Chapter 23

"Jared ... Jarrrrrrrrrrrred ... coffee is ready. Get up or they'll start the game without youuuuuuuuu!" Meaghan sing-songed in his ear.

Jared Winslow suddenly bolted up. "What time is it!"

"It's 8:30 baby. I'm surprised you weren't up at six, pacing the floor." Meaghan responded.

"Oh yeah, I want to be at the stadium by 9:30. I can't believe I slept so late, I... " He responded groggily.

Meaghan pushed him back into the pillow and straddled him over the blanket, dressed in just a t-shirt and sweat shorts.

"What's the matter, am I too much for you? I had quite the ride last night. My thighs are still sore from holding myself up over you, slamming down in your pretty pee-pee." She whispered.

"Pee pee?" He asked.

"Yes, I just gave Declan a bath and had to wash his pee pee, but I don't clean his the way I clean yours. Now, ... you should get UP." She said as she pushed her fingers in to his ribs as she jumped off of him.

Indeed, as Jared began to pull himself out of bed he did remember the way he went to sleep, exhausted just after Meaghan finished nursing on his spent penis after her wild ride. They hadn't made love EVERY day in the week she had been there, but they had out-done the last year he spent with Barbara Gaynes. For the first time in the last few weeks he had thought of his former lover and the thoughts weren't soft and nostalgic, they were bitter about the way she had neglected him. As usual his waning thoughts of her were to blame himself before he jumped into the shower as he started his first game day at NEAT. For sure, it was the latest he had slept in years on a game day. She really had rocked his world, as it seemed.

At first she had teased and flaunted her ass for him as he sat in his recliner.

"How would you like to get real naughty with me the night before your first game? If you win tomorrow you might have to make it a little superstition, getting a little bootie-boff before your games." She giggled knowing her tease had him interested.

She spun around and knelt beside the recliner,... "and guess what? I found Declan's baby monitor so we can hear him from down the hall. He said he called me and I didn't hear him last night. So we can be a little braver, and we're both showered."

Jared smiled and chased her to the bedroom, but after a few attempts at the act she decided it hurt too much to try any more. "You're just too fat there, we need to spend more time with foreplay. Don't be disappointed, OK?" She apologized.

"Don't fret, just holding you in bed is making love." He cooed for her

"WE ARE going to do more than just hold each other she warned him before she climbed onto him." She said breathlessly.

Passions and devotions ensued until he fell asleep exhausted with a clear mind before his first game as the coach of the NEAT Green Aggies.

Although no team member was required to be at the Stadium before 11 a.m., there were a lot of cars in the players lot when he got there at 9:40. Every other coach and their staffs were there already as well as 20 or so of the players. He settled into his office and each coach and assistant staff member came by to wish him luck and tell them how much they liked working with him. Jordy Alford was the last to come in, giving him a hug and telling him not to worry, he had great feelings about the team.

"We got a great bunch here, I think. Oksana and Brian Faraday had me worried, both green around the gills, puking. But they both insist it's just nerves before the first game. Faraday was funny, he said he's played in big soccer events and tournaments all over Europe before huge crowds, but he's never been more nervous. Oksana said she just wants to get the first punt away and she'll be fine. I hope they both get a chance to get the butterflies out early. Boge is here, loose as anything, he said he came early to help calm others nerves. He's going to be a great player and I bet a great pro. He said his father was coming today." Jody babbled, trying to calm his own nerves.

"His Dad is a good man. He was the one who finally got through to him, painting a picture of life without football and what could happen if he missed the chance to put his life on track. He worked for the Bears as one of their PT's and then worked baggage at O'Hare to help make ends meet. He showed Boge what can happen if you get hurt even WITH an education. He was a scrub with the Bears for a couple years and then tore his knees up and had his PT to fall back on. Boge was on the brink of jail and a failed life when he finally woke up. I knew he was a good kid inside, damn peer pressure was killing him." Jared told him before getting back to putting together his sideline clipboards.

By 11:30 there was a loose clubhouse with a lot of talk, joking around and glad-handing. Three women came into mostly all male dominated locker room that day and went into their private stalls and dressed for the game without a hitch. Once they came out and sat on their locker stools to finish, they knew, the team knew, that THIS was where the media would try to bust a story, create a scandal. If the girls chose to roam the locker room they did so at their own risk of being offended by what they might see. Male players were instructed to dress inside their stalls and show respect for each others privacy in doing so. The coaches agreed it was the politest locker room in that sense. Besides the privacy stalls for the three females, there was a partition that was moved into place to protect their view across the locker room. Once players on that side were dressed, it came down and it had worked out quite well. Each girl had been given the option of dressing in a private locker room, but all wanted to be "with the team". When reporters or photographers are allowed into the team areas the team had already been schooled that one off-color remark, one sexist joke could raise an uproar with the PC police, even if the women CHOSE this situation and were not offended.

