"… No, you're wrong! There's a huge difference between a temporary starter and an official one, just like a temporary worker and a permanent one. The pressure and the test are different. For Lu Ke, it's like he's shouldering the burden of the entire team now. Before, he didn't have any pressure if he lost the game. He could just pass the mess on to Smith or Kaepernick. But now, he has to accept the responsibility. It's not the same."
"I know it's not the same, but what I mean is that this pressure won't affect Lu Ke. For example, after the fourth week of the preseason ended, the 49ers had no choice but to make Lu Ke the starting quarterback. At that time, he had been with the team for less than four weeks, but he still delivered an amazing performance. Lu Ke is a player with a big heart…"
"Even with a big heart, we still have to be aware of the facts. Lu Ke's performance is becoming more and more unstable, and on the other hand, Vick's performance is gradually getting on track…"
"Are you telling me that Vick's performance is getting better now? God, that's ridiculous. Did you read Vick's stats from the last game?"
"Those stats can't reflect the progress of the game at all! Did you watch the game? The Philadelphia Eagles are the strongest opponent the San Francisco 49ers have faced since the season started. They are also the toughest nut to crack. This game is definitely not as simple as you think!"
The entire studio was extremely noisy, almost to the point of being a cacophony.
ESPN was recording the latest episode of "Inside the League," and ten professional commentators were holding a round-table discussion, expressing their opinions and arguing passionately. The intensity of the discussion was rising, and it was gradually getting out of control. The pauses and overlaps between their words were so frequent that it was impossible to tell who was saying what.
Before one person could finish a sentence, another would interject. Before a point could be fully expressed, someone would either agree or disagree, and interruptions were constant. There were even moments when two commentators would speak at the same time, their voices overlapping, making it impossible to understand.
As the host, Edward Bowen had lost control, but he wasn't flustered or angry. Instead, he was watching the scene in front of him with great interest, finding it very amusing.
This episode was very chaotic, like a farmer's market. Whether it would be broadcastable was one thing, but the recording process was certainly a lot of fun. The San Francisco 49ers and their rookie quarterback had injected new vitality into the 2011 season, and everyone could feel their powerful influence.
For the media, this was a carnival. Now, the ten commentators on "Inside the League" were like this, completely like a bullfight festival.
"Foolish! Absolutely foolish!" Charles Davis' voice was drowned out in the noise, making it impossible to distinguish. Charles then stood up abruptly, like a crane among chickens. His movement was incredibly noticeable among all the seated commentators.
In an instant, Charles, like a lighthouse, successfully attracted everyone's attention. He had achieved his goal.
"You're overestimating the 49ers and overestimating Lu Ke. The three-game winning streak has blinded you. All your judgments have become meaningless. Don't forget, we're talking about a team that had five straight losses at the beginning of last year and four straight losses in the preseason this year. This team has many problems in both their offense and defense. Although their defense is not bad, it's still not enough to win games by relying on the defense. The fact that it wasn't exposed in the first three weeks doesn't mean it can continue to be hidden.
The bottom line is that the Eagles have the overall advantage. Their offense is stronger, and their defense has more potential. Even their special teams have the ability to score. In this game, in terms of pure strength and momentum, the Eagles are the more likely side to win.
What's more, this is Philadelphia, the Eagles' home field. They were just humiliated by their division rivals, the Giants, at home. The players won't want to lose face in front of their home fans again."
Charles expressed his opinion with a firm tone. Once again, he cast his vote of confidence for the Philadelphia Eagles, or in other words, he had chosen the San Francisco 49ers' opponent for the fourth consecutive week.
Was this prejudice? Or was it stubbornness? Or was it professionalism? Regardless of the specific reason, Charles did make a good point, and it was quite convincing, earning him the support and affirmation of many fans. Especially the fans of the San Francisco 49ers' opponents.
It was another week of the regular season, another episode of "Inside the League," and another game prediction. In today's recording, the situation had finally changed quietly. Five commentators chose the Philadelphia Eagles, believing that they would win and stop their two-game losing streak. The other five commentators chose the San Francisco 49ers, believing that Lu Ke would lead the team to a four-game winning streak.
This was the first time that the ten commentators on "Inside the League" had a tie when predicting a game involving the San Francisco 49ers since the beginning of the 2011 season.
