"Hike!"

Without any hesitation or fear, Lu Ke shouted the snap count. It exploded like a spring thunder in the silent stadium. He firmly grabbed the football, didn't look up, and in one turn, handed the football to Marcus Lynch, who was standing next to him.

It was a run play! And it was also the offensive play that everyone expected. First, it was the first down, so they could use a run play to test the opponent. Second, the offense was standing in front of the end zone, and to avoid a mistake, a run play was a safer choice. Third, Lu Ke had just returned to the field and still needed to adapt to the rhythm and atmosphere of the game, so a run play was a simpler and smarter choice.

The commentators and the Steelers' defense also expected this. At the moment of the snap, the two inside linebackers contracted forward and joined the three defensive linemen, forming a wall of people. The two outside linebackers also contracted inward, cutting off all the running lanes, completely surrounding Marcus as if trapping a turtle in a jar. The number two run defense in the league was never caught off guard!

As he aggressively pressed forward, the Steelers' number 92 outside linebacker, James Harrison, noticed something a little out of the ordinary. He was the player who made the interception in the first half and was also the player in the best form on the entire defense right now. With a keen eye, Harrison noticed the abnormal running routes of the receivers.

If this was a run play, the receivers would either be blocking, which would give the two-tight end formation a practical use. Or they would be attracting defenders to clear a path for the running back. But on Harrison's side, he noticed the running routes of the two receivers. It seemed like they were running routes for a pass.

Why? Why were they running routes for a pass instead of a run?

Quickly, using his peripheral vision, Harrison only caught the trajectory of red moving through white, and the alarm bells went off in his mind. He responded almost instinctively, slamming on the brakes, and then took a step back, immediately following the tight end closest to him, Logan Newman, cursing under his breath, "Damn it!"

After the snap, on the San Francisco 49ers' right side, Logan ran a short slant route, sprinting toward the cornerback's defensive position. With the matchup advantage of a tight end against a cornerback, he charged forward like a tidal wave. Judging by his running route, it should have been a short pass route of about eight to nine yards. Lu Ke only needed one second of an open window to complete the pass.

Williams ran an inside arc, like the parabolic curve of a shot put, and sprinted into the middle of the field. He maximized his speed, sprinting about four yards straight and continuing to pull to the left, quickly penetrating the middle area.

At the same time, if the right side was a cross-running route, the left side was a blooming petal-like expanding route. Vernon pulled directly toward the sideline, and his running route was very short, about four or five yards. It seemed that before he could even collide with the cornerback, he could complete the catch and then go out of bounds. While adjusting his feet, he made a catching gesture, and the momentum of his running route was very fierce.

Ginn's style was completely different. He ran a straight line for seven or eight yards, then slightly shifted his route to the right, immediately penetrating the weak spot in the middle area. At the same time, he also maximized his speed advantage, continuing to move to the right.

The right side was an inside cross, and the left side was an outside spread. Then Ginn and Williams were about to complete a cross-running motion in the middle area. At this point, if you were looking down from above the field, you would notice: the Steelers' first defensive line was contracting inward. The three defensive linemen and two inside linebackers were all quickly contracting, moving toward Marcus Lynch. The second defensive line was spreading out. The two cornerbacks were facing a clear disadvantage in their matchups with the two tight ends and were both caught in a passing trap.

The only one who reacted in time was Harrison, who could only follow Logan's run based on his instincts. On the other side, the outside linebacker, Woodley, collided hard with the offensive line. In an instant, the field was like a budding flower, with the petals open and the pistil blooming. In the center, you could see Ginn and Williams, like sharp knives, stabbing into the soft spot in the middle! The defense was torn apart.

For the Steelers' defense, this was an unexpected event, but not a fatal one, because there were still two of the league's top safeties there to provide backup defense. Even if the opponent completed the catch, as long as they could make a tackle and stop the bleeding in time, and then adjust in the next defensive play, there would be no problem.

But how should they provide backup defense?

The middle of the field!

