Chapter 707: Roster Cohesion
A gust of wind whipped up a giant red wave, roaring past the ears of the players like a monstrous beast showing its fangs and claws, roaring at the white insect in front of it. A bloody smell slowly filled the air, and a rush of blood began to flow through their veins.
Lu Ke stomped his right foot, feeling the solid contact of the turf. Involuntarily, his eyes slowly passed through the wall of the offensive line and landed on the defense. His pupils narrowed slightly, sharply capturing the defensive formation and player positions, and he made a simple prediction of the entire defensive strategy.
Then, he slowly bent down, extended his hands, and settled his feet. A series of dazzling snap count calls made the air grow tense little by little. The real snap count hidden within came off his tongue without warning, exploding like a spring thunderclap. The offense and defense both started to move.
He dropped back.
After catching the snap from Jonathan Goodwin, Lu Ke methodically started his drop back.
In the pistol formation, the running back, Marcus Lynch, was standing parallel to him on the right. After the snap, his feet didn't stop. With an inside cut and a forward dash, he charged straight into the channel between the center and the guard, as if he were running with the ball. But his shaking body created the illusion that he was opening a path.
His deceptive running route created a mismatch between the offensive and defensive lines, successfully gaining a slight advantage for the San Francisco 49ers' offense in the first wave of contact.
At the same time, Lu Ke seemed to have no idea about Marcus's running route. After dropping back, he suddenly paused and adjusted his feet. He started to move laterally to the left, deliberately leaving the pocket. Without waiting for the opposing defensive players to react, he threw the ball with a quick flick of his wrist.
The defensive players who noticed his footwork all followed the swing of his arm, looking for the target. Vernon Davis, who was quickly moving horizontally to the left, immediately came into view.
In that short movement, Vernon had already created an open space in the short-pass zone with a fake move. He first cut inside, then stopped and turned sharply, and then went outside. With just a few simple steps, he successfully created a vacuum of about three yards, which was enough for a quick short pass.
The nearby cornerbacks and linebackers immediately rushed to him, trying to cover him.
But in the next second, question marks started popping up over their heads. What was going on? Vernon didn't catch the ball? Why was there no movement for a football that could be passed in a single breath in a short pass?
Looking up, they then saw the football flying through the air. The problem was that it wasn't a short pass but a long pass. The high and floating pass arc drew a breathtaking rainbow across the blue San Francisco sky, erupting with the force of thunder.
At the last moment of the throw, Lu Ke used a fake wrist motion to successfully deceive most of the defensive players on the front line.
The defensive players in the short-pass zone all let out an exclamation. They quickly adjusted their balance and sprinted toward where the football was flying, but they were a step or even two steps too late. Their feet could no longer catch up to the football. All their efforts were in vain. They could only watch as the player with number 88 on his back went off into the distance.
Number 88, Logan Newman.
But when did he break through the encirclement? Why didn't anyone notice? Wait, at the snap, wasn't Logan positioned as a slot receiver on the right? When did he appear on the left?
Logan ran faster and faster, creating a ten-yard open zone. After crossing the ten-yard line, he made quick, small adjustments to his steps. He didn't need to slow down or turn around. He just slightly adjusted the angle of his body and hands, and then he could see the downward arc of the football appearing in front of him.
With small, quick steps, Logan made a steady catch. From the corner of his eye, he could see the safety trying to come back to cover him. The distance was getting closer and closer.
Logan quickly started again. After three steps, his stride became longer. He sprinted forward, and his body powerfully crossed the goal line, getting into the end zone without any suspense. A full step too late, the safety who was coming to cover him lost his balance, kicking up a gust of wind as he ran past Logan from behind.
"...Touchdown! Touchdown! This is a touchdown! Less than three minutes into the game, the San Francisco 49ers have already scored a touchdown! Beautiful! The entire drive was truly beautiful. It reminds people of that young team that just made it to the NFC Championship last season!"
On the radio, Troy Ball's commentary was still full of passion. He didn't hold back at all just because it was a preseason game. With his unique style, he immediately gave the listeners a live broadcast.
