The rays of light from the low morning sun slanted across Jackson's vision as he ran down the sidewalk. Even if it was Sunday it was still important to get in a little extra work. His early morning run was becoming a routine, as crucial to his day as breakfast.
A thin coating of sweat clung to him, even though his breath had been fogging up at the start of the run, when the sun was only just edging into the sky. It was a crisp day, and the smells of the neighbourhood's defrosting gardens were dulled by the winter chill.
When he turned onto his street, he slowed, easing down so that by the time he reached the house, he was walking. He came to rest against the front door, leaning on it, keeping one leg stretched out behind him, heel still on the pavement, stretching one leg, then the other.
He stepped inside and shut the door softly behind him. Just beyond the entryway, Tommy sat at the dining table, eating breakfast. Jackson nodded to him as he went to walk past.
'Good run?' Tommy asked.
'It wasn't bad.'
'What's your plans today?'
Jackson paused. 'Uh, well after I shower I'm just gonna watch the games I guess.'
'I've got a game you can watch.'
Jackson looked back at him, tongue stuck in his throat. There'd been a lot of games played again for the tournament, but surely there was only one Tommy would feel the need to show him.
'Have your shower first,' Tommy said. 'You stink.'
Jackson suppressed a snort before hurrying upstairs. He took his time in the shower. He hadn't watched any of the Dons' games. Why would he before Nationals? But he hadn't even seen a single game from the tournament. How different would HE be since back then? That summer camp felt a lifetime ago.
Even after shutting the water off he stood there for a few more moments. How much had the already canyon-like gap widened between them?
When he emerged from his room, dressed again in some warm comfy clothes, his hair was still a touch damp. He followed Tommy's voice down to the living room. Tommy grinned at him and patted the couch cushion beside himself.
Jackson moved over, plopping down next to him with a sigh. 'What's that for?' Tommy asked. 'You running from the grind already?'
'The grind?' Jackson asked, raising a brow.
'Yeah! This is still part of your mental fortitude training. I recorded this game just for you. The least you could do is show some appreciation.'
Jackson rolled his eyes. 'Gee thanks for pressing a few buttons and working the dvr, big bro. Such a herculean effort.'
Tommy whacked Jackson's thigh quickly. 'Yeah yeah. You could be somewhat grateful. At least take this serious. This kid, Tyrese Samuels, even if he's from another state … well with Nationals you'll face him eventually, and who knows what'll happen when you both go to college, and beyond that. You guys are rivals, and you need to see how he plays. You'll never beat him if you don't understand his game.'
Jackson turned his attention to the TV. The screen was paused over a wide-shot of both sides set up for the opening kickoff. It would be good to watch, even without Tyrese specifically. This was still the team that did what the Titans couldn't in defeating the Eagles. The Dons were objectively better than the Titans. Was that all Tyrese's doing, or was there more to the team as a whole?
'Okay,' Jackson said. 'I'm ready.'
'That's the spirit, Jack.' Tommy ruffled his hair, pressing play. 'Besides, it's also like, super important you overcome this specific mental block too.'
Jackson side-eyed him, drawing a laugh from Tommy.
'What? Don't give me that look. I'm serious. Look, even if you never really stop training the same stuff, including your mental toughness, this'll be a good indicator of whether you're ready or not. If you can look at this film, study it, break it down impartially, and treat Tyrese Samuels like you would any other Corner, you'll be ready to move on to the next part of your training—implementing the game plan of how to BEAT him.'
Jackson sighed. Tommy was right, of course he was. The return was only a short, uneventful run, and then the Warriors' offence were heading out for their first drive.
'…And…' Tommy said, '…if you can do this, maybe you'll be ready to ask Jasmine out.'
'Bro!'
Jackson punched Tommy's shoulder until Tommy put a pillow between them as a shield. He was laughing, and looking at Jackson's red face only made him laugh more.
'What?' Tommy asked.
'You didn't need to add that last part! That was low, even for you.'
