Chapter 218 216: Meticulous Planning
"London! London! Go, London!"
The play clock was down to fifteen seconds, fourteen seconds, and still counting. At this critical moment, Lu Ke took a few large strides forward and changed the play. But surprisingly, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive players didn't move. It was as if they hadn't heard Lu Ke's new play call at all.
The stadium noise was still omnipresent, swirling unpredictably from all directions. Lu Ke, however, seemed unaffected. He systematically repeated the play call, instructing each of the "statues" one by one. Only then did he step back into the Shotgun Formation—though it wasn't a true Shotgun.
Because Marcus Lynch was still in his original position from the Pistol Formation. So, Lynch stood four yards back and to the right of the center, while Lu Ke stood seven yards directly behind the center. This formation was rather ambiguous. After the snap, would the center hand it off to Lynch or Lu Ke? If it was Lu Ke, would it be a pass or a run?
'Could this be another trick play?'
In just three short seconds, countless thoughts churned in the minds of every defensive player, as well as every commentator. But the San Francisco 49ers' offense gave them no more time to think. As soon as Lu Ke set his feet, with no fancy moves, he called for the snap.
"Hike!"
Lu Ke cleanly received the football. Without a moment's hesitation, he took two short steps to his right along with the entire Offense Line and raised his arm into a throwing motion. It all happened in the span of a single breath. The Defense Line had just engaged—the CRACK of pads had just echoed—giving them no time to break through the pocket before Lu Ke had already completed his throwing motion.
'This is bad!'
That was the thought in the mind of every player on the Fierce Tiger Defense Team.
On their left—the 49ers' right—three players were stacked: Kyle Williams, Logan Newman, and Ted Ginn Jr. Two Wide Receivers and a Tight End. It was the strong side of the strong side. Not only that, but Marcus Lynch was also sprinting toward that side.
In other words, there were four potential receivers on the right side. Because Lu Ke's release was so quick and his options so numerous, one player could make the catch while the other three blocked. It was a short-pass play designed for a hard push, almost impossible to stop. Correspondingly, the Fierce Tiger defenders had few choices. Shouting, they began to shift to cover their left.
Williams ran a go route, Lynch ran a flare, and Ginn ran a slant. Newman ran alongside Williams for about five yards before they split, one left and one right, with sharp cuts and stops. With four different routes blossoming at once, the Fierce Tiger defenders couldn't use man-to-man coverage and had to resort to a zone defense.
Atkins was engaged with the Offense Line, but in his peripheral vision, he caught Lu Ke's throwing motion. For a split second, he hesitated: 'Should I drop back into coverage or continue the rush?'
In that brief moment of thought, Atkins saw Lu Ke raise his arm to pass—not to the right, but to the left!
'Damn it!' Atkins barely had time to curse. The Fierce Tiger Team's entire defense was heavily skewed to the right, leaving only one cornerback and one safety to defend the left. The field was wide open.
His first instinct was to drop back, but his center of gravity and his body couldn't keep up with the speed of his thoughts. He lost his balance and stumbled clumsily to the ground. All he could do was watch helplessly as the football sailed over his head, silently praying that the defenders on the other side could get there in time.
'Wait, it's not Michael Crabtree! It's not the 49ers' lone Wide Receiver on the left, Crabtree. Then who is the receiver?'
"Hike! From the Shotgun Formation, Lu Ke doesn't even take a drop step, immediately raising his arm to pass! The 49ers have four receiving threats stacked to the right, and the Fierce Tiger Team is scrambling! Newman! Logan Newman is clearly the focus of the defense, with three players converging on his zone, but… it's not to the right, it's to the left! It's not Newman, it's Ginn! Wait, what happened? What just happened?"
"Ted Ginn Jr. suddenly appears out of nowhere! Near the middle of the field on the left side, he makes a clean catch! It's a five-yard short pass! Even with the fake, Lu Ke's release time was only 2.11 seconds! God, that is just too fast! The Fierce Tiger Team had no time to react. And what's worse, there are no defenders! There are no defenders near Ginn!"
"Ginn is advancing with the ball! To the twenty, the fifteen, the ten! Oh my God! Jeremy Miles saves the Fierce Tiger Team! Number forty-five, safety Jeremy Miles, makes the tackle on Ted Ginn Jr. at the six-yard line! He stops the play and keeps the 49ers from scoring a Touchdown for now."
