"Touchdown! Touchdown! That's a beautiful passing touchdown! Oh-ho-ho! In just under three minutes, the San Francisco 49ers, playing at home, scored a touchdown on their first drive, showing the Cleveland Browns the force of Candlestick Park!"
"Facing a second-and-four situation, after the snap, in a stormy and precarious pocket, the 49ers' rookie quarterback didn't panic. He adjusted his footwork while looking for his passing target. Before the defensive lineman could make the sack, he threw a 17-yard long bomb, finding his most trusted number one receiver, Logan Newnan!"
"Facing one-on-one coverage from cornerback Joe Haden, Newnan used a stutter-step to get free, easily caught the football, and broke away from Haden's second tackle. He charged into the end zone and completed the touchdown! Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! The entire Browns' defense didn't even have time to react before they were already trailing!"
When listeners in California heard Troy Bauer's machine-gun-like, passionate commentary again, they knew that the San Francisco 49ers, who had brought countless surprises this season, were back at home to face this week's opponent.
In the eighth week of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers, returning from their bye week, were hosting the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns were a very special team in the league, founded in 1946 with a long history and strong legacy.
In 1966, the NFL and the American Football League officially merged to form a single league, which is now the NFL. They were one of the first teams to join.
In February 1996, the league, the city of Cleveland, Baltimore, and the Browns' team owner, sat down to discuss and reached an agreement. To expand the league and continue the Browns' tradition in Cleveland, the four parties reached a common agreement.
At that time, the Cleveland Browns, owned by Art Modell, would relocate to Baltimore and become the Baltimore Ravens.
At the same time, for three seasons, from 1996 to 1998, Cleveland would not have a team in the NFL. Instead, they would focus on building a new stadium for a brand-new Cleveland Browns team. The new team would continue all the traditions of the original Cleveland Browns: jerseys, slogans, logos, and so on.
In 1999, Randolph Lerner came to Cleveland and established a brand-new Browns team, which is the current team in the league.
In other words, although the current Cleveland Browns continue the rich history of the city and the team, they are a completely new team. It is a team that is both old and young.
Before the NFL, the Browns were a dominant force in the National Football League, winning four NFL championships. Many legendary players were born in their history. After joining the NFL, the Browns belonged to the American Football Conference, in the AFC North Division, along with the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
The new Cleveland Browns, established in 1999, had a rocky and difficult journey in the NFL. In the past thirteen seasons, they only made the playoffs once, in 2002. Other than that, they were a bust.
In the eight years from 2003 to 2010, the Cleveland Browns' season wins were below five in seven of those years. The only exception was 2007.
That year, the team had an excellent record of 10-6, the same as their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. But unfortunately, they lost both games to the Steelers that season, at home and away, and were ranked second in the division, narrowly missing the playoffs.
With a terrible record and no signs of a return to glory, the Cleveland Browns were a strong contender for the number one pick in the draft every year. It was rumored that the current owner, Randolph Lerner, was losing faith and was interested in selling the team.
However, after this season started, the Browns seemed to show some signs of a revival. Before their bye week in the fifth week, they had a record of 2-2 in four regular season games. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either, sparking a glimmer of hope.
After returning from the bye week, the team had a record of 1-1. Especially last week, the Browns, playing at home, won a defensive battle against the visiting Seattle Seahawks with an incredibly low score of 6-3. This gave the team more confidence.
This week, with a record of 3-3, the Cleveland Browns were playing on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, who were in great form this season. Although before the game, commentators favored the 49ersโthis was the first time since the start of the 2011 season that the San Francisco 49ers were considered the favorites to win the gameโthe Browns still wouldn't give up easily. Only after the game would the result be known.
However, it seemed that the San Francisco 49ers showed no signs of complacency. Instead, they showed an excellent "all for one" state of mind. Rookie quarterback Lu Ke was on fire. On the first drive, he completed all four of his passing attempts, along with three running plays. He easily got a touchdown in a crushing fashion.
