SteVo+ 3,702 Posted February 19, 2016 Knights of Andreas Part IV Based on Characters Created by: badgers Bangy Barracuda Bay BigBen07 BradyFan81 BwareDware94 Chernobyl426 DarthRaider DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F eightnine FartWaffles Favre4Ever JetsFan4Life Maverick monstersofthemidway RazorStar Sarge seanbrock SteVo Thanatos19 theMileHighGuy Vin Zack_of_Steel Chapter Fifty-Two – Versus the World Black Monday in the NFL dominates the news cycle. Hour by hour, information leaks of teams firing or “parting ways” with coaches, launching the affected franchise into a new era. Behind closed doors, they identify head coach candidates to interview, the first step in a long, comprehensive, and critical process. For the twelve teams in the playoffs, the dynamic is entirely different, with fans and analysts trying to choose whom among the twelve is most likely to go to Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona. The Wild Card Round matchups are Steelers vs. Chargers and Colts vs. Bengals in the AFC, Cowboys vs. Lions and Panthers vs. Cardinals in the NFC. The Patriots, Knights, Seahawks, and Packers get the first week off. Seahawks/Patriots is an obviously popular prediction, though both conference’s #1 seeds have faced each other in the Super Bowl only three times since the 12-team format was established in 1990. The Packers and Knights get their requisite share of buzz for being #2 seeds. The most popular picks among the Wild Card crowd are the Cowboys and Steelers. Preference polls, as opposed to prediction polls, reveal an interesting dynamic. The Packers seem to be the favorite among neutral fans, while the Patriots, Seahawks, and Knights all draw negative ratings. One particular poll asks fans to rank the playoff teams, one through twelve, based on the question, “Which team do you most want to see win the Super Bowl?” The Knights finish last, behind the Seahawks. A separate poll asks, “What would be the worst Super Bowl XLIX matchup?” It lists only a handful of the thirty-six possible combinations, but Seahawks/Knights wins in a landslide. The only positive recognition the Knights appear to receive comes from the annual AP All-Pro Team, which includes three Knights: Brian Penner, Zack Grantzinger, and Malik Rose. At Coach Harden’s Monday presser, it becomes clear reporters don’t have many quality questions with no set opponent this week, so one journalist decides to take a chance. “Coach, a lot of online polls have shown that the majority of NFL fans are rooting against the Knights. In fact, they appear to be the least liked among the twelve playoff teams. Do you, as a coach, try to use that as motivation, turn it into an ‘us against the world’ thing?” Harden looks confused, as if the reporter speaks a foreign language. Sitting nearby, Adam Javad puts his pen down and waits eagerly for the coach’s response. “You know,” Harden says, “that might be one of the stupidest questions I’ve heard all year.” The reporter sinks into his seat, now forced to brave the storm he created, because Harden’s not done. “First of all, I don’t give a damn what anyone outside of Los Angeles thinks about our team. Second of all, us versus is the world is, um…that’s just how it works. I can’t use that for motivation. Once you get on the field, once you’re out there, you think anyone can help you? The other team is there to stop you. The refs aren’t on your side. There’s no one you can rely on except yourself and your teammates. It’s always you versus the world.” That quote appears to render everyone speechless, so Harden ends the conference and walks out, ready to finalize the practice schedule. Harden’s job this week is to give the players a standard, generic week of practice while laying the foundation for all three potential Divisional Round opponents. The Knights will face the highest advancing seed, meaning they can’t play the sixth-seeded Chargers until the AFC Championship, hypothetically. That leaves the Steelers, Colts, and Bengals as possibilities, three teams the Knights have not played this year. Truth be told, Harden’s not afraid of any of them. Outside of New England, the only teams who scare him are in the NFC. While the players might get a low-stress workweek, things are busy on the second floor. The twenty franchises not in the playoffs are looking to fill coaching and front office positions with candidates from other teams, including those in the playoffs. Thanks to their success, the Knights are a ripe target for interviewees. Their assistant general manager, director of college scouting, and vice president of player personnel get interviews for general manager positions around the league. No assistant coaches get calls because the head coach positions must