The Draft by Wil Mara Page A

that said, our offer will cover both sides of the ball. On offense, we’d like to give you running back Aaron Holloway, who is only in his second year and is quite good; rookie center Barrett Blake; tackle Keith Kubat; and guard Jared Cope. Kubat is a solid third-year man, and Cope is a first-rate veteran. He’ll bring a lot of seniority to your team.”
    Another pause as Jon waited for some reaction. All he received this time was a murmured, Mm-hmm.…
    â€œOn defense, we’ve got third-year safety Milton Love; veteran linebacker Brett Savage; veteran end Corey Holbrook; and rookie end Alan Hill.”
    Now that the package was complete, Jon was sure Henderson would be so blown away by it he’d have to call 911 for emergency cardiac treatment. It was, by far, the most generous deal he’d ever made. According to Kevin Tanner, it was one of the most generous in league history. There was no way Skip could say no. No way.
    â€œWell, I’ll tell you, Jon, that sounds like a pretty good deal. But I’m afraid it won’t turn the trick.”
    Jon stopped pacing. “What’s that?”
    â€œI’m afraid it’s not comparable to what I already have on the table from another bidder.”
    Jon scanned the roster quickly and picked out a name almost at random.
    â€œWhat if I included Buster McDaniels, our other running back? That’d give you a nice backfield combo.”
    â€œNo, I don’t—”
    â€œAnd our sixth-round pick, too?”
    â€œNo, that won’t—”
    â€œWait a second, Skip, let me ask you something.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œHave you already dealt this pick? Am I doing all this just for laughs?”
    â€œHoly Jesus, no!” Henderson replied with a chuckle. “Not at all, son. I wouldn’t play games like that. No, the pick is still very much available.”
    â€œThen I don’t understand. It seems like this package we’ve put together is—”
    â€œHeaded in the wrong direction,” Henderson said.
    Jon paused again. “In the wrong direction? We’re offering—”
    â€œI need defense, Jon. Plain and simple. That’s where I’m going to start. You’ve outlined a nice package, but it’s not what we’re looking for.”
    â€œDefense? Only defense?”
    â€œFor now, yes. We went over and over this point on my end, and we decided that’s the best place to start our reconstruction. If we can focus on keeping our opponents from scoring, maybe we can win a few games, even with this lousy offense, with just one or two touchdowns. We’ve got a solid kicker, and our quarterback isn’t too bad. We need some linemen to protect him, but what we really need is a defense. That’s what wins championships, right?”
    Jon was back at his desk, scanning the roster and flipping through pages of data. Sonofabitch , he thought bitterly. They’ve been an offense-oriented team all these years, and now he’s taking them in an entirely new direction. And every other team Skip had ever worked for had been offensive-minded, too, so Jon thought he had a good read on the matter. Dammit …
    â€œRight, right. Okay, forget all the offensive guys I just mentioned. Take the five draft picks, plus Love, Savage, Holbrook, and Hill, and I’ll add Buckley and Northbrook, too.”
    â€œJon,” Henderson began, speaking like a patient father, “Northbrook’s a dud. And you can’t afford the cap hit his accelerated bonus would give you.”
    Jon Sabino was stunned that Skip knew this so quickly. He’d only been there a few weeks.
    â€œAnd Buckley’s not a performer. Nine years in the league and he’s had one Pro Bowl season. He’s slow and a bit too small for a cornerback. I’m sorry, Jon, those two additions don’t help.”
    â€œWhat about the first four I mentioned? Savage, Holbrook, Hill, and