Chapter 904: Dazzling

Tillman, with his full attention, didn’t let up for a second. Seeing Logan create two yards of separation, he forcefully twisted his body, reacting immediately and diving at Logan without hesitation.

At the same time, his peripheral vision was on Lu Ke’s passing arc. Even with a pass from the blind side, he still had a chance. He could use his position to stand behind Logan, either to break up the ball, disrupt Logan’s balance after the catch, or make a tackle. He would have the advantage.

But the next second, Tillman gasped in shock. "Again?"

5 Seconds

Lu Ke’s right hand, poised to throw, paused for a moment. With a gentle twist of his core, he changed his direction, pulling his arm back to throw to Ted Ginn Jr. in the middle.

Another fake! A perfectly convincing fake.

In a fraction of a second, Tillman reacted. To be more precise, his excellent form this season gave him the advantage in anticipation and positioning. Like a bloodhound, he could always smell the quarterback’s passing choice and the receiver’s position a half-second ahead of time.

So, as if by instinct, Tillman’s muscles slammed on the brakes, and he shifted his weight to the right with the powerful momentum of his body.

Why?

Because Ginn’s defender was Lance Briggs.

First, Briggs is an outside linebacker, primarily responsible for run defense and short-pass coverage. He weighs 254 pounds, and neither his speed nor short-burst acceleration are his strengths. His main role is to act as a heavy shield in tough matchups. Sacks and forced fumbles are his forte.

Second, Briggs occasionally helps with short-pass coverage, and this play was no different. He was supposed to be covering Marcus, but Marcus and Ginn kept switching places, and Briggs couldn’t keep up. In the end, Julius Peppers was forced to cover Marcus while Briggs was left with Ginn.

Briggs had planned to use his strength to run into Ginn and disrupt his route, but Ginn wasn’t running at full speed. Instead, he kept changing his pace, and the chaotic rhythm completely threw Briggs out of position.

Finally, what is Ginn’s biggest strength? Speed.

If Ginn broke free of Briggs—which was a high probability—he would be facing Chris Conte alone. That was an absolute danger. With one slight misstep, Ginn could run all the way for a touchdown!

Of course, Tillman wasn’t thinking about all of these complexities. He just felt the danger like a wild animal and reacted out of pure instinct.

Whether it was assist coverage or emergency coverage, Tillman had to react to a pass to Ginn.

In his line of sight, Lu Ke saw Tillman’s shift, and he immediately knew his tactical trap had worked. But he still didn’t let up, because the play wasn’t over.

5 Seconds

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Ke could see Blake Costanzo trying to get past Alex Boone, who was holding him back. Costanzo was using his momentum to push forward, and Boone’s feet were slowly giving way. He was trying his best to stop Costanzo, but the two were still getting closer.

Lu Ke wasn’t distracted. He pulled his arm back a second time and made a small, 15-degree turn to the right. The adjustment was incredibly smooth and fluid, requiring very little effort. His persistent yoga practice was paying off, allowing him to easily make the adjustment.

Without even moving his feet, Lu Ke used his upper-body strength to push the ball out. It flew through the air in a graceful arc.

The parabola wasn’t high, only about the height of a house, but the ball’s speed was very fast. It wasn’t a bullet pass, but it was close, and it charged forward in a straight line at a 30-degree angle to the right.

At that moment, Costanzo finally pushed past Boone and got to Lu Ke, only to see that the ball was no longer in his hand. He couldn’t stop his forward momentum and collided with Lu Ke. The three of them stacked together like a hamburger, and Jonathan Goodwin arrived to make sure Costanzo didn’t make any unnecessary moves.

Then, a dazed Costanzo looked up.

On this play, the Bears’ defense had planned everything in advance. They had discussed every detail during halftime. Putting aside the performance of their offense, their sole focus for the first defensive series of the second half was to deliver a strong blow to Lu Ke and shut down all of his passing lanes. They wanted to seize the momentum.

This was supposed to be their ace in the hole.

But why? Why didn’t Costanzo get the sack? How did this happen? How did Lu Ke figure out their strategy? Why did their master plan fail?

Costanzo quickly looked up, his last hope on the secondary defense. He then saw the football flying like a rocket, and its target was none other than Logan Newman!

Costanzo was almost ecstatic and wanted to scream. Logan’s defender was Tillman, who was playing great all game. This meant they could still make the stop... Wait, what happened? Why did Logan catch the ball? Why? No, something wasn’t right!

Costanzo was on the brink of despair.

Logan was methodically adjusting his steps, not because he was the target, but because he was running his route in coordination with Marcus and Ginn. The three of them were constantly switching routes, completely disrupting the defense’s rhythm.

On this play, they had used Ted Ginn instead of Randy Moss because they needed Ginn’s speed to break the defense’s rhythm and stretch their formation. At the same time, their routes were intertwined, and they worked together as a team to create a breakthrough.

Seeing that Ginn had already broken free of Briggs, Logan immediately made his move. He stopped and cut back sharply, shedding Tillman. It was now up to Tillman to decide if he would cover him. If he did, Lu Ke could choose Ginn or Marcus as a target. If he didn’t, Logan would have the space for a catch.

Logan’s focus was absolute.

During halftime, he had been teased by Vernon and Ginn for not getting the better of Tillman. Although he talked tough in the moment, Logan knew Tillman was a force to be reckoned with. He had to use 100% of his energy to find a good opportunity.

So, Logan’s footwork was precise. He wasn’t completely facing away from Tillman. He was turned sideways, keeping Tillman in his peripheral vision. He wasn’t even watching Lu Ke, because all of the receivers knew that Lu Ke would never miss a window, no matter how small.

In an instant, Logan noticed Tillman’s feet shift, and his balance wavered.

Immediately, Logan stopped and did a full 360-degree outside spin, like a Marseille turn, using Tillman as his pivot. His body circled to the outside, getting him closer to the sideline, with only about a step of room. Then, Logan started to accelerate toward the end zone!

Logan’s burst of speed showed no concern for Tillman’s position. He wasn’t worried about exposing his route because both he and Ginn had already beaten their defenders. Now, Tillman was forced to choose. It was a moment that would test Tillman’s critical decision-making.

Their shoulders even bumped, and both of them momentarily lost their balance.

But Logan’s focus was sharp. He immediately stood on his tiptoes and spread his arms like a bird, maintaining his balance. He glided through the narrow space on the right side quickly and lightly, like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, he had passed Tillman, and their positions had been reversed.

Tillman was completely stunned. His body’s instinct was to keep moving toward Ginn, but his mind was in a complete disconnect because of Logan’s move.

His feet were still stumbling toward Ginn, but his focus began to waver. For a defender, this was a huge mistake. But Tillman couldn’t help it. His mind was filled with doubt: Is it Ginn or Logan? Is it Logan or Ginn?

He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He instinctively turned his head to glance at Lu Ke, but the ball had just left his hand. He had missed Lu Ke’s second pump fake, and when the ball first came out, the trajectory wasn’t clear. It looked like it could be for Ginn or Logan. The two receivers were only about four or five yards apart, and the initial flight path of the ball was impossible to differentiate.

What should he do? What should he do? 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tillman was in a full panic. Despite having the advantage, he was now in a difficult situation. What was the right choice?

He brought his eyes back, following his body’s momentum, and ran toward Ginn. But he raised his chin high, as if he were a child counting stars, looking up at the sky, trying to figure out how many stars were there. Then... he saw the football streaking across the sky like a bright meteor, and the target was clearly...

Logan Newman.

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