American Football: King of the Bay Area

Reporters, with their cut-throat reputation, actually have a complex relationship with professional players—one of mutual aid, mutual restraint, and mutual benefit. To players who can’t handle the media, these reporters are demons. But to others, they’re far less troublesome than lawyers, businessmen, or politicians.

Lu Ke was one of the latter.

”Bambi, how does it feel to get your third straight win?”

”You came out on top in the rookie showdown. Any thoughts on Andy Dalton?”

”Your first away game, did it feel any different?”

”How did today’s game feel to you? Tough or easy?”

”What’s the outlook for next week’s game?”

...

A cacophony of questions surged forward all at once, making it impossible to hear anything clearly. He could only catch bits and pieces of the frantic, enthusiastic shouting, as if they were Columbus discovering the New World. But in reality, this was already Lu Ke’s third regular season game. The difference was that this wasn’t just his third start—it was his third victory. And so, everyone went wild.

Back when he was an intern reporter, most of his assignments were one-on-one, or one reporter interviewing a group. On the rare occasion that multiple reporters interviewed a single person, ”multiple” never meant more than a handful, and the scene was always orderly and amicable.

Now, he was suddenly surrounded by fifty or sixty reporters. Even with his height advantage, he looked up and still couldn’t see the end of the crowd. The clamor, the frantically thrashing recorders, the contorted faces—they were everywhere. Arms were even being shoved right at Lu Ke’s face in a chaotic frenzy. The scene was genuinely getting out of control.

If not for the metal barricade between them keeping the situation in check, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He turned his head and looked around, only to see Bobby beating a hasty retreat. He was standing in the distance with a huge smile, giving Lu Ke a double thumbs-up. His expression screamed ’You’re on your own,’ and he looked like he was begging for a punch. Before this season, Bobby had still been an active Wide Receiver. Having only recently retired, he knew all too well how crazy the media could get.

Lu Ke gave Bobby a thumbs-up of his own, then deliberately flipped it upside down, a clear sign of protest and a threat. But it was no use. Bobby just trotted off and disappeared.

Now, all Lu Ke could hope for was that his other teammates would hurry over and relieve some of the pressure. Ted Ginn Jr., Kyle Williams, Marcus Lynch—they were all heroes of the game today and worthy interview subjects. Even Mike Lupati and Chilo Rachal, the two sieves on the blind side, would be worth interviewing thoroughly.

But until they arrived, Lu Ke was on his own. ’Bobby must have called me over early on the team’s orders,’ he thought.

He caught the name ”Joe Montana” and turned his head toward the voice. The other reporters around him gradually fell silent, their eyes following his.

The reporter, now the center of attention, glanced left and right before realizing he had the floor. He quickly repeated his question, ”A lot of people are comparing you to Joe Montana. What are your thoughts on that?”

’That’s the second time,’ Lu Ke thought. ’Twice in less than three minutes.’ For an undrafted rookie to be compared to a Hall of Fame quarterback, one of the greatest in history—was this praise, or was it just setting him up for hate?

However, having just been asked the same thing by a fan, Lu Ke wasn’t too surprised this time. He just chuckled. ”Legends can never be surpassed.”

Every fan has their own ”greatest of all time.” The so-called GOAT isn’t just about a string of accolades and statistics. You also have to consider the era the player was in, the state of the sport, and the caliber of their opponents. More importantly, every ”greatest of all time” represents an irreplaceable period in a fan’s life, a journey they experienced together.

Take Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino, for example.

The Dolphins have won the Super Bowl twice in NFL history, but Marino wasn’t the one who led them to those victories. The Hall of Fame quarterback never won football’s highest honor in his entire career. And yet, he is the single greatest figure in the history of the Dolphins, bar none. Even the players who were heroes in those championship wins can’t surpass him. At the same time, he’s also one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league, one who could even contend with Joe Montana for the title of the GOAT.

So, ”there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes.” Everyone has their own hero. As Lu Ke said, legends can never be surpassed, because legends don’t compete with each other. They are all equally great.

”To have my name mentioned alongside Joe Montana’s... I think that’s a huge honor. It’s even more incredible considering I’m still a rookie, and an ’outsider’ at that.” Lu Ke gave a slight shrug. While he didn’t spell it out, his use of ”outsider” was a clear allusion to his Asian heritage. The good-natured remark made the reporters chuckle.

