American Football: King of the Bay Area

The golden sun hung low over the sparse treetops. The morning light, tinged with the cool, pleasant scent of dew, wasn’t harsh at all. Instead, a faint mist drifted by, leaving one feeling refreshed and invigorated.

”Next up. Route 78, twelve yards.” Standing to the side, Kip Kester glanced at the playbook and called out.

This was a basic tactical drill where quarterbacks and receivers practiced coordinating with one another.

Quarterbacks threw the ball according to the play call, aiming for a precise yardage and location. The receivers, composed of Wide Receivers and Tight Ends, ran their assigned routes to reach the designated spot and complete the catch.

The quarterbacks—Lu Ke, Alex Smith, and Scott Torsin—rotated in and out, treated equally as they took the field to make their throws. Meanwhile, the Wide Receivers and Tight Ends lined up in a single file, taking their turns one after another.

The main purpose of this arrangement was tactical training, ensuring every passer and receiver could run their assigned routes to the correct spot. There was no distinction between starters and backups; it was simply whoever’s turn was next. This guaranteed all players knew the playbook inside and out so that during a game, anyone who took the field could react instantly to the team’s play calls.

The previous quarterback was Scott. He successfully completed his pass, then turned and gave a friendly wink to the next quarterback in line, Lu Ke.

Funnily enough, it seemed Scott and Lu Ke’s paths were destined to cross. They had started as opponents in the Rose Bowl, run into each other sporadically since, and finally both ended up on the San Francisco 49ers, becoming teammates.

As fellow quarterbacks, the two of them went through most of their training drills together. Due to the team’s strict training schedule, Logan and Marcus could no longer act as Lu Ke’s practice partners. So, for the past while, Lu Ke had been completing his daily training regimen with Scott’s help.

Before they knew it, the two had developed a bit of a rapport.

A smile touched Lu Ke’s lips as he strode forward. Bobby Engram promptly tossed him the football. Lu Ke caught it with both hands and raised his right arm to throw, but his motion came to an abrupt halt—there was no target.

A twelve-yard pass happens in the blink of an eye. Lu Ke had to catch sight of a receiver in his peripheral vision before he could throw; otherwise, the receiver would be chasing the ball, an impossible catch. Right now, Lu Ke didn’t see any receiver making a move, so naturally, he couldn’t throw.

The rhythm of the passing drill was incredibly fast—one player after another, in quick succession. When it suddenly ground to a halt, everyone sensed that something was wrong.

Kip’s gaze lifted from his playbook. He turned his head and saw a commotion among the receivers. No one was stepping forward. His brow furrowed. ”What’s going on?”

Vernon Davis was supposed to be the next receiver, but he didn’t step forward. He was turned around, saying something. Hearing Kip’s question, Vernon called back, ”Nothing, my hamstring tightened up a bit. Let the next receiver go.” After speaking, Vernon made a show of stomping his foot, then turned and walked to the side, clearing the way.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been anything.

But Delanie Walker, who was standing behind Vernon, also had a reluctant, pained look on his face. He stood frozen, glancing back and forth, shuffling his feet at a snail’s pace.

”What’s wrong, your hamstring tighten up too?” Kip asked, a sarcastic smile on his face. He seemed completely unfazed by the display.

Delanie raised his right hand. ”My... my breakfast... isn’t sitting right.” He pointed to his stomach and shuffled to the side, muttering, ”I’ll be fine once I burp. Give me five seconds.” Despite his words, he had already cleared the way, passing the hot potato to the next player.

Kip stood his ground, his gaze shifting to the next receiver. He said nothing, but his eyes seemed to ask, ’Do you have a problem?’

Justin Pire said nothing. He simply raised his right hand, gave Lu Ke a nod, took a few quick steps in place, and then burst into a sprint, running the prescribed Route 78.

Lu Ke was completely unaffected. With a quick two-step adjustment of his feet, he swung his right arm and released the ball.

After reaching the designated spot, Justin stopped, turned, and securely caught the ball at his chest. It was effortless. He barely had to try; he just placed his hands on his chest, and the football was delivered right to them with the perfect amount of touch. Such precision and ease were a testament to the passer’s outstanding feel for the ball.

Justin raised his right hand and gave Lu Ke a thumbs-up in praise.

Kip didn’t say anything. He just lowered his head, glanced at his playbook, and called out, ”Next up. Route 42, six yards.”

Alex Smith stepped up. Vernon, who had just been stretching his calf, immediately stepped forward, raised his right hand high, and announced, ”Ready!”

