so just gave a chuckle at this marvel of a woman I was sitting beside.
“You get me on the field, Skip.”
“I will.”
“I’ll do the rest.”
This woman was a quarterback right down to her toes. I found myself chuckling again.
“What’s so funny?”
“No, it’s just—you remind me of a quarterback I played with.”
“Really?”
“It’s just the way he used to talk. They all have confidence; if they lose it, the game is over for them. But some, you’d have to amputate an arm or a foot to get their belief to sag even a little bit.”
“Who was he?”
“Jonathon Engram,” I said. “The head coach of the Washington Redskins.”
I finished my drink and got up. “Look, I’m not staying for the interview. You take it from here.”
She nodded.
“Only, remember, it’s—”
“A secret. I know. I won’t mention it.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
Ten
“This better be good,” Coach Engram said. “A woman better than I was.”
“Just follow me.” I led him out to the practice field, where I already had Darius Exley and Rob Anders waiting for me. I had Dan Wilber, our center, out there, too.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t something I had to work very hard to arrange. I knew the players worked out every Thursday from midmorning to early afternoon, so it was easy to ask them to step out to the field with me when they were done so I could show them something. I had called Jesse that morning and told her to be there at 4 p.m. Now that she’d been officially interviewed by the Washington Post , it was only a matter of time before the whole thing came out anyway. “Besides,” I said. “Coach Engram needs something to perk him up for the coming weeks.”
She didn’t laugh.
“You aren’t nervous are you?”
“No. Well, a little maybe.”
“How’d the interview go?”
“He was nice. Wanted to know all about the Divas. Our games, schedules—everything.”
“Did he ask you about the Redskins?”
“He mentioned how absurd it would be if what Roddy said was true.”
I laughed a little, but there was silence from the other end. Then I said, “How’d you manage to keep from showing him your contract?”
“I wouldn’t do that. I promised you I wouldn’t.”
“Even so, I don’t know how you resisted it.”
She drove out to the park around three thirty that afternoon. By the time I had Coach Engram on the way out to the field, she had already thrown several dozen or so passes to Rob and Darius.
“You warmed up?” I asked.
She smiled. I introduced her to the coach and he shook her hand. I saw him look at her hand when she let go of his. She was not a limp handshaker. Her hair was a bit matted with sweat. She was wearing a Redskins jersey, black shorts, and high-top tennis shoes. Her eyes looked as if they gave off light.
“Jesse Smoke,” Engram said. “Where have I heard that name?”
“I mentioned her to you a while back,” I said.
“Really?” He looked at me.
“Well, Jesse,” I said, “how about you show us something, then.”
She stepped onto the field at the 15-yard line. Darius and Rob lined up about 20 yards on opposite sides of the center, where Dan bent over the ball. She got up under center. I didn’t bother to watch much of the action, my attention fixed on Engram. She’d call out a route for Exley, then one for Anders. She’d been doing that for the past half hour or so and at first both were shocked that she not only knew the terminology but understood the routes she called. By now they were used to it. She’d take the snap, drop back, and fire the ball the way she always did. Neither Exley nor Anders had to break stride.She threw fades, quick outs, quick ins, and hit each receiver where he wanted to be hit. (I had filled her in on that.) The ball never touched the ground, except for when Wilber set it there to hike it again. She hit them from 20, 30, 40, 50 yards. When they got back over to us, they were out of breath. Coach Engram couldn’t
“You get me on the field, Skip.”
“I will.”
“I’ll do the rest.”
This woman was a quarterback right down to her toes. I found myself chuckling again.
“What’s so funny?”
“No, it’s just—you remind me of a quarterback I played with.”
“Really?”
“It’s just the way he used to talk. They all have confidence; if they lose it, the game is over for them. But some, you’d have to amputate an arm or a foot to get their belief to sag even a little bit.”
“Who was he?”
“Jonathon Engram,” I said. “The head coach of the Washington Redskins.”
I finished my drink and got up. “Look, I’m not staying for the interview. You take it from here.”
She nodded.
“Only, remember, it’s—”
“A secret. I know. I won’t mention it.”
“I didn’t think you would.”
Ten
“This better be good,” Coach Engram said. “A woman better than I was.”
“Just follow me.” I led him out to the practice field, where I already had Darius Exley and Rob Anders waiting for me. I had Dan Wilber, our center, out there, too.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t something I had to work very hard to arrange. I knew the players worked out every Thursday from midmorning to early afternoon, so it was easy to ask them to step out to the field with me when they were done so I could show them something. I had called Jesse that morning and told her to be there at 4 p.m. Now that she’d been officially interviewed by the Washington Post , it was only a matter of time before the whole thing came out anyway. “Besides,” I said. “Coach Engram needs something to perk him up for the coming weeks.”
She didn’t laugh.
“You aren’t nervous are you?”
“No. Well, a little maybe.”
“How’d the interview go?”
“He was nice. Wanted to know all about the Divas. Our games, schedules—everything.”
“Did he ask you about the Redskins?”
“He mentioned how absurd it would be if what Roddy said was true.”
I laughed a little, but there was silence from the other end. Then I said, “How’d you manage to keep from showing him your contract?”
“I wouldn’t do that. I promised you I wouldn’t.”
“Even so, I don’t know how you resisted it.”
She drove out to the park around three thirty that afternoon. By the time I had Coach Engram on the way out to the field, she had already thrown several dozen or so passes to Rob and Darius.
“You warmed up?” I asked.
She smiled. I introduced her to the coach and he shook her hand. I saw him look at her hand when she let go of his. She was not a limp handshaker. Her hair was a bit matted with sweat. She was wearing a Redskins jersey, black shorts, and high-top tennis shoes. Her eyes looked as if they gave off light.
“Jesse Smoke,” Engram said. “Where have I heard that name?”
“I mentioned her to you a while back,” I said.
“Really?” He looked at me.
“Well, Jesse,” I said, “how about you show us something, then.”
She stepped onto the field at the 15-yard line. Darius and Rob lined up about 20 yards on opposite sides of the center, where Dan bent over the ball. She got up under center. I didn’t bother to watch much of the action, my attention fixed on Engram. She’d call out a route for Exley, then one for Anders. She’d been doing that for the past half hour or so and at first both were shocked that she not only knew the terminology but understood the routes she called. By now they were used to it. She’d take the snap, drop back, and fire the ball the way she always did. Neither Exley nor Anders had to break stride.She threw fades, quick outs, quick ins, and hit each receiver where he wanted to be hit. (I had filled her in on that.) The ball never touched the ground, except for when Wilber set it there to hike it again. She hit them from 20, 30, 40, 50 yards. When they got back over to us, they were out of breath. Coach Engram couldn’t
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