The roaring and shouting still lingered in the air, bubbling and restless. The incessant noise continued one after another, as if Candlestick Park, after reaching its boiling point, couldn't cool down. After an overdose of excitement, the boiling blood just couldn't calm down.
Watching the San Francisco 49ers get ready to go on offense, Chris Wilson had to stand up and look around. He put his index finger on his lips and repeatedly made a shushing sound. "Shh!" One time in the front, one time in the back; one time on the left, one time on the right, hoping everyone could calm down.
But this was not an easy task. After the initial excitement and thrill, everyone was at a high peak. The noise was constant, and the air felt hot and turbulent. Chris's voice couldn't get through and was swallowed instantly.
Seeing this, Jonathan Baldwin, Jeff Locke, Danny Reese, and others stood up and repeated Chris's actions. They appealed to the other fans around them, "Quiet, we need to be quiet. It's our offense. Give Lu Ke some space so he can clearly call the play. Quiet."
So, a "shhh, shhh" sound, like a ripple, spread out little by little.
Standing behind the offensive line and reading the defense, Lu Ke heard the "shh" sounds coming from his eardrums. His attention was a little distracted. He raised his eyes and looked around, and he saw all the fans putting their fingers on their lips, motioning for the other fans to be quiet. A sense of humor welled up in him, and the tense atmosphere suddenly disappeared. He couldn't help but laugh.
The initial support was so overwhelming and crazy. It was a sight he had never seen before. It made Lu Ke's muscles a little tense, but after the "shush-gate," his mind gradually relaxed. He could truly feel the support from the fans, and the butterflies of adrenaline started to flutter their wings.
Week 5 of the regular season officially started. The San Francisco 49ers got the ball first.
He took his eyes off the crowd and refocused. Lu Ke looked at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense in front of him. In the first drive, both sides were trying to find their rhythm, so the Buccaneers' defensive formation was relatively standard, a typical "4-3" formation.
The four defensive linemen in the front were ready to blitz and stop the run. About one or two steps behind them were three linebackers, who were responsible for all the defensive coverage in the short-pass area and looking for opportunities to get past the offensive line's wall to blitz the quarterback.
As for the secondary, two cornerbacks were in man-to-man coverage, sticking close to the two wide receivers on the outside of the 49ers, while two safeties were a few steps behind, covering the medium-pass area in a zone defense and ready to retreat to cover a deep pass at any time.
The San Francisco 49ers started with a pistol formation that was completely unoriginal. There were two receivers on the left and two on the right, as if it was a textbook pistol formation, copied and pasted. It was boring and rigid.
Jim Harbaugh's play call came through the headset: "Short pass or run. Pay attention to their coverage in the short-pass area." Lu Ke's eyes scanned the linebackers' positions.
Relatively speaking, the three linebackers' positions were more spread out. Instead of standing behind the defensive line, they were standing on the two sides of the defensive line. On the one hand, they were keeping a close eye on the two receivers on the inside, which complemented the cornerbacks' coverage on the outside. On the other hand, they were waiting for an opportunity to blitz and sack the quarterback.
A flash of inspiration crossed Lu Ke's mind, and his eyes landed on Michael Bennett. Bennett was now on Lu Ke's left, his blind side, facing Mike Iupati. Chilo Rachal was next to Iupati. Behind Bennett were two linebackers, one on the outside and one in the middle.
In other words, the Buccaneers' entire defense was leaning toward Lu Ke's left side, with more players packed on that side.
Vaguely, Lu Ke smelled a defensive shift. So, without any hesitation, he took a step forward and changed the play.
In the quiet stadium, Lu Ke's shout was exceptionally loud, like a sudden clap of thunder. It startled Lu Ke himself. He was used to calling plays in a noisy environment, so it was really hard to get used to it being so quiet. But Lu Ke didn't get distracted. He focused on changing the play.
After the play change, the San Francisco 49ers' formation didn't move an inch, as if everything Lu Ke had just said was nonsense. The quiet atmosphere slowly spread, making both sides a little tense. The imminent spark of tension was almost suffocating.
Lu Ke quickly returned to his position in the pistol formation. His sharp eyes carefully examined the opposing defense. After not catching any sign of movement, he crisply called the snap. "Set, hut!"
The game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers began.
Lu Ke caught the ball from Jonathan Goodwin's snap with both hands and adjusted his steps to the right, while Frank Gore, who was standing on the right, adjusted his steps to the left. After the two crossed paths, Lu Ke handed the ball to Gore's hands.
It wasn't a pass, but a run. It wasn't a play-action pass, but a real run.
After handing the ball off, Lu Ke didn't stop. He moved sideways quickly, still acting like he was looking for a receiver to pass to. But out of the corner of his eye, he took in all the action on the field.
As expected, the Buccaneers' defense came from both sides. Not just the two outside linebackers but also Bennett. A total of three players pushed past the offensive linemen and rushed in from the left and right. Their momentum was unstoppable, like a ferocious tiger charging down a mountain. Sacking the quarterback was their number one goal.
The San Francisco 49ers' offensive line went with the flow. After the snap, the five linemen split into two groups, three on the left and two on the right, and moved forward. Their goal was not to stop the defenders but to push them to the sides, creating a wide and clear path right in the middle.
That path was like an airport express lane. It only allowed one person to pass, but that was enough for Gore.
With light and flexible steps, he passed between Jonathan Goodwin and Anthony Davis. Out of the corner of his eye, he only saw a middle linebacker on his left. But that middle linebacker's body weight had already shifted too much and he couldn't rush over in time. Gore just lifted his leg high and ran a small arc, easily avoiding him, and then there was a clear path ahead.
"In the final moments before the snap, Lu Ke changed the play again. This is only the first play of the game. Did Lu Ke spot a weakness in the opponent's defense, or is it a smoke screen? We'll know soon! Snap!"
Troy Bauer's signature machine-gun-like commentary, full of passion and enthusiasm, once again reached the San Francisco 49ers fans through the radio waves.
In the past two weeks, the San Francisco 49ers played on the road, and Troy, as a local California radio commentator, naturally couldn't follow them. This week, he was back in his familiar position, providing his listeners with an amazing commentary.
"A lateral crossover! Lu Ke and Gore completed a quick crossover. This is... a running play! The San Francisco 49ers chose a running play on the first down of the game today. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense didn't expect this at all. Their attention was completely on pass defense and blitzing the quarterback. All the players were pushed aside, and a clear gap appeared right in the center!"
"Gore grabbed the gap with pinpoint accuracy! Mason Foster, the rookie middle linebacker, number 59, tried to make a tackle, but his body weight had already shifted at the moment of his burst, and he couldn't shift it back in time. He stumbled and didn't even grab Gore's jersey. Gore passed by like a gust of wind."
"A wide-open gap! The Buccaneers' first line of defense didn't have time to fill the gap. Gore had already broken through. Now there's a wide-open gap ahead. The cornerbacks on both sides also didn't have time to fill the gap. The two 49ers' wide receivers did an excellent job blocking. Now all the responsibility falls on the two Buccaneers' safeties. At the same time, the linebackers are coming back to play defense."
"30 yards! 35 yards! 40 yards! Outside linebacker number 58 from the Buccaneers dived onto Gore. Gore! Frank Gore escaped the tackle! He used a powerful spin move to get out of the tackle and continued to run! My God, this is a disaster for the Buccaneers. 45 yards, 50 yards. The two safeties finally came to make a tackle and teamed up to make a stop."
"Wait, wait, Gore is still moving. Under the tackle of the two players, Gore is still moving. He's truly in 'Beast Mode'! This reminds us of the 'Beast Mode' Gore from the Seattle Seahawks! My God, his running is so powerful and fierce. With the two safeties out of position, they can't stop Gore!"
"Buccaneers' number 59, Foster, finally caught up and made a tackle. With the combined effort of three players, Gore was forced to the ground. The referee blew the whistle to stop the play. 47 yards! Wow, the San Francisco 49ers have come all the way to the opponent's 47-yard line!"
After a series of adrenaline-pumping, passionate commentary, Troy was almost out of breath. He finally let out a long breath after Gore went down. "In the first offensive drive of the game, the San Francisco 49ers, with the excellent performance of running back Frank Gore, made a 33-yard run! My God, what a wonderful start this is!"
"What happened? What exactly happened on the field?" Troy exclaimed repeatedly. "Did the running game, which has been underperforming in the last four weeks, finally open up today?"
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