Chapter 226 224: No Holding Back
Following Walter's pointed look, Lu Ke saw Scott and Alex warming up. It was a simple scene, but the meaning couldn't have been clearer.
In the competition for the starting quarterback position, avoiding injury was a prerequisite for Lu Ke to stand out. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be qualified to compete, just like Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick before him. Now, with Lu Ke merely showing the slightest sign of a potential injury, the team was already preparing a backup plan.
Faced with Walter's well-intentioned reminder, Lu Ke felt like he had an angel and a demon at war in his mind.
One voice was shouting, 'Tell the truth. A potential injury doesn't just affect one or a few games, but your entire career. Don't be penny-wise and pound-foolish.' The other voice was yelling, 'This isn't even an injury, just some minor muscle tightness. There's no need to make a fuss. You don't have much of an advantage as it is. If you admit to a minor injury, your situation will only get more difficult.'
In a flash, the demon won.
"Doc, thanks, but I'm really fine," Lu Ke said.
But Walter wasn't buying it. "Whether you're fine or not is for me to decide."
In competitive sports, playing through an injury was common. Sometimes, a team would hide a player's condition because they needed them to keep charging into the fray. Other times, a player would ask the team doctor to hide their condition because they needed to stay on the field and fight. Situations like this were not at all uncommon in the Alliance.
Walter began another quick examination. Meanwhile, on the field, a storm was brewing.
Taking the field again, Andy Dalton showed incredible focus and commitment, truly awakening the talent that had made him the thirty-fifth pick in the second round. His performance proved that his quarterback rating of over one hundred in the past two games was no fluke.
On a drive that lasted six minutes and thirty-three seconds, he completed seven of ten passes, complemented by four successful runs. They successfully entered the red zone, and with a precise eight-yard pass, he connected with this year's fourth overall pick, the rookie A.J. Green, for the Fierce Tiger Team's first Touchdown of the game!
They needed a Touchdown, and they got one.
The two rookies, Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, both shone brightly on that drive, each delivering spectacular performances. Dalton, in particular, was Mr. Clutch, converting two third downs and narrowly leading his team forward. His performance was in no way inferior to Lu Ke's.
Spurred on by Lu Ke's brilliant display, Dalton was also stimulated and inspired. He gradually shook off the constraints of playing at home and the pressure of his first career start, becoming fully immersed in the game and playing at his absolute best!
It seemed both teams' number fourteens had come alive, showing excellent form as the chemistry of the game continued to combust. However, the San Francisco 49ers' offense didn't get a chance to take the field. Before the Cincinnati Bengals could attempt the extra point, time expired in the third quarter. All the suspense and all the excitement would be saved for the fourth quarter, where the game would be decided.
The examination was over. Walter studied Lu Ke carefully. The young man's face still wore a smile—calm, confident, and brimming with vitality. In the end, Walter couldn't help but chuckle. He clapped Lu Ke on the shoulder. "Get out there. The team needs you to get a few more Touchdowns. But remember, ice bath afterward."
"That's a problem for after the game," Lu Ke quipped, still in a lighthearted mood.
After Walter turned and left, Lu Ke stood up, moving his limbs and stretching his muscles, trying to loosen up. But a faint, lingering tightness remained, and his arm and back muscles were still slightly sore. It was hard to say if this counted as a minor injury, but one thing was certain: this persistent tightness would affect his passing.
When executing a pass, your mind needs to be taut and highly focused, but your body must be relaxed. This was especially true for the throwing hand, which needed to maintain a soft touch and effortless looseness to ensure the fingertips had complete control over the football. Right now, his whole body felt like a stretched rubber band. An impact on his performance was inevitable.
Standing on the sideline, Lu Ke used the brief break to do some simple yoga poses, trying to ease his muscles and nerves. The game wasn't over. He needed to get back to one hundred percent.
As the final quarter began, the Cincinnati Bengals' special teams took the field first. After successfully kicking the extra point, the score closed to 10-17, a deficit that could be overcome with just one successful drive. The pressure was now back on the San Francisco 49ers' offense and Lu Ke, especially with Dalton riding high on unstoppable momentum after a perfect performance.
"This back-and-forth game is just fantastic to watch!" Kirk's commentary cut in at the perfect moment. "Answering a Touchdown with a Touchdown! Now the Fierce Tiger Team has their momentum back. The question is, can the San Francisco 49ers show enough grit to maintain their lead? Or will they start trying to run out the clock and protect their victory?"
