The whistle at the end of the game echoed inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a long time. The fans cheered and sang loudly to celebrate the victory. The thunder roared, as if this was not a regular season but a game. Super Bowl - This is the first time in three years that the New Orleans Saints defeated the San Francisco 49ers led by Lu Ke.
In a daze, the memory returned to ten months ago again. Those cheers, shouts and joy were in full bloom like a firework show. Being in it was like a dream; however, it was not the San Francisco 49ers who were celebrating the victory tonight, but their opponents. , they must turn around alone and swallow the bitterness and sadness of defeat.
Lu Ke did not move immediately, but stood there for a moment in a daze, subconsciously massaging his right arm. Various thoughts were surging in his mind. After working hard for a moment, the convulsive curling up feeling subsided. It was relieved but could not be eliminated, so he gave up and took a long, long breath. All the sighs and bitterness, all the regrets and unwillingness were vented out, and then he gathered his emotions again and walked away. pace.
Lu Ke trotted towards the side where the New Orleans Saints team was, showed a shallow smile to Drew Brees who was walking towards him, and took the initiative to give him a warm hug.
"Good job." Lu Ke slapped Brees's back hard, as if he was retaliating childishly, and the slap made a loud banging sound.
Brees couldn't help but reveal a helpless smile, "Hey, hey! Man, be gentle! I won't be able to bear it if you're too enthusiastic." After a pause, Brees continued, "How's it going? Finally taste it. It feels like defeat, how do you feel?" It was not provocation but ridicule, with a sense of narrow-mindedness and cunning of elders teasing younger ones.
Lu Ke let go of his embrace, rolled his eyes in front of Brees, and responded positively with his facial expression.
This made Brees laugh heartily and lightly patted Lu Ke's shoulder twice, "After fighting so many times, it's time for me to win once, right? At every press conference, reporters are asking tirelessly , 'Hey, Drew, how long will your deer phobia last?', 'When do you think your first victory against Bambi will come?', I am also very helpless, okay?"
The complaining and relaxed tone made Lu Ke's mouth relax a little and raised slightly, "You deserve this victory."
It's not charity or charity. This victory was won by Brees with his own performance. Lu Ke must pay his highest respect.
Lu Ke continued his 25-game starting winning streak across the season, and finally ended in the hands of Drew Brees. This may be the best result.
Facing Lu Ke's praise, Brees nodded gently, accepted the praise calmly, and then said meaningfully, "The season is not over yet, so recharge your batteries and hit the playoffs. If there is another season this season, When given the chance, I will definitely use 200% of my energy to fight for victory, but when the time comes, you have to be careful."
After a serious collision in the last game, although Lu Ke did not face a concussion or more serious injury, he still suffered a slight strain on his arm muscles. However, the injury was not serious and did not cause many obstacles during training, so the team did not disclose it to the public.
But Brees, who is also a quarterback and dominates the league with his passing accuracy, is not that easy to fool him. Although Brees doesn't know Lu Ke's specific situation, he can also guess that Lu Ke is currently experiencing minor injuries.
Lu Ke did not admit or deny, but just showed a confident smile, "Believe me, if there is another chance to compete this season, today's situation will not happen a second time. The victory must belong to me." of."
"Young people always like to talk big."
"Old people are always forgetful. The scars are healed and they forget the pain. Currently, I still maintain the lead in the battle record."
"Damn it!" After just one round, Brees was defeated, lowered his head, and cursed in annoyance - as if he was very dissatisfied with his debate performance, and then raised his head again, "How about today? Are you willing to exchange helmets with me?"
Brees raised the helmet in his hand, looked at Lu Ke with a smile, and then turned the helmet triumphantly, as if showing off his victory.
Brees looks like this, showing a rare hint of childishness.
Lu Ke was also speechless for a while, looking helplessly at Brees in front of him, and complained mercilessly, "Do your children know that you are like this?" Then you can see a hint of shyness and joy in Brees's smile. The embarrassment made Lu Ke laugh heartily, and did not continue to embarrass Brees. "Change. Of course! How can we not change helmets in such a memorable game?"
Lu Ke and Brees exchanged helmets, hugged each other again, and then turned to say goodbye to each other.
