In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 297 Invitation

"After experiencing six consecutive unbeaten games, the Cowboys fell to an unexpected opponent! They should have won this game, and it can also be said that the Cowboys fell into their own hands. The Cowboys' performance throughout the game Some offensive players are like sleepwalking, they stagger and turn into soft-footed shrimps, and they have the same offensive tactics that even middle school students can guess..."

"From top to bottom on the team, I only see the urgent desire to win this game in Ethan O'Connor. I don't know what the Cowboys have experienced during this period. Is it because their opponents are too weak and they are taking it lightly?" ? Or maybe the six-round winning streak makes them feel comfortable? This is really against the professional spirit."

"Unfortunately, the Cowboys received a blow. Fortunately, this is only the seventh week of the regular season. The Cowboys will have a bye week and they have enough time to adjust."

As the commentator of this game, Maddon made the following comments after the game.

As a former Super Bowl champion coach, Maddon's qualifications are beyond doubt, and his authority allows him to dare to speak out after the game and bluntly point out the problems encountered by the Cowboys.

Of course, as a commentator, his words were not very fierce, otherwise, he would not just name "certain players", but directly name them.

After a stiff-faced Dave Campo shook hands with Chicago Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt, he immediately headed to the tunnel.

Players such as Ethan are also following suit. As for Bears quarterback Jim Miller, he is being interviewed by Penny.

Apparently the resident reporter, Penny will only interview the winners.

·

In the locker room, the atmosphere fell into freezing point.

After the previous games, the team members were still smiling playfully, but now their expressions were more solemn and they were changing clothes silently.

"I have to admit that we had problems with offensive tactics in this game." Offensive coach Hudson Houck was the first to speak.

As the first person in charge of offensive tactics, offensive coordinator Jack Riley quietly changed the subject: "We did use the same tactics as in the previous games, but facts have also proven that this tactic is effective, otherwise we would You won't win six consecutive rounds. Compared with tactics, I think the players have bigger problems. Billy, your performance in this game is completely different from before. There are only a handful of breakthroughs, but there are Five turnovers."

Michael Owen actually performed worse than Billy, with zero drives.

But Jack Riley pointed the finger directly at Billy, without mentioning the problems of other players, obviously not wanting to anger Michael Owen.

Billy was not an idiot. He understood that if he remained silent now, he would be taking all the responsibility. He spoke immediately, looked at the offensive coordinator coldly, and muttered: "I said Jack, the Bears' cornerbacks are simply worse than You still want to know my movements, how do you want me to escape? Shouldn't you look for your own problems? "

"We will face the Atlanta Falcons in the next round, and we must keep our tactics. Can't you even handle the Bears' cornerback? Then I have to think about whether you need to be the starter in the next game." Jack Clay Lee would never stop doing anything. Since he chose to open fire on Billy, he would do it to the end.

"Shit! You know, I want to punch your head right now! Let's see what's inside your head." Billy stood up directly.

"Oh, here we go again, do you black players know how to speak with your fists?" Jack said in a low voice.

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized the problem and his expression looked particularly ugly.

This time, not only Billy, but all the black players felt offended. The locker room, which had already reached freezing point, suddenly had a smell of gunpowder.

"Enough, this game is not just about a certain position or a certain coach." Dave shook his head.

Even the on-site commentator can easily see the problem, of course others also know it.

As for Ethan, he watched from the other side without saying a word. The outcome of this game was almost doomed from the beginning, but Ethan showed extra effort, almost doing all the tricks, deliberately pretending to be injured and leaving the field temporarily, and then "living the injury" "Go into battle." No matter how the fire started, it couldn't burn him.

As a bystander, the problems within the Cowboys were fully exposed to Ethan.

First of all, the team's management is in disarray. Before Ethan arrived, the Cowboys had experienced a season riddled with scandals, including fights, hiding contraband, and players hanging out in nightclubs. These problems have not been fundamentally changed, but they have been affected by the previous winning streak. Covered by impressive achievements.

Secondly, there are many factions in the team. Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and many other old players didn't even dare to mess with the head coach and were unable to form effective management.

It cannot be denied that this group of old players helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowl championships in five years, but now this group of players has become an obstacle to the Cowboys' progress.

Last but not least - the Cowboys are the standard.

Unlike other teams, the Cowboys do not have a so-called "general manager" at all. As the owner of the team, Jones Sr. also holds the positions of executive president and general manager.

