American Football: King of the Bay Area

Lu Ke knew he was taking a risk. He was making a huge gamble. He was being insane.

In football, a long pass is a knockout punch, capable of turning the tide at a critical moment. But nobody starts a game with one. It was just like in basketball—no one would willingly take a half-court shot if they could help it. The risk was too great. A single mistake meant handing the advantage right over to the other team. A three-pointer? That’s heavy artillery. A half-court shot? That’s a massive gamble.

More importantly, the longer the pass, the more time the receivers needed to run their routes. That meant the quarterback had to hold onto the ball longer, and the Offense Line had to protect him from the pass rush for a longer duration.

If a defensive player broke through the Offense Line and sacked the quarterback or disrupted the pass, the down would likely be blown up before the receiver could even get to the target area for a long pass.

In other words, a long pass was a double-edged sword. And unlike in soccer or basketball, the risks and difficulty of a long pass in football were far greater.

And now, Lu Ke was choosing to throw a long pass.

The problem was, the practice squad was just a ragtag crew. Their technique wasn’t solid, their skills weren’t outstanding, and their tactical understanding left much to be desired. More importantly, they had almost zero coordination. There was a reason the practice squad was called the practice squad. That’s why Lu Ke needed to make a huge gamble.

If this huge gamble failed, the worst that could happen was handing possession back to the third-string team. But if it succeeded? The practice squad needed confidence, belief, chemistry, and a sense of unity. If this long pass was completed, all of that would be within their grasp.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Ke cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts. He forced himself to stay calm, not to think about the outcome of the game, not to think about how long it had been since he’d last thrown a pass, not to think about any positive or negative possibilities—only to focus on the play. He stood up straight and began to observe the opponent’s defensive formation.

For a quarterback, having a great overall vision is crucial. Observing the opponent’s defensive formation, their defensive tactics and intentions, their alignment on the field, and making precise judgments—even adjusting one’s own offensive tactics based on the defense—this is what makes a true elite quarterback.

Peyton Manning was the master of this among active players. Before the snap, the offense has forty seconds on the play clock. Peyton would often change the play call in the final ten seconds, either because he identified a hole in the defense and changed his strategy, or because he recognized their defensive alignment and made an adjustment. In such a short time, if the opposing Defense Team couldn’t react instantly, the down would very likely succeed.

Lu Ke’s physical gifts were his weakness, but his tactical awareness was his strength. At six-foot-four, he had a commanding vantage point. His eyes, like Hawkeye’s, sharply surveyed the opposing defensive layout. It was clear the third-string team was underestimating them, and you couldn’t blame them—

Lu Ke? A scrub among scrubs? A guy who’d never played quarterback in college? Not to mention he’d never even run offensive drills. Facing an offensive ”brain” like this, no matter how much they tried to stay vigilant, a sense of contempt was bound to surface.

Lu Ke walked up behind his center, Tevin McDonald, his gaze still carefully studying the opponent’s defensive formation. The players from the third-string team, who had been laughing and joking, got into position. Their smiles vanished and their gazes retracted as they each became focused. Their eyes gradually locked onto Lu Ke, their mocking, taunting stares launching an invisible assault.

A voice rang out, ”Hey, kid, be careful not to get scared and drop the ball right after the snap.” Before anyone could tell who had spoken the taunt, everyone burst into laughter, a chaotic roar that drowned out the source of the voice.

But surprisingly, the practice squad didn’t retaliate. The Offense Line finished lining up. Lu Ke pretended to glance back in a fluster, looking at Derek. Derek and Lu Ke exchanged a look, then spread his feet, placed his hands on his knees, and settled into an offensive stance. When Lu Ke turned back, he felt reassured.

He patted Tevin’s shoulder. ”Man, I’m ready.”

Lu Ke stood behind Tevin. Everyone was set, waiting for the snap count. Lu Ke had thought he would be nervous, but in reality, he wasn’t at all. His heart was as still as water, as if he had been waiting all these years for this very moment, never having grown rusty. Then, he raised his voice and yelled, ”Go!”

Without any warning, the call came.

