of this season, and not being benched?” Phillips says. “I would say so. But, again, it depends how our conversation goes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I have some more film to watch.” Daniel heads for the film room as Schneider and Phillips enter the elevator. “That’s not like him, is it?” Schneider says. “He was always tough about off-the-field conduct. I hope the last few weeks aren’t weighing on him.” “He’s fine, and we’ll be fine,” Phillips says. “Despite whatever’s happened recently, 8-5 is a good record.” “Yes, it is. And the schedule the rest of the way is favorable.” Phillips agrees. The Knights’ final three games include the Chiefs (3-10), Panthers (4-9), and Chargers (4-9). By Sunday night, week 14 is mostly over, and the Knights’ path to the playoffs is clearly mapped. Thanks to Dallas’ 20-19 victory over Cincinnati, they still control their own destiny. All four division leaders in the AFC (New England, Baltimore, Houston, Denver) have at least a two-game lead. Assuming all four win their respective divisions, four other teams will battle for the two Wild Card positions. Indianapolis leads the way at 9-4, followed by Los Angeles at 8-5, and both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are 7-6. The problem from that group is Cincinnati, with whom the Knights would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Knights own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Pittsburgh and the conference record tiebreaker over Indianapolis. Cincinnati plays Philadelphia this Thursday night. If they lose and the Knights beat Kansas City, the Knights could clinch a playoff spot with a win in week 16. As Briggs Randall watches the Packers beat the Lions on Sunday Night Football, he finds a rarely used number on his phone. “Hello?” “Mav, it’s Briggs.” “What’s up?” “You watching the game?” “Yeah, I was. Just hanging out, having a few drinks. Why?” “It’s about the team. You’ve felt things getting a little weird the last few weeks, right?” “That’s what happens when you lose.” “I know, I know. What I’m saying is…we’re the captains. I think we should do something about it.” Monday morning, usually a working day for coaches only, players arrive for a light round of practice followed by film review and meetings, extra preparation courtesy of playing on Thursday night instead of Sunday. As the coaches head for the locker room, Coach Daniel stops them. “Slight change of plans, gentlemen,” he says. “We’re headed to the film room.” “Coach, we already looked at everything,” Everett says. “I know that, but practice won’t be starting just yet.” “What’s going on, coach?” Harden asks. “The players are in the locker room by themselves. Maverick and Randall informed me they wanted some time before we start practice. So we’ll look at film until they’re done.” A few coaches raise mild objections, so Daniel adds, “The players have taken it upon themselves to make sure they are fully focused and prepared for this week’s game. I suggest we do the same.” This gets the coaches walking toward the film room. Daniel follows, trying not to let his concern show. He has suspected things breaking down with his players recently—and the past few games show it—but what does it say that they felt a few minutes by themselves was necessary? He likes that they’ve taken initiative, but he’s uncomfortable admitting he was unable to solve the problem himself. Fifty-two Knights occupy the locker room dressed for conversation, not football, their pads either beside them or in their lockers. The captains stand in the middle. “Okay guys,” Randall says. “Mav and I wanted to get some stuff out there, talk about what’s going on the last few weeks.” He looks at Maverick, who displays no desire to take over, so he continues. “The last month, we haven’t been playing our best football. And we all know we’re a better team than this. If we want to make the playoffs, we need to figure out why we haven’t been ourselves.” Randall looks around; everyone stares at him with blank faces. “Okay, so, who wants to go first?” Speculation turns into educated guesses that turn into confirmed reports that Knights players are holding a players-only meeting, citing “sources within the organization.” The news hits Twitter and causes a chain reaction among Knights fans, creating more questions (and concerns) than answers. A players-only meeting for an 8-5 team currently in the playoffs? What does it say about the team’s leadership that they deemed this a priority? Are the players panicking? Knights fans have obviously been disappointed by the team’s recent skid and grown nervous about their playoff chances, but a players-only meeting doesn’t seem the best way to solve their problems. Adam Javad takes notice of fan reaction and sends Phillips a text. He keeps it brief, per their arrangement: “Anything re players meeting?” Javad passes time by interacting with fans on Twitter and writing his Knights/Chiefs preview. Phillips never replies. “I think what Briggs means,” Logan Bishop says, “is we need to get back to how we felt during the first half of the season. Back to how we were playing.” “Right,” Randall says, “that’s pretty much what I’m getting at.” Bishop nods, satisfied they found some clarity. He doesn’t want any tension in