In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 316 Playoffs (4)

"call……"

Stephen Young took a deep breath. Directly across from him, in addition to the huge goal frame, he could see an entire stand of 10,000 live spectators.

American football stadiums are not like football stadiums that need to comply with FIFA's weird regulations. They can increase the number of spectator seats as much as possible. Last year, Texas Stadium added a fourth-tier bleacher. The highest seats are a good distance from the stadium. Hundreds of yards, where players look like a bunch of dots.

If you are not a professional player, it may be difficult to understand this feeling.

Tens of thousands of people dressed in uniform uniforms made uniform insulting gestures, followed by a huge wave of curses.

Stephen Young must admit that when he participated in an away game for the first time in his career, he was frightened by a similar scene and his legs trembled.

But after so many years, he has long been accustomed to this kind of scene. Even at the Super Bowl, which attracts more attention, he is hardly affected by the audience.

But today, things seem to have changed.

This caused Stephen Young to delay issuing the "say go" command after forming the formation, but instead continued to take deep breaths.

"Yang, your physical examination results are not optimistic...you don't have a few years left to stay on the court." The team doctor once said to him.

"Stephen, I'm afraid the contract extension will have to wait." The voice of the team's personnel director lingered.

Are you really old? I'm afraid so.

When Stephen Young saw how Ethan was running rampant on the court, he somewhat believed this, not to mention the "falling leaf pass" with a very special route...

"time is limited!"

The voices of his teammates brought Stephen Young's attention back to the court.

Looking at the majestic and huge back of the center in front of him, Stephen spat.

Fuck you!

"1.2.3, say go!" Stephen Young shouted like in the past.

The next second, the football passed from the center's crotch accurately fell into Stephen Young's arms.

At the same time, Stephen Young's teammates all came out. Jerry Rice ran directly into the formation. The slot receiver was standing on the edge of the formation on the other side, ready to catch the ball from behind Stephen Young. The running back also came Arriving at the planned location...

At this moment, near the sideline, several Cowboys defensive players suddenly saw Ethan standing up and pointed to the corner of the formation. This was to remind his teammates that this position was missing.

Stephen Young's mind is racing with the ball... The cornerback in the zone is watching, and passing it to Jerry Rice is not a good option. Although the defensive end is attracted by the full back, the linebacker is rushing towards him. If he passes to the running back, the opponent will interfere with his route...

In a very short period of time, Stephen Young made a call and found a route through the Cowboys defense.

Almost at the same time, the football in his hand flew towards the slot receiver. The difference from the gathering before the formation is that this is not a ball behind the back, but a pass in front of the body.

This subtle change caused the slot receiver to hesitate for a moment. When he reacted and wanted to step back, a blue figure was already between him and the flying football.

"Interception! Stephen Young's pass at the three-yard line was intercepted!"

"It's safety Izel Reese!"

commentator Matt Millen exclaimed.

The entire stadium was directly ignited for a moment, and countless fans cheered, their eyes firmly fixed on the Cowboys safety.

The safety who intercepted the pass did not hesitate. Just like Chris in the last game, he directly started to return the ball and ran nearly ten yards in less than two seconds.

作为当年体测成绩40码4.54秒，20码2.66秒，10码1.60秒的体质怪，牛仔队的安全卫是少有的以速度见长类型。

At this time, it was too late for the 49ers' offense to stop him directly, but they still pursued him like crazy.

As for Stephen Young, he stood there blankly, with a biting coldness rising all over his body from head to toe...

When Ezere Reese was forced to brake, there were only 49 yards left in the 30ers' zone.

Ethan took the lead and rushed into the field with his teammates.

The offense at the three-yard line was actually resolved by the Cowboys, and even attacked back in front of the 49ers' zone. This was a disaster for the 49ers and greatly increased the Cowboys' chances of winning.

The helmets of Ethan and safety Ezell Reese collided together, making a sound that was a special material between plastic and metal.

"Good job, man!"

"Without your guidance at the critical moment, I'm afraid I would have been led into the formation." Izel Reese grinned with a simple smile.

Just now, at the critical moment, he saw Ethan's gesture, so he consciously moved closer to the direction directed by Ethan. As soon as he took a step, he saw Stephen Young pass the ball. It can be said that Ethan perfectly predicted Stephen Young's movements. .

Others would only think that the safety guard's positioning was superb. Only he knew it in his heart. Without Ethan's advance guidance, he would not have had time to react.

