Gauntlet - Season 1
Gauntlet - Week 1
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
Marley Shelton …. Sarah
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Plot: It's the first game of the new football season. It's a showdown between two American Football Association (AFA) bottom dwellers, the Memphis Pharaohs and the Las Vegas Outlaws in the aging and outdated Memphis Municipal Stadium. Memphis Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) sits in the owners box attempting to wine and dine newly-elected Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). The stadium is half-empty and the Pharaohs are down 30-12 on the scoreboard. Palmer is trying to convince Mayor Matthews that the team cannot survive after this season in Memphis without a new stadium as the current stadium is a fan deterrent. Mayor Matthews isn't buying Palmer's sales pitch. Palmer then threatens to relocate the team away from the city if he can't get her support for a new stadium. Her attention turns back to the gridiron as Memphis' veteran quarterback, Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel), is sacked in his own end zone for a safety, making the score 32-12 in favor of the Outlaws. Mayor Matthews comments that she thought Collins retired years ago. Head Coach of the Pharaohs, Ken Heath (William Fichtner), goes ballistic on his offensive linemen when they return to the sideline.
Not seeing much in the way of playing time, backup rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) turns his attention away from the game and toward flirting with the team's head cheerleader, Nikki (Kat Graham). She reminds him that the league has a rule against players and cheerleaders dating. Back on the field, the star running back for the Pharaohs, Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington), takes a hand off from Collins and begins taking it up the field. He gets through the first wave of the defense and can see the end zone, when suddenly he takes an ugly shot to the knee by an Outlaws defender. Tatum lays on the field, screaming in agony. The team medical staff rushes out onto the field. Tatum is unable to move the knee, so they get him onto the medical cart and take him into the locker room.
Coach Heath starts yelling for the backup Thomas, but he isn't on the bench. He sends one of his assistants to find Thomas, who is finally found over near the cheerleaders, far away from the team bench. Thomas is told he is heading into the game. Thomas suddenly turns into a ball of nerves. Coach Heath tells Thomas the play and has him relay it to the rest of the offense already on the field. By the time Thomas gets to the huddle, he has already forgotten the play, forcing Collins to call one at the line of scrimmage. The first play of Thomas' pro career is supposed to be a screen pass to the running back, but even after the play was explained by Collins in the huddle, Thomas looks the wrong way for the ball resulting in an Outlaws interception that they take all the way back for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Las Vegas Outlaws lead 39-12 with just a few minutes left on the clock.
With the game out of reach, Mayor Matthews decides to excuse herself from the game to head home early and beat the traffic. Palmer asks her to please consider what he's said. Mayor Matthews says that maybe she'll start to consider his proposal if the team can win some games. The city council will always vote more favorably toward a winner she says as she leaves the owner's box.
After a solid kick return, the Pharaohs come back onto the field with good field position. Collins completes a series of short slant passes that gets them into scoring position with a minute to go. Coach Heath calls a timeout to talk things over with his offense. He demands that they score a touchdown on this possession to avoid embarrassment in their home stadium in the first game of the season. Coach Heath tells Collins to make sure to get the ball into Thomas' hands. They used a 1st round pick to draft him after all. On the next play, Collins hands the ball off to Thomas on a counter. Thomas gets behind a solid block by the tight end and takes the ball up-field and breezes past the defense with his blistering speed, into the end zone for a 30-yard touch down run on his first official touch. Thomas celebrates in the end zone and then runs the ball down to Nikki who cheers on the sidelines. Coach Heath is relieved that Thomas shows promise on the field since if he has one more 1st round draft pick end up a bust he'll surely be out of a job by the end of the season.
The game still ends in a loss for the Memphis Pharaohs, 39-19. The team heads into the locker room. Tatum is in the medical room getting x-rays of his knee taken. The team doctor, Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong), is worried about the results as it looks like Tatum could have significant damage to his knee, possibly career ending. Dr. Chen doesn't tell Tatum or Coach Heath any of this however, telling them that the results are not conclusive and that he wants to run more tests at his office in the morning once the swelling has gone down a bit. Coach Heath addresses his team in the locker room. He tells them that the losses hurt a little more at home, but that they don't have any time to dwell on it as they have a game in Atlanta in a week and a lot of work to do to be ready for them.
As Collins changes into his street clothes after hitting the showers, his cell phone rings. On the other end is his ex-wife Sarah (Marley Shelton). She screams at him for being late on his alimony payment. He tells her that he'll get her the money once he has some, and that his portfolio recently took a beating. She doesn't want to hear any of his excuses, yelling that if she doesn't find a check in the mail within a week he'll have to deal with her lawyer.
Thomas hits the clubs after the game, clearly not upset following the loss. As he parties in the VIP section, he spots Nikki across the club and invites her to drink some top shelf champagne with him. They do some dancing and some light making out before she finally stops his advances, telling him that she can't date him because it's against the rules. Thomas asks her who said anything about dating. The two then head into the bathroom where they have sex.
Coach Heath sits in darkness in his office, the only light coming from a big screen as he is already going over the game film from that night's loss. Leonard Palmer enters the office, interrupting Coach Heath's film breakdown. Coach Heath asks him what he wants. Palmer tells his coach that the team needs to make the playoffs that season, no matter what. If they fail to reach the playoffs, not only will he seek to move the team away from Tennessee, but Coach Heath will be on the unemployment line.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
Marley Shelton …. Sarah
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Plot: It's the first game of the new football season. It's a showdown between two American Football Association (AFA) bottom dwellers, the Memphis Pharaohs and the Las Vegas Outlaws in the aging and outdated Memphis Municipal Stadium. Memphis Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) sits in the owners box attempting to wine and dine newly-elected Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). The stadium is half-empty and the Pharaohs are down 30-12 on the scoreboard. Palmer is trying to convince Mayor Matthews that the team cannot survive after this season in Memphis without a new stadium as the current stadium is a fan deterrent. Mayor Matthews isn't buying Palmer's sales pitch. Palmer then threatens to relocate the team away from the city if he can't get her support for a new stadium. Her attention turns back to the gridiron as Memphis' veteran quarterback, Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel), is sacked in his own end zone for a safety, making the score 32-12 in favor of the Outlaws. Mayor Matthews comments that she thought Collins retired years ago. Head Coach of the Pharaohs, Ken Heath (William Fichtner), goes ballistic on his offensive linemen when they return to the sideline.
Not seeing much in the way of playing time, backup rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) turns his attention away from the game and toward flirting with the team's head cheerleader, Nikki (Kat Graham). She reminds him that the league has a rule against players and cheerleaders dating. Back on the field, the star running back for the Pharaohs, Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington), takes a hand off from Collins and begins taking it up the field. He gets through the first wave of the defense and can see the end zone, when suddenly he takes an ugly shot to the knee by an Outlaws defender. Tatum lays on the field, screaming in agony. The team medical staff rushes out onto the field. Tatum is unable to move the knee, so they get him onto the medical cart and take him into the locker room.
Coach Heath starts yelling for the backup Thomas, but he isn't on the bench. He sends one of his assistants to find Thomas, who is finally found over near the cheerleaders, far away from the team bench. Thomas is told he is heading into the game. Thomas suddenly turns into a ball of nerves. Coach Heath tells Thomas the play and has him relay it to the rest of the offense already on the field. By the time Thomas gets to the huddle, he has already forgotten the play, forcing Collins to call one at the line of scrimmage. The first play of Thomas' pro career is supposed to be a screen pass to the running back, but even after the play was explained by Collins in the huddle, Thomas looks the wrong way for the ball resulting in an Outlaws interception that they take all the way back for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Las Vegas Outlaws lead 39-12 with just a few minutes left on the clock.
With the game out of reach, Mayor Matthews decides to excuse herself from the game to head home early and beat the traffic. Palmer asks her to please consider what he's said. Mayor Matthews says that maybe she'll start to consider his proposal if the team can win some games. The city council will always vote more favorably toward a winner she says as she leaves the owner's box.
After a solid kick return, the Pharaohs come back onto the field with good field position. Collins completes a series of short slant passes that gets them into scoring position with a minute to go. Coach Heath calls a timeout to talk things over with his offense. He demands that they score a touchdown on this possession to avoid embarrassment in their home stadium in the first game of the season. Coach Heath tells Collins to make sure to get the ball into Thomas' hands. They used a 1st round pick to draft him after all. On the next play, Collins hands the ball off to Thomas on a counter. Thomas gets behind a solid block by the tight end and takes the ball up-field and breezes past the defense with his blistering speed, into the end zone for a 30-yard touch down run on his first official touch. Thomas celebrates in the end zone and then runs the ball down to Nikki who cheers on the sidelines. Coach Heath is relieved that Thomas shows promise on the field since if he has one more 1st round draft pick end up a bust he'll surely be out of a job by the end of the season.
The game still ends in a loss for the Memphis Pharaohs, 39-19. The team heads into the locker room. Tatum is in the medical room getting x-rays of his knee taken. The team doctor, Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong), is worried about the results as it looks like Tatum could have significant damage to his knee, possibly career ending. Dr. Chen doesn't tell Tatum or Coach Heath any of this however, telling them that the results are not conclusive and that he wants to run more tests at his office in the morning once the swelling has gone down a bit. Coach Heath addresses his team in the locker room. He tells them that the losses hurt a little more at home, but that they don't have any time to dwell on it as they have a game in Atlanta in a week and a lot of work to do to be ready for them.
As Collins changes into his street clothes after hitting the showers, his cell phone rings. On the other end is his ex-wife Sarah (Marley Shelton). She screams at him for being late on his alimony payment. He tells her that he'll get her the money once he has some, and that his portfolio recently took a beating. She doesn't want to hear any of his excuses, yelling that if she doesn't find a check in the mail within a week he'll have to deal with her lawyer.
Thomas hits the clubs after the game, clearly not upset following the loss. As he parties in the VIP section, he spots Nikki across the club and invites her to drink some top shelf champagne with him. They do some dancing and some light making out before she finally stops his advances, telling him that she can't date him because it's against the rules. Thomas asks her who said anything about dating. The two then head into the bathroom where they have sex.
Coach Heath sits in darkness in his office, the only light coming from a big screen as he is already going over the game film from that night's loss. Leonard Palmer enters the office, interrupting Coach Heath's film breakdown. Coach Heath asks him what he wants. Palmer tells his coach that the team needs to make the playoffs that season, no matter what. If they fail to reach the playoffs, not only will he seek to move the team away from Tennessee, but Coach Heath will be on the unemployment line.
Gauntlet - Week 2
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
Marley Shelton …. Sarah
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Plot: Tuesday morning, the Memphis Pharaohs are all at the team's practice facility to go over game film from Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Outlaws. Coach Ken Heath is hard on veteran quarterback Tim Collins for each and every mistake he made during the game. Rookie running back Jefferson Thomas is barely awake during the film session. Running back Lincoln Tatum, who left the season opener with a knee injury, is in the medical office performing additional tests on his knee with team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen. Chen tells Coach Heath that the prognosis on Tatum's knee isn't looking good and he will be unable to play in the upcoming home game against the St. Louis Scouts. Coach Heath is understandably disappointed to be without his longtime star running back, but decides to forge ahead with Thomas as the lead running back without making any roster moves. Coach Heath calls Thomas into his office and gives him the news that he will be starting at running back in the next game. Thomas is ecstatic, but Coach Heath tells him to temper his excitement, that it's just a temporary promotion until Tatum is cleared to return to play.
