The signing was completed quickly, and the entire process was uneventful and unremarkable.
The next morning, after Lu Ke arrived at the training facility, a long physical examination began. This wasn't the same as the rookie training camp physical. The team needed to confirm the players' condition, so they conducted a comprehensive physical examination. Just for the drug test, they performed both a urine and blood test, and for the injury and athletic ability tests, they conducted more than a dozen different evaluations.
It took over four and a half hours to complete.
After lunch, Lu Ke was given a tour of the entire training facility by a staff member, which included the gym, the indoor practice field, and the locker room. He got a general idea of the team. The most important, and also the most interesting—or rather, the most boring—part was the tour of the trophy room.
The accompanying staff member explained the long and glorious history of the San Francisco 49ers in detail. The purpose was obvious: to make the players feel a sense of belonging and honor for the team.
Just like in other sports, it's very common for players to be traded in the NFL. However, the quarterback position is a bit special. The great quarterbacks, or the reliable and steady ones, might not change teams their entire career. Among the four elite quarterbacks right now, besides Drew Brees, the other three have only played for one team.
No matter what the future holds, for at least the next two years, Lu Ke will be a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
In fact, there was no need for the staff member to give a long explanation. The San Francisco 49ers, located in the Bay Area of Northern California, are undoubtedly one of the most successful, glorious, and greatest teams in the history of the league.
In the NFL, there are two conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). Each conference is made up of four divisions: East, West, North, and South. Each division has four teams. San Francisco is in the NFC West, and the other three teams in the division are the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks, and the St. Louis Rams.
In this year's Forbes list of the most valuable sports clubs, the Dallas Cowboys were ranked number one, followed by the New York Yankees. Then came Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Barcelona. The San Francisco 49ers were ranked ninth on this list.
It's worth mentioning that there were no basketball clubs in the top ten.
As of 2011, on the league's all-time honor roll, the Pittsburgh Steelers had won six Super Bowls, making them the most successful team in the league. After that, the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys had both won five Super Bowls, tying for second place. The Green Bay Packers had won four.
Any player who gets to join the San Francisco 49ers is truly honored!
However, this was all "glory from the past." The last time the San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl was back in 1994.
After the new millennium, the team failed to make the playoffs for eight consecutive years. What was even more shameful was that in those eight years, they only had one season where they had a winning record, with eight wins and eight losses. The other seven seasons all had more losses than wins, and the team fell into one of the darkest, longest, and most chaotic periods in its history.
This great team once had players like Steve Young, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice, who are now in the Hall of Fame. They are some of the most notable names, even considered to be among the best of all time. Now, the fans were desperately waiting for a savior to appear and lead the 49ers out of the darkness and back into the light.
In the past, people had high hopes for Alex Smith, but unfortunately, they were disappointed. This year, people were hesitant to have high expectations for Colin Kaepernick, but they couldn't help but look to the future. So, could he carry the 49ers out of the abyss?
For an undrafted rookie, especially a quarterback, joining the San Francisco 49ers was truly a dream come true. This was one of the most desirable teams in the league and one of the greatest teams of all time. At the same time, this team was at a low point and was desperately looking for an opportunity to rebuild its glory. Rookie quarterbacks could also be given more trust.
More importantly, San Francisco was Lu Ke's home. Could anything make this more perfect? Perhaps aiming for the team's starting position was a bit too greedy, but it was Lu Ke's next goal.
According to the usual procedure, Lu Ke's work for today was done. The next step was to wait for the physical report. Before he officially signed the contract, the team couldn't show him the playbook or allow him to participate in internal training because, from a legal perspective, Lu Ke was still not a member of the team. During the free time in the afternoon, Lu Ke could go for a drive and enjoy the rare vacation.
However, the preseason was already upon them, and the team didn't have much time to make adjustments.
After the tour, Lu Ke went back to training—not on the main practice field with the starters, but on the open practice field next to it.
