[3rd September 2000 – 9:10 AM, Fox Sports Studio, Los Angeles]
The familiar theme music of Keeping It Real with Ben Baxter filled the studio as the cameras went live. Ben sat at his curved desk, dressed in a sharp navy suit with a Tigers-orange tie—a deliberate choice that hadn't gone unnoticed by his producers.
"Good morning, football fans!" Ben's voice boomed with genuine excitement. "I'm your host, Ben Baxter, and welcome to the most wonderful time of the year, no, it's not Christmas—It's Week One Of The NFL! The preseason is over, the rosters are set, and today, sixteen games will kick off the 2000 season!"
He gestured to his guest, a familiar face to NFL audiences. "Joining me this morning is former All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison, fresh off retirement and already stepping in as analyst. Rodney, welcome to the show."
"Thanks for having me, Ben," Rodney said, his voice carrying a gravel-edged tone. "I'm Ready to talk some real football, man."
"Real football," Ben echoed with a grin. "Not that preseason nonsense we've been watching for a month. Speaking of which—let's talk about the team everyone's been watching: the New York Tigers." A graphic appeared on the screen behind them:
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NEW YORK TIGERS – PRESEASON RECORD: 2-2
L vs. (Home) New Orleans Saints (13-21)
W vs. (Away) Green Bay Packers (10-24)
L vs. (Away) Baltimore Ravens (17-14)
W vs. (Home) New York Giants (20-14)
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"Two and two," Ben said. "Not great, not terrible. But here's what caught everyone's attention, Rodney—that defence."
"Absolutely," Rodney said, leaning forward. "Game one against the Saints, they looked lost and missed tackles, had blown assignments, and had communication breakdowns. But by game four against the Giants? Different team. Urlacher's flying around making plays, and the other additions are starting to integrate into Rex's system. They're starting to gel and are keeping good teams close, giving their offence room to create."
"And the offence?" Ben prompted.
Rodney grimaced slightly. "Still a work in progress. Vinny Testaverde looked composed in the pocket, didn't panic. But they're thin at receiver, with the rookies still finding their feel for the league. Plus, the offensive line is still finding its identity, and Curtis Martin can't carry them alone."
"Let's talk about the quarterback situation," Ben said, pulling up another graphic showing three headshots:
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TIGERS QB DEPTH CHART:
QB1: Vinny Testaverde
QB2: Giovanni Carmazzi
QB3: Thomas Brady
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"Tom Brady—sixth-rounder out of Michigan—actually secured the QB3 spot," Ben continued. "Nine for fifteen, eighty-seven yards, one touchdown in that Saints game. Then he barely played the rest of the preseason. Rodney, what do we make of this kid?"
Rodney shrugged. "Look, he's a camp arm who got lucky. Played okay in one preseason game against second and third-stringers. That doesn't mean he's ready for real NFL football. If Testaverde goes down, they're in trouble. If Carmazzi goes down, too? Brady's not saving that season."
"Fair assessment," Ben said. "Now, let's do something fun. We're going to predict the Tigers' season using what I'm calling the 'Pyramid of Pain.'"
A large pyramid graphic appeared on screen, divided into five tiers:
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THE PYRAMID OF PAIN:
TIER 5 (Bottom – 0-4 wins): Disaster / Rebuild Mode
TIER 4 (5-7 wins): Disappointing / Growing Pains
TIER 3 (8-9 wins): Competitive / Bubble Team
TIER 2 (10-11 wins): Playoff Contender
TIER 1 (Top – 12+ wins): Championship Threat
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"Alright, Rodney," Ben said, "where do the Tigers land by season's end?"
Rodney studied the pyramid thoughtfully. "I'm going Tier Four—six or seven wins. That defence will keep them in games, but the offence isn't good enough to win consistently. They'll beat bad teams, lose to good teams, and probably split with mediocre teams. A Classic rebuild year."
"I'm slightly more optimistic," Ben countered. "I think they sneak into Tier Three—eight wins. That defence is going to surprise people, and if Testaverde stays healthy, they'll steal a few games they shouldn't win. But playoffs? No way."
"And what about today?" Rodney asked. "Week One. Tigers at Lambeau Field against the Packers. That's a brutal opener."
