The long and dark player tunnel faintly echoed with the cheers and shouts of the home fans wantonly celebrating the victory, but the cylindrical space filtered those sounds again, leaving only the lingering sound lingering, creating a sense of The illusion of alienation and distance, as if I have left the Mercedes-Benz Superdome far, far away. ★ New Thoughts Chinese Website★
Looking along the light at the end of the players' tunnel, Kip Kleist could see a bustling crowd of white jerseys, scattered irregularly in twos and threes, seemingly loose but actually tightly surrounding a central focus. , the orange sunset of New Orleans in the evening fell, projecting a faint silhouette, wrapped in the sensational and wanton waves of people in the audience, seeming to build an independent world, making time quiet down.
"What now?" Craig Roman's voice came from his ears.
Kip didn't turn around, "Get ready for the next game."
Craig couldn't help but rolled his eyes, "It's very funny. I mean, now! Right now! What about the problem in the locker room?"
Kip then turned his head and followed Craig's line of sight:
Jim Hubble was not far away, pacing back and forth restlessly like an ant on a hot pot. The tactical code sheet rolled into a tube in his hand had been ravaged so that the original appearance could not be distinguished. He was still chewing his thumbnail, and his whole body exuded an uneasy aura, reminiscent of the Hulk who was about to transform.
Everyone knew this loss was different, the fans knew it, the players knew it, the coaches knew it.
Although for the coaching staff, the impact is relatively slight, because the coaching staff's job is to strategize and find the formula for victory in failure. They must learn to treat failure correctly in order to open the door to victory. Maintaining an objective and calm attitude is a good start.
But it is undeniable that this defeat also had a strong impact on the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff: it was not confusion or loss, but more regret and frustration. With the end of the cross-season winning streak and the increasing number of injuries to the team, the journey to defend the title is becoming increasingly bumpy.
The coaching staff knew that they had to do something to re-stabilize the locker room, because the next week's games will continue to come without a break, and they do not have time to immerse themselves in those negative emotions for too long. They must quickly regain their strength and meet the challenge again. . But here's the question: What should they do?
A successful head coach not only needs to formulate tactics, but also needs to shoulder the weight of the entire team and be able to lead the team out of the trough at critical moments and get back on the track of victory. , becoming the core backbone of the entire team.
It's not easy.
This is obvious, otherwise successful head coaches can be mass-produced. Hubble could really use a little help right now.
"You said, if I suggest leaving the locker room issue to Bambi..." Kip said hesitantly, and did not continue the second half of the words, but that was enough.
Craig understood immediately. He shook his head and rejected the proposal, "This is not a good suggestion. Jim needs to establish the authority of the head coach. He has too few opportunities to perform in the locker room. On an occasion like today, the head coach must Step up and bring the team back together. No coach wants his authority to be challenged by the quarterback. To be honest, this is a terrible proposal and you are hurting Jim's dignity and pride."
Kip raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "I'm just suggesting."
Craig then added, "And Bambi is really too young. I mean, this is only Bambi's third season, and his prestige in the locker room has already threatened his position as head coach. , This is inappropriate, this is really inappropriate." Craig's expression showed deep concern.
Kip seemed much more relaxed, "I know, I know, I'm just talking. Don't worry, I won't talk randomly in front of Jim. I have a sense of proportion."
Craig felt relieved.
Kip suddenly added, "But this is the best solution."
Craig's eyes widened, and he was about to argue with Kip again, but he suddenly caught Hubble's approaching figure from the corner of his sight, and he quickly stopped and closed his mouth; at the same time, he glared hard at Kip and said with His eyes emphasized his position. When Kip shrugged and curled his lips to show that he understood, he quickly withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Hubble, "Hey, Jim."
"Craig, I'm not good at this, I'm really not good at this." Hubble didn't notice the "eyebrow/come/eye/go" between Craig and Kip at all. He was now completely immersed in his own In my mind, I just felt a splitting headache, "This is not a tactical board or a game video. I don't know what I should say. Do you have any suggestions? I think it's better..."