Wednesday night, Tim Collins attends a fundraising event in downtown Memphis. Mayor Sharon Matthews sees him from across the room and invites him to her table. They talk about the upcoming season, but Collins' cell phone keeps buzzing with repeated calls from his ex-wife Sarah. He apologizes to Mayor Matthews and gets up from the table to answer the call. Sarah tells Collins that she told her lawyer to take him to court over the overdue alimony payments Collins' owes her. Collins hangs up the phone and returns to the table where Mayor Matthews is waiting. Collins orders a bunch of shots of tequila from a waitress. Matthews asks Collins what's the matter, and Collins vaguely speaks of money problems. She tells him that she's working with the Memphis tourism department on a new tourism department and they have been looking for a local celebrity to star in and she thinks he'd be perfect for it. He is considering it when she tells him it pays. He quickly downs two shots and tells her he'll do it. She invites him out to her limo to finalize the details, where they have sex.
Meanwhile on the other side of town, Jefferson Thomas is clubbing with head cheerleader Nikki. They both drink several shots and do some cocaine before leaving the club in Thomas' car. While driving on the way back to his Thomas' house, Nikki begins giving Thomas a blowjob. Thomas, distracted, closes his eyes, and his car hits something. As the car screeches to a stop, Nikki stops pleasuring Thomas and asks what he hit. He says he doesn't know, but he isn't hanging around to find out, and speeds off.
During practice Thursday, Coach Heath spends extra time trying to get Thomas up to speed on the playbook, but Thomas is clearly distracted and hungover from the night before. Dr. Chen informs Lincoln Tatum that he doesn't think he should be playing this year and that he will most likely need season-ending surgery. Tatum tells the doctor that missing the year is not an option since he's in the last year of his contract. He needs to play well this season to secure a contract for next year. Dr. Chen tells him that, theoretically, if he does some physical therapy and wears a brace we could play, but that he would be highly susceptible to further injury. Dr. Chen tells him that he high recommends going with the surgery option and will tell Coach Heath the same thing.
Coach Heath calls Tatum into his office and tells him that the team doctor wants to shut him down for the season. Heath asks Tatum what he wants to do. Tatum tells him he wants to play, plain and simple. Coach Heath promises to not put him on the disabled list yet, but needs to see if he's physically able to do his job. Coach Heath times Tatum running a 40-yard dash. Tatum's time is slower than usual, but not by too much. Coach Heath tells Tatum that he'll suit up for the next game, but his snaps will be limited if he gets into the game at all. Tatum thanks Coach Heath and leaves practice. Tim Collins is in the locker room icing his throwing shoulder after practice when he gets a text from Mayor Matthews inviting him to a dinner party she is throwing Friday night. He texts her back that he'll be there. Thomas is watching the news as he changes after practice when he sees a report of the death of a hit and run victim from the night before. He realizes that it was was him that hit the person, and gets up and leaves the practice facility without saying a word to anyone.
Friday night, Collins is at Mayor Matthews' house for a dinner party. The entire city council is there, as well as Memphis Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer. Palmer is surprised to see Collins there, until Matthews introduces Collins to the guests at the party as the guest of honor as well as the Pharaohs' star quarterback. The use of the word star quarterback makes Collins feel weird, so he grabs a beer. Palmer tries to schmooze the council regarding a potential ballot measure to get some public money for a new football stadium for his team, but none of the guests are interested in the subject. One of the other guests asks Collins what his plans are for when his playing days are over, but Collins tells them he hasn't figured out an answer to that question. Matthews suggests he go into politics. When the party ends, Collins stays behind and spends the night with Mayor Matthews. Meanwhile, Lincoln Tatum walks into a seedy looking bar wearing sunglasses and a hat low over his eyes. It's revealed that the bar is a gay bar. Tatum walks up to another man, and together they go to a back room where they have sex.
Sunday morning, players start to arrive for that afternoon's game at the Memphis Municipal Stadium hosting the St. Louis Scouts. Tim Collins looks over the playbook while a member of the training staff works on his shoulder. Lincoln Tatum suits up for the game, nervous for the first time before a game in years. Jefferson Thomas arrives, late, looking like a mess. Coach Heath is in his office going over some last minute game planning with his coaching staff. Coach Heath heads out into the locker room and begins shouting at Thomas for being late. He then turns his yelling to the rest of the team, yelling that they have to win this one. It would be unacceptable to start the year with two losses, and if the players in the room can't find a way to win that he'll replace them with players who will. He announces that it's time to go out onto the field. The team all runs out the team's tunnel and out on to the field for their second game of the season.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
Marley Shelton …. Sarah
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Plot: Tuesday morning, the Memphis Pharaohs are all at the team's practice facility to go over game film from Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Outlaws. Coach Ken Heath is hard on veteran quarterback Tim Collins for each and every mistake he made during the game. Rookie running back Jefferson Thomas is barely awake during the film session. Running back Lincoln Tatum, who left the season opener with a knee injury, is in the medical office performing additional tests on his knee with team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen. Chen tells Coach Heath that the prognosis on Tatum's knee isn't looking good and he will be unable to play in the upcoming home game against the St. Louis Scouts. Coach Heath is understandably disappointed to be without his longtime star running back, but decides to forge ahead with Thomas as the lead running back without making any roster moves. Coach Heath calls Thomas into his office and gives him the news that he will be starting at running back in the next game. Thomas is ecstatic, but Coach Heath tells him to temper his excitement, that it's just a temporary promotion until Tatum is cleared to return to play.
Wednesday night, Tim Collins attends a fundraising event in downtown Memphis. Mayor Sharon Matthews sees him from across the room and invites him to her table. They talk about the upcoming season, but Collins' cell phone keeps buzzing with repeated calls from his ex-wife Sarah. He apologizes to Mayor Matthews and gets up from the table to answer the call. Sarah tells Collins that she told her lawyer to take him to court over the overdue alimony payments Collins' owes her. Collins hangs up the phone and returns to the table where Mayor Matthews is waiting. Collins orders a bunch of shots of tequila from a waitress. Matthews asks Collins what's the matter, and Collins vaguely speaks of money problems. She tells him that she's working with the Memphis tourism department on a new tourism department and they have been looking for a local celebrity to star in and she thinks he'd be perfect for it. He is considering it when she tells him it pays. He quickly downs two shots and tells her he'll do it. She invites him out to her limo to finalize the details, where they have sex.
Meanwhile on the other side of town, Jefferson Thomas is clubbing with head cheerleader Nikki. They both drink several shots and do some cocaine before leaving the club in Thomas' car. While driving on the way back to his Thomas' house, Nikki begins giving Thomas a blowjob. Thomas, distracted, closes his eyes, and his car hits something. As the car screeches to a stop, Nikki stops pleasuring Thomas and asks what he hit. He says he doesn't know, but he isn't hanging around to find out, and speeds off.
During practice Thursday, Coach Heath spends extra time trying to get Thomas up to speed on the playbook, but Thomas is clearly distracted and hungover from the night before. Dr. Chen informs Lincoln Tatum that he doesn't think he should be playing this year and that he will most likely need season-ending surgery. Tatum tells the doctor that missing the year is not an option since he's in the last year of his contract. He needs to play well this season to secure a contract for next year. Dr. Chen tells him that, theoretically, if he does some physical therapy and wears a brace we could play, but that he would be highly susceptible to further injury. Dr. Chen tells him that he high recommends going with the surgery option and will tell Coach Heath the same thing.
Coach Heath calls Tatum into his office and tells him that the team doctor wants to shut him down for the season. Heath asks Tatum what he wants to do. Tatum tells him he wants to play, plain and simple. Coach Heath promises to not put him on the disabled list yet, but needs to see if he's physically able to do his job. Coach Heath times Tatum running a 40-yard dash. Tatum's time is slower than usual, but not by too much. Coach Heath tells Tatum that he'll suit up for the next game, but his snaps will be limited if he gets into the game at all. Tatum thanks Coach Heath and leaves practice. Tim Collins is in the locker room icing his throwing shoulder after practice when he gets a text from Mayor Matthews inviting him to a dinner party she is throwing Friday night. He texts her back that he'll be there. Thomas is watching the news as he changes after practice when he sees a report of the death of a hit and run victim from the night before. He realizes that it was was him that hit the person, and gets up and leaves the practice facility without saying a word to anyone.
Friday night, Collins is at Mayor Matthews' house for a dinner party. The entire city council is there, as well as Memphis Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer. Palmer is surprised to see Collins there, until Matthews introduces Collins to the guests at the party as the guest of honor as well as the Pharaohs' star quarterback. The use of the word star quarterback makes Collins feel weird, so he grabs a beer. Palmer tries to schmooze the council regarding a potential ballot measure to get some public money for a new football stadium for his team, but none of the guests are interested in the subject. One of the other guests asks Collins what his plans are for when his playing days are over, but Collins tells them he hasn't figured out an answer to that question. Matthews suggests he go into politics. When the party ends, Collins stays behind and spends the night with Mayor Matthews. Meanwhile, Lincoln Tatum walks into a seedy looking bar wearing sunglasses and a hat low over his eyes. It's revealed that the bar is a gay bar. Tatum walks up to another man, and together they go to a back room where they have sex.
Sunday morning, players start to arrive for that afternoon's game at the Memphis Municipal Stadium hosting the St. Louis Scouts. Tim Collins looks over the playbook while a member of the training staff works on his shoulder. Lincoln Tatum suits up for the game, nervous for the first time before a game in years. Jefferson Thomas arrives, late, looking like a mess. Coach Heath is in his office going over some last minute game planning with his coaching staff. Coach Heath heads out into the locker room and begins shouting at Thomas for being late. He then turns his yelling to the rest of the team, yelling that they have to win this one. It would be unacceptable to start the year with two losses, and if the players in the room can't find a way to win that he'll replace them with players who will. He announces that it's time to go out onto the field. The team all runs out the team's tunnel and out on to the field for their second game of the season.
Gauntlet - Week 3
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Xzibit .... Jerome
Plot: It's the 4th quarter of the Memphis Pharaoh's Week 2 game against the St. Louis Scouts. Memphis is down 3-7 with 4 minutes left in the game. Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) hands the ball off to rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson), who quickly fumbles the ball upon first contact with the defense. The commentators announce that it was Thomas' fourth fumble of the game. Pharaohs Head Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) pulls Thomas out of the game in disgust. He inserts injured veteran running back Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) into the game in his place. Thomas throws his helmet against the bench, shattering the helmet. Thomas then kicks over a jug of Gatorade. Coach Heath orders one of his assistants to get Thomas off his sideline. On the field, Collins fakes a screen pass to Tatum and takes the ball up the middle himself for a 15 yard gain and a first down. The clock is still clicking, Collins rushes the team to the line of scrimmage. Tatum is clearly having trouble keeping up with his injured knee, but he insists he is fine. Collins takes the ball and drops back. Tatum attempts to block a blitzing Scouts linebacker, but is taken clear off of his feet, and the Scouts sack Collins for a big loss. The clock is still running, so Collins tells everyone to hurry up. Suddenly Collins' radio feed from the coaches stops working. Unable to hear the play call and short on time, Collins calls the play from the line. He takes the ball, shakes off a couple defenders, and hits an open receiver in the end zone with a touchdown pass as time expires. Coach Heath sighs in relief. It may have been ugly, but his team managed a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Scouts. Tatum walks off the field, clearly disappointed that he never saw the ball. It's a quieter locker room than one would expect following a win. Everyone is expecting Coach Heath to go ballistic on Thomas, but instead Heath doesn't mention Thomas, nor does he talk to him or even look at him.
