"Boom boom boom!"
There was a billowing heat wave inside the Metropolitan Stadium, and the entire stadium was like an erupting volcano. In addition to the cheers of the San Francisco 49ers fans, there were also the interference and destruction of the Denver Broncos fans, and the lively booing of other neutral fans. Various sounds intertwined with each other, and then the lava began to eject continuously. It seemed that the calm and windless stadium could once again feel the fluctuations brewed by the wind and waves.
Ten yards in first gear.
Amidst the noise and bustle of the entire court, Lu Ke concentrated on his defensive reading. The Denver Broncos' defense still adopted the conventional "4-3" formation:
Four defensive fronts were paired with three linebackers, and at this time the Denver Broncos completed their positioning in a textbook example. The four defensive fronts faced off against the offensive fronts, and the three linebackers stood about three or four yards behind the forwards. Position, the middle linebacker just overlaps the vertical axis of the quarterback; the two cornerbacks stand parallel to the linebackers, on the left and right wings, corresponding to the two receivers; a safety is about three yards behind the linebacker, standing in The central axis is two steps to the left, and the other safety guard is two steps to the right of the central axis, but the vertical distance is five or six yards behind the safety guard.
It's formal, simple, even a little too formal, just like a schematic diagram explaining player positions for beginners, "This is the safety", "This is the left defensive tackle", and so on, without any change at all. There is no layout, which makes it difficult for people to start.
Previously, Lu Ke emphasized that the Denver Broncos defense should not be underestimated. On the one hand, it was indeed a courtesy, but on the other hand, it was also true. Jack Del Rio, the defensive coach of the Denver Broncos, has been in the industry for fifteen years. He served as the linebackers coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 1997 to 2001 and followed the team to the 30th place. Five Super Bowls, and then served as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for nine years until he was fired due to poor record last year and came to the Denver Broncos for re-employment.
It is true that Jack Del Rio did not have any outstanding performance as a head coach, but he still has his own unique skills in coaching/coaching the defensive team, otherwise he would not have served as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for nine years. .
Del Rio's specialty lies in the pressure and scheduling of the defensive front. The tactical cooperation between the defensive front and linebackers can often create a lot of pressure and trouble for the quarterback. The Denver Broncos' defensive front organized by blue-collar players also has this ability. Excellent pass-rushing ability - not top-notch, but not something to be taken lightly.
What's more, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line is also plagued by injuries. Except for Anthony Davis, the other four players are more or less troubled by minor injuries. Their pocket protection efficiency has dropped significantly this season. If If Lu Ke cannot gain enough advantage for himself through defensive reading, then the offensive line will face severe challenges.
So, why is Del Rio so blatantly suspicious?
Lu Ke's eyes fell on defensive end Malik Jackson. It turned out that Malik was also watching him intently. He looked eager to launch an attack, and his eyes burst out with incredible desire - from Three years and two months have passed since the last game in December 2010. They finally faced each other again; and this time, he will never be defeated easily.
But Lu Ke just glanced at Malik and then looked away: He must coordinate the overall situation!
Just like the Denver Broncos and Manning, the San Francisco 49ers also need to consider the impact of cold weather. Although Lu Ke is relatively less affected by low temperatures, it still exists objectively. He needs some time to move his body and adapt to the weather. , making the hand feel hot.
Therefore, the San Francisco 49ers deployed a two-by-two formation to assist the pistol formation in their first wave of offense, which was also a basic formation.
In fact, Lu Ke's real tactic is-read option attack!
"attack!"
Lu Ke caught the football thrown by Jonathan Goodwin and moved laterally to his right side with the starting running back Frank Gall, but he kept observing the right outside linebacker Danny Terra from the corner of his eyes. Wesson's movement, and defensive end Malik Jackson.
Oops!
At the first moment, Lu Ke noticed the danger out of the corner of his sight. The Denver Broncos' defensive front adopted a six-man pass rush——
The four defensive forwards take the lead and the two linebackers delay for half a beat and then take the wrong step. The time difference creates a layered sense of pass rush and disrupts the matchup rhythm of the San Francisco 49ers' offensive line. If the defensive line is guarded, Then the linebacker will be able to cut into the pocket; if the linebacker is matched up, the defensive line will be able to force the break.
What's even more delicate is that before the kickoff, defensive end Malik gave up half a step. Before his opponent Anthony Davis could react, Malik stepped in at the same time as Lu Ke kicked off the ball. He found the gap between Anthony Davis and Alex Boone, made a strong push towards Anthony's shoulder, and pushed Anthony towards the outside linebacker Danny Traverson, and then freed his hand. In the blink of an eye, Malik was inside the pocket protection.
