Chapter 700: The New Season
After a long process of trial and error, the NFL's preseason preparations had formed a relatively complete system. Before the regular season officially kicked off in the first week of September, each team would methodically prepare at its own pace.
According to the rules, a team had to submit a 53-man roster by the official deadline, which would be the final lineup for the games. However, before the preseason, this roster could hold ninety players and would be gradually reduced as the season preparation progressed until the final regular season lineup was confirmed.
In other words, each team's preseason was a step-by-step process with the final roster as the goal.
At the end of April, after the draft ended, free agents would sign with teams one after another, and then the teams would arrange a voluntary training camp based on their needs.
Generally, voluntary training camps would take place in mid-May or early June and would include physical training, recovery training, and basic tactical training. However, the main task was to help rookie players and newly signed free agents integrate into the team and adapt to the head coach's tactical system.
As the name suggested, this was a voluntary training camp.
Rookie players, undrafted players, and newly signed players would be more proactive in attending the training camp to leave a deep impression on the coaches and secure a spot on the final roster. Or, if a new coach joined a team, this was the best time for them to get to know each other. Even veteran players had to earn the new coach's trust.
But in general, every player, including rookie players, could choose whether or not to attend the voluntary training camp based on their own situation. In addition, a few players who were fighting for a big contract—or even rookie players—would deliberately skip the training camp as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the team, refusing to train until they signed a contract.
The entire voluntary training camp would last for about a month.
Based on the team's specific needs, a small-scale mandatory training camp might be held afterward, specifically for players at certain positions, such as a quarterback training camp or a wide receiver training camp. Depending on the coach's plan and the players' condition, it might be held or skipped.
Then, in early July, the official training camp would open, which meant the offseason was over and the new season had begun.
This was a mandatory training camp. Unless a player was injured, on strike, or in an unforeseen special circumstance, every player had to attend. The coaching staff would begin official tactical drills, and the team would fully enter the new season's rhythm, from offense to defense to special teams.
Almost every team would choose to change their entire playbook during the voluntary training camp, from tactics to signals. Then, they would practice them in the mandatory training camp, which meant that even veteran players had to re-learn the playbook, which had become a regular challenge every year.
All these tactical tests and formations would be put into practice during the four preseason games in August. The coaching staff would then make adjustments and arrangements, finalize the tactics, identify weaknesses, and confirm the roster before welcoming the new season.
In short, after the draft ended in late April, the preparations for the new season had already begun.
But more specifically, the voluntary training camp in June was a clearer starting point. Every player would try to impress the coaching staff with their performance and condition, doing their best to stay on the final 53-man roster.
Because during this period, the coaching staff would make cuts every week or two, little by little, to shorten their roster. It was no exaggeration to say that every week was a matter of life and death. There was no room to breathe, no room to be lazy. A slight oversight could make all of your previous efforts go to waste.
Even players who started in the preseason could be cut.
This was especially true for undrafted rookies.
The time spent at work always felt long, while vacation time always passed quickly. The offseason was like this.
The excitement of the Super Bowl still seemed like it was just last night. After a night of partying and not sleeping, the world had turned over a new leaf when they woke up. The San Francisco 49ers' voluntary training camp had already been underway for two weeks, and the entire team had entered a new season's preparation mode.
Joe Looney raised his chin and looked up at the navy blue sky. The moon and stars were sparse, and the entire world was a hazy gray. He still couldn't see much light or color. This was the quietest moment before dawn. It seemed that even the sound of car engines, wild parties, and chirping insects had completely disappeared. Only the lonely streetlights were bright, supporting a small halo of light that illuminated the road ahead.
Looney retracted his gaze and jogged toward the training field. He couldn't see much in the hazy deep blue. The training field lights hadn't been turned on yet. He could only vaguely make out the outline of the training field through the halos of light from the locker room and the office building.
