In the final game of the seventeenth week of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers played against the St. Louis Rams away from home. After taking a huge lead of "0:28" in the first half, the coaching staff headed by Jim Harbaugh made a decision A bold decision was made to allow the starting players to be fully rested and to complete the second half with a substitute lineup.
It’s not just the quarterback position.
On the offensive front, three main players and two substitute players, Alex Boone and Chino Hachar got opportunities - the latter's main position has been officially taken over by Adam Schneider , became a substitute.
Among the receivers, Kyle Williams, whose opportunities to catch the ball are gradually decreasing, appeared and teamed up with Michael Crabtree as a wide receiver; Vernon Davis formed a team with Justin Peelle. Tight end lineup.
At the running back position, Anthony Dixon gets more opportunities, and Kendall Hunter rotates with another rookie running back, Bruce Miller.
The entire offensive team replaced almost half of the starting players; not only that, the defensive team also replaced four starting players. However, in comparison, the defensive team did not complete the replacement in one go, but rotated several starting players. It is possible to get more rest time in rotation, provided it does not affect the pace of the game.
Undoubtedly, the coaching staff's calculation could not be clearer.
Players need to rest and accumulate energy for the playoffs. Having already gained an absolute advantage in the first half, they began to control the game in the second half. However, in order to avoid capsizing in the gutter, the rotation of the defensive team should be more cautious. Similar situations are not uncommon in the league.
Despite this, changing nearly half of the main lineup in one go is really too bold and jaw-dropping!
But if you think about it carefully, every one of Jim Harper's many decisions this season seems to be full of the madness of a gambler who spends money. It is precisely these incredible decisions one after another that have led the 49ers step by step to where they are now. , wrote a glorious chapter for the alliance.
So, who can say that Hubble's decision is not a gamble that affects the direction of the playoffs?
It is still unclear how the playoffs will develop; but the direction of this game has become more variable.
Alex Smith led a new offensive group to make a debut. The entire offensive style was completely different. The ever-changing passing routes and tactical layout instantly became solid and heavy. They mainly focused on short passes, sudden mid-passes, and assists. A solid rush does not seek to advance with a large number of yards, but advances bit by bit in the form of positional warfare.
Take control of the game while consuming the game time.
Although the San Francisco 49ers' offense has become slow and sluggish, completely lacking the agility and wonder of Lu Ke when he was the quarterback; but they successfully harvested the first offense three times in a row, two of which were completed in third gear transition, which also made People really saw Jim Harbaugh’s coaching ability:
Teach students in accordance with their aptitude and local conditions.
According to different quarterbacks, different tactical systems and offensive styles are developed, and different combinations are created with the quarterback's ability as the core. The ultimate goal is the same: advance, advance, and advance again.
This skill alone is enough to prove Hubble's talent and ability!
It was obviously not a coincidence or luck that Hubble was able to create a small dynasty of his own at Stanford University; this season's San Francisco 49ers have been reborn in his hands. After giving full play to Lu Ke's tactical ability, the offense The group also burst out with a ray of light that was unstoppable.
However, facing a heavy and solid offensive style, the St. Louis Rams defense gradually regained its rhythm.
When Lu Ke is on the court, the offensive rhythm is constantly changing, and the tactical arrangement and combination are elusive, which is really difficult for the defensive team; while when Alex is on the court, the offensive rhythm is relatively single. Without the restraint of long passes, the defensive team's rhythm has become relatively more compact.
After pushing past halftime, there was an incomplete pass, a run into the wall, and a short pass of four yards. In the blink of an eye, the San Francisco 49ers had their first strikeout of the game.
It wasn't the end of the world, and it wasn't enough to be a turning point in the game, but at least the St. Louis Rams finally got a little breathing room and the one-sided situation slowed down a bit.
Kirk, who was sitting in the studio, vaguely noticed something unusual, but couldn't explain why. He could only shake his head, put aside his intuition for the time being, and returned to work, watching the Rams. An attack.
Four minutes and forty-eight seconds later.
"Touchdown! The St. Louis Rams scored a touchdown! This is the first time the Rams have scored in two games against the 49ers this season! This touchdown came from No. 39 running back Steven Jackson -Jackson)'s rush, a 19-yard touchdown, this is definitely a wonderful advance, not easy, really not easy!"
