Your Time

Chapter 63

{September 2039}

Today, Ben would be making his first NFL start with the Cowboys. It would also be with his brother as a wide receiver and his father as the coach.

Carrie watched the team warm up from the box next to Joanne, her daughters Maddie and Jaelynn, Billie, Taylor, Ben's girlfriend Chelsea, Emma, Chris, and their five month old son Travis.

Adam ran up to his younger brother who was talking to Harrison and gave him a pat on the back. He was going into his 7th season. As a veteran, Carrie knew he would help out Ben and give him the confidence he needed.

During the national anthem, she saw Adam, Harrison, and Ben all standing together in a line. It was a moment she hoped somebody got a picture of.

The Cowboys elected to receive the kickoff. That meant, Adam, Ben and the offense would be heading out onto the field first. Before Ben could head out, Harrison stopped him and told him something while giving him a pat on the back. It looked like Ben smiled as he jogged out to join the huddle.

Once the offense was in position, Ben caught the snap from the center. He turned around to hand it off to the running back, but kept it as he dropped back into the pocket. Meanwhile, downfield, Adam was open. Ben planted his left foot and threw a perfect pass to his brother for a 15 yard gain.

From the sidelines, Harrison applauded as he shouted out another play to Ben. This time it was a run play. But it wasn't a traditional run play. With the ball in hand, Ben turned to hand it off to their running back. But he kept the ball from the running back as Adam ran by. Ben had to go a bit further to hand the ball off to Adam. But the play fooled the defense. They went after the running back, thinking he had the ball while Adam ran for 35 yards before he was finally brought down by a Texans defender. The big run put them at the Texans 20 yard line in easy scoring position.

Ben was about to catch the snap when Harrison called timeout to talk to the team. He gave both his sons a high five before they ran back out to join the forming huddle.

When the ball was snapped, Adam and the other receivers shot down the field. Instead of falling back into shotgun, Ben ran through the offensive line and past the line of scrimmage towards the end zone.

It looked like he would be tackled before reaching the end zone. But out of nowhere came Adam to block the cornerback, allowing his brother to run into the end zone for a touchdown.

•••

{2040}

It was the final two minutes in the Super Bowl. The game was tied at 14 with the Raiders. The Cowboys were on the Raiders 27 yard line with 1:59 remaining on the clock. Sitting just behind the Cowboys bench supporting Adam, Ben, and Harrison was the entire family.

Carrie knew Harrison would try to go for the touchdown for insurance, and to force the Raiders to have to score a touchdown to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Harrison paced back and forth along the sideline, as he would always do when he was nervous. Meanwhile, the offense took their positions along the line of scrimmage for the snap.

The Raiders had everyone covered when Ben dropped back into shotgun. He dumped it off to one of the other receivers for a 4 yard gain. The clock was down to 1:13. Surprisingly, Harrison hadn't used one of the teams timeouts yet.

The guys hurried up to set up again. As the ball was about to be snapped, Ben began waving his arms and the receivers shifted along the line of scrimmage.

Adam was now within a few feet of the solid white line when Ben caught the snap. He shot down the field, beginning his slant in the end zone. Ben shouldn't of thrown it to his brother. The defender was stride for stride with Adam as the ball neared. Both guys had to dive for the ball. The ball hit the defender right in the hands.

Adam and the defender battled for the ball as they fell to the ground. Luckily, he was able to bat the ball away so it hit the turf for an incomplete pass, not an interception.

The clock stopped at :58 after the incomplete pass, meaning Harrison didn't have to burn a timeout. The next play the Cowboys offense ran was a run to throw off the defense. It gained 10 yards. The Cowboys were now inside the 15 yard line.

Harrison called a timeout after that play. He pulled a few players aside to talk before sending them back onto the field.

Ben caught the pass in shotgun. As soon as he caught the ball, his feet planted and he delivered a pass to Adam in the back corner of the end zone. The throw was headed out of bounds. But somehow, he managed to catch the ball in his outstretched hands and keep both feet in bounds.

That touchdown was the game winner. The Raiders weren't able to score. Carrie and the family stormed onto the field to find Harrison, Adam, and Ben.

Harrison picked up Carrie and spun her around as Adam did the same with Joanne and Ben with Chelsea. "You guys did it Harry."

He smiled, hugging her once again. "We did it," he repeated back to her.

Carrie then hugged both her sons. "You guys did amazing!"

"Thanks so much mom!"

Harrison let Ben and Adam onto the stage where they would receive the Lombardi Trophy. Adam had Maddie in one arm and Jaelynn in the other. Harrison was handed the Lombardi, which he held up to Cowboys nation before passing it off to his sons. Ben was the last to hold the trophy. He didn't hold it for long since he was presented with the Pete Rozelle Trophy for Super Bowl MVP.

Adam hugged his little brother. "You played a hell of a game."

"You too."

"And congratulations from one MVP to another," he said, pointing to the trophy Ben was holding.

"Thanks Adam."