Legendary Football Superstar

Luke's latest physical test results were in: Forty-yard dash at 4.79 seconds, twenty-yard shuttle at 4.42 seconds, three-cone drill at 6.88 seconds, vertical jump at 31.5 inches, and a broad jump of 108 inches.

Compared to Colin, Luke's still got a bit of catching up to do, and he's not exactly first- round material. But hey, those numbers are solid for a fifth or sixth-round quarterback. With his passing skills and a perfect Wonderlic score, he might even sneak into the fourth or third round.

The real kicker? Luke's made huge strides since rookie training camp five and a half months ago.

Improving that much in half a year? Everyone's first thought was steroids. No wonder Jim asked about it earlier. But Bobby shot that down, and folks started realizing just how much sweat and effort Luke must've put in to get here.

Their eyes drifted to the field, locking onto "Number 11, Alex Smith."noveldrama

Number 11 was out there, laser-focused, working on his throws. After nailing a bunch of thirty-yard passes, he was now going for forty-five-yard throws.

Jim and the coaching crew watched closely. The first pass was spot on, then the second, third, and after hitting four in a row, he finally missed one, hitting the rim and bouncing out. But he stayed cool, hitting the next two before missing the third again.

Number 11 took a break, doing some stretches to loosen up his arm.

"Before this, he was twenty for twenty on thirty-yard passes," Bobby explained, and it all clicked for everyone.

The earlier throws had drained his energy, so his accuracy on the forty-five-yard passes started to dip. In a game, a pocket quarterback might throw twenty to fifty times, and in training, it's even more, but fatigue sets in.

Bobby went on, "For passes within ten yards, he was nineteen for twenty; for ten to twenty yards, he was seventeen for twenty."

pretty impressive.

So, Luke had already done sixty passing drills, missing only four. Under those conditions, hitting six out of eight forty-five-yard passes was accuracy and control were top-notch.

Jim and the others, along with Bobby, were all zeroed in on Luke's passing skills. Even though there were three quarterbacks training, no one could take their eyes off Number 11. Even his simple yoga stretches had a certain mystique.

The sidelines were quiet; everyone was either watching the other quarterbacks or lost

in thought. Suddenly, Bobby's voice cut through the silence, "This group's training is done for now. Next group, same passing drills."

Jim kept his eyes on Number 11, feeling a bit torn and impulsive.

It was just the first day of tryouts. They'd keep testing and evaluating. If needed, they could keep a few backup candidates for more training and scrimmages. Even for a backup quarterback, they had to be thorough.

But with less than a week until the preseason, time was running out. The pressure was

on.

Jim was a decisive coach, known for his sharp style, fiery temper, and no-nonsense approach. He made plenty of enemies during his playing days and often clashed with reporters. As a coach, he was even more assertive, achieving great success at the University of San Diego and Stanford before joining the San Francisco 49ers this year to turn around a struggling team.

Since taking over, Jim had shown his tough style, with the support of the team manager, leading a major overhaul of the team.

First, out of the twenty-member coaching staff, only the running backs coach, offensive line coach, and defensive line coach were kept; everyone else was replaced. Then, out of the fifty-three-man roster, seventeen players were cut, including two quarterbacks, clearing nearly a third of the roster.

Such bold moves and decisive actions were rare in the league, clearly showcasing Jim's coaching style.

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In a flash, Jim made a decision. "Bobby, call Greg Jackson now and get the practice squad's defense over here, and..." Jim paused for a moment, "bring the practice squad's offense too."Greg Jackson, the assistant to the second defensive coach, got his nickname because there were two Gregs on the coaching staff, so they had to differentiate somehow.

"Jim, what's the plan here?" Greg Roman, standing nearby, looked a bit taken aback. Clearly, he hadn't seen this coming.

Jim's face was all business, eyes locked on the field like a predator. "Training day."

"Training day" is a term cops use for a rookie's first day on the job. Since police work is dangerous and unpredictable, rookies can be a liability. So, on their first day, they're paired with a seasoned officer who takes them to the roughest parts of town, creating small incidents to give them a crash course in reality. It's a day meant to scare them straight, hence the name "training day."

Greg Roman and Geep exchanged a look, both starting to get excited.

Outside the training field, Luke was doing some stretches to loosen up his arm. He wasn't quite in the zone yet; his muscles were a bit tight, and the tension was showing. But thanks to over six months of yoga, his muscle activity, flexibility, and endurance had all improved a lot.

Back in rookie camp, the soreness after long passes was brutal. Now, it was just a slight ache that eased up with some massage and relaxation.

The whistle blew, and Bobby, standing at the edge of the field, called out, "All quarterbacks trying out, come over here."

"What's happening?" Scott quickly walked over to Luke, looking around curiously. "Did you see? Players are coming over from the main training facility. What do you think they're up to?"

Luke noticed the players too, but their faces didn't give much away. "Tryouts are all about testing or scrimmages. Data is just data; it's all about how you perform on the field."

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"But it's only the first day of tryouts, this soon?" Scott frowned, then he and Luke joined the main group heading towards the coaches.

"Thanks for coming to the San Francisco 49ers tryout. I'll keep it short." The speaker was Jim, the head coach. No greetings or introductions, just straight to the point.

"Next, we'll have a simple scrimmage. The offensive and defensive players will be the same group. Each quarterback will use the same offensive line and face the same defensive players, then run ten plays." Jim explained briefly, and Luke and Scott exchanged a glance: just as expected. "These ten plays must be completed, whether it's an interception or a touchdown. No matter the result, after ten plays, the players can leave the field. Any questions?"

Unlike rookie camp, interceptions or touchdowns wouldn't end the scrimmage. Each quarterback had to complete ten plays. This meant the coaches needed a more comprehensive look at how the quarterbacks handled pressure.

For example, if a quarterback got intercepted and had to throw again right away, how would they react? Challenge the player who intercepted them? Change the play? Or go for a running back?

"Oh, and no running backs," Jim added. "Correspondingly, the defense will remove one safety."

Without a running back, a quarterback's options were cut by a third. This was good for running quarterbacks but tough for passing quarterbacks.

Using the same group of players meant that going first could be harder because the

players were fresh. Going later might be easier as the players got tired. But going first also had the advantage of catching the defense off guard.

"Anyone want to go first?" Jim scanned the crowd.

"I will!"