Chapter 784: A Roar
Standing in the offensive formation, Randy Moss quickly scanned the defensive players' positions with a glance.
No change.
Facing the San Francisco 49ers' consecutive successful drives, the New York Giants' defense still didn't make an adjustment right away. Whatever the reason, this was a good thing for Moss. Through observing from the sidelines in the first half and testing the waters in the last three downs, he had gradually become familiar with the opponent's defensive scheme.
Cornerback on the wide receiver, safety on the tight end.
"Hut!"
Hearing Lu Ke's command, Moss's feet immediately started to push forward, looking like he was in a full sprint, forcing cornerback Justin Tryon, who was six yards away, to quickly drop back, adjusting his moving rhythm with small steps, trying to keep up with Moss's advance.
But after only running three or four yards, Moss controlled his body with an emergency brake and, without any hesitation, quickly ran in a straight line to the 90-degree right side.
This forced cornerback number 30, Justin Tryon, to be a half-step slow.
Moss's running route was not a straight line but a small "S" curve. The up-and-down footwork was completely unpredictable. Without any warning, Moss and Vernon made a cross-over run. Vernon ran toward the closely following Tryon, and the safety covering Vernon was still keeping a close eye on Vernon. As a result, Moss instantly shook off his tail.
This forced Tryon to be another half-step slower.
At this moment, what was magical was that Moss's mind and body movements were perfectly integrated. In the tactical meeting, Lu Ke's analysis and explanation were presented clearly in his mind, and further implemented in the tactical arrangement just now:
"Although this is man-to-man defense, the two safeties each cover half of the field. If a player continues to advance on one side and enters the middle-pass area, they will give up their defensive opponent and start to cover, but the central area is the combination of the two, just like the combined area in a doubles match, which requires tacit cooperation."
"If you can use your run to find an open space in the central area, tear open a gap, and after running 20 yards, you turn back. I will make the throw immediately. In the 30-degree fan-shaped area in front of you, the landing point should be eight to ten yards away from your location."
"But if you can't get to the position in time, I will look for other passing opportunities and make the throw early to shorten the offensive time."
This was the first time Lu Ke had made a tactical arrangement based on Moss's game characteristics and advancement ability.
Generally speaking, very few offenses would choose this, because all the pressure is concentrated on one player, and once exposed, they immediately become passive. But it is undeniable that such a tactic is clearer and more definite. Once successful, it can often make the entire offense simpler, more brutal, more direct, and more efficient.
Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots, Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals... they are all players with such ability.
Moss's peripheral vision quickly caught the defensive players' movement.
Sure enough, the safety on this side was still following Vernon closely, while the safety on the other side was pulled to the outside by Logan's run. On the contrary, the cornerback covering Ginn was cutting inside at the same time, but there was still a gap in the central area.
More importantly, the linebackers failed to drop back in time. Because of the success of the previous two running plays, one of which was Lu Ke's drive after a series of fake moves, the linebackers had to be careful and make an accurate judgment before moving. This was only a quarter of a beat of thinking time, but for the talented Moss, it was enough.
Moss deliberately cut inside, bypassing the position of an outside linebacker, provocatively tearing open a gap. In reality, he was using the outside linebacker's body to block Tryon's immediate follow-up.
Then, just as he was about to collide with the inside linebacker, he made an emergency brake, turned 90 degrees again, and ran quickly toward the goal line. But Moss's running route was completely unpredictable, because he was running straight toward the quickly covering Tryon.
Tryon's feet were in a dense crowd, and he had already paused and adjusted twice. His rhythm was a full step slow. Now that he had finally caught up, he was unexpectedly met with Moss running toward him. He was truly caught off guard, so much so that his movements and posture could not be immediately coordinated.
Then, Tryon tried to collide with Moss but accidentally brushed shoulders with his own outside linebacker. The center of gravity of the two of them shook at the same time. It was this little shake, plus the difference that had accumulated before, that Moss instantly seized the opportunity.
He had been moving through the surging crowd in an orderly manner, but now the strength of his calves suddenly exploded with all their power, rushing out like a cheetah. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, he shot out like a rocket, and his speed got faster and faster.
The linebacker flashed past the corner of his eye, and the cornerback flashed past the corner of his eye.
