American Football: King of the Bay Area

Richard Sherman wanted to die. He'd been fooled again. Two consecutive fake passes, god-like footwork and evasion, two sacks dodged in a row, and then the pass was released. Relying on his powerful physique, Richard slammed on the brakes, but it was already too late. All he could do was dive, throwing his entire body forward, hoping to hit Julio and disrupt the catch.

Unfortunately, he was too late. Everything was too late.

Even Superman would have been too late. While Richard was still in mid-air, he saw Julio securely cradle the pass in his arms, leaving no doubt about the catch. Richard then slammed hard into Julio. He didn't manage to wrap him up for a tackle, but the force of the collision sent Julio staggering back several large steps and out of bounds.

The one silver lining was that Julio didn't advance the ball any further.

But Richard was in no mood to celebrate. He scrambled to his feet and roared at his temporary teammates, "Fuck! What the fuck are you all doing! That clown is waltzing around like it's his own damn backyard, and you're not going to do anything about it? Fuck!"

That roar instantly lit the powder keg. Von leaped to his feet. "Is your head stuffed with straw? The Fake Pass Action was so obvious, how did you still fall for it?" Like an angry bull, Von stomped over. "How many yards did you guys give up? Another seven yards! You gave up another seven yards! Jesus Christ, why don't you just let him run into the touchdown zone and end this complete and utter disaster!"

The twenty-four-yard line. At this very moment, Lu Ke had led his temporary teammates from the twenty-yard line on the other side of the field, all the way past midfield, and now stood at this side's twenty-four-yard line. His performance was so outstanding that it left everyone stunned.

The Defense Team's players had completely broken down, and chaos erupted. Meanwhile, the offensive players were high-fiving in celebration, their spirits soaring.

Adam Klein knew the outcome of this scrimmage was no longer in doubt. Young players were too volatile, too irrational. Lacking the experienced guidance of veterans and direction from coaches, they easily lost their composure. Under the repeated onslaught, the entire Defense Team's tactics and philosophy had fractured and disintegrated.

Of course, to be more precise, they had disintegrated under the masterful command of number eleven.

'Adam had a feeling, an absurd one at that. He felt that number eleven had keenly sensed an opportunity. After narrowly avoiding an interception to succeed on second down, the tactics for the next two downs were deliberately chosen to dismantle the opponent's defense step by step. He even suspected that on fourth down, number eleven had acted intentionally—deliberately using two fakes and dodging two sacks—to successfully deliver the ultimate provocation…'

'But that was utterly absurd. Not even the elite quarterbacks in the Alliance could pull that off. How could he possibly be confident he'd be able to dodge a sack from Von Miller? And then believe he could dodge a second one? And on top of that, believe his fake would trick his opponent?'

'After some serious thought, Adam dismissed the possibility. It was absolutely impossible, unless he was Iron Man with a computer assisting him. But I can't understand why number eleven's performance on the field varies so dramatically. On the second and fourth down plays, his footwork was simply divine, on par with the best in the Alliance. Yet on every other play, he was a by-the-book pocket quarterback.'

Every quarterback has his own unique abilities and characteristics, but they can be broadly categorized into two types: pocket quarterbacks and mobile quarterbacks.

The so-called pocket quarterback is also the traditional, classic quarterback. They primarily stay within the protective pocket of the Offense Line, using observation, reads, tactics, and strategy, along with their passing technique—like Li's Flying Knife—to lead the team's advance.

Their strengths are clear: reading the defense, orchestrating tactics, passing accuracy, and so on. Their weaknesses are also distinct: they aren't strong runners, and their physical attributes are relatively average, offering no particular advantage.

The three great elite quarterbacks—Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees—are all typical pocket quarterbacks.

The so-called mobile quarterback is a new-generation quarterback, best understood as a hybrid who combines running and passing. Under normal circumstances, they also stay in the pocket to observe, read, and pass. But if the pocket collapses or there are no open receivers, they can use their legs to escape the pocket, either to complete a pass on the run or to carry the ball themselves for an advance.

Their strengths lie in their greater mobility, a diverse range of tactical options, incredibly strong physiques, and a talent for contact. Their weakness, on the other hand, is that their passing technique tends to be cruder. In critical moments, when the team truly needs them to complete a pass and deliver a fatal blow, they often fall short.

Cam Newton and Michael Vick are prime examples of mobile quarterbacks. Michael, in particular, can be considered the founding father of the style, completely changing how people understood the quarterback position.

Overall, the pocket quarterback position demands more from mental factors like intelligence, courage, and judgment, while average physical attributes are sufficient. The mobile quarterback, however, has higher physical requirements; their outstanding ability to take a hit is their trump card.

