American Football: King of the Bay Area

It was a typical coach’s office. The desk was piled high with all sorts of messy documents, and against the wall by the door was a whiteboard covered in plays. In the opposite corner, an old desktop computer and a television sat next to a teetering, overflowing stack of videotapes. That must have been the corner for analyzing opponents’ game film.

”Have a seat.” Rick walked around to the back of his desk and gestured with his hand. ”If you’re worried about getting the chair dirty with sweat, I’m sure the school would be more than willing to replace it with a brand new one for the hero of our Rose Bowl victory.”

Usually, Rick always had a stern face, rarely showing any expression, let alone cracking a joke. This uncharacteristic bit of humor made Lu Ke pause for a moment, and for once, he didn’t have a comeback. ’First Kevin, and now Rick. This morning has been really strange.’

Rick didn’t mind the reaction. He just smiled slightly and continued, ”You’re a senior this year, right? Have you made a decision yet? Entering the draft? Or seeking a breakthrough in another field?”

”Yes, I’ve decided. I want to give it a shot.” Lu Ke’s words were simple, but his tone was incredibly firm. The understated way he spoke only revealed his inner strength.

This time, it was Rick’s turn to pause, then he broke into a laugh. ”Well, that’s just perfect.” Whatever he had been about to say vanished into thin air. He opened the drawer beside him, took out an envelope, and handed it to Lu Ke. ”I was just worried that if you decided to give up, this letter would have been for nothing.”

Lu Ke was confused but took the envelope. He saw the words ”Letter of Recommendation” written on the outside. He looked up at Rick, puzzled. Rick nodded, giving him a look that said to open it. With permission granted, Lu Ke opened the unsealed envelope, pulled out the letter inside, and began to read.

It was a letter of recommendation from UCLA’s head coach, Rick Neuheisel, formally recommending Lu Ke for the Rookie Training Camp.

The official football league is the National Football League, abbreviated as the NFL. It consists of thirty-two teams, divided into two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference is made up of four divisions—North, South, East, and West—with four teams in each division.

This league is not only the top of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, but also the largest professional football league in the world. In terms of commercial revenue, viewership, and market influence, it is the most powerful professional sports league in North America. Its annual championship game is called the Super Bowl, which easily draws over a hundred million viewers and is jokingly referred to by Chinese media as the ”American Spring Festival Gala.”

Similar to the NBA draft, which is more familiar to people in China, the NFL also holds an annual draft. This is the best way for new players from all over the world to showcase themselves and enter the professional league. Before the official draft, the league also holds a Rookie Training Camp, gathering the rookies for a four-day showcase of drills and tests. Scouts will then conduct further evaluations and judgments to provide to the various teams for their selections.

However, there are thousands upon thousands of new players every year, and not all of them can make it into the league. The draft consists of seven rounds, with about two hundred and fifty rookies being selected. Everyone else becomes an Undrafted Player, and of those, less than one in a hundred will make it into the league. Naturally, the Rookie Training Camp can’t accommodate all the draft prospects either.

Generally, before the official Rookie Training Camp, the league will send out a series of invitations based on scouting reports, on-field performance, and recommendations from professionals. These invitations gather rookies for state-level training camps. After a selection process, about three hundred and thirty of the top prospects are ultimately chosen to go to Indianapolis for the main camp—

There, not only will there be veteran scouts, but also executives, coaches, and team doctors from all thirty-two teams.

For Lu Ke, in his four years of college, he had only played in one quarter of a game, plus an additional two minutes. Scouts had absolutely no information on him. Even if they had paid attention, all his data from the first three years was completely blank. He was like the Sun Monkey bursting from a stone—a complete ”unknown” to everyone.

So, even though he had decided to enter the draft, his future was completely dark. Forget the Rookie Training Camp; he probably wouldn’t even be able to participate in the state-level tryouts.

But now, the problem was solved just like that. The recommendation letter in his hand, from Rick, was enough to be his ticket into the state-level tryouts, opening a door for him on his draft journey!

This gift was truly too precious, too significant. Lu Ke couldn’t help but look up, his eyes filled with astonishment. ”Coach!”

Lu Ke had never really had a chance to talk with the head coach. He was much more familiar with Anthony than with Rick. Before the Rose Bowl, the coaching staff had chosen Kevin as the starting quarterback, and Lu Ke had thought...

No explanation was needed; a single look was enough. Rick’s eyes showed that he understood. However, he didn’t explain, only saying matter-of-factly, ”There’s still a gap in our team’s overall strength. On this year’s roster, the only ones with a real shot at the draft are Logan, Raheem, and you. Logan and Raheem should be fine. I thought, maybe you needed a chance to show everyone what you can do, just like you did in the last two games.”

