Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 727 - : 726 Go with the flow

Chapter 727: 726 Go with the flow

Annie always believed that Santa Claus truly existed, because so far, all her wishes had been fulfilled.

First, to watch a game at Arrowhead Stadium. Fulfilled.

Second, to witness a touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium, preferably one by Li Wei’s signature Edgerunner touchdown. Fulfilled, at least the first half of it.

Third, to witness a Kansas City Chiefs victory live on the spot. Fulfilled.

Fourth, to follow the Kansas City Chiefs into the playoffs. About to be fulfilled.

Fifth, to enter middle school, to worry about exams, to worry about love, to struggle through the rebellious teenage years, to worry about future career choices and life paths. Waiting to be fulfilled.

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Look, even though the wishes haven’t been 100% fulfilled, everything is happening—

Or rather, she wanted to believe in the existence of Santa Claus.

Santa Claus would definitely listen to all her wishes, because she was a good child, right?

If Santa Claus was too busy to hear her wishes, that’s okay, too. She still had the chance of New Year’s resolutions, didn’t she?

Today was December 30th, the second-to-last day of 2018, and Annie would earnestly hope that her New Year’s wish would come true.

At least, her wish for today had already mostly come true, and the future was still very long.

In the game against the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, who had already secured their playoff seed, chose to rotate players. Reed gave the main players a rest and fielded the second team to conserve energy for the upcoming playoffs.

The only exception was Mahomes.

For this young sophomore quarterback, it was crucial to continue accumulating game experience, to continue dealing with pressure, to continue growing methodically; at the same time, Reed was also deliberately cultivating Mahomes’ leadership abilities, so that when Houston and Li Wei were not on the field, the quarterback should take on the responsibility of leading the team forward.

As last season, the Kansas City Chiefs were still planning for the future.

So, Li Wei didn’t play—

However, the new captain of the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t idle either.

Li Wei could have sat in the stands sipping afternoon tea, enjoying a relaxed vacation, but he didn’t. Instead, he actively joined Burns and Clark, participating throughout in the on-field discussions with the running back group.

Showing support through action.

Putting aside the spiritual impact that Hunter’s departure left in the locker room, the tactical impact was evident.

A gap waiting to be filled.

From a strategic point of view, Hunter’s receiving abilities demonstrated last season were undoubtedly key to the Kansas City Chiefs breaking their six-game losing streak, which also inspired different talents in Li Wei.

Now, without Hunter, this meant the tactical richness of the Kansas City Chiefs was restricted.

Logically, Reed should look for a replacement to fill the void; but the problem was exactly there, a “Hunter 2.0” was not so easy to find, and within the Kansas City Chiefs, there was no suitable substitute.

No matter what the off-field issues were, Hunter’s demonstrated ability on the field was indeed outstanding, not falling short even in front of Li Wei’s unparalleled performance, which was also the basis of Hunter’s restless ambition—

He had proven himself.

Therefore, finding a substitute or successor was not easy.

Reed once again showcased his depth.

Reed did not obsessively search for a “Hunter 2.0.” Instead, he mined and adjusted from the existing team roster, rearranged it, and then revised the playbook.

Yes, Reed did not cling to the playbook that had proved effective all season. Instead, he saw crisis as an opportunity, grasped it firmly, and actively sought change.

After all, the Kansas City Chiefs were not perfect this season.

In the running back group, Reed did not promote the original third-string running back Spencer Ware. He chose the fourth-string running back Damien Williams instead.

Damien Williams was an undrafted rookie in 2014. He had spent an unremarkable four seasons with the Miami Dolphins before transferring to the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.

This season, with Li Wei and Hunter in great form, even the third-string running back Ware had very limited playing time, let alone Damien. Damien had more appearances in the Special Duty Group and regular practice games.

But Reed saw Damien’s advantages—

5.9 feet (180 cm), 221 pounds (100 kg).

In front of towering mountains of flesh, Damien was like a whack-a-mole, or to put it another way, an armadillo.

On one hand, his “short” stature and nimble steps often allowed him to find gaps in the impenetrable human walls, breaking through to the front.

On the other hand, his stable lower body and great strength gave him a respectable ability for head-on confrontations. Though not a typical power running back, he was not to be underestimated.

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Unfortunately, Damien’s football IQ was not high, his ability to grasp the playbook was limited, and he wasn’t good at intricate route running, which meant he could not contribute much to the passing offense.

In other words, he had some abilities, but his ceiling was quite apparent; plus, his skills were one-dimensional and lacked the capacity for multi-faceted development. That’s why he went undrafted and made no significant headway in four years with the Miami Dolphins.

Of course, the same was true in Kansas City.

But now, Reed changed his approach, fully utilizing Damien’s abilities to reorganize the ground offense tactics, integrating elements of power running and assault-style running into the playbook. This complemented Li Wei’s different style, breaking new ground in offensive strategy.

In the last game against the Seattle Seahawks, Damien was just getting a feel for the game. Due to Li Wei’s presence, the Defensive group’s attention was all on him, giving Damien room to move, so he performed quite well.

This game against the Oakland Raiders was the real test for Damien. He and the third-string running back Ware partnered up, bearing the heavy responsibility of the team’s ground offense.

That’s exactly why Li Wei actively got involved. Even sitting on the sidelines, he watched the Raiders’ defense intently and supported the two running backs mentally and tactically—

Competition?

Li Wei was not at all afraid. He welcomed internal healthy competition with open arms and legs, because it was a direct way to make them better players.

If Ware and Damien could threaten Li Wei’s starting position in just one or two games, it would say less about their remarkable progress, and more about Li Wei marking time. This would be a good wake-up call for him.

Moreover, they were a team. Li Wei knew very well that having only himself dominate the running back group was not good for the team. If they wanted to have more competitiveness in the playoffs, he needed the support of the other running backs.

Supporting them was actually akin to securing support for himself.

He needed to consider the big picture of the team.

Therefore, Li Wei opened his heart and started communicating with the two running backs.

Once again, Li Wei proved to be an outstanding captain—

Facing the Oakland Raiders, caught in a mix of tension and anticipation, and momentarily losing himself, Damien found his place with Li Wei’s help, adapting quickly to his tactical role.