Free Web NovelChapter 1044: Chapter 1044: Repeating the Same Trick
Chapter 1044: Repeating the Same Trick
Michael Crabtree didn’t know what had happened because he was sprinting at full speed and couldn’t notice the standoff between Earl Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr., but Logan Newnam and Vernon Davis’s reactions said it all. Thomas had committed a malicious foul!
A despicable and treacherous villain!
Crabtree was immediately furious! Thomas and Richard Sherman’s close-range defense had also been filled with cheap shots, and he hadn’t even bothered with them yet. Now they had just knocked Ginn down. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Crabtree was enraged. He looked at Thomas and Sherman, who were standing up, and lunged at Vernon and Logan without showing any weakness. Crabtree’s frustration and annoyance erupted. He clenched his fists and charged forward. It looked like a physical altercation was about to happen.
Fortunately, Jonathan Goodwin and Lu Ke and the others quickly came and pulled Crabtree and the others apart, which avoided a physical confrontation. Otherwise, if the referee penalized both sides, Crabtree’s hard-earned yards could have been for nothing.
The trash talk was still flying around. Ginn finally stood up again, but he didn’t move recklessly. He stood in place and kept adjusting his breathing.
Ginn tried to persuade his teammates, but his attention was a little distracted. The team doctor, Walter Hudson, had already entered the field and quickly asked Ginn a few questions. Although Ginn repeatedly emphasized that he felt fine, Walter insisted that Ginn go to the sideline for an examination.
"Oh, the San Francisco 49ers are in a bad situation! They are already short-handed and have many injuries at the wide receiver position. If Ginn gets injured again, they will face a more severe situation. Lu Ke will almost be in a situation where he has no one to throw to! We hope Ginn’s injury won’t affect the rest of the game."
"The only thing to be thankful for is that Crabtree just completed a spectacular drive and showed his peak form. We hope this can help the 49ers continue the game. But now it seems that the 49ers can’t find a backup wide receiver. The situation is very serious."
How could Lu Ke not know about the predicament that everyone could see? But he had more important work to do right now.
"Focus! I need all of you to focus on me!" Lu Ke shouted loudly, bringing his teammates’ scattered attention back together.
In fact, Lu Ke himself was a little flustered because the current situation reminded him of last year’s NFC Championship: in a critical moment, right before the touchdown, Ginn was hit and injured, and then... then the situation became... But Lu Ke quickly cut off the random thoughts that were just starting to form and made himself focus again.
The thunderous cheers from the crowd were very helpful. "We are the 49ers! We are warriors!" The shouts, one after another, made the blood boil again.
Lu Ke clapped his hands twice. "Hey! Look at me! I need all your attention on me! We need a touchdown! Do you hear me? We need a touchdown! And we will get a touchdown!" There were no extra words, but Lu Ke’s resolute eyes had an unquestionable authority.
So what if they were ambushed by the opponent at the start of the second half? So what if they fell into a third-and-15 situation on the first drive? So what if Thomas’s malicious foul accidentally injured Ginn?
They were still the kings of this field!
This was Candlestick Park! This was San Francisco! This was where the miracle of the golden sea was born! They were the absolute kings who could control their own destiny!
Just now, facing a third-and-very-long situation, Lu Ke successfully found a loophole. Not only did he not surrender, but he also turned the tide and successfully advanced a full 40 yards, dealing a heavy blow to the opponent. This was the power of their home field! Now the 49ers had come to the opponent’s 45-yard line in one go!
Lu Ke’s voice and eyes once again firmly gathered the attention of all his teammates on offense. He then quickly started to call the play.
The key to this drive was that they took advantage of the Seahawks’ characteristic of putting all their pressure on the ground game and used the cover of himself and Frank Gore to create an open space for a catch in the mid-range area. The completed pass was a calculated result by Lu Ke. The continuous drive was a pleasant surprise completed by Crabtree and his other teammates working together.
However, Lu Ke was sure that the Seahawks’ defense would not collapse so easily. He needed to constantly apply pressure, little by little, until they completely gave up! So, the drive was not over yet! Let the storm come even more fiercely!
Standing in the pocket, Lu Ke was focused on observing the defensive formation. A tense atmosphere was spreading in the air, and as he watched the two-handed players, who were about to move, Lu Ke suddenly stood up straight. The suffocating atmosphere was instantly broken, and both players needed to relax and refocus.
