“Heard you were practicing drop-backs.Thought you might appreciate some timing.”He tossed me a cursory nod and grinned at Patty.
“Shoulda guessed you’d want to play too, Dally.”Patty grinned back.
Taking the hint, I stepped over to the far hash and called Mitch over to run some slants and skinny posts.Though us new guys had initiated these impromptu practice sessions, it came as no surprise the starters would want to join in.Between passes I watched Patty’s technique.
When he caught me, he asked, “How am I doing, Coach?Hip less stiff?”
I smiled.“You’re snapping that ball like it did something mean to you.”
Dally faced me.“Wait.You’ve been out herecoachingthe starter?”
Raising my hands, I said, “What?We all want to win, don’t we?”
Callahan jogged back from where he’d caught his last pass.“Your throws are fucking awesome, Patty.Whatever Cash told you to do, it’s working.Easiest passes I’ve ever caught—except maybe for yours, Cash.”
Dally narrowed his eyes.“Mind if we switch?”he asked Patty.
“I was about to suggest that, actually.”Patty tossed a ball between his hands as he headed over to throw passes to Mitch.
“You know the cadence?”Dally asked.
“Callahan and Danny have been teaching me.”
He lifted one questioning brow and took the ball from my hands, setting it on the turf as he dropped down into his stance.In position behind him, I patted his right hip and called the numbers.Dally hiked the ball, and I dropped back to pass.Callahan shot off his mark and raced upfield, made the cut, and caught the pass as it fell directly into his hands.
“The fuck?”Dallas turned to me.“You’re showing Patty how to pass like that?”
“Look, I know you see me as a threat to the well-oiled machine that is the Wildcats, but I truly am here because our coach offered for me, and we both think I can help the team.”I might have emphasized “our coach” to remind the center that we all wore the same team colors.
Even though I lived in a world where everyone was massive, Dallas Cousins’ size intimidated me.Though I topped him by two inches, the breadth of his shoulders was half again as broad as mine.He was three hundred pounds of solid muscle, and when he straightened to his full 6’2” height, he had my attention.
“We don’t win with a controversy at quarterback.”
“Facts.”
“Stop hard-timing the new guy, Dally.Cash is good people.He’s going to help all of us play better.”The genuine smile that accompanied Patty’s words proclaimed his unwavering confidence in himself, his abilities, and his place on the team.
Maybe if I’d had more of that kind of confidence at my last stop, I might have found a starting position when I entered the portal.Right then I resolved to make some personal improvements.Not only did I need to pay attention to Patty’s technique to help him, but I also needed to pay attention to the way he handled himself to build my own confidence.
Callahan jogged past with an armful of footballs.“I gotta hit the showers.My first class starts in thirty.”
Pulling my phone from the pocket of my shorts, I checked the time.“Mine too,” I said as I joined him in gathering balls.Glancing over at Dallas, I asked, “We good?”
A bemused expression crossed his features before he nodded.“Yeah.For now at least.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out where Dallas was coming from.As long as I didn’t try to usurp his favorite QB’s place, we’d be fine.If I got a wild hair and decided to go after Patty’s spot, well, the center and I probably wouldn’t be “good.”
After tossing an armful of footballs into the bin, I hit the showers and gathered up my backpack to head to class.I was going to school for kinesiology with a minor in business.My plan was to attend chiropractic college after my playing days were done, which was looking more and more like when I finished my undergrad rather than after some fun in the NFL.Playing backup at a D1-A school wasn’t how a guy got noticed by NFL scouts.
On my way to my first class, I stopped by the student union for a coffee and a breakfast sandwich, which I finished in two bites before hitting the sidewalk.I slid into an empty seat in the aisle of my anatomy lecture and settled in to learn about musculature and bone structure.As the professor scrolled through a series of slides, my mind wandered to Patty’s throwing motion, and I thought about his knees.Since my knee surgery, I’d had to change the way I threw.Something about Patty’s stance niggled at the back of my brain, giving me an idea for our next impromptu workout.
It’s funny how in hindsight seemingly mundane moments can turn out to be monumental.
A few weeks into the semester, as I laced up my boots after morning lift, our number-one place kicker, Dalton Sneed, wandered over to my locker and asked if I’d like to attend a party at his fraternity.
“You’re a frat rat?”I asked, surprised.
Dalton crossed his arms over his chest.
