The performance of a team can be like night and day between a night game and a non-night game, or between a regular season game and a playoff game. This isn't uncommon. In fact, the most famous example in the league is the Cincinnati Bengals. From 2005 to 2015, this team made the playoffs seven times but failed to win a single game. The playoffs were like a chasm that stopped them from moving forward. Even though they made the playoffs every year, they were defeated every year, and a first-round exit seemed to become a habit.
The current doubts about the San Francisco 49ers are similar: After a great regular season, can they maintain their consistency and continuity on the bigger stage of a night game or the playoffs? Can they maintain enough competitiveness? Can they win? Some players and some teams are naturally born for the big stage. Do the San Francisco 49ers have that talent and temperament?
Before the night game, everyone thought that the San Francisco 49ers had grown into a strong team with the absolute strength to compete with any team. But after the night game, more voices began to question whether this so-called absolute strength was just a paper tiger. And defeating the St. Louis Rams, a team with a 2-9 record, was not enough to prove the 49ers' strength.
For both Lu Ke and Jim Harbaugh, this was their first season in the professional league, and they needed more games to prove themselves. The same was true for the young players who had gone through a complete cleansing and rebuilding during the offseason. In stark contrast to the praise and adulation from the reporters, analysts and most fans weren't buying it. Even though the 49ers had just won a big game, their focus was still on the previous two losses.
As the saying goes, one loss is bad, two consecutive losses are a disaster, and a three-game losing streak is the end of the world. This is the reality of competitive sports. The San Francisco 49ers had just experienced a "disaster," so they couldn't "rebuild after the disaster" so quickly. At the very least, they couldn't be called a strong team with a solid foundation and couldn't command people's unconditional trust and support. The doubts came in a steady stream.
ESPN's "Inside the League" once again became a battleground for different opinions. There was a reason why this show was so popular in the league, had stood the test of time, and had even become a key source of authoritative opinions. In the midst of the bustling debate, Charles Davis remained calm, adopting the posture of a seasoned fisherman, quietly observing and waiting for his moment to shine.
The past three weeks were undoubtedly the happiest of Charles's entire season, not only because of the San Francisco 49ers' consecutive losses but also because his judgments and predictions had all come true. First, they lost a game due to Lu Ke's interceptions, and then they surrendered with nine sacks. The two games exposed all the team's weaknesses. It was as if all the glory had vanished overnight. People thought it was a peacock, but it was just a pheasant with feathers.
As Charles said, Lu Ke's sample size was simply too small. Forget about being "excellent," even the standard for being a qualified player was debatable. There were simply too many players like him in the league to count. Without looking too far, the St. Louis Rams' second-year quarterback, Sam Bradford, was one such example. He was amazing in his rookie season, but this season, he was just another face in the crowd. The praise, the adulation, the compliments were just a bandwagon effect.
In Charles's opinion, the weak physical toughness would gradually become a stumbling block, affecting Lu Ke's performance and even ruining his career. Lu Ke was a quarterback who played with his mind. His defensive reads, route predictions, tactical arrangements, and passing accuracy were the secrets to his success, especially in Jim Harbaugh's ever-changing West Coast offense. But all of this required absolute focus and a high degree of concentration.
Under the impact of a dominant force, even a slight fluctuation or interference would disrupt all of Lu Ke's tactical elements. It would be like a dike collapsing from a tiny ant hole. A failure in one link would lead to a complete loss. In the two games against the Arizona Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens, the underlying plot was actually similar. The defense applied enough pressure through tight coverage and shrinking the pocket, which disrupted Lu Ke's focus and concentration, and then broke the offense's continuity and momentum, thus gaining the upper hand in the defensive matchup. The Ravens took it a step further than the Cardinals and completely choked Lu Ke with powerful sacks.
