บท 11: The Art of War by Sun Tzu
Casual, sincere, and straightforward.
Without any needless chatter or crafty excuses, Allen demonstrated the magnanimity and attitude of a professional player as he opened his arms to welcome Li Wei to the team.
Li Wei was a bit surprised, and looking at Allen's open and honest expression, he also showed a smile and raised his fist to heavily bump against Allen's.
"Sorry for making you dance ballet this time, how about we try tango next time?"
That confidently beaming smile caused Humphrey and Foster to shiver involuntarily, Why did Li Wei's smile give off a seemingly devilish vibe?
Jackson looked up silently, secretly relieved that his position was in the backfield and he wouldn't have many chances to face the running back head-on.
Allen's ambitious spirit was instantly ignited, he switched his fist to an open hand, grasped Li Wei's right hand, pulled it with a jerk, and the two men heavily bumped shoulders before bursting into hearty laughter, "Then let's give it a try, you are always welcome."
Having said that, Allen turned his head to look at the other three teammates.
"Jackson, stop looking at the sky, it's embarrassing under everyone's gaze, and looking up won't help."
"Now that the rookie has thrown down the gauntlet, we have nothing to say, the defensive group's performance was indeed poor, we need to do extra training today."
"Since the coach mentioned running laps, let's do that, how about we start with thirty laps?"
Ah!
Alas!
Help!
Amidst a chorus of groans, Allen didn't give them any time to protest, turned around, and led the run, with the other three following dejectedly, like a string of tails, amazingly they actually began running laps.
And that wasn't all.
Allen, leading the three tails running by the side of the field, called out powerfully, "Defensive group, follow up."
Then, with a whoosh, a large group of players added themselves behind Allen, each obediently joining the lap-running line.
Li Wei watched this scene with a face full of curiosity and when they reached where Li Wei was standing, cries of "Thanks, rookie" and jeers came one after another.
Li Wei waved cheerfully just as if he were on the balcony of Buckingham Palace waving to the pilgrim masses.
Ha!
The team burst into laughter.
Then, Li Wei turned and walked towards the sidelines, from afar he could see a beaming Burns approaching him, patting Li Wei on the shoulder with relief.
"Hard work, hard work."
"You performed very well, it's great not knowing football, it's wonderful not understanding football, it means there are no stereotypes or fixed templates, and that's why you can use your imagination."
While saying this, he came to the sideline and stood in front of Saban with Burns not saying a word, but crossing his arms in front of him and standing like a bodyguard next to Li Wei, looking at Saban.
Though he didn't speak, Burns's stance couldn't have been clearer, he didn't stand next to Saban, but chose to stand on the same side as Li Wei.
Saban knew his old pal well, everything was negotiable normally, but when it came to football, Burns was particularly obsessive and professional.
Saban looked at Burns, "There's no need for such a posture, even if I don't trust my own judgment, don't I trust you? I'll call the principal, we need to finish the team joining formalities before reporting the big roster, but the key now is what the man himself thinks."
"Li Wei, right?"
"Are you willing to join the Crimson Tide Storm?"
Li Wei could feel Saban's seriousness, and he too stood tall, looking straight into Saban's eyes, "I am ready to accept the challenge."
Even though he had just performed exceptionally, he remained humble and calm, which Saban liked about Li Wei's choice of words, "accept the challenge," which reflected Li Wei's intelligence.
Involuntarily, Saban's expectations stirred again, maybe it was okay to raise the expectations some more, "Welcome to the Crimson Tide Storm."
Burns flashed a satisfied smile, "Come, Li Wei, follow me, I'll help you complete the enrollment process, there isn't much time left before registration closes."
Li Wei followed Burns off the field, while Saban stayed behind, continuing the team's training. The new season was about to begin, and even though they were still a strong team, they could not take success for granted; the spring training camp was the final preparation before the summer break.
The NCAA and the NFL are different. Even though the new season starts in September for both, the NFL is a professional event, its offseason training camps are divided into two sessions, one in May and one in July, with pre-season games starting in August; everything revolves around the regular season; the NCAA is not so.
The NCAA, United States college leagues, including basketball, football, tennis, gymnastics, etc., has a complete league system, which serves as a stepping stone to continuously funnel countless talents to the professional leagues; at the same time, the colleges' high regard for the leagues makes them willing to offer specialized scholarships to aid students' training.
The difference between the NCAA and professional leagues lies in their belief that not all players can transition into the professional realm, they need to ensure these student-athletes' futures—
First a student, then an athlete.
This also sets them apart from professional athletes.
As such, even if they cannot transition into professional leagues after graduation, they can still obtain a diploma.
Thus, the NCAA has minimum credit requirements for all players; failure to meet them results in suspension from play; there are also strict regulations on training time.
Summer is a break, and colleges cannot organize training, so spring training camp is the last chance for these student-athletes to fiercely boost their competitiveness.
In Burns's view—
This is perfect.
There's still some time before the new season starts in September, Li Wei can properly train in the basics and learn fundamental knowledge; most importantly, he must learn tactics.
"...You're definitely more familiar with 'The Art of War by Sun Tzu' than I am, right?"
"Actually, football is like going to war. We need to apply 'The Art of War by Sun Tzu' and strategize our play. In the NFL, there are over twenty thousand offensive and defensive tactics; of course, in college, the tactics aren't that exaggerated not because it's impossible, but because we are limited by training time, and the players don't have as much time to learn tactics, so we keep it relatively simple."
"Even so, you still need to learn tactics. Learning offensive tactics is understanding your job; additionally, you also need to learn defensive tactics, so you can decode the opponents' strategies."
"We need time, a lot of it, but I believe you can do it. Perhaps, you even have some advantages, given how smart you are."
As he spoke, Burns realized that he might have accidentally said too much again.
Looking up at Li Wei, "How about we first handle the enrollment procedure, and discuss the rest later?"
Li Wei could immediately read the awkward and anxious expression on Burns's face and couldn't help but smile, "Sure."
Burns let out a long breath, truly worried about scaring Li Wei away, as the new season in September could indeed become a disaster.
Burns kept his mouth firmly shut, eagerly watching Li Wei fill out the enrollment form, until everything was completed and set in black and white; only then did he slightly relax and show a smile.
"By the way, you need to choose a jersey number, pick any you like, the team will try to accommodate your wishes. Do you have a preferred number?"
"99." Li Wei had never chosen a personal jersey number before, but if he was to choose, it had to be unique.
Burns showed an awkward smile, "Uh, that won't work."
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