The steady stream of interviews was almost endless, and the endless stream of congratulations was completely overwhelming. Countless noises continued to swirl above the eardrums. Lu Ke strongly suspected——
Isn't this an away game? Where on earth did so many people come to congratulate him? Those away staff members came over to express their congratulations. Is this really good? If he remembered correctly, they seemed to be mortal enemies in the same district, and they were the kind with a long history of resentment. So what was going on?
With great difficulty, Lu Ke finally got rid of the reporters' entanglement and returned to the locker room. All the noise was blocked outside the door panel, and the world was finally quiet.
Nearly an hour has passed since Sam Bradford's last pass was intercepted. In the blink of an eye, the continuous burst of adrenaline never stops. The kind of excitement that reaches the extreme. The feeling of exhaustion came over instantly, and he needed a little time to himself now.
Not for thinking, but for venting.
Throughout the long season, his mind was filled with all kinds of tactics. Even in his dreams, he was watching game videos - a real experience in a literal sense. Now he needed to enjoy a moment of blankness, thinking about nothing, nothing. Just do it, let it go completely.
The huge visiting team locker room was empty. Everyone was still being interviewed and celebrating wantonly outside. You could vaguely hear the noise in the stadium, along the water pipes and through the cement walls, quietly shaking the air, but there was no trace of it. It does not appear noisy, but instead brings out the tranquility in the spacious space.
The focus and focus of the eyes spread out bit by bit, and then they slowly fell into a trance.
"Hey!" The sound of the door panel being pushed open and closed quietly surged through the locker room, stirring up a faint echo. The small sound seemed to be amplified dozens of times, which made Lu Ke's thoughts return to his mind instantly. When he reached his head, he followed the sound and looked away, and then he saw Alex Smith appearing in front of him.
Alex's steps forward involuntarily froze in place, as if in slow motion, he slowly put them down and looked at Lu Ke blankly. The expression on his face had not had time to fully recover, which added to the A hint of embarrassment.
Obviously, Alex didn't expect that Lu Ke would stay alone in the locker room instead of standing outside to receive applause and flowers. For a moment, his thoughts were stuck like this. He pointed to the back, and then pointed again. Pointing forward, trying to say something, but no sound came out. The gesticulating movements only brought a sense of emptiness.
After realizing his embarrassment and unfamiliarity, Alex closed his eyes and sighed dejectedly, seeming a little embarrassed.
Alex didn't expect it, and neither did Lu Ke.
However, seeing Alex's actions, Lu Ke came to his senses first and asked, "Why, are those reporters willing to let you go?"
Today's second half of the game is crucial for Alex. His performance cannot be considered top-notch, but he still maintains a good condition. In the upcoming playoffs, Alex is bound to have more Eye-catching sight. The reporter asked Lu Ke just now. Presumably they will not let the person involved go.
"No, they are like a swarm of flies that cannot be driven away no matter how hard you try." After breaking the deadlock, Alex returned to his normal state, waved his hand gently, and said with a smile, "I finally had to put Michael and Vernon away. Only by pushing it to them can you get away. What about you? I can be sure that the reporters are definitely not willing to let you leave."
"At least, their tackles won't be more ferocious than those of the Baltimore Ravens." Lu Ke shrugged and complained to himself, making Alex chuckle.
After laughing, the atmosphere gradually settled down. Alex didn't answer, not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't know what to say.
Although they are not enemies, they are not friends either.
After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth week of the regular season, the barrier and alienation between them had been broken. As the season progressed, the exchanges between the two gradually increased, and Alex was very happy to impart his game experience. To Lu Ke, and Lu Ke was very happy to discuss the tactical manual with Alex.
However, all this is limited to the training ground and the competition field.
All communication between the two people is limited to rugby, and they are extremely professional and devoted; they have never communicated about personal matters outside of the game, and their understanding of each other is infinitely close to zero.
Among the 49ers, the relationship between the three backup quarterbacks and Lu Ke is particularly clear. Colin Kaepernick is the most distant and only trains silently with almost no communication; Scott Tolsin is the closest. A group of rookie players often get together and hold tactical meetings. They are all friends in private.
Alex's position is neither far nor close, just in the middle. In fact, it is a simple colleague relationship. Friendly, but not approachable. Once the conversation moves away from football, the atmosphere becomes sour.
