Re: May...time to meet the new folks
Staying light on his feet, James danced with the ball in his hands and went through imaginary reads and fakes while giving his receivers time to get distance. In between his times with the ball he would glance around the field to check out how his friends were doing... Ice was dominant, Chev was showing off amazing skills and strength, and Adam was just plain catching everything.
Convinced of his own abilities and his place on the team, he used these drills to get his own read on the men who might be his receivers in the near future. Long over-the-shoulder floaters, short quick bullets to the gut and of course in-stride shots to cutting receivers on the middle of the field.
Each catch elicited a smile and a thumbs-up; each drop, a silent consideration of how best to deliver the ball to that individual for next time. He also wasn't afraid to admit when an incompletion was his fault, such as when a glance at Kat on the sidelines broke his concentration and he sent the ball three yards behind a crossing receiver. Adam probably would have still caught it... but unfortunately Adam hadn't been his target.
Deep breath... release. Deep breath... release. Focus. Lick fingers, get the next ball. "HIKE!" Quick drop. Fake handoff. Read right. Fake center. Turn left, throw.
There was a rhythm to everything... that was the beauty of the game. To Jim, football was a gorgeous symphony that ended with a trainwreck. He took a deep breath and picked up the next ball, closed his eyes and savored the moment... the game.
Then it was back to work - the other Quarterbacks sure weren't going to cut themselves from the roster, after all!