From a distance, Lu Ke could see Carson Palmer standing quietly near the center line, waiting quietly, without a smile or annoyance. To be precise, there was no special expression. He just stood there quietly, seemingly immersed in the situation. In my own thoughts, I haven't been able to get rid of it yet.
Lu Ke made a special trip to say hello to Peterson and wasted a little time. Palmer was waiting there, but he did not show any impatience.
"Sorry." Lu Ke trotted over, took the initiative to greet Palmer, gave Palmer a hug, and was the first to apologize before returning to the topic, "Wonderful game! Looking forward to the next match."
Palmer didn't have any special reaction. He nodded slightly and said, "Wonderful game." After a pause, he seemed to have nothing more to say. Lu Ke was about to turn around and leave, but Palmer did not release his hold on Lu Ke. Instead, he held Lu Ke's hand with the palm of his right hand. Seeing Lu Ke's puzzled expression, he let go of his right hand in embarrassment and showed an awkward smile, which immediately amused Lu Ke.
"I didn't mean it." Palmer waved his right hand, avoided Lu Ke's gaze, and casually said an explanation that was not an explanation, but then he realized his restraint - in front of a young man like Lu Ke, Why should he be reserved? His formality looks really stupid.
So, Palmer raised his head again, coughed twice, and cleared his throat. Sure enough, he saw that Lu Ke still politely did not turn around and leave. He subconsciously raised his hand and rubbed his nose, "I just I want to say that you won the game today with your strength, and I need to congratulate you."
Lu Ke was stunned for a moment, then pursed his lips and said calmly, "I thought what you wanted to say was that you hate me to the core. You know, judging from our past history, and our current As for the situation, although I don’t like it, to be honest, I can accept it calmly.”
In the past history, Lu Ke and Palmer competed head-on for the backup quarterback position of the San Francisco 49ers, with Lu Ke ultimately winning; in the current situation, the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals are sworn enemies in the same district. The home insult incident the year before last and the "Cardinals Massacre" last year are both evidence.
Obviously, Lu Ke and Palmer are not suitable for any story about brotherly love.
Palmer reacted for half a second, and then realized it. He wanted to laugh and explain - in fact, the competition in the San Francisco 49ers trial camp was nothing at all. It was a fair competition, and the one who made the final choice was Jim Hubble was nothing short of normal in the professional league, and he didn't take it to heart at all.
But the explanation was really too long, and he didn’t know where to start. In the end, he couldn’t hold it back, and he couldn’t help but laugh while shaking his head, “As Arizona’s quarterback, I don’t like you; And me personally, I know what this game means. So... great game!"
Palmer has not forgotten that they are mortal enemies in the same district. When the whistle blows again in the next game, they will still fight against both sides relentlessly. Their only goal is to try their best to defeat their opponents and even humiliate them; but Palmer has to Admittedly, Lu Ke won his respect and admiration with his performance in today's match.
The more tit-for-tat the enemy is, the more sworn enemies are, the more one should know how to appreciate one's opponent, because this is not only respect for the enemy, but also respect for oneself.
After losing this game, Palmer was more unwilling and aggrieved than anyone else, not because of the Arizona Cardinals, but because of himself——
He entered the league as the No. 1 draft pick in 2003 and took over the starting quarterback position of the Cincinnati Bengals. However, in his eight seasons at the helm of the team, he only made the playoffs twice in 2005 and 2009. , this has also become a fatal shortcoming that people have repeatedly criticized him for.
Although he has proven his passing ability over the years since entering the league and he is definitely an above-average quarterback, Cincinnati's front office still refuses to recognize his ability, especially after three consecutive seasons of high-end performance. After two seasons of declining form, he received countless infamy. The team even humiliated him with a cheap contract, treating him as a poor guy who needed to beg for mercy. Then he chose to break with the team. Fans think he is a traitor, betraying the entire team for a small salary - only he knows that he is just for a breath, he is trying to prove his ability, and he is trying to prove that he is still worthy of recognition.
For this reason, Palmer even chose to retire tragically, proving his determination in such a decisive way.
