Chapter 121 120: Out of the Blue
Everyone says the intensity of the Professional Alliance is so great that college football can't even compare—the two are on completely different levels. But just how intense is it really?
One only needs to look at the rookie seasons of the Alliance's four elite quarterbacks:
After being drafted, Peyton Manning was made the starter in his very first season, yet only managed a dismal record of three wins and thirteen losses. Drew Brees and Tom Brady both spent their rookie seasons on the bench; the latter was merely the team's fourth quarterback, not even qualified to lead the scout team in practice. Aaron Rodgers waited bitterly on the bench for three long years before finally getting his chance to start.
A consensus had formed throughout the entire Alliance: the intensity of college football was simply too low. Rookies needed time to adapt to the rhythm and style of the Professional Alliance, especially at the quarterback position, with its exceptionally strict tactical demands. Unless it was absolutely necessary, very few teams were willing to push a rookie quarterback directly into a starting role.
Pulling up a seedling to help it grow—that was the most accurate description, and it was something every team tried to avoid.
The San Francisco 49ers didn't have much of a choice. Jim Hubble decided to go for broke, and after discussions, the team's management decided to support their head coach.
For Colin Kaepernick, this was a chance to shine in the spotlight, to make a stunning debut. But reality was cruel and cold. The Professional Alliance was like a giant beast with a gaping, bloody maw, thundering past and crushing him, leaving almost no room to breathe.
In the first three preseason games, Colin performed as if he were sleepwalking.
Game one: a 3-24 bloodbath at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. Game two: a helpless 3-17 loss against the Oakland Raiders. Game three: a 7-30 thrashing by the Houston Texans that beat all the fight out of them.
Across the three games, Colin's performance was abysmal. His completion percentage was under forty percent, with his short, medium, and long passes all misfiring. His weakness—poor passing accuracy—was magnified to the extreme. He also threw seven interceptions and had two fumbles, actively turning the ball over nine times in total.
Even more frightening, his rushing game, which had been unstoppable in college, took a severe hit in both its success rate and power. He was repeatedly sacked, tackled, and hit, and his total rushing yards over the three games amounted to a mere eighty-three.
His college strengths were neutralized; his college weaknesses were exploited.
At the same time, he was struggling to digest the complex, convoluted playbook. Colin was completely on the back foot, and it was nothing short of a disaster. In three games, he didn't have a single passing touchdown. The team's only touchdown came against the Houston Texans, scored by running back Anthony Dixon.
With a Fonderick test score of thirty-seven, Colin was not a stupid quarterback. On the contrary, he was a very sharp and intelligent player. For comparison, among the four elite quarterbacks, Aaron, who had the highest Fonderick score, only got a thirty-five. So, this wasn't Colin's problem.
So, what was the root of the problem?
Time. And the lack of experience, poor adaptation, and off-kilter rhythm that resulted from a shortage of it. In other words, it was the same problem every rookie quarterback faced, and also the most severe, fundamental, and important one: they needed more time and space to grow.
But the San Francisco 49ers were now in a tough spot. Their second quarterback was also a rookie, and an Undrafted Player at that. In comparison, Colin was already the better choice, and he was the prospect the team had targeted early in the draft.
They could second-guess why they didn't sign a veteran quarterback as a backup after Alex Smith's injury, which would have at least saved them from this dire situation. They could also second-guess why Colin Kaepernick's development was so much slower than expected, and whether they should have picked one of the other quarterbacks in the draft, like Jack Locke or Brian Gabbert.
But all this second-guessing was pointless. Rather than assigning blame and wallowing in regret, it was better to focus on the present and find a solution. It was still the preseason; problems discovered now could be corrected and solved. Panicking at this stage would be the most foolish thing to do.
And so, for the fourth preseason game, Jim Hubble once again placed his bet on Colin Kaepernick.
Typically, there's a full week between games: two days off, four days of practice, and the game on the seventh day. But to prepare for the final preseason game, the San Francisco 49ers held six straight days of practice. With Colin as the focus, they broke down the playbook, simplified it, and drilled the plays over and over again.
But once the game started, the nightmare continued.
Colin's very first pass of the game was an interception. The offensive players hadn't even started to get loose before they were walking off the field, looking bewildered.
Standing on the sidelines, Jim roared furiously, "Read, read! You have to read the defense! What the hell are you doing!"
This interception was a complete rookie mistake by Colin, who threw the football right into the arms of a San Diego Lightning defender. Even the commentators couldn't help but chuckle, "Did the 49ers quarterback get the jersey colors mixed up?"