fill first. Once those happen, however, the wave of new coaches will move to fill their respective staffs with assistants. In the meantime, many informal phone calls occur between coaches, with soon-to-be head coaches promising coordinator positions to assistants should they be hired. Nothing official happens yet, though it certainly seems the Knights’ coaching staff will be targeted more than it has been in the past. Phillips and Schneider take a proactive approach to each position. For every candidate interviewing elsewhere, they initiate a search for possible replacements and compile a priority list of interviewees, doing most of the work in Schneider’s office. They even consider replacements for assistant coaches they suspect might be headed elsewhere. Eventually, they get to DeMartine’s possible departure and the arduous task of finding a new assistant GM. “I would say Greg is a natural in-house replacement,” Schneider suggests, referring to the Knights’ vice president of player personnel, “but he’s taking the first offer he gets, don’t you think?” “Without a doubt,” Phillips says. “He’s qualified and eager for a promotion. Even if we made him assistant GM here, he’d only be around a year before leaving.” “Not a plus in terms of continuity.” “We really don’t have to worry, though. Paul’s not going anywhere.” “You sound confident, considering he’s extremely qualified and has three interviews set up.” “With the Jets, Bears, and Bucs. Paul will be a GM in this league one day, and when he is, it’ll be because he took the right opening. New York, Chicago, and Tampa aren’t it.” “I appreciate your opinion, Chance, but I think we should focus on potential candidates all the same.” “Of course.” Throughout the week, the Knights practice for an unknown opponent with various front office members traveling around the country. Harden enjoys a relatively relaxing week, with his coaching staff intact—for now. McKenzie and Maverick, however, still work long hours trying to get Maverick caught up. Maverick has learned every game’s playbook since being injured and has studied plenty of film. Now that he can throw again, he’s making the most of his time. If the Knights fail to win the Super Bowl again this year, it won’t be because he didn’t work hard enough. Near the end of the week, two dominos fall in the Knights’ front office. Their vice president of player personnel accepts the general manager job in Tampa Bay, as expected, and their director of college scouting has a handshake agreement with Washington as their new president of football operations, to take effect after this year’s draft. Losing two prominent front office members is a significant blow, but Schneider and Phillips are prepared. They go through their list of candidates, scheduling interviews throughout next week. Saturday morning, the staff of hostesses, waiters, bartenders, cooks, and managers arrives to finish setting up for an incredibly busy day. The establishment has even more high definition TVs hanging from its walls than this time last year, plus a new surround sound system. All TVs are tuned to ESPN for Cardinals/Panthers (kickoff is 1:35 Pacific time) and configured to change, with a single click, to NBC for Colts/Bengals. Everything runs on schedule, and by 11am, Knight’s End is open for business. Patrons fill in quickly. Groups occupy scattered tables around the massive restaurant, but the bar is nearly full by noon. Around then, in walk Jay Cooper and Cassie Sampson, taking their usual high top and ordering their usual beers. “Did you eat breakfast?” Sampson asks. “Yeah, I drank a beer on the way,” Cooper says. “I figured.” “Hey, wait a second.” Cooper leans in, squinting at Sampson’s black Knights jersey. “That’s not your Wilkes jersey. It’s not even a road white.” “Was wondering when you’d notice.” Sampson removes the jersey carefully, revealing his familiar, white Jefferspin-Wilkes #81 underneath it. “The fuck were you wearing two jerseys for?” “This one’s yours.” Sampson extends the black jersey. Cooper grabs it instinctively, noticing how fresh and crisp it feels, unfolding the back: Jameson #32. “I already have a jersey,” Cooper says, referring to the tattered black fabric sporting Marcus Allen’s name currently on his back. “Yeah, and it looks like it’s been through two wars. From one badass running back to another. One Marcus to another, too. Merry Christmas.” “The fuck, Cassie? I didn’t—” “I got a good deal on it. Seriously considered getting a Maverick jersey to fuck with you, but I knew you wouldn’t wear it.” “Damn straight I wouldn’t.” Cooper looks around the bar, thinks of removing the Allen jersey, then throws the Jameson jersey on top of it, looking rather pleased with himself. “Thank Christ you didn’t get