The Diaries of the Brothers Carnahan: A NCAA Football 13/14 Dynasty (sort of)

[WVUFan]

Real life has a way of punching you in the gut. When I started my old Fritz Brady dynasty, I didn't expect to meet my wife and start a family. Things like this seems (and are) much less important than others. Now, I find myself wanting to start a new, different dynasty. This one will take a bit of set up before NCAA gets into it.

If I get to the starting point I'm looking for before July, this dynasty will use NCAA 13. Otherwise, it'll be NCAA 14. Either way, I hope you will stick with it until it reaches that point, and I encourage (read: beg) for comments, positive or negative. Thanks for reading in advance.

[WVUFan]

////// LIAM \\\\\\

I was told I threw my first football when I was two years old. I don't remember this, but I know it's true. I've had a football in my hands every day since, it seems.

I first remember throwing footballs to my stepfather, who used to help me learn how to do it properly. We used to spend hours in the backyard practicing. I knew he had other things he had to do, but he never once complained, or pushed me away. He was patient, understanding and encouraging.

After that, I would play catch with my little brother, Grant. Grant's three years younger than I am, and is real bookworm. I was 9, and he 6 when we started throwing around the ole' pigskin. He really didn't seem into it, he had his face in his comic books to really care. I already had a huge football card collection, which Dad encouraged and would help me organize. Don't tell anyone, but he also had a stronger arm at 6 than I did at 9. Don't tell him that, though.

When I was 12, I started little league football, and headed right to quarterback. I took to it immediately; it felt natural to me, like I was born to do it. I was already seeing the field, reading defenses before I really knew what a defense was. My little league coach would tell safties to "read the quarterback's eyes" and so I thought -- if I could fake out the safety by looking one place, then throwing to another, it could let my receiver get open. My coach was more of a fan of defense, and thought a little league quarterback's job was to snap the ball and hand it off, so he actually yelled at me for confusing his safeties.

He yelled at me ONCE for this. My Dad found out about it, and eventually confronted him about it. After that, another coach came in to help with offense and we would up passing alot more.

Grant watched a game, and afterward said I was like Cyclops. I didn't get it at first, but he explained why, and the nickname stuck after that. Hell, anything is better than Liam, which is the most non-quarterback sounding name ever.

After each game, my Dad would sit down and talk about things. It would start out about my performance but we'd always wind up talking about life. He is one of the few people who I can be totally open with. I can tell him anything. Yeah, he's technically my stepfather, but he will always be Dad to me.

[WVUFan]

////// GRANT \\\\\\

I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I am NOT my brother, no matter how much you may wish for it. I do not have his personality. I don't have his "leadership skills". I don't have his "sense of purpose". Comparing Liam to me will only make most of you disappointed, since most of you only care about football.

It's A GAME, people, and a pretty piss poor one at that. In the grand scheme of things, it's two or two and a half hours, one day a week for a few months of a person's whole life. Realistically, most of you that play it will do so for a year or three in high school, then spend the rest of your miserable lives reliving the same few hours of your childhood over and over again. Worst case? IT KILLS YOU. People have died playing it. The rewards don't match the price.

Have you have tried being the little brother of a local football hero? People look at you like you're a freak -- no, a perpetually disappointing freak. That is, if they see you at all. My name isn't Grant, it's "Cyclops' little brother" or "Liam's tag-a-long".

Oh, the Cyclops thing -- I'll tell you about it later. I tried once telling someone who called me "Cyclops' little brother" that in the comics, Cyclops does have a little brother, and his name is Havoc. That's a much cooler nickname than Cyclops, but the guy's eyes had already glazed over due to the fact that I wasn't Liam, looking past me at something much more interesting, I guess. Invisibility is the power of the football hero's sibling, only you can't turn it off.

That's why I retreat into books. There, I can experience TRUE heroism, real drama and great epic stories not defined by a scoreboard. My freedom is found in the adventures of the X-Men; my heroes are not named Montana, Brady or Brees, but Asimov, Bradbury and Heinlein. A throwing arm can only take you to the end zone; my imagination and my books can take me to distant worlds.

My stepfather is a great father -- to Liam. I exist only to waste his money on "useless" things like books. When he seems fit to speak to me he asks why I can't be more like Liam. I may not know who my real father is, but it will never, NEVER be him.

Speaking of Stepdad, I was 9, and I tagged along with him to one of Liam's little league games. Afterward, I sat in the back seat of our car while Liam gushed to him about how great he played, while Stepdad hung on every word. As I listened to my brother's egotistical, self-important blowhard-like speech drone on, I was reminded of the character Cyclops in the X-Men, who had some of those same traits. So, I blurted out, "You're just like Cyclops!". Both Stepdad and Liam suddenly took notice of me, and without knowing who Cyclops is, started going off on me. In desperation of not wanting to get grounded, I amended it by saying that Cyclops was the leader of the X-Men, and he shot laser beams, much like Liam's arm shot lasers for spirals.

They liked that. A lot. I got ice cream, and Liam got a new nickname. Even when I try to insult him, he still comes off like a hero.

[Letalis]

Definitely following. Love the idea so far!

[DucksForever]

Agreed. Sounds good!

[WVUFan]

////// LIAM \\\\\\

It's hard to be a football star.

No, it really is. Yeah, the perks are nice -- I really don't have to study, I seem to make B's no matter if I show up for class or not, people seem to like being around me, and women like me. I personally think it's because I'm just an awesome guy, but football might have something to do with it. But it's not all roses, y'know.

I have to perform. In all manners of that word. I have to play well, all the time. Having a "bad day" doesn't work for me, either on the field or off of it. I have to put up a front in everything I do. There's people I really can't hang with because it lowers my rep, and those I have to hang with, even if I thin, they're dicks. I can't be myself 99% of the time.

There's times I wish I was Grant. No one cares whether he's cool or not, so he doesn't have the level of pressure on him like I do. He acts like he's got such a horrible life, but I make sure no one touches him or picks on him, or they face me. He doesn't have to worry about ... anything.

In any case, I'm a sophomore and this is my second year as started for my football team. I've got a few scouts already looking in on me, so I'm sure as long as I don't break or get broke I'm gonna get a full ride to some school, probably have my choice of schools. I'm in Ohio, so obviously I want to play for Ohio State, but hell, I'll play for Michigan if they offer and OSU doesn't. I'll play for Southeastern Northern Michigan State if it means I get a ride to college. I'll make due with what I can get, but I figure I'm gonna have my choice. That is, as long as my team plays to the level I expect them to.
My line last year needed their *** kicked. All they have to do is block. They don't have to pre-read before the snap, they don't have to have the responsibility to hold the ball and control it every single down on offense. They don't have to constantly read defenses while at the same time looking around for a defensive linemen twice my size. I have a responsibility far, far greater than the fat lummoxes on the offensive line, and I can't do my job if they can't be bothered to do theirs.

I can't play all the positions on the field, after all, although it feels like I have to sometimes.

Jesus, Grant has it easy.

[WWF80sKid]

Keep it up man. I like the two character route. I have always kept up with all your others. I can't wait for an update.