Without pausing, Lu Ke continued, ”One day, I hope I can be the benchmark that reporters use for their comparisons. But for now, I need to keep my feet on the ground and get back to the game. The regular season is only three weeks in, and it’s a long season. I’d rather not have everyone asking me the exact opposite question three weeks from now.”

’Like how it feels to be on a three-game losing streak, for instance.’

His words were loaded with meaning, revealing a confidence and determination that mirrored his passing style on the field. At the same time, he expressed himself with a witty and lighthearted humor. With his on-field armor removed, he showed off the vibrant energy of a recent college graduate, leaving a truly deep impression.

More importantly, Lu Ke had subtly changed the subject. No one pressed him any further about the Joe Montana comparison.

In truth, it was a standard but very tricky question. Especially for a rookie, there weren’t many options other than to pay tribute. After all, those Hall of Fame players had already proven themselves, while rookies were just stepping onto the field. Any hint of arrogance, and a rookie would quickly be buried under a mountain of fan criticism.

But Lu Ke’s handling of it was quite clever. He avoided the clichéd response while still asserting his own conviction.

”Are you saying you expect to make it into the Hall of Fame one day?” another reporter in the crowd pressed.

Lu Ke looked up and broke into a smile. ”Of course.” After a brief pause, he shot back, ”Who doesn’t?”

The reporters exchanged glances for a moment, then chuckled and nodded. They couldn’t help but agree.

”Before today’s game, everyone was focused on the battle of the rookie quarterbacks. You and Dalton are both number fourteen, both rookies this year. What are your thoughts on that?” The questions were finally getting back on track as the reporters started asking more standard questions.

For Lu Ke, this was familiar territory. ”Andy is an excellent quarterback, without a doubt. We both played at a high level tonight, and I don’t think the game was as lopsided as the final score suggests. My teammates and I gave it our all to get this win.”

”You mean being sacked four times?” A reporter shrewdly spotted an opening. ”Today, the 49ers’ Offense Line didn’t perform well, and you were passing under pressure the whole time. There was even an injury scare, and Logan Newman got into an argument with some of the Offense Line players at one point. Can you tell us what that was about?”

”Obviously, the pocket had some issues today. Besides the stats, my sore muscles are also reminding me of that fact,” Lu Ke replied lightly, in a joking manner.

”We spent all last week training specifically for the Fierce Tiger Team, but their Defense Team was outstanding today, and that’s why we ran into trouble. You can go ask Mike and Chilo just how much pressure they felt. That’s how badly Logan wants to win.”

He had just reframed an internal team conflict as a ”desire for victory.” This was the job of a team leader. And while Lu Ke wasn’t the locker room leader yet, he was the team’s quarterback. He needed the team to stay united and on the path to victory.

”We still have a lot of work to do. I’m a rookie quarterback, and just learning the playbook takes up all my free time. So, before the next game comes, I hope we can work together to solve these problems,” Lu Ke concluded with a smile.

”For the next game, are you confident you’ll still be the starting quarterback? As far as we know, Alex Smith has recovered from his injury, and Colin Kaepernick has also cleared concussion protocol. What are your thoughts on that?” The reporters’ questions were always this pointed, never letting up for a second.

”It’s great to have both of them back from injury.” Lu Ke shrugged and chuckled. ”As for the starting quarterback... I think we all need to compete and let our performance do the talking. I hope the best and most suitable quarterback gets to lead the team forward. Personally, I hope it’s me.”

A ripple of good-natured chuckles, ”Heh heh,” went through the reporters. It wasn’t because of what Lu Ke said, but how he said it. His tone was always light and witty, allowing everyone to feel the confidence and determination behind his words while simultaneously livening up the atmosphere and deflecting the sharp edge of the questions.

For any reporter, an interviewee like this was a dream come true.

”After a four-game losing streak in the preseason, the team is now on a three-game winning streak. What’s your outlook for next week’s game?” This week’s game had only just ended, the heat from the field yet to dissipate, but the reporters were already focused on the next one.

Lu Ke broke into a wide grin. ”Let’s just enjoy this week’s victory for now. As for next week’s game, we can talk all about it on Wednesday. How does that sound?”