'Pfft. Even for me? I'm not the one who can't admit that I like a girl. You had her right there, Jackie, after all I did for you and you still couldn't seal the deal with a kiss?'
Jackson picked up his own pillow to batter Tommy's shield with. 'Shut up! You can't even talk! Do you even like girls?'
'Hahaha, then we're both single losers. … Unless~ you call her right now and ask her out.'
Jackson tossed his pillow. It ricocheted off Tommy's shield and into the corner of the room. 'Let's just watch the damn game!'
He turned back to the screen, and the Dons were already celebrating. The Warriors' heads were hung, and the Dons crowded around who else but Tyrese as he held the ball up proudly.
'What? What happened? Go back, go back.'
'Hm. That was fast,' Tommy said, rewinding the recording. He restarted it just before the snap.
Jackson's eyes were locked on the bottom of the screen where Tyrese stood facing off against a Receiver with a significant height advantage. He wasn't scared, but poised like a snake, ready to strike and take down an animal twice its size.
Even when he was backing off, keeping the Receiver in front of him, Ty was exactly where he wanted to be; the dangerous part was the Receiver thought the same. It looked like everything was going just as the offence wanted right until the ball left the QB's hands.
A soft 'no' escaped Jackson's lips as the ball was flung into the air. It was a pick the moment it left the QB's hands. One of those interceptions where it looked like the DB had been running the route instead.
Tommy paused the video when Ty popped back up to his feet, ball held tight as if it was his greatest possession. 'How'd he do that?' he asked.
Jackson stared at the screen. He had been that Receiver, number eighty. He thought he was open, in the perfect situation to take advantage of his greatest weapons, and Ty had snatched it all away just as easily.
'Jackson?' Tommy shook his head.
Air raced through Jackson's shuddering body. 'Uh… he, he was too fast. His hips never got turned around. He was watching the Quarterback and Wideout the whole way.'
'Good. But how'd he beat such a tall opponent in a jump-ball?'
'His arms. His arms are really long.' Those arms felt as if they were inescapable, like there wasn't any ball they couldn't reach.
'True. He's surprisingly lengthy for a short kid, but it's more than just that. What else?'
Jackson frowned. Those arms could reach anything. What else did he need?
'Let's watch again,' Tommy said, rewinding to the snap again.
They watched in silence, and the moment the ball touched Ty's hand, Tommy paused once more.
'That ball was always going to be his from the moment the QB threw it,' Tommy said. 'His long reach wasn't the only reason. So what else?'
No, his reach wasn't the only exceptional thing about him, of course not. You didn't earn the number one ranking in the country just by having one talent. There was another reason his reach felt all-encompassing.
'He's explosive,' Jackson said. 'He closes the distance in a moment and even if he's shorter, his vertical leap puts him equal or above his opponent. From there his reach takes over.'
'That's the second key, yeah. But there's a third, and it's probably the most important.'
Jackson's brow furrowed. He mentally rewound the play. Despite the size difference, Ty's physical gifts put him on a different level. Was there another gift he'd missed?
'This one's more intangible rather than physical,' Tommy said, leaving a hint.
Even with the help, Jackson couldn't pull his focus away from the obvious.
'It's his positioning,' Tommy said. 'He knows his limitations and strengths better than anybody. Which means he also knows exactly how his opponent wants to exploit him. Look, right at the snap.'
Another rewind and restart. 'See? He uses his long reach to get an advantage and hinder the Receiver's release, and instantly forces them outside. Why?'
Jackson leaned forward, staring at the once again frozen play. Tyrese wasn't being subtle about it, clearly shading the Receiver to the sideline. It was smart, the sideline was practically another defender, but someone with the speed advantage and the size disadvantage should want to keep things inside and tight.
'He knows he can win the jump-ball,' Jackson said.
