American Football: King of the Bay Area

The TV broadcast was replaying the previous third-and-six as Kirk and Teddy analyzed it from different angles. With the pocket collapsing, it was clear Lu Ke had given it his all, as had Gene. But you could only conclude that on that down, the San Francisco 49ers still hadn’t found their rhythm.

”The San Francisco 49ers’ young offense is facing a serious problem right now: every player is completely focused and got into the game early, but their individual rhythms are just a little off. This goes for everyone, from the Offense Line to the receivers to the running backs. They’ve missed at least three potential catches by a hair’s breadth, which has kept their offense from finding any real flow.”

After Teddy expressed his opinion, he turned to look at Kirk, asking for his partner’s take.

Kirk nodded in agreement. ”Either they’re too hyped up, or not hyped up enough. The 49ers’ offensive players haven’t been able to sync up their rhythm today. They feel a bit restless, the finer details of their tactical execution are lacking, and they haven’t shown the same fluid performance from the first three games. I think playing away from home is definitely a factor.”

At the same time, Kirk replayed the last pass for a third time. ”Also, was Lu Ke’s choice of pass too aggressive? That’s also debatable.”

After quickly drawing two circles on the screen, Kirk explained, ”At the exact moment the Eagles’ Clayton got the sack, Crabtree and Lynch were actually open. Though both were short pass options and wouldn’t have been enough for a first down, advancing the ball would have put the 49ers in a position to attempt a field goal, instead of this awkward spot they’re in now. Trying a field goal from here is just too risky; the distance is too great.”

”For a young rookie quarterback, Lu Ke has shown plenty of intelligence over the last three games. But at the end of the day, he’s still a rookie, still a young man—only twenty-two this year. So, every game is a new test. We’ll have to see in the rest of the game whether Lu Ke’s pass selection today has been too aggressive,” Teddy added in agreement.

As they spoke, the players on the field started moving again. Players from both teams came off the field, and the special teams units came on.

”It seems Jim Hubble doesn’t want to get ahead of himself; after all, it’s still just the first quarter. He didn’t risk going for it on fourth down—six yards is too much of a gamble. And from the looks of it, they’re punting, not attempting a field goal. This stalemate will probably last for a while longer.”

After leaving the field, Lu Ke sat down on a bench on the sideline.

Lu Ke could sense the subtle discrepancies, but as the saying goes, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. He just couldn’t put his finger on the problem. The tactical calls and choices for each down were sound. Aside from a few communication breakdowns, the execution was also solid. Yet, the final result was always off by the smallest of margins.

They were getting first downs—they already had six of them, while the opposing Philadelphia Eagles only had two. The problem was, the 49ers were unable to build on the momentum of those first downs and convert them into points, which was incredibly disheartening.

He grabbed a water bottle and took a few large gulps, cooling his head slightly. ”Guys, over here! Offense Line, all of you, get over here!” Lu Ke stood up and gathered his teammates.

The two players on his blind side, Mike Lupati and Chilo Rachal; the two on his right side, Joe Stanley and Anthony Davis; and the center, Jonathan Goodwin—

A center’s job is more than just snapping the ball. He is a crucial part of the pocket formed by the Offense Line, and he also has to help open up lanes on running plays. To the average fan, the importance of the center might not be obvious, but for an offense, a top-tier center is a rare and valuable asset.

”The core of their Defense Line is their front three: two Defensive Ends and a Defensive Tackle. Their run defense is exceptional. But their blitzes keep working. Why? Because they’re using stunts and switches, deliberately leaving the middle open to bait us into a run, then waiting for the chance to loop around and close in from the outside for the tackle.”

Even though the first quarter wasn’t over, a clear picture of the defensive formation had already taken shape in Lu Ke’s mind. His eighty-point Tactical Awareness and seventy-five-point Observation Field of View were beginning to exert a powerful influence today. Lu Ke felt as if the entire field had become sharper, more defined. He was seeing things he had never seen before.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ strategy today was clearly the result of deep research.

’They’ve noticed that the San Francisco 49ers’ offense is still stronger in the passing game than the running game. Even Marcus Lynch hasn’t managed a truly top-tier performance in the first three games—last game’s big yardage on the ground was more of a fluke.’

’So, they’re deliberately showing running lanes, baiting the 49ers into running the ball. But if we do run, their linebackers fill the gaps with perfect timing and are usually able to shut it down quickly. So far, our running game has been mediocre, with the longest gain being only four yards.’

