Chapter 955: 954 New Challenge

A sincere question: why have running backs gradually become expendable in real life?

The root cause lies in the league drastically changing game rules for the sake of ratings, providing quarterbacks with as much protection as possible. This inevitably leads coaching staff to spend more time on passing strategies, squeezing the space available for running backs to shine.

As rushing tactics become increasingly simplistic, the chances of running backs using sheer physicality to break through grow higher, making ground attacks cruder and more straightforward.

Meanwhile, defensive groups are shackled when facing quarterbacks–slight mishaps invite yellow flags and yard losses. When confronting wide receivers and tight ends, the strict rules against rough defense leave defenders hesitant, while running backs remain the exception.

Under league rules, running backs are discarded like unwanted stepchildren, where defensive players’ tackles and hits can fully unleash their power.

Sometimes, defenders even channel their pent-up frustration completely onto running backs, leading to increasingly rampant incidents of rough defense.

Moreover, running back inherently emphasizes physical confrontation and breakthroughs–compared to other positions, the intense collisions and contact frequency are significantly higher. The role itself bears a distinct blue-collar hue, inevitably pushing running backs deeper into a quagmire.

All these factors combined put running backs at a higher risk of injury.

From a data perspective, running backs indeed face the highest injury risks among football positions.

Naturally, teams just say, “Hey, look, running backs are just expendables.”

However!

Sanders demonstrated through action that the commodification of running backs is not their fault but rather a consequence of the league’s commercial evolution targeting them as sacrificial lambs.

At the same time, Sanders’ career proved that running backs surviving in the cracks can still retaliate through perseverance and effort–

They can showcase their abilities in versatile ways like Tomlinson or utilize tactical acumen to highlight their strengths like Bell.

As the league progresses, running backs are also expected to evolve. If they stagnate in place, lamenting their fate and simplistically shifting all blame onto others, they will grow increasingly passive in the tides of time, eventually trapped in the “expendable” narrative.

Although Sanders excelled in the comparatively less commercialized 1990s, no one knows if he could withstand the sweeping changes of the post-millennium era. Yet, his training template remains a mirror, reflecting Li Wei’s path forward.

The insight offered by the training model is unprecedentedly abundant, so much so that even after completing the system training, Li Wei still sought out game footage in real life, analyzing Sanders’ performance from the game’s overarching strategies and offense-defense tactical confrontations.

Sanders was no god–

He was still an ordinary man. So, what Sanders could achieve signifies that Li Wei or anyone else can achieve it too.

This is a tedious process, but also an enchanting one.

It was within this process that Li Wei gradually realized: his understanding of his physicality was still inadequate.

Indeed, Coach Burns recognized Li Wei’s unique physical talents early on, as vindicated by Li Wei’s performance over the past three seasons.

But now, Li Wei understands that his body still holds untapped potential waiting to be discovered.

In his two NFL seasons, Li Wei constantly wrestled with a training conundrum: how to enhance his physical resilience while maintaining his agility and quickness?

On one hand, aspiring to activate Beast Mode like Lynch, and on the other, hoping to preserve Peterson’s unparalleled ability for multiple directional changes.

It felt a bit greedy.

But Sanders provided an answer.

The man, like a dwarf intruding upon a Giant Clan, achieved a delicate balance between power and speed, confrontation and agility, becoming a versatile warrior with multiple dimensions.

Sanders repeatedly showcased “David vs. Goliath”-style contests–it wasn’t simple at all.

All along, physical aptitude and natural talent were Li Wei’s greatest weapons. Now, Li Wei realizes he can continue exploring his physical potential, improving on a fundamental level. Setting aside techniques, tactics, and awareness, even the most basic aspect–his body–still offers room for growth–

This realization is both a wake-up call and good news.

Objectively speaking, this could be considered another reminder or update from the system, encouraging Li Wei to challenge his limits, transcend himself, and strive to become a better player.

When it comes to challenges, Li Wei has an unending passion, ready and eager to dive in.

This offseason, Li Wei has a lot of work to tackle.

With nearly three months until the team’s spring voluntary training camp begins, it sounds like plenty of time–longer than summer vacation even. But when taking into account physical training, watching footage, template exercises, and reviewing and summarizing, the training checklist becomes overwhelmingly packed.

Looking at it this way, the time feels far from sufficient.

So, rather than relaxing or idling away, once Li Wei arrived in Miami, his offseason training camp began intensively without delay.

Word quickly spread among NFL players and agents.

“What?”

Lamar Jackson suddenly sat up straight from his beach chair, taking off his sunglasses and staring at his teammate Mark Andrews, his wide eyes brimming with disbelief. The ice in his cocktail slowly melted, dripping down the glass’s exterior.

Andrews and Jackson both entered the league during the 2018 draft. The tight end was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round at pick 86. After a year of playing together, the two rookies naturally became familiar with each other.

Andrews bobbed his head to the booming music around the pool, “I said, Watt and Donald have both headed to Li Wei’s training camp.”

Jackson still doubted his ears, “Wasn’t that rookie living it up in Los Angeles not long ago?”

First it was Saturday Night Live, then Avengers 4, with Li Wei’s frequent appearances in Hollywood’s glitz and glam. They were just joking about how that guy must have gotten mesmerized by the fame and fortune, predicting that he’d show up next season with a beer belly.

So how did he start training already?

And more surprising–this year, Li Wei organized his own mini training camp, and NFL players streaming in on their own initiative to join him?

Jackson: I don’t get it.

Andrews chuckled, plopping down onto another beach chair by the pool, searching for his cocktail. “Who knows.”

“Maybe he realized that after wasting too much time in Hollywood, it’s time to finally catch up. Who knows if he was lost in the land of temptation for a bit. Haha.”