Chapter 708: A Fleeting Moment
"Bambi, what's your opinion?" Kip's voice came over, interrupting Lu Ke's thoughts. Kaepernick and Tolzien both looked at him.
Lu Ke, who was only listening in, didn't panic. "Colin is good at reading option plays, so I think he can try it. But when you move in the pocket, Colin, pay attention to the running routes of their linebackers. They can easily reveal their defensive intentions. You can discuss with Mike to have him and Joe create a defensive mismatch."
In the end, it was all about one thing: reading the defense.
Although every quarterback knew the importance of reading the defense, the flaw of a rookie quarterback was that they continued their college habits. Before they used their brains, they were used to using their hands or feet first. As a result, they didn't read the defense properly and had already started the play, causing everything to become chaotic.
Lu Ke was also a rookie quarterback, but why was he used to reading the defense?
It was a helpless choice.
Because Lu Ke didn't have a physical advantage, he had to read the defense and anticipate it in advance. Only then could he complete a pass. For college games, this was a weakness, but for the professional league, it was an advantage. After all, no matter how good a quarterback's physical advantage was, they were still a flickering candle in the wind in front of the NFL's defensive line.
There was only one Cam Newton. But even Cam would get tired after a series of hits.
Now, Lu Ke was guiding Kaepernick in a simpler and more concrete way. Tactically, Lu Ke's explanation wouldn't be more detailed or accurate than the offensive coaches or the head coach. But as a quarterback, Lu Ke's perspective was in sync with Kaepernick's.
On a side note, on the offensive line, Mike Iupati and Joe Staley were responsible for the blind side.
Last season, Staley was on the right side, serving as a right tackle. His overall performance was stable and improving. His partnership with Anthony Davis was not outstanding, but their mistakes were not too ridiculous, and his personal ability was still worth acknowledging.
This season, the offensive line had a large-scale change in personnel. Now Harbaugh was testing different combinations, hoping to create a more secure pocket. Staley was now trying the left tackle position.
So, when Lu Ke just reminded Kaepernick, he specifically mentioned the blind side defense. The quarterback needed to command the offensive line and couldn't rely entirely on the players' instincts and talent. That wasn't how the playbook was used.
In the past, Kaepernick would have probably rolled his eyes, but today, Kaepernick didn't say anything. He just nodded slightly to show that he understood. Then he turned and went back on the field.
After watching Kaepernick go back on the field, Kip folded his arms across his chest and said with great interest, "Bambi, how about you guest star as a coach in the future? I think you're very suitable for it." The longer he spent with him, the more he felt that Lu Ke was very similar to Peyton Manning. His interpretation of plays, his understanding of the offense, and his grasp of the system all made him stand out easily.
"Ha. This is only my second season. Don't curse me, okay? I'm not ready to retire yet." Lu Ke laughed exaggeratedly with a comical expression, which made Scott and Kip both laugh.
Kaepernick, who was back on the field, seemed to have finally found his rhythm after adding the read option plays.
He not only ran with the ball himself, but his efficiency in reading the defense also improved significantly. He successfully found a receiver with three consecutive short passes, completing the drive. Although they were still unfortunately faced with a three-and-out, they still made it into field goal range. The special teams led by Akers made a 47-yard field goal, successfully getting three points.
When he came off the field, Kaepernick finally had a long-lost smile. He high-fived his teammates on the offense. When he came in front of Lu Ke, his footsteps and smile paused for a moment. He seemed to be struggling and looked a bit bitter, but in the end, he didn't choose to ignore him. Instead, he hit Lu Ke's right hand with his right hand.
"Clap," accompanied by a crisp sound, the corner of his mouth slightly rose.
Then, Kaepernick didn't say anything more and continued to jog forward, celebrating with his other teammates. The atmosphere on the sidelines gradually became lively.
Although the NFC Championship game last season ended in a disappointing and infuriating way, the San Francisco 49ers' locker room seemed harmonious before the start of this season. There was no drama, no melodrama, and no confrontation. Everything seemed to be on the right track.
This was a good start.
And it was.
In the first preseason game, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings with a score of "24:6." Lu Ke, Kaepernick, and Scott each had a touchdown. Kaepernick, who was the starter in the second and third quarters, also had a field goal, and that was all.
