Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1567: Arms Race
Are Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers' complaints really just complaints?

not necessarily.

Behind those grumblings and complaints lies the Alliance's dissatisfaction with the Tampa Bay pirates and the Kansas chiefs for gaining an early advantage in the arms race.

When the entire league is sharpening its knives in an attempt to dethrone the three-time defending champions, any seemingly advantageous move by the Kansas City Chiefs could be met with a coordinated attack from all sides.

It's that simple.

Therefore, the alliance is also deeply aware that if they want to break the status quo, forming alliances is inevitable. They must put aside prejudice and selfishness, seek common ground while reserving differences, find mutually beneficial solutions, and work together to fight their way out. They must not let the Tampa Bay pirates and the Kansas chief succeed.

Of course, profit is still the fundamental factor. Professional leagues are ultimately a numbers game, and team owners only care about profits. However, the situation has changed slightly this season. Teams are willing to help each other without harming their own interests.

The free market experienced unprecedented prosperity.

Transfers, trades, roster building—thirty teams worked together, sharing resources and expertise. Team managers and coaches assembled their teams according to their own blueprints, united in their desire to stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, each one gritting their teeth and their eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

The NFL witnessed a rare sight: "Thirty teams versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Kansas City Chiefs." People seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding, much like the Order of the Phoenix in "Harry Potter" united by Voldemort. The oppressive atmosphere of impending doom was fully invading the league.

Even seasoned professionals say this is an unprecedented sight. From the Kansas City Chiefs' three-peat to the earthquake of blockbuster transfers during the offseason, the 2020 season hasn't even started yet, but it already feels like it will be an unprecedented season.

United in hatred against the enemy!

With one heart and one mind!
Brady and Levi, two players who have been honored as "public enemies of the league" since the millennium, have been going all out this offseason, turning the 2020 season into another "goat vs. rookie" showdown. This has thoroughly enraged the league, pushing all competitors to the opposite side. By the time the two realized what was happening, the other 30 teams had already set their sights on them.

In an instant, this seemed to evolve into the absurd scene of "Brady and Levi joining forces against the world," something neither of the two public enemies of the alliance could have imagined.

Both the Tampa Bay pirates and the Kansas chief felt this resistance; an invisible barrier stood between them.

Their actions in the free market have become noticeably more constrained.

It wasn't a straightforward rejection or blockade, but rather that all negotiations became difficult and arduous, with increasing back-and-forth over details. It was like gears running without lubrication; they were still turning, but they were bumping and stumbling, making everyone uncomfortable.

Overnight, they seemed to have offended everyone.

Head coaches Arrians and Reid were left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

Reed was alright; he was mentally prepared.

After winning three consecutive championships, the Kansas City Chiefs became easy targets, and the hatred surrounding them was already at its peak. Now, Watt is just another target to be targeted. They have so much to worry about.

The Kansas City Chiefs are proceeding with their offseason plans as planned, with Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D in place, demonstrating their full preparedness.

Arians looked utterly dejected and aggrieved, seemingly completely unprepared for this turn of events.

“We…who have we offended…Believe me, Tom is already forty-three years old, there’s no need to make a fuss, we’re just barely clinging to life and trying to struggle…” “You’re targeting the chief, fine, but we’re innocent! What’s with this collective hatred and collective punishment?”

"What? The hatred has shifted? The hatred has moved from New England to Tampa Bay, all because of Tom?"

"But, but I'm innocent! I haven't won a single Super Bowl trophy as a head coach in my entire career, okay? Why are you doing this to me?"

Arians was also on the verge of tears—

However, other teams didn't buy it. How could Arians, that old fox, be innocent, and how could he not know Brady's influence?

This kind of attitude might fool the young people, but it won't work on these seasoned veterans. No one will easily believe Arians.

In the face of profit and the championship, everything is just a game, a contest, a life-or-death competition. The intensity of the 2020 NFL Super Bowl reached an unprecedented peak.

It's not just about the Vince Lombardi Trophy; the competition for playoff spots and regular season matches is already palpable.

This is a war!
Whether it's the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, or any of the other thirty teams, beneath the dazzling array of competition, it ultimately comes down to their individual strategies, the trade-offs in free agency, and the keen eye of the draft. Now it's up to the team managers and head coaches.

The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each displaying their unique abilities; it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious.

As the saying goes, times make heroes, and after the NFL's centennial season, the 2020 offseason seems to have arrived at a perfect opportunity:

With perfect timing, favorable location, and harmonious relationships, a large number of top and outstanding players have entered the free agent market this offseason.

Perfect, suitable for all the experts to test their skills.

Originally, Mahomes' contract extension and the transfers of Brady and Watt had already pushed expectations to an unprecedented peak, making it difficult for any subsequent booming or noisy free market to overshadow them; but unexpectedly, the entire league was caught up in the storm of an arms race and was completely overwhelmed, and the free market burst forth with astonishing volume in another way, continuing the offseason clamor all the way.

The quarterback market will be the first to be affected.

Every year, every season, the quarterback is always the focus, whether in the free market or the draft, it has long been a tradition.

Although the quarterbacks in the free agent market are mostly the same familiar faces, there are new developments every year, especially this year.

A name that is both familiar and unfamiliar has appeared: the New England Patriots.

Several years ago, Bilicek had already begun preparing for the transition between generations. However, the New England Patriots' successor, Garopolo, failed to outlive Brady and instead left for San Francisco. Now that Brady has left for Tampa Bay, Bilicek's succession plan has failed, leaving him without a quarterback.

There is no doubt that the New England Patriots need a quarterback. It is not surprising or unexpected that they appear on the list of teams competing for quarterbacks in the free market. What is really intriguing is who Billychick will target.
The suspense is no less than the mystery surrounding Brady's next move.

(End of this chapter)