Chapter 820: Unpredictable
Richard Sherman's hands clenched tightly. He grabbed a handful of grass and then fiercely threw it to the ground. He got up and stared intently at Lu Ke, who was standing among the crowd. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he slowly raised the corners of his mouth. The look was full of brutal bloodlust. He confidently issued a challenge.
The show was just beginning! The shame from the two games last year, he would return it all today!
His eagle-like gaze seemed to pierce through the field and land directly on Lu Ke. Lu Ke raised his eyes, and Sherman and Lu Ke's gazes met in the air.
Sherman slowly licked his lips with his tongue, like a vampire who had just finished his meal, enjoying the smell of blood lingering on his lips. The provocative demonstration was released condescendingly, pushing the tense atmosphere of the game to a new high. Then Sherman returned to his defensive position.
Whether it was Logan or Ginn, Sherman was not afraid at all. He could always find a way to counter them. Now, he wanted the battle to be more intense. He would see who would be left with their blood completely drained and turned into ashes at the end of the game. He had a feeling it wouldn't be him.
After getting into position, Sherman slightly adjusted his body's center of gravity. He was covering Ginn, but his peripheral vision was like an eagle, scanning Logan's position. He showed a powerful dominance that covered the entire field. After ten yards from the line of scrimmage, this was his territory, his world!
"Hut!"
Thanks to the quiet atmosphere of the stadium, Sherman could clearly hear Lu Ke's snap count. His eyes immediately locked onto Ginn, moving quickly with Ginn's starting steps. But he didn't rush forward rashly. Instead, he constantly adjusted his center of gravity, grasping Ginn's movement trends. He followed Ginn closely, while using his peripheral vision to scan Lu Ke's movement and throwing motion. For a defensive player, this was an important basis for deciding whether to make a second move.
Immediately, Sherman caught Lu Ke's throwing motion. The 45-degree angle to the left was the area he was defending. At the same time, Ginn also began to make quick, small steps, an inward lateral move. All of Sherman's pores tightened up. His muscles, which were tensed to the limit, exploded in an instant. He pounced on Ginn like a hungry tiger.
But, there was no football.
Sherman had covered Ginn, but the football didn't come as expected. What was going on?
He turned his head and saw Crabtree, who was eight yards to his right, trying to control the football. But the football was bouncing up and down like a clown's juggling ball, as if it could get out of Crabtree's control and fall to the ground at any moment. It was as comical as it could be.
Crabtree was still not at his best.
But this time, the other defensive players couldn't get to Crabtree in time. Their attention was all drawn to Sherman's side. There were no white jerseys within five yards of Crabtree, so Crabtree still relied on his physical ability to force the out-of-control football into his hands. Then he turned around and ran for a few yards.
The San Francisco 49ers now had a second and four.
Sherman gave up on Ginn and stopped. He gave Lu Ke a fierce and brutal glare. The bloody aura seemed to be provocatively saying, "What? You don't dare to throw the ball here anymore?"
He was provoking Lu Ke.
When a quarterback loses his cool and composure, his vision narrows, and his plays become simpler. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the defense.
Lu Ke avoided his gaze. Sherman couldn't help but laugh happily. This was a positive sign—for him.
"Hut!"
Sherman still didn't relax his guard and immediately followed along. Then he saw Lu Ke hand the football to Marcus, who had just been subbed in. It was clear that the San Francisco 49ers were constantly using the different rhythms and styles of their running backs to find a rhythm for their running game. But Sherman would not give them any space or room.
Sherman immediately gave up on Ginn and rushed toward Marcus, who was breaking through on his side. But to defend against the pass earlier, his position was too far back. Now it seemed a little too late to catch up.
Only four yards.
Marcus successfully ran for a first down. Then Sherman covered Marcus's path, but Marcus was about to break free from Sherman's tackle. Fortunately, Earl Thomas arrived just in time to assist with the tackle, still managing to keep Marcus on the ground.
Sherman triumphantly smacked his lips, spit toward Lu Ke and the offensive line, and continued to apply pressure, as if saying, "You still don't dare to throw the ball here! Coward!"