The next morning, Tatum wakes up and his knee is very swollen despite his minimal playing time. Thomas wakes up, clearly having partied the night before. He does some cocaine and asks the woman in his bed to leave. Collins wakes up in the bed of Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that the Memphis tourism commercial she booked for him is shooting later that day. We get a glimpse as Coach Heath's spartan and minimalist house. Heath quietly makes himself a breakfast of eggs and a smoothie and sits down at his kitchen table and eats by himself. When he's done he washes his dishes and puts them back in the cabinet, revealing they're his only ones.
Tatum is at the gym working out, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. After his workout he approaches a gym employee, Jerome (Xzibit). They meet in the parking lot, where Jerome sells Tatum some anabolic steroids. Tatum starts taking the steroids in hopes that they will help his muscles recover for the Week 3 and their game on the road against the Los Angeles Royals. Collins is at city hall shooting the tourism commercial. He's not particularly good at reading his lines, however Mayor Matthews tells him he's doing great and that the commercial will be big for the city's tourism industry.
After practice on Tuesday there are murmurs throughout the Pharaoh's practice facility that the league will be doing random drug testing before their next game, selecting two players at random. Tatum worries that the piss test would uncover his recent use of steroids, while Thomas worries that it would reveal his drug use. Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) comes down to the practice facility to tell Coach Heath that despite the league's drug testing being supposedly random, that he has learned which two players will be tested ahead of time: Tim Collins and Jefferson Thomas. Heath tells Palmer that he doesn't want to know that and goes back to reviewing game film on the Los Angeles Royals. Palmer goes up to Collins and Thomas in the locker room and advises them to avoid anything that could show up on a drug test Sunday morning before their game in California. Collins has nothing to worry about, but Thomas begins panicking.
Thomas talks to the team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) about ways to detox his body, although he says it's to get alcohol out of his system faster rather than cocaine. Chen tells him that he cannot give him any professional opinion on that matter, but discreetly passes him a business card for another doctor. Thomas meets with a doctor who tells him that he can perform a simple surgery that would inject clean urine into his bladder in order to pass any urine analysis test. Thomas tells the doctor he has to think about it. The doctor advises him that since the next game is Sunday night, that the surgery would need to be performed Saturday right before the team flies out to California for their game. The doctor advises him that if Thomas can avoid any drugs up until the game, drinks high levels of water and can get himself to sweat enough, the drugs could be out of his system by Sunday.
Friday night, Thomas is trying his best to avoid the temptations of cocaine, but Nikki (Kat Graham) keeps blowing up his phone with calls and texts about what happened during their car accident. This distresses Thomas to the point that he does one line of cocaine. He then calls the doctor immediately, telling him that he'll be in for the procedure in the morning.
Sunday morning arrives and the Memphis Pharaohs are getting ready for their game in the visitor's locker room in Los Angeles. Collins and Thomas are called in to take a drug test. Once they return from taking their piss tests, Coach Heath announces that due to the events of their last game, Lincoln Tatum will be starting at running back instead of Thomas.
On the Pharaohs' first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Tatum, who drives the ball up the middle, breaking a tackle. Just as it looks like he will take it for a touchdown, the Los Angeles Royals strong safety manages to hit Tatum at the knee. Tatum, screams in agony, and drops the ball. The Royals recover the fumble and return it for a touchdown while Tatum is writhing on the ground, clutching his knee. Dr. Chen and his team rushes out onto the field. Dr. Chen looks over at Coach Heath and simply shakes his head. Heath then yells at Thomas, telling him to get loose and ready to go.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Xzibit .... Jerome
Plot: It's the 4th quarter of the Memphis Pharaoh's Week 2 game against the St. Louis Scouts. Memphis is down 3-7 with 4 minutes left in the game. Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) hands the ball off to rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson), who quickly fumbles the ball upon first contact with the defense. The commentators announce that it was Thomas' fourth fumble of the game. Pharaohs Head Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) pulls Thomas out of the game in disgust. He inserts injured veteran running back Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) into the game in his place. Thomas throws his helmet against the bench, shattering the helmet. Thomas then kicks over a jug of Gatorade. Coach Heath orders one of his assistants to get Thomas off his sideline. On the field, Collins fakes a screen pass to Tatum and takes the ball up the middle himself for a 15 yard gain and a first down. The clock is still clicking, Collins rushes the team to the line of scrimmage. Tatum is clearly having trouble keeping up with his injured knee, but he insists he is fine. Collins takes the ball and drops back. Tatum attempts to block a blitzing Scouts linebacker, but is taken clear off of his feet, and the Scouts sack Collins for a big loss. The clock is still running, so Collins tells everyone to hurry up. Suddenly Collins' radio feed from the coaches stops working. Unable to hear the play call and short on time, Collins calls the play from the line. He takes the ball, shakes off a couple defenders, and hits an open receiver in the end zone with a touchdown pass as time expires. Coach Heath sighs in relief. It may have been ugly, but his team managed a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Scouts. Tatum walks off the field, clearly disappointed that he never saw the ball. It's a quieter locker room than one would expect following a win. Everyone is expecting Coach Heath to go ballistic on Thomas, but instead Heath doesn't mention Thomas, nor does he talk to him or even look at him.
The next morning, Tatum wakes up and his knee is very swollen despite his minimal playing time. Thomas wakes up, clearly having partied the night before. He does some cocaine and asks the woman in his bed to leave. Collins wakes up in the bed of Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that the Memphis tourism commercial she booked for him is shooting later that day. We get a glimpse as Coach Heath's spartan and minimalist house. Heath quietly makes himself a breakfast of eggs and a smoothie and sits down at his kitchen table and eats by himself. When he's done he washes his dishes and puts them back in the cabinet, revealing they're his only ones.
Tatum is at the gym working out, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. After his workout he approaches a gym employee, Jerome (Xzibit). They meet in the parking lot, where Jerome sells Tatum some anabolic steroids. Tatum starts taking the steroids in hopes that they will help his muscles recover for the Week 3 and their game on the road against the Los Angeles Royals. Collins is at city hall shooting the tourism commercial. He's not particularly good at reading his lines, however Mayor Matthews tells him he's doing great and that the commercial will be big for the city's tourism industry.
After practice on Tuesday there are murmurs throughout the Pharaoh's practice facility that the league will be doing random drug testing before their next game, selecting two players at random. Tatum worries that the piss test would uncover his recent use of steroids, while Thomas worries that it would reveal his drug use. Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) comes down to the practice facility to tell Coach Heath that despite the league's drug testing being supposedly random, that he has learned which two players will be tested ahead of time: Tim Collins and Jefferson Thomas. Heath tells Palmer that he doesn't want to know that and goes back to reviewing game film on the Los Angeles Royals. Palmer goes up to Collins and Thomas in the locker room and advises them to avoid anything that could show up on a drug test Sunday morning before their game in California. Collins has nothing to worry about, but Thomas begins panicking.
Thomas talks to the team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) about ways to detox his body, although he says it's to get alcohol out of his system faster rather than cocaine. Chen tells him that he cannot give him any professional opinion on that matter, but discreetly passes him a business card for another doctor. Thomas meets with a doctor who tells him that he can perform a simple surgery that would inject clean urine into his bladder in order to pass any urine analysis test. Thomas tells the doctor he has to think about it. The doctor advises him that since the next game is Sunday night, that the surgery would need to be performed Saturday right before the team flies out to California for their game. The doctor advises him that if Thomas can avoid any drugs up until the game, drinks high levels of water and can get himself to sweat enough, the drugs could be out of his system by Sunday.
Friday night, Thomas is trying his best to avoid the temptations of cocaine, but Nikki (Kat Graham) keeps blowing up his phone with calls and texts about what happened during their car accident. This distresses Thomas to the point that he does one line of cocaine. He then calls the doctor immediately, telling him that he'll be in for the procedure in the morning.
Sunday morning arrives and the Memphis Pharaohs are getting ready for their game in the visitor's locker room in Los Angeles. Collins and Thomas are called in to take a drug test. Once they return from taking their piss tests, Coach Heath announces that due to the events of their last game, Lincoln Tatum will be starting at running back instead of Thomas.
On the Pharaohs' first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Tatum, who drives the ball up the middle, breaking a tackle. Just as it looks like he will take it for a touchdown, the Los Angeles Royals strong safety manages to hit Tatum at the knee. Tatum, screams in agony, and drops the ball. The Royals recover the fumble and return it for a touchdown while Tatum is writhing on the ground, clutching his knee. Dr. Chen and his team rushes out onto the field. Dr. Chen looks over at Coach Heath and simply shakes his head. Heath then yells at Thomas, telling him to get loose and ready to go.
Gauntlet - Week 4
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Brian Dennehy .... Judge Graves
Plot: Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is swarmed by reporters in the locker room after the game in Los Angeles. It is revealed that after he took over for the injured Lincoln Tatum, Thomas ran for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, completely shattering many rookie records during the game - which turned out to be a blowout win for the Memphis Pharaohs over the Los Angeles Royals 45-20. Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is a little annoyed with how much Thomas is eating up the spotlight, but decides to let the rookie have his day. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) comes over, interrupting the interviews, to give Thomas the game ball for his performance.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) watches the post-game interviews from a hospital room after being rushed to the emergency room. Coach Heath arrives late that night and asks Tatum how he's doing. Tatum tells him that he's probably done, no bracing it up and trying to grit through the injury at this point. Coach Heath informs him that he's going to have to put him on injured-reserve, definitely ending his season. Tatum understands and says it's for the best.
Monday morning, the team flies back to Memphis, and Thomas discovers that he is now the toast of the town. Everyone wants a piece of him. Local businesses want him to endorse their products, the local news wants a one-on-one interview, and women are all over him. Thomas is finally living his dream. Coach Heath calls Thomas, reminding him that it is his turn to represent the team at the children's hospital. Thomas tries to talk his way out of it, but Heath tells him that if he doesn't show it's going to result in a huge fine. Thomas asks why, and Heath tells Thomas that he is contractually obligated to attend all pre-planned team public events or he will incur a fine of the team's choosing. Heath then hangs up.
Thomas arrives at the children's hospital and finds the event already underway. Tim Collins is already there chatting with the patients, taking pictures, and talking about football. The kids all get very excited when Thomas enters. Thomas signs some autographs, but clearly doesn't want to be there. Collins is clearly jealous of the attention Thomas is getting, but grits his teeth and reminds himself that it's for the kids. Collins watches Thomas and notices him pocket a bottle of painkillers from one of the kids' bedside tables. Collins pulls Thomas aside and quietly asks him what he thinks he's doing stealing from sick children. Thomas doesn't get what the big deal is since they're at a hospital where there's plenty of medications for them. Collins warns that if he sees him do it again that he'll break his hand. Thomas pushes Collins away from him and storms out of the hospital, dropping the pill bottle on his way out.
Thomas enjoys a night out on the town at the clubs. When the clubs have all closed down, Thomas heads out to the Lamborghini he has rented. He takes out some cocaine and begins cutting it up with a credit card. A police officer knocks on his window. Thomas panics and attempts to hide the drugs, but he is pulled out of the car by the officer. The cops find a plastic bag with several grams of white powder in it. They question Thomas, and he acknowledges that the white powder is cocaine. He is booked at the police station in downtown Memphis. In the morning, Thomas is brought before Judge Graves (Brian Dennehy), who asks Thomas if he understands the charges. Coach Heath and the Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) enter the courtroom. The judge tells Thomas that the charges against him have been dropped and advises him to stay out of trouble. Thomas asks Coach Heath and Palmer how they got him out of trouble, and Palmer tells Thomas that Judge Graves is an old friend of his family. Heath tells Thomas that he isn't out of trouble yet and tells him to head to the practice facility immediately.
