Chapter 1468: Chapter 1467: Dizzy and Disoriented
Shocking!
In the ESPN “Inside the League” broadcast room, everyone was stunned, even Blair Butt was watching dumbfounded as the six seconds ticked away——
What…what happened?
What did they just witness? Was it an illusion?
Imagine that, even the studio in the back was collectively confused, let alone the people at Hard Rock Stadium witnessing it live?
In the Fox Television broadcast room, everyone was equally bombarded, looking at each other with questions practically spilling out.
Everything came to a halt——
From the Kansas City Chiefs leading dramatically to the San Francisco 49ers’ desperate comeback reversing the situation, as the San Francisco 49ers were about to take the lead, the Kansas City Chiefs stepped up at the crucial moment with a pivotal interception, and now only six seconds remain in the first half.
Every second counts!
Although NFL is not like the NBA where one second of game time can stretch to ten minutes; every second is still precious, this is the moment when miracles are born.
But then…a complete stop. Then, there was no more after that.
“14:14”.
The score didn’t change, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers remained tied as they entered halftime, marking the end of the first half.
It shouldn’t have been like this, the battle on the yard line, the struggle of a second, Wanfu Mary’s kill shot, the intertwining and clashing of offense and defense, even if it ended in a tie, the blood and exhilaration of fighting to the end absolutely shouldn’t have stopped this way.
Too unexpected, too sudden, too intense, it’s as if a breath is stuck in the chest, everything is rigid and frozen in place.
However, this is a live broadcast, and there can’t be silence.
Everyone exchanges looks, absurdity replaces shock, spreading in the chest, and the brain finally starts working again.
“Oh, Jesus Christ.”
“God, this is really…”
“I absolutely didn’t expect to see this moment.”
“We’ve witnessed a performance, on another level.”
“Wow.”
Amidst the hustle, the babble, from dead silence to constant noise, various voices fill the audio instantly, each trying to find focus amid the spin.
Then, an explosion.
Buck takes a deep breath, “To be honest, I’m very confused about Shanahan not fully utilizing those six seconds.”
“I believe that at this moment, the team should take an aggressive offensive tactic, at least attempt a long pass to push the football closer to field goal range, or even attempt a Wanfu Mary and challenge the end zone.”
“I know Rogers would dare to attempt this, Mahomes would dare to attempt this as well.”
“For God’s sake, even Li Wei would dare to attempt this!”
“Even if there’s not enough time, an attempt to attack is more valuable than stupidly standing there doing nothing.”
“Sorry, forgive my words, but I’m filled with confusion, I can’t understand how this happened.”
Aikman nods, “Joe, I understand what you mean.”
“What I mean is, the San Francisco 49ers are on an upward momentum, they’re reversing the situation, getting into the zone on both offense and defense, and creating opportunities.”
“Including Kittel’s foul, Garoppolo and Kittel almost did it, making the Kansas City Chiefs break out in a cold sweat.”
“They were in a state where even with limited opportunities for attack, Shanahan’s playbook should have backup options, even through a bold strategy to win field goals or even touchdowns, giving the team an opportunity, not just common practice in the game, but also boosting morale further.”
“Like you, I don’t understand what happened.”
Buck nods repeatedly, “Right, right?”
“Joking about the repeated failed tricks in offense? Or due to a lack of trust in Garoppolo’s abilities?”
Briefly, a moment of silence——
The topic that continued from the pre-game, which temporarily stopped due to San Francisco 49ers’ excellent passing offense in the first half, reappeared now.
In the National Conference finals, Garoppolo only had eight attempts; faced with a crucial wave of offense, the team must trust the moment for passing offense, yet Shanahan chose to watch time slip away with a passive stance facing the predicament, as if still shaken from Garoppolo and Kittel’s previous connection, choosing a tactic this time has exhausted Shanahan’s entire trust and bravery.
So, what is Shanahan exactly thinking in his mind?
On this, Erin Andrews points out a key factor.
“Shanahan is the type who wants to have control over everything, needing things to be within his prediction and control range, once beyond that range it becomes unknown.”
“Shanahan hates the unknown.”
“You can see this from San Francisco 49ers’ tactical layout, every player, every move, has been rehearsed thousands of times.”
“Indeed, Shanahan originally had a chance to try breaking through the defense with those six seconds, but he still shrank back. Although Shanahan is a coach good at attacking, at his core, he is a defensive player, I’m not sure if you understand this saying, but he really is.”
Aikman directly laughs, “I’m not sure if I understand what you’re saying, an offensive coach with a defensive soul, how exactly does that play out?”
“But as you said, conservative. I agree.”
“Shanahan is a talented coach, the thickness and depth of his playbook don’t lose to any opponent, in the first half while in a disadvantageous state he can still hold his ground and battle with Reed in a knife-edge duel, this is proof; but at this moment, he was too cautious.”
“In six seconds, not trying anything? Even if it’s not passing, handing it to the Running Back Committee, see if it can push into the field goal area?”
“Especially this is the Super Bowl.”
Aikman seems like he hates deserving criticism, known for his calm demeanor in his career, inside his veins still flows the sharpness and fierceness of offense.
Chris Meyer also nods in agreement, “No need to mention others, if it were Reed, I believe he wouldn’t just watch time slip away.”
Buck interjects, “Reed does, Li Wei also doesn’t.”
Meyer directly laughs, “What I mean is, this kind of needless time-wasting gives off a feeling of lack of adventurous spirit, even if an opportunity for full-blown attack isn’t available, from a stable perspective, trying to push into field goal territory is necessary.”
“They shouldn’t just stand there wasting opportunity.”
Andrews, as a woman, is present in Super Bowl live broadcasts not as a vase, but because she has insightful views.
At this moment, Andrews, in the dizzying chaos, sees a detail.
“From a theoretical level, I can try to interpret Shanahan’s choice, the repeated clash on trick offense strategies, an adventurous passing attempt concludes with a foul, Shanahan can clearly feel the pressure from the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s heating up.”
“On the verge of the cliff, instead the Kansas City Chiefs enter a state.”
“So, Shanahan’s emergency braking can be understood as protecting the offensive group, avoiding Garoppolo’s confidence being hit, thus affecting the offensive rhythm in the second half.”
“Don’t forget, the San Francisco 49ers have the opening offensive right in the second half.”
“There is a possibility that Shanahan has already started laying out for the second half. I believe this aligns with his character.”