[29th July 2000 – 7:00 PM, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
The game continued in grinding, preseason fashion. The Saints drove down the field against the Tigers' second-team defence—a methodical twelve-play march that ended with a short touchdown run.
[Tigers 0-7 Saints]
~~~
[Q2: 7:20 | Tigers 0-7 Saints | 20yard: 1st & 10]
Brady got back on the field midway through the second quarter after the Saints punted. This time, the drive started better—a seven-yard completion to Hayes, followed by a nine-yard scramble by Foster on second down, earning another first down on the 31-yard line.
"There we go!" Charlie Weis shouted from the sideline. "Keep it moving!"
No longer overthinking, Brady dropped back on first and ten, saw Coles breaking open on a comeback route, and fired. The ball arrived on time, Coles secured it cleanly, turned upfield, and gained twelve yards before being pushed out of bounds.
In the VIP suite, Zoe jumped out of her seat. "He did it! Did you see that? Perfect throw!"
"Sit down, baby," Maya said gently, though she was smiling now, too.
Nathan leaned forward, eyes locked on the field. "He's settling in. Good."
The drive continued. Brady completed three of his next four passes—nothing spectacular, just short completions to move the chains. The Tigers pushed into Saints territory, reaching the thirty-two-yard line before the drive stalled on third and seven. Brady dropped back, went through his progressions, saw nothing open, and took off running.
It wasn't pretty—his long strides ate up ground slowly, and he looked like a newborn giraffe trying to navigate through traffic. But he lowered his shoulder, absorbed a hit from a Saints cornerback, and fought forward for six yards.
[4 &1]
The team chose to kick, ending the offence's stint on the field. The Tigers' kicker—a rookie undrafted free agent named Miguel Santos—trotted onto the field. The snap was clean, the hold was clean, and Santos drilled a forty-nine-yard field goal straight through the uprights.
[Tiger 3-7 Saints]
~~~
Halftime came and went. The Saints extended their lead to 14-3 early in the third quarter with another methodical drive against the Tigers' third-string defence. When Brady returned to the field with eight minutes left in the third quarter, the pressure was building.
"Let's go, TB!" Foster shouted in the huddle. "We need seven here!"
Brady called for a play-action pass designed to attack the Saints' safeties deep. The snap came, Brady faked the handoff convincingly, rolled right, and saw Hayes streaking down the sideline, step-for-step with the cornerback. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the opposing left line backer break free from his man and knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.
He stepped forward, planted his back foot, drew his arm back, snapped his torso, channelling everything he had learned from his QB coach and let it rip. The ball sailed through the humid New Jersey air, spiralling perfectly, dropping into Hayes' outstretched hands at the Saints' fifteen-yard line. Hayes secured it, spun away from the cornerback, and dove into the end zone.
"Touchdown Tigers," The commentator exclaimed as the stadium erupted in joy, no longer polite applause, but actual cheers. The Tigers' sideline exploded, players mobbing Hayes as he jogged back. Brady stood at midfield, hands on his hips, allowing himself a smile as he took in the moment.
[Tigers 10-14 Saits]
~~~
[Q3: 1:50 | Tigers 10-14 Saints | 40yard: 3st & 5]
Brady played one more series in the third quarter—a three-and-out where the Saints' first-team defence came back in and immediately reminded him what real NFL speed looked like. He took a sack on third down, got up slowly, and jogged off the field for the final time as Giovanni Carmazzi took over for the fourth quarter.
---
Final stats for Thomas Brady:
- 9 of 15 passing
- 87 yards
- 1 touchdown
- 0 interceptions
- 1 sack
---
Not spectacular, but neither was it terrible; it was somewhere in between, but it clearly showed what he was capable of. As the clock wound down, the Saints won 21-13 in a game that didn't matter for standings but mattered immensely for roster spots. Generally, the coaching staff was content with what they saw from their respective players.
Well, all except defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who was having a serious talk with his Assistant DC & LB Coach Bob Sutton and Romeo Crennel, the DL coach. All three men knew they were under the most scrutiny this season, having received the most investment in talent. All the drafted targets were met, but their players notably underperformed or struggled to gel as they did in training.
"Tell me what's wrong, and we will address it, but that can't happen again." Rex annoyedly commented as they watched both teams shake hands for a good game. "Kabeer missed a tackle for goodness sake, and did Abraham get tripped before he could make the sack, like how does that even happen?"
"Maybe they were too nervous, it's their first game after all." Bob tried to defend, but that argument didn't seem to convince anyone.
