Julio lined up on the right, adjusting his breath and scoping out the defense through his helmet. They were sticking with a 4-3 setup, all about blitzing the QB and leaving just three guys to cover the three receivers.
"Seriously, do they think our receivers suck or something?"
Julio locked eyes with Richard, the cocky cornerback who thought he was hot stuff. Julio had already schooled him once and was itching to do it again, to crush Richard's ego until he was a mess. Julio knew he had it in him.
But!
But the QB called for a crossing route. Julio didn't see the point—he could take Richard one-on-one easy—but the QB was the boss on the field, so Julio had to roll with it.
He glanced up and saw Jeremy and Logan getting set, eyeing the three offensive linemen. Logan gave him a look, and they were on the same page. Then, "Hike!" rang out, and Julio shot off like a rocket.
He bolted forward, seeing Richard tense up like a crab, lowering his stance and tracking Julio's route. Julio didn't care, stopping on a dime and cutting left at a 45-degree angle.
Julio and Logan crisscrossed, running totally different routes. Jeremy started from the left, two steps behind Logan, but instead of following, he cut right. Their routes tangled up, creating a mess.
The three defenders were momentarily stunned. Normally, they'd decide between zone or man-to-man defense and stick to it. But in this scrimmage, the secondary was all over the place, no communication, no adjustments.
One guy went man-to-man, chasing Logan. The other two stuck to zone, covering their spots. The mix-up tore their coverage apart, and you could almost hear the crack as they all converged on Logan and Jeremy, leaving Julio wide open.
A short seven-yard pass landed right in Julio's hands, and he took off. The field ahead was wide open, like he could just waltz into the end zone.
Total disaster! But not the end of the world. Richard realized his screw-up and sprinted towards Julio, yelling for backup. They quickly closed in, and Richard, in a desperate move, grabbed Julio's helmet and brought him down.
Julio had sprinted twenty-one yards!
Unreal! The coaches on the sidelines exchanged looks, admitting Luke's play-calling was on point. The first play showed he could handle pressure, and the second showed his vision and strategy.
It was pure smarts, exploiting the defense's lack of coordination. A simple crossing route turned into a big gain, even in a seven-on-seven setup. More importantly, a short seven-yard pass was executed perfectly, with Von breaking through but too late as the pass was already complete.
A perfect score on the Wonderlic? Yeah, it was showing its worth now.
Julio pounded the turf in frustration. He had slacked off and didn't hit full speed; otherwise, he would've hit the end zone and sealed the game. Luke's strategy was genius, but he blew it.
Running back, Julio looked at Luke and shook his head, "My bad, man."
"Then don't hold back on the next play," Luke shot back with a grin, glancing at the defensive players who were now arguing, faces red with anger. "They're falling apart. We just need to push a bit harder and lock in the win! For the next play..."
Luke hesitated. He'd nailed two passes to Julio already, one of which had Richard eating dust. Now he had to do it again—no pressure, right? Plus, with those two long passes and Richard's helmet grab, they were already at the opponent's 31-yard line, practically smelling the end zone.
"Short pass!" The special task's rules were tight. Luke had to leave himself some wiggle room. Otherwise, a long bomb to Logan to end the game would be a no-brainer. But he was out of options, so he started setting up the play.
Adam, chilling in the stands, watched the scrimmage like it was the Super Bowl. This number eleven was a goldmine, the more he watched, the more he was hooked.
The stats didn't lie. Yesterday's test results and the first day's physical data all screamed that number eleven's physical game was way below pro standards. Even NCAA games would be a stretch for him. That alone would scare off most teams.
But number eleven's passing accuracy was off the charts, and his fundamentals were rock solid. His footwork and ability to dodge tackles were top-notch. The kicker was that going up against defensive ends and tackles needed explosive muscle power, quick direction changes, and body control—all physical talents. These were the areas where Luke bombed in tests. So, what was the deal?
Adam could see that footwork, direction changes, and dodging tackles weren't Luke's strong suits. The two-minute drill in the Rose Bowl had already shown that. The first and third plays just now also revealed that while his fundamentals were solid and his footwork stable, his explosiveness and direction change abilities were lacking. The question now was: what happened during the second play? Number eleven's footwork seemed almost divine, even better than Cam Newton's.
Could it be a burst of potential in a crisis?
As Adam pondered, the fourth play began, and his eyes lit up again: there it was! That agile and light footwork—what was going on?
Absolute Step!
Luke activated his special skill again, not just because Von had broken through the offensive line but also because he needed to connect with Julio. Richard had switched up his game, sticking to Julio like glue. Luke needed time for Julio to shake him off and to scope out backup options.
This was no time to be stingy with skills. With only one special skill use left, Luke didn't hesitate and used it immediately.
In an instant, his footwork became almost magical, like a butterfly dancing among flowers. He deftly dodged Von's determined tackle, spun around, and ran in the opposite direction. Incredibly, Von managed a second burst, pushing off the ground and lunging at Luke despite losing his balance.
But even more astonishing, Luke seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a simple sidestep, he effortlessly avoided Von's second tackle. After two forced bursts, Von finally collapsed, exhausted, and Luke could even hear Von's angry roar clearly.
Luke paid no attention, fully focused on scanning the field. His vision became incredibly clear, as if the whole world was in his grasp. Then, he raised his right hand to make a passing motion—Jeremy!
Not Julio, but Jeremy!
In an instant, the defensive players were pulled apart, sprinting towards Jeremy and raising their hands to try to disrupt the pass. Meanwhile, another defensive lineman broke through the offensive line, charging at Luke.
The next second, Luke sidestepped, avoiding the would-be tackler, then pulled back his right hand and changed his target—Logan!
The first motion was a fake! The three secondary defenders realized the mistake, as one had rushed towards Jeremy, and the one originally covering Logan had also moved. Now, trying to readjust their positions, they couldn't keep up. In desperation, Richard abandoned Julio and rushed towards Logan.
They couldn't afford to give up more yards; the opponent was almost at the end zone!
In the final moment, Luke paused, completely shaking off the mismatched tackler, then took a big step forward and initiated a third pass. The previous motion was another fake; the real target was still Julio!
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Richard cursed and spewed trash talk, forcibly stopping his momentum and desperately lunging towards Julio.