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[15/06/2021, Stanford stadium, 13:20]
Jace sat back, watching the next set of scenarios unfold on the screen. Each play tested a different aspect of decision-making, pocket awareness, and defensive recognition. A quarterback stood at the line, scanning the defence. The safeties showed Cover 2, but just before the snap, one of them crept forward, rotating the coverage into a Cover 1 Robber. The blitz came from the weak side. The QB, failing to adjust, locked onto his primary read and got swallowed by the pressure.
Jace paused the screen, pointing at the shifting safety. "This is a disguised blitz. Safeties don't show rotation this early unless they're baiting something. Pre-snap, I'd already be thinking about my hot route—either my slot receiver running a quick slant or my running back flaring out for a checkdown. The QB here never confirms post-snap, so he panics when the pocket collapses."
Coach Reilly nodded approvingly. "Good eye. And if your hot read is covered?"
Jace smirked. "Then I'm hitting that dig route breaking behind the linebacker. Two-step hitch, ball out, first down. And if all else fails I've got fast legs to rely on in a pinch just in case I need to scadadel,"
Next, a clip from a goal-line situation played. The defence was stacked in man-to-man, jamming receivers at the line. The offence ran a fade to the outside, but the QB threw it too soon, allowing the corner to recover and swat the ball away.
Jace exhaled through his nose. "The QB simply lacks composure here, if he had waited for another 2 seconds and trusted his receiver they would have gotten loose as the play developed. If I'm running this, I'm checking leverage—if my guy has an inside position, I'm adjusting his route to a back-shoulder fade. If he's completely blanketed, I progress to my second read—a rub route across the middle."
Coach Hargrove leaned back in his chair. "And if the middle is clogged?"
Jace shrugged. "Then I extend the play. If my line holds up, I roll right, buying time for someone to break open. If not…" He smirked. "I trust my legs to make the play myself."
"Alright, Lyon," Coach Reilly said, shutting off the screen. "Let's test that brain of yours on paper. Wonderlic time."
~~~
[15/06/2021, Stanford stadium, 13:40]
Jace sat alone in a quiet testing room, staring at the 50-question cognitive test on the screen in front of him. The Wonderlic was designed to measure problem-solving, critical thinking, and quick decision-making—things that separated elite quarterbacks from average ones.
A 12-minute countdown began. The first few questions were basic logic puzzles, simple enough for him to breeze through. Question 7: If a train is travelling at 60 mph and covers 15 miles in 15 minutes, how long will it take to travel 120 miles? He didn't even have to think about it and wrote 2 hours and moved on to the next question.
The next section tested pattern recognition and analogies. Question 19: Book is to Library as Grain is to...? Jace hesitated for half a second before clicking Silo. As he progressed, the questions became more abstract, forcing him to think faster.
He knew NFL quarterbacks averaged around 24-30 on this test, but some of the greats—like Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck—scored in the high 30s or even 40s. Jace didn't care much for his score as he played mostly on instincts backed by hundreds of hours of reviewed tape from matches. However, when it came to maths and brainteasers, he surprisingly found it easy to come up with an answer.
With five minutes left, he powered through the final questions, his brain working like an engine. As soon as he clicked the last answer, the screen flashed: "Test Completed." He exhaled, stretching his fingers. Now, all that was left was the scrimmage.
~~~
[15/06/2021, Stanford stadium, 15:00]
The heat bore down on the turf as players strapped on their helmets. This was the moment that all of them had been waiting for their entire high school career, a chance to showcase their skills in front of scouts and coaches. All the recruits were eager to showcase their best side after being tortured with mental tests and game analysis all morning.
The scrimmages weren't full-on games but simply a battle between the offensive and defensive players. They were all grouped together building a total of 3 teams with each having 4 quarterbacks. For efficiency's sake, most quarterbacks would only get enough snaps to allow the scouts to see what the recruit had to offer.
Jace was a part of group 2 and neither Jason nor Tariq were a part of his team. Which was probably done deliberately by the event runners and interested parties to see what they could offer to different teammates. Matter of fact they weren't the only ones as those who came from the same school were also separated whenever possible.
Since he was the highest-ranked QB in his team he got the privilege of taking the first snap with no one daring to complain. Jace rolled his shoulders as he walked toward his huddle. His team consisted of recruits from different high schools, some with offers, some still fighting for scholarships. What they all had in common was that they had impressed the scouts and event runners earning them a starting spot.
He would be facing Mike's team which the latter saw as a chance to earn some respect he had lost in the positional drills. Not that it mattered to Jace who simply wanted to lockdown the offers he had received by showing that despite his faults his skills were worth the effort. So, he wasted no time walking up to his teammates as they huddled around the 20-yard line.
Jace clapped his hands, commanding attention as the huddle formed around him. The heat radiated off the turf, sweat already forming on the brows of his teammates, but none of it mattered now. This was game time.
"Alright, listen up," Jace said, his voice sharp and confident. "We're gonna start simple. I want to get a feel for how y'all move. First play, 11 personnel—slot runs a quick out, X receiver takes a deep post, Y tight end sits in the seam. If they show Cover 2, I'm hitting the slot on the out. If it's Cover 3, I'm looking for the post. O-line, keep the pocket clean, and if the rush comes, I'll slide out right. Everybody got it?"
The players nodded. Some were still shaking off nerves, others locked in, ready to prove themselves. Jace wanting to gauge his offensive players had called 11 personnel, which meant the offensive formation had one running back and one tight end on the field, with three wide receivers. He especially wanted to see what the receivers could do, and a short quick play would allow him to see that.
The slot receiver (the one lined up inside, closer to the offensive line) would run a quick out route—a sharp turn toward the sideline after an acceleration of about five yards. The X receiver (the primary deep-threat wide receiver on the outside) would run a deep post route, cutting toward the middle of the field 20 yards downfield. The Y tight end would sit in the seam, which was the soft spot between linebackers and safeties, serving as a check-down option in case the deep routes were covered.
This gave him two primary reads, If the defence showed Cover 2 (two safeties deep), there would be an opening underneath. That meant he'd fire a quick pass to the slot receiver on the out route, who could turn upfield for extra yards. As for when the defence lined up in Cover 3 (one deep safety in the middle), the outside post route would be open since the cornerbacks would be forced to cover the sidelines, allowing Jace to hit his X receiver deep for a potential big play. And if everything went wrong? He'd roll out to his right and extend the play with his legs.
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To Be Continued...