Magner Paine

Franklin Vignettes

4 years ago

The NFL does not allow players to have cellphones on the sidelines. Magner Paine has the Federals’ equipment manager hold his while he’s on the field.

Today he came off after the first series, got the phone from Deidre, the equipment manager, and checked Twitter.

@FedsNation537 had tagged him in a tweet. “sitting @FedsField, section D-132, just saw MagPaine LIT UP on 22 yard Packers TD catch. $16 mil a year for that????”

Magner felt rage pulsing through his biceps. He slammed his helmet to the Feds Field turf.

“I released him!” he said. “We were in three-zone-under, I left him for the safety.”

Deidre shrugged.

During the next series, Coach Thogge — who ran the defense himself — called three-zone-under again on a third and twelve play. Magner audibled to press man coverage on the outside.

“Why’re we jamming at the line?” asked Laroyce Weeks, the other cornerback. “They need twelve yards and we ain’t blitzing.”

Magner, the defensive captain, yelled, “Because can’t nobody shake me! If you’re scared, cool.” He grabbed his safety and nickel back by their jersey fronts. “You two zone up behind Laroyce. I’ll take seventeen all by myself.”

He dismissed the huddle with a booming clap, then trotted out wide to line up across from Davante Adams, number seventeen for the Packers.

“I’m about to put you on your back, kid,” he said. “On your back! You better be blocking, this better be a screen. You run a route, I’m about to blow you up.”

The receiver licked his lips behind his facemask, then went in motion on the quarterback’s first hut. Magner followed him as far as the tight end, then released him to weak-side coverage per Coach Thogge’s scheme. A moment later, the #2 wide receiver split out Magner’s way.

“Okay, alright.” Magner said, chewing his mouthpiece. “Fresh meat.”

At the snap, Magner jacked the smaller man in the neck. The receiver staggered to one knee, then rose and began his route.

The route was a skinny post. Magner jogged alongside the receiver at two-thirds’ his top speed.

“Where we headed this afternoon?” he asked conversationally. “This is nice. Relaxing.”

Fifteen yards into the route, the receiver stopped running. Magner was close enough to feel the breath of his sigh as he gave up trying to get free.

Magner Paine was a freak, the type of athlete scouts write about in all capital letters. Six-foot-four and sculpted like a linebacker. He ran a 4.29 forty and switched direction like a hummingbird. The only reason the Federals had been able to get him, drafting in the mid-to-late first round as they had been the last several years, was that dead antelope incident at the combine.

The Packers quarterback threw underneath to Davante Adams on the play, a nine-yard pass that ended the drive. The punt team ran onto the field.

“Gimme this, I got it!” Magner yelled, waving at the regular returner to stay on the sideline.

But Thogge and the special teams coach both shook their heads and insisted Magner come off. As a rookie, Magner had set the Federals’ single-season record with seven kick returns for touchdowns, but he’d pissed away the gig since. He refused to fair catch. He ran away from his wedge, and lost yards half the time running sideways — trying to force fireworks on every chance.

Thogge occasionally sent Magner out to return in a touchdown-or-bust situation, but the game was only in the second quarter now, the score tied.

On the sideline, Deidre didn’t want to give him the phone.

“You don’t wanna look,” she said. “People on social media, all they do is—”

Magner snatched the phone out of her hand and opened Twitter.

@FedsNation537 had tweeted, “isn’t MagPaine supposed to be a ‘lockdown’ cornerback for $220mil? not locking up Davante Adams much.”

Magner almost pulverized the phone in his fist.

“It’s the scheme, the scheme!” he said. “I released weak-side, bruh. I released…”

He broke off, scanning the stands, looking for section D-132. He found it around the forty-yard line.

“Hold my phone, D,” he said.

The equipment manager lurched to stop him, but gave up when the phone came flying and banged her forehead.

Anyway—Magner was already sprinting, at the twenty yard line, now at the third, now at the forty, hurtling into the stands with his helmet still on.

#storytelling #fiction #magnerPaine #goFeds ...