me one of those godawful purple alternates.” Over the next hour, football fans populate the bar wearing a colorful variety of jerseys. Knight’s End is unofficially a Knights bar, but it draws fans from all over the league, like most attractions in Los Angeles. Cardinals/Panthers kicks off and gets ugly fast. It becomes painfully clear that the Cardinals, forced to turn to Ryan Lindley in the wake of Carson Palmer’s injury, can barely get a first down. The Panthers take advantage with a 49-15 blowout victory, an inauspicious start to the playoffs. By the time the Colts and Bengals kick off, Knight’s End is just as packed, but much more energetic. Both of these teams are potential opponents for the Knights next week. As Knights fans analyze the game, they size up their team versus Cincy and Indy, trying to determine the optimal (or more intriguing) opponent. Cincinnati is particularly interesting because of Tom Everett, their offensive coordinator. Everett’s offseason departure to Cincinnati always struck Knights fans as odd. The two teams appear evenly matched, with each offense trading scores. The game is tied, 13-13, at halftime. Andy Dalton hits A.J. Green for a quick strike to open the third quarter, making it 20-13, and the Colts fail to respond. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bengals reach the red zone, but an errant Dalton pass gets taken the other way, tying the game. Dalton throws another interception on the ensuing drive, and Andrew Luck capitalizes, leading a long drive into the end zone. The Bengals fail to score in the game’s final minutes, and the Colts win, 27-20. The Knights will play the Steelers if they win tomorrow or the Colts if the Chargers win. Sunday morning, Knight’s End opens earlier than it has all year, the first party of the day walking through the front doors at 9:03. Today’s “one o’ clock” game between the Steelers and Chargers starts at 10:05am in Los Angeles, and Knight’s End will graciously accept money from fans who want to watch the game. Cooper and Sampson are among the first Knights fans there, each ordering the infamous Hangover Burger, a half-pound of beef topped with a fried egg and drizzled with maple syrup. The Steelers jump out to a 10-0 lead, and the Chargers appear overmatched. But something clicks on offense, and San Diego soon leads, 14-10. A perfectly executed two-minute drill by Phillip Rivers makes it 21-10 at halftime. The Steelers respond in the second half with a touchdown drive, and the Chargers add a field goal. The score now 24-17, the Chargers defense takes over, putting Roethlisberger under constant pressure and suffocating Pittsburgh’s offense. The Chargers fail to add any points in the fourth quarter, but a last second Hail Mary lands incomplete, and the Chargers win, finalizing the Divisional Round in the AFC: Chargers/Patriots in New England, Colts/Knights in Los Angeles. While the Cowboys and Lions wrap up Wild Card Weekend, Knights fans dissect next week’s matchup with the Colts. Sampson expresses concern about Andrew Luck against the Knights defense but expects a Knights win. Cooper dismisses Luck as overrated and predicts a 45-3 victory. “First playoff game in Farmers Field,” Sampson eventually says. “Place is gonna be pretty hype.” “Don’t remind me,” Cooper says. Sampson looks at him suspiciously. “Don’t worry. I’m over it.” “No you’re not.” “This place will be just as fun, beers are cheaper, parking is incredibly cheaper, and there’s a much smaller risk of security throwing my ass out. So, Cassie, please.” The Knights start another practice week with their opponent officially set. The Divisional Round schedule has them playing this Saturday night, a slight disadvantage. Last week’s bye, however, allowed them to establish a foundational game plan for all three potential opponents, Indianapolis included. Coaches now branch that foundation out into a full game plan, adjusted slightly based on Saturday’s Colts/Bengals game. When he studies the Colts, McKenzie sees a mediocre defense weak in the trenches. He therefore wants to attack early with Jameson, establish the run game, then rely on Maverick to get touchdowns in the red zone. Maverick, however, wants to come out firing, like they did in Denver. The playbook includes a balance of run and pass plays, but McKenzie and Maverick debate the first, scripted, fifteen plays all week. Harden feels more confident. He respects Luck’s ability as a quarterback but considers Indy’s offensive line garbage. The Knights should win that trench battle, allowing them to dominate the game. The Colts do have, however, an impressive array of receivers. T.Y. Hilton is assigned the Rose treatment, leaving Marshall on Reggie Wayne with Flash helping over the top when