Chapter 637: Perfect Start
Oh no!
Number 27's horizontal run, number 14's quick release, and number 88's movement as he just passed by—these three actions connected like a flash of lightning across the sky, illuminating Pierre-Paul's entire mind. This was a short-pass play. He couldn't deal with number 88 and number 14 now, but at the very least, he could stop number 27 from catching the ball.
Using a professional player's instinct and reaction, Pierre-Paul slammed on the brakes. But it was too late to start up again, so he had no choice but to lunge forward, diving quickly toward number 27.
It was almost a reflex, as he immediately adjusted his center of gravity and lunged. Pierre-Paul just barely managed to hit number 27's leg. Then, the pull of gravity and the impact became chaotic, and the two of them fell to the ground in a messy heap, rolling around on the grass.
"Good!"
Pierre-Paul secretly clenched his fists and cheered himself on. But after a final, jarring roll, he looked up and saw a football sailing high across the sky, tracing a breathtaking rainbow in the gloomy, misty rain. Pierre-Paul's eyes widened.
What's going on? Didn't number 14 just throw the ball? Didn't the football already leave his hand? What's with this delayed flight? Why is the football only just now reaching the sky above him? And why is it still going up? This, this doesn't make sense! Wait, could it be... could it be...
Pierre-Paul slammed the turf and cursed out loud, "Crap!"
Adjust his steps.
This was the first thing Lu Ke did after the snap, while he was in the pocket. As he adjusted his steps, he opened up his view, taking in the entire field. From right to left, the positions and matchups of the four receivers were clear at a glance. Then, half a beat later, Lu Ke noticed the number 90 defensive end rushing forward on the right.
The scores for his left and right perception were indeed too low. In just half a beat, number 90 had entered his field of vision. The fierce momentum of the rush showed a determined and arrogant confidence.
In that instant, their eyes met. Lu Ke's pupils contracted slightly. His mind, instead of panicking, became calmer. He caught the slight shift in the opponent's center of gravity and shoulder, as if he was guarding against Marcus's block. All of this happened in a millisecond. Lu Ke didn't have time to decide if it was right or wrong. He just reacted instinctively.
At the same time, he shouted, "7! 7! 7!" This was route number seven, signaling Marcus to abandon his block and move to a short-pass route instead.
He moved his feet quickly, moving sideways in the opposite direction to create space, in case Marcus couldn't understand the play in the blink of an eye.
In the middle of his quick movements, Lu Ke didn't have time to think. Everything was happening too fast. He just followed his tactical instincts, like a wild animal. He quickly raised his right hand, pulled his arm back in the direction of Marcus's run, and made a passing motion.
At the moment of release, the corner of his eye caught the positions of Marcus and Logan, as well as Ginn's. The complex information appeared in his mind, clear and vivid. His wrist instantly braked, and he twisted his body slightly, pulling his arm back a bit more. The entire bowstring was fully drawn.
Draw the bow, shoot the eagle.
His arm moved quickly, his wrist adjusted swiftly, and the angle of the ball at release changed. The entire parabolic arc was high and long. The fine-tuned control, from his arm to his wrist, from his waist to his feet, transmitted power seamlessly, as if all his veins were finally connected, and everything became fluid.
"Whoosh."
With a crisp sound cutting through the air, the football soared across the sky like a sharp sword cutting through the gloomy sky, turning into a bright golden light. The entire world became brighter. The ball flew toward the deep area with a powerful force that was frightening. Even though it was a rainbow pass, it was as powerful as a cannonball.
In an instant, all eyes were on the field!
"Hut!"
Ted Ginn's feet pushed hard on the ground. He started and burst forward, sprinting out.
He was already on the outside, and this time, Ginn was sprinting toward the sideline. His running route was a small diagonal line, which created some open space. The number 22 safety, Derrick Martin, who was covering him, seemed a little hesitant.
Martin's feet were constantly backpedaling, but he wasn't following Ginn's every move toward the outside. Instead, he was adjusting his defensive balance and watching the quarterback's passing motion. His entire defensive focus was still on the short-pass area, constantly watching Logan's route.