Coach Heath and Thomas go over game tape together on their next opponent, the Atlanta Argonauts. Heath asks Thomas to name the different defensive coverages they use to stop the run, but Thomas doesn't understand the terminology. Coach Heath says that's what he expected, and that Thomas can have all the natural athletic ability in the world but if he doesn't understand the game he will never be a true star player. Thomas simply nods his head. Heath tells him that he will personally be administering drug tests for Thomas every day for the rest of the season or he will let the league know about his arrest, which would surely result in a lengthy suspension.
Come game day, Tim Collins shows up at the stadium and is surprised to see Thomas there already, going over game film with the coaches. Collins is used to being the first player there and joins Thomas and the coaches in the film room. Heath and the other coaches are quizzing Thomas on the coverages, and he's doing better than expected. Even Collins is impressed, joking that maybe he'll know the playbook now.
Out on the field, Collins asks Thomas if he's clean and Thomas says he is. Collins tells him it's hard to get over the initial hump, but once he does it will be much smoother sailing, revealing that he used to be addicted to pain killers he got after a shoulder surgery.
Reading a blitz on the first play of the game, Collins calls an audible. Thomas looks nervous as he deciphers the playcall. Collins takes the snap and pitches the ball to Thomas. Collins then runs out for a deep pass, Thomas rears back and hits a wide open Collins for a deep connection. Collins then outruns the defense for a long touchdown on the first play of the game. Collins and Thomas celebrate the touchdown as the Pharaohs go up 6-0 over the visiting Atlanta Argonauts.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Brian Dennehy .... Judge Graves
Plot: Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is swarmed by reporters in the locker room after the game in Los Angeles. It is revealed that after he took over for the injured Lincoln Tatum, Thomas ran for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, completely shattering many rookie records during the game - which turned out to be a blowout win for the Memphis Pharaohs over the Los Angeles Royals 45-20. Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is a little annoyed with how much Thomas is eating up the spotlight, but decides to let the rookie have his day. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) comes over, interrupting the interviews, to give Thomas the game ball for his performance.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) watches the post-game interviews from a hospital room after being rushed to the emergency room. Coach Heath arrives late that night and asks Tatum how he's doing. Tatum tells him that he's probably done, no bracing it up and trying to grit through the injury at this point. Coach Heath informs him that he's going to have to put him on injured-reserve, definitely ending his season. Tatum understands and says it's for the best.
Monday morning, the team flies back to Memphis, and Thomas discovers that he is now the toast of the town. Everyone wants a piece of him. Local businesses want him to endorse their products, the local news wants a one-on-one interview, and women are all over him. Thomas is finally living his dream. Coach Heath calls Thomas, reminding him that it is his turn to represent the team at the children's hospital. Thomas tries to talk his way out of it, but Heath tells him that if he doesn't show it's going to result in a huge fine. Thomas asks why, and Heath tells Thomas that he is contractually obligated to attend all pre-planned team public events or he will incur a fine of the team's choosing. Heath then hangs up.
Thomas arrives at the children's hospital and finds the event already underway. Tim Collins is already there chatting with the patients, taking pictures, and talking about football. The kids all get very excited when Thomas enters. Thomas signs some autographs, but clearly doesn't want to be there. Collins is clearly jealous of the attention Thomas is getting, but grits his teeth and reminds himself that it's for the kids. Collins watches Thomas and notices him pocket a bottle of painkillers from one of the kids' bedside tables. Collins pulls Thomas aside and quietly asks him what he thinks he's doing stealing from sick children. Thomas doesn't get what the big deal is since they're at a hospital where there's plenty of medications for them. Collins warns that if he sees him do it again that he'll break his hand. Thomas pushes Collins away from him and storms out of the hospital, dropping the pill bottle on his way out.
Thomas enjoys a night out on the town at the clubs. When the clubs have all closed down, Thomas heads out to the Lamborghini he has rented. He takes out some cocaine and begins cutting it up with a credit card. A police officer knocks on his window. Thomas panics and attempts to hide the drugs, but he is pulled out of the car by the officer. The cops find a plastic bag with several grams of white powder in it. They question Thomas, and he acknowledges that the white powder is cocaine. He is booked at the police station in downtown Memphis. In the morning, Thomas is brought before Judge Graves (Brian Dennehy), who asks Thomas if he understands the charges. Coach Heath and the Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) enter the courtroom. The judge tells Thomas that the charges against him have been dropped and advises him to stay out of trouble. Thomas asks Coach Heath and Palmer how they got him out of trouble, and Palmer tells Thomas that Judge Graves is an old friend of his family. Heath tells Thomas that he isn't out of trouble yet and tells him to head to the practice facility immediately.
Coach Heath and Thomas go over game tape together on their next opponent, the Atlanta Argonauts. Heath asks Thomas to name the different defensive coverages they use to stop the run, but Thomas doesn't understand the terminology. Coach Heath says that's what he expected, and that Thomas can have all the natural athletic ability in the world but if he doesn't understand the game he will never be a true star player. Thomas simply nods his head. Heath tells him that he will personally be administering drug tests for Thomas every day for the rest of the season or he will let the league know about his arrest, which would surely result in a lengthy suspension.
Come game day, Tim Collins shows up at the stadium and is surprised to see Thomas there already, going over game film with the coaches. Collins is used to being the first player there and joins Thomas and the coaches in the film room. Heath and the other coaches are quizzing Thomas on the coverages, and he's doing better than expected. Even Collins is impressed, joking that maybe he'll know the playbook now.
Out on the field, Collins asks Thomas if he's clean and Thomas says he is. Collins tells him it's hard to get over the initial hump, but once he does it will be much smoother sailing, revealing that he used to be addicted to pain killers he got after a shoulder surgery.
Reading a blitz on the first play of the game, Collins calls an audible. Thomas looks nervous as he deciphers the playcall. Collins takes the snap and pitches the ball to Thomas. Collins then runs out for a deep pass, Thomas rears back and hits a wide open Collins for a deep connection. Collins then outruns the defense for a long touchdown on the first play of the game. Collins and Thomas celebrate the touchdown as the Pharaohs go up 6-0 over the visiting Atlanta Argonauts.
Gauntlet - Bye Week
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Jaimie Alexander .... Natalie Cornish
Asher Angel .... David
Plot: After another strong showing against the Atlanta Argonauts, rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is the toast of the town. He is shooting a sit-down interview with Sports Net reporter Natalie Cornish (Jaimie Alexander). Thomas comes across as very cocky and egotistical in the interview, but everyone is enjoying it. After the interview, Thomas asks Natalie if she wants to get a drink, but she turns him down since she has to get back to the studio and edit the interview. Thomas gives her his number anyways.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is at the hospital about to undergo surgery on his knee. Memphis Pharaohs' team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) is telling Tatum what the expect when he wakes up. Tatum is then wheeled down the hall to the surgical room. He is put under anesthezia. Dr. Chen is supervising the surgery to make sure all goes according to plan. During the surgery, one of the surgeon's nicks a vain causing blood to spurt from Tatum's lef. Dr. Chen kicks that doctor out of the operating room, and takes the lead himself. Dr. Chen stops the bleeding and finishes the surgery.
Even though it is the team's Bye Week, Pharaohs' head coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) is sticking with his usual routine, preparing as if they had a game that week. While he's in his office, team owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) enters the facility. He sits down in Heath's office and watches him work. Palmer tells him that he is happy with the team's performance, especially with how Heath has managed to get the most out of Thomas after such a rough start to the season.
Pharaohs' quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is at a nice restaurant with Memphis mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). Based on the reaction of the other restaurant patrons, they are the city's new power couple. She invites him to a family event that weekend to meet her son. Collins says he would be happy to meet him. Several fans come up and ask for pictures with Collins. He admits to Sharon that it's been a while since he's gotten this much attention for his playing.
Thomas gets an a text from Nikki (Kat Graham) who asks to urgently meet with him. They meet at his place. He assumes she's there for sex and starts making a pass at her, but she insists she's not in the mood. This angers Thomas and he tells her to leave. She tells him that she's pregnant. He doesn't believe her and thinks she's just after his money now that he's a star. She insists that she's telling the truth. He tells her to get an abortion or he'll kill her. She leaves his house crying.
Leonard Palmer and Mayor Sharon Matthews are meeting once again to discuss the possibility of a new stadium. He tells her that ticket sales are through the roof with the team's success the last couple weeks. She says that for all she knows they're just lucking out that their rookie running back is hot at the right moment. He asks her to talk to the city council about the possible bond measure so they can make a deal while they're on a hot streak. She wonders why now. Palmer tells her that the public is less likely to complain about the stadium bond measure if the team is on a hot streak. Sharon tells Palmer she'll think about it and let him know.
Jefferson Thomas arrives at the practice facility next to the stadium and sees workers take down the giant banner of Lincoln Tatum and replace it with a large banner of himself. Thomas smiles and enters the facility. Thomas heads to Coach Heath's office. They discuss the bye week. Thomas then takes a drug test, which he passes. Coach Heath tells him to keep up the good work in staying clean, while subtly reminding him that he'll bench his ass regardless of how well he's playing if he tests positive for anything. Thomas tells him that he understands. Thomas then hits the weight room.
At a family event, Sharon introduces Collins to her son David (Asher Angel). David is not impressed by Collins dating his mom, but asks a bunch of questions about Jefferson Thomas. Collins doesn't really want to talk about his arrogant young teammate, but humors David to impress Sharon. Later, Sharon thanks Collins for trying to impress her son.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts …. Leonard Palmer
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Saffron Burrows …. Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham …. Nikki
B.D. Wong …. Dr. Clifford Chen
Jaimie Alexander .... Natalie Cornish
Asher Angel .... David
Plot: After another strong showing against the Atlanta Argonauts, rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is the toast of the town. He is shooting a sit-down interview with Sports Net reporter Natalie Cornish (Jaimie Alexander). Thomas comes across as very cocky and egotistical in the interview, but everyone is enjoying it. After the interview, Thomas asks Natalie if she wants to get a drink, but she turns him down since she has to get back to the studio and edit the interview. Thomas gives her his number anyways.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is at the hospital about to undergo surgery on his knee. Memphis Pharaohs' team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) is telling Tatum what the expect when he wakes up. Tatum is then wheeled down the hall to the surgical room. He is put under anesthezia. Dr. Chen is supervising the surgery to make sure all goes according to plan. During the surgery, one of the surgeon's nicks a vain causing blood to spurt from Tatum's lef. Dr. Chen kicks that doctor out of the operating room, and takes the lead himself. Dr. Chen stops the bleeding and finishes the surgery.
Even though it is the team's Bye Week, Pharaohs' head coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) is sticking with his usual routine, preparing as if they had a game that week. While he's in his office, team owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) enters the facility. He sits down in Heath's office and watches him work. Palmer tells him that he is happy with the team's performance, especially with how Heath has managed to get the most out of Thomas after such a rough start to the season.
Pharaohs' quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is at a nice restaurant with Memphis mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). Based on the reaction of the other restaurant patrons, they are the city's new power couple. She invites him to a family event that weekend to meet her son. Collins says he would be happy to meet him. Several fans come up and ask for pictures with Collins. He admits to Sharon that it's been a while since he's gotten this much attention for his playing.
Thomas gets an a text from Nikki (Kat Graham) who asks to urgently meet with him. They meet at his place. He assumes she's there for sex and starts making a pass at her, but she insists she's not in the mood. This angers Thomas and he tells her to leave. She tells him that she's pregnant. He doesn't believe her and thinks she's just after his money now that he's a star. She insists that she's telling the truth. He tells her to get an abortion or he'll kill her. She leaves his house crying.
