The rookie training camp's third day of position-specific skills tests was about to begin.
At this moment, the entire field had been cleared. On Lu Ke's side, not far behind him, there was a long row of scouts and quarterbacks coaches. A rough count showed at least twenty people standing in the ten-yard area in front of the end zone, accompanied by two television cameramen. The trio of Joe, Geep, and Carl was on their way to join them.
On the opposite half of the field, there were also a dozen or so coaches and scouts, while the wide receivers and tight ends were scattered around the end zone. In this year's training camp, there were only twenty-one quarterbacks, but there were forty wide receivers and twenty tight ends. All of them had to undergo catching tests, and a few running backs also joined in to prove their ability to run and catch the ball, so the entire group was quite large.
After two days of training camp, the tension had not decreased at all. To be more precise, as time went on, everyone became more aware of their performance. The good performers wanted to keep up their momentum, while the poor performers wanted to turn the situation around, so the tension was gradually increasing.
The position-specific skills test had a set routine with little room for free play. Teams were mostly looking at the basics. For example, a quarterback's passing accuracy, whether a wide receiver dropped the ball, or their route-running ability, and a cornerback's coverage area and defensive movements.
These details were not decisive, but they could change a rookie's draft position. A first-round pick might become a third-round pick; a second-round pick might become a third-round pick. The most direct result of such a difference was the change in income, as the signing bonuses for first-round and second-round picks were naturally different. Therefore, every player was eager to perform better.
Cam and Lu Ke were no exception.
He could still feel the sharp, piercing gaze on his shoulder, following him like a shadow. He didn't need to look back to know it was Cam, but Lu Ke didn't pay any attention. Instead, he gradually calmed himself down and focused. His physical abilities were his weakness, so his passing skills were his strength. Without a defensive player to pressure him, his passing accuracy could be at its best. This would be his stage to prove his ability!
The position-specific skills test started quickly. Since there were three times as many receivers as quarterbacks, each quarterback had to throw to three receivers. They tested all aspects of a quarterback's passing ability with short passes, medium passes, long passes, sideline passes, central passes, straight passes, and rainbow passes.
Four quarterbacks took their turns to complete the test. Then it was time for the highly anticipated Cam Newton!
Standing on the twenty-yard line, Cam looked confident, relaxed, and eager to go. But he seemed a little too excited, so his control over the force of his passes was not very accurate. His arm strength was undeniable, but his accuracy and control were mediocre. His first three passes were off the mark, and they were all overthrown, causing the receivers to be unable to adjust their speed in time and miss the catches.
Such amateur mistakes caused the scouts on the field to gasp in surprise, unable to believe that such mistakes were happening to Cam.
Fortunately, under pressure, Cam recovered a little, and his fourth pass was finally successful. However, overall, his performance was not outstanding. Without any defensive pressure, he only completed twenty-two of thirty passes, and eight of those passes had some deviation in accuracy. His passing accuracy seemed unstable, and his control still needed to be examined.
For a normal quarterback, such a performance would be above average. But for a Heisman winner, it still didn't meet people's expectations.
After the test, Cam was also very annoyed. He got angry at himself, hitting his right palm with his left fist to show his frustration.
There were many players between Cam and Lu Ke, from number five to number eleven. By the time Lu Ke was on the field, it was an hour later. Cam had gradually calmed down, while Lu Ke had gradually become tense.
Under Cam's disdainful, contemptuous, and mocking gaze, Lu Ke took a deep breath and walked up calmly. Under the spotlight, he knew that his moment had finally arrived! If he couldn't shine at this moment, then his dream of becoming a professional player could end here. Returning to a normal life would be the wisest choice, even if the system couldn't help.
He let out a long breath, and his state of mind stabilized, but his emotions began to surge. The field. Every time he stepped onto the field, he could feel the excitement and thrill in his bones, as if he was born for this stage!
Then, Lu Ke looked up at the coaches standing not far away, nodded, and signaled that he was ready.
Geep stood with Joe and Carl. He didn't speak, but just smiled and looked at the two of them, signaling them to pay attention to the quarterback in front of them: Chinese, a perfect score on the Wunderlic Test, and an unknown name. The combination of these three elements was enough to make people curious.
