Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 618: 617 Adapt to circumstances Chapter 618: 617 Adapt to circumstances Jason McCourty, a cornerback.

He is the twin brother of Devin McCourty, a safety with the New England Patriots.

Devin was picked by the Patriots from the start, while Jason went to the Tennessee Titans.

Jason spent eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans.

His performance was neither terrible nor outstanding.

Although he didn’t make a big name for himself, the fact that he was able to keep his position in the professional league without getting cut showed his capability.

Last season, Jason transferred to the Cleveland Browns, where his performance was still not impressive.

This season, he moved to the New England Patriots to join his brother Devin.

However, compared to Devin, Jason was indeed a notch below.

He wasn’t a starting cornerback but rather a rotational player.

It was not until this game that Jason McCourty got a starting opportunity, and it was because of—

Speed.

His speed was outstanding.

Whether covering wide receivers or running backs, he was able to stick close and create interference with his tight coverage.

Initially, Belichick used Jason McCourty hoping to replicate the Pittsburgh Steelers’ strategy of tight coverage on receivers and thereby disrupting Mahomes’s vision for passing; but surprisingly, Jason’s speed was able to keep up with Li Wei’s first burst, which led to a slight change in strategy.

If it were purely a contest of speed, Li Wei would still lead Jason McCourty; but football is not an individual sport, and the competition is not about absolute speed either.

Then, Li Wei found that McCourty’s explosive speed could just stick close like glue, significantly affecting his advancement efficiency.

Moreover, Belichick did not use McCourty to cover Li Wei exclusively but varied the approach between speed, strength, and double teams, which left Li Wei facing extremely tough challenges with each advance.

The situation was the same now.

McCourty did not choose to stick with his best skill of speed to follow Li Wei but instead used speed to close in and then tackled him with a waist hit, unleashing his power instantly.

Danger!

At the critical moment, Li Wei chose not to move forward but—

Unbelievably stepped back.

McCourty was taken aback, and so was Bentley.

Li Wei, with his unusual move, completely overturned the situation and collided with Bentley.

He watched McCourty miss in front, while Bentley, relying on his quick reaction, leaned in and tried to press half into Li Wei.

Unfortunately, Bentley was still half a step too slow.

Li Wei created a small gap, lightly tossed the ball with his right hand, and the football traced a small parabola, passing over the positions of Bentley and McCourty, and flew out.

Eek.

The whole stadium was stunned.

Even Mahomes was like: ???

This was not a trick play, it was a running play on the ground.

However, amidst the crisis and difficulties, Li Wei adapted and again demonstrated his ability to read defense quickly, adjusting tactics in a split second.

—A pass.

According to football rules, the ball can be passed forward only once; also, the feet of the player passing the ball must not cross the line of scrimmage.

On the sideline, Clark clenched his fist secretly: it seems now that Li Wei can no longer be called a rookie.

Li Wei fully utilized the gap initially created by Bentley and McCourty stepping forward.

His feet had not yet crossed the line of scrimmage, so he daringly chose to step back to open up space and mislead everyone with a pass.

Like taking chestnuts out of the fire.

But who was the target of the pass?

If the target did not keep up with Li Wei’s speed of thought and missed the catch, the defensive group would still win this offensive and defensive duel.

Li Wei, how could he blindly pass the ball?

Reading the defense a second time, in essence, involves identifying gaps among all the moving pieces, judging the trends and dynamics, and then making a move.

Naturally, Li Wei had spotted an opening—

Kelsey.

Because the cornerback McCourty immediately rushed at Li Wei upon seeing him, Li Wei realized that Kelsey was unguarded the moment he saw McCourty.

In a fleeting moment, Li Wei demonstrated calmness, comprehensiveness, wisdom, and decisiveness, and also courage.

Mahomes slightly raised his chin, watching the irregular parabolic flight of the football, and then a figure appeared.

It was Kelsey.

Although slightly slow to react, Kelsey’s second reaction was quick—leaping forward in a dive.

In a maneuver akin to scooping the moon from the bottom of the sea, he caught the ball before it touched the ground.

Momentum carried him, rolling over like a lazy donkey, only to rise up swiftly.

Kelsey held the football high and then slammed it down onto the ground forcefully.

Regrettably, it was an impromptu tactic, Li Wei’s pass control and Kelsey’s catching timing were slightly off, so Kelsey couldn’t continue to advance.

Fortunately, Kelsey completed the catch, overturned the New England Patriots’ strong defense, and helped the Kansas City Chiefs advance six yards.

Second and four.

Amazing!

Astonishing!

Stunning!

“The tension and tightness since the fourth quarter continue, and now both teams have hit their limits, but the Kansas City Chiefs seem to have found some energy again, relying on their ability to adapt on the spot to turn the situation around.”

“So, is this what they call ‘Chiefs Special’?”

Mahomes, face full of surprise, looked towards Li Wei again, the belief in his eyes starting to ignite.

Li Wei was gasping for breath, every cell in his body burning, but he was completely immersed in the game, oblivious to fatigue and exhaustion.

He high-fived Kelsey and Mahomes briefly before continuing to line up, his gaze bright and focused forward.

For Li Wei, the essence he learned during the offseason using the Bell and Lynch training templates was:

Patience.

The running back is a position that requires face-to-face confrontation and breakthrough.

If you want instant success, you often end up hitting a wall, whether it’s regarding speed, strength, or other skills.

Running backs need to maintain patience, time and again, until they find their opportunity.

And Li Wei’s own experience with defensive blocks proved this point.

So, the situation was indeed difficult, but he needed to stay calm and patient.

“Attack!”

For the second consecutive time, Mahomes unhesitatingly handed the football to Li Wei.

This time, Li Wei didn’t wait or observe; like a rocket, he burst out immediately, attempting to break the defensive group’s assessment with speed.

Everything was clean, effective, and all-in.

Even though Li Wei crashed headfirst into Bentley’s grasp, this time, Li Wei didn’t give up.

Stamp the ground.

Push forward.

Stamp the ground.

Exert force.

Continuously stamping and charging like a bulldozer, taking Bentley along for the ride.

Bentley hadn’t anticipated this at all, his feet unable to grip the ground, left with no choice but to cling to Li Wei, his legs quivering like plowshares scraping across the ground, spontaneously recalling the classic scene from “Titanic”:

Jack, I’m flying.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

Bentley tried to gain control but utterly failed until the second, third, and fourth teammates gathered to surround them and forcefully brought Li Wei down, finally ending this humiliating flight.

Bentley buried his face in the grass, and the referee’s voice nearby declared, “First down.”

This meant that Li Wei had just forcibly carried Bentley for more than four yards.

“Damn!”

Bentley clenched his teeth and pounded the ground fiercely.