“Sunday will be here sooner than you all think. I expect you all to act like professionals on and off the field. Don’t do anything reckless. All eyes are going to be on us on Sunday, and I want to bring home the win. Now let’s go over the film and try to figure out how we can give Grayson more time to fire the ball,” Bill said.

“Should I cancel my skydiving trip this weekend?” somebody yelled playfully. It was enough to make everyone laugh and relax a bit.

“Okay, okay, settle down,” Bill said. He was smiling though and that meant everything in the moment.

We focused on the pocket and pointed out things the offensive linemen could do to give Grayson that extra second or two he needed to get rid of the ball. The defensive coordinator, Marcus Atkins, laid into the defense about hitting hard and getting through the line.

By the time we broke apart for the afternoon, we were all mentally exhausted. The offensives coaches had stayed until eleven the night before. I didn’t think there was anything else we could cover before the game on Sunday. We decided to head home early knowing tomorrow we probably wouldn’t leave the stadium until after the game on Sunday. I dreaded telling that to Lexi. The night before, she’d ignored me when I got home so Crowbar and I spent the night in the guest room. The transition from work life to home life was shitty. I was happier at work.

I started bringing Crowbar to work because I missed him and I doubted he was getting the love and nurturing he deserved at home. He managed to make an entire NFL franchise coo like babies when they saw him. Terry loved him the most. He was forever sneaking him treats even though I explained that we were watching his weight. He waved me off and gave Crowbar another treat right in front of me every time I said something.

“Ready to go, boy?”

Crowbar lifted his head from the couch and plopped back down. I didn’t blame him. I didn’t want to go either. Another night of Lexi shutting me out didn’t sound fun. And the new couch I had delivered to my office was extremely comfortable. I grabbed my bag and patted my leg for him to follow. He begrudgingly slid off the couch and slowly worked his way over to me. I turned off the lights and shut the door.

“Good night, Coach.” I waved to Bill on my way out. The players had left hours ago.