Everything happened so fast in the blink of an eye. Malik appeared directly in front of Lu Ke, blocking Lu Ke's path. There was no player between them, and Malik faced him. Open your arms and get ready for the sack.
But Lu Ke was not unprepared.
This is the first wave of offense for the San Francisco 49ers. They have no way of knowing the preparation results of the opponent's defensive team. They can only insist on focusing on their own. However, due to the weather, the offensive tactical options at the beginning are relatively limited, and it is very easy to be seen through. - Manning was facing the same situation just now. He used fake moves and tactical changes in the first two attacks to disrupt the defensive team's established strategic judgment. Now it was Lu Ke's turn.
Therefore, Jim Harper chose a read-option offense. Although this is not Lu Ke's strong point, this season, Lu Ke already has such an ability-starting with a read-option offense, he can test the defensive team's strategy, and at the same time, Lu Ke Use improvisation to complete the attack and seize some advantage.
During the defensive reading process, Lu Ke realized that the Denver Broncos' defensive formation was too basic and too rigid, and almost no effective information could be obtained; however, whether it was the offensive team or the defensive team, the basic formation was exactly the coach's coaching idea. Reflection, this is the most frequently used and most effective tactic, and can often reveal the coach's tactical literacy.
So what is Denver Broncos defensive coach Del Rio best at? The answer is ready to come out.
The only surprise was that Malik's step-up rhythm was very efficient, and Anthony Davis failed to form an effective blocker. This caused Malik to cut into the pocket at a speed that exceeded Lu Ke's expectations——
In this read option attack, Lu Ke targeted Danny Travison. He was not able to detect Malik's step up immediately, but he immediately noticed Travison stepping up to defend Anthony. Then he realized that a crisis situation had arisen, and he caught Malik's figure in the corner of his eyes, crushing towards him like a dark cloud.
Subconsciously, Lu Ke threw the football directly behind him on his right side.
Gower, who was moving parallel, was always on high alert and caught the football without any doubt. His speed burst out instantly, throwing away Malik, and then accelerated along the right slot.
Although Malik used mismatch to create an advantage, Lu Ke and Gower's quick connection broke the situation and reversed the disadvantage - all positions on the defensive front were blocked by the offensive front, and as a result, Gower was right next to his teammates Under the cover of the crowd, he ran all the way, sprinted twelve yards among the dense crowd, and then fell into the circle of three defensive players. However, he still continued to rush forward unyieldingly, and once again dragged his center of gravity and did not stand. The three defensive players continued to advance for about four yards before losing their center of gravity and falling to the ground.
It can be seen from this wave of offensive and defensive battles that the Denver Broncos are well prepared, and the San Francisco 49ers have not shown any weakness, and have even gone one step further than their opponents:
Gower successfully held the ball and advanced sixteen yards, easily scoring the first attack!
But before the cheers of the nine people in the audience could continue, the referee's yellow flag interrupted the rhythm: No. 76 Anthony Davis was on defense and illegally intercepted Danny Traverson from behind, and was directly The referee penalized ten yards and counted back ten yards from the position where Anthony committed the foul.
As a result, the San Francisco 49ers not only failed to complete the first offensive, but also needed to play again and faced the dilemma of eighteen yards on first down.
First, the defensive team committed two yellow flag fouls, which allowed the opponent to reach the end zone and score a touchdown. Then the offensive team also reached a deadlock due to yellow flag fouls, but this was not the end.
An illegal blocking foul was committed by the Denver Broncos, but the San Francisco 49ers had relied on Lu Ke's short pass and Logan rushed ten yards, so the foul was not accepted.
Once Lu Ke temporarily changed his tactics, causing the game to time out. Before the yellow flag was thrown, Hubble called for a timeout, canceled the foul, and returned the game to a third gear and three yards situation.
Once Alex Boone made an early move, the San Francisco 49ers were penalized five yards and once again faced an eight-yard situation on third down.
In the end, the Denver Broncos used four people to rush the pass and tore up the pocket. As a result, Lu Ke was forced to leave the pocket in the stormy sea and looked for the passing target while running. The short passing area was completely blocked and he was forced to try only one three-pointer. An eighteen-yard pass, trying to find Ted Ginn who had penetrated into the deep area.
Unfortunately, Lu Ke's passing touch obviously hasn't warmed up yet, and the passing arc is slightly wider. Surrounded by three defensive players, Gene tried his best to jump up and failed to catch the football, which ultimately led to The pass was incomplete and entered a fourth-and-eight yard situation. Then, the San Francisco 49ers struck out directly.