the building or on the field, so he was happy Maverick and Randall called this meeting. Personally, however, his mind is elsewhere. “Something we should all realize,” Chet Ripka says, “is that every season has ups and downs, for every team. I think back to our best years in Chicago, and there were plenty of times we wanted to beat each other up, no matter how good our record was.” As Ripka goes on, Bishop drowns him out, pondering the decision that has weighed on his mind the last twenty-four hours. After continued negotiation, the Knights have put a contract offer on the table: five years, twenty-four million. It would lock Bishop under contract through the 2017 season, make him a free agent just after his 32nd birthday (not terribly old for a tight end), and guarantee him ten million dollars. “So we don’t have time to worry about anything but ourselves,” Ripka concludes. “Hold up,” Malik Rose says. “Aren’t you responsible for some of that circus, old man?” As usual, Rose is half joking but being more offensive than intended. “Unfortunately, yes,” Ripka says. “Guys, I apologize for any distractions my situation has caused, but I’ve put it behind me. And everyone else needs to too.” Ripka wishes he could tell his teammates the whole story about his concussion, but it’s not the right time. Across the room, Jerome Jaxson ponders what sort of circus it would create if news of his relationship with Rachel hit the media. He decides it’s best not to say anything. “Malik,” Randall says, “anything else you want to say?” Rose: “Man, I’ve been playing great. You guys can speak for yourselves.” Randall: “That’s helpful.” Rose: “What’d you say?” He rises from his seat. “Sit down, Malik,” Brian Penner says. “Briggs is right. We don’t need any divas right now. This is about the team.” “Go ahead, Brian,” Randall says, wanting him to keep going. Penner hesitates, not wanting any part of the spotlight. “No offense, guys, but I don’t think we need this shit. In football, you take your anger out on the other team, not each other. If we need to play better, then let’s play better. Man the fuck up, bitches.” Next to Penner, Chase Grodd sits timidly. He hasn’t found an opportune moment to speak so far, and as a rookie, he’s not sure he should speak at all. But what Penner said makes a lot of sense, so he nods in agreement. A few other players do as well, and Rose sits back down. “Anything else?” Zack Grantzinger says. Randall: “Hold up. I want to make sure we’re all on the same page and that everybody has said what they want to.” Grantzinger: “And we’ve heard what Brian and Chet think. Let’s get down to business and move on. I think we should respect the opinions of the guys who have been here before.” Randall: “I agree.” Grantzinger: “Yet you keep going on like we need to talk about something else.” Randall stares down his teammate and fellow linebacker. He can’t stand poor chemistry on a football team, thus the need for this meeting, and Zack calling him out like that doesn’t help. Why can’t he just shut the fuck up about it? “Let’s just beat KC, guys,” Marlon Martin says. “Let’s just get the win and breathe easier.” “Thank you, Marlon,” Randall says. He looks a few lockers down and sees an opportunity for humor, hoping to lighten the mood. “Sean, anything else from the sack exchange?” Brock, however, hasn’t been in the mood for humor since his arrest. Everything is fucked up now, including and especially his new contract. He doesn’t even want to think about what will happen this offseason. After a few seconds of silence with his head down, it becomes clear he doesn’t have anything to say. “Hey,” Flash Johnson says, “whatever happened to that sack contest?” Brock: “I don’t care about it anymore.” Grantzinger: “Oh, stop being a pussy, Sean.” Penner: “Well, I think I’ve had enough of this bullshit.” He grabs his pads. “I’ll see you all on the practice field.” “Oh!” Jefferspin-Wilkes says. “Just gonna walk out? Who’s the diva now?” Penner struts toward Wilkes, pointing at him. “Don’t you ever fucking call me a diva again!” Wilkes rises to defend himself, and a crowd gathers. Things calm down within seconds, though everyone has risen from their seats. “Jesus, I’m sorry,” Wilkes says in a sarcastic tone as the team sits back down. “Chill out, Penner. And hey, this is supposed to be players only, not defense only. Mav, aren’t you supposed to be captain too?” Maverick: “What are you saying, D-Jam?” Wilkes: “You know where I stand on this subject. Look, let’s get down to X’s and O’s. I’ve been telling you—” Maverick: “Fuck, I know! I’m sick of hearing it.” Wilkes: “No, listen! You all saw the Ravens game. You all saw what I can do. But it ain’t just that. If other team knows they have to double me, then you got Alex and Logan in single coverage. And between those two, I guarantee one of them is open.” Bishop snaps out of his daze, stunned at Wilkes’ compliment. He feels a surge of appreciation for his teammate, suddenly sorry he ever said anything to Phillips. “Hold up, Mav,” Sam Luck says. “I think every player feels that way at one point or another. We all want to be the one making plays.” Maverick: “You don’t understand. I hear this shit every damn day.” “I have a suggestion,” Alex Johnson says, raising his hand. “The last few