Chapter 786: Special Teams Steps Up
Actually, special teams' confrontations are the same as regular offensive plays.
The team responsible for kicking the ball, whether it's a punt, kickoff, or a field goal, can be considered the "offense." The team responsible for blocking, whether it's a kickoff return, punt return, or a field goal block, is the "defense."
The "offensive" and "defensive" special teams both have 11 players on the field. The entire offense-defense process—snapping, receiving, kicking, advancing, defending, or returning—is consistent with a regular offense and defense. In a typical team's special teams, there are only three to four players. The other positions are filled by substitutes, and their positions generally correspond to those in the offense and defense.
The offensive side also has guards, tackles, and a center, but the receiving positions are filled by cornerbacks or safeties who are responsible for tackling the opposing returner.
The defensive side also has tackles, ends, and linebackers, but the secondary defense here is replaced by receiving players who are responsible for returning the ball after catching it.
In other words, special teams can be understood as the "bench depth" in a soccer game, testing the strength of a team's substitute lineup. This is why New England Patriots' head coach Bill Belichick places so much importance on special teams. He has always believed that the details of special teams can often be the key to winning or losing a game.
Many promising players are placed on special teams and then, through their excellent performance, make their way into the starting lineup of the offense or defense.
Today was no exception.
The San Francisco 49ers' linebacker lineup was so stacked this season that it became crowded. The veteran Clark Haggans, who just transferred from the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, and this year's seventh-round rookie Cam Johnson were unable to make it into the starting lineup. They mainly served as rotational players and spent most of their time shining on special teams.
Haggans stared intently at the opposing punter Weatherford's movements. He quickly gave a signal to Johnson, who was standing next to him, simply indicating the direction of the pass rush. Then, Weatherford announced the snap.
Without any hesitation, Haggans and Johnson, who were on their own right side, both charged out. Their shoulders collided with the opposing strong defensive tackles at the same time. The other players, to catch or defend against the catch, sprinted toward the deep part of the field. Clearly, the New York Giants did not expect the San Francisco 49ers' special teams to execute a surprise attack.
This could also be considered a trick play.
Haggans and Johnson worked together to overthrow the defensive tackle in front of them. Johnson blocked the opponent's body, and Haggans sank his right shoulder heavily,绕passed the opponent's body, and then raised both of his hands high and pounced toward Weatherford.
Johnson was not idle either. He pushed forward with his shoulder, pushing the opposing defensive tackle toward Weatherford's body. The two strong men overlapped and fell down like a huge wave.
By the time Weatherford realized his pocket had been completely torn apart, it was too late. His punting motion was already complete. After the football fell, it collided with his foot, and then the football drew an arc, but before it could fully rise, it was intercepted.
Haggans extended his fingertips to the maximum and pressed down heavily. His hand could clearly feel the powerful impact of the football. In the next second, there was chaos. Everyone fell into a pile, regardless of friend or foe.
Instantly, the area around the 10-yard line became a chaotic mess.
"The New York Giants are punting. Veteran punter Steve Weatherford is preparing to punt. This is not good news for the Giants, as they need to keep the ball in their offense's hands as much as possible to prevent the 49ers' offense from getting back on the field and finding their rhythm. But... the 49ers' defense still seized the opportunity and completed a three-and-out!"
"Weatherford is punting. Wait, it's a block! My God, I didn't notice who the player was, but there's no doubt this is a block! Both special teams are in chaos, and they are fighting for the ball."
"My God, my God! The New York Giants' rookie cornerback number 36, Terrence Frederick, has stepped up! He has gained control of the ball! He has not given the opponent a chance to return it!"
"But this is still a heavy blow for the New York Giants! Lu Ke has earned the opportunity to start the drive from the 10-yard line in front of the end zone! This could very well be a punt that changes the course of the game. The suspense of winning or losing is getting bigger and bigger. From offense to defense to special teams, the San Francisco 49ers have improved their overall performance in the past four minutes, and the New York Giants are a bit caught off guard!"
In a punt, because the San Francisco 49ers have the right to return, if they encounter a situation like this, and a 49ers' player gains control of the ball and it's not a dead ball, they can continue to return it and even complete a touchdown return.
This also shows how valuable it was for Terrence to gain control of the ball in time. At the very least, he earned his defense a chance to defend in the red zone instead of giving up points directly.
