Chapter 40

Fortunately, the men's and women's locker rooms both opened onto a single corridor which ended at the field house lounge. Going through the swinging doors together, Ken was surprised to see Mike McCaskey and Coach Ditka talking with Dan, Cindy, and the Stewarts. When they entered the room, Ditka went up to Susan, shook her hand, and then congratulated the other girls individually on their play.

When he looked at the men, though, Ditka appeared just to glower. They were standing behind their women when Ditka said, "Jackson, how many of your interceptions this season came from reading the quarterback's eyes?"

Ron, feeling sheepish, answered softly, "Most of them, Coach."

"Well, what happened today?"

"I couldn't do it," Ron admitted.

"We couldn't either," Ditka replied shaking his head. "This was a very interesting game. I came out sort of as a joke. It ended up as anything but. I stuck around to do something you may have never seen me do: to apologize."

"Jackson, where was the quarterback looking on the pass plays today?"

"Where she always seems to look, Coach. Straight down the field towards the goal posts."

Ditka nodded and then turned to Ken. "Bradley, what in hell were you doing when this girl beat you for a touchdown?" He had nodded at Cathy who was standing in front of him. She had backed into him and he had his arms around her, just holding her close.

"I was trying to stop the pass, Coach. She beat me," he replied with his head up.

Again, Ditka just nodded. Then he asked, "Where should you have been playing on the kickoff? She put the ball over your head." Ken just shook his head. He had no answer to that question.

"I don't know, either," Ditka admitted. "Mr. McCaskey and I were laughing at you. You were so deep we were wondering if you were even in the game. Then the ball goes soaring over your head." He just shook his head and focused on Mike. "Cassidy, of course you're not a punter, but what in hell were you doing when this young lady — Collins, isn't it? — blocked your kick."

"I just don't know Coach. I'm planning to ask Tom Forbes, our punter."

"Don't bother," Ditka replied. "I already did. He has no clue. Neither does Howie Fleming, our special-teams coach, nor Tom Cameron, our kicking coach. Fleming just shook his head and said a few are going to be blocked. He said that was the most perfect punt-blocking rush he has ever seen." Looking at Cathy he asked, "Miss Collins, are you all right? Cassidy has got a very powerful leg — far stronger than any of us ever knew."

Cathy replied that she was fine.

Turning to Sue he said, "Miss Bradford, on that pass play to Miss Collins, what was Miss McBride doing?"

"She was going down the right side, but she was covered by Kevin all the way," she replied.

"And Miss Jefferson?" he asked.

"She went over the middle and stopped. She was the outlet. If I had to throw to her, we had a certain first down, but I wanted it all if I could get it." Susan didn't understand the coach's line of questioning.

"Where do you look, Miss Bradford?"

"Sort of towards the goal posts, I suppose."

Then Mike Ditka uncharacteristically grinned and asked Susan, "Miss Collins, on that move you gave Bradley, what would you have done if he hadn't taken it?"

"I would have gone on a slant toward the opposite corner of the field."

"Which way was Miss Bradford going to throw?" Ditka persisted.

"Whichever way I went," Cathy replied, confused.

Turning back to Sue, Ditka asked, "Why did you throw to Miss Collins? She was covered."

Susan shook her head and said, "No, she wasn't. Ken had slipped taking the fake. I never thought he could recover in a million years."

"I didn't either," Ditka conceded. Looking back at Ken he asked, "Bradley, what did you do wrong on that play?"

Ken just shook his head and said, "I really don't know, Coach. I have it in mind to ask Ron later."

"Let's ask him now," Ditka said. "Jackson, how should Bradley have handled that play?"

Ron pulled himself up even straighter and looked Ditka right in the eye. He knew he was on the spot with his entire team. The players had been waiting for the girls outside, but when they saw them start to talk with the coach they had quietly come in and were standing on the side just listening carefully. "He played it exactly right, Coach. That was the greatest recovery I have ever seen in my life. I didn't think he had a chance in a thousand of deflecting the ball."

"But they completed the pass for a touchdown," Ditka protested.

"They sure did, Coach." Ron took a deep breath and could feel his football career going down the drain. Notwithstanding, he was not going to lie. If this is what the coach wanted, so be it. He continued, "And they will every time they have a receiver with the most incredible concentration, speed, and reflexes I have ever seen. That last-instant deflection will break up the pass every time."

He smiled wryly and added, "Except after what Cathy did, now I'll have to say almost every time."

Again Ditka nodded. Then he asked Susan, "Miss Bradford, which way was that pass going?"

She was puzzled. It was the same question Cathy had already answered. "If it went to Cathy, it would go whichever way she went."

Ditka just nodded and reached out towards Mike McCaskey. He had taken a ten-dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to Ditka who just stuck it in his pocket. Then he grinned and said, "Thank you, Miss Bradford. As you just saw, your answer cost our owner ten bucks."

Then he smiled and looked at the other team members standing along the wall. He said, "Guys, we owe these men an apology. An abject apology!" He looked back at Susan and said, "And we owe you and your friends a great vote of thanks. Personally, I think you all deserve winner's shares of the play-off money. Now I see that you girls are the primary reason we're down here right now instead of being at home getting ready to watch the Super Bowl on television.

"You know, it's a funny thing. For the first time in a long time I realized today how much fun football can be. Furthermore, when there aren't all the giants on the line of scrimmage — when the only players on the field are in what we laughingly refer to as skill positions — you can see a lot more. Well, did I ever. Let me tell you what I saw.

"I saw the most remarkable quarterback I have ever seen perform in my life: A passer who can throw long, short or anything in between; a passer who looks only one place, down the field, and yet who sees everyone on the field. You heard her answer to the question I asked regarding where her other players were? Well, she's right. How do I know? Because I asked three other people and among us we had been watching them all. She's one person and she was watching them all, too. Furthermore, like an outstanding Bridge player who remembers every card played in every hand, she remembers where everyone was on every play.

"I saw a ... Miss Collins, I'm sorry. I don't know how to characterize you. All I can say is you can kick better than our kicker, punt better than our punter, catch a football better than any receiver, and block — and block kicks — better than anyone else.