Vernon was completely focused. Bobby snapped the ball into Alex’s hands, and Vernon exploded off the line like a sprinter. Pumping his arms, he made a sharp stop, turned his body, and flawlessly caught the pass from Alex.

Slowing to a jog, Vernon whistled and exclaimed, ”Old buddy, you’ve still got the touch!” He then turned to the line of receivers. ”Looks like this guy hasn’t just been taking it easy for the past month. He’s been putting in work.” As he bantered, he deliberately swiveled his hips in a playful taunt, drawing a wave of laughter from the crowd.

Kip knew exactly what had just happened. So did Alex. And so did Lu Ke.

To put it in perspective, both Vernon and Delanie had entered the Alliance in 2006, joining the San Francisco 49ers through the draft. Both were Tight Ends and were very close with Alex, who had entered the Alliance in 2005 and come up through the ranks with them. Justin, on the other hand, was a 2002 veteran who had played for three other teams before joining the San Francisco 49ers this offseason. He was also a Tight End.

At the end of the day, it was all about picking sides. Vernon and Delanie were on Alex’s side, while Justin was considered neutral since he was still new to the team.

Generally, a team only fields one Tight End at a time. Of course, formations with two Tight Ends, like the one used by the New England Patriots, were becoming quite popular. But for now, the San Francisco 49ers still stuck to a single-Tight End formation.

After Lu Ke became the starting quarterback, Logan had taken over Vernon’s starting spot and scored three touchdowns in his first game. His brilliant performance earned unanimous praise—the media was clearly much more forgiving toward Logan.

And so, with Alex’s return today, this was the scene that unfolded. In truth, it wasn’t just the Tight Ends; the same competition existed among the Wide Receivers. There was even a turbulent undercurrent among the quarterbacks themselves.

When Logan’s turn came up, it was also Alex’s turn to throw.

Kip called a short pass route, but before Logan could even hit his full sprint, the ball from Alex was already on him. Logan had to desperately stretch out his hands to try and catch it, but he still missed, stumbling and nearly falling in an awkward display.

The players, led by Vernon, erupted in jeers. ”Oh, Jesus Christ, Logan! Did you rest a little too much the past few days? Your legs gone soft? You can’t even catch a short pass like that? HAHAHAHA!”

Logan got to his feet, ignoring Vernon. He strode over to Alex and asked in a stiff voice, ”What was that? Did I run the wrong route? Was my timing off?”

Alex threw up his hands in frustration and shook his head. ”It’s not you, it’s me. I rushed it, and my touch is a little off. Sorry.” With that, Alex gave Logan another apologetic smile and stepped away from the passing spot.

Faced with Alex’s response, Logan felt like he’d just punched a wad of cotton. Exasperated, he shot a look at Lu Ke and mouthed the words, ”What the fuck was that?”

Lu Ke shrugged, a wry smile on his face. ”Team culture.”

The world of an athlete is actually quite simple: you’re either a friend or an enemy.

Alex was a friendly person, but he was also a team leader and a representative of the 49ers’ veteran players. He was like a standard-bearer; he had to take a stand, and he had to side with Vernon and his faction. This was partly due to the head-on competition and power struggles within the team, and partly due to the time-honored tradition of veterans putting rookies in their place.

In private, Alex could be friendly to rookies like Lu Ke and show his charismatic side. But on the field, the veterans had to be strict and harsh with the first-year players. Moreover, Alex and Lu Ke were direct competitors in what was a zero-sum game.

With seemingly harmless little power plays like the one just now, Alex had to stand with his allies. To do otherwise would be betrayal.

Faced with this situation, both Lu Ke and Logan were powerless. As long as it didn’t hurt their training, they could only endure it. The veterans were throwing their weight around a bit, and the rookies couldn’t—and didn’t need to—protest. They just had to focus on their own practice. Still, the team’s factional struggles were slowly starting to take shape.

By the time Colin Kaepernick arrived at the training facility, the clock was already approaching ten. He was still in the concussion protocol and couldn’t participate in regular practice; even light workouts had to be done under the supervision of a professional physical therapist. He had, however, received doctor’s approval to sit in on the team’s playbook meetings—a necessary strategy to avoid falling too far behind and to stay integrated with the team.

Entering the practice field, Colin had only intended to stop by and say a quick hello, but then he saw Lu Ke and Alex training. He couldn’t help but pause, standing to the side and watching the drill intently.

Slowly, gradually, Colin began to sense that something was wrong. He had an ominous feeling. ’It seems... as if... possibly... probably... maybe... there’s no spot left for me on this team! Wait, what’s going on here?’