A deep alarm went off inside Colin Kaepernick.
Every team has factions, just as every locker room has a story. The United States is a place that emphasizes individuality, and everyone has a sharp edge. Athletes have even sharper edges, and clashes in the locker room are inevitable. Over time, players with similar interests and personalities find their friends and gradually form factions.
In some locker rooms, there are multiple factions that are at odds with each other, tearing the team apart. Unless there is a coach with an iron fist like Bill Belichick or a locker room leader like Peyton Manning, the team will be a mess.
In some locker rooms, factions exist, but they don't interfere with each other. Sometimes they even overlap. For the sake of victory, they are willing to set aside their differences and work toward a common goal.
But factions always exist. This is true in soccer, and it's true in football.
At this moment, Colin could smell the factions. The veteran players, led by Parys, were gathered around Alex. This year's rookies, as well as the new players who had just joined the team this season, were vaguely gathered around Lu Ke. Even if they weren't a formal faction, they had formed a loose faction due to the invisible social wall built by the other players.
This was not good. This was definitely not good.
As the San Francisco 49ers' second-round rookie this year, Colin had always been considered the team's future. Even if he wasn't the starting quarterback this year, he was at least the future for next year, the year after, or the year after that.
During his rookie year, he would build his own faction by enduring hardships with his teammates. After taking over the starting position, he would take over the team's leadership, usher in a new era, and rebuild the team's starting lineup around a new core player. This was the team's plan and also Colin's plan.
But now, Colin's future followers were becoming part of another rookie's faction, and he was an undrafted rookie! Compared to Alex, Colin's influence among the veteran players was not enough. And compared to Lu Ke, Colin's on-field performance was inferior, and now even the camaraderie of training together had been replaced.
The alarm had been sounded. With just one simple passing drill, Colin had already smelled something was off.
One game had changed a lot, but fortunately, it hadn't changed too much yet. It was not too late to turn things around. Colin composed himself and walked forward quickly. The nervous and anxious steps revealed his inner state, and he finally stopped next to Kip.
Colin greeted his teammates, but he didn't know if he was overthinking or if everyone was just focused on training. Everyone just exchanged a glance, without any extra gestures. Colin's heart grew more and more anxious.
"Kip?" Colin called out hesitantly. Kip looked up. "Hey, Colin." He greeted him politely without any extra words, and then he looked back at the playbook.
Colin couldn't help but take another half step forward. "Kip, I... um, I've been cleared. I can join the passing drills now. You know, there's no physical confrontation or body contact. It's just passing. I can totally join." Colin was actively and eagerly asking to train, which was rare for him in the past few months.
"Did you get the league's clearance?" Kip looked up again and asked.
Concussions had become a signature side effect of football. They were everywhere, both obvious and hidden, affecting players' careers and post-retirement lives.
So, the league had a rule that if a player was taken out of a game due to a concussion, they had to pass the league's official test before they could participate in training or games. This was to prevent teams from ignoring the rules.
Colin was speechless. His face looked flustered, and he avoided Kip's gaze.
Kip chuckled and didn't say anything more, turning his head to look at the playbook again.
Colin looked up at the lively training on the field, and his heart grew more and more anxious. "Kip, it's just a few passing drills. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm sure I'm fine."
"Colin, you know that's not right. You'll not only get me fired, but you'll also get the team fined. There's no negotiation." Kip didn't even look up and said firmly, cutting off all possibilities.
Colin rubbed his hair in frustration, hesitated for a moment, and said in a hurry, "...I understand. Good luck with the training." Without staying any longer, Colin turned and left.
Since the first plan was no longer an option, he had to go with the second plan. According to his original plan, Colin went to the tactical meeting room to prepare for the afternoon meeting. At the very least, he could actively participate.
On the first day Lu Ke joined the team, he made a big impression during the tactical meeting. Although the players complained that Lu Ke liked to show off, was arrogant, and disliked, the fact was that not only Jim Harbaugh but also all the players were truly impressed by Lu Ke.
