From Den

Lindsey and Mindy made it up to the stands on the Home side and took their usual seats. She noticed the Olympians in the stands, making this practice a bit different in terms of an event. Olympians had been there before, but she didn't want to think about the last time. It was a horrible day. Hopefully this one would be better.

  Maggie  Points...,,Isn't  that.. Yuto Amota    with a helmet on? what is he doing?

    Jenny   perked  up  and Looked, waving to Bob and Pointing... Bob , was on the track, waved  back and started to with his   way to  get some films of a GM running pass patterns.

  Maggie looked to  Linsey and  Mindy , Jil was standing  near them waving  for one of her people to get some film. Maggie asked,What ever  is, Yuto doing ?

"Yuto used to be a receiver at Melon in New York" Lindsey replied "I'm not sure why he's out there now, but maybe the extra guests here today have something to do with it"

  Mindy watched  the   receivers  and Back got through their   rough.. there were two cycles, one from the left. one from the right.. 10  passes  from   Duke... 5 from Adam, 5  from heather.

  Bill says Those    enemy writers some to be taking alot of Pics of heather throwing

"Well if nothing else, Heather is an interesting subject. She's beautiful and looks graceful on the field. But maybe also they think they can learn something from that for the game. She has been fooling everyone with those fake kicks, and she did throw some touchdowns."

  After  Bill  Called the Gate...Teams have their  own 'in house  rules"... enemy  press can take  still shots, but no  Vid  film. There isn't  , normally, a problem  here, but that influx  of  Nosey folks  over there says  , Those  two aren't real reporters.... Cops will check their  press  passes, and they'll get kicked   out... if the press passes  where  forged , they migh be look at  jail time

  Mindy shook her  head.. we don't  even send  people   to other places..of Course  ESPN and NFL , as well as the Nationals  for  CBS, NBC and Fux? have people.  we get reports from them.

 Jill chimes in,we  have to be  Vetted... Us   people on the shows  get in pretty easy, and out people can take Vids.. but  we  can only   Focus  on  one  player  or two..that way   other   people can't use  them like  game  films

 Bill watches the players taking a break...even with  out  Vid  film? Those two will be on their cells talking about   Harley throwing? You think Sims will do that?

  The  7-0n-7  was started   with the  back 8 of the   defense  and the  'skils' of the offense.

    Sims stood on the sidelines  as  if  it  were a game, sending in players either one  for one, all the way to the 5 at a time.

 Bill  looked   across the way, watching the  Reporters on the  sided0oesn't matte r what they  do here...next week  from thursday  to  saturday  is  when the Real Plays  will be shown..and? there is a damn good chanc e Sims will use what he is showing now..no one will know.  Thrusday  Day until game  day , next week is  closed to all but the Team's media...

 And   The  NFL  Channell... Jill added.

 yeah? but if  anything leaks.. everyone will know right where it  came from and your cred  will be shot.

Mindy grinned..youlose Cred...no one  trusts you...

"And it won't matter anyway. Sims will show dozens of plays, and a lot of them start off exactly the same. There were two plays in a row with Harley lined up doing exactly the same thing. One she blocked, one she received. If they bring over the DBs to cover, that opens Bronk or Hope on the other side, who are both bigger threats."

"Did you see the way Harley faked out Wade? That was as nice a touchdown as they come. Bitch is fearless."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:00, Wed 20 Mar.

 Maggie   took a  few   steps Down, she  was  close to Jill, and   slightly about   Lindsey and   Mindy.alright...  I have been doing this type of thing  for  years... all season  Long   Sims,  some of his  ..um.. louder..players, they were like a   army of  crusaders . Bashing the establishment,  and  not   apologizing   for ..well?  Anything 

 now? You have the Saints.. they   are the Bad  Boys  of the   NFC  , at  least.. and they seem to be  taking  a back seat to this pregame set up... I saw  Bronk's take  Down of Star on Jill and Nate's  show..... he  just  stepped up,  and slashed  away, you could swear he had  a  sword  as he sliced them up...  Sims   has  made comments  of. " we wish we  could  have faced a better  foe"...  Look?   I know  I am Old school..but    , Christ!.. they are Not  only giving them Bulletin Board   stuff.. they are walking  in  and Tacking in up  on the wall!.

 Bill looked  back..Jets  guys who won their superbowl the very first time the AFL beat the NFL?  His  Coach was going crazy  that he shot his Mouth of.. The  Coach said, " that's going to be on their Bulletin  board..you know that!..   That Joe  Guy  just said, " Coach, id they need that to beat us..we won already.