The advantage is that he has absolute authority within the team and all instructions can be conveyed easily.

The bad thing is that when the old Jones turns more of his attention away from the court and explores the commercial market, he is somewhat oblivious to the internal problems of the team.

In terms of business operations, Jones is definitely a top player. But after all, his energy is limited.

As for Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones Jr., it can be seen from the current results that although the two have worked hard, they are not capable of fundamentally solving the Cowboys' problems.

These conclusions are not conjectures, but based on facts.

Although the Jones family has made their voices heard more than once: Any season that does not end with the Super Bowl is a failed season for the Cowboys.

But the result is that the Cowboys have won just five playoff games in the two decades since their last Super Bowl win.

In the NFL, this score is considered to be at the bottom, and the more dazzling business performance ratio makes it even more "disgraced". No wonder many years later, Dallas fans will be dubbed "Crying Dallas."

This is despite the poor performance of the Cowboys. If Dallas can create a "dynasty" like the Patriots at the beginning of the new century, the business performance will probably rise like a rocket. It is not an exaggeration to say that dollar bills will fall from the sky.

In the locker room, the head coach was still reviewing, but a certain staff member had quietly walked out of the locker room and called the old Jones' office phone.

·

"The winning streak was ended and the Cowboys lost to the Bears." Old Jones put down the phone, his expression not exactly relaxed.

The Bears have been ranked last in the National League Central Division in recent years. It would be excusable if they lost to a strong team. Losing to such a team is enough to reflect the problems within the team.

What made him even more furious was that his cronies mentioned that there was civil unrest in the locker room after the game, and that many players did not stay at the hotel where they stayed last night, and some even stayed away all night. The team's tactics were even worse. It was a mess, still using the standard tactics from the previous games.

"This time we obviously underestimated the enemy. The Bears looked prepared." Cold sweat broke out on Stephen Jones' forehead and he quickly made up for it.

Losing to the Bears was obviously an outcome that his father could not accept.

"I don't think this is an accident. Look at the overpaid and incompetent old men in the team now." Charlotte said meaningfully, pointing directly at Stephen's failure to control the salary cap.

"Shut up, Charlotte. Take care of your BI**CH. My father paid hush money to some players. Also, don't put your hands on some players and let them hang out with DCC. Together. I've endured it long enough." Stephen fired back without hesitation, revealing the fact that Ethan was being borrowed by DCC in front of his father.

"Charlotte, tell me what's going on?" Old Jones didn't expect to make new discoveries. Since the incident happened two years ago, he has strictly prohibited the team members from contacting the DCC. Unexpectedly, Charlotte Take the lead in violating your own rules.

Charlotte explained calmly: "This is the sponsor's request. Ethan's image is good enough and he is a quarterback. The most important thing is that he has a rookie contract and there is no need to pay extra..."

"Enough!" Old Jones roared, and the sharp voice penetrated the office door and could be faintly heard even standing outside the door.

Charlotte shrank in fright and immediately stopped talking. "I told you Charlotte before, don't mess with Ethan O'Connor! In addition, the salary cap problem is not Stephen's fault. Keeping old players on the team is in line with the expectations of the fans... As for you, as a The person in charge of the DCC took the lead in violating the regulations. According to the internal regulations, he will be punished with half of his salary for this quarter. Next time, I will let others take over the DCC." Old Jones seemed intolerable.

"As for Stephen, I will give you a week to deal with the internal problems of the team. As for the position of media director... I will still hold the position for the time being. Charlotte, you can go out. I have something to say to Stephen alone." Old Jones Wave your hands.

"Yes, father." Charlotte stood up with a livid face and walked out of the office.

But when she stood up, her brother Tiffin kept a smile on his face.

The father only punished Charlotte without any actual loss, so this time it was considered a great victory.

After Charlotte left, Stephen lowered his voice: "The lawyer sent by my brother has reached an agreement with the woman. We will pay a one-time hush fee and set up two secret trusts to be responsible for subsequent expenses. In exchange, the other party will spend her whole life." They will conceal the identity of the child’s father.”

Old Jones nodded, finally relieved of his worries.

A local Dallas married woman gave birth to a daughter to Jones Sr.

If this matter spreads, it will have a great impact on the reputation of old Jones. Stephen suggested that the relationship be completely severed by signing an agreement.

This is not uncommon in the United States. Most of the less honorable things can be solved with money. Once the other party signs the agreement, they cannot reveal the whole thing on any occasion, otherwise they will pay huge liquidated damages.

No wonder Old Jones is partial. Compared to his daughter, his two sons have helped him deal with a lot of dirty things. Including the team's and one's own.

·

The night after the game, Penny knocked on the door of Ethan's room.

"Everything will be fine, Ethan. This is just an insignificant game. The Cowboys have a high probability of entering the playoffs this year. If they continue to win a few games, it is not impossible to rush to the Super Bowl. This is a small game." It's just a setback." As soon as Penny came in and saw the somewhat depressed Ethan, she immediately comforted him.

"No, losing this game is not a big deal. I'm just thinking about the problems within the team." Ethan rested his head on Penny's thigh.

Ethan felt Penny's soft touch and smelled the faint fragrance on Penny's body, feeling vaguely sleepy.

After losing the game, Ethan was already a little tired, so he attended an emergency tactical meeting held by the coaching staff, but the result was not ideal. During the meeting, Michael Irving and Emmitt Smith argued endlessly about the ball, and both wanted to get more. There are so many passes, but as a quarterback, Ethan doesn't have much say.

Faced with Penny's inquiry, Ethan vaguely talked about his thoughts and fell asleep unknowingly.

When Ethan woke up again, it was already late at night. He found that he was still pillowing on Petunia's lap, and Petunia was still kneeling and sitting motionless. This lasted for several hours, and her whole body was also trapped in She was about to fall asleep, her head kept moving slightly downward, as if to make Ethan sleep more comfortably, she kept holding on.

From Ethan's angle, he could see her gently trembling eyelashes. Under the warm-colored desk lamp light, Penny's face was half hidden in the darkness, making it a little more mysterious and beautiful.

Ethan couldn't help but raise his hand to touch Penny's cheek. At this time, Penny suddenly opened her eyes. The next second, her brows knitted together, and her expression looked particularly painful.

"My legs are numb!" Petunia said with a grin.

Ethan stood up and Penny quickly moved her legs.

"I knew you must be very tired, so I didn't wake you up. Do you think it's comfortable to sleep in this position?" Penny asked as soon as her body relaxed.

Ethan hugged Penny into his arms without saying a word.

"What's wrong? You're acting a little strange today." Penny felt curious as she felt Ethan's chin rubbing against her cheek.

Ethan asked about Penny's work.

"It's better not to think about the identity of the host in the studio for now. There are several people lined up in front of them. This one is having an affair with the president, and the other one is pregnant with the boss's child..." Penny counted on her fingers.

It is said that Hollywood is in chaos. In fact, the level of chaos within several major American television stations has reached a new level. Later, there were many female anchors who spoke out in the metoo movement.

When it comes to relationships, Ethan, an outsider, is definitely no better than the executives inside the TV station.

Unless Ethan can provide Penny with more resources, Penny's career will have reached its peak in the short term.

And speaking of media resources, Ethan has big news on his hands.

"Penny, do you want to know where these Cowboys players went before the game started?" Ethan said suddenly.

Penny tried naming some locations.

"Maybe the truth of the matter is more exciting than imagined..." Ethan said about the gathering place that Billy once mentioned to him.

If this matter is exposed, not only will it have no impact on him, it can even boost the atmosphere within the Cowboys.

As for the more secretive ones, such as the DCC accusations, considering the subsequent impact, Ethan did not think about it.

The reporter, Penny, needs to dig out the rest.

Penny immediately wrote down some key words, and then fell into speculation.

"No worries, I'm not involved."

"But to be on the safe side, I'd better not come forward in this matter." Penny thought for a while, after all, her relationship with Ethan was here, so she should retreat behind the scenes.

When Petunia was talking, Ethan's hands were restlessly pushing aside Petunia's covering, and soon the room was filled with Petunia's charming smile...

·

The night he returned to Dallas from Chicago, Ethan was working out at home when the phone beside him rang.

"Ethan, I wonder if it's convenient for you tonight? If possible, I would like to invite you to come out and sit down." It was Charlotte. She invited Ethan on the phone. From the tone of her voice, it seemed that something was bothering her. .

"It's inconvenient, I'm working out right now." Ethan said.

"Then, why not tomorrow..."

"I don't have time tomorrow night, why don't you come to my house tonight?" Ethan immediately suggested.

I have to say that this sentence is full of hints.

Charlotte fell silent on the other end of the phone.

"See you later." After a while, Charlotte's voice came from the other end of the phone.

(End of this chapter)