Chapter 79 78: Immense Pressure
After picking the players, Joe turned and left. No grand speeches, no special instructions—just a simple "Do your best," and then he strode away, leaving the seven players to look at each other in bewilderment.
Lu Ke looked up, sizing up the six teammates beside him.
The three members of the Offense Line were right tackle Anthony Castonzo from Boston University, left guard Clint Boling from the University of Georgia, and center Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
The three receivers were Tight End Logan Newman from UCLA, Wide Receiver Jeremy Kerley from Texas Christian University, and Wide Receiver Julio Jones from the University of Alabama.
In the football draft process, a player's university background is crucial because coaches and scouts need to use past performance and track records to distinguish whether a target is a "system player" or an "ability player."
A so-called system player is one whose success is primarily due to the coaching staff's tactics, while their individual ability is relatively average. An ability player, on the other hand, is different; even if the opponent reads the play, even if the tactics are neutralized, they can still use their own skills to break through. That's why a player's college coach and performance are so vital.
But that was limited to the draft. In a training camp, a player's university background was secondary. The coaches made their selections randomly, based entirely on the tests and impressions from the last two and a half days. And so, by chance, Lu Ke and Logan were reunited. 'Is this... a good thing?'
DING. The sound rang out in his mind again. The special mission had been updated. The "Mission Requirements" section had changed, with the key parts highlighted in red: "Passing yards: over fifty. Completion percentage: sixty percent. Target: Wide Receiver Julio Jones, at least three successful connections. Opponent to defeat: cornerback Richard Sherman, at least two successful passes."
In other words, out of ten offensive downs, Lu Ke had to throw to Julio at least three times, and all of them had to be successful completions. He also had to beat Richard Sherman twice, having a Wide Receiver or Tight End make a catch right over Sherman's head. Even if Lu Ke wanted to make full use of his chemistry with Logan, his options were severely limited.
Furthermore, his completion percentage had to be sixty percent, leaving room for only four failures. His total passing yards had to be over fifty. If all ten passes were successful, that meant an average of five yards per pass. Any single mistake would cause a chain reaction of consequences.
Lu Ke was starting to miss his first special mission. This one wasn't just difficult—it was downright draconian!
Looking up, Lu Ke could see the worry and doubt in the eyes of his temporary teammates—except for Logan and Julio. It was not an unfamiliar look. He'd been surrounded by similar gazes before the Rookie Training Camp officially started, and again after yesterday's physical tests.
In competitive sports, being humble, modest, or self-deprecating wouldn't help. Lu Ke had no intention of being any of those things. He took a deep breath, clapped his hands decisively to pump himself up, and then called his temporary teammates into a huddle. "Alright, let's talk. Tell me everyone's favorite routes to run. Of course, if anyone is good at all of them, now's the time to speak up! Give me some good news, people. I mean, right now!"
Confident and calm, the simple joke instantly eased a lot of the tension. Smiles appeared in their eyes. Logan shot back with a question, "Isn't everyone good at all the routes? Or are there some specific routes you're good at throwing that you need to tell us about?"
This back-and-forth made everyone laugh, relaxing them. The ensuing conversation flowed much more smoothly. It was a positive start.
The groups were quickly finalized. Without any further delay, the scrimmage got right down to business. The very first matchup immediately drew everyone's attention: Cam Newton versus JJ Watt!
Both players were among this year's most-watched rookies, and both were widely expected to be top-ten picks in the first round. A head-to-head clash between the two of them easily captured every eye in the place.
Without any more talk, the ten-down series officially began.
The Defense Team led by Watt sent four players on a blitz, leaving three to cover the backfield, meeting Cam head-on with powerful pressure. Faced with a rapidly collapsing pocket, Cam remained unhurried and composed. At the last second, he used his legs to escape the defense and run into open space. Instead of passing, he scrambled himself, ultimately gaining an impressive eleven yards!
On the very first down, Cam put on a brilliant display. Facing the strategy designed to stop him, Cam remained cool under pressure and correctly chose a weapon from his own arsenal to lead the offense downfield. It was the kind of stellar performance worthy of a Heisman Trophy winner!
The next nine downs were much the same.
Cam ran and passed, completely opening up the field and once again showcasing the dominant form he had displayed all season, consistently and relentlessly moving the chains. But the Defense Team was no pushover. They blitzed, played man-to-man, and blanketed the field. Facing the strongest contender for the number one pick, Watt managed to secure one sack, while the defensive backs broke up two passes. Their performance was just as impressive!
