Chapter 597: Full of Variations
"Marcus Lynch! It's Marcus Lynch! Oh my God!"
"Lynch is speeding up! Lynch is accelerating! Wow! This drive was just perfect; all the tackles and collisions were completely blocked. Lynch was not bothered at all! After the short-distance acceleration zone was cleared, Lynch's speed was completely up!"
"Why did the offensive line give up protecting the quarterback? Because they needed to protect the running back!"
"The Saints' number 53 linebacker is trying to make a tackle, Lynch! Lynch's stiff-arm! This stiff-arm was just too powerful! The well-prepared Lynch straightened his arm and struck the number 53 on the shoulder, flipping him directly to the ground with a frontal stiff-arm! Clean! There's no foul whatsoever! Beautiful!"
"The Saints' number 91 and 52 are trying to catch up, but they can't! Wait, number 22, number 22 Porter is chasing hard! He's chasing hard, Lynch! Oh God! Lynch makes a strong lateral cut, avoiding Porter's sure tackle. Porter hasn't given up; he's lost his balance, but he's still trying to hold on to Lynch!"
"Foul! A yellow flag is on the field! Porter for a holding foul!"
"Wait, Lynch has broken free! The drive is still going! Lynch! Marcus Lynch successfully broke free from Porter's holding foul! His powerful run is still going on! 35 yards, 45 yards, midfield! Spectacular! This scene is truly spectacular! All the players from both teams are chasing behind Lynch, but Lynch is still leading the way!"
"Roman Harper! The Saints' number 41, Roman Harper, is the last barrier!"
"45 yards, 40 yards! Lynch is observing and facing the confrontation! Harper! Harper! Harper lowers his center of gravity and makes a powerful collision! Oh, this hit was really brutal! Lynch lost his balance. Lynch's footwork has been completely messed up. Jenkins, Malcolm Jenkins finally caught up and made the tackle!"
Boom!
The entire Candlestick Park erupted, and so did the broadcast booth! With an unexpected offensive strategy, a powerful running drive, and a fierce breakthrough, the San Francisco 49ers ignited the passion of the entire stadium with just three offensive plays.
Kirk couldn't help but shout with passion again, "Unexpected! This is absolutely unexpected! The 49ers, who have amazed the entire league with their passing game this season, have completely destroyed the Saints' defensive strategy with two running plays today! Now, after just three plays, they have already reached the opponent's 39-yard line!"
"The first run was 12 yards, and the second was 32 yards. My God, this game has just begun! The San Francisco 49ers' running offense has completely opened up the game! Marcus Lynch, just like Marshawn Lynch, has also turned on 'Beast Mode.' He's practically unstoppable on the field! This is truly unexpected!"
"Hurry! Hurry!"
On the field, amidst a frenzy of screams and shouts, Lu Ke was signaling his teammates to move forward quickly. They needed to keep up the pace. He could clearly feel that the Saints' defense was falling apart, and the communication between the front and secondary lines was not in sync. This was an opportunity for the 49ers.
Clearly, the 49ers' play calls at the start of the game had disrupted the Saints' defensive plan. The adjustments in the heat of the moment had not been made in time, and the Saints' defense was already at a disadvantage. Now, all the 49ers needed to do was to keep up the pace and not give the Saints' defense a chance to breathe. They needed to push forward in one go.
Lu Ke stood in the pocket again and took in the changes in the Saints' defense. There were a full six players on the front line: four defensive linemen and two linebackers. But their positions were not so compact, showing a posture of a strong blitz against the quarterback. However, they didn't completely ignore the receivers on both ends, so it was impossible to accurately determine their defensive intent. It could have been a man-to-man pass defense, a concentrated run defense, or a quarterback blitz.
In the secondary, there was one linebacker, two cornerbacks, and one safety lined up about five yards away, forming different matchups. But their staggered positions clearly indicated a zone defense. Finally, there was one safety who was about ten yards back, watching from a distance.
Lu Ke believed that this was a defensive plan that the Saints had arranged in advance, mainly to counter the 49ers' versatile offense. In a crisis or in the red zone, the defense simply drew three straight lines, forming a tiered defense. But in practice, there were countless possibilities. They could actively blitz the quarterback or make temporary adjustments based on the offensive plays. Did this mean that Lu Ke had forced the Saints' defense to show their hand?
