Chapter 1052: An Unexpected Surprise
Earl Thomas was only about one second slower than Kam Chancellor. Although Thomas's initial position was closer to the other side, he was only about six or seven yards farther away in a straight line. After a full acceleration, he caught up in an instant.
As Crabtree was juggling the ball and adjusting his footwork, Thomas had already quickly gone around Chancellor and Brandon Browner's positions, fiercely charging toward Crabtree. The powerful momentum, like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, was palpable from three yards away.
Crabtree didn't panic. He continued to adjust his balance with small steps, making no unnecessary movements. He began to move quickly sideways to his left. Although he couldn't increase his speed, he managed to get his rhythm out of sync with Thomas's. After just two small steps of adjustment, Thomas had already arrived.
Then, he started to retreat.
Not advancing, but retreating.
Thomas had made a pre-judgment, preparing for a flying tackle to take Crabtree down directly. But now Crabtree was retreating, and his position and space had to be readjusted. Thomas, without hesitation, changed his tactical intent from a tackle to a push, planning to shove Crabtree out of bounds.
So, Thomas changed his hand gesture, but his overall momentum didn't slow down. He just adjusted his footwork.
Crabtree had no intention of giving up. He retreated and adjusted at the same time, first moving sideways and then backward. With these two small actions, the initial panic he felt while landing had been overcome. Then, all the muscles in his body tensed up, ready to strike!
In the blink of an eye, Thomas had already collided with him. At the last minute, Crabtree's foot took a small step diagonally to the front left, proactively meeting Thomas's impact.
Crabtree's right shoulder hit Thomas's left shoulder. After their bodies were dislodged, the powerful force caused both of them to lose their balance and spin rapidly like a revolving door.
The result was that Thomas was flung to the outside, and Crabtree was flung to the inside. Both of them had severely lost their balance and were waving their hands frantically, trying to control their bodies.
Thomas had too little space. He fell onto the 49ers' sideline, with no room to regain control. Crabtree, on the other hand, had half the field to work with. He stumbled forward for six or seven yards before he finally managed to control his body.
But before one wave settled, another rose.
Malcolm Smith's feet were already getting closer. Richard Sherman, who was working hard to get back, and Chancellor, who had just gotten back up, also appeared in his line of sight, continuing their pursuit.
Crabtree knew he didn't have time to adjust because speed was not his strong suit. There was no time for further footwork adjustments. He simply started to sprint toward the end zone. The nearly 70 yards of field space in front of him was completely open. He couldn't see any defensive players.
"Michael Crabtree!"
"Lu Ke has once again thrown the ball to the brilliant Crabtree. Under the double-team of two defenders, Crabtree completed the catch almost like pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth! This catch was truly beautiful. You can see the dominant performance from Crabtree in his prime!"
"Earl Thomas's backup defense couldn't push Crabtree out of bounds. Instead, it allowed Crabtree to use the force to get back onto the field!"
"Smith! The number 56 outside linebacker, Malcolm Smith, is returning. Crabtree doesn't have time to adjust his footwork. He's forcibly starting a second sprint. The entire field is open! All the defenders are behind him. Now it's all up to Crabtree's acceleration!"
"Crabtree is still accelerating! The 40-yard line! The 50-yard line! My God, Crabtree is showing an unprecedented sprinting speed. He's having a complete breakout!"
"Smith's sprinting speed has clearly slowed down, but Sherman is passing him. Sherman's speed advantage is showing again. He's slowly passing him. Crabtree's advantage is being eroded little by little! They're now on the 45-yard line. Can Sherman catch up?"
"The 45-yard line! The 40-yard line! The 35-yard line! This is truly thrilling! Crabtree is sprinting forward as the lone man, and all the defenders on the field are chasing him. The scene is truly spectacular! It's hard to believe this is a scene from a football game!"
"Danger! Crabtree's speed can't increase anymore. He seems to have reached his limit! But Sherman is still speeding up. Their chase is simply too exciting! This is a 100-meter dash! Sherman is passing him! My God, can Crabtree hold on to his lead?"