For today there were no such problems, just a spirited, although somewhat reserved, confidence as they dressed and finished their pads, and football shoes preparing to go out for warm-ups. At 5 minutes to twelve Winning Winslow's 3 assistant coaches mulled in front of his door and waited for him to finish a phone call. Once he hung up he looked up and smiled and joined them as they paraded into the locker area.

"OK, let's go out and get loose, WE HAVE A GAME TODAY!!" He shouted as they opened the double doors to lead up the runway to the field. From the corner of the locker room a shout of "CLICK" bellowed out and all team members followed with a shout of the same as they began to move towards the field. Captains Boge Hollins and Jeremiah Carey were the first to get to the doors and they stood and turned to glad hand, high five or fist bump each member of the team as they passed. On the field, the coaches staffs had prepared to run a few drills, group exercises, and trainers were readying to help deep stretching of those who needed it. It was a typical scene from any Division One NCAA program, except this one was special today for so many of the players. They had been treated like men and women, not boys and girls, they had been schooled and coached, not brow-beat, into exacting their skills.

Jared Winslow knew how much today meant to so many of his players. It may have been called a scrimmage, but it was a new beginning to all of them and no one wanted to miss it. That was why he and the other coaches watched the players carefully as they stretched and warmed up. If someone was hiding a muscle pull, nagging knee or shoulder, or the most common, a tight hamstring, they wanted to pick it up.

If any player hadn't been through a pre-game ritual, it certainly did not show. Those who were unsure of the what and how watched the "veteran" players or worked with their coaches. When Boston College came onto their end of the field there were no looks of awe or wonderment at their foe. If there supposed to be an intimidation factor, it was lost on the Green Aggies. Warm-ups went smooth and looked like they were on the field for the 100th time together. Both Brian Faraday and Oksana Cushman took practice kicks and watched for wind currents after getting weather reports that might affect their jobs. The fact they had both puked under the stands from nerves was lost on anyone in the stands or on the field watching them. Neither knew or suspected that Ann Comeche had been fielding questions on both of them and requesting interviews of each, especially Oksana who was going to be the first non-publicity stunt woman to earn a starting position in Division One NCAA football. The Sports Information Director gave a stock answer to each of the requests; "After our first league game we will entertain interview requests, please do not put any more pressure on these fine student athletes as they accustom themselves to NEAT athletics and their academic careers."

"Ann, is this going to be your name, rank and serial number answer to any of our interview requests?" A New England Newsday sports reporter asked from the doorway of her crowded office.

"Only as long as you ask the same question, it gets the same answer. There is enough pressure on many of the team members and they don't need you vultures asking gotcha questions." Ann complained in her whine that was tinged with a certain finality.

Meanwhile as Jared took his last look at his team Joe Barber sidled up next to him.

"Got time before they come in to hear your pre-game to listen to a little of mine?" He asked.

"Sure, what's up?" Winslow asked, not seeming to give Joe 100% attention.

"Let's go into your office, in private." Barber said as he turned and headed that way.

Jared didn't know what it was about, but knew it was something that couldn't wait to be bothered at this moment.

The door has barely clicked shut when Barber raised his voice.

"You have the run of the whole damn University here and I've got vital members of the football staff who've never even met you. Five trainers and 10 PT assistants, plus a house doctor on staff here and not one has said you introduced yourself. Bench Essential Personnel, your BEP team keeps everything going from water to fresh equipment, after the medical the medical staff complained I asked BEP how they liked you and THEY said you hadn't introduced yourself. What the hell is going on here?" Barber demanded.

"Whoa Joe! I've had damn little time to think for myself since I got here and I've met people as I've encountered them. Check with the laundry and uniform staff. I've worked with them, met them, thanked them and I'm taking them all out for dinner on Monday night for their tireless work. We haven't had a major injury all through practice and all the other little muscle pulls, cuts and scrapes and the like, were handled with information passed up to me through staff. I just haven't had to get into the one on one with anyone. BEP will know me pretty well after today as I work with them. Remember, where I came from we had half the staff we have here and your expectations of me are a little higher than at Vermont. You hit me with this before my first game? Who put the bug up your ass, Joe?" Jared replied loudly.

"I'm walking around the Stadium last night and this morning all happy about the program and I start asking the "little people" what they think and no one knows you. How do you expect to get support from the base HERE where you live, at the Stadium?" Joe asked.