Nevertheless, it's extremely rare for special teams to create a situation like this. It's just like in the first week of the regular season when the San Francisco 49ers' special teams blocked the Green Bay Packers' onside kick, which laid the foundation for their victory. The same is true now; through the excellent performance of the special teams, they created the conditions for the home team to continue to close the score.
This is also a part of their progress compared to last season.
Now, it's up to Lu Ke to perform.
In the studio, watching the replay again, the commentators were full of praise.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing. After joining the San Francisco 49ers, Clark Haggans' position has been marginalized. This veteran's competitive state has obviously not been able to keep up with the rhythm, but as the on-field captain during special teams' returns, he has once again proven his ability: he knows what he's doing!"
"First Randy Moss, and now Clark Haggans. It's a fascinating thing to witness the rise of veterans in a San Francisco 49ers team whose main lineup is composed of young players."
"What does this mean?"
"Are the San Francisco 49ers fully sounding the horn for a comeback? The performance of the offense in this next drive and the adjustments of the opposing defense will likely influence the outcome of the entire game. Not just this next red zone drive, but also the offense and defense when the New York Giants' offense takes the field again after this red zone drive ends. The performance of these two drives will set the tone for the fourth quarter."
"My God, as much as I hate to say it, it's a loss for the general public that the 49ers vs. Giants game wasn't a night game!"
Haggans and Johnson were celebrating the special teams' victory wildly.
Haggans shook off all the teammates who came to celebrate. He rushed toward Lu Ke, who was standing on the sideline, with a big smile. "The rest is up to you!"
He had wanted to do this for a long time. Every time he saw Willis and Akers hand over to Lu Ke, the passing of that sense of mission always made Haggans envious, but he was never able to find an opportunity until today.
Lu Ke was slightly stunned. He obviously didn't expect this scene, but then he reacted immediately. He gave Haggans a thumbs-up and said with a big smile, "Thank you for your hard work." Then, Lu Ke turned to his offensive teammates. "What do you say, did you hear that? We have a heavy responsibility on our shoulders now!"
The offensive players all clenched their fists, cheered loudly, and swarmed onto the field.
The 10-yard line still meant one down to score a touchdown.
The San Francisco 49ers suddenly changed their formation, setting up a multi-route offense. Only Vernon was left on the left side, and Moss moved to the right, lining up with Ginn and Logan.
This also forced the New York Giants' defense to make changes. In addition to the four defensive linemen, the three linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties all started to drop back, forming a three-tiered defensive formation that completely covered the entire red zone. The left, middle, and right areas were all covered, and no one entered the end zone. They were all stacked up in the red zone, which made the 10-yard space in front of them incredibly crowded and dense.
"Hut!"
Before the official snap count, Lu Ke had a series of complex fake snap counts, trying to create more opportunities for the offense. But today, the New York Giants' defense seemed determined not to make a move prematurely. They had clearly made corresponding tactical changes, and so far, they had been quite successful.
In the end, Lu Ke still announced the snap.
On the right side, Logan unexpectedly didn't run. Instead, he lined up with the offensive line, blocking the defensive line's forward pressure. On the contrary, Marcus went around Logan, quickly advanced from the outside, and formed three tiers with Moss and Ginn.
Ginn was the fastest and instantly advanced into the end zone.
Moss was second, moving back and forth around the 5-yard line.
Marcus was last, having just crossed the line of scrimmage.
Lu Ke raised his right hand and immediately made a passing motion. The entire throwing angle looked like a middle pass, aimed at Ginn, but this was a fake, deceiving the center of gravity of two defensive players. Then, without any pause, he simply pressed down with his wrist, quickly threw the ball, and passed it to Moss.
Ginn was in a three-man encirclement, while Moss was in a one-on-one situation, and Marcus's run hadn't fully opened up yet.
So, Lu Ke chose Moss.
To avoid an interception, Lu Ke's pass arc was slightly low. Moss had to lower his center of gravity to complete the catch, but just as he gained control of the football, a huge tackling force came from behind, directly pinning him to the ground, with no chance of a continued advance. The opponent even tackled Moss and turned him around, further compressing their passing yards.
Second down and five yards, still second down for the touchdown.
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