Chapter Three: Eighteen Catches and an Invoice from the Future

At five yards, then seven, Lin rotated his hips toward the middle, selling the eight-yard curl. The safety charged forward. Lin planted his right foot and cut back toward the boundary. Hall had not fully taken the bait. He turned almost at once and caught the back of Lin’s jersey. That trace of resistance cost Lin half a step. Eli’s pass was already in the air, but it was not heading toward the sideline. It flew through the deep space the safety had just abandoned. Without ever practicing the play together, Eli and Lin had read the same opening. Lin broke inside again. Hall was behind him. The safety came from the front. The football was half a meter from Lin’s hands, and two pairs of gloves already covered the catch point.