Everything happened so fast that the broadcast booth could barely keep up. Kirk only had time to narrate the events on the field, glossing over the details, before the result was clear: the San Francisco 49ers had advanced to the opposing six-yard line, officially entering the red zone.
"Whoa, let's take a look at the replay." Kirk couldn't help but shake his head in amazement and delight. "After the snap, everyone's attention was on the right side. From the receivers to the quarterback, all the offensive weapons were on the right. But amidst the chaos on that side, Ginn ran a basic route with a ninety-degree turn. He ran forward three yards, past the Defense Line, and then cut inside, running horizontally across the field."
"No one noticed Ginn's movement. To be more precise, Ginn's route was so fast—he moved laterally about six to seven yards before Lu Ke made the pass. The speed of the tactical switch was incredibly fast and dazzling. All five offensive targets presented endless possibilities, truly maximizing the advantages of the Shotgun Formation."
Kirk used his pen to trace Ginn's route on the screen, explaining in detail the deceptive and confusing nature of the play. It was a vivid illustration of the phrase "bold yet meticulous."
The "bold" part was choosing to attack the relatively empty and weak left side, throwing the ball over the heads of the defenders like dancing on a tightrope. The "meticulous" part was setting up numerous potential receivers on the right side. Even if Ginn's route had been covered, Lu Ke could have easily passed to Lynch, who could have caught it and gotten out of bounds to still gain yardage.
More importantly, Lu Ke still had an ace up his sleeve.
"Crabtree!" Teddy added. "You all overlooked Crabtree's role. He tied up the Fierce Tiger Team's lone cornerback on that side. And after Ginn made the catch, he immediately blocked the cornerback from providing support, creating a path for Ginn to advance. After that, there was almost no one left who could get back to defend. If Miles hadn't been paying attention, that would have been a touchdown."
"Brilliant! Today's game is just absolutely brilliant!" Kirk's exclamation and Teddy's gasp of awe echoed each other.
In the previous two games, although Ted Ginn Jr. had made a few successful catches, his overall performance had been less than ideal. His form was average, and he was gradually falling behind in the competition among the wide receivers. But the success of that last pass was some sweet vindication for Ginn.
But Ginn didn't get carried away. The drive wasn't over. He clenched his fists tightly, then quickly turned and returned to the huddle.
Looking over, Ginn could see Lu Ke's focused and profound eyes, completely unmoved. The faint smell of blood lingered under his nostrils, filled with a hunger for victory and an unshakable determination to win. Seeing this, Ginn's own adrenaline began to surge.
There was no dawdling. The play was called in less than fifteen seconds, and the players lined up in formation again.
Ginn glanced at the defensive players out of the corner of his eye. He could smell their fear. Even though their Defense Team had played exceptionally well today, the 49ers had still made it to the red zone, a stone's throw from a Touchdown. The tempo of the drive was not only fast but also powerful. He could feel the defense's panic and fear.
'This is good.'
"Hike!"
Ginn didn't hesitate. He was still lined up on the right. He lowered his head and, without a moment's hesitation, burst into a straight sprint. No turns, no pauses, just a relentless straight sprint. In his peripheral vision, he could see the defenders next to him—
They had to watch—watch the players' routes, watch the quarterback's throwing motion, watch the running back for a potential catch. Because of this, their reaction was a fraction of a second too slow. In that tiny moment of hesitation, Ginn pushed his speed to the absolute limit. He blew past one player, accelerated again, past a second, accelerated again, past a third.
He charged into the End Zone. Ginn immediately saw the safety in the corner coming up to cover him, but he slammed on the brakes and then, unexpectedly, ran toward the sideline of the End Zone.
The safety lunged at him, but Ginn actively moved toward the defender. It looked like they were about to collide head-on. But at the last second before contact, Ginn cleared a path. With a simple sidestep, the planned route and catch point materialized clearly in his mind. He used that sliver of an advantage to deftly and brilliantly evade the defender's tackle.
He took two more steps forward, his feet stopping at the edge of the End Zone. He tensed his muscles, spun his body around, and then he saw the football spiraling rapidly toward his chest.
In his line of sight, he could see the panicked expressions of all the defensive players in the red zone. At least three were lunging toward him, trying to make a play on the ball. But it was too late.
All Ginn had to do was raise his hands, forming a basket at his chest. The football settled securely into his grasp. A successful catch, perfectly still.
The next moment, Ginn heard the referee's whistle—TWEET! Then, the official raised both hands high toward the sky and called out, "Touchdown!"