Moss, like a shark entering a school of sardines, turned on his full-speed running mode. He instantly rushed out more than ten yards and continued to push toward the 15-yard and 20-yard marks.
From the corner of his eye, he could see that Ginn and Logan had both changed their running styles, stopping their continuous advance, and were disrupting the running rhythm of the players covering them. This also meant that in the next ten yards, there were no defensive players around Moss.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime offensive opportunity!
He was open! He was really open! It was as if he could clearly smell all the open spaces. He just needed to take a step, and he would be invincible.
Those familiar and unfamiliar faces quickly slid past the corner of his eye. The energy in his body began to burst out continuously. His running speed got faster and lighter. The ten-yard distance seemed to have passed before he could even blink. Then, he had already arrived at the designated tactical position.
Did he make it in time? Did he get to the position in time? How long did it take him to run 20 yards because of the habitual detours in the middle? Two seconds? Or three seconds? Wait, he wasn't too late, was he? Had Lu Ke already thrown the ball?
He quickly adjusted his feet with small steps, turned sideways, and then saw Lu Ke, who was standing in the pocket, returning to the center position. It seemed that he had just made a lateral fake run, but after holding the defensive players, he quickly returned to his position and then completed his dropback adjustment.
Moss vaguely caught the gesture of Lu Ke raising his hand to pass the ball. He quickly raised his hands and made a motion of continuously waving them back, signaling for Lu Ke to throw the ball farther, and a little farther. He had successfully arrived at the position, and he could still continue to run. He had no problem.
Moss wasn't sure if Lu Ke saw his gesture, because Lu Ke had thrown the ball.
The brownish-red football drew a light arc in the blue sky and flew over quickly at a speed far beyond imagination, instantly attracting all eyes in the stadium, including the defensive players. All the cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties started to fall back, running with all their might.
Moss was still adjusting his feet to prepare for the catch, which meant that the defensive players who didn't need to adjust could close the distance at full speed.
Moss got rid of all distractions and stared at the football. He adjusted his hands while dropping back. Moss was still not familiar enough with Lu Ke's passes, the power, the angle, and the arc, so he couldn't make an accurate judgment. He could only adjust his position according to his game instincts.
The 30-degree fan-shaped area, about eight yards outside the landing point.
Just as Lu Ke said, after Moss continued to run for about eight yards, he could see the arc of the football quickly falling. Although Lu Ke didn't receive his signal, he was... as good as his word.
Moss quickly completed his footwork adjustment, and his position judgment was still slightly off. He jumped up lightly, leaned back with his upper body, and made a stable catching gesture. Then, he could feel a familiar friction. His palm felt the touch of the leather of the football with extreme clarity and familiarity.
It had been a long time. It had really been a long time.
Adrenaline instantly burst out. The solid feeling of his feet touching the ground. Without any hesitation or pause, a series of continuous small steps adjusted. In his sight, he could already see the quick encirclement of two defensive players. His knees were a little weak, but Moss was fearless. He continued to take small steps backward, letting his body fall back quickly with the momentum.
Then, Moss straightened his knees again, maintained a steady speed with a backward step. Just as the two defensive players were about to touch his body, he completed a turn with a tap of his left leg, and then... he sprinted!
Moss could even feel the weight of two hands patting on his shoulders, making a continuous clapping sound like a propeller, disrupting his center of gravity. But Moss gritted his teeth, accelerated, and accelerated again. In a trance, he felt as if he had returned to his peak state, like a long sword unsheathed, invincible!
After his footwork was adjusted, the end zone was six yards away, seven yards away, just within reach.
Moss could even feel his joints trembling slightly, as if they were cheering, creaking. His chest had started to burn fiercely, and even his breathing had become hot. But the corners of Moss's mouth curved up in a brilliant smile. He was enjoying this moment so much that even the pain became wonderful.
Because it was so real.
Suddenly, a heavy shove came from behind, completely disrupting Moss's running rhythm. He was about to fall to the ground in a clumsy manner, but his body once again erupted with a huge amount of energy, like a sleeping lion letting out a wild roar, "Ah!"
Push off! Push off! Push off!
He charged forward with great force, like a sprinter crossing the finish line.
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