814 Fanning the flames

Monday ends, Tuesday arrives.

For Lu Ke, he must temporarily put Vance and Nike behind him, because a new round of preparation cycle is about to officially begin, and he will devote himself wholeheartedly to the preparation for the next game, and no opponent can be underestimated, let alone a sworn enemy in the same area?

Before officially entering this week's game, the San Francisco 49ers were the first to receive a bad news -

Kyle Williams suffered a torn ligament in his knee and sadly reimbursed for the season.

The team had to move Kyle from the 53-man squad to the injury squad and pull another player from the sparring team to fill the squad.

This season, the San Francisco 49ers special service team has performed exceptionally well, and currently leads the league in overall ratings, playing a vital role in both strong matchups; Now, Kyle's absence is undoubtedly a big blow and they must find a reliable and strong returner again.

After discussion, the coaching staff announced the new returnees:

This year's first-round pick wide receiver AJ Jenkins, the 2008 lost wide receiver Chad-Hall, who moved from the Philadelphia Hawks this offseason, and Ted Jean and Randy Moss on the main lineup, will take turns as return attackers, and the Secret Service team will further complete the run-in to find the best permutation.

After Tuesday's recovery session, Lu Ke and his teammates visited Kyle in the hospital.

Kyle's state is not good, his physical and mental state is not good, and the whole person seems to be depressed. Even if Lu Ke and the others continue to enlighten and encourage, the effect is still limited after all, and the ward seems dull and depressing, although Kyle tries hard to be happy and cheers for his teammates, hoping that they can continue to win, but ......

"Wait until I get back. I'm looking forward to being able to make the playoffs. Kyle said half-jokingly, the bitterness and heaviness of his smile still lingering.

As they leave, Kyle lies on top of his hospital bed, turning his head away, not daring to watch his teammates leave.

This is Kyle's second injury this season, and although it is not the same part, it is not far from the location of the old injury, and the rest of the recovery process will be longer and more difficult, and no one knows if Kyle will be able to return to the game, and even if he does, his form will not be guaranteed.

There is only time for the injury to heal slowly. This is true from the body to the mind. It's a war between himself and himself, no one can help, no teammates, no family, no doctors and nurses, and only when Kyle gets over himself can he accept help and get back on his feet.

And for the San Francisco 49ers, going all out for the next win is the best way for them to be together.

On Wednesday's regular team press conference, Kyle Williams' injury, Michael Crabtree's form, and Randy Moss's performance were ...... All of them became the focus of interviews with reporters, not only head coach Jim Hubble, but also Lu Ke, who is the starting quarterback, has also been asked relevant questions many times.

On the one hand, the Atlanta Falcons enter the offseason this week, which also means that the San Francisco 49ers are expected to become the first team in the league to win seven games this season and lead the Super Bowl this season.

On the other hand, the four teams in the Western Division of the National League this season have ushered in a full explosion, and the current overall record in the division is the highest in the league's eight divisions, recognized as the league's death division of the 2012 season, starting this week, the San Francisco 49ers will continue to fight the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.

In other words, real gold is not afraid of fire, it is a mule or a horse, and now it is time for the real test. This is true for the San Francisco 49ers, and the same is true for the other three teams in the National League West, whether the excellent record so far is an embroidered pillow empty shelf, or the absolute strength of real knives and guns, and the strong clash of the divisional civil war will be a point higher.

Naturally, the regular press conference became lively.

In addition to the news within the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks have rightfully become the most frequently seen word, but not in a welcoming manner.

"A lot of people in the league think Russell Wilson is like you last year, what do you think about that?"

Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks' rookie quarterback, was selected with the 75th pick in the third round of this year's draft, and Russell's draft process was really light and uneventful compared to the news-boiling Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.

In the rookie camp, Russell was not favored. There is no other reason than shortness.

At just 5.9 feet (180 centimeters) and weighing 215 pounds (98 kilograms), Russell is a new type of running quarterback, alongside Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick as the new generation of quarterbacks in college — once dubbed the "Big Four" by fans, but not in a positive sense.