Lu Ke took the field once more.
For three straight quarters, they had run a heavy blitz package. It had been effective enough, but it hadn't managed to stop the San Francisco 49ers from scoring, which was a real challenge for the Fierce Tiger Team's defensive coaches. Entering the fourth quarter, they finally made a slight adjustment.
The front was still a 4-3 formation, but the three linebackers were positioned a small half-step further back. This would allow them to bypass the blocks of the Offense Line and launch a direct attack, while also being ready to provide support for the cornerbacks and safeties, creating numerical superiority to help stifle the momentum of short and intermediate passes.
It was the same formation, but much like the offense's Pistol Formation, it was versatile and full of possibilities.
Lu Ke keenly picked up on the shift in the defensive formation's focus, but the play call in his headset was a fraction of a second too slow. On the field, things change in an instant, and opportunities must be seized in a split second. So, Lu Ke didn't wait for a new play to be called. He decisively chose to snap the ball, as if running a Wujushang offense.
After the snap, Lu Ke didn't hesitate. He turned and handed the ball off to running back Marcus Lynch.
Lynch secured the ball with both hands and charged forward, using his peripheral vision to watch the clash between the offensive and defensive lines. He immediately noticed the heavy traffic in the middle. With a sudden stop and a quick turn, Lynch stuck close to the backs of his linemen, looping around and bursting out past the edge of the right side of the Offense Line, into the area a slot receiver might run their route.
The Fierce Tiger Team's entire defensive formation had taken a half-step back. That small step, however, created a tiny gap between the Offense Line and the Defense Line. For a pass, this gap was completely useless, but for a run, it was space to accelerate and keep pushing forward.
Lynch powered forward for six yards before a Defensive End and two linebackers finally managed to stop him, preventing him from breaking free for a longer run.
On the preceding kickoff, the Fierce Tiger Team's special teams had kicked the ball out of the end zone for a touchback. Thus, the 49ers started their drive from their own 20-yard line. Lynch's run successfully brought the offense to the 26-yard line.
Second and four.
The San Francisco 49ers lined up again in the Pistol Formation, but with a slight variation.
The Offense Line in front was still a five-man front. To the left stood Michael Crabtree, and to the right stood Logan Newman. Four yards behind the Offense Line, Lu Ke stood tall. To his left was Marcus Lynch in his standard Pistol Formation spot, but to his right, Kyle Williams had been brought in close to line up parallel with Lu Ke.
They flanked him like a pair of guardians.
This symmetrical, twin-flanked formation wasn't a conventional Pistol Formation. Furthermore, Ted Ginn Jr. was split out wide, more than seven yards to the left and half a step behind the line of scrimmage. The whole formation looked decidedly odd.
Facing this, the Fierce Tiger Team's Defense Team had to adjust. An outside linebacker moved up to join the four-man Defense Line, creating a five-on-five matchup against the Offense Line, still showing a heavy blitz posture.
At the same time, they shifted from a zone defense to man-to-man coverage. One player stood alone in front of Ginn for one-on-one coverage. Two cornerbacks matched up with Newman and Crabtree, respectively, while two linebackers spread out to the sides of the Defense Line, ready to blitz.
One last player was positioned about six or seven yards back, responsible for deep coverage.
'Lu Ke's pupils contracted slightly. A map of the entire defensive formation formed in his mind. It was a blitz formation that also tried to provide as much pass coverage as possible. So, what does that mean? It means the run defense up the middle is weak, while on the outside, thanks to the positioning of the linebackers, both the running and passing lanes are compressed.'
He glanced at Atkins out of the corner of his eye. Atkins's blitzing and sacks had been outstanding today, so his desire to "attack" was incredibly strong. He might even charge forward recklessly.
In an instant, thoughts surged through his mind, weighing the permutations of various plays before he made a decisive choice.
Taking a quick step forward, Lu Ke shouted out another audible, changing the play at the last second. This time, the 49ers' offense remained motionless; no players shifted their positions. A flicker of unease sparked in Atkins's mind, but before the feeling could grow, Lu Ke had already stepped back into the Pistol Formation and called for the snap.
There was no time to think. Atkins surged forward, tearing through the Offense Line with the force of a raging bull and rampaging toward Lu Ke. But just as he broke through the pocket, he caught a glimpse of a figure in his peripheral vision, running hard with the ball. The reddish-brown object in his arms was unmistakably the football!
'Crap.'