Chapter 214 212: Disrupting the Rhythm
Logan Newman was swearing.
By all rights, he should have been completely focused on his footwork and his hands, without the slightest distraction. But watching the football's trajectory and the power of the pass, he couldn't help but curse. 'Damn you, Bambi! I'm not Naruto, I don't have the Shadow Clone Technique. How am I supposed to run that fast?'
But the curse was just a fleeting thought. His focus sharpened instantly, and he pushed his speed to the absolute limit. He couldn't see any defenders in his peripheral vision; this was a battle between him and the football. 'Not enough. Still not enough. At this rate, I'm going to miss it.'
On pure reflex, Logan threw his right hand high into the air, his body tensing to its limit. He pushed off the balls of his feet, launching himself forward in a powerful dive. His fingertips brushed against the football, tipping it gently before his wide palm opened to engulf it. He pulled the ball in, cradling it securely in his arms.
The next moment, he came crashing down hard onto the turf, sending grass and dirt flying everywhere.
He caught it!
"Newman! Newman! Newman!" All the blood rushed to Kirk's head, and he could only scream the same name over and over to vent his shock and exhilaration. "Newman makes the catch! Newman was at top speed, but he's a Tight End, not a Wide Receiver, so he doesn't have that elite speed. Just when it looked like he was going to miss it, he makes a one-handed catch with a full-out dive! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
His partner, Teddy, slammed his hand on the desk and whistled. "A one-handed catch! A one-handed catch! That's just unbelievable! That was a forty-six-yard bomb, and it ends in a forty-six-yard one-handed catch! A beautiful pass, and an even more beautiful catch! Wow, the San Francisco 49ers' young offense is showing off some incomparable talent and energy! Let's see that replay! Folks, we need to see that replay!"
"AHHHH!" The entire Paul Brown Stadium erupted. No, that's not quite right. It was a madness of two halves: one side in heaven, the other in hell.
The Fierce Tiger Team fans couldn't believe their eyes. Just moments ago, they were celebrating two consecutive, beautiful defensive stops, and now they'd been dealt a devastating blow. It all happened so fast they were left stunned. For the 49ers fans, it was the exact opposite; they went from the depths of despair to sheer ecstasy in an instant.
Cliff was the first to leap to his feet, raising the flag in his hand and waving it furiously. Jeff, sitting beside him, immediately got the cue and jumped up, screaming wildly, "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" A forty-six-yard bomb! Lu Ke had once again shown his incredible clutch ability, pulling them back from the brink of disaster.
The support from the 49ers fans was so faint it was barely a whisper, nothing like the roar at Candlestick Park. But Logan didn't care. He ran over to the section of stands where the 49ers fans were and, like King Kong, savagely beat his chest, unleashing all his excitement and joy.
At the same time, Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn Jr., and the others all rushed over to mob Logan in a wild celebration. But Logan shrugged off his teammates, turned, and shouted at Lu Ke, who was running toward him, "Who's the Child of Light now! Say it! Who's the Child of Light!"
Even Logan himself could hardly believe it. As a Tight End, speed was his weakness; size and strength were his assets.
But after entering the league, he was still on the lighter side and often struggled to overpower defenders in physical matchups, relying more on his natural talent and agility to make catches and score touchdowns. Not quite a traditional tight end, but not a pure wide receiver either, Logan had actually been under a lot of pressure. The weight-gaining diet over the past few weeks had him eating until he felt sick.
But today, Logan had made an incredible catch like that, so naturally, he was fired up.
He charged right up to Lu Ke, roaring, "Who's the Child of Light!"
Lu Ke rolled his eyes, deadpan. "John Ward." He was referring to his wide receiver partner from college, who was now retired and living a normal life.
Logan clearly hadn't expected that answer. His excitement was instantly deflated, and he just stood there stunned, letting out an awkward hiccup. The surrounding teammates burst out laughing, showing him no mercy. This made Logan scratch his head in frustration. "Hey, me! Me! The answer's right here, you know? Pay a little attention to me?"
"Talk to me after you score a touchdown," Lu Ke said bluntly, clapping Logan on the shoulder. He then spoke quickly, "Time's tight, we need to pick up the pace. The Fierce Tiger Team is definitely going to blitz again, so we have to get faster." He paused for a moment as the play call from the coaches came through his earpiece.
