“What does winning mean to you?”

Bruce keenly caught the flaw in Lu Ke’s words. With just one exchange, he immediately went for the heart of the matter. The team manager’s sharpness showed his decisiveness and quickness.

Lu Ke sat up straight, his eyes slightly narrowed. “To me, winning is everything, and everything is for winning!”

The simple, direct, and powerful words were full of ambition and drew attention. It wasn’t just Bruce; the three coaches sitting next to him also showed surprised expressions. They clearly hadn’t expected the seemingly low-key and reserved Lu Ke to have such a fierce determination.

Bruce didn’t let him off the hook easily. He raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, “Everyone says that.”

“But not everyone does that,” Lu Ke replied directly and confidently, without any hesitation or pause. He didn’t offer any extra explanation, and his bright eyes were the best answer: “I can do it!”

Bruce, who was sitting in front of him, didn’t react. He stared intently at Lu Ke, as if he was carefully pondering his words, and as if he was looking for a flaw in Lu Ke’s eyes. But Lu Ke didn’t back down. He met his gaze with confidence and composure.

Instead, Mike Shanahan, who was sitting on the side, nodded meaningfully and broke the slightly tense silence. “Did you read our playbook?”

A playbook, as the name suggests, is the tactical plan and strategy of a team.

However, the playbook referred to in the rookie training camp was naturally different from the one for an official league game. An official playbook is a team’s top-level secret and would never be shared so casually, especially at an event like the rookie training camp, where information is shared.

More accurately, the playbook here was a team’s plan and vision for their new season, especially the arrangements for each position.

In the rookie training camp, most teams would distribute this version of the playbook to the rookie players they were interested in to let them understand their team’s plans and arrangements and to let them know their potential role on the team. It was a process of communication and understanding.

“Yes,” Lu Ke said with a smile. “To be honest, after I read it, I was a little surprised that you would interview me, because in your playbook, Rex Grossman is still your first choice for quarterback, and my passing style is not the same as his. He is a quarterback who mainly focuses on short passes.”

As he spoke, Lu Ke suddenly remembered something. “Oh, this should be yours.” Lu Ke opened his backpack and started rummaging through it.

Mike and Bruce exchanged a look of confusion. Just as Bruce was about to speak, Lu Ke sat up straight again, holding an envelope. He looked at Mike, then at Bruce, and finally handed the envelope to Bruce. He smiled and sat back down.

Bruce was a little stunned, then opened the envelope and glanced inside. There was a one-hundred-dollar bill and a card.

He took out the card, and it read, “Give it to me after I help you win a Super Bowl.”

Bruce looked up and saw the confident smile on Lu Ke’s face. There was no pride or smugness; likewise, there was no nervousness or panic. He was so calm. Thinking back to the look in his eyes just now, things became even more interesting.

This was a little trick by the Washington Redskins.

On the last page of the playbook, they would tape a one-hundred-dollar bill and then, during the interview, they would intentionally ask the rookie players if they had read the entire playbook to test their sincerity and honesty.

In the past few seasons, the Redskins had tried the same trick twice, and this was the third time. Of course, when asked, all players would say “I’ve read it” or “I’ve finished it,” but only half of the players would mention the one-hundred-dollar bill. The other half wouldn’t, so when the team manager brought up the one-hundred-dollar trick, those players would feel embarrassed.

The Redskins would then observe the players’ reactions: were they honest or were they lying? Or would they try to find an excuse and shirk responsibility? Of course, the excellent qualities displayed by the players who actually read the playbook were obviously the best.

But today, they had a special case: Lu Ke.

Lu Ke not only read the playbook but also returned the one hundred dollars in this way.

Honesty, focus, dedication; confidence, assertiveness, and persistence; politeness, friendliness, and grace. A small gesture showed so many great qualities. More importantly, Lu Ke’s desire for victory and his strong belief were truly commendable.

Bruce’s eyes suddenly became meaningful. He handed the envelope to Mike and continued his interview without any change in his expression. “You just mentioned that your tactical style is not the same as Rex’s. But from what I see, you are both quarterbacks who mainly focus on passing. Am I wrong?”

The conversation continued. The ten-minute interview came to a pleasant end.

After leaving the room, Lu Ke didn’t have time to think about the gains and losses of the interview. After a long day of mental and physical exhaustion, he needed to relax and rest.