Colin didn't say a word. He walked sullenly to the side, took off his helmet, and stewed in his own anger. Brylen tried to go over and console him but was shoved away forcefully by Colin.
Kip and Craig exchanged a look, both shaking their heads. Finally, Craig walked over and tentatively suggested, "Jim, maybe we should try putting someone else in? At the very least, we could change the team's atmosphere. This is just awful right now."
Jim scratched his head in frustration and glared at Craig. "We have no other options."
It wasn't that he hadn't considered Craig's suggestion, but the regular season was just around the corner; he could almost feel its imminent heat on his skin. Changing quarterbacks now might further shatter Colin's confidence. A single anthole can cause the collapse of a great dam, and he couldn't risk that.
So, on the next offensive drive, it had to be Colin. This was the professional stage: either you fight your way upstream, or you get swept away. There were no other choices.
The game continued. Fortunately, the San Diego Lightning were also playing erratically tonight, just as poorly as the San Francisco 49ers.
Both teams' offenses and defenses were a mess of mistakes and flying yellow flags. The game was not only dull and oppressive, but it was also constantly being interrupted. Perhaps it was because the San Diego Lightning's defense wasn't applying enough pressure, giving Colin some breathing room. Or perhaps it was the accumulated experience of the past four weeks, but Colin finally, gradually, started to find his rhythm.
In any case, Colin scored a touchdown.
A passing touchdown. He successfully connected with Brylen Edwards for the San Francisco 49ers' first passing touchdown of the four preseason games.
Having broken the deadlock, Colin finally started to get a feel for the game, and Jim's trust was at last rewarded. Following his first passing touchdown, Colin's first rushing touchdown came in the third quarter. During a red zone offense, unable to find a target, Colin chose to run the ball himself, completing a five-yard dash for the first touchdown of his own professional career.
At the end of three quarters, the score between the San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Lightning was 17-17, a temporary tie. The San Francisco 49ers had one more quarter to fight for their first preseason victory.
But as the fourth quarter began, it was their opponents who scored first. The San Diego Lightning mounted a drive that lasted over six minutes. They failed to score a touchdown but managed to get into field goal range. After a successful kick, they took the lead, 20-17.
Now trailing, the San Francisco 49ers and Colin took the field again, only to go three-and-out, handing possession back to their opponents. But after a series of their own mistakes, the San Diego Lightning also went three-and-out. Back and forth it went, until the game reached the two-minute warning. Possession was with the 49ers; they still held their fate in their hands. A field goal would tie the game, a touchdown would win it.
After the two-minute warning, Colin led the offense back onto the field. They stumbled their way across midfield. Then, the San Diego Lightning ramped up their defense, forcing Colin into one hurried throw and one incomplete pass, leaving the team facing a third-and-eight.
On third down, Colin chose to scramble out of the pocket and run the ball himself, but he was brutally sacked by two opposing players and slammed to the ground.
Colin didn't get up.
The entire San Francisco 49ers team fell into a panic. The medical staff immediately rushed out. After an on-field examination, Colin had no major physical injuries, but his vision was blurry. To be safe, the medics needed to conduct further tests, so Colin left the field with their help. The backup quarterback, Lu Ke, entered the game once again, called upon to put out the fire.
But this time, Lu Ke couldn't be the savior.
Taking the field with their backs against the wall, the 49ers had no choice but to go for it on fourth down. But Lu Ke threw an interception, completely shattering the 49ers' hopes and turning the ball back over to the San Diego Lightning.
The game ended, 17-20. The San Francisco 49ers had lost their fourth preseason game, finishing their preseason journey with a winless record. Their performance had been a nightmare they couldn't seem to wake from, and the end was still not in sight.
The disaster was not over yet.
In the routine post-game checkup, Colin did not pass the Alliance's concussion protocol. Due to the concussion, he was mandated to miss a minimum of four games. When, or if, he could return to the field would be determined after further observation.
Then, the San Francisco 49ers' streak of bad luck reached its peak: after careful consideration and emergency discussions, it was officially announced that the Chinese-American quarterback, Lu Ke, would be the team's starting quarterback for the first game of the regular season.
BOOM! The news dropped, and the entire Alliance was thrown into shock and turmoil. It caused an absolute uproar.
When Jim Hubble told Lu Ke the team's decision, Lu Ke's first reaction was: 'Am I a jinx or something? One starting quarterback after another gets injured? What is this, some kind of setup? Am I being possessed by Ryan Fitzpatrick?'
'This is... a good thing, right?'