Chapter 334 332: Adding Fuel to the Fire

"Third and eight. Lu Ke is in the Shotgun Formation, ready to pass. Hike! Lu Ke takes a quick drop back, looking for a target; but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Defense Line explodes with unimaginable power, instantly tearing through the San Francisco 49ers' pocket. In less than two seconds, before Lu Ke can even finish setting his feet on his drop back, he's in trouble!"

Troy's voice was already hoarse. Today's game hadn't been a back-and-forth thriller—more like a smooth, one-sided slaughter—but his passionate excitement hadn't died down for a second. He was the San Francisco 49ers' color commentator, not a neutral observer, so he was free to show his full support.

"Trouble! This is bad! Lu Ke is surrounded, nowhere to run! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Defense Line gets their first sack on the quarterback today! Wait, what is this, what is this?! He escaped! Lu Ke actually escaped! He's scrambling, my God, Lu Ke is scrambling! What in the world is happening?"

Even Troy was dumbfounded. The words just tumbled out of his mouth mechanically; his brain had completely shut down. He couldn't believe his eyes. "My God, how did that even happen? In the middle of what should have been a sack, Lu Ke somehow broke free from the tackles and started running with the ball?"

The entire Candlestick Park erupted. Uncontrolled screams of "AHHHHHH!" filled the air. One second, they thought their team's drive had ended in a sack, forcing a punt; the next, they saw their quarterback—their *pocket* quarterback—escape a surefire gang tackle, fight his way out of the chaos, and start running.

"AHH!"

All reason had abandoned the fans. They roared like madmen, jumping, cheering, and screaming as if their collective energy could give Lu Ke a boost, as if they could strap rockets to his long legs and propel the offense forward.

In that moment, the eruption of cheers was even louder and more explosive than a Fourth of July fireworks show.

"Lu Ke is running, Lu Ke is running! The forty-five, the fifty! My God, he's still going! His running form is incredibly stiff, but unbelievably, he's still on his feet! Across into their territory, the forty-five, the forty… The Buccaneers' defenders finally snapped out of it and closed in.

Haha, with defenders closing in, Lu Ke awkwardly tumbles to the ground, protecting the football and avoiding the tackle. The move was so endearingly clumsy, like a cute panda.

This just proves it again—he's a pocket quarterback. But just now, this clumsy pocket quarterback completed a twenty-one-yard run! Jesus Christ, that was even more incredible than his run against the Dallas Cowboys back in week two of the regular season!"

Even watching the replay, Troy still couldn't believe his eyes. In fact, none of the commentators could. Even the San Francisco 49ers' own offensive players were dumbfounded, completely stunned.

...

Catching the defenders out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ke knew just how brutal a hit from the secondary could be. So, before they could surround him, he purposefully went to the ground. He avoided the collision and the tackle, eliminated the risk of a fumble, and most importantly, prevented a potential injury by actively ending the run. But even after he was down, his wildly pounding heart refused to calm down—

'After all, this wasn't my usual style of play. It felt far too strange.'

Even Lu Ke himself hadn't expected to escape from that crush of players. Stranger still, because the defensive line's rush was so fast and furious, a huge gap opened up between them and the secondary. The San Francisco 49ers' receivers had all run deep routes, clearing out the middle of the field and leaving a wide-open vacuum.

Stumbling and staggering, Lu Ke took off running.

He'd originally wanted to throw the ball, but he couldn't get his feet set. Inertia carried him past the line of scrimmage, which meant a forward pass was no longer legal. On top of that, a strange running objective had appeared in his game mission for today, and this seemed like the perfect chance to complete it. Figuring he might as well see it through, Lu Ke just took off in a simple, straight sprint.

'It didn't matter that my steps were clumsy or my speed was slow; the field in front of me was wide open. I would take whatever yards I could get.' As soon as he sensed the defenders closing in, Lu Ke chose to go down on his own.

But… Lu Ke's sliding technique as a running quarterback was seriously lacking.

In practice, quarterbacks are taught how to slide after a run to avoid injury. It's similar to sliding into a base in baseball: you go down feet-first to signal the end of the play, protecting the football and yourself from a big hit.

