Chapter 213 211: Full of Variations
You can practice the snap a hundred, even a thousand times, without a single mistake. But at a critical moment, a botched snap can happen when you least expect it.
It flew past his shoulder, high over his head. The snap had clearly deviated from its intended path, disrupting the planned screen pass. Although Lu Ke managed to grab the football and avoid the disaster of a fumble, his reaction was still a beat too slow.
He had to restart his dropback, restart his defensive read, and restart his movement to the left. The mass of black and white jerseys in his vision was a tangled, intricate mess, the countless crossing routes like a hopelessly snarled ball of yarn.
The 49ers' entire Offense Line moved to the right while Lu Ke moved left. This crisscrossing movement blocked the Bengals' defensive players, but the brief disruption in rhythm opened a small gap. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ke caught sight of number ninety-seven.
'Not from the left, but the right!' It was a simple blitz from a crossover. In the blink of an eye, number ninety-seven was lunging at him, all teeth and claws, cutting through the line like a hot knife through butter.
There was no time to think or hesitate. Lu Ke shuffled his feet quickly, raising his arm to toss the football on a short slant to a cutting Michael Crabtree in the middle of the field. At the same time, he backpedaled rapidly to protect himself, avoiding number ninety-seven's path of impact.
After the snap, Crabtree had made a sharp cut, running a drag route horizontally across the field to get open in the middle.
He was originally just a decoy, but suddenly became the target. Fortunately, he was focused, extending his long arms to secure the football. He turned, lowered his shoulders, and braced for a power run, but he was immediately swarmed. Two defenders converged on him, their hits from the left and right stopping him dead in his tracks.
The play was over.
Lu Ke had no time for frustration. He quickly scanned the field, noting every player's route and observing the defenders' habits and matchup advantages. 'Kyle Williams had gotten open on his side just now. In my haste, I completely missed him as a target.'
Bringing his gaze back, Lu Ke saw number ninety-seven standing just three steps away.
Atkins was panting heavily, his sharp, intense gaze locked onto Lu Ke without a hint of backing down. He ground his teeth viciously, seemingly furious with himself for not being fast enough, for letting Lu Ke get the pass off at the last second. He slammed his fist into his palm before turning to walk back to his position on defense.
In the first two defensive plays of the game, Atkins had shown a ferocious desire to win. His pass rush was powerful and full of fierce momentum.
So far, the top pass rushers Lu Ke had faced were linebacker Von Miller and Defensive End JJ Watt. Today's opponent, Geno Atkins, was a Defensive Tackle. A Defensive End is a player on the outside of the line, while a Defensive Tackle is on the inside. That was why on both plays, Atkins had torn through an opening right next to the center to break through.
Atkins wasn't a speed-focused defensive player. His weight was nearly comparable to Watt's, but he was four inches (ten centimeters) shorter, making him appear stockier and more agile. The pressure and force he exuded felt like a collapsing mountain.
'Speed and weight.' Lu Ke's mind raced. He tried to communicate with the coach through the earpiece in his helmet, but the celebration and cheering from the crowd were simply too loud. He had to turn his head and use hand signals to communicate.
"The San Francisco 49ers' offense has run into some trouble early on. The Cincinnati Bengals' blitzing has applied immense pressure, forcing the 49ers to shrink their formation. On first down, they lost six yards after a sack. On second down, Lu Ke completed a pass under pressure but couldn't gain any forward momentum, picking up only five yards. Now, the 49ers are facing a tough third and eleven. Let's see how Lu Ke handles this."
In the broadcast booth, Teddy's commentary was right on time.
Although everyone was anticipating a "rookie showdown," the two quarterbacks wouldn't face each other directly. Instead, they would each have to showcase their abilities against the opposing team's defense. In his first drive, Andy Dalton's performance was solid, if unremarkable, but he at least managed to cross midfield. Lu Ke, on the other hand, was now facing the threat of a three-and-out.
Third and eleven wasn't just difficult.
"Lu Ke's defensive reads have clearly been a bit off today; there was no variation in his play-calling on the last two downs. Of course, the center's botched snap on second down threw off their rhythm. Lu Ke needs to adapt to the away-game atmosphere quickly, or this will become like quicksand—once you're stuck, things get tricky."
Kirk had barely finished sharing his thoughts when the players on the field lined up once again.
