"The regular season has only been going on for five weeks!" Charles emphasized repeatedly. As he spoke, his emotions became increasingly agitated. He tried to suppress the disgust and hatred, but he ultimately failed to control them.
"Don't forget Cam Newton, this year's first overall pick, has only won one game so far, remember? Before he entered the league, everyone was praising him, saying he would be the next savior of the league. What about now? What's the situation now? For a rookie, we need a long time to observe!" Once again, Charles showed his toughness and sharpness.
But this time, Spencer was calm and composed, and his unhurried demeanor was a sharp contrast to Charles's, giving him the upper hand. "What we are discussing now is, what was Lu Ke's performance like in this one game, this one game against the Buccaneers?"
Speechless and humiliated, Spencer's persistence almost made Charles curse and walk away in a huff, but he ultimately managed to control his emotions. In the end, he just said heavily, "No comment." Then he crossed his arms, turned his head away, and refused to talk further, his entire body exuding a restless aura.
In today's confrontation, Charles was completely defeated.
The host, Edward Bowen, who had been watching from the sidelines, seized the opportunity to join the conversation. He skillfully changed the topic and threw out another key point of discussion. "Let's bring the topic back to Lu Ke. If the season were to end now and we were to vote for MVP, who would be willing to choose Lu Ke? Please raise your hand."
There was a moment of silence in the studio, and then three people slowly raised their right hands. In the entire show, there were only ten commentators, and three of them raised their hands. This was truly unbelievable, and even Edward showed a look of surprise. "Jessica, are you saying you would vote for Lu Ke over Rodgers and Brees?"
Jessica Carney, also one of Lu Ke's supporters, had always been optimistic about this rookie's prospects. In the second week of the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys, she and Spencer were the only two supporters. At this moment, she didn't hesitate and nodded confidently. "Yes."
MVP? This was a completely different level of discussion, but it became the hottest topic on "Inside the League" this week. Clearly, it wasn't just being discussed on the show.
After all the Week 5 regular season games were over, the name "Lu Ke Skywalker" once again made headlines in sports newspapers and magazines overnight.
It wasn't just because "Inside the League" had listed Lu Ke as one of the candidates for this year's MVP, and it wasn't just because the San Francisco 49ers had decisively defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a massive score.
It was also because on the NFL's official power rankings, the San Francisco 49ers had surpassed the New England Patriots and were now ranked third. What's more, Lu Ke was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time, a feat he also accomplished in Week 1 of the regular season.
This week, the Baltimore Ravens, who were ranked fifth last week, were on a bye week, and the top four teams all won. Generally, in such a situation, the top five rankings wouldn't change, but Elliott Harrison boldly swapped the Patriots and the 49ers.
In his article, Elliott gave the following reason:
"It's not that the Patriots' strength has declined, but that the 49ers have shown a better state. Whether it's the strong confrontation in the first half or the absolute dominance with seven touchdowns throughout the game, it all shows a brand-new team.
To the fans who disagree (yes, the New England Patriots fans), please watch this week's league highlights. At least three of the San Francisco 49ers' offensive plays can be ranked in the top ten. My God, this quarterback's name has already been placed alongside Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Shouldn't his ranking be further improved? What's more, this is a result of his strength."
Besides the affirmation from the power rankings, the league's Player of the Week award added fuel to the fire.
As a rookie player, in five games, Lu Ke had already been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time. This year's NFC was full of stars, so such an achievement would be unbelievable for any player, let alone a rookie.
Lu Ke was replicating Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season journey, but Big Ben had the top defense in the entire league to protect him back then. Now, it was Lu Ke who was leading the entire team to make waves, and no words could describe this powerful rising momentum, which was almost unstoppable.
As a result, the internet blew up. New England Patriots fans all expressed strong dissatisfaction and began to mock the San Francisco 49ers and Lu Ke on Twitter. The latter, in particular, attracted the firepower of countless fans, becoming a powder keg that exploded with a bang.
