In the league's 32 teams, there are an average of three quarterbacks per team, totaling nearly one hundred quarterbacks in the entire league. However, only four are considered elite: Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, and Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.
Among these four quarterbacks, only Manning was the number one overall draft pick. The other three quarterbacks were drafted in very average rounds. Brady was the 199th pick in the sixth round, Rodgers was the 24th pick in the first round, and Brees was the 32nd pick in the second round.
Even Peyton Manning was heavily scrutinized during his draft year. From scout reports to training camp performance and college stats, another quarterback, Ryan Leaf, was just as good, a formidable rival. What's more, scouts believed that Leaf had a stronger arm, which made the 1998 draft full of suspense. In the end, Manning was the first pick and Leaf was the second.
In the past thirteen years, Manning has been one of the four elite quarterbacks, becoming one of the strong candidates for the greatest of all time. Meanwhile, the once-promising Leaf became one of the biggest busts in NFL history, with a miserable career.
This is what Adam's two sentences meant.
He wasn't defending number eleven. As other scouts said, the skills and content that number eleven showed were too little to judge or work with. But as a senior scout, he also deeply understood that data is incredibly important. Scout reports are incredibly important. But believing in data and reports completely is also not a good thing. The four elite quarterbacks are the best proof of this.
To be honest, Adam was also looking forward to seeing how number eleven would perform at the training camp.
As Blake said, during the offseason, Peyton Manning suffered a head and neck injury and might not be able to play in the Colts' regular season this year. This means that another team in desperate need of a quarterback has been added, which also adds variables to this year's draft. In Adam's opinion, the ability that number eleven showed in the game was indeed a highlight. At the training camp, a lot of eyes will inevitably be on number eleven, watching his performance.
Perhaps this year is indeed a rare and great draft year. However, Adam's focus needs to be expanded to include a Chinese rookie.
Journalists, scouts, team managers, team coaches, team staff, TV broadcasters, league staff, and even the league commissioner... everyone headed to Lucas Oil Stadium, officially kicking off the 2011 rookie training camp.
At the same time, the 332 rookies also boarded the official bus and headed for the stadium. On the bus, it was bustling and lively. The young and energetic rookie players, with their confidence, expectations, and dreams, were taking their first steps on the road to becoming professional players.
"How was your rest last night? You didn't have insomnia, did you?" Marcus leaned over the back of his seat and looked down at Lu Ke and Logan sitting in the row in front of him. "I'm telling you, Rahim kept getting up to go to the bathroom last night. It was like he was dehydrated!"
Rahim Moore and David Carter, teammates from UCLA, had reunited at the rookie training camp and naturally gathered together.
Rahim immediately stood up and defended himself. "Why don't you mention that you snored like a war was going on last night? The room was almost shaking down."
"Your complaints are too childish." Logan tilted his head back and looked at them. "This morning at six, I mean, exactly at six, Bambi got up, and then... guess what he went to do?"
"Train?" Marcus didn't have to guess and immediately gave the answer. Then he saw Logan jump up. "Yes, train! Who trains during rookie training camp? Isn't there enough training at this whole camp? We're going to be training nonstop for the next four days!"
"Bambi! You've already given the answer." Marcus rolled his eyes. "Come on, you didn't meet Bambi for the first time today. He's been like this for the past six months. There's no reason for him to change his daily routine just because he's in Indianapolis. Right, Bambi?"
The last sentence was directed at Lu Ke. Everyone else's eyes also focused on him, and Lu Ke couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you guys not consider that the reason I'm training extra is because I'm not good enough and I'm not confident enough?"
According to the plan, Lu Ke and Watt had agreed to meet at the gym after the training camp to complete today's daily training. But considering that today was a special occasion, the first day of training camp, he needed to be fully prepared to face all possible challenges.
So, Lu Ke still woke up early at his usual time. However, today he didn't do his usual 10,000-meter interval run. He simply used the quarterback training skill pack, and his short-pass accuracy, medium-pass accuracy, and long-pass accuracy each increased by one base point, while also slightly adjusting his passing motion.
