“Or don’t,” he says, leaning back and bringing his feet to rest on his desk. “You can stand and listen as much as you can sit and listen, I suppose.”

The only thing I’m listening for is plans to apologize to Josh. But if that’s in Coach’s arsenal, he doesn’t lead with it.

“I’ve got an issue. See, as the head coach and quarterback, every single day—every game, every practice—you and me, we’ve got to show the team and everyone watching that it’s the best day of our lives working together. So what happened today can’t happen again. Ever,” Coach reminds me.

I’ve heard this shit before.

Fumble the ball? Can’t happen again.

Throw a pick? Can’t happen again.

Win only by a field goal because I lost a drive earlier? Can’t happen again.

“You’re right. Today can’t ever happen again.” I roll my lips together. “What you did to Josh? Threatening to cut him for literally no reason”—I hold up my hand when I see Coach going to talk—“embarrassing him like that on an open day? That’s what can’t happen again. Especially because those drops were my fault, not his.”

Coach laughs. “So I have even more issues. Add the fact that my seasoned quarterback forgets to dry his hands on a towel that hangs from his goddamn waist to the list.”

“You can’t berate your players the way you did with Josh. Do it with me all you want. I can handle it. That’s because⁠—”

“I raised you, Fitzy. Taught you all about football, all about toughness and dedication. But apparently I didn’t teach you how to use a dictionary.” Coach pulls one foot off his desk and then the other, sliding his chair forward. “Criticizing someone is hardly berating them. You’ve been spending too much time upstairs with Heath at home with your pretty little wife and not enough time where you belong—with me.”

I take a deep breath. “If this is going to set the tone for the season, you might as well cut us all. I can’t mobilize a team when they don’t have a coach to fight for. They won’t fight for you if you’re like this.”

I try to think back to last season, to the morale of the team, the relationships, the hardness of my guys, especially the ones who had been on the roster the season before which would’ve been Foller’s first year. I remember being surprised by their determination and preparedness. I came from a powerhouse team, but I never felt that same energy the Rebels had. They were determined and ready. They had grit. But that weaned off throughout the season. And now I get it. It was belittled out of them.