"Only five games into his career? Tom Brady's playoff wins are in the hundreds, yet you're already talking so big? How embarrassing!"
"He's celebrating five touchdowns in a single game? Let's see if he can even finish his rookie season first. He looks so frail; if he gets injured and has to leave the field in the next game, it would be a complete joke."
These were just some of the milder comments. On the internet, all kinds of rude and extreme comments could be found. Lu Ke became the punching bag for all New England Patriots fans, instantly becoming the focus of their attacks. But this was only the beginning.
Major American newspapers and magazines have conducted polls multiple times, and the results show that the most hated team in the league is the New England Patriots, and the most hated quarterback in the league is Tom Brady—surpassing Michael Vick, who had offended the Animal Protection Association.
To the Patriots fans, they would emphasize that this was jealousy.
Because the strong are always the objects of people's jealousy. With a record of three championships in four years, the Patriots were undoubtedly one of the most powerful teams in the league after the millennium. They constantly created miracles and wrote history. As a result, they became the target of attacks.
This was a fact, but besides this fact, it was also because they would do anything to win.
First was the famous Spygate.
In 2007, Bill Belichick sent his assistant coach to the opponent's side of the field during a game against the New York Jets to illegally film the opponent's playbook and signals. After deciphering them on the spot, they defeated the opponent. Later, this incident was confirmed by the league, and Belichick also admitted to the accusation. In the end, Belichick was fined five hundred thousand dollars, which was the highest fine the league could impose, and was stripped of their first-round pick in the 2008 draft.
Afterward, the New England Patriots were also exposed for the aftermath of Spygate. They would film the opposing coach's hand signals in every game, decipher the playbook, and then actively sign players who were cut by their next opponent to specifically verify if their decryption was correct.
Although there was no direct written evidence, ESPN interviewed more than fifty players and received at least 50% affirmative responses. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers later further confirmed this suspicion. In a playoff game, the Patriots' defense and offense directly shouted out the Steelers' tactical codes and cracked their plays, which made the Steelers' players flustered and helpless.
Not only that, the Patriots also sent spies—private investigators—to opposing teams' hotels and locker rooms to steal their playbooks. This incident was later exposed by some teams, who intentionally left out wrong playbooks to mislead the Patriots. This news also gradually spread in the league, and other teams also took precautions.
In addition, at the Patriots' home stadium, they would use wireless radio to interfere with the communication between the visiting team's coaches, quarterbacks, and the war room, disrupting their plays. The Patriots also sent staff to pose as NFL staff or employees of an advertising company to film videos at their future opponents' training grounds. This incident was exposed at the New Orleans Saints' training ground, which caused the two teams to completely fall out.
On the first day Lu Ke joined the San Francisco 49ers, Kip Chryst had repeatedly emphasized the importance of the playbook. In addition, Lu Ke also noticed that the entrances and exits of the various training grounds at Candlestick Park were very strictly guarded. All of these were remnants of the "Spygate" that the New England Patriots had initiated.
To the Patriots' fans, it was a matter of who wins and who loses. Even in the business world, commercial spies are everywhere, and the winner takes all. But to the fans of other teams, such unfair competitive means went against the spirit of sportsmanship, and that team had taken it for granted and still won.
(As for the Deflategate that happened in the 2015 playoffs, there's no need to elaborate on that.)
In fact, besides the Boston area where the New England Patriots are located, they have always been the most unpopular team in other parts of North America.
So, when the Patriots' fans became unhappy, they collectively attacked Lu Ke. And all the other fans who were upset began to collectively attack the New England Patriots.
As a result, the entire internet became a powder keg. At first, the topic of discussion was focused on Lu Ke, but it gradually evolved into a situation where the Patriots' fans were cursing at all the other fans. This was a daily occurrence in the NFL, and it would happen every now and then during the season.
But what's undeniable is that this convincing victory not only put Lu Ke in the MVP discussion but also made more ordinary fans realize that "Lu Ke Skywalker," this player, had more than just hype; he had real substance.
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