Chapter 794: On-the-Fly Adjustments
As Moss completed the catch and his feet hit the turf, his peripheral vision caught the two defensive players quickly approaching. He didn't try to evade. Instead, he continued to advance quickly along the 45-degree diagonal line. Just as the defenders were about to close in, he made a quick step fake, throwing off both of their rhythms, and then he juked past them and advanced again.
After two consecutive moves, Moss had successfully broken free from the two defensive players' double-team, sprinted out of bounds in one go, not only gaining yardage but also stopping the game clock.
After Lu Ke's pass selections and tactical layouts subtly changed in the second half, the New York Giants' pass defense became increasingly difficult.
In their repeated matchups and confrontations, the New York Giants were consistently unable to make an effective defense. It was clear that Lu Ke's pass completion rate was rising sharply. So far, it seemed there had only been one incompletion in the entire second half. Of course, this was partly due to Lu Ke's firm focus on short passes, which reduced the risk, but for the defense, it was still a heavy blow.
The worst part was that Moss, as a receiving target, was slowly making a comeback!
Now it was second down and two yards.
At Lu Ke's call, the San Francisco 49ers' offense quickly lined up, ready for the next snap, trying to minimize the time for the New York Giants' defense to adjust.
It was still a multi-route offensive formation, but the overall positions were swapped from left to right. The left side was the trident, and the right side was the lone receiver. The positions of all the receiving targets, including Marcus, were all swapped.
Was this considered a change or no change?
The New York Giants had no time to think now. They could only react on the fly, adjusting their defensive positions accordingly.
"Hut!"
Lu Ke didn't waste any more time and boldly announced the snap. The pocket protection was a little shaky, but it wasn't a big deal for Lu Ke anymore. His dropback was still methodical, and he faked a pass to the right. Moss had already jumped slightly, as if he was preparing to catch the ball, which immediately attracted two defensive players.
The next second, Lu Ke pulled back his right hand. After two cross-steps to the side, he gently threw a parabola to the left, which wasn't a rainbow pass, but it was indeed aimed at the middle-pass area.
The trident was still set up to sprint into the deep area. They charged forward without a care, and after running 15 yards, all three of them stopped at the same time. Ginn and Logan immediately started blocking, cutting off the defenders' return routes. This created a one-on-one situation for Vernon and cornerback Justin Tryon.
This was a matchup with a physical advantage.
After Vernon slammed on the brakes, he quickly retreated and, around the 11- or 12-yard mark near the sideline, easily caught the shoulder-height pass, not giving Tryon any chance to break up the pass.
However, Tryon didn't give up easily. He closed in with a few small steps, wrapped his hands around Vernon's body from behind, and constantly bumped into Vernon's arms from below. At the same time, he kept pushing Vernon with his shoulder, disrupting Vernon's balance, and constantly interfering with him using legal small movements.
Finally, Vernon fell forward, and the football flew out of his arms.
Tryon was the first to get up. He crossed his hands in front of him, waving them back and forth, signaling an incomplete pass. His thought was confirmed by the referee, who blew his whistle and made the same gesture, because Vernon had already stepped out of bounds before he could fully control the football, so it was ruled an incomplete pass.
Vernon sat on the ground looking dejected, with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily and feeling frustrated.
Lu Ke quickly scanned the field, noticed the referee's signal, and let out a light sigh.
That pass, from the tactic to the execution, had no problems. In the end, it was Vernon's ball control that was the issue. It was clear that Vernon was still a long way from his best form, and Lu Ke couldn't just throw all his passes to Moss and Logan. Once his passing intentions were exposed, the risk of the offense would rise sharply.
Should he choose a running play instead?
Lu Ke quickly calmed down. He still had to face a third-and-two situation. Strictly speaking, there was no longer a difference between a third and a fourth down. Offense was their only choice. So, instead of regretting it here, it was better to think about how to advance the next play.
After a quick discussion with Harbaugh through the headset, Lu Ke didn't choose to line up quickly and snap the ball. Instead, he called Vernon back, knelt down on one knee, and had the offensive players surround him. They regrouped to properly arrange the next offensive play.
Then, they lined up.
