The Guy Named Harrison: Book One

74

Harrison and Luke watched film on the couch after helping Carrie clean up from dinner. They were studying the Cardinals and Giants. The Panthers played the winner in two weeks.

"Who do you want?" Luke asked.

"Honestly, I want the Cardinals. And that's because Josh and Odell go at it every single time. We don't need that in a playoff game."

"True," Luke muttered as he continued to scroll through stats on Carrie's laptop. "I just don't feel like watching Josh give them yards again."

"It's pretty hard to play good defense when you're just giving away yards for being stupid."

"Exactly. It's a playoff game. If we play the Giants, we don't need that."

Nearly every time the Panthers played the Giants, their cornerback Josh Norman got into it with Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. And for the guys on defense, it was rather annoying to watch all the penalties racked up by those two give up free yards.

Just then Carrie came around the couch with two beers for the guys and a water for herself. She squeezed between Harrison and Luke on the couch and pulled the blanket over herself. "What are you boys doing?" She asked as she leaned against Harrison's shoulder.

"Watching film on the Giants and Cardinals."

Harrison moved his arm from between their bodies around her back and used it to pull her closer.

"Who do you want to win?"

"Arizona," they both answered in unison.

"Okay then."

"It's just because Josh and Odell go at it every time we play them."

"This is going to be different for me," she told them. "Because I've never covered a team in the playoffs."

"Really?"

Carrie nodded. "I started covering the Rams last season when they moved to LA. And before that I covered the Chargers. The last time they made the playoffs was 2013. And I wasn't there yet."

"Welcome to North Carolina sweetheart."

"What's different about the playoffs?"

He just shrugged. "More hype. More attention."

"That's it?"

"I hope we make it to the Super Bowl so you can experience that."

"What's it like?"

Harrison thought back to Super Bowl 50 against the Broncos. "Well the outcome wasn't what we wanted, but it was amazing. It's like the whole world knows your name and you're playing in the biggest game ever played. And it's pretty cool to be on the field in Peyton Manning's last game and to watch him go out in such a great way."

"I was bummed that we lost at first, but then I realized how awesome it was to play with arguably the greatest quarterback ever. And to watch his career end with a Super Bowl. Then I wasn't so bummed after that because it was so damn cool."

"Now you guys can go get one this year."

Harrison nodded. "We can."

Then Carrie asked, "if you could play against any great quarterback, who would it be?"

He took a few moments to answer. "Well, I've played against a few greats already. Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. But if I could play against any one of them, I'd want to play against Brett Favre, Joe Montana, or John Elway."

"You and Luke are going to be great linebackers like Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus."

"I hope."

Fun fact, Brett Favre's niece went to my school. She was a senior when I was a freshman.