Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 970: Overthrow Everything

Kansas City, early morning.

The spring morning was slightly chilly. Although summer was hovering around the street corners, the goosebumps on the skin in the early hours still stood up involuntarily, prompting one to quickly zip up their jacket.

Mecole Hardman drove into the parking lot and, seeing the completely empty space, let out a slight breath—

On the first day of spring training camp, he definitely did not want to be late.

Even though this was a voluntary training camp and there was no real need to be overly tense, relaxing just a little could be justified; but Mom always said that details are what truly matter.

How you view the daily grind of training can be showcased when the moment of truth arrives.

Even geniuses are not exempt.

Besides… this was the Kansas City Chiefs, two-time defending champions, currently the most sought-after and talked-about team in the entire NFL.

During the draft, Mecole Hardman’s name wasn’t called until the 56th pick in the second round, and yet it drew countless stares.

Because he was the first player selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s draft.

The actions of the defending champions invariably grab attention. Although during rookie training camp, Reid appeared to be assessing Jacobs’ performance and aiming to find Li Wei a suitable backup, many teams believed this was nothing but a smoke bomb, arguing that the Chiefs’ real issue was certainly not the offense—

Defense!

The Defensive group, to be specific.

First of all, with Berry gone, Murray, who struggled to shine over the last two seasons while trying to fill Berry’s role, became a free agent, leaving the safety position a major headache.

Secondly, following Houston’s transfer and Ford’s contract falling through and subsequent transfer, the linemen group that should have been a strength suddenly lost two core players.

Thirdly, the Chiefs’ defense coaching staff experienced a seismic shakeup during this offseason.

The norm is that Super Bowl champions during the offseason often turn into clearinghouses, as other teams target them for poaching—naturally including the coaching staff—but no one expected the Chiefs defensive group coaching staff to undergo a Titanic-scale collapse this year.

The defensive line coach, cornerback coach, linemen coach, defensive secondary coach, defensive group quality control coach, and the defensive coordinator all faced upheaval.

Retirement. Transfers. Firings.

Every possibility on the list.

It all culminated with Kansas City Chiefs firing their defensive coordinator Sutton.

The entire defense coaching team was left with one survivor, Britt Reid, who himself was reassigned from defensive line coach to linemen group coach—his original position was not spared either—

Yes, he’s Andy Reid’s son.

At this point, it was clear to everyone that although other teams might have indeed been poaching, the motion behind the scenes undoubtedly had a helping hand from team general manager Brett Veach. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense for the offensive coaching staff to stay intact while the defensive side faced all-out disruption. This was by no means coincidence.

Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs stumbled but eventually defended their championship successfully, with the defensive group’s performance in the American League Finals overtime being notably commendable; but no one could deny that this defense’s overall showing had been disappointing.

Veach displayed his decisiveness and ruthlessness, uprooting everything cleanly.

Even though defensive coordinator Sutton had followed Reid for many years and was far from incompetent, he nonetheless couldn’t escape Veach’s total purge.

Everything was to begin anew.

The ripples of these drastic actions manifested Veach’s influence as the team’s general manager—

Typically, a season with just three losses in the regular games and a championship defense through the playoffs could be considered an extraordinary season, even if offseason changes occurred, they wouldn’t typically warrant a shakeup of this magnitude.

Yet, Veach didn’t play it safe.

His daring, decisiveness, and boldness truly made the entire league take notice.

Without a doubt, the Kansas City Chiefs’ determination to completely rebuild their defensive group was already crystal clear; naturally, the draft was the first step.

And the result?

With their first-round draft pick, the Chiefs executed a three-way trade to maximize the benefits, acquiring defensive end Frank Clark from the Seattle Seahawks.

With their second-round draft pick, the Chiefs selected… a wide receiver.

Hardman, a wide receiver from the University of Georgia, who was also the fifth wide receiver to be selected in this year’s draft.

League: ???

It’s not that Hardman wasn’t a good fit — the 56th pick during the second round was perfectly appropriate for him, and the Chiefs could indeed use additional depth in the wide receiver position.

But, was it really necessary?

At that moment, the rookie pool still contained several cornerbacks, defensive linemen, and safeties who were suitable for the second-round pick. Was Veach really not going to take a look?

Shock, surprise, contentious discussions erupted.

Instantly, all attention swarmed toward Hardman.

Truth be told, even Hardman hadn’t expected to be selected by the Chiefs, finding himself dazed and confused, unsure of what was happening.

And even less so for everyone else.

After the conclusion of the draft, major media outlets and experts alike expressed their regret regarding the Chiefs’ choice, deeming it "unfathomable"—

As they saw it, Veach’s bold move in the 2017 draft was a mere fluke, while his choices both last year and this year amounted to a series of unnecessary risks.

Moreover, his decision to overhaul the defensive coaching staff came across as reckless, impulsive, and lacking thorough consideration.

Rumor has it that Veach "let his ego swell," intoxicated by the back-to-back Super Bowl wins after taking the position of general manager for the Chiefs, behaving cocky and self-important under the pretext of restructuring the defensive coaching staff but actually aiming to purge dissenters.

On and on the whisperings went.

Negative rumors spread like wildfire.

Even though all of this had nothing to do with Hardman—he was merely a rookie—it still affected him, as he was repeatedly used as a negative example.

"The more it is like this, the more you need to stay focused."

This was what his mom had told him. Hardman not only needed to prove himself but also could not disappoint Veach’s trust. Pressure should transform into motivation.

So, early in the morning, Hardman appeared at the training camp, even though it was just a voluntary camp and there was no need to treat it so seriously.

He was ready.

A touch of excitement, a bit of nervousness.

Just as Hardman prepared to step into the training base, another car turned into the parking lot, rendering Hardman astonished—

Someone else was as early as him?

Should he stop and greet them, or should he head into the training ground first?

This thought made Hardman laugh at himself: The training ground was still empty at this point; being the first to arrive or the second to enter had no real difference. They were both ahead of the coaching staff, and that was enough.

No matter who the other person was, he should strike up a greeting and build good locker room relations.

Hardman flashed a smile, waved at the approaching figure, and proactively greeted them.

Juan Thornhill hadn’t even parked his car when, from a distance, he spotted someone—a figure that made his heart pound.

Someone here even earlier than him.

Without thinking twice, Thornhill quickly parked the car, turned off the engine, opened the door, shut the door, and dashed toward the training base, executing the sequence in one fluid motion.

Hardman was taken aback as he saw a whirlwind sweep past him:

???

What just happened?