Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 569: Friend and Enemy
Le'Veon Bell admitted that he had selfish motives when he contacted Levi after the game last time. He was forced to sign an exclusive franchise tag contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he had been holding his breath all season and couldn't vent. He also knew that he might encounter negotiation difficulties again in the next offseason.

He needs to rally more together and really let the running backs make noise.

At that time, Bell did not expect that Levi would be able to fight all the way to the end and actually reach the top. He contacted Levi purely because of the young man's Chinese identity and Goodell's support behind him. Perhaps this could win extra attention and public support for the running backs.

Similarly, Bell did not expect Levi to actually step up and be willing to do so much, even more so than Gurley, who, after renewing his contract with the Los Angeles Rams, kept his tail between his legs and stayed out of the matter, playing no role at all.

Who could have thought that a casual and unintentional act would eventually develop into a friendship of fighting side by side and truly change one's predicament?

This is something Bell was not able to feel in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room, once again proving the role of a leader in the team's temperament and atmosphere.

Now, Bell understands why T.J. Watt praises Levi so much.

however--

Everything was just as Levi expected. They were facing the trend of the entire league, which meant billions and hundreds of billions of profits. It could not be changed by one or two small running backs. It was not enough to rely solely on Bell.

The running backs need to continue to build momentum and need to change public opinion starting from the field.

For now, the time has not come yet and Bale may fail again.

The summer training camp ended, and there was still no news about Bale's contract extension.

Soon, the July 16 deadline passed, which meant the Pittsburgh Steelers did not change their minds and placed the exclusive franchise tag on Bell for the second consecutive year.

But Bale still refused to sign.

The preseason kicked off, and Bale still did not return to the team.

Things are sliding towards the abyss bit by bit, and the ominous premonition is becoming clearer and clearer.

Then, this is what happened -

"I'm not going to play."

This is a text message from Bell.

At this time, there were less than forty-eight hours left before the whistle of the 2018 regular season. When Levi saw the text message, the meaning was obvious.

At present, there is no media report, no official announcement from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and no news from the league, which means that even if Levi is not the first person to be notified by Bell, he is one of the few members who first knew about such a heavyweight news.

Levi sighed softly.

He supports Bale, but he really doesn't want things to develop to this point. It's a kind of tragic and cruel thing of hitting a rock with an egg, which is unbearable.

Levi, "Is there no room for redemption?"

Bell: "No. If they are ready to do it, I can do it. In the worst case, I will leave Pittsburgh and go to other teams to develop, even if it means reducing my salary. I just can't swallow this breath. Pittsburgh doesn't take me seriously."

Levi, "Bell, you are more experienced than me, you should know that our performance also depends on the coach's tactics."

Running backs, like quarterbacks, need tactical support from their coaches. If the coach's tactics are wrong, even the best players won't be able to play well.

Just look at Foles in this year's Super Bowl.

The reason why Reid is known as the quarterback magician is because he can create different tactical systems according to the styles and types of different quarterbacks.

Similarly, the Kansas City Chiefs brought Burns out of retirement because he was able to create different running backs based on the players' own characteristics.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Tomlin is also such a tactical master. Levi is worried that Bell may face difficulties after leaving Pittsburgh. It is not easy to meet a coach who appreciates you and knows how to use you to develop your abilities. Many geniuses have been buried in this way.

Bell, "You should trust me."

Looking at the short text, it was obvious that Bell didn't want to talk more, which made Levi let out a long breath and swallowed all the words that followed.

Li Wei, "No matter when, you are not alone facing thousands of troops."

After pressing the send button, Levi put the phone aside. Although Levi knew nothing about football in his previous life and naturally had no way of knowing what would happen to Bell afterwards; but based on his understanding of the professional league, he had a foreboding premonition that things might not develop in the direction the running backs expected.

Ding.

A text message alert came from the phone, and the screen lit up:
Bell, "I'm ready."

Then the screen went dark again.

The next morning, a heavy bomb shook the entire alliance upside down.

Before people had time to recover from the shock and thrill of the Green Bay Packers and Rodgers' dramatic contract extension before the start of the season, the contract extension of another top superstar went in a completely different direction, causing ripples with a desperate attitude.

Bell announced that he will not play in the Pittsburgh Steelers regular season game.

From training strike to game strike, Bale showed his determination to die rather than live in disgrace, and still refused to sign the exclusive franchise label contract.

Moreover, even more cruel and cold things are yet to come.

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not respond, did not condemn Bell, did not discuss the renewal, and did not even make an official announcement to confirm Bell's decision to miss the regular season. Instead, they announced another decision:
Running back James Conner, the 2017th pick in the third round of , will start.

The attitude couldn't be more direct——

Without Bell, the earth still turns and the Pittsburgh Steelers still move forward.

Not a single word was mentioned about Bale, but the attitude of complete disregard completely treated Bale as a transparent person, showing a decisive and murderous attitude.

Silence is better than sound.

This is the real ruthless move, a cut above the rest.

The 2018 season kicked off amidst noise and chaos.

The bustling and heated discussions exploded after a brief pause of continuous impact and shock. Not only the fans, but also the league were stunned.

The reason is very simple -

In the season opener, the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs faced the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s not that enemies don’t get together.

In the eyes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Levi and Hunter were instigators who were eager for chaos. If they hadn't been fanning the flames, the negotiations between Bell and the team would not have developed to this point. As a result, Bell went on strike and the image of the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the bottom.

Levi: Do the Pittsburgh Steelers have a team image? Even a rookie who knows nothing about football, Roethlisberger, has heard rumors that he treated fans rudely and bullied the locker room in Pittsburgh.

TOMLIN: Get lost!
Moreover, recalling the grudges from last season's divisional round, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not take the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars seriously at all, and had already set their sights on the conference finals and the New England Patriots. As a result, the two traditional powerhouses ended up losing together and bringing shame to their grandmother's house.

All new and old grudges came to my mind.

It's on the verge!
(End of this chapter)