#and its the fact they were not even a couple!!!! like Madelyn and Chase still can act!!!

[eternallovers65]

Imagine letting two actors dictate your show and ruined the whole fucking experience for the fans.

And imagine not being professional and letting your girlfriend get in the middle of your work when she shouldn't even be there in the first place. Both girlfriends.

And imagine creating this whole situation when you have your friends, the actual ex couple on the set, being civilized, playful and professional while still playing a couple

Imagine the level of unprofessionalism. Just imagine.

EDIT:

To those saying his contract ended and accusing me of sending hate, I’m sorry if you’re under the impression I care or asked for opinions. Secondly, yes, "his contract ended", which is exactly why they decided to use so many camera cuts during the JJ and Kiara bonfire scene (including a double for certain takes) and why there was a lack of closeness in other scenes. I'm not just blaming them, I’m holding everyone involved accountable: the actors, their partners, and the producers.

Acknowledging that they handled it poorly doesn’t mean I’m sending hate. It’s completely unprofessional on all sides that things escalated to this point. And also, embarrassing when you have a real ex couple being more mature than you.

[outerbankspreferences]

The Roommate - Austin North

Chapter Three - The Party

Word Count: 2213

MASTERLIST SERIES MASTERLIST

The party at Chase and Madelyn’s apartment was all anyone could talk about. Everyone had been working hard lately it was nice to blow off some steam. They were all sitting around Rudy’s trailer talking about filming and who was all going. “Did Oliva say she was going to come babe?” Rudy asked his girlfriend who was talking to Madison. “Uh yeah, she said she would try and make it. I think she might have to work in the morning though.” She spoke up a little to be heard over everyone.

“Is that the person you want to live with Austin and Drew?” Madison questioned. “Yeah, she’s my old college roommate, you guys are going to love her.” Elaine promised, sending her friend a text to remind her about the party.

 Oliva was in line getting a coffee when she got the text message. Don’t forget about the party tonight. You promised. Elaine was a force to be reckon with, and she knew better then to forget another date with her. Oliva didn’t really want to go, but she also desperately needed roommates, so she needed to impress. Once she got her coffee, she headed back to her office.

 They’ve been working on a difficult case that hit close to home for her. She got back to her office, listening to her voicemail, and checking her email. It took her almost an hour for the fact that she never worked in her office. She was more of a remote worker, and by that she worked from her car. It was her job to get information on people that the lawyers needed for witnesses or other things. Working for a defence lawyer had its perks, better pay, more opportunities, but she didn’t always agree with the cases she had to work.

 She was pulled from her thought when her boss Max, came through the door not bothering to knock. “Wow Bennet, you’re actually in your office for once.” He spoke leaning against the door frame. “What can I say, I work better in an open space.” Oliva retorted, taking a sip from her coffee. “Have you given any thought to my offer about LA. I really need someone I can trust out there.” She knew what he meant; she knew Max back in law school. He was a good-looking man but didn’t have the personality to match. Max was selfish, he always had been. “I was still thinking about it. It’s expensive, and I’m going to need a roommate.” She spoke, trying to gain more time to think about it. “I want an answer by Monday or I’m giving the job to Wendy in finance.” That was a bold move, Oliva figured he was bluffing she was the best paralegal they had. Even with unorthodox approach at things. Wendy would just mess things up even in a smaller firm, she didn’t have the experience needed.

 Her phone started to ring as Max was leaving. She looked to see a picture of Elaine pop up on her screen. “Good lord Elaine, I’m not going to forget about tonight.” She thought. She accepted the phone call. “Hello Elaine” She spoke blandly into the phone. “Oh, don’t sound so disappointed to hear from me. Did you get my text? You didn’t forget, did you?” She asked laughing on the other end. “No, I didn’t forget, I’m just at work right now. What time did you want me to come over?” She asked, trying to figure how much time she needed to get ready. “It’s actually not at my place, it’s at my friends. I’ll text you the address, show up for like seven, does that work?” She said as more of statement then a question.

 “Yeah, it does, how should I dress? Do I need to look nice for this?” Oliva asked, not really looking forward to getting dressed up too much.

