I had a misconception that the time after the game was even busier than during the game.
First, I had to take a shower, then report to the medical room. The team doctor gave me a relatively comprehensive checkup again and confirmed that I was only overstraining my right arm, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Next, I reported to the physiotherapy room, where I had a twenty-five-minute ice bath. After that, I showered again, and finally, I went to the physiotherapy room to get a relaxing massage from a professional masseur. Not just my right arm, but all my muscles.
The whole process took an hour and still wasn't over.
From one point of view, it could be said that a quarterback's physical fitness is not as good as that of the strong players on the defensive end. After multiple hits, the team had to be cautious, which could also be seen as the team being worried about my physical fitness.
But from another point of view, it showed the team's high regard for me, treating me with the highest priority. It was clear that after three consecutive victories, I was no longer just a temporary backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.
The muscles in my right arm were still a little sore and swollen. This wasn't a big problem and was mostly a matter of relaxing and resting. Almost every quarterback, after an intense game, would encounter a similar situation, especially those veterans who had been playing for many years.
This is the purpose of the league's schedule: after Sunday's game, Monday and Tuesday are rest days. Wednesday is for light recovery training, and Thursday is when they get back to formal training to prepare for next week's game. This gives the players enough time to rest and recover.
In fact, the league's Thursday night games have always been controversial. A Thursday night game means that after Sunday's game, the team has no time to rest and must get back to training the next day to prepare for Thursday's game. The density and intensity of the games are at a very high level, which can easily lead to more injuries.
It's not just me, and it's not just the quarterback position. More than half of the players in the entire NFL have been protesting and complaining about this, hoping that the Thursday night games can be canceled. After all, no matter how strong they are, they are still flesh and blood, and continuous high-intensity confrontations are just too much for the body to handle.
But the commercial value of Thursday night games is the highest, even more than Sunday and Monday night games. The league has always refused to cancel the Thursday night games, and the Players' Association has also chosen to support the league. The issue of Thursday night games is difficult to resolve in the short term.
However, for the San Francisco 49ers and me, we were lucky that the fourth week of the regular season was still a Sunday game.
During the massage, I gradually relaxed, and a wave of drowsiness came over me. I lay on the massage table and slowly fell asleep. When I woke up, the noise in the locker room was still very loud. It seemed that the victory celebration was not over. "You're awake? Get cleaned up and go back to the hotel early. Get some good rest."
"Lucas, thank you," I said, rubbing my eyes and sitting up, thanking the masseur Lucas Berger.
Lucas nodded with a smile. "Just get another ice pack tonight, and you'll be fine tomorrow. Young people recover pretty quickly. You played a great game today!" As the San Francisco 49ers' team masseur, Lucas had been with the team for a few years, and the new atmosphere this year was truly a long-awaited change.
I chuckled and gave Lucas a thumbs-up, thanking him again. Then, I went back to my locker, packed my things, and left the locker room, heading to the team bus to wait for my teammates.
After the game, everything happened all at once, and there was no time to stop. It wasn't until now that I had the time to summon the system and check the completion of today's tasks.
The sound of messages ringing in my mind echoed. I thought I had gradually gotten used to the taste of victory, but the truth was, even after a third consecutive victory, the joy and excitement were still fresh and intense. I would never get tired of moments like this.
First, the game tasks. After entering the third week of the regular season, the game tasks gradually became more routine, just like the daily training tasks, and there weren't many surprises. However, I didn't know if this was a normal thing or if there would be more different content in the future regular season games.
Completed three or more touchdowns—I did. Basic points added three. Completed at least 60% of my passes—I did. Basic points added one. Won the game—I did. Basic points added three.
Today, I completed three passing touchdowns. There was also a rushing touchdown, which was credited to Marcus Lynch, not me. The task clearly calculated passing touchdowns, so I got three. In the end, I received seven basic points, which was the same as my second-week haul.
Thinking back on the game today, the seemingly simple game tasks were still facing severe challenges. From the four sacks to the tactical battle, before the fourth quarter, the entire game was full of uncertainty, and the demands on the quarterback were getting higher and higher. I couldn't afford to be careless.