necessary. Tight end Coby Fleener is slightly concerning; he’s an underachieving player on film, but he’s the sort of tight end Randall and Martin could have trouble covering. Harden decides against a definitive plan, preferring to keep his options open. Meanwhile, the coaching carousel is spinning fast. Four head coaching vacancies have been filled as of Monday morning, and the top priority for those coaches is assembling a staff of coordinators and position coaches. A wave of interviews spreads across the league, some ripples reaching Los Angeles. Throughout the week, the Knights’ quarterbacks coach, offensive line coach, defensive line coach, linebackers coach, and secondary coach get interviews for coordinator positions. Harden tries to manage practice as best he can with coaches occasionally absent, but on Wednesday, two hires are made, and the Knights lose their defensive line coach and secondary coach. Harden promotes the defensive quality control coach to defensive line—how hard can it be to coach three players?—and assumes coaching duties over the secondary himself. The Knights start practice Thursday with a shuffled coaching staff on defense, but the game plan for Indianapolis remains unchanged. Upstairs, Phillips and Schneider interview candidates for the two open front office jobs. Between the two positions, they deliberately target at least one from Denver, San Diego, and Kansas City, to get some inside information on their division rivals. It’s part of the game in the NFL, and the Knights know how to play along. Phillips is in the process of taking multiple phone calls from agents of Knights players, exchanging contract numbers and updating his white board accordingly, when DeMartine knocks on the open door. “Good timing,” Phillips says, hanging up the phone. “Come on in, Paul. I wanted to go over one of our more recent cap projections with you, actually. It’s a good thing you’re here.” Phillips walks toward the white board, eyeing up some purple cap figures he’s recently changed. “Chance, I need to—” “I’ve had some really productive conversations with Alex Johnson’s agent, and I think we can structure a deal that’s easy on our ‘15 and ‘16 cap numbers and has long-term security in the event—” “Chance, I’m out.” Phillips freezes in place, fixated on a $9-million cap figure for Johnson in 2017. His eyes find their way across the room to DeMartine, who looks defeated. Phillips has no idea how stunned he looks. “What do you mean ‘out’?” Phillips says. “I got a call from Chicago this morning. They offered me the GM job and I took it.” This doesn’t feel right, that such a huge decision can be relayed in a casual conversation on a Thursday afternoon. This doesn’t feel real. “Forgive me, Paul,” Phillips says. “I thought you’d be sticking around for another Super Bowl run.” “You know it’s nothing personal. I decided a while ago I would take a GM job if one came up.” Phillips was wrong the whole time. He felt, so confidently, that DeMartine would wait for a good situation before taking the big job. How could his read be so far off? Phillips, shocked, finds a way to subdue all those thoughts and extend his hand. “Congratulations, Paul. You deserve it.” “I can’t thank you enough, Chance.” “Make sure you buy some new coats,” is all Phillips thinks to say, realizing how cheesy it sounds. “Well, we play the AFC West next season, so I’m sure I’ll see you then.” He’s already saying “we” to describe Chicago. How did this happen so soon? Seconds later, DeMartine is gone. Phillips stands alone in the hallway, suddenly stressed about all the challenges the organization faces, including and especially its newest top priority: finding an assistant general manager. The Knights, in all black, stare across the field at the Colts, in all white, as the crowd amps up, kickoff moments away. The sun will set over the course of the game, but for now, it’s a clear and sunny 68 degrees, perfect football weather. As the kickoff sails out of bounds, McKenzie looks at his laminated play sheet one last time before commencing with the scripted calls. The crowd tempers its noise, but the energy around the stadium is palpable. Maverick lines up under center, sizes up the defense, and takes the snap. He sells a handoff to Jameson and rolls right. Looking deep, he sees what he wants and bombs it for Wilkes, half a step behind the defense. The pass sails through the air and hits him in stride. Fans jump to their feet as Wilkes accelerates away from a diving Colt and runs into the end zone, dunking the ball on the goal posts. Farmers Field rocks with the intensity of an earthquake as the Knights celebrate their first touchdown of the postseason. Players and coaches have to scream on the sideline to hear each other. The