Chapter 7: The Gang

To say Tim was excited, would be a major understatement.

“It was sooo cool, Mom,” Tim was almost jumping up and down in the front seat of the SUV while his mother was driving them home.

“I was sitting there reading, and the librarian came up to me. I didn’t even hear her, as I was paying attention to what I was reading. She actually scared me when she touched my shoulder to get my attention. Standing with her was Coach Barrett, her husband. He’d come all the way to the library to just meet me! He even gave me a copy of the welcome letter he was mailing to all the incoming freshman players. It says we have a first introduction meeting in a couple of weeks.”

Tim’s mother Juanita was smiling because her son was so obviously excited about meeting the coach.

“He also said I should come by the weight room during the week and try working out with the upperclassmen, just to get myself introduced to them.”

“That’s great Tim, but be careful. We don’t want you to get hurt.” She was still worried about her son being run over by the much older kids. Realistically, she knew her son was growing, and was no longer the small, portly boy she used to know. She could see her son had obviously transformed himself over the summer, and was no longer a little boy.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll be fine,” Tim explained to his mother but in his mind he knew he would be protected by the nanites surging through his body.

After blowing a kiss to the Cindy Crawford poster hanging on the wall, Tim sat at his desk. For the umpteenth time, he reread the letter his new coach had given him, daydreaming about future football glory.

“Well, Bob, the Roosevelt Rough Riders ... out of San Antonio ... are led by All-American defensive lineman, and number one high school prospect in the country, Tim Murphy.

He has been tearing up offenses all across Texas, ever since he debuted early on as a freshman, and he has not looked back. Not only has he destroyed every offense he’s played against, he also works hard to get the rest of his teammates to a much higher level.

His work ethic has forced his teammates to either keep up with him, or look like they are standing still and fall by the wayside. His teammates, rather than see him as some kind of glory hound, quickly realized he was trying to show them up but actually he was trying to get everyone better.

The results are three straight undefeated seasons with a fourth just one more win away. Several individual players ... who, over the last three years, normally would not have even gotten looks from college recruiters ... and almost every starter on both sides of the ball are getting offers to play college football.

It is an absolutely incredible turnaround for a program that while always respected in the San Antonio area, was normally overlooked as an easy win by the stronger programs.

Bob, tonight we are in for a real treat, as we get to watch possibly the best high school football lineman ever produced from the State of Texas, play his final high school football game,” the former college quarterback and failed low-round NFL draft pick told the camera. With his final emphasis on Texas, he turned to his broadcast partner to signal for his rebuttal.

“You are absolutely correct, Ted. I, for one, am glad I never had to face this kid across the line of scrimmage when I played high school football. He is a beast. Several interviews from his current and former teammates all say variations of the same theme. The difference in personality from on and off the football field are like night and day for Tim Murphy. Off the field he is a quiet, unassuming straight A student in several advanced placement classes. But on the field he becomes a barely controlled animal, attacking the ball carrier of the opponents, be they the quarterback or running back. If they are on the other team, and they have the ball; they are a target, and Tim Murphy is a bulls eye shootin’ son of a gun.”

Tim leaned back in his chair daydreaming about his final football game as a senior in high school, winning a fourth straight state championship. The dream was fun.

“Ted, Tim Murphy’s last high school football game will go down in the record books as one of the greatest performances ever seen on a high school football field. He simply decimated the vaunted Dallas Carter offensive line. As you pointed out earlier in the game, each member of that line have all verbally committed to play football in the Southeast Conference, arguably the best football conference in college football today.

But, Tim Murphy might have opened those kids’ eyes and gave them a taste of the level of football they will be facing next year. Murphy had eight quarterback sacks and fourteen tackles for losses, and made that line look like they’d never played a game in their lives. It was a simple beat down. Not to mention Murphy’s two interceptions and two more recovered fumbles. Tim Murphy looked like a man among the boys, but did it all within the rules. He even walked away from a probable fight when a couple of the Carter players tried blocking him illegally by going directly for his knees on several occasions.”

Tim imagined the former college football greats debating the unsportsmanlike qualities shown by the Dallas Carter team as they were all easily handled by the smaller but quicker players from San Antonio.

“Ted, I can’t believe the Carter coaches did not immediately bench those players who were obviously trying anything they could, illegal or not, to stop Tim Murphy,” one of the play by play announcers proclaimed while watching replays of several plays in a row. Replay after replay showed Dallas Carter players simultaneously using one player to try to stop Tim by trying to basically hug him around his shoulders while another two players dove straight at his knees.

“I know exactly what you mean Bob, right there not only was the left tackle and left guard holding him up high, and trying to actually pick him up off the ground, the fullback and the tight end who came in motion before the snap both went for a separate knee. The reason plays like that are illegal is to protect the defender from a possible serious injury.”

The replays continued showing play after play of Carter players either trying to lift Murphy during the play or diving at his knees to force the knee to buckle in a manner it is not meant.

