There's a scene early in this year's "Last Chance U" documentary on Netflix where quarterback Malik Henry walks up to the Independence (Kan.) Community College head coach in the middle of the first game and says, "Let me call the plays."
The very first game of the season. His very first game as a starting college quarterback. And my man is telling the play-calling head coach (who is a tough-to-love character in his own right) that he should be the offensive coordinator instead.
Oh, Malik.
This is just the first of many scenes in the eight-part series where Henry is seemingly in open revolt against the head coach, Jason Brown, who doesn't exactly command respect from the former five-star, super-duper Florida State signee.
There are too many instances to list here. You'll have to take my word for it or watch the series. I binge-watched it like I have the previous two seasons (it's becoming my annual July tradition) and found the Henry dynamic utterly fascinating.
Because I can't, for the life of me, figure out how Jimbo Fisher ever thought it was going to work for him and that guy at Florida State.
Imagine, just for an instance, that kind of scene playing out on a Florida State sideline in, say, 2016.
The Jimbo Fisher offense is in the middle of a crisp, efficient, 14-play, 33-yard drive on the opening series of the half. The Seminoles burn their final timeout before a critical third-down play. Henry comes over to talk to Fisher. After the head coach is done screaming at receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey, he turns his attention to the annoyed quarterback, who tells Fisher, "Let me call the plays."
Just. Imagine. That. Scene.
Jimbo might have legitimately donkey-kicked him. For real.
Like I know that sounds like a joke, but you can't convince me there's no chance that would have been his reaction. That there's absolutely no way he would have leaned down (maybe like he dropped his play sheet?), put his hands on the ground and, in one quick thrust, shot his legs backward into his quarterback's chest.
In reality, Jimbo probably would have handled it a little more calmly. He'd probably just rip the facemask off of Henry's helmet. Or scream so loudly that every high school in the country (and Henry attended most of them) would have heard it.
So probably no donkey kick. Fine.
But there would have been an immediate and visceral reaction. And it would have been an ugly scene.
That was easily my biggest takeaway after watching this season's "Last Chance U" -- which starred a former Florida State quarterback for a third straight season (a record that will never be broken!). After watching how Henry interacts with teammates, opponents, referees, coaches, trainers, teachers, whoever, I can't fathom how Fisher imagined his time in Tallahassee was going to go.
He knew all the red flags. He'd been recruiting Henry for three years.
It's not like Fisher just throws out offers all willy-nilly to anyone with some arm talent. He does his homework. He talks to coaches. He talks to people around the kid. When asked about recruiting quarterbacks, Jimbo has always made a point to say how a QB has to be a leader, how he has to command a room, how he has to have a presence.
And yet.
He stuck with the kid who was such a malcontent at his junior college that at one point in the documentary, the head coach tells the backup quarterback to always be ready to play. Why? Because you never know if Henry is going to turn around and throw the ball in the referee's face.
