American Football: King of the Bay Area

The position drills on the third day of the Rookie Training Camp were about to begin.

By now, the entire field had been cleared. On Lu Ke’s side, not far behind him, a large contingent of scouts and quarterback coaches were gathered. A quick glance revealed at least twenty people, a formidable crowd standing within the ten-yard area in front of the End Zone. They were accompanied by two television cameramen shouldering their cameras. Joe and his two companions were on their way to join them.

On the opposite side of the field stood another dozen or two coaches and scouts, while the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends were scattered around the End Zone. This year’s training camp had only twenty-one quarterbacks, but forty Wide Receivers and twenty Tight Ends. All of them had to undergo receiving tests, and even a few running backs joined in to prove their running and catching abilities, making the entire group quite large.

After two days of the training camp, the tension hadn’t subsided in the slightest. To be precise, as time went on, everyone became keenly aware of their own performance. The outstanding players wanted to keep up their momentum, while those who had performed poorly were desperate to turn things around. As a result, the tension was actually building.

The position drills had set routines, leaving little room for improvisation. The teams were mostly evaluating fundamentals. For example, a quarterback’s passing accuracy; a Wide Receiver’s hands and Route Running ability; or a cornerback’s coverage area and defensive technique, and so on.

These details weren’t decisive, but they could change a rookie’s draft position. A potential first overall pick might fall to third; a second-round prospect could drop to the third round. The most direct consequence of such a difference was a change in income—the signing bonuses for first and second-round picks were naturally different. Therefore, every player was gearing up, hoping to deliver a better performance.

Cam and Lu Ke were no exception.

He could still feel a sharp, piercing gaze on his back, following him like a shadow. Without even turning, he knew it had to be Cam. But Lu Ke paid it no mind, gradually calming himself and focusing. ’Physical talent is my weakness, which means my passing technique has to be my strength. With no defenders to contend with, I can showcase my accuracy to the fullest. This is my stage to prove myself!’

The position drills began quickly. Since there were three times as many receivers as quarterbacks, each quarterback had to throw to three different receivers. They would be tested on all aspects of their passing ability: short, intermediate, and long passes; sideline throws, throws over the middle, bullet passes, Rainbow Passes, and so on.

Four quarterbacks took their turns and completed the test. Then, it was time for the highly anticipated Cam Newton!

Standing at the twenty-yard line, Cam looked confident, at ease, and eager to go. But he seemed a little too hyped up, which affected his control over his passing power. His arm strength was undeniable, but his accuracy and touch left something to be desired. His first three passes were all off-target, every single one of them overthrown because he put too much force into it. The receivers couldn’t adjust their speed in time and missed the catches.

Such an amateurish mistake drew gasps from the scouts on site, who couldn’t believe Cam would make such an error.

Fortunately, under the heavy pressure, Cam managed to regain some composure, and his fourth pass was finally successful. Overall, however, his performance could hardly be called stellar. With no defenders pressuring him, he completed only twenty-two of thirty passes. Eight of those completions were also slightly off in terms of accuracy. His precision seemed inconsistent, and his control was questionable.

For an average quarterback, such a result would be above average. But for a Heisman winner, it failed to meet expectations.

After finishing the test, Cam was incredibly frustrated, fuming at himself. He slammed his left fist hard into his right palm, expressing his dissatisfaction.

There were several players between Cam and Lu Ke, from number five to number eleven. By the time Lu Ke took the field, an hour had passed. Cam had gradually calmed down, while Lu Ke was starting to feel the tension build.

Under Cam’s scornful, disdainful, and mocking gaze, Lu Ke took a deep breath and walked forward calmly. Bathed in the spotlight, he knew his moment had finally arrived. ’If I can’t shine now, then the dream of becoming a professional player ends here. The smartest thing to do would be to plant my feet back on the ground and return to a normal life. Not even the system could help me then.’

He let out a long breath, his mind settling, but his spirit began to soar. The field. Every time his feet touched the turf, he could feel an excitement and thrill deep in his bones, as if he was born for this stage!

Then, Lu Ke raised his head, looked at the coaches standing not far away, and nodded to signal that he was ready.

Kip was standing with Joe and Carl. He didn’t speak, but just gave the other two a smiling glance, silently directing their attention to the quarterback before them: of Chinese Descent, a perfect score on the Fonderick test, and a complete unknown. The combination of these three elements was enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

Joe nodded discreetly and said in a low voice, ”His ready stance is textbook. His whole demeanor is very composed. In that respect, he’s already better than Newton.”

