Chapter 1008: Chapter 1008: The Peak Moment
Chapter 1008: The Peak Moment
The offense was in the exact same formation, still a multi-route attack. The only difference was Lu Ke’s position, which was now four yards back, placing him between Jonathan Goodwin and LaMichael James.
Wait, that’s not right. There were other changes, too—
Logan Newman and Ted Ginn had switched places. Their positions were a perfect mirror image of each other. What did this mean? Was the passing strategy changed? Or the entire offensive system? Wait, were there other changes they missed?
The defensive players had no time to observe, because Lu Ke had already announced the snap.
"Hut!"
The Arizona Cardinals’ defense changed its strategy. They abandoned the quarterback blitz and sent only three defensive linemen to rush the offensive line’s pocket. At the same time, the two outside linebackers dropped back to join the pass coverage.
With this change, the Cardinals had six players in pass coverage, which allowed the two inside linebackers to focus on defending against a potential run.
Chaos, it was pure chaos!
LaMichael James stepped up and joined the offensive line’s pocket protection, which freed up Michael Crabtree. In just two steps, Crabtree completed a cut along the slot and instantly appeared in the center of the short-pass zone. Using his size and positional advantage, he shook off the inside linebacker’s coverage.
At the same time, Chad Hall ran a short post route, charging about five yards before cutting diagonally at a 45-degree angle to the left. As soon as he entered the middle of the field, he formed a one-two advantage with Crabtree, distracting at least four defenders in the five-to-fifteen-yard passing range.
Both inside linebackers and both outside linebackers were all piled up in that area.
Meanwhile, Logan Newman and Ted Ginn, lined up on opposite wings, both put their heads down and sprinted. There were no fancy route changes or superfluous twists. It was a simple, straightforward straight-line sprint that brought out the best in each player’s unique skill set.
Ginn’s speed was blistering and agile. Facing the defensive duo on his side, cornerback William Gay and safety Rashad Johnson, Ginn had no intention of a head-on confrontation.
Seeing William Gay closing in, he slightly veered off his route. At his high speed, William couldn’t adjust his feet in time and could only follow Ginn, trying to keep pace with him. Rashad, too, was running sideways, his eyes fixed on Ginn’s feet to avoid losing his position.
The problem was, Ginn had a clear speed advantage. After unleashing his full speed, the two defenders had no way to get close. They could only try to cover him from a distance. The further they ran, the greater their defensive disadvantage became, and they were slowly heading toward disaster.
Logan’s run, on the other hand, was full of changes, a crafty mix of tempo and direction. Cornerback Patrick Willis and safety Adrian Wilson were the two defenders on that side, and Logan held his own against both of them.
He started with a straight-line sprint. Just as it looked like he was about to collide with Patrick, Patrick moved his body to follow Logan’s feet, constantly adjusting his steps to maintain his defensive position. But suddenly, Logan came to a hard stop, and Patrick was left to continue a few steps backward. When Patrick finally stopped, Logan took off again.
Adrian, lagging about five or six yards behind, was trying to cut off Logan’s path from the inside, but Logan’s running rhythm was unpredictable, constantly changing pace. His route wasn’t a perfect straight line; it was like a constantly fluctuating ECG reading, completely disrupting Adrian’s positioning.
Neither Patrick nor Adrian could effectively hold their defensive positions, but luckily, Logan’s forward momentum was also affected, and he never fully got up to speed.
In the short-pass zone, two receivers faced four defenders. On the left side, one receiver was up against two defenders. On the right, one receiver faced two defenders.
By changing their defensive strategy, the Arizona Cardinals had successfully covered the entire field, but the gap in talent was immediately apparent. There were open passing lanes in all three areas, and the defenders couldn’t cut off all of them. So, what would Lu Ke choose to do?
The offensive line’s pocket protection was flawless, providing a stable sanctuary for Lu Ke. But this time, Lu Ke’s step up was very decisive.
