Gladiators of the Gridiron

‘Yo, Jackson! Got something for you, buddy.’

Jackson perked up upon hearing Tommy’s voice. He sat up on his bed, setting his phone down.

‘I’m up in my room!’ he called out, then listened for his brother’s footsteps.

Tommy had been spending more and more time back home since Jackson’s injury, practically living here on the weekends when he didn’t have classes.

Tommy pushed open the door and stepped in, and Jackson was instantly hit with the greasy, fatty, but delicious smell of fast food burgers and fries.

Jackson licked his lips, eying the brown paper bag hungrily. Tommy noticed the gluttonous gaze and then laughed, shaking his head.

‘Nuh-uh, this ain’t for you. This is mine.’

‘What?! That’s so unfair. What did you bring me then?’

Tommy slipped off his backpack, dumping it by the door, reached into his pocket, and tossed a small USB over to Jackson who caught it.

‘Keeping your hands warm, that’s good. But I brought you some tape of our last game … besides, can’t have you eating this crap, not when you’re stuck on your butt while that leg is healing.’

‘Well, what about you? Should YOU be eating that junk?’ Jackson glared at his brother.

Tommy shrugged and sneered. ‘I’m still working out every day. I can afford this every once in a while. Now. Have you got a computer in here?’

Jackson was still frowning but he shook his head.

‘Alright, gimme a sec.’ Tommy set the food down, making sure Jackson didn’t go for it, then he turned to his backpack and unzipped it, pulling his laptop out.

He moved over to Jackson’s TV, booting the laptop up, and stealing the HDMI cable from the Xbox, sticking it into the laptop instead.

‘Toss the USB here?’ Jackson lobbed it over and Tommy caught it in one hand. ‘Thanks.’

Tommy got the computer set up, the screen now displayed over the TV and brought up the film from his team’s last game.

‘Alright, check it. I want you to focus on the Receivers and their matchups with the DBs and how they handle zone coverages. And some other stuff too.’

Jackson sat up more, propping himself up with a pile of pillows behind him. ‘Okay. What exactly am I looking for?’

Tommy pulled a chair over to the TV stand where the laptop was and brought the video forward to the moment just before the first snap. ‘Alright, here. Take a look at the defence.’

Jackson’s brow furrowed as he studied the still image on screen. The camera angle was a little above the field, taken from the stands, giving a wide view of the field.

‘I see them. Now what?’

Tommy grabbed his bag of food, chewing on a fry. ‘What coverage are they in? Man? Zone? What kind of zone?’

Jackson’s eyes narrowed more and he stared at the screen harder. ‘I…I don’t know. Man?’

‘Alright, let’s watch.’ Tommy resumed the video. The ball was snapped, and quickly, the defenders fanned out into a variation of zone defence.

‘Ooh, no good. Looks like cover four now, doesn’t it?’

‘How was I supposed to know that just from looking at a picture?’

Tommy frowned. ‘Alright, let’s try another one.’ He skipped ahead to another play, stopping pre-snap once more. ‘Now. Man or zone?’

Jackson stared at the screen silently for a full minute.

Tommy got up and moved closer to the screen, standing beside it. With a fry in hand, he circled the Safties on screen. ‘Look at the way they’re positioned, the way they’re posturing on the field.’

Jackson wet his lips. ‘Zone?’

‘What kind of zone? Quarters? Cover three? What?’

‘Cover two.’

Tommy pressed play again. After the ball was snapped, the high Safety drifted back to the middle of the field, while the lower Safety chased after the HB who came streaking out of the backfield, picking him up in man coverage.

‘Mm, cover one robber. Close though.’ Cover one signified only one defender was back deep in a zone over the middle. The robber part had to do with the MLB who was also covering the middle of the field, though much closer to the line of scrimmage compared to the Safety above him.

‘I don’t see how I’m supposed to get that from just a picture still.’

‘Hmm… you’re right, it can be hard to tell from just a picture. Out there on the field, you can see the defender’s faces, their eyes. You’re right there with them and can get a better read of them. But here, like this? You can see EVERYTHING, the whole picture. Look.’ Tommy rewound to just before the snap.

Tommy tapped the TV, pointing out the CB to the far left. ‘See how he’s standing? A little to the outside, already angled towards the QB and the centre of the field? He knows he has help in the middle, and is only thinking about protecting the outside.’

He skipped ahead again, to another play and then pointed out the same defender. ‘Now look. He’s squared up against the Receiver. What do you think he’s doing?’

‘He’s ready to drop back into a zone this time?’

‘Exactly! … Or is he? Maybe they’re ALL in man this time. Maybe he’s going to blitz the QB? What else can you see about just him?’

Jackson studied the defender harder. ‘I… he’s a step back? He’s not going to blitz…’

‘Okay. What if they’re all in man?’

Jackson scanned the rest of the field. ‘I-I don’t think so?’

‘Why?’

‘Because…Because the Safeties are too far back. No one’s covering the TE.’

Tommy smiled slightly but didn’t say anything as he pushed play. The ball was snapped, and this time, the majority of the defenders did drop back into zone coverage.

‘Good job. This kind of stuff is important so you know what you’re going up against any given play, and know what to expect once the ball is snapped.’

Jackson nodded.

