The commentators were all scrambling to voice their opinions, a lively buzz of voices and opinions echoing over North America.
At the same time, Lu Ke led his teammates back onto the field. The doubts, the discussions, and the taunts meant nothing to him. On the field, there was no room for distraction.
After the play was called, the offensive line lined up at the twenty-yard starting line. Running back Anthony Dixon was still trying to confirm with Lu Ke, but he couldn't speak, so he just widened his eyes and spread his hands to show his confusion. The chemistry between Lu Ke and Dixon was still lacking. In a moment of helplessness, Lu Ke had to shout, "20, 20, 20, hold steady, 20."
Twenty yards was their starting offensive line. Usually, this was a hint to the running back that this play was a run. But Lu Ke was also saying "hold steady" and gesturing with his hands to calm down, which meant: get ready to receive the ball, but I'll read the defense and then react. Don't be in a hurry to take the ball. It might be a play-action pass.
Dixon finally understood and nodded repeatedly.
So, Dixon stood seven yards behind the offensive line, ready to sprint. When a running back is running the ball, they need a bulldozer-like energy, so they naturally need more room to build momentum and find a gap.
Then, Lu Ke stood behind Jonathan Goodwin. Without even needing to look up, he caught a glimpse of a provocative figure in the corner of his eye. Richard Sherman, it was him again.
After the first offensive play, Lu Ke didn't even notice Richard. In all the space on the field, Logan had gotten open, and Lu Ke chose to throw the ball without any hesitation. As for Richard, he didn't even consider him, not out of fear, but out of a simple lack of concern.
But it was clear that Richard didn't see it that way. His eyes were wide like two glass marbles, and he made all sorts of faces, laughing and shouting, "Bambi, Bambi, Bambi. Bambi is scared, going home to find his mom. Mom's not home, only the big bad wolf. What's he going to do?" After that, he turned around and wiggled his butt at Lu Ke, then quickly retreated to his defensive position and got into a defensive stance again.
Despite the provocations, Richard was not letting his guard down at all.
With just a quick glance, Lu Ke immediately noticed the change in the defensive formation: five players in the front and six in the back.
Strictly speaking, the overall defensive formation didn't change drastically. The front of the field still had seven defenders, but the formation was a "4-3" instead of a "3-4." In other words, four players would rush the offensive line, increasing the pressure on the quarterback. Three players would cover the running and short-pass areas, with the entire defensive focus leaning forward.
The back of the field still had four defenders, two cornerbacks and two safeties, defending against the pass. However, their positions had clearly shifted forward. Two cornerbacks and one safety were at the twenty-five-yard line, leaving the other safety to wander at the thirty-five-yard line.
So, the entire defensive formation became a "4-3-3-1," but one player from the second line moved up to join the four players on the front line, and the formation evolved into a "5-2-3-1."
The Seahawks were still leaving the back of the field open, as if they weren't worried about Lu Ke trying another deep pass. But they had clearly stacked a lot of players on the front line, and their intention to rush the offensive line and pressure the quarterback was very obvious.
With enough pressure, the quarterback wouldn't have time to calmly choose a deep passing route, cutting off the possibility of a deep pass from the source. They might even be able to sack the quarterback directly and kill the play.
In an instant, Lu Ke decided on the offensive play.
He shouted a series of commands, and tight end Logan Newman and wide receiver Ted Ginn, who were originally on the sides, moved closer to the offensive line. The offensive line was now stacked with seven players. On the left and right sides were wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.
Crabtree and Williams were both players drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. The former was a first-round pick in 2009, and the latter was a sixth-round pick in 2010.
However, neither of them had many opportunities to show what they could do before this year.
Crabtree was a hothead. His first year was spent almost entirely on strike, on the bench, and as a substitute. He only signed his rookie contract and officially took the field after one-third of the season had passed, and he scored seven touchdowns. The latter's lack of ability meant he was never trusted and never had a chance to prove himself.
From the offensive line to the receivers, the San Francisco 49ers were indeed an incredibly young team with no big names or stars. Tight end Vernon Davis was arguably the most famous player on the entire offense, but he was benched by Jim Harbaugh due to a lack of chemistry.
In a way, this was a good thing for Lu Ke. Without the burden of having to choose a star receiver, he could completely make his own choices.
