After picking the players, Joe turned and left. He said no great words or gave any special instructions, just a simple "Good luck" before walking away and leaving the seven players to look at each other.
Lu Ke looked up and sized up the six teammates around him.
The three offensive linemen were Anthony Castonzo, a right tackle from Boston University; Clint Boling, a left guard from the University of Georgia; and Brandon Fusco, a center from Slippery Rock University.
The three receiving players were Logan Newman, a tight end from UCLA; Jeremy Kerley, a wide receiver from TCU; and Julio Jones, a wide receiver from the University of Alabama.
In the football draft process, a player's college background is crucial because coaches and scouts use past records and performance to determine whether a player is a "system player" or a "playmaker."
A system player is one whose success is primarily due to the coaching staff's tactics, and their personal abilities are relatively average. A playmaker, however, is different; they can break through and succeed using their own abilities, even when a tactical plan is figured out or contained. Therefore, a player's coaches and performance in college are vital.
However, this is limited to the draft. In the training camp, college background is secondary, and the coaches made their selections randomly based on the tests and impressions from the past two and a half days. So, by chance, Lu Ke and Logan were reunited. Was this a good thing?
"Ding," a sound rang in Lu Ke's mind again. The special mission had been updated. The "Mission Requirements" section had changed, with the key parts highlighted in red text. "Passing yards: 50+; Passing completion rate: 60%+; Passing target: Wide receiver Julio Jones. Connect with him successfully three times or more; Defeat target: Cornerback Richard Sherman. Complete a pass on him successfully two times or more."
In other words, in ten offensive downs, Lu Ke had to complete at least three successful passes to Julio, and twice he had to complete a pass against Richard. This meant making a pass to a receiver or tight end over Richard's head. Even if Lu Ke wanted to fully use his chemistry with Logan, his options were very limited.
Furthermore, his passing completion rate had to be 60%, meaning he only had four chances to fail. He also had to gain more than fifty passing yards, which meant an average of five yards per pass if all ten were successful. Any single mistake would have a chain reaction.
Lu Ke started to miss his first special mission. This special mission wasn't just difficult; it was ruthless!
He looked up and saw the worry and doubt in the eyes of his temporary teammates—except for Logan and Julio. These looks were not unfamiliar. Before the rookie training camp officially started and after the physical tests yesterday, he was surrounded by similar stares.
In competitive sports, being modest or self-deprecating won't help. Lu Ke didn't plan to do that. He took a deep breath, clapped his hands to cheer himself on, and then gathered his temporary teammates. "Start talking. Tell me everyone's best running routes. Of course, if someone is good at all routes, now's the time to speak up! Give me some good news, I mean, right now!"
Confident and composed, with a simple joke, the tense atmosphere immediately eased. Smiles appeared in their eyes, and Logan came back with a question. "Isn't everyone good at all routes? Or are you good at some passing routes that you need to tell us about?"
With this back and forth, everyone laughed easily. The conversation was much smoother, a positive start.
The teams were quickly formed. Without any unnecessary delays, the scrimmage began. The first matchup was highly anticipated: Cam Newton versus JJ Watt!
These two players were among the most-watched rookies this year, and both were considered strong candidates for a top-ten pick in the first round. Their head-to-head matchup easily attracted everyone's attention.
Without any more talk, the ten offensive downs officially began.
Watt led the defensive unit. Four defensive players rushed, and three players defended the backfield, meeting Cam with powerful firepower. Facing the rapidly collapsing pocket, Cam remained calm and composed. In the nick of time, he used his legs to escape the defense and run into open space. He chose not to pass, but to run the ball himself, successfully gaining eleven yards!
On just the first down, Cam performed excellently. Faced with the opponent's strategy, Cam remained calm, correctly chose the right tool from his arsenal, and led the offensive unit to advance. This was a classic Heisman Trophy-winning performance!
The next nine downs were the same.
Cam both ran and passed, completely opening up the game and once again showing his incredible form from this season, consistently making plays. But the defensive unit was no pushover. They rushed, played man-to-man defense, and covered the entire field. Facing the strongest competitor for the number one pick, Watt made a sack, and the secondary defensive players made two pass deflections. Their performance was just as impressive!
