In just one day, he went from a nobody to the center of attention; and in just one more day, that high expectation turned into bitter disappointment.
The halo was gone.
Every year, the tests at the rookie training camp are based on time-tested and proven methods. From these events, a player's physical abilities and skills are clear to see. There's a reason Cam is called "Superman," and it's a fact that Logan is the player with the most promising draft prospects from the Bruins. Everything can be thoroughly understood through the test results.
Cam Newton, this year's Heisman Trophy winner and the top favorite for the first overall draft pick, achieved excellent results in the second day of the training camp tests: a 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds, a vertical jump of 35 inches, a broad jump of 126 inches, and a 20-yard shuttle in 4.18 seconds!
A simple side-by-side comparison made Lu Ke's disadvantages obvious: a 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds, a vertical jump of 31 inches, a broad jump of 105 inches, a 20-yard shuttle in 4.50 seconds, and a three-cone drill in 6.99 seconds.
Lu Ke was completely outmatched. Cam's test data easily blew Lu Ke's out of the water, and by a significant margin!
Of course, this wasn't fair. Not only was Cam the most physically gifted quarterback this year, but before this year's games, Lu Ke was a nameless practice player. There was no comparison between the two. Simply put, there was no need to compare Cam and Lu Ke on the overall level of quarterbacks.
A quarterback has never been a position known for outstanding physical abilities. In the 40-yard dash, wide receivers and running backs have a clear advantage. The vertical jump is the domain of tight ends and cornerbacks. The broad jump relies on the explosive power of running backs, linebackers, and linemen.
In other words, a quarterback is unlikely to be at the top of any physical test; they are merely in the middle, or even lower. Ultimately, a quarterback's abilities lie in their on-field judgment, situational control, and passing accuracy—which happen to be Lu Ke's strengths.
In fact, Lu Ke's performance in the physical tests at the training camp had improved across the board. It was better than his state combine results and a night-and-day difference from six months ago. The speed of his improvement was very noticeable.
But there is no harm without a comparison. Cam and Lu Ke, who were in the spotlight on the first day of the training camp, were naturally compared under the eyes and expectations of everyone. Then, the shortcomings of Lu Ke's physical talent were completely exposed, with no room to hide.
Not to mention Cam, even Logan and Marcus's results were much better than Lu Ke's.
Logan, a tight end: 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds, 22 reps on the bench press, a vertical jump of 38 inches, a broad jump of 127 inches, a 20-yard shuttle in 4.18 seconds, and a 60-yard shuttle in 11.57 seconds.
Marcus, a running back: 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds, 20 reps on the bench press, a vertical jump of 36 inches, a broad jump of 120 inches, a 20-yard shuttle in 4.40 seconds, and a 60-yard shuttle in 11.66 seconds.
The comparison was clear. Logan, as the Bruins' star tight end, performed very well. Marcus, who became the player to determine the outcome of the last few games, had skills that weren't top-tier, but they were still at an average level.
If Lu Ke was just an ordinary rookie quarterback, his test results wouldn't be outstanding, but they would still be at the rookie average and far from bad. But now, with a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test, Lu Ke had become the center of attention. When he was at the height of his popularity, he handed in such a report card. As Adam had predicted, it was a huge disappointment.
What's more, Lu Ke was an unprecedented Chinese player on the field, so the critical eyes were even more demanding, and the stereotypes lingered.
So what if he got a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test? This was a sports arena, not Harvard University.
Ultimately, what teams cared about was physical ability, technical skills, and the key factors that win games. Now, Lu Ke seemed to be lacking in the first of these important traits, which naturally caused all the attention and focus to disappear. He was lifted high by expectation and dropped hard by disappointment.
In just two short days, the frequency and magnitude of the ups and downs were more thrilling than a rollercoaster. For the first time, the cruelty and brutality of competitive sports were shown to the rookies. It was about dreams, yet it was also not about dreams.
"Look, isn't that a Wall Street suit? Why are you at the NFL rookie training camp?" "Suits" here refers to people in suits, and the speaker was Cam, who was all smiles and full of vigor. His swagger was on full display. "Buddy, are you sure you're not in the wrong place? This isn't a stock market office or a White House office."
