American Football: King of the Bay Area

”Target Mission: Develop the quarterback’s primary passing targets.

Mission Description: Before the end of the regular season, establish your own primary passing targets and begin building a complete quarterback tactical system.

Mission Requirement: Before the end of the seventeen-week regular season, the host must select two passing targets and complete fifteen and ten touchdowns with them, respectively. Logan Newman, number eighty-eight (6/15), Ted Ginn Jr., number nineteen (5/10).

Mission Reward: Cultivation Gift Package +1; Comprehensive Training Package +1.

Failure Penalty: Fifteen base points deducted; two special points deducted; offseason training effectiveness reduced by ten percent; offseason daily training tasks increased by twenty percent; the ’Paparazzi Resentment’ talent skill will enter a thirty-day cooldown.”

This was a brand-new mission that had suddenly appeared before he took the field for today’s game.

Following the hidden missions, a target mission had now appeared. The original three major mission systems had suddenly expanded to five slots. As the regular season progressed, the system’s functions were gradually being unlocked. Today, there were no hidden or special missions; in their place was a target mission—one that couldn’t be completed in the short term.

Now, the target mission had been updated. Compared to when he first received it, Designated Target 1 and Designated Target 2 had been updated to Lu Ke’s choices: Logan Newman and Ted Ginn Jr. These two passing targets were carefully selected by Lu Ke after deep consideration, as they were better suited to his play style and tactical arrangements.

Undoubtedly, this was a long-term mission. Its scope covered the entire seventeen-week regular season, and only at its conclusion would he know if he had succeeded and would face the rewards or penalties. This was the first long-term mission the system had issued, and it was gradually revealing its developmental nature.

After carefully reading the mission description, Lu Ke immediately understood.

In soccer or basketball, it’s not exactly common, but not rare either, to see a player go it alone, plunging deep into enemy territory and scoring while surrounded. Such moments are always thrilling and breathtaking. But in football, a quarterback needs his teammates’ help to do his job.

First, he needs a pocket. Even a collapsing, precarious pocket is crucial, with an offense line blocking the defense line. Sometimes, certain offense lines might as well not even be there. The blind-side offensive guard and offensive tackle, in particular, are unsung yet irreplaceable role players on the team.

Second, he needs receivers. After the pass is thrown, the target must successfully catch the ball and even advance with it. If they have frequent butterfingers, even a perfect pass from the quarterback is useless; they can only stand there and watch the ball fall, helpless. Even Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers need outstanding passing targets.

Now, the target mission was beginning to help Lu Ke build his own ”quarterback tactical system” by identifying two receivers to become his primary passing targets, allowing him to gradually form his own passing style and tactical combinations.

During the San Francisco 49ers’ final offensive drive today, Lu Ke scrambled out of the pocket and threw a desperate long pass. Logan and Gene executed a simple pick play, and Gene ultimately relied on his individual talent to make the catch, laying the foundation for the victory.

This was an incredibly long and arduous mission, and Lu Ke’s efforts alone would not be enough.

In daily practice, Lu Ke needed to study the playbook with Logan and Gene, run routes together to build chemistry, and communicate on audibles to gradually cultivate their rapport and intuition. Then, they had to apply it all in a game, truly converting their practice performance into an on-field advantage.

The reason the system hadn’t presented the target mission earlier was that it had been waiting for Lu Ke to find his passing chemistry. It wasn’t Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams, or Vernon Davis. Lu Ke chose Ted Ginn Jr., and this was the result guided by the sparks that had accumulated over the past five weeks of games.

The coordination between a quarterback and his receivers is a very subtle kind of chemistry.

Previously with the Miami Dolphins, and last year with the San Francisco 49ers, Gene had spent most of his time on special teams, earning his spot as a returner.

Generally, special teams are mainly comprised of Undrafted Players; a special teams player selected in the fourth round of the draft would already be considered a high pick. But Gene was a wide receiver taken with the ninth overall pick in the first round. Putting him on special teams was a complete waste of his talent.

Unfortunately, after joining the offense, Gene could never effectively integrate into the team’s offensive system. The quarterbacks he played with were players like Cleo Lemon and Chad Pennington, who struggled to hold a spot in the Alliance. He never seemed to truly find his position.

It wasn’t until Lu Ke’s arrival that Gene’s career began to shine with a completely different light. That was chemistry.

