Chapter 203 Full of Expectations
Beep, beep beep!
At the end of the game, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the visiting San Francisco 49ers at home "27:17", ushering in their first preseason victory.
In the preseason, the main focus was on polishing tactics and selecting lineups. Winning or losing was not the focus. Levi only played one quarter of the game, but he still relied on that long-distance run to rack up a lot of data, advancing 101 yards and a touchdown. formation, initially showing his ability to compete in professional competitions.
Not only Levi, but Mahomes also played half of the game. In the second half, other backup quarterbacks came on the field. Currently, the Kansas City Chiefs have a total of five quarterbacks and eight running backs. They must be laid off after the preseason. Adjustment, even if you are a substitute, you need to be rigorously tested——
Last season, after Jamal Charles was injured, the shortcomings of the Kansas Chiefs running back bench's insufficient depth were exposed and became a weakness that opponents severely stabbed. Reid does not want to make the same mistake again this year.
After the game, the local Missouri media was jubilant.
Levi. Mahomes. The two high-ranking rookies acquired by the Kansas City Chiefs at a huge cost not only represent this year's immediate fighting ability, but also represent the team's future and carry countless expectations.
Now, both rookies have performed well and proved their worth. The media and fans are as excited and can't wait to applaud.
at the same time!
Stimulated by Levi's outstanding performance, another rookie running back, Hunter, was not to be outdone and showed his ambition. He handed over an answer sheet that was not inferior to Levi's and effectively countered those doubts about the selection of two running backs. It not only showed the Kansas Chiefs' ground strength, but also showed the depth of the bench and rich tactics, which received a lot of plaudits.
Expectations are rising steadily.
However, other media and fans of other teams were much calmer.
"One game proves nothing."
"Before you start bragging, would you like to see the performance of Fournette and McCaffrey?"
"Calm down, calm down, it's just a victory over the San Francisco 49ers who are not good at defending. There is no need to celebrate in a hurry."
"Indeed, Li Wei performed well, but is he really that outstanding? Tanhua Lang level?"
"Let the bullets fly for a while, there is no need to praise him."
In the bustle, a group of right-wingers tried to get the alliance to regain its composure.
In their view, it is obvious that the league's top management, represented by Roger Goodell, has been trying to promote the Chinese and even Asian markets, and has been adding fuel to the fire behind the scenes. Perhaps Levi had six points but was suddenly blown to 12 points, just like the savior of football. It's as if the NFL is a bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen a real top star. This look is really ugly.
So one or two people began to pour cold water on them to cool down and reined in the reins.
Soon, their "reason" was proved correct.
In the next second preseason game, the Kansas Chiefs went away to face the Cincinnati Bengals. The offensive team that performed well in the previous game was completely misfired.
Including Levi.
Like the previous game, Levi only played one quarter, this time partnering with main quarterback Alex Smith.
On the one hand, Smith is also looking for touch and form; on the other hand, Reed is also focusing on testing short-passing coordination, which causes the Kansas Chiefs' offense to revolve around the short-passing area. Neither passing nor running the ball can open up the situation, and the scene is slightly Seems boring.
The Cincinnati Bengals' targeted zone defense performed very well. It required strength and tactics, and it effectively contained the Kansas Chiefs' advancement. The entire offensive and defensive confrontation fell into a meat grinder positional battle.
Levi, his performance was mediocre.
This is the first time that Levi has experienced the intensity of confrontation at the true NFL level. From individual ability to teamwork, he has completely upgraded it to a new level based on the original Louisiana State University. He continuously suppressed Levi's speed and hit the wall many times. The entire game It was very dull to play.
"12:30".
The Kansas Chiefs suffered a heavy defeat on the road. All the cheers of joy in the previous game were silenced, the shortcomings and weaknesses of the Kansas City Chiefs were completely exposed, and the major media celebrated Christmas early.
"I told you a long time ago..."
This sentence is the core idea of the theme. One or two experts jumped out and said that they had expected this scene a long time ago. The professional league is not that simple. From intensity to tactics, it is different from the college arena. Levi and Mahomes These rookies still have a long way to go.
"I'm really not targeting Levi. All rookie players are garbage."
"You're obviously a rookie but you brag about becoming a superstar, and then you turn around and get slapped in the face, right?"
"I can't wait to make stars after just one game. I really can't stand this look. Will the next step be to punch Brady and step on Manning?"
"If superstars were that easy, the league would now have superstars per capita. The media in Kansas City should wake up and stop daydreaming."
"As the first Asian first-round pick in history, Levi still has a long way to go."
This is just a pre-season game, and the popularity of the news is already off the charts——
Winning is news.
Losing is also news.
In this hustle and bustle, people selectively forget one thing:
Whether it is the first game or the second game, Levi only played for one game, and the proportion of his role in the victory was It's not that big, and his share of the responsibility for the same failure isn't that big either.
Moreover, Levi is a running back, a running back who is disliked and ignored. The responsibility for victory has always fallen on the shoulders of the quarterback. Since when did the running back stand at the center of the eye of the storm?
But, it’s not important, none of these are important.
The only important thing is that Levi is the topic. Any topic that involves Levi can easily explode the traffic, and everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Bustlingly, the focus of the entire league revolves around Levi, and it spreads from top to bottom, from the team's top management to ordinary fans. Even passers-by who don't care much about football can also use their social network time to See Levi online.
Come out strong!
Whether you like it or not, praise or curse, the topic cannot be separated from Levi. In just two weeks, there have been more than one or two professional programs from "Inside the League" to "Countdown to the NFL" The program focuses on Levi, and the fierce and controversial collision cannot stop.
This is the heat.
NFL President Roger Goodell saw this scene, but he smiled and said nothing, his eyes full of satisfaction and approval——
Let the haters keep hating, because that's how traffic comes.
Just because of Levi, the discussion of the NFL 2017 preseason has already reached the level of last season's playoffs, igniting the enthusiasm of fans.
Very good, very good, things are going as expected, and even far beyond expectations.
Fanaticism spread across the board.
Everything is so crazy and lively that the players are no exception. Everyone is discussing Levi, including the league's number one player.
Tom Brady never thought that he would encounter a day like this in his career. The first question in the post-game press conference had nothing to do with him.
"Tom, how would you rate Levi's performance?"
Brady: Huh? ? ?
(End of this chapter)