The blue sky was dyed bright orange-red, and the horizon where the sky and water intersected surged with large flaming clouds, and the intense colors like dripping blood were tumbling, fainting little by little along the arc of the sky, like a magnificent and reckless canvas, and the brush of nature freely sketched a thrilling scene, so that all the gorgeous rhetoric became eclipsed.

San Francisco in August is always beautiful.

It's the end of another day's trial, which doesn't seem to have changed anything special for Lu Ke, whether it's a team trial or a training by himself, the difference is the training content, the same is the training rhythm, which has almost become a part of his life and is used to it.

In fact, with only three days left before the 2011 preseason kicks off, the warm-up and buzz for the new season has already begun to spread, and ESPN has begun to produce a series of shows for the preseason season.

In the training arena next door, there is still a lot of talk and laughter, but the tension is gradually spreading, and there is excitement and anticipation, timidity and nervousness, and more often than the latter - the San Francisco 49ers have not made the playoffs for eight consecutive years, and no one wants to continue that record.

However, for Lu Ke and the other three trial quarterbacks, none of them had anything to do with them. Because they're still not part of the team, they're still trying their best for a job. Not for victory, not for competition, not for honor, but for a job.

After finishing the training, Lu Ke picked up the towel hanging on his waist and wiped the sweat, as if he had been fished out of the water; Scott, who was standing not far away, shouted, "Today's training is going to be dead. That balance training, how do you do it? When I stood on it, my calves started to shake all the time, and it felt indescribable. ”

The so-called balance training, first of all, you need a balance board, the top is a plate, the bottom is a springball ball, the two are integrated, standing on it, maintaining balance is an extremely difficult thing, and for athletes, not only standing, but also need to squat, the shift of the center of gravity and the control of muscles is even more difficult.

The second is the need for a rugby ball, as the quarterback needs to complete the pass, first with a static fixed-point pass and then with a dynamic line pass that works with the receiver. During the pass, the quarterback uses the strength of his arms and upper limbs to complete the pass as much as possible, but as soon as the lower limbs exert force, the balance will start to shake violently, resulting in a huge deviation in the accuracy of the pass.

In this training, balance ability is the least rewarding part of training, the most important thing is to train core muscle strength and deep muscles; In addition, this can also correct the quarterback's passing power details to ensure the stability of the pass while moving; Finally, it's about training the quarterback's passing ability in situations where the center of gravity is lost in jamming, ramming, tackling, etc.

It may seem like a simple or even comical workout, but it is an all-round test for a quarterback.

If one is not careful, he will fall on all sides; If you're not careful, you'll probably hurt yourself. Embarrassed and embarrassed, on the training ground, it looks like a circus clown, the one that is in the limelight - the kind that is humiliating.

This is true for both the youngsters Lu Ke and Scott, while the two veterans Matt and Carson are even more difficult. With the times advancing, science and technology developing, and training methods constantly updated, it is not easy to keep up with the times.

The four quarterbacks all face serious challenges, but overall, Lu Ke's performance is still the best, "Yoga. Lu Ke didn't mean to hide his secrets, anyway, these training methods are not an exclusive secret, "I have been doing yoga for more than half a year, and the results are very obvious for the softness and balance of the body, as well as the toughness and core of the muscles." ”

When the training task of yoga was systematically increased, Lu Ke was also confused, but in the blink of an eye, after persevering for half a year, it is now time to reap the results. Who knew that such a flexible and quiet movement could play a role in helping each other with such a violent and tough application?

"Yoga?" Scott's eyes widened, and he looked surprised, "You mean, yoga in India?" ”

Without waiting for Lu Ke to answer, a call came from afar, "Assemble, the players on trial are all assembled." Bobby's voice was already very familiar, and he didn't need to look back to know that Lu Ke nodded at Scott and expressed his affirmation, "You can try it, it may not be suitable for everyone, but it's worth trying." ”

Bobby Engram didn't rush and waited comfortably in place, anyway, today's training is all over, there is no need to rush; After Matt Hasselbeck walked over, the two of them were still chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

Turning his head, Bobby noticed that the four quarterbacks had gathered, so he patted Matt on the shoulder, looked around, and said straight without emphasizing the special position, "There are only three days left until the new season, and the team's preparation is entering the sprint stage, and we don't have much time." So, I'll cut it short. ”

Here it comes. The decision came.

