"Attack!"
Lu Ke's snap count echoed powerfully through Ford Field. In an instant, three players—Ted Ginn, Logan Newman, and Vernon Davis—rushed forward in unison, like three heat-seeking missiles, with amazing momentum and erratic trajectories, wreaking havoc in the short passing area.
Only in the short passing area.
Newman made a horizontal cut to the left, running quickly toward the left sideline. Vernon also made a horizontal cut to the left, running quickly toward the middle. Ginn made a right-side inside cut, his nimble and light steps passing through the middle area without any sign of stopping, and continued to pull quickly to the right.
The three players were like three sharp knives, causing chaos in the short passing area. This completely disrupted the Detroit Lions' defense.
The Lions' defense had a zone defense on their right side, jointly facing the attacks of Crabtree, Ginn, and Newman. On their left side, they had a man-to-man defense, with a linebacker covering Vernon. But now, with the running routes of the 49ers' players, the entire right side of the defense became incredibly congested, dazzling and overwhelming.
The players on the defensive line still held their positions, defending their areas step by step. But the players on the secondary line had their vision blocked and cut off, making it impossible for them to make an effective judgment.
However, considering that the 49ers' receivers were all running in the short passing area and showed no signs of moving into the deep area, the players on the secondary line also began to rush forward to cover the short passing area.
...
The Detroit Lions' number twenty-six safety, Louis Delmas, quickly moved forward, but his center of gravity did not completely shift forward. He kept glancing left and right. The alarm from his sixth sense never went off, and that feeling of unease made all his muscles tense up. He felt that something was wrong but couldn't pinpoint it, so he remained fully focused and vigilant.
Just then, his peripheral vision caught a figure on his left side. Who was it?
Number fifteen.
The San Francisco 49ers' number fifteen is Michael Crabtree. Dammit, wasn't Crabtree supposed to be on the right side? Why did he suddenly appear on the left? And why was Crabtree not being covered? The entire left side was completely empty, as if it was there for the taking. Damn it! This is so damn annoying!
Without time for further thought, Delmas immediately changed his center of gravity and, like a hungry wolf, quickly cut to the left, charging forward with a powerful, unstoppable momentum.
In his line of sight, Crabtree's running was incredibly fierce. His speed wasn't fast, but the sound of the wind he was cutting through was roaring, a burst of power like a tiger coming down a mountain. Delmas was completely focused, his body's instincts reacting quickly. He increased his speed to the maximum, following his conditioned reflexes, and dived forward.
A quick horizontal charge and a quick vertical sprint. The two forces collided at a crossroads. The horizontal force, like a high-speed train, cut off the vertical figure at the waist with a fierce and brutal impact. After completing the tackle accurately with both hands, they fell heavily and brutally to the ground.
With a loud bang, the two rolled into a ball. Because of the powerful inertia, they slid uncontrollably on the turf, kicking up a large amount of grass. After a world-shaking collision, the two of them fell out of bounds and then separated awkwardly, falling in different positions before finally stopping.
"Beep," the referee blew his whistle and signaled a valid catch. Then he stood on the forty-two-yard line of the San Francisco 49ers' half, indicating that the pass had gained nineteen yards!
Delmas immediately stood up and looked at his defensive teammates. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" A string of profanities erupted, venting his anger and frustration.
On a long down of third-and-seven, they not only allowed their opponents to successfully convert on third down but also gained a full nineteen yards. This was a complete disaster, a total disaster! What were they doing? What on earth happened on the field?
...
It wasn't just Delmas and the Lions' defense who were confused. The commentators were also puzzled. The drive just now was truly overwhelming, like a combination of punches that left the opponent seeing stars. Before they could understand what was going on, they were already retreating and losing ground.
"Beautiful, this is truly beautiful! This drive was completed with such ease. The defensive players had no reaction at all. They didn't even understand what happened. Now let's watch the replay."
In the broadcast studio, Kirk and Teddy once again dutifully took on the task of commentary. Kirk picked up a pen and drew two circles on the television screen. "Pay attention here."
