Gately's football past: the head deployed like a cowcatcher
The top of his special helmet was like a train’s cowcatcher coming at you. Defenders, pads, helmets, and cleats bounced off the head, often in different directions. And the head was fearless.
Context
The asset put to work. "When they needed yards," the program isolates Gately and fires him head-first — the custom helmet "like a train's cowcatcher," bodies "bounced off the head, often in different directions." The prized body-part is a piece of institutional ordnance, deployed by others for the yardage it can generate. The kid is the equipment; the coaches aim it.