'Yes but it's deeper than that.' Tommy got off the couch, walking over to the TV. 'Watch, as soon as he knows the Receiver is going outside, he backs off.' He let the recording play for another second. In that time Tyrese backed off completely, seemingly giving the Receiver plenty of space to work with, even as he ran along the sideline.
'He's keeping the Receiver in front of him, and he's keeping his eyes on the Quarterback, so he needs to back way off, but he knows he can, because he's still on the inside. If they cut in'—Tommy gestured as he spoke, drawing lines along the screen with his fingers—'then he'd still have the inside track on any ball thrown over the middle. And if they go for a Comeback or an Out, he knows the ball has a greater distance to travel, so he can close the distance with his speed. THAT'S his greatest asset. Watch.'
Moving back to the couch, Tommy pressed play, standing beside Jackson now. Jackson watched, enraptured and silent.
'As soon as the Quarterback pulls back to throw, he's already shifting to where the ball will go. He knows exactly where the Receiver is, exactly what he's doing, and based just on that, he already knows where the pass will end up. Once it's in the air he can adjust based on wind—there is none this time because they're in a stadium—and any little error from the Quarterback. That's INSTINCT.'
Remarkable. That was how Tyrese took a play, which at first looked like it was exactly what the Warriors wanted, into an interception opportunity tailor made for him. Was that how he beat Fale where Shane couldn't?
'Instinct? Is that the difference?'
'It's part of it, yeah.' Tommy sat back down. 'But contrary to popular belief, instinct can be taught.'
'What? Doesn't that go against everything that instincts are?'
Tommy laughed. 'Instincts are learnt. I mean, look at humans. We're curious by nature, when we see something we don't know, we want to figure it out. We'd walk into fire if someone didn't stop us. We have practically NO instincts, just breathing and crying. No-one's born with an innate ability to be good at football, not even a hall of famer's kid. Those kids just grow up around football. Even when the football's as big as themselves they'll cling to it as if its the most important thing because that's what their parents give them.'
'Some player's kids aren't any good at all though,' Jackson said.
'True! Those kids grow up to resent the thing that has been pushed onto them since birth. But for other kids its different. You can see it in someone like Tyrese. Football's everything to him. Eat, drink, breathe, sleep football, that's not just a saying to someone like him, that's their life. He wasn't born with the intrinsic knowledge of how a football's going to fall based on the arc of its throw, or how someone's going to run a route based on the positioning of their feet and hips. That's all something he ingrained into his brain by studying hours upon hours of film; by partaking in countless reps in all sorts of conditions against all sorts of talents; by testing his body to the utmost and pushing his limits constantly.'
Jackson sat back as the recording continued on, the team's swapping over from defence to offence and vice versa. Your whole life had to revolve around football. That's what it took to be great—to be the best.
'Another key to hone instincts like that,' Tommy said, 'is to forge them by fire against the strongest competition you can find.'
Jackson's shoulders slumped. Ty was already so far ahead of him they were playing in different leagues. He already knew the leap from JV to varsity was vast, and the difference between the state and national levels seemed just as vast if not more so. Not to mention Jackson had a whole season to catch up on.
'How can I ca… How can I surpass him?' he asked.
'I like that spirit, little bro. Iron sharpens iron, right? But you've got a lot of catching up to do, so we'll break you down with steel and forge you anew. Next year's your year, Jack.' He pat Jackson's head firmly, holding him locked in on the screen. 'This time next year that'll be you in front of a full stadium, catching touchdowns and carrying the Titans to victory.'
Jackson stared ahead. He watched the rest of the game in silence, studying how Tyrese held his Receiver down no matter what the Warriors tried. Number eighty wasn't targeted again for the entire game; fear wasn't the only reason. Every single play until the end of the game, if they threw the ball at Ty again, he would've picked it off just like their first and only attempt.
Jackson had to become the inverse. No matter how the defence tried to stop him, no matter how many defenders they threw at him, he had to make it so that every play they could throw to him for a completion. No matter what!
"I will do it! I WILL surpass him. I'll be the greatest. No matter what."