In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 334 The game of draft picks

"Ethan, a year ago, I would never have imagined that you would be like this." Little Plum came to Ethan, holding a goblet in his hand.

It was the party scene after the Sunset Boulevard live broadcast event, and Ethan was entertaining the guests present today.

"Destiny is so unpredictable." Ethan said.

In a certain plan, by this time he should have teamed up with Lisa to eat up the little plum. But football itself took up too much of his time, so the plan never came to fruition.

In other words, there is no conflict of interest between him and DiCaprio, and it is not surprising that they continue to maintain their friendship.

"Let me introduce to you, this is my girlfriend, Naomi Campbell." DiCaprio pushed a black pearl in front of Ethan.

This lady is really "dark", mainly in terms of skin color. The rich dark chocolate color contrasts sharply with her white teeth.

"Welcome." Ethan nodded and smiled. She had just attended the live broadcast event with Xiao Lizi and was also considered Ethan's guest.

"Leonardo, you never told me that your relationship with Ethan would be so good. Many of my sisters have become loyal football viewers and watch Cowboys games regularly. Ethan, you Would you mind having a few more model fans for the Angels?" Naomi Campbell showed her signature charming smile to Ethan.

As one of the BIG FIVEs, her smile has fascinated many men. She is not yet thirty years old and has had boyfriends including Tyson, Andy Murphy, Stallone, Robert... De Niro, Kevin Scottner and many other celebrities, not counting Johnny Depp, John F. Kennedy Jr. and other scandal targets.

It is true that there are many female spectators watching Ethan's game, but Naomi's words are mostly complimentary.

"You are welcome to come to the event in person at any time, and I will prepare the best box for you." Ethan responded. In his eyes, even though Naomi is one of the BIG FIVE, she is still far behind Iman at her peak. That's the real top black beauty. It was a polite word at the moment.

But Naomi seemed to have listened and immediately agreed: "That's it! I will notify you in advance when the time comes."

Xiao Lizi on the side suddenly looked a little nervous: "My dear, don't disturb Ethan."

"How is this considered an interruption? Wouldn't it be nice for the Angels to have more famous fans? Are you right, Ethan?" Naomi asked back.

Many celebrities in the United States like to show off their status as fans and often go to the stadium to watch games in person, and the teams are also happy to see this scene. In addition to the underlying reasons for the social atmosphere to advocate sports, it is essentially a mutually beneficial publicity method.

"Naomi, please give us some private time." Ethan directly pulled Li Zi aside. In addition to his recent work, he also asked Li Zi about the whole story of dating Naomi.

"I met her at a party. I was drunk that night. Black girls are really exciting. Ethan, you should give it a try." Xiao Lizi said eagerly. It can be heard that maybe he is not so fond of Naomi Campbell, but more of a novelty.

"No problem, I'll take her home in a minute." Ethan said pretentiously.

DiCaprio's face turned green, and he couldn't help but recall that before, whether it was Kate Moss or Bridget, this guy Ethan had taken the lead.

"It's just a joke, are you so nervous?" Ethan patted Xiao Lizi on the back and left. He still had many people to entertain.

Soon, Ethan found Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron chatting.

This is the first time Ethan and Keanu Reeves have met. Even Ethan must admit that Keanu Reeves, who is one-eighth of Chinese descent, is quite handsome and is almost catching up with him.

Compared with the extroverted little Li Zi, he is more introverted and doesn't talk much. Ethan lets him have time to watch the game and puts Charlize into his arms.

Charlize raised the glass of wine in her hand and gave Ethan a sip. With the release of "The Matrix" and the rising box office, Charlize began to really become popular. She was glad that she followed Ethan's advice.

Seeing the two people's intimacy, Keanu Reeves realized the relationship between the two, and then agreed to Ethan's request.

After bidding farewell to the two leading actors, Ethan came to Britney again. Britney, who was not yet eighteen years old, obviously did not adapt to this kind of social situation. She stood with her assistant and manager Felicia Culotta. Corner, away from the party.

Seeing Ethan, the only person she knew well, come over, Britney immediately asked: "Are these big stars your friends?"

