Chapter 834: Easy to Approach
"Correct," Lu Ke nodded toward Hampton, who looked overjoyed. Lu Ke chuckled slightly, and though he felt a bit bad, he continued, "But..."
The turning point had come.
Hampton's expression became serious, and he listened intently.
"But what formation are we in? The Pro-Set formation. Before you ran out, did you see my eye signal?" Lu Ke's question stumped Hampton because he hadn't. Then, Lu Ke threw the question to someone else. "LaMichael, why do you need to make eye contact with me before you run out?"
Taken by surprise, LaMichael was a bit flustered. "Uh, well. Uh... Because this is a Pro-Set formation, I need to first confirm whether it's a run or a pass."
LaMichael was still a bit uncertain and looked again at Hampton and Bruce Miller.
Bruce Miller was a fullback. After Kendall Hunter got injured, Bruce became the team's only fullback. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round with the 211th pick last year, in the same draft class as Lu Ke. His overall ability was slightly inferior to Kendall's, and he was more active on special teams, occasionally serving as a rotational player to change up the running rhythm.
Hampton and Bruce both nodded discreetly in agreement.
This scene made Lu Ke couldn't help but laugh. "You can ask me directly. Don't worry, I won't turn into the Hulk."
Everyone's eyes turned to Lu Ke again, and the atmosphere relaxed a bit. Lu Ke gave a definite answer, "The secret of the Pro-Set formation is that it can be a pass or a run. If I choose to run, the offensive line's plays will be arranged accordingly. After the snap, I will make a decision based on my judgment of the defense's position. So, running backs, you must, must make eye contact with me."
Then, Hampton raised his right hand high.
Lu Ke's eyes lit up slightly, and he tilted his chin, signaling that he welcomed any questions.
"Then after a running back runs past the offensive line, how do we know if you're going to pass the ball to us?" Hampton asked humbly—no, asking Lu Ke questions was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
"Remember the '69' play from earlier? That was a passing play call. If I don't change my mind after the snap, the running back should follow the play's instructions and adjust their body and footwork when they cut into the middle. As long as they find an open area, I will complete the pass," Lu Ke explained quickly, then he threw out a question. "Does anyone know what the command is if the receiving position is on the right side?"
Hampton raised his right hand high again, and after getting a signal from Lu Ke, he immediately answered, "Red 69 iron."
Lu Ke snapped his fingers in response. "Correct. If I need more time to pass, I will make further arrangements for the offensive line, and correspondingly, the receiving and running commands will be different..."
Then, Lu Ke noticed everyone's blank expressions. He also realized that this part was very complicated, and it wasn't the purpose of this tactical practice. So he stopped in time. "We can make further arrangements based on the game footage later. For now, are there any questions about the run?"
After some hesitation, LaMichael also raised his right hand.
Lu Ke laughed heartily. "You don't need to raise your hands. This isn't a classroom. Jewel, look at you, leading everyone astray. I'm your quarterback, and you're my offense. This isn't a university classroom. You can ask directly, even if it's the most stupid question."
Unknowingly, Mario also chuckled.
Although the entire team trained together every day, even if they were on different fields, the players still saw each other. Lu Ke was never a player who liked to act high and mighty. The offense's private tactical meetings, and the tactical meetings for rookies—now second-year players and rookies—were always open to everyone.
But it had to be admitted that there was an invisible barrier between the first and second teams. It wasn't intentional, but it existed.
Today, Lu Ke's friendliness and approachability were refreshing. His explanations of the playbook were simple and easy to understand. He repeatedly practiced them in a real offensive situation and derived countless possibilities, which was much more vivid than just reading the playbook on their own.
For most rookie players, learning the playbook was a very, very painful thing. Rote memorization was the only way.
For example, "42 power is a short pass inside cut, 42 power is a short pass inside cut, 42 power is a short pass inside cut," over and over again. After a lot of repetition, they would develop a conditioned reflex. They only needed to hear the command, and their bodies would react.
This is also the reason why the Wonderlic Test must exist.
