For two consecutive weeks, he delivered an excellent performance with a quarterback rating of over 100 and led his team to victory. Especially in this week's game, that final long pass to Michael Crabtree, a recreation of "The Catch," resulted in a great comeback. All of these things truly amazed the league and sparked many discussions.
The novelty brought about by the "undrafted Chinese-American rookie" gimmick gradually disappeared. In its place was the excellent performance delivered under the title of "rookie quarterback." The gossip was still there, but people had finally started to seriously look at Lu Ke's performance on the field.
Praise and doubt went hand in hand, and positive affirmation and negative criticism coexisted. However, most people were calmly watching, with no rush to show their support and no simple, crude criticism. They were truly beginning to take the player's ability and potential seriously. It was undeniable that Lu Ke had proven one thing with his two victories:
A Chinese-American player can also achieve excellent results on the football field!
The question now was, how long could such an excellent performance last? The long season had only just begun. Also, what was the ceiling for such an excellent performance? The ups and downs of the regular season and the tension of the playoffs were full of countless unknowns.
Amidst all the discussions, exclamations, and gasps, no one could deny Lu Ke's outstanding contribution in the two games. But Charles Davis was the only exception.
Before the 60-year-old Charles became well-known as an ESPN "Inside the League" commentator, he was also a professional football player who played as a defensive end.
His career was active in the 1970s. He spent his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he won their first Super Bowl trophy in team history. He later went to the St. Louis Cardinals—now the Arizona Cardinals—where he spent six years of his career before retiring.
It's also worth mentioning that Charles's half-brother had a good career with the Dallas Cowboys.
After retiring, Charles found a place in the commentary booth and was reborn, gradually becoming one of the most-watched commentators on ESPN.
Although it is a basic professional quality for a commentator to remain neutral and objective, in football and soccer, a rival is a rival. Once a rival, always a rival. Charles had never hidden his sense of belonging to the Arizona Cardinals. Naturally, the San Francisco 49ers, the St. Louis Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks were his division rivals.
In Week 1 of the regular season, in the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, Charles's commentary remained mostly objective. His disregard and doubts about Lu Ke only came from a distrust of Chinese-American players and undrafted rookies, stemming from the ingrained thinking in football. But in Week 2 of the regular season, the emotional bias gradually became apparent.
On one side were the division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, and on the other was the Dallas Cowboys, who were playing in a half-home game. Charles chose to support the latter without hesitation. But now, with the end of the game, a sense of shame and indignation swept over him. His ingrained thinking was slowly turning into a personal grudge, and the core of the issue was slowly turning into an unbreakable knot, one that would not end until someone gave up.
"Charles! Charles! Charles!"
In the ESPN studio, everyone was pounding on the table, cheering Charles on. The gloating on their faces was not at all hidden. It was rare to see Charles fall flat on his face, and seeing him fall flat for two consecutive weeks was even rarer.
The arrogant, hot-tempered, and opinionated Charles had actually fallen to a nobody, becoming a stepping stone for the other person to make history! It was a crisp, loud, decisive, and fierce slap in the face! This was definitely the most sensational, interesting, and exciting moment on the commentary stage in the past two regular-season weeks.
Now, the "Inside the League" commentators were all teasing him, waiting for Charles to fulfill his promise: to swallow the microphone!
Facing the close-up shot of the camera, Charles made no effort to hide his anger and frustration, and he couldn't hide it.
The veins on his flushed face were clearly visible. His wide-eyed eyes seemed like they could pop out at any moment. His tense muscles were on the verge of exploding. His gaze fell on the custom-made microphone on the table in front of him.
A microphone made of a banana.
If it weren't for that darn Chinese-American quarterback, who had playfully emphasized, "I hope it's a chocolate microphone" during the interview, he wouldn't have been ridiculed and teased. He had truly made Charles a laughingstock and sparked countless discussions online in a way that was not at all pleasant. So, the show's producers had a brainstorm today and came up with a way for Charles to fulfill his promise without making Lu Ke's teasing a reality.
A banana microphone.
Looking at the oddly shaped microphone in front of him, the overwhelming feeling of humiliation was almost unbearable for Charles. That darn guy!
