The Guy Named Harrison: Book One

83

It was game day. Harrison and the rest of the team were out on the field about two hours before the game, running and stretching.

Harrison jogged across the field from what Carrie counted, the third time. He was wearing a black Panthers sweatshirt and sweatpants with a Carolina blue Panthers hat.

With his white Beats headphones on, Harrison was in his own little world as he laid down on the field and began to stretch. Nobody was allowed to talk to him until the team headed back into the locker room to get dressed for game time. It was a routine he always followed pregame. And as he told Carrie, it was how he got himself really pumped up, and his head in the game.

Unfortunately, before this game against the Giants, Carrie would have to pull him out of his routine. She had a live interview with him, Luke, Cam, and Christian on ESPN's NFL Countdown.

A few of the producers came over with Luke and Christian, followed by Cam a few moments later. Harrison was still out on the field warming up.

Carrie jogged out between guys playing catch and stretching to find her fiancé sitting on the ground, with his right leg over his left, stretching his back. She tapped his shoulder and he looked up.

She motioned to him to take off his headphones by pulling at her ears. He got the hint. "Yeah?"

"I need you for the interview."

He jumped to his feet. "Oh shit. Sorry."

Harrison jogged with her back over to the desk ESPN set up for her. The others were already mic'd and Harrison was immediately swarmed by producers that mic'd him up.

After a few moments, they were ready to go, with Harrison next to Carrie, then Christian, Luke, and Cam. "You boys ready?"

They all nodded as one of the producers signaled to Carrie and counted down from three with his fingers. Then all of them were able to listen in on the live ESPN broadcast, and Herm Edwards from NFL Live, turn the broadcast over to Carrie.

The red 'on air' light lit up behind the screens. "Thanks Herm. Carrie Fisher, here with Carolina's Harrison Ford, Christian McCaffrey, Luke Kuechly, and Cam Newton. Gentleman, thank you for joining me."

"Thank you for having us."

"Gentleman, this is your second playoff appearance in three seasons, this time coming off last years 6-10 season. What changes did you guys make as a team this year that helped you rebound to an undefeated season?"

Luke went first. "This year, we weren't fighting injuries. Last year, I missed six games with a concussion, and Harrison missed three games with a concussion. Then on the offensive side of things, Jonathan missed a few games with a leg injury as well. This season, we weren't fighting to stay in contention with our starters going down like we did last year."

"Can I add something?" Harrison asked.

"Sure."

"Last season, Luke and myself were just two of the faces that suffered an injury. We had too many guys go down last year. But in the wake of our injuries, some of our young guys really stepped up. They gained tons of experience and that's helped us going into this season, because we have lots of depth with experience."

"Thank you Luke and Harrison. You guys face off against the Giants in the divisional round this afternoon. What are some keys to win?"

"Stop Odell," Cam blurted out. "I'm talking to you two," he said, gesturing to Harrison and Luke.

Everyone laughed. Then Christian answered, "we just have to make plays, like Captain America over here excels at. And for me as a running back, I have to take advantage of the holes the guys on the line provide for me."

"Captain America's gotta be Captain America," Luke added.

Carrie smiled. "You guys crack me up."

"Then you gotta borrow Superman's costume for the game," Harrison shot back.

"I have one last question for you guys. It's a would you rather. So would you rather be a team coming off a bye, like you guys, or a team coming off a big win? Cam, what do you think?"

He bit his lip. "This is a really hard question," he answered with a smile. "But I like where we're at. We have all that time that they spent traveling to practice."

"Christian?"

"I don't know. I agree with Cam, but at the same time, I'd like to come off a big win because it builds up the motivation, if you know what I mean?"

Carrie nodded. "I understand. Luke?"

"I'd prefer coming off the by. Because then you're all pumped up to play, and you spent the previous weekend the other team spent playing to perfect your game."

"Harrison?"

"I'm with the rest of the guys on this one. They each made great points, saying that you get more excited and more adrenaline flowing when you haven't played this postseason yet. Also, we got to spend the weekend hard at work while they were playing. We got so much done, I'm confident we'll have the advantage this afternoon."

She nodded. "Thank you guys."

Carrie then turned back to the camera. "The Carolina Panthers take on the New York Giants this afternoon. Back to you Herm."

Once the 'on air' light switched off, Carrie undid her mic just like the rest of the guys. She quickly said good luck to them as Harrison lingered around just a bit longer.

"I thought you were heading back in?" Carrie asked as she handed her mic to the nearest producer.

He smirked. "I'm waiting for my pregame kiss."

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his for a quick and passionate kiss. "You better kick some ass for me."

"I will. Love you."

"I love you too."

Kissing her quickly one more time, Harrison shot her one of his lopsided grins, and jogged towards the locker room.