https://streamable.com/hk158

“Each time that you win it takes away a little bit of that hunger. A battle in your mind to go to that same place you've been 5 times before. People say the first one is the hardest. No, the last one is the hardest because you're battling with yourself” - Michael Jordan

Few understand the heat of a target on your back, but season after season, Coach illmatic has felt the target get bigger and bigger as he has consistently made deep playoff runs, and more often that not, has taken home the EFL Flacco Trophy. On Monday night, illmatic’s Bengals used a dominating defensive performance to defeat Mo’s Saints 36-10 and bring home the coach’s 4th Super Bowl Trophy in 6 EFL seasons. The win has led some to wonder aloud if this is a dynasty.

Many suspected, and perhaps silently rooted for, the demise of illmatic in Madden 19. A complicated and abrupt departure from MEFL and the birth of his daughter led skeptics to question if illmatic would have the time and motivation to remain a reliable contender. Those questions were answered in the form of 4 AFC Title game appearances and 2 Madden 19 EFL Super Bowls.

Madden 20 came around and the question of hunger arose. Could he stay hungry? What was left to prove? Where would he find the motivation? Illmatic found it in the little moments... Rhys claiming Plex was widely regarded as the best player in the league... Klassick saying that Plex was the obvious favorite in the Preseason Pod... guys clipping Twitch for their highlight reels during lag games... Pick Em posts with the usual suspects sipping Haterade.... a lot of little moments that began fueling the fire

After going 0-3 in games Vs Madden 19 Title contenders (49ers, Bills, Jags), ill had to do some soul searching. He found it in QB Andy Dalton. They weren’t so different... Handsome redheads with very large penises, much maligned by their haters, slandered by their foes. Each with a chip on their shoulder - Dalton to prove that he could win in big games, and ill to prove that he still had it. The bond was real and the Bengals closed the 2019 regular season by churning out 8 straight victories and earning the 2 seed in a brutal AFC.

The bye week figured to be crucial. Evenings turned to nights and nights turned to mornings, as coach illmatic barricaded himself at team headquarters, intently studying tape on possible playoff opponents, hoping to find the smallest tells and weaknesses in their games. But illmatic was in luck, as he needed zero of that information in the first round after Craig’s Chargers squad upset Rod’s Colts team in the Wildcard Round.

The matchup featured the two most pathetic internet connections in the league: a backwoods DSL service and a greasy English hostel connection. This was the international lag game that ill feared most. But the Madden Gods were gentle, and the connection remained stable enough to allow for the Bengals defense to go to work, containing Melvin Gordon to under 100 yards and forcing 3 Rivers interceptions en route to a 37-14 victory, cemented with 20 unanswered 2nd half points.

Next stop was Jacksonville for another MEFL foe, this time nemesis Plex. The two coaches had a history of Conference Title Game matchups dating back several Madden cycles into MEFL, and had faced off in the final 3 AFC Championship games in Madden 19. Jacksonville jumped out to an early 14 point lead, but Dalton steadied the ship and found John Ross and traitor Tyler Eifert for touchdowns in the 2nd quarter. The Bengals defense forced the Jags out of field goal range before half, and the momentum seemed to swing as the teams hit the locker rooms tied at halftime. The Cinci defense proved opportunistic in the 2nd half, forcing controversial rookie QB Tyree Jackson into a crucial pick six, his 4th interception of the game, and surrendering just 7 second half points. Andy Dalton played mistake free football and the Bengals left Jacksonville as AFC champions in a 28-21 victory.

Laughing off Plex’s snarky Cover 2 Man press comment, coach ill rode the momentum into the Super Bowl to face Mo’s Saints in a battle between the two best musicians in EFL. Proof: https://youtu.be/u_SDiVBE2KI https://youtu.be/9bSvcbZV0Go

Dalton threw a horrendous pick 6 to start the scoring, but the Bengals defense once again rose to the occasion, allowing only 3 points the rest of the game thanks in part to holding Kamara to 51 yards and a fumble. CB William Jackson had 2 of the 4 Cinci interceptions including one for a TD and Carl Lawson was especially devastating with 5 sacks - a Super Bowl record which earned him MVP honors. The final was 36-10.

