Lying on the bench, Lu Ke exhaled evenly, grasped the barbell firmly with his palms, and slowly contracted and bent his arms, feeling the weight beyond his body being pressed down bit by bit, like a huge boulder weighing heavily on his chest. If it is suppressed, even the air seems to be compressed, and the entire time and space around the body suddenly freezes.
He inhaled sharply and tried to straighten his arms again to complete all the movements of the bench press this time. However, his arms sank slightly, and the barbell seemed like a mountain. Lifting it seemed to be an impossible task. This made the anger in Lu Ke's chest begin to boil, rolling uncontrollably, clenching his teeth, re-adjusting his breathing, re-accumulating strength, and then pushed again.
This time, he lifted the barbell easily, and even held it in the air for three seconds. All the power deep in his heart seemed to burst out, and all the weight was firmly controlled in his hands until the joints of his hands began to shake slightly. Trembling, he repeated the cycle of contraction and pushing again.
He knows that he is just a substitute. From a sparring partner to a substitute, the past five months have been an unimaginable leap; he knows that one game, or to be precise, an excellent performance in one game is still not enough to prove He is a qualified starting quarterback; he knows that Kevin Price has been the quarterback for the entire season. Although he did not have a stunning performance, he did not make any big mistakes. Now his injury is definitely not It's natural to return to the starting position after a serious injury.
He also knows that as a Chinese athlete, in this land of immigrants, he needs to face more difficulties, more challenges and more tests. Others may only need to reach eight points to receive cheers and recognition. , but he must reach 12 points before he can barely enter the coach's sight.
This is a sports arena where strength speaks for itself. In the face of absolute strength, any barriers can be broken, any doubts can be answered, and any conflicts can be resolved. However, before possessing absolute strength, this was a circle of the jungle and the survival of the fittest. It was probably the closest to primitive nature in human society.
In the biological chain of football, Asian players are at the bottom of the bottom.
What does all this mean? It shows that the coaching staff made a conservative but correct choice. He is still the third backup quarterback.
But, but... He has missed the entire season and spent enough time to hone his strength down-to-earth. Finally, he got an opportunity in the last game of the season, seized the opportunity, and successfully shined on the stage. This This should be the first time in his history that he has come under the radar of scouts!
He needs more opportunities, more space, more stages to continue to show himself! The Rose Bowl is the best choice, and it is also the last choice, because the rookie training camp is about to start in March, and the countdown of time is already close at hand. For an unknown person, for a Chinese player , If he wants to win the favor of the team and enter the league through the draft, he needs to continue to prove himself in the Rose Bowl.
Now, a list of substitutes kills all possibilities.
Before any player enters the draft, scouts review, re-review, evaluate, and re-evaluate. Those talented players have attracted attention even from high school, all the way to college, and enter the professional league with great pride. Despite his inherent deficiencies, and relying on the help of the system, he finally got to this point, but it came to an abrupt end.
Without games, there is no performance; without performance, there is no scouting report; without scouting report, there is no draft future...
Reluctant, angry, depressed, depressed, and bitter. All the flavors are surging on the tip of the tongue, and the five flavors are mixed, but it is impossible to identify them.
Straighten your arms, contract your arms; straighten, contract... All the complicated thoughts in your mind gradually dispersed, and you concentrated on the bench press. Feel the muscles burning, and feel the mixed emotions burning in the chest. . First, bench press, then squats, then sit-ups, pull-ups, and finally regular passing training...
For ninety minutes, Lu Ke devoted himself to daily training without any distractions, sweating profusely. The pores all over his body seemed to be opened, and the whole world became comfortable again.
He won't give up, and he isn't ready to give up either! For every athlete, until the game is over, before the final whistle, anything is possible. Giving up early means surrendering. He doesn't intend to surrender, let alone compromise, he will fight until the last moment!
He was ready to stand up again, clenched his fists again, and get back into the fight! More importantly, to win again, a victory that belongs to football and a victory that belongs to him!
At the same time, Anthony Jefferson put his hands on the conference table, his eyes blazing, "Rick, you are making a mistake, I know it, Norm knows it, and you know it too!"
"Anthony!" Defensive coach Chuck Bullough called out, trying to stop Anthony and challenge the head coach's authority. This was not a wise choice, but Rick shook his head and raised his hand to stop Chuck. Signaling Anthony to continue.