Even Troy, sitting in the commentary booth, could clearly feel the smooth play-calling, the decisive execution, and the precise passing. Lu Ke showed excellent ball handling and a firm will to win.
Last week, the Browns' defense had completely stifled the Seahawks' offense. Their tough ground defense especially made Marshawn Lynch's beast mode look weak. Their amazing performance gave people high hopes. But this week, Lu Ke showed a relaxed and easygoing attitude on the first drive, and with a decisive and sharp play, he got a touchdown.
Although the entire 49ers' pocket had been shattered, the Browns' defense was a step too slow. In the nick of time, Lu Ke completed the pass. He then avoided a defensive player who couldn't stop in time and stared at the football as it flew in a high arc. His heart didn't return to his chest until he saw Logan get free and make the catch.
However, the drive wasn't over yet.
After watching Logan run into the end zone, Lu Ke clenched his fists and waved them twice, shouting, "Good job!" Then he squinted and looked back at the Browns' defensive linemen, not backing down at all. He responded to the opponent's tough defense with a strong performance, earning the first passing touchdown of the game.
This was the beginning, the beginning of winning his first game since becoming the captain!
In an instant, the entire Candlestick Park went wild. The deafening roars and shouts poured down like a storm. Every face was filled with joy. They raised their clenched fists high, cheering, cheering, and cheering, celebrating in such a simple way, giving the players the most wonderful affirmation.
In the end zone, Logan, who had just scored the touchdown, threw the football to the referee standing next to him. Then he started to run and accelerate, charging into the stands. The screaming fans immediately lost control. They all swarmed him, enthusiastically patting his body and roaring in ecstasy. The pure joy erupted like a volcano.
"Logan! Logan! You're f**king awesome! I love you!"
The rough shouts rushed toward him. Then Logan felt a big kiss on his cheek. This immediately made Logan jump. "Hey, hey, this handsome face of mine is for my future girlfriend. If you're going to infringe on it now, she's going to be mad."
That serious yet flustered expression made all the fans burst into laughter. One young female fan even shouted, "Logan, what about me?"
Logan turned to look at her, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Hey, have we met before?"
"We have now. Please tell Bambi for me that he is so handsome." The female fan then started screaming, and all the fans around her followed suit. "Oh-ho-ho! Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
Seeing this, Logan was dumbfounded, then he complained in a depressed tone, "Who said that! I'm ten times, no, a hundred times handsomer than Bambi!" After saying that, he jumped down from the stands and muttered to himself, "What kind of taste is that? Seriously. What's so handsome about Bambi? He's not handsome at all. They have no taste."
While complaining and grumbling, Logan walked toward his teammates in a resentful mood.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
Unconsciously, a powerful sound echoed throughout the entire stadium. Lu Ke, who was about to leave the field, couldn't help but look up and in the direction of the sound.
Candlestick Park was still packed today. Every seat was filled with home fans. Not to mention the visiting fans who traveled a long way, even the local home fans couldn't get a ticket. This explosive market had been a long time coming, bringing back the glory of when the entire city went crazy for football.
The red home jerseys were like a vast ocean, dyeing the entire Candlestick Park red, spreading endlessly.
Lu Ke looked around but still couldn't find the source of the sound. It was as if he could hear his name being called from every corner, and it was forming a powerful chant, showing the visiting Cleveland Browns the strong energy from the home team. It made his heart race and his blood boil. But Lu Ke still didn't understand what was going on.
Lu Ke saw Logan walking toward him, called out to him, and asked him what was going on, gesturing to the shouts from the crowd.
But Logan didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Lu Ke up and down with a disapproving expression, shaking his head. Finally, he made a face at Lu Ke, haughtily raised his chin, and turned to walk towards the gathering of the defense and substitute players, high-fiving his teammates.
Lu Ke, who was standing still, was completely bewildered. What just happened?
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