Chapter 1002: Chapter 1002: A City Mobilized

Chapter 1002: A City Mobilized

In 2012, the league’s regular season passing touchdown record was held by Tom Brady. It was one of the many achievements from his 2007 perfect season. He had a total of 50 passing touchdowns, which was more than anyone else, and he became the first quarterback in history to have more than 50 touchdowns in a single season.

Of course, did the other three elite quarterbacks have the ability to break the record? The answer was yes. However, football was a team sport. Even Drew Brees’s head coach, Sean Payton, who had all the plays focused on him, had to consider the entire team’s offensive game plan.

Using the Seattle Seahawks as an example, their entire offensive system was based on their ground game, so the quarterback’s touchdown numbers were bound to be affected to a certain extent. The difficulty of breaking the record would naturally increase. In this situation, Russell Wilson still managed to get 24 touchdowns this season, which was indeed a good performance.

The entire league was now in a passing era, but considering the overall offensive game plan, a balanced offense between passing and running was gradually becoming mainstream. In a way, the surge in the number of quarterback touchdowns was being controlled. In the past three seasons, Brady’s single-season touchdown numbers were all below 40. It wasn’t because he wasn’t skilled enough, but because of the change in his team’s offensive game plan.

Because of this, the 2007 season record was even more unbelievable. The average number of touchdowns per game was 3.125, which was a full-out offensive attack.

Now, Lu Ke also had a chance to break this record, but the conditions were not easy. In the game against the Arizona Cardinals, Lu Ke had to throw four touchdowns to tie the record and five to break it. So, would he go all out? And furthermore, would Harbaugh fully support him?

Faced with this question, the analysts on "Inside the League" found it difficult to make a judgment. Based on Harbaugh’s trust and support for Lu Ke, it was possible that he would push Lu Ke to make history, but the team’s general manager, Trent Baalke, might not agree. Baalke was more focused on the overall blueprint for the playoffs, and this was the game between the team’s general manager and the head coach.

Of course, outsiders had no way of knowing what was going on.

In the lively discussion, every analyst had a different opinion and couldn’t form a unified consensus. "Wow, I think the most amazing thing is, who would have believed that we are now discussing a second-year quarterback?" The host, Edward Bowen, came in at the right time, immediately leading to a series of exclamations.

Whether people liked Lu Ke or not, no one could deny that in two seasons, Lu Ke had created so many miracles. Even setting aside the old topics of his Chinese descent and being an undrafted player, he had rightfully become the biggest discovery in the league!

So, in the last week of the regular season, a non-marquee matchup had the attention of the entire league! This was because the 49ers might make history, and because Lu Ke might break a record.

"Can the 49ers have a perfect season?"

This was a Twitter topic from "Sports Illustrated." Over 150,000 people retweeted and voted. Nearly 70 percent of the voters believed that the 49ers were unstoppable, while the other 30 percent still believed that a perfect season was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that there were too many uncertainties in the last game.

Let’s not talk about the voting results. This was just a bunch of fans watching the show, but the number of 150,000 people participating was truly spectacular. It clearly showed that the buzz that this game created in the league was immense. Even though it had nothing to do with a playoff spot and was almost a meaningless game, it still became one of the most anticipated games of the week.

Harry Wayne’s "Praise and Kill" strategy was still in effect. Just imagine, if the 49ers really had a perfect season, then in the playoffs, they would definitely become a public enemy. This young and hot-headed 49ers team was not the mature and steady 2007 New England Patriots team. Under the pressure of the playoffs, anything was possible.

This was the situation the 49ers were facing now. It was either they would go all the way or they would collapse completely. There was no other possibility. The landscape of the 2012 season was becoming more and more intriguing. The situation that Harry Wayne had been working so hard for was about to happen!

On December 30th, Ryan Baldwin woke up early in the morning. With the help of Jonathan Baldwin, he actively started washing up, ready to welcome a new day with a new mindset, and then began today’s rehabilitation.

When Kate Wiggins walked into the hospital room, she could immediately sense the new energy in Ryan. He was showing a new, positive attitude. She paused for a moment and then showed a big smile. "It seems like it’s a nice day today."

Ryan laughed happily and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I also think it’s a nice day." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Kate became more and more curious. She raised her chin slightly and looked up and down at Ryan, saying meaningfully, "Is it because the new year is coming? Have you already planned for the new year? I’m so jealous. A new year with expectations is wonderful!"

"Wait, or... is it because you confessed to the person you liked on Christmas, and they accepted? Or, are you planning to confess today? Are you already impatient?" After that, Kate started nodding to herself. "Today is indeed a good day for a confession! The sun is really beautiful."

After speaking, Kate playfully winked at Ryan.

Caught off guard, Ryan’s pupils began to tremble violently. His vocal cords tightened involuntarily, and he quickly and hurriedly explained, "No, no. Today is a 49ers game day! To be precise, today is the last game day of the 2012 regular season for the entire league. All the games will end today, and all the playoff spots will be decided! I’m waiting for the 49ers’ game! Because this game is so important, so..."

Because he was so nervous, his words were very fast, and his speaking ability hadn’t fully recovered yet. He was still stuttering. He talked for a long time, but not much was understood. There were only a few broken words. The more he couldn’t speak clearly, the more anxious he became, and the more anxious he became, the more he couldn’t speak clearly. It was a vicious cycle.

But luckily, Kate didn’t notice Ryan’s panic. She simply thought that Ryan was too excited, which caused his words to be fragmented. She only heard "San Francisco 49ers" and immediately understood. She had known that Ryan was a fan for a long time. "Oh, I see. So, do we need to postpone this morning’s rehabilitation?"

Ryan shook his head repeatedly to deny it and explained, "No, no. Today’s... is in the afternoon."

In the last week of the regular season, to avoid any possibility of collusion, all the games would be played at the same time, split into two slots, morning and afternoon. There were no night games. The 49ers and Cardinals game would start at 4:25 p.m. Pacific time.

Kate nodded knowingly. "Then, we must start now, or else it would be a shame to miss the game this afternoon."

Looking at Kate, a rush of blood to his head caused him to blurt out a question. "Would you like to come with me to Candlestick Park to watch the game?"

Ryan said this sentence very smoothly. His pronunciation was still a bit blurry, but he surprisingly didn’t stutter. When he realized that he had just made such a brash invitation, which was not formal or serious enough and seemed a bit rushed, Ryan’s mind quickly raced to find a way to make up for it.

Kate obviously didn’t expect such an invitation. Her first reaction was that it was a "friendly invitation from an enthusiastic fan." Maybe he wanted more people to support his favorite team. "I don’t like football, and I don’t understand it. Besides, I don’t know any of the players on the 49ers. I only know Bambi. He’s... a quarterback, right?"

"Yes," Ryan couldn’t help but smile and nodded repeatedly. "Even if you haven’t watched before, you can still start at any time. I believe you’ll fall in love with this sport." He said each word slowly to avoid stuttering again.

Kate pursed her lips, looking noncommittal.

Ryan immediately straightened his back. "How about this, if our team makes it to the Super Bowl, would you want to go with me to feel the atmosphere?" He finally asked the most important question, even though he hadn’t shown any feelings for Kate yet, but... an invitation to a date, this should be the right way to do it, right?

Kate just smiled. She didn’t say yes or no, and she avoided the topic directly. "Let’s focus on today’s rehabilitation first. I think you should be full of motivation today, for the victory!"

She didn’t refuse, which was good news.

Ryan Baldwin and Jonathan Baldwin were just two drops of water in this city. On the morning of December 30th, the entire city was mobilized. A continuous red river was flowing all the way to Candlestick Park. This was not a Sunday mass; it was a pilgrimage on a game day!

The entire city had erupted. No one was an exception. This was a day of true celebration. The peak crowd that usually came during the New Year had arrived 36 hours early, and it was spreading throughout the entire Bay Area. The Christmas atmosphere hadn’t completely faded yet, and another party had already begun on a grand scale. It was more festive, more lively, more exciting, and also more nerve-wracking.

A city mobilized!

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