So, when the target mission appeared, Lu Ke didn’t hesitate or overthink it. Choosing Gene was the logical conclusion.

Now, with the confirmation and guidance of the target mission, there would be more passes between Lu Ke, Gene, and Logan in future games. Perhaps Lu Ke’s passing system would be built upon this foundation.

From a positive perspective, Lu Ke was establishing his own style within the San Francisco 49ers’ offense. From a negative one, games were unpredictable. Leaving aside the possibility of his passing routes being figured out, and not to mention potential future trades, if either Gene or Logan got injured, the target mission would be terminated immediately.

Lu Ke’s gaze fell upon the target mission again. ”Logan Newman (6/15), Ted Ginn Jr. (5/10).”

The numbers didn’t lie. Right now on the San Francisco 49ers, Logan was Lu Ke’s primary passing target, and Gene was his second. According to the data, Michael Crabtree and Marcus Lynch were tied for third, followed by Kyle Williams and Vernon Davis.

However, Lu Ke was a little surprised. Logan had fewer touchdowns than he’d expected, while Gene had more. As it stood, Gene’s mission target was already halfway complete, but Logan still had a long way to go.

’Should I start throwing more to Gene and Logan in the next game to finish the mission as quickly as possible? That way, I can ensure I don’t fail before something unexpected happens.’ Just glancing at the failure penalties was horrifying; they were by far the most severe he’d seen.

But the thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before Lu Ke rejected it.

First, concentrating his passes on just two targets would not only disrupt the tactical system but also make his intentions easy for opponents to read. At that point, he wouldn’t just fail the target mission; he might not even complete his individual game missions and could even face the bitter taste of defeat. Second, the point of the target mission was long-term planning. Besides developing chemistry with his receivers, he also needed to establish his own passing system.

’I can’t completely change my tactical distribution just to complete this mission. That would be putting the cart before the horse; the cost would outweigh the benefit.’

Admittedly, the mission rewards were very tempting—a Cultivation Gift Package and a Comprehensive Training Package. Based on past experience, the more severe the penalty and the harder the mission, the more gratifying the reward for success. But after a brief moment of excitement, Lu Ke forced himself to calm down.

Staying grounded and taking it one step at a time was still the only real way to complete the mission.

Refocusing, Lu Ke’s gaze fell on his nine base points. It was time for the weekly point allocation. Instead of rushing, Lu Ke carefully reviewed all his technical skills and, after careful consideration, decided how to assign the points.

First, without hesitation, Lu Ke added five points to his 75-point Mid-range Pass Accuracy, bringing it up to 80 in one go.

This meant all three of Lu Ke’s passing accuracy stats were now in the 80s: 80 for short passes, 80 for mid-range, and 82 for long passes. For a quarterback, this was without a doubt the most crucial technical aspect. After a long and bumpy road, the accumulated quantitative changes had finally led to a qualitative leap.

Second, Lu Ke added two points to his 70-point Running Pass, bringing it to 72.

Before allocating the points, Lu Ke had hesitated slightly, wondering whether to choose Tactical Area Accuracy or Running Pass first. In the end, he chose the latter.

Although Lu Ke wasn’t a mobile quarterback and only ran out of the pocket in emergencies, once he was forced out, it was a critical, high-stakes situation. Only by combining his Ball-Carrying Run and Running Pass abilities could he leverage his advantage in passing accuracy.

The final long pass for a touchdown today was a perfect example. During the play, Gene’s extreme catch sent everyone’s adrenaline soaring, but upon reflection, it was Lu Ke’s passing accuracy that had faltered, forcing Gene to use every trick in the book. If they ran the same play again, the result could be completely different.

Finally, Lu Ke spent his last two points on his 80-point Observation Field of View, bringing it up to 82.

Lu Ke had considered putting all four points into Running Pass, but when his eyes fell on his 90-point Tactical Awareness, he decided to allocate two points to Observation Field of View instead.

He could clearly feel in this week’s game that his defensive reads and tactical arrangements had undergone a complete transformation. But a sharp mind still needed a wide and clear field of view to support it. In a game that changed in an instant, Observation Field of View was undoubtedly the foundation of his entire tactical system, and that ability had to keep pace.

In the blink of an eye, the nine base points were once again spent.