Standing among the surging crowd and witnessing the noisy spectacle in front of him, Alex Smith was filled with bitterness.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, six years have passed since joining the San Francisco 49ers. For six years, he never seemed to truly realize the passage of time, but when he suddenly woke up, he was already here. The long and tedious six years passed in a blink of an eye.
During this period of time, he experienced the moment of being the number one pick in the draft, experienced the ups and downs of his rookie season, experienced the vitriolic comments from the media, and also experienced the severe condemnation from the team's supporters... However, he never seemed to be truly Everyone has his own moment, even in the draft, people are paying attention to Aaron Rodgers.
Once, he thought he could create an era with the San Francisco 49ers; now, he realizes that his time with the San Francisco 49ers has come to an end.
More than once, Alex has thought about whether things would have been different if he had not been injured before this year's preseason. In other words, what will happen if during this offseason, after leaving the San Francisco 49ers, he rejects Jim Harbaugh's renewed offer of an olive branch and passes a trial training to join another team? develop?
However, reality is reality, there are no ifs.
So, he stood here, losing his starting quarterback position and the support of the city of San Francisco. Alex knew that it was only a matter of time before this day came; however, he did not expect that it would come so fast, so violently, so...cruelly.
"Bambi! Bambi!" The uniform, deafening shout fell in Alex's ears, but he couldn't help but breed a surge of anger and absurdity. The 2011 season is only four games into the season, only four games, and now these fans are already eager to show their support?
So, what about him?
Suddenly, out of the corner of his vision, Alex caught a strong sense of oppression approaching quickly. He looked up reflexively, and then saw Colin Kaepernick, whose face was gloomy and his eyes were burning.
Kaepernick's muscles all over his body tightened, and the fists of his hands began to tremble slightly because of too much force; he lowered his head and lowered the brim of his hat, covering most of the expression on his cheeks, but still could not hide his tight jaw. The curve, that surge of anger and shame that was almost out of control.
Everything in front of him was a kind of suffering for Kaepernick, who was also a rookie. It was unbearable suffering. So, Kaepernick refused to stay here, strode outside, got into the crowd regardless, squeezed out bit by bit, and finally disappeared completely into the sea of people.
The mixed emotions surging in his chest, including anger, frustration, bitterness, loss, and worry, were all poured out with a long breath.
Alex knows that this is competitive sports, and everything is based on strength. Even a great player like Brett Favre was tortured in the last few years of his career. The old and the new changed, and the times changed. , this is inevitable; what's more, Lu Ke won all of this with his own efforts.
After exhaling heavily, his shoulders drooped, and he stared at Lu Ke's background, his eyes suddenly became blank.
…
Crazy roars, boiling enthusiasm and turbulent excitement, it seems that even the air begins to gurgling and rolling on the surface of the skin, and the mood can't help but fly high, as if as long as you open your arms, you can have the whole world. , that kind of beauty, that kind of happiness, that kind of excitement, surged magnificently in the chest.
Involuntarily, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Lu Ke raised his hands and applauded the fans, thanking everyone for their support and their support. At this moment, Lu Ke realized as never before that he was a member of the 49ers and a member of this city. That feeling was so clear and so touching.
Surrounded by his teammates, Lu Ke took steps and walked towards the fans, but his feet felt like stepping on cotton, one deep and one shallow, the strong sense of unreality lingered, making people feel Worry about gains and losses.
"Bambi!" The cheers gradually subsided, replaced by the enthusiastic calls of fans, including Patrick Willis, Logan Newman, Ted Ginn... names one after another, one after another. The echoes of screams and roars still lingered above the eardrums, but those sounds finally became clear.
Following the call, Lu Ke looked away and saw a few familiar faces on the right, "Hey, Jeff!" Lu Ke greeted him in a friendly manner, but saw Jeff's face in disbelief. Expression, "Do you remember me?"
Lu Ke laughed happily, "Of course. You are the first fan to ask me for an autograph. Even if I want to forget, it is extremely difficult." Although his playing time with the Bruins is very limited, Lu Ke is There is the starting point of his career and his own supporters.
Jeff turned his head and grabbed Nate's shoulders, "Did you hear that? He remembers me, God, he remembers me!" That fanatical shouting vividly expressed his excitement and excitement, which made Nate He couldn't help but pat Jeff's arm, "Calm down, please calm down!" Then, Nate looked at Lu Ke expectantly.
