#but losing championships to kevin /and/ having his right arm broken

[foxstens]

do you think some part of kevin realized that riko's life was effectively over as soon as andrew broke his arm

[kyleoreillylover]

Anger Management

Summary: Sami is sick and tired of you and Kevin's temper tantrums. He decides to do something about it.

pairings: Kevin Owens x Fem!Black!Reader x Sami Zayn

Warnings: Cursing, Fluff!!

word count: 3,651

tag list: @southerngirl41 @venusesworld @jeysbae @reci1996 @tbonesteakwithasideofmashngrav @hope4more @selena-tyler-564 @saintaquarius @whatdoeseverybodywant

a/n: I love zowens. they are so babygirl and have been my brain rot for so freaking long. Hope ya'll enjoy!

"And joining me are the Undisputed Tag Team Champions, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and the WWE Women's Champion, Y/N!"

You walked over to Byron with your best friends on either side of you, the three of you wearing a smile to the camera. Albiet, at least a forced smile on your face. You had too much shit on your plate and an interview was the least important thing on your list.

"Thank you for having us Byron." Sami sensed that something was bothering you and rested his elbow on your shoulder, his touch conveying comfort as Kevin wore a similar forced smile on his face. He knew the two of you were on the brink of snapping as you had over the past couple weeks, but he hoped he didn't have to call you out in front of the cameras.

"No problem. Now, I have to ask you guys, how are you feeling with the Bloodline implosion that happened and we all knew would happen." The fake smiles dropped from you and Kevin's faces ,replaced with scowls that could melt steel.

"Oh my god Byron! Who cares about the stupid Bloodline? Cause I don't care! Don't you get sick and tired of asking these stupid questions about the stupid Bloodline, cause I am!" Kevin quite literally screamed in your ears, his face already flushed red with the force of his frustration.

"Kevin, calm down," Sami said, placing a hand on his arm and attempting to diffuse the situation as the tension in the room escalated.

But you thought Kevin was right. These stupid interviewers should be asking questions about things that actually matter, like I don't know, your championships? 

"No, why should he calm down! Every time we're here, it's the same damn questions. 'How do you feel about the Bloodline? What are your thoughts about the new thing happening with the Bloodline?' It's like they don't care about anything else, even though we are the champions!" You glared at Byron, frustration boiling over as you vented your pent-up irritation.

"Y/N, calm down!" Sami was like a broken record, now grabbing your shoulder and trying to ease the rising tension.

"I-I'm sorry, I just asked because of the impact that the Bloodline has on the WWE since their inception-" Bryon's apologetic crap was cut off by Kevin, who was unable to contain his frustration any longer.

"Impact? Impact? You wanna talk about impact? How about the impact we've made as champions, huh? Y/N here is the Women's Champion, and Sami and I are the Undisputed Tag Team Champions! Doesn't that matter to you guys at all?"

"Yeah, doesn't that matter instead of this constant obsession with the Bloodline?" You  chimed in, huffing at the repetitive nature of the interview questions. Byron, visibly taken aback, attempted to salvage the interview.

"I-I apologize if it seemed that way. We just thought that given the recent events with the Bloodline, it'd be relevant to—" Byron stuttered, trying to justify his line of questioning.

"Both of you, calm down!" Sami's loud voice echoed in the room, finally making you and Kevin be quiet and stop losing your shit. He took a deep breath, looking at each of you with a calming yet worrisome gaze.

"Look, I didn't wanna talk about this in front of Byron." Your eyebrows furrowed and you exchanged confused glances with Kevin, unsure of what Sami was about to address.

"No no, don't hold back for Byron's sake. Say it." You urged Sami, expecting another defense of both your frustration.s

Sami let out a sigh, looking between you and Kevin. "Alright, fine. You guys have an anger problem."

"......."

"What?" both you and Kevin exclaimed simultaneously, your voices dripping with disbelief.

"Yeah, right!" Kevin snorted, shooting a disbelieving glance at Sami. "I don't have an anger problem. I just don't tolerate nonsense, especially when it comes from idiots."

"Exactly," you chimed in, crossing your arms. "I don't have an anger problem either. I'm just passionate and talk loudly, Sami. You know this!"

Sami shook his head, his voice calm but assertive. "Guys, come on. Remember last week, Y/N, when Shayna accidentally spilled water on you? You nearly went off the rails, ready to take her down."

"She did it on purpose!" you exclaimed defensively, crossing your arms.

"The janitor accidentally pushed her! You saw it!" Sami countered, frustration creeping into his tone.

Turning to Kevin, Sami continued, "And you, Kevin, remember when you nearly went after Vinci for simply walking past you?"

"That baldie shouldn't have been walking past me all smug!" Kevin defended, his agitation evident.

Sami shook his head, a mix of concern and exasperation on his face. "See, that's what I'm talking about. You both have a tendency to overreact to minor things."

"That's ridiculous!" you protested.

"Yeah, we're just passionate about what we do!" Kevin added, crossing his arms defiantly.

Sami sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, here's the deal. If you both can get through the rest of tonight without snapping at anybody or anything, I'll drop it. But if either of you loses your cool, you have to admit to me that you both have a problem."

You exchanged a glance with Kevin, both of you wearing expressions torn between determination and skepticism. You guys totally did not have a problem, and you were gonna prove Sami wrong.

"Y'know what, fine. This is gonna be so easy anyways, you know why Y/N?" Kevin asked, a smug smile on his face.

"I know why. Because we don't have an anger problem in the first place!!" You paused with a smug grin on your face as you caught sight of Sami's knowing expression, the challenge set before you. "Let's get through this night without a single outburst, and then we'll see who's right."

The evening progressed, and Sami remained by your sides, observing the situations with a subtle smirk, occasionally looking at his watch as if counting down to something. You and Kevin did your best to keep your composure, but as the night unfolded, it grew increasingly challenging.

The three of you were walking down the hallway, when a technician accidentally bumped into Kevin, spilling water on him. You and Sami looked at each other in bated breath, anticipating Kevin's reaction. Surprisingly, Kevin's jaw clenched, but he managed to keep his cool, wiping the water off his jacket and giving the tech a fake smile.

"Oh, and it's ice water! You hate being wet and cold!" Sami's words seemed to make Kevin's eye twitch as you grabbed a towel, handing it to Kevin. 

"Nah, it's all good! You're all good, dude." Kevin wiped the water off his shirt and forced a smile, much to the surprise of both you and Sami. You exchanged a glance with Sami, impressed by Kevin's composure.

 Riddle strolled up to the three of you, flashing his trademark grin. Internally, you groaned, knowing Matt's tendency to spark off conversations at the most inconvenient times. As expected, he turned his attention to you, his relaxed demeanor exuding a laid-back vibe.

