American Football: King of the Bay Area

Ted Ginn Jr. ran with single-minded focus, a straight-line sprint. After just ten yards, he adjusted his footing and deliberately cut inside toward the middle, trying to create an opening. In his peripheral vision, he saw the two deep safeties starting to move up in coverage.

Without panicking, Ginn paused for a beat before accelerating again, continuing his straight sprint. His peripheral vision caught the safety on the right changing direction to cover Kyle Williams. ’The situation has changed,’ a judgment immediately formed in Ginn’s mind.

Slightly adjusting his footwork, he turned as he kept running, keeping his back to the safety covering him. His eyes scanned back toward his team’s offensive pocket, and then he saw it: a vast, open field. Between his position and the line of scrimmage, a stretch of over twenty yards was a complete no-man’s-land—

No Pirate Team players, and no 49ers players either.

Ginn couldn’t help but be alarmed. He had a clear view of the situation behind him. The entire pocket had disintegrated, yet the one-on-one coverage hadn’t loosened. But Lu Ke was now completely exposed, weaving and dodging in the Fierce Waves, his light footwork like a dance on a knife’s edge, each step a heart-stopping thrill.

But Ginn had no more time to think. He adjusted his footing, backing up, then backing up again. Suddenly, he used his back to brace against the safety defending him, sharply shifting his center of gravity to bump him hard. But his legs were coiled and ready. As his center of gravity dropped, his knees sprang up like coils, and he instantly accelerated, turning sideways into a dead sprint. The wind roared in his ears as he raised his hands high, signaling he was ready for the ball.

’Lu Ke never gives up easily,’ Ginn knew, ’and he certainly never surrenders. He’ll definitely find me in this open lane.’

And sure enough.

The next moment, Ginn saw the football arcing across the sky like the most magnificent rainbow in the world, painting a breathtaking trajectory against the azure canvas above.

The tension reached its peak, and his mind went completely blank, leaving only calm and focus. Ginn adjusted his hands, and the football—like a swallow returning to its nest—dived lightly and gracefully into them. The crisp thud of the catch seemed to bring his entire body into its optimal state, flexible and extended.

The momentum of the catch forced Ginn’s body backward, his core strength bending his torso into a graceful arc. As his feet hit the ground—left, then right—he was already on his toes, adjusting his steps, while simultaneously whipping his head around to locate the safety. But before he could make another move, a dark shadow crashed into him like a freight train, slamming violently into his waist. The ferocious impact sent a tremor through his hands—

’Secure the ball, secure the ball, secure the ball! I have to protect the football!’ It was the only thought in Ginn’s mind. As quick as lightning, he pulled his arms in, curling around the ball against his chest. Then, his entire body slammed onto the ground like a sack of potatoes, sending grass flying everywhere.

”Danger! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Defense Line suddenly speeds up, applying immense pressure! The San Francisco 49ers’ pocket is collapsing fast! He can’t find an open receiver! At the critical moment, Lu Ke turns and scrambles out of the pocket, adjusts his footing to look for a pass again, but Bennett immediately pounces!”

Troy’s hands were braced on the commentary desk as he involuntarily rose to his feet, astonishment and panic exploding out of him in the tense excitement. ”Lu Ke shrugs off the tackle! Lu Ke shrugs off what should have been a surefire tackle from Bennett! Lu Ke, here comes the pressure! My God, again! Lu Ke narrowly escapes Miller’s tackle! Lu Ke, Lu Ke is desperately searching for a target! Jesus Christ, a third time! After dodging three consecutive tackles, he’s making a throwing motion! It’s... it’s a long pass!”

”Thirty yards, forty yards, fifty yards! My God, the target is Ted Ginn Jr.! Ginn is only being covered by one player, and he instantly gets separation from the defender! Forty yards, thirty yards! Ginn makes the catch! While backpedaling, Ginn completes an incredibly difficult catch! That’s a reception! That is a perfect catch!”

”Ginn is backpedaling, Ginn is backpedaling fast! Number twenty-six! Safety Sean Jones, number twenty-six, makes the play! After losing his balance, Sean Jones recovers and completes the tackle on Ginn, stopping what looked like an unstoppable offensive drive! Ginn is brought down at the thirty-three-yard line!”

The down was finally over, but Troy’s passionate shouting didn’t stop. ”Incredible! That was truly incredible! Lu Ke just recreated his footwork from Week Two against the Dallas Cowboys, dodging... one, two, three! A full three tackles! In a pocket of pure chaos, he found a sliver of life and completed a fifty-three-yard pass! It’s Ted Ginn Jr.’s first catch of the game, and it single-handedly pushes the San Francisco 49ers all the way past midfield!”

