"Touchdown!" The referee raised his hand to signal that the San Francisco 49ers had scored a touchdown on the first offensive play and the first pass of the game!
Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, and Anthony Dixon all rushed over. Even Jonathan Goodwin lumbered over with his big, strong body.
"Bambi! Jesus Christ, Bambi! You're a lunatic! A lunatic! Bloody Bambi! Bloody Bambi! Let them see the power of Bloody Bambi!" Dixon remembered Marcus's joking nickname and roared with all his might, releasing his excitement.
At the same time, on the other side of the field, Logan also clenched his fists and roared at the fans in the stands. "This is your quarterback! This is your f**king quarterback!"
The angry roars came one after another, venting the emotions surging within him. It was for Lu Ke, and also for Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning. Lu Ke deserved more respect and better treatment. A mind-blowing passing touchdown was Lu Ke's response to the doubts and his contribution to the team.
The roar from the San Francisco 49ers echoed over Candlestick Park for the first time!
Meanwhile, the commentary booth was silent, and the Fox studio was also silent.
Teddy Williams's mouth dropped open, and you could practically fit an orange in it. In his commentary career, passes this spectacular were rare, especially from a rookie quarterback who was also the first Asian quarterback in history. The surprise and shock instantly made his brain freeze.
Even Kirk Charleston was no exception. After a moment of stunned silence, he broke into a big smile. "I think we are indeed witnessing history. Not only is this the first pass completed by an Asian quarterback in league history, but it was also a sixty-six-yard pass. This rookie quarterback's first pass in his professional career was a sixty-six-yard passing touchdown."
Taking a deep breath, Kirk exclaimed continuously. "In that first offensive play, Lu Ke—number fourteen of the 49ers—before the snap, he keenly read the defense and, at the last minute, changed the play. The Seahawks couldn't make the corresponding adjustments."
Number fourteen, Kirk wasn't used to it. He almost said "number eleven," but he bit his tongue at the last second to avoid making a mistake.
"Let's take another look at that incredible play," Kirk said, slowly taking control of the commentary. "The mismatch in the offensive and defensive play calls put the Seahawks completely on the back foot. They couldn't put any pressure on the quarterback. Four seconds, a full four seconds of time and space to pass. More importantly, number eighty-eight of the 49ers—rookie tight end Logan Newman—was in a completely open area, with no pressure or obstacles. He caught the ball easily and then sprinted away for the touchdown."
"Teddy, what do you think?" Kirk turned to his partner.
Teddy had also recovered. "Yes, number fourteen of the 49ers' read of the defense was very accurate and on point. The last-minute change of the play put both teams in completely different positions. That offensive play was incredibly easy, with almost no challenges."
After a pause, Teddy couldn't help but praise. "That deep pass was accurate, with excellent power and arc. Number fourteen showed amazing arm strength and precise control. He's really eye-catching. I'm even more curious now as to why no one in the rookie training camp discovered the potential of this quarterback."
Teddy wasn't the only one. All the other commentators and analysts in the booth were the same. In the midst of all the doubts and criticisms, the San Francisco 49ers' rookie quarterback had delivered a perfect answer, one that was enough to shock the world and silence everyone.
Silence. The crowd chose this way to express their shock. But the commentators couldn't. They couldn't just fall silent. In a hurry, they frantically expressed their amazement while asking themselves the same question: What just happened?
Even after witnessing it with their own eyes, they still couldn't believe it, as if they had just watched Harry Potter perform a spell, a magical moment that left the Muggles in a state of panic.
The whole world was in a frenzy, yet it was also frozen. This was just a Sunday afternoon game, not a night game. Only Fox was broadcasting it, along with countless radio stations. The audience might only be in San Francisco and Seattle, but truly, the whole world was in awe!
A brilliant debut. Could anything be more exciting than this? Maybe... the fact that the person who accomplished this feat was an unknown Asian quarterback?
On September 11, 2011, the first Asian player in NFL history made his starting debut. His first pass was a sixty-six-yard super deep pass that resulted in a touchdown. This was even the player's first pass in his professional career.
He didn't make a sound until he shocked everyone. The long sword was unsheathed, and with a single strike, it delivered a fatal blow.
This kind of debut was truly mind-blowing!
