Chapter 670: Stepping Up
"Hello, viewers, I'm Walt Coleman, and welcome to the first part of the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge on NBC."
Bathed in the brilliant sunlight, standing in the center of the field, Coleman smoothly began his opening after the live broadcast light turned on. Then he turned around and gestured to the surging crowd behind him, a big smile on his face.
"For those who watch the Pro Bowl every year, this year has clearly undergone a huge, earth-shattering change. We are now in Aloha Stadium, where fans are eagerly and excitedly waiting for the official start of the new skills challenge. Clearly, this showdown has ignited everyone's passion."
Coleman moved aside, and the cameraman began to capture the panoramic view of Aloha Stadium. The surging and boiling sea of people completely filled the frame, and the shocking scene was clearly transmitted to the North American continent through TV screens, causing a frenzy of discussion. On social media, the topic of the Pro Bowl was more lively than ever before.
"In this year's skills challenge, before the official AFC vs. NFC matchup, the league has set up individual challenge events, covering quarterbacks, wide receivers, linemen, cornerbacks, safeties, and more. Each position has its own corresponding individual event, and registration is open to all players in the league."
"Every player will compete as an individual. In the end, a champion will be crowned for each event. The champion will receive a skills challenge trophy, and at the same time, they will collectively share a prize pool of $150,000."
"Obviously, this has sparked a wave of player participation. Currently, there are a total of 159 registered players for the individual events. Yesterday, the skills challenge held its first round of elimination, and six players were selected for each event. For videos of the elimination round, interested viewers can watch them on demand on the NFL's official channel."
"After the individual events, the traditional skills challenge showdown will officially begin, with the NFC facing the AFC. The loser will take home a prize of $100,000, and the winner will receive $200,000. This year, the biggest suspense is whether the champion of the individual events will be a Pro Bowl player or an undrafted player who was not selected? Now, the heat of the competition is already here!"
The smooth introduction presented the new look of this year's skills challenge in the most concise way. As for the specific details, Coleman left them to be explained in detail during the live broadcast of the games.
After the opening, Coleman held the microphone and directed the camera to follow his steps as he entered the field and headed toward the players who were warming up. The camera was like the eyes and feet of the audience, moving step by step, leading every viewer closer to the professional players.
"Guys, guys, gather around me. Whoa, whoa, whoa, there are too many, the camera is going to be full. Spread out, spread out."
Coleman's words immediately caused a chain reaction of commotion.
This wasn't the NBA's All-Star Weekend, but the NFL's first-ever risky attempt at an individual competition. The players who signed up were either rookies, backups, or unknowns who had been toiling for years. Each of them was desperate for exposure. When they saw the camera, they all rushed over with green eyes. Coleman was immediately overwhelmed.
But it was precisely this real situation that allowed the audience to see a different side of the players off the field. It successfully created a buzz and boosted ratings.
After a moment of chaos, Coleman, who was fumbling his way through, finally got his thoughts together and stopped by the quarterbacks who were participating. He decided to interview them by event category, one group at a time. This made the whole scene organized and also ensured that the players got enough screen time.
"Guys, who do you think will win today's quarterback precision passing skills challenge?" Coleman's gaze moved back and forth among the six quarterbacks around him. He extended the microphone, trying to get the players' personal thoughts.
In the past, the skills challenge lacked confrontation and hype, and the players also lacked enough enthusiasm and motivation. The competition wasn't intense enough, and no one gave it their all. This year, the skills challenge was branded as an individual event, and regardless of the outcome, the players definitely had motivation.
This could be seen from the list of participants alone.
The six quarterbacks who made it to the second round were: first-year players Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, and Lu Ke; third-year player Mark Sanchez; fourth-year player Matt Ryan; and Tony Romo, an undrafted player from 2003.
This was the list after the first round of elimination. The second-year players were all eliminated. John Skelton of the Arizona Cardinals, Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams, and others were all unfortunately eliminated. Third-year player Matthew Stafford was also surprisingly eliminated.
Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons and Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, both veterans who had been selected for the Pro Bowl before, were clearly brought in by the league to fill in the numbers and use their fame and appeal to get things started. They only planned to have some fun, but they successfully made it to the second round. Was this... also an accident?
