SteVo+ 3,702 Posted August 9, 2015 Knights of Andreas Part III Based on Characters Created by: badgers Bangy Barracuda Bay BigBen07 BwareDware94 Chernobyl426 DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F eightnine FartWaffles Favre4Ever JetsFan4Life Maverick monstersofthemidway OAK RazorStar RevisFan81 Sarge seanbrock SteVo Thanatos19 theMileHighGuy Vin Zack_of_Steel Chapter Forty-One – Super Bowl XLVIII Maverick lines up under center with Jameson in the backfield, Bishop to his right, Johnson wide left (on Maxwell), and Wilkes wide right (on Sherman). He has to scream over the crowd noise to motion Watson from right to left. Despite the neutral field, it looks like the crowd will be a factor. He takes the snap and looks for Bishop on a quick slant. He fires over the middle, and Chancellor gets around Bishop to deflect the pass. Jameson takes a carry off-tackle left for three yards, bringing up third and seven. The Knights’ top two receivers switch, with Wilkes lined up against Maxwell. Maverick takes the snap in shotgun. The Seahawks blitz, and pressure comes up the middle. Maverick has to hurry a pass for Wilkes, running down the sideline, and gets crushed as he lets it go. The pass sails out of bounds, and the offense jogs back to the sideline. The ensuing punt forces a fair catch, and the Knights defense takes the field. The crowd maintains high noise levels as Russell Wilson stares down the 3-4 formation of black jerseys. Marshawn Lynch carries up the middle, finds a hole, and gets gang-tackled by Randall and Martin for a four-yard gain. Harden calls a similar play for second down; he’ll be thrilled to hold Lynch to four-yard carries tonight. Lynch runs up the middle for three yards, and it’s third and two. In a bunch formation, Wilson fakes a handoff to Lynch and fires left for Golden Tate. Tate catches it and Marshall tackles him. First down. With Rose blanketing Doug Baldwin, Wilson goes to Tate again on the next set of downs, which leads to third and five. Wilson drops back to pass, and no one’s open. He escapes the pocket, and Randall closes in. Wilson tries to juke, but Randall brings him down for a two-yard loss. Jaxson watches the punt sail over his head and into the end zone, so the Knights take over on the twenty. Maverick hands off to Jameson, who finds little room up the middle, gaining only two yards. Maverick drops back and stares down Wilkes on Sherman. The two jostle and fight, Wilkes not getting separation. Maverick sees Watson crossing the middle and hits him in stride. Chancellor levels him instantly. Watson somehow holds onto the ball but gets up very slowly and heads for the sideline. Third and four. Maverick fakes a handoff to Jaxson and looks deep. Johnson and Wilkes are both covered. Pressure comes up the middle. He slides right, but there’s nowhere to run. No other options, Maverick tucks the ball and goes down for the sack. On the sidelines, Everett finds a spot where he can reach as many offensive players as possible. Once everyone is together, he says, “Two three-and-outs to start? What’s going on, guys?” Nobody says anything, some still catching their breath. “D-Jam, Alex, is this Denver all over again?” “Man, I’m having fun!” Wilkes says, visibly gassed. “Me and Sherm are going at it, man. It’s great.” “This is a first,” Maverick says. “Let the record show that D-Jam, while having zero catches and zero targets, admitted to having fun.” “This is a historic day,” Grodd says. “Hey!” Everett says. “That’s enough cute shit. D-Jam, if you’re enjoying yourself, we’re all very happy for you, but we’d be a lot happier if you could somehow, you know, get open. Alex, any hope for you?” “I’m not sure,” Johnson says honestly. “I’m running routes as good as I can, and he’s just running with me.” Applause from the crowd distracts everyone, and they realize Seattle has already reached midfield. When the applause quiets, the screams of Coach Harden become audible. Harden was enjoying the defensive battle, but Wilson just hit Jermaine Kearse for a twenty-six-yard gain, and his blood pressure is rising. Seattle keeps chipping away. While the Knights prevent Lynch from breaking out the box and Wilson from escaping the pocket, the Seahawks mount an efficient drive that puts them inside the red zone with less than five minutes in the first quarter. After Lynch gets brought down for a four-yard gain, Grantzinger and Luck break through and force Wilson to throw it away, so it’s third and six. Seattle lines up in shotgun and Harden calls a blitz. Wilson hands off to Lynch. Anthrax breaks off a lineman and has the running back lined up—Lynch stiff arms him and spins away into open field. Most blitzing linebackers gone, Lynch