016 Practical Exercise

Bang! Bang bang bang!

The muffled sound of hand-to-hand combat reverberated above the field, instantly reeling back to an era of cold weapons—although without any weapons, relying solely on physical combat.

Two armies clashed, bayonets stained red.

At that moment, a seven-man drill was underway on the field—

Tactical drills.

The morning's basic training had already ended, novelty was indeed novel, and Football, unlike other sports, encouraged physical confrontations and even emphasized them. Speed, strength, resilience, explosiveness, endurance, etc., tested in every aspect, continuously probing one's limits.

But seen from another angle, although training methods and equipment differed, competitive sports shared commonality among disciplines by triggering one's potential in different ways, gradually reaching and even breaking through one's ceiling, thus turning strengths into lethal weapons.

So, Li Wei was no stranger to this, from cross-country running he personally experienced to the soul-level realism of mixed martial arts, though never personally experienced, he had undergone various training programs, ultimately converging to the same essence.

After a brief adaptation, Li Wei had already entered the zone—

Repetitive, tedious training, immersing himself in his own world, constantly challenging his limits, was routine for Li Wei.

After basic training, the running back group headed to the gym to pump iron for strength training, where Li Wei met another running back:

Josh Jacobs.

A high school senior who would only officially join the University of Alabama in September, not yet considered a "freshman."

In NCAA, considering the prohibition of team training in summer before the new season starts, the only collective training time available was the April spring training camp, which meant that freshmen entering in September could not participate in the camp, hence NCAA had a special enrollment window in February each year.

In February, based on ESPN's high school rankings, universities could extend invitations to their favored players to join the spring training camp—

This was also known as "National Signing Day."

As a traditional football powerhouse, the University of Alabama had exceptional appeal, signing all nineteen high school students on lists like ESPN's, including Ben Davis who ranked second on the ESPN list and Charles Baldwin, who was jointly first on three different lists as an offensive tackle.

Jacobs was ranked thirty-sixth on the list.

After witnessing Derrick Henry dominate as the starting running back for the Crimson Tide Storm last season, Jacobs, amidst various surprises during the spring training camp, took over the role of premier running back, bearing the burden of the new season's ground offense for the Crimson Tide Storm.

Which is to say, he was facing Derrick Henry as a model—

Just to spoil a bit, last month, Henry, recently drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the draft, earned the nickname "Emperor Henry" among fans due to his aggressive style of play and dominating performances.

And now, Jacobs had to take up Henry's mantle.

The pressure, as one can imagine, was immense.

Throughout the morning's training, Jacobs and Li Wei had only a handful of conversations, with Jacobs fully immersed in the training, sweating profusely.

After completing basic and strength training, and without specific drills for running backs, they had to shift into the team's tactical training.

Normally, team matchups were "eleven VS eleven" with both offensive and defensive groups consisting of eleven players on the field; but currently, Saban was conducting tactical adjustments, thus reducing it to seven-on-seven to accelerate strategic transitions and simulate combat more rapidly, keeping minds running at high speed.

In front of him, fourteen core players from the offensive and defensive groups were present—Li Wei's attention was fully on the offensive group.

The main running back was Jacobs and the starting quarterback was Jalen Hurts.

Hurts was a storied individual; like Jacobs, he was still a high school student and would enroll in September. Ranked thirteenth among four-star high schoolers on various major lists, he entered the Crimson Tide Storm carrying hopes and dreams and was quickly approved by Saban as a starter.

For Hurts, a bright future was gradually unfolding.

But what Hertz didn't know was that in the next six years, he would experience dramatic ups and downs—

from starting quarterback of the Crimson Tide Storm to underperforming and being forced to transfer, from being generally underestimated and then picked in the second round of the draft to warming the bench at the Philadelphia Eagles, from taking charge in critical situations amidst countless controversies to leading the team into the Super Bowl in the 2022 season only to suffer a heartbreaking loss at the last moment, eventually signing a record-breaking contract for five years at two hundred fifty-five million US dollars.

Hollywood's favorite kind of biographical movie should be just like this, way more compelling than the one from 2010 titled "The Blind Side."

Of course, Li Wei didn't know any of this.

Even though he came from 2023, he swore he had no idea, even if he had seen the news unintentionally, he still couldn't remember the names.

At this moment, in Li Wei's eyes, Hertz was orchestrating tactics, attempting to clear a path for Jacobs, which to Li Wei was something novel.

If one does not delve deeper, watching a football game can often feel just like watching the hustle and noise, with a group of people constantly crashing into each other.

But once you truly understand the positions, tactics, and matchups, football becomes like a chess match, filled with wisdom and intricacies. It is by no means merely about physical confrontations; it's a sport where tactics vary infinitely and can evolve continually with the dynamics of the game.

Like now, for instance.

"Attack!"

Hertz announced the snap.

The entire lineup was like two armies facing off, each forming a line at the forefront, helmets nearly colliding, gazes clashing.

Accompanied by Hertz's shout, the Defensive group immediately pressed forward while the front line of the Offensive group advanced to meet them, resulting in a fierce real battle collision.

Hertz took the football from the Center, turned around without hesitation, and reached back to pass the football to Jacobs.

Jacobs didn't hesitate, stepped forward immediately, and, completing the handoff with Hertz, reached out to receive the ball.

However!

Before the handoff was complete, a Defensive player had already torn through the line, cutting into the Offensive side, with arms spread wide, lunging towards Hertz.

Danger!

Just then, Hertz and Jacobs misdirected—

Li Wei noticed that Jacobs hadn't taken the football; the two had just made a feint handoff movement before diverting their paths.

Jacobs advanced, heading straight for the defending player.

Bang!

Helmet harshly striking against helmet, a ripple of shock from head to body.

Hertz continued to surge forward a few steps, skillfully pivoting counterclockwise, then turned again to face the field ahead, Jacobs' block buying him precious breathing time.

Indeed, the football was still in his possession!

He quickly scanned, adjusted his step, and his right hand already launched the football towards the forward diagonal of the field, casting a rainbow arc across the sky.

Forward diagonal, about fifteen yards out, an Offensive player kept changing his center of gravity with nimble small steps, bobbing to shake Humphrey but unable to get rid of him. So, he simply backed into Humphrey, pushing hard against him to stubbornly secure the position, extended his arms, and plucked the football from the air.

Connection, successful!

Fifteen yards, advanced.

Thus, first down achieved—

Beautiful!