’But if I choose to pass, it plays right into their hands. Their blitzes from both flanks have never given me a comfortable pocket. Forget long passes; they’re even squeezing the windows for short and intermediate throws.’

Although the San Francisco 49ers’ offense was definitely having rhythm issues, it was also undeniable that, to some extent, the Philadelphia Eagles’ constantly shifting defensive tempo was breaking the 49ers’ usual patterns.

Everyone knew the San Francisco 49ers had a very young offense.

Of the five players on the Offense Line, three were sophomores and one was a fourth-year player. The most senior veteran was the center, Goodwin, who entered the league in 2002. The receivers were a similar story: two rookies, a sophomore, a third-year, and a fourth-year player. And to top it all off, the quarterback was a rookie.

In other words, aside from Jonathan Goodwin, the most senior players on the San Francisco 49ers’ starting offense were the two fourth-year players, who were only twenty-six or twenty-seven years old themselves.

The roster was already incredibly young and lacked experience. On top of that, half the team had only started gelling during this year’s offseason. After such a major overhaul, their coordination still wasn’t where it needed to be. Today, the Philadelphia Eagles seized on this weakness and successfully disrupted the team’s rhythm. After three regular-season games, everyone’s playbooks were starting to be exposed, and the games were naturally getting harder.

”So, on our assignments, we shouldn’t be thinking man-to-man. We need to think zone—position to position. Don’t get pulled out of your gap. Even if they run a stunt, we hold our positions. Every man has his gap! Don’t miss an assignment! Force them to change their scheme. Make them choose: either give up on run defense to blitz, or give up the blitz to focus on the run!”

The tactic wasn’t complicated. The Offense Line had five players, while the defensive front had seven. If each lineman took one man, that would leave two defenders free. Those two couldn’t do everything at once; they’d have to choose between blitzing or focusing on run defense. This would neutralize the variability of their scheme.

So far, the opponent’s defense had succeeded time and again because it was so unpredictable, leaving the 49ers’ Offense Line feeling overwhelmed. They were either caught in mismatches or forced to neglect one threat to cover another. This allowed at least three, sometimes even four, of the opposing players to focus on their assignments with complete ease.

Now, Lu Ke was countering their constant changes with a stable foundation. If the opponent defended the run, he would make a short pass. If they blitzed, he would call a run play. In a way, this was adapted from the read-option offense used by mobile quarterbacks. The only difference was that Lu Ke wouldn’t run the ball himself, but his passing game would have more options.

Of course, this was the ideal scenario. On the field, things changed in an instant, and it was still impossible to prepare for every situation. Ultimately, it still came down to the players maintaining intense focus and staying engaged in the game.

At some point, the two Offense Line coaches, Mike Solari and Tim Drevno, had walked over.

”Coach, what do you think? Does my plan work?” Lu Ke wasn’t an Offense Line expert. These ideas were just targeted adjustments based on his own thinking, so he still needed to ask the coaches.

”Good Lord, Bambi, did you memorize the Offense Line’s playbook too? If you keep this up, we’re going to be out of a job,” Solari joked with a laugh. Drevno also gave a slight nod. ”Bambi’s concept is sound, but some details need to be adjusted. Their defensive front…”

The two coaches began a detailed, in-depth analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive formation.

Lu Ke didn’t leave. He stood to the side and started talking with the tactical analyst, Brian Hampton. As a player in the thick of it, he couldn’t see the team’s bigger picture and needed an observer’s opinions and perspective to fill in the gaps. But unfortunately, Brian couldn’t offer much more advice today either—

The tactical execution was fine; the problem was that the players’ individual performance wasn’t at its peak. It was a situation where the plan on paper was perfect, but the actual execution was falling short.

Both Lu Ke and Brian could sense something was wrong, but neither could pinpoint what it was. The feeling was truly awful.

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense was working quickly, trying to get back on track. Meanwhile, on the field, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense was also struggling immensely.

Michael Vick didn’t seem to be in form today either. He couldn’t get anything going with his passing or his running. It wasn’t that the 49ers’ Defense Team was playing exceptionally well, but rather that Vick’s touch wasn’t there. He made several wildly inaccurate throws to wide-open receivers, resulting in incompletions.

After struggling to pick up two first downs, the Philadelphia Eagles went three-and-out again, still unable to cross midfield. The first quarter was nearing its end, with less than four minutes of game time remaining, but the score was still ”0-0”. This was a far cry from the exciting showdown everyone had anticipated; it was so dull it was putting people to sleep.

Led by Lu Ke, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense took the field once again.