 “Uh, no just causal, don’t forget the jello shots, for me of course.” She laughed thinking of the many times Elaine got out of control from drinking one to many jello shooters. “Yeah, I’ll bring them don’t worry.” Oliva reassured her. “Oh, I almost forgot, Austin and Drew will be there so you can finally meet them! It’ll work out perfect.” Elaine spoke, and Oliva could hear someone yelling her name in the background. “They need me, but I’ll see you tonight!” Elaine spoke hanging up on her. Oliva sighed wondering what the hell she got herself into.

 “Who was that?” Rudy asked his girlfriend pulling her into a tight hug. “Oliva, just making sure she was still coming tonight.” Rudy knew how much this meant to her. Elaine talked about her all the time. What he didn’t like was how many times Oliva had blown her off. He figured she wasn’t going to show tonight, but didn’t want Elaine to get upset, “don’t get to upset if she doesn’t show up babe. She’s already bailed on you before.” He warned knowing how she got. Elaine knew there was truth to what he was saying, but he also didn’t know Oliva like she did. She knew that Oliva would show up because it was something important to her.

 Oliva left her office around five, grabbing something to eat on the way home. She knew better then to drink on an empty stomach. Once she got back to her apartment, she started to eat the crappy Chinese food, and rummaged through her closet to find something to wear. She was trying to not overthink it, but she also wanted to impress these people. She had seen pictures of them on Elaine’s Instagram and figured a pair of ripped skinny jeans and vintage band shirt would suffice. She turned on her hair curler letting it heat up. She kept her makeup simple, adding a little bit of winged eyeliner and then loosely curled her hair. She checked the time, 6:30. When she looked up the address earlier, it was about a half hour from where she lived. She grabbed her container full of jello shots and text Elaine to inform her she was on her way.

 Once Oliva got to the house, she sat out in her car debating whether to go in or not. She could leave now and make up some stupid excuse as to why she needed to leave. She could tell Elaine it was traffic, or she got rear ended, or maybe food poisoning. She knew whatever excuse she made; nothing would be worth jeopardizing their friendship. Oliva looked at her phone one more time before popping back one the jello shooters and going inside. When she got into the apartment building it looked nice, much nicer than hers. She could tell the hallways had been cleaned regularly. She got in the elevator, riding it to the third floor. She could hear music playing from one of the apartments. “Perfect” she said to herself “not hard to find.”

 Oliva knocked on the door and all sudden became very nervous. She needed these people to like her if she wanted knew roommates. Giving herself a small pep talk on the inside, the door swung open to a tall man with shaggy brown hair.

 “Hey, you must be Oliva!” He spoke, “I’m Chase, one of Elaine’s friends.” He extended his hand out to her. Oliva smiled grasping his hand, “yeah I am, I’m sorry for being late.” She half heartedly apologized, not really meaning it. Of course, she wasn’t going to tell him that it was because she was sitting in her car debating whether to come in or bail again. “Don’t worry about it, come on in. I can take those.” Chase went to grab the jello shots, Oliva handing them over stepping into the apartment. It was loud and faintly smelt of weed and sweat. She looked around for her friend, hoping for everyone sake she didn’t get there before Elaine.

 Oliva followed Chase to the kitchen, it was small and there were already people in their mixing drinks. “Oliva this is JD, Maddie C., and Maddie B.” Chase pointed to each person as they gave the foreign girl a small wave. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you guys, I’ll apologize now if I forgot your names.” The two moved on to the living room that she could see through the kitchen. It was a moderate size, big enough that a fair amount of people could fit in and not be crowded. It led to a small balcony that she could see some people out smoking. Oliva jumped a little from Elaine coming up and hugging her from behind. “You made it, I told you guys she would come.” She squeaked and Oliva giggled, smelling the vodka from her drink.

 “Of course, I made it, I told you I would be here.” Oliva responded turning around to hug her friend properly. Elaine was wearing a blouse and a pair of jeans, with her camera around her neck. She couldn’t go far without the camera; it was one of the things Oliva loved about her. “Well, you’ve bailed the last couple of time, so who knows with you. Did you bring the jello shots?” Elaine asked dragging her to the kitchen. “I did, I think Chase put them in the fridge.” Oliva spoke, following the only person she knew. JD, Maddie C. and Maddie B. were gone someone knew was there. “Oh, this is perfect,” Elaine spoke causing the man to look at her, “Oliva this is Drew, Drew this is Oliva the girl I was telling you about.” He smiled at her, extending his hand. “Hey, nice to meet you, Elaine was telling us that you’re moving to LA in a couple of months.” “Yeah, I got a new job out there.” Oliva explained not giving anymore information.