A proper slide can look incredibly graceful, but it's not easy to execute, especially during a game. Mastering the timing, angle, and technique is extremely difficult. Lu Ke's attempt just now had been an awkward mess. It wasn't a slide at all; it was more like a panda somersaulting.

Lying on the ground, the only thought in Lu Ke's mind was, 'Why on earth did I decide to run the ball?'

But this was no time for embarrassment. Lu Ke immediately got to his feet, looked toward the coaching staff, and signaled for a timeout. They had to manage the clock. The run had been a play of necessity, and it had bled the clock. Now, the offense needed to regroup and set up a new play, so they had to burn a timeout.

Of course, Jim Hubble didn't need the reminder. He had already signaled for a timeout to the referee before Lu Ke was even on his feet.

"God! God! God!" All the San Francisco 49ers offensive players swarmed over, crowding around Lu Ke. "You're a madman! You're a fucking madman!"

Nearly everyone was exclaiming in amazement, roaring, but their shouts were completely drowned out by the frenzied bellow of Candlestick Park. Instead, each player just banged their helmet against Lu Ke's in a mix of celebration and sheer shock.

Michael Bennett was still near the line of scrimmage. He had plopped down on the grass and hadn't gotten up, his hands resting on his knees as he panted heavily. His eyes were glued to the San Francisco 49ers offense celebrating wildly in the distance, his head full of unanswerable questions. In the end, all he could do was stew. The stifling frustration had no outlet, and it finally curdled into pure, unadulterated anger.

Scrambling angrily to his feet, Bennett looked over at his teammates, a bellyful of rage wanting to burst out, but he didn't know what to say. He could only curse and yell, "Get with it! All of you, fucking get with it, or their offense is gonna start again!" He turned away and threw a hard punch at the empty air, then let out a string of curses, swearing under his breath all the way to his side of the field.

But it was no use. The repressed anger and frustration made him feel like he was about to explode.

...

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!" Kirk let out his classic catchphrase, staring dumbfounded at Teddy with a questioning look. But Teddy was just as lost. "What just happened on that field? What did we just witness? Jesus Christ! Oh, Jesus Christ! Unbelievable, that was just too unbelievable!"

The broadcast director immediately started the replay, but even after seeing it once, even after seeing it ten times, the astonishment didn't fade. It wasn't just that Lu Ke had rushed for twenty-one yards; it was that he'd escaped what should have been a guaranteed sack for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their Defense Team had him dead to rights, yet somehow he got away. It was so unbelievable that not even a Hollywood script would dare to be this bold.

And yet, it was happening in real life.

Even though the week's regular season games weren't over yet, you could be almost certain that this play would find its way onto the list of nominees for Play of the Week—

Looking back, the San Francisco 49ers had already delivered one jaw-dropping play after another in this game. In contrast, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were repeatedly being made into a background highlight reel, and that didn't look like it was going to change anytime soon.

"Heh, heheh." Seeing Lu Ke's clumsy run and even clumsier slide, the whole sequence had an endearingly awkward charm to it. There was no killer instinct, no violence; he ran like a lost Bambi, and it was impossible not to chuckle. In the end, even Kirk couldn't hold back a laugh.

The sight was a reminder to every commentator that Lu Ke was still, at heart, a traditional pocket quarterback. This run would surely be a memorable highlight in his future career. "I don't know how else to put it, but when Lu Ke is in this kind of form, he's giving the Buccaneers' defense absolutely no chance."

And it was true. Now at the opponents' forty-yard line, the San Francisco 49ers kicked into a relentless up-tempo offense. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense, fueled by anger and impatience, started losing focus and couldn't keep up with the pace.

"Hike! The San Francisco 49ers' Offense Line provides solid pocket protection. Lu Ke quickly drops back and throws, finding Logan Newman, who's just come back onto the field. Newman runs a six-yard out route toward the sideline, makes the quick catch, and keeps pushing forward before being forced out of bounds."

"Simple and efficient. The ball was out in just 1.77 seconds. The pass was complete before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Defense Line even had time to react. Thanks to Newman's excellent Route Running, he created separation and successfully got the first down! And by going out of bounds, he also stopped the clock."

"Another quick snap! The San Francisco 49ers' offense is kicking into high gear, looking like they have no intention of giving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers any breathing room."

And they weren't giving Troy any breathing room, either.