Jack Elliott, the sa age as Li Wei, also participated in the draft in his junior year; this year, he was selected in the fifth round, one hundred and fifty-third overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.
For a kicker, who often gets noticed only in the sixth or seventh round, this was a very decent position; he was the third kicker selected that year.
Unfortunately, Elliott couldn’t stand out in the internal team competition, so he was laid off and transferred to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad the next day.
If everything had proceeded as expected, Elliott would have spent his career like a blue-collar worker, diligently sitting on the bench, although not earning much, at least having enough to live on, and the spotlight would never fall on him since injuries are quite uncommon in the kicker position.
However, an accident occurred.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ kicker, Caleb Sturgis, was injured in the ga defeating Washington Redskins and placed on the injury list; the Philadelphia Eagles panicked all of a sudden. Unlike other positions, the special teams don’t have substitutes for their three regular mbers, and once soone is injured they just have to cope.
In a rush, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Elliott from the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad.
Three days ago, Elliott ca to Philadelphia from Cincinnati; he didn’t even have ti to pack his luggage, he had no accommodation in Philadelphia yet, temporarily living at a hotel arranged by the team, not having recognized his teammates, and then... then he found himself standing here.
The decisive mont.
Everything had happened too quickly, like a tornado.
Nervous?
God, Elliott felt as if his heart was about to vomit out.
But, the mont he saw Li Wei, Elliott found his goal—
He longed to be like him.
A rookie. Asian. Running back. Any of these labels could get soone lost under pressure, but he didn’t; even though he beca the focus of the entire league, he still advanced at his own pace.
He hoped he could find his place in the league like him and hoped to defeat him and then stand under the spotlight to accept the cheers.
"Jack, this is your chance,"
Elliott silently encouraged himself.
Arrowhead Stadium roared—
Not because of Li Wei, but because they were expecting their team to hold their heads high and secure the victory; they needed to cheer for their own team.
After enduring the dull and oppressive first half and the dramatic fluctuations of the second half, it was finally the mont of truth, and the whole place was electrified.
Then, they saw Li Wei.
Undoubtedly, in just two gas, Li Wei had already won the support of the fans, but his foundation was still weak, and today was his formal debut at Arrowhead Stadium, so the fans were not unified in their support:
Li Wei? Edgerunner? Or sothing else?
Moreover, this was the battle of the Special Duty Group; cheer individually for Li Wei seed a bit impolite, didn’t it?
The scattered cheers gradually gathered and finally converged into a strong force, releasing an incredible energy.
"Fly!"
One voice, then another.
This scene made Bart’s heart tighten—
Again, it was that number twenty-three.
Although it was not rare for a main player to step up in critical roles within the Special Duty Group, whenever Bart saw this number twenty-three now, he beca nervous, subconsciously wanting to complain.
"Reed is really confused. For a strategic kick, he should have chosen a wide receiver who is speedy; what is he doing by sending a running back? Is this a desperate asure, or does he not have any other players to use?"
Lawson glanced at Bart, "Li Wei is indeed known for his speed."
Bart: …
His breath stuck in his throat, unable to be spat out nor swallowed, he could only glare hard at Lawson.
However, Lawson had no ti to deal with him—
Elliott was preparing to kick off.
As Bart had ntioned, it was a battle of speed, with Kansas City Chiefs sending out Li Wei and Philadelphia Eagles sending out the just-scored-now Ahora.
Even though it was a struggle among the special teams, both teams had their key players out at this mont.
Elliott looked up to see the players from both teams upfront, spread ten yards apart along the midfield line, like armies facing each other, ready to ignite, the faces hidden behind helts clashing with great ferocity, almost solidifying the very air in the middle of the field.
Then, the cheering from the crowd gradually faded.
"Fly!"
"Fly."
"Fly..."
Finally, everything vanished; only his own heart was fiercely thumping against his eardrums.
Initiate, kick off, kick the ball.
The football didn’t rise, but rolled along the ground.
The reason was very simple.
If it was a high kick, the short twenty-yard space made it difficult to control the parabola; it often ended up in the densely stationed area of the opposing players, leaving the kicking team with almost no chance of winning.
But a rolling ball was different; as long as the speed and trajectory were properly controlled, the kicking team’s players could chase the ball, shortening the running distance and disrupting the opponents’ chance to catch the ball smoothly.
Rumble, rumble.
The football was kicked out.
Elliott had also started, following it imdiately without any hesitation, wanting to contribute as much as possible regardless of what happened.
Ah, ah, ahhh.
Roaring, bellowing, like the clash of the three hundred Spartans, hot hot blood and brain matter quickly left wounds on the surface of the skin.
Elliott watched the football rolling fast, like a grasshopper leaping through the grass:
Light. Slow. Spin.
All the perfect elents of a gambling kick were there.
Elliott was delighted, an opportunity.
anwhile, Li Wei had also begun to move.
Before the gamble kick, both teams had their positions, generally eight frontline players divided into three groups, covering different positions and areas along the ten-yard line; and three more players in the backfield to prevent the opponents from a long kickoff steal.
So, when Elliott saw Li Wei positioned on the left side of the Kansas City Chiefs, he deliberately kicked the ball towards Philadelphia Eagles’ left side, the Chiefs’ right side, using himself, Li Wei, and the other side of the field line as a triangular fra, and kicked the football out towards the other sideline.
Just right, Ahora was standing there.
aning, the distance from Ahora to the football touchdown point was shorter than the distance from Li Wei to the football touchdown point, thus gaining ti this way.
Moreover, Li Wei noticed: this ti for the gambling kick, Elliott deliberately reduced the force, that is, the speed, causing the football not to roll far.
Oh no!
Li Wei sounded the alarm, watching powerlessly as the football crossed the midfield line at its limits, apparently about to stop at any mont—a 0.1% chance occurrence.
Thud, thud, thud!
Sprinting at full speed, lowering his center of gravity, Li Wei’s vertical speed had reached its limit, unleashing everything he had like a roaring hurricane.
Then, the confrontation between the two sides collided first.
The player on the right side of the Kansas City Chiefs did not hurriedly bend down to pick up the ball, as it might break the formation; they wholeheartedly charged at the approaching Philadelphia Eagles players, trying to block them.
Bang!
A collision!
In the chaos, Ahora burst forward, a dive at the peak had him rushing for the football quickly.
Close.
Closer.
Then, he touched it.
Ahora could feel the leather texture of the football with his fingers, but before he could grasp it, a fierce impact hit him like a flood beast.
The waist!
His waist was about to break.
Li Wei, like a diver, lunged at Ahora, using his helt to knock Ahora aside, and then he could see that little red-brown sprite playfully hopping along the green, scooping up the football with his left hand in a reflex action the mont it landed, instinctively bringing the red-brown football into his embrace.
Boom!
The rumbling of the collision and confrontation rebounded like splashes and engulfed him.
Li Wei had no ti to react, just curled up, clutching the football tightly in his arms, like a newborn baby curling up into a ball, refusing to let go.
The world, a roar.
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