The physical tests were a process for Lu Ke to gradually reveal his true self as an ugly duckling, but for Cam, it was a process of gradually shining. His physique and talent were fully displayed in the various tests.
This year's Heisman Trophy winner had finally shaken off the gloom and regained his brilliance. All the frustration and depression from the day before had vanished, and he was once again the undisputed golden boy!
The spirited Cam started acting up again. Lu Ke's misfortune was his happiness. The noisy and harsh shouting caused a wave of laughter from the people around them. Even if Lu Ke wanted to ignore it, it wasn't easy.
Lu Ke calmly glanced at Cam. "You mean I'm sitting in the VIP room above, holding the fate of every player in my hands? And then, through your victories, you'll earn me my next Rolls-Royce?"
"You!" In just a single sentence, Cam felt humiliated again. The burning rage made him take a big step forward, rushing towards Lu Ke with the force of a mountain. "No, what I mean is, this place isn't for you. You should get out! This is a football field, not for office people like you!"
Lu Ke didn't get angry; he laughed instead. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "How can you be so sure? I mean, don't you doubt your own judgment? If I were you, I would think about it carefully before making a judgment and a decision." The last part of the sentence wasn't said out loud, but the meaning was more than obvious.
"F***!" In his fury, Cam was at a loss for words for a moment. He couldn't think of anything to say besides cuss words. He clenched his fists and said viciously, "Talk, talk, talk. You're useless except for talking. Do you dare to compete with me directly?"
"A coward is yapping." Lu Ke lifted his chin, a look of contempt in his eyes. He used a personal pronoun to sting Cam again and then said, "Then let's go on the field and see. Are you only good at running the ball, or can you pass it too?"
After the Wunderlic Test on the first day, Marcus found that Cam's score was the same as his and mocked Cam for being a running back, not a quarterback. Now, Lu Ke brought it up again, and Cam almost exploded. He looked like an overinflated balloon about to burst.
"Are you planning to compete privately or publicly?" a playful voice came from the side. Everyone around them turned to look. Only Cam and Lu Ke remained still, still staring at each other. "If it's a public competition, now is your chance. The position-specific skills tests are about to begin. Come on, let's see whose pass is more accurate."
With those words, Cam and Lu Ke finally came to their senses and had to suppress their emotions. They turned their heads and saw three coaches standing in a triangle shape not far away, with relaxed smiles on their faces. They were even laughing and joking in the face of the conflict. At this point, reason quietly returned to their minds.
Today was the third day of the rookie training camp. All the rookies had once again flocked to the stadium, ready to begin the day's position-specific skills tests.
In football, the basic skills required for players in different positions are different. Therefore, in the training camp, league coaches and scouts designed different drills and tests based on the requirements of different positions. This was the position-specific skills test.
In these tests, rookie players performed various prescribed movements and drills under the guidance of a coach to showcase their skills and abilities. The coaches and testing staff would record how well the movements were completed.
It was a very common phenomenon for teams to ask players to change positions based on their test results after entering the professional league to better fit the team's requirements. This made the position-specific skills test an indispensable part of the process.
Geep Chryst, the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers; Joe Lombardi, the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints; and Carl Smith, the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks. The three of them looked at the energetic and spirited young men in front of them without a care. On a football field, a lack of conflict would be unnatural. On the contrary, they were very happy to see competition, whether it was positive, negative, direct, or indirect. Competition always brought more possibilities.
It was worth noting that Geep and Carl were two of the people who had been at the elevator on the day the rookie training camp was reported. Geep was the short, chubby one, and Carl was the thin one.
"Next, we'll do the passing test," Joe said loudly, standing at the top of the triangle as the representative. "Every quarterback will be paired with a receiving player. We'll be testing the quarterback's qualifications on this half of the field, and the receiver's abilities on the other half. So, pay attention to the coach's instructions. Which direction to pass and which position to pass to. Once you hear it clearly, start the play immediately. Any questions?"
Joe's gaze swept over the twenty-one quarterbacks. After confirming there were no questions, he turned around and left with Geep and Carl, laughing and talking.
Lu Ke and Cam turned their heads and their eyes met. The smell of gunpowder was in the air. This moment had finally arrived. It was time to see who was the real deal. The two quarterbacks' skills were about to be revealed.
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