At the end of another day's training, Lu Ke relaxed his muscles a little, and then began to pack up the equipment on the field.

Taking advantage of the gap in the offseason, training on the school's court is not a casual and casual venue, first of all, you must get the permission of the coach, then the coach applies to the school, and finally Lu Ke is also responsible for packing up the equipment and cleaning. Luckily, there are professionals who take care of the maintenance of the grounds.

After just six weeks of training, Lu Ke is familiar with this set of processes - when he was still a sparring partner before, these tasks were divided and cooperated by the sparring partner and freshmen.

"Hey, young man!"

There was a call from the side of the training ground, raised his head, and then saw the short, chubby figure, following the old man with short gray hair, the sun was still a little dazzling, and he couldn't see the outline of his face clearly, but Lu Ke was not a fool: the whole training lasted for nearly three hours, and these two people sat in the stands of the stadium for nearly three hours, and he naturally would not ignore their existence.

"How's it going, gentlemen? Are you happy with what you're seeing? Lu Ke took the initiative and said half-jokingly.

The two exchanged glances, and they both laughed, and Humpty Dumpty teased, "This is one of a kind." ”

The old man next to him shrugged his shoulders, "Didn't you tell you?" He was a journalism and communication student, a top student, and if he hadn't become a professional rugby player, he would have become a good journalist. ”

"Mr. Crane, can you have a little more faith in me?" Lu Ke spoke again, and the subtext was: he will become an excellent professional player, so don't underestimate his ability.

The two men chuckled in unison again, "This is Kip Kleist, the quarterback coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Adam made an introduction to the two men.

Lu Ke easily threw the rugby ball in his hand into the cart, but the action of cleaning up the equipment did not stop, and began to walk to the side and stack the triangular pyramid; Anthony, who was standing not far away, was also helping to pack up the equipment, saw the three people who were talking, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't come over after all, self-recommendation and social occasions, these two things, Lu Ke is better than him, there is no need for him to be self-defeating.

"It's a pleasure to see you here again, Mr. Kleist." Lu Ke said with a smile on his face.

Kip looked surprised, "You remember me?" "With over 100 coaches in the camp and hundreds of scouts, it's almost impossible to get to know every coach.

"I'm from San Francisco, I've been waiting for the 49ers to call, and I'm always paying attention during training." Lu Ke's honesty succeeded in making both Kip and Adam smile. "It's a pity that this meeting has been postponed a lot, more than I expected."

Kip put his hands behind his back and showed an interested expression, "The 49ers are your home team?" ”

"No, the second home team." Lu Ke's honesty, don't talk about Kip, even Adam didn't expect it-

Which rookie would make such a mistake? In the face of the team's quarterback coach who came to watch his practice, he bluntly said that this team is not his home team?

Lu Ke is not a high-profile man like Eli-Manning, who can blatantly refuse the invitation of the San Diego Lightning, who holds the top show, and says that he will never go to San Diego to play; Lu Ke has no room to pick and choose now.

Lu Ke didn't realize it, and after bending over and standing up straight, he looked at the two of them with a smile, and said sincerely, "My first home team is the Green Bay Packers. ”

Every player is like this, the home team in the heart is one, that is the childhood memory and nostalgia; The team I play for is another one, and that is the professional planning and pursuit.

Most players may play for more than one hand in their lifetime, or even count on two hands, but there is only one home team in their hearts; There are only a tiny group of players who have only played for one team in their entire careers, and in the end, this team has also surpassed the home team at heart and become their own belonging.

The belonging of this "home" is not something that everyone can find.

Kip's eyes lit up slightly, "My home team is also packers!" "The 49ers, who just joined the coaching team this year, have no emotions to speak of, but the home team in his heart has not changed," I was born in Wisconsin, and I still remember the excitement and excitement of going to the Blue Castle for the first time as a child. ”

The movement in Lu Ke's hand couldn't help but pause slightly, this was really completely unexpected, "The first game I watched was the game where Brett Favre led the team to defeat the Cincinnati Tigers in the final countdown!" ”

"Jesus Christ, that was Favre's first show at the packer! In the first game, he started his legendary career. Kip was also amazed, and even his smile completely bloomed, "But, it was the 1992 competition, how old were you at that time?" ”

"I hadn't come to the U.S. yet." Lu Ke explained, "Later, when I watched the replay of the classic game in ESPN, I saw this game. After that, I became one of the packer's biggest fans, even though I live in San Francisco. "However, the 49ers are my second home team, and the first official game I watched was at Candlestick Park, the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Washington Redskins. ”

"Christmas Showdown 1999!" Adam also joined the conversation, slightly surprised, "However, the 49ers lost that game. ”

"Yes, but in the face of adversity, they dragged it into overtime. God, my heart is going to stop. "Even though ten years have passed, I still feel enthusiastic when I recall those moments of time. Involuntarily, Lu Ke stopped when he was packing up the equipment, and said with bright eyes.

