American winner takes all

Chapter 422 The mob
Los Angeles, the Angels' training base.

"In the next round, we will face the New England Patriots. New England has been ranked in the upper middle of the league in recent years and even made it to the 96 Super Bowl, but was defeated by the Packers. In other words, Holmgren knows how to beat them," said Andy.

"To be precise, it was the Patriots of that year. Bill Belichick gave up his contract with the Jets at the beginning of this year and chose to return. As for the current Patriots, maybe we don't need to worry about them. They may not even make the playoffs this year, but the Patriots in the next few years will be different, because they now have Bill Belichick! The Patriots paid a lot of price to let him coach, a first-round pick in this season's draft and fourth to seventh-round picks in next year's draft!"

"Robert Kraft had such confidence in him that he gave him almost complete control over the team's football operations and allowed him to serve as general manager as well," Holmgren added.

"This is a wise choice, provided that Bill has good operational capabilities." Ethan said subconsciously.

In the eyes of the world, the future Patriots dynasty is of course the credit of GOAT. In fact, Bill Belichick, nicknamed "Chicken Coach", may be the most critical factor in the establishment of the dynasty.

In Belichick's 24 seasons, the Patriots won 17 AFC East titles, advanced to the AFC Championship Game 13 times, and played in nine Super Bowls, winning six of them. In total, Belichick was directly involved in eight Super Bowl championships, plus four runner-up finishes.

In the first fifteen years of the 21st century, no one could match it.

"I have a new idea, Andy, why don't you serve as the general manager of the team?" Ethan said suddenly.

Since other owners in the league have objections to active players serving as team management, Ethan simply delegated power completely and let Andy be the general manager of the team, while he himself will concentrate on the court and the cheerleading team.

"I don't have the ability, let Holmgren do it." Andy thought about it and looked at his mentor beside him.

"No, no, Andy, you've done a great job, you can do it." Holmgren smiled.

The two guys who used to argue with each other frequently became more humble towards each other.

"Why don't we participate in the management of football affairs together? Nominally, Holmgren will be the general manager, and Andy will be Holmgren's deputy." Ethan felt that this arrangement was most appropriate. Let Andy assist Holmgren in continuing his training for two years. After Holmgren retires, Andy will officially take over his position.

As for the Patriots' current core players, Andy and Holmgren mentioned several names, such as quarterback Drew Bledsoe, all-around defensive end Willie McGinest, cornerback Tajuan Edward "Ty" Law, running back Kevin Lee, and linebacker Teddy LaCamp Bruschi.

All in all, the name that Ethan was most familiar with was not mentioned.

Tom Brady is now a complete nobody in the Patriots, just a third-line quarterback.

Although judging from the previous rounds of games, this year's Patriots are not as good as the Ravens that the Angels just defeated, Ethan showed unprecedented concentration and did not miss any tactical details of the Patriots, which made the two coaches a little confused.

"I see the Patriots as the most formidable opponent in the next decade," Ethan Hua said without hesitation.

The players mentioned by Andy and Holmgren just now will be fully activated by Tom Brady next year.

"But besides the Patriots, there are two other opponents that cannot be underestimated, namely Hunter and the Rooney-Mara family," Ethan continued.

These two families were big bosses in the American League and the National League before the merger. They have been at odds since the merger and are surrounded by a bunch of old remnant forces. Now with the rapid rise of the Angels, the two men have begun to move in unison and join forces to deal with Ethan. The charter amendment that is about to be voted on was ostensibly proposed by the owners of the Raiders, Broncos and Chargers, but in fact it was the two families who were fanning the flames behind the scenes.

"These two companies are deeply rooted in the NFL, and their interests are intertwined. Unless there is a direct conflict of interest, no team will stand up and speak for you," Andy analyzed.

Holmgren also sighed: "If we continue to be targeted by these two companies, the consequences will be disastrous."

Seeing the two men's worried expressions, Ethan smiled and said, "Once the Angels win the Super Bowl this year and have the confidence to speak, and then unite with a few other teams that have grievances against the two families, the third force in the league will officially rise."

Not all team owners are subservient to the two families, for example, the Cowboys, old Jones has been bullied by the two families in the past decade. Another example is Huizenga of the Dolphins, as an old friend of Michael Ovitz, he has always stood on the side of the Angels. There are also moderates like the Packers and centrists like "Mrs. Ram" of the Rams.

As long as the third force rises, a three-way balance might be formed within the system. By then, Ethan will be able to compete with the two major factions...

But the premise of all this is that the Angels must win the championship. As a new team, if they can't even show off their results, they won't even have a chance to speak.

For example, no one in the league cares about the reborn version of the Cleveland Browns. On the other hand, Jones Sr. dared to go to court with the league only ten years after acquiring the Cowboys. It was the confidence given to him by three Super Bowl championships.

After training, Ethan received a call from Catherine's cousin, who found out who the main force of Playboy was this time, but the result surprised Ethan...

"I didn't expect that the two of them would join forces. What a mob." Ethan couldn't help but laugh.

·
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Mass., this weekend.

"Everyone, cheer up! The Angels are a tough opponent!" Bill Belichick, nicknamed "Coach Chicken", cheered for his teammates in the player tunnel.

If the Patriots can defeat this season's Super Bowl favorite, it will undoubtedly greatly boost their morale.

Although...the possibility of beating the Angels seems slim to Bill.

Ethan O'Connor is horrible!

"Coach, if possible, can you give me a few minutes of playing time?"

Just as Bill was about to leave, he suddenly heard a strange voice beside him.

Bill noticed the number on him and remembered that he was a young man named Tom, who was picked up like a piece of trash in the sixth round of the draft. If this guy was not in the University of Michigan, Bill would not even bother to look at him.