As Charles said, no one could ignore the momentum of a three-game winning streak. Even if they personally still had doubts about Lu Ke as a rookie, they came to a relatively objective conclusion based on the stats and momentum.
However, overall, among the five supporters, two of them were a little ambiguous and not completely certain.
If you look at their record, the Philadelphia Eagles didn't seem to be a threat. But if you look at their on-paper strength and their record in recent years, the Philadelphia Eagles had the absolute advantage. Without a doubt, this was the San Francisco 49ers' strongest opponent since the season began. The on-field performance would determine the outcome of the game.
The San Francisco 49ers versus the Philadelphia Eagles game in the fourth week of the regular season would officially kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday on the East Coast.
A day in advance, on Saturday morning, the entire 49ers team arrived in Philadelphia early. After settling in at the hotel, they went to the stadium to begin their warm-up.
The Philadelphia Eagles' home field, Lincoln Financial Field, was a unique stadium. Its exterior was somewhat similar to a Transformer, and its navy blue walls were consistent with the Eagles' home jersey. It could hold almost seventy thousand people, which was about the same size as Candlestick Park.
This was the home field of the NCAA Temple University football team and the Major League Soccer club, the Philadelphia Union. But clearly, the Philadelphia Eagles were the true rulers of this stadium.
In fact, as one of the oldest and most historic cities in the United States, Philadelphia had a long tradition and a glorious past. It was also the first city in the United States to be included in the World Heritage List. The Declaration of Independence was signed here, and the Constitution was also drafted here.
So, this city had countless stories, and the sports world was no exception. In the four major professional leagues of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, Philadelphia had a team in each, and they had all had their own glory. For example, the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the MLB's Philadelphia Phillies, who had just won the World Series in 2008.
This was a city with sportsmanship flowing in its blood, and among the four major leagues, thanks to the strong football market, the Philadelphia Eagles were undoubtedly the most popular team in the entire city!
Every game weekend, Lincoln Financial Field was packed to the gills with people. The entire city cheered and roared for football.
After the road game in Cincinnati last week, the feeling of playing on the road was still strange and unsettling, but at least it wasn't a complete mystery anymore. Lu Ke was starting to understand what it felt like to play on the road, and he was also beginning to understand what a quarterback needed to adjust to during the warm-up, and how to make those adjustments based on his own habits.
The process was incredibly difficult, but he was no longer a headless chicken.
After the warm-up, Lu Ke was chatting and laughing with his teammates as they left the field and headed toward the locker room. "Hey, Bambi!" A voice echoed from above the field. Lu Ke followed the voice and then stopped for a moment. He saw the figure of Leigh Steinberg in the stands on the right side of the players' tunnel.
Logan and the others didn't stop. They patted Lu Ke on the shoulder and continued on. Lu Ke stood below the stands and looked up. "Did you come all the way to Philadelphia for... tomorrow's game?"
"Yes," Leigh replied with a positive answer.
Lu Ke chuckled. "I thought what happened last week was an exception."
Leigh also smiled. "No, for the next period of time, this is my job. I'll be at every one of your games to handle everything up close and to make sure I can take on all of your work as soon as possible."
Lu Ke's mouth was slightly agape. He was a little surprised and a little pleased. He nodded his head slightly, indicating that he understood. "Well, welcome aboard."
"There's a job to be done now. There are a lot of reporters gathered in the players' tunnel. Can you handle it yourself? If you feel like it's a distraction, you can go straight back to the locker room, and I'll handle the reporters." Leigh said in a relaxed tone. "The game is what you need to focus on. Don't worry about anything else."
Following Leigh's words, Lu Ke glanced at the players' tunnel and saw a crowd of reporters in the light and shadows. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but the crowd was surging. It seemed that they had noticed Lu Ke's gaze, and calls of "Bambi, Bambi..." could be heard from far away. The intermittent, muffled voices echoed in the players' tunnel.
Lu Ke made an "OK" gesture. "Don't worry, I can handle it. If I can't, I'll call for help."
Leigh could hear the joke in Lu Ke's words. He raised his right hand and gave a salute. They exchanged a look, and then Leigh watched as Lu Ke started walking again, heading toward the group of reporters. Leigh rested his hands on the railing, observing the situation in the players' tunnel like a spectator, a look of great interest on his face.
"Bambi, what are your expectations for this week's game? The league still doesn't favor you to win. Do you have anything to say in response to that?"
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