Junior Year Box Set

The Tampa Two attempted to plug up the weak spots in the usual Cover Two. The standard Cover Two had each linebacker and cornerback cover about a fifth of the field, and the safeties cover half the field deep. But the Tampa Two pulled the middle linebacker into a middle-deep zone coverage as well to make it a Cover Three in the deep zones. This allowed the safeties to cover less ground, so they could cover the traditional soft zone just past the corners more effectively.

A team with a strong run game or a great play-action game could seriously challenge the Tampa Two defense. If the safety had to stop and think for a split-second about a run, the soft spots behind the cornerbacks would open up again. As well, the middle linebacker had to honor the run which could leave the deep middle of the field vulnerable. That was why, on each pass play, Coach Diamond had changed Ty’s assignment. He now would run a play-action fake, and his job was to slip through the line and set up shop where the middle linebacker had been.

I had a simple one-two read. I would check to see if Wolf or Roc had cleared the cornerback, depending on which side of the field Coach Diamond chose to attack. If they were covered, I would dump the ball to Ty. Believe me, you didn’t want Ty in your secondary with running room. The two outside linebackers couldn’t help with Ty because Ed and Jake were assigned routes in their zones to keep them occupied. Beverly’s defense was too disciplined to cheat over and help cover Ty. If the linebackers had, I could dump the ball to either of my slotbacks.

With my quick one-two read, Beverly’s rush never had a chance to lay a finger on me because the ball was out of my hands too quickly. Coach Mason and Coach Diamond had inserted this play into our playbook just for this game, and it worked like a charm. It was only human nature for the Beverly defenders to work to stop this play, and they did try. But the middle linebacker soon found that if Ty had room, he could pick up a lot of yardage in a hurry. Our second score came the third time he touched the ball. The middle linebacker became frustrated and began to not drop back as quickly as he was supposed to so he could close the gap between him and Ty. That was when I sent Ed on a skinny post and hit him for our third score.

A middle linebacker didn’t have the skills a defensive back had, and that was what we wanted to exploit. When the safeties had to worry about us running receivers on skinny posts, they had to worry about supporting their middle linebacker. That opened up the deep ball on the sideline. Coach Mason and Coach Diamond had played chess while Beverly played checkers. They’d moved the Beverly defenders where they wanted them. By the end of the game, Beverly was so confused that we rolled them. Yuri had finally pulled his head out of his butt, and our defense had stopped them. The final score was 48–21, and we had a full week to prepare for Central.

◊◊◊

When the game ended, it was late, but that didn’t prevent us from going to Monical’s. A little pizza and conversation with friends was an excellent way to end a game day. Because of the late hour, we didn’t have to wait to get in. They had anticipated our arrival and had several pizzas ready when we arrived. I would’ve felt bad if we hadn’t shown up.

I did my usual meet-and-greet, ate some pizza, and called it a night.

◊◊◊ Sunday November 15

I finally decided who I wanted as my personal assistant/manager. Kendal had come to mind, but I still had a bad taste in my mouth about anything associated with Cal and what he’d tried to do to me. The other problem I had with her was that she didn’t have the business knowledge I needed. My new hire would be more than just my PA; I needed someone who had business savvy.

I’d even considered some of my friends. Mainly Pam, because I was sure that we’d have a close relationship moving forward. Another person I thought of was Suzanne; she was currently attending Northwestern to get her degree in business. The problem with both of them was they had other priorities right now, such as graduating from school.

I also considered Nancy. She was one of the sharpest women I knew. Same issue. She wanted to be a lawyer and would need more schooling to achieve that goal.

I was worried about my trip to LA. While I thought that Saul Gessler and Frank Ingram were pieces of the puzzle, I wanted someone to manage my relationship with them. I knew that they felt I had the potential to make money for them; well, Saul for sure. Money wasn’t always the best motivation. I wanted someone who would look at the big picture and help advise me about what was best for me over the long haul. Of course, Rita James was someone who I could bounce ideas off, but her primary focus had to be on her own career, Halle, and Trip. I needed someone whose focus would be solely on me.

I picked up my phone and dialed.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s David Dawson,” I said.

“Why are you calling me?”