"Hey there, champs! Y/N, you're looking absolutely fabulous tonight. How about after the show, we grab some pizza and talk about the universe, man?" Ride flashed a grin in your direction, his relaxed and carefree attitude making your nerves jump.

"Umm, I'm good, Riddle." You tried to give Riddle the hint that you didnt wanna talk to him, but he didn't seem to catch it.

"Bro, c'mon, we can hang out, chill, and vibe together. It'll be totally awesome!" Matt continued, undeterred by your attempts to politely decline his offer.

"I'm really good, Riddle." You tried to signal your discomfort, but Riddle's obliviousness persisted.

"And then we can just kick it, grab a slice, and-" You cut Matt off mid-sentence, unable to take it anymore.

"Riddle, shut your mouth before I-" , Before you could say more, you glanced at Sami's expression, your words faltered mid-sentence. Panic flashed across your face as you realized what you were about to say.His raised eyebrow and warning look stopped you in your tracks. God, the hold this man has on you.

"I, uh, mean, shut up! I was just thinking of grabbing a bite with Kevin and Sami, thanks but, uh, never mind," you stumbled, trying to salvage the situation. Matt, oblivious to the tension, simply chuckled and shrugged, sauntering away in his usual carefree manner.

Sami looked at you with an amused yet knowing expression, clearly enjoying the struggle you were facing to keep your cool. "Smooth recovery there, Habibti. Real smooth."

You rolled your eyes as Kevin patted your shoulder, reassuringly. "You did the best you could with Riddle. That man does not know when to shut up." At Sami's look, Kevin shot his arms out and said defensively,

"Hey, it's true!"

Then, when you were busy doing your makeup backstage, Sami and Kevin sitting with you gossiping with themselves, Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser walked in, their smug expressions instantly causing a change in the atmosphere. You continued to focus on your makeup, hoping they'd leave without any confrontation. But that was just wishful thinking.

“Well well well, look who it is, Vinci sneered, glancing at Sami and Kevin before his eyes fixed on you. "The so-called champions, huh? How's it feel knowing that your reign is coming to an end soon?"

You clenched your jaw, internally cursing their timing. Sami linked both his hands with yours and Kevins, leaning closer as if trying to create a barrier between you and the duo. “To what do we owe this pleasure, Vinci?" Sami replied, trying to maintain a composed tone, though a hint of annoyance slipped through.

Vinci and Ludwig exchanged smug glances before Vinci continued, "Oh, just thought we'd remind you lads and the pretty lady here," Vinci smirked, his gaze lingering on you, "that our time is coming. The Undisputed Tag Team Championships are practically ours for the taking."

“Pretty lady?” Kevin muttered under his breath in disbelief, face scrunching up at the thought of someone like them flirting with you in front of him.

"You two again," You grumbled, visibly frustrated but trying your best to keep your mouth shut.

Vinci chuckled, clearly enjoying getting under your skin. “Oh, that reminds me, I got you a gift, darling.”

Kevin’s eye twitched when Vinci brought his arm out from behind his back and presented you flowers with a mocking smile, his tone dripping with condescension.

“A little something for the lady, you know, before I take your championships and her too."

You clicked your tongue sarcastically, refusing to take the flowers. “I’m good, baldie.”

Sami’s eyes darted between Vinci, Ludwig, you, and Kevin, sensing the tension thickening in the room. He moved swiftly, stepping closer to you and placing a hand gently on your shoulder, attempting to stop the escalating situation.

"Vinci, enough. Take your gifts and your talk somewhere else," Sami interjected, his voice firm trying to steer the conversation away from an inevitable explosion.

But Vinci persisted, pushing them closer to you. "Come on, don't be rude. A lady always accepts a gift."

That was the final straw. Kevin's patience snapped like a stretched rubber band. No one talks to you like that. He lunged forward, snatching the flowers from Vinci's hand. With a glare burning with fury, he threw the flowers onto the ground, stomping on them without any remorse.

“You wanna know how she feels about you? This is how she feels about you!” Kevin stomped on the flowers, his voice raised with anger as he directed his fury at Vinci. “This is how we all feel about you!”

Sami immediately stepped in between Kevin and Vinci, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated further. "Kevin, stop!"

But Kevin was seething, his chest heaving with anger. “No! I’m sick of these guys! I just wanna punch them in the face! So you know what?” Kevin grabbed his titles, pointing a finger in Vinci’s shocked face. “I am gonna punch you in the face! Me you, in that ring, right now!” Kevin left angrily, huffing and puffing. You and Sami watched in disbelief as Kevin stormed off, his frustration palpable, taking your titles and chasing after him.

At least Kevin waited until the bell rang to unleash his rage. This didn’t count, right?

As the night wore on, you both managed to navigate through various situations that tested your patience. However, the ultimate test came when Rhea, your long-time rival, interrupted you and your best friends promo in the ring.

Everyone knows you hate being interrupted!! She made her way to the ring with a smirk on her face, and her presence alone was enough to spike your blood pressure.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the overrated Women's Champion and her two sidekicks," Rhea sneered, eyeing you with disdain before turning her attention to Kevin and Sami. "And you two, still sticking around with her? Pathetic."

You bit your fist, and it was almost comical the way you were trying so hard to hold your frustration and anger bubbling beneath the surface at Rhea's derogatory remarks back. You exchanged a tense glance with Kevin, who clenched his fists but managed to maintain his composure. Sami stood between you and Rhea, sensing the rising tension.

"Rhea, there's no need for this," Sami interjected, attempting to defuse the situation.

"No need for what? To state the truth?" Rhea shot back, her words laced with venom. "It's quite clear, isn't it? Y/N here is a paper champion, and you two," she gestured dismissively at Kevin and Sami, "are just carrying dead weight. Champions? Ha!"

You struggled to keep your cool, your fists tightening at your sides. Sami shot you a warning look, silently urging you to maintain control. You tried to hold back the boiling rage at Rhea's words, but you were barely hanging on. Rhea got in your face at your lack of a response, smirking smugly, her words laced with malice.

"You know, you're just proving everyone right by staying silent. Can't handle the truth, can you?" Rhea taunted, her voice dripping with condescension.

"Shut up, Rhea." She ignored you, smiling devilishly. 

"You are nothing but a fake champion."

"Shut up Rhea."

"You and your boys are nothing but a joke."  Rhea's voice raised an octave, emphasizing each word with deliberate malice.

That was it. The last straw. No one talks about your boys without getting their ass kicked.

 In a split second, without thinking, your hand swung, delivering a resounding slap across Rhea's face. Rhea quickly punched you in retaliation, causing chaos to erupt in the ring as Kevin and Sami tried to separate the two of you, but it was like trying to separate wild animals.

