[Background Music]
[Distant Scenes of Players Warming Up]
NARRATOR: Two hundred years ago, the American colonies rose up in revolution against their English masters. Now, the roles are reversed, and it's a different kind of revolution.
[Players performing starjumps]
NARRATOR: One fought not with muskets, but with x's and o's.
[Head Coach KC Beckam examines a board with strategies, adds several lines with a thick marker]
BECKAM: Tiger-shoot-left-45-zee, let's see if they can pick it up tomorrow.
[Cue to the practice field]
QUARTERBACK MITCH BLUNDIN: Right, the play is tiger-shoot-left-45-zee, on three. [Claps hands]. Leggo!
[Blundin stands behind centre, calling the play]
BLUNDIN: Tiger! Shoot! Tiger tiger! Aw shit! [Editor's note: edit swearing in final release]
[Blundin drops the snap and the defense recovers, KC Beckam throws clipboard to the ground]
BECKAM: Aw goddamit Mitch!
NARRATOR: The revolution may take some time to ferment, but there seems little doubt that the Monarchs plan on being the Kings of the National Football League one day.
[Closeup to General Manager Jack Hayden, sitting in his office]
HAYDEN: We've been dealt a tough assignment this year but we're confident of finishing the season with at least 2 wins. It will take us a while to build a quality NFL roster but we're confident of bringing success to this side of the Atlantic.
[Close out with music, transition to next scene in Mexico City...]
=====
MONARCHS WIN!
Eagles falter in final drive
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The London Monarchs struck a blow against the critics of the newly-internationalised National Football League by winning their first ever game in franchise history, upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium 17-16.
Trailing 16-3 in the final quarter, the first Monarchs touchdown was scored by running back Tom Brennan on a 5 yard rush. The London team then took the lead with an interception return touchdown by cornerback Ray Jenkins.
The Eagles had their chances to win, missing a 43 yard field goal, and then turning the ball over on downs during their final drive. Philadelphia's notorious fans booed the team off the field, irate that they lost to a bunch of scrubs.
Earlier in the day, the Washington Redskins beat Barcelona Dragons 42-10 in the first NFL game played outside of the United States. Joe Thiesmann threw for 421 yards and 4 touchdowns. Fellow expansion brothers Toronto Huskies lost their home opener 27-17 to Cincinnati. Two other expansion teams got a maiden win in their first outing: Seattle beat Green Bay 31-14 at home, while Tampa Bay beat Mexico City 27-10.
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Excerpt from Head Coach KC Beckam press conference at RFK Stadium, September 19 1976:
REPORTER: What were the positives of today's loss, Coach?
BECKAM: Nobody got killed. That's a positive, I suppose.
REPORTER: The rushing game?
BECKAM: Diabolical. We can't rush at all. Eleven yards? That's generous from the statisticians.
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Everything from this point on is non-canon - as explained in a future post, I failed to save the game after Week 2 of the 1976 season, and essentially lost a whole season of writing. I don't feel like deleting everything though, so will put the "lost game reports" from 1976 into its own threads and start afresh in 1977. Hope this suits!
__________________
Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep, will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak'd, I cried to dream again.
Last edited by Rawhide : 03-23-2015 at 05:39 AM.
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