However, before the fourth week's game, I had more important things to consider: the competition for the starting quarterback position within the team. I needed to focus all my attention on competing fairly with my skills. Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick were definitely not opponents to be underestimated.
I temporarily put my thoughts aside and looked at the special task. The last special task appeared after halftime, but today's special task appeared during the game. I only had time to glance at the task requirements, so I wasn't sure if I had completed the special task.
"Special Task: Challenge from Geno Atkins.
Task Description: Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins, in the third week of the regular season, was stimulated and encouraged by fellow rookies Andy Dalton and Lu Ke. He unleashed his potential, and his performance improved by 150%. He has a high chance of causing a sack and a hit. At the same time, the Bengals' defense will also be boosted, putting more pressure on the San Francisco 49ers.
Task Requirements: Lead the offense to score three or more times. Beat Geno Atkins by escaping three or more sacks. Win the game by yourself. Special skills are disabled.
Task Rewards: Points Ticket +1, Unknown Special Skill Pack +1.
Failure Penalty: Locker room prestige reduced by 30%, next week's quarterback competition state reduced by 30%, and a condescending look from Geno Atkins."
I read it over and over again. This wasn't the first special task, and I thought I had gotten used to the system's way of doing things. But after reading the special task again today, there were so many things to complain about that I didn't know where to start.
What does "a condescending look from Geno Atkins" mean? Not a disdainful look, but a condescending one! Atkins is almost a head shorter than me. When Atkins stands in front of me, he must be looking up, but the task failure penalty is a condescending look. What does this mean? Do I have to kneel on my knees?
Also, I have no locker-room prestige to speak of. If it's reduced by another 30%, how am I supposed to play next week's game! No, even the quarterback competition state for next week is reduced by 30%. I'm not a quarterback with a complete advantage in terms of strength. In the competition with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick, even if I give it my all, the outcome is still unknown. If my state is reduced, then... there is no future.
"The failure penalty is so severe. Little Seven, shouldn't you have reminded me in advance? When the task just popped up during the game, where would I have had the time to read it carefully!" I felt a wave of fear wash over me.
During the game, I didn't spend too much time on the special task, because I had to observe the entire defensive formation and read the dynamics of the entire defense. It was impossible for me to focus all my attention on Atkins. That would only make me lose sight of the bigger picture and lead to irreversible consequences.
The correct tactical arrangement was to have the corresponding offensive linemen focus on Atkins, and the quarterback had to control the whole situation.
More importantly, I had no idea how to complete the task requirement of "escaping three sacks." Was I supposed to deliberately lure him out, let Atkins break through the offensive line, and then successfully escape the sack with my legs before he completed it?
That kind of tactic is so stupid that just thinking about it is enough. No quarterback would do that, and no quarterback should.
So, throughout the game, I paid close attention to Atkins, but I didn't forget the special task. Instead, I focused on the game. Now that I saw the failure penalty, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if the task had failed.
"Wait!" I suddenly realized that I hadn't confirmed whether the special task was completed yet, so I quickly opened the unread message. After seeing the message that said "Special Task Completed," I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In my mind, Little Seven was still silent and didn't answer my question. Either it wasn't necessary, or it disdained to answer.
After a moment, "Special tasks that appear during the game need to be read with a high degree of focus," Little Seven said. "The reason why special tasks are special is because of their uniqueness and importance."
I opened my mouth, unable to argue. Maybe the next time a special task appears, I can read it carefully on the sidelines while the defense is on the field, to avoid a situation like today. Even if it was a false alarm, I still needed to be vigilant.
Fortunately, today's special task was completed, which was a good thing. I was about to check my task rewards when a detail came back to me. "Little Seven, did the task description just say that Atkins was stimulated by me and Dalton, which is why he unleashed his potential?"
"Yes," Little Seven answered simply this time.
I couldn't help but open my mouth. "So, this is called... getting what you deserve?"
Hmm, that felt a little strange. Was that word appropriate here?
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