Then, there was another play change. On the right side, it became a one-on-one for Logan. On the left side, three players gathered to form a multi-route attack.
After the snap, with a fake run and a real pass, Marcus came out of the right slot. He seemed to be trying to copy the play from the previous down, attracting the linebackers and Sherman. Then, Lu Ke adjusted his feet and quickly completed a pass to his left side.
With the combined blocking of Vernon and Crabtree, Ginn easily caught a five-yard short pass. Then, with the protection of his two big teammates, he gained another four yards before he was forced to go down, stopping the drive.
Then there was a failed pass connection between Lu Ke and Vernon, which resulted in an incomplete pass. But on the following third and one, Frank Gore, who was subbed in, hard-nosed his way for one yard, keeping the drive alive.
Then there was a pass to the right side, but before Sherman could get into position, the short pass connection between Lu Ke and Logan had already failed. Lu Ke's pass was a little too strong, causing the ball to be slightly off. The ball hit Logan's shoulder, and he didn't have time to control it, resulting in an incomplete pass.
It was another run play. The offensive line successfully tore open a running lane. Marcus gained four yards before he was tackled to the ground by two linebackers, unfortunately not being able to continue the drive.
It was clear that the San Francisco 49ers' offensive plays were becoming more three-dimensional and diverse. They were constantly breaking through the defense in three different areas: left, center, and right. Some mistakes were inevitable, but they were still able to continue the drive with a high frequency and varied combination of plays.
But Sherman was not flustered at all. On the contrary, he became more and more excited and happy.
Because Lu Ke was playing according to the Seattle Seahawks' defensive strategy. His passing positions were slowly shifting toward the right side of the Seahawks. Of course, Lu Ke would still attack the left side, but it was mostly with runs and short passes, and his passing accuracy had a clear deviation. Everything showed that the pressure from Sherman was rising.
Sherman mimicked a sumo wrestler's stance, lifting his left foot, and then his right foot, as if every step could shake the ground and create a seismic shockwave. His proud and arrogant demeanor was constantly challenging the patience and bottom line of the San Francisco 49ers.
It was third and six again. The San Francisco 49ers' offense was in a difficult situation once more. Then, Lu Ke was seen making small, lateral movements to the right. But this was a fake. After only two or three cross-steps, he stopped and started to move laterally to the left.
The Seattle Seahawks' defense seemed to have already anticipated it, and they were sure that Lu Ke's offensive choice was on the 49ers' left side and the Seahawks' right side. Even so, the Seahawks' right-side defense did not lose its position. They just followed up a little slower, focusing on positioning rather than tight coverage.
Sherman started instantly, following Ginn closely. But he didn't stick too close. Instead, he used his left hand to feel Ginn's position. Through the flow of air and the change in body position, he felt the distance between the two of them, making sure that he could start his defense at any time. His main attention was on Logan on his right.
At this moment, Logan and Ginn made a cross-switch.
This wasn't unusual. In the past few plays, their routes had been constantly changing, firmly holding the attention of Sherman and Thomas.
This time, when faced with a sudden cross-switch again, Sherman and Thomas were already familiar with it. They reacted immediately and followed the two offensive players. But they caught a glimpse of Lu Ke's feet shifting to the other side. Sherman and Thomas's feet also slightly tilted, making sure that Logan and Ginn's positions were behind them—
If the ball came, they could defend a half-step ahead or even get an interception.
The unexpected happened again.
Logan and Ginn made a second cross-switch. Even though Sherman and Thomas were in the middle of their cross-running routes, they still ran hard, even if they had to go around.
Sherman and Thomas tried to follow immediately and get into a tighter coverage. But they saw Lu Ke had already left the pocket, raising his right hand toward Crabtree and Vernon on the other side, ready to complete a pass. So, both of them paused for a moment.
Before they could even follow up on this wave of defense, Logan and Ginn made a third cross-switch. They didn't even put much distance between them. They were just running back and forth in a small area in an S-shape. It was incredibly flashy and beautiful, but it was useless.
Wait.
Lu Ke threw the ball, and it was to Sherman's side!
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