In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 349 Secret Weapon
"Ethan's iconic falling leaf pass reappears! The wide receiver Donald used his speed to successfully catch the pass. He completed the touchdown and the Angels completed the go-ahead!"

"This is the second time this season that the Rams have trailed. The last time they trailed in game time was in the first game of the season. Since then, the Rams have never trailed offensively, as last season. Super Bowl champion, Angels’ Ethan O’Connor puts pressure on Rams…”

"This game is also a huge challenge for Ethan. The Angels' offensive line is not very satisfactory. It seems too weak in front of the Rams. The Angels' pocket is often at the beginning of the offense. He was broken through every time. And Ethan used his will and physical strength to fight with pass rushers again and again..."

The Angels' offensive team had returned to the field at this time. At this time, Ethan took off his helmet and could see that his breathing had become heavier.

As the game progressed, the weakness of the Angels' offensive line became apparent. Brian Waters only made a few effective defenses, and most of them were unable to stop the Rams' many pass rushers.

Following Ethan back to the field was Brian Waters. His condition was no better than Ethan's. His lips had turned white and sweat was dripping down his neck. As soon as he walked out of the field, his whole body was... He fell to the ground, but only stood up again after being reminded by the coach.

In addition to the offensive tackle, other offensive players were also somewhat exhausted due to a lot of running.

This is due to the arrangement of coach Andy. He asked the Angels players to run a lot without the ball. This was also a last resort. Ethan did not have enough time to observe the defense and was able to continue to be attacked by the pass rusher. It is not easy to pass the ball out, and this method can only be used to tear apart the opponent's defense.

But the result is good. The Angels have already surpassed the Rams in scoring, and the game has entered the middle of the third quarter. If they can hold on to their advantage, the Angels will win this crucial game.

However, Ethan's face did not relax at all. He saw the Rams' offensive team entering the field again, and this time all the wide receivers who appeared on the field were rotated.

"The Rams have sent out three new wide receivers, and the original three wide receivers have been replaced... Are they going to continue to launch a frantic attack?" The commentator on the scene immediately discovered the key to the problem.

"Yes, the Rams' wide receiver lineup leads the entire league in thickness, which is also the most fundamental reason why Mike Matz's high-altitude bombing tactics can continue to be used."

As the Rams added several new players, Kurt Warner not only didn't slow down the Rams' offense, he actually picked up the pace.

A few minutes later, the Rams tied the score again, and this time Kurt Warner directly chose a two-point play.

Relying on the physical advantage of the new wide receiver, the Rams easily completed this two-point conversion.

Ethan turned to his teammates at this time. Although a certain period of rest had passed, it was obviously not enough for a rugby player.

This is also the reason why NFL teams only play a maximum of seventeen games per season. If there were to be as many games as in the NBA, the career of an NFL player would not only last three years.

The game seemed to have lost its suspense in the fourth quarter.

"This time we lost because of the thickness of the lineup..." Ethan suddenly said.

In other words, it is due to the average personal ability of the team. The Angels do have a few outstanding players, such as Ethan, such as Elinche, and such as Roland Bailey, but most positions are weaker than the league average. strength.

When facing some teams, the Angels can also rely on the personal abilities of their players to luckily gain the upper hand or even win the game.

But when facing a truly strong team, especially the Rams, who are more ferocious than last year's Vikings, the team's shortcomings are particularly obvious.

And even if Andy is in charge... there is no possibility of a comeback.

The game entered the fourth quarter, and the situation on the field was not beyond Ethan's expectations.

Due to exhaustion of physical strength, the Angels' attack began to slow down. The few successful breakthroughs were also due to Ethan's personal ability. Even if Ethan delivered the ball to him in two cases, his teammates could not act like it. Start running and breaking away like in the first two quarters.

In stark contrast, the Rams' offense not only did not weaken, it even continued to speed up in the fourth quarter.

The Angels didn't score in the entire fourth quarter, but the Rams scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

As the game ended, there was endless applause from the audience. The home fans of the Angels were not dissatisfied because of the Angels' loss, but were more encouraging.