 Drew took a moment to take her in, trying to get a read on her. He was still a bit apprehensive about living with a girl. She seemed nice, quiet but nice. Before he could question Oliva, any more Elaine came up to drag her away, “come on, I want to introduce you to everyone else.” She slurred already a bit tipsy.

 Elaine dragged Oliva back into the living room. The only other person she recognized was Rudy from pictures, and he didn’t seem overly happy to see her there. Everyone was sitting around drinking and playing a card against humanity. Elaine went right through the living room to the balcony where some other people were out smoking. “Hey guys, this is Oliva.” Elaine introduced her friend while searching for a lighter.

 When she turned around, Oliva came face to face with a very handsome blonde. ‘What the hell is with all the blondes?’ she thought to herself. The man stuck his hand out, “I’m Austin.” He smiled at her. “I heard you were going to be our roommate, have you met Drew yet?” He asked, handing Elaine the lighter in his hand. She thanked him, “Oh yeah I did meet him, but I never mention anything about being roommates, I wasn’t sure if Elaine had brought it up or not.” Oliva responded. “You weren’t supposed to bring it up Austin.” Elaine giggled. She warned Drew and Austin not to bombard Oliva because it would just scare her off. “oh shit, yeah she did tell us that.” He spoke half scared of the brunette in front of him. Oliva could tell he was nervous “it’s okay, maybe the three of us can meet up for coffee and work all the details out.” She smiled at him.

 The night went on well after that. Considering it was just a small apartment Oliva didn’t run into ether of the boys again. She was in the kitchen filling up her last drink of the night when Rudy came in. “Surprised you showed up Oliva.” He spoke causing her to jump. She turned to look at the blonde who walked in. “Elaine wanted me here, so I came.” She responded. “She’s been trying to get together with you for weeks now. She stuck her neck out for you to help you find a place to live and you couldn’t even bother to show up.” He wasn’t wrong. Elaine had done a lot to help her, but she also had to work. “I know, but I can’t help it if I have to work, not all of us can be actors.” She spoke up, not wanting to have this conversation.

 Oliva didn’t know Rudy that well, and in his defense, they did get off on the wrong foot, but if he thought for one minute, he was going to grill her about not showing up he had another thing coming. Before Rudy had a chance to speak again Oliva had dumped her drink down the drain and headed for the door. Just as she was about to walk out the door Elaine stopped her. “Are you leaving already ‘Liv? It’s not even that late.” When Oliva turned around, she could see the see a bit of hurt in Elaine’s eyes, but when she spoke, she looked directly at Rudy. “Yeah, I have to work in the morning, say my goodbyes for me?” She asked forcing a smile at her friend.

TAG LIST: @drewstarkeysbitchh afterglowsb-tch13 lostsoulwalking @lemur46 @taylathornton

[angstyaches]

Blood, ill, hunting

Ew, I hate myself for this title but here we are. Introducing Elliott, one of my half-vampires. And some Shayne emeto for the first time in a while.

CW: emeto, mild violence, swearing, animal slaughter, abuse mention

Elliott wiped red from his mouth, only succeeding it smearing it across his cheek. Shayne tried not to look at the fountain of blood and meat that the vampire had created in the neck of the twitching animal.

Shayne jumped when he heard a crunch, and looked across to see Elliott’s jaw working hard at something.

“Are you eating it, too?”

Elliott looked over and grinned before thinking to cover up his blood-stained teeth. “Just a taste. You know how much venison usually costs?”

“But the bones?” Shayne asked in a low voice. Nausea was starting to overwhelm him a bit. His stomach had kept him awake all night as it cramped and wrestled with the latest demon he’d had to devour, and it hadn’t quite stopped aching yet. He wished Madelyn and Nancy hadn’t forced the two of them to go and hunt in the forest, like they were two little kids being sent away to play while the grown-ups talked.

It had been about six years since the Aldridge family had visited the Devines, and Elliott hadn’t changed or aged at all. Shayne, on the other hand, had been a weepy, eager-to-please twelve-year-old last time, and now he was eighteen and would rather have been doing anything else but hanging out in the forest.

“You all good, man?”

“All good,” Shayne said, even though he was barely able to stand from the deep pangs of nausea. “Ready to head back?”

