Long Arm Quarterback (2 page)

“Hmph,” grunted Sable, shaking his head. “Jimmy, I'll pick you up later and I want a full report of what you all did today.
You hear?”

“Sure.” Jimmy didn't look happy.

Tully watched Sable walk away and said, “Boys, give me a minute.”

He walked after Sable, caught his arm, and the
two began to speak. Cap couldn't hear them but it didn't look like a friendly chat.

Hoot nudged Cap's arm. “Hey, Cap,
you're
going to be our quarterback, aren't you? Your grandpa's the coach, right?”

“Well…” Cap looked at Jimmy talking to Sam Dracus and Fritz Marconi, who was new in town and whom Cap didn't know. He didn't
really know Jimmy either, except to say hi to. Just because there were only a few kids in school didn't mean everybody hung
out with everybody else.

Cap felt confused and not sure what to say. Ever since the idea of six-man football had come up, he had just assumed that
he'd be the quarterback. Grandpa was always talking about what a great passer he was, the best he'd ever seen. Now, though
… maybe Jimmy Cash was a great passer too. What then?

“Grandpa will do what's right,” he assured Hoot. He believed it too. He just hoped that “what's right” meant he'd be the starting
quarterback.

S
able Cash drove off, raising a cloud of dust. Tully came slowly back to the team. He looked at each boy in turn, ending up
with his eyes on Jimmy.

“Son, Sable says you can really throw the ball. And I guess he'd know.”

Jimmy said, “Thank you, Mr. Wadell.”

“Call me Coach. That goes for all of you. And I want this clear: Each of you will get the chance to show your stuff. No favorites.
True, only six can start, but I guarantee you'll all get plenty of playing time. You play offense and defense, so I'll shuttle
players in and out to keep you fresh. With two talented passers, we'll find ways to use you both. We might use you at the
same time now and then and drive the opposition crazy. Any questions?”

No one had questions, and so practice began.

Tully taught them pass patterns: sideline routes where a receiver could turn upfield or step out of bounds to stop the clock,
hooks, two-man patterns with one receiver going deep and another cutting over the middle. He showed a swing pass to a running
back with linemen pulling to block downfield.

“Here's one for you, Ben,” Tully said. “I don't suppose it's giving away secrets that you're going to be a center. Jimmy,
come in for Cap and I'll explain. We scored against Bee Town with this in my playing days.”

Ben snapped the ball to Jimmy and took a step back as if to block. Jimmy faked a pitchout to Vince at halfback, pump-faked
to Sam going deep, and shoveled an underhand pass to Ben, who raced up the middle.

Tully grinned. “That'll still work, I bet.”

He alternated between Jimmy and Cap at quarterback. Jimmy was good with timing patterns and short passing, but his arm wasn't
up to throwing bombs; Cap saw that if Jimmy went long, he threw high floaters that anyone—receiver or defender—
could get to. Still, Cap couldn't deny that Jimmy was a good ball handler who could fake a lateral and fool defenses.

Cap, on the other hand,
could
throw deep, and Sam could outrun defenders—if Cap didn't overthrow him and Sam could hang on to the ball. Sam was the fastest
Panther but didn't have the greatest hands. Fritz Marconi looked like a powerful runner, and his solid frame suggested that
he'd be a good blocker.

Cap had played enough pickup ball with Hoot Coleman to know he was shifty, could fool tacklers, and put on a burst of speed
when needed. Stocky Ben Worthy was a natural center, with surprisingly good hands. Once he saw Ben's ability to catch, Tully
added a play in which Ben went out ten yards and hooked. Cap's pass was slightly behind Ben, who reached back with one hand
and managed to pull the ball in.

The coach applauded. “All right! We're going to throw some in your direction, for sure.”

Mick Avery, though he was short, had good moves and could catch everything coming his way. His younger brother Vince, though
taller, was less coordinated,
and likely to be a reserve. Steve Flynn wasn't very athletic, but he was enthusiastic, always talking it up and yelling encouragement.
He'd be good to have around and might improve as a player.

“Cap!” called Tully. “Let's run Blue Streak Right again. Sam, go deep. Mick, go out eight yards and hook. Ben, drop back to
block.”

The players took positions. Cap called, “Blue Streak Right, on two!
Down! Set! Hut
one,
hut
two …”

Cap dropped back three steps, pumped toward Mick, and fired downfield. Sam sprinted hard, but the ball was two feet beyond
his reach. Disgusted with himself, Cap kicked the turf.

