Chapter 1015: Season Summary

Last season, the positive effects of the golden point were obvious. Without it, Lu Ke might have given up in the final moments of the two games against the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants—not because of his will, but because of his skill.

Now, with the playoffs about to begin, Lu Ke had unexpectedly gained another golden point. How should he use it?

At the moment, Lu Ke’s Tactical Awareness, Long Pass Accuracy, and Injury Resistance were all at a perfect 99. Now, a countless number of his other stats were also at max levels. Every single stat had a good reason to be upgraded, but as the saying goes, "there is no right choice, only the right fit."

After some careful thought, Lu Ke quickly made his decision.

Field Vision.

If he were to analyze it in detail, every skill had its own advantages, but Lu Ke’s reason for choosing Field Vision was simple and clear. He was a smart, strategic pocket quarterback. His ability to observe and analyze the entire field was the foundation of his game. From there, he used his Tactical Awareness to make plays and defeat his opponents.

Therefore, the importance of Field Vision was self-evident.

Without hesitation, Lu Ke used his only golden point on Field Vision.

From a direct perspective, the impact of Field Vision should have been on his eyes, but in reality, Lu Ke felt his mind becoming clearer. It seemed as if the world in his eyes hadn’t changed, but the brightness had increased slightly, like turning the brightness knob on a black-and-white TV all the way up.

This also proved Lu Ke’s guess. Field Vision was the overall cognition system of his brain for field positioning, three-dimensional imaging, and predicting player movements. It was a self-contained skill that complemented his Tactical Awareness, becoming a crucial part of a quarterback’s playmaking.

This breakthrough was extremely important for Lu Ke’s tactical arsenal.

It’s easy to predict what will happen next season. The San Francisco 49ers will become public enemy number one. Every game might present more challenges and crises. This isn’t just a wild guess; there is direct evidence.

This has happened to the three teams that won 15 games in the last 13 years.

In 2004, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a great 15-1 record. The next year, they had a decent 11-5 record but lost several important division games. They ended up second in their division behind the Cincinnati Bengals, almost missing the playoffs entirely. They barely made it in as the AFC’s sixth seed.

In 2007, the New England Patriots went undefeated. The next year, the team was plagued by severe injuries. Although they also finished with an 11-5 record, they were still pushed out of the division title by the Miami Dolphins and were also squeezed out of a playoff spot by the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts.

In 2011, the Green Bay Packers had an excellent 15-1 record. The following year, which is this year, the Packers’ performance fluctuated significantly, and they finished the season with an 11-5 record. They narrowly won the division title over the 10-6 Minnesota Vikings and made it back to the playoffs.

The same situation now applies to the San Francisco 49ers. Simply being a good team is not enough. They need to change and improve. Defending a kingdom is always harder than conquering one, and this is especially true in the NFL, where team skills are so close.

Before the start of the 2013 season, and especially in the upcoming playoffs, the San Francisco 49ers, having enjoyed their undefeated season, will be the target of every other team. Every game will be incredibly difficult, and a slight misstep could cause them to capsize.

The 2011 Green Bay Packers were eliminated in their first playoff game. The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers barely won their divisional game in overtime but ultimately lost in the AFC Championship game. The 2007 New England Patriots, who were on a roll, then suffered the most painful loss, a comeback defeat in the Super Bowl, which left a painful scar on their perfect season.

In other words, since the millennium, no team that has won 15 games has ever won the Super Bowl.

Here’s another horror story: the last team to win 15 games and win the Super Bowl was the 1985 Chicago Bears—the team with the best defense in history. And... here’s the kicker: the team before them to accomplish this feat was the 1984 San Francisco 49ers.

These are the only two teams in history to have won 15 games and a Super Bowl. Almost 30 years have passed since then, and no team has been able to repeat the feat. It is one of the biggest curses in the league.

But for Lu Ke, who had just spent 124 base points and one golden point, he was ready! Let the storm rage on!

And with that, the 2012 season officially came to a close. It was another year of twists and turns. Some of the 32 teams were happy, and some were sad. Before the playoffs officially began, it was time for the annual summary. This was undoubtedly one of the most exciting and fascinating times of the year.

First, let’s talk about the scandals.

After the New Orleans Saints’ "Bountygate," the San Diego Chargers were involved in a "Stickumgate" during the season.

In a Monday night game against the Denver Broncos on October 15, Chargers players were suspected of using a sticky substance on their gloves to give themselves an advantage when catching and tackling.

This sticky substance is a common sports product used to improve grip and reduce sweat. It’s widely used in sports like golf, tennis, baseball, hockey, and weightlifting. It’s also familiar to football players for daily weight training, but using it during a game is against the rules.

Chargers players tried to hide the substance in towels to give themselves an advantage during the game, but when the referees noticed, they tried to destroy the towels. Additionally, the team officials refused to immediately hand over the game towels for investigation. In the end, the league fined the San Diego Chargers $20,000 and banned the use of the product in the NFL.

Next, the rookies.

This year’s rookies were a mixed bag of talent:

Doug Martin, the running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Casey Hayward, the cornerback for the Green Bay Packers; and T.Y. Hilton, the wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.

Chandler Jones, the defensive end for the New England Patriots; Bobby Wagner, the linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks; and Luke Kuechly and Josh Norman, the linebacker and cornerback for the Carolina Panthers.

And so on.

The names mentioned above are only a small portion of the many talented rookies in the league. The defensive side of the ball was heavily represented, mainly because the offensive side has stricter requirements for mastering playbooks. It’s not easy to quickly and consistently adapt to a quarterback’s style and the coach’s system.

Among all the rookies, the quarterbacks were still the center of attention. The rumors and drama from the draft made everyone eager to watch. The Washington Redskins, who were once considered a laughingstock for their bold moves, ended up as the biggest winner of the season.

Last season, the Redskins unfortunately missed out on Lu Ke and missed the playoffs. This season, they made a big trade with the St. Louis Rams, taking Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick, which shook up the entire league. Even more bizarrely, the Redskins also used their fourth-round pick to select another quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

Not only did they make a blockbuster trade for the second pick, but they also selected two quarterbacks in the same year. The Redskins were truly bold. But at the end of the season, their gamble paid off handsomely.

In the regular-season opener, a record of eleven rookie and second-year players started as quarterbacks, which created a lot of conversation. Now that the season was over, the results spoke for themselves.

The Redskins’ Robert Griffin III wrote his own comeback fairytale. He threw for 3,200 yards with a 65.6% completion rate. He had 20 passing touchdowns and five interceptions. He also had seven rushing touchdowns and 815 rushing yards. His average quarterback rating was 102.4.

If Lu Ke hadn’t created an insurmountable miracle season last year, then Griffin’s stats this season would have been a historical record. As it stands, he is still only second to Lu Ke, having the second-best rookie season in history. He also took it a step further than Lu Ke by showing dominance in the running game.

If last year Cam Newton had a decent season and proved the ability of running quarterbacks, then this year, Griffin went a step further and brought a revolution for running quarterbacks. After Michael Vick, a new elite running quarterback finally appeared to disrupt the league’s status quo. In terms of technical and tactical significance, Griffin’s emergence was even more impactful than Lu Ke’s!

Without a doubt, Griffin was the top candidate for Rookie of the Year. He led the Washington Redskins back to the playoffs, and team manager Bruce Allen was finally able to feel proud. Especially when facing the "all-time top five" Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts, Griffin’s performance completely outshined his opponent.

Looking back at the draft earlier this year, everything had a new meaning. The same goes for last year with Lu Ke and this year with Griffin, not to mention Russell Wilson this year as well.

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