“What I just can’t figure out, Ted, is if the Carter coaches were so concerned about Murphy destroying their offense, why did they forget about the other ten Rough Riders on defense with him. Especially on the play you just showed, they used four players to block one and the rest of the defensive lineman with a blitzing linebacker demolished the quarterback and running back right at the hand off. The quarterback turned his back to hand off the ball, and four Roosevelt defenders got there at the exact same time. That play was indicative of the majority of the game Ted, Carter ended up earning only 22 yards of total offense, the entire game ... the entire game!”

“Exactly, Bob. The majority of the yards, well actually, all of their yards from scrimmage came after the middle of the first quarter. That’s when the Carter offense tried taking Murphy out of the game by injuring his knees. The idea seemed to work when Murphy missed the rest of the first quarter, but he came back for the second quarter. Carter was able to move the ball pretty easily up and down the field, and even score a touchdown while Murphy was out of the game. The Roosevelt defense without their star play could not stop Carter’s vaunted spread offense.”

A replay was shown of Tim sitting on the bench with the several doctors and training staff were checking his knee, while he was calmly drinking from a water bottle.

“He must not have been injured, because he came back in the game and played like a man possessed. He could have easily taken the entire Carter line by himself causing havoc on every single play. But you could tell he was running the Rough Rider defensive playbook to perfection. Instead of destroying the Carter team by himself, he worked with his defense and they all destroyed the Carter offense. No more yards, no more receptions and no more first downs. Consistent three and outs except when they forced turnovers.

“Football purists will appreciate having seen ‘team defensive football’ played to perfection. Everyday football fans have just had the pleasure of seeing a good old fashioned butt-whomping. Not only was it led by one of the best high school football prospects of all time, but he led his team! Together they beat a team who, on paper, had the best shot of beating this over-achieving Roosevelt Rough Rider team.”

The highlights showed Tim and his teammates all hoisting the state championship trophy over the heads and hugging and cheering each other.

“Congratulations to the Roosevelt Rough Riders on their fourth straight state championship. Now, for the next couple of months before college signing day, we all get to ask: where will Tim Murphy decide to play football in college?”

Tim’s dream shifted to the studio where the story continued.

“Thanks, Ted and Bob. I’m Rick Renner, in the Fox Sports studio. I’m here with recruiting guru Randy Rodgers our resident football recruiting expert. Randy, the fellas at the game hinted at the story of Tim Murphy’s recruitment. As I understand it, there has never been anything like it in college football history. Am I right?”

“That you are, Rick! Tim Murphy has no shortage of choices as to where he would like to play college football! Every single college with a football team, from across the country, has been recruiting this kid to play at their school. What’s the most fun about all this, is no one has any idea of where he is leaning towards playing. He has kept a tight lip as to where he will decide to go, and also he has not taken any official visits.”

The camera angle changed from watching both men at the studio desk, to having just Randy Rodgers focused in the middle of the TV screen.

“Usually, by this time, a recruit has visited a couple of different schools. A player of Murphy’s caliber would have been visiting schools, unofficially, since he burst onto the scene in the middle of his freshman year. The summer before he became a sophomore, had camps inviting him to play and test himself against the best players in the area. But here is where Tim Murphy’s journey through the recruiting jungle got sidetracked. During the summer before his sophomore season at Roosevelt, Tim Murphy gave his first ... and what would become his only ... TV interview. In that interview, he turned the world of college football recruiting on its ear by announcing he would not make any visits, official or otherwise, nor go to any sponsored mini-football camps until after his senior season was finished at Roosevelt.”

“Well, Randy, can you explain what makes that style of thinking so different from the reality of today’s recruiting world?” Renner asked. “I mean when we were in high school, you played high school ball and if you were good enough you would get a college to ask you to come to their school and that is where they will try to sell you on spending your next four years there.”

“Exactly, Rick. Most players at his level, by this time, have gone to several different recruiting combines and tryout mini camps. These are held during the summers, and the kids go after their sophomore and junior seasons, to give colleges more data on what kind of player they are. They get to see a progression of skills, as the kids get more weights lifted, run faster 40-yard dash times, and also basically are growing taller getting more weight and getting more fit for the college game. By Murphy not visiting these camps, the only information they have to go on, is what they see on the field, what his coaches provide, and also his grades if the school is so inclined to give them. In Murphy’s case, that’s not a problem since he has been a straight A student ever since he first stepped foot onto the Roosevelt campus.

“Now, not going to these football camps is not necessarily a deal breaker for colleges, since they are normally controlled by shoe and beverage companies; all of which are trying to get an ‘in’ with the athletes while they are young. Hopefully, once they go professional, the will continue to wear apparel with the correct corporate logos applied.”

“Since Tim said he would not even visit colleges until after he finished playing high school football, colleges want the same thing the different companies want, except they want Tim wearing their school logo so they can keep getting wins and raising ad revenues for the school’s TV deals in their different conferences. He is basically setting himself up to combine three or so years of over the top recruiting into three months. I personally can not wait to see what happens when the first school gets him to commit to at least visit their school first!” Rodgers laughed as he turned back to the studio host and added, “Talk about a ‘three ring circus!’”