"The 49ers are in the Pistol Formation again. Today's starting running back is still Marcus Lynch, and for Lu Ke, Lynch's receiving ability is undoubtedly a crucial part of his offensive arsenal. The snap!" Kirk's voice tightened as he called the play. "Lu Ke takes the snap, drops back, a light toss, and hands it off to Lynch! Facing the Bengals' ferocious blitz, it looks like the 49ers have given up on this drive and are planning to use a run play to get into a better punting position."
"Lynch takes the handoff and quickly moves to the right. The Offense Line's protection isn't solid, but they're using lateral movement to block the Bengals' initial rush. Lynch is still looking for a gap, trying to push forward... wait, wait, Lynch! Lynch is passing! My God, Lynch threw the football back to Lu Ke! Lynch passed the ball! The Bengals' defense is completely caught off guard!"
Marcus Lynch was completely focused. After the snap, his eyes were locked on Lu Ke. Without a moment's pause or hesitation, Lu Ke spun and tossed the ball to him. Lynch made the catch smoothly and immediately began running laterally to the right.
At the same time, the entire Offense Line started moving with him. This wasn't a screen pass, but a running play, with the whole team shifting rapidly to the right. Since the football was in the running back's hands, the Defense Line followed the Offense Line, shifting laterally as well.
Atkins charged forward aggressively, trying to tear through the pocket for a third consecutive time. However, the lateral movement slowed his vertical momentum, and his initial burst was blocked. But he didn't give up. Gritting his teeth, he kept his eyes locked on the opposing number 27 running back. But then, Atkins witnessed something unbelievable:
The running back was throwing the ball!
Atkins instantly realized they had all been duped. By the time he tried to change direction and restart his pursuit, his speed and footing couldn't keep up.
After running laterally for about five or six yards, Lynch came to a sudden stop. He faked a forward rush, but then turned his body and lobbed the football high into the air toward Lu Ke. The motion was a bit clumsy, his body posture awkward. The reddish-brown football traced a gentle arc through the air with no spiral, no real parabola, and no power behind it. It was just a simple game of catch.
But Lu Ke stepped forward and caught the football securely.
He turned, restarting his defensive read. Lu Ke was now completely outside the pocket, the entire field spread wide and open before him. The positions of Michael Crabtree, Logan Newman, Ted Ginn Jr., and Kyle Williams were all perfectly clear. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a Bengals defender charging relentlessly toward him. It had to be the outside linebacker, Manny Lawson—
Lu Ke even had time to identify the opponent's jersey number: ninety-nine. This was because Michael Crabtree, who was right beside him, hadn't run a receiving route but had stayed with Lu Ke. Now, seeing Lawson approach, Crabtree immediately moved to block him, buying Lu Ke more time to pass.
Step back, draw the arm back, power up, twist, and fire. With no hesitation, Lu Ke's forearm whipped forward, his muscles exploding with astonishing energy. The football shot through the air like a missile—flat, fierce, and leaving a faint trail of white in the whistling wind.
"Lynch passed it! My God, my God, my God! Lu Ke makes the catch, drops back, observes, reads the field! A double-reverse of a play in an instant, and the Bengals' defense can't keep up at all! Only number ninety-nine, Lawson, is able to change direction in time. He's less than three yards from Lu Ke, but... Oho! Crabtree makes the block! Lawson was already off-balance; it didn't take much force to send him flying. A beautiful block!"
"Lu Ke raises his arm to throw, targeting a receiver deep downfield. It's a bullet pass! A bullet pass! Wow, the power on that is ferocious! The velocity of the football is incredible. The Bengals' secondary can't get back in time. They can't even judge the passing lane or the target. The entire backfield is in complete chaos."
"Newman! The San Francisco 49ers' Tight End, Logan Newman, is starting to accelerate, putting on a burst of speed! Nobody noticed Newman's route. The Bengals' defense was completely fooled. Newman ran a route with a ninety-degree cut, moving from the right side over to the left, then made another ninety-degree turn to sprint down the left sideline. That side of the Bengals' defense is completely empty. The field is wide open!"
"Newman is sprinting, Newman! The thirty-five, the forty, midfield, the forty-five... Newman! Newman! Logan Newman is at top speed, but the ball is flying too fast, it's out-pacing him! Speed really isn't Newman's strong suit. Lu Ke chose a bullet pass instead of a Rainbow Pass to fool the defense, but now it looks like there might be a price to pay. Can Newman catch it?"
"The forty-yard line, the thirty-five! Oh my God! My God! What are we witnessing?! What is happening here!"