Chapter 817: Penalize
The league officially issued a fine to penalize Richard Sherman for his insolent and foul-mouthed remarks during an interview. But the words were already out there. The powerful impact of Sherman's rant spread like wildfire, first causing a chain reaction among the fans. Social media became a battlefield.
Seattle Seahawks fans believed that the San Francisco 49ers were all bark and no bite, and that their victories this season were insignificant and they could easily be defeated.
San Francisco 49ers fans believed that the Seattle Seahawks played with their mouths, living in a self-righteous world, picking fights and adding fuel to the fire everywhere. They were not a team of winners.
Seattle Seahawks fans believed that the San Francisco 49ers were a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites who were full of fake righteousness and morals, and that no one in the league liked them.
San Francisco 49ers fans believed that the Seattle Seahawks were an uneducated and unruly mob who were useless and disgusting, except for their foul mouths.
The above content was just a watered-down version. In reality, the language was full of vulgarities and was so unpleasant to read that it had even escalated to personal attacks. The two sides were like sworn enemies, rolling up their sleeves and cursing at each other. All kinds of confrontations and provocations emerged endlessly, spreading across the internet.
At the height of the storm, a nobody appeared in the public eye and added more fuel to the fire.
Brailun Edwards, a wide receiver who had almost no presence, was completely lost in the crowd. It was hard to imagine that he was the third overall pick in the 2005 draft.
Back then, the Cleveland Browns chose him with the third pick, but after entering the league, he was never able to live up to the expectations. His best performance came in 2007, when he had a thousand-yard receiving season and completed sixteen receiving touchdowns. But... that was all. In the two seasons before that and the four seasons after that, his single-season touchdowns were all below seven, and his receiving yards were nothing to write home about.
From the Cleveland Browns to the New York Jets and then to the San Francisco 49ers, Brailun slowly hit rock bottom. This offseason, Brailun joined the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. Although he made it onto the 53-man roster, he didn't become a starting wide receiver. He was mostly a backup.
In the past six games, Brailun came on as a rotational player in three of them, but he only had two receptions. Even the most loyal Seahawks fan probably didn't know him.
This time, however, Brailun became the center of attention.
"I don't like Lu Ke, personally. Maybe it's because I'm an old-school guy. I always feel that he's too aggressive and too driven by personal gain. He's so competitive even in practice games and will do anything to achieve his goals. He's cold and heartless. He never gives anyone else any room, which is really uncomfortable."
Brailun expressed his opinion in an interview.
"Yes, he can throw the ball, but his game has no soul. He just executes plays like a robot. I think he's overrated right now. San Francisco is Jim Harbaugh's team, and the credit for the victory should go to the head coach. As for him, he's just a role player."
Objectively speaking, Brailun was just a backup player who wasn't well known. His opinions and views would usually not cause a stir. But this time, Brailun made the right comments at the right time and became the most intense and hottest fuel in the powder keg.
Seattle Seahawks fans used Brailun's comments to attack and ridicule Lu Ke. All the nasty and malicious words were directed at Lu Ke. San Francisco 49ers fans were furious and collectively accused Brailun of being an "ungrateful" scumbag whose words were completely unreliable and nothing more than malicious slander and libel.
As a result, the war was escalated again.
Afterward, New England Patriots fans also joined the fight, launching a fierce attack on Sherman. And Seattle Seahawks fans didn't back down, saying that it was too shameful for the Patriots to be on the same side as the 49ers. This was a conspiracy of the elite—
This implied a conspiracy between the San Francisco and Boston areas, further igniting the hatred between the East and West Coasts of the United States. This completely detonated the powder keg.
Patriots fans and 49ers fans disliked each other and started fighting. The already chaotic situation became even more complicated. Seahawks fans, unwilling to be left out, started picking fights with other teams, pulling the Giants, Packers, Falcons, and others into the fight. Even the Cardinals and Rams, who had been watching from the sidelines, were affected and got dragged into the fight. The entire social media platform was in a great brawl.