Hair pulling, name-calling, and nail scratching ensued before Sami and Kevin latched both your arms and finally grabbed you, dragging you out of the ring as security rushed in to separate the brawl between you and Rhea. The backstage area was a frenzy of commotion as Sami and Kevin struggled to restrain your boiling anger. 

"Let me go! She had it coming!" you shouted, struggling against their grasp, your rage still uncontainable.

"Y/N, stop it!" Sami's voice was firm, but there was a hint of concern. "This is exactly what I was talking about."

"I don't have an anger problem! She insulted us!" you retorted, trying to break free.

The security guards stepped in, helping to separate the chaos. Rhea was being escorted in another direction, both of you yelling insults and threats back and forth.

"You psycho bitch!" Rhea screamed at you as she was being escorted away.

"Takes one to know one, bitch!" You yelled back, trying to break free of Sami and Kevins' grip, but they literally dragged you out of the arena, the camera capturing the chaotic scene as the broadcast switched to another segment.

They finally let go of you once you were outside, breathing heavily, seething with frustration, and the adrenaline still pumping through your veins.

"I can't believe she said those things about us! She had it coming," you muttered angrily, pacing back and forth. Kevin was equally as angry for you, pacing with you, and Sami just about had enough. 

Sami sighed, rubbing his temples, clearly disappointed but not surprised by the outcome. "Y/N, that's exactly what I was afraid of. We need to talk about this."

"Talk about what? I defended us!" Your voice raised defensively, refusing to accept the possibility of having an anger issue.

"Y/N, you lost control. And so did Kevin, with Imperium. We can't keep denying this," Sami explained, his tone firm yet understanding.

Kevin crossed his arms, looking away with a stubborn expression. "I don't have an anger issue. That was just... Imperium being Imperium."

"Guys, come on," Sami pleaded, trying to reason with both of you.  "It took you both one night to prove my point."

Sami's expression was a mix of disappointment and concern. "Y/N, Kevin, this is what I was afraid of. You both need to admit that this is a problem."

"No! She insulted us! She had it coming!" you protested, grabbing Sami's hand and  trying to make him see reason. 

"Yeah, you know how annoying she can be, Sami. You can't expect us to just stand there and take it!" Kevin interjected, his frustration evident in his tone.

"Guys, this isn't about her. It's about us," Sami said firmly, trying to make you both understand. He squeezed your hand, his thumb gently rubbing your knuckles in an attempt to soothe your agitation.

"Look, I understand why you both reacted the way you did. But it's not about just this one incident. It's a pattern. We've had multiple instances where both of you have almost crossed the line," Sami explained, his voice filled with concern.

You sighed, feeling the weight of Sami's words sinking in. "I just... I hate when someone talks trash about us. I can't help but react."

"I get it, habibti. I really do." Sami put his arm around your shoulders, trying to comfort you. "But we need to find a way to handle situations like these without losing control. And the same goes for you, Kevin."

Kevin sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Fine. Maybe... maybe I overreacted a little."

Sami let out a little smile, it wasn't often the two of you admitted any fault.  "That's a start, Kev." He brought him into a tight hug, rubbing soothing circles into his back as a silent thank you for his admission  before turning to you, his expression softening. "Y/N, what about you?"

You sighed, not wanting to admit it but knowing deep down that Sami was right. Sami sensed your hesitation and gave you a tight but relaxing hug that left you momentarily speechless. When he pulled away, he looked at you with a gentle yet firm expression, waiting for your response.

"I... maybe I did overreact," you admitted, reluctantly conceding to Sami's observation. "But she was out of line."

Sami nodded understandingly, a small smile making its way onto his cute face at the way you were trying to come to terms with it. "I know she was, habibti. But that's what she wants. She wants to get under your skin, and when you react, she wins."

Sami paused, his eyes meeting yours, his gaze gentle yet firm. "I know you are protective of us, and I love you for that. But I don't want it to be at the cost of your well being. And my ears can't take any more screaming."

You chuckled at his attempt to lighten the mood. "Okay, okay," you relented, leaning into Sami's embrace. "Next time I'll just think of ripping of the face of whoever annoys me instead of actually doing it."

"That's all I'm asking for," Sami giggled, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek. He then turned to Kevin, who stood there with a thoughtful expression.

"Kevin?" Sami's tone was encouraging, yet serious, awaiting Kevin's response.

Kevin scratched the back of his neck, his expression softening. "Yeah, alright. I'll work on it too." Sami smiled at him and leaned down to give him a platonic kiss on the cheek as well,, Kevin's anger melting away with every touch.

There was a peaceful silence until you and Kevin exchanged a glance, both of you having the same train of thought.

"But what if Rhea-"

"No."

"But what if Vinci tries to-"

"No."

"But what if-"

"No buts, guys!" Sami stopped your questions, laughing at your predictability. "Nothing is gonna happen tonight and if it does, we'll handle it together, calmly." Sami emphasized the last part, looking between the two of you with a serious look, as if daring you to object.

Kevin and you exchanged a knowing look, both of you thinking how this adorable puppy dog of a man could scare you more than any opponent in the ring when he's serious. You nodded in unison, accepting Sami's terms, knowing he wouldn't allow anything else.

Sami beamed, pleased that you both agreed. "Thank you. Now, if the two of you don't fight in the car, we can get Waffle House on the way back. Deal?"

"Deal!" You and Kevin chorused, sharing a smile at the thought of enjoying some delicious waffles after the intense night. You linked your arms with Sami and Kevin, walking to the rental car, ready to put the night behind and embrace the comfort of waffles and each other's company.

The two of you knew you'd have to eventually work on your anger, but you ignored that with the promise of delicious waffles in store for you tonight. (And maybe you'd break your promise to Sami by fighting over the bill, but that was future you's problems).

[simonsrosebud]

What’s the first fight like? What’s it over?

the first time they fight it’s because of exy.  go figure.

it’s championship season (reminder: kevin is in his 4/5 yr), and they’ve managed to get just as far as last year.  except their opponents know what they’re facing now, and they’ve got four troublemaker freshmen who have never gotten this far.

which means night practices start up again for the first time since last year.

which also means kevin hasn’t seen dalton in a week.  and dalton is annoyed about it.

so, when he’s finally invited to the suite one night he’s excited.  “forget about me?”  he kisses kevin into the mattress, and when he goes to tease him some more kevin shushes him with a laugh and kisses him.

“shut up, stud.  only got your lips until ten.”

what?

dalton pulls off.  “what’d you mean?”

kevin isn't fazed.  “we’ve got night practice.  don’t have time to waste.”  dalton doesn’t let him get another kiss in.  “what?”

he falls to kevin’s side and sits up.  “did you really invite me over for forty minutes just to go off and play more exy after?”  kevin looks caught on words.  “i haven’t seen you in seven days, kevin.  at all.  we’ve only talked twice.”