After Teddy exclaimed, Kirk finally realized: the abnormality that flashed through his mind just now!
"Momentum!" Kirk blurted out, but after saying it, he couldn't help but chuckle, "Yes, yes! I know this is a bit ridiculous, but the fact is..."
Kirk took a deep breath and said firmly, "When Lu Ke stands on the court, he is the most special presence. For the 49ers players, they are willing to believe that they can win the game. ; And for the opponent's players, they can feel the tremendous pressure and must cheer up every time they face the 49ers' offense."
Kirk could feel Teddy's interested eyes, which not only did not dampen his confidence, but instead made him more determined, "I know, this is really unbelievable. How can a rookie player have such a deterrent effect? He is not Payton." - Manning or Aaron Rodgers, as long as they stand on the court, the outcome is always unknown, and they have the possibility to turn the game around."
"But what I want to say is. Because of this, he is an undrafted rookie, he is a Chinese player, and he has achieved a season record of 12 wins and three losses. After all these mysterious factors collide, it is precisely It created this wonderfully powerful aura." Kirk gradually stopped smiling and returned his attention. "After the start of the second half of the game, the 49ers' offensive team had their first strikeout, while the Rams' offensive team scored First touchdown."
A simple and clear sentence of evidence is enough.
Kirk then further added, "Of course, this is just an idea. The next game will prove whether my idea is right or wrong."
As it turns out, Kirk was right.
In the third quarter of the game, the Rams' offensive team finally stood up strongly. After the first running touchdown, the first passing touchdown also followed, Sam Bradford Successfully found wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and completed a 22-yard pass.
But faced with such a strong pursuit of points, the 49ers' offensive team was never able to organize an effective advancement.
Alex's advancement is still steady, but there is still a lack of tacit understanding between the offensive team. It is like a machine that lacks lubricant. It can operate normally, but after all, it is still not smooth enough. This also makes the 49ers' offense always at critical moments. Falling short of success, there were two half-court pushes in the third quarter, and he suffered a strikeout when he was about to approach the free kick area.
As Kirk said, all aspects of the St. Louis Rams came to life. The defensive team repeatedly made achievements and completed the feat of strikeouts; while the offensive team was back on track, with four offenses, two strikeouts and two touchdowns; special teams The performance of the team was also relatively stable, with extra points and kickoffs successfully completing the tasks.
Of course, no one can directly prove Kirk's words.
But the fact is that after Lu Ke came off the field, the momentum of the Rams and 49ers was quietly changing. At the end of the third quarter, the score on the field reached "14:28."
The entire Edward Jones Dome finally started to boil again. The home team saw a glimmer of hope for a comeback, and the home fans began to cheer hard. The home team finally had some energy and vitality.
All eyes are on the 49ers coaching staff. Will Harbaugh make adjustments to the roster? Bringing more starters back on the field? Or even go one step further and let Lu Ke return to the court? Or is this situation allowed to continue to spread?
After the start of the fourth quarter, the answer came out - Jim Hubble still chose to go his own way and be stubborn to the end, refusing to compromise easily or surrender. The main players still took rotations to rest, and Alex still led the offensive team on the stage.
Alex did not live up to Hubble's trust. Not long after the start of the fourth quarter, he successfully pushed through the half and reached the red zone in one go. Although he failed to score a touchdown further, David -Akins still turned the offensive team's efforts into three points.
"14:31".
The significance is not only to widen the score gap, but more importantly, to re-stabilize the game situation.
In the remaining games, the confrontation between the 49ers and the Rams gradually became fierce. The Rams still did not give up and were still chasing after them, but the 49ers still relied on their deeper overall strength to gain a foothold.
Especially in terms of time control in the final stage of the game, Alex took full advantage of his steady play. After spending more than five minutes, he successfully entered the free kick area, and Akens once again scored three goals in one go. points; at the same time, it only left the opponent two full minutes of game time and a full ten-point score gap——
At that time, the score on the court was "24:34".
This also means that the Rams turned on the unyielding mode in the second half, but in the end they were still unable to complete the comeback in one go. All their efforts were in vain and ended in vain. If Sam Bradford wants to become the savior, he must complete a touchdown within one hundred and twenty seconds and then complete a free kick area advancement. Is this... possible?