After the passing training, Lu Ke did a thirty-minute yoga session to relieve his muscle soreness and adjust his breathing rhythm. His tension gradually disappeared, and he adjusted to his best state.
In response to Lu Ke's words, Marcus, Logan, Rahim, David, and the others all smiled. David even let out an exaggerated dry laugh. "Ha! Ha! That's a very good joke from the winner of this year's Rose Bowl."
Then, Marcus started shouting in a low voice, while clenching his right fist and waving it gently. "Bambi! Bambi!" He was recreating the scene from the night of the Rose Bowl. Then Logan and Rahim also joined in.
In the face of such treatment, Lu Ke stood up and made a curtain call to his friends as a sign of gratitude. His composed demeanor made everyone burst into laughter.
At some point, the bus gradually became quiet. Everyone involuntarily turned their heads and looked out the window at the stadium. This was the official stadium for the NFL. This was the ultimate stage where dreams shone! In the future, maybe they would have a chance to play here, or even become players for the Colts, and this would be their home stadium!
Just looking at the stadium, which was within reach, the sacred and glorious aura made everyone hold their breath. No one was an exception.
More importantly, a vast crowd of people surrounded the entire stadium, making it impassable. The crowd, which seemed to go on forever, was surging wildly. They were screaming, shouting, jumping, and roaring. Only by being there could you feel that kind of passion and excitement.
In his line of sight, all kinds of signs for cheering were everywhere. Although it was only a rookie training camp, many players had already received superstar treatment because they might be the hope of their team, the future of their team, or their teammates for the next season!
"Cam Newton! Newton!"
"'Superman' Newton! Cam, you're the new Superman!"
"Looking forward to you coming to Carolina! Newton!"
...
In his line of sight, the slogans calling for Cam Newton were undoubtedly the most numerous. A casual glance showed that at least four out of ten slogans were about Newton. Among them, the fans of the Carolina Panthers were undoubtedly the most powerful—because they had the number one pick this year, and without a doubt, Cam was a popular choice for the top pick.
In addition to Cam, there were all kinds of slogans, dazzling and creative. Such a scene was definitely a first for the rookie players. The deafening shouts, the cheering signs everywhere, and the surging, excited crowd made the entire world seem to start shaking. The shock that came from all directions completely overwhelmed all other reactions.
Everyone was eagerly and excitedly searching, as if their eyes were not enough, trying to find their names in the slogans. Some people found their names and roared excitedly. Others didn't find their names but were not disappointed. Seeing their friends' names, they shouted with the same excitement.
Everything was new, as if a brand new, shining, and bright future was unfolding before them!
The crazy screams and shouts were gradually left behind. Slowly, the bus drove into the stadium's vehicle entrance. In the air, you could still feel that boiling, hot energy surging around.
The players filed out of the bus. At the door of each bus, a staff member stood and shouted, "Every player must wear the official jersey, the one you received during check-in yesterday. If you haven't changed, the first thing to do is to go to the locker room and change. If you left it at the hotel, please inform a staff member as soon as possible, and we will make arrangements. Attention, everyone must change jerseys! Everyone!"
After the instructions, under the guidance of the staff, everyone walked one after another toward the players' entrance. Another staff member stood at the entrance, repeating the instructions, "Group yourselves according to your field position, and follow the staff's guidance. Each player, group yourselves according to your field position..."
Lu Ke, Marcus, Logan, and the others filed into the locker room. The five players all had different field positions, which meant that they had to split up here. They all bumped fists with each other, wished each other "good luck," and then scattered.
Looking around, Lu Ke didn't need to put in much effort to easily find where the quarterbacks were grouped. It was because Cam Newton was like a star in the spotlight, waving and greeting the staff and rookie friends around him with a big, friendly smile. His neat, white teeth showed off his charm.
Walking forward, Lu Ke walked around the "radiant" Cam and walked toward the neatly arranged line. He smiled and joined the ranks of the quarterbacks.
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