Possessive Coach by Hamel B. B

Author:Hamel, B. B.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

11

David

I blow my whistle and stride out onto the grass. The smell of ocean water almost overpowers the musk of sweating men as the pile of bodies in front of me detangles itself. The guys pull each other up, patting helmets, slapping hands. “Break it up,” I shout. “Back into line.” They hustle to obey, men reforming into their set positions like a well-trained army. That’s how I think of them sometimes, my soldiers out at war, and I want to make sure they’re prepared before each battle.

It’s a nice day with a cool breeze, and I blow my whistle again. The two lines hit each other, offense and defense, and I watch as the battle unfolds. I take note of the defensive center losing too much ground, the left tackle turning but too slowly, and I can see it all happening in my mind, like water running downhill.

I blow my whistle and break it up before they can end up on the ground again. I bark a few orders, get them set up into individual drills, then head back over to the sidelines to check my clipboard and my notes.

Practice is a well-oiled machine, or at least it is now that I work here. Before, it was more haphazard. Coach Hardy would assign drills as he saw fit, but there was no consensus between the position coaches on what everyone was supposed to do. Those first few practices were a mess, and I couldn’t believe that Hardy had let it get so bad.

But it makes sense to me now. I look over, craning my neck to spot Coach Hardy sitting in the stands with a pair of binoculars, watching every move, but doing nothing. That was his trademark move. He’d sit in the stands and stare down from above, like he was some kind of chess master moving his pieces around the board. Except he said nothing, did nothing, and let the position coaches fight amongst themselves. At least until I showed up and took over.

Now, practice is structured. Everyone knows what they’re doing and when they’re doing it. The guys are all working on complementary skills, with the goal being that they develop not only as individuals, but also as a cohesive unit.

My little army.

I blow my whistle again after another twenty minutes. “Break!” I bark out. The guys jog over to get water as I stand off to the side. I catch sight of Erik, his helmet off, joking with some of the offensive guys. They all hang on his every word, mostly because they know that having a good relationship with him will get them the ball more often. The more they get the ball, the more chances they have to prove themselves to NFL scouts.

That’s how Erik can hold so much power. Everyone wants something from him, everyone thinks he can get them to the next place. Either the guys want more touches, or the coaching staff wants a win. So long as he keeps delivering, the guy’s untouchable.

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