He got closer and closer, and then Looney saw two of his teammates:
Demarcus Dobbs, wearing jersey number 83, and Jewel Hampton, wearing jersey number 33.
The difference between the two players was that the left one, Dobbs, had his name on his jersey, while the right one, Hampton, only had a number.
Dobbs was a tight end. He was an undrafted rookie last year who passed the San Francisco 49ers' tryout as a free agent. In the end, three undrafted rookies made it onto the 53-man roster, and he was one of them.
Hampton was a running back. He was an undrafted rookie this year. After the draft, he came to the San Francisco 49ers for a tryout and successfully stayed, hoping to secure a spot on the team.
As for Looney.
He was a fourth-round pick this year, 117th overall, and played offensive guard. He wore jersey number 66, and for now, he also only had a number and no name.
Because for the team, rookie players and undrafted players were the same before they made it through the voluntary training camp. It was not certain that they would be able to stay on the team until the end; they were still at risk of being cut. Although first-round picks could have their own names and numbers, their position and status weren't much different.
Once they entered the league, they were no longer kids.
Looney quickly walked forward. The quietness of the field made him involuntarily lighten his footsteps, and he lowered his voice. "Did you see him? Is the rumor true? Where is he?"
"Over there. He's doing footwork drills with a ladder," Hampton said in a low voice, then raised his hand and pointed in a direction.
Looney looked over and saw a figure. He looked tall and thin in the night, and his movements were so fluid and light that the light and shadow disappeared. He couldn't make out the specific outline, but he could be sure that his footwork was flexible and agile as he meticulously did the basic drills.
It was the kind of basic drill that every quarterback, wide receiver, or cornerback would do in middle school.
"I told you guys," Dobbs also said in a low voice. "Last year, Bambi was like this. He never missed a day the whole season."
"But he was a rookie last year! This year, he's a second-year player!" Looney couldn't help but point out.
Everyone on the team knew that Lu Ke was a training fanatic.
Every day, he was the first to arrive at the training field. After a long day of training, he would go home and watch game film. It seemed like he didn't need to sleep at all and devoted himself entirely to training.
As the captain of the team's offense and the team's hottest star now, Lu Ke's every move had become an example for the team. The coaching staff, led by Jim Harbaugh, would always complain to the rookie players, "Speed up, speed up! You guys are too slow! Look at Bambi, God!"
For the rookie players, they didn't believe it. They took it for granted that it was just a rumor created by the team to establish Lu Ke's authority and to motivate the players to train.
Whether out of curiosity, to verify the rumor, or to follow him, the trio agreed to meet early in the morning to find out.
This was not difficult because the voluntary training camp required all players to stay in the hotel arranged by the team. They couldn't go home. It was like a closed training camp, allowing all the players to get to know each other better.
The only difficulty was whether the alarm clock could wake them up. After all, getting up at 5:30 in the morning was an incredibly difficult task.
"I don't care. I've seen it. I'm going to join him now and start training," Hampton said without any hesitation and ran toward Lu Ke.
However, he didn't interrupt Lu Ke's training rhythm. Instead, he stopped not far away and started his warm-up at his own pace.
Looney and Dobbs, who were left behind, exchanged glances.
Dobbs shrugged and said simply but meaningfully, "Last year, the team kept three undrafted rookies. I was one of them, and so was Bambi."
But now, Lu Ke was the team's undisputed starting quarterback, while Dobbs still hadn't made a breakthrough in the competition for the tight end position and was mostly participating in games as a special team player.
After saying that, Dobbs also took a step and joined Lu Ke and Hampton.
Looney, who was left behind, let out a long sigh. Although he was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open, since he was already up, why not start the day's training? What's more, to establish himself on the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line, his relationship with the quarterback was crucial. He had to start working hard.
Lu Ke, who was fully focused on his training, unknowingly had companions now. The training facility also gradually became lively. Suddenly, the sun broke free from the shackles of the night and bounced out, and the morning light shone down.
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