An opportunity!
Ginn suddenly picked up his speed, running along the sideline. He passed the forty-yard line and continued to advance toward the halfway line. At this point, Martin seemed to finally realize that something was wrong. His backpedaling feet started to turn, and he looked back over his shoulder while following Ginn's steps.
The difference in reaction time created an even bigger gap in acceleration.
Ginn was like a tornado, whooshing past the halfway line. He created about five yards of open space in a short time. Then he changed his long strides into small ones, constantly adjusting his running rhythm and center of gravity. He raised his right hand high, signaling to Lu Ke that he had created space.
Sure enough, a second later, Lu Ke's pass was released.
Ginn looked up, his eyes locked on the football's flight path. After making a rough judgment, his body started up again. In that short time, Martin had caught up, and the five-yard gap was quickly closed. But just as the two were about to collide, Ginn started up and accelerated again, like a gust of wind, leaving Martin to miss his tackle. He continued to accelerate and push hard along the sideline.
Under the influence of inertia, Martin was a half-beat late, and then he chased after Ginn. But Ginn, who always had the advantage, ran faster and faster. His short-burst speed was fully utilized. He could hear the wind rushing past his ears. As he was about to pass the forty-yard line, he could already see the number 34 safety, Deon Grant, trying to cover him on his left.
Both Martin and Grant were safeties. Martin was a strong safety, who was stronger and covered the strong side where the tight end was, so his defensive attention was more focused on Logan. But speed was not his advantage. Grant was a free safety, who was more agile and fast, and his job was to cover the backfield at any time.
All this information flashed through Ginn's mind.
In just five yards, Ginn began to adjust his center of gravity and steps as he passed the thirty-five-yard line. His speed still didn't slow down. He was mostly in control. Then he turned slightly and looked up. He could clearly see the football falling quickly. His small, quick steps matched the rhythm at the last moment.
"Pop."
Without a doubt, the perfect spiral landed lightly in Ginn's arms.
Ginn felt that Lu Ke's long-pass control was more accurate and precise this time. He didn't need to make any adjustments while running at high speed and just easily made the catch. The entire pass and catch were seamless, as if they were on the same breath.
This perfect and natural catch was truly amazing!
But at this moment, Ginn didn't have time to think. The play wasn't over yet.
After making the catch, he didn't need to adjust his steps. His center of gravity and speed remained constant. Then his calves pushed off the ground with more force, and his speed instantly reached its peak like a rocket. He charged forward.
Behind him, he could vaguely see Martin's fingertips reaching out, but before they could touch Ginn's uniform, he sped up again and widened the distance. This time, he didn't need to control his speed. Ginn unleashed his full potential. You could see the space between them widening little by little.
Grant was running on a parallel line beside him. He ran a small diagonal line, trying to collide with Ginn in front of him and stop him. But Ginn's speed had reached its peak. Grant was already half a beat behind while running parallel, let alone trying to get in front of him.
Grant gritted his teeth and sprinted forward, but he only saw Ginn's speed as if he was in the last ten meters of a hundred-meter dash. In a daze, only a blur was left in front of him. Before he could reach out his hand to find a target to defend, the two of them crossed paths. Grant didn't have a chance.
Running, Ginn was just running with abandon. There were no distractions in his mind. He was just running like Forrest Gump, enjoying the thrill of his feet stomping and pushing off the ground. After his speed reached its peak, his muscles started to burn, and the adrenaline that was constantly gushing out became the best fuel. He was like he was on fire wheels, whooshing into the end zone.
Ginn knew that no one could stop him. At this moment, he was the son of the wind. He was the absolute ruler of the field. He was the king of the world who dominated this game. When his feet entered the end zone, he still didn't stop. He spread his arms wide, embracing the wind. He rushed toward the photographers at the end of the end zone, and finally, he stopped in front of the stands, embracing the red ocean.
Listen, that was the sound of the world surrendering.
Touchdown, successful.
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