American Football: King of the Bay Area

In John’s line of sight were two cornerbacks—the defenders tasked with covering receivers. They were spread out on their side of the field, positioned according to the defensive play call. But this time, they were defending a run. As a result, both cornerbacks were positioned near the line of scrimmage and had shifted left with the offensive formation, leaving a huge part of the field wide open.

And just like that, the entire field in front of him was wide open.

John clutched the football tightly and ran. He ran fast, ran with all his might, ran with total focus, completely unobstructed. After making a clean catch at the forty-yard line, he just ran, completely lost in the moment. Closer, and closer still. He sprinted, unhindered, toward the End Zone.

No one to stop him, nothing to hinder him, nothing to hold him back. John broke into an all-out sprint, the rushing wind filling his ears. In a single, fluid motion, he burst across the line into the End Zone for the Touchdown. It was so effortless it didn’t even take any extra energy. All he had to do was run, catch the ball, and run again. It was that easy, that simple, that perfect.

A knockout blow!

After crossing into the End Zone for the Touchdown, John slammed the football hard onto the ground. He did it! He did it! The surging emotions in his chest burst forth in a cathartic release. His first instinct was to look to the other end of the field, searching for Lu Ke, but it wasn’t an easy task.

For one, the members of the practice squad’s offense had swarmed over, blocking his view. Every face was flushed with frenzied excitement as they yelled, ”You did it! You did it!” Their voices, hoarse from shouting, filled his ears.

And for another, the players on the opposing Defense Team were frozen in place, scattered across the field with looks of utter bewilderment. They couldn’t even comprehend what had just happened. How had a long pass been completed? How was that a Touchdown?

Everyone on the sidelines was stunned as well. The first- and second-string players couldn’t believe that the practice squad had been the first to score, and with a killer long pass at that. The offense had been on the field for less than thirty seconds, and they’d already completed a Touchdown. It was so incredible, so inconceivable, so utterly unbelievable that everyone could only stare at each other in dismay.

The three members of the coaching staff were no exception. Rick Neuheisel watched the middle of the field with keen interest. It wasn’t just the Touchdown that surprised him; it was the entire execution of the pass. From the setup to the release, from the ball’s flight path to John’s secure catch, the power, accuracy, and control on display were genuinely eye-opening.

’But was that just a flash in the pan, or was it a display of genuine skill?’

Rick turned to his two coaching partners. ”Did you guys notice the offense’s tactical setup just now? Was that intentional? Did that quarterback make adjustments on the field before the snap?” Since they hadn’t held any expectations before, they hadn’t been watching very closely and had naturally overlooked such details.

Standing beside him, offensive coach Norm Chow and Defense Team coach Chuck Bullough both offered wry smiles, unable to give a definitive answer.

”It all happened too fast,” Norm said.

Indeed. From start to finish, the Touchdown took no more than thirty seconds. That was incredibly fast, even for a practice game.

A corner of Rick’s mouth twitched. ”Looks like the kids on the practice squad have brought us a few surprises.”

Still, one had to acknowledge that on that first offensive play, the third-string Defense Team hadn’t taken them seriously, which led to a defensive breakdown and gave Lu Ke plenty of time to throw. Now that everyone was paying attention, things were about to get a lot more interesting. Rick found himself looking forward to seeing how Lu Ke’s offense would respond and how they would perform.

The defender who had tackled Lu Ke a moment too late got up and sullenly moved to the side. Lu Ke pushed himself to his feet, clenched his fists, and pumped them in the air a few times. Finally, unable to hold back, he let out a triumphant roar, ”Hell yeah!” ’It worked! My play worked! All that hard work finally paid off, and we scored a Touchdown!’

This was the first mark he’d made on the field since acquiring the system. Even though it was only a practice game, compared to his usual role on the practice squad, this was a massive step forward.

Before Lu Ke had a chance to celebrate further, he saw John charging toward him like a derailed train, with a whole stream of teammates trailing behind, roaring as they approached. They mobbed Lu Ke, surrounding him and chanting his name, ”Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke!” The scene was pure pandemonium, as if they had just won the Super Bowl!

A huge smile spread across Lu Ke’s face.

With a dull THUD, Kevin, who was standing on the sidelines, viciously kicked a chair—only to be the one wincing in pain. Kevin clenched his jaw, pretending not to care, but the hand gripping his helmet was white-knuckled. He ground his teeth. ’Damn clown!’