"That's the end of this trial." Bobby's eyes fell on the four quarterbacks, Matt and Carson were both veterans, and their expressions were calm and not particularly nervous; And Lu Ke and Scott are both rookies, even if they want to control, their muscles are inevitably tense.

Experience, after all, is still perceived. However, choosing experience or youth is a double-edged sword. Winner is king, and in competitive sports, victory can explain everything, while defeat can destroy everything.

So, Bobby didn't particularly sigh either. Just announcing the signing of a third quarterback, Jim Hubble didn't even come over in person, but handed it over to Bobby, an assistant on the offensive team, to make the announcement. Bobby's mood quickly regained its composure.

"After discussion with the coaching staff, the team decided that this time it was ...... to stay" Bobby's eyes fell on Matt, the two are friends who have known each other for nearly ten years, and they are also a combination of quarterback and wide receiver, just by making eye contact, they already know it, "Lu Ke." Welcome to the team; As for the other three players, thank you for coming to the tryout and I wish you all the best for the rest of your career. ”

There were no fireworks to celebrate, no suspense making, and even a deliberate pause, so he said it lightly, so that Lu Ke didn't react for a while.

His first reaction just now was: 49 people chose Matt, and sure enough, experienced veterans, coupled with personal connections, the building near the water will be the first to get the month; But then, Lu Ke saw Scott stretch out his right hand, make a gesture of trying to cross his fist, and then patted his left shoulder, "Congratulations, buddy." ”

Lu Ke reflexively held Scott's palm, the two of them hugged each other, and Scott said with a smile, "You deserve it." But be careful, maybe in the future, I'm going to come over and grab your job. Behind those ridiculous words, there is still a loss and bitterness that is difficult to hide.

Then, Carson also walked up and patted Lu Ke's right arm, "Come on, young man." Briefly, Carson didn't say much, turned around and left.

Finally, it was Matt, he gave Lu Ke a hug seriously, everything was silent, he didn't say anything, and followed Carson, two NFL veterans, one after the other, walked towards the parking lot. There wasn't too much sadness, not too many ups and downs, as if today was just the end of training.

"Well, I'd like to see you next time in the arena." Scott bumped Lu Ke's shoulder again, and then he trotted all the way to catch up with Carson and Matt, "How about it, are you going to go to the bar for a seat today?" ”

In just four days, they are competitors and peers. Only when you are really in the situation of trial, only when you are really facing the hardships of the brink of elimination, can you understand that feeling. Between them, it is not so much about life and death as it is about blessing and encouraging each other.

Suddenly, three people were eliminated and one remained. It seems that before we have time to prepare, parting has already arrived; Before the joy and happiness surged, the first taste on the tip of the tongue was a faint sadness.

Under the setting sun, the figures of the three people dragged the old elder for a long time, swaying and drifting away.

"Lu Ke?" Bobby's voice woke Lu Ke from his contemplation, "Let's go, let's go to the team building now." There are still a series of things to be done today, and we are really short on time, and we need to step up and step up. It is important that it is time to get off work and the lawyer's fee is doubled. ”

"Oh, oh." Lu Ke nodded ignorantly, followed Bobby's side quickly, and walked towards the team building.

In the distance, you can see a middle-aged man standing at the entrance of the hall on the first floor, he is wearing the team's coaching uniform, with his hands behind his back, looking at Lu Ke intently, obviously waiting for their arrival.

Without waiting for Lu Ke to walk over, the other party took the initiative to greet him, "Tom-Gamble, player management manager." Anything in the future, I mean, anything, you can come to me as soon as possible. I'll take care of the answers. Without waiting for Lu Ke to respond, Tom nodded to Bobby, and then Bobby turned away to complete the handover.

"Now that the team is short on time, I'll make a long story short, and if there are problems later, we can discuss them slowly." Tom led the way in front, and Lu Ke followed, "Now, we need to complete the signing first, do you have an agent?" No, then I would advise you to communicate with the lawyer sent by the union for a while, he represents the players, that is, represents your interests. If you have any doubts, you can ask him, and after confirming that there are no problems with the contract, you can complete the signing......"

"Excuse me, Mr. Gabble?" Lu Ke had to interrupt Tom's words, because the amount of information was really too much, "I just need to confirm, I'm a member of the 49 now, right?" I mean, I'm in the league? ”

Tom showed a big smile, "Yes, Lu Ke." Also, please call me Tom, Mr. Gabo is my father. ”