Even with the second brand-new team training package, Lu Ke was a little curious about the connection between a quarterback and a running back, but he wasn't going to waste a skill package just out of curiosity. He had more important training to complete right now.
The offensive line already had a team training package, so there was no need to rush their intensive training. However, in the passing game, Lu Ke felt that Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis needed a little more work.
Crabtree was a big wide receiver with a strong body, agile receiving skills, and decent speed, all of which made him an important tactical asset on the field. Vernon, on the other hand, was a typical traditional tight end. His blocking was exceptional, and his ability to receive passes in the short passing area was also excellent, making him an irreplaceable asset in crucial third-down conversions.
However, Crabtree was still plagued by penalty issues, and his route running was not always precise. Vernon lacked a good rapport and chemistry with the team in the first half of the season, and his receiving was slightly inferior.
Now, this team training package provided an opportunity for Lu Ke to choose a player and improve their chemistry with each other. Crabtree and Vernon were undoubtedly the best choices to further sharpen the San Francisco 49ers' offensive weapons and add some weight for the playoffs.
After careful consideration, Lu Ke decided to improve his chemistry with Vernon to see if he could unleash the peak performance of this star tight end.
In the first half of the regular season, due to the starting quarterback competition and the conflict between the new and old players, Lu Ke's relationship with Vernon was not great, and they even had a conflict during practice. But after the Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, they broke the barrier between them and gradually started to learn how to work with each other. Were they friends? Obviously not. But were they teammates? Without a doubt, they were now teammates fighting side-by-side.
From a tactical perspective, Crabtree's receiving ability overlapped with that of Logan and Ginn, but Vernon's blocking ability was irreplaceable. In terms of running routes in the short passing area, Vernon was also better than Crabtree. Last year, Vernon was selected for the Pro Bowl, and his performance this year hadn't dropped much. So, even though Vernon and Logan were both tight ends, their tactical significance was different. Fully utilizing Vernon and the two-tight-end formation would be crucial for breaking down defenses and converting on third downs. Choosing Vernon was a more cost-effective and efficient way to improve the San Francisco 49ers.
After deciding on the direction for both team training packages, he was left with one unknown special skill package and one designated special skill package.
As expected, the designated special skill package allowed Lu Ke to choose an existing special skill and claim the reward.
Absolute Footwork had always been Lu Ke's most proficient special skill, as it could fully make up for his major shortcomings in pocket footwork and ball-handling footwork when leaving the pocket. But after this game, Lu Ke was truly envious of Falcon's Eye. At crucial and dangerous moments, Falcon's Eye's calculations and planning for passing space far exceeded the limits of the human brain. For a quarterback, it was like a nuclear weapon. Lu Ke was a little hesitant.
But after carefully analyzing the pros and cons, he still chose Absolute Footwork. First, he only had one use of Absolute Footwork left, while he had two uses of Falcon's Eye. The former was more urgent. Second, Lu Ke's tactical awareness and field vision had already reached the level of an excellent quarterback. Falcon's Eye was just the icing on the cake, but his ball-handling movement was still a serious weakness. At critical moments, the effectiveness of Absolute Footwork was invaluable.
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the special skill: Absolute Footwork, duration three seconds, 2/2."
"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the special skill: Absolute Footwork, duration three seconds, 2/2."
These were two identical system prompts. The first was Lu Ke's choice for the designated special skill, and the second was the prompt for opening the unknown special skill package. Apparently, the system judged that this was the most important skill for him. Although it didn't bring another surprise, it was already a huge gain.
This brought Lu Ke's Absolute Footwork uses to five. In Alex Smith's words, it was a life-saving skill. This wasn't because Alex knew about Lu Ke's special skill, but because it was a running joke on the team about Lu Ke's life-saving methods.
For a pocket quarterback, leaving the pocket to dodge pressure and sacks from linebackers and cornerbacks and still managing to complete a pass was a life-saving skill. Aaron Rodgers was a great example. If it weren't for his extraordinary talent, the Green Bay Packers' offensive line, which had its moments of failure last year, wouldn't have been able to lead them to a Super Bowl victory.