offense enjoys a leisurely rest—there’s only one play to study from the drive, and it went perfectly—while the AFC’s best defense takes the field. Farmers Field roars again, most fans standing and pelting the field with noise. Andrew Luck calls out adjustments with hand signals. Luck drops back and hits receivers quickly for short yards. This brings up third and three, which Luck converts by hitting Ahmad Bradford out of the backfield. Harden watches closely. He’s holding back on blitzes for now, hoping four-man rushes can get the best of Indy’s offensive line. So far, it hasn’t. The Colts reach midfield without running the ball, then hand off to Dan Herron a few times. The home crowd maintains the noise, but at increasingly smaller levels with every Colts first down. From the edge of field goal range, Luck drops back against a blitz. He steps up, avoids the rush, looks downfield, and fires toward the sideline. Fleener runs open toward the end zone, Martin a step behind him. The pass drops in Fleener’s hands, and Farmers Field goes quiet. As the extra point ties the game, 7-7, Harden makes two decisions: no more Martin covering Fleener (Randall only), and more blitzes. McKenzie prepares for what he expects to be a longer drive this time, though he certainly wouldn’t object to a quick score. Per the arranged script, the Knights throw more than they run. Maverick hits receivers for solid gains, finding holes in the Colts’ coverage. Johnson for twelve yards, Bishop for ten, Wilkes for ten, Johnson for thirteen. The Knights reach field goal range, slowly bringing the crowd back into the game. Maverick lines up under center for first and ten, then audibles to a shotgun formation. Seeing a defense he recognizes from film, he suspects a safety blitz. With the play clock running low, he waves his arm diagonally, looking toward his receivers. Nobody does anything to indicate they understand. Maverick takes the snap and drops back. Wilkes abandons his sideline route and runs a post toward the end zone, beating the corner. Maverick steps up and fires over the middle, taking a big blindside hit. From the grass, he looks downfield and sees Wilkes catch the pass in stride, hearing a wave of cheers around the stadium. Grodd helps him up to celebrate. Farmers Field has never been louder. The Knights take a 14-7 lead, and the energy carries through the commercial break. Harden watches as his defense retakes the field. They’ve given up their share of touchdowns this year, of course, but they’ve always responded on the following drive. Harden isn’t worried. Luck deals with immense crowd noise but finds receivers anyway, chipping away at the vaunted Knights defense with short gains. When he hands off, Colts running backs find holes up the middle, running right through blitzes. Harden is so perplexed he avoids getting angry. The Colts cross midfield, in the process of crushing the home team’s momentum again. Harden concentrates on personnel as multiple Colts receivers shift in motion. When the chaos settles, he identifies multiple problems. Why is Marshall on Hilton? Why isn’t Schwinn stacking the box? He runs toward the nearest official to call timeout, but the ball gets snapped first. Luck drops back and throws downfield as he gets hit. Hilton runs a few yards ahead of Marshall, who waves as if he was supposed to get help over the top, and jogs into the end zone. Silence falls over the stadium again, and Harden walks up to McKenzie, lowering his voice. “Keep doing what you’re doing, Mac,” Harden says. “No need to panic. This one’s on me.” The entire team returns to the sideline with the game tied 14-14. Harden summons the defense and gathers them as closely as he can, about to give a familiar speech in the worst possible game. “It’s been a good year, men. We stuck to our guns, we played defense the right way, and we had a hell of a season. Now, look at us. Two touchdowns on two drives. I swear to almighty Jesus, if you fucks have come all this way just to choke in the first game of the playoffs, I will unleash a fury you have never seen. Whatever’s going on out there, fix it. Now.” Harden walks away, ending the gathering on a deliberately unceremonious note. As his defense tries to pick up the pieces, the offense picks up where it left off, though the Colts appear to be shading more towards deep coverage, leery of another big play. This allows the Knights to get Jameson involved, and they reach Colts territory just as the quarter ends. The second quarter opens with some more runs, getting the Knights into field goal range. On third and six, Maverick throws over the middle for Bishop, and the pass is nearly intercepted. McCabe comes on for a long field goal and drills it, giving the Knights the lead, 17-14. The