Chapter 248 246: Divided Opinions
Once he caught his breath, Charles regained his composure and took over the conversation, saving Matt from the hot seat.
"You all should look at the detailed stats for the 49ers offense." Charles drew everyone's attention. "While the Offense Line's pocket protection isn't elite, giving up multiple sacks and hits, almost all the problems came from the blind side. The fourth-year player, Chilo Rachal, and the second-year, Mike Lupati—neither of them are top-tier linemen. Their performance has been up and down, very inconsistent."
"But on the other hand, the right side of the 49ers' offensive line has been outstanding. They've not only protected the pocket well but have also contributed massively to opening up running lanes. And so, we can see that under the precise tactical arrangements of offensive coordinator Craig Roman and Offense Line coaches Mike Solari and Tim Drevno, they've given the quarterback enough time to survey the field at opportune and critical moments, allowing the team to consistently drive down the field."
Just as Spencer and Melissa were about to interrupt, Charles raised his right hand again, stopping them as if he could block their words from across the air. "My point is, Lu Ke is a system quarterback. He's competent within the team's overall offensive system. He has indeed delivered a decent performance, but the ones truly leading the team to victory are the coaching staff led by Jim Hubble, not Lu Ke. Lu Ke is a pawn, in the right place at the right time."
"So, it's wrong for us to be debating whether Lu Ke is an *excellent* quarterback. He's a *qualified* quarterback, but not an excellent one." Unconsciously, Charles's choice of words had softened slightly—a quantum leap from his categorical dismissal three weeks prior. "The question now is, Alex Smith is also a qualified system quarterback, and arguably better than Lu Ke, but he's also older. So, how should the 49ers' coaching staff choose?"
"The way I see it, the 49ers can win regardless of which quarterback they choose," Matt added, nodding eagerly in agreement. "Because it's the entire system, the entire strategy, that's winning games. Jim Hubble has replicated his success from Stanford University!"
Spencer shook his head again and again, an exasperated look on his face. "So, you're telling me 'The Catch' from last week's game against the Cowboys wasn't Lu Ke's doing? And this week's game against the Fierce Tiger Team, that powerful counter-attack after being sacked four times—that wasn't his ability either?"
"The system. Spencer, this can't be your first year watching football, right?" Matt immediately shot back. The two then launched into a war of words, debating the team's tactical system versus individual quarterback performance and arguing over the fundamental reason for the San Francisco 49ers' success. Matt even raised the most direct example:
The trick play during the Fierce Tiger Team game was a classic example of a system play. It scrambled the players' usual roles, using deceptive tactics to confuse the defense and achieve a surprisingly effective result. That drive wasn't accomplished through the quarterback's individual skill or tactics; the credit belongs to the coaching staff.
"Guys, calm down, calm down." Charles, normally the most hot-tempered of the group, was now uncharacteristically the one telling everyone to cool it. He then drew all eyes to himself. "The reason I say Lu Ke is a qualified quarterback, not an excellent one, is best proven by his physique. In today's game, he was sacked four times—more than ever before. The team doctor came onto the field twice. This all goes to show that he's starting to struggle with the physical intensity of the NFL."
Charles laid down some hard evidence, the kind no one could refute. "He still needs to put on more weight, and he still needs to build more strength. Within the system, he looks more like a stationary turret, just responsible for distributing the ball. As for those on-the-fly tactical changes, you all saw it—the offensive players didn't even move. It was obviously a tactic by the coaches to confuse the opponent. And it worked!"
"My point is, he lacks the ability to adapt to the pace and intensity of the Alliance. As the season progresses, his shortcomings will continue to be exposed, and he'll quickly fall behind. If not next week, it's bound to happen by week five. The question is, do the 49ers realize the severity of this problem?
"It's only been three games, and everyone's already rushing to praise this quarterback simply because he's of Chinese Descent, as if this achievement is already something remarkable. But that's not fair. We need more time for observation!"
Charles spoke with an air of grave concern, as if he were genuinely worried about the San Francisco 49ers' predicament.
But Melissa wasn't buying it. She cut in smoothly, "Then what about Joe Montana?"
"What?" Charles cried out, seemingly startled.
"Joe Montana!" Melissa repeated. "When Montana entered the Alliance, all the coaches and scouts were down on his physical attributes. They thought he was too frail, that he couldn't possibly handle the intensity of Alliance games or make those lethal long passes. And what happened in reality?"
The reality was that Montana used his Tactical Awareness and instinct for the game to maneuver within the pocket, making it strong and solid for himself. He then led his team forward, creating a legendary career and becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks in history—many even argue that you can drop the "one of the."
