Chapter 918: A Summons from the Boss

The absurdity and antics of the failure punishment aside, the game tasks and special tasks had foreshadowed the difficulty of this game, but in reality, the Chicago Bears’ defense was a bigger problem than the final score suggested. The game was much more difficult than it appeared.

But no matter what, Lu Ke had gritted his teeth and won the game again, and now it was time to tally his rewards.

He earned a total of ten base points from the game tasks.

From the special task, he got one quarterback training package and one team training package.

First, the base points.

He added five points to his running pass, from 85 to 90.

He added two points to his burst, from 88 to 90.

He added one point to his speed, from 74 to 75.

He added two points to his acceleration, from 71 to 73.

After a season and a half of hard work, Lu Ke was now very skilled at allocating points. The ten base points disappeared in an instant, like drops of water in an ocean, and his abilities improved a little more. Lu Ke truly deserved the praise of being a "top-tier player" in the league. The only thing he lacked was game experience, which he had to accumulate over time, game by game.

Next were the training packages, which Lu Ke was most curious about.

The special task rewarded him with training packages he could choose himself, which was a rare opportunity.

The quarterback training packages included things like footwork training, passing training, defensive reading training, blitz evasion training, scrambling training, and impact resistance training. There was even a receiving training package. These were more detailed than before, breaking down all the technical aspects into individual components.

Of course, this was also because Lu Ke’s own abilities had improved. If he were to improve his abilities through training alone, he would need to get even better. After all, his starting point now was completely different from last year.

Moreover, all these training packages were a series of exercises. They couldn’t directly improve the scores of each technical component. They were more about guiding Lu Ke to correct his game habits and technical movements through training, thus helping him improve.

After careful consideration, Lu Ke chose the scrambling training package.

On the surface, this was a training package for a scrambling quarterback. In reality, it was a basic training package for all types of quarterbacks.

Lu Ke was still a pocket quarterback. He didn’t expect to become an all-around player who could run and throw. Passing was still his killer move, and it was the style he was used to. He had no intention of changing it. He chose the scrambling training package to add to his playbook.

After two years of being a professional player, Lu Ke realized that scrambling didn’t just mean running with the ball. That was just one option. It could also mean scrambling in the pocket, throwing after leaving the pocket, or scrambling out of the pocket to find an opening during a blitz.

Scrambling skills were definitely an important way to enrich his tactical system. Even if he wasn’t running the ball himself, pocket footwork was a crucial part of a traditional pocket quarterback’s skill set. If Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees were the traditional pocket quarterbacks, then Aaron Rodgers was the new-era pocket quarterback.

He was still a pocket quarterback, not a scrambling one.

In the offseason, Lu Ke had worked hard on his pocket footwork and made significant progress, but compared to his other passing skills, it was still his weakness. However, it wasn’t a critical weakness that needed immediate fixing. It was more like an extra boost. So, Lu Ke hoped to use the quarterback training package to steadily improve his skills.

Next was the team training package.

Last season, Lu Ke had received a team training package and chose to improve the offensive line. After a long offseason, the offensive line had now transformed into one of the best in the league. Even if they weren’t in the top three, they were at least in the top eight. They were completely different from before.

This time, the team training package also changed and got upgraded. It could be broken down into: offensive line training, wide receiver training, tight end training, running back training, special teams training, tactical zone offense training (including Hail Marys), short pass training, medium pass training, long pass training, and so on.

The defensive team training was the same and could be broken down into every detail.

The most interesting part was that there were also training packages for the special teams and scout team.

In fact, the special teams only had three fixed players; the rest were all second-string backups. So, the special teams training package was more focused on training the bench depth. The scout team training package further confirmed this guess.

Of course, the special teams’ tactics were different from the offense’s and defense’s, so the training exercises were naturally different.

After some thought, Lu Ke chose the wide receiver training package.

Even though the offensive line, running backs, and other positions needed to be improved, the most urgent problem in the team right now was the wide receivers. Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, and Ted Ginn all had their own weaknesses. Mario Manningham, Chad Hall, and A.J. Jenkins’s abilities were also lacking.

Now, at the tight end position, Logan would be out for at least one game, or possibly two or more, because of a concussion. Vernon’s condition was also unstable and not at its best. This meant that the wide receivers would have to take on more receiving tasks. Otherwise, the passing game wouldn’t be able to get off the ground, which would be fatal to Lu Ke’s tactical system.

So, the wide receiver training package became the best way to solve this urgent problem.

Based on past experience, it would take one or two games, or even more, for the training package to take effect. This could also be seen as an early preparation for the playoffs.

Lu Ke was thinking about whether he should invite all the wide receivers—first-string and second-string—to a meeting tomorrow. Or should he activate the training package during a formal practice on the training field the day after tomorrow? Just then, the locker room door opened, and a series of screams and howls interrupted Lu Ke’s thoughts.

He didn’t even have to look up. Lu Ke could already guess what was happening. It was most likely Sophie Brook.

As the head assistant to the team’s media officer, Sophie often had to visit the locker room to summon a player for a press conference, a team event, or other reasons. She had more or less interacted with every player on the team. But even after two seasons, every time Sophie entered the locker room, the players would still make a fuss, having a great time.

But he didn’t know why Sophie was here today.

"Bambi, can you come out for a second?"

Before Lu Ke could think, a pair of red high heels appeared at the door of the ice bath room. She called out loudly, and a chorus of catcalls followed. "Bambi, the customer has specifically requested Bambi," "Bambi, hurry up and serve your customer," "It’s Bambi again, he’s definitely a regular." The exaggerated laughter made the atmosphere lively.

Lu Ke was used to it. He calmly said, "Give me five minutes."

Five minutes later, a cleaned-up Lu Ke appeared at the locker room door. Sophie was standing at the door with a cold expression on her face. She was wearing a black bandage dress, but her ears were adorned with two big, red rose earrings, making her look like a stubborn and proud desert rose.

Sophie looked a little different today. She seemed colder and more distant. Her strong aura made her impossible to ignore.

Just as Lu Ke was about to greet her, Sophie spoke first, in the most concise way possible. "VIP room. Jed is waiting for you. Also, Gideon, Roger, and some other guests are there. They’re just chatting now. Go up when you’re ready."

After she finished, Sophie didn’t stop walking. She turned and left.

Lu Ke was completely confused. He raised his voice, "Is that all? What’s going on? Are you not coming with me?"

Sophie stopped.

She turned around, her face still cold. Lu Ke couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but Sophie’s expression seemed to get colder, as if she could raise her claws and scratch someone at any moment, like a cat. But then, her words confirmed Lu Ke’s intuition. "Don’t you know the way?"

Her cold words were sharp and sarcastic. Without waiting for Lu Ke’s answer, Sophie continued, "If you don’t know the way, you can look at the map on each floor. I’m sure you won’t get lost."

She paused for a moment and looked Lu Ke up and down again. Her gaze made Lu Ke feel a chill down his spine, for no reason at all. "There are guests waiting upstairs. They came all this way for you. You’d better not waste their time." The mockery in her words was no longer hidden.

After that, Sophie turned around and walked away, this time for good. Her steps were firm, and she had no intention of turning back, no matter what Lu Ke said.

Lu Ke stood there, a look of innocence and confusion on his face. What was wrong with Sophie today? Was it her time of the month? Otherwise, why was her temper so explosive? She was like a lit powder keg. Even if he had done something wrong, there had to be a time when he did it. He hadn’t even had a chance to speak yet, had he?

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