"Anyone want to volunteer to go first?"
Jim scanned the crowd in front of him. He was doing this on purpose. It was all a calculated move.
The scout team players' stamina wasn't endless, and playing ten offensive downs in a row would be a serious test for them. What's more, there were a total of twelve quarterbacks trying out today, and no player in the entire league could complete 120 plays in a row, not even a professional player.
They had prepared three groups of scout team players to rotate.
However, Jim spoke quickly, without giving the players much time to think. He wanted to create the illusion that going first would be a disadvantage. So, who would be willing to volunteer? Because the San Francisco 49ers were currently in a difficult situation, and he needed a quarterback with courage and guts.
What if—just what if—a quarterback saw through Jim's trick, realized it was all a setup, and then purposely stepped forward to show his confidence? Then Jim would be more than happy to welcome him because it would mean that the quarterback was sharp, careful, and bold enough.
Among the twelve quarterbacks trying out today, Jim was really focused on Carson Palmer and Matt Hasselbeck. These two veteran quarterbacks had solid skills, a wealth of experience, and good passing ability. If necessary, they could play in the first week of the regular season. In the long run, they could also provide more help to Colin Kaepernick.
It would have been great if Carson and Matt had volunteered, but deep down, Jim had other expectations. And then, someone stepped forward.
"Me!"
Lu Ke stepped forward voluntarily. His heart was pounding, but his eyes were becoming more and more determined. Not only was he not scared or backing down, but he also showed a powerful, unwavering confidence.
Jim's eyes lit up slightly.
In most people's minds, Asian players, especially East Asian players, traditionally valued humility as a virtue, staying low-key, and avoiding the spotlight. But in competitive sports, humility won't get you anywhere. They needed confidence, power, and a strong presence.
Neither Carson nor Matt moved. It was clear that they were both seasoned veterans who had seen through Jim's intentions. But they were calm and collected. After all, they had the age and experience to back them up. They couldn't just rush out there like a rookie. Instead of being eager to show what they could do, they would rather observe the situation and wait for their chance.
Seasoned, cunning, and wise. This was something they had accumulated after so many years of playing professional football.
Jim quickly hid his thoughts and nodded as if he didn't care. "You can go first, then. Do you need to warm up?"
"No, I've already warmed up," Lu Ke said calmly.
Jim nodded again, didn't say much, and then waved his hand to signal the players to get on the field, but his eyes remained on Lu Ke.
At the rookie training camp, Lu Ke was the first player to score a touchdown in the practice game, and Jim had been very impressed by it. But today was different. The San Francisco 49ers' scout team was more than just a scout team.
Many of the players on the scout team were good enough to be on the active roster or at least on the bench, but because the roster was limited to fifty-three players and they couldn't find another team to transfer to, they were temporarily placed on the scout team.
It could be said that they were all seasoned veterans with skill and intelligence. Even if the game's intensity was not as high as a regular NFL game, it was still close. Even the players on the official first and second teams could make a mistake against them.
So, was this number 11 just a hotshot who stepped forward to show off, or was he truly skilled and confidently stepping up to the plate?
Jim said nothing, crossing his arms over his chest, and watched quietly. He then saw the number 11 expertly organize his temporary teammates, communicating and discussing plays in an orderly manner. In just two minutes, all the preparations were done, and they were lined up at the 20-yard line.
This level of maturity, as Kip had said, was not like a rookie's. But this was only a practice field. In an official game, the cheers and shouts from the crowd are deafening, and even many veterans feel nervous, let alone a rookie.
Jim observed very carefully. On the first down, the number 11 quickly dropped back, surveying the field with a commanding presence. He found an open wide receiver on a short route and threw a bullet pass to him at the 19-yard line. He threw the ball accurately and sharply into the receiver's arms, even with three defensive players surrounding him.
Although the wide receiver was immediately tackled and couldn't advance any further, his bold play made a strong impression from the start. More importantly, the speed of his release was only about two seconds. He didn't give the defensive line much of a chance to rush him, and even with the average protection of the offensive line, he still completed the pass quickly and steadily.