Elliott frowned. “Are you? You didn’t catch anything.”

Shayne shrugged. 

“Alright, I mean, we can take a slow walk back, see if anything shakes loose from the shadows.” Elliott licked at the blood on his hand, scrunching up his face in excitement. “God, it tastes so good free-range. I love feeling like I’ve really earned a meal, you know?”

“Sure?” Shayne mumbled as he started walking, eager to be away from the discarded deer corpse as quickly as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was catch a demon, and the second-last thing he wanted to do was keep talking about it.

But Elliott was on such a buzz after killing that deer that he just would not shut up. “What’s the longest you’ve ever spent chasing down a demon?”

“Not long.”

“My longest stalk was six months. Serial killer, back in the eighties. Nineteen eighties, that is; I’m not that old. I was a bounty hunter in Boston back then. He was a slippery bastard and he kept me on my toes, but when I got him?” Elliott growled and skipped a bit as he walked, yellow eyes flashing bright gold. “God, it was like tapping into the whisky of the gods, Shayne.”

Shayne frowned, unable to maintain his disinterest. However, it wasn’t the details of Elliott’s past that had snagged his attention. “Six – you didn’t drink blood for six months?”

“Oh, sure, I drank,” Elliott said with a chuckle. “Enough to stop myself from fainting, but not enough to take the sting out of the hunger, you know?”

“Jesus,” Shayne whispered, a shudder of fear working its way up his back. “Six months. Imagine Watson, or worse, Madelyn…”

He quickly cut himself off, eyeing Elliott cautiously. Why the hell had he just said that? If Elliott decided to tell Shayne’s foster parents what he’d been saying about them, a carefully curated version of hell would surely break loose.

“I know, right?” Elliott muttered in a slightly lower tone. “They’ve scared the crap out of me over the years, so believe me, man. I get it.”

Shayne’s heart dropped into his gut. He didn’t feel his feet come to a stop, but suddenly found himself shaking with anger on the spot. He glared at the back of Elliott’s head until the older boy stopped and turned around.

“What’s up? You see something?”

“You get it?” Shayne hissed. “Are you fucking kidding me? You knew what they were like, and you let them keep me here all these years?”

“Shayne,” Elliott said softly. “Look, man – you had to have known you could have turned to us for help, right?”

“The Aldridges knew…” Shayne’s gaze fell to the ground. His chest felt horribly tight, and his stomach was starting to knot. “The Aldridges knew?”

“Shayne, man –”

“No, shut up!” Shayne yelled, hearing something flutter out of a nearby tree as his voice echoed. “I’ve lost eighteen years to this place, and that might not seem like a lot to you, but I’m not like you. It’s a quarter of my life, maybe more. I’ve been held captive and forced to do things that will stay with me the rest of my days, Elliott.”

“If it’s so bad, why don’t you leave?” Elliott asked. “You’re eighteen now? Legally, you don’t have to live with your guardians anymore.”

Shayne closed his eyes, unable to draw a breath deep enough to reply that there was no running away from a vampire couple who could echolocate him to the far side of the continent. His ears rang as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Get the fuck off me, asshole,” he growled, making a swing for Elliott’s face before he could tell himself not to. His knuckles caught on one of Elliott’s fangs, which still hadn’t retracted, and a spatter of blood fell on the forest floor.

Elliott stumbled back a bit, spitting onto the ground. “I don’t drink half-and-half.”

“Fuck you,” Shayne said. “At least I was born with my half and didn’t have to sell my soul for it.”

“You think I don’t have a soul?”

“I know you don’t, because none of you do.”

Elliott’s eyes were practically blazing with anger, his fangs curling right down towards his chin as his lips pulled back. Shayne swallowed, feeling his courage waver as he pictured Elliott lunging forward to rip open his throat like he’d done to that deer.

Elliott did, in fact, lunge forward, but not with his fangs. All of his anger and over-evolved strength erupted through his knuckles, sinking into Shayne’s gut and sending his already cramping organs into crushing agony. 

The pain sent him doubling over, his vision flashing black. He choked and ejected a weak stream of sick that just barely missed his and Elliott’s shoes.

“Whoa.” Elliott leaped back and his fangs retracted as if all he’d had to do was flick a switch. “Shit. Okay.”

