Still, the guy had a persona. In a side story, Vangazi on the street were interviewed with their thoughts on the QB. Of course, many comments talked about Bundison as 'a joke', 'unfit to QB', 'a good backup' or other similar ways. There were still some who believed, in a way that almost seemed shocking.
"Bundison's a good guy", said Jonas Brontk, a 47 year old bus driver in Emeros, Vangaziland. "He'll take them into the playoffs. Maybe not this year, but he might. I can't say he can't."
"Of course Bundison can take the National Team to the finals. Isn't he the best?" A 24 year old school teacher seemed too trusting of Bundison, saying, "He says he's the best. I once saw him throw four touchdowns in one game!" She started to blush, noted the interviewer/writer.
The story was written in the nation's capital, but Bundison played professionally in a rival city to the North. Seeing Emeros residents supporting the controversial QB said good things for the Vannish footballer's rep nationally.
It wasn't only Tom & Jane on the street that had caught Bundison Fever.
A new footwear company was coming up in Vangaziland. It would be based around gear for the national teams, especially when cleats were required. They planned to get into basketball shoes as well, just because that was the most profitable market in Vannish sports. Field sports would be their niche.
They needed a star. A name. They talked to Iskar Bundison, former Coach at Blue Coast University and long since retired. He'd been looking to invest and had turned down several other pitches. The footwear company approached Iskar with the chance to invest in a product that would reach national athletes. Graphs showed Vangaziland was set to enter teams in sports from the World Bowl to fielding it's first baseball and World Cup teams. The cleat market was set to grow 'a dozen fold'.
Iskar wanted his nephew Dan to headline. He was a pro QB, at least, of sorts. He was known for giving pre-game hangover ratings to the interns sent to cover Vannish Pro football. If he gave a rating under 5, he had higher chances of victory.
The company had concerns. Dan would have to clean up his act. He'd also have to make the national team. The company decided if Iskar could donate over a certain percentage and Dan could start on the World Bowl team, they'd name the company after his family. If anything, Dan Bundison was a rebel. It was that image the company wanted to promote. Most Vangazi athletes were PR artists, giving guarded responses and trying not to stir up too many rivalries.
Bundison was loud, brash and... ridiculous. If there was one thing Bundison could do, he could sell shoes.
Bundi's Ten was the company's headline product. It was available in red, 'gridiron purple' seen on the uniform, 'Vannish Purple' as seen on the flag, black and white. Lower material around the sole is metallic under a glossy iridescence.
The shoe would make it's first appearance against Qasden, a team ranked 48th. It would be Vangaziland's first chance to take a win as an underdog. After losing to an unranked peer, the need for an underdog victory was magnified. This would be Dan's best chance to stand up.
Matchday 2 would be chalked up to several factors for the Vangazi's behalf. Penalties hurt the team on both sides of the field. How could they focus? What would make the team work together better as a unit? Could the O-line knuckle down and not give up space off finesse moves?
There was still the issue of the slow CBs. Run blocking seemed to go well, pass blocking had been terrible. The TE's have not been targeted for a pass once. That leads to the elephant in the room. The man blessed with a multi-million dollar cleat deal was not just blind, but stubborn and predictable in his offense.
The coach also didn't seem inclined to make a change at QB. Back when the national team roster was being put together, Iskar Bundison made a contribution of over 1 million NSD to a community league building organization ran by Coach Tillford. The information only came to light because of one journalist's research.
It looks like bribery, but one interview would almost bail the two out. When the first word went out that Tillford was chosen to be the coach, months before the donation or any contact with Iskar, Tillford said he would pick Bundison for the QB role over any other Vannish quarterback. The donation was still controversial, as talk then rose about favoritism or maybe being a reason why the coach seemed to 'take it easy' on Bundison.
"I'm not into the drama", said Skog the HB. "That stuff is all just Dan. He doesn't represent the team or anything. He's just our crazy Q.B.. We stick by him. That D-line was pretty aggressive, last game. Let's see what he'll do if he can get a bit more comfortable in the pocket."
"Don't count Bundison out, that's all I'm saying", said Coach Tillford. "He gives us the best chance to win. Our team still has to develop in a few areas. While we are, Dan is at the helm, taking control.... Developing the players. It's about the intangibles too. So he's perfect for this team."
After that particular interview, the Coach drove away in a 2017 Vannish Motors Roland luxury sedan. The same factfinder article found out he bought the $58,000 NSD car days after the million dollar donation was made.
The coach said it was a coincidence, that he had been saving, but the donation meant his company was doing better and that now he could spend on that new car. The company runs leagues for all ages in towns across Vangaziland. It's still in a start up phase. One million will go a long way when the main expenses are permits and 800 dollar orders for 8 team's uniforms, each season, each league.
Now Tillford could go into smaller towns. Still, that little boost could be seen as bribery as well. Especially when a better QB seemed to sit on the bench.
The Vangazi would prep for Qasden with mixed expectations.