She had been paying attention to Ethan's movements just now, and saw that Ethan was actually hooking up with the star of Titanic. Only then did she realize that his social circle was much wider than she thought, and he was not just a player. Simple, I couldn't help but feel curious about Ethan.

But before she could ask specifically, she saw Ethan raise his hand.

"Look over there." Ethan pointed not far away. Katherine was joined by her friend Angelina, as well as Sarah Gellar, Jennifer Hewitt and others.

"They are about the same age as you. The one on the far left is the heroine who will guest star in your movie tomorrow. Don't hang around here, go and chat with them."

Britney also realized that she was standing here like an idiot. After saying "Oh", she really walked towards a few people.

Ethan eventually returned to Ovitz.

At this time, Ovitz was actually preparing to leave early, and was still reminding Ethan to entertain them.

"People can leave, but tonight's debt has to be settled." Ethan said lightly.

"These are all your friends. What does it have to do with me?" Ovitz immediately shook his head.

"Of course it has something to do with it. They are here to promote your team. You are the owner of the team and I just work for you." Ethan reiterated that Ovitz is now focused on real estate development, and he can't always contribute more. Money is taken advantage of.

Ovitz thought for a while, but didn't refuse: "Then ask your mother to reimburse you."

Ovitz gave up the club's financial power before, and Mia is now a serious club accountant.

"The club's money is only responsible for the club's operating expenses. This is additional expenditure. The two cannot be confused. I know your purpose, but the prerequisite for Los Angeles GOV to allow you to develop the land smoothly is that the club maintains healthy operations, which you should Knows better than me." Ethan mentioned.

Ovitz didn't say much and just wrote a check to Ethan.

Although he said: "Come to me anytime when you are short of money." In his heart, he wanted to show his face as little as possible in the club.

Ethan got the check and watched Ovitz leave. Although he was noticed by the young Hollywood actors, no one came up to say goodbye to him.

You know, a few years ago, Ovitz was the object of the entire Hollywood's fawning, and a few years later, he completely turned into nothing. Perhaps this is the fundamental reason why Ovitz doesn't want to stay here.

On the other side, Britney, who was participating in the exchange, was surprised when she heard Jennifer's introduction to the movie: "No wonder Ethan tried so hard to let me make a cameo. He actually invested in this movie."

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. The woman in a white jumpsuit standing next to Catherine turned her head to look at Ethan in the distance. Her "highlights" are particularly obvious... which means there is a complete vacuum inside the thin pure white dress.

I don’t know what she was thinking, but then she suddenly said she wanted to “excuse me for a moment.” After leaving, she took two glasses of wine from the passing waiter and came to Ethan.

"I haven't had time to formally meet you yet. My name is Angelina Jolie. It matches your team name quite well." She handed one of the glasses of wine to Ethan. She was not a beauty, but she had sexy plump lips and a pair of Her big and smart eyes can easily arouse men's hormones.

Ethan chatted with her all the time, and he didn't care at all whether it was in a vacuum or not.

"I heard that you and Johnny Lee Miller separated?" Ethan suddenly asked.

The smile on Angelina's face stopped suddenly, she didn't expect Ethan to ask like this.

"I...like him." Angelina nodded: "In fact, I feel now that he is too boring, and I am a casual person."

What a casual person.

"Yes, you deserve better." Ethan smiled but said nothing.

When Angelina was filming a movie with Johnny Lee Miller a few years ago, she took the initiative to throw herself into each other's arms, got involved in each other's romance, and then quickly got married. She borrowed the resources of her husband's actor family, took on several movies, and finally fell in love with her. Stop falling in love, she used this trick three times.

As if she felt Ethan's teasing, she smiled without saying anything and left.

The party at the Hollywood luxury hotel didn't end until late at night. The guests left one after another. Ethan personally arranged a place for Britney to stay. After finishing all the work, Ethan returned home with several people around him.

Everyone drank a lot, and on the way back, there was slight snoring in the car.

"Ethan, I saw Angelina running over to you. You'd better not trust her too much." Catherine, who was holding hands with Ethan, reminded her at this time.