Every professional analyst could see that in the game against the Ravens, even though it seemed close and tense, the 49ers actually had no chance. Furthermore, not having an advantage in physical toughness could very likely lead to injuries. Even if it wasn't a major injury, just a small injury like Bradford's, it would be enough to affect a quarterback's performance. The St. Louis Rams' terrible record this season was the best proof of that. After this season's high point, Lu Ke would very likely disappear like a shooting star next year. People would not even remember that there was a Chinese quarterback in the league before the season was over.
Charles knew this, and Charles firmly believed this. He loved moments like this, moments that proved him right. Even though the San Francisco 49ers defeated the St. Louis Rams this week, Charles was still in a good mood. This game didn't count for anything and had nothing to brag about. Now, the entire situation had completely reversed.
"Charles, you've been so quiet today. What are your thoughts on this week's game?" In the midst of the chatter, Edward Bowen still steered the conversation toward him. This was Charles's moment. He could almost see the spotlight on him and hear the drumbeats speeding up. In an instant, his adrenaline was like fireworks. "To quote what Ray Lewis said after the game last week: The San Francisco 49ers' offense is not scary at all, and Lu Ke is not as good as people think he is!"
Ray Lewis, the soul of the Baltimore Ravens' defense, said in a post-game interview that people were too lenient and adoring of Lu Ke and the 49ers' offense. They had lowered their standards just because of those external factors, but a player's true strength had to be tested through games. The subtext of Lewis's point was very clear. The reason people were so excited and worked up was simply because Lu Ke was a Chinese quarterback. It was the first time they had seen a Chinese player who could pass, and pass well, so they were all making a big fuss and giving him a lot of praise. But in reality, there was nothing special about Lu Ke at all.
When reporters pressed him further on the topic of Lu Ke, Lewis casually replied, "He's not worth so much time to discuss. He's just a normal quarterback, just like any other quarterback I've ever sacked. We won, we had nine sacks, and that's all there is to it. I have nothing to talk about."
He's not worth it. That was Lewis's attitude. His condescending demeanor showed that he didn't care about Lu Ke and the 49ers at all. There was no sarcasm, no mockery, just disdain and contempt. He didn't even seem interested in provoking them. But no one could refute Lewis's attitude. This was because the Ravens won, and because Lewis had completely neutralized Lu Ke, keeping the once-mighty 49ers' offense on the ground. It was also because Lewis had delivered an MVP-level performance in that game, completely dominating the hyped-up contender for the regular season MVP.
The winner takes all. This is the ironclad rule of competitive sports. Lewis was qualified to make such condescending remarks. This was the right and glory of a winner. The San Francisco 49ers could disagree, be indignant, or be unyielding, and they could even start a war of words or curse and swear, but the reporters wouldn't refute Lewis. This was Lewis's moment. Clearly, Lewis did not believe that Lu Ke was an opponent worth discussing. At least not for now.
It was likely that Lewis was the only one in the entire league who could so nonchalantly ignore Lu Ke. Charles expressed his deep agreement with this. He couldn't agree more. If he had been at the interview, he would have stood up and applauded Lewis. Someone had finally told the truth. So, on today's show, Charles decided to show his support. He quoted Lewis's viewpoint and reiterated his own stance.
"A three-year-old child learned addition and subtraction up to 100. Is that impressive? Yes, it's very impressive. But that doesn't mean he can win the Wolf Prize! Because we all know that no matter how impressive it is, it's still just addition and subtraction up to 100. He's still a long way from winning the award."
His arrogant posture completely unleashed his mockery. He reinterpreted Lewis's words from a new perspective and took it to a new level, bluntly comparing all of the San Francisco 49ers' previous victories to "addition and subtraction up to 100." He made it seem as if it was all easy and not worth mentioning at all. That smug, condescending posture, even with an effort to look nonchalant, still couldn't hide the joy in his brows. He was thoroughly enjoying this moment, the moment of stepping on Lu Ke. This was right, this was real. After half a season of twists and turns, things had finally returned to their original track.
Charles lifted his chin high, feeling refreshed.
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