Chapter 938: A Private Talk

On the bus, the offensive players were singing loudly. When Lu Ke got on, Joe Staley was the first to cheer, "Haha, the captain’s on board, now we can set sail!" Then, all the other players laughed, clapped, and cheered. The atmosphere reached its peak again.

Lu Ke didn’t sit down. Instead, he stood at the front of the bus like a tour guide. He turned to the driver and nodded, and the bus slowly started moving.

He looked back and could see the defense’s bus driving in front, and the coaches’ and staff’s bus was at the very front. The offense’s bus was at the back because of Lu Ke’s "late" arrival. The three special teams players also sat there. This was perfect; they needed a little "private" space.

Lu Ke stood up straight and faced his offensive teammates. He didn’t speak or sit down. He just quietly watched everyone celebrating.

In the locker room, facing a difficult choice, Lu Ke had no choice but to choose his offensive teammates because of Logan and his position on the offense.

Ultimately, he belonged to the offense, so he had to stand on their side, and they needed him on their side, regardless of whether it was right or wrong. This was something he had to do as a member of the offense. He couldn’t betray his teammates, even if it wasn’t the right thing to do.

But now, on the bus, with the doors closed, there were things that the offense needed to sort out. Since all the conflicts had flared up in a heated moment, he would let the storm rage even harder. Lu Ke straightened his back slightly. He knew what he was about to face, but he didn’t back down.

The celebration was still going on, but Lu Ke wasn’t in a hurry. There was enough time to get to the airport, and he could wait patiently.

Gradually, the offensive players realized something was off. Vernon Davis was about to call Lu Ke to join the party, but after noticing Lu Ke’s calm expression, he had a hunch that something wasn’t right. After thinking about it, he seemed to finally understand something and chose to sit down.

This was the offense, and Lu Ke’s authority had more influence. After all, his natural advantage as a quarterback had given him enough prestige from his consistent and hard work in practice.

It wasn’t just Vernon or Jonathan Goodwin. Logan also noticed that something was wrong, but he was lighthearted and didn’t think much of it, trying to stand up and joke around with Lu Ke.

But Marcus quickly pulled Logan back and gave him a look, dragging him down until Logan, who was confused, sat down and gave Marcus a questioning look.

The atmosphere became a little heavy, but Marcus didn’t say much and just kept giving him looks. Logan finally settled down and gave Lu Ke a look of trust.

All the noise on the bus died down. Randy Moss was the last.

Moss stood there defiantly, trying to be on equal footing with Lu Ke. His sharp eyes met Lu Ke’s gaze. He wasn’t submissive or yielding. He had a faint idea of the reason but was unwilling to give in easily. But Lu Ke didn’t back down either and just calmly met Moss’ gaze.

Their eye contact lasted for a while. In the silence, the pressure grew heavier and was almost suffocating. In the end, Moss couldn’t resist and backed down, sitting down with a depressed look, a sign that all the offensive players were now paying attention.

All eyes were on Lu Ke.

But Lu Ke didn’t speak immediately. He just let the silence spread. The only sound in the air was the engine humming. The silence was almost annoying, and all the excitement, tension, and anxiety settled down. Only after everyone’s attention was fully focused did the atmosphere become serious.

"We’re winning. 11 games in a row. But why do I feel like we’re losing?"

This was Lu Ke’s first sentence. He wasn’t angry or agitated. He spoke calmly about what was on his mind, his words carrying a hint of weariness and heaviness.

They were clearly on a winning streak, but why did they feel a kind of exhaustion they had never felt before?

"Yes, we won this game because of the offense. That’s a fact. But without the defense, we can’t win. That’s the most basic rule of football. Every player who just started playing football has a coach who repeats this rule over and over again. If anyone has forgotten, you can go back and watch the game tape or go back and ask your first coach."

"I know the offense and defense are two teams that need to compete with each other, help each other, and grow with each other. A lot of the time, we’re on opposite ends of the practice field. But I never knew when we started to compare our performances. So, is it more glorious to win because of the offense or because of the defense? Who can answer that question?"

Lu Ke’s words were slow and calm, without any urgency or anger, but every word fell heavily on every player’s chest, making a muffled sound.

Moss was still a little unconvinced. He looked up and said with a hot temper, "You know that’s not what we meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Lu Ke’s tone suddenly became louder. His powerful voice hit Moss head-on, exploding like a thunderclap. It startled all the players, who couldn’t help but hold their breath.

Moss stood up with his neck stiff, not backing down. His eyes were filled with rebellious anger and stubbornness. His hands were clenched into fists, and his shoulders were tense. He was ready for anything and wasn’t afraid of Lu Ke. The tense atmosphere was about to explode.

But Lu Ke didn’t give Moss a chance. His words, like a cannonball, were filled with the anger of a mountain collapse, rushing down like Niagara Falls. The roar made every person feel incredibly small, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"That’s exactly what you showed today!"

"You’re making players choose sides! You’re making the special teams and the backup players choose a side! Is it the offense or the defense? So, our opponent is now the San Francisco 49ers’ defense? When did this happen? All of a sudden, our left hand started fighting our right hand. Why wasn’t I, the quarterback, notified?"

"Who the fuck can answer me!"

"Yes, the defense’s performance today was a problem. You can tell me, and I’ll talk to them!"

"You have no right or qualification to criticize your defensive teammates’ performance because in the last few weeks, with your shitty performance, the defense had no complaints and was always working hard! If they weren’t supporting us, we would have started losing games weeks ago! Which genius can see the defense’s poor performance today but can’t see their own unbearable performance before?"

"Huh!"

"When did the defense ever complain about Michael’s terrible performance? When did the defense ever condemn my passing strategy for being too bold and risky? Who gave you the courage and the right to condemn the defense for making mistakes today? Damn! Are you guys unwilling to use your brains, or do you really not have one?"

"The reporters say we’re the number one offense in the league. The reporters say we beat the Chicago Bears’ defense. So, now we’re really number one in the league? The Super Bowl is really ours? A perfect season is really that easy to achieve? We can now abandon the defense and rule the league?"

"Bullshit! This is all meaningless bullshit! What the hell are you doing? You’re not idiots with marshmallows stuffed in your brains! Think, use your non-degraded brains! Don’t use your damn lower bodies’ impulses. Use your brains!"

"The entire league is now hoping to beat us because we’re the only undefeated team! If we want to beat our division rivals, if we want to beat the New England Patriots, use your brains and think, what should we do? What on earth should we do? Huh? Who the fuck can answer me!"

"We need the defense! Not to mention the defense, even the offense itself needs to get serious. Do you think the Seahawks’ defense will let us score 35 points easily again? Do you think the Cardinals’ defense is willing to be humiliated by us again? Huh? Use your brains! But what are you doing? You’re being arrogant and condescending. You’re becoming a bunch of brainless people! That’s what those prejudices and discrimination make you!"

"Are you really a bunch of brainless idiots? Tell me! Huh? Say something! Say something, damn it!"

Lu Ke was angry, incredibly angry.

When facing his defensive teammates, he was willing to stand unconditionally by his offensive teammates’ side. But now that the doors were closed, he couldn’t stand the sight of his teammates, whose minds had been clouded by victory and glory.

He knew that the media’s strategy of excessive praise was making them get carried away. He also knew that the inflated confidence after a winning streak would inevitably lead to this result. He knew it all, but he still couldn’t stand everything that happened in the locker room today, especially when he thought of his defensive teammates looking at him with such disappointment and anger.

He thought they were comrades in arms. The offense, the defense, the special teams, the coaching staff, the support staff, and... the fans.

Wasn’t that the case? Was he too naive?

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