”Get it together! It’s just one Touchdown! We’ll get one right back!” Kevin yelled to his teammates. He started to head onto the field but was pulled back by the arm. Kevin turned and shot his teammate a vicious glare. ”What is it?”

His teammate shook his head. ”They still have to kick the extra point.” After the point-after attempt, the special teams unit had to come out for the kickoff before it was their turn.

Unlike in soccer, where play restarts at the center circle after a goal, American football has a different procedure. After a Touchdown, the scoring team kicks off from their side of the field. The other team receives the kick and can try to run it back, just like on a punt. Wherever the returner is brought down—where his knee touches the ground—that’s where his team’s offense will take over.

The practice squad’s special teams unit came on the field. They kicked the extra point, which was good, giving them a 7-0 lead over the third-string team. After that, the special teams unit handled the kickoff. The ball sailed out of the back of the End Zone for a touchback, meaning the third-string team’s returner had no chance to run it back. They would start their offensive drive from their own 20-yard line.

Kevin took the field once more.

Back on the sideline, Lu Ke didn’t rest. The joy from that first Touchdown quickly subsided. ’This practice game has only just started. One Touchdown won’t be enough to secure a win. That’s just wishful thinking. We need to keep attacking, and attacking, and attacking!’

Lu Ke gathered his offensive teammates. ”A play like that won’t happen a second time.”

That first play was a result of everything aligning perfectly. If even one thing had gone wrong, they wouldn’t be able to repeat it. The risks of a long pass were just too high, especially since their teamwork wasn’t seamless yet. So, they needed more plays.

”But we still have the initiative!” Lu Ke said, trying to pump up his teammates. ”You saw it for yourselves—their coordination isn’t perfect, either. At least, it’s a little worse than ours.” The third-string team was, after all, not the first-string team.

After that unbelievable long-pass Touchdown, the morale of the practice squad’s offense was soaring. Their fighting spirit was ignited, and every single one of them was brimming with confidence. Lu Ke’s words made them all chuckle.

”Now the real fight begins. No more room for lucky breaks.” Lu Ke’s gaze swept over his teammates. ”From now on, we’re going to need more protection…”

A quarterback is called the brains of the team for a reason. He has to memorize the entire playbook and even be familiar with the opposing team’s defensive schemes. He’s the only player on the team with this responsibility. On the field, in the heat of the moment, a coach can’t call an audible—that decision falls to the quarterback.

The practice squad’s greatest advantage was their intimate familiarity with every opponent. Their job was to study the starters and backups to simulate opponents in practice. The regular players, however, neither needed nor had the chance to study the practice squad’s own plays. As a result, the practice squad knew the habits and weaknesses of the players lined up against their Offense Line.

Lu Ke started assigning the play. For a quarterback, having enough time to read the field and throw the ball is the most critical element. In other words, the Offense Line has to stop the defenders’ rush. If the defense breaks through the Offense Line, the entire play will completely collapse.

Even the most elite quarterback is still just one person. As the saying goes, two fists can’t fight four hands—he can’t win the game all by himself.

If they were facing the first-string starters, the practice squad would have no chance at all. The gap in skill and strategy would be too vast to overcome, no matter how hard they fought. But they were facing the third-stringers, the backups’ backups. That group didn’t get much time to practice their own plays and teamwork, which meant that as long as Lu Ke watched carefully enough, he could find a weakness.

”FUCK!” A curse from the field interrupted Lu Ke’s tactical discussion. They turned to look and saw that the third-string offense had made it to midfield but couldn’t advance any further. It was clearly going to be another punting situation. Kevin, his face flushed red and veins bulging on his neck, was screaming at his teammates, absolutely livid.

Lu Ke took a deep breath. ”Alright, guys. It’s our turn again.”

This time, however, the practice squad wasn’t able to work any magic on the field. With the opposing defenders now on high alert, the practice squad’s Offense Line struggled to put up an effective block. The first pass attempt was disrupted, and Lu Ke was sacked—meaning a defender tackled him while he was still holding the ball, forcing him to the ground. A sack results in a loss of down, and the next play starts from the spot where the quarterback went down.

On second down, they went with a run but only gained two yards. On third down, Lu Ke attempted a mid-range pass, but it fell incomplete. With no other option, they had to punt.

The practice game then descended into chaos. Neither team’s offense could make any real headway, and the game ground to a stalemate.