In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 340 Struggle of Interests (12)

"The Angels brushed aside the doubts and scrutiny of onlookers and took the lead against last year's Super Bowl champions!"

Under the tight personal marking and pass rushing tactics of the Angels defensive team, the Cowboys did not succeed in the next round. As the countdown of the first quarter ended, players from both sides of the field began to walk off the field.

At the same time, the DCC on the sidelines also entered working mode and began waving the bouquet in front of the audience. Rachel still had the iconic smile on her face, which was in sharp contrast to the sullen old Jones next to her.

Old Jones actually chose to cross the court at this time. Strictly speaking, this was not allowed. He was immediately blocked by the referee, but he saw him directly pushing the referee away. The staff standing on the edge of the court, they were originally He was an employee of the Cowboys, but no one stepped forward to stop his boss. Jones Sr. finally came to Dave Campo with a sullen face.

"Listen, if you lose this game, you will go to Stephen to sign it tomorrow, and then go downstairs to pack your things. Clean them all for me. I don't want to see any trace of you again!" Old Jones roared , veins popped out at his temples, and it was obvious that he was in extreme anger.

Facing the boss's angry roar, Dave Campo was not affected in any way. His throat swelled, and then he nodded and said: "The Angels' defensive team adopted a more physical-consuming close-marking tactic. As the game time went by, the defense The team's physical decline will reveal flaws. As for the current backwardness... not every quarterback is like Ethan, who has excellent movement ability outside the pocket. In addition, Ethan knows us very well, he knows how to get around the pull. Lee Allen…”

"That's enough, I don't want to hear your excuses, I just want to win this game!" Old Jones interrupted Dave.

The scene where Jones lost his temper was actually recorded by reporters at the scene. In addition to the cameras of the broadcasters, there will also be reporters from major media to capture live pictures of every NFL game.

Old Jones's warning did not last long. Soon Stephen came around the court to Old Jones and dragged his father away.

Dave watched Old Jones leaving and smiled helplessly.

He was just a little impulsive and didn't want to lose the game in front of Ethan. Dave said in his mind. Considering that Old Jones usually treats himself well, and that as the head coach, he does have the obligation to help the team win, Old Jones turned around and faced the players again.

"As you can see, if I lose the game I have to pack up and leave. Be smart..." Dave Campo began to lay out the tactics for the second quarter.

On the other side, on the Angels' bench, Andy, Holmgren and defensive coordinator Rhodes were reiterating to the players and continuing to implement the tactics of the first quarter.

"You did a great job in the first quarter. Keep it up and we can win." Andy looked at the players.

"Run more actively. Don't think that if you don't catch the ball, it has nothing to do with the game. Every move you make is crucial to the outcome of the game." Holmgren added.

In front of him, the offensive linemen had somewhat lucky smiles on their faces, completely forgetting how they were crushed by the Cowboys' defensive line in the first quarter.

When Holmgren saw this scene, he said teasingly: "Can you hold on for at least three seconds? You don't know how much Ethan has shouldered for you."

As for the Ethan he mentioned, he was watching DCC's swaying figure at the moment. Rather than coveting the bodies of Rachel and others, he was observing DCC's movements.

The choreographer of DCC is Judy Trammell. Many of DCC's iconic moves are from her handiwork. Her choreography style can always bring out the best advantages of DCC girls, making DCC beautiful and delicious at the same time. Make the viewer feel kitsch. It can be said that she accounts for half of the credit for DCC's current reputation.

The choreographer of the Angels is Kelsey, so she knows which one is stronger and which one is weaker without comparing.

Kelsey once suggested that Ethan hire a choreographer at a high price, but Ethan rejected it. Firstly, professional dancers may not be suitable for professional competitions, and secondly, there is currently no budget for this.

It was not just a display in front of him, so Ethan decided to let Kelsey browse the DCC performance scenes repeatedly after going back, and let the Angel Cheerleaders learn from them all.

After a short break, the game resumed in the second quarter.

Mike Rooker relied on the little tricks revealed by Ethan to still maintain an advantage when facing Larry Allen. This eventually made it difficult for the Cowboys' offense. They stumbled all the way and relied on the wide receiver introduced from the Seahawks to get the first offense. , seeing no hope of a touchdown, Dave Campo took the initiative to hand over the free kick and seemed in no hurry to recover the score.

"Dave is keeping the offensive team strong." Ethan immediately said to Andy and Rhodes beside him.

