Chapter 640 Adding insult to injury
Controversy. Noisy. Gossip.
The entire league is in an uproar. The aftermath of the Gillette Stadium incident has just begun. Levi is once again at the forefront of the storm.
Obviously, not everyone is used to Levi's——
Professional players, in the final analysis, should be judged by their performance on the field. The hustle and bustle of off-field news may bring attention or exclusion.
Beckham was like this back then, so much so that people never gave him real recognition for his performance on the field.
Now, Levi is also facing such a situation. No matter whether the off-court news is positive or negative, positive or negative, it is all gossip anyway. The image of causing trouble and not doing his job is becoming deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, gradually attracting the attention of his peers in the league.
There is envy, jealousy, criticism, rejection, or simply dislike.
The sight surrounding Levi was becoming sharper bit by bit.
Provocation is inevitable.
Finally, back to that sentence, in the world of competitive sports, everything is cruel and bloody, but it is also simple and straightforward. Victory can cover up all contradictions, while failure will breed endless conflicts. Nothing is the same. If one win isn't enough, then two or three will be enough until everyone shuts up.
So, after going round and round with the key points, I got back on track——
The Kansas Chiefs lost to the New England Patriots.
A defeat!
In the eyes of a small group of people, the truth about the Gillette Stadium incident is completely different. Levi’s attempt to defend Mahomes is bullshit. The real reason should be that Levi and Mahomes cannot afford to lose. Forget it, find an excuse to attack the fans, and Goodell wipes their butts for them.
"Can't afford to lose."
This is the truth.
It doesn't take much effort to recall the weakness and confusion in the middle of last season's Kansas Chiefs season. Like a headless chicken, they suffered a six-game losing streak and almost missed the playoffs.
If it weren't for the lack of competitiveness of their rivals in the American League West and their failure to pose a sufficient threat to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the season, Reid's team could easily escape the slump, regain the confidence to win, and escape the disaster to advance to the playoffs. game, the season ending may be completely different.
At least, that's what Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis thinks.
Judging from various signs, the Kansas Chiefs are still too young and unstable. There is no essential difference between this season and last season, let alone transformation. They all rely on their passion to persist and fight. Once this spirit cannot support them, they can overcome At the end, the result may be reversed.
Of course, this is not to say that this is bad. In fact, fighting spirit and belief do play an important role in competitive sports; but it means that the foundation is unstable.
The Kansas Chiefs in front of us have a very high upper limit, which is directly proved by their five consecutive victories in the season; but at the same time, the lower limit is also very low. A mistake in one link may lead to a domino effect, and there are many variables in the ups and downs of performance——
They may have a hard-fought victory over the Denver Broncos, but they may also easily sweep the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This lack of stability is precisely the gap between the Kansas Chiefs and a truly strong team.
Last season was a typical example. After the Kansas City Chiefs' six-game winning streak came to an end, they suddenly failed to gain a firm foothold. They lacked the ability to adjust on the spot and failed one after another, which was comparable to an avalanche.
This season, changing the soup without changing the medicine, the Kansas Chiefs are still facing challenges.
Marvin Lewis believes the Cincinnati Bengals can become a nightmare for the Kansas City Chiefs and start a losing streak for the defending champions. The Cincinnati Bengals, to a certain extent, can be called another Kansas Chiefs. To be more precise, the Cincinnati Bengals are the pioneers, and the Kansas Chiefs follow in the footsteps of the former to climb to glory.
The last glory of the Cincinnati Bengals can be traced back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. After that, they fell into an endless trough. It was not until after the millennium that head coach Lewis took office and changed the administration. The team was completely overturned and rebuilt, and slowly returned to form. Victory track.
In 2011, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback "Ginger Head" Andy Dalton with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the draft, finally finding the last core piece of the puzzle.
From the 2011 season to the 2015 season, the Cincinnati Bengals advanced to the playoffs for five consecutive years and have become representatives of the new generation of the league.
However, for five consecutive years, the Cincinnati Bengals were eliminated in the first game of the playoffs.
Since 1990, he has not been able to win a game in the playoffs for twenty-eight years, and is far ahead in setting historical records——
Does all this sound familiar?
Kansas Chiefs, Reid, Smith.
The two teams are like brothers. Although the teams have returned to the playoffs, they have never been able to break through the playoff threshold. For a while, it is impossible to tell whether it is more depressing to continue to miss the playoffs, or whether it is more frustrating every time in the playoffs. Cruises are even more frustrating.
It wasn't until the 2015 season that the Kansas City Chiefs broke the curse and finally won a game in the playoffs, leaving the Cincinnati Bengals alone at the top of the list of records for missing the playoffs.
At this point, you can imagine Lewis’s frustration.
However, that's not all.
In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals suffered injuries and missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Fans who were complaining that "a trip to the playoffs would be worse than just stopping in the regular season" all stopped. Only after they really missed it did they realize that they still had a chance to win. It would be happier to advance to the playoffs and then lose, at least to have hope for one more week.
At the same time, the Cincinnati Bengals also watched helplessly as the Kansas Chiefs, the little follower who was wiping their noses behind them, abandoned themselves to complete the lead after ending the curse of losing in the playoffs, and then went on to win the Super Bowl. Instead, they completed their reconstruction early. The big brother is still standing still.
At this point, Lewis and his Cincinnati Bengals were collectively depressed.
It is conceivable that when the Cincinnati Bengals finally had the opportunity to face the Kansas City Chiefs and prove themselves, their ambitions were fully burning.
In Lewis's view, the Kansas Chiefs' one-season highlight was simply a fluke. The foundation was unstable, with ups and downs. If they were a little tougher, they would collapse at the first push. This was not just Levi, but also everyone from Reid to the offensive team to the defensive team.
Now, the opportunity couldn't be more perfect.
From the five-game winning streak at the start of the season to the narrow defeat to the New England Patriots in a fierce battle, from the confidence of being united as one to the self-doubt when faced with tough battles, the rookie's off-field news even distracted the team, everything is foreshadowing Kansas. The Chief is at his weakest and most vulnerable moment, fully exposing his shortcomings.
Lewis will use a victory to prove to the league——
The success of one season is nothing. They should take a long and careful look at the overall situation. The Cincinnati Bengals are the team that should reach the Super Bowl.
Not just a victory, but a hearty victory.
(End of chapter)