During the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lu Ke used two special skills: Absolute Footwork once and Falcon's Eye once. Both played a crucial role at key moments and had an irreplaceable impact on the game's outcome. They also changed Lu Ke's view on special skills once again.
Even if a god descended to earth, in a high-stakes competitive sports confrontation, they would face moments where one person's strength is no match for many. Not to mention, Lu Ke was not yet a "god" and was still far from it.
A quick tally shows that Lu Ke still has a few special skills in his possession: Aura of Enhancement, once; Absolute Footwork, once; Steel Skin and Iron Bones, three times; Bullet Time, once; Falcon's Eye, twice. In the upcoming playoffs, if he can use them wisely, they will play an unimaginable role.
In addition, Lu Ke also had two unknown team training packages, one unknown special skill package, one designated special skill package, and one home field special skill package.
Undoubtedly, Lu Ke was most curious about the Home Field Special Skill Package, which he had never heard of before. It had not even appeared after he completed the special task "Unite the Heart of Candlestick Park" before. This made Lu Ke eager to try it out, and he didn't hesitate to open this skill package first.
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the home field special skill: Thunderous Roar."
After a quick read of the skill description, Lu Ke immediately understood. This was similar to a team skill like Aura of Enhancement. When he used Aura of Enhancement, the effect was to increase the state of all offensive players by 10% for five minutes. This was Lu Ke's first team skill. It not only affected himself but also his teammates, truly fitting the essence of a team sport like football.
Using Thunderous Roar had a similar effect. As everyone knows, home-field advantage is a real thing. From basketball to soccer to football, all team sports with a home and away system are like this. The cheering of the home fans can often create an unexpected deterrent effect, influencing referee decisions, player performance, and even indirectly affecting the outcome of the game.
A bad home stadium might lack patience, with fans booing after only a few mistakes by the home team. It could also be undisciplined, with fans yelling at both the home and away teams. It could also be dead silent, even when the home team is winning. In the NFL, the New York Jets' home stadium is a classic example. When they get angry, the crazy fans completely ignore the away team players and instead relentlessly disrupt the home team's game. They even curse their own players more than they curse the away team.
The Denver Broncos' home stadium is another example. It is disorganized and lacks discipline. When the home team's quarterback is setting up a play, the fans cheer so much that they disrupt the play. The constant cheering and celebrating are a huge headache.
An excellent home stadium has everyone working together. When the home team is on offense, it is dead quiet to ensure the quarterback can communicate clearly. When the away team is on offense, it is thunderous, and the fans do their best to disrupt the opponent's rhythm. When the home team wins, they cheer. When the home team is losing, they support them and never give up.
In the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks' home stadium is a great example. Their harassment tactics against away teams have been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records because the noise is so loud that it can cause a small earthquake. The Green Bay Packers' home stadium is another great example. The fans are always passionate, always loyal, and always united. Even when the team is in a crisis, they never give up on the game.
In the 2011 season, Candlestick Park was quickly rising to become another excellent home stadium in the league. They had only lost one game this season. The 49ers' cheering was also becoming another beautiful sight in the league.
Thunderous Roar is a home field fan skill. When used, "the overall suppression effect of the home crowd's cheering on the away team is increased by five percent for five minutes." This is an interesting skill because the effect of the increase is based on the original level of the home crowd's cheering. If it's a home stadium with cheering like the Cincinnati Bengals', even if the skill is used, the 5% increase is almost non-existent. But if it's a home stadium with cheering like the Seattle Seahawks', then the 5% can truly become the key to turning the game around.
In other words, the timing of when Lu Ke chooses to use the skill is also crucial. He must use it when Candlestick Park is at its most excited to maximize the effect of the skill. In addition, the suppressive effect of the skill is for the entire away team, from the offense to the defense, to the special teams and the substitutes, and even the coaching staff. It brings the power of the home field to its maximum.
