Chapter 706: Subtle Changes
"Alright, the offense and defense just now were tactically sound. Before we get into a real fight, keep your heads clear, don't be impulsive, and listen to the command! Remember the plays. If you don't understand, speak up now! Don't come to me with 'sorry' after you make a mistake. There's no time for you to be sorry on the field! Either work hard and stay here, or get the hell out!"
"Now, one more time. In the red zone, it's first and five. Orange 23, Orange 23! All of you, focus! Offensive play Orange 23! Speed it up! Are you all on your period or something? What, is today's weather too hot for you? You want to go soak in a swimming pool? No way! All of you, speed it up!"
Harbaugh's scolding continued to echo over the training field.
Hampton returned to his position and subconsciously looked up at Lu Ke, who gave him a confident look. This made Hampton let out a sigh of relief. Orange 23 was a running play. Hampton accurately stood in the running back's position in the "I" formation.
"Thank you, Bambi," Hampton said loudly. After a moment of hesitation, he added, "You're a hero to all undrafted rookies. Go get 'em."
Lu Ke was slightly stunned, completely unprepared for such a conversation. But before he could respond, he heard Harbaugh's irritable voice. "Bambi! What the hell are you doing? Are you slacking off too? Goddammit, get your head in the game! The entire offense seems to have caught the flu today, and you're the only healthy one. Hang in there!"
From his words, you could still feel that when Harbaugh scolded Lu Ke, there was a hint of teasing and a personal favoritism. There was no hint of anger in his eyes at all.
This one statement made all the players laugh. Patrick Willis from the defense was the first to shout, "Coach, what about the defense? We're a lot tougher. Does that mean we didn't catch the flu?"
"Get lost!" Harbaugh's one-word response was concise and sharp. Everyone burst out laughing. Harbaugh turned his head nonchalantly and shouted to the person next to him, "Colin, since Bambi is slacking off, you're up. Let Bambi cool down."
Colin Kaepernick. Number seven of the San Francisco 49ers.
After a cold rookie season, the departure of Alex Smith, and the ups and downs of his fellow rookie players in the league, Kaepernick's arrogance had been worn down a lot. The swagger and popularity he had in college were all in the past. In just one year, he went from a prodigy to an unknown player.
This process was not easy.
But reality was that cruel.
After entering the league, not to mention second or third-round picks, even first-round picks or top picks, if they didn't perform well, they would be benched or even cut from the team, no questions asked. Their glory in college was insignificant in the league. All players had to start from scratch.
After a full season of hardship, Kaepernick became much calmer.
After returning from the offseason, Kaepernick was still a lone wolf, and his private life outside the training field still didn't have much interaction with his teammates. But once he was on the training field, he gradually opened up and adjusted his mindset.
In quarterback meetings, he started to speak up and was willing to participate in discussions with Lu Ke and Scott Tolzien. He was also willing to participate in the quarterbacks' question-and-answer game.
The quarterbacks often asked and answered questions about the playbook, giving a play-call and then explaining it, or reviewing a play from a game film and then explaining it. It was similar to how students studied for an exam, but it was an important way for quarterbacks to communicate with each other.
Last season, Kaepernick was never willing to participate in the Q&A. Now, a change was quietly happening, and it was a start.
It could be said that Kaepernick was making a comeback and, after changing his mindset, was once again challenging for the starting quarterback position. Or, it could be said that Kaepernick had adjusted his mindset and was slowly beginning to accept his position as a backup quarterback, learning from the bench like countless other first and second-year quarterbacks in the league.
In any case, Kaepernick was changing since the voluntary training camp began.
Kaepernick and Lu Ke were still not friends, but they were not enemies either. At least on the surface. They could barely be considered colleagues who worked in the same workplace. They had a bit more contact than strangers, but that was it.
At this moment, when Harbaugh called out to him, Kaepernick didn't say much. He wasn't gloating or showing off. He just put on his helmet and walked onto the field.
In a practice game, there needed to be frequent rotation between starters and backups to get the team to work together and to fine-tune the plays. This was especially true for quarterbacks.
Harbaugh's temporary substitution seemed like a punishment, but it was actually part of the training.
"Bambi," Hampton, who was drenched in sweat, called out, looking a little panicked.
Lu Ke just laughed and comforted him. "Stay focused, execute the play, and don't make a mistake." Then he turned around and walked toward Kaepernick. He didn't rush to leave. He stopped and told him the play, "Orange 23."
In addition to the play-call, he also explained the current training progress and the condition of the offense and defense in detail. Kaepernick was not impatient or anxious. He stood there quietly listening. Then, the two of them completed the handover.
Back on the sidelines, Lu Ke stood with another quarterback, Scott Tolzien. Tolzien immediately started asking, "Does this play have a variation? I mean, there are several kinds. If you move back and change to the pistol formation..."
Without stopping, the two quarterbacks started discussing the play on the sidelines. On the field, Kaepernick stood in his position and officially began his training.
This was just another ordinary day of offseason training for the San Francisco 49ers.
As a second-year player, Lu Ke still didn't get any special treatment. He was diligent and conscientious in completing every day's training. The leader in the locker room was still not Lu Ke, nor was it Willis or Akers. After Parris Haralson left, the lively and sociable Ahmad Brooks stepped up and gradually became the new leader in the locker room.
Brooks was an outside linebacker on the defense. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round in 2006 and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2008. This was his fifth year with the team.
He was not a top player and played mostly as a rotational player, but he still firmly held a spot on the 53-man roster. Last year was the first time in his career that he played all sixteen games. He had seven sacks and thirty-five effective tackles. He wasn't a top player on the team, but he was an important part of it.
Because of his liveliness, the atmosphere in the locker room was always joyful. He loved to joke around and loved to entertain friends. Before the voluntary training camp officially started, he held a party at his house to welcome rookie players and free agents to the team and also invited other lively members of the offense and defense.
Of course, he also trained exceptionally hard. Especially after a good season last year, he was now aiming for a starting position, hoping to go a step further and break through his career plateau. After daily training, he would also often stay behind and discuss plays with Willis's linebacker group.
Unknowingly, Brooks slowly became the leader of the locker room.
This was the NFL. Because there were so many players, star players were not necessarily the leaders, and a random player was not necessarily insignificant. Every player could find their place. The three captains on the field were more for leading in games, while in life, Brooks gradually gathered more power.
For Lu Ke, this was a good thing. As an undrafted rookie and a second-year player, Lu Ke still had many things to learn. Now, with Brooks taking over, he didn't need to organize team activities, "punish" rookies, or take care of new players. He could devote himself to training wholeheartedly.
However, in daily training, Lu Ke was still willing to proactively share his experience and knowledge, especially regarding the playbook. He often discussed with the players to help them better and faster integrate into the tactical system. And in the process of constant communication, he continuously enriched himself and further understood the playbook.
The voluntary training camp was over.
The mandatory training camp was also over.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the free agent market, the San Francisco 49ers' roster also changed frequently. Some people left, and some people came. Some people got injured, and some people had tryouts. Time passed by little by little. He was so engrossed in training that he didn't even have time to fully reflect on it, and the offseason was officially over.
On August 6th, the annual Hall of Fame Game was officially played in Canton, Ohio.
This was not a regular game, and not even a preseason game. It was a celebratory warm-up game held annually to announce the new Hall of Fame inductees. Both teams would not give it their all. It was more for entertainment. But every year when the Hall of Fame Game began, it also meant that the new season had officially started.
Next up were four weeks of preseason warm-ups, and then the regular season would officially kick off.
The teams playing in the Hall of Fame Game were decided early every year. This year, it was the New Orleans Saints, who were plagued by negative news, against the Arizona Cardinals, who were desperately trying to make a comeback. In the end, the Saints defeated the Cardinals with a score of "17:10." And then... the 2012 season was here.
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