American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Hike!”

Lu Ke didn’t bother with any trick plays. In a team scrimmage, there was no need for a fake snap. Gripping the football with both hands, he quickly backpedaled, his peripheral vision completely ignoring Parris—

This was a tactical drill. The focus wasn’t on how Parris chose to defend, but on how the Defense Team’s coach decided on the defensive strategy. What’s more, this was a red zone play. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, leaving the defensive players very little room to rush.

After backpedaling, Lu Ke didn’t plant his feet to pass. Instead, he quickly shuffled left, raising his right hand high as if ready to throw. To his left stood Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn Jr., one preparing to block and the other to receive. The pass could be completed in an instant.

The defensive players scrambled to shift their coverage. Just as they saw Lu Ke’s arm start to swing, they froze. In the next second, Lu Ke had spun around. Without the slightest hesitation, like a fadeaway jumper in basketball, he gently pushed the football out with a soft, light flick of the wrist.

The football traced a small arc, traveling just three yards before landing right behind the defensive linemen. Then Logan Newman came bursting out, leaping high to pluck the football from the air. Using his momentum, he landed and kept running, pushing for more yards.

Standing on the sidelines, Jim couldn’t help but exchange a look with Craig and Kip.

Lu Ke read the defense perfectly within the framework of the play. He saw that Crabtree and Ginn were not in good positions, but Newman had a small window. At the very last moment, he changed his target, carefully controlling the arc to complete the pass.

For a quarterback coach and a Wide Receiver coach, there’s one skill that can’t be taught: a feel for the ball.

In the instant a quarterback throws a pass, the softness of the wrist, the application of force, the control of the fingertips—it all happens in less than a millisecond, but it has a huge impact on the control of the football. This touch is invisible and intangible, yet it can truly change the game.

The same is true for Wide Receivers. For the exact same pass, one receiver might drop it while another makes a game-changing catch. Beyond the fundamentals, having soft hands at the moment of reception is crucial.

Some have wondered why there are more white players than black players at the quarterback position. Half a century ago, it was due to racism. But now, in the 21st century, even though racism still exists, it’s less of a deciding factor. The simple reason for this phenomenon is the feel for the pass.

Black people have outstanding physical qualities and hold advantages in many areas; however, the smoothness of their touch and the keen feel for a pass are far from sufficient. This leads to problems like decreased passing accuracy and sloppy ball control. For a traditional pocket quarterback, this is a disadvantage.

That’s why black players like Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick gradually started to transition into mobile quarterbacks, making full use of their physical advantages to avoid their shortcomings.

In that last pass, Lu Ke’s touch was soft and smooth. The texture and feel at the moment of release were perfect. Even though he changed the play at the last second, everything was under control. This couldn’t help but make one wonder: if white people have a better feel for the ball than black people, could it be that East Asians also have an advantage in this area?

”Fuck! You lunatic!”

”I’ve had it with you!”

”Piece of shit!”

...

A clamor of angry shouts, like a sudden clap of thunder, erupted on the field, instantly plunging it into chaos.

Jim Hubble looked at Craig and Kip, completely stunned and bewildered. But both men just stood there with their arms crossed, shrugging without a word. Their calm demeanor made it unclear if they were used to this or were happy to see it happen. Jim was also full of questions: ’Shouldn’t the coaches be stepping in to stop this?’

Logan clenched his fist and swung hard at Parris’s chest. A heavy straight punch sent Parris stumbling backward. The sound of bone hitting bone, like ice cubes cracking together—both crisp and dull—was so clear that even onlookers could feel the pain.

But Parris showed no weakness. The instant he was pushed back, he raised his right foot and kicked viciously toward Logan’s abdomen. Using the backward momentum, he focused all his strength into the kick. Logan took the massive impact and, unable to keep his footing, stumbled back several steps.

The next second, after regaining their footing, the two lunged forward and began to brawl fiercely.

”Stop, stop!” The coaches were still standing on the side, not immediately stepping in, but the players on the field reacted quickly, swarming over.

Some were trying to break up the fight, some were trying to hold them back. But others were already hot-headed, and verbal conflicts turned into shoving. Three weeks of suppressed emotions could no longer be contained and finally exploded like a powder keg.