Before Hubble had time to finish his words, and before Craig and Kip had time to respond, there was a commotion in the player tunnel, interrupting their conversation. The coaching staff all moved towards the source of the sound. out of sight——
The billowing white waves at the entrance are moving forward slowly, quiet and solemn, heavy and resolute, but there is no chaotic sound of impatience, only the sound of footsteps echoing scatteredly; the orange sunset follows the outline of the body and outlines the golden edge. Gradually disappearing, the black and white projections in the backlight are intertwined with each other, but vaguely reveal a thickness and determination, filling the entire long and narrow player channel bit by bit, and then the lingering sounds of those cheers and shouts It seems to become even more distant, as if the soldiers who fought bloody battles finally set foot on their way home.
The sparse crowd still surrounded the central focus of the circle, and the entire rhythm and pace started from the soles of his feet, unhurried, unhurried and unhurried.
Closer, closer.
Then, first he saw the No. 14 jersey, and then the backlight gradually faded, and Lu Ke's handsome and youthful face slowly became clear. His sweaty face showed a little fatigue, but the look between his eyebrows was bright. He has rediscovered his firmness. His straight spine and strong shoulders seem to be enough to support the whole world. In a black and white world, a golden light of hope bursts out, firmly uniting the whole team together.
Kip turned to look at Craig, saying nothing, but his eyes said everything.
Craig opened his mouth and tried to refute something, but in the end he said nothing. He just shook his head at Kip and persisted in his thoughts.
Hubble's voice came next, "I mean, it's better for Bambi to mobilize the locker room. What do you think?"
Kip raised his eyebrows at Craig, his eyes showing joy.
Craig had no time to talk to Kip at this time, "Jim, are you sure? This defeat is likely to be an important turning point for us. As the head coach, shouldn't you say something?"
"Of course, of course. I will say something." Hubble nodded repeatedly. "I mean, when I enter the locker room later, I will say something about this game and encourage some teams. Then, the rest. Leave it to Bambi, he is obviously better at encouraging players than me; and he and the players also have more common topics, so this is a more appropriate decision, what do you think?"
Craig didn't need to look away to see Kip's proud smile, but he still stared at Hubble, "Are you sure?"
"What, you don't like it?" Hubble noticed Craig's hesitation, "I believe in Bambi, I think he can do the job, don't you agree?"
Craig observed Hubble carefully for a moment and confirmed that Hubble was serious. He was not worried at all about the loss of control of the locker room or the damage to the head coach's authority. He finally realized that Kip's idea was correct. Yes, Lu Ke has become an indispensable part of this team, so he nodded in affirmation, "I think this is a good idea."
Hubble snapped his fingers and said, "Let's do it!" You could clearly feel that he seemed to be relieved and his whole person came to life again. As soon as he finished speaking, Hubble couldn't wait to raise his voice to Lu Ke who was walking over. He raised his chin, "Bambi? Come here."
…
The players all entered the locker room, no one sat down, they stood collectively.
Hubble and Lu Ke were the last to enter the locker room. Lu Ke closed the door to the locker room and stood in the corner next to the door panel, giving the stage to Hubble.
Hubble swept around and looked at the scene where all the players stood up collectively, but didn't know where to start. "It's a pity that we lost the game today. But we didn't lose the entire season. There are still six games to wait for." Follow us! The initiative is still in our hands!"
"We should forget this defeat now, go back to Candlestick Park, re-watch the game tape, find out the loopholes in the failure, and then find ways to make up for it so that we can get back on the track of victory. I know this is not easy. It’s something to do, but I believe we can do it!”
“We’ve done it successfully the past two seasons and we can still do it now!”
Hubble's words were a bit thin and the content was a bit formulaic; but compared to these problems, the more serious problem was his tone and demeanor - he lacked the confidence to scold Fang Qiu when deploying tactics, and there was no motivation. The words are so impassioned and so dry, even a little embarrassing, that I don't know what to do at the end.
"I believe in you, and I believe in this team!" Hubble clenched his right fist and roared, bursting with some passion, but he still failed to mobilize his emotions.
He paused for a moment, wanting to say something more, but his emotions couldn't connect, so he finally gave up.
Turning around, Hubble walked towards Lu Ke, patted Lu Ke's shoulder gently, and said sincerely, "I'll leave the rest to you."