Raising his head, Lu Ke looked for a route back to the locker room among the dense crowd. Now this stadium will be left for the winners to celebrate wantonly, and they will return to the locker room to pack their bags. After the press conference is over, They will also embark on their return journey to San Francisco.
This is not a difficult thing, because the San Francisco 49ers players wearing white away jerseys gathered together in twos and threes, and their location was clearly at the entrance and exit of the stadium.
After adjusting his direction, Lu Ke took steps toward his teammates.
As they walked, Ted Jean and Joe Stanley came from different directions and met Lu Ke. Neither of them spoke, but they just stood near Lu Ke, not far or near. The atmosphere was a bit dull and serious.
Not far ahead, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald were sitting on the lawn holding their knees. They didn't get up for a long time. Lu Ke took the initiative to walk over, stretched out his right hand, pulled the two people up, gave them a hug, and patted them. After patting them on the back, they continued to move in the designated direction, and Justin and McDonald also followed suit.
Ankuang Bolding, who was originally lying in the red zone, also stood up again and joined Jon Baldwin. The two of them walked forward silently with their heads down. When they raised their heads and noticed the direction of Lu Ke's travel, they couldn't help but pause. They slowed down and waited for Lu Ke and his group to catch up before they resumed their normal speed again.
Last year's undrafted rookie tight end Garrett Celek lowered his head and stood there like a statue - the two tight ends Logan and Vernon were unable to play for different reasons. After that, Selleck came on as a backup tight end, but only completed one catch in four passes as a target. He seemed to have not recovered from the game.
Teammates passed by Selleck one after another, but he didn't react at all until Lu Ke appeared and patted Selleck's arm.
Selleck suddenly raised his head in surprise, but his face was filled with indescribable confusion.
Lu Ke whispered, "The game is over, go back to the locker room."
Then Selleck followed Lu Ke's footsteps in confusion and took steps toward the entrance and exit.
The group of people with Lu Ke as the center moved in the same direction. The players scattered in every corner of the stadium seemed to be unable to recover from the game. At this time, as if they sensed the pin summoned by the magnet, Lu They were all attracted one after another to join Lu Ke's ranks, and finally formed a mighty and huge team.
When Lu Ke came to his senses, they were already standing in the players' tunnel.
Only then did Lu Ke realize that no player went back to the locker room first, and everyone stayed where they were, as if... waiting for his arrival.
Lu Ke was slightly dazed, how could he have forgotten - for him, this game was the first starting loss since the National League finals last season; and the same was true for the entire San Francisco 49ers team.
After two and a half seasons of running and fighting, they seem to have formed a firm belief: as long as Lu Ke is on the court, they are invincible, they cannot be defeated, and they can overcome corruption. To be the master of magical miracles. This belief creates the playing temperament of the entire team.
But now, failure has finally arrived.
Lu Ke is feeling the impact of the loss, and so is everyone else on the team. The meaning and weight of this defeat are completely different. Even the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the second week of the regular season cannot be compared, although this game is not a matchup between division rivals at all.
Now, everything seems different. That kind of loss and confusion, that kind of confusion and helplessness, made every player subconsciously start to look for Lu Ke. Offensive team, defensive team, special teams team; starting players, substitute players, injured players... Even the team staff, all eyes are waiting for Lu Ke.
Just like this moment——
The players and staff of the entire team were scattered around the player tunnel with Lu Ke as the center. No one stayed on the court, and no one went back to the locker room first. They just followed Lu Ke's footsteps silently. , it seems that it has become a habitual action.
Being in it, Lu Ke could feel the condensed power.
Not the sight, but the aura. Some people still lowered their eyes, concealing their emotions; some people were looking around the stadium, seeming to have awakened some memories; some people closed their eyes, with deep fatigue revealed between their brows... Only Logan A few people including Marcus and others turned their attention to Lu Ke.
Despite this, Lu Ke could still clearly feel the aura, just like the captain of the "Titanic". Visible or invisible, the weight of all life on the entire ship was maintained by the captain. That It is an emotion called "trust". It is a burden and a motivation.
Lu Ke straightened his waist slightly and supported this heavy trust with his shoulders.
