Chapter 411: Relentless

Offense.

Vernon Davis charged resolutely forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a defensive player brush past him, and a thought flickered in his mind: ‘Should I turn back to block?’ But his forward momentum was unstoppable, so he didn’t dwell on it and decisively continued his charge.

Five yards, ten yards, fifteen yards. Vernon was completely focused on running his route. It was a route somewhere between a short and intermediate pass, but it was a deceptive one. After the opposing cornerback followed him, he needed to slam on the brakes, turn, and come back to the short pass area—

Because this was a short-pass play, Lu Ke’s target was in the short-pass zone.

In his peripheral vision, he kept an eye on the rookie cornerback covering him, Prince Amukamara. This year’s nineteenth overall pick in the first round, he was in the spotlight. But since the new season began, he had only played as a rotational player. Today was his first time starting.

‘Inexperienced, slender build, precise at jamming,’ the corresponding information flashed through Vernon’s mind. He had gone over the matchup repeatedly in his pre-game preparation.

As a cornerback, Amukamara stood at 6 feet (183 cm) and weighed 204 pounds (93 kg). His overall build was lighter, making him a typically agile cornerback who relied mainly on jamming and positioning to defend. But for Vernon, this was a mismatch in his favor, as he was 6-foot-3 (191 cm) and weighed 244 pounds (111 kg).

Amukamara had the advantage in speed and explosiveness, and he was sticking to Vernon, jamming his route. Despite his size advantage, Vernon couldn’t find a comfortable position to make a catch.

So, Vernon forced his way forward, and after crossing the fifteen-yard mark, he made a sharp stop and turned. His gaze shot toward Lu Ke. In what felt like a thousandth of a second, Lu Ke raised his right hand. Vernon instantly realized: ‘The pass is coming!’

But he had just turned, his center of gravity completely unstable, and he could feel Amukamara’s relentless, tight coverage. In this crisis, Vernon’s brain didn’t even have time to think; he simply followed his instincts and took a huge leap forward—like a frog in a standing long jump.

Instantly, the gap between Vernon and Amukamara widened. Amukamara, who had been in tight coverage, suddenly felt the space open up. Losing his balance, he tumbled forward in a somersault, curling up like a hedgehog and rolling across the turf.

Out of position.

The one-on-one coverage between Vernon and Amukamara was completely broken. But Vernon wasn’t distracted in the slightest, his eyes fixed on Lu Ke’s pass. ‘Not far enough, still not far enough—’

It was a short pass. Even though Lu Ke had noticed Vernon’s new position and put a little extra force on it at the moment of release, the pass still traveled just shy of ten yards. Vernon had only jumped forward to the eleven-yard line. He was still short!

In the nick of time, Vernon used his momentum to fall, executing a log roll to close the distance. The next second, he saw the football dropping—a perfect spiral. Although the placement wasn’t perfect, all Vernon had to do was form a standard receiving basket, and he easily secured the football.

He loved passes like this from Lu Ke!

Clutching the football tightly with both hands, Vernon rolled another half-turn, planted a knee on the ground, then pushed himself up with his hands. He was on his feet. He quickly scanned left and right, noticed Amukamara still rolling on the ground to his right, and with a nimble hop-step to the left, he cleared the space and began accelerating straight ahead.

But before he could pick up speed, Vernon spotted Justin Tucker charging ferociously from the left. A defensive end and a seven-year veteran, he had only been a third-round, seventy-fourth overall pick but had developed into a Pro Bowl-level player. This year, however, he had been plagued by injuries, and his performance had dropped significantly.

Unhurried, Vernon slammed on the brakes. He saw Tucker’s figure lunging at him, and like a dancer, he executed a light spin, dodging Tucker’s surefire tackle. The next moment, he pushed off hard with both feet and began to accelerate a second time.

Accelerating, and accelerating again.

But speed really wasn’t Vernon’s strong suit. He was less like a rocket and more like a torpedo. It always felt… as if the resistance of the ocean was dragging at his feet, causing him to stagger and rampage forward.

…

“Hike! The San Francisco 49ers start a brand new offensive drive!”

Troy Ball’s distinctive voice once again crackled over the airwaves, conveying the live situation at Candlestick Park to every radio listener. “Blitz! The Giants have unexpectedly chosen to blitz! Two defensive players are closing in from both sides, attempting to sack the opposing quarterback!”

“A quick drop-back, the 49ers’ rookie quarterback isn’t panicking at all! Pass to the left! Wait, it’s a fake, a pump fake! Pass to the right, Lu Ke has thrown the ball, he finds… Vernon Davis! Number eighty, Vernon Davis!”