But the show was live, and over 6 million viewers were watching this episode. According to the director, this was the highest viewership for an "Inside the League" show besides live game broadcasts. It was more popular than game analysis specials, game recaps, game previews, or weekly news segments!
In other words, over 8 million people were waiting for Charles to fulfill his promise and embarrass himself. So, Charles couldn't go back on his word.
His hands were clenched into fists, his teeth were gritted, and his veins were about to burst. After a deep breath, Charles picked up the banana microphone in front of him and devoured it. He didn't chew it at all. He just shoved it into his mouth in one go, secretly hoping that this humiliation would end soon, and even sooner.
But the movement was so fast that his throat felt the pressure, and he almost vomited all of the banana back out. His hands clenched into fists again, and his trimmed nails dug deep into his flesh. He managed to suppress the urge to vomit and swallowed it all down, fulfilling the punishment for his bet.
At this moment, not only were the commentators in the studio cheering and celebrating, but the discussions and hot topics online had also completely blown up. The bystanders were all scrambling to express their opinions and views, watching the show with great enthusiasm. Clearly, the gossip outside of the game was enough for everyone to get involved.
It was a solid slap in the face. Charles gritted his teeth and took the blow. But now, Charles didn't believe in fate. A stubborn and obsessive evil energy rose up in him. Was this undrafted Chinese-American rookie really that good?
Even Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers were still rookies in their rookie seasons. What made that unknown rookie so different? Temporarily putting aside his subjective opinions and looking at it from an objective standpoint, Charles still came to the same conclusion.
"I lost the bet. I admit it." Charles bowed his head and admitted defeat straightforwardly, showing a willingness to accept the consequences of his bet. But that was just a pose. The obsession in his heart was then revealed. "But I still have my doubts about the outcome of this victory. Luck. The San Francisco 49ers were only able to come back against the Dallas Cowboys because they were helped by Lady Luck."
"Oh, how so?" Edward Bowen, taking on the role of host, asked.
Charles snapped his fingers and brought up the game film, starting his commentary. "With 85 seconds left in the game, the Dallas Cowboys were on offense. On a 3rd and 4, Tony Romo chose to pass to Dez Bryant. The 49ers' Reggie Smith made a crucial play, breaking up the pass and stopping the Cowboys' offense, leaving the 49ers with 69 seconds."
"But if we look back at the play, we can see that before he broke up the pass, Smith's defense was a holding penalty. Second-year Dez Bryant is a big wide receiver, while Reggie Smith is a small cornerback. In terms of body type, Bryant had a clear advantage. To make the play, Smith had to grab Bryant's jersey. That's a penalty, a holding penalty!"
On the screen, Charles pointed out the foul.
Indeed, Smith had some subtle moves with his hands. Strictly speaking, it could be considered a foul. If you're more lenient, it was a legal play. It all depended on the referee's judgment. If it was called, it would have been the right call. If it wasn't, there would have been no controversy.
So, from a technical standpoint, Charles's analysis was not wrong.
"If the referee had called the holding penalty, it would have been a five-yard penalty, which means the Cowboys would have gotten a first down. With 69 seconds left in the game, the Cowboys would have killed the game, and the 49ers' offense wouldn't have even had a chance to get on the field," Charles concluded.
In the time it took to analyze the video, Charles had recovered and regained his composure. He was confident. "It was only because they were lucky to escape that we have the story that followed. More importantly, the 49ers were constantly favored by luck. The number 14 quarterback was almost sacked while running, and even on that last pass, Crabtree's catch had an element of luck."
"The final score of the game, '21-20,' was a last-minute comeback win. It was exciting and thrilling, but it was also full of luck," Charles said confidently and eloquently. "In the first half, the number 14's passes were off at least three times, and they were only a hair's breadth away from being intercepted."
Charles cut down with his hands, making his signature gesture, and concluded, "They won. That's a fact, and luck is part of the game. But they can't expect every game to be like this. From this week's game, it seems that the number 14's true ability is slowly failing to keep up with the pace of the game. The sluggishness in the first half and the ups and downs in the fourth quarter are the best examples of this. Next week, let's wait and see!"
Week 1, a dark horse. Week 2, luck. So, what about Week 3?
Charles Davis once again stood firmly on the side of the doubters and critics. However, this did not stop people from paying attention to and loving Lu Ke.
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