Competitive sports are always cruel and sharp, and every player is always on the road to self-proof, even Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are no exception——
Manning's record against Brady is not superior. Every year's confrontation will become the focus of discussion. "Can Manning defeat Brady this time?" Similarly, Brady has never been able to completely escape Belichick's shadow. Can he prove his quarterback ability without the help of a coach?
Indeed, these nitpicks are all unfounded. Even if they cannot prove themselves, their status in history is unquestionable; but the real world just likes to find faults, because "competition" and "confrontation" are the core links of competitive sports. , every player must face challenges again and again. Challenging opponents is also challenging themselves.
This season, Russell Wilson has been on a roll, but his loss to Andrew Luck in a game has become a shortcoming that everyone is holding on to. The reason is simply because they are rookies in the same class, and Wilson is A third-round pick who was not favored, while Luck was the highly anticipated No. 1 pick.
Now, the same goes for Cam Newton and Lu Ke.
One is the chosen one, becoming the No. 1 pick with absolute strength, joining the league with great success, and even setting a new record for a rookie contract; the other is an unknown, becoming an undrafted rookie in obscurity, despite the support of the home team fans. Curses and dislikes took over the starting quarterback position, and every step was fraught with hardship.
From the moment they entered the league - to be more precise, from the moment Lu Ke and Cam both became the starting quarterbacks of their teams, they were destined to become each other's opponents:
Cam must defend his reputation and position as the No. 1 pick, and prove with practical actions that he is the deserving No. 1 pick. He is by no means in vain. Playoff seats, Super Bowls, regular season MVPs, etc. are temporarily put aside. , defeating the opponent in a head-to-head confrontation is the most direct and important thing!
Lu Ke must prove himself, not to make the teams that ignore him regret, but to prove that he is indeed an excellent quarterback. Standing on the court and reaching his current position rely on strength. It's not luck. Even if he is the No. 1 pick, he can defeat his opponent with dignity!
This is also true.
Although in the rookie training camp, the conflicts between Lu Ke and Cam were considered to be trivial matters caused by youth and frivolousness. They did not even involve direct physical conflicts and were not worth mentioning at all. Now there is no one in the league at all. Mentioning those things, even as gossip, seemed too light; but in fact, after entering the alliance, Lu Ke and Cam never dealt with them in public.
When Lu Ke became the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Cam, who also became the starter as a rookie at that time, once complained directly in a public interview with the media.
"This is a professional arena, not a house game." These were his original words, which were recorded by many media outlets. "If I remember correctly, this is rugby, not table tennis. He should have entered the wrong arena. Wrong project chosen.”
Chi Guoguo didn't even try to hide his discrimination, and expressed his disdain and contempt in a condescending manner.
If we say that before the rookie season officially debuts, young people are arrogant and have no idea what a terrible place the league is. It is understandable that they would speak out impulsively; but after that, Cam He still didn't hide his attitude during the interview.
"I don't think he's a quarterback. Yeah, you heard that right and you understood that right, that's what I meant. I always thought he should go back and play ping pong. Or golf, I mean , there is no confrontational movement.”
After these remarks came out, Cam was subject to controversy. Professional golfers and professional table tennis players expressed strong protests. However, the 2011 No. 1 pick still showed no intention of repenting. In a subsequent interview, he also said He expressed his disdain and contempt many times: he never took Lu Ke seriously.
In response to such remarks, Lu Ke's response was, "So I guess he is just an athlete with a simple mind and well-developed limbs? I always thought that this view was outdated in the last century. Rugby is a sport full of wisdom and tactics. Manuals are always one of the most wonderful charms. I think there must be some mistakes in his understanding, and it’s not too late to change careers now.”
Show no weakness!
Although Lu Ke was still facing doubts and provocations from the entire alliance at the time, even so, Lu Ke did not flinch at all and responded with a head-on attitude, provoking Cam's "insufficient IQ" both inside and outside his words - —Vondrick’s weakness in testing has always been Cam’s shortcoming.
It can be clearly noticed that the two quarterbacks dislike each other, and the conflicts between them are full of sparks and highlights.
