Chapter 255 253: Proving Oneself
In the early morning, Candlestick Park was bathed in the warm light of dawn. The wind carried the gentle murmur of the waves, and the surging seafoam green and mint blue of the water seemed to melt under the golden rays. His pores, slowly opening from the run, greedily drank in the crisp, clean oxygen, and his muscles involuntarily relaxed.
After the first week of the regular season, the daily training tasks arranged by the system had changed dramatically, adjusted according to the game schedule. Correspondingly, Lu Ke had also made a small adjustment: his daily morning warm-up run was no longer completed at the training facility, but instead took place inside Candlestick Park. The change of scenery and the sprawling landscape were always invigorating.
In just two short weeks, Lu Ke had already grown accustomed to this new routine.
Suddenly, Lu Ke began to slow his pace. He changed his footwork, rising onto the balls of his feet and moving with agility. He took small, shuffling steps, constantly twisting and turning as he continued forward. At the same time, he loosely clenched his fists and held them on either side of his cheeks, assuming the defensive stance of a boxer. Coordinating with his feet, his eyes were sharply focused, waiting for an opportunity to throw a punch.
This wasn't a training routine arranged by the system, but a little tip from quarterback coach Kip Kester.
A quarterback's Pocket Footwork is of the utmost importance. Moving and dodging within a confined space leaves no room for thought and no time for observation. What's more, a quarterback's eyes must remain fixed on the field in front of him at all times, making it impossible to focus on his feet. Therefore, footwork is often executed through the body's conditioned reflexes and muscle memory.
In short, it's instinct.
It's remarkably similar to being in a boxing ring: dodging, defending, and then launching an attack to strike the opponent, all within a square "pocket." On the surface, the hands seem to be the key to victory, but footwork is the indispensable foundation.
From a purely technical standpoint, Pocket Footwork is interrelated with speed, explosiveness, acceleration, strength, and agility. But beyond these factors, repetitive daily training can build more muscle memory, yielding unexpected results in critical, split-second moments.
However, it was impossible to know what the specific effects would be in the short term. It was like yoga; the results only gradually became apparent after a year of consistent practice.
On a side note, the yoga portion of his daily training tasks was still thirty minutes long, but the difficulty of the poses had already been updated twice. It seemed his rate of improvement was quite good. However, the difficulty seemed to be increasing a little too quickly, and Lu Ke wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 'No matter how I look at it, it feels like self-torture.'
"God. You're still here taking your sweet time. Are you Rocky or something? Come on, hurry up." The training facility was just ahead. Logan Newman jogged over to him, an exasperated look on his face. Seeing Lu Ke still practicing his boxing footwork, he couldn't help but exclaim—
"Rocky," the protagonist of that classic, inspirational boxing movie.
Lu Ke's footwork didn't falter. He meticulously completed the last part of his training, then broke into a sprint and entered the training facility, overtaking Logan. He headed toward the locker room, his pace gradually slowing. Pulling the towel from his waist, he wiped away the sweat trickling down his face and saw Logan catching up out of the corner of his eye. "Why are you so early today?"
He glanced down at his watch. It was five minutes to eight.
On a professional team, each week followed a strict schedule.
Wednesday was a basic recovery training day and also the public media day. Players struggling with injuries or needing to handle personal affairs were permitted to be absent. The reporting time was 9:30. Thursday was a normal training day, beginning preparations for the week's game, with a reporting time of 8:30. Friday and Saturday were game preparation days where the pace went into high gear, and the reporting time was 8:00.
The schedule would be different for away games, and the itinerary would also change for night games.
Today was Thursday, so there were still thirty-five minutes until the reporting time. Logan was indeed a bit earlier than expected.
Seeing how calm and composed Lu Ke was, Logan's eyes widened. "Bro, don't tell me you forgot? Today's the day!"
"So? The reporters were all over this yesterday, and now it's your turn to worry?" Lu Ke was still in the mood to joke, his tone light and his mindset relaxed. Facing the tense and anxious Logan, Lu Ke seemed like an outsider. "Relax, it's just another ordinary day. No need to make a big fuss."
Today was the day the three quarterbacks of the San Francisco 49ers would go head-to-head for the starting position.
Colin Kaepernick had successfully passed the Alliance's concussion protocol. Alex Smith had also officially recovered from his injury; he went through light passing drills last week with no issues. This week, on Monday and Tuesday, Alex underwent further recovery training under Kip's supervision and performed well.