But fate made a joke. In the three seasons after Palmer turned around and left, the Cincinnati Bengals, led by 2011 rookie Andy Dalton, made the playoffs in all three consecutive seasons. , which makes Palmer’s previous eight years of hard work look like a joke.
People are like this, they only see the superficial results: entering the playoffs in three seasons; but they can't see the accumulation behind the surface: in the previous eight seasons, Palmer's integration with the offensive team has increased the team's strength. Many foundations have been laid, and success never comes overnight.
But, so what? Palmer was forgotten in Cincinnati. In that city, he was a traitor and nothing more.
This year, the Arizona Cardinals are just a little bit close to making it back to the playoffs. Palmer can almost feel the scalding heat of playoff tickets. He can almost offer Cincinnati and the entire league It proved that he still had the ability to make it back to the playoffs, but in the end he still fell short. The slightest difference was a huge loss.
It is conceivable that Palmer felt more frustration than anyone else; when facing Lu Ke, Palmer's mood was more complicated than other members of the Arizona Cardinals.
But Palmer still struggled to express his admiration, because he knew that the player who performed better today led the team to victory.
"However, when we meet next time, I will never let victory slip away." Palmer then added.
Lu Ke showed a shallow smile, "I strongly doubt it." Because victory will still belong to him. That strong self-confidence was displayed without any concealment, blooming freely in the sweaty smile, but in the end it was not as impressive as the light of those bright eyes.
Palmer laughed dumbly, "Swap helmets?"
Lu Ke looked at Palmer carefully, but still shook his head in denial, "Let's forget it." Then he added, "It's not about the person."
He doesn't have a problem with Palmer, but he has a huge problem with the Arizona Cardinals.
Such an honest response actually made Palmer laugh, "I thought you weren't that close-minded." In fact, he had to agree that swapping helmets was obviously not a good idea - not Arizona Cardinals fans. You will feel comfortable and may even create more unnecessary disputes in the future.
"Then it's now proven that your idea is incorrect." Lu Ke still joked unhurriedly, then nodded slightly, turned around and left without staying any longer.
Palmer stayed there for a moment, watching Lu Ke join his teammates' carnival celebrations. He knew that his part today had come to an end, and the stage that belonged to him this year had also begun, and he should leave now. It’s time to wait and fight again next year.
Looking up, the fans inside the University of Phoenix Stadium are venting their anger in their own way. A large number of fans are leaving the stadium, a small number of fans are cursing the players of the Arizona Cardinals defensive team, and some fans are... The anger continued to vent into the San Francisco 49ers dugout.
Everyone seems to have endless anger, but they don't know how to vent it, so they just explode towards other people regardless. Such a scene only makes the Arizona Cardinals' defeat look even more embarrassing and stupid. They have become fools who cannot afford to lose.
Palmer withdrew his gaze, but accidentally saw Peterson standing not far away. Peterson was also staring deeply at the scene of fans in front of him, but in the end he didn't say anything. He lowered his head in despair and took back He looked up and saw Palmer standing next to him.
He couldn't describe whether last year's "Cardinal Massacre" was more tragic, or whether it was more tragic to fall before the finish line tonight.
Peterson didn't say anything and walked over silently; Palmer didn't say hello either, just followed Peterson and walked side by side towards the locker room.
In this way, the University of Phoenix Stadium became the venue for the San Francisco 49ers to celebrate - however, they also knew not to be too unrestrained on the enemy's territory, otherwise they would trigger a riot. They just cheered for a short while, and the players and coaches They returned to the visiting team's locker room one after another and celebrated loudly in the locker room.
In addition to San Francisco 49ers players and fans, reporters are also eagerly anticipating:
After stepping on the corpses of their rivals in the same district to enter the playoffs, and ending the 2013 regular season with a six-game winning streak, the defending champion's morale has reached a new peak. Now the most real and urgent question is In front of everyone's eyes——
How competitive can this injury-plagued team be in the playoffs? No one will forget the invincible perfect team last season, and no one will forget how many ups and downs the defending champion went through this season to get here, and no one should forget the miracle of standing on the edge of the cliff and finally coming back to life in this game. Instantly, so...what are the odds of the San Francisco 49ers defending their title?