The youngest of the four great elite quarterbacks, Aaron Rodgers, possesses outstanding running ability and can also advance the ball with his legs in a crisis. However, he is still fundamentally a traditional pocket quarterback. Passing remains his trump card, which distinguishes him from the new generation of mobile quarterbacks.

Thus, it's clear that the mainstream in the Alliance is still the pocket quarterback, but a large number of mobile quarterbacks are emerging among the new generation, with Cam being a typical example. Because of this, there's a constant debate within the Alliance: does the future belong to the mobile quarterbacks?

'This was precisely my confusion,' Adam thought. 'At times, number eleven's performance is similar to Aaron Rodgers, using his legs to create opportunities and complete passes in critical moments. But at other times, he's a pure pocket quarterback through and through. These flashes of brilliance are like Iron Man's suit malfunctioning, working one moment and failing the next. It's impossible to get a read on him.'

The ongoing scrimmage on the field proved this point. Starting from the fifth play, number eleven's feet remained in the pocket, and he unleashed his full arsenal.

The opposing defensive players finally changed their tactics, leaving three men up front to rush the passer and dropping four back into coverage, determined to smother all of number eleven's passing targets. But number eleven only grew more composed. He first made an unexpected connection with Jeremy for a five-yard gain, then linked up with Logan for another seven. With that, the offense had entered the red zone.

On the seventh play, Von Miller created a dangerous moment, batting down number eleven's pass. He nearly came away with an interception, but the ball had too much velocity for him to control. On the eighth play, Richard Sherman successfully broke up a pass intended for Jeremy, forcing an incompletion. On the ninth play, number eleven found Logan again amidst a crowd of defenders and delivered the final blow—touchdown!

Game over!

This was the first squad to score a touchdown since the scrimmage began. Within nine plays, the offense, led by the quarterback who had been making waves at the Rookie Training Camp—number eleven—had succeeded. The Defense Team, on the other hand, was led by Von Miller, a strong contender for the number one draft pick. It was a result absolutely no one had anticipated.

Forget the players; even the coaches and scouts were looking at each other, at a loss as to how to react to such an outcome.

'This was exactly what I was thinking,' Adam mused. 'This number eleven… his poor physical attributes are a huge deterrent, yet his outstanding passing technique and on-field awareness are incredibly impressive. Such a contradiction in a single player. What's more, he's a player of Chinese Descent—a player of Chinese Descent the likes of which has never been seen in NFL history. Strictly speaking, there's never even been an Asian player.'

'So, how am I supposed to write the scouting report for number eleven? More importantly, there's just too little source material. Only two games and one training camp—it's not nearly enough to write a complete report. So, in the draft, is number eleven even worth a pick?'

'What a headache. A real headache!'

Turning his head, Adam saw the wry smile on Blake Simmons' face. "Honestly, I'm having a hard time getting a read on this number eleven. Is he brilliant? Or is he terrible?" Blake continued. "Just these three days at the training camp, this up-and-down performance curve, is already giving me a headache, let alone his previous NCAA experience."

Adam pursed his lips. "If we can't get a read on him, then we just have to keep watching. Is there a better option?"

"The problem is, the draft is less than two months away. Time is precisely what we don't have," Blake lamented. "If this number eleven had declared a year earlier, the situation would be different." With at least a full season of play, the data for a scouting report would have been far more convincing.

Adam sighed. "It's a matter of luck. Maybe this is his destiny." He turned to look at number eleven on the field, who was celebrating wildly with his temporary teammates. "Though, as a Chinese-American quarterback, he's probably already prepared for this. He'll need to work ten, even a hundred times harder than everyone else just for a chance to earn a spot in the Alliance."

'The first Asian player in NFL history, the first player of Chinese Descent, the first Chinese-American quarterback! When will the day finally come for such history to be made?'

"We did it! We did it!" After scoring the touchdown, Logan screamed and shouted wildly. He mimicked a glider, running past a grim-faced Von Miller and a foul-mouthed Richard Sherman, finally rushing toward Lu Ke. The two chest-bumped, then began to cheer and laugh with abandon. "Bambi! We did it! We did it again!"

"Hey, don't forget about us!" Julio rushed over too, an incredulous smile on his face. He slapped Lu Ke hard on the chest. "Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but man, I love your passes." After he spoke, everyone burst into laughter, the joyous atmosphere even spreading to the other players on the sidelines.

But for those other players, this was not good news. The competition was growing fiercer. Especially for Cam Newton.