Gauntlet 2.11 - Trade Deadline

Gauntlet : Trade Deadline
Genre : Sports / Drama
Showrunner: Antoine Fuqua
Writer : Matt Parker

Cast: William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Trevor Jackson, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Eric Roberts, Saffron Burrows, Kat Graham, William Sadler, Dana Delany, Brock Lesnar and Jaimie Alexander

Plot: The Pharaohs head to the home locker room after a shootout loss, 42-35, to the San Francisco Storm where the Pharaohs give up several big plays to the Storm quarterback due to their lack of an effective pass rush. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) chews out the team for giving up that many points to the Storm. Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) tries going over some key plays with Alex Wright (Patrick Schwarzenegger), but Wright seems disinterested. Collins asks what's the matter, and Wright asks if they can wait until Tuesday to start going over everything he did wrong. Collins tries to explain that it isn't just about pointing out mistakes. Wright gets up and leaves the locker room.

Coach Heath meets with the team's owner, Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts). Palmer tells Heath that the team needs to make a move to bring in some defensive help if they're going to make it to the playoffs. Palmer says that more and more teams are going to expose their lack of a pass rush unless they make a move or two to try to shore it up for the playoff push. Heath says he isn't too worried about the playoffs right now with the team's record at 4-2, but Palmer interrupts him. He says that he isn't asking Heath to do something, he's telling him to do something. Heath nods and leaves the office.

Tim Collins is at Sharon Matthews' campaign headquarters with her awaiting the results of the Tennessee governor votes to come in. After they announce her victory, every one present celebrates with champagne. The television pundits say that they believe Matthews got a boost in the polls due to her relationship with longtime Memphis Pharaohs quarterback Tim Collins. This angers Sharon and she turns off the television. The mood in the room gets tense, so Collins tries to make a joke about hoping that his relationship with a governor-elect will help him get a championship ring.

At his house, Alex Wright expresses surprise to his mother Trudy (Dana Delaney) that she and his father haven't gone back home to California yet. She seems uncomfortable with the question and calls Alex's father Marvin (William Sadler) over to sit down and talk with Alex. Alex asks his father why he doesn't have to be home to coach his team, and Marvin says he retired before the start of the season, but didn't want to make a big deal about it. His team won the district championship the year before, so he decided to go out on a high note. Marvin then announces that he is going out to pick some thing up from the store. Trudy confides in Alex that Marvin was fired from the school after a scandal where it turned out that Marvin intimidated teachers into changing the grades of his players to make sure they were academically eligible to play. Alex is shocked, and Trudy says that winning is really all that Marvin has ever cared about and seems lost without a team to coach.

Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) is at home with his pregnant girlfriend Nikki (Kat Graham). They are watching television when Thomas excuses himself to go to the restroom. He pulls out a little bag of cocaine from behind the bathroom mirror and stares at it for a bit. Thomas then does a quick bump of cocaine. Nikki asks if everything is alright in the restroom, and Thomas says he'll be out in a minute.

Coach Heath is on the phones with the General Managers of the other teams in the league trying to work out a deal for a game changing defensive player. Heath finally gets the GM of the Chicago Crusaders interested in a deal for their aging, but still productive star Defensive End Herc Mueller. Heath offers a 4th round pick, but Chicago isn't interested, so Heath ups the offer to a 3rd round pick to make the deal happen.

At a press conference, Coach Heath and owner Leonard Palmer introduce the intimidating Herc Mueller (Brock Lesnar) at a press conference. Heath says that with Herc chasing after the opposing quarterbacks there shouldn't be any repeats of the game against the Storm. Natalie Cornish (Jaimie Alexander) asks if the team has any problem with Herc's history of anger management issues. Heath starts answering the question, but Herc interrupts saying that he has taken all the classes the league has requested and he plans on leaving all his aggression out on the football field on Sunday when he sets his sights on the quarterback of the Detroit Diesels.