Chapter 212 210: Fierce Blitz
"For those of you just tuning in, welcome to Fox Television. You're watching Week 3 of the NFL regular season. It's the San Francisco 49ers' first away game of the season, and they're in Cincinnati to take on the Fierce Tiger Team. I'm Kirk Charleston, and as always, my partner Teddy Williams and I will be bringing you the commentary."
After two weeks of warming up and getting adjusted, Kirk was growing accustomed to the pace of television broadcasting, and his delivery was starting to flow more smoothly.
"The biggest storyline in this game is undoubtedly the matchup between the two rookie quarterbacks, Lu Ke and Andy Dalton." After that brief introduction, Kirk jumped right into the topic. "Dalton just led his team on their first offensive drive. Teddy, what were your thoughts?"
"Dalton definitely showed a good touch on his passes, completing four of six attempts to go along with two running plays. The balance and flow of the entire drive were excellent," Teddy commented, his analysis quick and fluid. "However, this is Dalton's debut at home, and you can tell he's a little nervous. Those two incompletions were wildly off-target; the receiver had no chance at all. Even though they crossed midfield, they weren't able to put any points on the board. Now we'll have to see how Dalton adjusts. Performing in front of your home crowd, the pressure is definitely immense."
"I agree. On the other hand, playing on the road is also a severe test. This is Lu Ke's first away game of his career, so the challenge for him is likely even greater than Dalton's," Kirk interjected with his own quick commentary. "But for the Alliance, every game this quarterback plays, he's making history. So, let's see what this undrafted player can do today."
As they spoke, the San Francisco 49ers' offense took the field. Kirk and Teddy were starting to find their rhythm, and together they quickly ran through the introductions for the starting offense before turning to the game. But, in the blink of an eye, the play was over.
"Oh! That sack was just too fast, too ferocious. Lu Ke had no chance, absolutely no chance at all." Teddy frowned, almost feeling the pain of the hit himself. "Let's take another look at the replay."
"Right after the snap, the Cincinnati Bengals showed tremendous aggression. They unexpectedly backed off their deep pass coverage and committed extra men to a blitz. The seven-man rush completely tore through the San Francisco 49ers' Offense Line." Kirk took over the commentary, drawing a yellow circle on the screen. "It wasn't just a numbers advantage, it was a tactical mismatch. The Fierce Tiger Team's Defense Line had the absolute upper hand. Right in this spot!"
Kirk tapped the yellow circle, indicating the spot on Lu Ke's blind side. "Three players focused their attack right there. The 49ers' Offense Line was completely overwhelmed and only managed to block one of them. Of the other two, one got around the edge of the Offense Line, and the other shot through a gap in the pocket to get the sack."
Teddy let out an involuntary sigh of amazement. "On that play, the Fierce Tiger Team caught the 49ers completely by surprise with that blitz. Let's check the time... Whoa, just 2.21 seconds. The Fierce Tiger Team only needed 2.21 seconds to completely break through the Offense Line and get the sack. Fast, ferocious, and powerful. They gave the opposing quarterback almost no time to read the field or react. The Fierce Tiger Team is showing a defensive intensity we haven't seen from them in the first two games."
"Yes, that's a real surprise," Kirk agreed. "In their first two games, the Fierce Tiger Team gave up a total of 563 yards and 41 points; the Defense Team's performance really wasn't very tough. But today, in front of their home crowd, they're showing a completely new side. This is going to be an incredibly difficult game for the San Francisco 49ers' young offense."
On the very first defensive play of their home game, the Cincinnati Bengals showcased their formidable "attack."
In football, the offense isn't the only unit with the ability to attack. The Defense Team and special teams have it too—by forcing fumbles and interceptions, creating turnovers and momentum swings. Players other than those on offense can also display fierce aggression, control the game, and score points.
And unlike in soccer, where a defender with too strong of an offensive mindset can easily leave an opening for their opponent, football has no such concerns. Defensive players are free to "attack" to their hearts' content.
For some teams, their Defense Team's ability to score even surpasses their offense's. It isn't normal, and it might not seem logical, but it really happens.
On that last play, the Cincinnati Bengals showcased their "aggression," coming downhill with the force of a pouncing tiger to successfully notch their first sack of the game.
The players piled on top of him slowly peeled away. Lu Ke got back to his feet, gasping for breath, a dull ache radiating from his right shoulder. The hit itself hadn't been dirty, but the impact of being driven to the ground was so forceful that he could feel a sharp pain in his shoulder.
