American Football: King of the Bay Area

In the League, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers were the universally acknowledged elite quarterbacks. In the tier just below them were the excellent top-tier quarterbacks: Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, and Joe Flacco.

Some critics complained that Big Ben won his Super Bowls on the back of his Defense Team, that Eli won his with lucky, insane plays, and that Rivers and Romo had yet to achieve a breakthrough in the playoffs, keeping them at a distance from the elite quarterback tier.

But it was undeniable that during the regular season, these quarterbacks were the absolute core of their teams and shouldered the true responsibilities of a quarterback. They were indeed excellent, top-tier quarterbacks, and no one knew when they might break through that final barrier to become elite.

Among these mid-generation quarterbacks, Eli Manning was considered a wild card. No one could predict when he would choke at a critical moment, or when he would save the day and turn the tide. This unpredictability secured Eli his first Super Bowl and also earned the New York Giants their reputation for being mercurial.

They might give up three touchdowns in the first half, only to stage a furious comeback in the final quarter to win the game. They could also defeat a powerhouse like the New England Patriots or the Green Bay Packers one week, only to inexplicably lose to a weaker team like the Washington Redskins the next.

Just like this season.

Currently, the New York Giants had a season record of six wins and two losses, tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, and were trailing only the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. But the issue wasn’t their record; it was who they had won against and lost to.

The teams the New York Giants had defeated included formidable opponents like the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. Yet, their two losses were against the Washington Redskins, who had just been crushed by the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks, whose season record was a mere two wins and six losses, not counting their season-opener blowout loss to the 49ers.

Their reputation as a wild card was well-earned. Of course, one could also say they played up to strong opponents and down to weak ones.

But it was undeniable that among the same generation of excellent quarterbacks, Tony Romo, who led the Dallas Cowboys, was having an inconsistent season, having only achieved a four-and-four record so far.

Meanwhile, Eli Manning’s New York Giants were showing much better form. In this week’s game against the New England Patriots, the visiting Giants played with ferocious vigor, walking away with a 24-20 victory.

Following the clash of titans between the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions in Week 6 of the regular season, the 49ers were set to face another powerhouse in Week 10: the New York Giants!

This season, the San Francisco 49ers’ seemingly calm schedule had turned into a storm of challenges, one after another. Now, after securing a four-game winning streak, the 49ers would play at home, welcoming the challenge from the Giants and attempting to push for a five-game streak to maintain their advantage in the war for the playoffs.

For the media, this was another carnival. There was no need to manufacture hype. A showdown between the team ranked second and a team tied for third in the standings—how could that not be exciting?

For the team, they had to give it their all, with no room for complacency. They had to advance toward victory—and the playoffs—in an orderly fashion, taking one steady step at a time.

For Lu Ke, he was so pumped he wanted to scream, so excited his whole body was trembling, right down to his fingertips.

Someone once said that in the world of sports, the most important, most glorious, and most unforgettable moment is defeating your idol. In a head-to-head confrontation, pitting absolute strength against absolute strength, a tough matchup fought with everything you have, it’s like a final exam, and you come out with the victory.

Because your idol is the target you sprint toward, like a finish line or an insurmountable benchmark. They are the lighthouse that guides your continuous effort and struggle. But the moment you defeat your idol, it feels like you’ve broken through that final barrier. This is not just a tribute to your idol, nor is it just about surpassing them; it’s a milestone that validates your own dreams and perseverance.

Just like the Olympic motto, “Higher, Faster, Stronger,” you surpass your idol and then continue onward to reach an even higher level.

Lu Ke deeply agreed with this sentiment.

Lu Ke had never hidden the fact that Peyton Manning was his idol. From the very first day he started watching football, that down-to-earth, diligent quarterback had been his guide.

People always criticized Peyton for his instability in the playoffs. To date, he had only won a single Super Bowl, a number that truly didn’t match his skill. In the regular season, he had already won the MVP award four times, surpassing Brett Favre to become the first and only player in the history of the League to achieve such an honor. In comparison, one Super Bowl championship felt like far too few.