Jim Harbaugh blinked. For a moment, he was overjoyed, and then he calmed down. Then, he turned around and snapped his fingers. "Special teams, special teams get on the field!"
In four preseason games, the team only had one passing touchdown. But in the first game of the new season, less than forty-six seconds into the game, on their first pass, they scored a touchdown? This all felt too unreal. Not to mention the audience and commentators, even the 49ers themselves were a little stunned.
At Jim's command, they finally snapped out of it, and the players began to celebrate. The special teams quickly took the field to prepare for the extra point.
Turning his head, Jim quietly watched Lu Ke walk off the field. All the players were giving Lu Ke high fives and celebrating with him. No one was an exception. It seemed everyone was waiting to celebrate, including the coaching staff and support staff. But there was only one Lu Ke, so everyone was laughing, shouting, and patting him on the back to express their joy.
After the celebration, Jim waved and called Lu Ke over.
That first offensive play was spectacular, but it was just the first offensive play of the entire game, and the first offensive play of Lu Ke's entire professional career. They still had a lot of work to do.
Jim Harbaugh's brain was working quickly. At the last moment of the first offensive play, Lu Ke chose to change the play and it worked wonders. This was the quarterback's right and responsibility. The problem was that Lu Ke was a rookie quarterback with a very thin resume.
So, should he give Lu Ke so much power? Should he give Lu Ke so much trust? Or should he, like the head coaches of the other thirty-one teams in the league, keep more of the offensive initiative in the hands of the coaching staff? What was the true ability of this rookie quarterback?
As he was thinking, Lu Ke had already walked up to him.
In a flash, Jim nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "That was a good play. Now, I hope you can keep it up. Go get 'em!" After that, Jim didn't look at Lu Ke anymore. He waved his hand, signaling that Lu Ke could leave. He had to coach the next defensive play.
Jim was never a conservative coach. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the San Francisco 49ers.
During their brief conversation, the San Francisco 49ers' special teams kicked the extra point. In the first game of the regular season, in just forty-six seconds, they took a 7-0 lead. The start of the 2011 season was pretty good.
Then, the Seattle Seahawks' offense took the field.
In the studio, Teddy and Kirk exchanged glances. Then, Teddy jokingly said, "I'm not sure about the audience, but I can say for sure that I haven't memorized all the 49ers' offensive starters. But now, we have to shift our attention to the Seattle Seahawks."
The San Francisco 49ers' first offensive play was over. The offense left the field, and the defense took their place.
But Lu Ke wasn't just sitting around. He sat on the sidelines and began flipping through the playbook. The game was a total of four quarters, fifteen minutes each, and it had just begun. The offense still had a lot of work to do.
Even though the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks lacked historical depth, and even though Lu Ke's feud with the Seahawks was a personal matter, they were still divisional rivals and direct competitors for a playoff spot. What's more, the clash between Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll had only just begun. The best part was yet to come.
The first pass, the first offensive play, an unexpected start, and an unexpected end. The San Francisco 49ers scored first, a touchdown that gave them the upper hand. Faced with this situation, the Seattle Seahawks' offense was not to be outdone. They were united and took the stage!
Led by Travis Jackson, the Seahawks started their offense from their own twenty-yard line. On the very first play, they chose to run the ball. Quarterback Travis handed the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch. Amidst the 49ers' tight defense, Marshawn went into "beast mode."
In the tight blockade of the defensive line, Marshawn stubbornly broke through the line. With no opportunity, he used his body and feet to create one. He broke through the 49ers' defensive line while being double-teamed. Then, with quick and nimble footwork, he evaded a sure-fire tackle and continued to push forward.
The 49ers' linebacker, number ninety-nine, this year's first-round draft pick, Aldon Smith, came in to cover and tackled Marshawn accurately, but he still couldn't stop the running back's forward momentum. Marshawn burst with incredible energy while being tackled by Aldon, dragging his strong body and pushing forward for another three yards.
Two other players came in to help, and with the combined strength of three people, they finally managed to tackle Marshawn and end the run.
Despite all that, Marshawn still ran for thirteen yards.
Unbelievable. Equally unbelievable. In response, the Seahawks also gave a strong answer. The clash of the titans had already begun!
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