"Come back in a week and ask around Joe. They'll all know me, and this talk didn't have a thing to do with it either. I still have 5 or 6 players on my team who I haven't mastered their names and faces yet for chrissake. This is a bullshit complaint and I have little time for that right now. Come back when I have more time!" Jared said beginning to fly off the handle.

Joe Barber's face turned red and he turned on his heel and went out the door, leaving Jared baffled that he, above all others, would come to him with such a petty complaint. He was about to collect himself and go back to the field when the door reopened and Joe Barber came back in.

"Winnie, I'm sorry for flying off on you like that. I got problems at home and I guess I let it all get to me. You go and do things in your own time. I shouldn't be telling you how to handle yourself." He said in a low voice.

"What's the problem at home, Joe? Anything you want to talk about?" Jared asked, suddenly unconcerned over his own issue with Joe.

"Shit, I have to talk to someone. Uh... , uh, ... my wife, she told me she was unhappy with her life and maybe she would move out." Barber answered putting his fingers to his temples and drawing them down and over his chin.

"Joe, let me be blunt with you. Have you seen the way she flirts around with other men? She wants you to get jealous and take her home and show her how much you love her, and to tell you the truth, the way you take her for granted wouldn't sit with any woman. Joe, she's an extremely sexy and attractive woman in need of attention. She's worried her time for feeling this way will pass without taking advantage of it. You better do your homework." Jared said, making good on his warning of being blunt.

"Sweet God, is it that obvious that you had a solution loaded like that? God, I know she flirted from time to time and to tell you the truth, I think she may have acted on her flirts before." He said dejectedly.

"Joe, if she made it that obvious, maybe she wanted you to find out and come and fight for her. I don't have the time to get into this, but I can tell you that anyone close to you knows that you treat her just like you refer to her, the "old gray mare." Let me tell you, she could get whistles walking through our locker room, despite her graying hair. She's a sexy, well put together woman and she wants attention, preferably from you. Now I have a game I have to tend to, but take my advice and I don't think you'll be sorry. You charmed me to move here, use that same old magic on her." Jared said smiling, hoping his friend had taken his advice as he slapped him on the shoulder and headed back out to the field.

Pregame was wrapping up and he asked other coaches to be sure he hadn't missed anything substantial to alter a game plan, and he hadn't. Jazz Carey looked over at the coaches and Jared nodded to him, signaling him to give Boge the heads up and both captains began to gather their squads back into the locker room. As the coaches walked toward the players runway the rest of the team passed them in a light jog. By the time the staff got to the locker room the players were seated on their locker stools waiting for words from Coach Winslow.

"Many of you have been here before, and by that I don't mean this place, I mean this juncture, ... a time for proving yourselves as pieces of a whole. Teamwork is the most proven way to accomplish a large task and I don't doubt one of you are unaware of that. No matter the outcome today, go out there and play your hearts out, show you're playing your hearts out, and win or lose you'll gain the respects of each other, the fans and this staff that stands before you. We've done all we could and now it's up to you. The make-up of this team leaves lots of room for learning mistakes. If you make a critical error and don't learn by it, that error glares. If that error, whether it's omission or co-mission, goes by the boards and you failed to prevent it from happening again, you won't become a winner. Touching a hot burner is usually only done once to teach you NOT to touch it again. Beating yourself up over it will do no good and it will usually distract you to make that second error. Keep your head about you and remember you can't turn back time. Remember today is a scrimmage, a learning experience, and more importantly, a revealing experience. If we've made errors in putting one player in a position, we'll find out today. You all know your jobs, you all know what you have to do to get your click in. If your click is missed, your teammates will have to pick you up. That's what we do, play as a team. If we do that all year I guarantee you we'll have a successful season. There isn't a man or woman in this locker room I don't have confidence in. Be assured that if I didn't, you wouldn't be here.

"Can we all bow our heads?

Dear God, be with us in this game today. We pray for courage to face and conquer our own fears, and for your protection from injuries. Lord, I ask for strength to play to the best of my ability, and for strength of spirit to be a leader to others. May I be strong and triumphant over those who try to stand in our way. Please guide the coaches in making wise choices and help them be the kind of leaders you would have them be." Jared recited from memory of his Dad doing the same prayer for so many years as he grew up.

Jared took one look over his charges and smiled.

"Since this is a scrimmage, there won't be any individual player introductions, we'll save that for our first real conference game. We have about 2 minutes before we go out. Line up on the sideline in front of the bench in numerical order for the National Anthem, and the officials will head to the center of the field and the captains will go out for the coin toss. We want to receive, but no big deal if we don't. Have a great game, boys and girls."