“It's okay, you'll nail it next time,” Ben said, giving Cap a pat on the back. “It's just the first day.”

Cap didn't feel better. He was in for a battle with Jimmy, who was looking very good.

Sam retrieved the ball and trotted back. He tossed the ball to Tully and grinned at Cap.

“I'll need a stepladder for those bombs.”

Cap flushed. “Maybe you could just try hustling a little more.”

Sam's grin vanished. “Don't blame me if you can't control the ball!”

Quickly, Tully stepped in. “I don't want to hear that stuff. Teammates work together.”

Cap and Sam nodded. As Sam walked away, he whispered to Jimmy, who laughed. Tully frowned at his grandson.

“Sam didn't mean anything by that, he was kidding you.”

Cap wished he could be sure. He had been looking forward to this day, but it wasn't working out the way he had hoped.

Tully worked on clear passes, using Mick and Fritz as running backs. He created an end-around play, with Cap or Jimmy faking
a pitch to Fritz and tossing the ball to Sam, who came in from right end. Fritz and Mick would block. Jimmy looked better
on pitchouts and laterals at first, but Cap quickly improved.

Cap's last pitchout was smooth.

“Lookin' good,” said Jimmy.

Cap was startled. It was the first time Jimmy had spoken to him.

“Thanks,” he replied. “If I'm lucky, I'll get it down as good as you have it now.”

Tully whistled the team together. “I'm holding off
on defenses until tomorrow because it's hard to run them without an offense to practice against. I just figured out a way
to work around our lack of players. I'll call the other coaches and see about scheduling scrimmages with other schools.”

“But what'll we do till then?” asked Vince Avery.

Cap thought a moment. “Well, we—”

“Hey, Cap, Grandpa!” called a voice. “How's it going?”

Candy Wadell waved from the side of the field where she stood with her best friend, Bobby Jo Keller. Both girls were tall
and athletic, and they joined in pickup games often. Seeing them gave Cap an idea.

“Gramps, maybe Candy and Bobby Jo could help us. You know, so we could work on our plays against a whole team, or close to
it.”

Sam Dracus's jaw dropped in disbelief. “Work out with
girls?
You serious?”

“You got any better ideas?” Cap demanded. “Candy is an athlete, she's fast, and that goes for Bobby Jo too. They can both
catch passes as good as you, I bet.”

“Oh yeah?” Sam snapped.

Tully held up a hand. “Cap may have an idea there.”

“But—” Steve Flynn started to say.

“No, listen,” said Tully. “This could solve our problem. Scrimmages are useful, if I can set them up, but if we get a practice
squad to work with, we'll be better off. I know these girls, and Cap is right about them. They'll both play basketball for
Cow-pen next winter. I say if they're willing to help, let's be grateful for it.”

“Makes sense to me,” said Jimmy. Once again, Cap was surprised.

Fritz Marconi's face lit up. “I have an idea. My buddy Gabe Muñoz is in ninth grade now, so he's too old for our team, but
he can play. I bet he'd join the practice squad. Then we'd have twelve players, so we could practice with two full teams.”

“Hey, yeah,” said Mick. “Gabe is good.”

Tully nodded. “Fritz, give your friend a call.” He beckoned to Candy and Bobby Jo and explained what he wanted. Both girls
said they'd be happy to start coming to practice the next day.

Tully looked satisfied. “Well, if Gabe comes too, then we can really work. Tomorrow we go over
what we did today and start learning some defensive—”

He was interrupted by a roaring engine and a squeal of brakes. Sable Cash's dusty pickup stopped by the field, and Sable hopped
out. Cap heard Tully mutter something.

Sable nodded to Tully as he walked over but spoke only to his grandson. “So, Jimmy, did you get to throw?”

Cap thought that Jimmy looked uncomfortable. “Sure, Gramps. Coach had us taking turns.”

Sable gave Tully a sharp glance and turned back to Jimmy. “Really?”

“You heard him,” Tully said. “We're not finished, so why don't you—”

“You sure you wouldn't like some help?” Sable asked before Tully could finish.

Tully's smile was strained. “Like I told you, Sable, we're managing just fine.”

Candy cleared her throat, sensing the tension between the men. “Grandpa, see you tomorrow, then.”

“Thanks, hon, Bobby Jo.”

Candy's friend ran a hand through her curly blond hair. “This'll be fun. Bye!”