"What do you want?" Bill asked.

"Well, I have a very good relationship with Ethan O'Connor in private, and now I can finally meet him face to face, but I'm only a third-string quarterback. Although I have been preparing for this for a long time, such as starting extra training half a month ago, so I think..." Tom smiled embarrassedly.

"So, you want me to give you a few minutes to appear on stage? So that you can have a fair fight with your old friend." Bill said.

"Coach, I hope you understand that as a third-string quarterback... I may not have many opportunities to start. In other words, I may only have this one chance to really face Ethan in my life."

"So you've been preparing for this for a long time?" Bill nodded, as if he could understand this "once in a lifetime" mentality.

"Of course, I will burn my life!" Tom Brady clenched his fists.

Bill seemed to be moved, and his expression was almost about to cry: "I haven't seen such a pure... idiot like you in many years!" Bill's expression changed immediately, and he became furious: "Go and clear the water in your head for me now. If you dare to ask me such an idiot request again, I will let you go right away, boy!"

The sound was so loud that the teammates around him could hear it.

Tom Brady quickly raised his hands in surrender: "OK, OK, I take it back. Please don't deduct my bonus this month. I just bought a new car and I have to pay off my car loan."

Bill snorted coldly and left.

Although the Bills had made full preparations before the game and tailored several sets of targeted defensive tactics for Ethan O'Connor, Ethan successfully resolved Coach Chicken's tactics one by one through continuous deductions on the court, and then relied on seemingly simple passes that actually reached a certain level of great skill without a striker to directly crush the Patriots' defense.

Bill's expression became more and more solemn as the game went on. He had never felt the despair brought by Ethan on TV before, and he even felt that he would not be able to defeat Ethan even in the next few years.

"This kid will be the number one in history." Bill whispered.

Then he heard a familiar voice coming from beside him:

"I've said it before, this tactic won't work on Ethan."

Bill turned around and found that it was the backup quarterback again.

"Do you have any other idea?" Bill asked.

Tom Brady shook his head: "Not at this moment."

Bill snorted coldly and stopped looking at him.

In the end, the Angels swept the Patriots on the road with a big score. After this game, the Patriots have lost four games in a row and are ranked last in the AFC East. The Angels won five games in a row and led the league with the Rams and Vikings.

"We will face the Vikings in the next game, which will be a tough opponent!" Andy said to Ethan immediately after the game.

As one of the only three teams that are currently undefeated, the Vikings are definitely much stronger than this year's Patriots. Obviously, the question of how to defeat the Vikings will give Andy and Holmgren a headache for a long time, but this has nothing to do with Ethan.

After the game, Ethan parted ways with his teammates and did not return to Los Angeles immediately. Instead, he came to New York. In a mansion in New York, the butlers seemed at a loss.

"Mr. O'Connor, I told you, he's not here."

"No, I know he is here. He will come out eventually." Ethan said nonchalantly.

"What on earth do you want to talk to me about? I have nothing to talk to you about!" The owner of the house was finally forced to come out and meet Ethan.

At this moment, his silver hair no longer looked neat and tidy, and there was an unconcealable fatigue on his face.

It can be seen that Gore's scandal also caused him a lot of trouble. Like Ethan, he also became a victim. But unlike Ethan, he faced much more serious consequences than Ethan. Both the Florida local bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began independent investigations against him. If the charges are proven, he will have to go to prison.

And all this is thanks to Ethan.

"Relax, if not me, there are others, and you are related to Gore, you can't get away with it." Ethan shrugged.

"As for the reason why I came to see you, I want to talk to you about Playboy." Ethan stated the purpose of his visit.

"What playboy? Does it have anything to do with me?" Epstein frowned slightly.

"Of course it's related. You and Hugh Hefner are now in cahoots. You used your connections on Wall Street to start shorting Playboy at Hugh Hefner's instruction. Hefner used this to clear out his daughter and regain power, and you could also make a fortune from it. Am I right?" Ethan told him everything that Hugh Hefner and Epstein were planning. It was really unexpected that these two people could be connected together.

Epstein would of course not admit to this.

"You can deny it. I don't know if the SEC will be interested in this matter. You can explain it to them when the time comes." Ethan said with a smile.

"What on earth do you want to do?" Epstein gritted his teeth. He found that he had not had a single day of good luck since he met Ethan O'Connor.

"I want to privatize Playboy." Ethan stated his purpose.

Since Kimberly and Christina want me to take action, I might as well do it in one go. Playboy is now facing continuous short selling, its valuation is at a historical low, and there is still room for short selling. It is simply a godsend opportunity for acquisition.

"Instead of cooperating with Hugh Hefner, why don't we join forces temporarily? I know you have suffered heavy losses and were fired by Wexner, and you need a new boss." Ethan pointed out Epstein's current predicament.

"You'd better take care of yourself first." Epstein sneered and shook his head.

"Whether you follow an old man who is about to die or a younger boss, you will make the right choice."

"At least an old man who is about to die is easier to fool." Epstein shook his head.

“But I don’t want to get liquidated,” he added.

"Next week you will secretly increase your holdings of shares and then officially announce the acquisition plan. During this period, I will continue to short sell. Hugh Hefner has pledged a lot of shares, which is enough to take down Playboy with internal and external forces. However, you will have to bear the cost of short selling." Epstein said.

And that's exactly what Ethan planned.

"It's a pleasure working with you." Ethan extended his hand.

"But then again, I don't want to see you celebrating with me in jail," Ethan said suddenly.

"I have a good relationship with the Attorney General of Florida, and those criminal charges are just for show." Epstein said lightly, and the connections he had accumulated over the years began to play a role at this time. Ethan quietly wrote down the other party's name...

(End of this chapter)