#int. / featuring lewis. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sappy-seresin · 4 years

Text

before you go (j.m)

A/N: This is based on the song “Before You Go” by Lewis Capaldi. Requested: Yes Pairing: JJ x reader Summary: JJ’s being distant from you and want to know why Warnings: A small amount of swearing, brief mentions of abuse, overall just angst

Thank you for the request! My requests are open, so feel free to send some in. Enjoy. ----------------------------------------- I fell by the wayside, like everyone else

I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself

To say that my relationship with JJ is perfect would be a definite overstatement. We’ve been together for nearly two years, and have been best friends for even longer.

Our relationship is messy, full of ups and downs, but it’s also passionate and exciting. Saying that the boy is my person feels like an understatement. I would do anything for him and I’m confident that he’d say the same for me.

Lately, things have been different. He’s been distant from me and the rest of the Pogues. I’m not sure what changed but he’s been around less and less, seemingly making every excuse under the sun as to why he couldn’t hang out with any of us.

“Have you guys heard from JJ,” Kiara asks, accepting Pope’s hand as she climbs on the boat. Her eyes glance at the boys, who only shrug in response, before landing on me.

“He’s not coming,” I state, trying to seem unphased by JJ’s recent vacancy from our lives. I’m met with sympathetic looks before John B rolls his eyes, putting the boat in drive.

“What’s the excuse this time,” he questions, clearly fed up. I take a seat in the chair next to the wheel with a sigh.

“There actually wasn’t an excuse today. He just said he wasn’t feeling it.”

“What’s been up with him lately,” Pope huffs, “JJ never shoots down the opportunity to spend a day on the water.”

“Your guess is as good as mine, Pope,” I sigh, dropping the subject to enjoy the day with friends. ----------------------------------

“Why are you pushing me away,” I question, inwardly flinching at the volume of my voice. “God, JJ I feel like I haven’t seen you in week. All I’ve heard from you lately is excuses as to why you’re not around, and I want to know why.”

My voice lowered with every word, the frustration I’ve been feeling finally coming into the open while he listens with his hands shoved in his pockets.

I look at him expectantly but am only met with pursed lips; his gaze fixed on something on the floor. A sudden thought hit me, my blood turning cold as a shiver crawled down my spine.

“Are you cheating on me,” I inquire. My voice comes out in such a gentle whisper that I’m not even sure he hears me until his head snaps up, his wide eyes meeting mine.

“You’re being completely irrational. Are you even hearing yourself right now,” he laughs incredulously, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“Well how the hell am I supposed to know that JJ? You won’t even talk to me,” I shout, tired of the lack of answers.

“Have you ever thought for one second that maybe that’s your fault? God, you’re so clingy; it’s suffocating,” he snaps. He falters for a second, knowing he took it too far, but allows an angry glare to take over his features again.

“I’m sorry for caring enough to be worried about you. I’ll work on that,” I spit sarcastically, hating the way my voice wavers while I try to stand my ground. “I wouldn’t want to suffocate you.” With that I spin around on my heels to walk out of the room. Wanting to get out of the house before I broke down.

“Wait, wait, I didn’t mean-” JJ rushes to stop me, his fingers grazing my wrist. I rip my hand away from him, his words from moments before ringing in my ears.

“Don’t,” I warn, hugging my arms close to me. His eyes fill with tears, but he nods, taking a step away to respect my space. “You need to get whatever is going on figured out JJ. Until then, I’m done.”

I rush out of the house, hot tears spilling from my eyes as JJ follows closely behind me, spewing a string of apologies.

“I’m so sorry, please don-”

“JJ let her go,” John B interrupts, stepping in front of JJ to halt his advances towards my fleeing figure. “Let her go.” John B pats his friends chest with a sigh, the Pogues falling into an uncomfortable silence.

Our every moment, I start to replace

‘Cause now that they’re gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say

Avoiding JJ proved to be a difficult task. We live in the same neighborhood, share the same group of friends, and work the same jobs ninety percent of the time. Our lives have been so entwined over the last several years that we’ve just become part of each other’s daily routine.

I forced myself to completely change my daily schedule. I turned down invites to hang out with my friends, only accepted job offers on Figure Eight, avoided Pogue hangout spots, and even began taking a different route to get home to ensure that I didn’t bump into a certain blonde boy.

I replaced every aspect of my life that had to do with JJ; needing to get away.

The island crawls with memories of him. As much as I work to avoid him in my daily life, the boy constantly makes his way into my thoughts as if he’s completely embedded in my brain.

I think back to the moment when I chose to leave, the memory causing a familiar ache to arise in my chest. Endless outcomes course through my mind; the words I could have said jabbing at my heart ferociously.

I wish I would have just stayed with him that night. He’s the one known for having a short temper and being impatient, not me. I should’ve just been patient with him rather than trying to force him to tell me what was wrong.

I crawl into bed with a heavy sigh, wishing that things were different. Wishing that things could go back to normal. I miss JJ and the rest of the Pogues. I miss the countless adventures and immense amounts of trouble that we always manage to get ourselves into.

I’m carried into a peaceful sleep; dreaming of days that I didn’t put so much effort into avoiding my best friends.

So, before you go

Was there something I could’ve said to make your heart beat better?

If only I’d have known you had a storm to weather

The sound of my ringtone tears me from the deep sleep I’d fallen into. I squint at the screen, unable to make out the contact before groggily accepting the call.

“Hey, I’m sorry to call so late, but it’s JJ,” John B’s voice fills my ears as soon as the dial tone cuts off.

“Don’t apologize,” I state, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I sit up. “What’s going on?”

“He went home and apparently things got really bad. He’s really drunk and won’t stop throwing things,” John B fills me in, something crashes in the background making me cringe. John B pauses for a brief moment before he continues; desperation lacing his voice. “Can you please come over?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I nod with a sigh, pushing myself out of bed. The line cuts off before I rush to slip shoes on; stealthily climbing out of my bedroom window. -----------------

“Thanks for coming,” John B breathes, relief flushing his features as he me into a tight hug. “I know you guys aren’t together, but I didn’t know who else to call. I’ve never seen him like this.” John B looks exhausted. The stress of whatever had gone on prior to me getting here clearly weighing on his shoulders.

“Where is he?” I search the small living space, cringing at state of the room.

“Spare bedroom. I managed to calm him down enough to get him to stop ripping the house apart,” he explains, gesturing towards the hallway. “Want me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll handle it from here. Thanks, JB.” With that, he shoots me a reassuring smile, watching me stalk out of the room. I take a deep breath to mentally prepare myself, before pushing the door open.

“Hey, JJ-,” I begin, stopping in my tracks at the sight of the boy in front of me. The dark bruise encompassing his eye, split lip and evidence of dry blood on his chin makes my stomach drop. I take a moment to scan the rest of his body, catching sight of more bruises littering his skin.

“Hey, Y/n,” he slurs through tears, the bright smile adorning his face contradicting his disheveled state. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I’d offer you a beer, but this is the last one.”

“John B called me. What’s going on J,” I ignore his words, focusing on holding myself together. The sight of him rocks me slightly, some of the last words he spoke to me echoing in my mind. God, you’re so clingy, it’s suffocating. I lick my lips, shaking my head to tear my attention away from my thoughts.

“Just a run in with my dad, nothing out of the ordinary,” he dismisses, taking a swig of his drink. My jaw drops in shock, taking a minute to study his face.

“Your dad did this to you?” I nearly gasp in disbelief. “JJ, what the-”

“It’s fine, Y/n. Don’t get emotional on me, I’m not your problem anymore. I haven’t gotten my shit figured out yet,” a quiet sob escapes his lips at his statement. The anger lacing his voice brings a dull ache to my heart, guilt settling into my chest at his reference to our last conversation.

“Is this why you were being so distant?” I ask, ignoring his comment again. “Because you didn’t want me to find out? JJ, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t tell you because I knew that as soon as you found out you’d start getting all sympathetic on me. I knew that you’d try to intervene, and I didn’t want to feel like one of your projects,” he admits. “I didn’t want to lose you, which clearly worked out.” His sarcasm has always been one of my favorite aspect of JJ but, in this moment, I can’t stand it.

“Is there anything that I can do to fix this?” I cry, my voice barely above a whisper. Feeling suffocated by the silence; I stare at the boy in front of me, terrified that he’s going to disappear out of my grasp.

“Is there anything you can to do fix me, you mean,” JJ responds. His voice dangerously low; dripping with venom. “I’m not a goddamn charity case, Y/n. Nothing you can say or do is going to fix me.” He throws the beer in his hands against the wall, glaring at me with wide eyes. I jump at the sudden outburst, tears filling my eyes as the bottle shatters against the wall. I stay silent, stunned, and watch him fall apart in front of me. John B peeks his head through the door after hearing the commotion, wordlessly checking in. I shoot him a reassuring smile to assure him that I’ve got the situation covered. Adding him into the mix would only escalate the situation and JJ doesn’t need that. John B stands there for a moment, clearly debating whether or not to intervene before he disappears towards the living room.

“I’m broken alright,” JJ continues, tearing his eyes away from mine, choking over a quiet sob. “I’m broken, and there’s nothing that you can do to change that. I don’t need-”

“JJ,” I sigh, finally breaking the space between us to pull him into my arms. He collapses into my chest wrapping his arms around me as if his life depends on it. I hold him against me, combing my fingers through his disheveled hair as his body trembles with sobs.

Was there something I could’ve said to make it all stop hurting?

It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless

“You’re not broken,” I murmur through my own tears. My heart aching deeper with every sob that wracks from his shaking frame. “I know that you don’t need me to fix you, J. You’re the strongest person I know. I mean you deal with all of this shit with your dad and still focus all of your energy on protecting everybody else. I just hate the fact that you felt like you had to suffer in silence.”

JJ lifts his head up, tears still flowing from his eyes at a steady pace. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, pulling me flush against him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I know J,” I murmur, pressing a soft kiss against his chest. “I’m right here.” He fully relaxes in my arms; finally letting his guard completely down.

Our every moment, I start to replay

But all I can think about it seeing that look on your face

I glance down at JJ, sleeping peacefully in my arms; the evidence of tears still staining his cheeks. A frown forms on my face as scan over the dark bruises and scars littering his body; lightly tracing my fingers over the blemishes.

As I lie in bed, unable to sleep, my mind floods with countless memories that should have been warning signs of what JJ was going through.

“JJ, what the hell are you doing here? It’s three in the morning,” I whisper-shouted at the boy crouched outside my window in the pouring rain. I ushered for him to come in, not wanting the outdoor noise to wake my parents in the next room. He wordlessly climbed into my bedroom, careful not to make too much nose as I pulled the window closed behind him.

“I’m sorry, I know it’s late,” he apologized, shoving his hands in the pockets of his loose sweatpants. He refused to meet my eyes, bowing his head to focus on the floor.

“You’re soaked,” I sighed, pushing past him to search for some of the clothes he’d let me steal from him. “Put these on, and then we can talk. I don’t want you to get sick on my account.” He wordlessly obliged, peeling the wet clothes off of his body and replacing them with the new ones I had handed him. In the process, I curled up on my bed pulling my blankets around me in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps dotting my skin due to the breeze from the window that was open moments prior.

JJ stood by my bed awkwardly, watching me get comfortable while he kicked his wet clothes away from his feet. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion; it wasn’t the first time he’d snuck into my room in the middle of the night, so I didn’t understand why he hesitated to crawl onto my bed with me. I patted the empty space in front of me, shooting him a reassuring smile to let him know that it was okay. He sunk into the mattress, gladly accepting the blanket I offered.

“What’s going on ba-what happened to your face?” A gasp fell from my lips at the cuts along his cheek, the beginning of a gnarly bruise forming beneath them. It had been the first time I’d really been able to look at him since he’d climbed into my window, having opted to leave the lights off in case anyone in the house was awake. He looked exhausted, dark circles shadowing his gleaming eyes as his body shivered underneath the blanket.

“I ran into Rafe and his boys. It’s not a big deal,” he dismissed refusing to meet my eyes. The tone in his voice told me he was lying, but I chose to ignore that fact; lightly tracing my fingers over the raw bumps.

“But it is a big deal, JJ. You shouldn’t be treated like a human punching bag. I don’t care how high up on the social scale Rafe and his friends are,” JJ flinched at my words, pulling away from my gentle touch.

“Y/n, I’m telling you, it’s fine. I didn’t come over here because I got beat up by a couple of rich kids,” he huffed, silently telling me to drop the subject.

“Well, why did you come over then?” I asked, cupping his hand in my cheek so that he would look at me. A light gasp fell from my lips as his tear-filled eyes met mine. “JJ, what’s wrong?”

“I just,” he paused, pulling his eyes away from mine to focus his attention on his hands. It seemed that he was having a mental battle with himself as I waited for him to continue.

“JJ,” I murmured, grabbing his hands so that he would focus on me again. His eyes met mine and the stress he was carrying seemed to diminish. “What is it?”

“I had a nightmare,” he blurted, though the answer he had given seemed to surprise him. I felt like he wasn’t being completely honest, but the desperate look clouding his features urged me to just let it go. “C-Can you just, hold me?”

I wanted to cry at how small his voice sounded. In the many years I’d known him, I’d never seen him like that before. As much as he loved physical touch, he’d never openly asked me to hold him.

“Of course,” I nodded, moving to lie down and get comfortable. “Come here.” He watched me get situated before letting his blanket fall to the floor as he crawled into my arms, accepting his position of being the small spoon. I securely wrapped him in my arms, his hands moving to entwine with mine and pull me tighter against him.

I pressed a gentle kiss against his hair, feeling his body relax at my touch. We laid in silence for a few seconds before he started trembling. Hot tears dropped on my skin as strangled whimpers poured from his lips.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, rubbing gentle circles against his skin to comfort him. “I’ve got you.” I spent the rest of the night holding him and whispering soft words of encouragement in his ear to try to bring him some sort of comfort. Deep down I knew that whatever had him so upset went much deeper than a nightmare or a fight with a couple of kooks but I never questioned it. I figured that he would come to me about it when he was ready, but he never did.

Until now.

I shook my head, pulling myself away from my thoughts before taking a second to focus on JJ who was peacefully tucked into my arms like he had been that night. It feels nice to be able to hold him again, though it’s not under the best circumstances. Worry floods into my system at the thought of how things would be tomorrow, but I quickly shake it off; opting to cross that bridge when we get there.

I finally allow myself to relax, letting the steady beat of JJ’s heart lull me to sleep.

Would we be better off by now

If I’d have let my walls come down?

Maybe I guess we’ll never know

By the time I wake up the next morning, the sun is casting through the windows and the spot next to me is empty. I push myself up with a sigh, sleepily taking in my surroundings. My eyes land on the shattered shards of glass covering the floor reminding me of last nights events before I hazily move to carefully pick up the pieces.

“Why did you call her,” JJ’s voice carries into the room, halting my movements. “I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping her away from all of this.”

“JJ,” John B sighs and I quietly stand up. The broken glass shards carefully clutched in my hands as I move closer to the doorway; curious to hear the conversation. “All you did was push her away. You never gave her a chance to understand.”

“Maybe I pushed her away to protect her. I didn’t want to drag her into my family problems; not that you’d know anything about that,” JJ barks, making me cringe.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean,” John B fires back defensively.

“All I’m saying is that, not everyone feels the need to include their girlfriend in the ugly aspects of their life. She doesn’t need me to weigh her down,” JJ responds. With that, I quietly walk down the hallway not wanting to catch their attention. JJ’s back faces me with John B stood in front of him, his eyes softening at the sight of me walking into the room.

“So you just decided not to give me the option of being there for you,” I ask, watching JJ spin around in surprise with an unreadable expression on his face. “JJ, you’ve been my person for years. I signed up for everything that came with you the day I decided to be your girlfriend, hell even sooner than that. What makes you think for a second that I wouldn’t want to support you through this?” My voice is quiet and drips with confusion as I stare at him, waiting for further explanation.

He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out, so I continue, “Why don’t you trust me?”

“I do trust you,” he replies honestly. The truth is, he’s terrified that one day he’s going to wake up and be just like his dad, but he couldn’t tell you that. He wants to protect you from a situation that he viewed as inevitable. Of course he wants you in his life but he can’t bear the thought of hurting you like his dad hurts him.

“Then please stop pushing me away,” I plea.

“I can’t,” he whispers, his shoulders falling in defeat. My mouth hangs open in shock, the statement sucking the wind out of me as I gape at him.

“Y/n,” John B murmurs, breaking the dull silence. He takes a step in my direction, cautiously making his way towards me as my eyes fill with tears.

“Then I can’t stay,” I choke out, not taking my eyes off of JJ. I want him to beg me to stay, telling me that he’s wrong and that he needs me, but he stays silent as I fall apart in front of him again.

“Y/n, you’re bleeding,” John B states gently, pulling my attention away from JJ. He pulls my hands towards him, revealing the broken bottle that I’d long forgotten about. Sure enough, in the midst of being caught up in the conversation, I must have squeezed the glass because a trail of blood runs down my hands and onto the floor. I wince as he carefully pulls the glass from my hands and rushes to dump it into the trash.

“Are you-“

“I’m fine,” I interrupt, stepping away from JJ’s advances towards me. The sharp pain in my hands is dulled by the heavy ache in my heart due to having to let JJ go, again. The concerned look adorning his face makes me sick as he steps closer again, silently begging me to let him help.

“I have to go,” I blurt, rushing past him without a second glance. I allow my feet to carry me away from the boy I love with a heavy heart.

JJ’s POV

“You’re making a mistake. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you,” John B huffs in annoyance before rushing out the door after her.

“I know,” I huff to myself, falling against the counter in defeat.

“I know,” I repeat, knowing full well that letting her walk away is a mistake. All I want to do is protect her from me. I want to run after her and beg her to stay. I want to tell her that I’m an idiot and I’m sorry for pushing her away, but I don’t. Instead, my feet remain planted to the kitchen floor as everything falls apart around me.

484 notes · View notes

docgold13 · 4 years

Photo

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out Villains - One Villain, Every Day, All Year…

May 14th - Blackfire

The villainess known as Blackfire was born Komand'r of the alien world Tamaran. She was the firstborn child and eldest daughter of Tamaran's royal family. Although she was born destined to ascend to the throne, she suffered from an illness that prevented her from being able to harness ultraviolet light into energy to fly like most Tamaraneans. This coupled with her sour disposition and additional factors resulted in her being denied her birthright to be the next Crown Princess of Tamaran, with the honor instead being offered to her younger sister, Koriand’r. Enraged, Komand'r would eventually leave Tamaran and joined the warlike empire known as The Citadel. She beca,e a fierce warrior, quickly rising through the ranks of The Citadel and becoming the empire’s primary war-general. Utilizing her knowledge of the Tamaranean planetary defenses, Komand'r led a successful conquest of her home world and was named the planet’s new governess. She planned on executing her younger sister year, before she could, both sister were abducted by the sadistic Psions. These Psions performed experiments on the sisters, bombarding them both with extreme amounts of ultraviolet radiation. It resulted in them both obtaining the ability to generate and fire blasts of ultraviolet energy. They used this newfound power to escape. Koriand’r fled to earth when she would go on to become the superhero and Teen Titan know as Starfire. While Komand'r (now calling herself ‘Blackfire’ returned to Tamaran where she ruled as a proxy for The Citadel. Knowing that her people longed for the return of her sister as their rightful ruler, Blackfire sent her agents to earth to try to do away with her. It all resulted in numerous confrontations between Blackfire, her sister and The Teen Titans. Backfire additionally played a pivotal role in the Rann-Thanagar War. The villain has appeared int he Teen Titans animated series and also featured in the second season of the Titans television series where she is portrayed by actress Damaris Lewis. Backfire first appeared in the pages of The New Teen Titans #22 (1982).

#365 DC Comics Villains #DC Comics #Blackfire #Starfire #Teen Titans #Titans #Damaris Lewis #cut-out #paper art #DC Villains

170 notes · View notes

thedungeonofbaddecisions · 5 years

Text

This is the Idiot Brigade

Since most of the group couldn’t make it this week, we had Tate do a second session of an interim campaign he DM’d for Ken, Sam, and Matt a couple weeks ago. I’m calling it the Idiot Brigade, not because we’re especially stupid (compared to drunken heist and nyx nackel, we’re damn near geniuses) but because Matt’s character has an 8 INT and also I just like the way it sounds.

Featuring:

Tate, as the DM

Me, as Sael Aloro, Simic Hybrid rogue assassin

Ken, as Gordock Stouthammer, dwarf cleric of life,

and

Matt, as Lewis, half-orc fighter.

We made some especially good visuals, considering Sael used to be a half-elf, is 6′2″, rail-thin, and largely androgynous in appearance (wearing oversized bug-eyed mirrored-lense sunglasses because of who I am as a person), Gordock is short, stout, hairy, and all-around typically dwarfish, and Lewis is tall, muscular, scarred, and distractible. There was a lot of them bursting loudly through doors while I ducked through and stealthed. At one point, I beat them into a room by milliseconds, and ducked to the side and snuck my way around the edges while Lewis picked up Gordock and tried to fastball special him into an enemy, failed slightly, and instead nearly spiked him into the ground 5 feet from the door. It was great.

#D&D #5e #this is not the dungeon of good decisions #idiot brigade #idiot revenue service

21 notes · View notes

2nd-rate-film-school · 7 years

Note

Hey, Jules. I was wondering, do screenplays have to be pleasant to read? If the question makes sense...

Hey @silviavega,

I’m not sure if I’m understanding this correctly.

If you mean do screenplays need to have a pleasant story, the answer is no. There are plenty of films out there with unhappy endings, dark themes, and unlikable characters.

If you mean do they have to be engaging/well-written, the answer is yes.

Like any other literary work, a screenplay is first and foremost a story. As such, it should be interesting for the reader. The difference is, you are writing with the intention that the story will become a visual work, so you need to be very conscious of how you are presenting the story to your reader(s).

If you want to sell a script, no matter who you give it to, your script is going to be handed to a script reader. A script reader’s job is to read scripts and determine if they are worth considering. Before a script reader even begins reading, they look at the following:

The writer and assignment. If the person is well-known, or if the script needs to be read sooner, that script gets priority.

The last page. How long is the script? (i.e. how much time do they need to dedicate to your script?) They obviously don’t want to do more work, so shorter is usually better. In the words of my professor, “If your script is 145 pages, they already hate you.” The sweet spot for features is 90-120 pages.

Fan through the pages. If there is less scene description and more dialogue, there is lots of white space, ergo less work to do. Pages with blocks of action/description are a lot more to read, so it needs to be pretty interesting to keep their attention.

Who else is reading your script? Lots of people: Agents, production companies, actors, directors, etc. Each of them look for something different in a script. Agents look for marketability, production companies look for low budget/high profit, actors look for engaging dialogue, and directors look for tone/style similar to their own.

Quick ways to make your script engaging:

Essential. Efficient. Entertaining. The three E’s help you know when to cut description, and are the guiding principles when trying to determine how to write a scene.

When introducing your characters, use one line to describe their personality. Example from Crazy, Stupid, Love: “He’d be the JFK to her Jackie O... if he gave a shit.”

Enter late, leave early. Don’t linger too long on scenes. Start in the middle of the dinner conversation. End before they finish their meal. It keeps the story moving.

Follow the tone. If the story is a comedy, add humor to the description! It will immerse the reader and be more enjoyable.

Although there is a strict format when it comes to screenplays and multiple audiences to appease, there is a surprising amount of stylistic freedom in screenwriting. Comedy writers, for instance tend to be very precise in their action/description, while some drama filmmakers like to take more time describing a scene.

Take these two scenes for example. The first, from Chinatown, the other from The Big Short:

INT. GITTES’ OFFICE

CURLY drops the photos on Gittes’ desk. Curly towers over GITTES and sweats heavily through his workman’s clothes, his breathing progressively more labored. A drop plunks on Gittes’ shiny desk top.

Gittes notes it. A fan whiffs overhead. Gittes glances up at it. He looks cool and brisk in a white linen suit despite the heat. Never taking his eyes off Curly, he lights a cigarette using a lighter with a “nail” on his desk.

Curly, with another anguished sob, turns and rams his fist into the wall, kicking the wastebasket as he does. He starts to sob again, slides along the wall where his fist has left a noticeable dent and its impact has sent the signed photos of several movie stars askew. […]

OPEN ON: INT. SOLOMON BROTHERS - 1979 - DAY 1

A bunch of FAT BOND TRADERS eat deli sandwiches and smoke cigarettes on the Solomon Brothers Bond Trading floor. It’s not exactly Michael Douglas in Wall Street. The voice that walks us through this is smart, too the pointand slick. We’ll meet him later.

MUSIC: Some great 70’s ballad like KISS YOU ALL OVER by EXILE

We see an even schlubbier version of the other Bond Traders emerge. His suit is rumpled, he has a mustard stain on his shirt from a soft pretzel he’s eating and he is easily seventy pounds over weight. This is LEWIS RENIERI. And though his world is obscure, he is the shit. […]

Chinatown has a very long, detailed description and action. It even focuses in on a single drop of sweat. Although long descriptions can make a screenplay drag, Robert Towne splits it up into bite-sized chunks and keeps the content focused and engaging.

Now onto The Big Short, a comedy. Charles Randolph and Adam McKay don’t focus on the details so much, but give an overall feel of the location. Instead of an intense focus, they add character to their description with phrases like “It’s not exactly Michael Douglas in Wall Street” and “We’ll meet him later.” They even *gasp* swear (use with caution)!

Both these examples are “pleasant” to read in their own way, but each has it’s own style that fits both with the writer and with the tone of the story. (And if you’ve read/seen Chinatown, it is not a “pleasant” story.) Just remember that you are writing for people who are constantly reading scripts, so be engaging and show off your personality!

Great question! I hope I answered/understood it correctly.

Best,

Jules

#ask box #screenwriting #my writing tips #storytelling

92 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 4 years

Text

WandaVision Episode 5 Trailer, Release Date, and Details

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

For those of us wanting some storytelling clarity, WandaVision’s fourth episode arrived with good tidings. Thanks to the tireless work of Monica Rambeau, Dr. Darcy Lewis, and Agent Jimmy Woo, we now know that Wanda Maximoff’s TV sitcom world is a comfy prison of her own making.

What will WandaVision episode 5 do with this information? Thankfully, Marvel and Disney+ have released an uncommonly revealing teaser to give us some ideas. Give it a watch below.

There is certainly plenty to unpack here. SWORD now has first person intel inside what they’re calling the “Westview Anomaly” thanks to the return of Monica Rambeau. After the clip pauses to share Darcy’s episode 4 theory that this is a sitcom (you are correct, Darcy!), we get some more tantalizing glimpses into Wanda and Vision’s four-camera world.

“Life moves fast out in the suburbs,” Wanda says as we see a Roseanne-ified version of her hoisting up a laundry basket. Wanda and Vision share a very ‘70s bike ride and then Vis heads down a neighborhood road in a distinctive Vision comic Halloween costume. Through it all, the Westview residents’ sense of unease continues. “Should we take it from the top?” Agnes (Kathryn Hahn) wants to know after a presumably flubbed line.

Of course, however, the most tragic moment finds Vision on his knees, in duress, and seemingly recreating the tragic circumstances of his death scene in Avengers: Infinity War. The brief moment is intense enough that the trailer’s tagline makes perfect sense in context. “Life could be perfect when it’s made just for you.” Yes it could be. No wonder Wanda wants to live in a sitcom world. In this clip she even makes it all the way through to a Modern Family-style mockumentary interview.

WandaVision episode 5 does not yet have a title or synopsis but it does have its usual release date. The next installment will arrive to Disney+ on Friday, Feb. 5 at its usual 3:01 a.m. ET/12:01 a.m. PT time slot.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

WandaVision will feature nine episodes, which means that sometime during next week’s episode five will mark the halfway point. Though Marvel intended to kick off its new Disney+ TV universe with perhaps the more fan friendly The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, COVID production delays moved WandaVision to the top. And isn’t it just fitting that a show partially about television is opening up the next era of Marvel storytelling on television? Well, we think it is at least.

Stay tuned for the latest WandaVision and Marvel news.

The post WandaVision Episode 5 Trailer, Release Date, and Details appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2MgjtyE

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

thepresspodcast · 4 years

Text

The Press - Week 3 vs Dallas

The Press w/ Chris[tian] and Spense[r] Week 3 - Cowboys Well, that’s one way to open the season at home. Making a goal line stop on the final play of the game against the Patriots is the type of victory to get the young guys “big game” experience and the old guard amped for a return to the Super Bowl, and without the 12s filling the stadium to give our guys that extra boost in those moments, it was nice to see a miracle happen when all seemed lost. The offense is rolling, and that’s mainly due to efficiency more than anything else. Russ might have eviscerated a ho-hum Atlanta secondary, but New England is always prepared for their opponent--that should inspire that weird, spiritual confidence this team can bolster with iconic performances against great teams in prime time. It’s hard to imagine the offense being better than it is right now. The defense, however, is still sort of up in the air. Jamal Adams is great and Quinton Dunbar seems to be stepping into his role effectively, but the Quandre Diggs ejection early makes it hard to properly evaluate the ceiling of this defense. Maybe that’s a good thing? The secondary without Diggs was shredded by a very dominant Cam Newton, and with a depleted pass rush, it’s hard to imagine facing a similar juggernaut and expecting a different result. This team will rely on winning the turnover battle and making big plays like usual, and that’s why Seattle escaped Sunday night with a victory--a clutch goal line stop from guys stepping up to help out a diminished defensive line. Dallas is another team difficult to truly evaluate this early into the season. Key injuries and a new head coach in Mike McCarthy have muddied whether the talented roster can actually get the job done against potential playoff competition--at least this week. After barely managing to beat the collapsing Falcons as the clock hit :00, the Cowboys are coming to Seattle with as much momentum as the Seahawks, hoping to ride Dak’s high-volume passing attack to another unnecessarily close game (don’t they know that’s our specialty?). Although Zeke is their most talented skill player, the WR corps will test Seattle’s secondary in a way New England’s WR corps couldn’t, even without Quandre Diggs on the field. If Dak has all day to throw the ball, this game is going to be a shootout whether we want it to be or not, though it will be interesting to see whether or not the Cowboys attempt to slow the game down through Zeke. So long as the team can play clean, Russ should have a chance to close out the game late, like usual, with the additional upside to actually have a cushioned lead for a change. 2020 continues to surprise us all, huh? I’m gonna go L.J. Collier for the first sack, Chris Carson for the first score, and a final tally of 42-26 in favor of Seattle. Health seems to be the only thing standing in Seattle’s way at this point, but maybe last year ended in misery so this year could end in mania. Let Russ Cook. -C

-----

Last week was joy, misery, and a typical big time Hawks game. Wow o wow. The amount of entertainment and joy these guys have provided us is crazy over these past few years. The defense still has a lot of questions, and we’ll keep asking them going forward. However, a big stop here and there, and a big turnover was enough for the Hawks to escape a close game at 2-0. This weekend is our first “house money” game of the year. You win it and you’re in a GREAT spot at 3-0, but 2-1 isn’t the end of the world. The offense continued their dominance this season, as Russ looked as good as ever. Good performances from Swain, DK, and Lewis are encouraging as the floor for the offense keeps going up. Also, let’s note that Jason Myers hasn’t been asked to do much with how well we’re scoring, but he’s been lights out, even if the kicks aren’t the prettiest.

This week Dallas comes to town. Their first game of the season was a rough one as they lost to the LA Rams. It’s hard to say this is an ugly loss when the Rams have beaten us at least once a year for the past little bit. Last week however, Dallas looked very bad for 30 minutes, and not-so-bad for another 30. They squeaked out a win against Atlanta, and come up the PNW at 1-1. This Dallas team is banged up on defense, but still dangerous on offense. They could unravel a little bit and struggle to find their place as they manage their defense, or they could shape up and become a top 5 team in the NFC like many thought they would be. If anyone knows that early season records don’t dictate how good a team is, it’s us Seahawks fans.

A few matchups I’m interested in during this game… Lamb vs the slot. Will Jamal and Amadi mainly cover CeeDee? Zeke vs the LBs. Is Dallas content to let Zeke eat up the game? Hawks TE’s vs Dallas LBs. When will the Hawks feature Uncle Will? And is this the week we’ll see a 50/50 attack with Dallas struggling to find healthy linebackers, and the Hawks offensive line playing relatively well? The way I see this game going is the team that turns it over more will lose, as both offenses should be able to move the ball well, the team that forces the FG attempt, and gets a take away may be the one that pulls through. I’d be semi-happy if Dallas leaned on Zeke a little, as it’ll slow down their overall movement a bit, and give the Hawks more opportunities to produce a big play. I’ll pick 1st round pick Jordyn Brooks for the sack (he might nap an INT one of these weeks), and Hyde for the touchdown. Hawks win 27 – 23.

-Spense

0 notes

techcrunchappcom · 4 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/local-sports-report-august-28-29-2020/

Local Sports Report - August 28 & 29, 2020

To report local sports scores, call 812-537-0944 or email [email protected].

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

FOOTBALL

Lawrenceburg 14, Mount Healthy (Oh.) 7 (Eagle Country 99.3 Feature Game) – Offense was hard to come by but the Tigers made big plays when it counted the most. Mount Healthy opened up the scoring in the second-quarter when QB Na’Davion Gaither scampered in the end zone from 8-yards out. The Tigers would answer just before halftime on a 10-play, 56-yard drive that was capped off by an Adam Burd touchdown. The PAT was missed and Lawrenceburg went into halftime down 7-6. The Tigers would score the lone second half touchdown on a 12-play, 99-yard drive on a 6-yard Garrett Yoon TD run. Yoon would connect with Dayha Patel on a fade route for the two-point conversion. Lawrenceburg’s defense was solid forcing four turnovers and coming up big in the red zone on multiple occasions. Offensively, the Tigers were led by Adam Burd. The senior ran for 120 yards and a TD.

South Dearborn 32, Madison 26 (OT) – The Knights trailed for three quarters but a C.J. Rogers 39-yard touchdown run and Sean Sohmer two-point conversion in the fourth quarter forced overtime at Madison. Sohmer would score from one-yard out in overtime to give the Knights the comeback win. C.J. Rogers led the way with 67 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Logan Thies went 13-30 for 177 yards, a TD and an INT. Isaiah Otto had three catches for 36 yards and a TD. Sean Sohmer led the Knights defensively with 7 tackles. Bryce Valdez and Dalton Hatfield contributed with six tackles each.

Batesville 42, Milan 34 – Batesville outscored Milan 26-7 in the fourth quarter for the comeback victory. Bulldogs QB Travis Lecher had a huge night, going 8-16 for 216 yards with two touchdown passes. Lecher added 151 yards and four TDs on the ground. Austin Pohlman chipped in with 112 yards rushing. Kurt Siefert caught five balls for 119 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Ben Schebler led Batesville defensively with 8 tackles.

Indianapolis Chatard 10, East Central 0

Triton Central 20, Greensburg 3

Chaminade-Julienne 21, Harrison 17

Mariemont 30, Taylor 19

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

BOYS SOCCER

Oldenburg Academy 3, Trinity Lutheran 0

Batesville 5, Herron 0

Shelbyville 2, Batesville 1

South Dearborn 4, Rising Sun 2 – Dana Lewis, Ashton Cotton, Zander Clayton and Nakia Scruggs all scored for the Knights. Landon Cole and Kendall Montgomery each had a goal and assist for the Shiners.

GIRLS SOCCER

Indianapolis Chatard 4, Batesville 0

Tri-West Hendricks 7, Batesville 0

VOLLEYBALL

Rising Sun 3, Morristown 1 (25-20, 25-17, 17-25, 25-22)

East Central 2, Covenant Christian 1 (21-25, 25-20, 18-16)

East Central 2, Seymour 1 (25-22, 11-25, 15-12)

#ECVB defeated Covenant Christian 2-1 to open the day at Bloomington South. We fell to Trinity Lutheran 0-2 in the second match of the day. Short break and then our last match against Seymour coming up!

— EC VOLLEYBALL (@EastCentralVB) August 29, 2020

#ECVB defeated Seymour in the final match of the day 2-1. We finished the day 2-1.

We are at Franklin County on Monday! @ECTrojanSports

— EC VOLLEYBALL (@EastCentralVB) August 29, 2020

Waldron 2, South Ripley 1 (25-21, 26-28, 16-14)

Batesville 3, Connersville 0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-9)

Madison 2, South Dearborn 0 (25-10, 25-18)

Lawrenceburg 2, Franklin County 0 (25-11, 27-25)

Lawrenceburg 2, Waldron 0 (25-22, 25-11)

Lawrenceburg 2, Madison 1 (16-25, 25-20, 15-9)

Tigers beat host Madison 16-25, 25-20, 15-9 to win the Madison Invitational! #overcome #wontheday @ihsvca @IndianaPrepVB pic.twitter.com/z80HssvoWJ

— LHS Volleyball (@LburgVB) August 29, 2020

CROSS COUNTRY

Moores Hill Invitational (Info submitted by Jonathan Meyer)

Ladies Team Scores: Batesville (28), Columbus East (69), East Central (73), Greenfield Central (810, Franklin County (132)

In the girl’s race the Lady Trojans ran very well. The race was dominated by Brinkruff from Greenfield Central who placed first in 19:34. Rachel Campbell went out with the lead pack, hung with them and then established her dominance; her time was about 17 seconds faster than her fastest time last year at Regionals. Kendal Pflum, who is a freshman and still trying to figure out how to race a 5k, advanced several places at the 4k and kept passing girls the rest of the way in. Kendal came up on her teammates Faith Henderson and Jessica Bender, all of them finishing with in 13 seconds of each other; the three of them are all freshman; showing hope and promise. The 5th scoring Trojan was none other than Hannah Doan who ran almost 2 minutes faster that her best time from last year; summer running is paying off! The Trojans placed 3rd after Batesville and Columbus East.

Individual Trojans:

3- Rachel Campbell~ 20:33

15~ Kendal Pflum~ 23:14

16~ Faith Henderson ~ 23:17

17~ Jessica Bender~ 23:27

22~ Hannah Doan ~ 24:15

25- Jocelyn Inderhees ~ 25:36

31~ Jadda Hicks~ 27:25

Boys Team Scores: Batesville (43), Austin 47), Greenfield-Central (51), Connersville (104), East Central (108), Franklin County (155), Columbus East (223), South Dearborn (226)

In the boys race the Trojans ran strong. The team ran smart coming up from the back and running good, even splits, in fact all of the trojan men ran their fastest time this season. The race went out fast, with Ean Loichinger, of Batesville, clocking a 16:36. Both Michael Schwebach and Griffin Werner went sub 18mins for the first time and Parker Fleming established himself as the third man today. Reilly Small came in 4th for the team, running an all time best and almost breaking 19mins. The 5th man today was all over the place: Owen Hagen, Logan Hicks and Nico DiMeglio all switched positions in the last 400 meters, there is excitement to see where this will develop. Brody Sandlin, JJ Stenger and John Hotel are all right there as well. There is a great sign of hope in this team’s depth.

(function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=224202101261849"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

#local #report #sports #Sports

0 notes

opticien2-0 · 4 years

Text

John Lewis Partnership outlines a digital-first strategy for world where 20% of Waitrose sales and 60% of John Lewis’ are made online

Image courtesy of Waitrose

More than 20% of Waitrose sales are expected to take place online in future - up from 5% before the coronavirus pandemic, the John Lewis Partnership said today. The huge growth follows a Covid-19 lockdown in which many more customers turned online to do much more of their shopping, accelerating changes that had already been expected to take place in coming years.

The retail group says it now expects 60% of John Lewis sales to be made online, up from 40% previously and it is investing for a digital-first future in which its shops will still remain important. The group plans to invest in making shopping easier, more convenient and more rewarding. Online personal services will feature alongside more usable apps and websites, increased availability both in store and online and greater availability of click and collect services. Recent announcements on this theme include the expansion of John Lewis click and collect to 505 Co-op shops, and the launch of online personal styling.

The update came as the retailer today gave the first outlines of its strategic review of the business.

John Lewis Partnership chairman Sharon White said in a letter to staff: “As customers increasingly shop online, we will become digital first. We have ‘catch-up’ investments to make in johnlewis.com. Shops will always be crucial to the brand but they will be in support of online.

“Over the next five years we expect to rebalance our shop estate so that we have in the right space int he right locations where people want to shop. John Lewis Home will be available in Waitrose. We want to get more experimental with store formats. Shops will showcase our brilliant products – displaying great design with more space given over to experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.”

The strategic review also emphasises the importance of the environment to its customers, and it plans to build on its fashion buyback and ‘unpacked’ trials. Tackling inequality and wellbeing will also be at the heart of its new purpose.

At the same time the group aims to make £100m of savings in head office costs. The retailer has already reduced its senior managers by a third and it now aims to draw on new technology and expertise from outside suppliers.

Waitrose is now, said White, well-placed for the end of its relationship with Ocado in September, and it plans to increase delivery slots to 250,000 a week from 60,000 pre-pandemic and from 160,000 at the moment. The retailer is also looking at related opportunities in food delivery. It expects to rebalance its shops, opening and closing shops in response to demand. More John Lewis products will be available in Waitrose shops, while Waitrose food may become available in branches of John Lewis, subject to demand.

The group also plans to expand into new areas from product rental to a marketplace to sell used products and a new horticulture business, based on its Waitrose Garden, Waitrose Farm and John Lewis Outdoor Living. It is also looking to put space that is surplus to demand into use as affordable housing in mixed use schemes.

White said in the letter to staff: “We need a transformation in the business and the action we take over the next nine to eighteen months will be crucial. As you can see there’s more work to do on detailed planning, but I hope that you get a good sense of our future direction.”

John Lewis is ranked Elite in RXUK Top500 research, while Waitrose is ranked Top100.

#Retail 2.0

0 notes

paulbenedictblog · 5 years

Text

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Fox news Roughnecks QB Walker tosses 4 TDs in win - NFL.com

Fox news

After going undrafted out of Temple in 2017, Phillip "P.J." Walker frolicked on and off the Indianapolis Colts' be aware squad and signed two reserve/future contracts sooner than within the discontinuance being waived by the group for the third and closing time in August 2019.

Walker's spectacular XFL debut on Saturday night made that call seek love it goes to also have been of the "mercurial" variety.

The Houston Roughnecks' 24-one year-historical signal-caller build on an absolute level to in front of the dwelling crowd at TDECU Stadium, amassing 272 passing yards (23/39) and four touchdowns within the group's 37-17 have interaction over the L.A. Wildcats.

Walker dodged, ducked and dipped his formulation to a series of spectacular performs that have already established him as a skill to see within the burgeoning league. The finest valid blemishes on his in another case excellent night used to be a sack for an absence of seven and a have interaction within the closing minutes when Houston used to be up by what ended up being a game-deciding 20-level margin.

On simply his 2d pass strive of the night, he carried out a 50-yard bomb to receiver Cam Phillips (4/67/1). His. 2nd. Strive. Of the night. That's simply ridiculous, girls folk and gents.

With 1: 10 to transfer within the most essential half, Walker took the snap, regarded downfield, sensed the stress coming, evaded two defenders, rolled to his left and slung a 39-yard pass at some level of his body into the waiting arms of wideout Sam Mobley within the left nook of the endzone. it used to be Mobley's finest have interaction of the night. Wow.

One other highlight came early within the third. Walker stood within the pocket and fired a 29-yard bullet down the center of the area to receiver Reduce Holley (4/50) that went simply over the center linebacker and easily in between the safeties. A mountainous throw by his QB but an even more spectacular feat by Holley, whose high-tail to the XFL featured three torn ACLs and a broken serve over the route of his life within the sport.

Performing how Walker did and being within the identical metropolis as Texans star Deshaun Watson will with out a doubt evoke severely understandable albeit untimely comparisons but he gentle has a protracted formulation to transfer sooner than entering that form of debate. Walker used to be with out a doubt in a league of his possess on Saturday, although.

In actual fact, most of this contest used to be a one-sided affair. The Roughnecks' D-line positively earned the "tough" piece of their moniker with their effort, manhandling the Wildcats' O-line from commence to quit.

Linebacker LeTroy Lewis and 2014 2d-round draft have interaction defensive discontinuance Kony Ealy feasted against L.A.'s O-line. Lewis nabbed two tackles, two sacks, three QB hits, a pass defensed and one compelled fumble; Ealy earned three tackles, five QB hits and 0.5 sacks.

Security Deatrick Nichols led the formulation for the secondary with five tackles, a sack, an INT and two passes defensed. Houston totaled 11 PDs, two INTs, 16 QB hits and five sacks.

It wasn't all inappropriate for the Wildcats, although, as WR Nelson Clear was the XFL's first 100-yard receiver with 11 receptions for 103 yards. Clear managed to set himself as a stride-to are trying despite QB Charles Kanoff (21/40, 214 yards, TD, INT) having a unlucky night. Kanoff, who obtained the starting up with NFL journeyman Josh Johnson out with a thigh wreck, used to be moreover sacked three occasions.

After playing within the preseason for the Jaguars in 2019, working serve Elijah Hood took the area for the most essential time since ideal August, and contributed 12 carries, 43 yards and one insane hurdle on a fast flee within the 2d quarter. Hood performed four preseason video games for the Panthers in 2018 and frolicked with the Raiders the one year prior; he's been hampered by injuries for many of his pro profession.

Extraordinary for one more stress-free tidbit from this game? Both groups efficiently carried out the most essential two-level put up-TD conversions in XFL historical previous; the Defenders did so twice (flee, rec.) whereas the Wildcats (rec.) did it once.

D.C. Defenders 31, Seattle Dragons 19

Effectively, that used to be assorted.

The inaugural game of the XFL kicked off Saturday in front of 17,000-plus fans internal of Audi Stadium, and noticed the D.C. Defenders (1-0) pull out a actual 31-19 victory against the Seattle Dragons (0-1).

Led by outdated Ohio Assert star quarterback Cardale Jones, the Defenders came serve from a 13-12 halftime deficit to outscore the Dragons 19-6. Jones, a fourth-round have interaction within the 2016 NFL Draft, completed the day 16-of-26 for 291 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came within the third quarter.

Standout receiver Eli Rogers, whose three years with the Steelers used to be marred by injuries, caught all six of his targets for a bunch-high 73 yards, demonstrating simply how abominable he can also moreover be when healthy. Khari Lee, a outdated tight discontinuance of the Bears, Lions and Bills, secured a 39-yard pass for D.C.'s first TD.

The Defenders' defense moreover came to play, snagging two interceptions -- one a 69-yard time out to the dwelling from cornerback Bradley Sylve within the fourth -- apart from four tackles for a loss and 9 passes defensed. The defensive line equipped a ton of stress all afternoon, most noticeably linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi, who had three tackles and recorded the group's lone sack.

Defenders nose address Elijah Qualls came away with a fumble recovery on a botched handoff by Dragons QB Brandon Silvers with five and a few change to transfer that zapped the little momentum Seattle, down by 14, had been making an strive to attain in direction of a comeback of their very possess.

Silvers carried out 21 of his 40 pass makes an strive for 217 yards, three TDs and two INTs. Silvers' first TD toss -- a pin-level 14-yarder up the center to tight discontinuance Austin Proehl -- will stride down because the most essential TD within the brand new league's historical previous. As the pocket collapsed round him on his third TD, Silvers displayed ultimate consciousness by scrambling up the area and finding Proehl (5/88/2) for a 57-yard have interaction-and-flee accumulate. Both "Play of the Day materials" but for entirely assorted reasons.

Defenders kicker Tyler Rausa contributed the most essential choices (level to the excellence) of kickoff day on a 34-yarder. The outdated Boise Assert special teamer completed 2-of-3 on the day, including a profession-finest 54-yard FG to quit the most essential half.

It be worth noting both groups efficiently utilized the different PAT alternate choices, with the Dragons changing a one-level pass strive and the Defenders changing a one-level flee play. As a substitute of the essential rule differences, which you might possibly net yourself up to the tag with right here, one more engrossing a part of the game used to be the stay mic frail by both groups for the length.

Defenders coach Pep Hamilton, whose old skills comprises stops with the Jets, 49ers, Bears, Colts and Browns, apart from at the collegiate level with Stanford, Michigan and Howard, will seemingly be heard delivering performs to his starting QB. Jones, in flip, might possibly possibly moreover be heard going by his cadence sooner than the snap.

Dragons coach Jim Zorn, who is terribly conversant in the DC dwelling because the Redskins' head coach from 2008-09, will seemingly be heard doing the identical. He seemingly wants his "revenge game" would've ended a little bit in a single more draw. Zorn's assorted stops consist of stints with the Seahawks, Lions, Ravens, and Chiefs, apart from within the NCAA with Boise Assert, Utah Assert and Minnesota.

The new mic used to be moreover featured moderately interestingly in sideline interviews with gamers as they came off the area; topics ranged from celebratory chatter about the play they had been beforehand excited about to irritated breakdowns of what went execrable and so forth and heaps others.

All in all, it used to be an bright origin to what ought to be an bright new skills for the XFL.

0 notes

junker-town · 6 years

Text

Why Gardner Minshew is one of Mike Leach’s best QBs ever

Leach is known for plugging in air raid vets who immediately post big numbers. What if it gets the veteran from elsewhere, though?

The man who very well might finish as high as third in Heisman voting behind Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray was nearly third on the Alabama depth chart behind Tagovailoa this season.

Gardner Minshew was a regarded enough grad transfer that Alabama had just about locked him up before Mike Leach gave him a phone call about the spot in Pullman.

The Tide had offered the East Carolina departee an eventual spot as a grad assistant, presumably looking for backup insurance in the event of Jalen Hurts transferring.

Leach offered him the chance to lead the nation in passing yardage. Minshew has done that, currently throwing for 48 more yards per game than anybody else and on pace for FBS’ first 5,000-yard season since Patrick Mahomes.

In a year when Leach’s Cougars were losing QB Luke Falk, three starting OL, two top wideouts, DC Alex Grinch, and defensive star Hercules Mata’afa, no one thought too much of Washington State’s chances. Indeed the Cougars were close to a total rebuild when Tennessee’s AD was trying to hire Leach.

Instead they patched in Minshew and are 9-1 with a good shot at a Pac-12 title and an outside shot at a playoff berth. The QB’s best known nationally for his look, which has included planting a Minshew-style mustache on Leach during a victory celebration ...

Mike Leach has once again produced possibly the greatest college football interview of all time pic.twitter.com/8Djm3VJ8RI

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) November 11, 2018

... but more importantly, Minshew might be the best passer Leach has coached in Pullman.

Back when Michael Lewis was writing features on Leach in the New York Times, the air raid co-founder had been rotating different 4,000-yard passers in every season at Texas Tech. After starting Kliff Kingsbury for three years, Leach plugged in four different QBs in four years, a parade of a fifth-year seniors in 2003 (B.J. Symons), 2004 (Sonny Cumbie), and 2005 (Cody Hodges) before another youngster in 2006 (Graham Harrell).

Crucially, starters regularly got redshirts and backup seasons before taking over. It was normal for a starting Leach QB to have taken literally thousands of practice reps in each air raid concept. They were finely tuned cogs in a machine.

Minshew didn’t arrive in Pullman until August, yet he’s executing the Leach air raid at a higher level than Falk did with three years of experience.

Part of the reason is that Minshew has the equivalent of nearly three years of starting experience within the system between his year at Northwest Community College and two years of sporadic duties at ECU. Minshew also spent the spring working with Hal Mumme, Leach’s fellow chief air raid innovator. Then there were the three years he spent as the starting QB for Brandon High School near Jackson, Mississippi.

And now Minshew could have the highest passer rating of any Leach QB since Harrell.

Minshew was always an accurate passer with great feel and tight mechanics for throwing the ball on time, as you can see from his JUCO highlights ...

... and he’s always had a knack for executing this style of offense, but simply didn’t have the platform to be well known around the country. But spending year after year in the system and concepts that Leach made into best practices for programs around the country gave him something close to a redshirt and thousands of practice reps.

Now that Minshew is at WSU, the Cougars are operating the air raid at a much higher level than expected in what has turned out to be a down year for the league.

Minshew has proved highly accurate in throwing to different parts of the field and quickly scanning through progressions.

The Cougs’ season opened against one of the best defenses on the schedule, the Wyoming Cowboys, and Minshew led a 41-19 road victory, throwing for 319 yards and three TDs with a single INT against constantly shifting looks.

On this pass, he beat the deep safety on a post route with perfect placement to Dezmon Patmon, a 6’4, 220-pound junior who’s emerged in a big way. First, Minshew eyes the deep safety and keeps him off the route, then he quickly sets and hits his big receiver in stride and outside the hash with time to collect the ball before the hit comes.

Minshew is also fantastic at getting the ball out quickly in Leach’s classic, fast-hitting schemes like mesh ...

... and shallow cross.

It’s hard to convert in the red zone in this style of offense unless the QB is precise with his timing and accuracy to hit the briefly open windows that can be found when bodies start to pack in tight.

Finally, he’s good at extending plays with his legs, when the finely tuned machine doesn’t create a clean look.

He doesn't show off his athleticism all that often, but enough to get the job done. He also allows the Cougars to use some zone-read that makes it easier to run the ball from four-receiver sets. When a really effective pocket passer adds any degree of mobility (and he’s 220 pounds), it’s generally the final piece to the puzzle for a spread offense.

When an air raid QB can distribute quickly and create opportunities even if you do cover all five receivers, things get truly dicey for defenses. That’s more or less why Mahomes is dominating the NFL.

It’s amazing that Leach was able to find a fitting talent of this caliber with this level of experience, all outside of his own program.

0 notes

winterolympicssports2018-blog · 6 years

Text

Would Baltimore Ravens revisit acquiring Colin Kaepernick - Baltimore Ravens Blog

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/would-baltimore-ravens-revisit-acquiring-colin-kaepernick-baltimore-ravens-blog/

Would Baltimore Ravens revisit acquiring Colin Kaepernick - Baltimore Ravens Blog

The Baltimore Ravens‘ first option in finding a backup quarterback is drafting one. The Ravens also could look at practice squad quarterback Josh Woodrum as a replacement for Ryan Mallett.

What if Baltimore fails to take a quarterback in the draft for the fourth straight year or deems Woodrum too big of a risk as the primary backup to Joe Flacco? Would the Ravens ever revisit Colin Kaepernick?

“We’re always trying to make our team better,” team president Dick Cass said last week at the NFL owners meetings when asked about the possibility of the Ravens considering Kaepernick.

Cass declined to talk further about Kaepernick because of the ongoing collusion lawsuit against the league. Kaepernick should be considered a fallback option at this point, but he would be the best available passer within Baltimore’s financial limitations.

Age Record Pass yds TD Int Rating Ryan Nassib 28 0-0 128 1 0 152.1 Colin Kaepernick 30 28-30 12,271 72 30 88.9 Jay Cutler 34 74-79 35,133 227 160 85.3 Matt Moore 33 15-15 6,938 45 36 81.2 Austin Davis 28 3-7 2,548 13 12 80.4 Matt Cassel 35 36-45 17.449 104 81 78.8 Mark Sanchez 31 37-35 15,219 86 86 73.9 Derek Anderson 34 20-27 10,413 60 60 71.1 T.J. Yates 30 4-6 2,057 10 11 70.7 Kellen Clemens 34 8-13 4,053 16 21 68.9

Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that the team’s cap space won’t allow the Ravens to spend $3 million a year on a backup quarterback, and the franchise expressed interest in Kaepernick last summer, when Flacco’s status was uncertain because of a herniated disc. Ravens officials consulted with fans and former and current players, as well as sponsors, about Kaepernick. Ray Lewis said last year that Baltimore was close to signing Kaepernick before the quarterback’s girlfriend posted a “racist” tweet featuring the Hall of Fame linebacker and owner Steve Bisciotti.

Kaepernick was out of football last season, one year after he drew national attention when he knelt during the national anthem before games as a protest of social injustice, which he said he will no longer do. The Kaepernick issue would be a sensitive one because the Ravens have been dealing with increasing no-shows at their home games, which the team believes is partly due to national anthem protests. Last week, Cass emphasized the need for the organization to do a better job of engaging with fans.

But there are few teams that have more uncertainty at backup quarterback than Baltimore. The Ravens are one of four teams whose current backup quarterback hasn’t thrown a pass in the regular season. The New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks are the others.

Kaepernick, 30, can provide experience with what would have to be a prove-it contract. He has declined in each of his past three seasons in the NFL, but his touchdown-to-interception ratio (2.4) since 2012 ranks eighth in the league in that span. He led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and the NFC Championship Game in 2013.

New Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden said last week that he was “surprised” Kaepernick hasn’t been signed yet.

“He probably will be soon,” Gruden said.

When: April 26-28 Where: Arlington, Texas NFL draft coverage » | Full order: 1-256 »

•Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft 3.0 » •Todd McShay’s Mock Draft 3.0 » • Kiper’s Big Board » | McShay’s Top 32 » • Teams with most, least draft capital » •Projecting QB booms, busts » •Kiper: Re-grading 2017 NFL draft »

The Ravens are probably not even close to thinking about Kaepernick right now. Baltimore’s options likely are as Harbaugh spelled them out when he was asked how the team will address backup quarterback.

“That will be interesting to see because I don’t know, we don’t know,” Harbaugh said. “It could go rookie. It could go Josh Woodrum. It could go veteran.”

The top choice is presumably a rookie draft pick. There has been speculation that Baltimore will take a quarterback as early as the first round, but the more likely scenario is between the third and fifth rounds.

Quarterbacks expected to be taken in the middle rounds include Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, Washington State’s Luke Falk and Marshall’s Chase Litton. Harbaugh has watched a lot of the quarterbacks in this year’s class on film, and he has had his brother, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, look at them as well.

“It’s a good group,” John Harbaugh said. “There are a lot of quarterbacks deep in the draft, which bodes well. My guess if we have a chance somewhere along the line, we’ll get one. There are enough of them. It’s not like you’re looking at the group and saying, ‘I don’t think there’s anybody there we would like in any given round.’ They usually fly off the board, though. So you never know.”

If the Ravens are unable to draft a quarterback, they could look to Woodrum, who starred for the team in the preseason and spent all of last season on Baltimore’s practice squad.

Going with Woodrum would be a gamble because of his lack of experience and the importance of this season for the franchise after the team didn’t make the playoffs for three straight years. He has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game and has been with six teams since he was signed as an undrafted rookie by the New York Giants in 2016.

“I’m not so sure Josh Woodrum can’t do it,” Harbaugh said. “He’ll have to prove it, but he was pretty good last year, and he’s got all the intangibles. I think that’s where it starts, and then we’ll kind of work from there.”

If the Ravens don’t draft a quarterback and Woodrum doesn’t prove himself, there won’t be many choices available. There have been 22 quarterbacks signed in free agency, including the likes of David Fales, Tyler Bray and Matt McGloin.

Would Baltimore take another look at Kaepernick? It’s a big question that the Ravens could face months down the road.

Source link

#winter Olympics Updates

0 notes

sportsmaniausa0 · 5 years

Text

NFL Football: 2006 NFC South Preview

In Part Three of his 2006 NFL Preview, Bullseye-Sports.com's Dwayne Bryant provides his thoughts and predictions for the NFC South. Teams are listed in their predicted order of finish.

1. CAROLINA PANTHERS

Offense: WR Steve Smith returned from a 2004 injury and lit up the league last season, tallying 103 catches, 1,563 yards and 12 TDs. With newly-acquired Keyshawn Johnson on the other side, Smith should face less double and triple-teams. Keyshawn will not only help the offense in that aspect, but his superb run-blocking ability will help open running lanes for RB DeShaun Foster. Foster has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, so don't be surprised to see first-round draft pick DeAngelo Williams get his share of carries as well. Head coach John Fox prefers a run-first attack, but with Smith and Johnson at WR and QB Jake Delhomme under center, Fox would be better served using a more balanced offense. This offense was running on all cylinders late last season and I look for more of the same in 2006.

Defense: This is one tough defense that can do it all. It all starts up front with pass-rushing phenoms Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker. They combined for 18 sacks and three fumble recoveries - in an off-year. Carolina added DT Maake Kemoeatu to team with Kris Jenkins in the middle. They also added Damione Lewis from St. Louis to add much-needed depth to the line. Dan Morgan leads the LB crew, but has a history of injury problems. CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble provide solid coverage and excellent playmaking ability in the secondary. In 2005, Carolina's defense ranked third in yards allowed per game and fifth in points allowed. They also tallied 45 sacks and 42 takeaways. Look for this defense to continue to be among the league's best.

Special Teams: There's always the possibility of a return TD when Steve Smith is handling the punt-return duties. Kicker John Kasay connected on 26 of 34 FG tries with 5 of the 8 misses coming from beyond 50 yards.

Prediction: They can run. They can pass. They can defend the run and pass. There's nothing this team can't do. Look for Carolina to win the tough NFC South and quite possibly snag a first-round bye in the playoffs.

2. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Offense: As the Cadillac goes, so goes this offense. Head coach Jon Gruden prefers a conservative approach, which means lots of touches for Williams. He'll look to stay healthy and put together a season even more impressive than last season's rookie campaign in which he totaled 1,178 yards and 6 TDs despite an ankle injury. Joey Galloway was Chris Simms' main target in 2005. However, with Michael Clayton healthy again, I expect Clayton to be the go-to guy in the passing game this season. The offensive line almost got Simms killed last season. The Bucs signed several OL through the draft and free agency to improve this unit. However, cohesiveness will take time. So I see this line as a work-in-progress.

Defense: The Bucs defense was #1 in yards allowed last season. DE Simeon Rice registered 14 sacks - good for third-best in the league. Tampa Bay has a solid LB corps with Derrick Brooks, Shelton Quarles and Ryan Nece. They can run, cover and rush the passer. The secondary features playmakers at CB in Ronde Barber (5 INTs in 2005) and Brian Kelly. Safety Dexter Jackson's departure to Cincinnati may leave this unit vulnerable over the middle. This is an aging group, but enough talent remains for this defense to be very formidable once again in 2006.

Special Teams: The kickoff return team was virtually invisible in 2005. Mark Jones did manage to average 9.6 yards on punt returns. Kicker Matt Bryant made 21 of 25 FG attempts, including 18 of 19 from 30-49 yards.

Prediction: The Bucs will contend for a Wildcard spot and should get one provided Cadillac Williams can stay healthy. Tampa Bay could challenge for the division title if the offensive line gels sooner rather than later, but I see it being later.

3. ATLANTA FALCONS

Offense: Atlanta has led the league in rushing each of the last two seasons thanks to RBs Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett and QB Michael Vick. Dunn is the speedy, elusive back. Duckett is the big, bruising back utilized effectively around the goal line. This offense shows flashes of brilliance, as does Vick. But this offense will continue to struggle occasionally until Vick can improve on his accuracy and decision-making atlanta falcons used their last two first-round draft picks on WRs (Michael Jenkins in 2004 and Roddy White in 2005), but TE Alge Crumpler remains Vick's favorite target. Crumpler is big, gets separation, makes catches in traffic and rarely ever drops a pass. This offense goes as Vick goes. If he struggles, the offense sputters. Look for more inconsistent play this season.

Defense: This unit ranked 22nd in the NFL last season. Some of that can be contributed to injuries (LB Ed Hartwell and DE Brady Smith missed most of the season) and some to lack of a pass rush from the front four. Coordinator Ed Donatell was forced to blitz his LBs to get pressure, but that left them out of position in stopping the run. Their 128.9 rushing yards allowed per game ranked 26th in the NFL last season. CB DeAngelo Hall (6 INTs in 2005) is developing into one of the league's best cover corners, but he didn't have much help in the secondary in 2006. Atlanta has added safety Lawyer Milloy and rookie CB Jimmy Williams to give this unit an immediate upgrade. But the biggest addition has to be DE John Abraham. Abraham, Smith, Rod Coleman (10 ½ sacks in 2005) and Patrick Kerney give Atlanta a solid front four. Injuries not withstanding, this unit should improve on last season's performance.

Special Teams: Allen Rossum's punt and kickoff return numbers dropped big-time over his 2004 numbers. DeAngelo Hall could see some punt return duty if Rossum is ineffective. Kicker Todd Peterson wasn't resigned despite only missing two FG tries last season. It remains to be seen who'll take over the kicking duties.

Prediction: If Vick takes a step forward as a passer, this team could compete for a Wildcard spot. If he remains inconsistent, Atlanta could be looking at another 8-8 campaign.

4. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Offense: If QB Drew Brees' shoulder is healthy, this offense could be dangerous. New head coach Sean Payton will only need Brees to be a game manager. The Saints are loaded at RB. Incumbent starter Deuce McAllister is coming off a knee injury, but should be ready to carry the load. If not, second-overall draft pick Reggie Bush will do just fine. With McAllister healthy, Payton will still find ways to get the ball into the hands of the ever-dangerous Bush. Bush will most likely be used as a third-down back, in two-back sets with McAllister, as a slot receiver and possibly as a return guy. The Saints also added Michael Bennett to make for a deep stable of backs. Brees also has WRs Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth, as well as 6-foot-8 TE Zach Hilton.

Defense: The Saints struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season. They ranked 27th in rushing yards allowed and 28th in points allowed. They also managed a meager 19 takeaways for the entire season. The team did little in the offseason to improve this bunch. DEs Will Smith and Charles Grant are solid. The LBs are a concern. As a group, they can't cover, they can't stop the run and they can't rush the passer when called upon. The secondary has a couple noteworthy members, Mike McKenzie and Fred Thomas. But there's little help behind them. They've added LBs Scott Fujita, Anthony Simmons and Eddie Moore, as well as FS Brian Scott, S Omar Stoutmire and DT Hollis Thomas. That's too many new faces. A major adjustment period lies ahead before any significant improvement will be seen.

Special Teams: Getting Michael Lewis back from injury should spark the return game. 41-year-old kicker John Carney returns after a solid 2005 campaign.

Prediction: Even if Brees is healthy, the defense has a way to go before this team will be competing for a playoff spot. I expect a slow start, but a solid second half of the season for the Saints. I wouldn't expect more than 6-10.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Carolina is solid in all aspects and is one of the top choices to win the NFC Championship. Tampa Bay should land a Wildcard spot as long as the offensive line keeps Simms upright atlanta falcons will only go as far as Vick takes them, which could be anywhere from third in the division to the third seed in the playoffs. The Saints are heading in the right direction, but I'd say they're two years away from competing for a playoff spot.

0 notes

unfair-sports · 5 years

Text

The OSG Fantasy Report Week 10

This week is a detailed position by position break down. Though every roster spot does not have to feature a player from each one, I am interested in heavily targeting the Arizona Tampa game, New Orleans, Baltimore, Kansas City/Tennessee and Carolina/Green Bay game. Weather should not be much of an issue across the country. The tundra could be a little frozen in Green Bay. Regardless the Week 10 2019 OSG REPORT!!!

Quarterback

Jameis Winston.

He just throws and throws and throws. He has a very limited target tree in Evans and Godwin and makes the stacks easier to build and predict.

Drew Brees

Great matchup at home in the dome vs a very shaky defense in Arizona. I do worry about a slight lead being built, and the Saints return to ground and pound with two great RBs at their disposal. The argument to this is that Brees built that lead with 2-3 TDs in the first place.

Lamar Jackson

His floor and ceiling are one of the best on the slate with his rushing ability. He is facing the league’s worst rush defense in Cincy. This game whether by air or ground sets up quite nicely for Lamar to succeed.

Patrick Mahomes

The NFL’s strongest arm returns in a great matchup vs a battered Tennessee secondary. Malcolm Butler is bad and has been ruled out, so his backup has to be even worse. With a full array of targets, Mahomes is sure to fired 2-3 TDs. I do worry very slightly about his mobility with his recent injuries. It’s not for his rushing, but his scrambling and passing ability, which he frequently utilizes.

Ryan Tannehill

On the other side, Tannehill has performed quite nicely since replacing Mariota. Offensive pieces for the Titans have once again become viable. Expected to play from behind, Tannehill offers a lower price floor and value to pass vs a beatable Chiefs secondary. Playing at home slightly boosts Tannehill here.

Aaron Rodgers

He is to be played with Davante Adams stacks only. He can also be paired with Aaron Jones as well. Most good offenses after being shut down as Green Bay was in LA, bounce back quite nicely with the “it can’t get any worse” narrative. I somewhat believe the GB/Carolina games gets going back and forth, and if Rodgers catches fire, you’ll want to have a piece.

Running Back

David Montgomery

It’s a smash spot for Montgomery vs Detroit as we just saw Josh Jacobs whom we touted last week. With the pass game in limbo, Mike Davis gone, and Tarik Cohen being a gadget and occasional receiving back, the backfield and pass targets are all for Montgomery. He gets a boost if Matthew Stafford is ruled out. Playing a home favorite RB is always optimal if we can project 20 touches.

Alvin Kamara/Latavius Murray

In a healthy stretch, this is a great spot for Kamara. I worry about his ceiling slightly just because the large Vegas spread (12.5). If a lead is built, we could see a heavy late dosage of Murray. Similar to the Brees argument, we could predict that Kamara had something to do with the price tag. You hope for 4 quarters out of players you pay up for. The Saints have the best OFFENSIVE LINE VS DEFENSIVE LINE mismatch in favor of the New Orleans offense.

Mark Ingram

He is always risky because he never gets to 20 touches. The Baltimore running games is very efficient, and Ingram “loses” work first of all to Lamar Jackson when it comes to rushes, and to Gus Edwards who could be a very deep tournament play in large field contests. Cincy offers the best run game for opposing RBs as they collectively average well over 30 touches per game. However, Ingram could easily to 75 yards and 2 TDs in this plus matchup.

Christian McCaffrey

Every week the question is to pay up or not to pay up for C-Mac. Carolina may finally be slowing down C-Mac for the long stretch of the cold remaining season. If he continues at this rate, and Carolina has a playoff push, will he have anything left. At his price, building lineups is very challenging. I would never suggest fading the best RB in the league. On paper it is a very good matchup vs GB. His passing game role is slightly decreasing, and this may be the week I jump off as I had not been overweight on him much of the season, opting for cheaper options. This week, I may be living in the mid-range with the Montgomery, Samuels, Singletary’s of the world. With that said, 150 yards and 2TDs are very much in the realm of possibility.

Marlon Mack

He’s a 20 plus (maybe 25) touch RB who gets the absolute best matchup vs Miami, at home in a dome as a double-digit favorite. He is another reason to not spend up to C-Mac this week. Value is thin this week, and with a backup yet serviceable QB in Hoyer starting this week, the ground and pound game could be in full effect.

Aaron Jones/Jamal Williams

Either can be stacked with Rodgers this week and C-Mac in game stacks as I see this game shooting out for some reason. Tennessee/Carolina did somewhat last week, and I do believe Green Bay comes out aggressive this week.

Devin Singletary

He offers 20 touch potential in a middle of the road matchup vs Cleveland. I know “why” Cleveland is favored on paper, but have we seen anything out of Cleveland to favor them vs anybody except the Jets or Dolphins of the league? Yes, the game in Cleveland vs a turnover prone QB. Cleveland is allowing 4.85YPC and given up 5 rushing TDs to opposing backs. Gore is all but eliminated as he only appeared in 34 percent of the snaps. This is a great spot for Singletary in a very neutral game script despite being a 2-point road dog.

Derrick Henry

Never a fun roster, but he just keeps running, pounding, and scoring. The Chiefs are always a fun target allowing 4.74 YPC and the leagues second most receiving yards to opposing backs. He’s gone over 16 touches every game and is in command of the backfield outside of some passing work to Dion Lewis.

Jaylen Samuels

He will once again be one of my favorite RBs this week. He caught 13/13 targets. It was concerning he only ran 8 times, but that could go up, a week removed from an injury and questionable status going into las weeks game vs Indy. He lost touches (12) to Trey Edmonds which could repeat itself, but I see Samuels falling into the endzone this week. I love the Pittsburgh defense (AGAIN!) and presents a great stack.

Ronald Jones

Finally a RB has taken over the backfield in Tampa Bay, and to his credit Bruce Arians announced such was the case. With a high-volume passing attack, it just ONLY MAKES SENSE TO FEATURE A RUNNING GAME TO KEEP OPPOSING DEFENSES OFF BALANCE. Simple but for whatever reason we see so many coaches abandon the run. If you look at Jones game logs, his elevated rushing attempts came vs the Rams on the road, and Seattle on the road. Miraculously, Winston threw 1 INT (a pick 6 yes) vs the Rams, and with Jones 20 touch game (2 rec) vs Seattle, he threw 0 picks. Yes, the QB we love the bring up turnovers with, had a very good decision-making game. That happens when you have a balanced attack. With that said, he’s risky, but his in the mid-range I love this week for the price and gets a good matchup and could fly at low ownership with so many flocking to the passing game here.

Kenyan Drake and David Johnson

They were originally not a part of the write-up, but Drake looked great vs SF. If you can perform vs Sf (yes it was a Thursday Night) then anything is possible. Even vs this tough Saints run defense. Johnson could be used more for passing than rushing so it will be interesting to see how they divide work. We saw both Johnson and Chase Edmonds produce on the field together with Johnson in the slot. Drake is too good of a player to have on the sideline. It’s a 52 total.

Wide Receiver

Christian Kirk

We target Tampa Bay’s secondary week in and week out. He’s a much better play in the slot and is the best bet to stack with Kyler Murray if you like Murray this week. This game has the highest Vegas total on the board at 52. Definite shootout potential.

Michael Thomas

Here is the best/safest/ WR play of the week. His numbers have sustained no matter who is playing QB. He has 89 yards, and/or a TD in every single game this week. Mr. Consistency. He’s every week play, and now gets the worst secondary he may face all season in Atlanta at home in the dome. Locked and loaded on Thomas.

Evans/Godwin/Perriman

At this point you flip a coin with Evans and Godwin. Or every Winston stack you build, you flip flop the lineup with the other. Evans still outpaces in targets over Godwin 83 to 71. I feel Peterson will shadow Evans whom has struggled in coverage so far this year allowing 14/17 204 yards, and 2 TDs. Godwin gets the better 1 on 1 matchup, but either is playable. Perriman is running over 30 routes by far the last few weeks and saw 8 targets last week. He could be a sneaky deep dart play for a TD at low price in a shootout. When you have totals and matchups such as these, every player gets a look.

Tyreek Hill/Sammy Watkins

Mahomes is back, and it just boosts every piece of the offense. Quietly, Watkins targets have remained up ever since Week 1’s explosion. He’s just missing the big play and score, but he is the clear underneath possession receiver who has the athletic ability to break a slot slant to the house. Hill can outrun everybody, even his own teammates! Chiefs/Titans stacks are in full blown play this week with any viable combo you can create. It’s a 49.5 total which could easily go over.

Next, we take a step down into a core of WRs that should be worth a look. Consider whom is anchoring your lineup at QB or from an opposing to team to correlate your lineup as there is reason to play every single WR listed. They are not lineup starters per say, but if 1-2 spots remain, and the price fits, then you plug them in.

Golden Tate/Darius Slayton

The Jets are surprisingly good against the run, limited the potential ceiling of Saquan Barkly who is the only stud RB on the slate behind C-Mac with no Cook, Zeek, Carson etc. on the main slate. Tate has shown excellent chemistry with Danny Dimes as he leads in Jones’ targets with 27 since he returned from suspension for weeks 7-9. He even put up 100 yards vs New England. The Jets are very vulnerable in the slot offering up 28/36 on targets over the last month of the season. Slayton offers red zone TD appeal with Engram and Sheppard both ruled out. Targets are limited for the Giants, yet they are favored in the neutral stadium for the New York (or New Jersey) state title.

Marquis Brown

We have been chasing the big week 1. He is playable in stacks with Jackson, as there is just no better matchup for his big play potential vs Cincy since his week 1 draw vs Miami.

Davante Adams

Green Bay has to bounce back vs Carolina, and when healthy, Rodgers just locks in on Adams. If you predict Rodgers to toss 3 TDs, 1-2 have got to go Adams way, with 100 plus yards upside. He returned and saw 11 scoreless targets in the massacre in LA. Look for a much better game this week.

DJ Moore/Curtis Samuel

The running game draws a better matchup vs Green Bay, but Allen has shown the ability to move the ball to his WRs. Moore 44 Samuel 43 C-Mac 35 have been the targets from Allen this season. Moore probably has the better matchup but not by a long shot. Green Bay is favored by 5, so come from behind production is what we are predicting here.

Devante Parker

Preston Williams is done for the season. Despite the woes in Miami, Parker has had steady fantasy production and should be a clear lead target for Fitzpatrick who has the ability to maintain a WR fantasy appeal and deliver 2-3 scoring drives. He’s on the road as a huge dog, but gets a dome setting which is always a plus for air raids.

Jamison Crowder

Perhaps just as ugly as Parker, but last week we said you have to pull a WR from the Jets Dolphins game. Williams and Crowder both delivered big, and Parker too was involved. This weeks draw vs the Giants is unimposing for the Jets wideout. The total is a low 43 but the 2-point spread suggest a tight matchup in the New York (Jersey) state title game.

AJ Brown/Adam Humphries

The Titans are down Corey Davis which leaves Brown, Humphries, and Jonu Smith (TE) as their main targets. Brown has maintained his targets and Humphries will operate as the annoying slot WR getting easy targets over the middle. I love the game environment vs KC, and if they Titans are passing to keep up, Brown should have a decent game. I like him over Humphries quite a bit, but their target share is very tight since Tannehill took over. Davis 22 Brown 20 Humphries 18 Smith 16. Again, Davis is out, so that lands Brown as the leading WR here to face a beatable Chiefs secondary.

Julio Jones/Calvin Ridley

I have a ton of interest in the Saints defense, but we can’t help but think the Falcons will keep throwing from behind as 12-point dogs as they have done all season. Sanu is gone, and we have yet to see Matt Ryan’s chemistry with Russell Gage who saw 9 targets in Sanu’s absence. The dome setting always presents game stacking elements with a game total over 50.

Zach Pascal

Ever the scary roster, Hilton, and Parris Campbell are both out, and Pascal is now the WR1 for Indy facing the Dolphins in the dome. Hoyer is a capable backup as Indy just has a good TEAM. That goes a long way. Good team, good coaching, good line, good running game. I’m not sure if I can get to him personally but I would not be doing you justice to not mention him here.

Tight End

Travis Kelce and Austin Hooper

We will just lead off with the best plays/players. It seems no matter the charts, Hooper just produces. He’s really the #2 WR and is now operating heavily out of the slot which is where New Orleans’ weak spot lies. He has produced even when the team has been bad, including the Rams game. Kelce’s targets have been there, just not the endzone. While it’s still not the best of the best matchups, the whole offense gets a boost with Mahomes return.

Mark Andrews

Play only with Lamar Jackson stacks, though his routes and targets are steadily on the decline. A matchup with Cincy can eliminate any offensive players slump.

Jared Cook

Targeting TE’s vs Atlanta is always in play. The dome, Brees, a 12-point spread, every lead weapon is in play. I think Cook is the sneaky pivot from Kamara and the ever so popular Thomas. Cook can maybe even be playable with Thomas in the same lineup.

Less production, Good spots, hoping for a Touchdown:

Cameron Brate

The flow chart lands on the Tampa TE core vs Arizona. Howard is not involved and could be a possible 4-5 target and TD spot for Brate.

Mike Gesicki

A very good athlete coming off of a 6/6 95-yard week, he gets the best matchup on paper for any skilled player for Miami. In fact, most sources have the Colts at 3rd worst to 8th worst vs opposing TEs. Dare I say Miami has shown signs of life and competency and the will to compete in recent weeks. They’re on the road yes, as always huge dogs, but get the dome setting we love.

Jonu Smith

It’s getting ugly here, but his production is on the rise and any player with a competent QB would be. He gets a top 10 matchup for TEs vs KC in a good game environment. If the salary fits, he’s playable here.

Gerald Everette

I love the Steelers defense, but Everette is still the 3rd option with Cooks out in the passing game over the likes of Josh Reynolds. The running defense and secondary for Pittsburgh is good, and they get a plus DLine vs OLine matchup, which is scary for Goff. Yet that could increase intermediate short throws to the RB and TE. The TE matchup is the only top 10 matchup (7th-8th best) vs Pittsburgh on paper. Any offense for the Rams will move thru Kupp and Everette.

Defense

As always, we start with the Defensive Line mismatches. We do not just want to target potential low scoring offenses. We need points. Sacks, strip fumbles on the QB which is a sack and a fumble counted, and rushed throws that turn to INTs and pic sixes)

New Orleans Saints

The biggest DL mismatch. The last time the Falcons were on the receiving end of this mismatch was the Rams game where it seemed to all fall apart. The Falcons will NOT be able to run vs NO, and Ryan will be under pressure.

Tampa Bay Bucs

It’s hard to target a defense with this bad of a secondary. Yet they could put some pressure on the rookie QB that could turn into mistakes. The Bucs are cheap and risky yet have a plus matchup.

Pittsburgh Steelers

They have been a steady source of fantasy points despite the points allowed column. They’re getting sack and turnovers at a high rate. Their defensive line is far superior than the current Rams offensive line and Jared Goff does not perform well under pressure, nor does he perform well on the road.

Indianapolis Colts

They are facing the Dolphins. But the dumpster fire that was once the offense is no longer the case. The last few defenses we have targeted against Miami have underachieved. FitzMagic is always good however for a pick 6.

Cleveland Browns?

Simply a price play vs turnover prone Josh Allen who has undersized hands on the road in Cleveland. He does play in Buffalo, so there aren’t many worse places to play than his own stadium, however.

Baltimore Ravens

The uncertainty of a backup QB usually goes one or two ways. No in between. Either it’s a dumpster fire and the opposing defense breaks the slate, or the opposing defense operating on zero film (outside of irrelevant preseason and/or college) gets the surprise of a lifetime and gets lit up by the opposing QB. With that said I like the Ravens defense here, especially in game stacks with Lamar and/or Ingram.

#fantasy #football #fantasyfootball #DFS #nfl #espnfantasy #yahoofantasy #dailyfantasy

0 notes

judgepaper19-blog · 5 years

Text

WTS: Is Kenny Stills A Fit For the Eagles?

Also: Why Lane Johnson's lawsuit has a connection with Alex Rodriguez.

Kenny Stills. (USA TODAY Sports)

Here’s what the national media are saying about the Eagles as the NFL playoffs continue into the Divisional round.

ESPN.com’s Tim McManus is a big fan of Kenny Stills.

The 24-year-old out of Oklahoma had 42 catches for 726 yards and nine touchdowns for the Dolphins this season. A fifth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2013, Stills was traded to Miami for linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third-round pick prior to the ’15 season and has proven to be an asset for the Miami offense, particularly this season. The Eagles are in desperate need of a receiver that can stretch the field, and that happens to be Stills’ specialty. Possessing sub-4.40 second, 40-yard speed, Stills averaged 17.3 yards per catch in 2016 — good for third in the NFL behind DeSean Jackson (17.9) and Chris Hogan of the New England Patriots (17.9).

ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker recently wrote that the wideout’s production “may price Stills out of Miami.”

Money is always the big X factor. Right now, the headline wide receiver free agents include the likes of Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Terrelle Pryor. If a couple of big names are retained by their current teams, suddenly the next tier of receivers move to the front of the line. Certainly, the Eagles won’t be the only team looking for a young speedster who has averaged 70 catches (17 ypc) and five touchdowns over the first four years of his career.

The Eagles are not flush with cash to spend — they currently have the fourth-least amount of cap space ($9.4 million) for 2017, according to OverTheCap. But they’ll likely make some moves to free up some space, and won’t be afraid to use it on a potential core player that can help Wentz both now and in the future. Stills makes a lot of sense in that respect.

The Eagles do not need to overhaul their team a ton in the offseason, opines Mike Sando of ESPN.com.

21. Philadelphia Eagles

GM Howie Roseman has invested heavily in retaining the Eagles’ core players after dumping players associated with former coach Chip Kelly. Replenishing through the draft could be the next step for Philadelphia, which is why the Sam Bradford trade was so important. It’s unclear whether running backs Ryan Mathews and/or Darren Sproles will return.

Former wide receiver Keenan McCardell could be an option to replace Greg Lewis as the team’s wide receivers coach, pens Turron Davenport of USA Today.

Keenan McCardell

McCardell played in the NFL from 1991-2007. He made his mark in the league as a member of the Jaguars from 1996-2001.

The longtime receiver was a member of the 1991 Washington Redskins and 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers teams that won the Super Bowl. McCardell is a member of the 10,000-yard receiving club, with 883 receptions for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns.

McCardell’s first coaching job was as a receivers coach in the East-West Shrine game in 2010.

As a coach, McCardell’s NFL experience includes a two-year stint as the Redskins receivers coach. Santana Moss had his most productive season (93 receptions, 1,115 yards, 6 TDs) with McCardell as his position coach.

McCarrell last served as Maryland’s receivers coach in 2015. He is credited with the development of Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs as well as Deon Long, a 2016 Eagles training camp attendee.

Carson Wentz finishes the year as the 23rd best quarterback in the league, according to Andre Vergara 0f F0xSports.com.

23. Carson Wentz, Eagles

It’s been a roller coaster rookie season for the No. 2 pick Wentz, who wasn’t expected to play, then inspired debates about whether he was better than Dak Prescott, then fell back to earth. Still, he set a rookie record with 379 completions, became the first Eagles QB to start all 16 games since Donovan McNabb in 2008 and made believers of his teammates and coaches. “To do the things that he’s done just is amazing, and really looking forward to the offseason and building for next year,” coach Doug Pederson told reporters.

Preseason: 29

2016 stats: 62.4%, 236.4 ypg, 16-14 TD/INT, 79.3 rating

Lane Johnson‘s lawsuit against the NFL and the NFL Players Association has some similarities to Alex Rodriguez, notes Marc Edelman of Forbes.

It is not entirely uncommon for NFL players to challenge their suspensions under the league’s drug testing policies, and sometimes, as in the case of Seattle Seahawks defensive back Richard Sherman, they prevail on appeal.

However, what sets Lane Johnson’s legal action apart from most other cases is that Johnson has legally come after his own union — even going so far as to argue improper collusion between league and union officials.

The last notable case of a professional athlete simultaneously suing both his league and union was when former New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez sued both Major League Baseball and the MLBPA related to his league-issued drug suspension. A-Rod ultimately dropped his case.

Davenport also writes that there are plenty of names to watch out for in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft.

Kevin King |CB| Washington | 6-foot-3, 192-pounds

King is a lengthy corner with long arms that will make it difficult for quarterbacks to complete deep passes against. While at Washington, King was asked to play a lot of man coverage.

He uses his long arms to get physical with receivers at the top of their route and fight for positioning to get the ball. Long corners with the ball skills that King possesses are always going to be in high demand at the next level.

Jamaal Williams |RB| BYU | 6-foot-2, 210-pounds

Williams is a strong back that runs behind his pads. Ironically, Williams reminds me of Ryan Mathews when I watch him run the ball.

He is the classic downhill runner that makes one cut and gets upfield at the second level. Williams also features a powerful stiff arm in his arsenal.

It is very impressive how Williams keeps his feet moving and uses his vision to sort his way through piles. His footwork and vision together allow him to find the slightest rushing lane and cut back to explode through the crease.

The Eagles are ranked fourth out of the eight teams that could be on Hard Knocks next season, opines Sean Keeley of Awful Announcing.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Why It’d Be A Great Season: The trials and tribulations of Carson Wentz are made for Hard Knocks, especially after he told reporters he’s going to be “shutting it down” for most of the offseason after a season with 607 pass attempts. There’s also just something about the Eagles organization (and their fans) that feels like an interesting follow.

Why It Might Not Be: Coming off a 7-9 season the Eagles are a mediocre team with mediocre expectations in 2017. There is trainwreck potential but perhaps not that much exciting potential.

What We’d Look Forward To Most: The Carson Wentz Experiment, Year Two.

Source: https://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2017/01/10/philadelphia-eagles-howie-roseman-kenny-stills-lane-johnson/

0 notes

jodyedgarus · 6 years

Text

What Did We Learn From The NFL Divisional Playoffs?

gfoster (Geoff Foster, sports editor): The Divisionals returned normalcy to the NFL. All four home favorites won outright – three of them covered the spread comfortably. There will be no wild card team making a run this year, which seems like a harder and harder path to the Super Bowl. But let’s start with the last team to get in, the Saints, who were the only home favorite to not cover, and they actually had to dig out of a 14-0 hole as Philly looked primed for another upset. So, is Foles Magic officially dead? And, where is Foles playing next year?

Salfino (Michael Salfino, contributor): Foles seems to have said his goodbye to Philadelphia. So it seems safe to say he’s leaving.

joshua.hermsmeyer (Josh Hermsmeyer, NFL analyst): Hanging this on Foles seems deeply wrong. On that last drive, it was the receivers that failed, not Foles. That said, since we are positing magic, I guess it’s true it is gone.

gfoster: I wasn’t blaming Foles. I actually thought he played great.

neil (Neil Paine, senior sportswriter): Foles started the game so hot. The script seemed to be writing itself. But after those early drives, he really reverted back to the QB he has usually been over his career.

Salfino: The last drive was definitely not Foles’s fault but after those first two drives, he really did not make a play.

neil: In quarters two through four, Foles went 10-22 for 4.0 YPA and 0 TDs, 2 INTs

gfoster: OK, so maybe “great” was a reach.

neil: (Brees, meanwhile, went 26-32 for 8.5 YPA and 2 TDs, 0 INTs after a rough first quarter start — literally as rough as it gets on the first play of the game.)

gfoster: I feel like someone could have huddled up with the Eagles defense and said “Hey, I think they might be trying to throw to Michael Thomas; should we do something about that?”

joshua.hermsmeyer:

Salfino: Ginn was open, too, by a couple of steps. Brees also was short on another throw later to Taysom Hill. But he was really good at attacking the deeper middle of the field, especially on third down. Plus the Eagles helped by suffering a spate of injuries.

neil: And at one point the Saints seemed to be doing everything they could to give the game away with penalties.

gfoster: The Saints seemed to almost abandon the run, which is very unlike them. And until that late 36-yard run by Ingram, the Eagles took Kamara and Ingram basically out of the game plan, it seemed.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I think Foles will get hired on somewhere, but if I were a GM I would let the other guy overpay for his services. His completion percentage by depth is really just average. Overpaying for average is a team killer unless you are absolutely loaded everywhere else.

Salfino: I’m surprised that the Saints barely won play success over the Eagles. But that just shows you that they were unreal on third downs — 8-for-15, and a lot of them a high degree of difficulty.

neil: And Foles’s third-down magic seemed to abandon the Eagles. They only went 2-for-7 during the game on third downs. Usually third-down efficiency is a calling card of these Foles playoff runs.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Neil beat me to it.

Salfino: Re: Josh’s point, it’s really easy to say not to overpay for a QB unless you don’t have a QB. Someone is going to give Foles $100 million. I see the Giants or Jaguars as the landing spots for Foles.

gfoster: Josh, I don’t know what team fits that bill and needs a quarterback. It would almost need to be like the Sam Bradford trade a couple years ago when Teddy Bridgewater got hurt. Maybe Washington gives him big money because they are mess and have no idea what they are doing?

neil: The Giants would be HILARIOUS. Jettisoning Eli for basically a younger Eli

Salfino: Washington just gave big-ish money to Alex Smith though.

gfoster: Yeah, but his career is possibly over. What do they do?

Salfino: Someone on my Twitter mentions said that Foles is the new Earl Morrall. (I liked that.)

joshua.hermsmeyer: Googles Earl Morrall

gfoster: LOL. Here you go.

neil: Ooooh, I like that. Or maybe Craig Morton? LOL.

Salfino: Morton was never really a backup though. He was part of the two-QB rotation with Staubach. Morton I believe has the all-time record for yards per completion in a season. Morrall had a magical MVP season in 1968 and then flagged the Super Bowl against the Jets with all those picks and then basically disappeared until Shula resurfaced him in Miami after Griese got hurt during the perfect 1972 season.

gfoster: Let’s stay in the NFC and talk about the Rams. Are we feeling better about them? They survived another tough road contest at home this weekend.

neil: I loved how they completely ran over the Cowboys D.

joshua.hermsmeyer: The fact that there isn’t a top 10 defense left in the playoffs confirms all my priors and warms my cockles.

neil: Who knew CJ Anderson would be such an effective featured back? Or, like, their featured back at ALL?

Salfino: The Rams had 51.3 percent play success, which is oddly exactly what the Patriots registered. CJ Anderson was hilarious in killing all the Gurley DFS guys but actually quite effective. A generational talent, some may say.

gfoster: Gurley got his points, though.

neil: (Kinda speaks to your story earlier this season, Josh, about Gurley being kind of a product of McVay and that offensive scheme.)

joshua.hermsmeyer: That (incredibly large) hole Gurley ran through for his long TD was so much not Gurley it was amazing.

Salfino: Is Gurley like Marshall Faulk with the St. Louis Rams, “the queen on the chessboard,” or is he replaceable? I would have thought the former, for sure.

neil: One thing on the Rams is that Goff didn’t necessarily play all that well. Again.

gfoster: Imagine what Zeke would do in that Rams offense. Because he seems to have to work for every yard, regardless of how much praise the Dallas O-line used to get or maybe still gets.

Salfino: Yeah, I have a hard time envisioning Goff beating Brees in New Orleans. Huge home-road splits for Goff, too. Does Jason Garrett get that extension still?

joshua.hermsmeyer: I saw a report that Garrett will get extended. Does anyone think he deserves it?

Salfino: The Cowboys offense is good if it’s working but if it’s not working, Garrett never seems to be able to figure something out on the fly. Garrett is weird in that he’s a CEO coach, but is so closely tied to the offense, which he doesn’t really run.

So what is Garrett’s value, really? Managing the staff? Managing the game? I think when you are a CEO coach you have to have a really strong personality like a Bill Parcells, be that “leader of men.” This is not Garrett, IMO. He just seems easily replaceable.

joshua.hermsmeyer: He is elite at clapping.

Salfino: Lombardi ended his clapping, which is sad.

neil: Yeah, I don’t understand Jerry Jones’s fascination with Garrett. It’s like they were looking for ANY excuse whatsoever to extend him.

gfoster: I just don’t think it’s a desirable job to coach with Jerry breathing down your neck.

Salfino: Remember, Jones doesn’t want a strong personality that will basically kick him out of the locker room and tell him to stay in his owner’s lane.

neil: He’s going to end up being one of the longest tenured coaches ever, and his record will pale in comparison with the others in the conversation. (Except maybe Marvin Lewis.)

joshua.hermsmeyer: For all the grief Jones gets, he does seem incredibly loyal, and that is a terrific boss to have in a league like the NFL that moves on from most coaches far too quickly. Stability does have value.

Salfino: He is basically Marvin Lewis, who also was a CEO coach without a really strong personality/culture. Tell that to Jimmy Johnson:

gfoster: Going back to Rams-Saints: The Saints lost their starting DT, Sheldon Rankins, to a possible torn Achilles. That’s a big loss, especially to be down a big interior lineman against the Rams.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Mike, good point about Jimmy Johnson.

neil: The way the Rams were clearing space against Dallas was unreal. According to ESPN Stats & Info Group, the Rams rushed 33 times for 195 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry before first contact between the tackles.

Salfino: Maybe that will trick the Rams into running even more, especially on first down, right Josh?

joshua.hermsmeyer: You never want to lose a starter, but if I had to pick a position to lose, give me DT.

gfoster: That’s fair.

Salfino: Exactly right. If it’s a pass rusher DT, OK, that’s worrisome. But there are only like one of those and he’s on the other team. Where are the big plays in the Rams passing game? They’re going to need some, I’m certain, to win.

neil: True, their longest reception vs. Dallas was a 21-yarder to Brandin Cooks.

Salfino: 186 passing yards on 28 attempts is not the Rams offense from October, for sure.

joshua.hermsmeyer: With the loss of Rankins and their success with play-action, I would think the shot plays would come there. The linebackers may try to make up for Rankins’s loss by cheating a bit more than usual.

Salfino: Are they still successful at play-action, Josh? I think that’s debatable.

joshua.hermsmeyer: They did OK with it against Dallas I think.

neil: Yes, Goff was 6-of-11 for 108 yards off play-action vs the Cowboys. That’s not as amazing as their early-season standards. But it’s still much better than when he passed without play-action.

gfoster: Let’s talk about the AFC. The Chargers, who were 9-0 on the road, got absolutely destroyed by the Patriots. This was the one game that seemed completely over in the first quarter.

Salfino: Yeah, getting to Josh’s point, the Patriots-Chargers were exhibit A in “offense mostly controls outcomes.”

neil: Classic Patriots home divisional-round win.

Salfino: I absolutely hated the team flying back to Los Angeles after the Wild Card win in Baltimore.

gfoster: I think people tend to overweight air travel. But maybe you are right in this case.

joshua.hermsmeyer: The win probability charts basically concur with your assessment Geoff.

neil: I do wonder how much the travel had to do with it. They seemed out of sorts most of the game, especially on defense early. Didn’t help that their weird hybrid LB/DB scheme was totally ineffective against Brady and the Pats.

Salfino: I hate a West Coast team in the early slot in a playoff game, but the Chargers were their own worst enemy in opting to go back home. Still, it probably wouldn’t have mattered, as flat as Los Angeles seemed (especially with the missed tackles). The Patriots were flawless. Brady looked like a different player, and there are reports that trick play with him as a receiver against the Titans hurt his knee pretty badly. He was able to practice fully again though.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Angry Tom in the cold is the narrative, I think.

Salfino: Did you see how the Patriots taped that thermostat on the wall where the Chargers had to come out on the field? Seems lame but maybe it worked.

gfoster: Also, people spent all week talking about Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. That’s not too relevant when you dump the ball to James White 15 to 20 times a game.

neil: Tactically, you have to appreciate the way they used their RBs against Los Angeles’s defense. Sony Michel ran for 129 and 3 TDs, plus James White had 15 catches out of the backfield. The Chargers had no answer for that attack. Michel was averaging 4.6 YPC with eight-plus defenders in the box against a defense that had smothered the run-heavy Ravens a week before.

Salfino: The Patriots are all spares and no strikes now. They ran a ton with Michel. They had 15 catches for under 100 yards from White. Edelman got some big plays somehow, but he’s not a gamebreaker. Gronk had one catch. But this hyper efficiency works for them because they avoid mistakes. I’m not sure why the Chargers stuck with the Ravens defense with all those defensive backs. The Patriots are not a fast team at all. You want more size against them.

neil: Well, people spent all week saying they’d revolutionized NFL defense with that scheme.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Against a mobile QB, I think it’s a great defense. Against a pocket passer, I’m not sure what you are gaining.

Salfino: The difference between the Patriots and other teams is that they solve the puzzle with an opponent and move on to the next opponent. They don’t bring whatever worked one week necessarily into the next.

gfoster: Is Gronk a concern? Or not so much? Considering we’ve seen them go on SB runs without him before. He practically got the Bronx cheer from the Foxboro crowd when he made that one catch.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Gronk had a fantastic day…checks notes…blocking.

Salfino: Gronk’s yards per target this year was still good. He did gain 27 yards on that one play. It’s hard for me to believe he’s shot. He’s clearly not the same player, but I think he can still be effective. The Chargers are really designed to stop tight ends, though, with Derwin James.

gfoster: Also, is it me, or did Rivers’s deep balls look terrible? Just floating up in the wind, asking Mike Williams to make jump ball catches 40 yards downfield.

neil: In fairness, he was under heavy pressure much of the game.

Salfino: Williams has to make that catch, Geoff. I thought Rivers had a lot of pop on most of his throws. But the Patriots played that Ravens blitzing defense and it really surprised Rivers. By the time he adjusted, the game was over.

neil: According to ESPN’s Stats & Information Group, Rivers was pressured 24 times against New England, which was most of any quarterback in a playoff game in the last 10 seasons.

joshua.hermsmeyer: What’s interesting is that while the Chargers kept their Ravens defense, the Patriots adopted the Ravens defense with their cover-zero looks and massive pressure on Rivers.

Salfino: Yes, interesting but clearly not surprising that Belichick out-coached Lynn. That was the big worry for the Chargers in this game.What was interesting and unknown was “how” Belichick would get the edge.

gfoster: Rivers’s deep ball seemed like me trying deep passes in Thanksgiving touch football. “I got someone out there, so just going to heave it and hope for the best.”

Salfino: This is what those Ravens blitzes reduce you to, low-percentage deep throws.

What’s funny is that exactly no one thinks that the Patriots having had success blitzing are going to bring that into the Chiefs game.

gfoster: When the Chiefs played the Pats in the regular season, it was 43-40 and probably the most entertaining game of the season. I don’t think we will see 80+ points again. Or will we? The Chiefs defense seems to have improved recently.

Salfino: I think we do see 80 points again.

gfoster: Interesting. Even if conditions are much worse?

Salfino: If it’s windy, that’s a problem. Cold? Nah. Unless it’s Ice Bowl-like.

neil: Certainly seems like Patriots punter Ryan Allen probably won’t get as much of a workout as Rigoberto Sanchez against KC. Seemed like every time you looked up, Indy was punting.

gfoster: Judging by the Chargers games, I wasn’t aware the Patriots had a punter.

Salfino: Luck was so bad. It seemed like every other pass was deflected at the line. The first three, I’m pretty sure, though whether the first pass of the game was tipped is not entirely clear. That has to be a record though.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Regarding the total, Vegas has it at 57.5. That’s super high. I’m not sure I take the over.

gfoster: Kareem Hunt totaled 185 combined yards in that Patriots game. But Damien Williams has made people forget about him pretty quickly. Interestingly, Patriots were able to limit Kelce’s production (somewhat), which the Colts had no answer for.

Salfino: OK, I revise my prediction since the forecast is for a high of 16 degrees on Sunday.

joshua.hermsmeyer: If Sammy Watkins can contribute big, high-leverage plays, I think he will be one too many weapons for the Patriots to account for.

Salfino: Belichick wants to x-out Kelce in these games. And then Hill kills them. Also Hunt out of the backfield in the last game, though that’s no longer a threat.

neil: Gosh, that 57.5 is with the temperature baked into the over/under? (Well, maybe not “baked.” Frozen?) What would it be in a dome?

Salfino: Hunt actually killed the Patriots as a receiver in the last two games they played. Can Williams function this way? I don’t see it.

gfoster: Weather moves the total more than anything (except quarterback injuries), so we will see what happens with that line.

Salfino: No appreciable wind in the forecast, though about 20 mph on Saturday so maybe that’s a threat, too. I tell all my fantasy friends, it’s just wind other than super extreme conditions on the other side — cold, rain or snow. And really wind at over 20 mph only.

gfoster: Who does the weather help though? You could argue the Patriots. Has Mahomes played in games this cold? Brady sure has.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I’m going to fade the idea that something like weather can stop Mahomes. While it didn’t snow as much people envisioned, the Indianapolis game was plenty cold and Mahomes looked fantastic.

neil: For the sake of fun trivia, it was 17 degrees in Mahomes’ debut start. (According to PFR, that’s the coldest game he’s played as a pro.)

Salfino: Brady has played one game in 10 degrees or colder — in 2003. He had a 73.3 passer rating. (Note that includes playoffs.)

joshua.hermsmeyer: Are any of you picking the Patriots?

gfoster: Great segue! Let’s close with our Super Bowl predictions.

neil: If the game was at Foxboro, I’d think about it. But Brady hasn’t won a road playoff game since this wacky one against the Chargers. Hard to believe! But Pats usually play at home in lead-up to Super Bowl.

gfoster: That’s where the game-sealing interception was fumbled for a first down?

Salfino: He’s 0-2 since then.

neil: Yes, the Marlon McCree game.

Salfino: So I will stick with my Chiefs-Saints Super Bowl.

neil: I will do the same!

Salfino: Save us, Josh.

joshua.hermsmeyer: I think we’ll see the proverbial passing of the torch from Old Angry Tom to Mahomes, kinda like when Favre beat Young in the playoffs. And I still like the Rams in the NFC.

neil: Josh, Elias says this is the biggest age difference in a QB matchup in conference champ history.

joshua.hermsmeyer: Great stat

neil: I am also looking forward to Mahomes potentially doubling the record for playoff wins by a Big 12 quarterback.

gfoster: I also will take the Chiefs. But I’m going to say Chiefs-Rams just because I still haven’t seen the return of that devastating Saints offense. It’s been hibernating since the loss to the Cowboys in Week 13. The Saints managed just 20 points against a banged-up Eagles defense. It seemed like a struggle at times, even though a lot of that was self-inflicted penalties. Brees was under a lot of pressure. Trubisky even had more passing yards than Brees! Trubisky!!!

Salfino: I will defend the Saints. They had 420 yards to 250 for the Eagles. That’s actually 28 expected points (formula is a point every 15 yards from scrimmage). To me, that’s pretty close to being on schedule. I mean, they had 25 first downs.

gfoster: You know what the Saints need Mike, right?

Salfino: Do not say it, Geoff.

gfoster: More Taysom Hill gadget plays!

Salfino: Payton was determined to make noise with Hill in that game.

Salfino: Who would Taysom Hill be in the Star Wars universe? (Only episodes I-III.)

gfoster: He’s young Anakin in Episode I. Ten minutes into the movie, you are like “Is this kid really going to play this big of a role, here?”

joshua.hermsmeyer: I was going to say Porkins. “Stay on target.”

gfoster: I would love to see a close-up of Brees’s face every time he is set out wide with Hill under center; I feel like he’s rolling his eyes — but I can’t be sure.

Salfino: Ha ha ha.

joshua.hermsmeyer: His body language instills fear in the DB every time.

neil: One day, Brees will burn someone over the top.

Salfino: Brees has large hands and probably could win 50/50 balls.

joshua.hermsmeyer: No matter what combination of teams ultimately makes it, this is the correct four teams in the championship round, and the perfect end to the greatest offensive season in NFL history.

neil: Agreed! It’s the first time since the 1970 merger that each of the top four teams in scoring made the conference title game.

gfoster: We wanted offense. We got offense. Will see you next week when we know who is heading to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-did-we-learn-from-the-nfl-divisional-playoffs/

0 notes