 Mindy  said ...Adam said, when he was  in school, he spent alot of time in the Library ,, he  studied  sports, war,, all kinds of things , because he got to be in a warm place... anyway.. He said  one  ancient  General said ' you take the weapon from the enemy, and use it against him'...Can the Saints  be themselves, if they are not the Bad  Guys?

 everyone looed ay Linsey.. Jill smiled,well?

"Hey. The Saints' badboy shtick isn't going to have the punch. They're already back on their heels. Between the head2head and Cici running out crying, and the fact that no one that matters actually believes they can win, they're looking more and more like charlatans. And I think they feel it too."

"I think they're going to be louder than ever in the next few days to convince themselves that they're who they think they are. It's like the bully who tries to impress everyone with bluster and boasts, but no matter how loudly they say it, they don't actually feel it. So, no. They can't be themselves. They're going to have to become a caricature of what they want people to see. It'll feel fake, even to them. They'll already be playing from a disadvantage."

   some of the  'home town ' folks   in the stands  got excited by some of the places   during the  7on7.

  Sims   is  making them work, without  making it look , like they are working..all that running  back and forth,  on and off the field, theyn they have to make plays yet... I bet there isn[t another team in the league that could do that, this time of the season..

 Maggie   nodded... there can be only one... she Grinned

 Jill added.Linds  and Mindy would know ...but to me?  the way the NFL  has its playoffs... You only get one chance,in each post  season game.... Win or Go home.... one week to get ready for the next team... injuries from  hits   given and taken... you get one extra week  before the  Supers... dragons   did get a bye week for  being the #1  seed..but..here it is..the Superbowl... sometimes  its  not  'the winner"...its  the Survivor

"These guys aren't just survivors." Lindsey shrugged, sipping a coffee. "There are some injuries, yeah. I think Bright was just taken out of practice. But Mostly, everyone out there is doing great. I don't see many of them slowing down. The Saints are a different story. A lot of them are coming back from injuries and aren't all there. Now they're going to overcompensate by trying to be the big bad. But I guess they'll have a few months to lick their wounds after."

 Mindy   nodded  as she   watched    Sims  call  for the  scrimmage  and laid   down the  'new  rules"  for this   scrimmage.Mik hurt his  knee  early in the  year.. he thought this  might be  his last year..But he's been  pushing hard... he might be better now, then before he was   hurt... You ever  see   Adam without a shirt on..there are like  4  weeks of bruises there.. all colors, you can almost tell the oldest from the  Newest...  Tracy   is still made about him playing with a broken  ribs or two..she can't say anything, because Adam  never  reported being hurt, so they can't act on it  , unless they ha d to 'escort him from the field'. He's  all better  now..According  to Sage, it hasn't slowed him down.

 Maggie  shook her  head  with a wan smile ,The Energizer  Bunny  From Hell.. some of the  other  writers  call him.

 Bill shook his head,all those   guys?..  the  O-line  and   Deep line  look   like alien leopards   , all those black and  Blue  marks  on their  arms    and  legs. Those  Guys  are better  men then I am...

 Jill Giggled,or maybe you are  smarter?

Bill smiled  at that,yeah? well.. i don't   make  6-7 figures and  i don't have people interviewing me..

"There's a difference between hurt and injured" Lindsey added, remembering something Adam said

 Jill snaped  her  fingers  and pointed  at Lindsey...That's the  Football answer..You can Tell the  Football writers   from any other  sport.. i remember, years and years  ago, they had  'fun facts"... there was a baseball player  who  got put on the   7 day disabled list, be caus ehe   cut his  tone  on a cornflake   by his bed..

Bill laughed,I  don't  feel so bad  now.. There is no way that pitcher was getting laid, if he was eating cereal in bed...

 how did you know he was a pitcher?

 no other  position   in sports is that much of a wuss..

   The scrimmage over..  Sims  had to show off his toys... this time it would be  Bomb and Bombshell, letting folks  see , just h9ow fat Adam  might be..and how deep speed  was in the  Reiver's  room
.. As Adam  took off , alot of the   'home folks"  stood, watching the  ball carry over his   right shoudlr, , His  jump,  catch.. and struggle to stay in bunds was rewards  as Hiko  raised his hands for the touchdown...

  Harley was  racing  down her Side line now, as   heather let the ball go

Once the scrimmage was over, Lindsey gathered her things. "Sorry gang. I have to go. I'm headed to filming of the BKB commercial part two. Wish me luck." As she hurried to the gate, she noticed Adam and Harley lining up for passes. She wasn't sure how many times they might do that, but they both had to go to the same place she did. Whatever happened, she could ask later.


