"For the San Francisco 49ers, the situation is getting more and more dire. As the second half begins, the offense must step up. Otherwise, against a Michael Vick who has found his rhythm, it won't be easy to tie or take the lead. Now that we're in Week 4 of the regular season, the intensity of the games is increasing. The real test for this young San Francisco 49ers team is just beginning."
In the NFL regular season, it might seem unbelievable, but it's true that countless teams start with a three-game winning streak and then lose more than they win in the end. Maybe it's just one mistake, and then everything falls apart.
After the Philadelphia Eagles' offense came to life, not only Kirk and Teddy but other commentators also began to feel hopeful again. For neutral commentators, a more exciting game is always better, otherwise, they'll just fall asleep.
"The San Francisco 49ers are in a pistol formation. Lu Ke is in the pocket, and the running back is Anthony Dixon. Considering that Dixon doesn't have the receiving skills of Lynch, can we assume this is a genuine pistol formation, and not a shotgun formation disguised as a pistol? In the first three games, number fourteen's fake pistol formation gained a lot of yards."
Kirk's voice seemed to be influenced by the excitement, becoming a little more lively, and he also had high hopes for the San Francisco 49ers' first drive of the second half.
"The snap! Number fourteen drops back. Wait, there's a missed block on the right side of the offensive line. The Eagles' number ninety-three is breaking through from the inside, the pocket is collapsing, the pocket is collapsing! My God, there's also a mismatch on the left side of the offensive line. The Eagles' number ninety-seven is turning and getting past the block in a flash, rushing toward the 49ers' quarterback!"
As he spoke, Kirk's voice became tense.
In the next moment, Kirk wanted to close his eyes. Even though he had seen countless intense moments on the field, his heart was pounding, and he could barely breathe. Commentating had almost become an instinct.
"Number ninety-seven, Jenkins, who was instrumental in the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl victory this year, makes a powerful, clean, and aggressive tackle. Not only that, number ninety-three, Babin, also a Pro Bowl-level player, rushes from another angle, forcing the 49ers' quarterback into Jenkins' tackle, and then lunges forward, making the tackle together!"
"Bang!"
The sound of the helmets colliding was incredibly loud and sharp, like a ripe watermelon being smashed. It echoed through the silent stadium, startling everyone. Even the Eagles fans held their breath, their cheers abruptly cut off.
"Jesus Christ!" Kirk couldn't help but yell, clenching his fists. He couldn't bear to watch. "That was so vicious, that tackle was so brutal. My God, that's terrible!" There was no gore, but it was so cruel that it made people's hearts race, as if a life was being snuffed out on the field right before their eyes.
Kirk should have said, "Let's look at the slow-motion replay," but he couldn't get the words out and just froze.
Teddy turned to his partner. He knew that Kirk was a commentator who had witnessed Lu Ke's entire journey, so his feelings were different. So, he took over. "Let's take another look at the slow-motion replay." Although it was brutal, they had to figure out exactly what happened.
"After the snap, the two players on the right side of the 49ers' offensive line held their positions, but the gap between them and the center wasn't well-controlled. Babin found the gap, creating an opening and surprisingly breaking through from the inside. He rushed toward Lu Ke almost immediately, not leaving Lu Ke much time or space."
The screen froze on the moment when Babin was an arm's length away from Lu Ke. Then, Teddy used his pen to circle Jenkins on the left side. "On the other side, Jenkins leaned his entire body against the 49ers' number sixty-two, Chilo Rachal. Using him as a pivot, with a turn and a step, he instantly broke through, creating a two-sided trap with his opponent."
"For Lu Ke, his blind side was completely gone. His first instinct was to avoid Babin and protect the football, but that was exactly what Jenkins wanted. Jenkins was almost handed the tackle and made it effortlessly. At the same time, after Babin came crashing in, both of their helmets slammed into Lu Ke's helmet..."
As he spoke, Teddy also frowned. The TV screen replayed the moment of the collision, and the sharp "bang" was shocking, especially in slow motion. It was a truly brutal sight that made people wince.
For any football fan, this was something no one wanted to see.
Although technology has advanced and rules have improved, and the league has been trying to protect players more, no one will ever forget that in the early days of football, people actually died on the field. This is, without a doubt, one of the most violent sports.