Now, facing Coleman's question, the six players looked at each other. Matt and Romo had no intention of joining in the fun. Then, one player took the initiative to raise his right hand and volunteer. "I'm the champion!"
A beat later, another player also patted his chest. "I'm confident..." But after he said it, he immediately realized that he had missed the best timing. His words were cut off halfway, hanging uncomfortably.
In an instant, everyone's eyes were on these two players.
The former was Cam, and the latter was Sanchez.
Speaking of Mark Sanchez, he was a "unique" sight in the league. He came from the University of Southern California and was selected by the New York Jets as the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Speaking of Jets fans, they are also well-known in the league for being "unpredictable" and a perfect example of pretending to know what they're talking about. Every year at the draft, they are booing nonstop, as if no matter what the team's manager chooses, the fans will never be satisfied. But in 2009, Sanchez won the cheers and shouts of all the fans.
However, that was the only time.
In just three years, Sanchez became a well-known locker room time bomb in the league. Most of the news was unrelated to his performance on the field but focused on his provocative behavior and immature attitude in the locker room.
This offseason, the Jets' internal conflict even exploded. His teammates directly accused Sanchez of having a bad work ethic, stagnated playing ability, and a terrible leadership style. His inaction on and off the field was even more disgusting. While the playoffs were in full swing, they made headlines in a different way.
Also, Sanchez's most famous classic moment was during a game when he chose to run with the ball. He ran like a headless chicken and slammed into his own offensive lineman. He fell to the ground awkwardly, which was voted by countless media outlets and various lists as "The number one most embarrassing moment in the NFL."
But in fact, during his college years, Sanchez's playing style and skills were highly praised. He was a golden boy. Otherwise, the New York Jets fans wouldn't have cheered for him back then. But after he entered the league, everything was different, just like entering society.
In this year's individual skills challenge, the fact that Sanchez was able to successfully make it to the second round was a direct testament to his strength.
Now, Sanchez's position on the Jets is precarious. What's worse is that he will enter the last year of his rookie contract, and if the situation continues to evolve like this, he will most likely be unemployed. So, for Sanchez, this individual skills challenge was a chance for redemption and a chance to prove himself.
Unfortunately, in the face of Cam's aggressiveness, Sanchez missed the opportunity and was stuck in a strange position.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Sanchez was speechless, while Cam showed no signs of panic. He stood up straight with a shy smile on his face, seemingly showing his humility. He said with a smile, "Someone has to step up, right?" Although he said that, the confidence and pride in his eyes were unshakable, showing his belief in victory.
Upon hearing this, Sanchez also quickly stepped up and raised his voice to express his confidence. "I think I have a great chance."
Coleman looked at Cam, then at Sanchez, and finally at Lu Ke. "He said he's the champion, and he said he has a chance, so what do you think?"
Lu Ke shrugged his shoulders slightly, pursed his lips, and said indifferently, "Yes, he is the champion!"
His effortless response created a stark contrast with Cam's determination to win. The deeper meaning was worth savoring.
But Coleman was unwilling to let go of the opportunity to create a buzz. He pressed on. "But your passing accuracy has always been praised and discussed. If I remember correctly, it was the same during the rookie training camp. Don't you have any thoughts about being the champion?"
Lu Ke chuckled and admitted frankly, "Yes, I have some skills, and I will do my best. But they didn't help me much during the rookie training camp, and I'm not sure what the result will be today."
After the rookie training camp, Lu Ke became an undrafted free agent.
With a self-deprecating joke, the tense atmosphere became relaxed and pleasant again. Coleman also knew when to stop and handed the microphone to Romo. "Tony, who do you think will win the final game?"
"The only thing I'm sure of is that it won't be me." Romo's cunning answer made everyone chuckle. Then Romo began to pass the buck. "Matt, what do you think?"
Matt Ryan, who was innocently caught in the crossfire, looked confused. The question marks on his face seemed to have become tangible.
Lu Ke added in a timely manner, "He's a man of action, not words. He's already ready." The subtext was that Ryan was ready to compete for the championship.
Ryan looked at Lu Ke innocently, and the question marks on his forehead were already overflowing.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!