Ben winced. "Brett Favre, Lambeau Field, the defending NFC Central champs. The Packers are going to boat-race them."
"Agreed," Rodney said. "I'm taking Green Bay by two touchdowns minimum. The Tigers' defence might keep it respectable for a half, but Favre's going to pick apart those rookie corners in the second half."
"Bold prediction time," Ben said, turning to face the camera. "I think the Tigers cover the spread—which is currently Packers by fourteen—but they don't win. Final score: Green Bay 27, Tigers 17."
"I'll take Packers 31, Tigers 10," Rodney said. "Favre throws three touchdowns, Urlacher gets his welcome-to-the-NFL moment, and Xavier James starts questioning his life choices by halftime."
Ben laughed. "Speaking of Xavier James—our twenty-one-year-old billionaire owner was spotted back in the states two weeks ago, so it's safe to say he will be in attendance at Lambeau Field to watch his ship sink in person."
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The screen shifted to show the full slate of Sunday games:
WEEK 1 – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2000
Arizona at NY Giants, 1:00 PM
Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM
Carolina at Washington, 1:00 PM
Chicago at Minnesota, 1:00 PM
Detroit at New Orleans, 1:00 PM
Indianapolis at Kansas City, 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Cleveland, 1:00 PM
San Francisco at Atlanta, 1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at New England, 1:00 PM
Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:05 PM
NY Tigers at Green Bay, 4:15 PM
San Diego at Oakland, 4:15 PM
Seattle at Miami, 4:15 PM
Tennessee at Buffalo, 8:35 PM
Denver at St. Louis, 9:00 PM (Monday Night Football)
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"Quick picks," Ben said. "Rodney, give me your three upset specials for today."
Rodney didn't hesitate. "Tampa Bay over New England. Tennessee over Buffalo. San Francisco over Atlanta."
"I'll take two of those—Bucs and Titans," Ben said. "But I'm going with Jacksonville over Cleveland as my third upset. The Browns are a mess, and the Jags have something to prove after missing the playoffs last year."
"Fair," Rodney conceded. "And your game of the week?"
"Easy," Ben said. "Baltimore at Pittsburgh. Ray Lewis versus Jerome Bettis. That defence versus that offensive line. AFC North football in all its violent glory."
"Can't argue with that," Rodney agreed. "But don't sleep on Giants-Cardinals. Kerry Collins—trying to prove he belongs while the Cardinals try to prove they're not a complete dumpster fire."
Ben grinned. "Alright, folks, we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll preview the Monday Night Football matchup—Denver at St. Louis, Kurt Warner versus the defending champs. You're watching Keeping It Real with Ben Baxter on Fox Sports!"
The camera cut to a commercial. Ben leaned back, loosening his tie slightly as the studio crew reset for the next segment. "You really think the Tigers go eight and eight?" Rodney asked off-camera.
"Honestly?" Ben said. "No, but I get a lot of Tigers' views because I'm the only analyst not completely bashing them outright. Honestly, no matter how it turns out, it will be an entertaining watch for us fans."
"It sure will," Rodney said with a light chuckle. "NFL's a bloodsport, Ben. Doesn't matter how much money you have or how smart you think you are. If your team can't execute on Sundays, you're done."
Ben nodded slowly. "Then I guess we'll find out in about six hours." Somewhere in Wisconsin, the New York Tigers were boarding a bus to Lambeau Field, utterly unaware that most of the football world had already written them off.
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[3rd September 2000 – 3:45 PM, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin]
The historic stadium rose out of the flat Wisconsin landscape like a cathedral dedicated to frozen touchdowns and blue-collar glory. Lambeau Field—where Vince Lombardi had built a dynasty, where the Frozen Tundra became legend, where visiting teams came to suffer.
The Tigers' team bus pulled into the visitors' lot, and the players filed off into the late-afternoon sun. The temperature was pleasant—low seventies, light breeze—but everyone knew that by November, this place would be a frozen hellscape.
Patrick Belichick was the first off the bus, followed by his coaching staff. Rex Ryan stepped onto the asphalt, looked up at the stadium, and grinned. "Alright, boys!" he shouted back at the players. "This is Lambeau! No better place than this to get a taste of the new NFL season!"
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To Be Continued...