It is very difficult for the Angels to hold on to the score and even take the lead for a time. Such a new team is already playing at a super level.

"Although they lost the game, I think this is not a bad thing for the Angels or Ethan. Young people need to use failures to motivate themselves again and again. In addition, the Angels are also the only team to face the public this year. Sheep can score teams with more than thirty points.”

"In addition to giving due applause to the Angels, we can't forget the Rams. In this game, Kurt Warner once again refreshed his personal record in the NFL professional field this year. He passed more than 610 passes in this game. His total running yards reached an astonishing yards, and I have a feeling he will be the best offensive player in the National League again this week."

"Yes, and I think the American League's best offensive player of the week should also be awarded to Ethan..."

"If the two quarterbacks were swapped, could Kurt Warner get the same points as Ethan? This is a question worth pondering, but then again, there is no if in competitive sports..."

Ethan and his teammates returned to the locker room through the tunnel. At the same time, the Rams players fell into celebration. For them, the victory over the Angels also had special meaning.

That would give quarterback Kurt Warner an edge over Eason.

As the absolute core of the entire Rams team, Kurt Warner, who won the game, did not even have the slightest joy. He immediately figured out how to defeat his opponent in the next game... After several consecutive years of defeats, Kurt Warner knows very well how hard-won everything he has received so far is, and he will not relax at all until he gets that supreme honor.

·
At the same time, the Angels' players had returned to their own locker room. At this time, the three coaches were already standing in the locker room in preparation.

After past games, the three coaches will analyze what needs to be improved in each position of the Angels in this game, just like they did at this moment, even if they won the game before.

Although they lost this time, the three coaches were not as harsh as before, and instead gave applause to the players.

"You've done a great job today." Andy nodded.

"Although we lost, we still have a chance to meet the Rams and we can win again." Holmgren shrugged and said to everyone with a smile.

The Rams are a National League team, while the Angels are in the American League. I don't know how long it will take before they meet again in the regular season.

One of the team members spoke up to remind him.

"What Holmgren means is that the two may meet again in the playoffs." Ethan reminded.

The National League and American League teams will only meet in one way in the playoffs - the Super Bowl. The implication is that Holmgren thinks the Angels may be able to make it to this year's Super Bowl.

"Then I will personally make Kurt Warner lose his shit." The defensive end said at this time.

Everyone looked at each other and laughed, but no one took it seriously.

Making it to the Super Bowl... that's the real fantasy.

·
The defeat at the stadium did not stop the Angels' progress. After the game, the number of visits to the Angels' related web pages reached a new high. This was something Ethan did not expect. The fans talked about this game. Performance of both teams.

Some time later, when Ethan was chatting with his brother about it, he learned the answer. Most of the new visits were coming from Texas. Although the new franchise did not come to Houston, the Angels' presence was still important to the Cowboys. The existing fan base has had an impact.

Coupled with the Cowboys' ongoing scandals this year, including gaffes from players and team executives, as well as the Cowboys' continued lackluster performance in games, Cowboys fans are disappointed as they reminisce about Ethan's performance as quarterback last season. How the Cowboys were killing everyone, while also paying more attention to the Angels.

Of course, Ethan would be even happier if these fans could purchase licensed products related to the Angels Cheerleaders.

·
The day after the game, Ethan showed up at the training base early on Monday morning.

Although it was two hours ahead of the prescribed gathering time, Ethan was not alone. Andy also appeared at the training ground shortly after.

"It seems that you are not affected by this defeat?" Andy noticed Ethan's relaxed expression and asked with a smile.

"Of course, although we lost this game, we have to admit that this game also pointed out a new direction for the Angels." Ethan responded.

What follows is drastic reform.

The first is to make up for the Angels' shortcomings, especially on the offensive line. The team cannot change the roster during the season and can only start with the original players.