"After the snap, Michael Crabtree didn't choose to rush forward. Instead, he chose to retreat. In the space between the offensive line and the quarterback, he and Marcus Lynch made a cross run. Then, Lynch went to the left side, filling in Crabtree's spot. He followed his teammates, pretending to run forward, completely deceiving the Lions' defensive players on this play.
At the same time, Crabtree went to the right side and ran forward in the slot. After Lu Ke completed a five-yard short pass, Crabtree used his size advantage to run forward and gain yards with his quick steps. The entire drive was powerful and intimidating."
The first circle was in front of Lu Ke, indicating the two players' cross run. The second circle was on the San Francisco 49ers' left wing, indicating the confrontation between the offensive and defensive players.
"On the Lions' right side, they chose a zone defense, which completely covered the short passing area. But because of the zone defense, with Crabtree's disappearance and Lynch's appearance, they couldn't make an effective response in the first instant. This led to a missed opportunity in the entire defensive chain. The defense on the right side was still impenetrable, but Crabtree became the one that got away, with no one covering him.
The problem now is on the Lions' left side. The secondary's Chris Harris was the player who was supposed to cover in the zone defense. After Vernon cut to the right, the open space in the backfield on the left should have been covered by Harris. But Harris chose to cut to the middle and help cover the running play. This allowed Crabtree to run as if no one was there, and the entire advance met no threats at all.
If it weren't for Louis Delmas's timely coverage, or if Delmas had missed the tackle, then Crabtree would have had a clear path, and it wouldn't have been just a nineteen-yard gain."
After watching the replay again, Kirk and Teddy carefully broke down the San Francisco 49ers' execution of the play, which was both amazing and confusing.
"In the final moments before the snap, Lu Ke re-read the defense and changed his tactical plan, which had a miraculous effect. Facing a third-and-seven situation, he once again gained the upper hand in a tough showdown.
The problem now is that the Lions' defense has a coordination problem. Delmas is now showing his dissatisfaction to his teammates, and the members of the defense are still trying to sort out their thoughts. However, the San Francisco 49ers are already ready to snap the ball again. They have no intention of giving their opponents any room to breathe."
...
Chris Harris was completely furious. It wasn't just anger; it was more about humiliation. He was fooled. He was deceived. The onlookers didn't understand, but he, as the person involved, knew very well. The rookie quarterback's eyes were a smokescreen!
In a football game, everyone cannot see the quarterback's eyes hidden behind the helmet. Only the defensive players standing opposite can see them. For a quarterback, his eyes are one of the important parts of arranging a play and also one of the things the defense reads. But from another perspective, for a top quarterback, his eyes can also be an important tool for deception.
Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is undoubtedly a master of this.
His eyes look to the left, but he passes to the right. His eyes indicate a short-pass play, but he throws to a deep area. His eyes suggest a fake run and a real pass, but the actual situation is a fake pass and a real run. The information revealed in his eyes can not only influence the movements of the offensive players but also the judgment of the defensive players.
If you're not careful, you might fall into a trap.
For every quarterback, hiding their eyes and avoiding revealing their passing intentions is an important skill and a necessary path for a rookie to become a veteran. But as for deceptive eyes, this is an advanced tactic. Like a fake snap or a play-action pass, it doesn't work every time, and there isn't always enough energy to spend on these small actions.
It can only be truly effective at the right time.
Harris never expected that he thought he was facing an innocent Bambi, but in fact, it was a fox in deer's clothing, so cunning!
He not only mistakenly thought that his feint had deceived the opponent but also mistakenly judged the opponent's tactical intentions. He so cleanly walked into a tactical trap, and this was a great humiliation!
"Damn it!"
Harris spat on the ground next to him, fiercely venting his inner frustration, but it was still useless. He didn't have time to think further or vent further. The San Francisco 49ers' offense had already lined up again, ready for a continuous attack.
The rookie quarterback, standing behind the offensive line, was like a seasoned hunter, methodically deploying his tactics. His resolute eyes showed a sure victory.
"Puh," Harris cursed again. Then let's have a good showdown again and see who is the real overlord in this brutal jungle of survival of the fittest. It's still unknown who will be the victor!
Harris quickly walked forward and stood in his position, his eyes fixed on Lu Ke, not moving an inch.
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