runs through open space. Flash and Stevenson defend the goal line, but Lynch splits between them and muscles his way forward, reaching the end zone. Touchdown, Seahawks. Normally, Harden might fault himself for a mistimed blitz, but over the last two weeks, his defense has practiced, practiced, and practiced again blitzing against the run, and keeping Lynch in check. He chews his players out as they return to the bench, trailing, 7-0. Rolling out, Maverick hits Bishop for ten yards, giving the Knights another first down near midfield with 14:21 to go in the second quarter. The Knights offense is finally finding some rhythm, courtesy of the run game. Both Jameson and Jaxson have turned two-yard runs into five yards, propelling the Knights to multiple first downs. In the passing game, Maverick has conceded that he can’t trust whichever receiver is on Sherman, so he looks elsewhere. Johnson seems to be doing well against Maxwell, racking up two receptions already. Maverick drops back and scans the field—nobody open. An outside blitz forces him to step up. He sees open grass and takes off. Wagner has him lined up. Maverick stutter-steps and jukes the linebacker, runs another seven yards, and slides with multiple defenders closing in. The juke jumps the Knights sideline into a frenzy, and the entire stadium reacts in awe at the video screens showing replay. Now in field goal range, the Knights go back to running the ball. Jaxson gets five yards on a sweep, then Jameson gets two yards up the middle. Everett calls a spread formation for third down. Maverick fakes a handoff to Jaxson and looks deep. White jerseys break through, so he has no choice. He lobs it up for Watson, streaking to the end zone. Maverick gets hit and doesn’t see the pass sail slightly off-target. Watson and Earl Thomas both jump for it, but it lands incomplete. Penner helps Maverick up and he eases toward the sideline. “That one hurt,” he admits. The field goal unit comes on, Janikowski boots a fifty-yarder right down the middle, and the Knights are on the board. 7-3, Seahawks. A Super Bowl widely anticipated to be a defensive battle lives up to expectations. The Knights get yards in bursts but can’t seem to put enough together at once. A few drives show promise but get derailed by either pass rush or a stuffed running play. On defense, everything goes as planned. Wilson and Lynch remain contained. The Knights have the ball with 5:24 left in the second quarter. After a holding penalty brings up second and twenty, Maverick takes his first shot at Sherman. He drops back in shotgun and looks over the middle, trying not to stare down Wilkes. He fires as Wilkes breaks at the top of his route. Wilkes jumps for the high pass, gets hit from behind, and bobbles it. The ball hits the ground along with Wilkes, who flails his arms, begging for a flag. He sees that he got one and immediately starts chirping at Sherman, who chirps right back. The defensive pass interference penalty sets the Knights up at their own forty-seven, and Everett instructs his quarterback to run a quick-huddle, something the Knights could add to their game plan courtesy of an extra practice week. Maverick hits Bishop over the middle for five yards. Then Watson in the flat for four. Wilkes (on Maxwell) for six. Bishop for eight. Maverick looks up at the clock. 3:38, 3:37… Ideally, the Knights take this drive all the way to the end zone and go into halftime up 10-7. First and ten on the thirty. The Seahawks show blitz, so Maverick cancels the quick snap to call out adjustments. The crowd is still fired up, but not enough to deter audibles. Maverick drops back. He wants Bishop in the flat, but he’s blanketed. He looks over the middle as Wilkes breaks on a post. Multiple defenders come right up the middle. Maverick backpedals and throws it up, bracing for a hit and rolling onto the grass. Wilkes is open by a step, but the pass sails above his reach and into the arms of Earl Thomas. The safety runs around for fifteen yards before several Knights bring him down. Maverick makes his way to the sideline, patting himself on the chest, fully accepting blame, though he’s no less frustrated. Earl fucking Thomas. Seattle takes over with 2:55 to go and all three timeouts. Things seem ripe for Wilson to enter two-minute drill mode, though backed up, and Harden is happy to send his linebackers after him. Wilson surprisingly hands off to Lynch to start the drive. He gets five yards, and the Seahawks hurry back to the line. Wilson hits Doug Baldwin over the middle, a yard short of a first down. Harden stacks the box for the inevitable Lynch run on third and one, but Wilson keeps it on a quarterback sneak, getting the first down as the clock