"Similar to Ethan, Ezell Reese also came from the University of Alabama, but he graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is 1 meters tall, weighs 88 kilograms, and has an arm length of 88cm, which gives him faster speed and a larger defensive area. Although he is not the most eye-catching in the Cowboys defensive group, he can often produce magical results!" Matt Millen commented on Izer Reese's performance.

In fact, Ezere Reese has always been the "invisible guardian" of the Cowboys. Like most of the players, he stays in his own position and contributes silently. The Cowboys' impressive results seem to be created by Eason. But it is also inseparable from the role they played in it.

After a short celebration, the game restarted, and Dave Campo chose a more conservative strategy. He chose to let the team's kicker complete the free kick.

Thirty yards isn't much of a problem for the Cowboys' kickers.

Ethan saw him place the football on the kicking spot, then start to back away, measuring the distance with his feet.

This short young man, who has the same blond hair as Ethan, may be the most praised rookie player by Cowboys fans in recent years besides Ethan.

In high school, Richie was an all-around athlete, participating in many competitions such as football, baseball, tennis, track and field, and won the community baseball championship in his senior year. Starting from his junior year, he became the starting kicker at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and ended his college career with a free kick success rate of over 70%.

His early years in the NFL were not ideal. He never got a chance to play after entering Dallas in 93, and left for Green Bay in 96. In the end, Green Bay decided to retain the team's veteran Chris Jack, so until last year, he Only then officially entered the game as a player for the Cowboys.

His first goal was amazing, with 53, which is the fourth-highest number of first goals in history. That season, he set a club record with a terrifying 91.9% field goal success rate. Looking at the entire NFL history, this is also the second-most terrifying result in history.

As of this year, he has never failed in his 40 PATs.

However, free kicks have declined compared to last year, with a success rate of only 82.9%.

Ethan watched him keep retreating, and then started to start, run up, and lift his legs. The whole action was done in one go. The football also took a special parabola like a bird flying over the canyon, and fell neatly into the area included in the goal frame.

"17-10, the Cowboys further expanded the score advantage. This is not good news for the 49ers. They must complete two consecutive touchdowns in the remaining time to have a chance to win this game. , and that’s assuming the Cowboys don’t continue to score.”

For the 49ers at this point, any Cowboys score would be huge bad news.

Ethan looked at Stephen Young, who was across the field. The expression on the latter's face was very ugly. He was still immersed in the mistake just now.

"He has lost the most important thing as a player." Ethan said.

"what?"

Ethan turned his head and looked at Dave Campo.

"Confidence in oneself." Ethan said slowly.

"He is old and this is no longer his era. The situation with Troy Aikman is similar, but at least he will not be as disappointed as his former opponents. Ethan, this is your era, but many years later, you You will also encounter the same situation as Stephen Young today. You will also grow old and watch young people run faster than you, jump higher than you, and shoot farther than you. I hope that by then you can Think about how to convince yourself." Dave Campo looked at Ethan, this old man over sixty years old was like a prophet, predicting Ethan's fate.

"But before that, I will get what I want, and before I get completely old, I will have started traveling around the world and enjoying life." Ethan laughed.

"I sincerely hope you can do it," Dave Campo smiled.

The 49ers' frenzied attack continued, and this round had a somewhat desperate momentum. Ethan noticed that the 49ers' offensive team was running harder.

But today's luck was always on the side of the Cowboys. When the offense reached the Cowboys' 14-yard position, due to an offensive foul on the slot receiver, the 49ers were punished and retreated another fifteen yards. This once caused a dispute between quarterback Stephen Young and his teammates.

Internal strife is often the beginning of a team on the verge of collapse. The 49ers were forced to change their tactics after being punished for fifteen yards.

Stephen Young made a desperate choice to pass the ball to Jerry Rice on the far end, but ignored that there were three defenders next to Jerry Rice at this time, which was like a prepared hunting trap.

Under the double-team of three people, even though Jerry Rice grabbed the first spot with his terrifying physical fitness, he could only watch the football pass from his two sides when being squeezed by many people. It slipped from my hand.

The football only rolled down the ground before being picked up by Cowboys cornerback Larry Brown.

Even though Larry failed to break through the 49ers' on-the-spot counterattack, he still firmly controlled the ball before falling to the ground.

"It's time to end this game." Ethan put on his helmet again and walked into the playing field at this time.

There are less than two minutes left before the end of the third quarter. In theory, as long as you advance fast enough and score another touchdown, you can easily win the game in the fourth quarter as long as you hold on to your advantage, which will save you precious time. Physical strength, after all, the next game is the National League finals with higher gold content.

