American Football: King of the Bay Area

The character skill test was coming to an end, but Lu Ke still couldn’t get his thoughts straight. ’This is the Rookie Training Camp, not a practice with the Brown Bear Team. How is a training match supposed to get triggered? Once it starts, how am I supposed to become the quarterback? More importantly, the special mission didn’t give any details, but if there’s no training match, the system shouldn’t have given me a mission in the first place.’

Lu Ke couldn’t help but wonder, ’What exactly happened when the special mission was triggered?’

”Listen up, everyone!” Joe’s voice rang out. He, Kip, Carl, and several other coaches walked up, their expressions serious. ”We’re going to hold a small training match. It’ll be seven-on-seven, one offense team against one Defense Team per matchup. This isn’t an official game, so we won’t be going by four downs to gain ten yards. Instead, each matchup will consist of ten offensive downs. We’ll be looking at the yardage gained and evaluating every player’s performance on both offense and defense.”

Joe’s words made the rookies exchange glances, a mix of excitement and nervousness filling the air. This sudden training match could be their stage to shine, but it could also become the nightmare that sealed their fate—

There was no shared training, no chemistry, no coordination among the rookies. It was a classic case of being thrown in at the deep end, forced to rely on their game instincts, raw talent, and individual ability to compete. And that was the problem. American football is a team sport. In soccer, you might see a miraculous solo run down the length of the field. In basketball, you might see a dominant play, scoring one-on-three. But in American football, that was impossible.

Amidst the buzzing chatter, a thought suddenly struck Lu Ke. ’The special mission triggered right after I completed the coaches’ long-pass challenge! Does this mean this impromptu training match is because of me? Do the coaches want to take a closer look at my passing?’

The speculation seemed a bit far-fetched. The one thing the Rookie Training Camp wasn’t short on was rookies. Why would the coaching staff add a training match just for one of them? But regardless, Lu Ke knew this was not only another stage to prove himself, but also a special mission that was waiting to be completed!

”If you have questions, ask them now! No muttering amongst yourselves!” Joe shouted, his eyes scanning the crowd. Sure enough, he saw a rookie quarterback hesitantly raise his hand. Joe lifted his chin, giving him a look that said, ’Go ahead.’

The rookie raised his voice and asked, ”What happens if we score a Touchdown before the ten downs are up? Say, on the sixth or seventh down.”

Joe glanced back and saw the other coaches grinning. They had just been wondering if one of the rookie quarterbacks would ask that very question. It seemed there was no shortage of ambitious, cocky quarterbacks this year. ’Youth is a wonderful thing!’

”In that case, it’s a disgrace for the defense,” Joe said with a chuckle, glancing back at the defensive players waiting on the sidelines. (Offensive and defensive coaches always had a bit of a rivalry.) ”And yes, it’s allowed. If a quarterback can complete a pass for a Touchdown in one go, that’s a mark of your skill. Should that happen, the match ends immediately.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the quarterbacks’ faces lit up. The offensive units lacked chemistry, but so did the defensive ones. If they could just seize one opportunity, exploit one opening, and land a decisive blow, that would be the best way to steal the spotlight!

But Joe’s next words instantly plunged the heated atmosphere into an icy silence. ”Likewise, if a pass is intercepted by a defender, the match also ends immediately.” That one sentence was like a hand squeezing their throats; the buzzing and discussion vanished in an instant.

A long bomb for a one-hit knockout also meant a skyrocketing risk of an interception.

It was like a long ball in soccer. A ball flying high in the air exposed its target, giving both offensive and defensive players an equal chance to get to it. In soccer, however, even if the opponent intercepted the pass, your team could immediately try to win the ball back. Moreover, since the pass was directed into the opponent’s half of the field, it was difficult for them to mount a swift counterattack even if you made a mistake. But in American football, if the opponent completed an interception, possession was immediately turned over.

In this training match, getting your very first pass intercepted would be a monumental embarrassment. There would be no coming back from it. So, what were the quarterbacks to do?

This was a battle between the offense and the defense, but it was also a battle between players at the same position—especially between the quarterbacks!

Eager looks appeared on the faces of all twenty-one quarterbacks. In the Professional Alliance, facing off against seasoned veterans, they might need time to learn and close the skill gap. But here at the Rookie Training Camp, it was essentially an NCAA game. They were all itching for a fight, eager to dominate the field and prove themselves once more.

Without a doubt, Cam Newton was the top pick among the quarterbacks. As this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, his talent had received the most direct and powerful endorsement possible. The Heisman Trophy isn’t awarded by position; every player on the field is eligible, so its winner is considered to have the highest level of skill and prestige in all of the NCAA.

Cam tilted his chin up, his eyes on Lu Ke filled with contempt and a mocking playfulness. The glint in his eyes was like that of a cat with a mouse pinned under its paw—in no hurry to deliver the final blow, but content to slowly, leisurely, and sadistically toy with its prey, letting it go only to snatch it up again, savoring every moment of its desperate struggle.

”You’re dead.”

That was the message in Cam’s eyes, and Lu Ke received it loud and clear. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated, though. He let out a short laugh and arched an eyebrow, as if to say, ’Bring it on. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’ The defiant look made Cam clench his fists.

After looking away, however, Lu Ke’s heart began to pound. Refusing to back down was one thing; the reality of the situation was another entirely.

Lu Ke was well aware of his own standing. Every single person at the Rookie Training Camp was a standout, talented player from the NCAA. Of this group, over two hundred and fifty would officially enter the Alliance, drawing a clear line between the professionals and the non-professionals—or, to put it another way, the pros and the amateurs. The gap between those two groups was, needless to say, enormous.

So, this training match, these ten offensive downs, would be far more difficult than the game against the University of Southern California or the Rose Bowl. On top of that, the special mission came with its own restrictive conditions. It meant that the slightest oversight, the smallest lapse in focus, and he’d be toast.

The exchange of looks lasted only a moment before Joe’s voice cut in again. ”Carl, why don’t you get us started?” This training match was essentially a one-on-one competition between the offensive and defensive coaches. They wouldn’t be calling plays, but their ability to pick the right combination of players was being put to the test.

The Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback coach, Carl Smith, stepped forward. He scanned the players, then called out, ”Cam Newton.” Jeers and heckles immediately erupted from the other coaches and scouts behind him. Picking Cam was a no-brainer; there was no skill involved in that decision.

Carl, however, was unfazed. He yelled back at the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback coach, ”Just jealous!” which drew a roar of laughter from the crowd.

After Carl was done, Joe crossed his arms over his chest. ”Picking one by one, like we’re in the draft. How about we all just rush forward and grab who we want, like it’s a flea market?” His jest kept the laughter going. He then added, ”In that case, I’ll pick next. And I’m sure none of you will have a problem with it. Lu Ke.”

...Who?

Lu Ke! Countless gazes shot toward Joe. The first pick was Cam, and the second was Lu Ke. Was this supposed to be a mock draft? If so, Joe’s choice was stunning enough to make everyone’s jaws drop. But Joe just shrugged nonchalantly. ”Told you you wouldn’t have a problem with it.” Without explaining his reasoning, he simply gave a relaxed wave. ”Come on, son. Let’s go pick out an Offense Line and a receiving corps.”

One was the front-runner for the number one draft pick; the other was a name no one had even heard before the Rookie Training Camp. Cam and Lu Ke were worlds apart. And yet, in this training match, they had unintentionally become the center of attention once again. Moreover, the coach who picked Lu Ke was Joe Lombardi of the New Orleans Saints, one of the Alliance’s top coaches when it came to developing quarterbacks. Could this Chinese-American quarterback truly have some untapped potential?

It wasn’t just the coaches and scouts; even the other quarterbacks couldn’t help but shoot curious glances over. Even if this wasn’t the real draft, Joe’s pick was certainly intriguing.

Lu Ke suppressed the Fierce Waves crashing within him and jogged to catch up with Joe. Countless burning gazes followed him, eventually falling behind as he moved, until all was quiet.

Joe didn’t say anything to Lu Ke. He just walked silently across the field to the other half to start picking receivers.

Seven-on-seven is a passing drill for the quarterback. The lineup consists of one quarterback, three men on the Offense Line (a center, a left guard, and a right guard), two Wide Receivers, and one Tight End. Compared to a full eleven-man offense, this formation was missing the two tackles on the Offense Line and had no running back. To put it simply, it was a drill focused purely on passing plays.

Of course, this also made the test for the Offense Line and Defense Line that much more rigorous. The matchups between receivers and defenders were more direct, and the challenge at every position was incredibly intense.

However, among this year’s rookies, there were only six centers, and the number of tackles and guards was mismatched. The number of cornerbacks, on the other hand, far surpassed that of any other position. Therefore, when assembling the offensive unit, players might have to be slotted into slightly different positions, which made it an even more difficult test of a coach’s eye for talent.

In the end, Joe quickly finished selecting his seven players!