"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" Charles slammed his hand on the table. "How dare you even put those two players in the same sentence! Joe Montana is great precisely because he's one of a kind. Nobody can replicate his miracles! Lu Ke isn't even in the same universe as Montana, not even close!"
Seeing the fuming Charles, Melissa shrugged helplessly. "My point is, everyone wrote off Montana back then because of his physique, completely ignoring his ability to command the field. Aren't you all making a similar mistake right now?"
This time, it wasn't just Charles and Matt. The other commentators all started chattering at once. Comparing a rookie to a legend was, more often than not, a move that just invited criticism.
Spencer shouted, almost losing his voice, "Then what about Kurt Warner? Doesn't Lu Ke's journey right now look just like Warner's trajectory when he first entered the Alliance?"
"First Montana, now Warner." Charles looked completely exasperated. A mocking smile returned to his face, a hint of incredulous contempt in his eyes. "What are we even doing here? Listing off the greatest quarterbacks in the world one by one and then just casually connecting Lu Ke to them, thinking he can perform miracles too? My God, have you all gone insane? We're talking about a rookie—a rookie who's won just three games! Can we please calm down?"
Charles's words earned nods of approval from most of the other commentators. "Before we turn our attention to week four of the regular season, we first need to see who Jim Hubble actually chooses as his starting quarterback. If—and I stress, *if*—Lu Ke gets the start, then we can watch his performance this week and that will settle everything."
"You said the same thing last week," Spencer shot back mercilessly. But everyone was entitled to their own opinion, and that was precisely why the show, "Inside the Alliance," was so popular.
After three weeks of the regular season, Spencer was no longer fighting a lone battle. On "Inside the Alliance," two opposing camps had gradually formed: one that acknowledged Lu Ke's performance and another that remained skeptical. The controversy persisted. As Tony Romo had said, Undrafted Players must carry the burden of "proving themselves" for their entire careers.
But the tide was indeed slowly turning, creating an interesting balance. That's the nature of competitive sports: victory is often the most persuasive evidence.
And it wasn't just on "Inside the Alliance." Beyond the show and beyond the Alliance itself, Lu Ke's influence was climbing steadily.
Whether it was taking over as the starting quarterback as one of the Undrafted Players or rattling off three straight wins as a player of Chinese Descent, he was undoubtedly a hot topic. And that was to say nothing of his outstanding performance, comparable to that of Aaron Rodgers. For viewers and most fans, his excellent quarterback rating was genuinely stunning, sparking endless discussion and attention online.
But the true breakout moment came from a scoop by the gossip website TMZ.
With the dawn of the Internet Era, all industries saw comprehensive development, and TMZ became a pioneer in gossip journalism built upon this new foundation. Founded in 2005, its primary focus was on Hollywood. The name TMZ is an abbreviation for the "Thirty-Mile Zone," which specifically refers to the Los Angeles area.
Gradually, TMZ made a name for itself, eventually becoming an industry leader and an authority in its own right. Now, when people want to gauge the truth of a piece of gossip, they ask, "Has TMZ confirmed it?"
Consequently, TMZ expanded beyond the entertainment industry. Its reporting scope began to broaden, extending into various other fields, and naturally, that included the world of sports.
This time, TMZ ran a headline: "Hollywood's Real-Life 'Jerry Maguire,' Lech Steineberg, Officially Announces Signing of Lu Ke, the Alliance's First Starting Chinese-American Quarterback."
The moment the news broke, it triggered a seismic chain reaction. It wasn't just because of Lech's status and unique style in the industry, which implied Lu Ke's prospects for the next five or even ten years were incredibly promising. It was also because of Lu Ke's identity as a player of Chinese Descent. This meant that tapping into the Chinese-descendant market was now truly on the table—
Perhaps, before long, the Alliance's head office would get involved.
Although nothing was set in stone, the power of the name "Lech Steineberg" was immense. Paired with the momentum from three consecutive regular-season wins, it well and truly thrust Lu Ke into the eye of the storm. Both inside and outside the Alliance, people were beginning to take the arrival of this player seriously.
It was all real. Regardless of whether Lu Ke would continue to start, and regardless of whether his performance would remain consistent, the reality was that the impact of this Chinese-American quarterback on the Alliance was beginning to spread like ripples on water. This is how history is made!
This bustling, fervent wave of discussion swept far and wide during the short off-days. For the first time ever, even San Francisco's Chinatown could feel the heat.