Leonard Palmer and Mayor Sharon Matthews are meeting once again to discuss the possibility of a new stadium. He tells her that ticket sales are through the roof with the team's success the last couple weeks. She says that for all she knows they're just lucking out that their rookie running back is hot at the right moment. He asks her to talk to the city council about the possible bond measure so they can make a deal while they're on a hot streak. She wonders why now. Palmer tells her that the public is less likely to complain about the stadium bond measure if the team is on a hot streak. Sharon tells Palmer she'll think about it and let him know.
Jefferson Thomas arrives at the practice facility next to the stadium and sees workers take down the giant banner of Lincoln Tatum and replace it with a large banner of himself. Thomas smiles and enters the facility. Thomas heads to Coach Heath's office. They discuss the bye week. Thomas then takes a drug test, which he passes. Coach Heath tells him to keep up the good work in staying clean, while subtly reminding him that he'll bench his ass regardless of how well he's playing if he tests positive for anything. Thomas tells him that he understands. Thomas then hits the weight room.
At a family event, Sharon introduces Collins to her son David (Asher Angel). David is not impressed by Collins dating his mom, but asks a bunch of questions about Jefferson Thomas. Collins doesn't really want to talk about his arrogant young teammate, but humors David to impress Sharon. Later, Sharon thanks Collins for trying to impress her son.
Gauntlet - Mid-Season
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Brian Howe .... Coach Brower
Reid Scott .... Eli Towns
Plot: The Memphis Pharaohs enter the locker room, hooting and hollering. They have just won another game, this time beating the Boston Spirit by 14, bringing their record to 4-2 midway through the 12 game AFA season. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) congratulates the team on successfully executing the game plan. He tells the team to rest up since they will be squaring off against the first-place Baltimore Barons next week.
Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) contemplates calling his girlfriend, the mayor of Memphis, but instead decides to simply head home and ice his sore shoulder. He has a few drinks while watching the news and falls asleep in front of highlights from the night's games.
Rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) receives a text from his agent. Thomas gets excited over the text's contents and heads home. He begins scribbling out notes feverishly.
Injured star Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is finally out of the hospital, but his leg is in a full traction brace while he recovers from the problematic knee surgery. He pops a fistful of his pain medication, washing it down with vodka.
Coach Heath is in his office with his assistants starting to discuss who they want to scout for the draft in the off-season. One of the assistants, Coach Brower (Brian Howe), broaches the subject of going after a quarterback in the first round. This makes Heath uncomfortable as he believes Collins, despite his age, still has some gas left in the tank. Brower suggests that it's never to soon to groom the next man for the job and recommends they specifically scout Michigan State quarter back Michael Revolli. Heath tells him that he doesn't to discuss quarterbacks right now and would rather move on to thinking about their upcoming game against Baltimore.
Jefferson Thomas is in a recording studio recording a rap album. His agent Eli Towns (Reid Scott) is sitting the wings typing away at his phone. He's trying to get Thomas on a nationally broadcast show to up his profile after most pundits have named him as the early favorite for Rookie of the Year despite his first couple of games. The sound engineer cuts Thomas off and has him start from the beginning of a rap. This annoys Thomas and he threatens to leave, but Towns is able to convince him to stay.
In practice, Thomas is showing a notable lack of hustle. Collins calls him out on it, saying that he should be more focused on figuring out how to beat the Barons and less focused on his rap dreams. Thomas throws a punch at Collins, but is stopped by the other players. Coach Heath orders both players to his office immediately. He tells them to cut out the bickering and focus on practicing. Thomas scoffs, but Heath shoots him a look that shuts him up. He then excuses Collins from the office. Heath looks Thomas in the eye and tells him that he needs to keep his ducks in a row or he'll suspend him without pay from the team. Thomas nods and leaves the office.
In the fourth quarter of the game against the Baltimore Barons, the Pharaohs are down by 10 with five minutes to go. Collins audibles out of a running play, much to Thomas' annoyance, and throws an interception. Thomas doesn't go after the ball carrier. On the sidelines after the play, Collins and Thomas continue shouting at each other as the Barons go up by another score. Coach Heath orders them both to head into the locker room, replacing them with unseasoned backups. Tatum, watching the game from home, turns the game off in disgust.
After the game, Coach Heath trashes the locker room. He yells at Thomas and Collins that if they can't find a way to work together that he'll find two players who can and play them instead. He reminds the entire team that football is a team sport, no one player can win a game by himself, just like no one player can lose a game by himself.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
John David Washington …. Lincoln Tatum
Brian Howe .... Coach Brower
Reid Scott .... Eli Towns
Plot: The Memphis Pharaohs enter the locker room, hooting and hollering. They have just won another game, this time beating the Boston Spirit by 14, bringing their record to 4-2 midway through the 12 game AFA season. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) congratulates the team on successfully executing the game plan. He tells the team to rest up since they will be squaring off against the first-place Baltimore Barons next week.
Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) contemplates calling his girlfriend, the mayor of Memphis, but instead decides to simply head home and ice his sore shoulder. He has a few drinks while watching the news and falls asleep in front of highlights from the night's games.
Rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) receives a text from his agent. Thomas gets excited over the text's contents and heads home. He begins scribbling out notes feverishly.
Injured star Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is finally out of the hospital, but his leg is in a full traction brace while he recovers from the problematic knee surgery. He pops a fistful of his pain medication, washing it down with vodka.
Coach Heath is in his office with his assistants starting to discuss who they want to scout for the draft in the off-season. One of the assistants, Coach Brower (Brian Howe), broaches the subject of going after a quarterback in the first round. This makes Heath uncomfortable as he believes Collins, despite his age, still has some gas left in the tank. Brower suggests that it's never to soon to groom the next man for the job and recommends they specifically scout Michigan State quarter back Michael Revolli. Heath tells him that he doesn't to discuss quarterbacks right now and would rather move on to thinking about their upcoming game against Baltimore.
Jefferson Thomas is in a recording studio recording a rap album. His agent Eli Towns (Reid Scott) is sitting the wings typing away at his phone. He's trying to get Thomas on a nationally broadcast show to up his profile after most pundits have named him as the early favorite for Rookie of the Year despite his first couple of games. The sound engineer cuts Thomas off and has him start from the beginning of a rap. This annoys Thomas and he threatens to leave, but Towns is able to convince him to stay.
In practice, Thomas is showing a notable lack of hustle. Collins calls him out on it, saying that he should be more focused on figuring out how to beat the Barons and less focused on his rap dreams. Thomas throws a punch at Collins, but is stopped by the other players. Coach Heath orders both players to his office immediately. He tells them to cut out the bickering and focus on practicing. Thomas scoffs, but Heath shoots him a look that shuts him up. He then excuses Collins from the office. Heath looks Thomas in the eye and tells him that he needs to keep his ducks in a row or he'll suspend him without pay from the team. Thomas nods and leaves the office.
In the fourth quarter of the game against the Baltimore Barons, the Pharaohs are down by 10 with five minutes to go. Collins audibles out of a running play, much to Thomas' annoyance, and throws an interception. Thomas doesn't go after the ball carrier. On the sidelines after the play, Collins and Thomas continue shouting at each other as the Barons go up by another score. Coach Heath orders them both to head into the locker room, replacing them with unseasoned backups. Tatum, watching the game from home, turns the game off in disgust.
After the game, Coach Heath trashes the locker room. He yells at Thomas and Collins that if they can't find a way to work together that he'll find two players who can and play them instead. He reminds the entire team that football is a team sport, no one player can win a game by himself, just like no one player can lose a game by himself.
Gauntlet - Week 8
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Gaius Charles .... DeSean Jones
Reid Scott .... Eli Towns
On the team's day off, Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is busy shooting a music video for his debut rap single. He gets caught up dancing with dozens of beautiful women and drinking champagne on camera, completely forgetting that he was supposed to go to the team's practice facility for a drug test. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) sits in his office at the facility waiting for Thomas to show up to fulfil his end of their arrangement. Thomas finally notices the time and chastises his agent, Eli Towns (Reid Scott), for not reminding him to head to the practice facility. Towns says he didn't think it was a big deal since it's the team's day off. This infuriates Thomas, who then fires Towns on the spot. He then gets in his car and races to the team's practice facility. When he gets there, Coach Heath is walking out to his car in the parking lot. Thomas apologizes and begs his coach to give him another chance. They had inside, and Thomas supplies Heath with his urine sample. Thomas is about to leave, but Coach tells him to stick around to see the results first-hand. Thomas takes a seat and waits. The urine comes up clean. Thomas thanks his coach and leaves the facility.
At the next practice, Thomas runs the wrong route on a passing play. Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) gets on his case and begins yelling what the correct route is. Thomas gets in his face and tells him to back off. The two players start shoving each other. The other players and coaches break the two up. Coach Heath orders them back into the locker room. Practice is over for the two of them. Heath tells backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) and running back DeSean Jones (Gaius Charles) to start running the plays with the first team.
Collins has dinner with his girlfriend Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) where he vents about practice. She reminds him that he is the veteran player while Thomas is the rookie and that he should be leading by example. Collins acknowledges that she's probably right.
In the locker room before their game against Cleveland, Coach Heath announces that Kearney and Jones will be starting the game, while Collins and Thomas will be sitting on the bench. Everyone is shocked, even the other coaches are befuddled. Everyone tries asking Coach Heath about the decision, but he simply heads into his office and locks the door. He looks over the scouting report for Cleveland as he waits for the time when the team needs to head out through the tunnel and out to the field. The team stares at Heath through the window of his office. Heath calmly closes the blinds.
At the start of the game, even the announcers are shocked to be announcing that Kearney and Jones are starting in place of Collins and Thomas. They discuss the possible reasons why, with them citing the previous game where the two players were jarring at each other. The Pharaohs quickly go down by 14 by the end of the first quarter against the Cleveland Cougars. The cameras are fixated on Collins and Thomas parked on the bench - on opposite ends. They glance over at each other as the Cougars score another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-3 in Cleveland's favor.
At half time, the Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) storms into the locker room and demands to speak to Coach Heath. They head into the office and Palmer begins screaming about why Heath isn't playing his two most explosive offensive players with the playoffs within reach. Heath tells them that Collins and Thomas knew the deal and they chose to defy the team rules, thus they are riding the bench. Palmer tells Heath that if he mucks up the season he's done, before storming out of the office and locker room.
Kearney manages to throw a touchdown to Jones to bring the score up to 21-10. But on the Pharaohs' next posession, Kearney throws a pick-six to the Cougars, resulting in a 28-10 score. On the sidelines, Collins walks over to Thomas and extends his hand. He tells him to shake it while the cameras are watching. Thomas shakes his hand. Collins tells him that they may have different styles and different personalities and may be from different generations, but they have one thing in common: the team needs them. They agree to put their differences aside. Together they walk up to Coach Heath and tell them they're ready to play together. Coach Heath tells them to head into the game immediately.