“i’m sorry, but it’s finals and we’ve got to step it up even more than last year.  i’ve been a little more busy.”

dalton rolls his head around.  “no, i know that- i get that.  but-but we haven’t seen each other in a week so i figured you’d wanna see me for more than forty minutes.”

kevin sits up.  “i do.”

“so do it.”

“i can’t just skip practice.”

“i know.  but i also know that these night practices aren't mandatory.  because you told me so.”

kevin is getting annoyed.  dalton can tell because his nose twitches.  “i can’t.  i can't just skip out on exy when it’s my whole future.”

“your whole future?  the one that’s only a year away?”  kevin nods like its obvious, and dalton scoffs.  “what about me?  do i not make it that far?  it’s okay to skip out on your boyfriend?”

“i didn’t say that.”

dalton stands.  “i know how much exy means to you, but you have more in your life than that.  you need to balance them, or you’ll lose one.”  and after a moment.  “skip practice, kevin.”  he’s testing him.

kevin stammers.  “i can’t.”

dalton takes a breath.  “okay,” he says.  “um, guess you lost one, then.”  and snags his hoodie from the floor before fleeing the room.

kevin falls back against the bed and presses the balls of his palms into his eyes.  “fuck me.”

andrew leans into the doorway a second later.  “you’re a fucking idiot.”

“shut the fuck up.”

dalton passes dan on her way to matt’s room, and she smiles.  “hey!  finally stealing kevin away?”

he doesn’t even stop on his way to the stairs.  “i gotta go, i’m-i’m sorry.”

and when he gets to his car he presses his forehead against the steering wheel.  he tries not to let his eyes water.  did they just break up?

kevin, meanwhile, tries not to let it bother him, but he doesn’t even want to move.  neil’s the one, surprisingly, who pulls him off of his bed.  “the fuck?!”

“did you just break up with him?”

kevin’s chest tightens.  “i think he might have broken up with me.”

andrew’s there, too.  “he did.”

“why?  because you haven’t seen him all week?”

"because he only invited him over for a fuck before practice.”

“i didn’t mean it like that!”

“doesn’t matter.  he’s right, you’re wrong.  deal with it, or suffer alone for the rest of your life.”  kevin gawks, and andrew raises a brow.  he never likes when andrew gets involved.  “oh i’m sorry.  correct me if i’m wrong, but he’s the only person who has ever kissed your wounds and helped your mentally fucked state just by existing.  did i ever tell you about putting a knife to his chest at the banquet?”

“what?!”

“he pushed me away and claimed i wouldn’t push you two around, which is more than any of you have ever done.  you think you’ll find someone else to do that?”

kevin ends up texting dan.  not coming tn

okay.  dalton left in a rush?

personal

alright 

andrew refuses to drive kevin to dalton’s on the account of he fucked up and deserves to walk it out.  which is why it takes him twenty minutes before he’s knocking on dalton’s door.  he has a key, but it feels wrong to use it.

he doesn’t answer.  kevin knocks again.  “come on, dalton!  i know you’re home, your car’s outside!”

nothing.  “i’m sorry!  i fucked up!”

he hears a neighbor from down the hall.  “shut up, man!” and ignores it.

“dalton please.”  kevin presses his forehead against the door.  “i want you to make it all the way.” is he making sense right now?

the door opens, but he doesn’t let him in yet.  “you were a dick.”

“i know.  and i’ll probably be an idiot in the future, too, but i don’t want to lose you because of it.”

dalton looks drained.  he probably is.  “you... i know exy has been all you know, but kev, you gotta learn to balance it all.  i’ll help you, too, but i can’t just go a week without seeing you when you live ten minutes away.”

“what happens when i go to the pros?”

dalton shakes his head.  “different story.  we’ll get there when we get there.”  he wraps his arms around kevin, and kevin pulls him closer.

“i’m sorry.”

“i know.”

“i love you.”

“i love you, too.”

“you know if you ever straight up forced me to take a break i’d do it, right?”

dalton nods.  “yeah.  come on.”  he pulls him backwards.  “can we continue where we left off?”

[the-minyard-twins]

Andreil Fic Rec

I’ve always wanted to do a fic rec so here we are! I’ve read a lot of Andreil recently and these are my top 28 favorite Andreil and AFTG fics

1. Trust Fall (And Welcoming Arms) by SpangleBangle

85k | Explicit

Life goes on after the Foxes win the championship, and for Andrew and Neil it’s uncharted territory with only each other for guides. Maybe it’s time to put away some of those hard edges, and learn how to touch more softly, and speak more honestly. And if they falter, they have their family to help them get back on their feet.

2. Learning To Feel (When You’ve Forgotten How) by thegirlwiththeprettybrowneyes

43k | Teen | No Proust AU

On the night before his first day of therapy at Easthaven, Andrew blows out his legs and decides he isn’t going to bury his feelings anymore, consequences be damned. In return, he gets a schedule change, and a very strange new therapist. /////// “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t blow you,” Andrew finished, looking anywhere but at Neil’s face. Neil looked like he had just realized the sky was blue. “You like me,” Andrew sighed. “Yeah,” he said, resigned “Yeah, Neil, I like you,” /////// No Proust AU

3. Broken by Jeni182

34k | Explicit

Andrew attempts suicide and he and Neil try to navigate his recovery and healing together.

4. Waves by Jeni182 (sequel to Broken)

94k | Explicit

Broken Part II - Neil and Andrew try to navigate life post Andrew’s suicide attempt now that he’s in Denver and Neil’s in his last year at PSU.

5. Funky Happenings with the Fox Family by dobbypussypopper

29k | Teen | text!fic

naughtygayweedcrime: did I rlly just see neil say woke

naughtygayweedcrime: what a surreal timeline we live in

dumbfool: allison is trying to teach me how to meme so I can get hip

naughtygayweedcrime: bless your poor soul

davidwymack: sometimes I regret living

davidwymack has muted exyllent, damnwilds, + 7 others for 30 minutes

6. Something in Return by reaching _my_summit

31k | Mature

“Andrew Minyard, how will you celebrate winning your final college Exy championship?”

“I’m going to Disney World,” Andrew deadpans.

- - -

Andrew’s final year at Palmetto State comes to a close. His future is upon him and there are plans to be made. Years ago, Neil asked Andrew to stop smoking in exchange for something. Andrew finally knows what he wants in return.

7. The Unloved Kids by AlrightDarlin

35k | Not Rated

“I intend to treat them the same. I need strong athletes, not toddlers,” Wymack starts, but sits back with a sigh, running a hand over his face. “But hypothetically, if I had to look after a bunch of toddlers on the weekends…”

Betsy’s eyes crinkle with her smile. “Are you asking advice?”

“They’re screwed up enough,” Wymack says, “I’m not trying to make it worse.”

