Next, without Mike on the field, the defensive team, commanded by George, had a back-and-forth battle with the offensive team led by Aaron.
After more than half an hour, as the two groups of players rotated continuously, George, who had been scribbling notes on the sidelines, basically finalized the roster for each position.
"Alright, everyone, take a break—"
George, having achieved his stage objective, called a halt to the practice, then shouted, "Aaron, Mike, come with me."
The three went to a deserted open space nearby.
After signaling the two to sit down, George said in a consultative tone, "Mike's current physique and technique have reached the level of a star player. So I want to build a star-player offense. What are your thoughts?"
A star strategy is a strategy that isn't quite a strategy; it forms different styles based on the individual circumstances of the star player.
It could be said that one person makes a team.
Therefore, this style of play also severely tests the abilities of the star player.
"I have no problem. If needed, I can cooperate with Mike at any time," Aaron immediately stated.
As long as it could help the team win, Aaron didn't mind being a screw.
Originally, the quarterback should be the star player in a team, but Mike's skill improved so rapidly that it complicated the Medford Team's situation.
To ensure harmony within the team, when proposing this strategy, George naturally had to consider Aaron's feelings first.
However, from the looks of it, Aaron didn't seem to overthink it.
George nodded with relief and continued to ask, "Mike, what about you?"
This star-player strategy is also frequently applied in professional teams with superstar players.
Although George had never coached a professional team, he had thoroughly researched this self-contained strategy.
The star strategy not only requires the core player to possess excellent skills but also requires him to have a big heart that bears all the wins and losses.
Therefore, now was also the time to test whether Mike could withstand the pressure.
"I have no problem either," Mike replied afterward.
In fact, during last year's Summer League game where Medford lost to Austin, after Aaron was injured and left the field, the single-core team led by Mike almost used the star strategy.
In that game, it was also due to Mike's insufficient strength that the team ultimately suffered a regrettable defeat.
But times are different now; with a stronger physique, Mike is completely fearless of challenges.
Upon receiving Mike's affirmative answer and seeing the drive in him, George nodded with satisfaction again.
Immediately, he began to explain to the two in front of him the points that required special attention in the star strategy.
After more than ten minutes, George, having shared his experience, was filled with anticipation for how effective this strategy, which he had personally initiated, would be.
"Let's go, let's try the new strategy!"
Thinking about it and doing it, George took Mike and returned to the training field.
Next, with Mike as the core, the offensive team, under George's supervision, began a new round of offensive and defensive drills against the defensive team coached by Wayne.
"Mike, pay attention to your choice of offensive route…" George on the sidelines reminded Mike as he watched him, ball in hand, once again face Sam of the defensive team.
The upper limit of the star strategy's power depends entirely on the core player, so his every choice is very important.
And in offense, choosing the easier route to break through is a required course for the core player.
"Bang…"
On the field, accompanied by a violent collision, Sam fell to the ground, while Mike, on the other side, ran directly into the opponent's end zone with the ball.
This situation made George, who was about to give a reminder from the sidelines, swallow the words he had half-spoken.
The purpose of devising a strategy is to score better.
Therefore, even if Mike's choice of offensive route seemed unreasonable to George, it didn't matter since he scored.
The process serves the result, and the result is good… George didn't need to force himself to instruct Mike.
This kind of thing could completely wait until Mike made a mistake before reminding him.
However, as Mike repeatedly knocked Sam down and scored on the field, George's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
And as Mike kept scoring on offense, the other players in his group were also motivated, and the game became smoother and smoother.
The tone of this star strategy dictates that when the star player performs well, his teammates will inevitably be elevated.
At the same time, when teammates are motivated, the advantage will also feed back to the star player, making his offense even more dominant.
It can be said that the star strategy is a strategy with a high degree of freedom and a high upper limit.
And just as the offensive team's momentum reached its peak, George, who had checked the time on the sidelines, blew the whistle signaling the end of practice.
Looking at the offensive team players, one by one, looking as if they hadn't had enough, George smiled and shouted, "Practice continues tomorrow. Now everyone can clean up the field and then disperse. Also, Mike, come here for a moment, I have something to ask you."
"Is something wrong, Coach?" Mike left the team and came to the side of the field.
"I want to know, during the new strategy drill just now, you clearly had better offensive route choices, so why did you choose to forcefully break through Sam every time…?" George asked the doubt in his heart.
Mike's previous performance easily made people suspect he had an issue with Sam.
"I felt that was the best breakthrough route," Mike replied.
He wasn't intentionally targeting Sam; it was entirely because the opponent always blocked the shortest offensive route.
Yes, when Mike chose an offensive route, his primary consideration was efficiency.
After all, given his personal situation, breaking through Sam or breaking through another defensive player actually made little difference.
The reason George was confused was entirely because he didn't have a precise understanding of Mike's strength yet.
Therefore, upon hearing the other party's answer, George's mind also stalled for a moment.
"Can I go back now, Coach?" Seeing that the coach wasn't speaking, Mike proactively asked.
"Go ahead," George waved his hand thoughtfully.
There was nothing to clean up on the training field, so when Mike returned to the team, he walked towards the locker room with Georgie.
"George, why are you spacing out? Let's go too. We can grab a drink later…" Wayne, who had been watching the players clean up the training field, enthusiastically greeted George.
"Oh, okay. I'm coming now." George went to Wayne's side and continued, "When you have time, contact St. Marys High School. We'll choose them as our opponent for the next invitational match."
The head coach from St. Marys High School had promised George during last year's Summer League that they could have an invitational match this year.
And the St. Mary's football team, which was positioned as a top ten goalkeeper in the state league, could just help the Medford Team refine their new strategy.
George had figured it out; instead of trying to persuade Mike to change his approach, it would be more profound to let him encounter a strong opponent, hit a wall, and then reflect on his own.