"The 30-yard line! They are 30 yards away from the end zone!"
"Crabtree has noticed that his advantage is being eaten away. Now Sherman is only about five yards away from him. Wait, it's four yards! Crabtree is quickly looking back, but there's nothing he can do. The situation now is all about speed and physical endurance."
"My God! My God! Oh, my God!"
"Crabtree passed it back!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. Crabtree threw the ball backward! What in the world is happening here?! What are we witnessing?! This is an unexpected pass! An absolutely unexpected pass! As Crabtree was sprinting forward, he saw that his advantage was about to be completely erased, so he chose to pass the ball!"
"My God!"
Crabtree knew that his speed advantage wasn't enough, because the starting position of this drive was too far back. He had barely escaped the red zone, and Lu Ke's tactical play was only meant to be a medium pass to get a first down. The tactical layout and pass selection were not too greedy. When Crabtree completed the catch, he was only around the 30-yard line.
After that, everything was a surprise.
Even Crabtree himself didn't expect that in a flash, he would have broken out of the chaos, but he was still 70 yards away from the end zone. With his speed and ability, he could get tackled before reaching the end zone. This was not the offensive advancing style he was good at. If it were Ginn or Logan, they might have gone straight into the end zone.
Of course, even so, this was still an amazing advancement, a first down that far exceeded expectations. The 49ers' offense could follow his lead and get into the deep area of the opponent's side of the field in one go, setting the stage for the next touchdown drive. So there was no need for him to be too greedy or to be unwilling to give up.
Crabtree was already prepared to be tackled. All his attention now was on controlling the football. He absolutely could not drop the ball due to a tackle from a defender. This was his top priority.
So, Crabtree turned his head and made a simple judgment of the defenders' positions. Then he saw Sherman's ferocious expression, getting closer and closer. He didn't even need to get close to the end zone or the red zone. He might get tackled around the 20-yard line.
Crabtree's muscles tensed up again. He was ready for a tackle, and he was thinking about how to maneuver and change his route to make Sherman miss and gain a few more yards. But at this moment, his peripheral vision caught a red figure behind Sherman.
Ted Ginn Jr.
A crazy idea flashed through Crabtree's mind. He wanted to pass the ball to Ginn. This way, Ginn could continue to advance.
Even he himself couldn't believe how crazy this idea was. It was beyond his control. But the idea, like a loaf of bread with baking soda, quickly expanded, and he couldn't stop it. There was no time for hesitation. In a flash, Crabtree decided to do it.
Few people know that in high school, Crabtree was a quarterback and a very good one. In the five-star rating for high school players, he earned four stars. Because of this, he also received scholarship offers from eight universities, including football powerhouses like Oklahoma University and Texas A&M University.
Later, after entering college, Crabtree changed from a quarterback to a wide receiver.
He turned around, adjusted his feet slightly, and, with his body sideways, threw the football in a small arc over Sherman's head, finding Ginn seven yards away.
His decisive motion was completely without hesitation, as if it was a planned move.
But Ginn was completely dumbfounded.
Ginn, who was originally lingering in the short-pass area, started to move out because of Crabtree's sprint, providing a screen for his teammate. He had been trying to disrupt Sherman's feet, but in the end, he still let Sherman pass him. But Ginn still didn't give up. He relentlessly followed Sherman, looking for an opportunity to help Crabtree.
Then, Ginn saw Crabtree turn around.
Ginn didn't understand what Crabtree meant. He thought Crabtree was looking for a screen, so he slightly sped up, trying to use his body to hit Sherman and disrupt Sherman's pursuit, giving Crabtree more space to advance.
But then Ginn saw Crabtree throw the ball. He actually just threw the ball... threw the ball...
Ginn had no idea what happened. His receiver instincts just took over. He subconsciously made a catching motion, and the football was under his control. The next second, he saw the stopped Crabtree being fiercely tackled to the ground by Sherman.
What just happened?
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