American Football: King of the Bay Area

There are thirty-two teams in the NFL, and each team can interview a maximum of sixty rookies at the Rookie Training Camp. The entire camp consists of three hundred thirty-two rookies.

This means that the most popular players, like Cam Newton and Von Miller, might get interviewed by all thirty-two teams. It also means that the least popular players, like Lu Ke, might only have a single-digit number of interviews.

Furthermore, not all interviewing teams are equal. The differences come down to team strength, a player’s personal allegiances, and the matter of opportunity.

Team strength is easy to understand. Every player yearns to win the NFL’s highest honor, the Super Bowl—much like an NBA championship ring. Even star players might take a pay cut for a shot at a championship. For rookies, this is even more true. Joining a championship-caliber team is a dream come true.

Next is personal allegiance. More or less, every player has a favorite team. Thanks to the deep-rooted culture of football, much like European soccer clubs, a player’s family might have been fans of a specific team since their great-grandfather’s generation. Their lifelong dream is to play for that team.

Finally, there’s the matter of opportunity. For most rookies, getting playing time is what’s most important. Take the quarterback position, for example. If you’re a backup to Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, you could languish on the bench for three to five years and end up with no chance to showcase your talent, fading into obscurity in the Alliance. But if you go to a team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, or New York Jets, you could immediately become a starter and prove your worth on the field.

Teams have their choices, and players have theirs—it’s a two-way street. Although the teams hold all the power in the draft, the interviews at training camp are a start. Everyone hopes for a good one.

After the scrimmages, the entire Rookie Training Camp kicked into high gear. Although the camp was entering its final day, the flurry of activity didn’t die down. Instead, it was gradually reaching its peak.

For the organizing committee, this meant arranging thirty-two conference rooms for the thirty-two teams to conduct interviews. With each player’s interview lasting an average of five to ten minutes, getting through sixty players would take at least eight to ten hours. The entire fourth day would be a frantic, non-stop affair, and the committee had to manage catering, security, and general order.

For the teams, it meant holding intensive meetings. They had to gather all their scattered scouts, along with the team manager and coaching staff—a group of nearly thirty people in total. They would discuss and finalize a list of players they were interested in, sending out interview invitations before 8 p.m. After that, they’d prepare their questions and identify key players to focus on. It was going to be a sleepless night.

As for the players, they needed to both relax and stay on edge. They were waiting for interview invitations while also preparing for the next day—they had to be in suits, the only time they would wear them during the entire training camp.

”How many?” Raheem Moore’s face was a mask of disbelief. He stared at the sweat-drenched Lu Ke, the astonished question blurting out.

A brilliant smile spread across Lu Ke’s face. ”Fifteen.”

As night fell, he had received a total of fifteen interview invitations. It was completely unexpected—a truly pleasant surprise. Considering he had no college career or high school game data, relying solely on two incomplete games and his performance at the Rookie Training Camp, getting fifteen invitations was an absolute victory.

And let’s not forget, Lu Ke was Chinese, and he was a quarterback—the most fiercely and brutally competitive position in the game.

Marcus grinned, walking over to bump Lu Ke’s shoulder. ”I’m not surprised at all.” He then looked at Raheem. ”Dude, just look at Bambi. First thing he did after getting back today was hit the gym to finish his workout. He hasn’t stopped training for a single moment these past three days at camp. Haven’t you heard? Everyone’s talking about Bambi and Watt. Those two are absolute workout fanatics.”

Raheem pursed his lips and deadpanned, ”Are you sure you mean fanatics? Not psychos?”

Lu Ke frowned slightly, looking down at Marcus with an expression of mock disgust. ”Bro, have you been keeping tabs on me? How else would you know I went straight to the gym when I got back? Don’t tell me you’re…” His deep gaze swept over Marcus from head to toe, the insinuation crystal clear.

Marcus immediately jumped up, shoving Lu Ke’s shoulder. But with the massive height difference, it looked like an ant trying to shake a tree. ”Hey! Hey! Watch your mouth! How can you make such baseless accusations? I’m a pristine and agile little white dragon, still waiting for my future wife’s appreciation. What am I going to do if you scare them all away with talk like that?”

”Little white dragon?” Logan, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow with a playful smirk.

Marcus planted his hands on his hips and deliberately thrust his pelvis forward. ”What, you want a demonstration?” But no one was intimidated; instead, they all looked like they were settling in for a good show. Finding himself in an awkward position, Marcus sheepishly straightened up. He glanced around, then spotted Lu Ke’s faint smirk. His eyes went wide, and he lifted… lifted his chin high, trying to meet Lu Ke’s gaze on even ground—an almost impossible feat. ”What are you looking at? Never seen a little white dragon before?”

