"Set, hut!"
First, a series of dazzling snap counts, followed by a lightning-fast pass. The shift from slow to fast, from loose to tight, completely disrupted the Cardinals' defensive rhythm. After the snap, Lu Ke only made two adjustments with his feet before raising his arm to pass. It had only been just over a second. The defensive and offensive lines had just collided, with no time to break through or even tear up the pocket. But they still stubbornly pushed forward and started to shift their weight to their right side.
A successful catch wasn't the goal; the goal was to tackle him after the catch. So, who was Lu Ke's target? And how should the Cardinals defend? On the left, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn Jr. were still the same old pair. After the snap, both of them ran a short-pass route simultaneously. Crabtree stayed on the outside, a simple, almost boring out route. He went five yards forward and then ran toward the left sideline. Ginn Jr. stayed on the inside, and after a five-yard dash, he made a 90-degree right turn, moving horizontally toward the middle. But after only two steps, he slammed on the brakes, made a U-turn, and sprinted toward the front left.
The clean running routes easily broke the zone defense's tactical plan. The cornerback had to immediately stick to Crabtree to defend him, and the safety behind him had to quickly move to try and cover him. The linebacker who was originally going to rush the quarterback now had to change his route and cover Ginn Jr., otherwise, there would be a wide-open field in front of him. The scary thing was that Crabtree, while being covered, still had the matchup advantage. Ginn Jr., on the other hand, tore open a gap and had at least a five-yard space to catch the ball.
Lu Ke could have easily passed to the left, to either player. But just then, Lu Ke's fully cocked arm slammed on the brakes, stopping his throwing motion. He turned to his right, scanned quickly, drew back his arm, and released the ball in a flash.
Damn it! Almost every Cardinals' defensive player couldn't help but curse. Their weight had already shifted, and Ginn Jr. and Crabtree had already created gaps, but Lu Ke still didn't pass? What did he mean? It was a fake, and he faked out everyone? What in the world did that mean? But everything happened so fast in the game. The Cardinals' defensive players had no time to think about what it meant. They didn't even have time to feel humiliated, and their bodies had already reacted. They reflexively started to move to the other side to cover, looking like puppets on strings and completely disheveled. The player on the other side who was ready to make the catch was—Logan Newman! Newman, Newman, it was Logan Newman again! Lu Ke's number one target, and also the San Francisco 49ers' number one receiver! What was going on?
…
After the snap, Logan Newman and Kyle Williams, on the right side, both ran short-pass routes. Williams charged forward toward the short and medium-pass area, while Logan made a simple straight dash, and after five yards, he made a 180-degree turn, started backing up, and got ready to receive the pass. Because the two players' running routes were so simple, the zone defenders didn't immediately stick to them. Instead, they quickly backed up, trying to read the passing lane before moving in to cover.
It was in that small window of time that Lu Ke raised his hand and faked a pass to Ginn Jr. and Crabtree on the other side. The zone defenders started to shift their weight, not to rush forward, but to quickly move to their right side to be ready to cover if their teammates missed a tackle. Half a second, half a second, half a second. No, the pause was even shorter than half a second. In that short amount of time, Lu Ke changed his movements three times. Before the defensive players could even adjust, he released the ball to Logan in a flash.
It was a bullet pass, cutting through the air. In a distance of less than six or seven yards, it instantly arrived at Logan's chest. The position was just right, and the catching motion was completely fluid. His hands firmly controlled the football, and Logan could instantly take off again and continue running. With a turn, Logan saw outside linebacker Clark Haggans trying to cover and cornerback A.J. Jefferson, who had given up on Williams and was rushing toward him. Because the catch was so easy and fluid, Logan was able to adjust instantly. His balance and strength were flawless. With a drop of his shoulder and a light twist of his feet, Jefferson flew past him, grabbing Logan's waist but unable to exert any force, as if Logan's waist was greased up. The centrifugal force of his spin sent Jefferson flying. Logan didn't need any extra moves. With a push of his legs, he started sprinting before Haggans could get there, leaving him in his dust. If Lu Ke had passed to Crabtree or Ginn Jr., they could have caught it, but their running space would have been limited since the defenders were already in position. But now, Lu Ke's fake had shifted the weight and positions of all the defensive players to the other side, leaving a huge gap for Logan to run. He could run freely.