Standing in the pistol formation, he surveyed the entire backfield with a single sweep of his eyes. He paused for just a moment—it seemed like a conscious decision to slow his throw—and then, without hesitation, he stepped up and launched the football with a huge, dramatic angle. It was a rainbow pass.
The target was—
While dodging and weaving, Logan’s focus remained absolute. But Patrick and Adrian, who were already on the defensive, couldn’t stay on high alert forever. When they crossed the 20-yard line, about twenty yards from the line of scrimmage, Logan suddenly accelerated.
Because:
Patrick was moving horizontally, trying to close in with Adrian to force Logan to change his direction and tempo. But Adrian was a step behind. He was still backpedaling, waiting for Logan to make the first move before reacting.
The two defenders’ rhythms were out of sync, and this was Logan’s chance.
So, Logan accelerated.
The burst of energy instantly raised his speed from 40% to 80%, and his forward momentum exploded with an unstoppable force.
First, Logan cleanly shook off Patrick. Patrick couldn’t close in, and his center of gravity was thrown off by Logan’s move. He tried to grab onto Logan, but his speed and rhythm were gone. He stumbled forward, still refusing to give up.
Next, Logan ran right into Adrian. Adrian was just about to react when Logan slammed into him head-on, sending him stumbling backward. Logan used the force of the collision to change direction, breaking to the outside.
Without realizing it, Logan’s path and Patrick’s path overlapped, but for Patrick, it once again threw off his tackle.
This all sounds incredibly long and complicated, but it was just a quick acceleration and a collision. In a flash, Logan had already crossed the 15-yard line and was quickly approaching the 10-yard line. He looked back over his shoulder and saw the football arcing down, its landing spot still in front of him.
Logan adjusted his steps but didn’t slow down. He leaned his upper body forward, hands out.
"Whoosh!"
The football fell right into Logan’s embrace, just as his feet crossed the 10-yard line. The perfect amount of force and spin meant Logan didn’t have to expend any extra effort. He secured the football with both hands, cradling it like a sleeping baby, and continued to push forward.
Patrick finally caught up and tried another diving tackle, but due to the constant changes in rhythm, he still couldn’t make the tackle. He just slammed hard into Logan’s back.
Logan felt a powerful push, and his center of gravity became unstable. He stumbled forward. In that instant, Logan’s core muscles tensed to their maximum, stabilizing his center of gravity. He worked to straighten his knees, sprinting across the goal line like a 100-meter runner.
He broke through!
He crossed the line!
Touchdown!
And then Logan felt the complete absence of gravity, and the world began to spin. He tumbled to the ground like a rolling gourd.
"Logan Newman! Logan Newman! The San Francisco 49ers’ number 88, Logan Newman!"
"It’s a... touchdown! Oh my god! Oh my god, my god, my god! It’s a touchdown! Touchdown! The San Francisco 49ers have scored another touchdown! Folks, we are witnessing history in the making! My god, I can’t believe it!"
"Lu Ke, a 23-year-old Chinese-American quarterback, he’s not only the first Chinese-American quarterback in league history, but he was also an undrafted quarterback, and in just his second professional season, he has delivered a perfect season! Creating one astonishing historical moment after another."
"Just now... at this very moment, Lu Ke connected with Logan Newman, his college teammate from UCLA and his most trusted passing partner in his professional career, to score his fifth touchdown of the game, his 51st passing touchdown of the 2012 season!"
"Lu Ke has made history again!"
"Lu Ke has broken Tom Brady’s record of 50 single-season touchdowns, which he set during the perfect season of 2007, and has now claimed that achievement for himself! Incredible! This is absolutely incredible!"
"My God, can you believe it? Can you believe it? We are right here at Candlestick Park, witnessing history! Not just because Lu Ke has broken Brady’s record, but because this Chinese-American quarterback has burst onto the scene and shocked the entire league! In just two years, he has earned his place in the NFL!"
"Candlestick Park has erupted! Teddy and I are on fire! This is a moment for the history books! Lu Ke did it! The San Francisco 49ers’ number 14 quarterback did it!"
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