Junior Year Box Set

From the get-go, I dropped into the zone and focused on every single throw. I fixated on what Bo Harrington and Bud Mason had taught me about throwing technique, footwork, and football awareness, and could tell I was much better than I was yesterday. I glided in the pocket, and when I made my decision to throw, the ball was out of my hand with a purpose. As well, I followed my read progressions, and if nothing was there, I threw the ball away or dumped it off. I was much more disciplined than I used to be. Coach Mason had to be smiling somewhere.

Towards the end of the morning practice, they sent rushers at us to see us move in the pocket. Jay was very much the run-first type of quarterback. His problem was just that. Instead of using his feet to get free of the rush, he would take off and become a running back.

Matt was the polar opposite. He was the classic pocket passer who hung onto the ball too long. In his dossier, it said he was a tough kid. He would have to be, with how he stood tall in the pocket. Even pocket passers need to be able to move to buy themselves enough time to throw when they had rushers crashing in around them. A little shift or stepping up in the pocket can make all the difference in the world. Moving was the one skill Matt needed to learn.

Larry showed why he was named the top dog out of Elite 11. He was more of a pocket passer than I would ever be—he tended to stay in the pocket, but he moved enough to be effective.

It was evident that I had much more big-play ability when I went all Captain Chaos on them. Coach Mason had taught me that the vertical game destroyed defenses. It probably wasn’t fair, because if you gave me my receivers and running backs with the addition of Damion, I was going to kill you. Roc was sneaky-fast, and Damion was a freak. Wolf was a big, sure-handed target who had caught my passes for the past three years. If you rotated in Jake, Ed, and Ty, I had three more players who could take a short gain and turn it into something long.

I showed Jay, Matt, and Larry why I’d won last year at Elite 11. I still thought it was bullshit they named me Co-MVP because in head-to-head, I beat Wes every time at Elite 11, and after.

In the morning session, I’d gone last. After my demonstration was done, my three rivals were huddled together, talking earnestly. They’d realized their mistake, and when they saw me look over, they just shook their heads. I would bet the competition was going to heat up this afternoon. I’d just laid the gauntlet down, and these three were too much like me. They couldn’t let the challenge go unanswered.

God, I loved this!

◊◊◊

Michigan had gotten smart and had our booster club cook lunch. You had the choice of hamburgers, hot dogs, or barbecued chicken. I decided on the chicken, baked potato, and a big salad, and saw the other quarterbacks do the same. The four of us found a table.

It felt like old times when Jeff pulled up a chair. Well, maybe not exactly, because he had his camera crew following him around.

“How much trouble did you get into for switching camera crews?” I asked.

“They will ‘talk’ to me when we meet next week.”

“What’s the deal, Dawson? Why are they following you around?” Jay asked.

“That’s a good question,” I said, turning to Jeff.

“He’s an attention hound. He begged us to do it so he’d look like a big deal,” Jeff teased.

“I might not be shy, but I didn’t ask for this,” I said to defend myself.

“No, he didn’t. I did an end-run on him and talked to the school about doing a documentary on the football program at Lincoln High. They’ve taken what at best was an average football program and turned it into a winner. David only seems to be the focus because he’s the quarterback. It doesn’t hurt that he’s done other things and is so highly sought-after. I may even get to follow him to Mexico,” Jeff informed me.

“You know, you really should interview some other people. Cassidy Hope comes to mind. Without her, we wouldn’t be in nearly as good shape as we are. I would bet without her working us out over the offseason, we would’ve lost two or three games last year alone.”

“Is that the girl from yesterday who made me puke?” Larry asked.

“Yep. Don’t worry; I did the same thing the first time she worked me out. I kept looking at this little girl and couldn’t believe she could outwork me. She sometimes does that routine twice in a night,” I shared.

“Now that you mention it, a feature on her would be a good idea,” Jeff said, contemplating that.

“I would also suggest doing something on the Sullivans, Tom Dole, and my dad. Along with Coach Hope, they were the driving force behind getting us better equipment and facilities. The trainers helped us learn to use the equipment and enlisted outside help to get us physically ready to play ball. Another group is the guidance counselors who make sure we keep our grades up and prepare us for whatever comes next.