Quarterbacks coach Kip Kahlst was the first to appear on the practice field. He was accompanied by a strength and conditioning coach, a nutritionist, and other relevant staff members. They began a series of specialized basic tests to observe Lu Ke's techniques and physical indicators. In the next few days, they would create a corresponding training plan to help Lu Ke transform.
On the surface, it seemed very professional, but in reality, the basic training content was mostly the same and didn't change much. The initial excitement and unfamiliarity quickly settled into a familiar routine. It felt as if time had gone back to yesterday, with no contract, no selection, and no changes. He was still an undrafted rookie trying out.
The expected freshness and novelty eventually came to an end in the midst of ordinary training.
On the morning of the third day, Lu Ke returned to the team building. Jonas appeared again. With his assistance, they officially reviewed the main points of the contract. After Lu Ke confirmed each one, he signed his name on the contract, and the signing was complete.
Then, Kip appeared at the door of the office and knocked. "Is everything done?" After getting a positive response, he looked at Lu Ke. "Lu Ke, come with me to the tactical meeting room next door." He didn't give Lu Ke any time to rest. He quickly motioned for him to come. "Hurry, we don't have a lot of time to waste."
Lu Ke picked up his copy of the contract, but he didn't even have time to put it in his backpack. He rushed after him.
The two of them walked quickly side by side down the hallway. Kip said in a low voice, "Normally, we should do self-introductions first and then go to the locker room to meet the other teammates. But we're behind, we're constantly behind, and we don't have time."
The ink on the contract had barely dried, and Lu Ke had already entered professional player mode. For rookies like Logan and Marcus, they had spent three months adapting to the professional player mindset, the team's training rhythm, and the daily routine of the professional league. But Lu Ke hadn't, not even for a minute.
Entering the tactical meeting room was where the magic happened and where wonders were displayed before every game.
At the far end on the left, a large projector screen was hung on the white wall for players to watch game film together. At the far end on the right, a white board stood against the wall. It was covered in a dizzying array of tactical terms and diagrams in black marker. In the center, there were rows and rows of chairs.
"Over here." Kip's voice brought Lu Ke back to his senses. He stopped looking around and saw a thick stack of documents on the table to Kip's right. The stack was so high that it looked taller than two hands. It was quite a sight. "This is the playbook."
The legendary playbook. In college, there weren't many plays, not even a thousand. In the professional league, it's rumored that there are as many as 20,000 plays, and the team would arrange them according to the coach's style and the players' abilities. A quarterback needed to memorize and use at least several thousand plays.
Today, Lu Ke finally saw a professional team's playbook.
Lu Ke thought he was mentally prepared, but when he saw it in person, he couldn't help but open his mouth slightly. "...It's really thicker than the Oxford English Dictionary." After a moment of shock, the first thing that came to his mind was Marcus's teasing. His nervous feelings were broken, and a smile appeared on his face.
Kip didn't know why, he just nodded. "Next, you need to read the entire playbook, understand it, and use it. It would be best if you could have your own ideas and insights..." He paused. Colin Kaepernick had been looking at the playbook for almost three months and still didn't have his own ideas and insights, which was a bit too much to ask. So, Kip changed his words. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask. It's encouraged to discuss things with your teammates and coaches."
Kip placed his right hand on the playbook and patted it lightly. "This is not an easy task, but the regular season starts in less than five weeks, so we need to speed things up. You...just do your best. If you can't keep up, the whole team will help you." A sudden thought flashed through his mind. "Look at me. With a perfect score on the Wonderlic test, the last thing you need is me worrying about you."
Lu Ke laughed and said teasingly, "The pressure is immense. I should have deliberately gotten one question wrong." His confident and calm demeanor made him even funnier, and Kip also started to laugh.
He opened the playbook, and the first few pages were the training plans for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The detailed daily schedule even had a minute-by-minute breakdown. After that were the official plays. At the top was a diagram of the play, from the players' formation to their movements, and below were the detailed notes.
The notes for each play were very detailed, with at least a dozen or twenty explanations, all very clear.
The difference of a professional quarterback was starting to show.
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