"Bambi, you okay?" Anthony Davis and Joe Stanley rushed over, their faces etched with apology. As the left tackle and left guard, they were responsible for protecting Lu Ke's blind side. The pocket completely collapsing and their quarterback getting sacked was their responsibility.
Lu Ke waved them off, signaling he was fine. 'The annoyance and anger have already subsided.' He realized he'd been tense, that his focus had been split. The effects of playing on the road were everywhere; getting sacked so helplessly was the direct result.
'It's often impossible to control your nerves. Even the most elite quarterbacks get nervous standing on the Super Bowl stage. The best way to deal with it isn't to try and get rid of it or calm it down, but to immerse yourself completely in the game, to focus and turn that tension into drive.'
Lu Ke forced himself to calm down. His eyes quickly scanned the field, and then he spotted number ninety-seven for the Fierce Tiger Team.
Geno Atkins, Defensive Tackle. A sophomore, drafted into the Alliance last year as the 120th pick in the fourth round.
He saw very few opportunities to play in his rookie season and made almost no impact. But this year, he became a starter on the Defense Team. In the first two games, he had tallied two tackles and three quarterback hurries. While not exactly spectacular numbers, he was an important part of their Defense Team.
All the relevant information surfaced in Lu Ke's mind. To prepare for a game, he had to understand every facet of his opponents; it was the only way to avoid being caught off guard. Although Atkins hadn't had any highlight-reel plays in the first two games, he had just notched his first career sack on that first down.
Atkins, with his youthful and fiery expression, was celebrating his first sack with abandon. But after the celebration, he quickly composed himself and began regulating his breathing and movements. 'A commendable professional attitude,' Lu Ke noted.
Lu Ke called Davis and Stanley over. "Number ninety-seven. You need to pay more attention to him." 'He's not a key defensive player we need to game plan for, not yet.' "His speed is average, but his strength is formidable. He's very aggressive on defense and tends to create mismatches. Be on your guard from now on."
The cheering and shouting inside Paul Brown Stadium were incredibly grating. The intermittent roar was like a swarm of flies, buzzing ceaselessly around his ears—sometimes distant, sometimes near, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud. It was always unpredictable, yet impossible to shake.
Lu Ke had only managed to get a few words out before his train of thought was broken. He lifted his head and glanced around the stands. With at least a third of the seats empty, the stadium looked a bit sparse. But for that very reason, the crowd noise was even more erratic.
"..." Lu Ke refocused, ready to continue laying out the play call, but his thoughts stalled for a moment. His mind went blank for a split second before he remembered what he was saying and called his teammates back over.
"That mistake was on me." Lu Ke didn't evade responsibility. 'The pressure of playing on the road had affected my read of the defense; that was the root cause of the sack.' Now that he had identified the problem, they had to solve it. "We need to get some motion!" Lu Ke clenched his fist and quickly called the play.
A screen pass.
There are many ways for an offense to counter a strong pass rush from the Defense Team. The efficiency of the Professional Alliance was on full display; after the failed first down, the analysts in the booth quickly communicated with the coaching staff, devised a corresponding play, and relayed it to Lu Ke through his headset, clear as day: a screen pass.
The voice in his headset also confirmed it: number ninety-seven had indeed been a standout performer on that blitz.
After they lined up again, Lu Ke didn't rush the snap. His gaze fell on Atkins and the players on either side of him. His sharp, unyielding stare met theirs head-on. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, a palpable sense of imminent conflict. Then, the clamor and noise in his ears began to fade away.
"Hike!"
Positioned in the Pistol Formation, Lu Ke yelled the command. At the same time, the roar of the crowd came crashing down like a waterfall. The entire stadium pulsed with sound and shimmering light, and the very air began to boil.
The next second, Lu Ke registered the football's trajectory.
'Too high!'
Jonathan Goodwin's snap was high. The ball sailed upward, forcing Lu Ke to raise the hands he'd positioned at his chest and snag it high above his head. In that split second, less than the blink of an eye, the sound of CRASHING pads signaled that the Offense Line was being torn apart again. In his peripheral vision, he could see a flood of white jerseys pouring into a sea of black—
The San Francisco 49ers' away jerseys were white, the same as the Cincinnati Bengals' home jerseys. After a consultation, the 49ers had opted to wear their all-black uniforms.
A quick drop back. Lu Ke's peripheral vision was like a scanner, sweeping over the Defense Line, over his receivers, but it was too late. Number ninety-seven was bearing down on him like a hurricane!