The San Francisco 49ers' offense was having a problem, but what exactly was it?
The offensive line? The five players were still in the process of building chemistry, so it was inevitable that there would be some slip-ups. The quarterback was under a lot of pressure in the first half, but overall, the offensive line was young, focused, and impactful. The pocket protection was far from terrible.
The receivers? A configuration of three wide receivers and one tight end was not a problem. However, Ted Ginn's running routes weren't powerful enough, and he had almost no chance to perform. Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams were still a bit inconsistent; they were good at times and bad at others. They missed at least two catchable passes. On the other hand, Logan Newman was surprisingly strong, especially his chemistry with the quarterback, making him a powerful weapon for the 49ers.
The running back? Anthony Dixon was clearly not on his game. Even with solid protection from the offensive line, he couldn't break through or gain yards. He was only getting one or two yards per play, which prevented the team's offense from getting going. He even fumbled the ball once, which resulted in a turnover.
What about the quarterback? In the first two drives, Lu Ke's judgment was sharp, his passes were accurate, and he was calm under pressure. He scored two touchdowns in just seven plays, which made him the biggest contributor to the 49ers' lead in the first half.
So, with the same configuration and the same players, why did the entire offense get stuck in the mud? Was it just because the running back was having an off day? Or was it because the quarterback's ability wasn't enough to keep up with the pace of the game? Did the high intensity of two consecutive quarters lead to a sharp decline in the quarterback's competitiveness?
Lu Ke's physical fitness was a genuine concern.
The first half was packed with a lot of information. Jim needed some time to calm down and sort things out.
At that moment, Bobby Engram appeared in the players' tunnel. He stopped in front of Jim, handed him a report, and without saying a word, turned and walked into the locker room.
During the game, team manager Trent Baalke led a team in the VIP box above the field to watch the game and analyze their own and their opponent's plays, as well as the changes in the situation on the field.
On one hand, they would communicate with the coaching staff in real-time to make adjustments to the team's plays. On the other hand, at the end of the first half, they would provide a report on player data and plays for the coaches to review and use to adjust the plays for the second half.
The report Bobby handed to Jim was this one.
After quickly flipping through the report, Jim's brow furrowed, and he fell into deep thought, his eyes fixed on a few key sets of data.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the locker room was also a bit heavy. Everyone could feel that the team was not running smoothly, but being in the middle of it, they could only see a small part of the picture. They had no idea what was happening or how to fix it. For a moment, everyone was silent, looking at each other.
In the dead silence, the only sound was the heavy, impatient breathing, and the air grew tense.
Lu Ke looked up at his teammates. He knew that a leader had to step up at that moment, boost morale, and get the locker room energized again.
Generally, this job was best done by the quarterback. But the problem was that Lu Ke was a rookie and didn't have the authority to do so. Parys Haralson was the one who should have stepped up, but Parys, who was having a terrible game, was too preoccupied with his own performance to help his teammates.
This was one of the serious problems the San Francisco 49ers' locker room was facing.
Furthermore, Lu Ke didn't have the energy to liven up the atmosphere in the locker room. This was the first time he had ever played a full game—at least, he was preparing to play a full game. He hadn't played a full game since graduating high school, and this was the NFL, the highest level of professional intensity, with the Seattle Seahawks bringing a storm of pressure and leaving him no room to breathe.
In just two quarters, Lu Ke had already been hit hard at least five times. As for the minor bumps and scrapes, they were countless. The Seahawks' defense had clearly increased the intensity of their rush and pressure. Lu Ke felt like a small butterfly in a raging storm; even with his full concentration, he was still covered in bruises.
His weaknesses in physical fitness and athletic ability were finally starting to show in his first official game.
Of course, Lu Ke could blame the offensive line for not having tight enough pocket protection. He could also blame the running back for not being able to relieve the pressure with his running game.
But blaming others wouldn't solve the problem. In the end, Lu Ke's own physical fitness was the most crucial factor. As a quarterback, confrontations, collisions, and contact were an unavoidable part of his career.
Before his first regular season game, Lu Ke had completed another cycle of his daily training tasks and earned a basic skill point.