After the game, the major news media all described the San Francisco 49ers as "ready." With the offense and defense continuing the same starting lineup as last season, this year's San Francisco 49ers were still the most anticipated team.
Although they were unable to persuade Peyton Manning to join during the offseason, the fact that the three quarterbacks on the roster were all second-year players became the team's biggest variable. Whether Lu Ke could continue his strong performance from his rookie season was a question all insiders had to ask. It was a kind of "respect" for a second-year quarterback.
However, based on the first preseason game, the overall performance of the three quarterbacks was good, which also sent a positive signal, giving insiders more expectations for the team.
But that expectation was short-lived in the second week of the preseason. For the second consecutive year in the preseason, they played on the road against the Houston Texans, and the San Francisco 49ers lost the game for the second consecutive year.
In the game, Lu Ke did not play. Scott started as the quarterback in the first half, and Kaepernick played in the second half. The performance of the two quarterbacks was not satisfactory. In this game, J.J. Watt was on fire. He alone had three sacks and five effective hits. He also intercepted Kaepernick once. His stats were all red.
Lu Ke and Watt, who were good friends, still did not have a head-to-head matchup in the game. Watt seemed to be lonely and challenged Lu Ke with his outstanding performance. The above stats were only from two quarters of the game, and even the commentators couldn't help but exclaim, "Watt on the field looks unstoppable, like a beast!"
When the referee blew the final whistle, the score was "9:20." The San Francisco 49ers' offense was completely off. They only had three field goals. What was even more disappointing was that Akers also missed a 39-yard field goal. It could be seen that after the offseason, he was also trying to adjust his form.
Scott and Kaepernick's performance was unremarkable, and the offensive line's performance was also a mess.
Harbaugh lost his temper in the locker room before they even left the opponent's stadium, showing great dissatisfaction with the offense's performance. After returning to San Francisco, the offense held an impromptu meeting, working overtime to study the playbook. After being revealed by the paparazzi, they could also feel the great pressure on the 49ers' shoulders.
This pressure grew even stronger after they lost the third preseason game to the Denver Broncos.
With the addition of Peyton Manning, the Broncos became the focus of the entire league.
Last season, under the leadership of Tim Tebow, they not only made it to the playoffs but also miraculously defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. This season, their starting quarterback became an elite quarterback. Manning's condition and the team's future prospects were full of countless questions and countless possibilities.
This preseason game was the same as the previous two. Manning played for the entire first quarter. He finished with eleven out of seventeen passes, one touchdown, one field goal, and one interception.
Overall, his performance was good, but his competitive form was still slowly being adjusted. Also, the contact in the preseason was not as intense as in the regular season. Manning's recovery from his injury still needed to be observed further.
As for the San Francisco 49ers, Lu Ke, Kaepernick, and Scott all played. Lu Ke played one quarter, and Kaepernick and Scott split the remaining three quarters. The performance of the three quarterbacks had its ups and downs.
For example, Lu Ke's performance of one touchdown and one interception was not stable enough compared to his strong performance last season. Especially the interception, which was a careless misjudgment, handing the football directly to a defensive player. This was truly unconvincing.
In the end, the Denver Broncos easily defeated the San Francisco 49ers with a score of "29:13."
After the glory of last season, people had extremely high expectations for the San Francisco 49ers this season. Although the results of the preseason games didn't prove anything, the team's cohesion was worrying. Whether the three second-year quarterbacks could handle the heavy responsibility of the regular season was once again being debated.
Amidst the heated discussions, the final week of the preseason arrived. The San Francisco 49ers returned to their home stadium, Candlestick Park, to face the challenge of the San Diego Chargers.
In this game, Harbaugh surprisingly did not let Lu Ke play. Lu Ke appeared on the sidelines in his athletic clothes, not even changing his gear, which also drew a lot of attention.
At the press conference, Harbaugh simply stated that he wanted to further evaluate the condition of the other two backup quarterbacks to prepare for the regular season and that fans didn't need to worry too much.
Despite this, after the San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers with a large score of "35:3," the discussion among fans about the starting quarterback for the season reached a new height. Kaepernick and Scott both gave a good performance in the last preseason game, which led to countless speculations:
Was the quarterback position for the San Francisco 49ers going to undergo a huge change this season?
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