“Davis used a completely unexpected big leap to shake off Amukamara’s tight coverage and completed the catch in an awkward-looking roll! Beautiful! God, that catch was absolutely beautiful! It’s not over! The advance is still not over!”

“Davis is back on his feet! A spin move, and he shakes off Tucker’s tackle! He’s advancing! Vernon is still pushing forward! The forty, the forty-five, midfield! God, oh, God! Someone finally makes the stop! Martin! The Giants’ number twenty-two safety, Derek Martin, comes in to help and collides with Vernon from the side!”

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible! Davis uses a high-knee leap to evade Martin’s surefire tackle! He’s still advancing! God, God, God! Vernon Davis is still advancing along the sideline! Oh, he’s lost his balance! Davis couldn’t maintain his balance after all and tumbles out of bounds, ending the play!”

In one breathless rush, Troy torrentially described the entire situation on the field. His exciting conclusion was absolutely thrilling. Finally, Troy shouted with glee, “Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular! God, that was a twenty-eight-yard gain! Twenty-eight yards! My God!”

“Immediately after successfully converting on fourth-and-three, the San Francisco 49ers completed a twenty-eight-yard advance, bringing them to the forty-yard line in opponent territory! This is the most exciting offense in the Alliance right now! Without a doubt, the 49ers offense, led by Lu Ke, deserves such a title!”

“Facing a sudden change in the opponent’s defensive formation, Lu Ke keenly anticipated it and adjusted the play. By exploiting the matchup advantage, he not only got the ball to Vernon Davis but also used Vernon’s size advantage to powerfully gain yards after the catch on the wide-open left side of the defense! Vernon dodged a total of three tackles! For the New York Giants, this is undoubtedly a massive blow!”

“Candlestick Park is erupting!”

Just as Troy said, the entire stadium exploded. Ryan Baldwin stared at the field in disbelief. These were the San Francisco 49ers he was familiar with, and yet they were no longer the team from his memory. Spectacular. Everything was just so spectacular.

Involuntarily, Ryan’s eyes widened, fixated on the small red figures moving on the field below. A surge of emotion swelled in his chest, making it ache faintly.

…

On the field, after stumbling out of bounds, Vernon Davis slammed the football violently onto the ground, then roared at the vast sea of red before him, “AH! AAAAAH! AH!”

He was letting it all out, completely lost in the moment. It wasn’t out of frustration, but pure exhilaration.

It had been far, far too long since he’d felt this sensation churning in his chest. Relentless, never saying die, never giving up easily no matter how difficult the catch or how treacherous the path forward. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d felt such passion. ‘Was it my rookie season?’

But now, on this 49ers offense, Vernon was truly erupting with tenacious perseverance and resolve. Because of Lu Ke, and because of his fellow receivers, their gains were never about effortlessly dominating the field. They were about carving a path forward with their own hands and feet when faced with impossible odds.

He loved moments like this!

“AH! AAAAAH!” Vernon roared with utter satisfaction. A drive like that was enough to lose yourself in, enough to ignite all passion.

In the broadcast studio, Teddy and Kirk both broke into broad smiles. They could both feel the indomitable resilience of this team. It was something you couldn’t see or touch, but the competitive spirit of the San Francisco 49ers’ offense was vividly demonstrating it, even on the very first drive of the game.

“Just a moment ago, they were in deep trouble on fourth-and-three, and now they’re already at the opponent’s forty-yard line. In this first clash between the 49ers offense and the Giants defense, it’s clear that neither side is giving an inch,” Kirk summarized simply. “On the next play, Lu Ke is bound to pick up the tempo, which is also… Huh? There seems to be some controversy on the field. The game has been temporarily stopped.”

Halfway through his commentary, Kirk noticed the change on the field. The referee had already announced all the rulings: confirming that Vernon Davis’s feet were in bounds and that he went out at the forty-yard line. At the same time, there were no other yellow flags for penalties. So, the referee had announced that the San Francisco 49ers could snap the ball again.

But now, the game seemed to have been paused.

“Uh, what’s being replayed on the big screen now is the moment Vernon Davis completed the catch. His knees touched the ground, and then he stood up again and advanced the ball. The San Francisco 49ers believe it was a legal catch, but the New York Giants are arguing it was an illegal catch, that Vernon’s subsequent advance shouldn’t count, and that the next play should start from the 49ers’ own forty-two-yard line, not the Giants’ forty-yard line.”