Now, the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback position had suddenly become crowded. In addition to those three, there was also Scott Torsin. That meant they had a total of four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, which was far too many.
The coaching staff had to make a decision as soon as possible to name the starting quarterback, then move one of the quarterbacks off the 53-man roster. This would free up a spot to add a player at a more urgently needed position.
As for the quarterback who would be moved, they needed to weigh all their options: place him on the practice squad temporarily, cut him outright, or find another role for him. After all, both Alex and Colin were just returning from injuries, and their playing condition was still uncertain. If necessary, keeping four quarterbacks on the roster, while not ideal, might be their only choice.
Therefore, the competition among the three quarterbacks wasn't just for the starting job. It was also a way to assess the players' conditions and, by extension, evaluate the team's long-term roster strategy. Even Scott would be included in the assessment.
At yesterday's public media day, both quarterbacks Alex and Colin were present, which undoubtedly sent a signal: they were ready to compete, and the San Francisco 49ers were ready to begin their formal evaluation.
As an undrafted player, Lu Ke had delivered three spectacular performances, leading the team to three straight wins. This was an undeniable fact. But it couldn't be ignored that the season was long, and it was a widely held consensus that the performance of rookie players tended to be wildly inconsistent. Undrafted players were even more filled with uncertainty.
Looking at it from a positive angle, one could make a case for Lu Ke; the three victories were the best evidence.
But from a pessimistic angle, moving on from Lu Ke was also a reasonable choice. Alex was an experienced veteran, and having him lead the team while the rookie players slowly developed was undoubtedly a very wise decision. Meanwhile, Colin, as a second-round pick, possessed youthful drive and energy, and his individual skills had been recognized by both scouts and coaches.
Ultimately, Lu Ke's track record was still too thin, his case not quite persuasive enough.
His lack of NCAA game experience and any reference data as an official player was a glaring weakness, even with three regular-season victories added to his name. After all, Alex had a professional career spanning nearly a decade, while Colin had been a starter since his freshman year and boasted an outstanding four-year resume.
It seemed there were sufficient reasons, and sufficient concerns, for choosing any of the quarterbacks. How the San Francisco 49ers' coaching staff would decide became a major focus of media attention. As one of the people involved, Lu Ke had also faced a media bombardment yesterday.
In the NFL, the quarterback is always the position that endures the most attention and the greatest pressure. History is filled with countless quarterbacks who came off the bench to turn the tide and write miraculous stories. But among them, most fell into decline and gradually faded into obscurity after losing their starting spot.
Establishing a firm foothold in the Alliance was never an easy task; a single flash of brilliance was not enough.
Undrafted player, player of Chinese Descent—after the miraculous three-game winning streak, Lu Ke was well and truly in the eye of the storm. Now, all the media outlets were focused on his future prospects, and the buzz surrounding him remained consistently high.
Lu Ke would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous or concerned in the slightest. At the start of the season, everything had been chaotic and unexpected. First came Alex Smith's injury, then Colin Kaepernick's concussion. Lu Ke had been thrust into the role at a critical moment, shouldering the heavy responsibility of the quarterback position. No matter how you looked at it, luck had certainly played a major role.
Now, Lu Ke was back at the starting line, competing against Alex, Colin, and Scott. They would face off head-to-head, relying on their raw ability to fight for the starting position. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
However, nervousness could be turned into motivation, and pressure into drive. In competitive sports, competition was everywhere and showdowns were constant. Lu Ke once again recalled Tony Romo's words: throughout their entire careers, Undrafted Players carry the burden of having to prove themselves.
If a first-overall pick's performance fell slightly short of expectations, people might start shouting "bust." Similarly, for an undrafted player, any setback or failure might lead people to assume, as a matter of course, that 'he was never good enough to begin with.' They all had to constantly prove themselves and constantly break through their own limits.
He had gone through three weeks of the regular season—not just three victories, but three real, hard-fought games. Now, facing Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick once more, a fierce fighting spirit ignited within Lu Ke. He also wanted to know just where his own abilities truly stood.
For Lu Ke, this fight for the starting spot was a do-or-die battle, and at the same time, a touchstone. Since this fight was inevitable, then it was time to clash with true strength. The one left standing at the end is always the strongest and the bravest.
Of this, Lu Ke had no doubt.