In the end, Cam attempted six passes, gaining a total of sixty-one yards. Twenty-nine of those yards came from passing, and thirty-two from running. He had once again undeniably proven his talent and ability!
After the tenth down was complete, Cam stretched his arms out straight, angled slightly away from his body and back, as if he were Superman taking flight. He roared, screamed, and vented, his king-of-the-world aura and arrogance on full display. It was as if he were declaring to everyone at the training camp: he, Cam Newton, was the one and only choice for the number one draft pick!
After leaving the field, Cam shot Lu Ke a meaningful glance. The half-smile on his face was truly thought-provoking. He then casually looked away, celebrating with his Auburn University teammates, exchanging high-fives and words of encouragement. It was like they were back in their winning streak mode from the NCAA season!
With an absolute victory, it was like standing at the summit, looking down on everything else; everyone else suddenly seemed insignificant. You could call it arrogance, or you could call it being unbeatable.
Lu Ke, however, had no time to pay attention to Cam, because he was already feeling a suffocating pressure. Looking at Cam's stats—a fifty percent completion rate (three successful passes out of six) and twenty-nine passing yards—it meant the special mission would have been a failure. And it wasn't just Cam; the subsequent scrimmages proved the same point.
One quarterback failed on five consecutive downs, his confidence almost completely shattered. He managed two completions in the next five downs for a paltry thirteen yards—a truly terrible performance. Another quarterback had a very high completion rate, succeeding on nine of his ten throws and spreading the ball around, but they were all short passes, and his total yardage was only forty-one. Yet another quarterback, after two successful passes, tried a deep ball on his third attempt and was immediately intercepted, ending his scrimmage.
Scott Torsin also took the field before Lu Ke. He had a fifty percent completion rate and advanced the ball thirty-six yards. The most brutal part was that his five failed passes weren't because of a sack or a dropped ball by the receiver; all of them were because his throws were off-target, making them uncatchable.
The difficulty of the special mission was becoming clearer and clearer. The pressure on his shoulders grew heavier and heavier.
"Next group!"
Lu Ke and the others exchanged glances. It was their turn. They then filed onto the field at the twenty-yard line on the right side. The Defense Team at the other end finally came into view:
Standing prominently on the Defense Line was another top prospect for this year's number one pick: Von Miller!
He was a linebacker who had been named an All-American for two consecutive years, with an exceptionally outstanding ability to sack the quarterback and a completely dominant presence on the Defense Team. His reputation and skill were considered even a cut above JJ Watt's. Many experts and scouts believed he could go head-to-head with Cam Newton for this year's top pick.
The presence of Von Miller alone was enough to put Lu Ke's entire Offense Line on high alert. What's more, this was a seven-on-seven drill, meaning the Defense Team could easily use a four-three blitz formation to apply even more pressure on the quarterback. Miller's blitzing prowess would be on full display.
Just as everyone's eyes were fixed on Von, Lu Ke noticed another gaze, one full of contempt and disdain: Richard Sherman.
That look, full of bloodlust and violence, was completely undisguised. The stare alone felt like it was tearing Lu Ke to pieces—and in the manner of a slow, torturous execution. Pure violence, pure bloodlust, pure provocation, pure savagery. Even before the matchup began, the air was already crackling with the primal aura of a wild beast.
Although Lu Ke still had no idea what Richard Sherman's problem was, he could be certain of one thing: Sherman was ready for a slaughter.
On one hand, he had to deal with Von Miller. On the other, he had to defeat Richard Sherman.
Lu Ke straightened his back and shot Richard a contemptuous glance. The disdain in his eyes was a provocation in itself. No fists were needed, yet they had already drawn first blood in their initial clash. Then, without sparing Richard another thought, Lu Ke began to discuss the first-down play with his temporary teammates.
Both sides were ready. Lu Ke called for the snap, took the football in his hands, and quickly dropped back, raising his head to look for Logan. For the first pass, he needed to build confidence and open up the field; Logan was still his best option. But his eyes only had time to catch a glimpse of Logan's back before he saw Von Miller lunging at him like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey—fierce and brutal.
Von's speed was simply too fast. It all happened in the blink of an eye. A second? It felt like less than a second. Lu Ke was still in his backpedal when he felt a massive impact. Just like that, he was easily sacked.
He didn't stand a chance.