American Football: King of the Bay Area

Lu Ke gasped for air, lying flat on his back and staring at the sky above. Every part of his body ached. He needed a moment, just three seconds, to catch his breath.

The Trojans’ defensive intensity had clearly increased. They were going all out on the blitz—a tactic that could be simply understood as a strategy targeting the quarterback. It involved sending four defensive players to tear through the opponent’s Offense Line, tackling, sacking, hitting, and disrupting passes to ruin the quarterback’s play in any way possible.

The pros and cons of a blitz were obvious. The advantage was putting pressure on the opposing quarterback; the disadvantage was leaving the backfield exposed. If the blitz failed, or if the quarterback escaped the tackle and successfully completed a pass, the difficulty for the defensive players to cover the receivers would multiply.

But the Trojans Team could afford the cost, and they could afford the gamble.

During the last possession, after the Trojans Team crossed midfield, they left the Brown Bear Team with only about five minutes of game time. For the Brown Bear Team, they needed to score a Touchdown within five minutes and then stop the opposing offense from scoring. The difficulty was immense. For the Trojans Team, there was only one thing they needed to do: slow down the Brown Bear Team’s offense as much as possible—

—because even if the Brown Bear Team scored a Touchdown, it would only tie the score. If time remained after the Touchdown, the Trojans’ offense would take the field again, holding the final say in the game’s outcome. If time ran out, the game would go directly into overtime, putting both teams back on a level playing field.

In other words, the Trojans couldn’t lose in regulation. So, their job was simple: constantly attack the quarterback, constantly disrupt the opponent’s offensive rhythm, and constantly burn the clock. Even if the other team completed a pass and advanced the ball, they would do everything in their power to make their opponents’ lives miserable.

If they succeeded, they could potentially kill the game’s suspense right here and now!

For Lu Ke, this was a disaster. The opponent’s blitzing tactic drastically shortened his release time, making every pass incredibly difficult. His vision of the field was severely obstructed, and regardless of whether the pass was completed, the opposing defensive players would definitely finish with a hit or a tackle. The violent physical contact was causing Lu Ke’s stamina to drain at an accelerating rate.

The past two minutes had been a vivid interpretation of hell. Lu Ke had arduously led the team thirty yards to midfield, but he had already endured seven hits. Each one felt like being hit head-on by a truck, and every bone in his body seemed to creak.

Physical confrontation had never been Lu Ke’s strong suit. His shortcomings—a lack of nimble footwork and inaccurate Running Passes—were all being exposed in a real game, leaving him at a complete disadvantage.

Worse, only three minutes and twenty-three seconds remained in the game, and they were only at midfield. The window for the Brown Bear Team was gradually closing. Forget winning the game; even the possibility of tying the score was dwindling. During the last drive, they had converted on third down twice, barely managing to hold onto possession. But having crossed midfield, the difficulty would only increase.

’A long pass?’ The thought flashed through Lu Ke’s mind, but the Trojans Team’s ferocious blitz left him no time to throw. Lu Ke now found himself wishing for his running ability, his mobile passing ability, his Ball-Carrying Run ability, his evasiveness, his blocking ability...

”Bambi, you okay?” Marcus’s head appeared directly above him, his huge face startling him. A pea-sized bead of sweat dripped down, making Lu Ke chuckle involuntarily. He reached out his right hand, grabbed Marcus’s palm, and pulled himself up with a heave.

”Great!” Lu Ke answered crisply. His sharp gaze swept over the Trojans Team’s defensive players, who were like a pack of hungry wolves, their green eyes constantly searching for prey. A flash of inspiration struck. Lu Ke, still panting heavily, glanced back at the coaches on the sideline. They were also huddled together, talking quickly. They had a clearer, more objective understanding of the dire situation on the field than Lu Ke did.

’Qi, what do you think I should do?’ Lu Ke couldn’t help but ask in his mind. But the reply was silence. ’Qi? Aren’t you going to help me out?’

’Tactical design and execution are not services provided by the system,’ Qi’s calm voice rang out in his head.

A smile tugged at the corners of Lu Ke’s mouth. ’Qi, why do I get the feeling you’re gloating a little? Or is it just my imagination?’

’...’ Qi remained silent, which made Lu Ke chuckle. He waited another five seconds, but the coaching staff still gave no signal. Norm noticed Lu Ke’s gaze, raised his right hand, and made a ”wait” gesture. But Lu Ke turned his head to look at the play clock. The preparation time for this down was down to nineteen seconds and shrinking, and the game clock was ticking down too.

They couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Lu Ke made a gesture, signaling to Norm. He saw Norm’s surprised expression as he turned to whisper with Rick. Without waiting for a response, Lu Ke waved his teammates over. Huddling together, he said in a low voice, ”Offense! Non-stop offense! After every down ends, don’t regroup. Immediately start the next play. Let’s pick up the pace!”

No-huddle offense, its full name being ”an offense that begins directly without huddling to discuss the play.”

The advantages of this offense were its speed, efficiency, simplicity, directness, and rhythm. There were no complex tactical arrangements, no cumbersome multi-layered communications. It returned the offense to its basics, relying entirely on the players’ talent and ability, as well as the chemistry between the quarterback and his receivers, to keep advancing. At the same time, the high-speed tempo left the defense with no time to set up their formations. A single player’s lapse in concentration could lead to a total collapse of the defense.

But the disadvantage of this offense was that the speed was just too fast. The offense couldn’t afford any slip-ups; the slightest misstep in rhythm could lead to a failed play. Moreover, with such a high tempo, the plays were mostly short passes with relatively simple routes, which were run into a dense defensive zone. Once the opponent adapted to the rhythm, a broken pass or even an interception became a high-probability event.

It was a style of offense that was exceptionally dependent on the quarterback’s talent and ability, but its tactical requirements were very simple.

In the professional leagues, there are over twenty thousand plays, so coaches aren’t particularly fond of the no-huddle offense. They prefer to stick with complex strategies. Compared to relying on a young quarterback, offensive coaches have more faith in tactical planning and counters. After all, not every quarterback can be a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady.

However, in high school and college leagues, the no-huddle offense is extremely popular. Young players prefer to play using their talent rather than relying on complex tactics, and offensive coaches are happy to cede that control. As a result, this style of play flourished in the NCAA.

The Brown Bear Team was now in a bind: time was running out, the opposing defense was blitzing, and their own offensive playbook was limited. In such a situation, the no-huddle offense was their best choice. It was risky, but it was also the best opportunity for a breakthrough.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ke made his decision and gave the signal. On the field, every second counted. A single moment of hesitation was a luxury.

Then, Lu Ke looked up at his teammates. This was his first official game, and the time he’d had to build chemistry with them was truly limited. Yet, at this moment, not a single person objected. Everyone just nodded in understanding, quickly turned, and returned to their positions, lining up and getting ready for the play.

Lu Ke turned his head and saw Rick with his arms crossed over his chest. Noticing Lu Ke’s gaze, he gave a slight nod of his chin, signaling his approval. This wasn’t just a tactical choice; it was a show of trust in Lu Ke, and a gamble for victory.

Lu Ke let out a long breath and pulled his gaze back, once again facing his opponents. He temporarily forgot the ache in his muscles, the pain in his bones, the pressure of the clock. He focused completely on observing the opponent’s defensive formation, then shouted, ”One, ninety-five.”

The ”one” represented the formation, and the ”ninety-five” represented the running routes for the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends. As for everyone else, they would react as the situation dictated. This was the no-huddle offense—all the tactics were simplified to the extreme.

At Lu Ke’s call, John and Logan began to move behind him, swapping positions. Logan ran to the left side while John stood on the right. Marcus stood parallel to Lu Ke, positioned behind John.

The opposing defensive players caught the details of this simple tactical adjustment—Number 11 had a habit of passing to the right; at least four successful advances today had been completed on the right side. Number 11’s passing chemistry with Logan was outstanding, making Logan his obvious favorite offensive weapon. So, would this play go to the left or the right?

Malik, however, wasn’t distracted by this information. His eyes were locked on Lu Ke. Their tactic was to blitz the quarterback and not give Number 11 any chance for a medium or long pass. They could let him have the short passes. Therefore, he wouldn’t waver, let alone panic. ’He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice!’

”Hike!”

Lu Ke shouted. The center quickly snapped the football. He caught it with both hands, turned to his right, and without a moment’s hesitation, threw the ball. It happened so fast that before the Trojans’ defenders could even start their rush, the football was already caught by Marcus. Ignoring all the defenders, Marcus sprinted all the way to the left, brushed past Lu Ke, and then charged rapidly in Logan’s direction!