AN: Here is chapter 21, now we'll see how serious Grant's injury was...
-Blitz League Broadcast Booth-
"Well it's official in San Diego Ladies and Gentlemen. After a questionable cheap shot by Bearcats rookie Lance McCain, Grant Tanner has officially been ruled out for the upcoming Cyclones home opener against the 1-1 Cleveland Steamers." Chris said sadly as the camera switched feed and showed footage of Grant being carried away on a stretcher off the field. "Blitz commissioner Jason Sorenson has confirmed that Lance McCain will either be fined, or suspended by the league. We will keep you updated on that situation, as well as the turbulence in San Diego as rookie quarterback Chance Wolfe prepares to make his first career start..."
-Cyclones Meeting Room-
"Paul, is Grant going to be ok?" Marty asked his coach in a very concerned tone as soon as Paul walked into the meeting room.
"It's just a sprained knee. He'll be back after a game or two... hopefully." Paul answered in a sad yet serious tone. "The doctors said they saw no damage to his ACL, which is the good news. Bad news is though, he could easily be re-injured if we play him to early, which is why he'll be riding the bench for at least one to three weeks." Paul informed his bosses.
"Thank God it's not worse." Clint said in a relieved tone, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the staff present. "As Grant would say, it's next man up. And we have a rookie waiting in the wings..."
-Practice Field: Coach and Player Mid-Week Interviews-
"I honestly wish I wasn't starting under these circumstances." Chance said as the flashbulbs popped all over the room from the cameramen present. "All I can say is that I'll practice hard, I'll study hard, and God willing I'll be ready come Sunday afternoon." Chance finished as the reporters began raising hands to ask questions.
"Coach Dungy: with Grant Tanner suffering yet another injury, do you think it might be time for the Cyclones organization to move forward at Quarterback?" a reporter asked from the second row.
"I cannot speak for the entire organization. But I will say this: we are committed to Grant, as much as you all hate to here it, Grant will be the starter when he returns from injury, end of discussion." Coach Dungy said firmly, silencing any reporter who was about to ask any more questions about Grant's role on the team.
"Robert, you and your fellow starters on defense have only allowed 16 points combined in two games, and only one touchdown. Is the output from the offense allowing you guys to be more aggressive on defense?" a reporter in the fourth row asked Robert.
"We've got it going on both sides of the ball right now. When one side of the ball is struggling while the other is doing really good, it's easy for there to be some division. But thankfully that's not the case. Both offense and defense has been clicking these past two weeks. I know Cleveland and their ace, Henry Cho have been on fire as of late, I'm just ready to show the league we're for real." Robert said with a big smile on his face.
"Avery, you've been on fire your first two weeks in the league, put simply: is the league easier than you expected?" another reporter from the fourth row asked, which made Avery laugh gently.
"Aw hell no." Avery replied with a laugh, which earned laughs from several reporters. "These are the best football players in the world. Even in Division 3 these guys belong here in this league. The reason I've been doing good is because I practice hard and play hard. I've been practicing against arguably the best young defense in the league as of last season. Needless to say, Robert and Amos have run my bell a few times." Avery said with a laugh, earning smiles from Amos and Robert, and laughs from the crowd. "At the end of the day, I'm just honored to be in this league, and I'll continue working my ass off." Avery finished.
To Be Continued...
AN: Sorry for the short chapter length, I felt I couldn't add anything else.