The division game was already highly anticipated, and this was a Thursday night showdown.
Now, with this kind of hype, the attention of all of North America was on this game. It wasn't just about watching the fun. Everyone started to take sides, picking a team to support between the two opposing teams and joining the "confrontation" with great enthusiasm.
In fact, the reason the league scheduled the San Francisco 49ers for two consecutive night games was that they saw the exciting division games in the NFC West in the 2011 season. First, the San Francisco 49ers against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, and then the San Francisco 49ers against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
These two matchups created enough buzz and talking points in the previous season, and the progress and results of the games were also satisfying and worth looking forward to.
This season, the four teams in the NFC West had a complete transformation. After six weeks of the regular season, they surprisingly became the strongest division in the league, which made the matchups within the division even more exciting.
Objectively analyzing the paper strength of the teams, the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers was indeed full of highlights.
Currently, the Seattle Seahawks had a record of four wins and two losses, but their four wins were against the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and New England Patriots. Besides the Panthers' disappointing record in the past two years, the other three teams were legitimate powerhouses.
Their other two losses were a four-point loss to the Arizona Cardinals and a six-point loss to the St. Louis Rams. Both were losses by a single touchdown.
In other words, the Seattle Seahawks had the ability to defeat the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots, and they also had the ability to take down the San Francisco 49ers.
The Seahawks had always been a team whose defense was stronger than its offense.
This year, their defense was further strengthened. Safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas had been playing at a Pro Bowl level. The cornerback duo of Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner had also found their rhythm. Their pass defense had successfully ranked among the top in the league.
But more importantly, their offense had also changed accordingly, and that was where the team's chemistry came from.
Last year, Travis Jackson, the starting quarterback, often faltered at critical moments, losing one victory opportunity after another. This year, the offense had been completely upgraded.
Quarterback Russell Wilson's hard work injected firepower into the offense. Running backs Marshawn Lynch and Leon Washington had been a revelation, repeatedly making key plays with their pure strength. Wide receivers Golden Tate, Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin, and tight end Zach Miller were all in good form.
In addition, there were three Pro Bowl-caliber players on the offensive line, creating more space for both running and passing.
It was this kind of chemistry that made the Seattle Seahawks take off this season. At least in the games so far this season, all their performances have been remarkable. The Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals both had a record of four wins and two losses, but because of their head-to-head record and divisional record, the Seahawks were temporarily ranked third in the division.
Many experts boldly predicted that it wouldn't be surprising if three teams from the NFC West made the playoffs this year.
Now, the question was: could the Seahawks, who had made the Packers and the Patriots taste bitter defeat, break the 49ers' undefeated record this season?
ESPN's "Inside the League" revealed the choices of the analysts and commentators: six to four.
The San Francisco 49ers had the support of six analysts and commentators, while the remaining four were betting on the Seattle Seahawks.
It was normal for some people to support one team and some to support the other, especially when two teams with excellent performances this season were facing off. The outcome was even more unpredictable. However, all ten analysts and commentators expressed similar opinions—
For the Seattle Seahawks, their excellent running game in the past six games would be put to the test against the San Francisco 49ers, who had one of the best run defenses in the league. The outcome of the game would depend on how much of their power they could unleash.
For the San Francisco 49ers, the key to victory or defeat would be whether their wide receivers, who had a terrible performance in the last game, could recover in time to face the Seattle Seahawks' upgraded secondary defense.
Even "Lu Ke hater" Charles Davis agreed, "The Seahawks' secondary defense and running back will be the focus of the entire game. It's worth noting that there's still a difference in the Seahawks' home and away performances. Candlestick Park is becoming a new 'House of Horrors' in the league. This is definitely a matchup to look forward to."
If even "Lu Ke hater" Charles thought so, there was no need to say anything about the other analysts and commentators. The game was going to be a fiery and explosive one!
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