(David Wymack takes his little nightmares and does his best to corral them and love them within an inch of their lives. He can’t change what happened to them, but he can be there for them now.)

8. Turn it Off by elawless

10k | Mature

“It hurts…so much…too…much” He choked out between breaths. “I want to let go so…bad. I am so close”. He lifted his head to look at Andrew and saw no blue in his eyes and believed Andrew was real, but the rest of the pain was. It was just enough for him to trust Andrew with what he would say next.

“Stay. Give me Neil back. Don’t leave.” Andrew could no longer cover all of his desperation, his voice seemed to crack on the last word.

“Just let me turn it off. Just for today. Neil will come back. Bring him back, for the both of you.”

9. VW Actually Means “Very Weird” by exyjunkies

15k | Gen

If it was just going to be the two of us, then why bring the Volkswagen?

So that if I end up murdering you on this road trip, I’ll have enough space for clean-up.

Neil and Andrew take on the Pacific Coast Highway over the span of two and a half weeks, with a surprise for one of them at the very end.

10. Puzzle Pieces by Nikotheamazingspoonklepto

59k | Explicit | Series

Neil’s life is a puzzle, the people in it are the pieces that give everything meaning. Together they make a picture of happiness.

11. diet mountain dew by reaching_my_summit

2k | Teen

neil thinks andrew is very pretty. he tells andrew exactly that.

12. For Science by ClockworkDragon, DeyaAmaya

8k | Explicit

“Here’s what I propose: we’ll play a game, and I’ll even let you pick which one, but we’re going to set some stakes. I’m not going to let you talk big and walk away free of punishment if you lose.” Without hesitating, Kevin asked, “Fine, I choose Trivial Pursuit. What are the stakes?” Allison put a finger to her lips and tilted her head, as if she was actually thinking of a response and didn’t plan this whole thing days ago. “Hmm, did you know the spirit store recently added fox themed thigh-high socks to their stock? They’ve become quite popular amongst cheerleaders.” This statement seemed to throw Kevin off because he just stared blankly at Allison until she continued. Andrew was not, however, an idiot. He could see where this was going. “How about whoever loses has to wear the socks for an entire school day; including morning and evening practices?” “Holy shit,” Nicky whispered. “You are one devious bitch.” Allison winked.

13. ain’t no rest for the wicked by dearhappy

8k | Teen | Lucifer!AU

“You really expect me to believe that?“ Neil asks, "Especially when his girlfriend said that he’d always been worried about what you’d ask for in return, and that he called you the Devil.”

“I don’t lie,” Andrew says simply. “You can think whatever you want.”

“Why was he so worried if that was all it was?”

“He made a deal with the Devil,” Andrew says, “Tell me you wouldn’t be worried about that.”

14. Not Damsels, not Knights by my_unlikely_hero

93k | Mature

Neil is not a damsel, Andrew is not a knight, Riko is not a dragon. Nobody gets saved. Not really.

Or: Riko goes too far, and Neil is left in pieces.

15. The Continuing Adventures of the Nine-Nine by gluupor

48k | Gen | Series | Brooklyn 99!AU

A series of short, ridiculous, mostly plotless stories featuring the Foxes as the cops of the Ninety-Ninth Precinct.

16.  Not Only You and Me by orphan_account (part of a series)

18k | Explicit | Porn!AU

Andrew, Neil and Kevin film Foxy’s first gay threesome porn scene.

Cue the feelings.

17. High School Science by fuzzballsheltipants

30k | Teen/Explicit (parts 1-3 are Teen and part 4 is Explicit) | Series 

High School!AU

18. False Equivalence by sunrise_and_death

22k | Teen

Some part of her had known it would come back to Neil. He was the one who had cracked the twins the first time. Of anyone, he was the most likely to have a solution for this as well.

Although the events of the previous year resolved a lot of issues, Katelyn quickly discovers that not every problem has been addressed. As she attempts to map a future in which Aaron has both her and his family, she finds herself once again working with Neil Josten—to unexpected results.

19. trans andrew by aceaaronminyard, autisitcandrewminyard

30k | Explicit | trans!Andrew

a fanfic series for a tfc au where andrew minyard wasn’t registered into the system as andrew doe but as erin doe.

mostly set post-tkm. mostly porn.

20. Advice and Amusement by Autumnalhogwarts

11k | Teen

After a series of failed attempts to woo Renee, Allison turns to Andrew for help. As Renee’s best guy friend he’s in a unique position to offer advice. However, that doesn’t mean he’ll be willing to.

21. Kidnapped by Shell_Writes

21k | Explicit

Neil and Aaron get kidnapped by four deranged men while the team is on a camping trip. shit happens and they have to escape this horror house. together.

22. Return of Dad!Mack by SensationalSunburst

14k | Gen | Series

Dad!Wymack & Mom!Abby

23. For He’s A Jolly Good Felon by gluupor

4k | Teen | Felon!Neil

What’s a guy to do when he’s forced to go to his conservative, homophobic aunt and uncle’s for Thanksgiving dinner?

Why, invite along his ex-con, tattooed, argumentative roommate as his fake boyfriend, of course.

24. make my heart shake (bend and break) by WaifsandStrays

4k | Explicit

Aaron develops a fascination with Kevin’s dick, has a sexuality crisis and feelings and fails to process any of it.

25. Across the Water by transandrewminyard

13k | Teen | trans!Andreil

Perhaps several years too late, or maybe right on time, Neil Josten runs away from home and tries to dream a new life for himself. How poetic that his first night out on his own would deliver him to a stranger who seems to understand everything he’s been through, and then some?

26. Prompt: Andrew and Neil get to babysit Sophie by orphan_account

14k | Mature | part of a series

What it says on the tin, basically.

Aaron and Matt leave for a few days and ask Andrew and Neil to babysit Sophie. Baby-sized exy is involved. Also lots and lots of angst. But there is a happy ending!

27. Salt Bros and Roller Derby Vixens by moonix

14k | Teen | Series

Roller Derby!AU

28. Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by priorwalter

12k | Teen | Felon!Neil, Author!Andrew

“So,” Neil asks as he washes his paint-covered hands in the kitchen sink, “Christmas.”

Andrew glares and says nothing. This year, Neil and Andrew are spending Christmas with Andrew’s brother, Aaron Minyard. Aaron Minyard, Andrew’s twin whose existence was unknown to him until two months previous. Aaron Minyard, an orthopedic surgeon with a wife (an oncologist, naturally) and two daughters. Aaron Minyard, who grew up with a mother that chose him.

**

Andrew Doe has survived until age twenty-nine without any biological family, and his life turned out pretty good, considering all of the reasons it shouldn’t have. At age twenty-nine, Andrew’s book becomes a bestseller and leads his long-lost twin brother to him. Familial drama ensues.