hits the two-minute warning. After the commercial, Wilson lines up in shotgun, still seventy-two yards away from the end zone. He drops back as Grantzinger and Brock come on a blitz. Grantzinger gets close to the quarterback, forcing him to step up, where Luck is waiting for him. Wilson goes down as the Knights celebrate their first sack of the day. Seattle shows no urgency for the next play, and Harden happily watches the clock tick. 1:30, 1:29… “Coach!” Everett says, running up to Harden. “Call timeout so we can get the ball back?” “Too soon to get greedy, Tom.” A handoff to Lynch gets four yards, bringing up third and eleven. The Seahawks take their time, content to let the first half tick away, and Harden plays along. Wilson fakes a handoff and rolls out. In the secondary, Flash stares down the quarterback, his eyes on Percy Harvin. As the receiver breaks toward the sideline, Flash breaks with him, ready for an interception. But Harvin cuts back, running deep, and Flash is a step behind. He reaches full speed, but he can’t catch the receiver. Wilson’s pass hits Harvin in stride. Flash dives for him, but Harvin is too fast. He runs free into the end zone as MetLife Stadium gets louder than it has all day. Too shocked to yell, Harden tries to take in the touchdown stoically. He keeps a poker face despite a devastating turn of events. The extra point makes it 14-3, Seahawks, and in a game like this, an eleven-point deficit feels almost insurmountable. Knight’s End is depressingly subdued as fans get ready for Bruno Mars’ halftime show, not as excited as they were a few minutes ago. That Harvin touchdown really stung. “Still feel good about your bet?” Sampson asks. “Fuck you,” Cooper says. “Seriously, fuck you.” “Okay, okay, relax. It’s Denver all over again. Offensive explosion in the second half, you watch.” “Yeah, for Seattle. The final score’s gonna be 49-3 or something.” “Remember,” Coach Harden announces to the locker room, “we’ve got a longer rest than usual tonight. So take advantage.” Flash finds a quiet spot and buries his face in his hands. A few players walk over to offer words of comfort, though he doesn’t seem to care. Harden decides against significant adjustments on defense. Harvin doesn’t need to be doubled, he determines, because Flash would have had him covered if he hadn’t bit on the double move. Besides, the front seven is doing its job. Luck, Grantzinger, and Brock are pressuring on Wilson; Anthrax, Randall, and Martin are containing Lynch. Everett and the offensive staff, however, face a difficult task. They scouted and prepared for Seattle’s defense for two weeks and only have three points to show for it. Now, they have less than thirty minutes to find something better. The quick-huddle was a success, everyone agrees, but Seattle is likely preparing adjustments for it right now. “We’ve searched for ideas for two weeks,” Everett eventually says. “We’re not going to find a new one now. Let’s just stick to the plan, try to wear them down. If our guys execute, we’ll break through.” The coaches seem in agreement as Everett looks to the other side of the room, where Maverick and Wilkes are talking. With the field still full of smoke from the halftime show, the Seahawks get the ball to start the second half. Harden keeps an eye on Flash, looking for any signs that he won’t be able to handle things over the top anymore. Seattle, though, comes out passive, running the ball on all three downs and only managing nine yards. The Knights take over. Still wanting more from the run game, Everett calls Jameson’s number twice, getting eight yards and bringing up third and two. The crowd gets loud for the first time in the half as Maverick lines up under center, Jameson and Jaxson in the backfield. He fakes a handoff to Jameson, looks deep, and dumps it off to Jaxson, a screen developing in front of him. Veldheer, Grodd, and Penner set up the blocking beautifully, and Jaxson’s speed takes it from there. He reaches the next level and runs out of bounds as defenders near, totaling a twenty-three-yard play. Maverick celebrates and points to his offensive coordinator. Nice call, coach. Everett looks at his playbook and radios the next call, but is surprised to see the offense not in the huddle. “Damn it, Mav,” he says aloud as the Knights get the quick-huddle going again. This wasn’t part of Everett’s plan, but he’s certainly not about to burn a timeout for it. Maverick hits Johnson on back-to-back plays, beating Maxwell in coverage both times. Johnson seems to do better against Maxwell, so Everett keeps him there. His assistants upstairs remind him that Wilkes isn’t getting open against Sherman. The accelerated pace seems to feed the Knights