American Football: King of the Bay Area

Anthony Jefferson arrived at the training field a quarter past eight.

As was customary, the day after a game had no formal training tasks. It was just for some light recovery exercises, injury checks, and loosening up muscles before everyone was dismissed. It was a rare moment of relaxation during the week—provided, of course, that they had won the previous day’s game. No one liked to lose.

Yesterday, however, was the last game of the season. Its conclusion meant the 2011 NCAA season was officially over, which made today especially significant.

For the past eleven years, this day had always been a day of farewells—not graduation from college, but the moment players said goodbye to their professional football careers.

The Professional Alliance was a meat grinder that chewed people up and spit out their bones. Over ninety percent of college players lacked the skill to go pro and begin a career as a professional athlete. Of those who did, only a mere one percent could reach the pinnacle of the Professional Alliance and go down in history.

Generally, players had a choice: declare for the draft in their junior year and take a shot at the Professional Alliance, or stay for one more year, build up more prestige and experience, and enter the draft after graduating as a senior. But if a player still couldn’t make it into the Alliance after their senior year, it meant the end of their ”professional career.”

This was what made the day after the final game of every NCAA season a day of departures. It was the most special, and also the most moving, day of the year.

In Anthony’s view, the Brown Bear Team’s overall performance was still mediocre. Among the juniors and seniors, no more than five—perhaps even fewer than three—would make it into the Alliance through the draft. This meant at least twenty players would be ending their football careers today.

Every player had held on to the dream of going pro all the way through college—if not as a professional football player, then at least as a professional athlete. But today was the day that dream ended and they returned to harsh reality. A long journey of ten, even fifteen years, was now reaching its conclusion. Whether by choice or by force, it was bound to be a difficult day.

Therefore, this day was always a difficult and somber one for Anthony. It had been this way for the past eleven years.

This year was a little different. At the end of the season, the Brown Bear Team was ranked fourth and might receive an invitation to play in the Rose Bowl. But that was only a possibility. Today was still a day of goodbyes.

With a heavy heart, his steps slowed. From a distance, a clamor of noise—a mix of hearty laughter and playful curses—drifted from the training field, shattering the morning peace. It filled the field with a vibrant energy that seemed to wash away the bitterness and reluctance of parting.

A smile involuntarily appeared on Anthony’s face. This was the training field he loved, the one he knew best. He quickened his pace. Gradually, the two figures competing in the center of the field, Lu Ke and John, came into view. They were running shuttle drills. At the turning point, Logan and Marcus were poised and ready, shouting, ”Faster! Don’t let that guy beat you!”

Anthony arrived just in time to see Lu Ke and John enter the final sprint. But it wasn’t over. John reached Marcus with a slight lead and slapped his palm hard. The contest then continued with Marcus and Logan—Lu Ke was only half a step behind, with Logan close on his heels.

First were short lateral hops, two sets. Then it was Lu Ke and John’s turn again for rapid directional changes. Next, Logan and Marcus took on obstacle contact drills…

It was a continuous relay race. Lu Ke and Logan were on one team, John and Marcus on the other. They went through one basic training drill after another.

These drills weren’t actually specific to quarterbacks. They were fundamental exercises for footwork, explosiveness, and turning, more suited for running backs and Tight Ends. However, as basic training, quarterbacks also used them to improve their footwork and reaction time. So, strictly speaking, it was a fair competition.

The race ended with a forty-yard dash, with Lu Ke and John crossing the finish line almost neck and neck. John and Marcus’s team won—when it came to speed and agility drills, a quarterback couldn’t compare to a Wide Receiver, running back, or Tight End. What was surprising, however, was that Lu Ke was only a hand’s breadth behind. It was like a hundred-meter dash where the winner was almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye.

It was truly an eye-opening performance.

Watching the four young men gasping for air and then breaking into laughter and horseplay, Anthony didn’t interrupt them. He turned and walked away. He knew Lu Ke was a diligent worker—he had been as a practice player, and he still was as a backup. But after last night’s victory, the most important one for the team in nearly a decade, Lu Ke remained humble and grounded, immediately throwing himself back into training. This truly made Anthony see him in a new light.

He liked players like that. He had always favored those who put in the sweat and hard work over the ones with extraordinary talent.

