In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 281 An early encounter with the defending champion

Ethan watched not far away as Troy Aikman was being transported off the course on a golf cart.

Until then, Troy still hadn't woken up.

"A more serious concussion..." Ethan heard the team doctor and new head coach Dave Campo talking about Troy's condition.

It was obviously just an ordinary collision, how could this happen?

Simply, awesome!

Ethan was so happy that he wanted to give money to the Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle.

"Ethan, I'm afraid you have to play early in this game!" Dave Campo looked at Ethan and said.

Ethan nodded. There was no doubt that Dave trusted him enough, otherwise another quarterback, Jason Garrett, would have been on the field at this time.

This is also an opportunity for Ethan. If he can lead the Cowboys to maintain their advantage and finally win, there is no doubt that he will replace Jason Garrett and officially become the second quarterback, and may even go one step further. , directly replaced Troy's position and became the star of the Cowboys.

The premise is that this game must be won.

·

"Let us pray for Troy and see who the Dallas Cowboys will send out, whether it will be Jason Garrett, who worked hard last season, or Ethan, a first-round pick in this year's draft who once had an excellent performance in the NCAAF... …The answer comes when we see Ethan O’Connor put on a helmet and he’s wearing No. 11.”

“At the end of last month, Ethan played in the first preseason game of the Dallas Cowboys this season. Although the Cowboys lost the game, Ethan’s performance in the fourth quarter left a deep impression on people. There was no chance to play again. According to some rumors, Ethan had some conflicts with the team's original head coach Gailey. It seems that he has gained the trust of the new head coach..." John Madden expressed his thoughts on Ethan's situation after entering the NFL. Generalizations were made.

Stepping into the hard court area of ​​the Texas Stadium, the cheers in his ears suddenly became surging. Through the openings in the helmet at the ear position, Ethan heard it very clearly.

"Relax, young man, you will always wait for this day." Emmitt Smith, wearing the No. 22 jersey, high-fived Ethan.

"Concentrate when passing the ball and don't give me some balls with poor chances." Michael Owen pointed to his eyes.

Unlike his partner Emmett, he is not so optimistic about Ethan.

In his eyes, no one in the league can match Troy, let alone the young man in front of him.

"I'm pretty relaxed," Ethan said casually.

Unlike when he first stepped into the college stadium, Ethan was already accustomed to such big scenes, not to mention that the current Dallas Cowboys home stadium has a full one-third difference in seating capacity compared to the Alabama stadium.

It is said that Jerry Jones is planning to build a more modern and larger stadium in Dallas.

Ethan knew that it was later known as "AT&T Stadium" and had the largest electronic screen in the world at the time.

Ethan’s teammates gathered around him at this time.

"We continue to use Troy's tactics..." Ethan said while looking at everyone.

·

The game resumed smoothly. After receiving the pass from the center, Ethan did not pass the ball to Emmitt Smith behind him.

"There's an opening ahead of me."

Ethan even heard Emmitt Smith whispering in his ear, but he seemed not to hear it.

He was observing the position of Michael Irving, who was wearing No. 88 jersey. The latter was facing the corner defender. The next second, he suddenly started and opened up horizontally with the Cardinals' corner position.

"The pass rusher is coming!" Emmett reminded Ethan loudly at this time.

At this time, the pass rusher had already broken through the pocket and rushed towards Ethan with his teeth and claws wildly arrogant.

Ethan turned around and passed by the opponent very easily, then raised his hand, seemingly to pass to Billy Davis, the slot receiver, while he was still observing Michael Owen who was rushing at the front with his peripheral vision.

At this time, Michael Irving had already reached the middle area of ​​the field and could score a touchdown in less than ten yards. On both sides of Irving, there were safety guards standing on each side. If Irving takes a step forward from his position, he will immediately be double-teamed by the safety guard who senses danger. If he takes a step back, he will be caught up by the cornerback.

It is precisely this position that Irving is in that is the only gap.

Ethan's right arm, which had just finished the fake move, was raised again. This time he raised his hand and threw it directly, throwing the football in his hand towards Michael Owen at the far end.

At this time, Michael had just turned around, but he did not expect that the ball had already flown towards him.

What a keen sense of attack! Michael couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

He also reacted very quickly. He took advantage of the inertia and took another step forward. At the same time, he removed most of the inertia and began to adjust his posture. All of this was completed in less than a second.

