American Football: King of the Bay Area

”AHHH! AHHH!”

The screams and shouts swept over them like a landslide, swirling and echoing throughout the stadium. The relentless reverberations were like a tornado—baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, immense and omnipresent. The heavy drumbeat and buzzing noise hammered against his eardrums, again and again, until even his brain began to ache.

”...Seven... Run... Cross...” Lu Ke drew on the power from his Dantian, his voice erupting from deep within his abdomen as he called out the play. But when he looked up at his teammates on the offense, they still looked utterly lost. Their confused eyes pierced through their helmets and met his, forcing Lu Ke to shake his head helplessly.

He raised his voice and repeated the play. This time, however, he didn’t just rely on his throat; he used hand signals as well. By gesturing and shouting, he finally managed to communicate the play. Then he glanced around. ”Everyone got it?”

After receiving a series of nods, Lu Ke extended his right hand. His teammates stacked their hands on top of his, and led by Lu Ke, they shouted, ”49ers!” Then, they returned to the line of scrimmage, ready to start the down.

This was Lu Ke’s second away game, but the atmosphere and the sheer force of the crowd created the illusion that it was his first. From the mood to the noise, from the cheering to the disruption, the Philadelphia Eagles fans were truly showcasing what home-field advantage meant. As a complete newcomer to playing away, Lu Ke was still struggling to adapt.

Six minutes and thirty-three seconds had passed in the first quarter of today’s game.

After the coin toss, the San Francisco 49ers won the chance to receive, and Lu Ke led the team onto the field.

Before every single play, whenever Lu Ke tried to call out the tactics, the home crowd would unleash an unimaginable torrent of noise. It came down like an avalanche, making it impossible for Lu Ke to communicate with his teammates. Even the direct feed into his helmet earpiece was barely audible. During a break in the offense, Lu Ke had to run to the sideline and tell Jim Hubble that they had to turn up the volume in his earpiece.

But when it was the Eagles’ turn on offense, all the fans would spontaneously fall silent, ensuring that Michael Vick could communicate plays to his teammates clearly and accurately. Only between downs would the fans erupt in frantic cheers, rallying to support their home team’s players.

Even though this wasn’t Lu Ke’s first away game, the rhythm of the match felt slightly off from the start. The exaggerated and out-of-control noise, in particular, was severely hampering their ability to set up plays, which was a real problem for the offense.

In the midst of the Fierce Waves, Lu Ke felt as if he were piloting a tiny sampan, in constant danger of capsizing. But the problem was that there were other passengers on this sampan. Everyone was huddled together, trying to fight back the swell, but so far, their efforts had been negligible. The violent rocking was enough to make one’s stomach churn.

Naturally, the offense’s efficiency suffered as a result.

This was already the third time Lu Ke had led the offense onto the field.

On their first drive, they managed only a single first down before being stopped at their own 34-yard line and punting. On their second drive, they picked up three first downs and crossed midfield to the opponent’s 43-yard line, but unfortunately, they couldn’t advance any further and had to punt again.

Fortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense couldn’t find its rhythm either. In their two drives, they failed to cross midfield, both ending in three-and-outs.

The first quarter was nearly halfway over, and the score on the board was still 0-0. No one had been able to break the deadlock.

Now, the San Francisco 49ers were making their third attempt to cross midfield and try to score. A four-yard run from Marcus Lynch and a seven-yard catch by Logan Newman had earned them their first first down, bringing them to their own 31-yard line.

On the previous first down, Lu Ke handed the ball off to Lynch again, but he only managed to gain two yards. Now, they were facing a second-and-eight.

After setting the play, Lu Ke stood in the Pistol Formation. Instead of immediately bending over center, he stood tall, using his height to look down and survey the Philadelphia Eagles’ Defense Team. Once he confirmed his read, he turned back and waved Lynch forward, positioning him to his right, with the two of them standing parallel.

In the Pistol Formation, the quarterback stands about four yards behind the center, and the running back stands about three yards behind the quarterback. In other words, the running back is roughly seven yards from the center, with all three lined up vertically.

After the snap, the quarterback can cut into the Offense Line, either using his body to screen for the running back’s rush after a handoff, or using his forward momentum to make a quick, short pass. Of course, someone like Cam Newton could also fake the handoff and run the ball himself.