weeks, I feel like—and maybe this is something we can tell the coaches—the passing plays have been a little too simple. Mav, you know me, whenever we run post-corners and option routes—” Maverick: “Oh, I get it. It’s all my fault, right?” Johnson: “No, no. You hit me in stride on those routes is what I’m saying.” Wilkes: “To be fair, Mav, you’ve thrown your fair share of interceptions this year.” Maverick: “Fuck you, D-Jam.” Johnson: “No! I didn’t mean to—” Maverick: “Enough!” He slams his helmet against the ground, sighs, and calms down. “Actually, you’re right. I’ve thrown a lot of picks. I stick to my belief that some of them are due to poor play calling or route running [Wilkes shoots him a nasty glare], but most are on me. And I take responsibility for that; I’m the quarterback. And guess what? I’m gonna throw a lot more throughout my career. We’re all gonna make mistakes. That’s football. So let’s not act like we can flip a switch and play perfect football. Jerome, you’re gonna fumble again sometime. Logan, you’re gonna drop a pass. Brian, you’ll get called for illegal hands to the face again sometime soon—” Penner: “How about right now?” Maverick “—and that’s okay. Let’s just make sure we minimize our mistakes and execute. It’s like coach says: focus on your job, one play at a time.” Surprised at his own command, Maverick surveys the locker room; everyone looks satisfied. Randall notices too. Randall: “Well said, Mav. And now, I think, might be a good time to get out there and practice.” A few teammates grab their pads and start dressing. “Unless anybody has anything else to add?” Rose: “Actually, I do.” Everyone looks at the team’s number one cornerback. “I wasn’t sure when I would let y’all know, but now seems a good time. Eva and I are expecting another baby.” The locker room erupts in cheers and congratulations as Rose is mobbed by his teammates. The celebration dies down, but players take the energy with them to the practice field. Maverick and Randall find their head coach, with whom they speak privately. “We’re ready, coach,” Randall says. “Okay,” Daniel says. “Anything I need to know?” “No, sir.” “Then let’s go practice.” Practice week commences, and coaches notice an invigorated sense of renewal to the players. Daniel decides the meeting was ultimately productive—whatever was said during it. Players face plenty of questions from the media on Wednesday about Monday’s players-only meeting, which they dismiss. “It wasn’t a meeting,” Randall says. “It was just us, as a team, sitting down for ten minutes.” Randall’s deflection eases worries for some fans but falls on deaf ears of others. Thursday night, courtesy of a dreadful performance by Philadelphia that leads Eagles fans to chant for Andy Reid’s head, the Bengals win and advance to 8-6. The Knights can still clinch a playoff spot by winning out, but not until week 17. Farmers Field gears up for the team’s final home game of 2012. The Knights seem to be in a tailspin, but they’re 5-2 at home, and the lowly Chiefs are far from Arrowhead; they’re not about to sweep the Knights. From his corner seats, Jay Cooper drinks from his flask to sooth the disappointment that security confiscated his “TRAIL OF TEARS” sign, which he was hoping would be an annual staple of Knights/Chiefs games. The Knights come out confident and composed. Balanced play calling and accurate passing leads them down the field in a hurry, and Maverick caps the drive with a perfectly thrown back-shoulder fade to Wilkes. 7-0, Knights. “That’s how we do it, boys!” Maverick says on the sideline, high-fiving his offensive teammates. “Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it for four quarters and we’re winners.” The Chiefs respond with an effective run game, Jamaal Charles breaking enough tackles to move the chains himself. Matt Cassel plays surprisingly well, and the Chiefs reach field goal range, where the drive stalls, and Ryan Succop kicks a forty-four yarder. 7-3, Knights. The Knights offense moves the ball the rest of the first half, avoiding three-and-outs. Drives stall, however, due to untimely penalties and mental errors. Small levels of panic creep into Knights fans’ minds as the same mistakes keep the Knights from dominating. Defensively, Harden stacks the box enough to keep Charles at bay, and the Chiefs offense is too inconsistent to reach Knights territory again. With less than a minute before halftime, the Knights drive into Chiefs territory holding a 10-3 lead. Maverick takes a snap from shotgun and looks downfield. He gets blindsided, and the ball comes loose. Justin Houston scoops it up and takes off. Jaxson manages to catch him, but not before he reaches field goal range. On the sidelines, Maverick calmly works with the offensive line to figure out what happened. Penner takes responsibility for a miscommunication while the Chiefs add a field goal. 10-6, Knights at halftime. As players head for the locker room, Maverick catches up with Randall. “Hey, Briggs, that one’s on me. Thanks for bailing me out.” “Don’t sweat it, brother. Just keep throwing to the guys in black jerseys and we got this one.” During halftime, Coach Daniel refrains from repeating the same old message, instead focusing on scheme adjustments and trying to be as inspiring as