Ethan nodded and smiled: "She probably saw that I know those celebrities and invest in movies, and I happen to be an outsider athlete. So she wanted to try my luck."

After the separation, Angelina lost the support of her husband. During this period, she was looking for someone to rely on. It was during this period that she was harassed by Weinstein, but soon she met Billy. Angelina courted Bob Thornton, the emerging actor, producer and Oscar-winning screenwriter, with Billy Bob's name tattooed on her left arm.

"I'm not interested in her at all. How about leaving it to Lisa?" Ethan thought for a moment and tried to ask.

Although she relies on her body to get to the top like Juliet Roberts, it does not mean that she is not suitable for making movies. In other words, there is still money to be made.

"You can definitely give it a try." Catherine thought for a while and felt that the proposal was not bad, so she decided to go back and introduce the two of them to each other.

After arriving home, Ethan asked Mia to come out, and together with Catherine, they helped Kelsey, Grace, Jennifer, Sarah and others who were already drunk into the home.

Except for Sarah, everyone else was carried back to their room by Ethan.

In the early morning, Sarah Gellar, who had a thirsty mouth and was awakened by the urge to urinate, went to find the bathroom in a daze, groped in the dark, and after searching for it, she came to Ethan's room next door.

Following the voice, she saw Ethan, a muscular man doing exercises with several people. The scene was like a blooming flower, with several people surrounding Ethan in the middle. This caused Sarah to wake up instantly, and then she quickly covered her mouth.

But she was still discovered. Except for Ethan, several women looked up together.

"Why don't you lock the door?" Sarah muttered.

"Is it possible that I'm just waiting for you? Actress." Grace said with a smile.

She is the oldest here and speaks the boldest. In fact, Ethan has never been in the habit of locking the door, and there is no one else in the house except Mia.

Sarah shook her head quickly: "I'm not interested in Ethan."

"Really? Why do I feel that Ethan has no idea about you, so you are embarrassed to admit it." Jennifer also followed suit. As a mutual friend between her and Ethan, Jennifer naturally knows a lot of inside information.

"Stop talking." Sarah blushed. Although this was the truth, wouldn't it be very shameful to admit it like this?

Only then did Ethan turn around, and shamelessly invited Sarah to join him.

Anyway, she has been a friend of him and Jennifer for many years, so it’s okay to come over and play together occasionally.

"This is what you said, don't regret it." Sarah thought to herself, Ethan was surrounded by beauties, and she would never suffer.

But she was soon captured by Ethan and even set the record for the fastest surrender.

"Sorry, Ethan, I just wanted to go to the bathroom." Sarah's cheeks were hot, this time it was so embarrassing.

The most disgusting thing is that Ethan did not know whether it was intentional or careless. Not only did he not use a protective barrier, but he also gave himself a lot "richly and generously"...

"It doesn't matter, no one will laugh at you. Now that Ethan is back, you won't be missing." Jennifer tried her best to persuade her. It's already this time, and no one would mind adding a pair of knives and forks. They are also close friends, so there is no reason not to join.

Sarah felt the heat and heat of Ethan, bit her lower lip, and said "hmm" nasally. It was because of other people's persuasion and coaxing that I boarded Ethan's pirate ship.

·

Time passed day by day, and Ethan successively secured the team's venue and the home venue for next season's games.

In Santa Clarita, northwest of the San Fernando Valley, Ethan rented an abandoned logistics factory park.

With a little modification, it can be used as an indoor arena. The office building in the park will be used as the team's office and a training venue for the cheerleading team. Strictly speaking, this place is outside the boundaries of Los Angeles. The main reason for choosing this place is because it is cheap. With limited funds, this place is spacious enough, but the distance is a bit long.

Next comes the necessary renovations and modifications, and it is expected that all preparations will be completed before the start of training camp in July.

As for the game venues, there are not many large stadiums available in Los Angeles now. The Rams' previous home stadium has been completely abandoned and overgrown with weeds. Ethan can only rent the Rose Bowl Stadium.

The stadium is a busy one, as it is the home of UCLA, the venue for the Rose Bowl every year, and will host the Women's World Cup this summer. In addition, there are a series of outdoor competitions large and small in the Los Angeles area.