momentum, and the drive nears field goal range. Maverick slows down, however, when Seattle shows a blitz. He shouts a few audibles, pretending to alter the coverage. He takes the snap, sees the wave of white jerseys coming for him, and fires toward the sideline. Watson catches it with Johnson and Bishop blocking in front of him. His speed gets him a first down before being tackled, and the Knights are on Seattle’s twenty-five. Maverick drops back under pressure and throws for Johnson, but the pass goes wide and out of bounds. He slows things down for second and ten, allowing Everett to change personnel. Jaxson takes a carry off-tackle left and gets five yards, bringing up third and five. Maverick fakes another handoff to the left and rolls right, but Michael Bennett is in his face. He extends his arm, trying to run away, but Bennett grabs him and doesn’t let go, wrangling him down for a seven-yard loss. On the sideline, Wilkes cuts in front of Everett to talk with Maverick. “Yo, man, I swear that time I—” “I didn’t ignore you, D-Jam,” Maverick says. “I got sacked. Couldn’t look for anyone. Pay attention.” That seems to satisfy Wilkes for the time being. Janikowski’s forty-four yarder is good, and it’s 14-6, Seahawks. Seahawks ball, second and seven, 6:10 to go in the third quarter. Wilson lines up in shotgun as Grantzinger and Randall show blitz. On the snap, those two drop back as Martin and Brock blitz. Both come free, forcing Wilson to roll right. Luck is there, and Wilson hurries the throw towards the Knights sideline. Harden looks right in front of him as Rose runs stride for stride with Baldwin, but Rose sees the pass first. He spins, extends his arms for the ball, and plants his toes into the grass, both in bounds by inches. The sideline jolts to life as officials signal it a catch and interception. On the replay screen, Rose’s catch looks even more stellar than it did in real time, and Maverick runs onto the field, desperate to seize the momentum. Rose’s eyes look across the field to Sherman, staring him down as long as he can. Not using the quick-huddle, the Knights run the ball effectively. Seattle’s defense looks a little tired, and the Knights begin to tilt the trench battle in their favor. The Knights reach the red zone with the third quarter almost over. Maverick drops back and sees a blitz, but the Knights pick it up beautifully. He steps up and throws to the end zone for Johnson, who has a step on Maxwell, catches the pass in stride as Maxwell brings him down. They fall to the ground right over the pylon, and the nearby official raises his arms into the air. As the Knights sideline celebrates its first touchdown of the day, both Harden and Everett hold up two fingers, and the Knights hurry the correct personnel on the field, one play away from tying the game. Maverick lines up under center and studies the defense: both Johnson and Wilkes are isolated in one-on-one coverage. Is now a good time to test Sherman again? Probably not. He takes the snap and sells a handoff to Jameson. Pressure comes as he looks to Bishop. Backpedaling, he fires a laser over the middle. Bishop turns around in the end zone and the pass is there. He opens his hands, and the ball hits his fingertips and flutters in the air. He takes a hit from behind, unable to reach for it, and it’s an incompletion. Bishop sulks toward the sideline while Maverick claps, trying to keep everyone fired up. “I should have had that one,” Bishop says. “I had to hurry the throw,” Maverick says. “We’ll hit it next time.” They sit down next to each other to analyze pictures as a commercial begins. 14-12, Seahawks. An end-around to Harvin gets four yards and a first down. A few seconds later, whistles blow everything dead, and the third quarter is over. Players hold up four fingers while both teams traverse the field. Coach Harden encourages his team on the sideline, trying to ease their nerves—and his. He looks forward to a tall glass of whiskey after the game, no matter how the next fifteen minutes turn out. Wilson drops back as Grantzinger and Brock blitz. He steps up and takes off immediately. Harden sees lots of open field, shouting, “Turn around!” to his defense. But Wilson gets to the second level and finds even more room, crossing midfield. Seattle receivers set up decent blocks, and Flash finally brings the quarterback down on the Knights’ thirty-seven-yard line. “Jesus Christ,” Harden says. “We’ve played too well to have a fucking meltdown now.” From thirty yards away, Randall can read the anger on his coach’s face, and tries to inspire his teammates accordingly. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” he yells. “Tighten up now. No more big plays!” The Seahawks go back to Lynch, with the Knights’ run defense still doing its job. Two plays later, it’s third and five from the thirty-two. Wilson lines up in shotgun. Harden calls a blitz, but he sees Randall shouting audibles. Wilson takes the snap. Harden sees Luck break free on the rush, but Wilson bombs it for the end zone. Oh, no. Harvin runs, Flash right with him. The speedsters reach the goal line as the pass comes in, and Flash swats it away, tackling Harvin for good measure. As the two get up, Flash chirps away at the receiver. Harden lets out a huge sigh of relief as field goal units take the field. Good, he’s back to normal. Hauschka lines up for a forty-nine-yard attempt. After a high snap and good hold, the kick sails into the air, clearly long enough, and sneaks inside the uprights. Harden claps as his players come back to the sidelines, giving extra praise to Flash. “It’s within reach, men!” he says. “Keep fighting. Keep giving them everything you have.” The game goes to commercial with 13:02 to go. 17-12, Seahawks. Everett calls plays without considering the game clock. The Knights still have plenty of time, and he’d gladly accept a field goal on this drive to make it a two-point game again. The Knights maintain balance, though Seattle does a slightly better job against the run. On third and four, Maverick hits Bishop in the flat. He breaks a tackle and runs ahead for another nine yards, giving the Knights a fresh set of downs near midfield. Jaxson takes a toss and runs wide. With room to run, he accelerates toward the sideline and dives as if reaching for the pylon. Officials spot the ball a yard short of a first down. Second and one. In the huddle, Maverick relays the play call and looks to Wilkes. “Here we go, D-Jam. Double move, let’s do it.” Wilkes nods. Maverick lines up in shotgun with trips receivers to his left and Wilkes out right, staring down Sherman. Wilkes runs and cuts right toward the sideline, and Maverick pump fakes just as Wilkes cuts back, running deep. Maverick’s eyes light up as Wilkes beats Sherman by a step. Wilkes reaches full speed and tracks the pass, but it’s underthrown. Wilkes comes back for it and gets his arms under the ball, but Sherman extends to knock it away. Sherman comes up chirping and Wilkes considers decking him in the face. “Throw it again!” Sherman screams. “Throw it again!” “So I can beat you again?” Wilkes says. “We will! We will!” The two go back and forth with officials interceding, and Maverick screams for his receiver to get in the huddle for third and one. Everett calls a run up the middle, which Maverick finally relays when Wilkes rejoins them. “You had me, Mav!” Wilkes says. “You fuckin’ had me, man.” “Christ, D-Jam, save it for the sidelines,” Maverick says, trying to call the play over Wilkes’ pleading. As the huddle breaks, the whole stadium sees Maverick screaming at Wilkes to get in formation. By the time Maverick gets under center, there’s only a second on the play clock. He throws his fingers against his palm, calling timeout, obviously irritated. “You fucking happy now?” he screams at Wilkes. On the sideline, Harden walks up to Everett. “Get him over here.” Everett does so, sending out a formation for third and one that doesn’t include his top receiver. Wilkes stands next to his head coach, a goofy smile on his face. Harden grabs his facemask and pulls. “This is the fourth quarter of the goddamn Super Bowl,” Harden says, “and you just cost us a timeout. Any more antics, I don’t care how small, and I swear to almighty Jesus, I will make you run suicides until you retire. Got it?” Wilkes nods, pursing his lips. About to instruct him to retake the field, Harden watches Jameson get stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Fourth and one. “Coach?” Everett says. Harden looks up at the clock and thinks. Under ten minutes to go, ball on their own forty-four. His gut says go for it. “No,” he says. “Too soon.” The punt unit comes on, and the Knights offense returns to the sideline, well aware that time is now just as big an enemy as the Seahawks. The Seahawks take over on their own twenty with a clear strategy: pound the rock with Lynch and run out the clock’s nine minutes and fifteen seconds. Harden hesitates to stack the box, knowing Wilson could still go downfield on any given down. After Lynch gets four yards on first down, Luck makes a fantastic play to penetrate the backfield and bring Lynch down for a loss. Third and seven. Wilson drops back to pass. Anthrax comes free with a clear shot at Wilson but gets juked and falls to the grass. Wilson runs forward but throws as he crosses the line of scrimmage, hitting Harvin over the middle for a first down. Harden lobbies for an illegal forward pass call, but the chain gang sets up first and ten. 7:36, 7:35… Lynch keeps hammering away, bouncing off tackles and creating extra yardage, gaining twelve yards in three plays and getting another set of downs. 