”You sure you’re a dragon? Not… a pony?” Lu Ke raised his right hand to the top of his own head, then held it out flat, comparing their heights. He lowered his hand… and lowered it… and lowered it some more, bit by bit, until it finally rested on Marcus’s head. The meaning of the gesture was painfully obvious: he was mocking Marcus for being short enough to be a mount—and not a noble steed, but a pony.

In reality, Marcus wasn’t short at five-foot-eleven (180 cm), but standing next to Lu Ke, he was a full 5.1 inches (13 cm) shorter. Adding to that was their difference in build—Marcus was a running back, more powerfully built and stocky, while Lu Ke was naturally lean, which made him look even taller. The visual contrast between them was stark.

”HAHA!” The room erupted in laughter. Only Marcus looked sullen, and his current pose wasn’t helping his case—with his chin tilted so far back, he looked like a Lilliputian staring up at a giant. That posture… ”Bambi! You… you giant deer! Look who’s talking!”

”Giant deer? What the hell is that?” Logan chimed in bluntly from the side. ”You mean a giraffe?”

”No, I mean a giant spotted deer!” Little Deer Bambi is a spotted deer, after all. Marcus shouted with conviction, ”A giant deer! And you,” he pointed at Logan, ”you’re a woolly monster!” He then childishly stuck out his tongue and made a face, looking like a little kid.

”Then what does that make you? Stuart Little?” Lu Ke’s comeback left Marcus frozen on the spot. The others howled with laughter, and David Carter actually rolled under the bed. The room was electric with chaos.

Once the laughter died down, Lu Ke turned his attention back to the group. ”How about you guys? What’s your situation?”

”Twenty-one,” Raheem said.

”Twenty,” Logan added right after.

Raheem and Logan had always been the two most promising players from the Brown Bear Team. Raheem was a safety on the Defense Team, and safeties were particularly scarce this year, with only fifteen rookies in the draft class. Naturally, more teams were interested in him. Logan was a Tight End on offense. There weren’t many tight ends this year either, but teams generally only carried one, alongside three wide receivers, so the demand wasn’t as high. He still had plenty of interest, just not as much as Raheem.

David looked at his teammates, hesitating, but Marcus just blurted out, ”What’s there to be embarrassed about? Even Bambi was honest. I got ten.”

David blinked. ”Me too. Ten.”

Marcus was a running back, a position with fierce competition this year. It was said there were thirty-two of them, and the overall talent pool wasn’t exceptional. Marcus himself wasn’t a standout player, and he hadn’t generated much buzz at camp, so flying under the radar a bit wasn’t surprising.

David was a Defensive Tackle, the same position as JJ Watt. For one, twenty-five rookies were competing for the position this year. For another, it was one of the most competitive positions, with about ten players considered first-round talent. But would ten teams spend a first-round pick on a Defensive Tackle? Unlikely. That’s why David had fewer interview opportunities.

”Looks like tomorrow’s going to be a busy day!” Lu Ke exclaimed. On top of the five interview opportunities granted by the system, another ten teams had shown interest in him. This was definitely a cause for celebration!

”Bambi, who’s your favorite team?” Raheem asked curiously. Almost every player has one, but very few ever get the chance to play for them.

”The Green Bay Packers.” It wasn’t Lu Ke who answered, but Logan, his face twisting into a look of disdain. ”We all grew up in San Francisco, but his favorite team is the Packers. What kind of heresy is that!” Logan gave a huge eye-roll.

The region where San Francisco is located is known as the ”Bay Area.” It is the second-largest metropolitan area in California after Los Angeles, encompassing major cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and the Silicon Valley.

The NFL has two teams in this region, the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, and consequently, countless die-hard football fans. The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, are based in Wisconsin, separated from San Francisco by more than half the North American continent. The two places couldn’t be more unrelated.

Lu Ke spread his hands and chuckled. ”The first game I ever watched was a Green Bay Packers game. What can I say? Their team atmosphere and culture are just so captivating. Besides, the San Francisco 49ers are my second favorite team. I don’t see the conflict.”

”Blah, blah, blah.” Logan still looked unconvinced, disgust written all over his face, which made everyone else laugh.

Raheem pressed again, ”What I mean is, did you get an interview invitation from your favorite team?”