"For those listeners who just turned on their radios, we're now broadcasting the first week of the NFL 2012 preseason. In this game, the San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park."
"After the game started, the San Francisco 49ers got the first possession. The undrafted rookie quarterback Lu Ke, who emerged as a dark horse last season, led the offense onto the field. From that drive just now, they seem to be continuing their excellent form from the playoffs last season."
"Lu Ke showed a keen sense of a balanced run-pass offense. He had three runs and five passes, with only one incomplete pass. The entire drive was simple, quick, powerful, and efficient. In the end, he took advantage of the opponent's defense not being set up yet and found tight end number 88, Logan Newman, with a twenty-three-yard deep pass to easily get a touchdown!"
"Right now, the game has just started... uh, two minutes and thirty-three seconds."
"You can see that the San Francisco 49ers are playing with a light heart today. The entire offense is very relaxed, and Lu Ke is also continuing his style. His play calling is smart, and his passing is accurate. He was highly focused at the start of the game and quickly scored. This is still the 49ers we're familiar with."
"After the personnel changes in the offseason, the young San Francisco 49ers did not suffer a large loss of players. The starting lineup is still mostly the same, which is a positive sign. The offense that amazed the entire league last season seems to be ready to welcome the new season."
"On the other hand, the Vikings' defense doesn't seem to have woken up yet. They can't stop the run or the pass effectively. In this drive, there were only two effective tackles. That's a terrible stat."
Troy's commentary was still passionate. It also marked that the 2012 season had officially set sail. In the San Francisco 49ers' first preseason game after the offseason, they were hosting the Minnesota Vikings. They clearly had a perfect start. It was Lu Ke connecting with Logan again, and the latter scored a touchdown. Everything seemed to have returned to the familiar scene of last season.
But that was all.
After scoring a touchdown, Lu Ke left the field and was replaced by Scott Tolzien and Colin Kaepernick.
This was the core purpose of a preseason game.
On one hand, the entire team currently had ninety players, but only fifty-three could make the final roster. The rest of the players would either be cut or signed as practice squad players. There were no other options. The preseason was their last chance. Backup players, practice squad players, and rotational players all had to seize this last chance to show their abilities.
On the other hand, the team had to constantly practice new plays. The coaching staff needed to sort out their coaching ideas and policies. At the same time, they also needed to decide the specific number of players on the 53-man roster based on the condition of the offense and defense.
For example, last season, the San Francisco 49ers kept four quarterbacks. This was very rare for any team. Most teams might only keep two quarterbacks. In case of an unexpected injury, they would temporarily sign a veteran quarterback to fill in because the quarterback was the core of the entire team and rarely had major changes.
Similarly, some teams might keep ten linebackers, while others might only keep six. Some teams chose to keep more offensive players, while others kept more defensive players.
Every team's considerations for this 53-man roster were different every season. The preseason was the last chance to train. The San Francisco 49ers playing with their starters throughout the preseason last season was an exception. This year, they returned to the league's norm, starting to practice plays and get the roster to gel.
Lu Ke only played one drive and then left the field to rest.
But as the number one starter for the new season, Lu Ke didn't completely take off his gear and relax. Instead, he stood next to the quarterback coach, Kip Crist, and joined the on-field coaching for the quarterbacks.
After Lu Ke, the first to come on was the highly-anticipated Kaepernick.
After a year, Kaepernick's performance still didn't seem to be at a professional level. In the first drive, it was a three-and-out. The second drive ended with an interception. The third drive had just started, and after one incomplete pass, the first quarter was ended.
Seeing this, Lu Ke also shook his head.
Of course, Lu Ke's perspective was now different. He could see that the offense's problems were not just Kaepernick's fault.
First, the offensive line was not working well together and kept missing blocks, forcing Kaepernick to pass under pressure. Second, the receivers' running routes were not very accurate. They were used to Lu Ke's precise passes. When facing Kaepernick's inspirational passes, their routes were always off. Third, Kaepernick was too eager. He was trying to prove himself too quickly, but he was doing too much and his passes were very inaccurate.
Just then, Kip's voice came over. "Bambi, what do you think?"
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