By the time Lu Ke realized that all the unread messages had been cleared, he was completely exhausted. This game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was truly too exciting and too intense, so much so that the rewards after the game were also plentiful and varied. After slowly examining each one, 45 minutes had passed in the blink of an eye. His mood was joyful, but his mind was tired.
Lu Ke's eyes were barely open from exhaustion. Despite this, he still firmly remembered his last task before bed: turn on the cheat and start watching game footage.
This is why people always say that habits are a terrible thing. Once they are formed, they are difficult to change, especially for someone with OCD. Today, the beginner cheat was upgraded to an intermediate one, and he could use it for a full eight hours. But Lu Ke's first choice was not to review his next opponent's game but to review his game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Analyzing the game footage of the league's top defense was not a simple thing to do. He then chose to watch a few of the Seattle Seahawks' games. After all of that, Lu Ke fell directly into a deep sleep, almost passing out.
Ever since he got the system and started the daily training tasks, Lu Ke had gradually gotten used to waking up at 5 a.m. and starting his basic training at 5:15 a.m. This was extra training outside of what the team required, and it was also important for Lu Ke to catch up to the other professional players.
A minute on stage is ten years of practice off stage. This phrase applies to stage performances as well as to professional athletes.
But this morning, when he woke up from his sleep, his eyes were barely open. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand, and it was already 6:15 a.m. He hadn't heard the alarm go off for 30 minutes straight, and his biological clock hadn't adjusted, as he had slept in for more than an hour later than usual. This was truly out of the ordinary.
At that moment, he realized that he hadn't even turned off the light last night and had simply passed out. After sitting up, his sore muscles and heavy head were a clear reminder of how intense yesterday's game was. Even after a night's sleep, he could still feel a deep sense of fatigue from his muscles to his mind. Also, his head felt a little heavy, and his eyes were slightly swollen, as if he couldn't open them. After getting up, he could feel the weight in every muscle of his body. He hadn't felt like this before, not even after being sacked nine times by the Ravens' defense.
Dazed, Lu Ke still followed his daily routine with heavy steps. He got up, washed up, and started jogging. However, his physical condition was not good today, and it was still drizzling outside. The snow from yesterday had obviously melted, and the weather hadn't gotten any better. So, Lu Ke didn't insist on jogging outdoors and instead started training on a treadmill indoors.
The training was quite poor. He couldn't even reach his normal training level. After completing the same amount of training, he felt a little dizzy and almost couldn't stand up. He sat on the gym floor, drank two bottles of water, and rested for a while before he could finally catch his breath. Lu Ke was sure that he was in poor condition right now.
After a quick shower, he changed into a casual outfit instead of his workout clothes, left the house, and drove toward the city. He wasn't going for a special event but for a detailed physical exam. After the game yesterday, not only the team doctor Walter and the coaching staff but also team owner Jed York had heard about the "chicken soup game" and had told Lu Ke that he must pay attention to his physical condition. The playoffs were just around the corner, and he couldn't let his guard down. So, Lu Ke's main task for today was to go to the hospital that the team officially partnered with for a further checkup.
Avoiding the morning rush hour traffic, Lu Ke arrived at the hospital smoothly. He easily found a parking spot in the parking lot and then put on a baseball cap and pulled up his hoodie. He didn't use an umbrella and just jogged toward the hospital entrance in the light drizzle.
But before he could get close, a large crowd of people suddenly surged from the entrance without warning. It seemed like the ordinary people who had been waiting at the hospital entrance had suddenly unleashed an incredible amount of energy, like the big defensive players who rushed toward Lu Ke. The only difference was that their tackling form was too amateurish, and their rushing posture seemed to have many flaws.
In the next second, Lu Ke was completely surrounded. A noisy sound constantly buzzed in his ears, like countless flies. Then, his slightly sluggish brain finally realized that these were not ordinary fans but reporters who had been waiting there early in the morning.
Lu Ke's first thought was: What are they doing here so early in the morning? Is a Hollywood star visiting the hospital today? Hmm, does that mean he can get an autograph?
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