American Football: King of the Bay Area

Jim Hubble turned and left. He announced the starting quarterback without any fanfare, then departed the practice field for a press conference, leaving the offensive and defensive coaches to continue the session. From this point on, their preparations for the week’s game would be centered around Lu Ke.

”Hey, Bambi! Bambi!” Logan charged toward Lu Ke with his arms wide open, leaped high into the air, and clung to him like a koala. Pumping his right fist, he roared, ”Woohoo! Bambi!”

Marcus, Aldon, Kendall, and the others all rushed forward, slapping Lu Ke hard on the back. The frenzied blows landed with a series of dull THUDS, and the aggressive display almost made Lu Ke want to cough up blood. ’Is this a celebration or a gang beating?’

”Damn it! I’m going to have internal injuries! Internal injuries!” Lu Ke yelled in exasperation, then flung Logan off of him. He watched as Logan rolled on the ground a couple of times like a giant baby, gloating as Lu Ke was gradually swamped by the crowd. Sitting on the ground, Logan howled with laughter and waved his arms. ”Get him, guys!”

The next second, Lu Ke’s vision was blocked as the offensive players all swarmed him, surrounding him three layers deep. Every face was filled with joy. ”Man, congrats! Looks like we get to keep fighting side-by-side this week.” Everyone reached out, patting Lu Ke on his helmet and shoulders.

Lu Ke felt like a watermelon being thumped to check for ripeness. He desperately wanted to shout, ’This watermelon is perfectly ripe, you can stop thumping it now!’ But his voice was completely drowned out by the solid wall of noise, so he had no choice but to give up.

Not a single member of the offense was an exception. Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams, and Ted Ginn Jr. all immediately gathered around. While they weren’t exactly friends with Lu Ke—they were still friends with Alex Smith—at this moment, the factional lines had quietly begun to blur.

The atmosphere of the team was quietly changing, little by little.

Even Vernon Davis was no exception. He squeezed through the crowd, grasped Lu Ke’s right hand, pulled him in for a shoulder bump, and said simply, ”Congrats.”

In the 2005 draft, the San Francisco 49ers used their first overall pick in the first round to select Alex Smith. However, during his rookie season, Alex only appeared in nine games as a rotational backup.

In 2006, the San Francisco 49ers used their sixth overall pick in the first round to select Vernon Davis. After joining the team, Vernon and Alex became one of its most important duos and grew together.

In terms of their personal relationships, Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, and Alex Smith all belonged to the same cohort of players. Starting in 2006, they developed rapidly and gradually became the pillars of the team. Beyond their connection on the field, Vernon and Alex were also close friends in their private lives.

That was why, in the locker room’s factional struggles, Vernon had unhesitatingly sided with Alex and even deliberately given Lu Ke a hard time during practice.

However, after three games, and now after witnessing today’s head-to-head showdown, even Vernon had to admit that Lu Ke was the best choice for the team at this moment. ’Is Lu Ke perfect? Of course not. In terms of technical skill and game experience, Alex Smith is the more sensible choice. But competitive sports aren’t won on paper; ultimately, you have to look at the complete picture.’

In today’s competition between the four quarterbacks, Lu Ke had truly delivered an outstanding performance, and it was only natural for him to come out on top. As Lu Ke himself had said, internal team conflicts should be left on the practice field. To the rest of the world, they were a single unit that needed to be united to achieve victory.

Vernon still didn’t like Lu Ke. ’As Alex’s friend, I can’t possibly like the guy who stole the starting spot from my best friend. But on the field, I’m willing to fight alongside him.’ It was a small step.

Lu Ke gave Vernon a nod of acknowledgment, nothing more. ’We don’t need to be friends, just teammates. That’s enough.’ Then, Lu Ke saw Alex standing behind Vernon.

Alex looked the same as always—calm, polite, without the slightest hint of an edge. His entire aura was gentle. A smile touched his lips, but it was tinged with a faint bitterness. He approached Lu Ke and bumped his shoulder magnanimously. ”Those were some beautiful passes today. I don’t like it, but I have to admit it.”

He took a deep breath, gradually returning to his usual self, and broke into a bright smile. ”We’ve already won three games. Let’s work together to keep this momentum going. I’m not sure if you’ll need my help, but if you do, I’m always here. Feel free to come find me.”