At this time, the two security guards on the left and right noticed Michael Owen's movements and were about to double-team. Michael Owen had already got the ball firmly, and the Cardinals security guard could only fly to save it. It is the last remedial measure. Although it can approach quickly, it also means that it is impossible to continue to mark. Generally, the safety guard will only make such a move when he has a premonition that the opponent will completely break through the defense.

Michael Irving, as a big-time player who performed like a god in the Super Bowl, still maintained absolute calm at this time. He tilted his body slightly to the side, directly dodged the safety guard's flying dive, and then rushed in directly. The formation area.

"Touch! Perfect touchdown! Ethan's first pass allowed the Dallas Cowboys to further expand their advantage!" John Madden said with a smile.

"Allowing Michael Irvin to come up the middle so smoothly will obviously cost the Cardinals. Ethan O'Connor had an impressive first appearance as quarterback, and while being guarded by pass rushers, he He still maintained an excellent composure and used fake moves to once again attract the attention of defenders in key areas, which indirectly created an opening for Michael Owen, and the final pass was also very crisp." Partner Pat Sammer. analyzed.

As a quarterback, he is obviously better at analyzing the role the quarterback plays in it.

In the auditorium on the sidelines, the audience was completely ignited by this touchdown. The DCC who was waving the flower ball on the sidelines immediately jumped up and down, activating the atmosphere of the scene.

DCC player Bonnie-Jill Laflin, standing on the left side of the team, bent down slightly, showing off her proud curves while blowing a kiss to the audience.

Several local Texas fans in the front row immediately burst into cheers.

Although she has just joined DCC, young Bonnie Gill is very good at teasing the audience, which has led to a rapid increase in sales of her cheerleading photos, and she can also get a good salary from it.

In the field, Michael Owen was watching the replay on the big screen. He also discovered that Ethan's fake moves at the critical moment attracted You Wei's attention. You Wei looked directly at Billy Davis without saying anything. Look at yourself.

"Did he predict my route?" Michael couldn't help but murmur in his heart.

Regardless, he still gave Ethan a compliment when he high-fived him.

"This pass is very beautiful. I have to admit that you reacted faster than Troy." Michael Irving said from the heart.

"Keep the advantage and ensure victory in this game. I don't want to hear Jerry Jones get angry again." Ethan responded.

"You're right." Michael Owen smiled and nodded.

At the same time, Jerry Jones was also watching the game in a box at the stadium.

Seeing Ethan score a touchdown, he clapped his hands excitedly, with a happy smile on his face.

"It's right to let him come to Dallas." Jerry Jones nodded meaningfully. "But... the price is still a bit expensive compared to the performance, what do you think, father?" Sitting next to Jones at this moment is a blond woman. Her figure is not plump, but she looks exquisite and exquisite, with meticulous makeup on her face. The charm of youth is vaguely visible between the brows, and she has the temperament of a Hollywood star. She is wearing a black skirt, and the huge pearl necklace around her neck reflects the indoor lights, making her look radiant.

"Ethan O'Connor's value is not limited to the field. You have to understand this. Sports is always an entertainment industry. There needs to be a protagonist." Jerry Jones turned his head and looked at his daughter.

As last year's field goal leader, kicker Rich Cunningham's performance remained stable, helping the Cowboys complete PAT.

Next, it is the Cardinals' turn to attack. Today, the Cardinals are wearing a red top and white away jersey. The white helmet has the Cardinals team logo printed on the side, a cartoon-style red bird with an expression. It looked a little "angry" like an excited warrior. The same red color and the same angry expression reminded Ethan of a certain mobile game many years later.

As for the Cowboys, they have a classic blue, white and silver home uniform, with a silver helmet and a blue five-pointed star printed on the side.

As Dallas' opponent, the Cardinals were also well prepared for this game. The team's No. 16 quarterback Jack Plummer also performed brilliantly, continuously contributing multiple exquisite and quick passes. Within two minutes, he had already reached the front of the Cowboys' zone. After completing a long pass, he jumped excitedly on the field and even twisted his hips and performed some kind of coquettish dance.

"We haven't scored a touchdown yet. Isn't it a little early to dance now?" Ethan looked at this flamboyant opponent.

"If you ask me, he must be on drugs. He was also very excited last year." Darryl Johnston explained at this time.

"This is a competition occasion..."

"It's not a big deal, Ethan, you have to know that in the NFL, drugs are like injuries, no one can avoid them." Daryl Johnston shook his head.

Perhaps he was too relaxed or perhaps had some bad luck. Although the Cardinals' wide receiver jumped high in the zone and successfully caught the ball, he was not affirmed by the referee.

It can be seen from the slow-motion replay on the large screen that the Cardinals' wide receiver did step inside the line in the first step after receiving the ball, but in the second step, half of his foot had already poked out of the sideline.

According to the rules, the ball is considered out of bounds.

So the Cardinals could only replay the scoring offense. With the same offensive routine, quarterback Jack Plummer still chose to pass the ball, but the passing route was different from the last time. This time the ball flew towards the middle of the zone, but the result It's still the same, it's still the footstep that goes out of bounds after catching the ball.

"Even if you fall straight down, you still have to keep your two feet in bounds." Ethan heard head coach Dave Campo say at this time.

In the end, the Arizona Cardinals had no choice but to take a free kick in the fourth gear and only chased three points.

This was the Cardinals' best scoring opportunity of the game, and from then on, the rhythm of the game was controlled by Eason.

Before midfield, relying on Emmitt Smith's outstanding performance in the scoring attack, the Cowboys once again scored a touchdown. At this time, the score had reached 24 points, while the Cardinals only scored 6 points.

Ethan even felt that this was easier than college football, and the reason was very simple. The team had Emmitt Smith, a master of running the ball, and Michael Owen, an active receiver. More or less attracting the opponent's attention, the pressure on Ethan's side was significantly reduced compared to that in college.

Of course, it also has something to do with the lack of strength of the Cardinals themselves.

In the second half, Ethan and the two arrowheads cooperated more and more tacitly. The Dallas Cowboys team's performance was stable. Occasionally, Ethan read the defense and did not find a better attack opportunity, so he passed the ball directly to Ai behind him. Mitt, the latter can always surprise Ethan.

As the game entered the fourth quarter, the Dallas Cowboys' score exceeded 30 points, but the Cardinals still stagnated. Although the Cardinals scored a touchdown in the end, they still could not change the result.

In the end, the game ended 38-13, and the Dallas Cowboys got off to a good start.

Ethan watched the two head coaches shaking hands and was about to return to the locker room with his teammates when a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"Ethan O'Connor, can I interview you?"

It was Penny Webb's voice.

Ethan looked around and saw Penny, wearing a skirt and uniform, walking towards him with a microphone.

As the foreign economics reporter of Fox Sports Station, Penny was promoted again this year and officially became the NFL reporter of Fox Main Station. This is the most prominent position among the field reporters. I don’t know how many people covet this position internally.

Even Ethan was a little surprised.

At this time, Penny had already raised the microphone in front of Ethan.

"This is your first NFL game. As a rookie, you helped the team win. What do you want to say?"

"I feel that I have gradually adapted to the rhythm of the NFL game. I like the team's new head coach Dave Campo, as well as the running back Emmett and the wide receiver Michael. The two are the cornerstones of Dallas' victory. Of course I have to Thanks to Troy...he taught me a lot." Ethan hesitated, and finally almost let it slip.

"As a newcomer, do you want to continue training tonight?" Penny suddenly asked a somewhat bold and even strange question.

"why not?"

"What time will training last?"

"What, you look like you're going on a date with me tonight?"

"Of course, if you invite me, I will be very happy to go."

"Then you have to change these clothes." Ethan joked with Penny in front of the camera.

In addition to verbal communication, the two people's eyes met frequently.

After the interview, Ethan just returned to the locker room when he heard the booing from his teammates.

"Ethan, I didn't expect that you are so close to the reporter from Fox. What clothes are you going to let her wear tonight?" Daryl Johnston said as soon as he saw Ethan. The scene of the interview just now was broadcast on the TV to everyone in the locker room. The Fox live broadcast screen can be seen clearly.

"It's just a joke." Ethan shook his head in denial.

"We are all watching. The female reporter looks at you with the look in her eyes that she wants to eat you alive right now. She is still biting her lower lip. Tell the truth about when you met." Billy insisted on asking.

"Let's talk about clothes, I think the bunny girl uniform is good." Emmitt Smith also joked.

"Might as well put on Broncos cheerleading uniforms." Suddenly a voice appeared.

The smiles of everyone in the locker room stopped abruptly.

"Although I don't want to interrupt you, we have to consider our opponents in the second round...last year's NFL Super Bowl champion." Dave put his hands behind his back and looked at the players.

This is a name that no one in Dallas wants to mention - the Denver Broncos.

And Ethan even knows a little more than everyone else.

The Denver Broncos weren't just last year's champions, they were this year's champions.

"How's Troy?" Ethan asked Dave Campo.

(End of this chapter)