To Sage: On my Way now

Sage was already at the studio, so if there was a hang up, she could tell everyone she was on the way


To Dragon Studio

(( friday Morning  before practice ))

 Jill say  with Jenny, Bob, Bill and Maggie

 So... is there going to be a watch party for the Dragons, for awards night  tomorrow  in  New York... The Commissioner  is a tad  u7pset that all the Dragons    decided to  stay home, , Duke  says   its  in protest, for some of the Voting?..but the people I see? They all earned it.

 Bill  leans back so his head can see Jill and Jenny,here is the deal?  If  The  awards  were Honest, The Dragons would take almost all of them....But the NFL can't  do that? because no one would watch... so there are some people that they'll  let side because  they are vets..some  newer  guys  because they are marketable...  Ben Hope  will  get alot of the  hardware... Bronk should get his share..but he won't.. a couple other of  our guts won't, Just  the way it  is.. they'll  screw some of out guys over, Just to appease  the also rans.

 wait? are you impling these awards are fixed?

 no? They just don't  care  about the Numbers... over the   years it sorta  works out..but they do let  certain players get an award  they don't  deserve because the league needs  that player to get exposure , or maybe shine  some light on a franchise... They never  did that with Us... Payne  and worth should have been on the allstar  team every  year, should have got DPOY... Miles and Sloan should have been in the running  for offense-line?..no one cared?..now were are almost on top the mountain, they ignore  ....certain.. players, because of  the league not wanting to have  New Jack as the Face of the NFL

 well?  i want a watch party  with Dragons  and their  wives and such... get their reactions when the announcements  are made.

 well?  when  Yuto comes out. you can ask him, ortherwise it doesn't get done

From Den

Lindsey went out to the stands with Mindy to watch the practices. It all looked pretty standard other than a few of the players definitely showing some fatigue from the party.

 as the watched  from the sidelines, Bill caught it  right away...They cahncged the auibles!  ,,, QB is  calling  routes  now..or it seems like it. before it  was hand signals ...now they should be on the same page, once everyone gets in the flow?

Mindy...nodded  thoughtfully.. that's save s time on calling the  routes, and should be safer, then the players, just making reads?

Bill says,dpendng on how may  seconds they save, and how  quick they score..they just made the  game longer..

Lindsey listened "The important thing is that this is completely new. They won't have a way of deciphering it in game. I mean they can use the audible every time, but there's no way to know if it's being used or a distraction. That makes it a distraction every time because it increases the uncertainty. The Saints will want to make something of it every time, but they can't."

 Bill has a grin as he gives his head a  shake. Sims is dangerous..he's always thinking..he's one a of a msall hanful of guys  we have , that i wouldn't  want to  Have as an enemy!

 Mindy   nods, her  chin rested  on her  left hand, she  tapped her teeth with a little finger..Media  day is going to be a nightmare, or hellish fun.

 Jill  piped  up... It seems...to me , anyway... that  Sims, is trying to take  the Saints  out of the Narritive?  They have to  fight  for  Press time, when they  should be underseige, Like you guys  are,,,,

 They watched the  plays  unfold..  trick plays, deep throws and a 'faster -then-before' Tempo game.

 Jill watched   shaking her  head  as the  watched the flow of the  offense.You know?  Stations outside of New Jack are paying NJNs  for  vids  and pics  from the Dragon practice... They laugh a bit  about the Dragons... 1,..they  say Duke is so good because he hardly played  for 5 years, and now  only plays a half of a game...2.. They say Bronk couldn't make it anywhere  else,  Sims brought him in, Ther Amotas's  keep him in...3.. The defense  looks like a Chinese firedrill, and they should have kept the old guy at DC..

  Bill looks back,What does  Jill say...

 They  lay out their arguments  , quite well. But all i have to come back with is.." well? 18-0 right now"

"Those people are saying those things to be provocative. They're just playing to a base of people who desperately wish the Dragons weren't as good as they are. None of that matters.  It's not even worth addressing."

As the practice ended, Lindsey realized it was time to have her discussions. She waited while the players all ran their end miles, waiting to see who might be finished first. Once the run started, it was obviously going to be Wade. He was tearing around the track as an amazing pace. It was almost like Adam. She was amazed he could keep that pace the whole way, but at the end it was clear that it took a toll. Prince was still only half way through when Wade finished. When she saw Wade approaching the tunnel, she went down to the field to meet him.

To Practices