[hazyheel]

WWE Stomping Grounds 2019 Review

Unfortunately, the Cruiserweight Championship match was thrown onto the pre-show. It was Tony Nese defending against Drew Gulak and Akira Tozawa. They were all immediately attacking one another. There was a cool moment when Gulak went to break up a sort of rollup from Nese to Tozawa, only for Nese to then German suplex Gulak and try to pin them both. On the outside right after, Nese nailed Gulak with a superkick, only for Tozawa to hit a suicide dive to Nese, and then a huge canonball off the apron to Gulak. Gulak later gave Tozawa a snap suplex onto Nese, who was hanging over the top rope. During a sequence where Gulak had the gulock locked in, Tozawa broke it up with a top rope senton to both of them. Almost every pinfall in this match was broken up rather than kicked out of, which created an exciting atmosphere for the match. There was an awesome sequence where Gulak went for a powerbomb, but Nese countered into a deadeye-style package piledriver, but Tozawa still broke it up. Nese was even able to drill Gulak with a running Nese, only for Tozawa to run in for a bit of a battle, culiminating in a powerbomb from Nese for a near fall as well. Nese was on the apron when Tozawa dropkicked him off, which allowed Gulak to get Tozawa in a torture rack neckbreaker for the win.

Grade: A-. Yeah, this should’ve been on the main card. This was a great match that was all action. They did everything they could to keep things going at a thousand miles an hour, and this should be the start of a reign of terror for Gulak on 205 Live. They just didn’t stop running and it was so so good. I thought that this would be a great match, and the cruiserweights did not disappoint. That package piledriver in particular shocked me to my core, I definitely didn’t see that coming. Funny that the match of the night came on the pre show, it’s almost like the cruiserweights are some of the most talented people on the roster. 

The main card started with the Raw Women’s Championship match, Becky Lynch vs. Lacy Evans. Lacy came out wearing a much shinier version of her ring gear than normal, and she also came out second, which is dumb. Becky was trash talking ring from the beginning. Lynch was attacking non stop in the beginning, not giving Evans any room to breathe. At one point, Lynch caught a boot from Evans, and then walked her around a bit, which was funny. Lynch was also pretty loudly calling spots, and they both botched a back kick out of the corner early on, so this was a bit shaky in the opening minutes. Evans was also given a bunch of chants, from “you can’t wrestle” to “Lacy sucks.” Evans was working the ribs over quite a bit during this match, although it was not clear why. Lynch had a nice spot, where she countered out of some move on the top rope into an arm drag takedown into a cross arm breaker. At one point, Evans wiped sweat off of her, and threw the rag in Becky���s face, only for Becky to later shove it in her mouth. That was a nice spot, but it got very little fanfare. Eventually, Becky was able to get the win, pulling Evans off the top rope, and then locking in the disarmer. Evans immediately tapped out to it too.

Grade: D. Boy this one sucked. I think it is clear that they either do not have chemistry together, or Lacy sucks. I don’t think Lacy sucks, she is just rough around the edges. I am glad she didn’t win here. But yeah, this was full of botches and Lacy looked really gassed. Not a good opener at all.

Then we had some weird ass dramatic video package about Mustafa Ali being the protector of the streets or something. Just by being around. I get that this was kinda like his 205 Live character, but he didn’t go around stopping muggings or anything. So that was weird.

Backstage, we had an interview with Paul Heyman. He was asked if Brock would cash in, and he just gave a complicated maybe. Charly then interviewed Baron Corbin, who said that he chose his referee. He also told Charly that if she kept hanging around his lockerroom, then he would think that she is there for more than an interview, which was very very rapey.

Then we had Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. BIg E and Xavier Woods of the New Day. We started with Woods and Owens, who immediately superkicked Big E off the apron, and then gave Woods 3 and a swanton bomb for a near fall. Owens even hit a big splash for a near fall, and the heels had a distinct advantage from the start. They let up the excitement a bit as they continued the match, but Zayn and Owens taunted Big E on the apron, allowing them to continue to bend the rules. Big E had a nice hot tag, delivering a bunch of suplexes. Woods was selling his back quite a bit, hurting it more when he lifted up Big E for a splash off his shoulders. New Day when for the midnight hour, but Zayn wiggled out and nailed Woods with a kick to the face as he came off the top rope. Zayn then nailed Woods with the helluva kick, and threw him into a pop up powerbomb, but Big E broke it up. They had a little big move fest that left everyone on the mat. As Zayn and Woods brawled on the apron, Big E speared Zayn through the ropes and took them both out. Woods went up top, but Owens pulled him off an hit a stunner for the win.

Grade: B. I was pleasantly surprised by this, it was a pretty good match. I liked the psychology of Woods and Zayn, annoying the man on the apron over and over to keep the advantage. The closing stretch was really good, and it made me want to see Zayn and Owens in the tag division. I like them winning, as they really needed it.

Backstage, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross discussed the upcoming title match. Bliss continued to manipulate Cross, saying that she felt guilty for not winning the tag team titles. Nikki was totally on Bliss’s side, and Bliss told her that even though against Bayley, its usually her against the world, tonight it is “us against the world.” That was cute, but it sucks that Bliss is a secret heel. 

Then we had Ricochet vs. Samoa Joe for the United States Championship. Ricochet botched his pose during his entrance, losing his balance a bit and falling on his face, but he looked fine. Ricochet had the advantage early on with some quick strikes, while Joe used a combination of strikes and power moves to assault Ricochet. Whenever Joe was in the advantage, he looked utterly dominant, probably because Ricochet is excellent at selling. Joe hit an awesome move that I had never seen before, where he powerbombed Ricochet as he held the ropes and wouldn’t let go. I guess that is one way to wear down a babyface. Ricochet had an interesting counter to the Coquina clutch, as he jumped out over the top rope, and hang him up over the top. He then went for the 630 senton, but Joe dodged so he landed on his feet. Joe then nailed him with a lariat, but Ricochet landed on his feet and hit Joe with the codebreaker and a 630 senton to win the United States Championship. 

A bunch of people were waiting behind the curtain to congratulate him, such as Charlotte for some reason. One of them was Triple H, which was sweet. 

Grade: B. Another good match. It told a basic story of an underdog babyface, which was only amplified by Joe’s ferocity and scariness, as well as Ricochet’s uncanny ability to ragdoll himself around. I don’t think this was the best that they could do, but it was a perfectly good match, especially for one that was pretty one sided in Joe’s favor. I was pleasantly surprised to see Ricochet get the win, he should be a really good champion. He deserves it. 

We went right into the Smackdown Tag Team Championship match, Heavy Machinery vs. The Planet’s Tag Team Champions. Otis and Bryan started the match, with Bryan targetting Otis’s legs with quick kicks. Heavy Machinery had a lot of boos given that they were in Bryan’s home town, as Corey Graves kept calling Otis fat on commentary. As Rowan was tagged in finally, the crowd broke into chants of “please recycle.�� At one point, as Bryan was giving Otis the corner dropkicks, Otis caught him into a sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Bryan then gave Otis a whole bunch of Yes kicks to the chest, only for them to hype up Otis for a leg trap suplex. At another point, Tucker even went for a moonsault, but crashed and burned. As Rowan and Otis entered the ring together for a huge face off, and they started body slamming each other as hard as they could. Bryan got a blind tag as Otis went for a slam on Rowan. Heavy Machinery didn’t notice, and went for the compactor, but Bryan low bridged Tucker. Bryan then nailed Otis with a flying knee, and went to give Tucker a suicide dive, but Tucker nailed him as he hit the ropes. He then took out Rowan on the outside, only to get trapped in a small package by Bryan for the win.

Grade: B+. Another shockingly good match. They had a lot of chemistry, and I don’t even think that this was the best that they could do. There was a lot of sillyness, but a lot of Heavy Machinery proving themselves as a tag team. Lots of back and forth and striking, and another really good closing stretch. The finish was decisive and clean, but enough for a rematch at Extreme Rules. If you didn’t think Heavy Machinery were ready for a title run before, you do now.

Then we had Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. The loyal Nikki Cross was out for Bliss at ringside. Bayley just had hate in her eyes as she layed into Alexa, and they were brawling a bit to open up the match. The crowd was pretty dead during this match, which definitely left a feeling. Bliss mostly targetted the arm during the match, which would make hitting the Macho Man elbow that she had been using as a finisher. At one point, Bayley gave bliss a sunset flip into the turnbuckle, and she rolled to the outside. Cross was checking on her, and Bayley went for a suicide dive, only for Bliss to push Cross in front of her, so Bayley nailed Cross. Bliss then gave Bayley a code red on the outside, and went for twisted bliss. However, Cross ran into the ring to get revenge, distracting the ref and bliss, stalling the move a second, that allowed Bayley to get the knees up when Bliss went for the finish. Bayley then hit the Bayley to belly for the win.

Grade: C. A shocking way for Cross to get involved, screwing Bliss. But I think this was the right call for now. I could see this progressing into a triple threat at some point. This was a decent match with some good moves, but stayed in first gear the entire time, and no one cared about it at all. But they deserve more than that, this match was fine but really nothing more than that. I am interested to see where the story with Cross goes, because I really like this feud out of the ring more than inside it. 

Backstage, Ricochet was taking pictures with his knew championship belt, but the Club and AJ Styles joined him. AJ then cryptically told Ricochet that he would see him tomorrow night. 

Then we had Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre. McIntyre was flanked by Shaen McMahon as he always is. The two started to brawl in the aisle before the match started, although nothing really happened during that fight, and things quickly came into Reigns’ favor, hitting McIntyre with a huge tope con hilo. Reigns then decided to chase Shane through the crowd a bit, and Drew grabbed him when he came back to ringside and had the advantage for a while. Shane even got involved as the ref talked to Drew. The match was hard hitting, but not really much different from their other singles encounters. At one point, McIntyre locked in a surfboard, which was funny to see, and the entire submission sequence also had Shane asking the ref if he should ring the bell. In a spot that I really though would contribute to the finish, Reigns was about to get the win when Shane jumped apron, so Roman drilled him with two superman punches, which allowed McIntyre to give him a reverse Alabama Slam onto the announce table. The crowd was actually getting into this match, and were pissed when Reigns hit a spear, but Shane pulled the ref out of the ring. Shane then beat down Reigns a bit and hit a coast to coast. The then dragged McIntyre onto Reigns and then threw the ref back into the ring, only for Roman to kick out. Roman then drilled Mcintyre with a superman punch, threw Shane out of the ring and hit a second spear for the win.

Grade: B-. I was only going to give this a C+, but the crowd really came alive at the end and made it a much better match. It built a lot towards the end, although it did not really get a fever pitch like they probably hoped. I could see this even being a B, but it would be a rather weak B, so I’ll keep it where it is. Good stuff, it actually exceeded my expectations, and I am glad that Roman got a win here. 

Into the WWE Championship match, we had Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage match. The match was pretty basic as we started up, just sorta throwing each other into the chain link. There was a brutal moment where Kofi threw Ziggler into the cage, and he smacked his head into the steel beams, which looked painful. Ziggler worked over Kofi’s leg a little bit after he tweaked it falling off the rope. Ziggler had a heel hook in for a while, where he attempted a rope break, which could not happen (except when it is Shane) Another point saw Ziggler give Kofi a superkick, and Kofi nearly fell out of the door, but Ziggler locked in the ankle lock for a bit. Ziggler even hit a Zig Zag for a near fall. In the finish, Ziggler was about to crawl out of the door, and Kofi just dove out above him and won the match.

After the match, Charly interviewed Kofi about his future. He just put over Ziggler a bit and said that he was still the champion.

Grade: C+. I liked the finish, but the rest of this match was just so damn boring. They didn’t have a lot of fire here, there was a lot of down time. This feud needs to be over, Kofi has to move on. Hopefully the match at Extreme Rules will be a good one, because Kofi’s reign hasn’t been great in terms of in ring action. 

Backstage, Shane and McIntyre were walking around and were interviewed about Roman. So Shane announced that he would have a 2 on 1 handicap match with Roman for Raw. Boring, but okay. 

And in the main event, we had Baron Corbin vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship. Rollins came out with a chair, and threatened to beat the living crap out of whoever the ref is. Corbin then announced that Lacey Evans was the guest referee. Rollins did not hit her, and they put over Corbin’s intelligence, which this was a pretty smart move. Corbin beat down Rollins with the chair before the match, and then beat him up around the ring. Evans completely forgot to start a countout, and then the crowd chanted AEW, CM Punk, This is Stupid, Daniel Bryan and boring, they were having none of this. Rollins was able to get a nice little combination, and went to pin Corbin, so Evans held up the count a whole bunch so he kicked out. The crowd started to chant for Becky Lynch, as Rollins powerbombed Corbin through an announce table. Corbin was about to be counted out, so Evans changed the match to have no countouts. Why doesn’t she just say that Rollins tapped out when he didn’t? It should be pretty easy for Evans to rig this. There was a kinda funny moment where Rollins was about to win with a frog splash, but Evans hurt her arm. Corbin then hit Rollins with a chair, so Evans changed it to a no DQ match. Rollins then hit a Falcon’s arrow onto a chair, but Evans didn’t even bothered to make a count. Rollins got up in her face a bit, so Evans slapped him a couple times and gave him a low blow. Corbin then hit the end of days, right as Becky Lynch ran down and beat the crap out of Evans. So Nicolas’s dad became the new Ref, Rollins hit the Curb Stomp for this win.