Shayne brought his hands up into a shaky t-shape before collapsing with his shoulder against a tree trunk.

“Yeah, yeah, time out, whatever. Are you okay? I didn’t hit you that hard, did I?”

“No, I –” Shayne pressed a hand to his mouth as he tried to suppress another retch, but ended up turning to the side and coughing up another wave of thin, stringy vomit. His stomach clearly hadn’t gotten the message that it was empty, at least of food, because it still felt like it was trying to escape up his throat. He tried to grab onto the bark of the tree to keep his balance as his vision pitched to the side. In place of any physical puke, it felt like the last of his energy was spilling out of him.

“Whoa, whoa – here, hold onto me.” Elliott took hold of Shayne’s arm and began guiding him back from the small puddle of sick.

Shayne managed to gather just enough breath for one sentence; “Fuck off.”

Elliott grunted. “I deserve that. Come here, sit down. Head between your knees until you stop feeling woozy.”

Shayne sucked in a shaky breath as he was eased to the ground next to a different tree, feet pulled close so his knees were level with his jaw. He let Elliott’s hand push his head between his knees. He pulled his arms tightly around his waist, feeling his belly gurgle weakly.

“I didn’t think I hit you that hard; I just wanted you to shut up talking shit about my family.” Elliott nervously eyed how Shayne was hugging his stomach. “What the hell happened, man?”

“Stomach pains,” Shayne gasped, bile still falling from his lips into the dirt by his feet. He was still only managing short, shallow breaths. “Demons. Not – ah – not so easy to banish.”

“I had no idea.” Elliott clasped a hand to Shayne’s shoulder. “I’d have gone easier on you if you’d told me you weren’t feeling a hundred percent. I definitely wouldn’t have gone for your stomach like that.”

“It’s fine,” Shayne winced, though he felt far from fine. It felt like his guts were trying to flip themselves inside-out. “I’ll get you – hmm – get you next time.”

Elliott laughed, and Shayne had to wonder if vampires could have souls after all.

[junker-town]

The 5 most fireable NFL coaches of this season

Jason Garrett’s days with the Cowboys are likely numbered after a disappointing 2019 season.

Whose seats are hottest after disappointing seasons? The answers ... probably won’t surprise you.

The NFL’s most embattled head coaches have just one week left to state their cases. Dec. 30 will be the last day of employment for most of the playcallers who wind up fired.

This year’s Black Monday may be a slower day than usual. While last year’s preferred firing day claimed six head coaches, some of this season’s least promising sideline generals have already earned support from team ownership. The Jets will keep Adam Gase around for year two. Matt Patricia’s done enough in his 3-11-1 season to oversee a third year in Detroit. Even Doug Marrone, now free from Tom Coughlin’s tyranny, could get another chance to restore the Jaguars to “not bad.”

Before we get to the list, let’s deviate from the way we’ve sorted these coaches in the past few weeks. Typically, “fireable” doesn’t mean a coach is necessarily going to be fired. It refers to how poorly those coaches performed in a given week and any recent trends working against them. For example, Frank Reich made last week’s list after the Colts allowed Drew Brees to have the most accurate game in NFL passing history. He’s not getting canned, but Reich’s team has failed to live up to its potential while coming off its fourth straight loss.

This time, in honor of the upcoming season finale, we’re looking at all-around resumes on top of what happened in Week 16. Let’s zero in on the five guys most likely to be looking for employment. That means coaches who probably deserve to be fired, but won’t (Gase, Patricia), escaped the final rankings. Secure coaches who brain farted their way to a loss on Sunday are safe as well ... until we come back to these rankings next fall.

So who’s on the chopping block after a trying 2019?

5. Dan Quinn, Falcons

Atlanta was 1-7 after Week 9, good enough to give Quinn the shortest odds of a midseason firing in the NFL. Since then, he’s gone 5-2, including wins over two of the NFC’s top teams (the Saints and 49ers). That hot streak added another victim Sunday when the Falcons dispatched a sputtering Jaguars squad.

It’s been a significant turnaround on both sides of the ball. The Falcons’ offense has become more efficient, while their defense has tightened up to create opportunities over the last seven weeks.

So what will team owner Arthur Blank do about his head coach? No one’s really quite sure!

Quinn has three factors working in his favor; the recent surge that shows off his ability to adapt, the continuity that comes with standing by a five-year veteran at the helm, and a locker room that, per a former Falcons’ public relations executive, still listens to, believes in, and respects him.