It was a traditional two-by-two formation. On the left were Vernon and Moss, and on the right were Ginn and Logan. The biggest difference was that you could clearly feel that the two flanks of the San Francisco 49ers had moved inward. The receiving targets on both sides were now positioned closer to the inside.
Why was this?
Right now, the San Francisco 49ers clearly needed to make a catch and go out of bounds to stop the clock, but they were actually lining up closer to the inside? Was this a smoke screen? Or some special offensive tactic?
"Hut!"
Lu Ke didn't leave any time for thinking and quickly announced the snap. This was because there wasn't much time left before the play clock ran out. "Four! Three! Two!"
So, he snapped the ball decisively. He grabbed the football with both hands and adjusted his steps in the pocket unhurriedly. He raised his chin, and his vision was wide and expansive, taking in the entire field.
Vernon and Logan, who were on the inside of the two flanks, started at the same time, cutting into the short-pass area. It was a cross-running route. Both of them pushed their speed to the limit, and their steps didn't falter. They sprinted toward the sideline without a care. The sprint and run of these two tight ends were truly fierce, like thunder, roaring past in a mighty wave.
Ginn and Moss, who were on the outside of the two flanks, also started at the same time, cutting into the middle-pass area. But they weren't in a hurry to switch positions. Instead, they ran in a straight line at a 60-degree angle. You could predict that their running routes would intersect in the middle, about 20 yards out. One was simple and unadorned, while the other was unpredictable, and these two different running styles truly disrupted the entire defensive setup.
The San Francisco 49ers' passing routes were still dazzling, especially as the pressure from the New York Giants' front was forced to weaken time and time again. Lu Ke was becoming more and more in his element.
Before the snap, cornerback Corey Webster was observing the entire offensive lineup. After the snap, Webster quickly stepped forward and, in an unconventional move, cut into the pocket from the slot, trying to sack the quarterback immediately. But just as his feet crossed the defensive line, he noticed a figure at full speed.
All the red jerseys quickly moved past Webster. Now, only one figure was running toward him, standing out in the white wave. It was Marcus Lynch!
Marcus without the ball!
Although Marcus's running form was truly ordinary today, his ability to pull the defense was still ingrained in his muscle memory. The strong sense of danger made Webster follow his game instinct. He gave up on Lu Ke and moved toward Marcus, holding up his hands to prepare to block.
Marcus made a pre-judgment a half-step early. He ran in an extreme curved arc, managing to throw off his and Webster's center of gravity. Although the two of them made physical contact, they couldn't apply any force. So, Marcus slipped out of Webster's grasp like a loach.
With a "whoosh," Marcus immediately sped up, creating a two- to three-yard gap.
Webster's center of gravity was unstable, and he almost fell. But he immediately used the strength of his left hand to stabilize his body and relentlessly chased after him, sprinting at full speed.
But the recent miscommunication caused the gap between the two to widen. Not only did they not get closer, but the distance between them continued to increase. After Marcus ran a full seven or eight yards, he stood on the sideline, turned his head, and was ready to make a catch. Was this a smoke screen?
No!
Just as Marcus got into position, Lu Ke's pass arrived at the same time. He used a slightly elevated arc to control the timing of the pass, deceiving the first reaction of all the defensive players, and accurately found Marcus, who was standing on the sideline.
Marcus's focus was highly concentrated. His performance in the entire game today had been truly frustrating. His runs weren't gaining yards, and he wasn't keeping up with the passes. His entire rhythm felt powerless. He finally got a chance to make a play, and he knew he had to be fully focused without any distractions, or the result would be just as bad.
He stared at the incoming football. He could sense that Lu Ke had slightly reduced the power of the pass, mainly because he was worried that Marcus's rhythm wouldn't be in sync, and that in a high-impact situation, a fumble or dropped pass would happen again.
Marcus didn't dare to be careless. He adjusted his steps to get into position and then steadily put the football into his arms.
This was not the end. Marcus nervously adjusted his hands, firmly holding the football in his arms, not daring to be careless, or the same thing that just happened to Vernon would happen again.
Marcus was about to retreat and go out of bounds. He only needed to take one step back to get out of bounds. Just then, Webster's figure appeared in his sight.
A game sense like a beast's instinct prompted Marcus to make a move forward. After crossing his feet, he narrowly avoided Webster's second tackle. Then, Marcus saw a large open space unfold before him.
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