For the quarterback's passing, Russell's height is still not enough, and he can't clearly grasp the defensive position and advance space, you can refer to the template is Drew Bliss, even though he is now one of the four elite quarterbacks, but Bliss's height is still the focus of people's complaints, and Russell is 1.2 inches shorter than Bliss.

And for the quarterback's running ball, Russell's body is not strong enough, he does not have the height of Griffin and Kaepernick, nor the weight of Cam, the physical talent does not seem to be sufficient, for the running quarterback, it is more likely to be injured in the collision with the defender, and the attrition rate is definitely a concern.

Of course, Russell still has his own unique skills, and his passing accuracy is outstanding, compared to the other three running quarterbacks, Russell's passing accuracy is even comparable to that of a traditional pocket quarterback; He also excels at his movements, and due to the limitations of his physical gifts, he is more agile and cunning in his movements, often able to catch more gaps.

The advantages and disadvantages are very obvious.

In the end, Russell's draft market slipped all the way to the third round before he was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks.

After an offseason run-in and drills, the Seattle Seahawks unexpectedly selected Russell as the starter.

In the first game against the Arizona Cardinals, Russell suffered a shocking education, and the whole game was like sleepwalking, from passing to running, from reading defense to tactical selection, and it collapsed completely, ushering in a loss without any presence - the dominance of offense and defense was not in Russell's hands, and Russell was almost forgotten by everyone when Robert Griffin III came out of nowhere.

Perhaps it was the lack of attention that reduced the pressure on Russell and freed him up.

In the next five games, Russell gradually played to his strengths, and really managed to play to his strengths and avoid weaknesses, especially after using excellent pocket moves to shake off the tackle, relentlessly seeking gaps to complete passes, gritting his teeth and leading the offensive team to continue to advance, such a performance is even more eye-catching.

In the end, the Seattle Seahawks managed to achieve an excellent performance of four wins and one loss, especially in the third week of the regular season, in the game against the Green Bay Packers, Russell, who played at home, gave the best passing performance of his career, completed a "Hail Mary" in the second count, and killed the opponent with a "14:12" game, which caused an exclamation.

Last week, the Seattle Seahawks were once again at home against the New England Patriots, and although Russell was not the protagonist and running back Marshawn Lynch dominated the game, they still managed to win a narrow 24-23 victory, which gave their opponent their third loss of the season and marked that they really have the ability to play hard.

Inside and out, this Seattle Seahawks is reminiscent of last year's San Francisco 49ers -

The overall strength is not at its peak, and it is still a team trying to rebuild through ups and downs, but the emergence of a new leader at the quarterback position has also given the team the ability to have the last laugh in the narrow matchup, and the team has gradually begun to be reborn.

Russell is also reminiscent of Lu Ke last year. Although the style of the game is completely different, there are many similarities in the temperament of the game; What's more, there are many similarities in the draft experience, and it is inevitable that people will compare Russell and Lu Ke together.

Currently, the Seattle Seahawks have a four-win, two-loss season and a good overall performance.

Incidentally, the two defeats came from the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, both in the division, and both on the road; Meanwhile, only one of the team's four wins has come on the road, and smartly, it was an away win over the Carolina Panthers, where Russell Wilson had the overall upper hand against last year's draft pick Cam Newton.

It can be said that this young team still has a significant gap between home and away performance, and is still better at playing at home.

Naturally, during the press conference, Russell became an unavoidable topic.

"I don't think so." Lu Ke said modestly, "I am still a quarterback who is constantly learning, and I am trying to grow, I am not qualified to be a sample for others to compare, I think, in this game, I still have the attitude of impacting the opponent and study hard." ”

"But Russell said in the interview that he doesn't like your style of play, and that he thinks the Seattle Seahawks have what it takes to beat the San Francisco 49ers, and do you have anything to respond to?"

"I'll respond on the pitch." Lu Ke smiled, but his simple words were full of confidence and firmness.

"So what do you think of Russell's style of play?"

"At least I wouldn't choose to play like that." Back and forth, Lu Ke gradually showed his edge, and fought back without showing weakness.

"So, you don't like him?"

"That's your opinion, not mine."