Resolute and powerful, Lu Ke's voice echoed through the locker room with a stunning rallying cry that gripped everyone's heart.
"Me!" Logan Newman suddenly stood up, the first to show his support. He raised his right hand high, clenching it into a fist, using all his strength. His veins began to bulge, and his muscles were tensed to the maximum, causing his fist to tremble slightly. His response was like a clap of thunder!
"Me!"
"Me too!"
"Me!"
Marcus Lynch, Aldon Smith, Kendall Hunter—one by one, they all scrambled to raise their right fists, standing up and shouting passionately. Their voices rose and fell.
Then came Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, and Kyle Williams. Then Mike Lupati and Chilo Rachal... The entire offense stood up, including the backup players. Gradually, more and more right fists were raised, and it seemed that in an instant, everyone was on their feet. The straight and tall arms gathered like a forest, supporting the sky above!
Alex Smith looked up, his eyes a little misty, watching his teammates stand up one by one. The hot blood in his body began to boil and rush. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore, and he stood up, raising his right fist high. "Me!"
After the passionate shout escaped his lips, the surging emotions in his chest finally found an outlet, and he jumped up, excited and ecstatic, as if he had only just truly become a part of the team.
Finally, the defense, the special teams, and even the practice squad all raised their right fists. No one was an exception.
In that vast forest of arms, no one noticed Parys Harrelson, Braylon Edwards, or Colin Kaepernick. Of course, even if they had noticed, they wouldn't have cared, because at that moment, all eyes were on Lu Ke, fiery and wild.
In their eyes, Lu Ke clenched his right fist tightly, the veins on his neck bulging. He roared, "We are warriors!"
"We are warriors!" Involuntarily, all the players roared along, like a pack of wild beasts. The combined roar became one, creating a wave of energy like a tornado, sweeping across the locker room with the force of a landslide, thunder, and a tsunami. The momentum was terrifying!
"We are!"
"Warriors!"
"We are!"
"Warriors!"
Lu Ke used all his strength to yell the first half of the chant hoarsely. All the players, with a single voice, used all their strength to connect the second half, again and again. The momentum reached its peak. The entire locker room was filled with a sense of passionate pride. Twisted faces and crazy roars all came together, erupting with an incredible and powerful fighting spirit!
"Warriors! Let's get 'em!" Still roaring, Lu Ke clenched his fists, releasing all the power from deep in his core. "Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!" His shouts were like a wolf's howl, and the whole pack began to respond. Everyone was yelling, everyone was roaring, everyone was clenching their fists, roaring face to face, with passionate collision and sparks flying. The immense vitality and fighting spirit truly began to erupt!
The momentum in the entire locker room was terrifying.
Standing outside the locker room, the battle-like roars penetrated the door and were clearly heard. Even the door itself began to tremble slightly. Jim Harbaugh turned to his coaching staff, spreading his hands as if to say, "See, I told you so."
Jim was the one who didn't want to deal with the tricky locker room situation, so he stood outside, hoping the commotion inside would calm down on its own. Otherwise, if he went in, he would have no choice but to use strong-arm tactics to suppress them—that was Jim's weakness. Who knew that Lu Ke would bravely step forward and unite the entire locker room? Now, Jim was taking credit for it.
Kipp Cleckley, Craig Roman, and the other coaches exchanged glances, and their eyes conveyed the same message:
"Shameless."
Jim pretended not to notice, beckoned with his hand as if to say, "It's our turn to go in," and then opened the locker room door, leading the way in. They had to hurry with the second-half game plan.
"Hello, everyone, and welcome back! You are now watching Fox Sports, broadcasting Week 4 of the NFL regular season, with the San Francisco 49ers on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. In the first half, the home team Eagles, with a fifty-four-yard rushing touchdown, have a temporary 7-0 lead over their opponents. In the second half, the Philadelphia Eagles will start on offense."
The live broadcast returned to Lincoln Financial Field. The two teams returning to the field once again became the center of attention. Subtly, the San Francisco 49ers fans could sense that the players' morale seemed to be different, but this difference was too subtle to catch through a TV screen.