Sable stared at the girls as they walked away. “What's
that
about? What are they looking forward to?” he asked Jimmy.

“They're going to practice with us starting tomorrow. That way, we—”

“Those
girls?”
Sable's jaw dropped. “Practicing with
you?”

“It's really a good idea, Grandpa,” Jimmy said, shooting a troubled glance at Tully. “See, we don't have enough guys to have
a full offensive and defensive team, so—”

Sable snorted. “Now I've heard everything.”

“Sable, we're not done,” Tully said again. “Give us a few minutes, if you don't mind.”

Sable studied Tully for a long moment. “You and I aren't done yet either, Wadell.”

He walked slowly back to his truck. Looking over his shoulder, he called, “Jimmy, when the coach lets you go, I'll be waiting
over here.”

Cap and Jimmy looked at each other, but neither one spoke.

Cap wondered to himself whether Jimmy was feeling as embarrassed as he was.

T
he second day of practice, Tully had twelve players to work with. Candy and Bobby Jo were there, and Fritz's friend Gabe Muñoz.
No one was wearing pads or helmets.

“Today, we'll add defenses and run plays,” Tully explained. “Since we don't have enough equipment, we won't do any tackling.”

He divided the group into two squads.

“This is to start with. We'll do some switching around later,” Tully said. “Remember, this isn't a full-contact practice.
You can block, but no hard tackles today.”

He ran through the plays he had given the team so the newcomers could pick them up. When Tully saw everyone knew the plays,
he said, “Time for defenses. Let's try a three-two-one defense.”

He positioned Ben in the middle of the line with. Fritz and Mick as defensive ends. He placed Hoot and Cap five yards back,
with Sam five yards deeper.

“Sam, you're the safety,” Tully explained. “If a play gets by you, it can mean six points for the opposition. Your job is
to watch the play and go where the action is. If they send someone deep, you cover him.”

He turned to the others. “You linemen should put pressure on the quarterback. Cap and Hoot, always watch the play develop.
If it looks like a run, move in to stop it. Remember, no one can advance the ball by running until they throw a clear pass.

“Before each play, the defense should huddle like the offense and choose a coverage and who'll rush the quarterback. Keep
the offense guessing about how many will be rushing the passer, and who. The key to defense is to stay alert and react. Always
know where the ball is and keep your head in the game. If you just rush in blindly, the play may get by you before you know
what's happening. Any questions?”

No one had any.

Tully smiled. “All right, defense, huddle up! I'll give the offense a play, and Cap, call a defensive pattern.
Remember, the offense needs fifteen yards for a first down.”

Jimmy had Candy and Vince at end, Gabe and Bobby Jo in the backfield, and Steve at center. Taking Steve's snap, he dropped
back, looking for a receiver. Candy went deep and Sam picked her up. Steve blocked Ben, while Vince faked an inside move and
cut to the sideline, fooling Cap, who went with the fake. Vince caught Jimmy's pass in full stride. Hoot ran Vince down after
a twelve-yard gain.

Tully clapped his hands. “Good throw, Jimmy, and Vince, nice move on Cap! Cap, you see what happened there?”

Cap nodded. “Yeah, I got beat.”

“Because you were too eager. You played Vince too tight off the line and didn't wait and react. Sam, you played off Candy
a bit too much. If she'd pulled up, Jimmy could have thrown beneath you and she'd have been open.”

Sam looked down at his feet.

“It's okay,” Tully said. “This is new and you'll adjust. Each game, you'll have to learn the other guys' strengths and weaknesses
as you play. Don't worry,
you're doing fine! Now, it's second and three. Cap, set a defense.”

Cap put two men on the line, with two linebackers playing outside the linemen. Sam and Hoot were deep, looking for a possible
pass and to guard against a runner breaking away.

On the snap, Jimmy spun, faked a handoff to Gabe, and followed his block into the line. Tully's whistle stopped the play.

“That'll cost five yards and a down, Jimmy. You can't run without a clear pass.”

Jimmy turned red. “Sorry, I just forgot.”

Tully nodded. “Old habits die hard. Okay, go again. It's now third down and eight.”

Cap left the defense as it was. Jimmy had his backs in an
I
formation. On the snap, Steve and Vince double-teamed Ben, shoving him to the right, while Gabe, the up back, charged Cap.
Jimmy pitched to Bobby Jo, who ran left, but Cap spun away from Gabe and met Bobby Jo at the line of scrimmage.