"I'm going to take a shower first." Alex abruptly changed the subject and said dryly.
Lu Ke nodded in affirmation, "I'll sit down for a while."
"It shouldn't be to read the tactical manual, right?" Alex made a rare joke and joked.
However, Lu Ke didn't care. Instead, he patted the place next to him and signaled, "How about we join together?"
"Oh! No!" Alex waved his hands repeatedly, then with a grateful and insensitive expression on his face, he stepped back and made a big circle, as if he wanted to avoid Lu Ke. There was a huge gap between the simple sigh and the exaggerated expression. , the two of them laughed.
After the little joke, Alex walked straight towards the bathroom, but he paused hesitantly at the door. After thinking about it, Alex turned around, faced Lu Ke and said loudly, "The season is over. After that, I should probably transfer away."
This is still a secret for now.
For every professional player, it is not a hard and fast rule to keep a secret as much as possible before the transfer is completed, but it is an established practice. Of course, if you have a falling out with the team, or if you deliberately spread rumors in order to increase your salary, or other special circumstances, that is a different matter.
Alex belongs to the former.
The transfer matter has not yet been completely determined. Only he and his agent know about it, and there is no news about it.
Although Alex himself didn't know why he wanted to tell Lu Ke at this moment that they couldn't even be considered friends; but his instinct was to think so, so he said it calmly.
Perhaps, it's because they are comrades in arms, and Lu Ke has always been upright and aboveboard, and has won the respect of the team, including him, with his own strength and hard work.
Sometimes, deep down in his heart, Alex quietly felt a sense of envy. Not because of technical or tactical abilities, but because of Lu Ke's courage, boldness and determination at critical moments in the game, which always burst out with an indomitable courage. His perseverance and aura during decisive attacks became the key to reversing disadvantages. key.
That's what he doesn't have.
As the saying goes, character determines destiny. Alex couldn't help but think, if he could be as decisive as Lu Ke, would his career be completely different?
Suddenly, Lu Ke was a little surprised. He turned around and looked at Alex, unable to express his surprise between his brows, "Are you sure?"
Alex nodded in affirmation, then showed a slight smile, "Or are you willing to hand over the starting position to me?"
Lu Ke spread his hands and said sincerely and firmly, "On the court, strength determines the outcome."
It is such a calm and confident posture, such a posture of going all out, which is subtle and impressive, which makes people impressed.
Alex chuckled twice and did not answer, but changed the subject, "Here, even if I try my best, I may not be able to fight for a position that belongs to me; however, there are 31 other teams in the league. The team, many teams need quarterbacks, I am still young, I can still find opportunities, and I can still stand on the field as a starter."
The words paused for a moment, and Alex seemed to hesitate to speak. The next words did not suit his personality, but after hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I want to stand on the court again. Go up, confront you face to face, and then defeat you with dignity and dignity.”
After all, Alex is still unwilling; after all, Alex still has ambition; after all, Alex is still trying.
This is a good thing.
Because for professional players in competitive sports, this is a cruel world of victory and defeat. When they give up competition, when they give up hard work, when they give up ambition, what they enjoy and pursue is no longer the same.
That's been the case with Peyton Manning this season. Everyone has chosen to give up, and no one is optimistic about his future, but he has always refused to surrender and has been recovering and working hard, because he knows that if even he himself chooses to give up, then his Career has come to an end.
The same goes for Alex Smith.
Parting and getting together, beginning and ending, farewell and rebirth, these are all part of the professional league.
When he was in college, he said goodbye to John Ward and most of the Bruins players, and went their separate ways; now with the San Francisco 49ers, they must face the same problem after the season ends. This is not a fairy tale. Everyone can fight side by side loving each other for a lifetime.
But Lu Ke didn't expect that the parting would come so quickly, and that Alex would be the first to say goodbye.
But looking back and thinking about it seriously, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Alex is only 27 years old this year and has just entered the golden period of his career as a quarterback. Since he cannot find his own opportunities with the San Francisco 49ers, it is a normal decision to choose other teams as a way out. .
If you think about it from his perspective, Lu Ke might also choose to leave. So, this is the prelude to farewell.
