Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 568

Chapter 568: 567 Strategic Alliance Chapter 568: 567 Strategic Alliance Memory is a recent thing, just last September and October, when Li Wei burst onto the scene, promoted heavily by the League.

He was thrust into the spotlight, sparking considerable controversy.

Beyond the envious and jealous looks were plenty of disdain and exclusion—

Professional status isn’t built on flattery or handed out based on political correctness without hard work, it should be earned through struggle in game after game.

In the blink of an eye, the Super Bowl curtain fell, and the offseason kicked off in full swing.

Li Wei once again stood under the spotlight, and he could clearly feel the changing atmosphere in the League.

Whether in support of Bell or on the Forbes list, the voices of agreement and recognition kept rising.

This meant that Li Wei had finally won a place for himself through concrete actions.

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It also meant that in the next season, Li Wei would have no rookie bonuses or dark horse advantages.

All opponents would treat him with the highest regard and engage in confrontation, even tilting tactics to focus on him.

The real test was just beginning—

Countless rookies have to face this hurdle.

They rely on their talent by taking advantage of opponents’ unfamiliarity and underestimation in their rookie season.

But stepping into their sophomore year, the opponents are prepared and make targeted adjustments, and these young men find that the situation is not as they imagined, hitting a bottleneck and experiencing a significant decline in their performance on the field.

This is the “rookie wall”.

So, is Li Wei’s rookie wall coming?

New challenges unfold.

Here, the offseason training, adjustments, and integration proceed in an orderly manner.

The defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, quickly settled after the transfer of starting quarterback Smith.

They went through the quarterback handover methodically, and with Li Wei’s help, the offensive group quickly got into form, announcing the start of the Mahomes era.

There, the League’s offseason news continued to buzz, turmoil far from settling down.

Contract negotiations between the League’s two top stars and their teams both reached a deadlock – one being Bell and the other Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Rodgers.

Unlike Bell, the fundamental problem with Rodgers’ contract renewal was his injuries.

The quarterback missed most of the 2017 season due to two injuries at different times, and although not ruled out for the season, it was nearly as bad.

The Green Bay Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008, raising many questions in the team.

But Rodgers refused to back down.

As one of only three elite quarterbacks in the League, with Cousins and Smith securing top contracts, Rodgers had no reason to compromise.

Both parties stood their ground.

Amid rampant speculation, after summer camps and preseason, just days before the new season was about to unveil, on August 29th, good news arrived for fans who had almost given up hope in despair.

The Green Bay Packers and their star quarterback Rodgers finally completed negotiations.

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They signed a four-year, one hundred thirty-four-million-dollar contract, continuing to set the record for the League’s highest annual salary and stepping into the thirty-million-dollar-a-year era with about thirty-three and a half million dollars a year.

Although the negotiation was prolonged and intense, lasting over six months, the outcome was ultimately satisfying and brought joy to everyone involved.

Now it can be anticipated that the quarterbacks awaiting renewal next season have already started to sharpen their knives.

However, the situation with Bell was quite different.

After the end of the spring voluntary training camp and the start of the summer mandatory camp, Bell announced he would continue to miss this year’s summer training camp.

Last year, Bell had refused to sign the exclusive franchise tag by holding out, but the Pittsburgh Steelers eventually convinced him.

This year, the same thing happened again.

Bell took a firm stance, with no need for flashy explanations, clearly making his position known.

Given that the same thing was happening for the second consecutive year, the media logically shouldn’t have been surprised; but in reality, it could vaguely sense a subtle shift in the air.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ official response was non-existent, but the team’s top wide receiver Antonio Brown expressly stated his disagreement during an interview.

Last season, Brown extended his contract with the team; he too yearned for a big contract, but a holdout was never within his considerations.

“To become better, you’ve got to partake in training first.

Without training, both parties would only come to harm.”

“If you could show up, everyone would understand that you want to stay here and hope to continue doing so for the coming years.

So, attending training is a must to demonstrate your resolve.”

Clearly, the two stars of the Pittsburgh Steelers hadn’t managed to find common ground.

Perhaps the team hadn’t released an official position, but Brown’s outspokenness seemed very telling, leading one to suspect that Brown and the team were united.

Brown’s stance appeared to reflect that of the team, a situation that boded ill for Bell.

July 16 was the deadline set by the league for the franchise tag, and unless a new agreement was reached, Bell would have to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers under the exclusive franchise tag for the new season.

Bell refused to give interviews.

Apparently, Bell wasn’t adept at facing the media; if he casually accepted interviews, reporters might stoke the fire, take quotations out of context, and the situation could become even worse.

Unexpected yet understandable, Li Wei didn’t shy away from interviews.

“…In my view, it’s a regrettable situation for both sides.”

“A top-quality player is unable to come to a decision, his voice ignored, his demands rejected, his worth denied.

He might have had the opportunity to pass the ball and bring more glory to the team, but now, everything is uncertain.”

“Undoubtedly, there’s an issue here that merits our in-depth discussion.”

To hint without elaborating, yet the implication was profound.

Li Wei didn’t push the running back against the quarterback or other players, focusing instead on Bell himself, painting a picture of a champion’s potential ascent to greatness.

He detached from the ongoing contract renewal talks between Bell and the Steelers and roped in the similarly struggling Green Bay Packers and Rodgers, subtly but pointedly directing the blame at the league.

Those rules.

The league, in its pursuit of viewership and advertising revenue, modified rules time and again, triggering a domino effect that rendered players the victims.

Indeed, all this was unnecessary.

Li Wei’s remarks once again sparked heated debate.

Social networks were abuzz with a cacophony of opinions, many sympathizing with Bell’s plight.

Regrettably and frustratingly, Brown, as a teammate, didn’t support Bell.

Not only did he not support Bell, but he also voiced the team’s stance; on the other hand, Li Wei, an opponent, showed real breadth of spirit and stance—

Last season, Brown succeeded in extending his contract with the Steelers, hence he stood by the team; but did Brown truly believe that Bell’s predicament would not affect him?

At least, that’s what Brown seemed to think for now.

Then.

Li Wei received a text from an unknown number on his cell phone.

“Thanks, buddy.

I’m still fighting, the tough nut to crack refusing to compromise.

I’ve had enough of this crap.

I need them to hear my voice and other running backs’ voices as well.

I will not surrender.

Le’Veon.”