Practice like this is really time-consuming and energy-consuming. There are over twenty thousand plays in the playbook, and they can't go through every single one. But it was certain that through today's tactical practice, they could have a more intuitive and three-dimensional understanding of the playbook. After this, it would definitely be easier for them to study on their own.
Now Mario finally understood why Lu Ke organized all kinds of different tactical meetings outside of regular practice.
Everyone praised Lu Ke as a tactical genius. In just his second year in the league, he had already shown a high level of skill. The Wonderlic Test seemed to be the best explanation. But they didn't know that Lu Ke put in an unimaginable amount of effort outside of games.
Unknowingly, Mario's frustration seemed to have dissipated a little.
"If I turn back and signal, but I see a linebacker rushing toward me, what should I do?" LaMichael asked a more in-depth question.
This was exactly what Lu Ke wanted to happen: to think outside the box, starting with a basic formation, and evolving countless possibilities, to thoroughly understand the play little by little. A true tactical genius doesn't rely on rote memorization because plays are static, and games are dynamic. Only by truly grasping the dynamics of the game can they showcase the infinite variations of the plays.
Of course, the prerequisite is to truly understand all the basic plays.
Any change or breakthrough is made after adapting to the rules. As the saying goes, if you want to break the rules, you have to understand them. Only by truly understanding the rules can you break free from the constraints of the framework and show infinite potential. Otherwise, without a foundation of rules, it's all just empty talk.
Lu Ke didn't rush to give an answer. Instead, he began to guide them. "In a Pro-Set formation or an 'I' formation, etc., when a middle linebacker targets a running back, what does that mean?"
LaMichael thought for a moment, but Mario answered first. "Zone defense. The middle linebacker follows the running back's movement."
Lu Ke didn't scold him but nodded in approval. "For wide receivers and tight ends, this means a zone defense. But the problem is, they can't recognize the middle linebacker's movement. Only the running back can. So, at this time, the running back needs to shoulder his heavy responsibility."
"When the running back moves, the linebacker will follow. So, how should you continue to push forward and break through?" Lu Ke pressed on with another question.
Hampton also became proactive. "First, look back at the quarterback to see if it's a run or a pass, and then make a judgment."
Lu Ke showed a bright smile. "See? Now you understand your task. At the snap, I can see what the running back sees. So, I will immediately make a judgment based on the situation of the zone defense and choose whether to run or pass. At this time, eye contact is very important."
"After that, if the linebacker is following the running back closely, then this is your one-on-one opportunity. But what if the linebacker moves but then changes his body and turns away? What should you do?" Lu Ke pushed the play further and deeper.
"Come back!" LaMichael finally found his voice. After he answered, he proudly looked around, as if to say, "What do you think? I got it this time."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Lu Ke nodded to confirm. "Yes, come back. If it's a passing play, then you have an open area. I will give you a signal, and you just need to continue running your route. But what if it isn't?"
"Retreat." Bruce finally joined the discussion. "Become the last line of defense around the quarterback and hit the defensive player who's trying to sack him."
Lu Ke's eyes lit up slightly. "Why do you think someone can break through the pocket?"
Bruce was stunned.
Lu Ke's eyes swept around, but he found that no one was speaking. He was a bit too impatient. As the plays became more and more complex, the sense of participation of each different part became stronger, and the players in each position were also blocked from their view, so they couldn't see the big picture.
In fact, this question wasn't important. It was more important that the running back was aware of the need to retreat.
But Lu Ke still gave the answer. "Because that middle linebacker left. He was supposed to be covering the running back but he gave up his defensive target. It's possible that he switched with another defensive player, and the defensive play changed, creating a numerical advantage to break through the pocket and get a sack."
All the players suddenly understood.
After explaining, Lu Ke looked around again. "Any other questions?" He didn't get a response. "Good. Then let's do it again. If you have any problems or confusion, bring it up immediately."
It was the same play, but this time, it was Hampton who completed the catch, not Mario. The play was transformed again in Lu Ke's hands. This time, the questions came pouring in, and everyone seemed to have finally let go of their reservations and opened up.
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