At this moment, they are not a coach, a scout and a player, just three fans.

Kip chuckled, "Is that why you started playing rugby?" As far as I know, the Chinese community is not interested in football, and even in San Francisco, the popularity of football in the Chinese American community is not very good. ”

"Yes, my dad and I still love basketball. Lakers. Lu Ke's simple answer once again made Kip and Adam exchange a tacit understanding, "But, rugby is a very attractive sport, and the day I walked on the field, I knew that I would be a good rugby player." ”

The confidence and firmness between the words do not have the traditional modesty and low-key of Asians, but have the vigor of young Americans.

"But haven't you considered that maybe your physical gifts are better suited to basketball?" Kip asked sincerely, his eyes shining with sincerity, "Perhaps, you can't be a second Yao/Ming, but you can also have a world of your own in the NBA?" ”

"That's a maybe." Lu Ke smiled and said, "Similarly, to become a good rugby player, this is also a possibility. ”

Kip raised his chin and a smile appeared in his eyes, he liked this answer, and he also liked the way Lu Ke answered.

Subsequently, Kip and Lu Ke's conversation lasted for a short while. Kip asked Lu in detail about his high school years and the ups and downs of his college years, including his freshman and sophomore years, which have no record.

Even if he is well-informed, Kip can't help but sigh, "You know, as a Chinese player, every step you take is making history." "Even if it's just winning the Rose Bowl, even if it's just making such a big splash in the rookie camp, it's a whole new history. Not because of his "Chinese" identity, but because of his strength.

Lu Ke shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "Before making history, I should first create my career." ”

The humorous words made Kip stunned, then clapped his hands and laughed, and nodded vigorously, "I'm starting to like you." However, this also made the regret in my heart even stronger.

When leaving the court, Kip looked back at Lu Ke, who was still packing up the equipment, and sighed to his old friend, "I regret it now, if I hadn't come over today, I wouldn't have been so reluctant." "He's just a quarterback coach, he's only in charge of training; And the planning of the team is in the hands of the head coach and team manager.

"That's your problem, not mine." Adam Shi said with a smile, and then turned around and left, Kip shook his head helplessly, and then chased after him, "Hey, I'm having dinner today, aren't you going to help solve it?" ”

……

After watching Adam and Kip leave, Anthony walked up and asked aggressively, "How's it going?" Is the conversation still pleasant? ”

"It's about the same as the Saints." Compared with Anthony, Lu Ke, who is the party concerned, is more calm, "But, don't get too much hope." The 49 people were not invited for interviews, and now they are just asking. There is no need to crank yourself here. ”

The six weeks of silence were not so calm on the surface, and Lu Ke also experienced rollercoaster emotions such as anticipation, joy, anxiety, irritability, disappointment, sadness, and struggle. After all the ups and downs, he put aside all the clutter and threw himself into training wholeheartedly, and in the final analysis, strength is the only way to pass.

He needed to avoid his own cranky thinking. Because the other people around him were even more nervous than him. That's true for Anthony, and so are for parents.

Anthony was stunned, and finally let out a long breath helplessly, "You...... Uh, what's your plan, I mean, if the draft doesn't turn out as expected? ”

Hope is fading away, and as an assistant coach, Anthony should be more aware of the rules and regulations of the NFL. No one is exempt from the cruelty of competitive sports.

"Then sprint to the finish line with all your might and see the scenery at the end of the road." Lu Ke said confidently, the strong confidence and perseverance made Anthony stunned, and even a little ashamed. Dreams not only make life bearable, but also make life colorful.

Suddenly, Anthony's inner irritability and anxiety vanished, and he believed in Lu Ke. Or in other words, he is willing to believe in Lu Ke, believing that one day in the future, his dream will finally come true.