Dominate the Super Bowl

Fournette: Frustrated.

Actually, Fournette himself was holding his breath. In the 2015 season, he was overshadowed by Derrick Henry, and in the 2016 season, by Henry's younger protégé Li Wei. Despite being in peak form during the past two seasons, he never received the recognition he deserved, which nearly affected his draft position.

Seeing Li Wei's godlike performance in the season opener, Fournette was sharpening his knives, ready to show what he was capable of, and he had the support of the head coach, Doug Marrone—

During the off-season, head coach Bradley was ultimately fired.

Bradley: What happened to our grand future together, Calvert, you heartbreaker!

Although Bradley quickly found another job with the San Diego Chargers, he was demoted from head coach to defensive coordinator.

Meanwhile, Marrone, who had been an assistant coach and offensive line coach, took over as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

To be fair, Fournette's performance in the season opener was impressive, and Marrone's tactical arrangements were commendable. But comparison is the thief of joy, and Li Wei, that beast!

Flipping through major media and social networks' sneers, it was as if Fournette didn't exist at all, which nearly made his chest explode with anger.

Wait, what about the first overall pick? The second overall pick? Were they as remarkable as Li Wei?

After a quick check, Fournette fell silent.

The first pick, Garrett, suffered an ankle sprain during routine training on September 7, and had to rest for four weeks, missing not just one game, but four.

The second pick, Trubisky, though he performed well in the preseason, still lost the competition for starting quarterback to Mike Glennon, and watched the season opener from the bench, unsure when his substitute role would become permanent.

With one out for at least four games and another's debut uncertain, the first and second picks were sidelined, leaving everyone watching as the third pick thrashed his opponents alone. So, who else could the media criticize but Fournette?

Fournette: These guys are so cunning, staggering their stardom. They wait for the rookie hype to cool off after the season opener before they return to the field. Who did they learn this from?

Now, it's not just one game. For the next month, Fournette may have to carry the burden alone, without even a suffering comrade in sight.

Fournette felt life was not worth living.

Here, Fournette was in deep trouble, feeling worse than death.

There, the intense debate surrounding Li Wei had just begun to unfold.

"Inside the League," ESPN's flagship football program, runs from Monday to Sunday year-round, constantly refreshing and switching its format according to different situations and themes to provide viewers with the most timely and appropriate NFL news analysis.

Among them, the roundtable discussion is undoubtedly the most interesting segment. Before and after each week's games, the show invites ten experts to discuss.

Before the game, they analyze and predict the outcomes.

After the game, they summarize and review the game's progression.

Generally, the program covers all the matches of the thirty-two teams, offering a comprehensive view to provide fans with professional insights.

However, in the latest episode, Li Wei alone took up a significant portion of the program time, with ceaseless back-and-forth discussions.

Josh Lawson, a devoted supporter of Li Wei.

Lawson not only follows the NFL but also the NCAA, having recognized the talent that Saban and Burns saw from the beginning, and he genuinely believed Li Wei would bring a fresh breeze to the professional field.

However, even Lawson hadn't anticipated that in the season opener, Li Wei would perform so spectacularly, silencing all skeptics with a debut that, just on data alone, might be the most dominant in the history of the Super Bowl era.

"...People say they see Peterson in Li Wei, they see Lynch in Li Wei, I won't argue, but my view is slightly different."

"In Li Wei, I see Li Wei."

"Regarding the game, Li Wei had his own observations and interpretations. Although he was still somewhat green, there remained much for him to learn. This also means he has room to grow. Through just one game, we have only seen a part of him. The future is promising," said Lawson, never one to speak without causing a stir.

Li Wei's performance was already insane, and there's still room for improvement?
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Wake up, Lawson, wake up! What else is there to look forward to? Is he really The Chosen One?

But, no one objected.

Now, the Kansas City Chiefs and Li Wei were the center of discussion for the first week, extremely popular. All praises were deemed appropriate; there was no need to throw cold water on them.

Perhaps Blair Butt might not agree.

From the draft, Butt had been skeptical about Li Wei, sharply criticizing the Chiefs' foolish move to trade up and select Li Wei and doubting that Li Wei would stay on the major roster during the preseason.

As a result...

Though Butt was a tough guy, repeatedly facing humiliation on a nationwide public platform was inevitably somewhat embarrassing.

Butt was a man of persistence and belief, how could he possibly shrink back because of a little setback?

"Calm down. Calm down!"

"Gentlemen, this is just one game. There are countless examples in our profession where after shining for a single game, players vanish into obscurity. We wouldn't say Brady and Belichick are out of the championship race just because of one loss, nor is it necessary to claim this rookie might become the next Goat after one victory."

"It's really not necessary,"

"Let's calm down. Clearly, the New England Patriots hadn't fully adjusted their state, leading the game until the fourth quarter despite Brady's off performance. Only some issues with the pace and intensity in the fourth quarter caused them to lose what should have been an easy victory."

"The Chiefs' victory was a hard-fought one."

"So, did the rookie perform exceptionally?"

"Of course, the stats look very impressive, but that's all it is, just a bit of luck. The New England Patriots lost to themselves."

Butt wore an expression of objective calmness, as though he was analyzing a mathematical equation, completely ignoring the bias in his words—

Anyway, Butt didn't want to admit he was wrong.

Lawson could see that right away. After all, men understand men the best. Asking a man to admit he was wrong in a program watched by millions is probably harder than having him admit he's starting to lose his hair.

"Are you sure, Blair?"

"188 yards of rushing, three rushing touchdowns, plus a kickoff return touchdown. Without a doubt, he was the best-performing player this week, not just among rookies but all offensive players. I think he also deserves this week's Best in the Offensive Group."

Lawson was a good man. He didn't pry open Butt's wounds but spoke objectively, his language neither sharp nor aggressive, expressing his opinion in a mild and friendly manner.

In fact, Lawson was giving Butt a way out. Competitive sports naturally involve wins and losses; there is no need to refuse to admit errors out of arrogance.

Yet, this still stung Butt—

Admit he was wrong? How could that be possible?

Moreover, Butt didn't think of himself as stubborn. He truly believed in his judgment, and professionals have their pride.

Butt couldn't stand everyone acting like lapdogs, eagerly flattering the League and Roger Goodell.

If this NFL season turned out to be all about Li Wei, then he was ready to stubbornly oppose Li Wei!