Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 450: 449 Awards Selection Chapter 450: 449 Awards Selection The 2017 season had swiftly narrowed down to just one final ultimate showdown—

On February 4th, the fifty-second Super Bowl was set to be held at U.S.

Bank Stadium in Minnesota, marking the culmination of a season’s grandeur and fervor.

However, before the period was placed on this season, there was one last frenzy to be enjoyed as all the regular season stats and awards heated up, sparking widespread discussions.

Only the champions of the National Conference and the American League would grace the Super Bowl stage, but the seventeen-week-long regular season had been packed with countless brilliant moments that etched the players’ shining moments into the annals of history.

The regular season MVP—

The crowning jewel and also the showstopper.

Toward the end of the regular season, the clamor for Li Wei to compete for the regular season MVP was deafening, mainly because the overall performance of quarterbacks had been somewhat unstable, without a clear dominant frontrunner; at the same time, Li Wei had demonstrated dominance on the ground, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the top of the American League with a series of record-breaking performances.

In this plus and minus calculus, Li Wei naturally became the center of attention for the MVP discussion.

However!

In the lengthy history of the NFL, whether after the Super Bowl era or before, since the establishment of the regular season MVP award, never had a rookie been crowned, and it was exceedingly rare to even see one discussed.

Until this year.

Li Wei, with unbelievable and unparalleled performances, completely overturned the League’s opinion and once again drew the bustling attention back to running backs.

Without a doubt, this was an epoch-making performance, a moment to be recorded in history.

Leading running backs like Bell and Peterson expressed that prejudices should be cast aside, Li Wei should not be deprived of contending for the MVP award just because he was a rookie, as he had proven himself worthy of the honor.

Still, they were in the minority.

The pervasive league opinion insisting that rookies and other players should be judged separately prevailed, with the belief that “without rules, there can be no squares or circles.”

This controversy had been rolling along ever since the regular season ended, continuing right up until the after the conclusion of the conference championship games when the answer was finally revealed.

The NFL’s regular season awards, similar to NCAA and the Ballon d’Or in soccer, are decided by the votes of fifty professional sports journalists.

Nevertheless, the fifty journalists are required to maintain relative professional opinions and a wealth of experience; moreover, they can’t be official reporters under the NFL.

Every year, the League must re-select members to ensure the judging panel differs annually, maximizing the awards’ fairness.

Thanks to this, the awards’ authority is universally recognized both within and outside the League, with any player who becomes the regular season MVP considered an honor, and due to this, Peyton Manning, with five MVP titles, is esteemed as one of the greatest ever.

This year, with the regular season in disarray, as evident from the chaos in the playoffs, the MVP selection reflected an open field as well, not just for quarterbacks but running backs, defensive ends, and linemen, all emerging as competitive choices.

While people debated that Li Wei should not be disqualified from contention on account of being a rookie, voices were immediately raised in defense of the defensive players.

It had been a distant thirty years since the last defensive player was named regular season MVP: Lawrence Taylor, the linebacker from the New York Giants back in the 1986 season.

If rookies are to be considered, then Aaron Donald, the Los Angeles Rams defensive end who provided a dominant performance this season, should not be overlooked.

With JJ Watt nearly claiming the regular season MVP in recent seasons, but the League always prioritizing offense over defense, it was time to give proper recognition to the defensive group.

The world was in chaos.

And when the answer was revealed, it surprised everyone.

Regular Season MVP: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

This marked Brady’s third time being crowned the Regular Season MVP in a tumultuous and bumpy season, with the League’s figurehead holding his position firmly; but evidently, times were changing.@@novelbin@@

Looking at the votes revealed all—

Brady, twenty-five votes.

Li Wei, twenty votes.

Gurley, three votes.

Wentz, two votes.

This…

There are so many issues that for a moment, I don’t even know where to start.

Should I criticize the fact that Donald didn’t get a single vote, or should I point out that Wentz, who was written off due to injury before the season was over, actually got two votes?

Should I be surprised that Gurley and Li Wei, both running backs, actually burst forth with such energy, or should I be focused on the perennial insistence by professional journalists that quarterbacks are the soul of a Football team?

From the voting results, it was obvious that Li Wei’s historic, record-breaking performance this season had conquered the masses and the professionals alike.

Not only did he secure twenty votes as a rookie, but he also came close to dethroning Brady.

However, in the end, after much hesitation, the professional journalists withdrew their tentative claws from the edge of making history and rallied their votes behind Brady once again, leaving only a thin line between a rookie reaching the pinnacle of being named MVP of the regular season.

What a pity.

Undoubtedly, the voting revealed that this season, Li Wei appeared like a comet, irrationally disrupting the league’s pattern, which only made people look forward even more to Li Wei’s performance next season.

Of course, this was not all.

Beyond the regular season MVP, the League announced the results for other award votes—

Offensive Player of the Year, Li Wei, running back, Kansas City Chiefs.

Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams.

Coach of the Year, Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams.

It’s worth mentioning that Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams Head Coach, is only thirty-one years old, born in 1986.

When he took the job last year, he set a record as the youngest head coach in history, and the whole league thought the Rams’ management was crazy; however, this season, McVay stunned the entire league with his dynamic offense, leading the Los Angeles Rams to the playoffs and finally earning the support of fans in Los Angeles.

In the Coach of the Year selection, McVay beat the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Reed for the first time, which was an important recognition.

Of course, there was also Li Wei.

Having missed out on the regular season MVP, Li Wei still made history in his own way, becoming the first rookie ever to be crowned Offensive Player of the Year—

And furthermore, he was of Chinese descent.

No need for superfluous words, history was unfolding before everyone’s eyes.

And what’s more important, it was undisputed.

Initially, people thought that Li Wei, being crowned this award as a Chinese rookie running back, would cause a series of debates and conflicts on social networks; however, that was not the case, as almost everyone deemed it as deserved.

In addition.

Rookie of the Year, Li Wei, running back, Kansas City Chiefs.

Offensive Rookie of the Year, Li Wei, running back, Kansas City Chiefs.

Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marshon Lattimore, Cornerback, New Orleans Saints.

Comeback Player of the Year, Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Chargers.

Above are the main awards of the year, clear at a glance.

Undoubtedly, Li Wei.

Li Wei.

Li Wei.

Li Wei emerged again as the biggest winner, continuing his dominant and fervent stance throughout the season.