”That was just magnificent!” Troy felt the urge to slam the desk in admiration.

Facing a difficult second-and-twelve, the Pirate Team had suddenly brought the heat, and the 49ers were struggling to respond. But at the critical moment, Lu Ke, with sheer, unyielding willpower, gritted his teeth and ripped open a seam. He not only completed the pass but dealt a fatal blow to his opponent, pushing past midfield in one fell swoop. It was a deft yet heavy blow, leaving the Pirate Team’s Defense Team seeing stars, completely bewildered.

Frozen in place, Bennett gasped for air, his brow deeply furrowed in a mixture of bewilderment and confusion. He stared at the back of the red number-fourteen jersey in the distance, feeling a mix of vexation and fury. An indescribable irritation welled up inside him. The entire Candlestick Park was like a boiling cauldron, the roaring cheers an unending torrent, each wave feeling like a combination punch landing squarely in Bennett’s gut.

The entire stadium erupted. The fans lost their minds, doing nothing but shouting, screaming, and roaring with wild abandon. Everyone was caught in a state of frenzied ecstasy, unable to pull themselves out.

But for Lu Ke, this was no time to celebrate. There wasn’t even time to catch his breath. He was already making hand signals, the first to start running, urging his teammates to hurry and keep up. They had to quicken the pace and launch a continuous assault while their opponent was still reeling, finishing this drive in one push.

The members of the Offense Line, who had just expended all their energy on the last play, looked at each other in dismay. Goodwin frantically waved his arms, urging his teammates forward. Rupati clenched his jaw, pulled the fallen Hachar to his feet, and then hurried to catch up. They quickly crossed midfield and stopped at the opponent’s thirty-three-yard line.

The thirty-three-yard line again. It seemed they had a special connection with this spot today. They had successfully scored a Touchdown from here the last two times. What about this time?

Lu Ke quickly turned his head and gestured to Logan. He then waved his hands rapidly, like a little penguin flapping its wings, signaling for Logan to hurry up and get off the field for a substitution.

Logan didn’t protest, leaving the field with a wide grin as he was replaced by Vernon Davis. The two Tight Ends swapped places on the field.

Lu Ke took less than five seconds to relay the coach’s play call and get everyone set. The team immediately got into formation, giving the Pirate Team’s Defense Team no time to react, but also giving the 49ers’ own offense no time to breathe. Then, Lu Ke called for the snap.

”The San Francisco 49ers have completely picked up the pace, once again showing us the same offensive tempo we saw in Week One of the regular season against the Seattle Seahawks! They’re leaving almost no time to breathe—quick formation, quick snap!”

Troy had been about to take a sip of water to soothe his throat, but he hadn’t even picked up his glass before the next play was underway. He had no choice but to focus his full attention back on the action on the field.

”The San Francisco 49ers line up in the Shotgun Formation! Lu Ke is in the pocket, all four receivers are set, and even Lynch is split out to the right, ready for a pass. The snap! The Pirate Team’s seven-man defensive front completely abandons short-pass coverage and goes for an all-out blitz! With a numerical advantage, two linebackers quickly break through the pocket and charge at Lu Ke as he prepares to throw!”

”Lu Ke, the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie quarterback, is once again facing a powerful pass rush! He gets the pass off in the blink of an eye! The entire throwing motion was incredibly small and subtle, making it impossible to read the direction of the pass. It’s reminiscent of Aaron Rodgers—the throwing motion looks deceptively casual, but the power behind it is terrifying. Lu Ke’s target is... Vernon Davis! It’s actually Vernon Davis!”

Troy couldn’t help but marvel at the play. They brought Vernon in as a last-minute substitution and then immediately made him the target. It was like they were brazenly announcing their strategy, daring the opponent to stop it. And the problem was, the Pirate Team still couldn’t!

”Vernon uses his sheer physical superiority to shove aside the covering cornerback and get ready for the catch! Wait, the pass seems to be a little off-target! Lu Ke’s pass is slightly wayward at the critical moment! Vernon extends his body and successfully makes the catch, stretching himself to the absolute limit to forcefully pluck the football from the air, but then he loses his balance and goes flying out of bounds! My God, My God, what a dangerous catch!”

”Now, we have to look at the replay. In real-time, we couldn’t be sure if that catch was inbounds or out of bounds, or if Vernon maintained control. If the catch is confirmed, it’s a thirteen-yard gain, and the San Francisco 49ers will move directly into the Pirate Team’s red zone! This call will have a crucial impact on the game.”

”Personally, I think Vernon caught it.”