At that time, he chose to add it to his running ability, raising his score from sixty-one to sixty-two. But now, he regretted it. He should have added it to his physical fitness. A physical fitness score of sixty-four was definitely not good enough for the professional stage. If he could win today's game, he would have to add points to his physical fitness, but that was a big "if."
The game still had two quarters to go.
"Bang," the locker room door was pushed open, and Jim Harbaugh walked in with a solemn expression. He hesitated for a moment as he looked at the lifeless locker room. But in the end, he didn't try to cheer up the players or scold them for their performance in the first half. Instead, he said directly, "In the second half, we have to get our heads in the game. We need to make some adjustments to the plays. Lynch!"
The first person he called out was Marcus Lynch, the running back.
"And Hunter. In the second half, you two get ready to play and rotate with Dixon." Jim's first move was to address Dixon's poor performance. But he didn't take Dixon out of the game completely; he just put him in a rotation.
In football, running backs are actually divided into two types: fullbacks and halfbacks.
To put it simply, a fullback is a bigger running back than a halfback.
Traditionally, a fullback's main job is to lead the way for the halfback or to charge for a few short yards. A fullback's skill requires a lot of strength. They need to quickly use their shoulders to push open the opposing linebacker and then use their hands to grab another opposing player to protect the halfback or quarterback behind them.
The best way to identify a fullback is by their position in the formation. In fact, strictly speaking, a fullback only appears in one formation: the "I" formation. The player who stands behind the quarterback and takes a three-point stance is usually a fullback.
The fullback position was created almost entirely for the running game. They are heavier and slower, with a relatively simple function. Now that the entire league is moving toward a passing offense, the importance of the fullback is gradually declining. At the same time, many running backs are gradually becoming all-around players with the abilities of both a fullback and a halfback.
As a result, fullbacks are gradually disappearing. The use of two running backs in an offensive formation is also slowly disappearing. As for three running backs, that's a retro formation from a long time ago.
In the San Francisco 49ers' five-running-back lineup, there was only one fullback, Kendall Hunter.
Putting a fullback on the field was a sign of a strong running game. With the addition of the tough-running Marcus, it was clear that Jim still hoped the running game could open up the offense. Otherwise, the 49ers would be in a very passive position.
Marcus and Kendall were both rookies, and they jumped up and down like little fleas. Their funny gestures slightly eased the atmosphere in the locker room.
"Lu Ke." Jim didn't stop and immediately called out.
Lu Ke was winking at Marcus to celebrate when he suddenly heard his name. He quickly stopped smiling and looked up to meet his coach's gaze.
Jim let out a long sigh, as if he was going through a fierce internal struggle. But he was never a person to be indecisive. He put his hands on his hips and said bluntly, "In the second half, we're going to start using a shotgun formation. The command on the field is yours. As for the overall play calls and the Seahawks' defensive formation, we'll still tell you through your headset. You don't have to worry too much. Just do what you have to do..."
The rest of his words disappeared. Lu Ke looked at Jim in astonishment, with disbelief in his eyes. In fact, it wasn't just Lu Ke. The other players were also stunned. Colin Kaepernick, who was with the team at Candlestick Park, almost had his jaw drop.
Shotgun formation! A shotgun formation!
The shotgun formation and the pistol formation were the two most common offensive plays in football.
The former emphasized a balance between running and passing. Both a pass and a run were possible, and the quarterback could even run the ball himself, with a variety of changes. The latter focused on passing, setting up a passing stance and engaging in a head-on battle to maximize the quarterback's passing ability.
The same play could have different power in different teams, depending on the abilities of the quarterback, the running back, and the offensive line.
Choosing a shotgun formation meant that Jim Harbaugh had decided to put his complete faith in Lu Ke's passing ability!
For a rookie quarterback, for a quarterback who was starting for the first time in his combined NCAA and NFL career, this was unbelievable! More importantly, this quarterback was an Asian player who had just made history in today's game!
Now, Jim had actually chosen to trust Lu Ke?
Was Jim Harbaugh out of his mind? Was Jim Harbaugh crazy? Was this really Jim Harbaugh, and not a clone or something? Did Jim Harbaugh even know what he was doing?
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