Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 660: Sharpening knives menacingly
Chapter 660: Sharpening knives menacingly
Harbaugh, truly formidable—
Praise, admiration, adulation.
A flurry of grandiose words, first tossing out a bombshell to disorient the reporters, then smoothly diverting their gaze with eloquence, easily disarming their focus with casual deflection.
The reporters’ cunning intentions, Harbaugh understood all too well; their arrows were aimed at two rookie players on the Baltimore Ravens, preparing to provoke them to challenge the current sophomore leader, Li Wei.
Those tricks were well known to those in the know.
One was the team’s undrafted rookie running back this year, Gus Edwards.
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This young running back, with his rough technique and average ability, wasn’t a surprise undrafted name at the draft; if not for the Ravens’ first two starting running backs both suffering from injuries, it wouldn’t have been Edwards’ turn to start.
Yet, that’s just how opportunities work—
After Edwards took the starting position, the team went on a three-game winning streak, and his pairing with Lamar Jackson perfectly displayed the Ravens’ distinctive ground attacking style. Edwards played to his strengths and avoided weaknesses, turning in performances that were noteworthy, and thus became an unexpected discovery for the team.
For a while, praise swarmed in.
Edwards’ confidence soared, and he immediately set his sights on Li Wei.
If you’re going to challenge someone, it naturally should be the strongest in the League.
Youngsters like Edwards are like firecrackers; reporters need only light them a little for them to immediately explode—no one knows what they might say.
Another was Lamar Jackson.
A talent who grew up amidst praise and affirmation, yet he lost three times to an obscure rookie during his confident peak college season. Li Wei was gradually becoming an obsession for Jackson.
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This event had its pros and cons.
On the positive side, over the past two years, one in NCAA and one in NFL, Li Wei’s performance set a benchmark and he continued to learn and improve. Before the season started, everyone speculated whether Li Wei would hit the rookie wall, but in reality, his performance continued to grow, his grounded attitude to continually climb the peaks brought a profound impact.
Perhaps Jackson didn’t even realize it himself, but he was becoming humble.
He was making Li Wei a role model, temporarily letting go of his pride and ego, willing to learn, to communicate, to train with the team, and to grow together, without ever underestimating the Professional League or aiming too high for unrealistic goals.
For those spoiled talents, this was truly rare—
Harbaugh definitely had no intention of mocking this year’s draft number one Baker Mayfield.
The downside was that Jackson had been sharpening his knife, trying to beat Li Wei to prove himself. This obsession had surpassed rational control. If he wasn’t careful, it could develop into a heart demon, which would be really problematic.
Longing to beat Li Wei was a good thing; but if this desire became so intense that it shattered rationality, it could turn into a bad thing.
Victory doesn’t necessarily dispel a heart demon completely; but defeat certainly locks the heart demon in a hundredfold, something taboo in competitive sports and the last thing Harbaugh wanted to see.
Right now, what Harbaugh needed least was reporters continuing to stir the pot.
So, when the reporters started to speak, Harbaugh deflected all attacks effortlessly, shifting the topic, focus, and pressure.
However, Harbaugh still underestimated the media’s ability to fan the flames—
The Internet.
Even if the reporters didn’t get the chance to provoke the players and ignite a conflict before the game, the overwhelming wave of social media topics was still uncontrollable.
“Stop.”
“Look.”
In the visiting locker room at Arrowhead Stadium, Edwards was pinching his fingers like an orchid and wiggling his hips, imitating Li Wei’s running posture with an exaggerated stance—
And honestly, it did somewhat resemble him; but as with all satirical cartoons, exaggerate a detail, twist it slightly, and the effect becomes starkly different.
“Uh ah ah, Beast Mode.”
Edwards deliberately opened his mouth wide, like a werewolf transformed on a full moon night, frenetically shaking his head as drool flowed from the corners and flicked away.
Ha-ha, hahahaha.
The locker room was filled with unstoppable laughter.
Yet, it was not enough.
Standing in place, Edwards spread his arms wide, his face stern as he looked straight ahead, silently panting heavily, with his chest dramatically heaving, intentionally sticking his buttocks up high.
Nearby, a player exclaimed,
“Edgerunner!”
Instantly, Edwards got up on his tiptoes, his hands in front like praying mantis arms, and with small, bee-like steps, darted straight ahead along the line, switching back and forth, vividly mimicking Li Wei’s style of running along the sidelines.
Laughter erupted like thunder.
The whole locker room was scorched earth; one by one, they doubled over, slapping the table in amusement.
Amid the bustling noise, Edwards’s eyes immediately caught Marlon Humphrey, who was looking on with a cold, amused gaze and a smile on his face.
“Marlon, what do you think? How did I do with my impersonation?”
Humphrey, a cornerback, was the Baltimore Ravens’ first-round pick in 2017. He spent the previous season as a rotational cornerback and this season, with starting cornerback Jimmy Smith suspended for four games due to a violation of the League’s personal conduct policy, he became the starter—
And after that, he never gave up his starting spot.
However, Edwards singling out Humphrey, a rookie, had nothing to do with defending Jimmy Smith or boldness.
Marlon Humphrey, attending the University of Alabama, had fought alongside Li Wei for a season, and was also Li Wei’s good friend. They still kept in touch regularly, and this was no secret in the Baltimore locker room.
After all, due to the relationship between Harbaugh and Reed, the rapport between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs was fairly good, and neither side harbored any grudges.
But some subtle changes started to take place after Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback in week 10 of this regular season.
Of course, the NCAA is the NCAA, and the professional stage is something else entirely. Former enemies becoming teammates, former teammates becoming adversaries—such scenarios are countless in the NFL. There’s no need to take them too seriously—
However, if one really wanted to make an issue of it, that option wasn’t off the table either.
With Edwards’s words, all eyes in the locker room turned towards them.
Humphrey’s smile lingered at the corners of his lips, tinged with helplessness. He was inadvertently caught in the crossfire just by sitting quietly to the side, but Humphrey wasn’t a pushover either.
“Good, very good. I’d give it ninety-three points.”
“Actually, I think you should try impersonating him during a game, let the rookie appreciate it. I believe he would admire your sense of humor.”
Was it a compliment or sarcasm?
Edwards, for a moment, actually couldn’t tell and didn’t know how to respond.
Humphrey earnestly looked at Edwards with a ‘preaching to the choir’ attitude, “However, be careful, don’t take rookies as clowns lightly.”
“Because often, those who do, end up being the clowns themselves. I experienced it firsthand in college. Who would have thought that I’d end up being the clown, haha.”
Remembering their first meeting in college, Humphrey’s smile fully blossomed, sincerely joyous. It was indeed a wonderful time.
Then, Humphrey turned his head, his gaze landing on Jackson in the corner—
The dark-faced quarterback sat quietly, sharpening his knife in silence. His calm eyes revealed a trace of sharpness, quietly stirring with a killer instinct.
Noticing Humphrey’s gaze, Jackson looked back with dead fish eyes.
Humphrey laughed, “After all, none of us want to be the clown, right?”
