Chapter 696: A Dose of Inspiration
Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Lu Ke held his nutritional meal in his left hand and the remote control in his right. The fork he was using to eat had no place to be put, so he held it in his mouth. He didn't seem to notice, his fingers busy, quickly rewinding the game film to the previous offensive play and pausing the video.
"Look," Lu Ke said, holding the fork with his teeth and watching it move up and down as he spoke. He explained patiently and excitedly, "In this offensive play, the runs of the two defensive players, number 93 and number 75. Yes, ignore the other players, just focus on these two players."
"Did you notice their running routes? One cuts in, and one peels off." After saying that, Lu Ke pressed the remote control again, this time rewinding for nearly thirty minutes.
After pausing, he adjusted a little, found the segment he needed, and started explaining again. "Now look at this offensive play, the runs of number 93 and number 75. Did you notice? What's the same, and what's different? Just focus on the running routes!"
Lu Ke's expression was incredibly focused, but the fork between his teeth danced more and more intensely, revealing his inner excitement. "Actually, these two defensive plays are the same, but the running routes of the two players changed slightly, which created completely different effects."
"I noticed that number 93 was a half-beat early, and then number 75 completed the block. But why?" Curry's eyes lit up slightly. He immediately understood, but he wasn't a quarterback. He hadn't studied the playbook in detail, and his understanding of the ever-changing tactics was just a glimpse.
"Because number 93 made a prediction. He was a half-beat early and didn't get an offsides penalty, but he caught the two offensive linemen at the moment of the snap and used the time and space difference to tear open the pocket. Immediately after, number 75 used the same method to prevent the offensive linemen from double-teaming number 93. So, in the end, number 93 forced the quarterback to make a hurried throw."
Lu Ke's explanation immediately enlightened Curry, especially with the clear comparison between the two offensive plays, which showed the changes to the fullest. "So, what should the offense do?"
"First, rely on the quarterback's evasion. Second, rely on the offensive line's protection. If the quarterback's footwork isn't agile enough, it could even lead to a sack. But if the quarterback is very mobile, it could become a great opportunity to complete a pass," Lu Ke summarized concisely.
You either have a top-notch offensive line or an agile quarterback. There's no other choice.
This time, Curry didn't nod in agreement. A flash of inspiration came to his mind. "Wait, Peyton Manning didn't do that just now."
They weren't watching the San Francisco 49ers' game film but the Indianapolis Colts' game film from the 2009 season.
Curry immediately straightened his back and snatched the remote control, trying to fast-forward back to the first offensive play they watched, but he couldn't find it after a while. In the end, he had no choice but to hand the remote control to Lu Ke, who accurately found the video clip and started playing it.
"Yeah, look, Manning didn't leave the pocket, and the offensive line's positioning didn't seem to change, but why didn't number 93's rush succeed this time?" Curry showed his high basketball IQ and instantly caught the inspiration.
Lu Ke showed a shallow smile. "Because before the snap, Manning predicted the defensive formation. He changed the play and changed the tasks for the offensive linemen and the routes for the receiving players."
Then, Lu Ke paused the video again. Holding an infrared pointer like a teaching stick, he began to point things out. "You can see that in this offensive play, the tight end didn't rush out, which is equivalent to adding an offensive lineman. This created a mismatch, forcing number 93 and number 75 to hit a wall while running the same route, and also..."
Back and forth, the two of them dissected this small video clip over and over again, engaging in a lively discussion and even debate.
Finally, Curry had a moment of realization. "I get it! No wonder the last time, the quarterback was forced to make a hurried throw, but this time, the quarterback completed a long touchdown pass. The difference in reading the defense and observing the field is huge. That pass just now was over thirty yards, right?"
"Around thirty-five yards," Lu Ke nodded in confirmation. "Manning's arm for long passes isn't strong, but his ability to make deep throws is very powerful. The main reason is his prediction and reading, which often allows his offense to gain more time to run and pull apart the defense, and then use the receiving player's talent to connect."
Curry held his nutritional meal and savored it carefully. After a moment of silence, he asked curiously, "Bambi, what if we analyzed basketball game films? Could you analyze the entire defensive system and offensive system?"