It's just that the 49ers' defensive team clearly realized something. They wanted to use the last two minutes to hold Ethan off. Seeing that the 49ers began to intentionally retreat the defensive lineup to defend more high-altitude passes, Ethan decisively chose to run the ball.

Easily gained over thirty yards twice in a row.

In the midfield attack, Ethan changed his tactics just right and turned the 49ers around. At this time, the Cowboys were only 49 yards away from the 27ers' zone, but the bad news was that there was not much game time left.

Eason had to let Richie Cunningham come up again and convert a free kick before the end of the third period.

"20 to 10, although the Cowboys did not successfully score a touchdown in the third quarter, they still widened the score gap with two free kicks. I don't know how the 49ers coaching staff will respond at this time, and whether they will Changing the lineup in the fourth quarter..." Matt Millen gave the suspense.

Consistent with his worries, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the 49ers indeed replaced Stephen Young, who was in poor condition in this game.

The man with three Super Bowl trophies appears to be in decline at the moment.

Under the leadership of backup quarterback Ty Hubert Detmer, the 49ers did not seem to give up. They used 87 offenses to gain 49 yards and relied on the quarterback's running of the ball. The ers scored their first touchdown of the second half.

Then the 49ers decisively chose a two-point play.

Although Ty Detmer made a weird mistake in the two-point conversion and made a low-level mistake of letting go after receiving the pass from the center, he quickly adjusted his posture, quickly picked up the ball, and put it away. The ball was thrown to tight end Clark.

In this game, Clark still continued his fiery form in the previous game. Under the interference of two defenders, he directly got the ball, and then used a rather embarrassing rolling posture to rush into the formation.

"The two-point conversion was successful! The fourth quarter has just passed halfway. The 49ers have every chance to catch up with the score."

After replacing the backup quarterback, the 49ers' offense almost achieved immediate results. In addition to the physical decline of the defensive team itself, more importantly, they were unable to adapt to the backup quarterback's tactics.

In the Cowboys' playbook, there is no relevant way to deal with the 49ers quarterback running the ball. Dave Campo originally expected Stephen Young to play a full game.

Before the start of this round of attack, Ethan specifically warned his teammates.

"We only have the last few minutes left in the National League finals. I don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life, let alone have your life end early. You must know that most Texas fans have semi-automatic rifles at home."

"I'm not kidding, there's a chance someone is going to pay for this."

In addition to Ethan, there were also a few team members from California whose expressions became a little frightened.

California's gun control is famous for its strictness. In contrast, the bloody nature of Texans is equally impressive. After all, they dare to confront federal armed forces without saying a word.

Players don't doubt that some extreme Texans fans will send them death threats.

"Don't scare them Ethan," Emmitt Smith said with a smile.

When the first offense started, the Cowboys offensive team almost immediately felt the 49ers' desperate counterattack. Ethan collided hard with the defensive end, and he could clearly feel the sound of his protective gear being overwhelmed. The rest wasn't much better. Eason passed the ball extremely hard to the tight end, who was almost immediately knocked down.

The situation was more difficult than expected. In the second offense, Ethan did not try to pass the ball and directly chose to run the ball. He failed to get the first offense. He was blocked just after running out of the line of scrimmage. Throw it down.

As the game heats up, the 49ers' morale is getting stronger and stronger...

In the third offense, Ethan chose to pass the ball directly to Emmitt Smith, who was the most stable player on the team. In the previous offense, Ethan had already gained seven yards for the Cowboys and only needed Emmitt to get another one. Three yards to get the first down.

But the problem lies in the last three codes.

Emmett's steps became messy the moment he bypassed the linebacker. He was interfered by the opponent's extended foot, and then his body tilted to one side and slipped directly onto the playing field. The linebacker directly knocked the football out of Emmett's arms. snatched it down.

"Shit!" Ethan immediately ran with all his strength. Even though his body did not have much advantage compared to the 49ers linebacker, the moment he made contact, Ethan was like a dump truck. Knock the opponent away directly.

Although he failed to regain the ball, at least he did not allow the opponent's line to attack back.

"Ethan, you saved me." Emmett, who was pulled up by Ethan, felt guilty and wanted to give Ethan a hug on the spot.

At the same time, Dave used up his last timeout.

Now that the 49ers have the ball again, the Cowboys must withstand this round of pressure. If the 49ers get another touchdown, they will completely lose the initiative in this game.

But the Cowboys' run defense was a big problem, which made Dave Campo scratch his head anxiously and couldn't think of a good solution for a while.

"Now that we can determine the tactic the 49ers chose at the last minute, it's better to just initiate a pass rush."