It was destined that Lu Ke and Alex would never be friends. A rivalry and struggle existed between them. Even though Lu Ke had won the starting spot this week, if his performance wasn’t up to par, it would only be a matter of time before Alex was back in control of the offense. As a league veteran and a former number one draft pick, Alex was a force that could never be underestimated.

Moreover, Aaron Rodgers, who was the same age as Alex, was at the peak of his career, currently tearing up the league. Alex would surely not just lay down his arms and surrender, content with a backup role. Given the chance, he would naturally want to reclaim the starting position. Thus, their rivalry was not going to disappear.

Over the past two weeks, the factional strife had led to more than a little friction between the two on the practice field. But overall, Alex had always remained polite and respectful. Today, Alex had demonstrated a magnanimous attitude that made one’s impression of him soar.

Although Lu Ke had won the starting job today, no one could deny that Alex’s experience was exactly what Lu Ke lacked.

During preparations for the games over the past three weeks, whether it was interpreting the playbook or reviewing game film, Lu Ke had run into numerous problems, and Kip Kester was the person he turned to. If Lu Ke could ask Alex—another quarterback, and the man who had been at the helm of the San Francisco 49ers for the past five years—that would be better than anything.

”I’ll go back and make a list. Let’s hope it’s not too long,” Lu Ke said frankly, without any polite refusal. This made Alex blink in surprise, then burst out laughing.

Not far away, Colin Kaepernick stood silently watching the boisterous, jubilant scene. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his jaw was set, but he still couldn’t release the rage and frustration burning in his chest.

Starting quarterback: Lu Ke. Second-string quarterback: Alex Smith. Third-string quarterback: Scott Torsin. Fourth-string quarterback: Colin Kaepernick.

This was the coaches’ decision.

Scott wasn’t cut; he was still on the team roster. Apparently, the coaches were still being cautious about Alex and Colin’s injuries and didn’t want to act too hastily. ’But my position is even lower than Scott’s! I’m only the fourth-string quarterback! This isn’t just a defeat—it’s a humiliation!’

’Just two months ago, I was the team’s core, a second-round draft pick, the hub of the entire offense, the vessel for all their hopes! And Lu Ke and Scott were just backups who got on the team through a tryout, nothing more than Undrafted Players!’

’Now, the tables have turned. The pace of change was too swift, too violent... It was as if the whole world had been flipped upside down, and everything had gone insane.’

Deep breath. Another deep breath.

He watched the offensive players go up to congratulate the others, watched the rookies crowd around Lu Ke. Everything Colin had painstakingly built over the last few months was completely disintegrating. Even the members of the Defense Team weren’t shouting or protesting anymore. They were just silently preparing for the next part of practice, as if they had already accepted the coaches’ arrangement.

’Even with the deep breaths, I still can’t control my emotions,’ Colin thought. ’This is torture. No, this is death by a thousand cuts!’

Spinning around, Colin strode off the practice field. He had to leave. He could only leave. If he stayed here any longer, he had no idea what he might do.

After offering his congratulations, Alex turned and immediately saw Colin’s retreating figure, the No. 7 on his back especially conspicuous. Then, his eyes landed on Parris, standing on the sidelines—

Yesterday, Parris had stormed off the field in a rage, but he had only gone to the players’ locker room for a cold shower. Once he’d calmed down, he had returned to practice. Naturally, Parris hadn’t missed today’s session either. There were no more fights, but the tense air of confrontation still lingered.

He looked at Lu Ke, then at Parris. In the end, Alex walked over to stand beside Parris. ”This is a professional field. You need to act like a professional, not a high school kid with raging hormones.” Without any further explanation, he just patted Parris on the shoulder and walked away.

Parris remained rooted to the spot, his expression conflicted. In truth, even he didn’t understand how things had developed to this point.

...

Watching the endless stream of people, Lu Ke’s own euphoria and excitement had surprisingly diminished. It seemed like all his friends, especially the other rookies, were even happier than he was. In a head-to-head contest for the starting quarterback job, Lu Ke, the representative of the rookie class, had emerged victorious. It felt as if this heralded the true beginning of a new era for the San Francisco 49ers—

Of course, this was merely the battle for the starting job in the fourth week of the regular season. That was still a far cry from a new era. But who could predict what the future held? It remained to be seen.

Gathering his excitement and joy, Lu Ke raised his voice. ”Alright, guys, let’s get ready for practice! The coaches have been patient for a while now, and I’m not sure how much longer they’re willing to wait. So, before they explode, we’d better get back to it.”

Amid a roar of laughter, everyone dove back into practice.