On a plane back to LA and just wrote this. I’m gonna share it bc a couple years back @ZachKleinWSB did something similar and this is my 2019 version to everyone who’s followed me over the years. I’m sure I’m gonna get a lot of great comments but I hope it gives you perspective pic.twitter.com/iCJ1zT3Et9

— Brian Cearns (@BKCearns) December 23, 2019

Quinn’s put in the work to keep his job over the back half of the season, even if 2019 will be remembers as a letdown for a talent roster. The question is whether his late-season progress will be too little, too late.

4. Doug Marrone, Jaguars

Will Marrone be held accountable for his team’s continued collapse from 2017’s lofty perch? Or will Tom Coughlin’s firing give him the leeway needed to earn another year in Jacksonville?

That’s the question owner Shad Khan will have to ask himself this week. Marrone got the Jags closer to the Super Bowl than all but one other coach in franchise history ... and that was Coughlin. The old-school disciplinarian oversaw a franchise that was responsible for one-quarter of the grievances filed by the NFL Players Association in the past year. He chased away talent like Jalen Ramsey (traded for two first-round picks) and had issues with Jaguars both former and current.

This limited what Marrone could do as a head coach, but Jacksonville’s issues go beyond mismanagement at the top. This year’s team has only been marginally more efficient through the air than it was in 2018 when Blake Bortles was playing his way out of Florida. Leonard Fournette’s stellar start to the season (791 yards, 4.9 yards per carry in his first eight games) has ground down to mediocrity without the threat of a high-impact passing game (361 yards, 3.5 YPC in the seven games since). A defense that had been a top-10 staple now ranks 29th in defensive efficiency, per DVOA.

Khan was mum on Marrone’s future after Week 15. That non-endorsement gave way to reports he’d be retained for one last go-round to see what he can do free of Coughlin’s influence.

From @NFLGameDay: There is a "good chance" #Jaguars coach Doug Marrone and GM Dave Caldwell return in 2020 following the firing of EVP Tom Coughlin, sources say... and Tony Khan could take on an increased role. pic.twitter.com/85Jw7YE4MX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2019

Marrone led the Jaguars within one quarter of Super Bowl 52. That bought him a redo after a disappointing 2018. Now he may get one more if Coughlin truly is the scapegoat he’s made out to be.

3. Pat Shurmur, Giants

Shurmur got what he needed from Daniel Jones Sunday: a historical five-touchdown performance and a win over Washington. Under his guidance, Saquon Barkley had the best day of his career and one of the most productive games of 2019 (279 total yards). So why is Shurmur back on the list despite a two-game winning streak?

Because ...

a) it came against Washington and

b) the Giants’ issues outside of their inconsistent offense may be too much for him to overcome.

New York gave up a 14-point fourth-quarter lead, allowing Case Keenum to go 99 yards on Washington’s final drive of regulation to tie the game at 35. While Jones was able to rectify that problem by leading his team to a game-winning touchdown, Week 16 failed to dispel the fatal flaws that could lead to Shurmur’s ousting after two years.

The Giants let Keenum and Dwayne Haskins — who left the game with an ankle injury — throw for three touchdowns and nearly eight yards per pass (a 125.1 passer rating). That undermanned defense has given up more points than all but three other teams. It also ranks 29th when it comes to opponent passing efficiency.

That’s all led to a 4-11 record lowlighted by a nine-game losing streak in the middle of the season. New York’s only wins have come against 3-12 Washington (twice), the 4-11 Dolphins, and the 7-8 Buccaneers.

On the plus side, Shurmur’s built camaraderie within the Giants’ locker room — he’s even got Jones and Eli Manning partying together in the dorkiest way possible — and appears to be every bit a players’ coach.

Shurmur on the Giants night of flip cup celebrations: “they’re grown men and they look after each other and they were celebrating a victory, they should have invited me!” *laughs*

— Madelyn Burke (@MadelynBurke) December 23, 2019

Though the team’s dream of adding Chase Young to its pass rush probably died with Week 16’s win, defensive help is still likely on the way. If the Giants believe they can patch up the blocking and secondary issues that have plagued them, Shurmur may get one more chance to prove he can turn Jones into a legitimate franchise quarterback.

