"Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Screams and yells surged like a tidal wave, echoing and reverberating throughout the stadium. The relentless waves of sound, like a roaring tornado with claws and fangs, were everywhere, intense and overpowering. The heavy drumming and buzzing noise resonated repeatedly in the eardrums, making his brain ache.
"...Seven... run... cross..." Lu Ke used power from deep in his diaphragm to call out the play, but when he looked up at his offensive teammates, they still wore blank expressions. Their confused eyes, visible through their helmets, caused Lu Ke to shake his head helplessly.
He yelled out again, repeating the play. This time, he didn't rely only on his voice but also paired it with hand signals. After a lot of gesturing and shouting, he finally relayed the play. He then glanced around, "Any questions?"
After receiving nods of affirmation, Lu Ke stretched out his right hand, and his teammates stacked their palms atop his. Led by Lu Ke, they shouted, "49ers!" Then, they returned to the line of scrimmage, ready to start the drive.
This was Lu Ke's second road game, but the atmosphere and sonic assault made it feel like the first true away experience. From the atmosphere to the noise, from support to disruption, the Philadelphia Eagles fans were truly exhibiting home-field advantage. For a complete novice on the road, Lu Ke was still struggling to adapt.
Six minutes and thirty-three seconds had passed in the first quarter of today's game.
After the coin toss, the San Francisco 49ers got the ball first, and Lu Ke led the team out.
Before every play, when Lu Ke called out the strategy, the local fans unleashed an unimaginable torrent of noise. Forget communicating with teammates; even the sound delivered directly through his helmet earpiece was barely sufficient. Lu Ke had been forced to run to the sidelines during a break in the offense to tell Jim Harbaugh to turn up the earpiece volume.
In contrast, when the Eagles' offense took the field, all the fans spontaneously quieted down, ensuring Michael Vick could clearly and accurately relay the play to his teammates. Only between drives and downs would the fans cheer wildly to encourage the home team.
Even though this wasn't Lu Ke's first road game, the game rhythm was slightly off right from the start. The exaggerated, uncontrolled noise severely impacted play-calling, which was a genuine challenge for the offense.
Amidst the turbulent waves, Lu Ke felt like he was piloting a small skiff, constantly on the verge of capsizing. To make matters worse, there were other passengers on the skiff. Everyone was huddled together, trying to suppress the swell, but so far, their efforts were minimal. The relentless pitching and tossing were making his stomach churn.
Unsurprisingly, the offense's efficiency suffered.
This was the third time Lu Ke had led the offense onto the field.
The first drive resulted in only one first down before they were stopped at their own 34-yard line, ending in a three-and-out. The second drive gained three first downs and crossed midfield to the opposing 43-yard line, but unfortunately, they couldn't advance further, leading to another three-and-out.
Luckily, the Philadelphia Eagles' offense also hadn't found its rhythm. They had taken the field twice but hadn't managed to cross midfield, resulting in two three-and-outs.
The first quarter was nearing its halfway point, and the score remained —no one had managed to break the deadlock.
Now, the 49ers were trying for the third time to cross midfield and score points. Thanks to a four-yard run by Marcus Lynch and a seven-yard catch by Logan Newman, they picked up their first first down at their own 31-yard line.
On the previous first down, Lu Ke handed the ball to Lynch again, but they only gained two yards. Now, they faced a second-and-eight situation.
After calling the play, Lu Ke lined up in the pistol formation. Instead of snapping the ball immediately, he stood upright, using his height advantage to survey the Eagles' defense. After making up his mind, he turned and beckoned Lynch forward, placing him parallel to his right side.
In a standard pistol formation, the quarterback stands about four yards behind the center, and the running back stands about three yards behind the quarterback. In other words, the running back is about seven yards from the center, with all three aligned vertically.
After the snap, the quarterback can either step into the offensive line, using his body to shield the running back for a run, or complete a quick, short pass using the momentum of his forward movement. Of course, a quarterback like Cam Newton can also fake a handoff and run the ball himself.