After the play changed, Lu Ke called the snap before the Seahawks' defense could react.
Jonathan snapped the ball steadily into Lu Ke's hands. He backpedaled to create some distance. Dixon sprinted up and reached out to receive the ball, but in that moment, Lu Ke quickly pulled his right hand back and kept the ball. Dixon understood and faked a run with the ball in his hands, sprinting forward.
It was a play-action pass.
The Seahawks rushed forward like a tiger coming down a mountain or a dam breaking. Five players rushed the front line, two players defended the short-pass area, two players defended the medium-pass area, and one player quickly retreated to join another teammate and began to defend the deep-pass area.
They had figured out Lu Ke's plan, so they gave up on defending the run and focused on defending the pass, and they increased the intensity of their rush.
Faced with such an attack, the 49ers' offensive line stood their ground. The offensive line, which had been expanded from five to seven players, was not a bluff. Logan and Ted were helping to block players, and with Dixon, they created a clean pocket for Lu Ke, giving him enough time to observe.
Lu Ke showed no signs of panic. It was as if this situation was completely expected. He turned sideways, took a step, raised his arm, and threw the ball out at a bullet's speed. It wasn't a deep pass but a precise short pass, exactly ten yards!
Richard Sherman was wandering around when he suddenly realized that the direction of Lu Ke's pass was toward him. The player he was covering was none other than Michael Crabtree.
Crabtree was running with his head down, following the fixed route of the offensive play. This was a short pass, an unquestionable short pass. But whether it was a pass or a run, the situation on the field changed in an instant, and it was only known at the moment of the throw. So, he couldn't overthink it and could only focus on running his route.
On the field, the 49ers only had two wide receivers running routes. But luckily, there were also only two defenders in the short and medium pass zones, so the zone defense turned into man-to-man coverage. The Seahawks thought they had figured out the 49ers' play, but the 49ers had also found a weakness in the Seahawks' defense. Now, it was all up to the quarterback's pass.
Crabtree slammed on the brakes, turned around, and looked up, where he saw Lu Ke's sharp gaze coming through his helmet.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Sherman, who had lost his balance. Crabtree took a big step forward and stretched out his hands, securely catching the incoming football. He held the ball tightly with both hands, and in the next moment, he turned around, ready to start moving and gaining more yards. But then, Sherman came charging in.
Sherman didn't have time to break up the catch, so he could only stop Crabtree from gaining any more yards. With a forceful push, he sent Crabtree out of bounds, ending the play. But it was too late. The pass was ten yards, and Crabtree was at the eleven-yard line, completing a successful first down!
Sherman's face was filled with shock, and he couldn't help but curse. But it was useless. His defense was out of position. Lu Ke had actually completed a pass. Lu Ke had actually completed a pass over him!
"Wow, in just a breath, both teams' offensive and defensive plays subtly changed, but in the end, the 49ers were still one step ahead, completing an eleven-yard pass with ease! Number fourteen continues to lead the 49ers forward!" In the studio, Teddy couldn't help but exclaim again. Then he turned to Kirk. "So, has he always been this smart?"
"Yes, on the field, his judgment, his choices, and his decisiveness are undoubtedly the greatest assets of the offense," Kirk said, nodding. He didn't continue talking about the Rose Bowl but instead watched the replay and analyzed it.
"The Seahawks came out looking like they were going to rush, while the 49ers looked like they were going to run. But in the end, the Seahawks focused on defending the medium and short passes, while the 49ers chose a short pass. The play calls, which were decided in a split second, crossed paths again, and number fourteen continued to lead the team forward."
After his analysis, Kirk turned to Teddy. "One of the most famous things from this year's rookie training camp was that there was a second person who got a perfect score on the Wonderlic Test, and he was a quarterback."
"Yes, I know about that..." Teddy's words trailed off, and then he suddenly realized. "Oh, are you saying that the 49ers' number fourteen is the one who got a perfect score? What the hell!"
His exclamation, which was almost a curse, clearly expressed Teddy's shock.
On the field, Richard Sherman was fuming. He was cursing and venting his dissatisfaction and anger. After all his taunting, Michael Crabtree had so easily caught the ball. Even though he didn't gain a lot of yards, it was still a disgrace.
But as for Lu Ke, he didn't have time to pay attention to Sherman's sharp glare. He calmly led the team forward, continuing the drive.
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