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"It all comes down to this Alex!"
"You're right Brian. 4th and 13. 6 seconds left in the game. The Blazers down by 4. A field goal doesn't help. They have time for one more play. One last ditch effort for the endzone. The Blazers must win to make the playoffs."
"Here we go. I hope 'Mad Max' got some good advice during that last timeout. The game of his life may not be enough to put the Blazers in the playoffs."
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Eric Maxwell called his team to the huddle. "Bring it in guys! We can do this! We are going to do this!"
To his friends, he is 'Mad Max'. A misleading nickname really. One day in middle school when Eric was 12, he let his emotions get the better of him. It is a day he wishes he could forget along with everyone else. It was 8th grade and his school football team was playing its biggest rival. Eric was on the sideline willing the defense to make a stop on a 3rd down play.
His best friend Jerome was the star back then. Jerome played linebacker. 12 years old and already had the physique to compete on the college level. 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 200 lbs and built like a Mack truck. College recruiters were already watching this kid. Eric watched in horror, frozen with fear as the play went to the other side of the field, a sweep left. Jerome was on the backside not even involved in the play when an offensive lineman on the opposing team threw a cheap block, right at Jerome's knees. Eric new it immediately. Jerome was done. He would never play again, ACL and MCL torn in his left knee. Enraged, Eric ran onto the field, and attacked the lineman. Eric beat him so badly the kid was in the hospital for 4 days. The press tabbed him Mad Max and it stuck. Eric and Jerome were inseperable from that point on. Even though Jerome could no longer play, Jerome ways always there. Always next to Eric.
Eric hated the nickname. In all reality he was very calm, a quiet leader. Lead by example. People listened to him, would follow him into war, because of how he acted, how he treated people. They didn't listen to him because he was loud or hyper, but because they liked him. Believed in him. He always seemed to make the right decisions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So this was it. One of those moments that sportwriters say determine an athletes legacy, how an athlete will be remembered. Eric knew it. The Blazers had not made the playloffs in 11 years and ever since he was drafted four years ago, everyone expected a quick turnaround. Eric won the Heisman trophy that year. Led the nation in completions, passing efficiency, passing yard and set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a single season. The savior some said. Here he was, having the greatest game of his professional career. 312 yards passing. 3 touchdowns. No interceptions. Yet, it all came down to this one play. Could he be the one to get the Blazers where everyone thought, knew, he could get them to? Throw the winning touchdown pass and he would be the hero, the savior everyone knew he was. If the Blazers didn't score, he knew it would probably be the end of his days with the Blazers. Fans had become impatient. Thought he had had his opportunity. Some were even questioning whether it was time to move on. Trade him and get what you could for him and begin the rebuilding process again. Would he crack under the pressure? Could 'Mad Max' finally get the Blazers to the level that had eluded them for so long?