But now, Lu Ke had called Lynch up, positioning both of them four yards behind the center. Using a pistol formation to set up a modified shotgun look lacked the necessary run-up distance for a powerful run, reducing the running back's momentum and the play's deception. It was a kind of hybrid formation—
Lu Ke had first proposed this "pseudo-pistol" formation during a tactical meeting after joining the team. The goal wasn't complexity, but to sow confusion.
Once Lynch was set, Lu Ke didn't hesitate. He raised his right foot and immediately called for the snap.
After receiving the ball, Lu Ke quickly shuffled backward, increasing the distance from the offensive line and moving slightly behind Lynch. He and Lynch then moved toward the right side. Simultaneously, the offensive line also shifted to the right. The entire offensive unit moved like a rolling island, surging in one direction.
Lynch shielded Lu Ke. There was no action to suggest a play-action pass or a run-pass option; it was clearly a setup where one player was a blocker and the other a stationary passer. As their feet moved quickly, Lu Ke's peripheral vision caught a gap in the offensive line. Not good!
It seemed a slight communication error occurred between the 49ers' offensive linemen. The Eagles' defensive end, number 97, Cullen Jenkins, keenly spotted the gap. With a quick spin and acceleration, he easily shed the offensive lineman and charged toward Lu Ke like a hungry tiger.
Jenkins was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the rush of air he created was right in Lu Ke's face.
Though the pocket had been breached on one side, Lu Ke's feet remained steady within the pocket. He showed no panic. In that split-second crisis, he actually took his eyes off the approaching Jenkins and focused on finding a passing opportunity. Holding his breath, just before Jenkins lunged, Lu Ke quickly whipped his forearm, completing the pass with decisive precision.
The next second, Jenkins slammed heavily into Lu Ke's shoulder.
However, Jenkins realized Lu Ke had completed the throw and checked his momentum, controlling his body. After a brief collision, he spun aside to avoid a roughing the passer penalty.
The football sailed over the offensive and defensive lines, tracing a small arc as every eye followed it, gracefully heading toward a spot about nine yards to the right—but who was the target?
Kyle Williams!
One of the heroes from the last game, Williams was currently entangled with a defensive player. He dashed forward diagonally, then hit the brakes, spun around, and cut off at a 90-degree angle, hard-planting and shedding the defender. He extended his hands, ready to make the catch.
But it was too high!
The football's arc was too high. Even as Williams leaped high, his fingertips couldn't reach the ball. He could only watch as the football sailed over his head, landing three yards behind him in an empty space with no offensive or defensive players. The ball hit the ground, alone and dejected.
Incomplete pass.
"Oh, what a shame! The San Francisco 49ers' number 10 had separated from his defender, but it seems there was a communication issue between the wide receiver and the quarterback. Williams's route was only about six or seven yards; Lu Ke's throw was about nine or ten yards. That slight miscalculation, that elevated trajectory, resulted in a misfire, and number 10 couldn't haul in the ball."
It was the same commentary duo from Fox Sports, Kirk Herbstreit and Teddy Williams, both expressing regret.
"The first quarter isn't even halfway over, and this is already the offense's second communication error. The first was Michael Crabtree running the entirely wrong direction, resulting in an incomplete pass. Teddy, what do you think is causing this?"
Prompted by Kirk, Teddy joined the discussion. "Clearly, the 49ers are still struggling to adapt to the atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field. It's not just communication issues between the quarterback and his receivers; the offensive line's coordination is also flawed. Let's look at the replay of that last drive."
As the slow-motion replay unfolded, Teddy explained, "Based on the play-call, number 77 Mike Iupati and number 62 Chilo Rachal were supposed to engage in one-on-one blocking, corresponding to the Eagles' number 97 Jenkins and number 76 King Dunlap. But clearly, Iupati and Rachal misunderstood, as both blocked Dunlap, leaving Jenkins unblocked."
"Jenkins spotted the mismatch and broke through, colliding with the quarterback. Although he didn't disrupt the pass or get a sack, Jenkins applied enough pressure to force Lu Ke to throw under duress. This is the second time the Eagles have hit the quarterback since the snap."
"Evidently, the San Francisco 49ers are experiencing some coordination issues today."