Of course, owner John Mara could just look at his 9-22 record over the past two seasons and decide to gamble on a different quarterback whisperer instead.

2. Freddie Kitchens, Browns

Cleveland had the ball and a 6-0 lead at the two-minute warning in the second quarter against the Ravens. Kitchens found a way to turn that into a 14-6 halftime deficit.

Granted, some of that collapse was thanks to Lamar Jackson’s otherworldly play, but Kitchens did his offense few favors with too-cute playcalling and some regrettable clock management. His halfback pass on third-and-1 fooled nobody, and the fact it went for an 8-yard loss may have been the only thing that kept him from going for it on fourth down from his own 28.

Freddie Kitchens on the sequence at the end of the first half, throwing on third-and-10. (He also confirmed that the Hunt third-and-1 play the drive before was a halfback pass, and that they would’ve gone for it on fourth-and-short) pic.twitter.com/aiQ87JLdcm

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 22, 2019

The Ravens, out of timeouts, scored on the following drive. And they scored on the drive after that because three straight incompletions only ate up 18 seconds of game clock, effectively daring Jackson to burn them once more. It was another brutal gut-punch in a season full of them for the erstwhile AFC North favorites.

Confusing clock management is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kitchens’ problems. The first-year head coach’s promotion was predicated on his ability to turn Cleveland’s turgid offense into one of the league’s most dangerous units. He made Baker Mayfield look like a borderline MVP candidate after taking over as interim offensive coordinator. Then he took that team and added All-Pros Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt (for half a season).

And the Browns have gone from ranking 12th in the league in weighed DVOA in 2018 to 23rd in 2019.

Beckham, still fiercely committed to the team that freed him from New York last spring, took notice — one week after Jarvis Landry had a similarly public discussion with his head coach over playcalling.

I'm sure OBJ is fine pic.twitter.com/o7t8hywE0l

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) December 22, 2019

Kitchens is losing on the field and potentially losing in his own locker room. That all spells disaster for his hopes of returning for a year two. But maybe team owner John Dorsey will chalk this all up to rookie mistakes and give him the runway to learn from and fix those issues.

1 Jason Garrett, Cowboys

Garrett may have seen his last shot to keep his job march off the turf as the Eagles celebrated the 17-9 win that moved them to the top of the NFC East. The underachieving Cowboys, stuck in a feedback loop of botched calls and big, meaningless performances, dropped to 7-8 and out of the playoff picture.

That may signal the end of the Garrett era in Dallas. The 10-year veteran is staring down what could be only his second losing season as the Cowboys’ head coach, but the lingering sense he always could have done more will ultimately be his undoing. None of his teams embody that more than the 2019 edition.

Even though the Cowboys have all the talent of a contender, the combination of a tough schedule and a crippling inability to step up a big stage has dropped them to the periphery of the playoff race. By most metrics, Dallas should have clinched its division in a down year for the NFC East. It ranks first in the NFL in total yards, eighth in scoring, and eighth in yards allowed per play.

Advanced stats love the Cowboys. Not just DVOA. They're a top-ten team by DVOA, by @pfref SRS, by EPA. But the point of the game isn't to do well in advanced metrics. It's to win. And they didn't do that enough.

— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) December 23, 2019

Instead, Jerry Jones’ team needs to beat Washington and hope the Giants upset the Eagles in Week 17 just to sneak into the postseason. Sunday’s loss in Philly dropped Garrett to 2-6 against teams with winning records in 2019.

Dak Prescott’s breakthrough season — he ranks among the NFL’s top five in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and QBR — is about to go to waste on the worst team, by record, of his career. A defense that got its best-case scenario in terms of injury (only Leighton Vander Esch has missed more than four games this season among the team’s starters) held the Saints, Patriots, and Eagles to 17 points or fewer this season and lost all three of those games. It hasn’t been all roses for that unit, which ranks 20th in defensive efficiency, per DVOA, but it still has given the ‘Boys several opportunities to win big games.

The gap between potential and production in Dallas is sizable. There’s one man who’ll shoulder the blame for that disparity, and it’s the same guy who has come under fire each time the Cowboys make an early playoff exit or struggle down the stretch. Garrett can still save his job by carrying Dallas to a surprising postseason run, though he’ll need the stars to align.

And if he does, all signs point to the Cowboys blowing it. That’s what they’ve done throughout 2019.