Ethan contacted Rose Bowl Operations, a private company commissioned by the City of Pasadena to operate, renovate, maintain and market the stadium, and also issues bonds, investment funds, and organizations on behalf of the City of Pasadena. sporting events.

Ethan represented the Angels and after several rounds of negotiations, it was determined that this would be the home stadium for next season. It is expected to pay at least $75 per home game or 15% of single-game ticket sales, whichever is higher. After dealing with all this, Ethan rushed to Indianapolis with three coaches before the opening of this year's NFL physical testing camp.

Two of the three coaches reached a consensus with Ethan at that time, and the only one who did not relent was Holmgren. With Lisa's encouragement, Armstrong, Holmgren's agent, personally gave Ethan I called him and apologized profusely, saying he didn't know about Ethan's relationship with ICM. He offered to design a new contract for Holmgren, with more incentive clauses and a lower base salary, and changed the contract to Extend the life span as much as possible.

It seems that Holmgren can receive up to four million US dollars per year, but in fact the base salary is only two hundred. As for the various messy and winding incentive terms, it is actually not easy to achieve.

In this way, Armstrong sold out his regular customer who had worked with him for more than ten years and had great trust in him. He deceived and teamed up with Ethan to finally take care of Holmgren.

What Andy said before was correct. When Holmgren saw that the head coach of the Angels was actually Andy at the airport, his fat face immediately collapsed and he directly asked Ethan to talk to him alone.

"I want to resign! You are insulting me! How will I face other coaches in the future?" Holmgren was furious.

In the Green Bay Packers, he was the head coach and Andy was the offensive coordinator. How could it be the other way around as soon as he arrived at the new club. Not only did he feel uncomfortable in his heart, but he also couldn't live with it in terms of face. To put it exaggeratedly, this was destroying his reputation. No normal person could accept this arrangement.

Ethan expressed his understanding that as long as Holmgren paid the liquidated damages, he could leave directly.

An 8-year contract with a total price of 3200 million, and the liquidated damages are not a small amount no matter what. Holmgren gave up and then vented his anger on Armstrong. In addition to directly contacting the cooperative relationship, he also had to contact the coach. The association, along with other coaches, blacklisted the agent.

As everyone knows, this Armstrong is completely taking the blame for Ethan, and Ethan also sees the tricks. While appeasing him, he takes the opportunity to recruit him under Lisa's command, and will be responsible for the business of other players in the future. Ethan had seen the contract he had drawn up, completely abandoned the contract template, and compiled a variety of complex salary calculation formulas and rules, supplemented by a set of exquisite words, which was simply deceiving people. This was the kind of talent he needed.

The night before the opening of NFL physical testing camp, Ethan and three coaches arrived in Indianapolis.

Along the way, whether by plane or car, Holmgren didn't say a word to Andy, and the atmosphere was very awkward.

Early the next morning, a group of four people appeared at the physical testing camp. The entire four-day physical testing camp had already developed into a media program. The NFL teamed up with multiple TV stations to conduct all-round tracking and reporting. Except for the three In addition to countless young athletes, all 32 teams also sent their scouting teams.

Only the presence of the Angels' three most important coaches, plus Ethan, a much-watched player, actually made the Angels stand out. No matter where I go, staff from other teams take the initiative to say hello.

·

With the whistle blowing, a young man who was not tall but very strong ran past a group of scouts.

As the running back named Echilin James crossed the line, the time for the 4.38-yard dash showed seconds.

In the game, the distance between the bottom edge and the forward line hovers around 40 yards most of the time. Measuring the -yard sprint speed, it represents the player's ability to quickly catch the ball at the passing point.

Except for quarterback, this achievement is extremely important for players in every position, but the speed of each position is different.

4.38 is relatively fast for a running back, but extremely slow for a wide receiver.

After coming on the court, the cornerback named Roland Bailey ran directly 4.28 seconds, which is perhaps the best 40-yard time this year.

"Ethan, this cornerback from the University of Georgia has a very high ceiling. If you put him on the strong side, even Randy Moss can't rush through." Holmgren said, he was very optimistic about the cornerback.

