Chapter 653: Unwilling to Give Up
Stunned.
Lu Ke stood on the sideline, looking dazed. Everything had happened too quickly and too violently. He hadn't had time to prepare, and the game was suddenly over. In a daze, he remembered the game in Week 4 of the regular season, an away game against the Philadelphia Eagles. A game-winning touchdown followed by a game-losing one. They lost the game so unexpectedly.
But this time, it marked the end of the entire season.
Sudden death. Just like that, it was sudden death. The efforts of an entire season had turned to dust.
On the field, the New York Giants' players were going crazy. They rushed onto the field without a care, and everyone piled on top of Bradshaw. Even Eli Manning took off his helmet, his face full of disbelief, and he screamed, sprinted, and ran, letting out all his joy and happiness. Even the coaching staff and the rest of the team were in a state of frenzy.
He was unwilling to give up.
He was unwilling. He had fought for so long, held on for so long, and struggled for so long, only for the 2011 season to end in such a meaningless way. One comeback after another, one time after another of never giving up, one explosion after another in a desperate situation. He had worked so hard to get into overtime, but he didn't even get a chance to play. It was just over.
How could he be willing to accept that? It was like in a battle, fully armed, but before he could even get on the field, an atomic bomb ended everything. The war was over, and they were declared the losers. The struggles and resistance before seemed to be in vain, only delaying the outcome of their defeat.
He was unwilling to give up.
If he had one more chance to play, one more chance to drive, if... But there were no "ifs." It was over. This was the end. The magical journey of the entire season came to a halt right here. It was declared over in an unreasonable way, and he didn't even get a chance for a curtain call.
His hands were clenched into fists. He was clenching them so hard that his whole body began to tremble slightly. The sourness in his nose was unbearable, and tears suddenly began to flow, without him having time to stop or control them. The hot tears blurred his vision. He was unwilling to give up! He was unwilling to give up! He was unwilling to give up! He was so unwilling to give up!
The Super Bowl. That was the goal he had fought for all season. It was so close, so close that he felt like he could almost touch the spot in the Super Bowl, but at the last moment, all his hope was cut off. He could only watch helplessly as the New York Giants went to the Super Bowl. They were left where they were, standing on the NFC stage, watching the NFC Championship and the Super Bowl spot that were within reach, but they were powerless.
He clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth, but... "I'm so unwilling to give up."
The surging emotions were so overwhelming that he couldn't stand it. The bitterness grew unbearable, becoming a cutting pain that he couldn't get rid of.
He raised his right hand and used his palm to fiercely wipe the tears from his eyes and cheeks. Through his blurry vision, he saw Justin Smith kneeling on the grass. The man, who usually had a mean look on his face and was tough and cold, was now looking at the field with a lost expression, as if his entire soul had been sucked out. Then, he started to cry sadly.
One defensive play. Just missing one defensive play. Who would have thought that it would become the regret of an entire season?
Lu Ke felt a pang of sadness.
At this moment, even he couldn't fully understand Justin's feelings.
Justin had been in the league for eleven years, a full eleven years. He had his ups and downs, his bumps and bruises. This was his first time in the NFC Championship. He was already thirty-three years old this year. Whether he would have another season was one thing, but even if he did, it would be incredibly difficult to maintain this year's form.
In other words, this year might have been his last chance to go to the Super Bowl. If he missed it, he would never have another chance. But he missed his last defensive play.
Justin was crying so sadly, like a lost child.
It wasn't just Justin. Lu Ke also thought of Ted Ginn, Michael Crabtree, and Anthony Davis, who were all injured.
He had promised Ginn that he would fight to the last moment and win. He had promised Ginn that he wouldn't let his injury be a regret. He would carry Ginn's weight and charge toward the Super Bowl. But he couldn't keep his promise.
He couldn't imagine how much pain Ginn was in, how sad Justin was, and Crabtree and Anthony, who were standing on the sidelines... They had gone through so many hardships and so much pain, taking one step at a time to get here, but now it was all in vain. One loss had pushed them into a bottomless abyss.
Lu Ke ultimately couldn't fully understand.
For Lu Ke, he was still young. This was just his rookie season. He still had a chance, he still had a future, he still had a possibility. Professional sports were so cruel and so cold. This made Lu Ke wake up and realize that he was a leader. He was one of the leaders of the team. He had to cheer up and once again lead this team out of the shadow of defeat and make them believe that the hope in professional sports never disappeared.
He was unwilling to give up. He was still unwilling to give up.
But he wouldn't be defeated, and he wouldn't be knocked down! After his wounds healed, he would stand up again. If he missed this year, there was still next year! He couldn't forget that this was only the first year of the team working together. If they were given enough time, they would once again charge toward the Super Bowl, and next time, they would not let go easily.
Slowly, Lu Ke straightened his back and let out a heavy breath. All the bitterness and frustration poured out. He used the back of his hand to wipe all the misery from his face. He walked to Justin's side, squatted down, and gave the defensive veteran a big hug. "We are not losers. Justin, remember, we are not losers!"
Justin looked at Lu Ke with a dazed expression and asked with a choked voice, "But we lost. We lost our chance to go to the Super Bowl."
"Then we'll take it back," Lu Ke's nose was a little sore, but he didn't break down. Instead, he clenched his fists firmly. "Believe me, we'll be back. You understand? When we come back next time, we will hold on to the lessons from today! Everything will become an important advantage for us to go for the championship!"
Justin nodded, but his emotions still couldn't recover immediately. He just knelt on the ground quietly, just like that.
Lu Ke stood up and walked toward Crabtree and Anthony. He hugged each of them, but Crabtree was especially emotional. He pushed Lu Ke away with a lot of force, refusing Lu Ke's comfort. He walked to the back by himself, venting his emotions with a face full of frustration.
Lu Ke didn't force it. He turned around and walked to each of his teammates on the offense. He hugged every single one of them, including Swain and Williams, comforting them, who were full of self-blame.
Williams had completely broken down at this moment. He was on his knees, his face full of frustration and anger. Tears couldn't even flow down. His face was just full of confusion and loneliness. He always wondered, if he hadn't dropped the ball on the play where Ginn was injured, and he had made a touchdown, would the result of the game have been different?
That drop shouldn't have happened.
Lu Ke knew that at this moment, any words were useless. He could only hold Williams tightly and pat him on the back. Professional sports were so cruel. A millisecond could determine the difference between heaven and hell.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Williams just kept muttering, over and over again. He was in a daze, and that sadness couldn't be accurately described with words.
Lu Ke patted Williams on the back hard, and his nose also felt a little sore. The unwillingness and frustration surged again, but he could only clench his teeth. "Kyle, let it go. Let it go. We'll wait for the next time, the next time."
"I'm sorry." Williams, however, didn't hear him and just kept repeating himself.
Lu Ke patted Williams's helmet hard. He stood up with a bitter taste in his mouth and finally walked toward Logan and Marcus.
Logan was standing there dejectedly, not moving, as if he still hadn't come back to his senses. It wasn't until Lu Ke hugged him that his emotions completely burst out. He wailed and asked, "What about Ted? My God, what about Ted? What if, what if Ted..."
What if Ted was seriously injured today and couldn't recover, would they have missed their chance to go to the Super Bowl forever?
"I caught it. I clearly caught it, but why? Why? What about Ted? Bambi, where's Ted? How are we supposed to tell Ted that we let him down? We couldn't make it to the Super Bowl. We... we... Bambi. What are we going to do? I clearly caught that pass. I caught it."
Logan sobbed intermittently, venting his emotions helplessly. Those questions hit Lu Ke's heart hard, but Lu Ke, who was always eloquent, was speechless at this moment. He couldn't make a sound.
In his sight, Lu Ke saw Alex Smith standing on the sideline, looking dejected.
This was Alex's last game at Candlestick Park. Although Lu Ke and Alex were competitors, there was no denying that Alex's experience and understanding were a great help for Lu Ke to understand the playbook. Now, they were sending Alex off with a loss.
That back view made Lu Ke feel a pang of sadness again.
"Logan, Logan! Listen!" Lu Ke said loudly. "Get it together! Get it together again! This loss can be a deep abyss, but it can also be a driving force. Hold on to the feeling of this moment. Remember that anger, that regret, that unwillingness! And then start fighting! Start from the offseason! The next season, that will be our season! Do you understand? We will be back! Listen, we will be back, and we will go one step further and go to the Super Bowl!"
"Remember! Logan, remember!" Lu Ke patted Logan's cheek hard and roared loudly.
Logan nodded, looking a little dazed. It took him a moment to get his head straight.
Lu Ke turned to look at Marcus, who was standing next to him. "Dude! Get it together! We are not losers! This is the starting point of our victory. Hold on to this moment! Do you understand? Ah!"
Marcus was so sad that he couldn't make a sound. He could only nod hard to show that he understood. His slightly reddened eyes sparkled with tears, but they didn't fall in the end. Then he roared with Lu Ke, "Ah!"
"Ah!" Lu Ke roared at Logan.
"Ah!" Marcus also roared at Logan.
"Ah!" Logan then roared at Lu Ke.
One after another, they vented all the negative emotions in their chests. Their spirits were slowly lifted again, with passion and a confident stride. The UCLA trio had reunited again, tasting the bitterness of defeat together, and looking forward to the dawn of victory together.
As Lu Ke said, a loss can be the beginning of a breakdown, but it can also be the starting point of a glorious journey. This was their moment, a crucial moment that would leave a deep mark. He wouldn't back down, wouldn't be afraid, wouldn't be timid, wouldn't hesitate, and wouldn't be frustrated, because this moment was about to become a brand new beginning!
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