Players laughed and shook hands, giving each other fist bumps and hugs until security opened the doors and they charged to the field to the raucous cheers of the home town fans.

Jared Winslow swelled with pride as he trotted out behind his team for the first time. He felt as confident about this team as any he had before, and that was not a feeling he expected, but welcomed.

The anthem and the coin toss were both a blur except for the fact he knew they were defending the ball to start the game. As the kicking taxi assembled on the field Brian Faraday looked over to Coach Winslow and smiled and they exchanged winks. "Under it all," Coach thought to himself, "that kid has nerves of steel and knew from day one that he could do this."

Whistles blew and a circular arm wave from a ref let Brian Faraday loose and he strode to the ball as his teammates picked up pace as he boomed a long straight kick-off that settled into the hands of Boston College's Evan Johnson right at the goal line. Johnson had 4 "run back for touchdowns" in his 3 years of D-1 ball and he headed for the center of the field surveying his options in the flats. Before he could make any decision John Brooks, who had his scholarship pulled from Oral Roberts as a result of a drunk driving accident and was 2 years away from the game recovering, cut him down at the 23 yard line. John had lined him up from the catch and eluded two defenders. Brooks stayed on the field as the rest of the defensive squad came out and lined up.

BC came to the ball with 2 tight ends and Thurmond Smythe shouted out "AGG-4!"

AGG-4 was a simple defense against the Double Fade, a common play to test defenses. It was a fake run and slight roll left with 2 receivers moving through the defense the same direction of the roll. The safety can only cover one and the quarterback throws to the other. The defense made you vulnerable to a run option, but this was a good read as the deep coverage was good and the right side line backer faded into the flats and batted away the first down pass attempt.

On second down BC lined up a Power I formation right with 2 fullbacks and Smythe called for 5-3 defense, pinching the safety up as a linebacker off the tight end. BC's blocking broke down immediately and were stopped for a yard loss.

Frank Ruffen sent a new right side linebacker in with a call for a 3-5 defense, a prevent defense against a long gain pass. At the snap there were 6 defensive backs and a 3 man rush making NEAT vulnerable to a screen or late draw but Boston College was going for a quick score to set the pace of the game for themselves. A long toss found an open man in full stride towards the goal. However, just as the ball settled into his hands, Scott Claxton's arms went around his mid-section and crashed him to the ground sending the ball rolling with a frenzy for the fumble. Officials ruled no catch, a questionable call.

BC's punting taxi came onto the field as Ira Pressley sent his squad out, but not before putting an arm around Tim Waters, his sure handed chosen deep man, to remind him "one step at a time" and not think too far ahead. It was a mantra he used often with return team members to remind them until the ball is safe in their hands, nothing else can happen. Waters nodded as he strode near his own 30 yard line to field the kick. The punt was a long high slow spiral that was getting great coverage. He signaled for a fair catch at the 34 yard line, a great long punt with better than average hang time.

As the squads changed bringing the offense to the field Jared Winslow had Marv Hudson at his side with Marv hearing his coach say he was getting nice field position as the ball settled into Waters hands. Then with a pat on the butt, he told him "open up with a 22 Lead, if they show a 4 man line, check off to a 23 Lead."

Marv Hudson strode onto the field as if he had done it a 100 times before but inside his stomach was doing a long grind. He joined the huddle just as 10 other players were closing the hole.

"22 Lead on 4." Marv said as every eye met his before he clapped hard and they broke to the line of scrimmage.

They lined up Power I Left Formation with the Tight Ends split wide. The #4 back, a sophomore Freddy Murray and #3 back Kemmer Brooks lead through the #2 running lane with the #2 back, Boge Hollins taking the direct hand off.

Murray slashed through the guard and center and tied up the weak side linebacker as Brooks led Boge through the hole for 5 solid yards. A coaching staff let out a sigh of relief to get the first play out and onto the field with success. Marv looked to the sideline as Coach Winslow ran through a series of signs, however with a clipboard under his arm, the signs were moot, clipboard under the arm was REPEAT.

The second down repeat of the play saw the hole Murray slid through earlier closed and the 3 running backs congested a bit in the backfield before Boge got 2 more yards, setting up a third and 3.

Immediately a substitute for Murray was sent in, a wide out, who found Marv and gave him the play from the bench, a 34 trap. The 2 backs line up almost as if setting up a screen, but the QB turns to his right and fakes a hand-off to the tailback who veers right. In the same motion the QB continues his turn and puts the ball into the fullbacks hands who follows the lead of his left guard who is cutting off the middle linebacker. Boge took the ball and led the action left for 4 yards. FIRST DOWN!!