Legendary Football Superstar

"Man, I'm just not great at running the ball. I don't think I can fake out the defenders. The whole point of the pseudo-shotgun formation is to mess with their heads. If they hesitate for even a second after the snap, our passing game can break through. But like I said, I need to know where the defenders are moving and their positions."

Luke shot back at Jim with a self-deprecating comment, then got serious and laid out his thoughts. The room filled with low chuckles.

Jim thought for a moment, lifting his chin. "This tactic has its flaws, but I appreciate the effort." He nodded, smiling. "You're still oversimplifying the tactical changes." Then, Jim dove deeper into the strategy, building on Luke's idea.

Tactical meetings are always a drag, even more so when a player answers every question and jumps into every discussion. It makes the whole thing even more unbearable.

No doubt, Luke's smart and hardworking. He got the team's rhythm down in less than a day, but it was like trying to enjoy a bowl of gummy worms crawling with maggots- just impossible. Colin figured he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand "Mr. Know-It- All."

After the meeting, the players trickled out. Parys called Luke over, "What's your name again?"

"Luke."

"Alright, Luke." Parys frowned, clearly annoyed, and snapped, "We get it, you're smart. Perfect score on the Wonderlic, that's cool. But on the field, that test means squat. Those pros can mess with you easily. So, can you just shut up and stop acting like you know everything?"

Luke's eyes twinkled with a hint of a smile. He didn't argue, just raised his hands in surrender.

Parys seemed pleased, gave Luke a heavy pat on the shoulder, "Good boy." Then he swaggered off, laughing with his buddies.

Not far away, Colin leaned against the wall, watching with a smug smile.

Then Braylon came running out, "Hey, Colin, let's hit the training field together."

Colin's face changed, and he quickly walked away. Braylon, not catching the hint, glared at Luke and chased after Colin, "Wait up, Colin!"

"What a bunch of clowns," Logan muttered, shaking his head as he watched them head to the elevator. It wasn't clear if he was talking about Braylon or Parys.

Logan then noticed Luke catching up and turned, "Bambi, what are you gonna do?" Logan, Marcus, and Alton had all seen Luke's surrender gesture earlier.

Marcus rolled his eyes dramatically, almost like they'd get stuck, and leaned back, sticking out his tongue in a "dead face" expression, "Jesus, who do they think they are? They talk big, but where's their performance on the field? With mouths that big, you'd think they were toads."

The group chuckled at the jab aimed at Parys.

Marcus returned to normal, looking at Luke with concern, "Bambi, you're not scared, are you? You can't just become a goody-two-shoes on the field."

Luke replied seriously, "I've always been a law-abiding, honest citizen. I follow the team's rules. How could I defy the seniors?" Despite his serious look, his words were pure nonsense.

Then Luke put on a righteous face and walked ahead. Logan and Alton laughed and followed, leaving Marcus standing alone, "Bambi? You weren't serious, were you?" But no one answered, "Bambi!"

Five seconds later, Marcus knew the truth. Well, more like fifteen minutes.

After the meeting, the team moved to the training field for tactical drills. The offense and defense groups started competing, practicing different routines and combinations. The San Francisco 49ers had three quarterbacks on the roster, but with Alex out due to injury, only Colin and Luke were left. So, for every offensive drive, Jim had them take turns, making sure everyone got the tactics down.

"Let's go!"

Luke was up for the drill. It wasn't a shotgun or spread formation; he was right behind the center, just an arm's length from the defenders. This was a close-range pass rush drill, where the quarterback had to face a blitz head-on and complete a short pass as the pocket collapsed.

No medium passes, no long bombs-just short passes.

At the command, the center snapped the ball. Luke took it and quickly stepped back. The pocket shrank fast, and the defenders, led by Parys, were going all out, like it was game day, determined to teach Luke a lesson.

The pocket collapsed quicker than expected. In a heartbeat, Luke was in trouble, but he didn't back down. He kept stepping back, then broke out of the pocket, running and keeping an eye on all the scattered receivers, searching for a target.

Offensive coach Greg Roman blew the whistle, stopping the drill. This was supposed to be a pocket short pass drill, and Luke had left the pocket, so the drill was over.

But Luke didn't stop. Almost as the whistle blew, he found Logan in the crowd and delivered a precise five-yard pass, landing right in Logan's hands.

Logan didn't sprint. He caught the ball with one hand and raised it high, showing off to the defenders. Luke clenched his fist and shouted, "Yeah!" pumping himself up. His tense muscles and bulging veins showed his full concentration.noveldrama

It was like this wasn't a drill but the Super Bowl. They gave it their all, no holding back, just like in the old days of being a practice squad player.

Parys stood there, panting, staring in shock at Logan and Luke high-fiving, looking very displeased. They had planned to teach this rookie a lesson, but instead, they got schooled. Anger and humiliation surged in his chest.

Greg, the coach, was also taken aback, muttering, "This is a drill, not a game. I blew the whistle, what's his deal?"

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Geep, standing next to him, smiled, "He's not focused on the drill; he's focused on winning. A strong competitive spirit is a good thing. Remember? On the first day of tryouts, he crushed the practice squad in twenty offensive drives. This ability, this focus, this dedication, it's rare."

Greg chuckled, "I know. But..." He trailed off, looking at Luke with excitement and joy, "I just didn't expect it."

In America, people have a fixed impression of the Avalis American community. They're seen as shy, quiet, humble, low-key, silent, and reserved, not even participating in regular social activities, let alone actively integrating into local groups.

But clearly, this freshman was different.

Luke's performance completely shattered the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff's stereotypes about Avalis Americans.

He wasn't a pushover. He was fully committed, determined, focused, with a strong competitive spirit. He showed his ability to use tactics flexibly and interpret them himself. Every offensive drive, every tactic, he gave his all. In the afternoon's training, Luke stole quite a bit of Colin's thunder.

On his first day with the team, Luke made it clear: he wasn't here to be a backup or a substitute. He wanted to be a starter, an absolute starter. He wanted to stand on the field and win games, full of confidence and motivation.

For the coaching staff, this was great. The competition between the two rookie quarterbacks could push each other to be better. But for the players, it was a different story.

Before Luke joined, the training system was built around Colin. But now, Luke's efforts brought changes and challenges. Luke and Colin were two completely different styles of quarterbacks, with vastly different tactical focuses.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Either way, the competition had begun. On his first day, Luke left a deep impression.

Parys didn't like it, even hated it. Not because of the competition between Luke and Colin, but because Luke was challenging the authority and bottom line of the veteran players. If they didn't teach this freshman a lesson, their authority for the rest of the season might be in jeopardy.

The team needed order, and the rookie needed a lesson.