If you think about it, during a game, a player's attention is highly concentrated. In between plays, they are looking at the playbook, and they barely have time to drink water and wipe off sweat. How can Lu Ke have time to observe the situation of the home crowd's cheering? So, the use of this skill obviously still needs to be considered carefully. If used improperly, it could be like a small pebble thrown into the ocean, where the small ripple disappears in an instant. But if used properly, it could turn the tide of the entire game. This is because some teams are not good at playing from behind. If their momentum at the start of the game is severely disrupted, the game will go downhill from there. And some teams are not good at playing in clutch situations, and they tend to mess up in the final moments of the fourth quarter.
More than the skill itself, Lu Ke was more concerned that after the team skills, now there were also home field skills. The scope of the system's use was expanding little by little. Did this mean that building a football superstar, besides the player himself, other factors like teammates, fans, the media, and the league could not be ignored?
Of course, the current team skills and home field skills were still relatively limited. Not only were there many restrictions on their use, but the effects could only be described as average, far from Lu Ke's own special skills. This is why Lu Ke used the adjective "interesting."
Then, Lu Ke opened the two team training packages again.
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the Local Function Training Package. Through relevant training, you can improve the team's local cooperation and thus improve their on-field performance."
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the Team Local Intensive Training Package. Through designated training, you can improve the cooperation between specific players and thus improve their on-field performance."
These were two different team training packages. The first one had appeared once before. After defeating the Arizona Cardinals last week, Lu Ke had received one and had chosen to use it on the offensive line. In the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, he could more or less feel some changes. If it accumulated over time, Lu Ke believed he could get a very cohesive offensive line.
This week, after getting the same team training package again, Lu Ke decided to continue investing in the offensive line. Maybe their individual abilities weren't top-tier in the league, but with clever tactical plays, they could still provide a strong pocket protection. After this week's game, Chilo Rachal and Adam Snyder took turns playing. From their performance, both had their ups and downs, but overall, Snyder's performance was on the rise. After using the same training package for the second time this week, maybe Lu Ke could get more help on his way to the Super Bowl.
The second one was a brand new training package that appeared for the first time today. After carefully reading the detailed description, it was actually similar to the first one, but it was more focused on the cooperation between the quarterback and a specific player. The specific way to use it was to choose a player on the offense. After using the training package, the cooperation between the two would become more cohesive and efficient. It could be used on the offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.
Lu Ke was a bit curious about the connection with a running back. This was because the running back position was a bit special, and it was somewhat similar to a quarterback. In an offense, they also relied on the offensive line to open the way and then used their own abilities to advance. The tactical functions and playing styles of the two positions were very similar. The only difference was that the quarterback advanced by passing, and the running back advanced by running.
You can see this by looking at history. In a football game, why is a quarterback called a "quarterback"? In early Scottish football, all positions were named based on their position on the field. The players behind the offensive line were the quarterback, the halfback, and the fullback. The positions were determined by the distance the player stood behind the center, which was a quarter, a half, and the full length. In other words, the closest to the center was the quarterback, followed by the halfback, and the furthest was the fullback.
Historically, American football went through a long era where the running back was king. The quarterback was more of a tactical supplement. The main way to advance was to have the running back charge forward, bringing the conflict and violence of the sport to its extreme. So, in the draft, the top pick was most often a quarterback, followed by a running back. Later, because the violent collisions were too dangerous and even led to deaths, and injuries remained high, the league gradually started to reform and adjust the rules. After the 21st century, it entered a full-fledged passing era. The fullback's role was also gradually weakened and even disappeared. The halfback and fullback were both called running backs, and the NFL also entered its golden age.
In a sense, the quarterback and running back positions did overlap. However, in today's passing era, the tactical arrangements are complex and ever-changing. The quarterback's brain is becoming more and more important. The running back, a position that simply uses physical talent to open up the game, has become a part of the tactics. There are still significant differences between the two.
For the second team training package today, Lu Ke couldn't help but wonder if he used it on a quarterback and a running back, would it improve their acting skills for play-action passes and fake handoffs? Or would it improve the realism of trick plays? Or would it improve the mutual cover between the quarterback and running back to confuse the opponent's defense?
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