With Collins and Thomas back at the helm of the Pharaohs offense they quickly score a touchdown and a two-point conversion to bring the score to 28-18. After a successful onside kick, they score another touchdown on a deep pass to take it to 28-25. Coach Heath tells his defense that they need to keep the Cougars from getting a first down or the game is done. The defense forces Cleveland to punt. The Pharaohs get the ball back with 25 seconds left of the game. Collins throws a screen pass to Thomas who takes the ball up-field and into field goal range with 9 seconds left. Coach Heath calls his final timeout to talk things over with his offense. Coach Heath tells his team that they have one chance to win it, but that the pass will need to get out of Collins' hands immediately if they want the chance to hit a field goal to tie if they can't score a touchdown on the play. Collins nods and relays the play back to the huddle. Thomas lines up on the play as a wide out. Collins takes the snap and hurls the ball toward the end zone. Thomas runs as fast as he can to keep up with the ball. He dives after the ball, catching it in the corner of the end zone to win the game 31-28. Palmer celebrates in the owner's box, while Coach Heath takes a big sigh of relief.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Gaius Charles .... DeSean Jones
Reid Scott .... Eli Towns
On the team's day off, Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is busy shooting a music video for his debut rap single. He gets caught up dancing with dozens of beautiful women and drinking champagne on camera, completely forgetting that he was supposed to go to the team's practice facility for a drug test. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) sits in his office at the facility waiting for Thomas to show up to fulfil his end of their arrangement. Thomas finally notices the time and chastises his agent, Eli Towns (Reid Scott), for not reminding him to head to the practice facility. Towns says he didn't think it was a big deal since it's the team's day off. This infuriates Thomas, who then fires Towns on the spot. He then gets in his car and races to the team's practice facility. When he gets there, Coach Heath is walking out to his car in the parking lot. Thomas apologizes and begs his coach to give him another chance. They had inside, and Thomas supplies Heath with his urine sample. Thomas is about to leave, but Coach tells him to stick around to see the results first-hand. Thomas takes a seat and waits. The urine comes up clean. Thomas thanks his coach and leaves the facility.
At the next practice, Thomas runs the wrong route on a passing play. Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) gets on his case and begins yelling what the correct route is. Thomas gets in his face and tells him to back off. The two players start shoving each other. The other players and coaches break the two up. Coach Heath orders them back into the locker room. Practice is over for the two of them. Heath tells backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) and running back DeSean Jones (Gaius Charles) to start running the plays with the first team.
Collins has dinner with his girlfriend Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) where he vents about practice. She reminds him that he is the veteran player while Thomas is the rookie and that he should be leading by example. Collins acknowledges that she's probably right.
In the locker room before their game against Cleveland, Coach Heath announces that Kearney and Jones will be starting the game, while Collins and Thomas will be sitting on the bench. Everyone is shocked, even the other coaches are befuddled. Everyone tries asking Coach Heath about the decision, but he simply heads into his office and locks the door. He looks over the scouting report for Cleveland as he waits for the time when the team needs to head out through the tunnel and out to the field. The team stares at Heath through the window of his office. Heath calmly closes the blinds.
At the start of the game, even the announcers are shocked to be announcing that Kearney and Jones are starting in place of Collins and Thomas. They discuss the possible reasons why, with them citing the previous game where the two players were jarring at each other. The Pharaohs quickly go down by 14 by the end of the first quarter against the Cleveland Cougars. The cameras are fixated on Collins and Thomas parked on the bench - on opposite ends. They glance over at each other as the Cougars score another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-3 in Cleveland's favor.
At half time, the Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) storms into the locker room and demands to speak to Coach Heath. They head into the office and Palmer begins screaming about why Heath isn't playing his two most explosive offensive players with the playoffs within reach. Heath tells them that Collins and Thomas knew the deal and they chose to defy the team rules, thus they are riding the bench. Palmer tells Heath that if he mucks up the season he's done, before storming out of the office and locker room.
Kearney manages to throw a touchdown to Jones to bring the score up to 21-10. But on the Pharaohs' next posession, Kearney throws a pick-six to the Cougars, resulting in a 28-10 score. On the sidelines, Collins walks over to Thomas and extends his hand. He tells him to shake it while the cameras are watching. Thomas shakes his hand. Collins tells him that they may have different styles and different personalities and may be from different generations, but they have one thing in common: the team needs them. They agree to put their differences aside. Together they walk up to Coach Heath and tell them they're ready to play together. Coach Heath tells them to head into the game immediately.
With Collins and Thomas back at the helm of the Pharaohs offense they quickly score a touchdown and a two-point conversion to bring the score to 28-18. After a successful onside kick, they score another touchdown on a deep pass to take it to 28-25. Coach Heath tells his defense that they need to keep the Cougars from getting a first down or the game is done. The defense forces Cleveland to punt. The Pharaohs get the ball back with 25 seconds left of the game. Collins throws a screen pass to Thomas who takes the ball up-field and into field goal range with 9 seconds left. Coach Heath calls his final timeout to talk things over with his offense. Coach Heath tells his team that they have one chance to win it, but that the pass will need to get out of Collins' hands immediately if they want the chance to hit a field goal to tie if they can't score a touchdown on the play. Collins nods and relays the play back to the huddle. Thomas lines up on the play as a wide out. Collins takes the snap and hurls the ball toward the end zone. Thomas runs as fast as he can to keep up with the ball. He dives after the ball, catching it in the corner of the end zone to win the game 31-28. Palmer celebrates in the owner's box, while Coach Heath takes a big sigh of relief.
Gauntlet - Week 9
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
B.D. Wong .... Dr. Clifford Chen
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Clancy Brown .... Ted Watros
During the ninth game of the season, Memphis Pharaohs' quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is hit hard in the head and taken to the bench to be tested for a concussion. The Pharaohs have a 3 point lead over the Detroit Diesels in the second quarter at the time of the injury. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) sends backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) into the game with the instruction to avoid mistakes and keep handing the ball off to star rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson). They don't want a repeat of his pick-six from the last game.
On the sidelines team physician Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) puts Collins through a concussion protocol test. Collins is clearly out of it and is having trouble successfully answering Dr. Chen's questions. Collins knows he is concussed, but asks Chen to tell them he is good to go so that he can get back out onto the field. Chen tells him that would be unethical, but Collins tells him not to give him that pitch. After all, Chen cleared Lincoln Tatum to play when his knee was clearly in no condition to be playing. Dr. Chen informs Coach Heath that Collins does not have a concussion and is cleared to return to the game.
Collins returns to the field to the roar of the home town crowd. His girlfriend, Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) watches from the owners box with Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts). Matthews tells Palmer that the team's recent success bodes well for the stadium bond measure that is set to be voted on by the city council after the season. She is confident that she can convince the council to vote in his favor if the team performs well the rest of the season and goes on a nice playoff run, and of course if Palmer provides a hefty contribution to her bid for Governor of Tennessee.
Collins is clearly slow off the snap. He drops back and takes another hard hit to the head and fumbles the ball. A Detroit defender recovers the ball and takes it into the end zone for a touchdown. Following the play, Collins' vision is blurry. He starts jogging toward the wrong sideline and has to be directed to the other sideline by one of the officials. Coach Heath feels he has no choice but to pull Collins out of the game.
After the game, the media is in an uproar over Collins' obvious concussion. In a post-game interview, Coach Heath chalks up the team's loss to Detroit due to losing momentum after they had to take Collins out of the game. When questioned about why Collins re-entered the game following the first hit to the head, Heath tells the reporters that the medical staff informed him that Collins had passed the concussion protocol with no red flags.
Coach Heath and Leonard Palmer are called in to the AFA league offices in New York City to meet with the league's Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown). He informs them both that the league will be conducting an investigation into team's handling of Tim Collins' head injury. After the meeting, Heath and Palmer discuss the situation in the lobby. Palmer wants to know what happened, and Heath tells him that Dr. Chen told him he was cleared to play. Palmer says that he hopes the league ends up with the same findings and suggests they consider preemptively firing Chen to garner favor with Commissioner Watros. If they fire the doctor responsible, maybe the league won't fine the team or take away any draft picks. Heath doesn't like the idea of firing the team's primary physician this late into the season, but says he'll consider it and let him know what he decides.
Collins sits in bed with Sharon Matthews. He tells her that he isn't sure how many more big hits he can take any more. She tells him that he could always retire. He's had a long successful career and should have no problem getting a job in broadcasting as so many other former players do. He says that he isn't necessarily sure he wants to spend the rest of his life surrounded by football. Matthews then mentions the idea that Collins could potentially run for Mayor of Memphis, taking her spot if she is elected as Governor next year. As she kisses him, she jokes that he'd surely have her endorsement.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
B.D. Wong .... Dr. Clifford Chen
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Clancy Brown .... Ted Watros
During the ninth game of the season, Memphis Pharaohs' quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is hit hard in the head and taken to the bench to be tested for a concussion. The Pharaohs have a 3 point lead over the Detroit Diesels in the second quarter at the time of the injury. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) sends backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) into the game with the instruction to avoid mistakes and keep handing the ball off to star rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson). They don't want a repeat of his pick-six from the last game.
On the sidelines team physician Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) puts Collins through a concussion protocol test. Collins is clearly out of it and is having trouble successfully answering Dr. Chen's questions. Collins knows he is concussed, but asks Chen to tell them he is good to go so that he can get back out onto the field. Chen tells him that would be unethical, but Collins tells him not to give him that pitch. After all, Chen cleared Lincoln Tatum to play when his knee was clearly in no condition to be playing. Dr. Chen informs Coach Heath that Collins does not have a concussion and is cleared to return to the game.
Collins returns to the field to the roar of the home town crowd. His girlfriend, Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) watches from the owners box with Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts). Matthews tells Palmer that the team's recent success bodes well for the stadium bond measure that is set to be voted on by the city council after the season. She is confident that she can convince the council to vote in his favor if the team performs well the rest of the season and goes on a nice playoff run, and of course if Palmer provides a hefty contribution to her bid for Governor of Tennessee.
Collins is clearly slow off the snap. He drops back and takes another hard hit to the head and fumbles the ball. A Detroit defender recovers the ball and takes it into the end zone for a touchdown. Following the play, Collins' vision is blurry. He starts jogging toward the wrong sideline and has to be directed to the other sideline by one of the officials. Coach Heath feels he has no choice but to pull Collins out of the game.
After the game, the media is in an uproar over Collins' obvious concussion. In a post-game interview, Coach Heath chalks up the team's loss to Detroit due to losing momentum after they had to take Collins out of the game. When questioned about why Collins re-entered the game following the first hit to the head, Heath tells the reporters that the medical staff informed him that Collins had passed the concussion protocol with no red flags.
Coach Heath and Leonard Palmer are called in to the AFA league offices in New York City to meet with the league's Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown). He informs them both that the league will be conducting an investigation into team's handling of Tim Collins' head injury. After the meeting, Heath and Palmer discuss the situation in the lobby. Palmer wants to know what happened, and Heath tells him that Dr. Chen told him he was cleared to play. Palmer says that he hopes the league ends up with the same findings and suggests they consider preemptively firing Chen to garner favor with Commissioner Watros. If they fire the doctor responsible, maybe the league won't fine the team or take away any draft picks. Heath doesn't like the idea of firing the team's primary physician this late into the season, but says he'll consider it and let him know what he decides.
Collins sits in bed with Sharon Matthews. He tells her that he isn't sure how many more big hits he can take any more. She tells him that he could always retire. He's had a long successful career and should have no problem getting a job in broadcasting as so many other former players do. He says that he isn't necessarily sure he wants to spend the rest of his life surrounded by football. Matthews then mentions the idea that Collins could potentially run for Mayor of Memphis, taking her spot if she is elected as Governor next year. As she kisses him, she jokes that he'd surely have her endorsement.
Gauntlet - Week 10
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
John David Washington .... Lincoln Tatum
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
B.D. Wong .... Dr. Clifford Chen
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Clancy Brown .... Ted Watros
Charles Melton .... Jeremy
AFA Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown) announces at a press conference that the Memphis Pharaohs have been fined and will have to forfeit a 2nd round draft pick after the league has found that the team violated the league's concussion protocol during their last game. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) is watching the press conference in his office. He throws his coffee mug across the room and storms out of the office. He bursts into the medical office and screams at the team doctor, Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong). He yells that Dr. Chen has an hour to have his things packed up and be off the team's property or he'll have security escort him out of the building. Dr. Chen tries to explain that Tim Collins asked him to pass him on the concussion test, but Heath doesn't care. Dr. Chen's actions have now cost him a valuable draft pick and has potentially cost his starting quarterback the rest of the season due to further injury. Dr. Chen begins packing up his things, but Coach Heath has security escort him out of the building anyways.