"But what if the 49ers temporarily change their tactics to long passes?" Dave Campo asked.

This is indeed a problem. Ethan can change tactics temporarily, and of course the opponent can too.

For a moment, everyone fell into silence. The backup quarterback sent by the 49ers really made the Cowboys feel troublesome.

Ethan thought for a while and proposed a plan like this: "Now we can only add one more player to pass the ball on the original basis."

"Who can I send?" Dave Campo looked around. In addition to the original two pass rushers in the team, another pass rusher was added. No matter who it was, Dave Campo couldn't feel relieved. In the end, After looking around, his eyes fell on Ethan.

"Ethan, since you are so good at running the ball, I think you are the most suitable." Dave Campo had seen Ethan commanding the players to adjust their positions on the field before. In fact, the Cowboys' lead came from this.

It can be said that Ethan's sense of smell on defense is as sensitive as his offense. In addition, as a dual-threat quarterback, Ethan can also predict the opponent's ball running route in advance.

Ethan looked at the other team members and saw no one could object, so he could only nod in agreement.

Although temporary position changes had happened more than once before, it was only in high school and college that Ethan truly felt the gulf between different positions as a professional player.

It's easy to stand on the sidelines and give advice, but when you're on the court, it's fine if you don't do anything to help.

Although he knew that this was very risky, since the team needed him, Ethan would not refuse.

Ethan bravely walked onto the field. The moment he stepped onto the field, Ethan took a deep breath and let his mind empty out, no longer thinking about things that would affect him.

To Ethan's expectation, instead of being questioned by the audience when he returned again, there was a burst of cheers.

You must know that many Cowboys fans have developed a fanatical love for Ethan at this time. In a sense, he is even a bit deified. The fans only think that Ethan will have a way at any time, so that they ignore the most basic logic.

The reaction of the on-site commentator Matt Millen was much more objective and rational: "We saw Ethan return to the game as a free defender. This situation happened before when Ethan was in college, and he even achieved good results. But what I need to say is that the NFL is not a college football game, and I am cautiously waiting to see how Ethan will perform in the future."

This is already a statement about Matt Millen's high emotional intelligence. If he were an audience member, he would probably be able to say: This is nonsense.

There are still many part-time players in college football, and the professionalism can be imagined, but not every player can enter the NFL. Every year, the draft is based on the best of the best, not to mention that it is still the playoffs. Second round scene.

As for the 49ers, the Cowboys' defensive team changes also forced them to rethink the tactics they need to use later.

"There is only one possibility for Ethan to be sent up, and that is to defend against runs. Ty, choose a passing tactic. This will make the Cowboys busy."

Tai, the backup quarterback, heard the head coach's voice coming from the headset.

Unlike Stephen Young, he strictly implements the tactics arranged by the coach, or in other words, he does not have the authority to modify the tactics at all.

This time the offense naturally chose to pass the ball honestly and passed it to Jerry Rice. Then he saw that Jerry didn't even touch the ball under the three-man double team.

The 49ers' tactical choice can be said to be exactly what the Cowboys want. Although the Cowboys are not very good at defending against runs, they are still among the best in the league in defending passes. Otherwise, Jerry Rice would not have been guarded for a whole game like last week.

The 49ers who failed in the first gear chose to let the running back run the ball in the second gear, and were stopped by the defensive end again. Don't forget that the 49ers' main running back retired due to injury, and the backup running back was obviously not qualified yet.

The 49ers' offensive team was once again forced into a desperate situation. At this time, the offense at the position was ineffective and the free kick was too far. The quarterback bit the bullet and started running the ball under the command of the coach.

Ethan was waiting for this opportunity. He really guessed the opponent's running route correctly. Not only did he directly intercept the opponent's quarterback, he also used a similar method to the 49ers defensive end just now, directly scoring four points from the 49ers. Wei snatched the football out of his hands.

"Another interception! Oh God!" Matt Millen, who was sitting in the commentary box, directly covered his head.

This game may not be as exciting as the 49ers' first round playoff game, but it's dramatic enough.

Ethan directly completed the return touchdown under heavy cover from his teammates, bringing an end to this special game with twists and turns.

"I have to take back what I just said. Ethan is not only very talented on the offensive level, but also has a very keen sense of smell on the defensive level. His interception helped the Cowboys seal the final victory. It also pushed the Cowboys to the National League Finals! "

Immediately after the game, Ethan heard the audience shouting his name loudly.

Only he knows that the last steal was more of a matter of luck. The opponent's quarterback has become panicked. If it were another person, the outcome would be completely different. It does not have any meaning, nor can he truly become a player on both ends of the offense and defense. All-rounder.