But now, Lu Ke called Lynch up, so they were both standing four yards behind the center. It was like they were using a Pistol Formation alignment to create a Shotgun Formation look. For the running back, this meant not enough of a running start, a lack of momentum for a run play, and poor concealment. In other words, it was a hodgepodge formation—

During his first tactics meeting after joining the team, Lu Ke had proposed just such a play: a pseudo-Pistol Formation. The point wasn’t tactical versatility but rather to create confusion.

Once he confirmed Lynch was set, Lu Ke didn’t hesitate. He lifted his right foot, and the ball was snapped.

After catching the ball with both hands, Lu Ke quickly dropped back, creating distance between himself and the Offense Line. He fell slightly behind Lynch, and then they both began moving to the right. The Offense Line shifted to the right as well, making the entire offensive unit move like a migrating island, rolling in one direction.

Lynch screened for Lu Ke. There was no fake run for a real pass or fake pass for a real run between them; it was clearly a formation designed for a block and a set-pass. As his feet moved quickly, his peripheral vision caught a tear in the Offense Line. ’Not good!’

It seemed there was a miscommunication among the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive linemen. The Philadelphia Eagles’ number 97, Defensive End Cullen Jenkins, astutely spotted the opening. With a spin and a burst of speed, he quickly shed the offensive lineman and charged toward Lu Ke like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey.

Jenkins’s speed was incredible. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the gust of wind he kicked up was already washing over Lu Ke.

Though the pocket had been breached, Lu Ke’s footing remained steady within it. He showed no panic. In that split-second of crisis, he actually pulled his eyes away from the approaching Jenkins and focused on finding a passing opportunity. Holding his breath, just an instant before Jenkins crashed into him, he flicked his forearm and cleanly released the pass.

The next second, Jenkins slammed heavily into Lu Ke’s shoulder.

However, Jenkins also realized that Lu Ke had gotten the pass off. He pulled up slightly and controlled his body, turning away after the brief impact to avoid a roughing the passer penalty.

The football sailed over the Offense Line and the Defense Line, tracing a small arc in the air. Carrying the gaze of everyone watching, it floated lightly toward a spot about nine yards to the right—but who was the target?

Kyle Williams!

One of the heroes from the last game! At this moment, Williams was tangled up with a defensive player. He first ran a slant, then slammed on the brakes, reversed direction, and cut out on a ninety-degree angle, forcefully shaking off the defender. He then extended his hands, ready to make the catch.

But it was too high!

The arc of the ball was too high. Even though Williams leaped up, his fingertips couldn’t touch the football. He could only watch helplessly as it sailed over his head and landed about three yards behind him. It was an empty spot on the field, with no offensive or defensive players nearby. The football fell to the ground, solitary and forlorn.

Incomplete pass.

”Oh, what a shame! Number 10 for the San Francisco 49ers had gotten open, shaking off the defender, but there seems to have been a small communication issue between the wide receiver and the quarterback. Williams’s route was only about six or seven yards deep, while Lu Ke’s pass traveled nine or ten yards. That slight deviation, that high parabola, led to a mismatch, and in the end, number 10 couldn’t make the catch.”

It was still Fox Television, with the commentary duo of Kirk Charleston and Teddy Williams, both of whom let out sighs of regret.

”We’re not even halfway through the first quarter, and this is already the San Francisco 49ers offense’s second communication error. The first time, Michael Crabtree ran his route in completely the wrong direction, leading to an incomplete pass. Teddy, what do you think is the reason for this?”

Prompted by Kirk, Teddy joined the discussion. ”Clearly, the 49ers still haven’t adjusted to the atmosphere here at Lincoln Financial Field. It’s not just a communication problem between the quarterback and his receivers; the coordination and communication on the Offense Line are also off. Let’s take a look at the replay of that last down.”

As the slow-motion replay appeared on screen, Teddy began his analysis. ”According to the play call from number 14, number 77, Rupati, and number 62, Hachar, were supposed to have one-on-one blocking assignments against the Eagles’ number 97, Jenkins, and number 76, Hunter, respectively. But clearly, Rupati and Hachar had a misunderstanding. Both of them blocked Hunter, leaving Jenkins completely uncovered.”

”Jenkins exploited the misalignment, seized the opportunity, and broke through to hit the quarterback. Although he didn’t manage to disrupt the pass or get a sack, Jenkins applied enough pressure to force Lu Ke to throw under duress. This is already the second time since the kickoff that the Eagles have hit the quarterback.”

”Clearly, the San Francisco 49ers’ coordination is having some issues today.”