“Randy, you are absolutely right. We have seen evidence in the upsurge of local news stories that are actually trying to count how much college recruiting stuff is getting delivered to his home on a daily basis. Every school across the country is trying to recruit this kid ... from the perennial powerhouses of the SEC, to even the Ivy Leagues. It will be very interesting to see what kind of ‘under the table’ stuff might get offered to this kid.”

Tim was leaning back in his desk chair absentmindedly rubbing the letter he received from Coach Barrett, and smiling like the only kid on the block with a Popsicle from the ice cream man. Playing with the letter from Coach Barrett, got Tim to remember he had a new letter from the future he needed to read. He decided to go along with what Fat Tim had told him: to read the letters only when the time period was correct. Of course, Fat Tim also said reading them all ahead of time was perfectly fine, but he felt that if Fat Tim took the time to date these letters, why not go ahead and play the game.

Tim retrieved the manila envelope from in-between his mattress and box spring. He retrieved the envelope labeled: “summer before ninth grade.” He immediately noticed the next envelope was labeled “one week before ninth grade.” He decided to go ahead and read both letters, figuring they would have good information in both letters from the future.

Well, alright, Mr. Murphy. By this point you have taken the pill. After a week of feeling not a hundred percent, you are feeling the effects of an improved body and mind.

Now I trust you have spent the majority of the summer getting your body ready for football, but you need to be aware that high school will be a completely different experience than what you have lived up to now.

It’s going to be up to you if that is good, or bad.

So, let’s try to outline what you might need to know if you are going to get through life in a better situation than how we lived it, before. I’ll try not to freak you out with what happened in my past, but I’ll tell you something. We lived a life of a stereotypical loner, who genuinely believed life would improve one thousand fold once we got out of high school.

I remember a constant thought going through my head, “I can’t wait until I get to college, and I am surrounded by people who want to be there and are not just going through the motions.” Little did I realize I was one of those kids ‘just going through the motions.’ Of course, I didn’t realize that until I was about a month into college.

They stop constantly babying you by making sure you were reading the required reading for classes like they have been doing. The professors treat you like adults, and just tell you what to read, and expected you to read it. They never discussed it in class, they just expected you would read it, so you could understand the next topics. You would not hear anything else about it until the test, and they didn’t even go over what would be on the test for you ahead of time. If you didn’t read it, you couldn’t understand the test. By the way, that is what it’s like for real, in college. If you are caught up on your reading for the next class, you are already behind!

Anyway, back to the story. When I graduated high school, I realized that Dad made too much money to earn ‘need-based’ financial aid. He told me not to worry about it but to go ahead and go to whichever college I wanted. I heard him and Mom one night, arguing over that statement. My mother was convinced I did not do my best and I was not going to be ready for college. Dad said he felt I just didn’t try hard enough, and once I saw what was necessary to succeed in college then I would turn it around.

That actually through me for a loop! Until that point I would have thought Mom would have been arguing that I could do the work, and Dad would be the one saying I was not mature enough for college work. I never let them know that I overheard that argument or any of their other arguments; but when it was time to go to college, I had burned those arguments into my head! Rather than going ahead and leaving home for one of the three different colleges where I was accepted, I decided to go to a local college and get the basics out of the way, and then transfer to a school where I could further my studies into whatever area I wanted to try. When I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study.

So, at least when I enrolled at San Antonio College, the community college, the price to learn that I was nowhere near ready for college work, was not as high as it was if I had left town and moved away. So, just knowing, is only going to get you so far. You need to do the work!

That is not just in studying, for you, but also in playing football. With the improvements you have noticed in your body by now, you should be getting close to practicing with other players, soon. I don’t know if you have met any other players yet, but I remember the weight room being open in the summer. I don’t know when they opened it, though.

When I got the letter from the coaches advising everyone to get themselves acclimated for the heat of summer practice, it hit me like a ton of bricks that my sudden rebelliousness to sign up for football was now coming. I realized I was going to try to play football. Me. The ultimate ordinary performer. I never really tried at anything. So in a week I tried to get into shape to try and play football.

I had no idea what to do so I just walked to Krueger, which is just about one mile away from the house to then walk on the track and maybe use some of the training things they have outside of the school. That got old, real quick.

Ugh, now I’m depressed.

Okay, let’s change a point of view. With this letter, I just want to warn you that yes, you have an incredible leg up on everyone else to become a very good football player. You can use your brand new abilities, and just coast, and get yourself to college as a football player. You won’t have to try very hard for that, but to make yourself into something people will want to talk about, you need to try harder.

The nanites are programmed to get you well ahead of the game, but if you add the desire to improve and make yourself as close to perfect as you can, the nanites can even improve you more. In theory, you can be the best football player to ever put on a helmet.

I know you can do it.

You have to know, YOU CAN DO IT!