Chapter 1042: Breaking Through Head-On

What is the focus of the Seattle Seahawks’ defense? Run defense. That’s not a difficult answer.

How should a quarterback respond to this to open up the game? You could either learn from the Seahawks’ offense and use multiple top-tier running backs to launch a series of attacks, constantly disrupting the defense’s rhythm. Or, you could use Lu Ke’s first-half strategy, blurring the line between a running play and a passing play, and constantly changing the offensive rhythm.

Now, Lu Ke was demonstrating a third possibility.

The San Francisco 49ers’ offense lined up with two tight ends in a traditional two-by-two formation. On the right were Ted Ginn Jr. and Logan Newnam, and on the left were Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. In addition, Frank Gore and Lu Ke stood in a modified pistol formation, parallel to each other, about four yards apart. This put Gore slightly behind Ginn’s position, almost in a straight line with him.

The pistol formation can be used for both a pass and a run. Now, Gore’s position was even more ambiguous, standing silently in a special position like an extra chess piece.

"Attack!"

Lu Ke called the snap. Gore’s feet adjusted with small steps in place. The momentum for his explosive start was always contained in his muscles, making him look like an elegant leopard waiting for an opportunity. He didn’t move forward rashly, nor did he sway left or right. He looked like a chess piece completely detached from the offensive play.

Something was up!

Seahawks’ middle linebacker Bobby Wagner was staring at Gore’s every move. Gore didn’t make a rash move, and neither did he. His only mission was to kill all possibilities of a running back advancing. He was ready for any running play they threw at him. He would not make a mistake. He would absolutely not make a mistake!

With a half-beat or one-beat delay, which was a change in rhythm during the fast-paced game, you could see Gore moving horizontally toward Lu Ke. His movement wasn’t fast. He was moving and observing at the same time, seemingly constantly looking for space to advance.

Wagner still didn’t rush. He kept his balance, his eyes following Gore’s movements, but his muscles were already tense, ready to strike at any moment.

Gore looked like a horizontally moving high-speed train. His steps and movements were so fierce that it was difficult to ignore him. At the same time, Lu Ke didn’t pass the ball for a long time. He didn’t even move his feet much. He was always making small adjustments to his body in place, slightly backing up two steps.

Everything looked like a delayed running play: waiting for the receiver to run their routes, pushing the defenders back to create space for the running back to run freely.

The Seahawks’ defensive strategy still followed the pattern from the second half of the first half: four defensive linemen and one middle linebacker for the run defense; two cornerbacks and two safeties for the secondary defense; and finally, two outside linebackers who supplemented the run defense and looked for opportunities to defend against short passes.

This was exactly the case now.

After the snap, Vernon Davis on the left wing and Ted Ginn Jr. on the right wing both moved forward quickly and fiercely along the deep area. Without any hesitation or pause, they rushed out beyond the five-yard mark and continued to move forward in a straight line. The momentum of the two arrows was truly frightening.

But the central area seemed relatively weak.

The two cornerbacks were responsible for covering the two players on the outside, while the two safeties, who were responsible for covering the inside receivers, were positioned deeper. Kam Chancellor was quickly closing in, while Earl Thomas was standing alone in the back. This meant that Chancellor had to face the impact of two powerful receivers alone, which made the defensive positions of the two outside linebackers crucial.

Number 56, Leroy Hill, and number 50, K.J. Wright.

Because Vernon and Ginn’s running momentum was so fierce, Hill and Wright immediately followed their steps and started to retreat to defend. But then they saw the delayed reaction of Gore. Both of their steps were a little hesitant, and then Gore started to move horizontally.

A delayed running play.

This thought appeared in the minds of almost every Seahawks’ defender at the same time. Because of Hill and Wright’s continuous retreat, the short-pass area had now been cleared for about six or seven yards of space. At the same time, Hill and Wright were still retreating, following Vernon and Ginn’s steps.

Just then, Lu Ke and Gore’s paths crossed.

In a flash, Hill and Wright both stopped. If Lu Ke chose to pass, they still had Chancellor and Thomas behind them to help. They could also turn around in time to form a containment with their teammates. If Lu Ke chose Gore to run, they would quickly return to their positions and join Wagner and other teammates to build a run defense wall.