But in order to create a buzz and show what happened, the director at Fox Sports was replaying the same scene over and over again, which was extremely cruel.
"My God, that collision was really terrible," Teddy couldn't help but gasp.
Standing in the stands, Leigh Steinberg suddenly stood up, his hands clutching his cane tightly. His heart almost stopped, and the first faces that came to his mind were Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning's. That kind and friendly couple, with endless warmth in their faces and eyes. He couldn't imagine how he would explain to them if something happened to Lu Ke.
Having been in the NFL for over thirty years, Leigh was truly shocked at that moment.
...
"Oh!" Chris Wilson just froze. A gasp escaped his mouth uncontrollably, short and sharp. But that was all. Immediately after, his mind, his muscles, and his breathing all stopped. He stared at the TV screen, his eyes filled with fear and panic. Helpless despair welled up in his heart, and he was on the verge of suffocating.
"Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!" Jeff Locke held his head tightly, having completely lost the ability to speak. He just kept repeating the word over and over, not even realizing he was speaking. His vision suddenly blurred, and before he knew it, his eyes were filled with tears.
Cliff Hart stood up abruptly, and the stool he was sitting on fell to the ground with a thud. The sound created a ripple in the deathly silence. Cliff just stood there shaking his head, denying the reality fiercely. "Oh, God! Oh, God!" He could barely breathe, his mouth wide open, but he couldn't feel any oxygen.
The entire "Joe's Bar" was trapped in a time warp. The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. The sound of people gasping for air became one, and then everyone's breathing stopped at the same time. Even the air froze.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Jonathan Baldwin was cursing frantically in his mind, but he couldn't make a sound. He was just frustrated, hateful, and regretful. If number fourteen got injured like this, what would happen? Did that mean the San Francisco 49ers' hopes for the season were just snuffed out?
Hope?
At that moment, Jonathan realized it for the first time: number fourteen, that undrafted rookie, was the team's hope. "God, what have I done? Damn it, I should say, why didn't I do anything?" Jonathan sat there stunned, motionless, his pupils slowly dilating, completely lost in a daze.
...
"Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Lu Ke is getting up! Oh, my God, oh, my God!" Kirk shouted in a daze, his voice distorted.
A moment ago, they were still in shock. The collision was too brutal, too vicious. Everyone knew that Lu Ke's weight was on the lighter side and his ability to take a hit was weak. Against such an impact, even Cam Newton wouldn't have had an easy time. An injury was almost a certainty, and what was even more frightening was how serious the injury was.
A moment later, their eyes were about to pop out in shock. Because Lu Ke was standing up. He wasn't lying on the ground, he wasn't injured, and he wasn't raising his hand to call for the team doctor. He seemed to be okay. He just stood up as if nothing had happened, like a miracle.
"Lu Ke is okay! Thank God." Kirk could finally breathe again. "Wait, does the team doctor need to come on? No, Lu Ke is refusing the request for the team doctor to come on. He patted his helmet, signaling that he was fine. My God, it seems the high-tech helmet worked. Although the sound was terrible, Lu Ke is okay. He's okay."
After saying all of that, Kirk didn't even realize that his eyes were welling up. The surging emotions were too intense and overwhelming, and he was too shocked to react.
Turning his head, Kirk saw Teddy let out a long sigh of relief. Involuntarily, both of them smiled. Teddy also said with a sigh, "Jesus Christ, that was so close! I really want to curse right now, but... because it's a live broadcast, I have to control myself. My God, I almost couldn't breathe!"
The entire stadium was buzzing as if everyone was in a state of shock and couldn't react.
Lu Ke stood up and saw Jenkins and Babin next to him. Both of them were stunned, not knowing what to do. It seemed that apologizing wasn't an option, nor was leaving. It was as if... they had seen a vampire come out of a coffin. Then, Lu Ke smiled at them to show that he was okay.
As a result, both of them turned around and ran away as if they had seen a ghost.
Lu Ke stood there, frowning slightly. "Huh, what's going on? Was my smile not friendly enough? I tried really hard." Lu Ke was completely baffled. The whole scene seemed a little weird.
NOTE:
New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!