defense goes back to work on orders from Harden: blitz like hell, don’t switch up assignments on formation shifts, don’t change the play too radically no matter the circumstances. In short, blitz like hell and don’t fuck up. The strategy appears to work. Luck throws more incompletions under greater pressure, and the Colts initiate the game’s first punt. McKenzie calls more runs now, his game plan working to perfection. They established the pass game and spread the Colts out; now it’s time to wear them down. Jameson pounds away, running through lanes and fighting for every yard. As the Knights cross midfield with the second quarter ticking, fans can feel momentum swinging back to their side. The Knights soon face third and six from the thirty-two, and McKenzie makes an unusual call. Maverick lines up in shotgun with Banks next to him, and Banks motions right, leaving Maverick alone. He takes the snap and rolls right, looking downfield, then hands off to Watson, running the opposite direction. Watson evades a few linemen and has plenty of green grass in front of him. The crowd comes to its feet as the speedster turns the corner towards the end zone. He gets a great downfield block from Wilkes, runs along the sideline with defenders closing, and leaps over the pylon. Touchdown, Knights. Maverick celebrate with his teammates and coaches, soaking in the moment. The Knights never scored more than 24 points all season; now they have 24 in the first half. The Colts take over, and Harden’s defense goes back to work. Five-man rushes get penetration, downfield coverage is excellent, and Luck’s accuracy becomes erratic. It appears the crisis is over. The Knights get the ball back with four minutes left. They lead another balanced drive, in position to take a commanding lead into halftime. Maverick drops back around midfield. Pressure forces him to step up. He fires to Wilkes on a comeback route, but the pass sails off-target and is intercepted by a white jersey. Fans absorb the first turnover of the day as Maverick and Wilkes try to figure out what went wrong. The mood on the Knights sideline is mostly relaxed, however, thanks to a 24-14 lead they maintain as the Colts run out the first half. The Knights take their first second half drive into the red zone with sunset nearly complete, the stadium lights illuminating the field. The score is still 24-14, with 8:48 left in the third quarter. Maverick drops back, looking to Banks on a screen. The blocking develops, and Maverick lofts the pass, but it sails too high and into the arms of Greg Toler, who takes it the other way. The Colts sideline comes to life as Toler runs free toward the end zone, several Knights in pursuit. One black jersey emerges from the pack and gains ground. It’s Watson, who reaches Toler as he passes the fifteen-yard-line and trips him up, sending him to the ground eight yards from the end zone. The Knights defense trots on the field in an unenviable position as Maverick curses himself on the sideline. Two interceptions in a playoff game is completely unacceptable. The Colts line up on offense with Farmers Field reaching peak volume again. Luck calls no audibles as he takes the snap and fires toward the sideline for Reggie Wayne, who catches it and gets tackled for a three-yard gain. Second and goal from the five. Luck hands off to Herron, who finds some space before being swarmed by four defenders at once, going down at the three. Knights fans rise from their seats for third and goal. Maverick does the same on the sideline. “Let’s go!” he screams. “Hold ‘em to three here and we’re good, let’s go!” Randall shouts out adjustments, standing in the middle of the red zone. Grantzinger and Brock are blitzing to break up a pass attempt to the end zone; Randall, Martin, and Schwinn have the middle of the field covered. Luck takes the snap and drops back to pass. Schwinn blitzes as Randall moves laterally, waiting for Fleener to break on a route. Fleener cuts to Randall’s right, and just as Randall goes with him, Luck takes off from the pocket. Randall changes direction, but he knows he’s too late. Luck runs across the goal line without being touched. The stadium’s energy fades into an awkward stillness as the Colts narrow the score to 24-21. Fans inevitably begin to consider the possibility that this is the Knights’ final game, that after a remarkable 12-4 season, they are about to choke it all away. As the Knights offense waits for the commercial break to end, Maverick takes charge, trying to fire everybody up for another scoring drive. Based on everything he’s seen from the Colts defense, both on the field and on the sideline, they’re giving the most respect to Wilkes and Watson. So this drive will feature heavy doses of Johnson