In an instant, Vrabel had a flash of inspiration, he had a bold idea.
In the previous offensive wave by the Kansas City Chiefs, Reed once again chose the "Cheating Motion," but in reality, that wasn’t "Motion" at all. Kelsey and Hardman both withdrew to consolidate pocket protection, causing the Tennessee Titans’ blitz to hit a wall, creating an opportunity for Mahos to connect with Li Wei.
So, is there a possibility that Reed is not at his wit’s end, but rather reusing an old trick, with a variation in tactics this ti, striking east to confuse the west.
Kelsey and Watkins both withdrew to protect Mahos, leaving Li Wei to break through alone, creating a deep threat; however, Mahos’ real pass target was Hill—
This is a mirrored reflection of the previous offense.
But the presence of Hardman is the variable, he can create threats in positions ranging from short passes to long passes. Once the defense’s attention is entirely on Hill and Li Wei, combined with Mahos having a stable-as-a-mountain pocket, Hardman as a variable will destroy their defense.
This, is the true essence of the Shotgun Formation, with the superficial "Cheating Motion" serving as a red herring, disrupting the layout of the Tennessee Titans.
Layer upon layer, interlocking tightly.
Reed is not at his wit’s end, but a sly old fox!
Vrabel, as a top-tier player born from a lineman, quickly turned his mind during the rapidly changing ga. He understood the importance of this offensive and defensive mont better than anyone and did not hesitate to issue orders for tactical adjustnts in the first instance.
Of course, Vrabel is not a rookie either. He wasn’t going to completely overturn himself, as that could lead to chaos and loopholes, shooting himself in the foot.
What he needed to do was simply modify so details:
The six-man rush turned into a four-man rush, the pressure on the frontline cannot be relaxed; but at the sa ti, since the Kansas City Chiefs had already laid a heavenly net in the pocket, the Tennessee Titans straightforwardly changed the battlefield, focusing efforts on the secondary defense, relying on a misalignnt to win a numbers advantage in the backfield.
After all, Li Wei was not in the pocket, the Tennessee Titans didn’t need to worry about the ground.
Everything happened in a flash.
Then.
Li Wei had already started, moving laterally, elegantly stepping past Kelsey.
At this mont, Li Wei also noticed that the Tennessee Titans’ defensive group had not moved, Vrabel continued to insist on zone defense, the atmosphere felt a bit off.
But it wasn’t surprising, Woodyard’s last-minute tactical adjustnt orders were clearly not unjustified, the Kansas City Chiefs still needed to adhere to their plan.
However, Li Wei’s alarm bells rang—
"Attack!"
Mahos announced the snap.
Li Wei tiptoed, moving gracefully like a wisp of smoke, dashed straight out, hearing the gusty wind beating against his eardrums, leaving only a blurred afterimage.
In the first instance, Mahos noticed sothing unusual, Woodyard did too.
The quarterback and lineman’s lines of sight briefly touched across the turbulent waves:
???
But there was no pause, then breaking away, both Mahos and Woodyard realized that the situation was changing, and they had to react spontaneously.
Kelsey and Watkins did not withdraw to the pocket—Vrabel’s judgnt was wrong, the two players followed in Li Wei’s footsteps and surged forward, the Shotgun Formation turned out to be a standard and classic Shotgun Formation.
However, Li Wei, relying on the posture of "Cheating Motion," had the first move, leaving the rest behind, Kelsey and Watkins also rushed towards the middle together.
Although they didn’t withdraw to the pocket, Kelsey and Watkins were indeed prepared to break into the short pass area, not only reducing the pressure on the pocket, but they could also catch Mahos’ passes, while the two players could cover for each other.
Kansas City Chiefs’ complex passing and running routes lived up to their reputation.
However, Kelsey and Watkins found that the Tennessee Titans’ defensive group did not step up to blitz, the zone defense that perford in the first ga securely restricted the two players’ running routes, forming a confrontation in the short pass area.
At the sa ti, the vertical breakthrough speed of Hill, Hardman, and Li Wei was indeed too fast. Hardman did not retreat, but rather Hill crossed into the central area, positioning for a dium pass reception, which caused the Tennessee Titans’ zone defense network to disperse continuously—
The coverage area expanded increasingly, making mutual coverage and support more difficult, the zone defense seed to be evolving into man-to-man marking.
The Kansas City Chiefs had not gained any advantage, nor had the Tennessee Titans gained the upper hand.
Reed and Vrabel were evenly matched on the level of tactical layout; it was a draw. Now, it depended on the players’ performance on the field, all relying on their execution.
Standing in the pocket, Mahos didn’t feel direct pressure.
The Tennessee Titans’ four-man rush was still attempting to break the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line pocket protection, but Mahos had room to move.
This was a pleasant surprise.
Mahos moved backward, but dared not retreat too far because the end zone was not far behind, as he adjusted he scanned the field for a second defensive read—
Hill. Kelsey.
They both had opportunities, though they weren’t open, both had ford one-on-one matchups, and the so-called zone defense wasn’t as dense as expected.
Although deviating slightly from the plan, openings for receptions still erged.
So, the six yards for Kelsey, or Hill twelve yards away?
His gaze lifted slightly.
Then Mahos could see Hardman and Li Wei, who had already dashed out more than twenty yards, two red figures also in one-on-one matchups, while other two defensive players loitered in the central midfield zone, not taking rash actions, likely waiting for Mahos’ pass delivery.
Especially Li Wei, with the early start from "Cheating Motion" releasing all his speed, now his steps were close to midfield, like a solitary arrow.
Is this... a chance?
Mahos blinked, and the next second saw a white and blue figure rushing towards him.
Lineman Landry.
The situation was getting tighter and tenser, Mahos should throw quickly.
But in that critical mont, a bold thought popped into Mahos’ head:
He raised his right hand to make a passing motion, seemingly ready to throw before Landry’s tackle.
Indeed, this move put all the defensive players, who closely monitored Mahos, on full alert, including Landry who stood upright raising both hands attempting to disrupt the passing view.
But Mahos retracted his right hand, stepping sideways, dodging Landry’s position, continuing to move laterally, his gaze looking far off into the distance.
Landry’s heart tightened, stepping forward in pursuit, throwing himself at Mahos recklessly.
Mahos quickly pulled a step outside, but Landry didn’t let go; however, at that mont, Mahos stopped abruptly and turned sharply, pulling back toward the left.
Mahos and Landry brushed past each other in close proximity.
Landry couldn’t keep up with the reaction, holding his breath, forcing a collision with Mahos. Despite the lack of force, his body weight caused physical interference.
Pop.
Just once, it was just a once, Landry forcefully disrupted Mahos’ balance, dragging Mahos’ steps into chaos amidst a storm.
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