In the end, Cam made six passes, gaining sixty-one yards, with twenty-nine yards from passing and thirty-two yards from running. He once again proved his talent and ability without a doubt!
After the tenth down was completed, Cam straightened his arms, leaning back slightly, as if he were Superman flying through the air. He roared, hollered, and let out his emotions. His overwhelming presence and dominance were on full display, as if he were announcing to everyone at the training camp: he, Cam Newton, was the best candidate for the number one draft pick!
After leaving the field, Cam gave Lu Ke a meaningful look. The half-smile on his face was truly intriguing. He then casually walked away, high-fiving his Auburn teammates and cheering each other on. It was as if he was back in the winning streak of the NCAA season!
In the face of an absolute victory, he stood at the top, looking down on all the other peaks. Everyone else suddenly became insignificant! You could say he was arrogant, or you could say he was unbeatable.
Lu Ke didn't have time to pay attention to Cam, because he was already feeling an immense pressure. Judging by Cam's stats, a 50% passing completion rate (three successful passes out of six) and twenty-nine passing yards meant that he would have failed the special mission. It wasn't just Cam; the following scrimmages also proved this.
One quarterback failed on all five of his first downs. His confidence was almost completely destroyed. He succeeded twice in the next five downs, gaining thirteen yards, a terrible performance. Another quarterback had a very high passing completion rate, succeeding nine out of ten times, but they were all short passes, and he only gained forty-one yards. Another quarterback, after successfully completing his first two passes, tried a long pass on the third down and was immediately intercepted, ending the scrimmage.
Scott Tolzien also took the field before Lu Ke. He had a 50% passing completion rate and gained thirty-six yards. The most tragic thing was that out of his five failed passes, none were due to sacks or dropped balls by the receivers. They were all because his passes were off target, and the receivers couldn't catch them.
The difficulty of the special mission was becoming clearer and clearer, and the pressure on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier.
"Next group!"
Lu Ke and the others exchanged glances. It was their turn. They walked onto the twenty-yard line on the right side of the field, and the defensive unit on the other side finally revealed itself:
In the defensive line was another top rookie for the number one pick this year, Von Miller!
He was a linebacker who had been selected to the All-America team for two consecutive years. His sack ability was outstanding, and he was an absolute dominant force in the defensive unit. Compared to JJ Watt, his reputation and strength were even better. Many experts and scouts believed he could compete with Cam Newton for this year's number one pick.
Just the sight of Von Miller was enough to make Lu Ke's offensive line completely tense. What's more, this was a seven-on-seven game, and the defensive unit could use a four-man rush and three-man backfield formation to put even more pressure on the quarterback. Von's rushing power would be on full display.
While everyone's eyes were on Von, Lu Ke noticed another scornful look: Richard Sherman.
His eyes, full of bloodlust and violence, were completely undisguised. Just his gaze alone was enough to dismember Lu Ke. Pure violence, pure bloodlust, pure provocation, pure savagery. That primal, beastly aura had the air crackling before the duel even began.
Even though Lu Ke still didn't understand what was going on with Richard Sherman, he could be sure that he was ready for a slaughter.
On one hand, he had to deal with Von Miller; on the other hand, he had to defeat Richard Sherman.
Lu Ke straightened his back and gave Richard a contemptuous glance. The disdainful look was full of provocation. Without fists, the first confrontation had already taken place. Then, without paying any more attention to Richard, Lu Ke began to discuss the tactics for the first down with his temporary teammates.
Both teams were ready. Lu Ke called the snap, grabbed the football, and quickly dropped back. He looked up to try and find Logan, his best choice for the first pass to build confidence and open up the game. But he only managed to catch a glimpse of Logan's back before he saw Von Miller, like a starving wolf, pouncing fiercely and violently.
Von's speed was truly too fast. Everything happened in a flash of lightning. A second? It seemed less than a second. Lu Ke was still in the middle of his dropback when he felt a huge impact, and he was easily sacked just like that.
He didn't have a single chance.
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