But such a plan was not perfect. There were too many variables, which made it easy to lose focus. If the communication between the three lines of the defense was off, the open spaces would be absolutely deadly. More importantly, in terms of play calling, Lu Ke, who had the offensive power, was the one in control.
After a season of refinement and with his tactical awareness reaching its maximum score, Lu Ke's mind was incredibly clear. Without any hesitation, he immediately began to change the play. According to Harbaugh's plan, this was supposed to be a short pass, but now the situation in the short-pass area was too complex, and he needed to make a change.
With Lu Ke's command, the 49ers' offensive formation changed significantly. On the left, Crabtree stood far to the inside of the sideline, almost hugging the sideline, creating a lot of space between himself and the defenders in the middle. Vernon moved towards the offensive line, standing next to Adam Snyder, as if he had become the sixth offensive lineman.
On the right, Ted Ginn was still on the inside, and Logan Newman was on the outside. But the change was that Marcus, who was originally in the pistol formation, moved his feet and stood behind the two, forming an inverted triangle, aiming for the wide open channel in the center. Finally, Lu Ke moved his feet back and stood in the shotgun formation, taking a full-throttle stance.
This was a traditional "2x2 formation," but it became strange due to the different positions. The Saints' defenders exchanged a look. Should they change their positions or not? But they had no choice, because after Lu Ke confirmed his position, he quickly snapped the ball and started the offense again.
After the snap, Crabtree on the left started to sprint forward, which was rare for him. The accelerating posture didn't look like a short-pass route but a deep-pass route. He quickly moved along the sideline. Although speed was not his strong suit, without any defenders in his way, his acceleration was impressive.
The key was that the 49ers' starting position for this drive was on the 39-yard line, which meant they were only 39 yards away from the end zone. And no one would forget that the most classic combine drill was the 40-yard dash, which every player could complete in just four or five seconds. Crabtree's sprint suddenly became dangerous.
Vernon, who was also on the left, sprinted forward and then cut to the inside, instantly reaching the five-yard gap between the linebackers and the defensive line. He then used his body advantage to push past the linebacker, secured his catching position, and began to advance quickly along the middle of the field with a matchup advantage. Under the double-team of two linebackers, Vernon still had the absolute advantage. His unstoppable run created a receiving space, and then he paused his steps and turned around, ready to make the catch.
At the same time, Logan on the right sprinted forward, and after running 10 yards, he was in the gap between the Saints' second and third lines of defense. He made a 90-degree turn and crossed the entire field, cutting from the right side to the left. He kept running laterally and under control. He could make a catch from almost any position in his horizontal run.
Ginn's route seemed a bit erratic. Overall, he was breaking through quickly in a straight line, but he didn't raise his speed to the maximum. Instead, he was constantly adjusting his footwork and observing the positions of the defenders. His stop-and-go pace was unnoticeable in the chaos. It seemed everyone had forgotten about Ginn's existence.
Surprisingly, Marcus didn't move forward. Instead, he stood in place, turned around, and took two steps back. He guarded Lu Ke's right side and was ready to make a catch. He looked like an extra player, but in an emergency, he would be the most stable, reliable, and safest receiving option.
A full bloom!
The San Francisco 49ers' offensive formation bloomed like a tree full of silver flowers. There were five receivers and five running routes. What was even more terrifying was that all five positions had open spaces and had matchup advantages in different areas. This meant that Lu Ke could choose any target at any time to complete a pass. This was a complete disaster for the Saints' defense!
So, who would Lu Ke's target be?
"Hut!"
Lu Ke quickly took a step back and stood in the shotgun formation. With just two steps back, he had created enough space. Then, he moved laterally to the left, which made the defensive linemen move toward that side. The solid pocket protection was not in danger of a blitz, and the ever-changing routes had completely disrupted the Saints' defensive plan.
He noticed that Vernon had broken free from the defensive line's blockade, and he raised his hand and made a throwing motion toward Crabtree's direction. He could clearly see that the focus of the entire field was shifting further to the left. In the next moment, Lu Ke moved laterally in the opposite direction, toward the right, and quickly approached Marcus's position.
In this back-and-forth movement, Lu Ke had gained enough time and space. He raised his right arm, made a small arc, and when the power reached its peak, he let go of the ball. The football made a small arc, crossed over the offensive and defensive lines, and the second line of defense, and quickly fell toward the deep area.
The target was... Ted Ginn!
What? It was Ted Ginn!
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