Logan is a lazy bum.
This is a known fact, not a baseless slander. Even Logan himself would readily admit it, and even... take pride in it.
Logan is a natural wide receiver. He had all the talent a top-tier wide receiver needed—flexibility, explosive muscle power, great hands, and good route running. He was invincible in high school. However, in his junior year, at the suggestion of his coach, Logan began to switch to tight end.
Why? Before explaining the reason, you should understand the difference between a wide receiver and a tight end.
A wide receiver's only job is to catch the ball. A tight end's job, however, includes both blocking and catching. On some teams, tight ends are even used purely as an extra lineman, using their size advantage to block and protect the quarterback during a play, providing a better pocket.
Historically, the wide receiver position was dominated by white players, and countless Hall of Fame wide receivers were white. The "Catch" in 1982 in the history of the San Francisco 49ers, the connection between Joe Montana and Dwight Clark, was with a white wide receiver. But in the 21st century, white wide receivers are losing their dominance and are even gradually disappearing.
Due to the "general environment" in the United States, black players were not respected in professional leagues for a long time, which allowed white wide receivers to have a glorious and long period of prosperity. But after the new millennium, the wide receiver position gradually became dominated by black players. With the arrival of the passing era, the physical talents of black players were completely unleashed, and the space for white wide receivers to survive became smaller and smaller.
Currently, among the 32 teams in the league, there are about 200 wide receivers, but only about 20 of them are white, an average of less than one per team. Among those, it is even rarer for one to be a top player and a starter.
The reasons for this are not complicated.
First, you need to analyze the wide receiver's natural enemy: the cornerback.
Because of the tactical arrangement, cornerbacks don't have many tactical responsibilities. They either play zone defense or man-to-man defense. They basically move in response to the offense, so they don't need to be trained on things like running routes or tactical awareness. They usually rely on their physical talent to play defense.
Generally speaking, the advantage of black players is that they have superior physical talent, but their disadvantages are poor route running, poor professional attitude, and a poor understanding of the playbook. White players, on the other hand, have the advantage of a better understanding of the playbook, a soft touch for catching the ball, and a focused professional attitude. Physically, they are no match for black players.
Naturally, the cornerback position became dominated by black players. Currently, all cornerbacks in the league are black. It's almost unheard of for a white player to train for this position, and they are rare even in college football.
Because black players gradually gained the upper hand at the cornerback position, coaches and teams were forced to adjust. When selecting wide receivers, they had to start considering black players more.
It's true that black players may lack professional ethics, tactical awareness, and good hands. But in terms of vertical attacking ability, short-range explosive power, and physical strength, they completely outperform white wide receivers. They can win more matchups against cornerbacks, which is a more suitable choice for a team's tactical arrangements.
Technique and tactics can be trained. A wide receiver's running routes, understanding of zone defense, and ability to read a cornerback's fakes can all be improved through training. But physical talent is innate. If you don't have it, you don't have it, and you can't change it.
Compared to black wide receivers, the biggest advantage of white wide receivers is their soft, delicate hands. This corresponds with the quarterback's throw; they can often turn a bad pass into a great catch. But besides that, black wide receivers have an absolute advantage in other physical talents. As a result, there are more and more black players and fewer and fewer white players at the wide receiver position in the league.
In college football, many talented white wide receivers, in order to survive in the league, switched to other positions, creating a vicious cycle.
Another fact is that whether they are black or white, the turnover rate for wide receivers in the NFL is too high, and it's also too difficult to stand out. In every draft, about 20 wide receivers are selected, and then countless undrafted rookies join training camps. With their strong bodies and cheap contracts, the turnover rate for wide receivers becomes higher and higher.
This is the same logic as the running back position. They rely on their physical talent, so it's a short-lived career. Even the turnover rate for black wide receivers is high, let alone for white wide receivers.
The most direct proof of this is that on the San Francisco 49ers, the four wide receivers—Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams, and Braylon Edwards—are all black.