Ethan nodded, what Holmgren said did make sense: "But I have to refer to Andy's opinion."

He was curious who Andy would choose.

As a new team joining the league, it has the first pick in the seven-round draft this year, and will have to choose from hundreds of players.

There are more than 7 players on the roster. Not counting extra draft picks, only players can be obtained. The rest will either be recruited from other teams or more undrafted players.

It is obviously unrealistic for the Angels to spend large sums of money to recruit players in batches. They can only obtain players from these three methods in a balanced manner. Ethan must try his best to do his best in these three links, and make good use of the draft. The first pick is even more important.

"What conclusion can be drawn from a traitor? He has only been in the NFL for a few years?" Holmgren snorted and bluntly said that Andy was a traitor.

Andy on the side was not angry, and answered Ethan's question first: "If it were me, I would choose running back Echilin James or Ricky Williams from Texas State University. If there is no offense, there will be no points. No matter how good the defense is, it is useless. There are not too bright receivers this year. It is crucial to choose a good running back. And Ethan, you are a dual-threat quarterback. With a A good running back combination can have the effect of one plus one being greater than two."

After saying this, he turned to Holmgren slowly.

"I don't deny that I am a traitor, but have you ever thought that if you didn't use despicable means to keep me in the Packers last year, I would have entered the 49ers, let alone be the head coach of the Angels."

The implication is that it was Holmgren's fault from beginning to end.

There is no slap in the face, the teacher is resentful, and the students are resentful, but neither of them is willing to give in. In a short period of time, the grievances between the two people may not be resolved.

"Okay, okay, both of you should say less and don't let the other teams laugh." Rhodes persuaded him quickly.

If it hadn't been for repeated advice, the two guys of about the same size would have started fighting on the spot.

"Ethan, you have to have Roland Bailey!" Holmgren yelled.

"Ethan, it would be terrible if we don't get a running back in the first round." Andy clenched his fists.

The two of them are both for the team and to implement their own ideas. No one will give in on this matter.

Ethan shook his head and pointed at a few young people not far away who were preparing to play.

"We didn't pick anyone in the first round, so we had to trade the picks," Ethan said.

"Ethan, we are the No. 1 pick. We are only begged by others. We have never taken the initiative to exchange the No. 1 pick." Holmgren felt that Ethan was joking.

"If there is a trade, it will only be for the picks in the later rounds, not the first few rounds." Andy also said.

The two of them were consistent on this matter.

"Don't deny it in a hurry. You have to look at those people." Ethan asked the three of them to turn their heads.

This year is a big year for quarterbacks, and a number of competitive quarterbacks are entering the draft this year.

Tim Couch, the best quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, Donovan McNabb, who was named the best offensive player in the Big East Conference for three consecutive years, and Aki, the college quarterback with the highest passing yards last year. Leigh Smith, in addition to UCLA graduate Cade McNown, and University of Florida quarterback Dante Culpepper.

But none of this has anything to do with the Angels. The Angels already have Ethan.

For other teams, this is not the case. As the most important position, a good quarterback must of course be grabbed.

"The team that is willing to trade the first pick in the first round will most likely be looking for a quarterback. In other words, even if we pick later, we can still get the running back or cornerback we want. When the time comes, choose whoever is left.”

"Then, we will trade the acquired picks with another team for first-round picks. Theoretically, we can even get both players directly!"

For the club, draft trading is a gambling behavior. Since the rules allow it, why not do it?

However, both parties must make a profit before the deal can be completed.

"The task of the three of them in these four days is to find teams that are willing to exchange with us. The more, the better, so that we can 'sell for a price' to maximize our profits."

"Leave this matter to me!" Holmgren immediately promised, patting his chest.

As the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, he is well-known in the NFL and is known to every team. It is perfect for him to do this.

That night, Holmgren came to Ethan's room and handed the phone to Ethan.

On the other end of the phone was New Orleans Saints general manager Bill Kuharich, who had expressed interest in the Angels' first-round pick.