5:20, 5:19… Robert Turbin enters the game and takes a few carries up the middle, gaining six yards and bringing up third and four. Wilson lines up in shotgun, takes the snap, and extends the ball for Turbin. Wilson stares down Brock on the read-option, keeps the ball, and jukes Brock, cutting forward and diving, extending the ball just long enough for a first down. 3:15, 3:14… Maverick and the offense huddle together on the sideline, going over plays and rehearsing for a two-minute drill. They just need to get the ball back. Lynch comes back in and puts together two fantastic runs that result in third and one near midfield. Harden lets the clock tick down to the two-minute warning and calls Randall over to the sideline. “Can you stop Lynch from getting a yard?” Harden asks. “Or Wilson on a sneak?” “I don’t know, coach.” “Exactly. So, if you have a read on Wilsons’ cadence, now’s the time to take a chance.” Randall nods and jogs back onto the field. Officials wind the play clock, and the players line up with both sidelines and most of the stadium standing, the game potentially about to be decided. A stop here, and the Knights can call timeout and get the ball back with about 1:50 to go. If Seattle gets a first down, it’s over. Randall and Grantzinger inch close to the line of scrimmage as Wilson calls out his cadence under center. Both linebackers get closer, trying to anticipate the exact moment, and go for it. Wilson takes the snap just as Randall and Grantzinger leap over linemen and get their hands on the quarterback. Wilson clutches the ball and gets thrown backwards. Harden runs out onto the field to call timeout, and the clock stops at 1:53. Randall and Grantzinger mob each other in celebration and enjoy even more praise on the sideline from their head coach. “Great job,” Harden says. “That’s the kind of play that wins you a Super Bowl. Great fucking job.” Everyone inside Knight’s End stands up, nervous and jittery, as the punt goes out of bounds at the twelve, and the Knights offense takes the field. “Eighty-eight yards,” Sampson says, “about two minutes, and only one timeout. Yikes.” “I can barely watch,” Cooper says. “Of course it’s a five-point lead. Of course it is.” “No worries, Coop. It’s New England, Act II.” Everyone in the huddle leans in and directs their eyes at the quarterback. “Okay, guys,” Maverick says. “I’m not gonna scream or yell or anything, so here it is. Remember what coach said before the game. We were on pace for a shitty ass season. I don’t know who I could count on, who I could trust, who I could go to in games like this. But now, I know I can trust you all. I know when I throw the ball your way—anyone’s way—you’re gonna make a play. We’re in the Super Bowl, fellas. And I’ll be damned if we’re gonna come all this way just to blow it. Let’s go.” Whistles start the play clock, and the Knights get in formation, eighty-eight yards from a Super Bowl, 1:47 to go. Maverick drops back and hits Johnson on a sideline route. He catches it and goes out of bounds for eight yards. 1:42. Maverick looks to the sideline again—covered. He looks up the middle—Bishop is open. He throws and hits Bishop between the numbers. Bishop spins with Chancellor closing. He lowers his shoulders and plows through the safety, running ahead. Two Seahawks bring him down ten yards later. 1:30, 1:29… Maverick hurries to the line, calling the play quickly and getting everyone set. He drops back and fires to Watson in the flat. He catches it and goes out of bounds for a four-yard gain. 1:14. Second and six from the Knights’ forty-six, inside Hail Mary range. Maverick drops back as pressure comes on the outside. He steps up, sees no room to run, and throws it up for Wilkes on a post. Maxwell blankets Wilkes but doesn’t see the pass. Wilkes leaps for it at the last second, extending his right arm. He catches it with one hand and falls to the ground at the Seahawks’ thirty-eight. 1:03, 1:02… Maverick shouts the play call with the entire stadium in a frenzy and precious seconds ticking away. Maverick looks to Johnson on a sideline route. A Seahawk comes free over the middle, and Maverick has nowhere to go. He goes down, then looks up at the lineman who blew the block—Penner, who looks just as stunned. 