Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 602: 601 is not worth mentioning.

Chapter 602: 601 is not worth mentioning.

Peeking into a tiny part to judge the whole, attempting to discern the big picture from mere fragments of conversation is plainly incorrect, yet casting about for clues is inevitably hard to avoid.

From Bell to Brown, something must have gone wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ management during the off-season, leading to intensified discord in the locker room that continued to spread.

Not just among the players, whether the coaching staff and the administrative staff were on the same page also needed to be questioned.

But then.

Li Wei didn’t care.

That was a matter for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room, and it had nothing to do with him.

If he had time to gossip about it, he might as well do two sets of squats right there.

Frankly, Li Wei really didn’t care about Brown—@@novelbin@@

No offense to Brown, he just didn’t have any concern for the matters of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now that the Steelers’ game was over, they belonged to the past; the game was left behind, and it was time to look forward and focus on the next opponent.

With the game concluded, the only thing Li Wei cared about was his teammates.

In today’s game, sophomores and juniors played key roles—Fuller, Jones, Regland, Watkins, Mahomes, and so on.

After the turbulence and restructuring of the off-season, they marched into the new season for the first time as defending champions, everything new for them.

From the process, they still needed to learn and grow, with room for improvement; from the result, they took a crucial step forward.

Worthy of celebration.

So, Li Wei gave encouragement and support one by one, and finally, the taut strings of his heart could relax for a moment.

Until at last, Li Wei saw TJ Watt, who had taken off his jersey early and was waiting on the side.

Li Wei couldn’t help laughing silently, shaking his head while ribbing, “Standing there with longing eyes like a fangirl, eagerly waiting—do your teammates really not mind?” as he took off his own jersey to exchange with TJ.

At that moment, the game was over, and grievances were temporarily set aside—

Although it wasn’t easy, and the bitterness of defeat still surged in TJ’s chest; but TJ wasn’t one to dwell on the past, he would turn his sorrow into strength, etching the pain into memory and eventually transforming it into courage the next time he faced Li Wei and the Kansas City Chiefs.

TJ immediately detected the undertone in Li Wei’s words; the atmosphere in the Steelers’ locker room was indeed…

dreadful, TJ didn’t like such a toxic environment, but what could he, a sophomore, do about it?

Take care of himself.

Moreover, at that moment, Wide Receiver Zhu Zhu stood not far away with a look of wistfulness, staring at TJ and Li Wei with an almost vengeful gaze, as if he were witnessing a scene of infidelity, making it particularly hard to ignore.

TJ had no idea what was wrong with Zhu Zhu.

TJ shrugged lightly, “Who cares whether they mind or not.

If they do, they could be here waiting too.

Maybe you’d be willing to take a group photo and sign autographs with them.”

At that jest, “Haha,” Li Wei burst into loud laughter.

TJ took the jersey, bumped shoulders with Li Wei in a friendly manner, and gave him a hearty pat on the back, “Great game.

Today, I’m thoroughly convinced.”

The showdown “Li Wei vs Watt” was undoubtedly a critical part of the game, with both players having an evenly matched contest that was unresolved until the latter half of the third quarter when Li Wei, who had fully scaled up his abilities, completely overpowered the Steelers’ defensive group, and TJ gradually lost the initiative in the head-on confrontation.

Originally, TJ thought that after off-season training, they should have closed the gap, and the game should have been more intense than last season; but the reality seemed to widen the distance further.

If it weren’t for TJ knowing how much effort he put in during the off-season, as well as knowing Li Wei’s effort, he might have doubted himself to the point of breaking down.

And now?

TJ had established a goal in Li Wei, knowing he needed to strive and work even harder.

If even the Super Bowl MVP was working so hard, what excuse did he have for slacking off?

“But this isn’t the end, you know that?” TJ added immediately.

Li Wei burst out laughing, “Looking forward to our next encounter.”

TJ took a long breath, “You look different from last year, I was actually planning to block you in the player’s tunnel.”

Following TJ’s gaze, Li Wei saw his teammates who stayed in the stadium to thank the home audience, and he immediately understood TJ’s meaning.

Last season, as soon as the game ended, Li Wei would head straight back to the locker room, rarely staying on the field.

But today, Li Wei didn’t return to the locker room; instead, he stayed on the field and hugged each of his teammates.

A small detail, yet not so simple.

Li Wei thought no one would notice, but apparently, TJ’s instinct for observing details as a lineman was deeply ingrained; he cracked a smile, “A captain should have the bearing of a captain, right?”

TJ was delighted.

Li Wei shrugged lightly, “I’m not very clear about the responsibilities of a captain, but I’m learning.”

During the off-season, Smith transferred to the Washington Redskins, leaving the position of captain for the Kansas Chiefs Offense vacant, and Reed handed it to Li Wei during the summer training camp.

In a football team, a captain doesn’t hold substantive power or responsibilities and is more of a symbol.

Some teams change captains every game, while some teams don’t even have a captain; but to Li Wei, it was still a responsibility, a force to unite the locker room.

Li Wei hoped he could shoulder the responsibilities of a captain.

TJ showed a smile, “At least from today’s game, you did an excellent job.”

Li Wei’s mouth also turned up at the corners, “One step at a time, no rush.

I hope you guys can get on the right track soon, and we’ll have a chance to face off again this season.”

If the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to meet again this season, it would have to be in the playoffs.

Last season, before meeting in the American League finals, the Steelers dropped the ball and missed the chance for revenge; adding insult to injury, today they faced another disappointment with an added grudge.

Suddenly, TJ tasted the hidden meaning in Li Wei’s words, and his smile became somewhat stiff, “There will definitely be another chance.

This time, we won’t miss it.”

That was as far as it went.

They clenched their fists firmly, then TJ bid farewell to Li Wei and turned to leave.

No sooner had TJ walked away than Zhu Zhu, who had been eyeing them covetously, ran over and clamored loudly, “Next time you won’t be so lucky.”

In fact, today Brown lost luster, but it led to Zhu Zhu’s spectacular emergence; he was targeted for passes seventeen times, advancing 121 yards, and his performance was remarkable.

However, Zhu Zhu’s outstanding personal performance wasn’t enough, and it even witnessed the Steelers’ fourth-quarter collapse; in light of that, his dazzling display was trivial.

This was too much for Zhu Zhu to bear.

Thus, this scene unfolded.

After his outburst, Zhu Zhu turned to leave, knowing too well how devastating Li Wei’s verbal salvos could be, and thinking it better to run than to fight.

Yet, he didn’t expect to hear Li Wei’s unhurried voice from behind, “I’ve heard that the third time’s the charm.”

It was like saying that things will work out on the third attempt; maybe, the third time they met, the Steelers might get a bit of luck…

right?

Far from retorting, Li Wei was actually blessing the Steelers?

This frankness and generosity effortlessly wounded Zhu Zhu, whose cheeks turned as red as an engorged liver, looking like he might explode any second.