So, Hill and Wright’s eyes were both on Lu Ke. They didn’t rush forward but stayed in a position where they could either attack or retreat. Their muscles remained tense, and their nerves remained active, ready to explode at any moment.

Just as Gore moved horizontally in front of Lu Ke, the two of them overlapped, one after the other. Gore covered Lu Ke’s position, and then Lu Ke raised his right hand and completed a pass with a small step forward.

It wasn’t a fake. It was a pass!

It seems like a long process to describe, but the entire thing only took about two seconds—Gore started with a delay, then moved horizontally, crossed paths with Lu Ke, and Lu Ke passed the ball. At the same time, Hill and Wright were covering Vernon and Ginn, then they stopped and their eyes were on Lu Ke.

The offensive line and defensive line were still fiercely clashing with each other. No one had won the battle yet, but Lu Ke had already decisively completed the pass.

This was not a running play but a passing play!

The Seahawks’ defense immediately realized their mistake. Lu Ke and Gore’s realistic faking movements completely attracted the defense’s attention. Hill and Wright immediately started to move again, both moving backward, trying to defend. But their speed couldn’t keep up with the speed of the football. Before they could even start moving, the football had already flown past them like a rocket.

A bullet pass!

Lu Ke’s long pass is renowned throughout the league. The control and angle of his rainbow pass are amazing, and he has even surpassed Aaron Rodgers to become the most threatening long-pass example in the league. But people forgot that Lu Ke also has the ability to throw a powerful bullet pass. He can instantly deliver the ball in the short and medium-pass areas, making it a powerful weapon.

This time, Lu Ke chose to throw a bullet pass.

Wright quickly turned his head to assess the situation in the backfield, but his peripheral vision caught a shocking sight: three offensive players against two defensive players!

Wait, what’s going on? It was clearly a "two-on-two" situation, so how did the 49ers suddenly have a numbers advantage? What’s going on?

The player who suddenly appeared was... number 15.

What? Number 15?

"Attack!"

Crabtree didn’t increase his forward speed. He made a motion as if he was running fast, but it only "looked" like it. In reality, he didn’t increase his speed at all. Not only did he not speed up, but he was also trying his best to control his speed.

Crabtree’s running motion made the opposing cornerback, Brandon Browner, instinctively backpedal, hoping to get an early advantage in the defense. But in fact, Crabtree only ran forward about three or four yards, then he cut inside, running in a straight line at a 60-degree angle toward the middle.

Crabtree’s sudden move created a rhythm mismatch. Browner couldn’t keep up at the first moment. By the time he reacted, he was a half-step behind, which gave Crabtree the space to speed up.

His steps became faster and faster. He instantly passed the stationary outside linebacker, Hill. But he wasn’t affected at all. He completely ignored the specific reason why Hill had stopped. He only caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadow in his peripheral vision, and then he quickly cut into the middle. His right foot pushed off hard, he paused to stabilize, and after an emergency stop, he adjusted his direction and started to sprint directly toward the end zone.

Not far in front of him, about ten yards away, he could see the backs of Vernon and Ginn.

Vernon took on Chancellor, while Ginn continued to run toward Thomas. The two of them successfully contained the safeties’ defensive positions.

Crabtree saw the space to advance.

Crabtree didn’t know how all this had happened or how Lu Ke had calculated it, but the fact was that the two outside linebackers behind him and the two safeties in front of him seemed to be frozen. They created a central area of about ten yards, like a cat with its belly exposed and no defense, just lying there on the ground.

This would be his space to run!

So, Crabtree continued to move forward. He watched as his feet moved forward another five yards or so. He was now about 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. He could already see the "Third Down" signs on the sidelines out of the corner of his eye. Then he stopped and turned around.

Almost at the same moment he turned, the football flew toward him like a bullet.

Crabtree was still a bit away from his peak form, but he had recovered a lot compared to the middle of the season. His turning speed was still a little slow, and he couldn’t turn completely, so he had to receive the ball with his side.

However, Lu Ke’s pass was still accurate and found him right on his chest. All he had to do was raise his hands to make a catching motion, and the football would settle firmly in his palms!

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