possible. “I can feel this one, gentlemen,” he says. “Don’t forget, this could be our last game this season in front of our fans. Let’s give them something to remember.” The Chiefs start the second half by going three and out. The Knights get the ball back and take advantage of the good field position, reaching the red zone quickly. Two quick incompletions later, Daniel calls a receiver screen on third and ten. Wilkes catches the pass and is tackled immediately. Janikowski comes on for a short field goal. 13-6, Knights. The offense has little time to discuss on the sidelines, as they get the ball back quickly. They reach the red zone again, this time at the six-yard-line for first and goal. McFadden gets two yards on first down. Jaxson takes a toss on second down and dives for the pylon but comes up a yard short. Maverick lines up under center for third and goal. He fakes a handoff to Jaxson and rolls left. Bishop runs his route but is perfectly covered. Nowhere to go, Maverick throws the ball out of the back of the end zone. The crowd entices Daniel to go for it. Maverick looks back, hoping for a play call, but Daniel sends out the field goal unit, receives a round of boos, and Janikowski nails the chip shot. 16-6, Knights. One of the loudest booers, Cooper is nervous and unsatisfied. “Gotta go for it there, coach!” he screams. “Grow a pair of fucking testicles! You cannot lose this game!” Harden happily maintains the same strategy, adjusting nothing. The Chiefs get a few first downs, but a two-yard loss on first down dooms them, and they punt again, this time pinning Los Angeles deep in their own territory. The Knights move the chains again, continuing to display effectiveness on offense. Kansas City’s meager defensive line gets dominated at the point of attack, paving the way for a big day from Jaxson. The Knights march methodically down the field and reach the red zone near the end of the third quarter. A ten-yard reception by Bishop puts them on the eight. First and goal. Maverick fakes a toss to Jaxson and looks left to Johnson. He lofts a pass to the corner of the end zone and watches in horror as the double-covered Johnson tries helplessly to deflect the pass. Eric Berry catches it with ease, and Johnson brings him down for a touchback. Maverick sulks back to the sideline as the third quarter ends. As Maverick receives encouragement from his teammates, Harden’s defense breaks down. Cassel miraculously finds receivers open on deep routes, and in a blink, he hits Dwayne Bowe for a thirty-yard touchdown. 16-13, Knights. “Don’t you go collapsing on me, men,” Harden says to his defense. “You own this fucking team. You shouldn’t be giving up a goddamn yard.” When the Chiefs get the ball again, Harden sticks to his strategy. If the players execute, it will work. It seems to, as Charles is bottled up on first and second down. Cassel dumps it off to Charles on third down for a screen. Blocking develops in front of him, and he gets a first down. He cuts back to the middle of the field, and four missed tackles later, reaches the end zone. 20-16, Chiefs. Too shocked to scream at players, Harden looks at the scoreboard in disbelief. He snaps out of it, seeing Daniel stare him down. “We’ll fix it, coach. I’ve been holding off on adjustments until now. We’ll shake it up.” The Knights line up from their own thirty-nine, third and eight, 6:03 to go. Maverick takes the snap and drops back. Behind a clean pocket, he sees nothing but covered receivers. He steps up and bombs it to Wilkes, single-covered deep. He leaps for the pass but can’t corral it. Fourth down. Maverick jogs off the field—he sees Daniel signal him back out, calling a play call. “Coach,” Everett says. “All due respect, I don’t think now is the—” “We can do it,” Daniel says. “A first down here, and we get our confidence back. A first down here, and we win.” Maverick lines up from shotgun as the Chiefs defense scurries to position against the bold play call. Seeing their panic, Maverick hurries the snap. He looks to Wilkes—covered. Johnson—covered. He feels pressure around him and steps up into more pressure. Panicked, he fires to Bishop, open over the middle. Bishop catches it and gets brought down a clear two yards behind the first down marker. The officials signal turnover on downs immediately, and the Knights offense walks off the field to a furious round of boos. After using all timeouts and failing to stop Jamaal Charles, the Knights try to block a thirty-five-yard Succop field goal. The kick sails above their hands and through. 