”Are you kidding?” Carl rolled his eyes. His first impression of Lu Ke hadn’t been good, and it hadn’t changed. ”I think he’s just a clown trying to grab attention. He probably just joined the draft to show off after getting into one of the Ivy League Schools.”

”We’ll see what his passing is like soon enough,” Kip said neutrally with a chuckle. But the next second, the words caught in his throat as the test officially began.

The snap, the drop back, the scan, the throw—the entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water, executed in one single motion. More importantly, the football’s spiral and arc through the air were perfectly stable, not deviating in the slightest. It landed securely in the receiver’s arms, almost effortlessly. Clean, crisp, and precise. Such a performance was truly eye-opening.

This eight-yard short pass was only the beginning.

In the following twenty-nine passes, his short throws were quick and accurate, his release incredibly clean, like a hot knife through butter—a true feast for the eyes. His long passes were majestic, the swing of his arm like a great bow being drawn to shoot a golden eagle. Both his Rainbow Passes and his bullet passes were unerringly accurate, showcasing not only outstanding arm strength but also precise control. His intermediate passes were steady and well-placed, covering the whole field. He could practically hit any spot he aimed for, effortlessly mastering various combinations of routes.

Thirty passes, twenty-nine completions!

Of the eleven quarterbacks who had gone so far in the position drills today, he was by far the most outstanding! His performance was so brilliant that it truly made the coaches and scouts sit up and take notice.

What was even more impressive was the pinpoint control Lu Ke displayed during his passes, which was truly exceptional. Every single throw landed securely in the receiver’s chest, as perfect as a textbook example.

The only slight disappointment was that his accuracy on intermediate passes was a bit inconsistent. The deviation ranged from half an arm’s length to a full arm’s length. His one incompletion was on an intermediate pass, and there were three other instances of such deviation. However, this was still within an acceptable range. The flaws couldn’t hide his brilliance!

In terms of pure passing mechanics, Lu Ke might just have the most solid fundamentals among this year’s rookie quarterbacks. Moreover, his cannon of an arm and his precise control were a genuine surprise.

After Lu Ke finished his thirty passes, Joe couldn’t help but step forward again. As the quarterback coach for the New Orleans Saints, he worked with an elite quarterback in Drew Brees. He had a profound understanding of the passing game and was considered one of the best passing coaches in the Alliance. He asked Lu Ke to throw with all his might, wanting to see the limit of his long ball—

In the previous tests, the baseline for long passes was around forty yards; they hadn’t pushed the limits any further. This was because the tests were mainly focused on a quarterback’s fundamentals, and a QB’s maximum capabilities were typically already documented by scouts from their NCAA games. Lu Ke, however, was a special case. His scouting report was pitifully sparse. Here at the Rookie Training Camp, everyone was trying to figure out what this quarterback was made of. That was why Joe made such a request.

Lu Ke showed no fear, remaining calmly in place. He waited for the quarterback coach and the Wide Receiver coaches to finish communicating over their walkie-talkies, and then the long pass challenge officially began.

On his first long throw, the football cut through the air and flew a straight sixty yards, landing perfectly just below the Wide Receiver’s shoulder, who gathered it in stride. Such an effortless-looking pass triggered a wave of gasps from the onlookers. That kind of passing ability already ranked among the top tier in the Alliance. It might not be on par with Aaron Rodgers, but it wasn’t far behind. The question was: how consistent was he?

Next, Lu Ke threw five more long passes in a row. On the final one, the football’s flight path became unstable, wobbling as the entire trajectory lost its form. It was clear that Lu Ke’s physical conditioning was still lacking; it wasn’t enough to withstand the severe test of six consecutive long throws, especially right after having completed thirty consecutive passes just before.

However, of the six long passes, the two shortest were around fifty-five yards and were very stable and highly accurate. The farthest one reached sixty-five yards, but its deviation was significant—off by a good two steps—and the Wide Receiver couldn’t make the catch. From this, it was evident that sixty yards was likely Lu Ke’s current, relatively stable range.

For a quarterback with less-than-satisfactory physical attributes, such a performance was spectacular! But, one couldn’t forget that this was achieved with no defenders to contend with. In a real game, Lu Ke would absolutely not be able to complete his passes so comfortably. This meant Lu Ke was a player whose strengths and weaknesses were both incredibly obvious. So, what was the right choice to make?

”DING.” A sound echoed in his mind again. ’A special mission has appeared?’