‘Plus, seeing as you’re banged up and you can’t do anything with that leg of yours, it’s important that we sharpen that noggin of yours and use this time to train your brain.’

Jackson nodded again, and the two resumed their study session, with Tommy quizzing Jackson before each snap to guess what the defence was going to do and why he thought that.

Eventually, Tommy would move closer to the bed, and even started sharing his fries with his younger brother as the film study continued.

When they reached the end of the video, Tommy restarted it and went over it again for details that they missed the first time around, pointing out his observations and his reasonings for what makes him think it’s either zone or man.

‘Each player is going to be different, though. They’ve all got different ticks, different habits that you can catch. But you can’t get sucked in by the individual and focus only on the guy in front of you. You have to see the defence as a whole.’

‘Yeah. Right, I get what you’re saying.’

‘But Receivers have those same tendencies too, you know. Some people are really transparent when it comes to if they’ll be run blocking or not.’

Jackson tilted his head.

‘If you look for it, you can notice it in some people. You just have to make sure that no matter what, YOU are lining up in the same way, in the same stance, no matter what. Whether you’re going to be running a screen, a slant, a go route, a curl, or it’s going to be a run play, no matter what you have to treat it the exact same before the snap.’

‘I don’t… I’ll make sure I do that. I’m not sure if I do anything different, though.’

‘It can be unconscious. Something really small. Some people might flex their hands a lot if they’re running a deep route. Or, they’ll loosen their shoulders more before a blocking play. Lean back more before a screen.’ Tommy laughed. ‘You start to pick up a lot of little things when you’re on the bench most of the game.’

Tommy stood up and stretched. ‘Come on. Get up. We’ll go outside for a bit, get some fresh air, give you some time to stretch and get your blood flowing. Get a drink or whatever, then we’ll come back in and we can watch the route running and you can see how Receivers get open at the next level, or why they DON’T get open.’

Jackson sighed and rubbed at his temples. With Tommy’s help, he got out of bed and they made their way outside.

As they stood in the sun, Jackson crunched on an apple and downed a glass of water.

When they returned inside, Tommy kept his promise, and they started up the video again, this time focusing more on the instances of Receivers going up against their defenders directly in the plays where man coverage was used.

On the plays where a Receiver would win the duel, Tommy would point out the techniques that he used, and the different moves utilised to freeze the defender or make them hesitate even for just a moment so that the Receiver could get enough space between them to make the catch.

And in cases that were the opposite, where the CB smothered the WR and was all over them without ever giving any opening for a pass, he’d stop and point out where the Receiver went wrong, then ask Jackson what he would’ve done differently in the situation.

This part of the study was much more extensive and time-consuming, and before they knew it, the sky outside was dark, and Mom was calling for them to join everyone at the table for dinner.

At the table, Tommy explained what they’d been getting up to, their parents looking at both boys with proud smiles.

‘Hahah. Well, I know someone that’s going to have a good career in coaching and training after their playing days are over,’ Dad said.

Tommy smiled, looking down at his plate. ‘I’m just trying to help my little bro out as much as I can. Have to keep him doing something productive, you know? Can’t just let him waste away all because of a bad leg.’

Jackson poked at his food, keeping quiet.

‘Well, I think it’s wonderful that you’re being so helpful, sweetheart.’ Mom reached out and rubbed Tommy’s arm. ‘It’s been so nice to have you around more again.’

‘Thanks, Mom.’

‘You’re mother’s right. It’s been great to have you back. And your room is always there whenever you need it,’ Dad said.

‘Thanks, Dad, I know. Anyway, I think we’ve done more than enough studying for one day. Might just play some games with Jackie Boy after dinner. Don’t want to fry his brains.’

Jackson chuckled softly and flashed a quick smile.

When the boys were done with their dinner, they returned to Jackson’s room, and indeed played through a few rounds of zombies before Tommy decided to call it a night.

He stood up, switching off the Xbox and grabbing his things. ‘Got an early start tomorrow. Sorry to cut things short, but it was fun, right?’

‘Yeah, of course. It’s always fun playing with you, Tommy.’

Tommy ruffled Jackson’s hair and then moved towards the door, stopping before he opened it. He turned back to face Jackson.

‘Hey. They’ve got a counsellor at your school, right? Have you thought about talking to them?’

‘Wh-What?’ Jackson’s smile faded rapidly. ‘Why?’

Tommy’s eyes darted to the cast around Jackson’s leg. ‘You know why, Jackson… I think it’d do you some good. No point in healing up physically if, when your body’s ready to get back out there, your mind still isn’t right.’

Jackson slumped down into his bed further.

‘I’m not trying to be hard on you. And I’m not judging you either. It just … would be good for you to talk to someone, to get it off your chest, and to work through your issues. Find out why you put yourself in such a dangerous position in the first place; find a way to stop you from doing it again.’

Jackson was still silent. Tommy faced the door.

‘It takes a lot of bravery to step out onto the football field. But I know that you’re brave too, Jackson. It’s not cowardly to seek help in overcoming your fears. Letting those fears hold you back is the real cowardly thing to do.’

Tommy opened the door and stepped out into the hall, looking back at Jackson again. ‘I love you,’ he said.

Jackson looked over and muttered back: ‘I love you too.’

Tommy smiled and closed the door, leaving Jackson in the dark.