Chapter 1078: The Greatest Mind

Patrick Willis flipped through the first-half data in his hands. After carefully checking a few sets of numbers, a curse word involuntarily slipped out, "Damn! That freak!"

"What’s wrong?" The defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, who was standing nearby, turned his head and gave him a questioning look.

Willis handed the data sheet back to Fangio and shook his head helplessly. He then looked at Lu Ke, who was standing on the other side of the locker room. "Nothing. It’s just that Bambi and I were discussing their offense in the first half, and he was right about all the data. Damn it!"

Fangio also turned his head and looked at Lu Ke, who was discussing tactical layouts. "Isn’t that a given?" He then patted Willis’s shoulder. "So, what did he say?"

Although every team had a tactical room for rational analysis, a quarterback’s perspective was, after all, different. They could often capture details that others couldn’t.

"First, we need to increase our blitzes, and it’s best to choose the right side, not the blind side. Second, the core of their offense is Tony Gonzalez, not Julio Jones." Willis was a veteran who had been in the league for many years. After a simple summary of what Lu Ke had just said, he came to his own conclusion.

Willis more or less had a rough idea of the situation Lu Ke was analyzing, but it was a bit blurry, and he couldn’t summarize it immediately. After Lu Ke’s focused analysis and summary, things suddenly became clear, and he felt a sense of enlightenment. This was a kind of game-time ability.

First of all, Julio and Gonzalez’s receiving positions were too deep.

There was no doubt about the abilities of these two players. They could get the upper hand against a cornerback. Once their starting receiving position was pushed back, the advantage would further tilt toward the offense. The cornerbacks and safeties would then be in constant retreat. You could see this from how Julio was constantly making plays in the first half.

The best solution was naturally to apply pressure on the front line, shorten the quarterback’s passing time, and reduce the receivers’ time to get open.

Not only that, but the defensive front was also a strength of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense. They didn’t need to attack the opponent’s strength with their own weakness. They could completely make a big deal out of their strengths and gain more advantages. At the end of the first half, the increased intensity of the pass rush had a good effect, which was the most direct result.

Next, about the focus of the offensive line.

Generally speaking, the quarterback’s blind side was the habitual attack point for every team. If they chose the non-blind side, the quarterback might anticipate it early, escape the sack, and create more variables. This also greatly increased the success rate and threat of the blind side. This habit had been passed down in the league for decades.

Because of this, the salaries of blind-side offensive linemen were far higher than those of non-blind-side offensive linemen. Even the 49ers were no exception. In the offseason, they moved Joe Staley from the right side to the left side, hoping to strengthen the blind-side protection, and it achieved amazing results.

But Lu Ke just pointed out a very interesting phenomenon. Even the data from the tactical room hadn’t noticed it, but Lu Ke specifically mentioned the right offensive guard. If this could become a breakthrough, even if it didn’t conform to tactical rules, it could create an unexpected effect.

Finally, about Tony Gonzalez.

In the past two seasons, three tight ends—Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, and Logan Newman—emerged one after another, changing the traditional view of tight ends in the league.

Before, tight ends were more active in the short-passing area. They would either block or catch short passes. They could act as a beacon in a positional battle. Overall, touchdowns were a wide receiver’s job. Now, the three young tight ends had brought their receiving abilities to the fullest, even becoming stronger than big-body receivers. Their tough receiving, station-to-station receiving, and ability to continue to advance after a catch had become important weapons that could change the game.

Traditional tight ends’ touchdown numbers basically stayed in the single digits throughout a long season. If they could break ten, it would be enough to be a league leader in touchdowns. Now, the number of touchdowns for tight ends had more than doubled, and their role on the field had completely transformed.

Before the three young tight ends’ brilliant debuts, the king of traditional tight ends was Tony Gonzalez. He was a historic tight end who was destined to enter the Hall of Fame before he even retired.

In 1997, he was drafted in the first round with the 13th pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. After that, Gonzalez created his own dynasty. Although the Chiefs’ overall strength was weak, Gonzalez still put up incredible numbers. Later, in 2009, he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, and he still maintained a very high level, showing his powerful dominance.

So far, in his 16 seasons, he was the tight end with the most receptions and receiving yards in the league for seven years. He was the tight end with the most receiving touchdowns in the league for four years. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times, was a first-team All-Pro five times, and a second-team All-Pro four times. In addition, he was also the all-time leader in games played, receptions, and receiving yards for a tight end in league history.

Most astonishingly, Gonzalez’s ability to advance after a catch was unparalleled in the league. Since entering the league in 1997, the average yards he gained after every catch was above 10 yards. The only exception was in 2010, when the average yards gained after every catch was "only" 9.4 yards. Maintaining this ability for over 15 years was truly terrifying.

In short, this was a king!

For comparison, Gonzalez’s best single-season touchdown number was 10, which he achieved twice, once in 2003 and once in 2008. There was a huge gap compared to the three tight ends Gronkowski, Graham, and Logan. This was the difference between a traditional tight end and a modern tight end.

It was undeniable that Gonzalez was still an indispensable part of the Atlanta Falcons’ offense. But this season, wide receiver Julio had transformed and gradually become Matt Ryan’s most trusted passing target. All his related data was soaring, and he was undoubtedly the team’s number one receiver. His tactical significance was self-evident, and it was the same in this game.

But Lu Ke brought up an interesting point: Was Gonzalez still the core of the entire offense?

What did this mean?

In the first half, Julio dominated the game on his own. Then, Gonzalez and Roddy White stepped up and shared Julio’s pressure, which resulted in a season-best performance of 27 points in one half. Everyone thought Julio was the core of the passing game. But what if he wasn’t?

Even an amateur knew that putting all their eggs in one basket was very dangerous, just like Larry Fitzgerald for the Arizona Cardinals and Calvin Johnson for the Detroit Lions. After the quarterback’s passing intention was exposed, the pressure they had to endure would get bigger and bigger. Breaking through on their own could also become the key to a counterattack for the defense.

But for the defense, they hoped the opponent would put all their eggs in one basket so they could focus their defense. A big part of the Seattle Seahawks’ defense’s rise this season was due to the relative concentration of their defensive tactics.

The 49ers always treated Julio as the key. The focus of their defense in the second half would also be adjusted based on Julio, hoping to make a breakthrough there. But if Lu Ke’s judgment was correct, the situation on the field would be completely different.

The premise was that Julio’s running range covered the entire field. Except for long passes in the super deep area, his speed couldn’t compare to a fast player like Ted Ginn. He could basically reach any other area at any time. Gonzalez, as a traditional tight end, was still mainly active in the short-passing area.

Then, the defense could apply more pressure on the front line. On one hand, it would create problems for Ryan’s passes, forcing his passing distance to be limited to the short-passing area, slowing down the Falcons’ offensive fluidity and depth. On the other hand, they would also cover Gonzalez in the short-passing area. They would either cut off Gonzalez as a receiving option or force Ryan to focus more of his passes on Julio. The cornerbacks and safeties’ defense could then be more purposeful, or even move half a step earlier.

In this way, the game situation would indeed change.

Willis relayed his summary to Fangio. As the defensive coordinator, he just thought about it for a second, and his eyes became serious. He nodded lightly in a meaningful way. "Bambi’s interpretation of the offense is truly unique. I’ll communicate with the tactical room to confirm."

Although he said that, they still needed to verify it with scientific methods. But Fangio was sure that nine out of ten, Lu Ke was right. "I’m starting to feel like we’re cheating now. In this year’s draft, the importance of the Wonderlic test should be emphasized again."

Willis just shrugged. "There’s only one Bambi. The Wonderlic test might not be able to find another one."

Lu Ke, who was the subject of the discussion, was completely unaware.

Although Lu Ke had just voluntarily relayed his interpretation to Willis, he just hoped to provide his teammates with another perspective. In terms of defensive play design, he believed the coaching staff was much more experienced than he was, a guy who couldn’t even be called an amateur.

So, after relaying the information, Lu Ke put all his thoughts aside and focused on the offense’s play design.

Compared to the defense, the offense had gradually gained the upper hand in the second quarter. The changes in the Atlanta Falcons’ defense were gradually revealed, and the weakness of their ground defense was becoming Lu Ke’s key to a breakthrough. This also made the offensive line’s blocking and the running back’s route selection more important.

In the midst of the intense and quick discussion, halftime passed in a flash. Then, the 49ers’ players walked out of the locker room and returned to the field.

"The second half of the 2012 NFC Championship game is about to begin. The San Francisco 49ers, who are now trailing by ’14-27,’ are about to start their drive!"

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