American Football: Domination

Heyward and Watt?

Wait—was Lance… ignoring Brady?

The New England Patriots were the defending champions!

The more people thought about it, the more interesting it became.

At the season opener, something similar had happened. Back then, there was an excuse—Lance was a rookie, completely new to football.

But now, a full season later, Lance was no longer an outsider.

Yet, here he was again—repeating the same thing.

This time, there was no excuse.

And the impact? Even stronger.

Even if Lance preferred to face the Steelers, he didn't mention Roethlisberger, Bell, or Brown. Instead, he singled out Heyward… and Watt.

And not J.J. Watt.

T.J. Watt.

A rookie, just like Lance.

Was this… a slap in the face?

A crisp, clean slap, landing on the faces of the league's biggest stars.

A completely unexpected answer.

A brick wall response—no hesitation, no doubt.

The press conference froze for a moment, as reporters' minds raced.

Then—shock gave way to excitement.

The headlines wrote themselves.

The room was about to explode.

This—this was what they had been waiting for!

And then—

Lance turned around.

And left.

Just like that.

Leaving the entire room stunned.

—

Even Hill was speechless.

Even Kelce's jaw dropped.

For once, the always-smiling tight end was at a loss for words.

Then—

He gave two thumbs up.

One wasn't enough.

—

The Media Frenzy

In the age of social media, information spreads at light speed.

Before anyone could blink, Foxborough's Gillette Stadium was surrounded.

"Tom, Lance doesn't think you're a threat."

Lance: That reporter's reading comprehension is off the charts. I'd give them 10,000 points. No, 10,001. One extra point for style.

One single sentence.

A slap directly to Brady's face.

Even Brady, a veteran of countless battles, struggled to keep his smile in place.

You could see it—no matter how hard he tried to stay calm, the vein in his temple was twitching.

That smile looked a little forced.

But Brady was Brady.

He had been through too much to lose his composure now.

So—

"See you on the field."

Ha.

Ridiculous.

Absolutely ridiculous.

He was done.

Season opener? That game? It was just one loss. The team hadn't gotten into rhythm yet.

These young guys were getting too cocky.

He knew he was the target.

Every young player wanted to beat him to make a name for themselves.

But how many years had passed?

How many had failed?

He was still at the top.

Even Peyton Manning had retired—but Brady was still here.

So if these kids thought they could take him down—

Let them try.

He would show them.

He would teach them what playoff football really meant.

Rumor had it—

At the next Patriots practice, Brady was on fire.

More focused, more ruthless than ever.

The offensive line? Tortured.

—

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh—

Roethlisberger. Bell. Brown.

Three guys.

Three short tempers.

Even reporters had to gear up before approaching them—helmets on, armor strapped tight.

Sure enough, their faces were pitch black.

Like they were competing in a "Who Can Look Angrier" contest.

Roethlisberger?

He was still pissed about losing to the Chiefs in the regular season.

And now—this?

A reporter gave him a little nudge—reminding him of that game.

The anger boiled over.

"Ha. When I won my first ring, that kid was still sucking on a pacifier."

"Anyone can run their mouth. But not everyone has a brain. Next time, think before you speak—unless you wanna be a joke."

"Doesn't matter if he knows his place or not. Next week, we'll teach him a lesson."

"To be honest, I don't even see him as an opponent. Our real challenge is in Foxborough."

Ouch.

Roethlisberger didn't hold back.

Not only did he mock Lance, he also trashed the Chiefs.

Even the reporters winced at his words.

—

But could they really argue?

Roethlisberger's resume spoke for itself.

In 2004, he was drafted 11th overall by the Steelers.

He wasn't seen as a top QB prospect.

Manning and Rivers? Ranked above him.

His rookie year, he started as a backup.

Then—injuries happened.

First, the starting QB went down in preseason.

Then, in Week 2, the backup QB got injured in the third quarter.

Suddenly—Roethlisberger was thrown into the game.

And never looked back.

That season?

He led the Steelers to the playoffs.

They made it to the AFC Championship—only to lose to the Patriots.

But in his second year?

Roethlisberger came back stronger.

This time—

He led the Steelers all the way to a Super Bowl victory.

At 23 years old, he became the youngest QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl ring.

Back then, Peyton Manning was still chasing his first title.

Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers? Still nobodies.

Yes, his Super Bowl performance had been terrible—a 22.6 passer rating (one of the worst ever).

But—

He had converted eight third downs that game.

And that had sealed the win.

Back then—everyone thought he was the league's next superstar.

—

So, yeah.

Roethlisberger had a hundred reasons to ignore Lance.

But he was still pissed.

Still ready for payback.

Regular-season wins meant nothing.

Playoff wins were what mattered.

The Steelers?

They weren't even thinking about the Chiefs.

They were already looking ahead—to the Patriots.

—

Just like that—

The sparks had ignited.

This was exactly what the reporters wanted.

New England. Pittsburgh.

Both teams took the bait.

To them—

The whole "Lance Craze" was nothing but a challenge.

A provocation.

And worse?

The Jaguars and Bills had been completely ignored.

Not even part of the conversation.

That pissed them off, too.

Now?

Everyone was mad.

And the league?

Completely on fire.

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Powerstones?

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