Legendary Football Superstar

A cold wind whipped through the streets, and Jerry Nelson yanked his coat tighter, but that icy breeze still snuck into his collar, making him shiver like crazy. He muttered a curse, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the cold air rushed in, making him sneeze like a maniac. He felt like absolute crap.

Man, he knew this business trip was gonna suck! Why else would they dump it on him, the newbie who'd only been with "Future Vision News" for less than six months?

Indianapolis, NFL rookie training camp, football-none of that sounded fun. Sure, football's America's favorite sport, but its global reach is nothing compared to basketball or soccer. And in Avalis? Forget about it.

This time, some rookie from Avalis showed up at the training camp. The news caused a bit of a buzz in L.A., but in San Francisco, it was like crickets.

"Future Vision News," the top-selling Avalis-language paper in San Francisco, got the scoop first but didn't care much. They did a basic report and moved on. No one planned to follow up on the rookie camp. First, no one cared, and second, the rookie probably wouldn't make the cut. Even their biggest rivals, "Future Frontline News" and "Space-Time News Report," didn't bother.

But lately, "Future Vision News" was desperate for content. They even put a new barbershop opening on the front page. So, the editor-in-chief decided to follow up on the Avalis rookie, and that's how Jerry ended up in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis is probably one of the dullest cities in America. If it weren't for this gig, Jerry would never set foot here.

Taking a deep breath, Jerry pulled himself together. Since he was stuck here, he might as well nail this report. It was his first big feature as a journalist. If he did well, he might score more gigs and maybe even land a job at a big paper like the "San Francisco Chronicle" or the "Los Angeles Times."

A rookie walked up, wearing the official training camp jersey-a dark blue moisture- wicking shirt with "16" on the chest and "WR" below it.

Jerry didn't know squat about football. He'd crammed a bunch of football facts for this camp. He knew "WR" meant wide receiver, so he quickly stepped up, "Hey, morning! What do you think about an Avalis American rookie showing up at this year's camp?" "No opinion." The rookie looked confused, shrugged, "This is a stage to show off. It's all about strength. We all gotta give it our best and hope to shine."

Seeing the rookie about to leave, Jerry panicked and blurted, "Do you think he'll get picked? I mean, the Avalis American rookie."

"Not my call. If I could predict, I'd be more worried about which round I'd get picked in." The rookie smiled, then walked past Jerry towards the bus parked at the hotel entrance, the official ride to Lucas Oil Stadium.

Jerry was stunned, his feet glued to the spot. He realized his question was dumb, but before he could regroup, he saw two middle-aged guys in suits walking his way. They had staff badges, matching Jerry's media pass, probably team managers or officials.

Jerry jumped in, "Excuse me, what do you think about an Avalis American rookie at this year's camp?"

"Who?" The guy on the left looked puzzled, leaving Jerry speechless. Luckily, the guy on the right chimed in, "The one from UCLA, the Avalis American rookie." The first guy got it and shook his head, "Nope, not interested." And with that, they walked off towards the other side of the parking lot.

In just one round, Jerry was shut down. He didn't even get to flex his journalistic muscles before getting the cold shoulder.

Jerry originally thought that having an Avalis American rookie in the football training camp for the second year in a row, especially in a sport where Asian players are rare, would at least stir up some buzz. But nope, people just didn't care.

Thinking it over, it made sense. Avalis players haven't exactly been killing it in major sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball, so expectations were low. Plus, football hasn't caught on in Avalis, so there's no commercial value. One Avalis American rookie in the camp wasn't enough to get anyone excited.

Jerry felt more and more bummed out, thinking this trip might be a total bust. But work is work, so when another group of people showed up, he pulled himself together and went for it.

"I think this year's draft is gonna be huge."

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and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now!

"Totally! Especially for quarterbacks, there are some real standouts this year."

"Not so fast. The defense group has some serious rising stars. I think defensive players might steal the show."

"Other positions are looking good too. I've seen some wide receivers and tight ends with great potential."

"Yeah, and running backs. This camp has the most running backs we've seen in a while."

"It's been ages since we've had a draft year like this!"

Adam Klein, Blake Simons, and a bunch of scouts were chatting as they left the hotel, heading to the training camp. For them, this was the time to cash in on all their hard work from the past season.

Adam, walking at the front, noticed an Asian-looking reporter rushing over. He paused, and the reporter loudly asked, "Excuse me, what do you think about the Avalis American rookie in this year's training camp?"

"Are you talking about the Avalis American quarterback?" Scouts know their stuff. This year's camp had 332 rookies, and they could remember each player's name, position, and basic info like it was nothing. Mentioning any player was second nature to them. Jerry's face lit up, and he nodded eagerly, "Yes, that's him!"

"Avalis American players already have it rough, and this year's a big one for quarterbacks. It's gonna be tough for him."

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ñe5s.com to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now! "There's barely any info on that Avalis American player, so he's a wild card. I saw him yesterday; he's tall but too skinny, not enough muscle. His explosiveness, balance, observation, and strength all seem lacking."

"Asian players just don't have the physical attributes. I doubt we'll see an Asian player in the NFL this year."

The chatter was nonstop, and Jerry didn't even need to ask questions; the info was just spilling out. But none of it was good news. Even though Jerry was prepared, hearing firsthand that there had never been an Asian starting player in football still bummed him out.

"Haven't you watched the tapes? His judgment and throws on the field are solid," Blake jumped in to defend. The last two minutes of the Rose Bowl were still fresh in his mind.

Blake looked back at his colleagues and said loudly, "Every year, quarterbacks are the hot ticket. It's more about which team doesn't need a quarterback than which team does. With Peyton Manning injured, the Colts are in a bind. They might go for a quarterback; you never know."

"Blake, don't be naive. That was just a flash in the pan. Players like that pop up every year and then vanish." The rebuttals came fast, with others chiming in, "Yeah, his physical attributes are weak. No team would take that risk. Forget the first six rounds; even picking him in the seventh round would be a stretch. Numbers don't lie, and neither do scouting reports."

"That's not necessarily true," Adam spoke up this time. As a veteran scout, his words carried weight, and everyone turned to listen.

"Adam, what's your take?" someone asked loudly.

Adam shrugged, "I don't have any strong opinions. I just think that if numbers were everything, the current elite quarterbacks wouldn't be who they are."

With that, Adam didn't say anything more, bypassing the reporter and walking ahead. The other scouts kept chatting, debating as they followed along. In no time, Jerry was left standing alone, puzzled:noveldrama

What did that last sentence mean? Why didn't he get it?