"Bambi, my God, you're bleeding. Are you sure you're okay?" Lynch looked at Lu Ke in horror, his voice uncontrollably blurting out. He then raised his right hand and shouted loudly, "Medic, medic!"
"Wait, what's going on? The referee has stopped the game." Kirk and Teddy also noticed the change on the field and quickly looked around. "A medic is on the field. Who's injured? Lu Ke? No way, is Lu Ke injured? My God!" Kirk couldn't help but hold his head, his eyes wide with shock.
"That sack was really brutal. It's debatable whether Atkins was guilty of roughing the passer, but what's certain is that Lu Ke had no way to fight back against such a brutal sack. Now, the only thing we can hope for is that there are no injuries," Teddy took over the commentary and quickly said, "Let's first look at the replay. What exactly happened during that sack?"
On the field, Lu Ke, the person involved, waved his hand. "I'm fine!" But Lynch didn't listen at all. Not just Lynch, but the other teammates also panicked and gathered around him. "Bambi, what's going on?"
Lu Ke was also confused. Besides being a little out of breath and his chest feeling a little tight, he didn't feel anything was wrong. What was Lynch shouting about?
Then, Lu Ke saw the medic appear in front of him. "Lu Ke, please take off your helmet."
"Doctor, I'm fine. I'm serious." Lu Ke was a little helpless, but he still cooperated and took off his helmet. Then he saw the medic show a helpless expression. "You have a nosebleed."
"Huh?" Lu Ke's mind was still replaying the sack. His footwork was a problem that could not be ignored, and it also led to a fumble, which was terrible. For a moment, he didn't react to the doctor's words. He raised his hand to wipe his nose and found it was covered in red. "Huh, what's going on?"
Why was he having a nosebleed while wearing a helmet?
"Look up." The medic gently pushed Lu Ke's head back, pinched his nose, and after a brief examination, explained, "It's nothing. Your nose was just hit. It's just a little nosebleed. You don't feel dizzy, do you?"
"No, I didn't even feel the impact!" Lu Ke also looked innocent, his eyes wide to show his innocence. Then he saw the horrified faces of his teammates next to him, all of whom had wide eyes, as if they had discovered a new world. The scene had a ridiculous charm.
"It was probably the helmet hitting you during the sack. But because the pain in other parts of your body distracted you, you didn't notice it," the medic explained simply and quickly. He also checked again and put a hemostatic bandage on his nose. The bleeding had already stopped. "Are you sure you don't feel dizzy or light-headed? How many fingers am I holding up now?"
In the event of a powerful impact, a concussion is the first thing to worry about.
Lu Ke was a little helpless but didn't argue any further. "Three." After the medic changed the number twice and Lu Ke answered correctly, the medic was relieved. He handed Lu Ke a tissue. "Wipe the blood off, put your helmet on, and you can get back to the game."
The medic left, and a referee came over to ask about the situation. After confirming that Lu Ke could play normally, one of the referees came over. "Clean yourself up as soon as possible. The game clock will start running again soon."
Lu Ke nodded. "No problem." He looked up and called to his teammates. "We still have possession, right?" Then he noticed that the horror on his teammates' faces had not faded. Lu Ke rolled his eyes. "Have you never seen a nosebleed before? My God, there's blood all the time on a football field."
It wasn't that they hadn't seen blood, but they hadn't seen someone with a face full of blood who was still thinking about tactics and the game. And this person was Lu Ke, a good student with excellent grades, an elegant intellectual nicknamed "Bambi." This image... was truly a bit of a visual shock.
The teammates looked at each other, and then Logan said without warning, "The Bloody Bambi is online. Everyone, be careful." Everyone burst out laughing.
Lu Ke shook his head helplessly, quickly wiped the blood from his philtrum and mouth with a wet wipe, and then quickly put on his helmet and got back to the game. "My bad, it was my mistake. I didn't protect the ball. But our offensive line needs to stay focused. Number 97 is the key person to watch now. Two sacks, guys. We can't let them have free rein."
"Pfft," Lu Ke unexpectedly made a suggestive joke.
Logan was the first to react and laughed out loud, and then the others also started laughing. The tense atmosphere was slightly relieved.
After giving the play call, Lu Ke stood behind the offensive line again, his eyes fixed on Atkins. He had to admit that Atkins was playing exceptionally well today, and his threat and impact were increasing rapidly.
The last defensive play wasn't just a sack; it also caused a fumble, almost leading to a turnover. Although Lynch grabbed the football at the last second, the pressure on the 49ers' offensive line was very real. First, there was the 49ers' trick play, and then there was the Bengals' powerful sack. The intensity of the game continued to heat up.
Lu Ke had to admit that the fumble was entirely his fault, and part of the sack was his responsibility as well.
Among Lu Ke's many specialized skills, two have always been overlooked. One was the fake pass motion, which was only rated 45 points, and the other was his ball security, which was only 59 points.
The fake pass motion is a fake run/real pass or fake pass/real run. It involves the quarterback's running route, passing motion, and ability to conceal the football. A truly clever fake run/real pass completely fools the defensive line. Everyone thinks it's a running play, and the quarterback leaves the pocket with the football. No one notices, leaving the quarterback enough time and space to complete the pass.
Ball security is even simpler. It's the ability of a quarterback to protect the ball and not fumble when they are tackled, hit, or sacked. This skill is related to physical fitness, but it's not everything. To be precise, even physically strong players like running backs and tight ends can have problems with butterfingers and fumbling.
Ball security is more of a technical skill. The way a player holds the football in their arms, the shape of their hands, and the position of their body all determine the framework for protecting the football. The player's awareness of ball security is the key factor.
For example, for a wide receiver, after catching the ball, the first priority should be to control and protect the ball. The next thing is to run past the defense and keep advancing. But in a game, many wide receivers start thinking about how to break through and tear open the defense as soon as they catch the ball. They often accidentally fumble because of butterfingers, even without any physical contact from a defensive player.
That's the difference in ball security awareness.
For Lu Ke, neither of these two skills was up to par.
Before this, the fake run/real pass lacked deception, but because his passing ability was strong enough, it still gave the running back enough space, so it didn't cause too many problems. As for ball security, as long as the offensive line protected him well, a quarterback didn't have to deal with hits and sacks, so there were no worries in that regard.
However, in the last confrontation, his fake run/real pass was first seen through, and then he was unable to protect the football. This performance was indeed unsatisfactory.
The game had just started, and this was already his second mistake.
Away games are indeed tough to play. Lu Ke's overall rhythm was off, and in the face of Atkins's strong performance, the back-and-forth between the two sides was truly creating sparks. The competition today was getting more intense, which was unexpected but also reasonable.
It was unexpected because the Cincinnati Bengals were not a strong opponent. They were even worse than the 49ers last year and only had a one-win, one-loss record in the first two weeks of this year. It was reasonable because in the NFL, there are no absolute weaklings, and the outcome of every game is unpredictable.
Two sacks and one rushed throw, and the first quarter wasn't even halfway over. This was a severe challenge for any quarterback, and the intensity of the confrontation was far beyond what was imagined.
For quarterbacks, physical confrontation is not their strength. After being hit by powerful sacks, the body's defense mechanism will kick in. When facing another powerful hit, many quarterbacks will unconsciously become flustered. Their pass choices might become rushed, their footwork might become messy, and in the worst-case scenario, they might be afraid to pass the ball. When the offensive line is broken, they will choose to throw the ball away to end the drive and avoid more hits.
This is a self-preservation instinct, and it's not just quarterbacks. Other players can also face the same situation. Or, after being injured and returning to the field, their performance is inevitably affected.
But for Lu Ke, there was no such worry. If he wanted to avoid physical confrontation, he could have chosen sports like swimming or running, which don't require physical contact and are more about competing against himself and pushing his own limits. Since he chose football, Lu Ke knew exactly what he would be facing.
He would not be timid or shrink back. On the contrary, Lu Ke was now slowly getting excited. He had broken free from the constraints of the away game and was fully immersed in the competition. It wasn't about the mission; it was about winning or losing.
Through his helmet, Lu Ke's eyes were fixed on Atkins. Strong against strong, hard against hard, it was a head-to-head battle. The smell of blood from under his nose, like the smell of killing, began to spread. Lu Ke gently licked his lips, pulled his gaze back, and scanned the defensive players. He carefully and meticulously observed the opponent's defensive formation, and a new play began to form in his mind.
He glanced at the countdown clock out of the corner of his eye. There were 15 seconds left, but he wasn't nervous at all. He shouted, "London! London! Attacking London!" Amid the noisy cheers of the home crowd, Lu Ke's voice was like a series of heavy punches, hitting the air in front of him.
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