In the first game, Lu Ke's tactical arrangements had successfully convinced the team's offensive players and laid an important foundation for the victory.
But so what if he got a perfect score on the Wonderlic Test? Colin's test score was thirty-seven, which was more than enough for a football player. What's more, when it came to tactics, Lu Ke was just a rookie who had only played two games in his career, and not even full games. But Colin had been honing his skills in college for four years. Their knowledge and application of tactics were not on the same level at all.
He secretly clenched his fist and cheered himself on. Colin threw himself into preparing for the tactical meeting. But Colin forgot that today was Wednesday, and there was no official team tactical meeting. It was just the quarterbacks analyzing plays by watching game footage on their own.
After waiting for three hours in the tactical meeting room, Colin finally remembered this. By this time, the team's recovery training had also come to a temporary end. So, Colin changed his strategy and invited all the rookie players to a bar to watch a baseball game and have a beer to relax.
All the rookies, including Logan and Marcus, were invited. But not Lu Ke.
"Hehehe, you rookies." Parys called out. "Don't get too carried away or too relaxed. After you clean up the field, you still have the locker room to clean. All the helmets must be wiped clean! If you think you can delay it until Saturday and let the team's equipment manager do it for you, you're wrong."
Parys's words, with their rising and falling tone, were vivid and caused the other veteran players to burst into laughter.
Cleaning up the field, cleaning the equipment, and wiping the helmets had always been a tradition for the first-year rookies. Even the team's management had tacitly approved it. So, after every practice, the rookies had to stay behind and do these chores.
Parys and his friends, laughing and talking, left the practice field with Alex. Their cheerful voices floated on the wind. "...What about the baseball game? It's been a while since we went to a bar to relax..." Their lively discussion was filled with excitement. "Alex is back. We have to celebrate!"
Alex was the center of attention. Today was only his first day back to training, but it seemed like the winds were already changing for the San Francisco 49ers.
The veteran players left first, and then the first-year players who had finished cleaning up also left. The empty field was left with only Lu Ke, Logan, and Marcus.
Scott, Kendall, and Aldon asked him again and again, "Are you sure?"
Lu Ke chuckled. "I'm sure. You guys should go quickly, or you'll be left behind." All the rookie players had responded to Colin's invitation to go to the bar to relax. However, their destination was likely not the same as the veteran players.
After receiving Lu Ke's confirmation, the three of them turned and left. Watching their backs as they left, Marcus shook his head and said with a look of frustration, "I thought we had a rapport."
The factional struggle was slowly becoming clear. Alex had the support of most of the team, while Lu Ke and Colin would have to fight for the support of the rookie players. They not only had to fight against external enemies but also had to endure internal conflicts.
But Lu Ke, who was the one in the middle of it all, was relaxed and smiling. "You guys go on back. I still have some training to finish."
Lu Ke had only been a member of the San Francisco 49ers for six weeks, and he had only been a starter for less than two weeks. In contrast, Colin had four and a half months to build his foundation. People are emotional beings, and the outcome of one game was not enough to completely change the balance of power.
So, instead of focusing on the temporary gains and losses in front of him, he chose to focus on improving his own strength. In competitive sports, absolute strength is always the best way to get your point across.
So, Marcus and Logan also left. Soon, Lu Ke was the only one left at the training facility. He still had his strength training to finish.
"Lu Ke, phew, I'm glad I made it." A clear voice echoed from outside the practice field. Lu Ke turned to look and saw a woman in a light blue floral dress dancing in the whimsical San Francisco breeze. The flying skirt revealed her long, fair legs, and the red, thin high heels on her feet looked out of place on the green field, but she was breathtakingly beautiful.
The woman seemed to realize her rashness. She walked into the field and then took a few steps back, standing on the concrete outside the grass. Her smile was a little shy, but it was also a bright and cheerful smile. "Everyone has left. They... uh, said they were going to a bar to watch a baseball game. Aren't you going with them? It's not a smart choice to leave the amateur group activities."
"I still have some training to finish," Lu Ke said with a smile, holding up the football and tossing it lightly in his hands.
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