Joe nodded secretly and said in a low voice, "His preparation posture is very standard, and he has a very steady aura. He's already better than Newton in that regard."
"Are you kidding?" Carl rolled his eyes. His first impression of Lu Ke hadn't been good, and it hadn't changed. "I think he's just a show-off. Maybe he's trying to get into an Ivy League school and is participating in the draft to get some attention."
"We'll see how good his passing is," Geep said with a neutral stance and a smile. But the next second, his voice got stuck in his throat, because the test had officially begun.
The snap, the dropback, the read, the throw. The whole motion was smooth and seamless! More importantly, the spin and arc of the football in the air were very stable, without any deviation, and it landed perfectly in the receiver's arms, almost effortlessly. Clean, precise, and on point. Such a performance was truly eye-opening.
This eight-yard short pass was just the beginning.
In the next twenty-nine passes, the short passes were fast and accurate, and the throwing motion was incredibly clean, like a hot knife cutting through butter. It was a sight to behold. The long passes were powerful, with an arm motion like a bow shooting an arrow. The rainbow and bullet passes were both accurate, not only showing off his arm strength but also his precise control. The medium passes were steady and appropriate, covering the entire field. It could be said that he was hitting whatever he was aiming for, and he easily handled different route combinations.
Thirty passes, twenty-nine completed!
This was the best-performing quarterback among the eleven quarterbacks so far since the position-specific skills test began today! His outstanding performance truly made the coaches and scouts take notice.
What was even more commendable was the precise control Lu Ke showed during his passes. Every pass landed steadily in the receiver's chest, as if it were straight out of a textbook.
The only regret was that the accuracy of his medium passes was slightly unstable, with a deviation of half an arm to a full arm. The one pass that wasn't completed was a medium pass, and there were three times when there was a deviation. However, this was still within an acceptable range. The flaw did not obscure the splendor!
Purely from a passing technique perspective, Lu Ke might be the most fundamentally sound quarterback rookie this year. And his cannon arm and accurate control were a pleasant surprise.
After Lu Ke's thirty passes were completed, Joe stepped forward again. As the New Orleans Saints' quarterbacks coach, his quarterback was the elite Drew Brees, and he had a deep understanding of the passing game. He was one of the best passing coaches in the league. He asked Lu Ke to pass with all his might to see the limit of his long pass.
In the previous tests, the benchmark for a long pass was around forty yards, and they didn't push the limit any further. This was because the test mainly focused on a quarterback's fundamentals, and their maximum ability had already been recorded by scouts in the NCAA games. However, Lu Ke was an exception. There was very little scout information about him, and everyone in the rookie training camp was trying to figure him out. That's why Joe made this request.
Lu Ke wasn't afraid. He calmly stayed where he was, waiting for the quarterbacks and receivers coaches to finish communicating via walkie-talkie, and then officially began the long pass challenge.
The first long pass flew straight for sixty yards, and it landed just below the receiver's shoulder, who effortlessly caught it. Such an easy pass caused a gasp of surprise from the crowd. Such a passing ability could already be considered among the best in the league. It wasn't as good as Aaron Rodgers, but it wasn't far behind. But the question was: how was the consistency?
Next, Lu Ke threw five more long passes in a row. On the last one, the flight path of the football was unstable and wobbly, and the entire arc was out of control. It was clear that Lu Ke's physical abilities were still not enough to withstand the severe test of six consecutive long passes, especially after just completing thirty passes in a row.
However, of the six long passes, the two closest ones were around fifty-five yards and were very stable and accurate. The farthest one was sixty-five yards, but the deviation was quite large, two full steps away from the target, and the receiver missed it. From this, it could be seen that sixty yards was Lu Ke's relatively stable level at the moment.
For a quarterback whose physical abilities were not very satisfactory, such a performance was spectacular! But let's not forget that this was a result achieved without any defensive pressure. In an actual game, it would be impossible for Lu Ke to complete a pass so comfortably. This also meant that Lu Ke was a player with very obvious strengths and weaknesses, so how should they decide?
"Ding." A sound came from his mind again. Had a special mission appeared again?
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