The defense was clearly more nervous than the offense.
Lu Ke started to call the play again, which calmed the offensive players. They focused on listening to the changes in the play. The previous play had been completely messed up. The defenders, however, had to make further judgments based on Lu Ke’s gaze and the changes in the offense. Otherwise, their defense would only get more passive.
What should they do? What should they do?!
Crabtree, who was originally on the left wing, left his position, wobbled around behind Lu Ke, and went to the right wing, in between Randy Moss and Logan Newnam. The two-by-two formation immediately became a multiple-route formation. Only Vernon Davis was left on the left wing.
However, Marcus Lynch, who was on a rotation, was also on the left, which made the defense not dare to easily let their guard down.
Without a doubt, this was one of the 49ers’ most favorite offensive formations. It brought Lu Ke’s intelligence and versatility to the extreme. Now the Seahawks could only adapt to the changes by remaining the same. Their zone defense strategy didn’t change at all. The only difference was that Chancellor and Thomas were now positioned closer, and they were offset from each other, with Chancellor covering Crabtree and Thomas covering Vernon.
"...Attack!"
Another series of dazzling play calls, which seemed to hide countless route changes, challenged the defense’s attention limit again. Then Lu Ke finally called the snap.
Lu Ke, who was being watched by everyone, stood in a pistol formation. He made a quick horizontal move and voluntarily sprinted to the left. At the same time, Marcus also ran horizontally to the right. As the two of them quickly ran toward each other, Lu Ke made a handoff motion, and Marcus also made a motion to pause and receive the ball.
Repeating the same trick? Or just going with the flow?
A seemingly similar play start, but with Lu Ke, you can never judge it just by the surface. As long as the defense made a rash move, Lu Ke could change the play-calling based on his ability to read the game. This forced the Seahawks not to move recklessly and to continue with their previous defensive strategy.
Sure enough!
Repeating the same trick!
Marcus’s feet only paused slightly and then he continued to sprint, brushing past Lu Ke. This was still not a running play!
But then things changed.
Marcus continued to move horizontally to the right, and the distance between him and Lu Ke started to get farther and farther. He wasn’t just a tactical chess piece. His run was incredibly powerful and forceful, as if he was still executing his own play. At the same time, Lu Ke’s position also changed accordingly!
After crossing paths with Marcus, Lu Ke paused his steps and made a motion to quickly throw the ball, trying to find Vernon on the left wing. At this time, Vernon had already run out about five yards and turned around to make a catching motion, but Lu Ke’s action only paused for a very limited time, and then he pulled his hand back.
This was still a fake move.
Then, Lu Ke made a step and turned around, following Marcus’s route. He quickly returned to the right side of the field. The entire motion was done in one go, leaving only a blur behind.
Marcus was in front, and Lu Ke was behind. The two of them were moving quickly, one after the other.
What was this move?
Because of Lu Ke’s previous fake pass, his feet had paused for a moment. He was now about five to six yards behind Marcus. You could then see Marcus sprinting forward along the open slot.
At this time, the space in the short-pass area had slightly opened up. The defenders’ positions were a little farther back. It wasn’t obvious, only about three yards of space, but it was enough for a pass. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner immediately moved his feet, following Marcus’s momentum and lunged at him.
Just then, Lu Ke, who was still moving horizontally, lifted his hand and passed the ball while changing his steps. His target was none other than Marcus, who had just broken through the slot!
In a flash, all the players’ muscles tensed up. Not only Wagner, but all the other players’ instincts made a reflexive reaction. Their centers of gravity all adjusted, and the entire short-pass area became chaotic.
This was not a fake move! It was an actual pass!
Lu Ke had completed the pass just like that! fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
But the pass was not just a pass. At the moment he released the ball, Lu Ke’s wrist changed the angle of the pass. The pass, which originally looked like a fierce bullet pass, was lightly lifted into an arc after it was thrown.
It wasn’t a sharp arc like a rainbow pass, but a light arc drawn by a painter’s brush. It lightly and agilely flew over the heads of the defenders and was pushed toward an even deeper area.
The target was not Marcus!
With such a subtle, fast, and hidden change in the play, the defenders’ on-the-spot secondary change of balance was simply too late!
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