However, at the tight end position, black and white players are equally dominant. The reason is simple: another important job of a tight end is to block. While physical talent is important, it's more about understanding routes, reading the defense, and positioning for blocks. These are all qualities that can be improved through training.
In addition, because tight ends are relatively heavy, their running routes are mainly for short passes. In the short-pass area, tactical arrangement is the most important thing. It requires the ability to understand the playbook and the instinct for running routes. In this aspect, white players actually have an advantage.
It was for this reason that Logan started to switch to tight end in his junior year. With his talent for catching the ball, Logan dominated the short-pass area like a killer. At the same time, with his keen ability to read the defense and his precise positioning, his blocking as a tight end also began to take off.
From high school to college, Logan had a smooth ride and hardly faced any challenges. Even with strength and weight training, he could easily meet the standards. Although his weight was still a little light for a tight end, Logan still dominated in training and games, so he never took weight gain seriously.
Now that he's in the league, Logan is slowly starting to realize his shortcomings. This is not a place where you can get by on talent alone, because there are simply too many talented players. As a tight end, besides his catching ability, his blocking ability must also be improved, and his weight must be increased accordingly.
The side where the tight end is located is called the strong side, and the advantage of being able to match up in weight is one of the important reasons for this. Many tight ends in the league are known as game-changers, possessing both the pushing ability of a running back and the catching ability of a wide receiver. Even without an open space, they can still complete a catch and continue to push forward by using their positional advantage.
Especially in the red zone, a tight end can often act as a spearhead, overpowering a defender to score a touchdown, or drawing in defenders to create an open space for a teammate. The clever use of a tight end and running back's presence in the red zone is a necessary tactic for every quarterback.
This is where Logan is lacking.
In the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Logan's weaknesses were further magnified, and the rhythm of the entire game was always intermittent and not fluid. It wasn't just a simple loss. The connection between Logan and Lu Ke was also inconsistent, which led to the San Francisco 49ers' offense being able to get first downs but not being able to score.
After struggling and hesitating, and thinking back to Lu Ke's unyielding and isolated performance in that game, and his relentless hard work, Logan finally realized that he couldn't be lazy anymore. He needed to further tap into his talent and ability, or else he might not be able to keep up with the pace of the game after just one season in the league.
So, this scene happened.
Early in the morning, a little past six, Logan stood in front of Lu Ke, his eyes barely open, but he was ready to get into strength training. Besides Lu Ke, Logan couldn't think of a better training partner.
In college, Logan and Lu Ke trained together before, but Lu Ke did the full routine without missing a single one, while Logan only did a part of it and often slacked off. Now, Logan needed a fresh start.
Looking at the gritting teeth of Logan, Lu Ke didn't hide his schadenfreude. This guy, who had been lazy for so long because of his talent, making people green with envy, was now finally going to start training. With such a golden opportunity, how could Lu Ke let it go?
Logan helplessly slumped his shoulders and didn't try to be tough anymore. "Alright, alright, I get it. The teasing can stop for a bit. How about we start strength training now?"
"You're ready to start gaining weight? Are you sure?" Lu Ke reined in his smile and got serious. "After you start gaining weight, your deep-threat ability will be weakened, and I'll have to adjust my long-pass targets."
Overall, Logan was still a tight end who was more focused on catching. His catching range was not only for short and medium passes, but he also had a deadly ability for long passes. Of course, in terms of speed, Logan couldn't be compared to Ginn or Williams, but through his route running and fakes, Logan was still one of Lu Ke's most trusted long-pass targets in the past four games.
Logan nodded, confirming, "I've talked to the coach. In terms of team tactics and my career plan, I need to gain a little weight and increase my physical strength. But the pace can be slow. I still can't lose my catching ability." Logan punched his fist. "I still love the feeling of scoring a touchdown. In the future, you still have to pass the ball to me a lot."
"No problem. Let's start training, then," Lu Ke said, waving his hand familiarly. "How about we start with three sets of weighted planks? Just a warm-up?"
"Three sets? Just a warm-up?" Logan was already groaning before he even started.
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