Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 548: 547 Honest advice is unpleasant to the ear Chapter 548: 547 Honest advice is unpleasant to the ear As early as when the regular season entered the madness of December, the New York Giants had already started to make their plans.

Regardless of whether Webb is the future of the New York Giants, they themselves knew that Geno Smith definitely was not, so they needed a quarterback:

A quarterback who could salvage the public relations crisis and lead the team into a stable transition period.

After considering various options, the New York Giants set their sights on Alex Smith, and it must be said, John Mara’s calculations were quite astute.

Alex Smith, professional, honest, and down-to-earth, may not have the highest ceiling but his value lies in consistency; firstly, he could help the team transition smoothly, secondly, his mild manner meant he wouldn’t cause trouble amidst the smog of New York, and thirdly, he would peacefully welcome the new coach and quickly help with the integration.

Moreover, Smith had unreservedly helped Mahomes during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, and now moving to the New York Giants, he could continue to lend a hand in mentoring Webb.

Being a Super Bowl Champion would be the icing on the cake, soothing the protests of New York fans.

Perhaps the only problem was the salary cap.

After determining that Little Manning would not be the future quarterback of the New York Giants, the contract for the next two years worth thirty-three million US Dollars might vary a lot depending on Little Manning’s decision; it was uncertain if the New York Giants could offer Smith the big contract he hoped for—

Unless…

Smith truly wished to join and was willing to leave more room for maneuver during negotiations.

So, at this moment.

“Li Wei,” this seed, could play a more significant role.

It has to be said, Mara’s calculations were clear, far-sighted, and visionary.

Unfortunately, Li Wei still saw through it.

Perhaps, Mara had also considered this possibility, even if Li Wei saw through the connection, for his own benefit—the possibility of going to the New York Giants in the future, establishing a good relationship with a tycoon like Mara, and negotiating a big contract for himself, as well as opening the door to a higher-level world, he might still speak well of the Giants and help push forward the joint efforts with Smith.

So, would Li Wei do that?

Raising his head, Li Wei looked at Smith.

He could sense Smith’s excitement and anticipation, which, despite efforts to suppress, was still eagerly thrumming.

In fact, it wasn’t surprising.

This was the first time Smith felt needed, seen, and valued; no longer a bust, no longer a tool that could be carelessly discarded or replaced.

And it was the New York Giants, no less.

Li Wei could understand Smith’s feelings, should he follow Smith’s thoughts and give positive feedback?

And in doing so, could he also lend a hand to John Mara?

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

In the end, Li Wei still couldn’t go against his conscience.

Since Smith trusted him, he should offer his genuine thoughts, rather than thoughtlessly voicing insincere lies, pretending everything was perfect.

Smith looked surprised, almost unable to hide it.

Li Wei gave a slight shrug and continued.

“Captain, you’ve played in San Francisco before, you know what a big sports market is; but New York is different from San Francisco, the fans in this city are spoiled.”

“They have too many professional teams, in the Big Four leagues, there are two baseball teams, two football teams, two basketball teams, and three hockey teams.”

“They like winning and they like championships, if a team performs poorly, they can abandon it at any time and turn to support another one.

It’s not that they are disloyal but rather…”

Smith chuckled softly, getting it, and nodded slightly in agreement.

“Spoiled.”

Li Wei spread his hands wide, “So, imagine this, you join bearing the halo of the Super Bowl, what are they expecting to see?”

Champion.

Without a doubt.

Of course, Smith also yearned for the Super Bowl Champions, at least their goals were the same; but was it really that simple?

Li Wei let out a sigh, somewhat heavy, not because of the current situation of the New York Giants, but because he had to make Smith realize the reality—

The bubble of a beautiful dream had burst.

“They just got rid of a quarterback who had served them for fourteen years and fired the head coach who became the target of public criticism after announcing the news.”

“Rather than expecting to trade for a quarterback to lead the team to compete for the Super Bowl, it’s more like they’re trying to find a mason to take apart and rebuild.”

It was cruel, but Li Wei said it anyway.

Smith wasn’t stupid; in fact, he was a genuinely smart man.

“Haha,” Smith let out a bitter laugh, “You can just say it, it’s okay, scapegoat.

They’re trying to find a scapegoat to shift the target.”

“Use me to divert attention, to quell the anger of the fans, to transfer expectations onto me; but if the team fails, whether it’s failing to win the Super Bowl or to make the playoffs, they can always push me to the front and bear the brunt of the fan’s fury.”

“Just like McAdoo.”

“In that case, I still have some value.

After all, they really messed up with Eli this time, and they messed it up thoroughly.

Diverting attention and salvaging the image won’t be that easy.”

Smith joked mockingly about himself, but he noticed that Li Wei’s expression still hadn’t fully relaxed.

“What, is there something else?”

Li Wei hesitated but still spoke up.

“This is just my personal speculation, but I think New York might be preparing to promote Webb.”

“Choosing you is not only as a transitional quarterback; they also hope that you can guide Webb, after all, not every starting quarterback has such an open heart to generously impart all his knowledge and experience to a rookie.”

A rookie quarterback joining the team is there to snatch the starting spot from the veteran quarterback.

They are competitors, not successors.

When Aaron Rodgers joined the Green Bay Packers, starting quarterback Brett Favre was very unhappy.

This Hall of Fame quarterback, who nearly held all of the NFL quarterback passing records until Manning, Brees, and Brady surpassed him in recent years, was undoubtedly one of the greatest quarterbacks in history.

However, Favre didn’t just refrain from mentoring Rodgers; he made it his mission to torment and belittle Rodgers, making Rodgers’s three years as a backup a living hell.

By the time Rodgers replaced Favre as the starting quarterback, the two had long since irreparably fallen out.

Although that was a special case, the competitive relationship between veteran quarterbacks and rookie quarterbacks is a fact.

After giving it some thought, Smith’s fleeting excitement faded, and he gradually sobered up, knowing what Li Wei said was true.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth self-deprecatingly and said, “It seems my reputation in the league isn’t bad, kind of like a cow.

What goes in is grass, but what gets milked out is milk.”

Looking at Smith, Li Wei felt somewhat anxious—

Full of enthusiasm and excitement, but Li Wei, with bucket after bucket of cold water, stubbornly dragged Smith back to reality.

Wasn’t this too cruel?

“Captain, I’m sorry.” Li Wei showed an apologetic smile.

But Smith seemed remarkably relaxed, “No need for apologies, why should you be sorry?

This is professional sports, even if you hadn’t reminded me, it wouldn’t change the reality.

We are all just insignificant pawns in it, I should be grateful to you instead, thank you for waking up my sense of reason.”