After some back-and-forth with Ethan, the other side agreed to trade all the remaining picks from the second to seventh rounds to the Angels, just to get the No. 1 pick.

"Exchanging six draft picks for one No. 1 pick is not cost-effective to me. This is the No. 1 pick. How did I hear that when you exchanged the third pick with Cincinnati, you agreed to give up nine picks. "Ethan asked with a smile.

"How is this possible?" Bill Kuharich on the other end of the phone immediately denied it, but he was already secretly cursing the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for leaking the news.

Helpless, the other party had no choice but to continue to raise the price, and it took a full thirteen draft picks to get the No. 1 pick. Includes six picks from this year's draft, plus the second, third and fifth rounds in next year's draft, plus the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds the year after that.

"Forget about the fifth round the year after next, why not change to your cheerleader." Ethan said.

"Ethan, this is not a trade." Bill Kuharich reminded with a dry smile.

"There is no need to trade, we just need you to fire her and leave the rest to us." Ethan has been thinking about Christine from the Saints. Wouldn't such a beautiful woman be a waste of money if she is placed in the Saints? She is also an angel cheerleader. More suitable for her.

"That won't work. After all, he's a cheerleader. He's worth at least a third-round draft pick the year after next." Bill Kuharich made a show of raising the price.

In fact, he can accept five rounds. In his eyes, a cheerleader is nothing. He kicks one out and promotes a new one.

"Okay, deal."

So far, the two parties have reached a transaction intention, and the Angels' No. 1 pick has become the twelfth pick in the first round. This year, it will still be the first pick in the second to seventh rounds. In addition, there are 13 additional draft picks.

At first glance, the Saints' deal was a complete loss. As for who the Saints were willing to pay such a high price for, Ethan didn't care.

At this time, neither he nor Holmgren knew that the Angels were involved in the most famous draft pick trading event in NFL history...

"The twelfth pick in the first round is a bit low..." Holmgren whispered.

"The transaction has just begun. I still need to trouble you to find other potential partners for the transaction."

During the four days of the training camp, Ethan called the managers of almost a dozen teams, but in the end only three teams reached agreement with the Angels.

As for Andy and Rhodes, they have fully inspected the players in the past few days to prepare for the draft.

Finally, it's time for the annual draft, which this year continues to be broadcast live from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

As a participant who attended the event in person last year, this year Ethan sat at home and started talking frequently with managers of various teams from early in the morning to confirm the final transaction.

This year's No. 1 pick is Tim Couch, and the team that selected him is actually the Cleveland Browns. The Saints' trading master actually traded away the No. 1 pick again.

The second pick was used by the Philadelphia Eagles, who took another quarterback, Donovan McNabb.

"I don't think this is a good choice." Rhodes shook his head, scorning his former club's choice.

With the third pick, Cincinnati also selected quarterback Akili Smith from Oregon State University.

With the fourth pick, it was the Angels' turn. Eason used six of the twelve additional picks, plus the twelfth pick, to make a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

Ethan didn’t hesitate to call out Echilin James’ name on the phone.

The night before the draft started, Ethan had a long discussion with the three coaches and ultimately felt that Echilin James had a higher priority.

On TV, Echilin James immediately hugged his family and seemed very excited.

The Saints, who had spent a lot of money to trade with the Angels, moved to the fifth pick in one operation, and they got Ricky Williams at this position.

Ethan never expected that the Saints would only go for a running back. Thinking about it carefully, it would be a waste to take away a running back with the No. 1 pick.

When it came to the seventh pick, it was Ethan's turn again. In order to get this seventh pick, he first used the Angels' six extra draft picks to exchange for the San Francisco 49ers' 24th pick, and then He also took out four additional draft picks from the Angels next year and packaged them together for the seventh pick of the Redskins.

With just such an operation, I finally brought my dream role to Los Angeles!

The three coaches hired by Ethan are indeed very discerning. Roland Bailey and running back Echilin James are the only two Hall of Fame players this year. In addition, Ethan's operation has won them all.

It can be said that the Angels have become the biggest winners in this year's draft.

For the Angels, the second to seventh rounds of the draft are equally crucial, even more important than the two just now...

(End of this chapter)