Chapter 824: A Deadly Weapon
Logan Newman started to move.
He didn't accelerate to full speed immediately because he didn't want to alert the defensive players. Instead, Ginn's run exploded with great energy, crossing the entire field like a shooting star, attracting the attention of at least two linebackers and a safety. This made the San Francisco 49ers' right side relatively quiet.
When Earl Thomas was behind him, Logan finally ramped up his speed completely and sprinted toward the deep zone without any hesitation.
Through the entire offseason's training, Logan's weight didn't increase; it decreased. He wasn't skinny; he was solid. The parts he had forced himself to gain weight for before started to shrink little by little. His muscles became more explosive, and his body became more confrontational. While his blocking and tackling abilities improved, Logan's receiving agility returned to its college form.
Every drop of sweat truly turned into strength, and now it was time to reap the rewards.
Explosiveness within ten yards was still not Logan's strong suit. Logan's advantage was his ability to maintain a consistent acceleration between twenty and forty yards.
So, in the first ten yards, Logan wasn't in a hurry. He kept his footwork steady and his power output consistent, gradually picking up speed. Ten yards, fifteen yards, twenty yards... Logan's feet had already reached the midfield line in a flash. He quickly looked back, assessing the positions of all the defensive players. At the same time, he confirmed that Lu Ke had successfully caught the ball and was stepping up to throw.
First, he caught a glimpse of Sherman's footsteps coming back to cover. Just as Lu Ke had said, this guy would never give up easily. Moreover, his ability to spot defensive weaknesses and game crises was also very threatening, so he absolutely couldn't be underestimated. Then he saw the high arc of Lu Ke's pass. It was a super long, arcing pass.
This didn't fluster Logan at all. On the contrary, he became excited.
Logan's acceleration didn't stop or hesitate. He entered his most comfortable zone of consistent acceleration, and he truly started to run faster and faster. His whole body entered a state of high-speed running.
In his peripheral vision, he couldn't see any chasing figures on either side. But Logan knew that by now the entire defense was aware of the truth of the trick play. He could imagine that the linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties should all be chasing back, because the football was still in the air. Before Logan completed the catch, anything was possible, so the defense would naturally not slack off.
That was indeed the case.
Kam Chancellor was desperately chasing back, flanking from the other side of the field. Richard Sherman was also sprinting with all his might. His chasing steps were getting faster and faster, completely unleashing his speed advantage. Earl Thomas was stumbling, trying to adjust his footwork. Although his body's center of gravity couldn't be immediately changed, he still didn't give up.
Behind them was a large group of Seattle Seahawks' defensive players in white jerseys chasing back. From a bird's-eye view, you could see a "person" shaped route. Logan was the key at the top, and under the "person" shape were a large number of offensive and defensive players, a black mass of people. It looked like the Chinese character "众" (crowd).
Although he couldn't see behind him, Logan's feet didn't slacken at all, not because he was worried about the defensive players, but because Lu Ke's passing distance was truly too far, challenging Logan's limit.
"A rainbow pass! This is actually a long rainbow pass!"
"Logan Newman is sprinting with all his might! He's crossed the midfield line and entered the Seattle Seahawks' half of the field! His running is strong and sharp! This is truly an eye-opening performance from Newman!"
"Although he's not as strong as Rob Gronkowski or as agile as Jimmy Graham, he has both Gronkowski's toughness and Graham's speed, forming his own tight end style! He is now becoming an irreplaceable core player in the San Francisco 49ers' offense. This is true not only for his touchdown performance but also for his tactical use!"
"Now Newman is unleashing his power as a red zone threat!"
"Forty-five-yard line! Forty-yard line! Thirty-five-yard line! My God, my God, Newman is still picking up speed! He's getting faster and faster! Sherman is trying to chase back. The distance between them is shortening little by little, but it seems to be too late. Newman's secondary explosiveness is truly outstanding, and he's widening the gap between them again!"
"Thirty-yard line! Twenty-five-yard line! Twenty-yard line!"
"Unbelievable! Lu Ke's super long pass must be over fifty yards! My God, this is actually a pass of about fifty-five yards! The football is falling fast. Newman is adjusting his position with small steps! At the same time, he's maintaining his forward momentum! Newman! Newman! Newman!"