’It’s a shame Lu Ke’s natural talent is so poor.’ Even if he was reluctant to admit it, in terms of physical confrontation, Black people seemed to have a natural advantage, completely overpowering white people, let alone people from Asia. A player like Yao Ming was a once-in-a-generation phenomenon in the long history of the NBA. In football, where the physical contact was even more intense and ferocious, you couldn’t find a single Asian player. Beyond racial discrimination, there were objective reasons for this.

’If I remember correctly, Lu Ke is also a senior this year. I wonder what his thoughts are on the Professional Alliance.’

One by one, the other players from the Brown Bear Team arrived at the field and began their recovery training for the day. The atmosphere was exceptionally light and lively. Even the practice squad players were laughing and joking, in high spirits. Last night’s victory was just too sweet, a feeling that wouldn’t fade for a long time.

For a moment, everyone forgot about the impending farewells. Later, a few of the seniors gathered to talk. When John openly stated his intentions, the mood of the practice inevitably grew somber. In the end, it was a boisterous Logan who reminded everyone that there was still a potential Rose Bowl bid this year. Until the Rose Bowl teams were announced, not only could they not disband, but they had to keep training.

Smiles returned to everyone’s faces once more.

”Bambi, practice is over for today. You’re not going to run through all the basic drills again, are you?” The recovery practice ended quickly. Amid the playful banter, time flew by happily. Everyone was getting ready to head back and shower when they noticed Lu Ke was still meticulously working on his quarterback drills. Someone called out.

Lu Ke didn’t stop what he was doing, replying with a smile, ”Just some simple basic training. I’m trying to compete for the starting quarterback spot in the Rose Bowl. I’m already behind, so of course I have to work harder.”

His straightforward and frank reply made everyone burst into laughter. ”Relax, relax! Bambi, I think last night’s performance was more than enough to lock down a starting spot for you.”

”As a Wide Receiver, though!” someone else quipped, teasing Lu Ke. Everyone erupted in laughter.

Lu Ke didn’t join in on the fun. He’d gotten distracted for a moment while talking, and his form had faltered. The system hadn’t counted his last three reps. He refocused, immersing himself in the drills and methodically completing them. The mission completion notification sounded in his mind again.

He earned another basic point. Lu Ke casually added it to his Observation Field of View, raising it from fifty-three to fifty-four, one step closer to the passing mark.

After one daily training mission was completed, another appeared right on schedule.

Lu Ke gave it a casual scan, but his eyes quickly froze. He couldn’t help but read the mission again. The mission cycle was still fourteen days, but five new items had been added, bringing the total number of daily training items to thirty. Not only had new items been added, but some of the existing ones had also been slightly altered.

The first change was to the ”10,000-meter endurance run.” It was now a ”10,000-meter variable-speed run; mission requirement: must change speed at least five times during the run, sprinting for 100 meters each time.” Maintaining a rhythm was undoubtedly the most important part of long-distance running. The ability to suddenly change speed would exponentially increase the demand on his stamina, breath control, and endurance.

The second change was to the required number of sets for certain tasks. For example, weighted squats went from three sets to five, with a corresponding increase in weight—to the exact maximum Lu Ke could currently handle. His footwork drills went from three sets to ten. ’It seems the system is very dissatisfied with my footwork,’ he thought.

The third change was the five new training items.

”...

Obstacle Evasion Drill: five sets of three reps;

Three-Cone Drill: five sets of three reps;

Agility Ladder Lateral Run: three sets of three reps;

Ball-holding Sit-ups: five sets of twenty reps;

Yoga: thirty minutes;

Time Limit: 14 consecutive days (0/14);

Mission Reward: +1 Basic Point.”

Lu Ke was familiar with the new drills at the top of the list; they were advanced technical drills for footwork, each one incredibly tedious but crucial. But what was with the last item? ’Did I read that wrong?’ Lu Ke thought he had misread it and carefully scanned it again. The result was the same: ”Yoga, thirty minutes.”

”Qi? Qi?” Lu Ke began calling out in his mind. ”What’s this about yoga? Is it supposed to increase my charisma stat or something? Why can’t I see any connection between yoga and football? Or am I supposed to be practicing some kind of alien yoga? The kind that lets you turn into a Super Saiyan?”