Chapter 289 287: Hanging by a Thread
"Damn, overthrown. Just a bit too much on it!" Kirk sighed in frustration, watching the football slip through Ted Ginn Jr.'s fingertips and hit the turf. "We're always marveling at how Lu Ke shows a veteran's poise, so different from other rookies. It's only his first season, yet he plays like a ten-year veteran—mature, calm, steady, decisive, and accurate in critical moments. But a pass like that shows his inexperience. It's a reminder that he's still a rookie."
On the field, the referees were determining if there was a penalty on the previous defensive play. Meanwhile, in the broadcast booth, Kirk and Teddy were watching the replay, breaking down the entire play call.
"Third and seven. Lu Ke chose to roll out and make a quick pass—a twelve-yard intermediate route to the speedy Ted Ginn Jr. He was hoping to complete the play with a quick throw and catch.
"In reality, Michael Crabtree and Marcus Lynch were more open and had a better chance. But Lu Ke's read before the throw was a bit hasty. He probably pre-determined his target before the pass to shorten his release time and give the defenders less time to react. This is a common habit and mistake for all rookie quarterbacks."
On the screen, the clip of Lu Ke rolling out and making the quick pass played on a loop, vividly illustrating Kirk's commentary.
"We can't be too harsh. In the last few games, Lu Ke has rarely shown that kind of predetermined thinking, just a few occasional times. That's incredibly rare for a rookie. They just need more game experience," Teddy offered a different perspective. "Honestly, Lu Ke's growth rate has already exceeded my expectations."
Kirk nodded in agreement and chuckled. "Forgive me for being a perfectionist."
He was definitely one of Lu Ke's biggest supporters and hoped the undrafted rookie quarterback could make a name for himself. In the NFL, rookies are given very, very little breathing room.
Then, Kirk added, "Besides that, the power and route choice on that pass were a bit too aggressive. For one, his short-to-intermediate pass accuracy isn't consistent enough. And two, his pass selection in critical moments tends to be more risky. It's a double-edged sword. Success brings great rewards, but failure comes at a heavy cost."
"Right now, we can't be sure what the result of this incomplete pass will be. But for a rookie, this is the price of admission you have to pay as you grow." Teddy agreed with Kirk's point. In today's game, Lu Ke had forced a risky throw in a critical moment at least three times. He succeeded once and failed twice. The instability of a rookie was inevitably exposed.
Of course, even veterans have their unstable moments. That's competitive sports for you; no one can maintain peak performance indefinitely.
Back on the field, after some argument, Ted Ginn Jr. couldn't draw a yellow flag. The referee ruled that Tom Nelson's defense was clean. So, it was an incomplete pass. The San Francisco 49ers failed to convert on third and seven, bringing up fourth down.
At this point, although the San Francisco 49ers offense had already crossed midfield, they still needed to advance another twelve to fifteen yards to be in field goal range. Coupled with the long yardage on fourth and seven, attempting to go for it was pointless. So, Jim Hubble pulled the offense and sent in the special teams to punt.
This was the second time in today's game they had come so close to a field goal attempt, only to fall short.
Lu Ke stood on the sideline, carefully replaying all the routes from that last drive in his head. He clenched his fist in frustration, then pushed all distracting thoughts aside and waved his teammates off the field. He didn't sit down right away. Instead, he stood with offensive coach Craig Roman and quarterbacks coach Kip Kester, discussing the previous play call and the opponent's defensive formation, cross-referencing it with what he had seen on the field.
For a quarterback, he had to remain calm and objective.
It wasn't easy, especially after falling short at the last moment. Anger and frustration were unavoidable, and a jumble of thoughts kept swirling in his mind—you couldn't just turn them off. The feeling was aggravating. But he had to do it. If he let his emotions cloud his judgment, the quarterback's subsequent performance would be an unmitigated disaster.
After immersing himself completely in tactical analysis, Lu Ke gradually calmed down. He analyzed his own mistakes and the opponent's adjustments. His mind started working quickly, and the opponent's defensive formation and tactics began to take on a three-dimensional clarity in his head.
"Hold on, give me a second." The amount of information was just too much, too complex, all crammed into his head at once. Lu Ke needed a moment to process. Once he'd gradually sorted it out, he finally voiced his thoughts to get confirmation from his coaches—pretending to understand when you don't is an absolute taboo for a quarterback. "So, what you're saying is…"
RAH! RAAAH!
Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted from the stadium, like a tidal wave, interrupting the conversation between Lu Ke and the two coaches. They all looked up and saw the Philadelphia Eagles celebrating on the field.
'Another touchdown?'
Lu Ke scanned the field and let out a small sigh of relief. It wasn't a touchdown, but a field goal. He didn't even know when the special teams had taken the field; he'd been so absorbed in the conversation that he hadn't noticed the passage of time or the changes around him. But luckily, it was just a field goal, not a touchdown.
The score was now 27-21, still within range of taking the lead with a single touchdown. If it had been a touchdown, the score would be 31-21, requiring at least two offensive drives to catch up, which would not have been good news for the San Francisco 49ers.
Even so, Michael Vick had still relied on his formidable ability to get them in range for the field goal, pushing the 49ers to the edge of a cliff, their fate hanging by a thread.
Lifting his chin, Lu Ke looked up at the large electronic scoreboard towering over the stadium. It clearly showed two minutes and nine seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Next, the Philadelphia Eagles would kick off, and the San Francisco 49ers would handle the kick return, which would determine their starting field position. After the return, the game would go to the official two-minute warning. This meant that Lu Ke would lead the offense back onto the field after the timeout.
The time left for the San Francisco 49ers offense was two minutes. One hundred and twenty seconds.
He was thankful again that the score was 27-21 and not 31-21. Otherwise, the crisis would be even more urgent, perhaps even hopeless. But even so, the game was stretched to its absolute limit. There was no room for error.
Before taking the field again, Lu Ke stood on the sideline and gathered all his offensive teammates. With his helmet off, he looked each man in the eye. "We have only one goal: a touchdown! Whether it's first down or fourth down, that's our only option! I have always believed that we can win this game! Yes, I believe we can! So, I need every single one of you to focus. Forget the time, forget the score, forget all the distractions. Advance the ball. That is our only goal!"
"I'm ready to score a touchdown. Who's with me?" Lu Ke raised his right hand high, fist clenched, pointing it to the center like a torch. His burning gaze held an unshakable conviction. Then, Lu Ke saw his teammates, one by one, slowly raise their own clenched fists, bringing them all together in the middle. The individual sticks of wood had gathered to become a bonfire!
Lu Ke nodded heavily. "Good. Tell all the fans and everyone watching who we are!"
"Warriors!"
"We are!"
"Warriors!"
With a roar, all the players smashed their fists together. The solid thud of fist on fist seemed to unleash all the passion in their chests, a heroic spirit surging forth. Finally, Lu Ke let out a ferocious roar, "AHHH!" His fierce expression and savage cry awakened the passion in every player, and they all joined in, roaring their hearts out.
"AH! AHHH!" It was the beast within awakening. It was the passion in their souls surging. At this moment, the San Francisco 49ers offense truly became one!
A tense, suffocating silence spread through Joe's Bar, as if even heartbeats had stopped. But when the broadcast camera focused on the offense on the sideline, all the fans started shouting, "Bambi! Go! Bambi!"
Jeff Locke leaped into the air, pumping his fist. "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" It was a scene reminiscent of that night at the Rose Bowl. In a desperate situation, all hope rested on Lu Ke's shoulders. He had successfully led a comeback against the Wisconsin Badgers and successfully led a comeback against the Dallas Cowboys. Now, could they successfully pull off a comeback against the Philadelphia Eagles?
Danny and Nate instantly understood Jeff's intention and joined the chant. The synchronized shouts gradually built into a powerful, blood-pumping roar.
Chris and Jonathan exchanged a look. All their previous disagreements and reservations vanished in an instant. Then, they both broke into smiles and joined the chorus, "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" Finally, the entire bar became one, shouting in unison.
They knew they were in San Francisco, and the game on the television screen was on the other side of North America. Their shouts would never reach the field. But they didn't care. Everyone stood shoulder to shoulder, chanting the same name, "Bambi!" It was as if even their heartbeats were pounding to the same rhythm.
"AHHHH!" The unified chant turned into a massive cheer as Lu Ke led the offense onto the field. Everyone in the bar raised their hands and applauded, Anthony Tinozzo included, all cheering for the San Francisco 49ers.
This was the San Francisco 49ers' last chance. No touchdown, and the game was over. A touchdown, and they'd win. It was that simple, that clear-cut.
On the kickoff return, the San Francisco 49ers managed a nine-yard runback, placing the offense at their own twenty-nine-yard line. The goal: the opponent's end zone!