American Football: King of the Bay Area

He clenched his fist, then clenched it again. The rage refused to subside, rumbling in his chest like an erupting volcano.

As one of the very few faces of Chinese descent on the football field, Lu Ke had been fighting to shatter all kinds of prejudices since he was a child. He was constantly proving himself, and constantly proving that players of Chinese descent could still be masters of the game.

Over the past three days of the training camp, he thought he had already proven that regardless of skin color or race, players of Chinese descent could be outstanding football players. But clearly, he had overestimated the teams’ upper management, as well as the pride and arrogance of those athletes.

’The Seattle Seahawks. Sooner or later, I’ll make them understand what true strength is! And what true regret is!’

He quickly left the hallway and ducked into a restroom. Before his emotions spiraled out of control, he splashed his face with cold water, and the roiling turmoil gradually cooled. This was only the second interview. Today was going to be an incredibly long day, and he needed to calm himself down. To prove himself, to win, to reach the top, he first had to get on a team, secure a stage, and fight for a chance.

So, he couldn’t lose his head.

After a short break to compose himself, Lu Ke returned to the hallway and resumed his interviews for the day.

Besides the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks, the other thirteen teams included the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and Arizona Cardinals, all of whom had frequently changed quarterbacks in recent years.

Also included were the Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and Chicago Bears, whose starting quarterbacks’ performances were consistently unsatisfactory, leading them to need a rookie quarterback every year.

And there were also teams with outstanding star quarterbacks who were always considering backup players, like the New Orleans Saints, San Diego Lightning, and Indianapolis Colts.

Finally, both unexpectedly and yet reasonably, the Carolina Panthers, who held the first-overall pick, had also sent an invitation. Lu Ke wasn’t the only quarterback to receive their interview request; four others had as well. Including Cam Newton, Carolina had interviewed a total of six quarterbacks. Clearly, they were considering more possibilities beyond just Cam.

As for the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers, neither team had scheduled an interview with Lu Ke.

The Packers were obviously the last team that needed to worry about the quarterback position. Their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was in his prime. In the Super Bowl that had just concluded in February, they had defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the fourth Super Bowl in their franchise’s history. They were one of the teams least likely to pick a quarterback.

The 49ers’ situation was a bit more complicated. Their starting quarterback, Alex Smith, was the first-overall pick in the 2005 draft—the year the 49ers chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. But since 2002, the 49ers hadn’t made the playoffs for eight consecutive years. The result of that draft now seemed like a mistake.

However, while Alex might not have been a top-tier quarterback in the Alliance, he was still above average. So, they needed a quarterback, but not desperately. Not interviewing Lu Ke was unexpected, but also understandable.

Even though the Packers and 49ers hadn’t extended an invitation, Lu Ke still felt the full day of interviews was very fruitful.

The New Orleans Saints were the most enthusiastic of the bunch.

Their quarterback coach, Joe Lombardi, had a very good impression of Lu Ke. He asked in detail about Lu Ke’s college career, daily training, professional plans, and so on. Only after the full ten-minute interview slot was used up did they signal that Lu Ke could leave.

Next were the San Diego Lightning and the Miami Dolphins.

The former’s quarterback, Philip Rivers, was one of the most solid players in the Alliance, but the Lightning were constantly seeking a more reliable backup. As for the latter, ever since their Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino retired, they had been unable to find a leader to guide the team to victory.

The Lightning’s attitude was undoubtedly more cordial and friendly. Not only because San Diego was also in California, one of the regions with the largest population of Chinese immigrants, but also because they had already heard about his stunning comeback in the Rose Bowl. Strictly speaking, they had shown interest in Lu Ke even before the training camp. Picking a backup quarterback was a much more relaxed and flexible process than picking a starter.

However, the interviews at the Rookie Training Camp were merely ten-minute probes to exchange initial intentions. There were still two months until the official draft, and teams would continue to gather more information, conduct further evaluations, and communicate more. Therefore, today’s conversations had very little substance, and it was impossible to judge the outcome.

The full day of talks, which started at eight in the morning, had lasted until ten at night and still wasn’t over. Lu Ke had only attended fifteen interviews, but he already felt physically and mentally exhausted. It was hard to imagine what the top players who had to interview with all thirty-two teams must have felt like.

Now, Lu Ke was waiting for his last interview of the day: the Washington Redskins.

The Washington Redskins were a traditional powerhouse in the Alliance, with three Super Bowl titles and five National League championships. For the past few years, they had been lacking the leadership of a top-tier quarterback. Although they made it to the playoffs in 2005 and 2007, the team’s overall performance was inconsistent and they struggled to find stability.

In the past four seasons, they had changed head coaches three times, and the team roster was in constant flux.

Currently, their starting quarterback, Rex Grossman, was a veteran. He entered the Alliance in 2003 as the twenty-second pick in the first round, but after so many years of struggling, he had only ever performed at the level of a backup quarterback. His performance was erratic, and last year he led the team to a six-win, ten-loss record, failing to make the playoffs.

Whenever people mentioned teams in need of a rookie quarterback, the Washington Redskins were always on the list. The team and its fans believed that on their path to a fourth Super Bowl, they were just missing a top-tier quarterback—everything was ready, they just needed that final piece.

This year, Cam Newton was the clear favorite for the first-overall pick, so the Redskins likely had no chance at him. But besides him, there were at least a dozen other quarterbacks worth picking. So, holding the tenth pick in the first round, the Redskins were eager to make a move and had interviewed quite a few quarterbacks today.

After waiting for about forty-five minutes, it was finally Lu Ke’s turn. Guided by a staff member, he entered the hotel room. The similar layout, similar decor, and similar space gave him a sense of déjà vu. After a long day of interviews, everyone looked a little tired.

Despite this, Lu Ke straightened his back and gathered his energy. He introduced himself in a strong, clear voice before sitting down on the sofa in front of him, meeting the four interviewers’ scrutinizing gazes head-on.

To his left were likely the team’s offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, and the Defense Team coach, Jim Haslett. To his right was the head coach, Mike Shanahan, and sitting directly in front of him was the general manager, Bruce Allen.

It was worth noting that Bruce Allen was also the Redskins’ executive president, and Mike Shanahan was Kyle Shanahan’s father.

”Thank you for coming to the Redskins’ interview,” Bruce said.

As the general manager, he held the power of life and death over everyone on the team and answered directly to the owner, making him the team’s most direct manager. However, some GMs liked to delegate authority and trust their head coach, while others preferred to control everything, getting involved in every detail. Bruce seemed to be the latter.

”We’ve all had a long day of interviews and we’re tired, so let’s relax and just have a simple chat.” Bruce had a kind and friendly smile on his face. His short, graying hair was styled upright with wax, and his deep-set eyes held a calculating calm.

Bruce seemed to be making small talk, asking casually, ”You seem like a bit of a mystery. You only became a backup for the team in your senior year. Why weren’t you willing to leave UCLA before then? With your ability, if you had chosen another school, you might have been a starter and gotten more opportunities to play.”

Reading people was a necessary skill for a journalist. During his four years of college, Lu Ke had spent a huge amount of time on the practice field, but he was ultimately just a practice player. He didn’t have to participate in the team’s regular games at all—the upside was that his studies didn’t fall behind, and he had excellently completed all his required internships and practical training.

So, Lu Ke could feel the probing nature of Bruce’s words, and the assessment hidden behind his eyes. It wasn’t surprising; those in power always revealed such an attitude inadvertently through their words and actions.

”If I said that my academics were just as important as football, would that be an acceptable answer?” Lu Ke’s counter-question, delivered with a hint of humor, made them smile.

After a light chuckle, Lu Ke said seriously, ”I did consider transferring, but for various reasons, the transfer applications didn’t go so smoothly. On the other hand, at UCLA, I gradually started to earn opportunities. So, I chose to stay.”

Although he didn’t say it outright, his words hinted at an undeniable issue in the world of football: his Chinese descent. It wasn’t just the isolation caused by his race, but also the perceived shortcomings in his physical attributes. It was a double-edged sword.

By comparison, in the more open regions of the East Coast and West Coast, ethnic integration was closer and more inclusive, and Lu Ke could indeed get more opportunities—but the universities on both coasts were also much harder to get into, like Harvard University, Stanford University, and so on.

Bruce tucked his chin slightly, a look of keen interest appearing in his eyes. ”I need you to answer a question for me seriously. What does victory really mean to you? Because in what you just said, I didn’t hear anything about it. It almost seems like football is just a hobby for you.”

A direct hit!