and Bishop. The strategy works immediately. Maverick hits his receiver and tight end for short gains, showing off his arm strength. Neither target is getting swarmed in coverage, so the Knights move the chains with ease. McKenzie thinks this would be a perfect time for a no-huddle offense, but Maverick simply hasn’t gotten enough reps with it yet. The idea will have to wait until next season. For now, the Knights eat up plenty of the clock, entering field goal range with another balanced drive. Maverick drops back, tracking Johnson on a deep route. As he breaks on a post, Maverick fires for the corner of the end zone. Johnson cuts back, getting separation and tracking the pass. He turns around, catches it, and gets tackled inside the five-yard line. Farmers Field roars back to life as the Knights set up shop four yards from the end zone, but whistles blow everything dead, the third quarter over. Players traverse the field, and when the Knights line up for first and goal, the crowd resumes cheering. Maverick, per his style, eggs them on further, knowing he’s not changing this play. He hands off to Jameson, who runs into a wall, keeps his feet moving, and somehow churns ahead for two yards. Second and goal from the two. Maverick fakes a handoff and rolls left. A defender closes in. Maverick spins, but the Colt gets his arms around Maverick’s feet. He looks into the end zone for a desperation pass, sees no one, and smacks against the grass. He gets up slowly on the ten-yard-line as the crowd noise tempers. McKenzie does something neither Maverick nor Harden will like, calling a conservative play on third and goal, not wanting to risk an interception. The Knights line up with four receivers spread wide, and the Colts back off, ready for a shot to the end zone. Maverick hands off to Jameson, who bolts through the line of the scrimmage into open grass. He jukes a linebacker, lowers his shoulders, and barrels through two more white jerseys, falling into the end zone. Fans enjoy a prolonged celebration as McCabe’s extra point makes it 31-21 with 13:25 to go. Victory is within reach now. Harden knows the Colts will have to air it out and has his blitzes ready. One interception and this baby’s over. Luck does indeed come out throwing, hitting the short, safe routes first. Harden orders everyone super tight on coverage, desperate for a turnover. On the next play, the Colts pick up a blitz beautifully, and Luck hits Fleener over the middle for a seventeen-yard gain. The Colts are across midfield, and in the middle of their most impressive drive since the first quarter. A few running plays get another first down, and Harden grows frustrated, screaming the play calls through his headset and into Randall’s ear. Another nice pass by Luck brings the Colts to the thirty-five. After an incompletion and a short run, Harden decides on an all-out blitz. Luck takes the snap, backpedals, and throws over the middle. The wobbly pass sails right into Flash’s hands—he drops it. Knights fans recoil in shock, and Harden slams his headset to the ground. As Flash looks at his hands, trying to figure out what happened, the Colts send Adam Vinatieri on for what will be a fifty-yard field goal. Vinatieri boots it low, definitely deep enough. The ball sails toward the uprights and bangs off a goal post, landing in the end zone. A surge in crowd noise booms throughout the stadium, and the Knights offense frantically prepares on the sideline. Harden sizes up the situation: Knights up 31-21, 7:56 to play. He walks up to McKenzie and Maverick, who are skimming the playbook. They notice Harden’s presence and stop. “Finish it,” Harden says, and walks away. The Knights take over on their own thirty-eight, the crowd behind them. McKenzie assumes his first quarter game plan, going for the kill this time. Maverick spreads the ball around, hitting receivers accurately. Bishop for six yards, Wilkes for eight, Watson for five, Johnson for ten. The offense has already reached field goal range with 5:20 and counting to go, every second valuable now. Even the aggressive Harden would be content with three points in this spot. There’s no way Indianapolis is overcoming a thirteen-point deficit in five minutes or less. Maverick drops back, senses pressure from his left, and rolls out on a broken play. The only receiver he sees is Wilkes, covered tightly on the sideline. Hell with it. He fires a laser downfield. Wilkes spins at the last second, extends his left arm, and catches the pass one-handed, tapping his feet in bounds. The nearest official spots him at the three-yard line with Farmers Field entering hysteria. The entire Knights sideline stands as the offense lines up in a goal line formation. Maverick pumps up the crowd some more and