23-16, Chiefs, 0:29 to go. The air has been sucked out of the stadium, though most fans stay seated, desperately clinging to irrational hope that the Knights have something left. On the sideline, Daniel and Everett prep their quarterback for the final drive. “Well,” Daniel says, “if you’ve got a miracle left in you, now’s the time to use it.” “If it can be done, we’ll do it, coach.” After a touchback, the Knights take over. The Chiefs play prevent, so Maverick throws a couple short sideline routes. This gets the Knights to midfield with 0:08 left. “This is it,” Daniel radios to Maverick. “Roll out and bomb it, Mav.” Maverick takes the shotgun snap as all the receivers run deep. Every fan in the stadium stands. Maverick rolls right, escaping the three-man rush. He steps up and launches the Hail Mary into the air. Players from both teams try to get under the pass in the end zone. Everyone leaps at once, and Wilkes gets his hands on the ball. Fans cheer for a miracle catch. Wilkes comes down to the grass in the end zone, gets hit, and the ball falls to the ground. The Chiefs celebrate as the officials signal incomplete. Chiefs win, 23-16. Many fans boo again, some are too defeated to muster the energy, but Cooper gets another idea. “Fuck this.” He strips his clothes as fast as he can. Nearby fans look on in disgust as the naked Cooper jumps over the railing, punches the nearest security guard in the jaw, and runs out onto the field. Cooper soon gets everyone’s attention, the departing fans turning around for some comic relief. Security tries to track him down, but he evades them, his testicles flailing about as he jukes left and right. Finally, Marlon Martin comes out of nowhere and pummels him to the ground. Out of breath and winded from the hit, he manages to scream, “That’s the best job of tackling I’ve seen all day, you fucking bums!” A meeting room in team headquarters lights, a rare occasion for Sunday night. Men in expensive suits occupy the long table, with the team’s owner at the head. Beyond personnel decisions, many figures control NFL teams. Owner, president, CEO, chairman of the board, stockholders, etc. Every NFL franchise is a business, and every business has a powerful group of people in charge of it. Tonight, the Los Angeles Knights owner and chairman of the board has assembled them all. “Gentlemen,” Wayne Schneider says, “thank you for coming. I know this is short notice, but I believe we need to start this conversation as early as possible.” “What’s going on, Wayne?” “Unfortunately, I don’t think I need to spell out the details. After starting 7-2, we’ve lost four of our last five, currently out of the playoffs, if they started tomorrow. I could go on and on, of course, but this is obviously unacceptable. So we need to decide what to do about it.” “Meaning what, exactly?” “We will consider all options, as always. And at this time, I’m afraid that means we must seriously consider firing head coach Caden Daniel.” 12 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) Briggs taking reins. Still choking after Mavs deep speech. Chiefs winning pointless games. Ensuing stadium of streakers when we play at home next year? Malik need to sit down before Briggs put him on notice Edited February 6, 2015 by Chernobyl426 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maverick 791 Posted February 6, 2015 What a meltdown Nice chapter, Steve. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted February 6, 2015 We lost to the chiefs and I'm gonna get fined for breaking a man in half. Great chapter though, and this is getting really tense now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted February 6, 2015 What a bunch of a-holes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted February 6, 2015 Hey Jaxson kept quite, tried to put the team on his back and you still failed him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted February 6, 2015 Goddamn. Talk about a classic playing above their heads scenario and having it crash down around them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maverick 791 Posted February 6, 2015 ^which kind of made me think at the end... Really, the board is already starting to talk about canning Daniel when he's 8-6 (I think?) with a young team that probably isn't quite ready for the playoffs yet anyway? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 6, 2015 Not the whole board yet. Just Schneider. I've always been wary of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted February 6, 2015 Well, I assume the Knights are supposed to resemble the Raiders in some sense. Schneider is Al. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted February 7, 2015 Why should they resemble the Raiders, exactly? They blew the Raiders up. Everything's new, even the city. Still say we make it in as a wild card team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigBen07 285 Posted February 7, 2015 Ooh boy. What a chapter. Wonder how the rest of the year goes. Good work as always Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barracuda 629 Posted February 7, 2015 Lmao. Great as always Stevie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GA_Eagle 595 Posted February 7, 2015 Punch to the gut right here. Good chapter Stevo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted February 7, 2015 Fuck all of you... IM HAVING A BABY DAMMNIT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted February 7, 2015 Jaxson gon a have to try and carry yo family too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JetsFan4Life 542 Posted February 11, 2015 Chance shouldn't be blowing Adam off........Javad's got some dirt I know it. Damn, I REALLY thought the Knights would win that next game after the intense meeting and playing the Chiefs. I don't think they're making the playoffs now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted February 12, 2015 Under 24 hours before shit hits fan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites