Chapter 908: Battle of Wits

"Attack!"

After number 14 called the snap, Tillman immediately stepped forward, blocking Vernon’s path.

But before he could get a body on him, Vernon used a sudden brake, controlling his body and cutting inside toward the center. At the same time, Tillman’s peripheral vision, which covered a five-yard radius around him, caught every movement. He immediately saw Moss flaring out, and the two of them completed a cross-pattern running route.

What did this mean?

It wasn’t his brain that was thinking, but his game instincts making a judgment: It meant Vernon was likely the target, if this was a passing play.

This was because Moss was covered by outside linebacker Briggs, while Vernon was covered by cornerback Tillman. If Moss were the target, Briggs hadn’t yet been able to get into a close defensive position. Moss wouldn’t need to adjust; he could simply turn and make the catch. Vernon, on the other hand, would need to keep moving to create space for a catch.

But now, Moss and Vernon had crossed paths. This was clearly meant to use Moss to block Tillman, creating space for Vernon to catch the ball. If Moss could successfully screen Tillman, then Vernon’s one-on-one matchup with Briggs, the number 88 receiver, would give him the advantage. Perhaps the long run from the previous play would happen again.

This season, Tillman’s performance had been exceptional, not only in his coverage and defense, but also in his tactical awareness. All the gaps and movements were crystal clear in his mind. He didn’t need to think; he just followed his instincts, which often resulted in incredible defensive plays.

This time was no different. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Tillman immediately took a horizontal step to fully move out of Moss’s way. He followed Vernon’s movement toward the inside, and then, he saw the football flying through the air.

As expected!

It was just as he thought!

Wait, no!

It was a six-yard bullet pass, traveling extremely fast. It was released almost as soon as the motion started. Vernon and Moss were only a couple of steps apart, with Tillman—who had just shifted his weight—right in the middle. The pass route, arc, and speed were all exceptionally precise.

By the time Tillman made his final judgment, Moss had already completed the catch.

Tillman didn’t even have time to curse before he had to shift his weight a second time and immediately recover, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

But against one of the greatest zone-beating wide receivers of all time, a slight change in weight during a breath was all it took. Moss made a light, nimble movement to the outside, which seemed simple but was precisely what made Tillman miss the timing for a first-chance tackle.

It was at this point that Tillman uttered his first curse word, "Shit!"

But he didn’t have time for frustration or regret. He used his hands and feet to quickly adjust his balance and get back on his feet, then sprinted after Moss’s back. Just as he started, there was a fierce collision on his left side. It was Vernon. The two of them stumbled and fell out of bounds together.

He watched helplessly as Moss raced away.

Tillman’s rage was now burning. He was spitting and cursing, unable to stop, letting out all his frustration and anger. But his hands were carefully placed behind him, and like a bull using its horns, he kept bumping into Vernon, trying to provoke him. If he could draw a yellow flag for a penalty, all the better, as it would nullify the offense’s progress.

Unfortunately, Tillman didn’t succeed, as Marcus quickly appeared and pulled Vernon away.

Standing there, Tillman gasped for air. He still didn’t understand what had happened. How did that pass and that play happen?

"Randy Moss! Oh, my god, Randy Moss!"

"Charles Tillman lost his defensive position! This is a simple mistake, a fatal, simple mistake! Tillman had already sealed off his position, and the crossing route between Moss and Davis was still within his control. But Tillman chose to give up his position and follow Davis, which created space for Moss to catch the ball!"

"Tillman made a mistake in his defensive read!"

"Moss’s move was beautiful, a quick stop and a turn, wow, that reminds us of the peak Randy Moss!"

"Randy Moss is moving! After a successful catch, the path is clear in front of Moss! Moss! Randy Moss! Wow, we haven’t seen this in a long time—Moss used his ability to find a void in the zone, completed the catch, and is now facing an open field. He’s galloping like the son of the wind!"

"Moss! The 40-yard line! The 35! The 30! Moss! Moss is still running! Chicago Bears safety Chris Conte is coming over to help, he’s chasing, but Moss is still nimble! Moss! Conte! Conte! Moss! The two are tangled up!"

"Oh! No, this isn’t right! Oh, what a shame! Conte grabbed Moss’s jersey, then fell to the ground, using this cheap tactic to pull Moss down. Penalty! That’s definitely a penalty! Such ugly defense completely ruined this beautiful play!"

"Conte pulled Moss down near the 25-yard line, ending the play."

"If it weren’t for that penalty, Moss could have scored a touchdown! It’s a real shame for the San Francisco 49ers, but for the Chicago Bears, they’ve saved themselves! However, prolonging the game with a penalty is a disappointment for the audience."

On the sideline, the verbal confrontation between Vernon and Tillman had just ended. On the field, the trash talk between Moss and Conte began. Although there was no physical contact, the two were yelling at each other relentlessly, especially Moss. His extreme anger had once again made him lose control.

The peaceful last few weeks had made people almost forget Moss’s true nature: He was a ticking time bomb, and one who didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. He would even curse at his own fans, let alone teammates. This troublemaker was well-known throughout the league. Compared to him, guys like Crabtree and Sherman couldn’t even stand a chance.

If it weren’t for that yellow flag, Moss could have run into the end zone for a touchdown. But now the play was dead. How could he possibly calm down?

Even though his 49ers teammates held him back, preventing a physical fight, no one could reason with Moss, or rather, no one dared to.

Finally, a quickly approaching Lu Ke stepped in. "Calm down. Calm down!" Lu Ke loudly interrupted Moss. "If you think you can’t score a touchdown if you miss this opportunity, then keep getting angry and waste the game clock."

After saying that, Lu Ke ignored Moss and called out to his teammates, "Get set! Quick!"

Moss stood there and thought about it. Although he was still fuming, he eventually didn’t cause any more trouble. As Lu Ke said, they had absolute confidence in scoring a touchdown. Instead of dwelling on one play and a single penalty, it was better to get back on offense and score again, to prove them wrong.

Moss jogged back to his teammates and said to Lu Ke in a menacing tone, "If you ever talk to me like that again, I’ll punch you in the face. Shit!" After delivering his threat, he said nothing more and quietly walked to his position and lined up.

It was just bravado, and Lu Ke treated it like the buzzing of a fly. Now, there were more important things to focus on.

In that last play, the two-running back formation was a smokescreen, but not just that. If the Bears’ front-line defense hadn’t tightened up, Lu Ke would have chosen to run the ball or pass to a running back on a slot route without hesitation. But since the front line was intense, Lu Ke chose to pass.

The running routes for Moss and Vernon were specifically designed by Lu Ke.

In the first drive of the game, the Bears’ defense had used Lu Ke’s habit of making sharp reads to successfully create a trap and gain a significant advantage. During halftime, after consulting with quarterback coach Kip Crist, Lu Ke decided to use Tillman’s habit of keen game instincts to set a trap.

This was a very difficult thing to defend against.

The game changes in an instant, and many reactions are just reflexes, with no time for slow thinking. This was true for Lu Ke, and it was also true for Tillman.

When releasing the ball, Lu Ke had no fake motions, but he deliberately slowed down by a quarter-beat to observe Tillman’s movement. If there was no change, he would have thrown to Vernon. If there was a change, he would throw to Moss.

Tillman is a crucial part of the Bears’ defense, and if they wanted to break through, he was an obstacle they had to overcome. So, Lu Ke used his intelligence to make that pass. And the next one would be no different.

He would use the same trick again.

The same two-running back formation, the same right-side alignment, and even Lu Ke’s positioning hadn’t changed. This forced the Chicago Bears’ defense to fall into the same trap again—if they didn’t want to be at a disadvantage, they had to be proactive and break the San Francisco 49ers’ strange formation.

So, was it a run or a pass this time?

The Bears’ defense was now itching with frustration. Every player wanted to gnaw on Lu Ke’s bones and drink his blood. That guy was full of tricks.

If the San Francisco 49ers’ offense knew what was being said about them, they would warn them with a knowing look: "Full of tricks? You haven’t seen anything yet." Because Bambi was the "devil" in the saying, "when the Tao is one foot high, the devil is ten feet high."

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