"...It's Logan Newman! My God, this was an unexpected passing play! He shakes off one tackle, two tackles! Newman is taking off, 25 yards, 30 yards, 35 yards... Oh, my God, Newman is running toward the sideline, getting a block from Williams, and moving quickly along the sideline! My God, my God! Newman is unstoppable!"
"Adrian Wilson makes a great play! The Cardinals' number 24 safety finally makes a tackle and pushes Newman out of bounds at the 48-yard line! This is a crucial defensive play in a critical moment! My God, who would have thought that the 49ers' first offensive drive would leave the Cardinals' defense in such a disarray!"
Not to mention the defensive players, even the two commentators, who were high up and watching from a distance, couldn't see through Lu Ke's play, and the surprise came. After the replay, Kirk finally understood Lu Ke's tactical intent. "First, Lu Ke recognized the opponent's blitz and chose a play with a delayed snap and a quick throw. If the opponent had broken through the offensive line's pocket on the first play, Lu Ke would have immediately thrown the ball to Crabtree or Ginn Jr. to avoid a sack, which would also have been a successful play."
Kirk quickly circled the left side of the San Francisco 49ers on the screen. "He fully utilized Crabtree's matchup advantage and Ginn Jr.'s route-running advantage, and further exploited the gap created by the opponent's heavy blitz, easily gaining the upper hand."
"Then, after noticing that the opponent didn't complete the blitz, Lu Ke made an instant decision to shift the passing route to the empty space on the right side, once again utilizing Logan Newman's matchup advantage to successfully make a big gain. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! Agile, smart, and decisive. The 49ers offense that we know and love is back!"
As Kirk marveled, Teddy joined the discussion. "In summary, Lu Ke's reading of the defense deciphered the opponent's tactical intent and he made his move one step ahead, which, combined with the mismatch, allowed him to easily gain 28 yards. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's exactly right!" Kirk nodded in agreement, but before he could continue, his attention was once again drawn to the field. The San Francisco 49ers had chosen a quick snap, not giving the opposing defense much time to breathe, and started to speed up their offense. First and 10, Lu Ke made a quick short pass to Crabtree for a six-yard gain. Second and 4, Lu Ke faked a pass and handed the ball to Marcus Lynch. Lynch found a gap, but the opponents were highly focused and didn't miss the tackle. Lynch was forced down after only a three-yard gain. Third and 1, Lu Ke faked a handoff and made a quick pass to Crabtree, who used his matchup advantage against Richard Marshall to make a three-yard catch before stepping out of bounds, completing the third-down conversion.
It seemed like there was no time to breathe, and there was no real confrontation. In the blink of an eye, the San Francisco 49ers were already at the opponent's 40-yard line. The speed and efficiency of their drive were truly impressive. The offense that had stunned the entire league had returned! The momentum of the offense was like a tiger descending from the mountain, showing a united front and a determination to win. It was worth noting that every single pass and run so far had been successful, and the 100% success rate had elevated the speed and momentum of the offense to a whole new level.
After getting a wake-up call at the start, the Cardinals' defense was a bit dazed. In the end, they relied on individual brilliance. Outside linebacker Schofield and defensive end Campbell both managed to bat away a pass and stop a run, forcing the opponent into a third-and-long situation. The overall strength of the defense couldn't keep up. It seemed like they couldn't catch their breath, but the outstanding individual players successfully stopped the bleeding. In an instant, the 49ers were once again in a third-down bind, facing a third-and-6 to convert. The atmosphere on the field grew tense because they all knew that the score was important, but what was even more important than the score was... At the start of the game, the Cardinals' offense had scored a touchdown, and the 49ers' offense was unstoppable. Moreover, the 49ers' offense had completely outplayed the opponent's defense, gaining the upper hand in terms of momentum. This was a competition for points, but it was also a test of willpower! This was a head-to-head battle with no turning back.
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