Chapter 929: Taking It Too Lightly
"Missed tackle!"
"That's a rookie mistake. The 49ers' outside linebacker, Aldon Smith, missed such a simple tackle. He didn't even hold his position. The Saints' wide receiver, Lance Moore, had already lost his position, but because of Aldon Smith's missed tackle, he was able to gain yards again."
"Fortunately, Moore wasn't able to keep going. The 49ers' cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety Dashon Goldson came in for the tackle in time and successfully brought Moore down. Now, Moore's final position is a little ambiguous, and it's not clear if it's enough for a first down. The referee needs to measure it."
"Whoa! Whoa! That's a serious personal foul! Smith is pushing Moore. It looks like Smith has lost his cool. Moore isn't backing down either. They're starting to fight, and other players are trying to break it up, but the field is a little chaotic."
"Yellow flag!"
"The referee has thrown a yellow flag! Aldon Smith is being penalized, and the San Francisco 49ers are losing five yards. That means the New Orleans Saints get an automatic first down! Drew Brees escaped and got the first down on this third-and-five play. You can already feel the tension in the first drive of the game. It's living up to the hype."
The regular season Week 11 game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints officially began. The Louisiana Superdome, which was officially named the Mercedes-Benz Superdome last November, welcomed the visiting team with boos and noise from 73,000 fans.
The New Orleans Saints started with the ball.
In their first drive, the home team's Drew Brees was a little shaky, as if he hadn't gotten into the game yet, and his arm seemed a little cold.
Last season's outstanding running back, Darren Sproles, had to miss three games due to a wrist injury, which gave last year's 11th overall draft pick, running back Mark Ingram Jr., a chance to be the starter.
But against the team with the best run defense in the league, Ingram seemed a little lost. He hadn't been able to get many yards on his two runs so far, one for three yards and the other being stopped at the line of scrimmage.
This forced Brees to choose to pass, relying on himself to move the team forward. They had already been in a third-down situation three times in a row, and each time it was more dangerous than the last. In this last third-down conversion, if Aldon hadn't lost his temper at the last minute and caused a penalty, the Saints' offense would have been off the field.
But this was the game.
Unexpected things always happen. "People" are always an uncontrollable variable, and impulsiveness and penalties are an inseparable part of the game.
The game continued!
"Blitz!"
"The San Francisco 49ers' defense suddenly increased the pressure. Six defensive players are rushing at the same time, executing a blitz on the quarterback! The pocket is broken! Justin Smith and Aldon Smith have broken through, and they're trying to sack Drew Brees!"
"Dangerous!"
"Brees quickly steps back. Ingram sacrifices himself and pushes Aldon Smith away, but the 94, Justin Smith, is still in pursuit. Brees is in danger! My God, Brees stumbles, but he unexpectedly breaks free from the tackle. Justin Smith misses, and Brees escapes!"
"Brees raises his hand! Brees throws the ball! Brees lets it go! The target is..."
In the midst of the chaos, the commentators in the studio, just like the audience, followed the trajectory of the football and saw a streaking figure.
Jimmy Graham!
Last season, Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski burst onto the scene and changed the tight end landscape of the entire league. Although both players were tight ends with better receiving skills than blocking skills, their styles were different. Gronkowski was like a heavy sword, a deadly weapon in the red zone, while Graham was light and agile, excelling at finding open space and continuing to move forward.
Just now, Graham used a clever lateral move to get past the 49ers' outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks. He created an open space with his own abilities and was already running toward the sideline before Brooks could get back.
The 49ers' cornerback Chris Culliver instantly smelled danger. He abandoned the wide receiver he was covering, Devery Henderson, and rushed toward Graham. If Brees had chosen to pass the ball to Henderson at that moment, Culliver would have been out of position.
But Brees was in a state of chaos. Standing on the edge of the cliff, he didn't see the open Henderson and immediately threw the ball in the direction of Graham's run.
Graham's peripheral vision immediately caught sight of Culliver's steps. He quickly looked back, caught the trajectory of the ball, and immediately sped up. He intentionally made a small arc in the opposite direction of Culliver to mess up his spatial prediction and then circled back. His second burst of speed was at its maximum.
In just three big steps, Graham showcased his talent and advantage. Culliver completely lost his position and was left behind.
"Graham! Graham uses his ability to change direction and his speed advantage to get past two defensive players, Brooks and Culliver! Brooks and Culliver weren't able to hold their positions, and Graham successfully found an open space, and now he has a receiving window!"
"That's a... 22-yard pass! Wow, in a chaotic situation, Brees' pass arc and strength control are still the best in the league. Even when faced with the risk of a sack, Brees still controlled the parabola of the football and found the open space in the middle."
"Graham adjusts his steps and catches it! Graham successfully catches the football! Perfect! A perfect connection!"
"The 49ers' safety, Donte Whitner, is trying to come in for the tackle! Graham is adjusting his steps!"
"Whitner! Graham!"
"Graham uses his shoulder to push Whitner away! Whitner loses his balance, and he's trying to make a tackle, but Graham suddenly changes his speed and gets past Whitner with a high-knee motion! Whitner loses his balance! Amazing! Truly amazing! Graham once again shows everyone his talent and ability!"
"Graham! Graham is sprinting to the end zone! The end zone is right in front of him! Touchdown! The New Orleans Saints scored a touchdown in a difficult situation!"
The New Orleans Saints' offense was a mess, barely making it past the midfield. They were facing a first-and-ten, and they were facing another blitz. Brees was in a desperate situation, but he still showed the ability of an elite quarterback, completing an amazing pass to Graham. It was a 22-yard long pass that went through the defense and straight to the end zone, and he scored a touchdown in one go.
Just as people expected, you should never underestimate this team. Any bit of carelessness could lead to a loss, even when their head coach, Sean Payton, was suspended.
Brees was still the soul of the entire team!
In the first round of offense and defense, the San Francisco 49ers' defense was still not at its best. Not only were there missed tackles, but their positioning wasn't accurate enough. For top players like Brees and Graham, a little gap was all they needed.
"7-0." The home team Saints took the lead.
After that, it was the 49ers' offense's time to shine!
"...Should we call this a surprise or the norm? Crabtree. It was Michael Crabtree who successfully caught Lu Ke's pass. It was a nine-yard pass behind his shoulder. Crabtree successfully blocked the third-year cornerback Patrick Robinson and made the catch!"
"The behind-the-shoulder pass is Lu Ke and Crabtree's most mature and stable passing route. As long as Crabtree can hold his position, it's a nearly 100% successful route. In the past few weeks, Crabtree's performance has been inconsistent, and this route hasn't been used. Now he finally caught it!"
"This is definitely good news for the San Francisco 49ers' offense! Especially since Logan Newman is forced to miss this game due to a concussion, Lu Ke needs Crabtree to step up. We hope this isn't just a one-time flash of brilliance but a sign that Crabtree is getting back to form."
Against the thunderous boos and shouts from the away crowd, the San Francisco 49ers' offense once again showed their resilience and determination this season. In the first drive, Lu Ke and Crabtree's connection caught the Saints' defense off guard. It was clear that Robinson's focus was a little off, which gave Crabtree more space to catch the ball.
Everyone could see that Crabtree wasn't in his best form, but people overlooked one thing: In the past few weeks, why were the 49ers still winning? And why were they able to win by a large margin so many times?
Was it just because of one player, Lu Ke? Yes, and no.
More accurately, it was because of Lu Ke's ability to plan the tactics and seize opportunities. When the wide receivers' performance was inconsistent, he would use blocks and fake moves to create more open space and better opportunities, lowering the difficulty of the catch to ensure that the target could successfully catch the ball.
In other words, even if Crabtree wasn't at his best, any bit of carelessness could still lead to a mistake.
This was the power of a top-tier quarterback!
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