But what people didn’t see was the Peyton who was strict with others but even stricter with himself during preparation. He was always diligently immersed in training, never slacking off for even a single day. Even rookie players just entering the League were in awe of his work ethic, let alone the old veterans. On the entire team, Peyton was always the hardest-working player, to an almost freakish degree, leading by example in everything he did.

This professional integrity had won the admiration of every teammate and opponent.

Peyton never took any game lightly. Regardless of the opponent, he prepared meticulously, reading and re-reading the playbook until he knew it by heart, fully preparing for every single game. He spent his entire life chasing victory, dedicating his whole being to football.

For Peyton, even a genius needed to put in one hundred percent effort, not to mention he never considered himself a genius in the first place.

When people talked about elite quarterbacks, they marveled at Brady’s three championships in four years and his underdog story as a 199th pick. they marveled at Brees’s passing talent, whose completion percentage and passing yards dominated the League; they marveled at Rodgers’s explosive long-ball ability and his unyielding spirit in crisis situations, which often led to miracles.

But when it came to Big Manning—Eli was Little Manning, while Peyton was Big Manning—they always marveled at the wisdom and composure of the tactical master, and even more so at his precise control over the situation on the field. It was as if he could accurately sniff out every movement on every inch of the gridiron.

Someone once joked that when Big Manning was on the field, it was like having an offensive coordinator playing the game directly. No one doubted that after retirement, Big Manning could become an excellent offensive coordinator, or even a head coach or commentator. His understanding of tactics was second to none.

And behind all that was an accumulation of countless drops of sweat.

So, perhaps Big Manning wasn’t the most gifted, and his number of Super Bowls couldn’t compare to Brady’s. But in Lu Ke’s heart, Big Manning was his goal and his idol.

This season, Big Manning was out for the year due to injury, which meant Lu Ke had lost the chance to face his idol. But now, Lu Ke had the opportunity to face another member of the Manning family, Eli Manning. This would be Lu Ke’s first encounter with the Manning family, and another hard-fought clash of titans, just like the game against the Detroit Lions.

And so, Lu Ke was fired up, so excited that every cell in his body was cheering and screaming.

He craved this matchup, and he craved the victory even more. On the path to a five-game winning streak after four straight wins, facing the New York Giants was, without a doubt, the moment Lu Ke had been looking forward to the most in the regular season.

However, before officially diving into preparations for the new week, Lu Ke needed to take stock of his gains. This included not only the bountiful points from the last two victories, but also an accounting of his daily training over the past two weeks.

It was the end of another four-week cycle.

Ever since the end of Week 1 of the regular season, when strength training was added to his daily tasks, Lu Ke’s training structure had quietly begun to change. After the first four-week cycle ended, various sub-categories of his physical fitness had shown growth. This led him to speculate that perhaps strength training produced periodic progress every four weeks.

Now, the second four-week cycle was over. It was time to verify his theory.

Opening the Personal Attribute Panel, Lu Ke’s gaze immediately fell on his weight: ninety-two kilograms. In the last cycle, he had gained five kilograms, but this cycle, the increase had dropped to two kilograms. This meant that with the same training intensity, his weight gain was gradually hitting a plateau—just like every time he had tried to bulk up before.

‘It seems my natural constitution just doesn’t make it easy to gain weight.’

However, this wasn’t the most important thing anymore. According to his plan, Lu Ke’s target weight was between ninety-five and ninety-eight kilograms, and no heavier.

This was because Lu Ke needed to maintain his agility; nimble footwork in the pocket could create more opportunities for his passes. This meant he was not far from his goal, so slowing down a bit was acceptable.

Beyond that, the changes in his other attributes were not as obvious.

Physical Fitness: 71, no change.

Spiritual Quality: 83, an increase of one point. This was an unexpected gain. He never thought that the continuous, torturous, and painful weight training would actually improve his Spiritual Quality. Clearly, it was no easy feat.

Willpower: 81, no change.

In the previous cycle, quantitative accumulation had led to a qualitative leap, and Lu Ke’s stats had experienced a massive explosion. The total growth across different attributes was equivalent to eight base points. But after that qualitative leap, this cycle had returned to the stage of quantitative accumulation. Naturally, there were no significant increases in physical stats like strength, explosiveness, and jumping ability.