Of course, if the old Jones is willing to give himself a double salary, he will be happy to try it.

Some were happy and some were sad, which was in stark contrast to the cheers at the scene. All the 49ers players had their eyebrows lowered. Like those who had been eliminated before, many 49ers players were in tears.

Stephen Young saw the team's defensive end Chris comforting his teammates one by one.

"Stephen, it's an honor to play with you." He walked up to Stephen Young and grinned.

Obviously this is saying goodbye to Stephen Young.

This was the last game of Chris' fifteen-year NFL career.

"Me too. I'm sorry that I couldn't bring you a perfect ending." Stephen Yang shook his head and said with some self-blame.

Like Chris, the referee of this game, Jerry Markbreit, was also waving goodbye to the fans.

He has officiated 4 Super Bowl games, a record that no one can break.

As a meritorious referee, all the fans stood up and applauded him, and the Cowboys prepared a simple retirement ceremony for him.

Looking at the referee wearing a wreath, Stephen looked back and his eyes became darker.

"You've done a good enough job." Chris patted his old friend on the shoulder.

Stephen Young nodded.

The next step was a handshake between the players of the two teams. Ethan took the initiative and walked towards Stephen Young.

"Awesome, young man, I'm impressed by your performance today." Stephen Yang looked at Ethan with approval.

"Thank you." Facing his seniors, Ethan also showed a humble attitude.

"You know, my family has been persuading me to retire. I have a lot of injuries, and the doctor also advised me to leave the game early, but my agent wants me to continue playing for a few more years and earn more retirement funds. "

"Before I saw you, I was still hesitant, but after this game... I think it's time for me to leave." Stephen Yang pursed his lips and convinced himself.

"Of course this is a good arrangement, you can enjoy your life." Ethan agreed.

Ethan knew that in his previous life, he dragged his body and chose to continue fighting. Then he retired completely due to severe head trauma, and he suffered from the sequelae for the rest of his life. Retiring at this time in this life would be a good death for him.

"Haha, I will watch this year's Super Bowl at home. I look forward to the day when you win the cup..."

He now feels that Ethan can win the National League finals.

"In addition, I'm very curious, what method did you use to throw the falling leaf pass? Can you reveal some techniques? I swear I won't tell anyone." Stephen Young lowered his voice. He has played rugby for many years, even if Already preparing to retire, he is still curious about Ethan's passing skills, and not wanting to understand will cause him insomnia.

"Sorry, you know, I may not be able to reveal it, maybe in a few years." Ethan said.

disclose? How do you reveal blind shots?

"Understood, I can understand your difficulties." Stephen Yang nodded and did not choose to ask.

Ethan was interviewed by sideline reporter Penny again. She also mentioned Ethan's falling leaf pass, and then asked several other general questions. Do you have any confidence in the National League finals?

When Ethan returned to the locker room, he found that the Jones family had arrived again.

"Oh, Ethan, you are the number one contributor to this game." Old Jones hugged Ethan enthusiastically.

If you can give me some extra bonus, I will definitely be happier.

After the pleasantries with the team owner ended, Ethan faced Charlotte Jones again.

"He says this to everyone, you don't take it seriously, do you?" Charlotte glanced at Ethan.

"This game has nothing to do with you. If it weren't for the critical moment of the defense and the kicker's two free kicks, the Cowboys wouldn't have won so easily."

Seeing Ethan staring at her, Charlotte seemed a little guilty and swallowed: "Did I say something wrong?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Ethan didn't argue with Charlotte at all, and then left directly.

Seeing that Ethan was far away, Charlotte followed him in desperation.

"Can you have some fighting spirit?"

"If you can convince the club to give me some victory bonus, I would be happy to have more fighting spirit." Ethan took off his shirt.

"Material guy, vulgar taste." Charlotte said angrily.

Unlike you, I have a father worth billions waiting to inherit.

Ethan ignored Charlotte and began to take off his pants.

"Shameless guy, I suggest you find a psychiatrist to identify whether you have any exhibitionism fetish!" Charlotte turned away and said before running away.

The next NFC playoff game is tomorrow, when the Cowboys' opponent in the NFC finals will be determined. What is about to begin is the first playoff game of the second round of the American League.

Broncos vs Dolphins. At the end of the night, the Broncos swept the Dolphins at home with a score of 38-3.

When Ethan learned the news, his expression immediately became solemn.

Not only the Cowboys, but also the current Broncos have made a huge leap in strength compared to the previous games...

(End of this chapter)