Coach Heath meets with the team and tells them that Collins will be away from the team this week recovering from his concussion, but that he will be put through the concussion protocol again later in the week before their game in New York against the Americans. Most of the team is bummed, but backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) is quietly jazzed, promising his teammates to bust his ass in practice that week to be ready for New York. Coach Heath pulls Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) aside and tells him that the team is his this week. It's his turn to step up and be a leader for the team. Heath tells him that he'll be a captain for the first time this week, a rare honor for a rookie. Heath looks Thomas in the eye and tells him to make sure it wasn't a mistake. Thomas nods and hits the weight room.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is laying in bed half-naked with Jeremy (Charles Melton), who is sleeping next to him, when the phone rings. Tatum answers. It's Coach Heath, who asks if they can meet that week. Tatum agrees to stop by the team facility the next day. Tatum gets out of bed and limps around his house to make breakfast for Jeremy and himself. While Tatum cooks, Jeremy enters the kitchen and holds Tatum.
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is working out at home to try to keep his body ready to play just in case his head is ready in time. Sharon Matthews calls him, but Collins ignores the call to continue working out. After his workout, Collins heads to see his personal doctor, who takes a brain scan, and advises him to sit out at least another week, if not two. Collins doesn't like the suggestion since the team only has two games left to secure their place in the playoffs.
At the team facility, Lincoln Tatum meets with Coach Heath in his office. Heath asks him how the knee is doing, and Tatum says that it's coming along and that he should be all good for the next season, even if he'll probably have to play a veterans minimum deal to prove he's healthy again. Coach Heath tells Tatum that due to the other injuries on the team he is going to have to officially release Tatum from the team so that they can sign someone to help fill in for some of the other injured players. Tatum's face falls. He's never been cut from a team before. Heath explains that as important as Tatum has been for the team the last handful of years, it doesn't make sense to continue to carry his contract on the roster since he's already been ruled out for the rest of the season, plus he's in the last year of his contract. Tatum tells Heath that he understands and that maybe they'll talk again come free agency. Heath shakes Tatum's hand and wishes him luck on his recovery. Tatum goes back home and tells Jeremy that he was cut from the team. Jeremy tries to console Tatum, but Tatum asks to be left alone.
Chase Kearney is impressing people in practice. Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) heads onto the practice field to talk to Coach Heath. Palmer mentions that Kearney is looking sharp out there, which Heath agrees to. Palmer wants Heath to start looking at some of the quarterbacks set for the upcoming draft. He feels that Collins is done and it's time to look toward the future, unless of course he thinks Kearney is the guy to get the job done. The team is 5-4, and will likely need to win at least two of their last three games of the season to earn a playoff berth.
Tim Collins flies to New York with the team Saturday morning. When they land, he is taken to the league offices in Manhattan. Commissioner Watros tells him that one the of the league's approved doctors will be running the concussion test on Collins to see if he will be able to play Sunday. Collins is escorted to an examination room. After the test, the doctor tells the commissioner that Collins is still showing signs of a post-concussive syndrome and is not cleared to play that weekend. Watros personally breaks the news to both Heath and Collins. They are both disappointed, but understand that Collins can't play. Watros reminds Heath that if the team is found to violate the league's concussion protocol again the team will lose a first round pick.
On game day, Tim Collins watches from the sidelines as Jefferson Thomas leads the offense out onto the field as a captain.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
John David Washington .... Lincoln Tatum
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
B.D. Wong .... Dr. Clifford Chen
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Clancy Brown .... Ted Watros
Charles Melton .... Jeremy
AFA Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown) announces at a press conference that the Memphis Pharaohs have been fined and will have to forfeit a 2nd round draft pick after the league has found that the team violated the league's concussion protocol during their last game. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) is watching the press conference in his office. He throws his coffee mug across the room and storms out of the office. He bursts into the medical office and screams at the team doctor, Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong). He yells that Dr. Chen has an hour to have his things packed up and be off the team's property or he'll have security escort him out of the building. Dr. Chen tries to explain that Tim Collins asked him to pass him on the concussion test, but Heath doesn't care. Dr. Chen's actions have now cost him a valuable draft pick and has potentially cost his starting quarterback the rest of the season due to further injury. Dr. Chen begins packing up his things, but Coach Heath has security escort him out of the building anyways.
Coach Heath meets with the team and tells them that Collins will be away from the team this week recovering from his concussion, but that he will be put through the concussion protocol again later in the week before their game in New York against the Americans. Most of the team is bummed, but backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) is quietly jazzed, promising his teammates to bust his ass in practice that week to be ready for New York. Coach Heath pulls Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) aside and tells him that the team is his this week. It's his turn to step up and be a leader for the team. Heath tells him that he'll be a captain for the first time this week, a rare honor for a rookie. Heath looks Thomas in the eye and tells him to make sure it wasn't a mistake. Thomas nods and hits the weight room.
Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) is laying in bed half-naked with Jeremy (Charles Melton), who is sleeping next to him, when the phone rings. Tatum answers. It's Coach Heath, who asks if they can meet that week. Tatum agrees to stop by the team facility the next day. Tatum gets out of bed and limps around his house to make breakfast for Jeremy and himself. While Tatum cooks, Jeremy enters the kitchen and holds Tatum.
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is working out at home to try to keep his body ready to play just in case his head is ready in time. Sharon Matthews calls him, but Collins ignores the call to continue working out. After his workout, Collins heads to see his personal doctor, who takes a brain scan, and advises him to sit out at least another week, if not two. Collins doesn't like the suggestion since the team only has two games left to secure their place in the playoffs.
At the team facility, Lincoln Tatum meets with Coach Heath in his office. Heath asks him how the knee is doing, and Tatum says that it's coming along and that he should be all good for the next season, even if he'll probably have to play a veterans minimum deal to prove he's healthy again. Coach Heath tells Tatum that due to the other injuries on the team he is going to have to officially release Tatum from the team so that they can sign someone to help fill in for some of the other injured players. Tatum's face falls. He's never been cut from a team before. Heath explains that as important as Tatum has been for the team the last handful of years, it doesn't make sense to continue to carry his contract on the roster since he's already been ruled out for the rest of the season, plus he's in the last year of his contract. Tatum tells Heath that he understands and that maybe they'll talk again come free agency. Heath shakes Tatum's hand and wishes him luck on his recovery. Tatum goes back home and tells Jeremy that he was cut from the team. Jeremy tries to console Tatum, but Tatum asks to be left alone.
Chase Kearney is impressing people in practice. Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) heads onto the practice field to talk to Coach Heath. Palmer mentions that Kearney is looking sharp out there, which Heath agrees to. Palmer wants Heath to start looking at some of the quarterbacks set for the upcoming draft. He feels that Collins is done and it's time to look toward the future, unless of course he thinks Kearney is the guy to get the job done. The team is 5-4, and will likely need to win at least two of their last three games of the season to earn a playoff berth.
Tim Collins flies to New York with the team Saturday morning. When they land, he is taken to the league offices in Manhattan. Commissioner Watros tells him that one the of the league's approved doctors will be running the concussion test on Collins to see if he will be able to play Sunday. Collins is escorted to an examination room. After the test, the doctor tells the commissioner that Collins is still showing signs of a post-concussive syndrome and is not cleared to play that weekend. Watros personally breaks the news to both Heath and Collins. They are both disappointed, but understand that Collins can't play. Watros reminds Heath that if the team is found to violate the league's concussion protocol again the team will lose a first round pick.
On game day, Tim Collins watches from the sidelines as Jefferson Thomas leads the offense out onto the field as a captain.
Gauntlet - Week 11
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) watches from the sidelines, disappointed by his team's struggles on the field. Backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) fumbles a snap, leading to an easy score for the Americans. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) throws his headset down in disgust. Running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is frustrated. He looks up at the scoreboard, showing that the Memphis Pharaohs are down by 10 to the New York Americans with four minutes left of the game.
Memphis gets the ball back. In the huddle, Kearney starts giving everyone the playcall, but Thomas tells him to shut up. He tells Kearney to get him the ball by any means necessary. If they're going to get back into the game, he's going to do it himself. On the first play, Kearney hands the ball off to Thomas on a counter that Thomas takes 16 yards for the first down. Coach Heath screams at Thomas to come over to him. Heath demands to know why the play was changed. Thomas looks Heath square in the eyes and tells him he wants the ball. Heath gives Thomas the playcall and sends him back to the huddle.
Jefferson Thomas leads the team down field, getting the ball on every single play. Even after the Americans have figured out that Thomas is going to get the ball every time, they are still having trouble stopping him. Thomas runs the ball in for a touchdown. Coach Heath decides to go four the two-point conversion so that if they get the ball back a field goal will win the game. The announcers are baffled by the move since if they simply took the PAT, a successful field goal would guarantee over time. Heath's assistants look at him and ask if he's sure about the call. Heath reminds everyone that they play football to win, not to tie. The two-point conversion is successful off of a direct snap to Thomas, who runs the ball in.
Down by two, the Pharaohs defense takes the field. Coach Heath tells them they need a stop. If New York gets a first down, the game is over, plain and simple. New York hands the ball off to their running back, who gains five yards. They hand it off again for another 3 yards. It is now 3rd and 2. On the team plane after the game, the Pharaohs sit in silence with their heads down, sullen. The New York Americans managed to get the first down and proceeded to run out the clock to a win.
The Memphis Pharaohs have two games to go with their record now sitting at 5-5. Their chances of making the playoffs are getting slimmer by the week. On the back of the plane, Coach Heath talks to Tim Collins telling him that he needs him to get ready to play as soon as possible. The Pharaohs have a short week, with them playing on Thursday night. Heath tells Collins that they're going to have to make the playoffs if either of them are going to have a job with the team next year.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) watches from the sidelines, disappointed by his team's struggles on the field. Backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) fumbles a snap, leading to an easy score for the Americans. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) throws his headset down in disgust. Running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is frustrated. He looks up at the scoreboard, showing that the Memphis Pharaohs are down by 10 to the New York Americans with four minutes left of the game.
Memphis gets the ball back. In the huddle, Kearney starts giving everyone the playcall, but Thomas tells him to shut up. He tells Kearney to get him the ball by any means necessary. If they're going to get back into the game, he's going to do it himself. On the first play, Kearney hands the ball off to Thomas on a counter that Thomas takes 16 yards for the first down. Coach Heath screams at Thomas to come over to him. Heath demands to know why the play was changed. Thomas looks Heath square in the eyes and tells him he wants the ball. Heath gives Thomas the playcall and sends him back to the huddle.
Jefferson Thomas leads the team down field, getting the ball on every single play. Even after the Americans have figured out that Thomas is going to get the ball every time, they are still having trouble stopping him. Thomas runs the ball in for a touchdown. Coach Heath decides to go four the two-point conversion so that if they get the ball back a field goal will win the game. The announcers are baffled by the move since if they simply took the PAT, a successful field goal would guarantee over time. Heath's assistants look at him and ask if he's sure about the call. Heath reminds everyone that they play football to win, not to tie. The two-point conversion is successful off of a direct snap to Thomas, who runs the ball in.