The second is the change in tactics. With the experience of head-on combat, the Angels will learn from the opponent's advantages and adjust tactics appropriately. Andy and Holmgren are responsible for this work.

From a tactical perspective, the Rams' high-altitude bombing system is undoubtedly ahead of the entire league. After the Angels make up for their shortcomings, I believe they can use this tactic to bring their overall strength to a new level.

"The opponent in the next game is the Steelers. I think they are a good touchstone..." Andy thought for a while and said.

The Angels' opponents in the next three rounds are the Steelers, 49ers and Titans.

In addition to the sharp decline in the competitiveness of this year's 49ers, the other two teams can be called strong enemies.

The first thing the Angels need to face is the Steelers. This is a veteran team in the league. Not only does it have a long history, but it is also impressive in terms of team honors. It won four Super Bowls in the 4s and has been in the NFL since its establishment in 1933. He was a member of the alliance from the beginning. Of course, we have to mention the Rooney family, the owners of the Steelers. In terms of professional sports, there is Hunter in the west of the United States and Rooney in the east. These two families cannot be avoided.

But compared with their glorious history, the Steelers have actually reached a trough in the past two years. Not only did they miss the playoffs for the first time in five years last season, but the Steelers' results this season are not good either. They had four wins and three losses in the first seven rounds, which was evenly matched with the Angels.

"By the way, Ethan, you mentioned to me last time...about the falling leaf pass." Andy suddenly mentioned it at this time.

Ethan had complained to Andy before that the falling leaf pass was too difficult to practice, and the high difficulty also made quarterbacks of other teams tend to try it cautiously. It had already been the first time Ethan used the falling leaf ball on the field. It has been nearly a year, but there are still only a handful of scenes of falling leaves in professional games.

"I thought of a solution, wait a minute..." Andy said and then turned and left.

And when he came back, he had a pair of football gloves in his hand.

Unlike the receiver who has a pair of hands and applies special glue on the palm side, not every quarterback is accustomed to using gloves when passing the ball. The NFL does not have strict requirements in this regard, so that some teams Some quarterbacks prefer to throw with their bare hands.

Ethan obviously belongs to the latter. Using gloves will make him lose his touch, which will have a certain impact on his head alignment and speed. Moreover, many of his fantastic pitching movements cannot be performed at all while wearing gloves.

"You said before that the prerequisite for passing the ball is to increase the contact area between the palm and the football. Since your hands cannot grow in size, you can only use this crude method."

Ethan tried to pass the ball after wearing gloves, and immediately shook his head when he saw that the flight path was much different from what he expected.

"Help is better than nothing, and it will also affect my feel." Ethan took off his gloves.

Andy rubbed his chin: "In that case, then I will increase the area of ​​the gloves and make them thicker. Of course, this is without violating the standards."

"As for the feel..." Andy suddenly showed a fox-like smile.

·
Two hours later, when other team members gathered in the indoor training hall, they saw Ethan moving his arms, as if he had been training for a long time.

This time Andy and Ethan did not reveal any details about the fallen leaf ball. The two planned to use it as the Angels' secret weapon and wait until the right time to use it.

During the afternoon training, Ethan unfortunately sprained his ankle. This is a long-standing problem for him. Since his last ankle surgery, similar problems have occurred from time to time. However, it is not a big problem and he can recover after a few hours of rest.

Ethan simply left the training hall in the afternoon and did not go home. Catherine, Grace and Kelsey took turns on duty these days and were busy decorating their new home.

Ethan entered the team's office and then headed to the basement. Along the way, the team staff greeted Ethan proactively after seeing him, with eager faces on their faces.

A few minutes later, Ethan appeared in front of the Angels cheerleaders and went on to announce new news to the cheerleaders.

"Next week's game, the Angel Cheerleaders will have a few special honorary members visiting. You will need to do extra training with the four of them next week."

The so-called honorary team members are naturally the "Brazilian Holy Trinity" plus Isabel Gore.

“In addition, I think it’s time to put the photos of the Angels players on the agenda.”

(End of this chapter)