As the confetti rained, coach illmatic reflected on the journey. The lag. The early losses. The win streak. The practices to beat man press zero blitzes. The film study. The haters. The AFC gauntlet. The pressure. The glory... Standing atop the mountain again, emotions stirred with the understanding that each ascent could be the last. Eventually the high began to dissipate and those familiar questions began creeping into his head again about motivation... He remembered the silence of the Discord chat following the Super Bowl. A couple “congrats man” and one or two DMs was the only evidence a Super Bowl had even been played... The first piece of kindling to stoke the Season 2 fire.

They say the only thing harder than winning an EFL Super Bowl is wining 5 of them, and the journey for the 5th begins with Season 2 on the horizon.

QB Drew Lock had a whirlwind offseason. The Super Bowl winning rookie QB was in high demand: Late Night Show appearances... relentless paparazzi... yacht trips with Instahoes.. A lesser man may have found themselves distracted, but through tutelage of his coach, Lock found inspiration. “Coach illmatic inspires me. He’s a guy who’s been to the top of the mountain in this game several times. But he stays hungry, and that hunger is contagious. He’s amazing.” Lock worked hard on his deep ball during the summer after seeing a trend across EFL of creeping user safeties. “If they are gonna bring 8 or 9 in the box to stop Melvin, Ima make that ass pay!” A relentless work effort has paid off with his deep accuracy as Chargers look to expand the field even more. When asked for comment on if he’s done working, Lock had this to say “it’s like Miley said... it’s all about the climb, bro”

QB Lock
+3DAC
-1MAC
-2SAC

OLB edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu has seen his game progress every season in EFL. Through another intense training program, he hopes to take the final step to becoming a pro bowler in 2021. Nwosu shined in the final minutes of the 2020 Super Bowl, with 3 sacks in the final 3 minutes, sealing a Chargers victory. It was a glimpse of what Chargers coaches have seen under the surface for so long.

OLB Nwosu
+3FMV
-3PMV

Accept

Accept

Patriots get: OG Ben Ulrich. 69OVR. 23 Quick dev. 3yr/1.2 mil

Chargers get
6th rd
7th rd

Chargers get: QB Darnold, 77OVR, 24yrs, Quick. 1 yr/6 mil

Giants get: 4th rd

Texans receive

-1st Rd
-2nd Rd
-DT Kawaan Short. 88OVR, 32, Star, 10Mil/1 year

Chargers receive

-DE/DT JJ Watt 97OVR, 32. SS.  1 year/29.5 contract.

Chargers will pay remainer of Watt’s bonus plus his 29.5 M salary for 2021.

Accept

offense: Center Bradley David was an unheralded superstar last year. The first rounder helped Melvin Gordon win his first MVP award and dominted interior lineman all season - enough to force the Chargers into a more run- heavy offensive style. David’s progression continued this offseason as he aims for his own Pro Bowl bid. David hit the weights extra hard and learned jiu jitsu as well.

C Bradley David +3 RBK

Defense: OLB Uchenna Nwosu took a big step forward last season, registering 9 sacks, up from just 2 sacks in his rookie season. A 2nd round pick in 2018, the Chargers have slowly groomed him to take Melvin Ingram’s right end spot. Ingram’s career high in sacks convinced Chargers management to pick up his 15.3 million dollar cap hit for this season, leaving LA with the awful, awful dilemma of having too many pass rushers. GM Dirty Curt has wept about this hardship many times but has vowed to find ways to keep Nwosu on the field even more than last year. Whether it’s at LB or DE, Nwosu has been training hard to take another leap forward and prove he’s ready to take on a bigger role.

OLB Nwosu +3 FMV

Let’s go

Colts receive

WR Keenan Allen, 94OVR, 28, last year of deal. 1yr/13MIL

Chargers receive

Pick 54
Pick 111
LT Harris Robison, 71OVR, 25yrs, 3 years left @ 600K per year

Chargers shed cap, acquire picks and starting LT

Chargers get

FS Earl Thomas 91OVR, big contract

Bears get

3rd round next year

Accept

Chargers get

QB Case Keenum 80OVR, 31, 1 year/15+ mil
5th round pick

Broncos get

3rd round pick

Cards get

QB Josh Dobbs, 70OVR, 24 yrs old, 2 yrs left of cheap rookie deal

Chargers get

QB Geno Smith, 69OVR, 28 years old, 1 yr/3+ mil

Reasoning: Geno is a stud