The era of Ivy League Schools dominating the NCAA football scene was long gone. Now was the era dominated by the likes of Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, the University of Florida, and Louisiana State University.

Even the University of Southern California was struggling. The investigation into Reggie Bush accepting bribes from a sports agent before the 2006 draft was officially concluded last year with a guilty verdict. This led to the NCAA imposing heavy sanctions on USC. Now, they were in a slump, and this year they even lost to UCLA, entering a dark period after a decade of glory for the Trojans.

Although the Brown Bear Team won this year’s Rose Bowl, they couldn’t even crack the top eight in the national rankings. Their overall strength was completely outclassed by a host of state universities, and they lagged behind across the board, from the offense to the Defense Team to the special teams.

Just as Rick said, there were only two players on the Brown Bear Team with real draft potential: Tight End Logan Newman from the offense, and safety Raheem Moore from the Defense Team. However, neither of them was at a first-round-pick level. Whether they would be second or third-round picks would depend on their performance at the upcoming Rookie Training Camp. If they weren’t careful, their draft stock could fall even further.

As for Lu Ke, Rick couldn’t make an accurate judgment either.

From a purely physical and technical standpoint, Lu Ke had too many shortcomings. Forget being drafted, he might not even meet the average standard for Undrafted Players. But in terms of game-time temperament, Lu Ke displayed a top-tier level. Whether it was his judgment in critical moments or his decision-making under pressure, his decisiveness often led to extraordinary plays. His long passes, short passes, footwork, and evasion—all these skills were eye-opening.

Yes, his skill was still insufficient. Yes, he had led the Brown Bear Team to a Rose Bowl victory. It was a complete contradiction, one that even Rick couldn’t explain.

Every head coach has the authority to recommend players, especially the head coach of a Rose Bowl winner. Rick had considered it, and he had hesitated. Running back Marcus Lynch and Defensive Tackle David Carter were among those he had considered.

After careful deliberation, Rick still chose Lu Ke. It was because Lu Ke had more uncertainty surrounding him, and at the same time, he was the one who most needed an opportunity to showcase himself. His letter of recommendation was enough to get a player into the state-level tryouts, but it didn’t carry enough weight to get them into the Rookie Training Camp. As for Marcus and David, they would have no problem getting into the state-level camp on their own merit.

Weighing the options, Lu Ke came out on top. Rick knew it was a risk, a gamble. But then again, wasn’t the substitution he made during the Rose Bowl also a gamble?

”Thank you!” A thousand words were ultimately reduced to that one simple phrase of gratitude as Lu Ke spoke.

Rick could see the vibrant life and surging passion in those eyes. That deep-seated love and madness for the game made Rick’s own spirits lift. He knew he had made the right choice. ”You won the last two minutes of that game. The least I can do is win you a chance to showcase yourself.”

Without any more pleasantries, Rick stood up and clapped Lu Ke on the shoulder. ”I look forward to the day I see you on a professional field.”

”Thank you,” Lu Ke repeated. It seemed that, at this moment, no other words could compare to that simple phrase. He turned to leave, but then heard Rick’s voice from behind him, ”The letter of recommendation, it’s better if I keep it. I need to mail it to the association.”

”Oh!” It dawned on Lu Ke. He turned back, handed the letter to Rick, and said with a chuckle, ”Well, I’m heading off to practice then. I haven’t finished today’s workout yet.”

It was a day filled with both joy and sorrow.

The joy came from taking his first step on the path to the draft. The Brown Bear Team had won the Rose Bowl, and today was for everyone to celebrate together, sober this time. After a rollercoaster of a season, they could finally start to rest.

The sorrow came from the arrival of farewells. The seniors hugged each other and said their goodbyes. After graduation, they would all set off on different paths in life, and whether they would ever see each other again was unknown.

”Did you hear?” The gossip was practically written all over Logan’s face. He hurried over to Lu Ke’s side, bumped his shoulder against his, and said with a wink, ”Kevin Price has decided not to enter the draft.”

Lu Ke’s mouth fell slightly open. It was unexpected, yet it made sense. Quarterback. Every year the league needed quarterbacks, but every year the league was also cutting quarterbacks. Trying to make a name for yourself in that position was harder than any other. Even if Kevin had entered the draft, he likely would have ended up as one of the Undrafted Players.

Now, Lu Ke finally understood why Kevin had come to the practice field this morning. A farewell. Kevin had come to say his goodbye.

Gazing at the lush green practice field before him, Lu Ke’s jubilant mood was tinged with a hint of reluctance to part.