On the second down, the number 11 ran to the left after the snap, while the offensive line pushed to the right. This was a clear screen pass play. But just as Jim thought the number 11 was going to throw the ball to the right, he tucked the football and ran forward with his own two feet.
The number 11's ability to run with the ball was a little clumsy compared to his passing skills, but his footwork was very stable, and he never panicked. He was constantly observing the field, and just as three defensive players were about to surround him, he threw a 5-yard short pass and let the wide receiver advance.
The play ended up gaining another 12 yards—the defensive players had all shifted their weight and left a big opening in their coverage.
On the third down, the number 11 suddenly launched a 40-yard rainbow pass to the team's tight end. The defense was once again out of position, and the tight end caught the ball with almost no effort and continued to advance. With only one cornerback in front of him, he easily ran into the end zone for a touchdown.
Even though it was a practice game, even if the defense hadn't yet found their footing, and even if the scout team was a little relaxed, no reason could hide the number 11's strategic abilities that he showed in these three downs.
He had two long passes and one short pass. The release time for all of them was controlled to be around 2.3 seconds. Since he didn't have a stopwatch, the calculation was not very accurate, but it was clear that his release was very fast and his judgment was accurate. He used the running routes of the wide receiver and the tight end to stretch the defense and achieve his goal.
In just a short half a year, the number 11's skills had improved even more since the rookie training camp.
Back at the 20-yard line, the fourth down began. The scout team's defense finally got serious, increasing their defensive intensity and showing the level of professional football.
First, on the fourth down, they forced the number 11 to make a hasty pass, completing only a 3-yard short pass, and the wide receiver was immediately tackled. Then, on the fifth down, they tackled the number 11—but before being sacked, the number 11 once again completed a short pass, gaining another 3 yards.
The storm of pressure from the defense made the offensive line struggle to keep up. Just as everyone thought the number 11 was helpless, on the sixth down, he surprisingly threw a deep pass that went over the heads of the offensive and defensive lines. He found a small opening and completed a 5-yard pass, and the wide receiver was immediately tackled, but the team still advanced.
On the seventh down, the number 11 felt an unprecedented amount of pressure. Two defensive players broke through the line and started chasing him. He used his feet to run out of the pocket and completed a 50-yard rainbow pass before being hit hard by two defensive players.
The main thing was that the pass was completed. The wide receiver, with the cornerback defending him, caught the football without any trouble, and the offense advanced past the midfield line.
The hit he took was really hard, and the number 11 lay on the ground, needing a moment to recover. Jim was a little worried. If he got injured during the tryout, everything would be for nothing. But objectively, the intensity of the hit was something that could be seen anywhere in the league, and the number 11's physical fitness was their biggest concern.
Fortunately, the number 11 only rested for about thirty seconds before getting back up, signaling that he was okay. He stretched a little and then called his temporary teammates together to continue the offense. They were now at the opposing team's 21-yard line, just a stone's throw away from the end zone.
This was the lethal power of a long pass.
Then, on the eighth down, the number 11 was clearly affected by the hit. The pass went too far off the intended trajectory, and both the offensive and defensive players could only sigh as they watched the ball go out of bounds.
After a short adjustment during the forty-second play clock, the number 11 chose a short pass on the ninth down. He successfully found the wide receiver on the strong side with an 8-9 yard pass, and with the tight end's cover, the wide receiver ran into the end zone and scored the second touchdown.
Not just Jim, but everyone present was amazed. Two touchdowns in nine downs? How was this even possible?
Even more shocking was that on the tenth down, the number 11 still didn't hold back. He threw a mind-blowing 65-yard super long pass. The wide receiver came charging, inexplicably catching the pass, but unfortunately, the speed of the pass was a little faster than expected. The wide receiver had too much forward momentum and lost his balance, falling to the ground before he could score another touchdown.
Even so, the performance on the tenth down was still astonishing. He was truly playing at full throttle! The defense was completely torn to shreds!
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