American Football: King of the Bay Area

Kip Kester and Adam Klein’s history went back twenty-five years. Back then, Kip was still a college student, while Adam was already a well-known scout in the industry. Their first clash was over the draft.

At the time, Kip was studying at Princeton University and playing for both the football and baseball teams—a situation that was still quite common even now, in 2011. On the football team, he played linebacker for the Defense Team, but he wasn’t a top-tier player.

In his scouting report, Adam had bluntly and directly stated, ”Kester is better suited for baseball than football. Of course, he doesn’t look like a great baseball player either.” This report directly led to Kip going undrafted. Young and hot-headed, Kip confronted Adam directly, and the two parted on bad terms.

But as time passed, Kip gradually came to understand that Adam was right: he wasn’t a great football player, nor was he a great baseball player.

After decisively ending his professional playing career, Kip tried to transition into coaching and successfully discovered his talent: an offensive coach. Coming from a defensive background, he was often able to give quarterbacks and Tight Ends a different perspective on the game and on tactical arrangements.

At the same time, Kip took the initiative to bury the hatchet with Adam, and the two became good friends. Three years later, with Adam pulling some strings, Kip became an assistant offensive coach for the Chicago Bears, officially entering the Alliance and beginning his professional coaching career.

Over the past twenty years, Kip had coached for several teams, experiencing ups and downs but never finding himself completely out of a job. Last season, he was the Tight End coach for the Carolina Panthers, but unfortunately, the team’s performance hit rock bottom. They ”earned” the first overall pick in the draft, and as a result, Kip was let go.

After bouncing around, Kip landed with the San Francisco 49ers, another team trying to make a comeback, and became their quarterback coach.

Last season, the San Francisco 49ers finished with a dismal 6-10 record, failing to make the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year. The team’s upper management was furious and initiated a complete top-to-bottom house cleaning. Both the general manager and the head coach, the two figures in power, were fired. Power was then handed over to the new GM, Trent Balk, and the new head coach, Jim Hubble, to decide the fate of every member of the coaching staff and every player on the team.

Kip was Jim’s hand-picked quarterback coach.

The San Francisco 49ers were in a state of total rebuild, and everyone was on edge, fearing for their jobs. The entire team was being restructured, and the quarterback position was no exception.

The team’s three current quarterbacks were Alex Smith, David Carr, and Troy Smith. Alex was the starting quarterback, with above-average skill. However, the performance of the two backup quarterbacks was less than satisfactory. Trent and Jim were indeed planning to select a rookie quarterback in the draft to serve as a backup and add depth to the roster.

But after evaluating him at the Rookie Training Camp, both Trent and Jim concluded that Lu Ke wasn’t a good fit for the 49ers. They had already locked onto four other quarterbacks. Picking any one of them in the draft would be enough to shore up the team’s quarterback bench depth. Therefore, they didn’t even extend Lu Ke an invitation for an interview.

Over the past six weeks, Adam had called more than a dozen times. ”You have to come see this young man.” Again and again, he tirelessly persisted. In the end, Kip finally agreed—not to scout Lu Ke, but for the sake of their old friendship. After twenty-five years of friendship, it was the least he could do.

As he climbed the stadium bleachers, Kip was already panting heavily. ”I don’t like college stadium bleachers. Never have. They’re really not friendly to us bigger guys.” Kip started complaining before he even reached Adam’s side, but the cheerful, Buddha-like smile on his face showed he was just kidding.

”Sometimes, some people, it’s worth it,” Adam replied, his comment seemingly out of left field but clearly pointed.

Kip didn’t argue. He just chuckled and nodded. ”I know. But the best isn’t always the best fit.”

Kip admitted that he had personally been quite high on Lu Ke during the training camp. Even with his obvious shortcomings, his passing ability and his reads on the defense were impressive. But Trent and Jim’s blueprint for the team had no place for Lu Ke—or more accurately, no place for a quarterback of his type. So, Kip had no choice but to let it go.

”He comes here to train every day?” Kip asked casually as he sat down next to Adam, watching Lu Ke on the field below running through basic passing drills.

”Yep. Every single day since the Rookie Training Camp ended, without a break.” Adam’s casual remark brought a look of surprise to Kip’s face, which in turn brought a hint of a smile to Adam’s eyes. ”And he never slacks off in his training. You’ll see for yourself. What’s even more incredible is that he’s actually improved since six weeks ago.”

”Haha, Adam, come on.” Kip burst out laughing.

’A breakthrough and improvement in just six weeks? It might be possible in high school, or maybe early in college. But for a player who’s graduated from his senior year and is entering the draft, his skills and talent are pretty much set. There’s always room for growth, but it’s definitely limited.’

In Kip’s mind, Adam’s assessment had to be a joke. But then he noticed Adam didn’t say anything, didn’t offer any defense. He just stared intently at the field, his confident posture making Kip pause. Without another word, Kip turned his gaze back to the field as well.

The thrill and excitement of a game always gets the blood pumping, but the training in real life is incredibly tedious and dull. Especially the fundamentals—it’s just repetition, repetition, and more repetition. There are no shortcuts, and you can’t slack off for even a moment. Only by enduring this drudgery can one forge the brilliance that shines on the field.

Gradually, slowly, Kip’s eyes began to light up.

At that moment, Lu Ke was doing stationary passing drills, but the whole exercise was a bit unusual.

An agility ladder lay at Lu Ke’s feet. He had to constantly move side to side, correcting his footwork, while also moving forward and backward around small orange cones to develop his pocket movement awareness. It demanded absolute concentration; a single lapse in focus could cause him to trip.

The target was about twenty-five yards away: a six-foot-long net, similar to a basketball net, only much longer. The opening was even narrower than a basketball hoop, just wide enough for a football to pass through. It was angled up at forty-five degrees to simulate the position and angle of a receiver’s hands.

Anthony stood next to the net, observing and recording the trajectory, angle, and force of each pass. He would then shout feedback to Lu Ke, calling for adjustments on the next throw. After thirty throws from one spot, Anthony would move the net to a new position—sometimes closer, sometimes farther—to cover as many different corners of the field as possible.

An hour, a full hour, and Lu Ke had made too many passes to count. For the first hundred, Kip had diligently kept track, but he gradually lost count. One thing was certain, though: Lu Ke’s completion percentage was astonishing.

In the short-pass range, his completion rate was ninety percent, if not more. In the mid-range, it was around eighty percent, a little less consistent. As for the Long Pass Area... Kip couldn’t remember Lu Ke missing a single deep throw. So, one hundred percent?

Just thinking about it sent Kip into a state of shock. He had seen all sorts of trick passes before. Charlie Frye could even take a knee at midfield and throw the football straight through the uprights—from sixty yards away—a feat that required not just arm strength, but also consideration of wind speed, angle, and control.

But today, Kip was witnessing an even more incredible performance. It might be an exaggeration to say so, but the first player who came to Kip’s mind was Aaron Rodgers. Of course, there was no comparison between Lu Ke and Aaron; they were on completely different levels. And yet, the person who popped into Kip’s head right at that moment was Aaron Rodgers.

This diligence, this unwavering determination, was truly astounding!

More importantly, Adam hadn’t been lying. In just six short weeks, Lu Ke’s abilities had clearly improved again. It wasn’t just his passing accuracy, but also his footwork. His control and processing within the pocket had become more fluid. This had nothing to do with whether there were defenders in the drill; it was about the stability, precision, and control of Lu Ke’s footwork, all of which had improved, making his passing look more and more effortless.

”God, how on earth did he do that?” Kip couldn’t help but exclaim. He turned his head and saw the smug smile on Adam’s face. No explanation was needed, no clarification required. The truth was laid bare right before his eyes: training. Grueling, relentless training.

Kip let out a soft chuckle, thought about it seriously, and then said, ”Adam, I’d love to pick him. I really like him. But, you know, the team has its plan. It’s not my call to make.” Even as he wrung his hands in frustration, Kip had to say it, pained as he was.

Adam nodded in understanding. After knocking around the industry for so many years, how could he not know? ”I know. It’s not just the 49ers; it’s the same with other teams. Every team has its own considerations. I just feel like...” Adam let out a soft breath. ”Someone else should see this, not just me.”

The regret and sadness in his words made Kip fall silent. In just six short weeks, the world had changed, and it seemed all fates were sealed. ”I was just thinking, if I hadn’t badgered you into coming over, I’d definitely regret it. But now, you’ve been here. I did my best. Professional sports are just this cruel. Let things be as they are.”

After a moment of silence, Adam looked up at Lu Ke on the field. ”Tell me, are we missing out on history, or are we witnessing it?”

Kip’s mouth fell open, stunned.