Tevin snapped the ball back between his legs. Lu Ke caught it cleanly, then took a quick, rapid drop back. He faked a passing motion, his peripheral vision searching for Derek’s position. At the same time, the entire Offense Line began to shift quickly to the left. The sound of SMACK! BAM! BAM! was endless as the opposing defensive players charged forward and crashed violently into the Offense Line. The powerful impact instantly shattered their formation.

The players of the practice squad seemed to be no match for the third-string team’s defenders.

Lu Ke was completely focused. He knew he had to trust his Offense Line. Any hesitation would lead to failure.

Turning his body, Lu Ke faked a handoff to Derek. Derek formed his hands to receive the ball like a running back, bent low, and started to charge forward. Lu Ke pulled the ball back, tucking it securely against his hip and the outside of his thigh. At the same time, he straightened up, using his height advantage to start looking for John.

The defensive players fell for it, just as he’d expected. They never thought Lu Ke would give up on a run play right from the start, let alone that he and Derek would execute a play-action pass. To be more precise, they hadn’t analyzed Lu Ke’s tactical intentions at all—or rather, they didn’t think Lu Ke even had a tactical plan. They were just reacting on defensive instinct.

And so, they followed the movement of the Offense Line, moving to block Derek’s path. In their line of sight, they could see Derek sprinting toward the left, trying to find a lane and break through the pack. The offense and defense swarmed like a hive, rapidly shifting to the left side of the field.

Lu Ke’s feet chopped rapidly as he scanned to his right. And then he saw him: John, sprinting at full speed.

On the football field, the 40-yard dash is one of the most classic and widely known events. The current Alliance record was set by Chris Johnson in 2008 with a time of 4.24 seconds, a record that no one had been able to break in the past two years.

Right now, John was like an untethered stallion, his frantic sprinting speed seemingly channeling Chris Johnson himself as he ran like the wind. But Lu Ke saw that he still hadn’t reached the ideal receiving spot.

The confrontation between the Defense Team and the offense had lasted less than three seconds. If Lu Ke threw the ball now, the best-case scenario would be an incomplete pass with no one catching it; the worst-case scenario would be an interception by one of their defenders.

Lu Ke needed more time. Without a moment’s hesitation, he left the pocket—the area protected by the Offense Line for the quarterback to operate in. Risking the exposure of his tactical intentions, he broke from the left and scrambled quickly to the right.

Sure enough, the opposing defensive players spotted Lu Ke’s movement. One of them charged ferociously toward him. The chaotic scene was filled with the pain and sound of collisions.

Lu Ke’s concentration was absolute. He kept his eyes locked on John’s sprinting form, his own feet firm and unhurried, showing no sign of panic. Then, he planted his foot, and his right arm swung through in a perfect arc. The football whistled as it left his hand, tracing a beautiful rainbow through the sky.

BAM! The opposing defender had reached him, tackling Lu Ke hard. The powerful impact slammed him directly to the ground.

All of Lu Ke’s attention was on the football, so much so that he wasn’t braced for the hit at all. His whole body went down hard like a rag doll. Sharp pain shot through his shoulder and arm, but Lu Ke paid it no mind, his eyes fixed on the football soaring through the air.

It wasn’t just Lu Ke. The offensive players and the opposing defensive players all looked up at the ball. Even the coaches and other players on the sideline raised their heads to watch it. Who would have ever expected that the practice squad’s very first offensive play would be a massive long pass?

The player on the Defense Team responsible for covering the Wide Receiver finally reacted, sprinting wildly toward John. But their entire defensive scheme had been set up to stop the run; they never anticipated a long pass, leaving the secondary wide open. All they could do was watch John’s back as they gave chase at full speed.

John felt as if he had grown wings. He looked up and saw the football flying above him. In his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of the forty-yard line just ahead. ’Faster, I need to be faster!’ This was nearly his limit. His entire body felt like it was soaring, filled with power, but he had no other thoughts. He just kept his eyes locked on the football, then stretched out his hands, reaching with all his might.

His outstretched hands extended his catching radius. Then he saw the football, like a light feather, fall perfectly into his palms. The force wasn’t too strong, without much of a jolt. He simply pulled his arms in on reflex, cradling the ball securely and safely in his arms. So solid. So certain.

But the play wasn’t over yet. Ahead of him was nothing but open field. ’Run, John, run with all you’ve got!’