All the commentators and all the fans gasped. The Steelers' defense had exposed a large weak spot in the middle, which was too shocking. They could clearly see the empty space, and Ted Ginn and Kyle Williams, the two receivers, both charged into it, creating a catching opportunity.

With a single run play, the San Francisco 49ers had successfully torn open the defense by pulling them with their running routes. The gap was too obvious to ignore, but the problem was that this was a run play. Why did they spend so much effort creating a passing gap? Was it to create a running lane? Wait a minute, what if this isn't a run play but a pass play?

Where was Marcus Lynch?

The players on the first defensive line couldn't see the gap behind them, but they could clearly feel that the offensive line's blocking tactics had changed. It wasn't to open a lane, but to block. What did this mean? Blocking was to create a pocket for the quarterback to pass, while opening a lane was to create a gap for the running back to run. This meant that the Steelers' defensive tactics had fallen into the opponent's trap. So, the players on the first defensive line all looked up and started looking for Marcus Lynch, who was running with the ball.

Not only the first defensive line, but the second defensive line was also quickly making a judgment. After the snap, the two safeties, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu, quickly scanned the field, adjusting their feet and judging their defensive positions. The two receivers' positions had not yet posed a threat. But the two cornerbacks' matchups with the tight ends had already given them a significant disadvantage. The 49ers had specifically used a two-tight end formation this time. Vernon and Logan would definitely play important roles, so should they help with the coverage?

Logan's matchup with Ike Taylor was being backed up by James Harrison. Vernon's matchup with William Gay was clearly an advantage for Vernon. So, what about the quarterback? How would the quarterback choose his passing route?

Clark and Polamalu's gazes were immediately cast toward Lu Ke.

"Hike!"

After receiving the football, Lu Ke turned and immediately extended the football to Marcus Lynch. It wasn't a fake handoff or a play-action pass. Marcus hugged the football with both hands, really hugging it, and then took two big steps forward, quickly advancing toward the offensive line. In his sight, a solid wall of people was charging at him, making Marcus truly feel the weight of the opponent's defensive line. The Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive linemen were all powerful big guys. The lightest, Brett Keisel, was a full 285 pounds (129 kilograms), a dense black mass with no gaps.

At this moment, Marcus slammed on the brakes, turned, and lightly tossed the football back to Lu Ke, who was quickly retreating. At this point, Lu Ke was already in the shotgun formation. After skillfully catching the pass from Marcus, he took a step to the left, raised his right hand, and aimed the football at Vernon Davis' position.

This wasn't a fake run but a trick play! A convincing run play ultimately handed the football back to Lu Ke, which completely disrupted all of the Steelers' defensive strategies. Now, Lu Ke had already drawn his bow and was ready to complete a pass, using the tight end's matchup advantage over the cornerback to gain yards in the short passing area.

Without any communication, Clark and Polamalu completed their task assignment based on their professional instincts. Clark quickly moved toward William Gay's position. He wasn't in a hurry to rush forward but constantly adjusted his center of gravity with small steps. If Vernon broke through the defense, he could make a second tackle at any time to prevent further yards gained.

Polamalu's steps were slightly slower, and he was also adjusting his defensive position, watching Lu Ke's passing route while using his peripheral vision to catch the positions of Ginn and Williams.

Wait, that's a fake pass!

"Damn it!" Polamalu immediately cursed under his breath, instantly seeing through Lu Ke's tactical intention and not giving up his position easily.

Lu Ke had fully utilized the Steelers' defensive strategy—they put pressure on the offensive line but didn't blitz. Now, by using a trick play, Lu Ke had completely distanced himself from the offensive line. In a pocket that wouldn't be torn apart for a short time, Lu Ke became more at ease. The first fake pass shook Clark's balance. Then, Lu Ke took two small steps to adjust his feet, aimed at the middle area, and prepared to pass.

As a veteran, Polamalu showed his game intelligence. He didn't rush forward to block, because there were two passing options in Ginn and Williams. He had to wait until he was sure of Lu Ke's target before he could move. Instead of gambling recklessly, it was better to be a half-step slow and avoid wasting time adjusting his center of gravity.

But, it was another fake pass.

🗒️NOTE:

New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.