Chapter 781: Strong Attack
Jason Pierre-Paul, number 90 of the New York Giants, a defensive end, was undoubtedly the most outstanding and stable player in the team's defense over the past two seasons. After his rookie season in 2010, he had a breakout year last year and made it into the Pro Bowl.
Today's game was no different.
Pierre-Paul stared intently at Lu Ke. After the snap, he immediately started his run, sprinting toward the side where Joe Staley and Mike Iupati were, but his peripheral vision remained locked on Lu Ke. That was his only target, and he never relaxed. He could catch Lu Ke's run-pass option move but was not moved by it at all.
He used his body to hold Staley's position, forming a pincer, and instead of rushing to break through, he continuously charged and applied pressure. It was like making pottery, squeezing the pocket inward little by little, molding it into the shape he wanted, and surrounding Lu Ke in the center to form a trap.
At the same time, Pierre-Paul's mind started to spin quickly: with the run-pass option, what would Lu Ke's passing strategy be?
On his other side were Logan and Ginn; on his side were Moss and Vernon.
Just now, Marcus ran toward the side of Logan and Ginn to block, plus Moss, who was suddenly substituted in, which meant that his side was a high-probability target.
His pupils contracted sharply. In a flash, Pierre-Paul's animal instincts had already reacted. His body hit hard, and he continuously hit Staley. Just when Staley thought the next wave of impact was about to follow, Pierre-Paul made a nimble footwork change, using Staley as the axis, quickly turned 360 degrees, and then bypassed Staley.
He was rushing the quarterback!
As expected, he could see Lu Ke running toward him. A forward rush and a lateral move. The intersection not far in front of him was where the two would collide. Lu Ke was like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth, actively offering himself up. This made all of Pierre-Paul's hair stand on end, and his adrenaline instantly surged.
"Hut!"
The New York Giants' defense immediately deployed in an orderly manner. The short and powerful charges of the four defensive linemen continuously put pressure on the offensive line's pocket with high-frequency impacts.
Then, they saw the run-pass option tactic. An outside linebacker began to follow closely, getting to the slot a step ahead. An inside linebacker stood in place, adjusting his footwork and center of gravity with small steps. After confirming that this was a passing play, he gave up his position and quickly moved with Lu Ke's movement, joining the other outside linebacker, moving laterally toward the right side of the Giants' formation.
The two linebackers quickly exchanged glances. The inside linebacker followed the footsteps of defensive end Pierre-Paul, continuing to charge the offensive line, while the outside linebacker quickly dropped back and joined the ranks of the cornerbacks and safeties, quickly making up for the defense. Obviously, they also realized that Randy Moss's appearance was not a coincidence.
It should be noted that the New York Giants had seven players stacked on the front line, and all of them were rushing. This also meant that there were only four players in the secondary defense: two cornerbacks and two safeties.
So, once the front line created space, they would definitely move to cover the short-pass area to help their teammates relieve the pressure.
After the snap, on the left side of the New York Giants, the cornerback was covering Ginn, the safety was covering Logan, and the outside linebacker was covering Marcus.
Ginn and Logan obviously didn't rush forward. Instead, they kept moving around in the short-pass area. When Marcus came over, they immediately started to block and cover. The running routes of the three intersected each other, making it dizzying and difficult to distinguish. As a result, the three defensive players had to switch from man-to-man defense to zone defense, holding their ground and staying within a certain distance.
On the right side of the New York Giants, the cornerback was covering Moss, and the safety was covering Vernon. The entire defensive formation seemed much clearer, but the running styles of the two players were completely different.
Vernon pushed forward along the inner middle line. It was a seemingly slow straight push. After five yards, he made a light and small inward cut, keeping a certain distance from the safety covering him. Neither of them used their full strength, and then, without warning, Vernon broke outside and quickly pushed deep into the middle-to-sideline area. The safety also immediately started moving, sticking to him tightly.
No one could understand Moss's run. He moved leisurely along the outside, not in a hurry to shake off the cornerback or create space. He ran in a curving arc inward, moving toward the center of the field, and even made a cross-over with Vernon before suddenly running back toward the short-pass area.
He was coming back. Not going forward.
Moss's sudden turn and burst of speed instantly shook off the cornerback, and he started to run back in an unreasonable manner, making a gesture to catch the ball.
