Chapter 134 132: Still Luck
A failed connection, a yellow flag penalty, and now a first down needing twenty yards. The San Francisco 49ers offense was suddenly on the back foot. For any quarterback, this was not an easy down to convert. But Lu Ke did it, and he made it look effortless, like a walk in the park.
Up in the commentary booth, all the commentators were watching the replay, analyzing the previous down's play-calling and the passing gain over and over. "Richard Sherman was out of position, and that was undoubtedly fatal. Logan Newman is a powerful Tight End, like a beast, and in the split second Sherman misjudged, Lu Ke seized the opportunity. More importantly, Newman got the yards."
Richard Sherman felt his ears burning. With his hands on his hips, he was panting like an ox, his eyes bloodshot.
'The second time. The second time in a row! That nobody actually completed a second straight pass on me, and to a different receiver! What's worse is that I was out of position and gave up a huge gain. Logan Newman pushed forward with force, putting the Seattle Seahawks on the defensive. Humiliating. Absolutely humiliating!'
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Richard thought. 'That guy is definitely provoking me. That last pass was on purpose, aimed right at me. But there won't be a next time. Absolutely not! I'll show that guy what I'm made of. I'm not to be trifled with.'
The whole stadium erupted, everyone marveling at the San Francisco 49ers' last play. But the question was, was it to Lu Ke's credit, or Logan's? Furthermore, was it luck, or was it skill?
But to Lu Ke, all this discussion and attention was useless. He waved his teammates forward, the head coach's voice urging him on through his earpiece, "Push up, push up fast! Pistol Formation!"
Amidst the noise and chaos on the field, Lu Ke directed his teammates into formation.
They had now reached the edge of the End Zone, which meant the Seattle Seahawks' secondary defense would be even more compact. There was no more room for medium or Long Pass Area. Besides the four players on the front of the Defense Line, the other seven players would cover the entire twenty-three-yard space, cutting Lu Ke's passing lanes by more than half.
Without much hesitation, he took less than five seconds to arrange the play, and then Lu Ke immediately called for the snap.
In that short amount of time, the Seattle Seahawks' Defense Team was also in some disarray. They decided to abandon the blitz, focusing all their energy on defending the run and the pass. To put it simply: they would let Lu Ke throw, while they concentrated on breaking up the pass, or even getting an interception.
Lu Ke saw through the opponent's defensive scheme and continued with a similar play of his own. The five-man Offense Line set up to block, having little trouble handling the four-man rush from the Defense Line. Then, a play-action pass. Dixon slipped through a gap in the Offense Line, faking a run, but then ran straight out, turned, and became a receiving target.
At that very moment, Lu Ke threw the ball!
The Sea Eagle Team's defenders panicked. The two players in the short pass area immediately closed in to help with coverage. But a second later, they realized there was a breakdown in their coverage zones—another one—because Lu Ke's target wasn't Dixon at all, but someone further downfield.
Lu Ke's pass traveled about sixteen or seventeen yards, flying over the heads of Dixon and the defenders who had come to cover him, aimed directly behind them.
Who was behind them?
Logan Newman! He chose Logan Newman again!
This time, Richard Sherman hadn't lost his position. He was stuck tight to Logan's side, not letting his guard down for a second. Seeing the ball coming, Richard leaped, preparing to bat it down, but the speed of the pass was beyond his imagination. It went WHOOSH right past him. Richard's right hand was half a beat too slow, and he swatted at empty air.
'Dumbfounded. Richard was truly dumbfounded. He couldn't believe he had misjudged, or rather, he couldn't believe that guy's pass was so fast and powerful. Three times. Three times in a row, that little punk had completed a pass on him! This wasn't just a victory; it was a total beatdown. It was like an adult bullying a child. That guy was actually treating him as the weak link, attacking him again and again!'
'Him, Richard Sherman, the weak link?'
He was so shocked that he simply froze. Richard seemed to have forgotten that this was also just the first game of his professional career; he, too, was a complete and utter rookie. Or perhaps, Richard had deliberately forgotten this fact, because Lu Ke, also in his first year, was performing on a completely different level, making him feel ashamed.
THUD. After his diving leap, Richard lost his balance and landed heavily on the turf, his mouth full of grass.
On the other side, Logan seemed to have been prepared. Anticipating the power of Lu Ke's pass, he didn't go for a one-handed catch, instead using both hands to securely grab the football. But before he could tuck it in, his peripheral vision caught another player coming over to help on defense. In the short twenty-three-yard space, there were defenders in almost every corner, leaving very little open field.