Based on Ethan's knowledge of Dave Campo, it's not difficult to guess his motivation for doing this.

Andy and Rhodes looked at each other.

"Continue to press and defend, we don't have a better solution at the moment." Rhodes said.

Although the Angels have spent more resources on building a defensive team, they still do not have an advantage compared to the Cowboys' offensive team. Change time.

"I also think that Rhodes' defensive tactics should be continued." Andy also said.

If we give up this kind of defense, what if we are scored by the Cowboys? Then the pressure on the offensive team will become even greater. The offensive team is not as good as the defensive team. We can’t rely entirely on Ethan alone, right? The schedule is here It has just begun, and there will be more games to come.

When it comes to defense, Ethan is naturally not as good as the two coaches, and he did not refute at this time.

The Cowboys' kicker this year is Toby Gowin, who was selected by the Cowboys last year. He made a steady free kick and the Cowboys finally scored for the first time.

After the return, Ethan led the Angels offense back to the field.

As soon as the first offense started, Ethan felt the changes in the Cowboys' defensive team. The Cowboys replaced more pass rushers, which further aggravated the situation of losing the pocket. The offensive line in front of Ethan now almost In a state of breaking if touched.

Faced with three pass rushers double-teaming him from three directions, Ethan started to retreat, then turned around and ran out of the pocket.

The next second running back Echilin James in front of him was directly knocked down by the defensive end, and his fallen body collided with Ethan again like a domino.

Ethan was already moving quickly laterally, but this move directly caused him to lose his balance and his body began to tilt.

If he fell down, he would have to retreat. Ethan suddenly thought out of his wits, and when his body was already out of balance, he used a posture that was almost like a dart to push the football in his hand directly.

Tight end Desmond Clark was already turning around to get the ball, and caught the ball with both hands. Although he was directly pulled down by the defensive linebacker as soon as he caught the ball, he still gained two yards.

"Ethan used a very unusual posture and pushed the ball directly. This was the first time I saw this kind of pass on the rugby field. It should have been a throwaway, but Ethan saved the precarious ball. Offensive team." The on-site commentator was immediately surprised.

Ethan's pushing hand to pass the ball when his body is out of balance is somewhat similar to Ma Hou years later. If Ma Hou relies on the experience accumulated in different sports and outstanding athletic talent, Ethan relies more on It's the abnormal physical fitness...

"Sorry, I couldn't control the direction when I fell to the ground." When Echilin James pulled Ethan up, he grinned and said with some embarrassment.

"On the next offense, go to the strong side and let the tight end cover you." Ethan didn't have time to comfort him at this time. The front line was stretched like this, and he knew that the offense would become difficult without even thinking about it.

In the second offense, Ethan handed the ball to the running back immediately. This time, Echilin James failed to make the long-distance run in the first quarter. The tight end's cover was also seen through, and he only got a pitiful one. code.

And there was only one offensive opportunity left for the Cowboys.

This offense needed to gain seven yards.

Dave Campo directly called a timeout, seemingly preparing some tactics.

"Ethan, if you can't find a suitable opportunity for the next offense, it's best to run the ball yourself." Holmgren reminded.

The Angels' greatest threat is of course Ethan. At such critical moments, they rely on Ethan's performance.

Otherwise, wouldn’t that much salary be in vain?
But Ethan shook his head: "We all know I'm going to run the ball, and Dave Campo certainly knows it too."

Last season, his ball running often played a role at critical moments, and Dave saw all of this.

If you really want to run the ball, you will definitely fall into the trap set by Dave.

Ethan decided to play it by ear.

The game resumed and the two sides returned to the field. After receiving the pass from the center, Ethan started directly while not forgetting to observe his surroundings.

Exactly as he expected, several pass rushers did not try to penetrate the offensive line on this offense, but retreated slightly. As long as you cross the kickoff line with the ball, you will immediately be double-teamed by many people.

Ethan raised his hand, and a powerful and heavy shot flew out, flying towards the far end like a spinning rugby missile.

At this time, a figure in white clothes was like a wild horse that had escaped from the reins. It had finished getting rid of the cornerback. It was the wide receiver of the Angels.

Donald Driver, this seventh-round pick was previously abandoned by many teams due to poor physical performance. He is more of a track and field athlete than a football player.

His technique is average, his confrontation is average, and his ability to change directions is even worse. The only thing worth mentioning is his speed.

And that's what Ethan needs the most.

This ball was given enough redundancy and was played behind the ball as much as possible. In Ethan's opinion, even Michael Owen would not be able to catch this ball, but Donald Driver really caught it before the football hit the ground.

Although he caught the ball, his body had completely leaned forward to catch the ball. After catching the ball, he did not have enough balance and control ability. He staggered and adjusted a few steps. In these few steps, the cornerback behind him and his body The former safety finished double-teaming him.

Although in theory, this ball can even directly score a touchdown, considering that this is Donald Driver's first catch as a rookie, this result is still acceptable.

"Dark horse! This is the dark horse among the Angels. Ethan made perfect use of the speed advantage of rookie wide receiver Donald Driver, and used a large number of yards at the critical moment to help the Angels complete the advancement, a full 35 yards. The Angels watch It is very possible to continue to expand the lead!" The on-site commentator predicted.

There were no Angels fans present at all, otherwise you would have heard the cheers of Angels fans at this time. As a new team, the Los Angeles Angels don't have many fans, let alone diehard fans who are willing to come to away games.

However, the low point for Cowboys fans did not last long. After the Angels pushed their front line into the Cowboys' half, the offense became more difficult than ever. Eason does know this Cowboys team very well, and in turn, this Cowboys defense knows Eason very well.

This resulted in Ethan's playing space being restricted to a certain extent, and the technical position teammates around him were more than one level behind the Cowboys. Previously, the running backs and wide receivers showed off what they were best at and completed the offense. The Cowboys The team cannot always let it go. However, the Angels also have an offensive line that ranks last in the league. It is not surprising that the offense is hindered due to the superposition of multiple factors.

After Ethan failed to run the ball himself, he turned to look at Andy.

At this time Andy had already signaled for a free kick.

"This is much more difficult than last season." Ethan couldn't help but say after returning to the field.

As a new team, the Angels are still far behind the Cowboys, who had not completed the replacement of old and new players last year. Only when they really play can they clearly feel the pressure caused by different teammates.

Good teammates can help Ethan, but bad teammates will only drag Ethan down and limit his performance.

"The four-week training camp is still too short for you." Andy also shook his head.

On the field, as Ethan's only teammate brought over from the Cowboys, Richie's performance remained stable. He scored more than 30 yards of free kicks easily.

Although the Cowboys had several successful offenses afterwards, the first half was over and both sides had to return to the locker room.

10-3, the Angels entered the second half with a lead.

When the third quarter began, the physical exhaustion caused by the marking tactics adopted by the Angels began to gradually appear.

People cannot deliberately control their physical strength in a state of high tension, which causes this group of new players to decline in physical strength faster than expected.

Dave Campo did not let the offensive team try their best in the first half, and the physical gap between the two sides began to further reflect at this time.

Originally, Andy and Rhodes thought that the defensive team could survive until the fourth quarter, but they did not expect that they began to be unable to keep up with their opponents in the middle of the third quarter.

"Touchdown! The Cowboys scored first in the second half. The Angels struggled to maintain their form in the second half, and the rhythm of the game began to be gradually controlled by the Cowboys!"

After completing the PAT, the Cowboys are already on the same starting line as the Angels.

On Ethan's side, the offensive team continued to face the same problems as before and couldn't find any opportunities at all.

In the third quarter, the entire Angels team had nothing to gain and couldn't even take a free kick.

"Ethan, for a new team, we have done well enough." When Andy welcomed Ethan off the field, he seemed to see what Ethan was thinking at the moment and directly expressed relief.

The opponent was last year's Super Bowl champion. Although the most important quarterback is on the Angels' side, the gap in other positions is still huge. It is not easy for the Angels to maintain a three-quarter lead.

Even Holmgren, who often disagreed with Andy, agreed with Andy at this time.

"This game reflects many problems. Give us enough time to solve these problems one by one. Entering the playoffs is not a particularly difficult task." Holmgren continued.

This game indeed exposed many problems. The weakness of the offensive line, the speed of the running backs, and the confrontation ability of the wide receivers. These are all areas that need to be strengthened. As long as the Angels are given enough time, the strength of the offensive team will definitely rise to a higher level. .

Of course Ethan understands these truths, and he also knows that there is no need to rush, but when he turns around at this moment, he can actually see the excited expression on Old Jones's face.

This is much more exciting than last year when he heard that the team entered the playoffs a few rounds early.

Rather than saying that he has a grudge against himself, it is better to say that the Angels and Cowboys are in an absolute competitive relationship in a sense.

The reason is precisely because of Ethan.