The cornerback was chasing back, while the outside linebacker, who had just freed up, quickly moved to cover.
As a result, a wonderful scene appeared on the field:
Lu Ke was moving to the left, and a defensive player had already broken through the pocket. He was like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth. Another defensive player took the empty space, held Staley's position, and created a one-on-one opportunity for his teammate. In front of the defensive end, the quarterback had no chance.
Moss, who was running back quickly, was surrounded by two defensive players, one in front and one behind. The unpredictable running route didn't manage to create any space. Instead, it exposed his intention to catch the ball early on. The hidden danger left by the failed run-pass option was completely exposed.
Not good, it was really bad!
Both the quarterback and the receiving player were being covered. Moreover, the 49ers' always-changing running routes seemed unable to be used to their full potential against the New York Giants' unchanging defense. This made the 49ers' offense fall into a desperate situation again. Their rhythm seemed to always match the Giants' defense.
A rhythm that was more favorable to the defense.
At this critical moment, just as Lu Ke was about to collide with Pierre-Paul, Lu Ke made a sudden brake, stopping his feet in place. All his muscles were tense to the extreme, like Michael Jackson's moonwalk freeze frame, gracefully and magically freezing the action of him running quickly with the ball.
Pierre-Paul's calculation of physical space was wrong. His center of gravity went completely off. If he continued like this, he would pass by Lu Ke by a hair's breadth. But at the critical moment, Pierre-Paul once again showed his top-notch physical talent. He twisted his waist while in the air, forcefully adjusted his upper body, and lunged at Lu Ke, who was standing in front of him again.
It was like a hawk catching a chick.
Lu Ke's body seemed to be frozen in place. For the second time, the two were about to fall into a pile. It was still an unavoidable tackle, but Lu Ke sat back heavily, and his center of gravity quickly stumbled backward.
From a standstill to acceleration, the distance between Lu Ke and Pierre-Paul instantly widened, but at the same time, Lu Ke had also lost his balance and fell to the ground clumsily without any suspense. There was no miracle, no myth, and no twist.
On the TV, you could clearly hear the gasps of the entire Candlestick Park and Kirk's endless commentary in the studio:
"Oh my God! Lu Ke is down! Lu Ke is down! This is a sack! A sack! The San Francisco 49ers are in trouble on their first drive in the second half. Wait! Wait, no, this is not a sack! Wow! Wow! This is really amazing, I'm about to lose my breath! My God! My God! This is not a sack! Lu Ke's drive is still going! Oh my gosh!"
The first second of bullet time.
Everything that just happened was under the cover of the special skill "Bullet Time." From the first moment of the drive, Lu Ke had already planned everything in advance. Because the offense's overall state was a bit unstable, he had to use his own performance to open up the game, on one hand to boost his morale, and on the other hand to suppress the opponent's momentum.
"Boost Aura" plus "Bullet Time." This was a series of moves.
Falling to the ground made Lu Ke a little flustered. The whole world was violently shaking, but he still tried his best to keep his mind calm. Although this was a small accident, Pierre-Paul's breakthrough was indeed too sudden, but overall, it was still within Lu Ke's plan.
The fall was the end of the entire accident.
Lu Ke never panicked. Because the dead ball rule for quarterbacks and receivers was the same, after falling to the ground, it was still not a dead ball until the opposing defensive player made physical contact.
Just now, Pierre-Paul didn't touch Lu Ke's body. But it was clear that Pierre-Paul also realized this. After losing his balance and falling to the ground, he still crawled quickly like a zombie. He twisted and struggled like a quadruped, trying to touch Lu Ke and make it a dead ball.
The second second.
Lu Ke grabbed the football firmly with his right hand and quickly retreated with all four limbs. At this moment, he couldn't care less about his clumsy posture. After narrowly escaping from Pierre-Paul's reach, he stood up again and quickly started to drop back. While adjusting his center of gravity with small steps, he raised his right hand and made a passing motion.
In an instant, the entire New York Giants defense was on high alert!
Three front-line defensive players were still trying to break through the offensive line's pocket and complete the sack that Pierre-Paul failed to make. Two front-line defensive players quickly dropped back and cut into the short-pass area where Moss, Marcus, and Logan were, completely cutting off the potential passing lanes.
But at this moment, an unexpected change occurred!
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