Down by two, the Pharaohs defense takes the field. Coach Heath tells them they need a stop. If New York gets a first down, the game is over, plain and simple. New York hands the ball off to their running back, who gains five yards. They hand it off again for another 3 yards. It is now 3rd and 2. On the team plane after the game, the Pharaohs sit in silence with their heads down, sullen. The New York Americans managed to get the first down and proceeded to run out the clock to a win.
The Memphis Pharaohs have two games to go with their record now sitting at 5-5. Their chances of making the playoffs are getting slimmer by the week. On the back of the plane, Coach Heath talks to Tim Collins telling him that he needs him to get ready to play as soon as possible. The Pharaohs have a short week, with them playing on Thursday night. Heath tells Collins that they're going to have to make the playoffs if either of them are going to have a job with the team next year.
Gauntlet - Week 12
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham .... Nikki
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is alone at the practice facility working out and throwing balls. He is determined to be ready for the next game no matter what. He receives a phone call from his girlfriend Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that they had plans that evening. Collins profusely apologizes, explaining he lost track of time at the facility. Just as Collins is leaving the facility to meet up with Sharon, Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) pulls up in his car and walks toward the facility. Collins is surprised to see him heading into the training room so late. Thomas explains that he's never made the playoffs at any level of football before. Not in college, and not even in high school. He's always been a good play on a bad team, but since the playoffs are still in reach for the team, Thomas is committed to giving everything he's got to get to the playoffs. Collins pats Thomas on the back and leaves the facility.
Coach Heath (William Fichtner) can't sleep. So he watches game film of their upcoming opponent, the Philadelphia Freedom. He is worried about the game since the Freedom have the best record in the league. Something on the tape suddenly catches his eye, and he rewinds the tape several times to watch the same play. The league doctors give Tim Collins a final concussion test, which he passes this time around, much to the team's relief.
Come game day, there is a lot of nervous energy in the Pharaohs locker room. They all understand that if they lose this game their playoff chances are gone. The team takes the field in Philadelphia to boos from the rowdy Philly crowd. Before their first offensive play, Heath pulls Collins aside and tells him that the Freedom have been playing their safeties deep, so they should be able to run short slant plays frequently. Collins nods his head and heads out to the huddle. Sure enough, the plan works and Collins completes several easy slant passes, leading the team all the way down the field for a touchdown.
The plan works all game long and the Pharaohs shock the AFA world by beating the league leading Philadelphia Freedom 28-17. The players are all celebrating in the locker room, but Coach Heath yells for everyone to stop celebrating. Sure, they won the game, but they are 6-5 and have to win one more game if they want to make the playoffs, so they haven't really won anything yet. He tells everyone to get dressed so they can head to the airport.
That weekend, Coach Heath watches the league's slate of games. Collins avoids watching any of the games, and instead goes out to brunch with Sharon (Saffron Burrows). Thomas, with an entire weekend to fill, gets anxious since his instinct is to go out and party. He invites Nikki (Kat Graham) over and he has sex with her instead of doing drugs and drinking. Afterwards they talk and she tells him that she thought he didn't want to date her anymore. He tells her it was just casual. She gets mad and storms out of his house.
Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) throws a dinner party for the city council to try to help sway the upcoming stadium funding ballot initiative vote in his favor. Mayor Sharon Matthews arrives for the dinner, with Tim Collins as his date. Palmer is surprised to see Collins there. Palmer is careful what to say with Collins there, but is pleased that the city council enjoys getting to have dinner with the team's starting quarterback and thinks that it may work in his favor.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Kat Graham .... Nikki
Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is alone at the practice facility working out and throwing balls. He is determined to be ready for the next game no matter what. He receives a phone call from his girlfriend Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that they had plans that evening. Collins profusely apologizes, explaining he lost track of time at the facility. Just as Collins is leaving the facility to meet up with Sharon, Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) pulls up in his car and walks toward the facility. Collins is surprised to see him heading into the training room so late. Thomas explains that he's never made the playoffs at any level of football before. Not in college, and not even in high school. He's always been a good play on a bad team, but since the playoffs are still in reach for the team, Thomas is committed to giving everything he's got to get to the playoffs. Collins pats Thomas on the back and leaves the facility.
Coach Heath (William Fichtner) can't sleep. So he watches game film of their upcoming opponent, the Philadelphia Freedom. He is worried about the game since the Freedom have the best record in the league. Something on the tape suddenly catches his eye, and he rewinds the tape several times to watch the same play. The league doctors give Tim Collins a final concussion test, which he passes this time around, much to the team's relief.
Come game day, there is a lot of nervous energy in the Pharaohs locker room. They all understand that if they lose this game their playoff chances are gone. The team takes the field in Philadelphia to boos from the rowdy Philly crowd. Before their first offensive play, Heath pulls Collins aside and tells him that the Freedom have been playing their safeties deep, so they should be able to run short slant plays frequently. Collins nods his head and heads out to the huddle. Sure enough, the plan works and Collins completes several easy slant passes, leading the team all the way down the field for a touchdown.
The plan works all game long and the Pharaohs shock the AFA world by beating the league leading Philadelphia Freedom 28-17. The players are all celebrating in the locker room, but Coach Heath yells for everyone to stop celebrating. Sure, they won the game, but they are 6-5 and have to win one more game if they want to make the playoffs, so they haven't really won anything yet. He tells everyone to get dressed so they can head to the airport.
That weekend, Coach Heath watches the league's slate of games. Collins avoids watching any of the games, and instead goes out to brunch with Sharon (Saffron Burrows). Thomas, with an entire weekend to fill, gets anxious since his instinct is to go out and party. He invites Nikki (Kat Graham) over and he has sex with her instead of doing drugs and drinking. Afterwards they talk and she tells him that she thought he didn't want to date her anymore. He tells her it was just casual. She gets mad and storms out of his house.
Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) throws a dinner party for the city council to try to help sway the upcoming stadium funding ballot initiative vote in his favor. Mayor Sharon Matthews arrives for the dinner, with Tim Collins as his date. Palmer is surprised to see Collins there. Palmer is careful what to say with Collins there, but is pleased that the city council enjoys getting to have dinner with the team's starting quarterback and thinks that it may work in his favor.
Gauntlet - Last Week of the Season
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Gaius Charles .... DeSean Jones
Heading into the final game of the season, the Memphis Pharaohs are in a must-win situation. They play the late game this week, so everyone else has already played. A loss will automatically end their season, while a win will send them to the playoffs for the first time in two seasons.
Pharaohs owner sits nervously in the stadium's owners box with Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) and the rest of the city council as his guests. He is desperately hoping for a playoff bid to help his chances of getting the council to vote in favor of providing funding for a new football stadium in the city.
Coach Heath (William Fichtner) gives the team an impassioned speech to charge the team up before they head out onto the field. In the opening huddle of the game, Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) tells the offense that the playoffs look better in person than they do on TV, so let's get there. On the first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) who takes the ball all the way into the end zone for a 68 yard touchdown. The audience goes absolutely ballistic, cheering and screaming.
At halftime, the Pharaohs have a 21-6 lead over the Miami Gators. Heath tells everyone he's happy with how the first half went, but to not let it get to their heads. They are only up by a couple of scores, so the Gators are still in the game.
At the start of the second half, Thomas is about to score another touchdown when a Miami defender surprises him and knocks the ball out of his hand with his helmet. The ball is fumbled out of bounds, so Memphis will retain possession, but the crowd has gone silent and Thomas holds his hand in pain. Heath sends Thomas into the locker room to have his hand examined by the team's new doctors. He sends backup DeSean Jones (Gaius Charles) into the game for now.
With the team's star running back out of the game for now, Coach Heath's play calling gets very pass happy. The Gators defense figures this out and starts blitzing Tim Collins so that he doesn't get very much time to make his throws. Collins throws the ball just before he gets hit. The pass hits Jones on a flat route, and he avoids the defenders all the way into the end zone. Collins is on the ground though, holding his shoulder. He gets up on his own power and heads to the sideline. Heath tells the doctors to check out his shoulder. Collins doesn't want medical attention, he just wants to win the game. Heath asks if Collins can throw a football. Collins grabs a ball on the sideline and throws it, but it is a terrible throw and clearly he's in agony. Heath throws his headset to the ground, destroying it. He tells his assistants to find him a new headset. Collins heads to the locker room as well. The Pharaohs are now without their two best offensive players.
Backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) is called into the game to replace Collins. Heath tells him not to turn the ball over. The Pharaohs lead 31-21, so if they can simply run out the clock for the last couple minutes of the game, they will win this thing. The offense successfully runs out the clock and the Pharaohs win the game, earning their first playoff berth in two years. Heath talks to the team doctors after the game, who tell him that both Thomas and Collins will miss at least the first round of the playoffs with their injuries. Collins separated his shoulder and Thomas broke two bones in his hand. Heath slumps down in the chair in his office and closes his eyes.
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer : Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast:
William Fichtner ….Ken Heath
Josh Duhamel….Tim Collins
Trevor Jackson …. Jefferson Thomas
Eric Roberts .... Leonard Palmer
Saffron Burrows .... Sharon Matthews
Jimmy Tatro .... Chase Kearney
Gaius Charles .... DeSean Jones
Heading into the final game of the season, the Memphis Pharaohs are in a must-win situation. They play the late game this week, so everyone else has already played. A loss will automatically end their season, while a win will send them to the playoffs for the first time in two seasons.
Pharaohs owner sits nervously in the stadium's owners box with Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) and the rest of the city council as his guests. He is desperately hoping for a playoff bid to help his chances of getting the council to vote in favor of providing funding for a new football stadium in the city.
Coach Heath (William Fichtner) gives the team an impassioned speech to charge the team up before they head out onto the field. In the opening huddle of the game, Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) tells the offense that the playoffs look better in person than they do on TV, so let's get there. On the first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) who takes the ball all the way into the end zone for a 68 yard touchdown. The audience goes absolutely ballistic, cheering and screaming.
At halftime, the Pharaohs have a 21-6 lead over the Miami Gators. Heath tells everyone he's happy with how the first half went, but to not let it get to their heads. They are only up by a couple of scores, so the Gators are still in the game.
At the start of the second half, Thomas is about to score another touchdown when a Miami defender surprises him and knocks the ball out of his hand with his helmet. The ball is fumbled out of bounds, so Memphis will retain possession, but the crowd has gone silent and Thomas holds his hand in pain. Heath sends Thomas into the locker room to have his hand examined by the team's new doctors. He sends backup DeSean Jones (Gaius Charles) into the game for now.
With the team's star running back out of the game for now, Coach Heath's play calling gets very pass happy. The Gators defense figures this out and starts blitzing Tim Collins so that he doesn't get very much time to make his throws. Collins throws the ball just before he gets hit. The pass hits Jones on a flat route, and he avoids the defenders all the way into the end zone. Collins is on the ground though, holding his shoulder. He gets up on his own power and heads to the sideline. Heath tells the doctors to check out his shoulder. Collins doesn't want medical attention, he just wants to win the game. Heath asks if Collins can throw a football. Collins grabs a ball on the sideline and throws it, but it is a terrible throw and clearly he's in agony. Heath throws his headset to the ground, destroying it. He tells his assistants to find him a new headset. Collins heads to the locker room as well. The Pharaohs are now without their two best offensive players.
Backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) is called into the game to replace Collins. Heath tells him not to turn the ball over. The Pharaohs lead 31-21, so if they can simply run out the clock for the last couple minutes of the game, they will win this thing. The offense successfully runs out the clock and the Pharaohs win the game, earning their first playoff berth in two years. Heath talks to the team doctors after the game, who tell him that both Thomas and Collins will miss at least the first round of the playoffs with their injuries. Collins separated his shoulder and Thomas broke two bones in his hand. Heath slumps down in the chair in his office and closes his eyes.