Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(83)

He was pumped and ready as he waited in the tunnel.

“Man, it seems like forever since we were in uniform,” Drake said.

“Right? I hate off-season. I’m ready for this shit to get real.”

“I’m down with you, brother,” Drake said, the two of them bumping fists.

The other guys around them slapped hands with them.

Their teammates were pumped up. They were all ready to get this season started.

First home game always gave Barrett goose bumps. Crowd noise was escalating as they were announced and ran out of the tunnel to the raucous cheers from the full stadium. It fueled his momentum as he and his teammates took the field.

Now it was time to get down to business.

After the coin toss, Tampa had the ball first, which meant Barrett would have to wait to take the field.

“Man, I hate this,” Drake said. “I mean, yeah, good for Zeman and crew. Let’s put some points up. But . . . ya know?”

Barrett read and fed off Drake’s anxiety and nodded. “I know, man. I know.”

They both paced the sidelines, watching the offense get started. Zeman marched his offense down the field. Running game got off the ground and Zeman connected on several short and long passes.

Receivers looked good. Backs looked solid. Offense ended up scoring seven on a short run from the six-yard line.

Outstanding.

Now it was their turn to show their stuff.

After the kickoff, Pittsburgh had a short ten-yard return. Tampa’s defense took the field.

They assumed a run and lined up for man coverage.

It was a run. Barrett hustled in to help with the tackles, and Tampa’s linebackers made the tackle after only three yards.

In the huddle, Barrett said, “He’s going to pass. I think he’s going to throw up a long one. Drake and I will go deep.”

He told the corners to play their receivers and the linebackers they needed to push hard on their blocks.

They got into position and at the snap, Barrett did what he’d been trained to do—he read the quarterback.

Gregson—Pittsburgh’s quarterback—dropped back and looked right, then threw long.

Barrett dug in and went after the receiver and the ball, knocking it out of the receiver’s hands just before the catch.

Incomplete.

The crowd roared its approval.

Pittsburgh went three and out without a first down, so they had to punt and Tampa got the ball back.

He and Drake made their way back to the sideline. Drake bumped fists with him.

“That’s how it’s done,” Drake said.

Barrett nodded.

That had been satisfying. Now they just had to keep on doing it.

Tampa didn’t score on their offensive series. On the next defensive series, Gregson threw on first down, this time caught by their tight end for a short gain. Tampa’s cornerback was right there on the tackle.

Pittsburgh managed to march down the field and got a couple of rushing first downs, but Tampa’s defense held them. Five minutes in, Tampa was still up seven to nothing.

Defense was looking solid. They had to keep Pittsburgh out of the end zone.

Barrett was going to make sure the defense made that happen.

Harmony came down the stairs, juggling drinks and snacks while simultaneously trying to watch the game. She scooted her way past the other patrons in her row, finally taking her seat next to Mama.

“Did I miss anything?” she asked, as she handed off a soda and hot dog to her mother.

“Drake batted down a pass,” Mama said, setting the hot dog in her lap. “Then Pittsburgh ran for eight yards and a first down.”

“Well, darn. Okay. But still no score, so that’s good.”

“Yeah.”

Harmony took a sip of her soda and set it in the cup holder, and was about to pick up her hot dog when Pittsburgh’s quarterback threw a pass. When Drake stepped in front of the receiver and intercepted the pass, she screamed.

So did Mama. So did the entire stadium. Drake took off in the opposite direction, heading for the goal line.

She held tight to her mother’s hand, hollering Drake’s name and mainly screaming as she watched her brother outrun the other team all the way into the end zone.

“Yes!” she yelled. “Oh, my God, yes!”

She finally caught her breath and sat down when their kicker came out to kick the extra point.

“That was amazing.” She turned and grinned at her mother, who grinned back like any proud mother would.

“It definitely was.”

They were seated in the family section, where they always sat, so Tina, one of the player’s wives, turned around and grasped Mama’s hand. “Oh, Diane, you must be so proud of Drake. We were all screaming.”

Mama laughed. “I was screaming, for sure.”

“Defense looks killer,” Tina said. “I know we’re still in the first quarter of the first preseason game, but I think we’re going to kick some serious butt this year.”

“I hope so,” Harmony said.

And it seemed like defense was pretty impressive, at least so far. At the end of the first quarter, Tampa was up fourteen to nothing. Most of the starters would come out and second stringers and rookies would get a chance to play now.

She finally relaxed her shoulders. “I feel like I’ve been holding my breath the entire first quarter. I think I’ll spend the rest of the game just breathing.”