“Phew, my only thought right now is to lie in a hot tub with a glass of champagne and two women in bikinis sitting next to me…” Marcus closed his eyes and started daydreaming.

Lu Ke didn’t give him any face and immediately complained, “That’s not one thought, that’s three different thoughts, and every single one of them is a pipe dream.”

Everyone laughed. Marcus opened his eyes and tried to argue, but before he could, he lowered his shoulders and waved his hand weakly. After a full day of running around and talking, all his energy was completely drained.

“Did you guys hear? Today, only three players were interviewed by all thirty-two teams,” David Carter said excitedly on the side. But at this point, everyone was exhausted, and their reactions to gossip seemed to be a half-beat slow. So, David said on his own, “Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, and Patrick Peterson.”

“What? They’re all on the defense?” Lu Ke immediately caught the information. The three players were a linebacker, a defensive tackle, and a cornerback. They were all defensive players. “What about the offense?”

David waved his hands repeatedly. “That’s not the point, come on! Didn’t you notice? Cam Newton isn’t on the list!” With that, David couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed that Lu Ke was not the only one in the rookie training camp who didn’t like Cam.

In fact, it was impossible for all thirty-two teams to interview a quarterback. Teams like the Green Bay Packers, or teams that were not good at training rookie quarterbacks, would not look for a backup quarterback among rookies. They would rather look for targets in the trade market and the free-agent market.

Everyone knew this, but it was amusing to see the arrogant Cam get snubbed and have his spotlight stolen by others.

“Isn’t the more important thing that the number one draft pick might not be him?” Logan immediately found another highlight and laughed. “If it were me, I would pick Von Miller. That guy’s speed, strength, and sacking skills are just too good! He’s a sacking machine!”

“Then let’s wait and see,” Rahim also joined in the fun with a chuckle. “How were your interviews today? Did everything go well? I had a good feeling about my conversations with the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles today.”

“I talked to the 49ers, and they didn’t seem too interested,” Logan said with his shoulders slumped and a sad look on his face. “I love the 49ers so much. If I had to, I’d dig out my heart and show it to them. But they don’t seem to be in need of a tight end. God, why!”

“Don’t complain in front of me. At least you got an interview.” Lu Ke kicked Logan in the ribs, kicking him directly off the bed, which made the others laugh again. “Besides the 49ers, what about the other teams? Is no one interested in you?”

Logan didn’t get up and just lay on the floor, looking like he had given up on life, but he still answered, “The Arizona Cardinals, the Cleveland Browns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They seemed very interested. Ugh, I don’t want to go to Cleveland, Ohio. It’s almost like a desert with no grass.”

“As if you have a choice,” Lu Ke’s witty remark made everyone laugh.

Marcus, who was lying next to him, joined the conversation. “Cleveland also seems to be a little interested in me. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be teammates again.”

“Ugh. Who wants to be teammates with you again.” Logan vomited directly and made a disgusted sound. This time, Marcus couldn’t hold back anymore. He flipped over and stood up. “Hairy freak, who are you talking about! Ah! Who are you talking about! I’ll show you!” Marcus directly sat on Logan’s stomach, and the two of them started to wrestle.

The other three sat or lay on the side, completely unwilling to interfere. Then, in the next second, Logan and Marcus stopped and teamed up to pull the three of them into the fight. Pillows were thrown, and they were tackling each other. The whole room was a mess, full of life.

The rookie training camp came to an end like this. After graduating from college, another group of people would completely say goodbye to their careers as professional players. More players would step onto the field and start a brand new life. The difference was that the teammates who fought side by side in college might face each other as opponents the next time they met. But this was still lucky. The saddest thing would be one being on the field and the other on the bench, meeting in the same game but not having the chance to compete against each other.

But that’s just how competitive sports are. They are passionate, but also cold-blooded. All good things must come to an end, but before they officially went their separate ways, before they officially said goodbye to their old lives, before they officially left the ivory tower and entered the cruel reality, and before they left the rookie training camp in Indianapolis, they still enjoyed the last moments of their college careers, the last moments before becoming professional players, and the last moments of saying goodbye to school and becoming adults.

Who knows? Maybe one of the five people in this room would say goodbye to the sport forever. So, they partied hard and celebrated to the fullest.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep