"Wow, wow, wow! Lance is a beast!"
"Rookie mode obliterates Gillette Stadium! Defending champs stumble at the starting line! Brutal, ruthless… and absolutely thrilling. I love it!"
"He's here, he's there, he's everywhere! He's the Edge Walker—Lance! Lance! Lance!"
Social media erupted instantly.
Statistics showed that the 2017 season opener, a clash between two powerhouse teams, the 'Rookie vs. GOAT' narrative, and the debut of the NFL's first-ever Chinese-American running back, drew a staggering 30 million viewers in the U.S. alone.
In China, where the NFL was still in the early stages of cracking open the market, Tencent's broadcast of the game peaked at 50 million concurrent viewers, blowing up social media on both sides of the Pacific.
The buzz was electric. Fans flooded comment sections and chat rooms with a dizzying 4,000 comments per second, propelling Lance to the top of trending lists everywhere.
It was everything Roger Goodell had envisioned.
Some cynics suggested that Brady had been used by Goodell as a stepping stone for the league's growth. But the true highlight lay in Lance's ability to seize the moment. Even if Brady were willing to play second fiddle, it wouldn't have mattered if Lance hadn't delivered a career-defining performance.
As the game unfolded, the internet was already ablaze.
Lance had gone from a rookie to a household name in just one night.
But the media frenzy was just getting started.
The visitors' press room at Gillette Stadium was bursting at the seams. The tiny space felt like an overproofed loaf of bread, swelling and ready to explode.
Journalists had been waiting for this moment for what felt like an eternity.
Last year, during his time at Alabama, Nick Saban's strict media blackout had kept Lance out of reach.
This offseason, Andy Reid had done the same, shielding Lance from the press during training camp. No matter how often reporters swarmed him, Lance remained elusive, avoiding formal interviews entirely.
He was a rookie, yet no journalist had managed to get close. The entire situation bordered on the absurd.
Who does this guy think he is?
And yet, it worked. The media had no choice but to take the bait, circling him relentlessly. Was this some kind of reverse psychology masterclass?
Finally, the season began.
Under NFL regulations, players were required to attend postgame press conferences. Furthermore, to prevent players from simply showing their faces and leaving, the league mandated that athletes remain in the press room for at least 20 minutes unless journalists explicitly stated they had no further questions.
There was no escaping it.
The league's most famous rebel, Marshawn Lynch, was a pioneer in this area. The Seattle Seahawks running back was notorious for his disdain for media interactions.
In 2013, Lynch's repeated refusals to attend postgame press conferences led to a $50,000 fine, forcing him to comply.In 2014, after a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Lynch skipped the press conference again and was fined $100,000.
From then on, Lynch became a legend of passive-aggressive compliance.
In Week 13 of the 2014 season, Lynch responded to every postgame question with a single word: "Yeah."In Week 16, he switched to "Thanks for asking."Before Super Bowl XLIX, he infamously repeated the phrase "I'm just here so I won't get fined" during the league's media day.
This history led to the NFL tightening its regulations.
Now, it was Lance's turn to face the spotlight.
The press was a mix of excitement and curiosity. Would Lance follow in Lynch's footsteps?
Of course, not every player on the roster was required to speak. Each team selected one coach and three players for postgame interviews, while journalists could submit additional names.
Naturally, Lance's name topped the list before the final whistle even blew. The Chiefs, anticipating the demand, sent Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and Lance to the podium.
The moment Lance appeared, the room exploded.
A blinding barrage of camera flashes and the rapid-fire clicks of shutters filled the air. It was as if a silver waterfall of light cascaded over the press room, so intense that even the skin felt the sting of the heat.
The sheer spectacle screamed: superstar.
Would Lance be nervous? Awkward? Overwhelmed?
Rookies stumbling in front of the press was nothing new.
But to everyone's surprise, Lance exuded calm confidence. Not only was he composed, but he also radiated a sense of ease, as if he were catching up with old friends rather than facing a room of hungry journalists.
Wait, this isn't normal…
Before the reporters could regain their footing, the first question was already out.
"Lance, do you know who Brady is now?"
No pleasantries, no buildup—just a direct hit, a verbal haymaker aimed squarely at the rookie.
Clearly, the media had been holding back their frustration for far too long.
Lance blinked, his expression the picture of innocence.
The press room fell into stunned silence. Even the boldest reporters hadn't expected Lance to throw shade at Brady, especially in Gillette Stadium. The sheer audacity left them speechless.
As if oblivious to the bomb he'd just dropped, Lance doubled down.
"Sorry, I don't remember the names of losers."
The collective intake of breath could have sucked the oxygen out of the room. Journalists glanced at each other, their faces a mix of disbelief and shock.
Even the most chaos-loving reporters felt out of their depth.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop—until Lance's lips curled into a sly smile, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds.
"Oh, I thought that's the kind of story the media wanted to create. A rookie, cocky and brash, challenging a veteran. Aren't I playing the part you wrote for me?"
The undertone was clear: he'd seen through their provocations and played along, giving them exactly what they wanted. But now, the tables were turned. The reporters, the supposed masters of the narrative, were the ones caught off guard.
The press room was stunned into silence once more.
Lance's gaze swept across the room, his smile growing. He wasn't attacking Brady; he was attacking the media.
The journalists sat frozen, completely floored.
They'd seen bold rookies before, but none this brazen.
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