“Something I valued the most was that when I started as a coach, I was taught how to look at game film without all the technology. I had to physically cut it based on offense, defense, and special teams. Then I had to break it down. All cover ones went in one folder, cover twos in another. To do that, you had to know everything.
“What I see you all doing is rushing to get to the most important stuff, which means you might miss something that’s key.
“What I’m seeing is you’re all on your laptops, looking at film. The reason we lost wasn’t because of schemes. It was because we couldn’t tackle, and we couldn’t stop the run.
The rest of this is a bunch of garbage. It’s not about a computer.
“I don’t need you to be a technology wiz and not have a clue about how to coach a football player or a technique.
Gathering information doesn’t teach Matt how to take a snap.
“I want you all to get back to basics on Monday because I saw that we have to be better coaches. This one was on us. I want you all to consider what we can do to develop our guys into football players. Have your plans ready for me on Sunday,” Coach Merritt said.
David wished his coach had had that talk with the coaching staff from day one.
◊◊◊
Bec Carson pulled into the parking lot at the coffee house where The Young and The Wild was being filmed today. She’d landed a movie role that would send her to North Carolina for six months, so they’d asked her to come in this week and film her scenes for sweeps week.
She spotted David being waylaid by a group of tween girls who wanted an autograph and picture. She came up behind him and photo-bombed their group picture with a
funny face. When they were finishing up, Bec said in a little girl’s voice, “Please, Mr. Dawson. Me too.”
“Sure …” David said and turned and saw her. “Bec!”
She found herself engulfed in his arms as he hugged her.
She didn’t remember him being so big when she saw him last.
“Sorry about making you come in to film with me this morning. They told me you normally spend this time with your family,” she said.
“I’ll see everyone tonight,” David said, waving off her concerns. “I’m just glad you said you’d do this.”
“How could I turn it down when I was told you asked for me?” Bec teased.
David walked her into the coffee shop, where a large black woman greeted him with a drink.
“Doreen, this is Bec Carson, who will be filming with me today. Doreen owns this fine establishment,” David said to introduce them.
Doreen got Bec a coffee as David introduced her to everybody. She noted the production crew was a mixture of USC film students and professionals. She knew people who would have killed to gain this kind of experience in college.
◊◊◊
Her first scene began with David’s character, Mick, taking his girlfriend to meet his new friends.
When they entered the coffee house, Mick pointed out his friends as he got in line to get them something to drink.
Kirsten, Bec’s character, boldly walked over. Nikki got up and welcomed her, then made introductions. As they sat down, the questions began before Mick could stop them from digging for dirt.
“You’re Mick’s girlfriend?” Monica asked.
“I am.”
“And his wife knows about you?” Dexter asked.
“Nadia? Of course she does,” Kirsten answered with a glint of amusement in her eyes.
“You’ve met her?!” Nikki asked, clearly surprised.
“Absolutely, and she’s a doll. I’m sure Mick will introduce you to her soon. She’s in New York, modeling.”
“Before all your heads explode with questions, let’s get to the good stuff before Mick gets here,” Janelle said. “How did the two of you meet?”
“At a café in Germany. I noticed him as soon as he walked in,” Kirsten said dreamily as she remembered their first encounter.
A slight grin touched her lips as she described what had happened.
“His sweater pooled at the top of his jeans dyed a shade of indigo that drew your eye down,” she said with a blush.
“Oddly, he wore brown leather slip-on sandals as if this coffee run had been a last-minute decision. But it was his attitude that pulled the entire look together. He had an air of completely un-self-conscious cool, so I watched him for a moment.”
“He’s always been like that,” Nikki said before Kirsten continued her tale.
“He looked around without taking his sunglasses off. I recognized that look. After a moment, he shifted his computer bag to the hand that held some loose papers and removed his glasses, scanning the room again. There was no chance of him finding a seat because the place was packed.
“I remember thinking, ‘I’ll give him my table.’
“I surprised myself with that thought. But why shouldn’t I give it to him? I was feeling friendly, and I liked his style.
The nail salon I had an appointment at wouldn’t open until nine, and I was just killing time with my latte. Plus, I had a prime spot near a window and an outlet. There was little chance that any laptop-bearing coffee shop patron would say ‘no.’
“I made the offer as he walked by, scouting for a table, and he accepted. He dropped his bag heavily in the seat across from me before stepping away to order.
“I rested my elbows on the tiny tabletop and gazed out of the window, inhaling the aroma of my drink as it cooled in my cup. I ignored that my drink wasn’t that hot anymore.
Everything else about this moment just felt good. Sunlight poured over my face and shoulders. I slipped my eyes closed and enjoyed the warmth radiating through the window. I was feeling pretty satisfied with myself,” Kirsten said as she got lost in telling the story.
“That’s so romantic,” Monica said as she all but swooned.
“When he returned, I shifted, crossed my legs, and turned my back to the window so I wouldn’t face him directly. It was odd to share such a small table with a stranger, and I’d promised I would leave soon. It felt right to create a bit of space between us. I gave him a polite smile and went back to my coffee.
“The truth was that it was a few moments alone on a sunny morning, sipping the last of a coffee that someone else had prepared for me, that had made my day. This conversation was a gamble. And now I’d have to abandon my drink to hide my battered nails. It didn’t matter. He was very easy on the eyes. I turned to face him directly, tucked my hands under my thighs, leaned forward, and grinned.
“He pulled out a flask and poured something into his coffee, which was naughty.
“He said, ‘Sorry. It’s a bad habit I picked up from my sergeant,’ but he didn’t seem sorry at all. I had to laugh.”
“What did he put into his drink?” Forest asked.
“Vodka,” Mick said as he joined them. “My sergeant is Russian and claimed it would put hair on my chest.”
“It didn’t work,” Nikki said and then realized what she’d revealed and blushed.
“She’s right,” Kirsten confirmed.
“And cut!” Abigail called out.
◊◊◊
The next scene had the girls all leave. That left Mick with Dexter, Forest, and Vic.
“How the hell do you pull so many hot women?” Vic asked.
Mick snorted at the rude question.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I listen to women instead of pretending to, when in reality, you’re thinking about what they look like naked.”
“Yeah, he has a point,” Dexter grudgingly agreed.