"Kevin is a qualified backup quarterback, but not an excellent starting quarterback! I don't want to say this, but he is mediocre! Mediocre!" The veins on his neck were beating violently, but Anthony But he didn't care at all, "In the last game, Lu Ke's performance was obvious to all! Does he have any shortcomings? Of course, he has countless shortcomings, but he has one trait that we urgently need. He is the master of the game! He With a big heart, he can make the right choices at critical moments and he can kill the game!"
Anthony pointed in the direction of the door, as if Lu Ke was standing at the door at this moment, "He trains harder than anyone else, he focuses more on the game than anyone else, and he desires victory more than anyone else! You should Look at his training and his growth in the past two weeks. He has grown much faster than expected! Rick, is it because of his Chinese identity? In the Rose Bowl game, a Chinese four-year-old was used Guard, this is intolerable to the school board?”
"Anthony! Watch your wording!" Chuck couldn't hold it back and raised his voice again to interrupt.
Anthony turned his head directly and glared at Chuck, "Did I say something wrong? Which sentence did I say wrong? Can you stand up and point me out? Norm, you should be able to tell me, the surname 'Zhou' , how much impact did it have on your career?”
Watching the play, but unfortunately being affected, Norm raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Anthony, you know, I support Lu Ke. I also hope that he can become the starting quarterback."
Norm also realized that as the offensive coach, he needed to speak out at this time, "Rick, Anthony is right to say something. Lu Ke's determination, judgment, and willpower are crucial. The last game was just It was only his first time playing in four years of college, but his performance was enough to put other quarterbacks to shame. In key games like the Rose Bowl, he can lead us to victory!"
"But it can also lead us to the abyss." Faced with Anthony and Norm's doubts, Rick finally spoke, and his eyes fell on the three colleagues. "Lu Ke's advantages and disadvantages are very obvious. He His skills and basic skills are really terrible. Except for passing, all other skills are substandard. He has determination, perseverance, and a big heart, but this is the Rose Bowl, and a little mistake will It could put us in a desperate situation. The Badgers have won most of their games this year relying on their offense, but their defense is not a spectator, and the risk is too great. I can't take the risk."
Compared to Anthony's rage, Rick always remained calm. He rubbed his temples and said, "Yes, Kevin is not an excellent quarterback, but at least he is a qualified choice."
This was his final decision, a decision made after careful consideration. Seeing that Anthony seemed to have something to say, Rick raised his hand to stop him this time, "I know how diligent and dedicated Lu Ke is in training, which is why he It’s because he’s the second quarterback and Darius is the third quarterback.”
Kevin Price, starting quarterback; Lu Ke, second quarterback. You can't see it on the list, but in the coach's mind, there is a difference.
After weighing, struggling, hesitating, and hesitating, Rick came to the final conclusion and made the best choice for the team, "Also, Anthony, Lu Ke's Chinese identity has no impact on me, this is not Something I need to consider. If he can bring me a win, I won't hesitate to use him, and I'm sure the school board will shut up. But, this is a game, a life or death game, and I have to make a decision The right choice and I will never take my job for granted.”
After speaking, Rick stood up and strode out of the conference room without making any further stops.
Chuck also stood up and shook his head, "This is not good, Anthony, this is not good!" He was about to turn around and leave, but in the end he was still furious and looked back at Anthony, "You should trust Rick's judgment, you We should trust our professional judgment! Lu Ke, just five months ago, he was still just a sparring partner! There is a reason for this!"
This time, Chuck didn't stop, shook his head, turned around and left in stride.
"I believe my eyes! I believe the game doesn't lie! I also believe you are a racist!" Anthony's temper really got out of control, "You are refusing to believe in a genius! Genius!" Anthony raised his feet and said Kicked over the chair next to him, "You are making a mistake! This is a mistake!"
Norm tried to comfort Anthony, but found that he couldn't speak. His brain was slightly confused and he couldn't identify the specific thoughts. In the end, he could only shake his head and turn around to leave.
Anthony was left alone in the conference room, facing the empty room. Even if he was angry, he had no one to target. He had no choice but to put his hands on his hips, gasping for air, with disappointment written all over his face and eyes. But, nothing can be done.