When Lu Ke said the name "Nate", Nate also lost control and joined Jeff in screaming crazily. calm? What is that and is it edible?
"Thank you, thank you." The joy and satisfaction also affected Lu Ke. He smiled brightly and expressed his gratitude to these lovely supporters. Then, Lu Ke saw a tall and thin middle-aged man. The young man was unshaven, slovenly and downtrodden, and even a little fragile, but his eyes were full of vitality, "Don't thank us."
"What?" Lu Ke didn't react for a moment.
The middle-aged man shouted again, "No need to thank us. Your career has just begun, and we look forward to seeing more of you. Today's support is just the beginning, we need you to continue to lead the team to fight!" It doesn’t matter if you lose the game, but we need to see your persistence and hard work! But in the end, as long as you can win, we are willing to follow you and keep going!”
Compared with words, those bright eyes are more determined and persistent, revealing too much information, "I always believe that a truly great leader does not lie in how much he can do or what he can achieve. How high; it's about how good you can make others around you, inspiring energy that others cannot inspire themselves! Bambi, I'm looking forward to it."
In the midst of the raging crowds and heat waves, such eyes were like a clear stream flowing from an iceberg, calming down the overheated brain a little.
His career has only started four games, not to mention a long ten or fifteen years. Even in the 2011 season, it has only been a quarter of the way. The future is still long and the challenges are still heavy. Today, he won the cheers and shouts of San Francisco 49ers fans, but this is just a small step in his career.
Just like Cam Newton was with the Carolina Panthers. The support of the fans and the support of the team is just the beginning; victory is the key to truly having fans-in this week's game, the Carolina Panthers lost to the Chicago Bears, four games into the current season. Only one victory was achieved.
Carolina fans clearly know that rookie players need more time and they cannot rush it; however, losing one game after another does not really help, it is like suffering. Newton needs to grow up, faster, faster.
The same is true for Lu Ke.
"You have our approval. Next, please conquer this city! Do you see? That is your goal! Not us!" The dry middle-aged man shouted, following him With his right hand, Lu Ke looked up, and then he saw the flag, the flag that once appeared in the Cincinnati Bengals stands.
King of the Bay Area.
His heart was surging and his blood was boiling. The desire for victory, the urgency for the championship, and the expectations for the future began to surge at this moment. This made Lu Ke laugh happily, nodded, expressed his agreement, and also expressed his understanding. Then he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him sincerely and seriously, "Excuse me, what is your name?"
"Jonathan Baldwin! The number one supporter of the San Francisco 49ers, I am a supporter of the team, not yours." Jonathan said calmly, incompatible with the noise and fanaticism around him.
Lu Ke didn't care, and nodded with a smile on his face, "Nice to meet you, Jonathan, I'm Lu Ke." He held the other person's right hand and shook it slightly, "Thank you for picking me up at the airport today, I hope We can meet again next week at Candlestick Stadium."
"We need a win," Jonathan said.
Lu Ke laughed out loud, "Who doesn't need it?" After saying that, Lu Ke let go of his right hand, followed his teammates and walked toward the team bus outside the airport. .
The cheers and shouts continued. Although they cheered Lu Ke's name, as Jonathan said, they came for the entire team. Therefore, there were no fans fanatically surrounding Lu Ke, but watching the entire team. The players entered the team bus and kept chanting, "49ers! 49ers! 49ers!"
The mighty cheers surged among every player and echoed under the San Francisco night sky for a long time. This was a sleepless night, not because the San Francisco 49ers lost the game, nor because it was Sunday. The night was tossing and turning, but it was because the San Francisco 49ers had been sleeping for eight years. The lifeless San Francisco 49ers, who were used to losing, saw hope again after a loss.
Also because, for the first time, Lu Ke truly felt the power of the fans, a power comparable to the Philadelphia Eagles' home support. The only difference is that the Eagles fans are on the opposite side of Lu Ke, while these fans are on the same side of Lu Ke, supporting the entire team, including Lu Ke.
Now, Lu Ke finally no longer fights "alone". Such a night is so beautiful that people can't bear to close their eyes.
