Running back onto the field this time is completely different. The stands are full now, and the cheers erupting around the stadium are deafening. Blocking out the noise, I walk onto the field with Tyson and Mark Sharkey. We’re the captains today and will be representing the team for the coin toss.
We win the toss and choose to kick, giving the Jaguars the ball first. It’s a smart plan that will allow us to have the ball first in the second half. I find a place on the sidelines to watch the beginning of the game. Carter walks up next to me. With Tyson at quarterback, Carter won’t get much play time unless we have a huge lead or Tyson gets hurt. Carter’s good, but not many quarterbacks in the league are as good as Tyson.
“You ready?” he asks.
“More than you know.”
I only played in two preseason games for about a quarter of each game. Coach didn’t want to chance the seasoned players getting hurt before game one, so we saw very little game time. It gave Carter the chance to play while Tyson sat on the bench and he proved his worth, helping us win three of the four preseason games. I’m impressed with him and feel confident in his ability if we lose Tyson for any reason.
Three minutes later our defense forces a punt and it’s time for me to take the field. That was easy. Let’s see if our offense can score in the next three minutes. I take my position on the O line. The ball is snapped and as Tyson steps back, I push a couple of Jaguars defensive lineman out of the way and run several yards down the field. Tyson sees me open and sails the ball through the air into my waiting arms. No one is near meas I take off running toward the end zone. Keeping my eye on the goalpost, I block out everything around me, passing the forty-yard line. Thirty. Twenty. Ten. Touchdown! Mark is the first teammate to reach me.
“Fuck, yeah!” he yells with a high five. Others congratulate me as I jog back to the sidelines.
Tyson meets me there, slaps my ass, and says, “That’s the way to do it, boy. We’ve got a rhythm!”
He says it as if we haven’t had a rhythm for the past six years. Tyson and I click and have one of the strongest quarterback/receiver relationships in the league. It’s like we’re one mind on the field. He can sense where I’m going to be and always finds me even when I’m not completely open. We can read each other well enough for him to know when he should throw it to me and when he needs to find someone else.
By the middle of the second quarter, we’re up 17-0. The offense is on the field again, hoping to increase our lead to 24 before the half.
The Jaguars’ defense has stepped up their game this quarter and after the snap, I find myself in a shit-ton of Jaguar traffic. Tyson is backing away from two of their players. He bounces left then right before being sacked. Shit.
We line up, second and eighteen. The ball is snapped, and I find myself in the same position as the last play. Tyson is faring better and finds an open receiver. Mason misses the catch to bring up third and eighteen. Not a good place to be. We need a first down. This time, I fake left then rush right and get around the mass of bodies trying to block me. Tyson throws the ball, and it lands in my hands. I’m tackled a few yards later, but it’s enough for a first down. We still have a ways to go to get to the end zone, but we’re in a much better position and we have four more downs.
Tyson gets sacked on the next two plays then Coach calls atimeout. He pulls a very frustrated Tyson from the game and puts Carter in.
“Bring it home, Masters,” Coach calls as we jog back onto the field.
“You’ve got this,” I encourage as I pass Carter to take my position. The Jaguars are lined up evenly along the line, probably hoping to block as many of us as possible since we’ve faked them out a few times. It might not matter. Our guys are frustrated with the lack of progression with this latest drive. Carter catches the ball when it’s snapped, takes three steps back, and gets sacked hard. He doesn’t get up. Damn. Fourth and fifteen, five seconds in the half, and an injured quarterback. Not the way we wanted to end the second quarter. I jog over to Carter before the medical staff gets there. His eyes are open, but he looks a little dazed.
“You okay?” I ask as he pushes himself into a sitting position.
“I think so. A little dizzy.”
That’s not good. I step aside while the medical staff takes over and checks him out. He walks off the field on his own, but it’s pretty obvious he has a concussion. We punt the ball and the Jaguars run it out to the thirty-yard line before the clock hits zero.
The second half was a little more difficult than we thought it would be. The Jags definitely came to win. They scored three times in the third quarter. By the middle of the fourth, we were tied at 27. A little luck in the last few minutes of the game put us up by a touchdown and we won the game. The other team didn’t make it easy. By the time I shower, check on Carter, and make it to my car, I’m exhausted. It’s almost nineand the only thing I want to do is crawl in bed. I drive to Evan’s apartment and knock on the door, hoping he’s already home. I’m not sure how long he has to stay after the game to make sure everything is done for the night.
There’s no answer, so I walk back to my car to call him, but he’s pulling into the lot when I get downstairs.
“Hey, I didn’t think you were coming by tonight,” he says, climbing out of the car, locking it behind him.
“I thought about going straight home, but I wanted to see you.” I follow him up the three flights of stairs and into his apartment.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Evan pulls me close to him and kisses me quickly. “Congratulations on the win.” He steps out of my arms and walks to the kitchen, taking two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handing one to me.
“Thanks.”
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“No. I stopped at a drive thru after the game and ate on the drive here.
“Well, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” Evan pulls out bread, meat, cheese, and mayonnaise and starts making a sandwich. “How’s Carter? I heard he got hit hard. I texted Hope, but she hasn’t responded.”
“He has a concussion. No loss of consciousness, so that’s good. He’ll be okay in a couple of weeks.”
“I’m glad he’s going to be okay. I can’t imagine how scary that must be for his family and teammates to watch.”
“Yeah, it’s the one part of the job I hate. I don’t like to see anyone get hurt, whether they’re on my team or the other.”