Page 66 of Sacked
Don smiled. “Forgive me, Vee. I’m not always as prepared for our conversations as you are. You remind me so much of your daddy. So, you know Jackson only stayed with the Bucs for three years. And yes, he wasn’t seeing playing time. He went to Saints for two years where he was backup but did see playing time on the field.”
“Then he was injured.”
Don nodded. “We picked him up. He’s been on our practice squad since last season. He’s done well there.”
I pressed my lips together. “Why didn’t you look at him instead of signing Graham earlier this season?”
“Jackson isn’t the player Graham is.”
“He’s younger,” I said.
“There’s something to be said for experience. Drew wanted Graham. He thought Graham would be a good mentor for Dennison. Graham has proved him right. God willing, we won’t need to go deep, but having Jackson in the loop on our plays will give us more depth than only one backup.”
“I’m sure you’ll make it work,” I said. “Don, did you hear a rumor before Simpson was injured that we were thinking about cutting either Simpson or Graham?”
He scoffed. “That would go against your daddy’s policy of depth on the bench. That doesn’t mean there weren’t rumors. Hell, for a bunch of men, the players can gossip like church women at a pitch-in.” He laughed at himself. “That was something my dad used to say.”
“I’m confirming you didn’t hear it from any executives.”
“Grant Marsh is always floating one idea and then another. That said, I don’t recall him saying anything like that. He could have been talking to Drew or Noah.”
Inhaling, I feigned a smile.
“Glad we’re in agreement about Jackson,” Don said. “I’ll send you an email with contested calls after we review all the game-day videos.”
“Send it my way. I’ll send it on to the NFL.”
“Don’t be surprised if you see Graham out on the field next week. I’d wrap Dennison in Bubble Wrap if I could.”
“It’s a fine line. He needs the experience, and besides, he’s not fragile. During his time on the IR, he worked with weights. It shows.”
Don lifted his cheeks. “Yes, it does.”
“Offense and defense looked good yesterday.”
“Next opponent will be the Jags.” He took a drink of his coffee. “The team is flying to Florida on Saturday morning. We’ll get in a light practice in Jacksonville and be ready for the 4:30 p.m. kickoff.”
I stood. “Thanks for meeting with me, Don.”
He followed my lead, getting to his feet. “Young lady, it’s a pleasure.”
Young lady.
The small hairs on my arms stood to attention.
Offering him my hand, I gave his hand a firm shake. “Next Monday.”
“I’ll be here at seven.”
As he started to walk away, something hit me. “Don.”
He turned back toward me.
“Did you say you and Dad met every Monday after a game at seven in the morning?”
“Yep. Like clockwork. And just like you, he was always there.”
“The morning of his accident, did you go to his office?”