"Wow, even watching the replay, I'm still blown away," Kirk couldn't help but exclaim. "That was a trick play. The 49ers' play call completely deceived the Fierce Tiger Team's defense. They used Lynch to sell a power run, but then a toss back to Lu Ke completely shook the defenders, opened up the entire field, and resulted in a forty-six-yard gain through the air. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"
With a trick play, the "trick" is the key. It's a word that can mean a prank, a magic act, a scam, or something clever and deceptive. It's the same "trick" kids use on Halloween when they shout, "Trick or treat!"
Simply put, an offense like this is all about running unconventional plays.
While staying within the rules, it involves using unexpected and unusual play combinations—for example, having a running back throw the ball, or on what looks like a punt, having the punter suddenly act as a quarterback and throw a pass.
According to NFL rules, any player can throw the ball on any given play, and there can be an unlimited number of passes, but there are three restrictions:
First, on a single offensive play, there can be unlimited backward and lateral passes, but only one forward pass is allowed.
Second, once the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage, they are no longer allowed to make a forward pass, though backward and lateral passes are still permitted.
Third, the five players on the offensive line are considered ineligible and are not allowed to intentionally catch or throw a forward pass, unless the ball is first tipped by an eligible player, which then allows them to make a catch.
In that last play, Lu Ke cleverly exploited these rules. When Lynch threw the ball, Lu Ke was positioned slightly behind him, which made it a legal backward pass. Lu Ke then reset and organized the passing attack, successfully completing the play for a huge gain.
The point of such a play is to catch the opponent completely off guard, but the risk is also extremely high.
Football is a highly specialized sport. A running back is a running back, and an offensive tackle is an offensive tackle. Different positions have completely different training regimens, body types, and play styles. The slightest mistake can lead to disastrous consequences like a fumble or an interception.
Take that last play, for example. Marcus Lynch is no quarterback; he doesn't have a cannon for an arm. His pass wobbled through the air, giving the person throwing it, the person catching it, and everyone watching a collective heart attack.
However, there's a special exception in football.
This exception involves players who have switched positions. Many athletes play multiple positions in high school and college, and some are even asked to change positions after entering the league. The quarterback position, for instance, is exceptionally competitive, so many college QBs end up switching to wide receiver, kicker, or returner in the pros. These versatile players can be instrumental in pulling off a trick play.
Ultimately, however, the risk of a trick play is just too high. You might see one or two in a game, but any more than that and the defense will be on high alert, making them much harder to fool. The consequences of failure are severe.
After being shut down on two consecutive plays, Lu Ke had boldly called this trick play.
He had noticed that the Fierce Tiger Team's defense was playing extremely aggressively, pressing up hard on the line. This left their backfield wide open. Even the cornerbacks and safeties had their eyes glued to the line of scrimmage. The entire defense was playing like a spear—all attack—rather than a well-rounded shield. If their aggressive push could be stalled, even for a split second, the tables could be turned in the blink of an eye.
It was a huge risk. But it paid off.
In fact, if he'd had a choice, Lu Ke would have preferred to use his Special Skill, "Absolute Step." The goal of this play was to disrupt the opponent's rhythm, crush their momentum, and, most importantly, help the offense find its groove again. But before the start of the third down, Lu Ke discovered that the system had unexpectedly issued a special mission!
Before today's game, Lu Ke had checked the system. The game missions had been posted on schedule, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Game Mission:
Score a touchdown in an official game. Requirement: None. Reward: +1 base point per touchdown.
Achieve a certain pass completion rate. Requirement: At least 60% completion rate. Reward: +1 base point.
Win the official game. Requirement: None. Reward: +3 base points.
There were three missions, the same number as in week two. The specifics, however, were slightly different. Week two's mission required a certain number of passing yards, while this week's required a certain pass completion rate.
This subtle change showed how the system focused on different aspects of the game. However, Lu Ke still had too little experience to understand how to execute his plays differently to reflect this or what it truly meant. The only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to be more careful with his passing choices in this game.
But overall, there was nothing new about the game missions. Lu Ke was certain that no special mission had appeared before. That meant the special mission must have popped up after the second down ended—the system had issued it based on the current situation in the game.
With only a forty-second interval between plays, Lu Ke had no time to examine it closely. He only had time for a quick glance before he realized:
'The Special Skills were disabled.'