"I'm not sure. The playbook for professional basketball is very different from ours," Lu Ke said truthfully. He knew his specialty, and for a professional player, the biggest taboo was to pretend to know something you didn't.
Putting down his fork and enjoying his dinner again, Lu Ke's words became more cheerful. "But we can analyze it together. You know, when a point guard stands in the backcourt, he must have a clear understanding of the entire court layout and positioning. From this point of view, a point guard and a quarterback have something in common."
"However, we need to watch the game film over and over again because the transition between offense and defense in basketball is too fast, much faster than in football. In a single possession, the switch between offense and defense, the choice and use of plays, and the constantly changing situations. We need to slow it down to analyze it. This is also one of the most wonderful parts of watching game film."
After giving his opinion, Lu Ke noticed that Curry was staring at him blankly. He couldn't help but blink. "Or did I say something stupid? Was everything I just said nonsense? Just to be clear, the last time I played basketball was a very, very, very long time ago, so I was just rambling."
That "eager to clear his name" expression successfully made Curry chuckle. He shook his head lightly. "I was just wondering, how many times have you watched this game film?" So Lu Ke could know every offensive play like the back of his hand, and even remember the exact timestamp.
"This one? Not many, just fourteen times," Lu Ke said lightly. "So far, the games I've watched the most are the regular season games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Both of those teams are absolute defensive powerhouses, and every defensive play shows their foundation and strength. I've watched them over fifty times, and I'm still learning a lot."
Curry didn't say anything, just looked at Lu Ke.
When Lu Ke talked about games and training, when he talked about football, his eyes would light up. That heartfelt passion and desire made him shine, and it was always like this.
That state of complete focus and commitment exuded a powerful energy that made people admire him. More importantly, Lu Ke had just returned from his trip to Shanghai. Without any time to rest, he was full of energy again and was ready to watch game film.
This made Curry feel incredibly small.
He was injured again.
After a season that had just started to get better, multiple sprains and bruises on his ankle gave him a harsh reality check, directly ending his season. Before he had a chance to fully shine, he was once again in the dark. He could only watch his teammates continue to fight while he sat helplessly on the sidelines, suffering from his injury.
This feeling was truly unbearable, even more tormenting than being in hell.
All of this made Curry feel irritable, as if there was always a ball of fire in his chest, but he didn't know who to vent it on or how to vent it. That feeling of being wronged and suppressed held back all his anger, and in the end, he became disheartened, as if the whole world was gray. That empty feeling of falling into an abyss with no end was swallowing him little by little.
That powerful negative emotion had even affected his wife, Ayesha.
Ayesha was now six months pregnant. She needed a positive and encouraging environment to have a peaceful pregnancy. At the same time, Curry also needed to leave that oppressive environment and get some fresh air.
He didn't want to find his agent, his teammates, his parents, or his non-player friends. So, Curry appeared at Lu Ke's doorstep, like a homeless man. He didn't even ask if Lu Ke was home; he just showed up impulsively.
After they met, Lu Ke didn't say a long speech, no inspirational words, and didn't even formally express his sympathy and regret. He was just... Lu Ke, the Lu Ke that he and Watt knew and were familiar with.
He had finished a full day of training and was now continuing his training at night. Every corner of his life was filled with football. He was focused and committed, professional and dedicated. That passion was like golden sunlight, shining brightly and slowly driving away the negative emotions in Curry's heart, slowly making him feel warm again.
Back home in Oakland, his parents, his friends, his coach, and even his psychologist were all comforting and counseling him, but the problem was that he understood all of it. However, when he was truly stuck in the rut of an injury, he just couldn't do it.
He knew he should cheer up. He knew he was still young and had a chance. He knew that competitive sports were so cruel. He knew that injuries were also a part of life. He knew all of it, but that frustration couldn't be cured with just a few inspirational words.
But just now, Curry was excited again after a long time. That sense of focus, that sense of commitment, and that burning feeling were boiling under his skin. Following Lu Ke, he slowly returned to his daily routine, a boring but normal life.
To be honest, he kind of missed those days.
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