Tension coiled up inside him. “I don’t see any reason why I have to be friendly with those guys. They’re my competition. We’re all after the same thing—the ball. Playing nice with them doesn’t gain me anything.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “You need to become friendly with everyone on this team. From the quarterback to the offensive line to every player on the defense and special teams, you’re all after the same thing—that big trophy on the last game of the season and a Super Bowl ring on your finger. The only way to get those is to work as a cohesive unit. The way you’ve gone about it in the past is all wrong. You on one side and everyone else on the other is only going to guarantee two things. One, you don’t get the ball in your hands as much as you want, and two, the potential for your team to lose is greater because of inner turmoil. Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Then at least give it a try. Be nice. Talk them up.”
He glared down at her. “About what?”
“Oh. My. God. You have no idea how to go about doing this, do you?”
“I’m not a moron.”
“I didn’t say you were. But you’ve never gotten close to anyone on any team you’ve ever played for. Start with the new kid—Kenny Lawton.”
“What about him?”
“He needs guidance. He’s the one out in the cold and craves leadership. Who better to offer it than you, a veteran in the game and in his position? Do you really want him bonding with the other two receivers and leaving you the one out in the cold?”
“You make me sound like an old man.”
“And you need to quit taking everything so personally. You’re not going to play football forever. No player does. Part of your responsibility to the game is to bring up the younger players—to pass the torch and make sure they’re ready to play as good or better than you did.”
“Kind of defeats the purpose of me being the best on this team.”
“You know as well as I do it’ll be years before he’s as good as you are. That doesn’t mean you can’t show him the ropes. Don’t you remember what it was like your first year?”
She had a point. It sucked being brand-new. His first year in professional football had been awful. He didn’t know anybody and he’d felt left out of everything. He’d barely been able to find his ass with both hands. If not for the guys who’d taken pity on him and showed him the way, he’d have been lost. He still remembered those guys today.
“Fine.”
“And while you’re at it, try to be nice to Jamarcus and Lon. You’re all after the same thing and there’s a lot of intel you can share with each other. Like it or not, they’re the veterans on this team. They can help you.”
Who made her an expert on football all of a sudden?
He went back out on the field and joined the other receivers.
“Giving her some instruction?” Lon asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.
“She’s competent. Knows a lot about football. She’s an asset to have around.”
“She does have a nice ass, that’s for sure,” Lon said, nudging Jamarcus.
Cole’s blood boiled. He was two seconds away from shoving his fist in Lon’s face. But he glanced over at Savannah, who frowned and shook her head, so he stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. But he still wasn’t going to let Lon insult Savannah. He got in Lon’s face. “Look. I like you. I think you’re one of the better wide receivers in the game. I’m new to this team and I’m trying to make a go of it, so for that reason alone I’m giving you a pass. But understand this: You make another personal remark about Savannah and I’ll lay you flat. You got me?”
Lon raised his hands. “No harm, man. I got you. Sorry. I didn’t know your relationship with her was like that.”
“It’s not like that at all. She’s a nice woman and she’s out here doing her job. You don’t need to ogle her and you don’t need to talk shit about her. Just keep your mind on your business.”
“Okay. I’m sorry again. Really.”
He could tell Lon was sincere this time. Now he had all this anger and no way to vent. Normally, he’d have had a fight by now, or he’d go walk off and do something to get rid of the tension. But heeding Savannah’s advice, he nodded. “Fine. Let’s go see if Bill can run some drills with us. Kenny and I could use some help getting the layout.”
“Okay. Sure.” Lon grabbed his helmet and he and Jamarcus walked off.
“Kenny,” Cole said.
“Yeah?”
“You’re a little slow on your timing. You need to push off harder and watch your left. Safety’s getting to you every time on the double six play.”
He could see the lightbulb go off in the kid’s eyes. Kenny gave him a tentative smile. “I didn’t see that. Thanks. I’ll work on it.”
Okay, so maybe that hadn’t been as bad as he thought it might be.
Jury was still out on how friendly he’d allow himself to be with these guys.
But Savannah might have had a point. There was no sense in making enemies when it was to his advantage to make friends.
At least on the surface.