The players on the Offense Line and the Defense Line also lost control. They were already opponents who faced off directly, with the most physical collisions and confrontations. With their emotions running wild, all the pent-up anger from practice seemed to erupt at once. They crashed into each other, cursed at each other, and in the heat of the moment, all sorts of trash talk flew out. Everyone was tangled up in a brawl.

Gradually, the lines between individuals blurred completely. What started with just Logan and Parris had now evolved into a massive brawl. Everyone saw red, charging like wild bulls, ramming and fighting with no regard for anything. The THUD THUD THUD of helmets colliding was truly terrifying.

After completing the pass, Lu Ke landed steadily. Because his release was so quick, as expected, the Defense Team players had no time or space to rush him, so Lu Ke wasn’t hit at all. The three Defense Line players also didn’t face much of an impact.

In his line of sight, he saw Logan make the catch and start to power forward, leading with his right shoulder. In the tangle of players, no one else could keep up or mount a defense. So, Parris, who was closest to Logan, became the last line of defense. But Parris stumbled and couldn’t get close right away. With a simple collision, Logan instantly broke through.

Ahead of him was open field. Logan didn’t stop running until he was twenty-something yards downfield, where he finally let out a satisfied breath. If this had been a real game, it would have been a long-run Touchdown. The San Francisco 49ers’ Defense Team couldn’t keep up.

Logan spread his arms and jogged toward Lu Ke. Unexpectedly, Parris charged him like a bull and slammed into him—from the Defense Team’s perspective, there was no need for Logan to keep running. This was just practice. After the play succeeded, gaining a few extra yards was enough. Continuing to run was just rubbing salt in the wound, a pure act of showing off.

In the end, Parris couldn’t suppress his anger and threw a punch. But Logan was no pushover. Young and hot-blooded, he landed several heavy blows to Parris’s ribs, enraging him further. And that’s what led to the scene described earlier.

Seeing Logan in trouble, Lu Ke reacted instantly and ran over. As he saw everyone start shoving, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to join the fray. But as he got closer, he saw the situation was spiraling out of control. It wasn’t just Logan and Parris anymore; the Offense and Defense Teams had started brawling along clearly divided lines.

The Offense Line and Defense Line, in particular, fought as if they had a blood feud.

What had started as a personal grudge was now much more serious, having escalated to a conflict between the entire Offense and Defense Teams.

Lu Ke could join the fight, could get into a satisfying brawl. But then the Offense and Defense Teams would be at each other’s throats for good, and the locker room would never know peace again. He clenched his fist, then released it. Clenched it again, released it again. The final time he clenched it, he didn’t swing at Parris. Instead, he gathered his breath in his Dantian and roared, ”All of you, knock it the hell off!”

Lu Ke shoved Marcus Lynch, Kendall Hunter, and Aldon Smith. ”What are you idiots standing around for? Pull them apart!”

Roaring, he deftly pulled apart the brawling players. ”Fuck! Have you all lost your goddamn minds? This is just a scrimmage, a scrimmage! If you can’t stand to lose, then either train harder or get the hell out of the Alliance! A brain is a useful thing; try not to leave it at home.”

The players from the Defense and Offense Teams were finally pulled apart. Thankfully, everyone was wearing helmets and pads, so things hadn’t gotten completely out of hand. But Lu Ke’s temper was now flaring. ”Every single one of you, calm down! Anyone watching would think we’re on a three-game losing streak, not a three-game winning streak! The entire Alliance is fucking waiting to see us make a joke of ourselves, a joke! And here you are, fighting amongst yourselves like a bunch of sexually frustrated teenagers!”

”Get out of my face!” Parris’s self-control had completely shattered. He ripped off his glove and threw it violently at Logan.

Not only did Logan not dodge, he puffed out his chest to meet it. ”Bring it on, you asshole! Wasn’t the last lesson enough? You want another one?”

”You’re a fucking rookie! You better show some respect!” Parris roared furiously as other members of the Defense Team struggled to hold him back. The Offense Team members were holding back Logan, trying to keep the two red-eyed bulls from clashing again. But Parris was fighting to break free, screaming himself hoarse, ”I was playing on this field when you were still playing with your little dick! Don’t be so arrogant! Let me fucking teach you how to survive in the Alliance!”

”A veteran? You sure you’re not just an old geezer with one foot in the grave?” Logan shot back without missing a beat, and all hell broke loose again.