But after the 2011 season, the situation quietly changed. It was not that Cam changed his tone, but that the media gradually no longer cared about Cam's attitude.
Through his perfect performance in the 2012 season, Lu Ke has proven his strength with actual actions; while Cam is still just the king of words——
In the past two seasons, the Carolina Panthers have failed to make the playoffs; more importantly, Cam's quarterback rating is only about 85.0. Although as a running quarterback, his physical fitness and ground advancement are still killer. He has exceeded 700 yards with the ball on the ground for two consecutive seasons, which is an outstanding achievement; but his passing rate is less than 60%. The success rate and high number of interceptions turned all his efforts into a struggle.
Next to Lu Ke, Cam has no comparison at all. In this context, Cam's attitude and remarks are irrelevant. Those sarcasm and complaints look more like envy and jealousy.
The mainstream view of the mainstream media has placed Lu Ke in a higher position. He is compared with the four elite quarterbacks and the league's top quarterbacks, rather than... a No. 1 pick two years ago - that It is already a very, very distant history, and the news media are more concerned about the current performance on the field, the team's record, the strength of the quarterback, etc.
So, gradually, Cam's name no longer appeared together with Lu Ke.
until now.
In the tenth week of the regular season of the 2013 season, the San Francisco 49ers, who had finished their offseason adjustments, returned to the field again. They were about to face the challenge of the Carolina Panthers at Candlestick Stadium. Therefore, "Lu Ke VS Cam", actively The hot topic of Hui came to light again and began to become more and more lively.
Only then did people realize that after entering the league, they had been waiting hard for two and a half seasons, and this long-awaited battle was finally about to take place. Just when everyone was about to completely forget about it, the battle finally started. .
Both Lu Ke and Cam will fight to prove themselves again - Lu Ke needs to defeat the superior No. 1 pick, while Cam needs to defend the glory of the No. 1 pick.
Russell Wilson unfortunately lost to Andrew Luck this season, but what about Lu Ke and Cam Newton?
In fact, compared to the past two seasons, this season's confrontation is undoubtedly more beautiful and exciting. Because the Carolina Panthers finally rise!
The Panthers, located in Charlotte, Carolina, are a very young team. Founded in 1993, they are the 29th team in the NFL and the first new team since 1976. .
This is the second team in the history of the NFL to be founded by professional players - the first was the Chicago Bears founded by George Halas, and Jerry Richardson He became the second player to accomplish such a feat.
This year is the 20th season since the Carolina Panthers entered the league.
In its short twenty-year history, this team is far from being called a "traditional" strong team. They have only reached the playoffs four times. The first time occurred in 1996. That season They achieved an excellent record of 12 wins and 4 losses and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the division. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys and then lost to the Green Bay Packers.
Subsequently, the team experienced a long trough period until seven years later in 2003. Under the leadership of John Fox, the old coach who took office in 2002, they took on a new vitality:
In the regular season, they posted a record of 11 wins and five losses, and entered the playoffs as the NFC South champion. They defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round, the St. Louis Rams in the divisional round, and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC finals, winning the championship. won the first National League championship trophy in the team's history and entered the Super Bowl, but unfortunately lost to the New England Patriots. The final score was "29:32", a free kick difference.
After that, the team's performance began to fluctuate. They reached the playoffs twice in 2005 and 2008, but failed to achieve better results.
In the 2010 season, the team only achieved two wins and selected the No. 1 pick. John Fox was fired from the team due to poor record. The veteran coach then went to the Denver Broncos to cooperate with Peyton Manning. , is still one of the most competitive teams in the league; and the Carolina Panthers have welcomed Ron Rivera, a former defensive coach.
Rivera, who was only 49 years old at the time, was a relatively young coach. After spending eight years as a linebacker in his career, he took another five years of rest and adjustment before officially becoming the coach in 1997. He had never held a head coaching position before.
After taking office, the first thing Rivera did was to select Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall pick, and then began to transform the team. After two seasons of adjustments, he finally reaped the rewards this season. At this time, everything from strength to record has ushered in a long-awaited rise. Everyone in the team is looking forward to them being able to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Such a script is somewhat familiar.