"Newman has caught the football! He's caught it!"
Logan's speed had reached its limit, and now he was having a little trouble controlling it because he was too fast. The fierce force of his body's momentum made his footwork regular. When he slightly messed up his pace and stride, his running rhythm immediately started to get choppy. The quick small steps couldn't brake in time. Instead, his upper body was starting to lean forward, making it more difficult to catch the ball.
Originally, Logan wanted to continue forward and catch the ball with his hands like a net. But now, the control of the angle and power was not stable, and he had to change his strategy. He slightly turned his body and then turned his back. His forward-running steps became backward steps. The turn and change of speed in the midst of a turbulent sea of motion gradually calmed his body's control.
With a light leap, he caught the ball with a backward lean. His hands came out to meet it, and Logan firmly controlled the football in his palms.
As expected, the spin and power of the football had already weakened. Logan's fingertips didn't need to work too hard to complete a steady and solid catch. Lu Ke's deep passing ability had reached a state of perfection. The long pass play, which would be very risky for other teams, has repeatedly become the San Francisco 49ers' trump card.
However, Logan's turn had a negative effect: Sherman's feet had caught up.
Sherman's figure was now very close, only an arm's length away. But Sherman hadn't anticipated Logan's turning catch. His judgment of space and position was slightly off, and his center of gravity became unsteady. He gritted his teeth and jumped forward with all his might, trying to shorten the last bit of the time difference and make a tackle.
At that crucial moment, Logan landed on his toes, stepping back lightly. With just a small step out of position, he had widened the distance between them again. Then Logan, like he was dancing on the tip of a knife, continued to retreat with small steps.
Sherman missed and fell heavily with the pull of gravity. He could see the ground rushing toward him. He stretched out his hands, extending his fingers as much as he could, and grabbed at Logan's ankles. His fingertips could already feel the texture of the sock and the shoe—
But Logan's feet lightly jumped up, like a modern dance move. They were soft and tough, graceful and free. He dodged Sherman's fingertips, once again widening the distance between them. But after he landed, Logan's foot kicked Sherman's wrist and palm, tripping him badly. His footwork became messy and dangerous.
"Hang on! Hang on! Hang on!"
This was the only thought in Logan's mind. Stumbling and staggering, he successfully turned around again. The end zone was only about ten yards away.
Just then, Logan's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a figure on his left. He was startled and instinctively moved to his right. Then he realized—
It was the referee.
A false alarm!
Logan's steps continued to be one deep and one shallow, and the short ten-yard distance was covered in a flurry of chaotic steps. He ran into the end zone without any obstacles.
He turned around and raised the football with one hand, roaring madly at all the defensive players who were charging toward him, especially the angry and frustrated Sherman. He didn't need to swear or explode. It was just a monosyllabic roar, "Ah! Ahhh! Ah!"
That was enough. All his passion and enthusiasm had been released.
It was a familiar scene.
The Seattle Seahawks' defense put up a high-quality defensive effort, but they lost the initiative in the San Francisco 49ers' brilliant play design. One deviation or one misstep, and they completely lost all their advantages, and in the end, they could only watch their opponent score a touchdown.
First Ginn, then Logan.
Two long passes, two open spaces, two touchdowns.
What was even more disgraceful was that on the side that Sherman and Thomas were defending together, they couldn't make a single effective tackle on either of the two touchdown plays. They were completely at a disadvantage.
Looking at the San Francisco 49ers' offensive plays, they were spread out across the left, middle, and right sides. They were constantly changing the rhythm between passing and running. Although there were some mistakes, they were able to open up a lane in every tactical area. In the end, they broke through Sherman's defense twice in a row and scored a touchdown.
So, was the Seattle Seahawks' defensive strategy a success or a failure?
The first half of the game had just passed, and the home team, the San Francisco 49ers, had already taken a 14-0 lead. They also showed good form on both offense and defense. On the other hand, the visiting Seattle Seahawks seemed to have continued their sickness from the previous weeks. They were dominant at home but inconsistent on the road, especially in their slow starts. They hadn't even had a chance to get their spirits up before their opponent hit them with a combination of punches that made their heads spin.
Now, how should this game continue?
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