Moreover, the live broadcast couldn't focus on the San Francisco 49ers' players all the time since it was the Philadelphia Eagles' home field. The Eagles' offense, led by Michael Vick, was the first on the field for the second half. So, the camera only flashed by.
"Damn it!" Chris Wilson impatiently pounded the table, not because of the team, but because he was frustrated that he wasn't there. Sitting in the bar, he couldn't even cheer them on.
Turning his head, Chris saw the helpless expression on Cliff Hart's face. His flag could fly in the stadium, but in the bar, it was almost touching the ceiling and couldn't be unfurled, so it was leaning in the corner, feeling very lonely.
"Damn it!" Chris cursed again. Even if he wanted to cheer for the team, there was no way to do it. The feeling of powerlessness was terrible. From the corner of his eye, he saw Noah Parker raise his glass and make a toast, as if he were finding joy in his misery or agreeing with Chris's curse. This made Chris pause for a moment, then he let out a wry laugh.
The second half began. The San Francisco 49ers' offense, with their newfound unity, had to temporarily suppress their excitement and sit on the sidelines, watching their opponents' offense. They hoped their defense could stop the opponents again. Unfortunately, they were disappointed.
After the halftime adjustments and strategy, Michael Vick seemed to have finally woken up. He opened up the game with a series of passes. He was three for four on pass attempts, and he also had one run. His offense was incredibly powerful, bringing back memories of last year, when this quarterback swept through the league in the regular season and even came close to winning the regular season MVP award.
The 49ers' defense, which had also adjusted their rhythm, was once again on the back foot.
They had anticipated Vick's increased speed, but the extent of the speed was a bit more than they expected. However, the defensive players didn't slack off. Instead, they actively and proactively stepped up their game. Gradually, the defensive intensity and rhythm improved significantly, keeping pace with the Eagles' offense.
The pass defense once again showed its power. More importantly, the quarterback blitzes also found their rhythm again. They sacked Michael Vick once, made two fierce stops on LeSean McCoy, and forced three rushed throws, successfully containing the opponent.
As a result, the game became more exciting to watch. With both sides going back and forth, the 49ers frequently put the Eagles in third-down situations. But Vick used a read-option offense, taking full advantage of his rushing ability. In the tough matchup, he was always able to continue leading his team to advance.
The entire drive took four minutes and fifty-three seconds. The Eagles managed to get into the 49ers' red zone, and finally, with a three-yard run from Michael Vick himself, they scored a touchdown. The special teams then kicked in the extra point, and the score was extended to 14-0.
This was a splash of cold water for the San Francisco 49ers.
After nearly five minutes of waiting, the excitement from the halftime locker room slowly began to cool down. The defense's excellent performance still couldn't stop the opponent, and the score was now a two-touchdown difference. This was not good news; it was terrible news.
When the San Francisco 49ers' offense took the field again, in the first down, both the left and right sides of the offensive line missed their blocks. The Philadelphia Eagles' two players, Jason Babin and Cullen Jenkins, one cutting inside and the other coming from the outside, rushed toward Lu Ke. Their speed was so fast that the 49ers' pocket protection seemed to be made of paper. Lu Ke didn't even have time to finish his drop back and felt a fierce collision coming.
It was like a massive wave hitting him, completely cutting off his breath.
There was no chance, no chance at all. Lu Ke didn't even have time to realize it. When he felt the impact from behind, he realized that the pocket was full of holes. He only had time to yell "Iron Skin and Bones" in his mind, and the next second, he was thrown to the ground like a porcelain doll.
Strangely, he didn't feel any pain. But his vision started to churn. It was as if the whole world was turning upside down. The world he saw through his helmet was broken into countless fragments, completely jumbled, and became a tangled mess, like a completed puzzle that had been destroyed.
The powerful impact hit him, and Lu Ke could even feel his helmet shaking against his head and every bone and muscle in his body being crushed by the impact. It felt like... a steamroller had run over him.
The only difference was that Lu Ke felt no pain, which was very strange.
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