Logan didn't panic. He used his physical advantage, slamming backward into the opposing defender. Using the rebound from the collision, he spun around the defender, surged forward with the momentum, and just as he was about to break into a full sprint, he realized—
He was already standing in the End Zone.
So easy, it was like taking candy from a baby. So simple, it was a piece of cake. Logan then stood on the spot and started wiggling his butt, celebrating triumphantly.
"Touchdown! Touchdown! The 49ers get another Touchdown!" In the broadcast booth, Teddy couldn't help but start slamming the table, shouting in excitement, "One hundred seconds, exactly one hundred seconds! After the 49ers' rookie quarterback, Lu Ke, led the offense onto the field, it only took him one hundred seconds and six downs to score another Touchdown! Unbelievable! The entire drive was crisp and fluid. Two running plays, four passing plays, with three completions and two for big yardage. The 49ers' number fourteen is making Touchdowns look easier than eating dinner!"
His partner sitting next to him, Kirk, was also all smiles. "The Lu Ke and Logan combination, the UCLA combination! Clearly, the chemistry between them has completely revitalized the 49ers' offense. Who could have imagined that this is the same team that lost all four of its preseason games and only managed a single passing Touchdown? Incredible! Truly incredible!"
It wasn't just Teddy and Kirk; the entire commentary booth was in an uproar—an uproar of stunned disbelief. Everyone looked at each other, unable to believe their own eyes. The unbelievable shock swirled in their gazes, but they couldn't find an answer.
In football, a Touchdown always gets the blood pumping. But after the excitement faded, almost everyone was asking the same question: What just happened again? The first time was luck, so what about this time? Was it... still luck?
Luck or skill? Skill or luck?
A total of seven offensive downs, resulting in two Touchdowns—one from a stunning long pass, the other from a methodical drive. For any rookie quarterback, such a performance wasn't just stunning; it was utterly sensational.
But now, such a performance was coming from an undrafted rookie, a rookie of Chinese Descent. Even 'sensational' was not enough to describe the shock people felt. Deep down, a string of profanities was probably already forming. Only a hearty stream of curses could properly capture the intensity of the moment.
"Personally, I believe Logan Newman deserves most of the credit for that last offensive drive."
"To be precise, in the 49ers' first two offensive drives, the bright spots were very limited. Although they scored two Touchdowns, there's no doubt that Logan Newman single-handedly carried the team forward."
"The core player for the Seattle Seahawks is Marshawn Lynch, while the absolute hero for the San Francisco 49ers is Logan Newman. Newman has twice led the team to a Touchdown. Now let's see what Lynch does, let's see how Lynch performs this time."
...
Logan Newman. That was their answer. Clearly, though both were first-year players, Logan was much more popular than Lu Ke.
A third-round pick, an American, white, with a bright personality. More importantly, he was physically strong, ran with power, and had precise hands. Simply put, his skills were more potent, his personality more charismatic. As the biggest hero of the San Francisco 49ers' two consecutive Touchdowns today, Logan was indeed a more convincing choice than Lu Ke.
As for Lu Ke's performance?
"Decent. This rookie quarterback isn't as bad as we thought. If he can keep this up, follow the team's game plan, and execute it strictly, perhaps he can become a barely passable transitional quarterback while they wait for Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick to return. But the Seattle Seahawks won't give him much space or many opportunities. This game is going to be incredibly difficult."
"The San Francisco 49ers' Offense Line provided excellent pocket protection, which created passing opportunities for the team. This first-year quarterback got a little help from luck, completed a pass at a critical moment, and led the team to retake the lead. Is he outstanding? No. But is he competent? Barely. For the rest of the game, they'll need to pray for more luck and hope this rookie player doesn't make any mistakes."
Luck. Logan. Not Lu Ke.
But his first regular season game had only just begun, and the commentators' opinions were already starting to change. This was a good start. To be precise, it was the best possible start. After all, you can't get fat from one bite.
The game continued, and the subsequent turn of events seemed to prove the commentators' point: Lu Ke was merely an average, barely passing quarterback, and a first-year rookie at that. He still had so, so much to learn. Because the game had fallen into a stalemate, the whole situation seemingly sinking into a swamp of quicksand.
Unexpected, yet perfectly understandable.
A rookie quarterback of Chinese Descent? Apparently, it was just a flash in the pan.