"They just need to do better, period, but it's also hard for them to gel with teammates who won't be here come fall," Romeo stated matter-of-factly. "Still, we need our defensive leaders to step up; otherwise, how will they survive once they enter the first string?"
"Let's analyse the game tonight and find the problem; otherwise, Green Bay will slaughter us," Rex stated matter-of-factly, feeling an urge to fix things now. "Make no mistake, our jobs are on the line to make this work."
~~~
[30th July 2000 – 09:00 AM, Taepyeong-ro, Chung-gu, Seoul, Korea.]
In a conference room on the 40th floor of the Samson Town headquarters, Xavier sat with his legal advisor, David Fisher. He belonged to a New York Law firm named Chace and Fisher, a firm he inherited from his father. His whole family were lawyers, and they had met by chance at one of the events that Peter Schumaster had dragged him to.
The man was good at his job, dubbed the problem solver in the firm for his ability to make the impossible work. Following the not-having-eggs-in-one-basket philosophy, Xavier decided to give the man a chance to earn some of his business. He wasn't left disappointed, as the man had chopped down over 30 submissions from architecture firms to just 5 in a week.
While he was in Europe enjoying soccer, the man met various construction firms and evaluated their feasibility. That's how they now found themselves in Seoul, finalising the project plans with two construction giants.
"As discussed, both Samson C&T and Hyundai E&C will take the lead in this 92,000-seat stadium and the 100,000sq ft HQ + TRAINING CAMPUS BID with local partner Turner construction." Project leader Lee Jae-yung from the Samson group stated as he presented the pre-prepared project proposal from the projector.
Lee Jae-yung tapped the slide changer, switching to a breakdown diagram of the proposed stadium superstructure. Renderings of sweeping steel curves, LED-panel skins, and reinforced support columns filled the screen.
"We have incorporated all requested design elements," he continued. "The retractable roof system, the embedded LED façade, the European-style lower bowl, the split-concourse mezzanine with fan-lounges, and the expanded VIP infrastructure. Capacity holds at 92,418."
David Fisher nodded, hands folded neatly on the conference table. "And the cost?"
Lee clicked to the next slide—three columns with bold Korean, English, and numerical estimates.
"Total projected cost: $1.82 billion USD. Timeline: Thirty-six months from land preparation to operational testing. Overrun risk: Low, due to dual supervision and redundancy built into the supply chain."
Hyundai's representative, Director Jung Min-woo, leaned forward. "Both our companies will run parallel teams to ensure output capacity. Steel procurement has already been negotiated at fixed rates to avoid price volatility. LG's industrial division will provide the LED façade components; they have agreed to prioritise the project if the bid is accepted."
Xavier, dressed in a charcoal suit, didn't respond immediately as he watched the green glowing sphere that would become his stadium. His fingers tapped once—softly—against the table, the only sign he was processing the firehose of information. "Show me the campus," he said finally.
Lee nodded, switching slides again as a sprawling aerial rendering appeared on the projector. The training complex, the HQ tower, the medical wing, the indoor field, the two-tiered staff bunkers, the underground parking, and the outer ring promenade link everything like a sealed ecosystem.
"This," Lee said proudly, "is the proposed Tigers High-Performance Campus. One hundred thousand square feet, with growth capacity up to one hundred and thirty thousand. We included the cryotherapy wing, the altitude chamber, and the underwater treadmills you requested. And the private rehab wing for both player and owner use."
David gave Xavier a small side glance at the last point; he had not asked for the owner's suite. They added that themselves, which was either brilliant or reckless, depending on how their client reacted.
"As for security," Lee continued, "Samsung SDS is prepared to install a tier-four biometric perimeter system. No other sports facility in the world would match it."
Xavier rested his chin lightly on his fist. "And the joint-management structure?" he asked. His voice was calm, almost gentle—yet every man in the room stiffened.
Director Jung cleared his throat. "Hyundai E&C will lead groundworks and structural engineering. Samsung C&T will lead systems integration, roof mechanics, and façade construction. Both companies will maintain veto rights on material substitutions to ensure quality. Turner Construction acts as American compliance overseer and local permit handler."
"Liability?" Xavier asked.
"Shared at twenty-five per cent per company," Jung answered. "You—Apex Ventures Group—hold the remaining twenty-five, with insurance through KB Financial."
A beat of silence lingered as they waited for Xavier's decision. The city skyline glittered behind the panoramic windows, Seoul bustling below like a living circuit board. Xavier finally uncrossed his legs—
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To Be Continued...