takes the snap. Jameson gets the handoff up the middle, accelerates, and leaps as high as he can, hurdling most of the crowd, spinning in midair and landing in the end zone. Touchdown, Knights. All tension and worry in the stadium fades. McCabe knocks the extra point through, and it’s high fives all around on the sideline, courtesy of a 38-point performance. In the executive suites, the celebratory handshakes commence amidst a similarly festive mood. The Denver game two weeks ago may have been Maverick announcing his return, but today, the entire Knights offense has announced its dominance. A high-powered offense coupled with an all-time great defense, the Los Angeles Knights will be difficult to beat. Monday morning, Phillips is among the first in the building, a frustrating and important day ahead. The football world looks toward conference championship week, which features a marquee matchup in the NFC, as the Packers and Seahawks will do battle in Seattle. The AFC, however, has turned out differently than most expected, thanks to San Diego’s upset win in New England. It’s Knights/Chargers for the AFC Championship at Farmers Field, a second straight AFC West battle to decide the conference, with a Knights/Seahawks Super Bowl rematch still very possible. This is an obviously exciting time for the Knights, but not for Chance Phillips. The last two weeks have seen his front office and coaching staff purged of multiple contributors, the most devastating of which was Paul DeMartine’s departure to Chicago. Phillips sets up shop in his office and gets to work, researching potential replacements for the assistant GM position. He works quietly until hearing his secretary arrive in the adjacent office. “Jennifer,” he says, calling her office, “please hold all calls for me this morning. I’ll be busy.” “No problem, Mr. Phillips.” Phillips types away, skimming through multiple front office candidates around the league. He finds it difficult to focus, however, still processing why DeMartine left—and how Phillips is going to handle the next few months without him. With so many contract issues about to surface, this offseason will require Phillips to walk a narrow tightrope, a challenge for any general manager, and he always expected Paul to be there with him. In hindsight, DeMartine is extremely qualified and his taking a GM job elsewhere shouldn’t have come as a shock. The NFL is unpredictable, but that’s no excuse. Phillips must never be surprised like this again. His phone beeps, breaking his focus yet again. Phillips throws his pen against the desk as he hears Jennifer’s voice through the phone. “Mr. Phillips, I have a call from—” “Jennifer, I told you I didn’t want any calls!” “I’m sorry, Mr. Phillips, but I felt you’d want to take this one.” “You felt—what? Why, who is it?” “Chet Ripka.” 11 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted February 19, 2016 Chargers are Super Bowl bound And what a cliffhanger. Douchebag! Lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted February 19, 2016 Oh man, we are gonna get crushed by the Chargers, revenge game bitch. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 19, 2016 Caden Daniel gonna make things complicated on the Knights one last time. Curious to see why Ripka is back in the picture. Maybe he's gonna coach defense. Chance gonna pull his hair out with all this work and stress lately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) The Panthers take advantage with a 49-15 blowout victory, an inauspicious start to the playoffs. Very interesting, lol. Watson tracking down the interceptor for the stop inside the 10, taking the reverse handoff, very Ted Ginnish. Just don't make him start dropping balls everywhere, ok? Great chapter as usual man. I feel like we either get the rematch, or the Chargers beat us in a tight one. Edited February 20, 2016 by Thanatos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted February 20, 2016 Chargers beat us in a blowout and then win by 6 in the big one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barracuda 629 Posted February 20, 2016 There's nothing wrong with that Allen jersey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted February 20, 2016 If we lose to the Chargers I'll off myself in the following chapter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted February 20, 2016 If we lose to the Chargers I'll off myself in the following chapter. RIP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted February 20, 2016 i don't appreciate you all jinxing the Chargers. > Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted March 2, 2016 We're going to beat San Diego and Daniel will get fired and become our VP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites