In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 306: Thanksgiving War (8K)

When Ethan walked back to the court, he could hear the boos from the home Dallas fans.

Of course, the one who was booing was not himself, but the referee Bill Carollo.

In the past, the Cowboys called Bill a whistle, which they could call or not, but now Bill didn't seem to see the Vikings' blind collision.

Favoring the away team will of course cause huge dissatisfaction among the home fans.

Ethan even heard that several rednecks in the front row were fucking Bill's family. Not far away, Bill's face turned blue and white, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

In the third gear, Ethan tried to pass the ball, and the rugby ball went straight to Billy who started diagonally from the outside.

Just like the previous training, Billy opened his hands and rushed forward at the same time. Ethan gave the ball enough advance. As long as Billy can get the ball, he will steadily give the Cowboys the first attack.

Originally, Billy had touched the ball, but he did not catch it firmly. Due to the inertia, his body was unable to maintain balance, and he could only watch the football slide away from the tip of his hand.

Billy staggered two steps, jumped up and down with anger, and started talking trash.

"Relax, Billy, it's only the first quarter." Ethan comforted him as he walked off the court.

Then his eyes drifted to Kelsey standing in the distance.

The captain occupying position C snorted coldly, rolled his eyes at Ethan, and then pointed to the court, indicating that Ethan should focus on the game.

This time Ethan looked at Kelsey even more indifferently, as if to say: Isn’t it because you are better-looking?

Kelsey held her forehead, feeling a little embarrassed to be looked at by Ethan like this, so that the movement of waving the flower ball in her hand became a little stiff.

Ethan carefully savored Kelsey's Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon of Colorado, and the Illinois Great Plains without a trace of fat on his abdomen, and then he was satisfied and turned to the competition channel.

The Cowboys punted in the last round of offense. This time, Vikings returner David Palmer caught the ball and immediately launched a fierce charge. He passed several Cowboys special teams members and ran all the way to midfield. The location was intercepted.

This is very detrimental to the Cowboys. Through the advantage of the return attack, the Vikings can complete the touchdown more easily.

The Vikings wanted to repeat their old tricks on the first offense. Randall Cunningham threw a long pass to Randy Moss.

This time, cornerback Kevin Mathis always maintained a high degree of concentration. The moment Randy Moss just started, Kevin immediately stepped back, and then directly completed the turn. Although Randy Moss could flexibly The direction changed, but the ball had already been sent, and Kevin had already taken the advantage. The experienced Randy Moss knew that he could not catch the ball, but he did not let Kevin go and followed him.

The two pushed each other forward and made some movements with their hands. Before the ball could fall, the yellow flag floated over again.

Now it was the turn of the Vikings fans at the scene to express dissatisfaction because it was an offensive foul.

It was inevitable to push each other when fighting for the spot. Moreover, the Cowboys' cornerbacks made a lot of moves, but they were directly called for offensive fouls.

This caused the Vikings to lose another yardage penalty.

"Balance whistle", this word appeared in Ethan's mind.

From a competition perspective, this is not a good choice.

Sure enough, Ethan saw the Vikings' players surrounding him and arguing loudly. However, the referee Bill Carollo still insisted on his opinion and had no intention of changing the penalty.

As for the Cowboys, they are certainly happy to accept this situation.

After being punished for the number of yards, the Vikings' offensive situation suddenly became serious. Randall Cunningham then handed the ball to the running back. Robert Smith, who is from the same Smith family as Emmett, got the ball and tried to make a breakthrough, but was directly beaten by Cowboys defensive tackle Artie Smith. A tiger pounce directly knocked him down.

"Beautiful!" Ethan heard a cry from his teammates around him.

Artie Smith is one of the few white men on the Cowboys' forward line. In college, he made a name for himself with 49 tackles in a single game against Alabama. After graduation, he played for the ers, Cincinnati Bengals, and New Jersey. The English Patriot has played football and just joined the Cowboys this year. Ethan didn't communicate much with him, but from the few conversations he had, he felt that this guy was reliable. He didn't talk much, but he was always able to complete training tasks well, and he was a versatile plug-in on the defensive front.

In the third offense, the Vikings tried high-altitude bombing again, this time looking for Chris Carter in the slot receiver position, but he also failed to get the ball.

"Good job." Dave Campo stepped forward and high-fived all the defensive players who came off the court.

The Cowboys successfully stabilized the situation through this round of defense. Otherwise, the Vikings' two opening touchdowns would have made it very difficult for the Cowboys.

It was the Cowboys' offensive team's turn again. Ethan's tactical choice was the same as before, letting Emmitt Smith explore the path first. This time Emmitt only got two yards.

In the second offense, Ethan started immediately after receiving the ball and successfully passed the forward line through the cover of the fullback and running back. Soon he was in almost the same position as in the previous round. Even the Vikings linebacker The flying posture was exactly the same as before, but this time Ethan stopped smartly and immediately saw a figure flying past his eyes.

Then there was another burst of exclamations from the female cheerleaders...

Poor Rachel!

Ethan couldn't care less about Rachel W and had already started charging again.

His unstoppable posture, speed like an arrow, and super physical fitness gave him an advantage when facing Vikings defenders, knocking over two Vikings defenders in a row.

These few moves alone are enough to make the blood of the fans in the stadium surge, and the boiling shouts are enough to knock off the roof of Texas Stadium.

"The perfect fusion of strength, speed, and technology, the Cowboys' iron hooves trampled the Vikings' heads to pieces. It comes from Cowboys quarterback Ethan O'Connor. I think no one doesn't know him now!" Madden I just feel that this rush has a pleasing feeling.

Ethan rushed forward for nearly thirty yards before being forced to stop.

"Ethan, I really envy you. Your body is the ultimate weapon that every running back dreams of." Emmitt Smith said with a smile as he pulled Ethan up.

"You should be grateful for all the running backs. Fortunately, Ethan is a quarterback." Billy also came to join in the fun at this time.

"Shouldn't we be glad that Ethan is our teammate?" Emmitt Smith responded with a smile.

With teammates like Ethan, everyone feels inexplicably at ease.

This young man came to the Cowboys with high-profile halo and controversy, and now everyone realizes how wise and correct the choice of Jones Sr. was.

With Ethan's long drive, the Cowboys had a free kick opportunity, but Ethan would not let go of the opportunity to score more points. After a fake move, faced with the defensive end who had already rushed in front of him, Ethan Sen threw the football in his hand.

The moment he took action, Ethan made an obvious downward movement.

This caused the rugby to change from its original spin to an upside-down spin, and its flight trajectory became erratic. After crossing the front line, it began to fall rapidly.

Offensive end Eric Williams, who had been standing in his predetermined position for a long time, successfully caught the ball and immediately rushed forward.

As an end forward on the strong side, although Eric is not as bulky as the two on the weak side, he still weighs nearly 300 pounds. Under normal conditions, his task is to block the opposing defensive end, but in this special situation In the tactics, he will have to play the role of tight end.

The Cowboys have no tight ends on their entire team.

The tight end is a product of the times and will only become popular in the NFL after entering the new century. Not all teams currently have a tight end.

It was not that Ethan didn't want to use the elevator pass before, but he didn't have a suitable receiver. Before this game, Ethan made a suggestion to the head coach, and the latter chose to adopt it. This led to the nearly 300-pound elephant charge. of wonders.

Relying on his physical advantage, Eric Williams rushed through the first offensive line, but during the long-distance attack, his disadvantage of being too heavy was reflected. His speed prevented him from getting rid of the defense, and in the end he failed to score a touchdown. .

But it was enough, and now the Cowboys were less than 20 yards away from getting the first touchdown of the game.

"Ethan's iconic elevator pass in his late college days. Not many people can do this pass now. This is a memorable day. Ethan used this complicated skill for the first time in the NFL. Pass the ball!" announcer Maddon exclaimed.

The Cowboys held a long huddle before the scoring drive began.

By the time they lined up, the Cowboys' formation had changed.

Instead of moving to the quarterback position, Eason moved to the edge of the strong side, where he was clearly ready to become a true tight end.

Backup quarterback Jason Garrett came onto the field at this time.

Logically speaking, Jason Garrett is currently the No. 3 quarterback, and it should be the turn of meritorious veteran Troy Aikman.

However, Troy Aikman's brain is not very good right now, and he is simply unable to perform the task of quarterback in this special tactic, so he has to be replaced by Jason Garrett.

At the same time, the Vikings also made adjustments. The Vikings defense moved closer to Ethan intentionally or unintentionally.

Anyone could tell that the Cowboys were going to let Eason catch the ball for a touchdown.

When the game resumed, Ethan rushed directly into the defensive line like a sharp blade.

This move was beyond everyone's expectations. Almost instantly, the originally stalemate offensive and defensive fronts completely collapsed due to the arrival of Ethan. Many gaps appeared in the front lines. Jason Garrett rushed forward with the ball without any hesitation. With Ethan's cover, he rushed towards the formation from the outside.

Although the Vikings defense reacted quickly and adjusted accordingly to try to stop Jason Garrett, they seemed to have forgotten the true intention of this play.

Ethan came out from the front again. At this moment, all the Vikings' maneuvering positions were attracted by Jason. Ethan rushed out and easily rushed into the formation.

Only then did the Vikings realize belatedly that Jason was not holding the ball at all. He had already passed the ball to Ethan when he passed by him just now.

"If in the first offense, Ethan showed extraordinary speed and physical fitness, in the second offense, Ethan used his outstanding skills to help the Cowboys' line move forward a big step, and in the scoring offense , the Cowboys taught the Vikings another lesson about the importance of tactics!"

Madden concluded.

The Cowboys' three offenses have different focuses, running through the Vikings' defense all the way and sending the ball into the zone. This is inseparable from the Cowboys' intensive training before the game.

Of course, it’s even more inseparable from the soul figure Ethan O’Connor! He played an irreplaceable role in all three offenses.

The camera panned the audience one by one. The rednecks raised their arms and shouted, roared at the camera, and their faces turned red.

Nothing makes them express their love for Ethan better than roaring.

At this time, the TV broadcast signal entered the slow-motion replay of the arrival array, but only halfway through the replay, the director switched back to the live scene. At this time, Ethan was seen running out of the array area. It looked like it was some kind of special Ways of celebrating.

Witnessed by the broadcast camera and the audience, Ethan actually came to the DCC team on the sidelines and found DCC captain Kelsey.

Kelsey froze on the spot, letting Ethan hug her.

"What are you doing...there are so many people watching." Kelsey stammered and her face turned red for a moment.

"This touchdown belongs to you." Ethan said without taking it seriously, and after saying that, he turned around and left.

The spectators at close range looked bewildered at first. As Ethan left, they realized something and started to whistle and boo.

"Fuck!!!" The DCCs around Kelsey also exclaimed, and then a knowing smile appeared on their faces.

As for the person involved, Kelsey felt dizzy due to lack of oxygen in her brain, and her whole body felt a little light, like she was falling into the clouds, like a dream.

The resentment in my heart for Ethan's neglect disappeared, and most of the previous hesitation was diluted with this unexpected surprise. Next, when she saw a close-up of herself on the big screen, Kelsi felt even more embarrassed and even a little scared.

After all, the team's ban is there, and the old Jones has just updated the version.

Subconsciously, Kelsey did not worry about herself, but began to worry about the impact of this incident on Ethan...

What will Ethan's friends think when they see this?

No, why should I be afraid of being seen? Ethan is not afraid of anything he is afraid of. You should let them see it, otherwise you would have no status! When she thought of this, Kelsi not only did not hesitate at all, but also subconsciously raised her chest.

At the same time, Ethan, who returned to the bench area, was immediately surrounded by his teammates.

Even the previous touchdowns pale in comparison to the final celebration.

"Ethan, you have to be prepared to take the pressure." Dave Campo thought of something.

"The pressure is not on me." Ethan said with a smile, not feeling that this matter would affect him and Kelsey at all.

At the same time, in the private room of DCC, Old Jones was communicating with his colleagues around him. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but be speechless.

"Jones, why do I remember that there is a relevant ban within the Cowboys?" a colleague asked subconsciously upon seeing this.

These words sounded a bit harsh to old Jones, so he had to raise a glass to resolve the embarrassment: "Young people today are really getting bolder."

"Father, this is actually what I asked Ethan to do." Charlotte stepped forward with a slight smile and a calm look on her face. , "Did you ask him to do this?" Old Jones's eyes narrowed, and his tone was a bit colder.

"Yes, this is a way to promote DCC. Hollywood stars all do this." Charlotte explained unhurriedly.

Although he seemed calm on the surface, he had scolded Ethan ten thousand times in his heart.

"Promotion method?" Old Jones frowned.

"Yes, DCC needs to be exposed, and this is the most direct way. With future performance opportunities, more people can get to know the young girls under DCC."

Charlotte repeated what Ethan once said to herself.

Ethan did say this to Charlotte, but it was just a temporary idea. Walking up to Kelsey just now was purely an inspiration.

Old Jones was noncommittal, but his expression began to soften.

"Why didn't you notify me in advance?"

"I didn't expect Ethan to take action so quickly." Charlotte shook her head.

She really didn't expect it, so the resentment towards Ethan became even stronger in her heart.

This scumbag! When did you hook up with the leader of the DCC team? Could it be that when you persuaded Kelsey to join the Star Glory Project, the two of them had contact that she didn't know about?

Charlotte decided to ask Ethan after the game.

"So, this was Ethan's idea again?" Old Jones looked down at Ethan, who was surrounded by his teammates.

The Shining Star Plan had been approved by him before, and he knew that it was Ethan who proposed the plan in the first place. Charlotte also truthfully reported the details to Old Jones, otherwise Ethan would not have been able to walk in and out of the DCC with such arrogance.

Now, he might really be in and out.

"That's right." Charlotte nodded.

·

Ethan didn't know that he was going through hell. Faced with the gossip from his teammates, he chose to avoid the issue for the time being. Don't forget that this was a game.

To say that the people at the scene who were least concerned about this matter were probably the Vikings players.

Randall Cunningham rushed forward with the ball alone. It must be said that his rushing method was somewhat similar to Ethan's. This made Ethan even more determined in his mind. This little black guy would definitely watch. Live your own video.

Although the Vikings' offensive team had great momentum and charged extremely bravely with all their energy, Ethan's teammates did not give the Vikings any chance, and even the referees sided with the Cowboys.

It was nitpicking before, but now the penalties against the Cowboys seem to be a little lenient again.

The Vikings surrounded the referees, saying that the Cowboys' cornerback had made too many moves when marking their own players.

Even Ethan, who was standing off the field, admitted that the Cowboys' defensive actions were a bit excessive. However, the referee repeatedly stated that this was not a foul, which made the Vikings players particularly angry.

Before the second offensive punt, the Vikings players began to become increasingly rough. After the Vikings' fullback was directly knocked to the ground by the defensive end, the resentment completely erupted, so that the game was forced to be suspended for a period of time.

The smell of gunpowder in the scene immediately became strong, and the Vikings players poured all their anger on the Cowboys players.

After the kickoff, the Vikings center directly hit the defensive tackle in front of him with his helmet. Not to be outdone, the Cowboys immediately retaliated with a precise kick to the quarterback.

In just a few minutes, the number of fouls committed by both sides increased sharply.

At this time, the referee's lack of ability to control the field was increasingly reflected, but the game began to get out of control.

Ethan, who returned to the field again, allowed the offensive team to choose more passing tactics. In the third gear of 45 yards, he directly passed the ball straight to the deep end and directly found Michael Owen.

Michael Owen was already jumping high. The Vikings cornerback saw this and rushed directly towards Michael Owen's body. Michael Owen's body had lost his balance in the air. Not only did he not catch the ball, he also fell heavily. At the moment of contact with the ground, Michael Owen's upper body was facing down, and the huge force even caused him to rebound slightly when he fell to the ground.

All members of the Cowboys know that Michael Irving has an old collarbone injury. Last season, it was because of the collarbone injury that the season ended five rounds early.

The players rushed forward one after another, but the result was not ideal. Michael Owen clutched his collarbone in pain and rolled on the ground in pain. It was obviously a recurrence of an old injury.

This casts a shadow over the Cowboys' next game.

No one can replace Michael Owen's role in the team. Although he is not Ethan's first connection in this game, Michael Owen can attract the opponent's attention every time he runs in the frontcourt.

Michael Owen's departure also brought a series of chain reactions.

The first one was naturally the decline in offensive firepower of the Cowboys. In addition, Ethan had to give up the idea of ​​turning his focus to passing the ball and continue to run the ball frequently. For this kind of game where both sides frequently take action, close combat is not a problem. Good choice, this puts players at greater risk of injury.

If Emmitt Smith gets injured again, this game won't be played at all.

Michael Irvin's replacement was Patrick Jeffers, a white receiver. A member of the Denver Broncos last year, he joined the Cowboys as a free agent this year. Although he was very lucky to win last year's Super Bowl championship with the team, he was just a member of the special team, a substitute for the Broncos' backup wide receiver.

Dave Campo let him play because Patrick Jeffers performed well in the training team during this period and was fast enough.

In the third gear of the replay, Ethan handed the ball to Emmitt Smith. The latter got the first offense very smoothly when he was still 3 yards away from the first offensive line. This gave Ethan some comfort. Mitt Smith's performance is still stable enough.

In the new round of offense, Ethan intended to connect with the new wide receiver, but Patrick Jeffers' performance did not satisfy Ethan. In the second gear, Ethan chose to continue running the ball...

With 3 minutes left before the end of the first quarter, the Cowboys relied on the running ball cooperation of Ethan and Emmett to score their second touchdown.

The price was that Emmett and Ethan both felt their internal organs surging, as if their whole bodies had been put in a washing machine to spin for several hours. This was the sequelae of close combat.

There was still a long time in the game. Although the Vikings failed to score another touchdown at the end of the first quarter and only scored 7 points, the Cowboys only scored 14 points in the first quarter and the score gap was not widened. .

During the free time between the first and second quarters, Ethan and Dave exchanged opinions, and even DCC didn't bother to watch.

The Cowboys got off to a good start in the second quarter. Ethan passed the ball to Billy, allowing the latter to successfully break into the zone and score a touchdown.

The Vikings responded immediately, with deep end Randy Moss attracting attention and Chris Carter holding the ball for a touchdown.

The offense and defense switched again, and this time Ethan and the offensive team were more seriously affected.

With Michael Irving off the field, the Vikings defense has more energy to target the Cowboys' running ball. Even Emmett, who has made steady gains in the past, was tackled behind the line, which directly led to the Cowboys' third-down offense. Didn't get the first shot at the end.

There were still 47 yards away from the opponent's zone. Ethan used the microphone in his helmet to ask Dave to call a free kick at this time.

Unexpectedly, this was the Cowboys' last score in the second quarter.

On the other side, the Vikings offensive team gradually adapted to the game. Although both sides committed a lot of fouls, the Vikings were obviously luckier. The second quarter was interrupted and the risky two-point conversion was successful.

Towards the end of the second quarter, the Vikings scored another touchdown. By halftime, the Vikings and Cowboys were separated by just two points.

At halftime, Ethan walked into the tunnel with a solemn expression.

"Ethan, don't give up." When passing by DCC, Ethan heard Kelsey's voice.

Then came the voice of Kelsey's best friend Lacey: "Kelsey just promised that if the Cowboys win this game, I will go to the hotel with you tonight."

"Ah, shut up, I didn't say anything." Kelsey quickly covered her best friend's mouth.

This caused a burst of laughter from other DCC members.

Ethan also laughed, and then realized that he was a little too nervous.

Despite the strength of the Vikings and the unfortunate end of Michael Irvin, the Cowboys haven't lost yet.

"Then this game must be won at all costs." Ethan touched Kelsey's head and walked into the player tunnel.

Before the second half of the game begins, there will be a special Thanksgiving performance this year.

The staff rushed to the venue and prepared to build a circular stage in a very short time.

In front of Fox's broadcast camera, and in front of a curtain with a blue star mark, was the Jones family, including Jones Sr.'s wife and mother of three children, Genie Jones. She wears a ferret coat and looks like a lady. In addition to being the wife of Jerry Jones, she is also a trustee of Southern Methodist University, a member of the executive committee of the Meadows School of the Arts, and single-handedly founded the Dallas Performing Arts Center. When he is busy, he is no less busy than his husband.

Charlotte's elder brother and younger brother attended with their wives and young children, but Charlotte was alone.

The host conducted a brief interview with Jerry Jones and then brought the topic to the red bucket placed in front of the family.

Jerry Jones implored the audience to raise funds in front of the camera, as if he was committed to charity. In fact, he and his wife are members of the Dallas County Committee and the National Advisory Committee of the Salvation Army respectively, and they raised most of the funds. will enter the Children's and Family Center, which the couple founded this year in Dallas.

Then it was performance time. Wearing a dark blue blazer, Reba McEntire, who had won the Grammy for Best Country Music Vocalist, appeared on the stage, in front of the choir and seven people wearing DCC uniforms. Surrounded by eight-year-old girls, they sang a song called "What If".

Ten seconds later, DCC divided into two columns and met in front of the stage from the left and right sides, twisting their bodies to the soothing songs.

A charity performance full of Cowboys cheerleading elements was staged in front of tens of millions of viewers. As the song was about to end, the camera once again showed Kelsey standing at the front of the team. This was a close-up.

Kelsey's charming and friendly smile and gray-blue pupils have been imprinted in the hearts of many viewers. The audience at the scene was also completely attracted by Kelsey's magnificent face. Many people stopped communicating directly. It was so like Drunkly looking at Kelsey on the big screen.

As for the Vikings fans from afar, they have one more reason to hate Ethan.

For fans, this halftime performance is actually a bit lengthy, but for Ethan, this performance is simply the speed of light.

The short halftime did not allow Dave Campo to come up with any winning plan.

Ethan and the team members bravely returned to the field. Not far away, the Vikings players also looked solemn.

It seemed that neither side was sure of defeating their opponent.

The third quarter was filled with more fouls than the first quarter, and both sides had retreated a hundred yards in total.

The Cowboys only completed two free kicks, and the Vikings were not even as good as the Cowboys, with only one poor free kick.

Both sides seem to be following some kind of tacit understanding and are preparing to leave some room for the most important fourth quarter.

Before the end of the third quarter, bad news came again from the Cowboys. As Ethan's bumper, weakside tackle Nate Newton fell directly to the ground after a collision with the defensive end and fell into a coma instantly.

After simple first aid from the sideline medical staff, Nate Newton finally regained consciousness, but his current condition was obviously unable to continue the game.

"I shouldn't have taken my fiancée's photo out from under my shoulder pads during halftime." Nate looked extremely regretful.

"Sorry, Ethan," he whispered to Ethan as he was placed on the golf cart.

"You don't have to apologize to anyone."

Ethan shook his head and watched him leave.

Between the third and fourth quarters, the Cowboys players seemed sluggish.

First came the wide receiver Michael Irvin, then the offensive left tackle. These two positions are one behind the other, which is crucial to the Cowboys. Now going down one after another will be a huge blow to the Cowboys offense.

To say that the person with the greatest pressure is of course Ethan.

"Now the Cowboys still have a five-point advantage, which is the key to victory..." Dave Campo actually advised Ethan to adopt a more conservative offensive strategy, obviously preparing to delay time.

It can only be said that he doesn’t understand Ethan very well.

"Now that we have lost our main offensive left tackle, we should strengthen our direct attack," Ethan said.

He is conveying a concept to the head coach and players.

Attack is the best defense.

(End of this chapter)