0:44, 0:43… Maverick looks to Everett: call timeout? Everett shakes his head and signals for a spike. Receivers sprint back to formation as more clock fades away. 0:35, 0:34, 0:33… Maverick clocks it and catches his breath. It’s third and sixteen from the forty-four, 0:32 to go, one timeout left. Penner snaps the ball and sticks his man this time as Maverick sits behind a clean pocket. No one’s open, so he rolls out left to throw it away. At the last second, he sees Watson downfield. He throws it up, trying to thread a tight needle. A Seahawk jumps for the interception, but it’s too high. Watson catches it in stride and runs out of bounds at the twenty-four. 0:20. Maverick pumps his fist and jogs back to huddle up. The Knights are close now, close enough for a good throw into the end zone if nothing else. A few seconds later, Seattle calls timeout, apparently to regroup, and Maverick runs to the sideline. He returns to the huddle a moment later, saying, “Listen up. It’s gonna get really cramped now, so we’re gonna crawl our way toward the end zone and then take our shot. Ready?” Maverick takes the snap, rolls right, and hits Watson in the flat. He runs out of bounds for a four-yard gain. 0:14. Maverick drops back, glances to Johnson running to the end zone—covered. He fires over the middle for Bishop, but a linebacker tips the pass. It bounces over Bishop’s head, hovers in midair, and lands between defenders in the grass. Disaster averted. Maverick looks up at the clock: 0:06. This is it. Maverick calls timeout to talk over the final play with the coaches. “Most pressure’s been coming from the middle or right,” Maverick says. “I think I should throw to my left.” “Okay,” Everett says. “Johnson and Wilkes both line up left, then.” They go through plays fitting that description and settle on one, with adjustments. Maverick returns to the huddle, explains the play, and gets everyone set up. The stadium reaches peak volume for the season’s final play. Maverick lines up in shotgun with Jaxson next to him and all receivers out left except Watson. Maverick takes the snap. Clean pocket. He looks for a quick opportunity to fire a pass through, but he doesn’t see it. He pumps, then rolls left. He sees everyone converging in the end zone, with a linebacker coming for him. Wilkes is in position, so he lobs up the jump ball to the end zone as the clock hits zero. Wilkes tries to track the ball in the center of a massive congregation. He times his jump and leaps as high as he can. About nine players jump for the pass, which lands somewhere in the pile, touching Wilkes’ hands, and bounces back toward the middle of the field. Running toward the pile, Watson sees the ball flutter towards him a second late, extends, and his arm tips it in the air behind him. He stops to turn around for it, but it hits a white jersey. It’s Sherman. He runs out of the end zone with the ball and slides down near the five-yard line. He raises his arms, and teammates swarm him. There are no flags on the field. The game is over. The television audio is the only sound in Knight’s End, with every Knights fan left in silence, unable to find any words. Cooper and Sampson lean against the high top, neither intending to say anything for quite a while. Cooper is torn between the team loss in the Super Bowl and his personal loss of twenty thousand dollars, unsure which is worse. What a terrible way to end the season. Chance hugs his children as people in the suite start to leave. He looks down the row at Schneider, who looks more sad than displeased. Confetti shoots out from the sidelines and showers everyone on the field. The handshakes commence without anything noteworthy, and the Knights head for the locker room. Maverick leads a group of players, helmet in hand. Just before he gets to the tunnel, he throws his helmet down. It bounces off the grass, rolls around, and lands facing up. Over the next few hours, as the Seahawks celebrate, waves of paper continue to fall, and eventually, the black helmet is completely obscured in confetti. 12 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted August 9, 2015 Cowardice loses the day!But I mean, that's what happen when you put a sorry ass receiver on Richard Sherman. >_> What a rough way to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted August 9, 2015 A quick pass to Jaxson on the right use the speed..... Rough way to lose, great chapter and season Stevo. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) So do they cut Wilkes in the offseason over costing them a timeout they could have used on that final drive? I would. Also, once again you put your progress as a writer on display with the ending here. What a great image, and avoiding the cliche post-game locker room speech was excellent. Edited August 9, 2015 by BwareDWare94 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted August 9, 2015 Yea, the helmet getting covered in confetti was awesome. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted August 9, 2015 So do they cut Wilkes in the offseason over costing them a timeout they could have used on that final drive? I would. Also, once again you put your progress as a writer on display with the ending here. What a great image, and avoiding the cliche post-game locker room speech was excellent. Maybe they cut Mav for short-arming the throw when Wilkes had Sherman smoked, huh, HUH? Hate seeing us lose like that, but I didn't think it was our time to win the SB. Next year, Farmer's Field, the stars are aligning. Great season overall. I agree there was some really nice imagery in this one. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted August 10, 2015 Should've sent Rose in for the final play. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted August 10, 2015 Hit me right in the feels. Great work, Stevo. It's been just as fun reading the chapters as it has been seeing your progression as a writer. You have a special gift and it's pretty cool to see you use it and see it grow every time your write these. I thought I gave us the spark we needed to get that W...but...coach didn't put me in on the last play. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted August 10, 2015 Since the Chargers rematch was so sparse and anti-climactic, I'm 100% expecting us to face them in the playoffs. Since the Chargers are out, I'm now 100% convinced that we're going to lose to the Patriots. Now that we've beaten the Patriots, I 100% expect us to lose in the AFCCG. Now that we've beaten the Broncos, I am 100% convinced that we're going to lose the Super Bowl. I almost did it. Having Randall and Zack Polamalu over the line on that play and the Rose interception were the best parts, imo (aside from the aforementioned "team pointing up, but for now shadowed in a SB loss" symbol). Looking forward to the SB win at home next year. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Just to clarify, next year, Super Bowl XLIX, is in Glendale. After that, Super Bowl 50 is in Los Angeles. So KoA is going to have at least five seasons. Edited August 10, 2015 by SteVo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted August 10, 2015 See ya guys at the wild card loss. Randall accepts any contract put on the table as long as he gets to dive over some more lines. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanbrock 1,684 Posted August 10, 2015 Even though I knew we would lose it was still really well written lol. Like Zack I was expecting us to lose every game after we beat Cinci in the WC, so you had me mostly surprised. Chance Phillips is gonna trade out of the out of the first and pick up some value round picks. Knights will come back stronger than ever. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted August 10, 2015 See ya guys at the wild card loss. Randall accepts any contract put on the table as long as he gets to dive over some more lines. Good its a bout time Jaxson breaks your ankles with another juke Cheryl. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted August 11, 2015 Good its a bout time Jaxson breaks your ankles with another juke Cheryl. Game was on the line. Where was you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted August 11, 2015 Game was on the line. Where was you? On the field, probably wide open on the other side got ignored... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted August 11, 2015 Just to clarify, next year, Super Bowl XLIX, is in Glendale. After that, Super Bowl 50 is in Los Angeles. So KoA is going to have at least five seasons. Mmm, I misremembered. Whatever, that will be our repeat year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted August 11, 2015 Mmm, I misremembered. Whatever, that will be our repeat year. I'm feeling a let down year next year as the Knights just went on a ridiculous run this year and it's not easy to replicate that. Plus, SB losers curse... Super Bowl will be won at home though. Guarantee it! Ha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barracuda 629 Posted August 12, 2015 How does stomping on my entire life feel guys? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Turry 755 Posted August 15, 2015 heartbreaking fucking seahawks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted August 16, 2015 How does stomping on my entire life feel guys? You were warned, now you can move in with him and take the next step in your bromance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
әightninә. 39 Posted August 16, 2015 Sam Luck expects a 5 year, one trillion dollar contract after having the best game of his career in the Super Bowl... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites