American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Because I’m not good at running the ball. I don’t think I can fool the opposing defensive players. The point of a fake Pistol Formation is to cloud their judgment. All it takes is a moment of hesitation, and after the next snap, our passing offense can tear open a hole. But, as I said, I need to know the defensive players’ routes and positions.”

In response to Jim’s counter-question, Lu Ke first made a self-deprecating joke before regaining his composure and earnestly expressing his opinion. Low laughter filled the entire tactical meeting room.

Jim lifted his chin and considered it seriously. ”That tactic would fail, but your attempt is commendable.” Jim nodded with a smile, showing his approval. ”You’re still thinking about tactical variations too simplistically…” Jim then resumed his analysis, building on Lu Ke’s idea to break down the tactic further.

Tactical meetings were always dull and tedious, even esoteric and boring. It only made things worse when one particular player eagerly answered every one of the coach’s questions and actively participated in every tactical discussion.

Undoubtedly, Lu Ke was smart and diligent. He had been on the team for less than a day but had already adapted to its rhythm. But this was like a bowl of fruit gummies crawling with maggots; there was no way anyone could like it. Colin was sure he wasn’t the only player who couldn’t stand ”Mr. Encyclopedia.”

After the tactical meeting ended, the players left the room one after another. Parris called out to Lu Ke, then pulled him aside. ”...What was your name again?”

”Lu Ke.”

”Right, Luke.” Ignoring the tones and habitually using an English pronunciation, Parris frowned, his face full of displeasure as he lectured, ”We all know you’re smart. A perfect score on the Fonderick test, that’s amazing. But on the field, the Fonderick test means nothing. Those pro players can run circles around you with one hand tied behind their backs. So, you can shut your mouth now and stop pretending you know everything.”

A hint of a smile flashed in Lu Ke’s eyes. He didn’t speak or retort, simply raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

Parris was very satisfied with Lu Ke’s reaction. He clapped Lu Ke heavily on the shoulder. ”That’s a good boy.” Then, he swaggered over to his buddies, turning to leave with a laugh.

Not far away, Colin leaned against the wall, silently watching everything. A cheerful, gloating smile finally appeared on his face.

Then, Brylen came jogging out and called out, ”Hey, Colin, heading to the practice field together?”

Colin’s expression changed. He hurriedly turned and walked away quickly. But Brylen didn’t read the meaning behind the action. He shot Lu Ke a vicious glare, then hurried after him. ”Colin, wait for me!”

”What a bunch of clowns,” Logan said with a shake of his head, complaining as he watched the bustling figures in the hallway crowding toward the elevator. It wasn’t clear if he was talking about Brylen or Parris.

His peripheral vision then caught Lu Ke catching up. He turned his head. ”Bambi, what are you going to do?” Logan, Marcus, and Aldon had all seen Lu Ke’s surrender gesture just now.

Marcus rolled his eyes so hard the whites showed, making it seem like his eyeballs might not roll back. At the same time, he exaggeratedly leaned back, stuck out his tongue, and made a ”dead man” face. ”Jesus Christ, who do they think they are? They’re all so good at talking big, but where’s that energy on the field? With mouths that big, you’d think they were toads.”

The merciless roast was clearly aimed at Parris, making his friends chuckle quietly.

Marcus’s expression returned to normal as he looked worriedly at Lu Ke. ”Bambi, you’re not scared, are you? Are you really going to be an obedient little good boy? That won’t fly on the field.”

Lu Ke said with a perfectly straight face, ”I have always been a law-abiding, honest citizen. I strive to follow the team’s discipline and rules. How could I possibly refute the regulations set by the team’s senior players?” Despite his earnest expression, his words were... complete nonsense.

After speaking, Lu Ke put on a righteous expression that screamed ’I refuse to associate with you’ and walked ahead quickly. Logan and Aldon both lowered their heads and laughed, hurrying to catch up, leaving Marcus standing alone behind them. ”Bambi? You weren’t serious just now, were you?” But no one answered him. ”Bambi!”

Just five seconds later, Marcus learned the truth—or to be precise, not five seconds, but fifteen minutes.

After the tactical meeting, the team went to the practice field and officially began today’s tactical drills. The offense and the Defense Team faced off, practicing different plays and combinations.

Although the 49ers currently had three quarterbacks on the roster, Alex Smith wasn’t even at training camp due to injury, leaving only Colin and Lu Ke. Therefore, for every down, Jim had the two quarterbacks take turns on the field, practicing in rotation, treating them as equally as possible and requiring every player to master the tactics.

”Hut!”

It was Lu Ke’s turn to run the drill. It wasn’t a Pistol Formation, nor was it a Shotgun Formation. Lu Ke stood right behind the center, just an arm’s length from the defensive players. This was a close-quarters pass rush drill, requiring the quarterback to face a powerful blitz from the defensive players head-on and complete a short pass as the pocket collapsed.

Not a medium pass, not a long pass—it had to be a short pass.

On the signal, the center snapped the ball. After receiving it, Lu Ke quickly backpedaled. The entire pocket collapsed rapidly. Led by Parris, the defensive players’ intensity clearly exceeded a normal practice level. It seemed they were in game-day mode, determined to teach Lu Ke a good lesson.

The pocket collapsed faster than expected. In the span of a single breath, Lu Ke was already in trouble. But he didn’t surrender. He continued to backpedal, then decisively scrambled out of the pocket, continuing to move, to run, while taking in all the scattered receivers downfield, quickly searching for a target.

TWEET TWEET. Offensive coach Craig Roman blew his whistle, stopping the down. This was a pocket passing drill for short passes, requiring the quarterback to stay in the pocket. Now that Lu Ke had left it, the drill was naturally over.

But Lu Ke still didn’t give up. Almost at the exact moment the whistle blew, he quickly found Logan in the crowd. With a flick of his wrist, he fired a five-yard pass that landed securely in Logan’s arms.

Logan stopped his sprint, caught the football with one hand, and raised it high, showing it off to the defensive players. Lu Ke, meanwhile, pumped his fist and shouted, ”Yeah!” to pump himself up. His tense muscles and bulging veins revealed his complete concentration.

It was as if this wasn’t just a practice, but the Super Bowl. He gave it his all, without a moment’s relaxation. Just like during his days on the practice squad.

Parris stood where he was, gasping for breath, staring dumbfounded as Logan and Lu Ke high-fived in celebration. His face was grim. They had planned to teach the rookie a lesson, but instead, they’d been viciously slapped in the face. It was utterly humiliating. Anger and shame erupted in his chest.

As a coach, Craig was also taken aback. He muttered under his breath, ”This is practice, not a game. I already blew the play dead, what’s with him?”

Standing beside him, Kip Kester cracked a smile. ”He’s not focused on the drill, he’s focused on winning. A strong competitive spirit, that’s a good thing. Have you forgotten? On the first day of tryouts, he completely crushed the scout team in twenty offensive downs. That kind of ability, that focus, that commitment—it’s definitely not something just any player has.”

Craig let out a helpless laugh. ”I know. But...” His words caught for a moment. He looked up at Lu Ke, not bothering to hide his excitement and delight. ”I just didn’t expect it, that’s all.”

In the United States, people have a fixed stereotype of those with Chinese descent. They are always shy and quiet, humble and low-key, silent and reserved. It seems they rarely even participate in normal, everyday social activities, let alone proactively integrate into the local community.

But clearly, this first-year player was an exception.

In the moments that followed, Lu Ke’s performance completely shattered the 49ers coaching staff’s stereotype of people of Chinese descent.

This was definitely not someone to be trifled with. Fully committed, decisive, and single-mindedly focused, his intense competitive spirit was on display. He began to show his ability to flexibly apply tactics and even interpret them on his own. On every down, for every play, he went all out, holding nothing back. During the afternoon practice, Lu Ke stole a lot of Colin’s thunder.

On just his first day with the team, Lu Ke had already drawn a clear line in the sand and set his goal: he wasn’t here to be a backup, he wasn’t here to sit on the bench. His goal was to be the starter—the undisputed starter. His goal was to be on the field, winning games, and he was full of confidence and motivation.

For the coaching staff, this was a welcome development. The competition between the two rookie quarterbacks could increase their motivation. But for the players, it wasn’t that simple.

Before Lu Ke joined, they had built the entire practice system around Colin. But now, Lu Ke’s aggressive efforts brought uncertainty and complications—after all, Lu Ke and Colin were two quarterbacks with completely different styles, and their tactical focal points were worlds apart.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing? But good or bad, the competition had already begun. On his very first day, Lu Ke had left a deep impression.

Parris didn’t like this. In fact, he despised it. It wasn’t because of the competition between Lu Ke and Colin, but because Lu Ke was challenging the authority and boundaries of the veteran players. If they didn’t teach this first-year a lesson, he was afraid they wouldn’t be able to maintain their authority for the rest of the season.

The team needed order, and the rookie needed a lesson.