Chapter 826: A Beaten Rooster
Russell Wilson stood in place with his hands on his hips, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.
The Seattle Seahawks' away games this season were always a struggle. It was as if they couldn't play when they were on the road, especially against their division rival.
Amidst the enthusiastic cheers and high morale of the opposing home crowd, the entire Seattle Seahawks team was inhibited and out of sorts, looking like a completely different team from their performances at CenturyLink Field. After losing on the road to the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams, they now lost to the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park.
In other words, the Seattle Seahawks had lost all three of their division games so far in the 2012 season.
He looked up, watching the red sea of people celebrating at Candlestick Park. His peripheral vision caught the scoreboard above the field, and the bright red score of "35:3" was particularly glaring. They had been completely defeated on both offense and defense. A strong sense of frustration made Russell lower his head in annoyance.
What was even worse was that in the battle between the two quarterbacks, Russell had been completely outplayed.
To be honest, Russell had always looked down on Lu Ke.
It wasn't because of Lu Ke as a person. It was more because the person who deserved the credit for the San Francisco 49ers' victories should be Jim Harbaugh. Although Lu Ke's stats last season were indeed impressive, in Russell's eyes, Lu Ke was just a system quarterback. He was just a pawn in Harbaugh's hands. The person who truly led the San Francisco 49ers back to glory should be Harbaugh, not Lu Ke.
The praise and adulation in the league were mostly due to the huge contrast of him being an undrafted rookie, and the sensationalism of being a Chinese-American player further amplified it, making it an unstoppable trend. While Lu Ke was a good quarterback, he was far from being a god, but the media had praised Lu Ke to the heavens overnight, wanting to immediately compare him to the four elite quarterbacks. It was truly uncomfortable.
Russell had always believed that he was a better quarterback than Lu Ke. Beating Lu Ke wasn't a goal because it was so obvious. His goal was to beat Harbaugh and the entire San Francisco 49ers' defense behind Lu Ke.
Before the game, Russell's comments had subtly revealed a hint of contempt.
But now, as the game ended, Russell couldn't even hold his head up. Even without looking at the stats, he knew that the numbers between the two quarterbacks were miles apart. Even if he didn't judge a hero by touchdowns, Lu Ke's performance was far superior to his. He could already imagine that the media would once again be singing Lu Ke's praises, as if he were the only quarterback in the league who could throw the ball, which was endlessly annoying.
But what could he say? He lost this matchup, and it was a terrible loss!
Shame, unwillingness, anger, frustration, annoyance, and depression. Countless complex emotions surged in his chest. Russell felt a heavy weight on the back of his neck, as if an invisible pressure was holding his head down, making it almost impossible to lift. But in the end, it all turned into a long sigh of frustration.
Russell secretly told himself that this was just one game, just the first meeting. In the future, he would have countless opportunities to redeem himself and prove his worth. If Lu Ke could remain the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback, they would have at least two matchups every season, and these would be his stages to prove himself.
Right now, Russell sincerely hoped that Lu Ke would continue to hold the starting position for the San Francisco 49ers and not be easily replaced, because he was going to beat Lu Ke, time and time again, to prove with his actions that he was the better and more outstanding quarterback!
He looked up and saw Lu Ke walking toward him.
After taking off his helmet, Lu Ke looked incredibly young. It was impossible to guess his age from his Asian face. A brilliant, sun-like smile was on his face, and his bright eyes seemed to be celebrating this victory with a triumphant air.
"Of course it's worth being happy after beating a strong division rival," Russell thought to himself, but on the surface, he wasn't too surprised. He just suppressed his frustration and annoyance, walked up, and lightly shook Lu Ke's right hand. His voice was dry and emotionless, and he said insincerely, "Good game."
Lu Ke wasn't overly enthusiastic either. He smiled and nodded. "Good game." With the same words, Lu Ke sounded much more relaxed and sincere.
But for Russell, it was just a fake show of dominance. Since they won the game, they could naturally act superior.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Russell noticed Lu Ke's gaze. As a reflex, he also turned his head and followed his gaze. Then he saw Richard Sherman's back—
Even though it was just his back, Sherman was exuding an aura of frustration and anger. You could almost see the black lines of frustration hanging over him like a beaten rooster. His Seattle Seahawks teammates tried to hug him, but Sherman pushed them away and rudely shouldered his way through the people in his path. Sherman left the field in a fit of rage.
Tonight, Sherman was completely beaten.
Although he had made quite a few good defensive plays, in Russell's hazy memory, Sherman had successfully completed his defensive tasks at least three times. But overall, the area where Sherman was defending didn't really show any strength. At least two touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown were a result of a serious breakdown in Sherman's defense.
This kind of performance was a disgrace.
But Russell couldn't defend Sherman, because his own performance was not much better. Just thinking about his passing completion rate today made him want to disappear. Staying on this field for one more second was a painful torment.
So, Russell turned his head, used the last bit of his remaining politeness, nodded to Lu Ke, and then quickly turned and walked away, leaving the field in a hurry.
Russell knew that one day, he would return all of today's humiliation to Lu Ke. No, he would return it twofold! So, Lu Ke had to stay in the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback position. He would personally ruin his rival's future.
Lu Ke could feel Russell's coldness and rejection. He didn't mind. This was the right of the loser, just as celebrating was the right of the winner.
Similarly, Lu Ke could feel Sherman's frustration and anger.
He had to admit objectively that this year's Sherman had undergone a complete transformation. He already had the ability to become a top cornerback, and every future confrontation and matchup would only become more difficult and more challenging.
But Lu Ke wasn't afraid or intimidated at all. The essence of competitive sports was to face off against top masters, like a duel at Mount Hua, to lay all your cards on the table and show your true self, to see who would have the last laugh.
This kind of victory was the sweetest and most satisfying.
So, was it time to look forward to their next matchup? Will Sherman be even better then? Lu Ke hoped he wouldn't be disappointed.
As he was thinking, Lu Ke saw a bustling crowd approaching him. Surrounded by countless reporters, the Seattle Seahawks' head coach, Pete Carroll, was in the center.
Because it was a Thursday night game, both head coaches and both quarterbacks would greet each other out of politeness.
At that moment, Carroll's expression was emotionless, just a business-like look. He walked up to Lu Ke, shook his right hand, and greeted him simply. He was about to turn and leave, but before letting go of Lu Ke's hand, Carroll paused for a moment.
What if, just what if, the Seattle Seahawks had chosen Lu Ke in last year's draft? What would that have been like?
But this thought quickly flashed by, because Russell was a better fit for Carroll's tactical system and the Seahawks' team composition. What's more, Carl Smith was still their quarterback coach. They should trust Carl's ability. They should have chosen the more suitable one and not dwell on a missed decision. There was no need for that.
Then, Carroll looked deeply at Lu Ke, still not saying a word. Then he let go of his right hand and turned to leave quickly.
Watching Carroll's back, the smile on Lu Ke's face also slightly widened. That fleeting moment of hesitation and doubt was enough. This was one of the important affirmations for Lu Ke, even though he didn't need Carroll's approval at all.
Now, whether it was Russell or Sherman; Carroll or Carl, if they wanted revenge, they were welcome to come. Lu Ke would absolutely not show any mercy.
Since that accidental encounter at the rookie training camp, he and the Seattle Seahawks were destined to be enemies. And now that he represented the San Francisco 49ers, who were division rivals with the Seahawks, it only fueled Lu Ke's desire to win.
No matter when or where, as long as the Seattle Seahawks were on the other side of the field, Lu Ke would do everything in his power to defeat them!
Division rivals?
No, for Lu Ke, they were fated rivals!
"35:3." This was the third victory over them in two seasons, but Lu Ke was still not satisfied and would not stop. He was already looking forward to their next matchup at CenturyLink Field this season.
But that was in Week 16 of the regular season. As for now? It was party time!
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