It can be said that Ethan has even more fans in Texas than in California. These fans are paying attention to the news about the Angels, and this attention should have been maintained on the Cowboys. This is obviously what the old Jones cannot accept the most.

Furthermore, if the Angels perform very well and the Cowboys perform very poorly this season, maybe these fans will turn more attention to the Angels. If things go on like this, it will damage the foundation of the Cowboys. Jones certainly didn't want to lose this game, and he didn't want to give the Angels any chance.

This game has never been a simple battle of victory or defeat, but a battle of interests!

"Yes, we have many problems, but we must win this game." Ethan looked at Andy and Holmgren.

He began to analyze the current situation, and his vision extended to the sidelines. Explain to the two coaches what winning this game would bring.

"Don't forget, the winning or losing relationship with the Cowboys is also one of the additional terms of the contract." Ethan mentioned the additional terms in the contract.

Armstrong included several unlocking clauses in the contract that took up more space than the contract itself.

Both of them turned green at this time, feeling vaguely that they had fallen into Ethan's trap.

"Ethan, how can we win this?" Holmgren looked at the defenders not far away, and some of them turned pale.

"This is not something I should consider. You are responsible for providing tactics and I am responsible for executing them." Ethan said.

Holmgren and Andy looked at each other again, and then the two began to flip through the tactical manual in unison.

The game resumed, and the Cowboys attacked first. They used the same tactics as before. This time, Rhodes put on all the defensive players who could be substituted. This was the last point of the defensive team to press the bottom of the box.

But even so, it still couldn't stop the Cowboys' attack.

The front line is advancing bit by bit, and the Angels' defensive team is already showing signs of collapse and may be penetrated at any time.

"Guys, the game is here, why not give it a try." Andy couldn't help but said after seeing this.

As the head coach, Andy has the highest command authority in terms of tactics. However, the defensive tactics he envisioned in his mind are risky, so he has been unable to make a decision, so he wants to talk to several people including Ethan. have a discussion.

To put it simply, Andy's tactical strategy is to abandon the previous close defense tactics and completely abandon the pass rush. The original pass rushers turn to run defense, while the remaining players turn their attention to other end positions.

In short, give the Cowboys quarterback space, let him pass and run the ball, and switch to covering someone else.

This tactic was completely out of the blue. If the Cowboys' quarterback is a dual-threat quarterback like Eason, he's definitely going to have to run for you and maybe even score a touchdown.

The reason why Andy said this is that he still thinks Ryan Leaf is relatively good.

As last year's second overall pick, Ryan Leaf's performance was definitely not worthy of his pick. His personal data was mediocre, which directly led to San Diego's five wins and 11 losses last season. In addition, he had a bad temper and often had conflicts with reporters and fans. Conflict and dispute.

It can be said that he does not occupy the two core elements of a quarterback, mentality and ability, and he can't blame the San Diego Chargers for sending him away without a word.

Why did Jones choose him... In fact, it was also a gamble. Ryan Leaf would be the second pick no matter what. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and the Cowboys ranked last in this year's draft. When it's the Cowboys' turn, Good quarterbacks have been drafted by other teams. Moreover, Ryan Leaf's technical style is similar to Ethan's, and even his appearance is of a relatively outstanding kind. He can be regarded as a very suitable replacement for Ethan.

After some discussion, several people could not think of a better solution than this.

So Andy decisively called a timeout and began to adjust the defensive lineup.

"Ryan, the line has advanced to the Angels' half. The Angels' defense can no longer hold on. Seize this opportunity."

At the same time, Dave Campo was reminding Ryan.

Ryan nodded, and several pass rushers began to give him a hard time in the first half.

Next is the time to counterattack!

Of course he remembers how Ethan led the Cowboys to complete a comeback in the last quarter of the Super Bowl last season.

I even remember how the Cowboys fans worshiped him after that game.

Now that this opportunity is in front of him, of course he must seize it!
It won't be long before he, like Ethan, will be watched and discussed by Cowboys fans. At that time, why female reporters and DCC captains won’t be able to line up to throw themselves into their arms?

From Ryan's point of view, all this is so logical. Isn't that what Ethan did?

When he thought of this, he couldn't help but look at the several DCCs not far away who were paying attention to the situation on the field. The first one was Rachel.

Looking at the pretty Rachel, he couldn't help but smile, with a bit of greed in his smile.

"I'm ready to play." Ryan Leaf twisted his neck, and his joints made a clicking sound.

　One more chapter

　　
　
(End of this chapter)