Rollins and Lynch celebrated together after the match a bit. Becky slapped his ass.

Grade: D+. I feel like I’m being a little nice to this, but I didn’t totally hate this. Once we got into the guest referee spots and all the abuses of power, I got a chuckle out of a lot of it. But before that, this was boring and not exciting. I thought it was funny in a soap opera way, and I really liked the run in from Becky. This was just not the main event, not at all. But for what it was, I didn’t mind it too much. I’m into shenanigans. I just need this feud to be done.

Overall Grade: C+

Predictions: 8/10

Pros: Cruiserweight Championship match; new day vs. owens & zayn; smackdown tag team championship; US championship; Grave’s commentary for the main event; Becky’s run in

Cons: Raw Women’s Championship; Main Event; Smackdown Women’s Championship; cruiserweights on the pre show

[24seconds48minutes]

The NBA Strike: A Long Time Coming

I originally posted this yesterday (8-27-2020) on my new blog site: https://24seconds48minutes.wordpress.com/2020/08/27/the-nba-strike-a-long-time-coming/.

In Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 23, 2020, Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot at seven times at point-blank range by Kenosha police officers. Four of the seven bullets hit Blake, and he is currently paralyzed from the waist down. Yesterday, August 26, the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play Game 5 of their series against the Orlando Magic. Other teams scheduled to play yesterday (Rockets, OKC, Lakers, and Blazers) all followed suit and decided to not play their respective games. The decision to strike soon spread across different sporting leagues as the WNBA, MLS, and MLB cancelled their games. Striking, defined as protesting by withholding labor, is a drastic measure, unseen before in the world of sports, and extreme enough to make headlines at The New York Times, Washington Post, and Vox.

The Bucks’ refusal to play could be painted as a last- minute decision; Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that some players wanted to hear Milwaukee’s explanation for making “an abrupt decision independent of [the] rest of [the] teams to boycott [a] game.” But other players have previously discussed the idea of striking. Earlier this week, Raptors’ guard Fred VanVleet brought up the idea of the Raptors intentionally forfeiting Game 1 in their upcoming series against Boston, saying that NBA players should “actually put something up to lose, rather than just money or visibility.” Even before the NBA Bubble started, Kyrie Irving of the Nets wondered if it was even morally right to resume the NBA season with the Black Lives Matter movement gaining momentum and approval across the nation. Irving reportedly said “Once we start playing basketball again, the news will turn from systemic racism to who did what in the game last night. It’s a crucial time for us to be able to play and blend that and impact what’s happening in our community.”

To accurately trace the NBA’s protest against racial injustice and police brutality, we need to look at a timeline before the NBA Bubble. In 2012, after George Zimmerman murdered Travon Martin, LeBron James, who was on the Miami Heat at the time, tweeted a photo of team’s players wearing hoodies, similar to the outfit Martin was wearing when he was killed, with the hashtag “#WeAreTrayvonMartin.” Then, in 2014, after Eric Garner was murdered by police officers, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams, and LeBron James wore “I Can’t Breathe” warm-up shirts, bringing awareness about Garner’s last words and the officers’ indifference to his pleas for help. After Trump’s election in 2016, a several players and coaches have spoken up about his administration’s controversial policies. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr has called Trump’s immigration policies “harmful”; former MVP and NBA champion Stephen Curry has gone as far as flat-out saying that Trump is racist. In 2018, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich spoke on the importance of Black History Month, saying “we live in a racist country that hasn’t figured it out yet.” After George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in late May, many NBA players, including Malcom Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, and Klay Thompson, marched in their hometown’s protests for justice. NBA players and coaches have been protesting for years, starting subtle with social media posts and statement shirts, and growing bolder and bolder over time. Their protests have been a slow burn that finally caught fire yesterday as frustration over anti-black racism and police violence- both within the league and across the nation- reached a new peak. During the protests for Jacob Blake, Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager armed with an AR-15 and white entitlement, killed two civilians. Police were willing to cooperate with Rittenhouse, showing him patience and empathy that Jacob Blake, Treyford Pellerin, and countless others were never given.

The players’ protest has been met with both praise and backlash. A common thread of the criticism is the idea that multi-millionaire athletes should not be complaining; a key example is Jared Kushner saying “NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they’re able to take a night off from work.” But NBA players and executives are no strangers to racial profiling. Last week, Masai Ujiri, president of the Toronto Raptors, released video footage of him getting assaulted and cussed at by security guard at last year’s NBA Finals. After the incident, the security guard claimed that Ujiri had instigated the physical contact and even went as far to sue the Raptors’ executive for physical and emotional trauma. In 2018, Bucks’ forward Sterling Brown was tackled, tased, and arrested for parking incorrectly. The most violent incident in recent memory is Thabo Sefolosha getting his legs broken by NYPD in 2015; Sefolosha had to miss an entire season because of the injuries sustained.

The most insidious example of the racism that NBA players and coaches have experienced is the incident involving former Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling. In 2014, Sterling came under fire for making racist comments in conversations to his then-girlfriend; one of his comments that made national news was “it bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people.” Sterling’s anti-black remarks show that racism isn’t just in the police officer you encounter once or in the stranger that clutches their purse when you walk by; it’s in the people you know and work for. This sort of proximity puts the oppressed in a difficult position and burdens them with the responsibility to decide how to handle a conflict that they did not create. In this specific situation, the Clippers were in the middle of the playoffs at the time the story broke. Clippers’ players had to choose between their lifelong dream of winning a championship or their opportunity to call out racism and ask for accountability. The idea of intentionally sitting out and forfeiting a game was discussed. Ultimately, the Clippers chose to follow their playoff aspirations; the extent of their protest was wearing their warm-up shirts inside out during pre-game.

Yesterday, the NBA made a different choice than it did in 2014. The Bucks were willing to forfeit a playoff game, and other teams were quick to join them. As of time of writing, the NBA reports that the league is looking to resume games this weekend. The NBA players, owners, and coaches have been spent a lot of time in meetings today, and I am cautiously hopeful that the players are able to leverage their power effectively. Also, at the time of writing, Jacob Blake’s father has said that his son is handcuffed to his hospital bed, even though Blake is paralyzed due to the gunshot wounds. His life matters. His children- who had to witness the horrific violence- matter. Black Lives Matter.

[junker-town]

Everything we learned from the 2015 NFL Draft, five years later

Todd Gurley, Marcus Mariota, and Jameis Winston were all top-10 picks in the 2015 NFL Draft.

2015 was a bad year for first-round picks. Teams that fail to learn from it may just repeat it.

From a franchise’s standpoint, the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft was one of the worst of all time. Five years later, only seven of the Day 1 picks are settled in for their sixth season with the club that drafted them. That includes just one player from the top 10 — Washington offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.

Yes, the first round of the 2015 draft did something long thought impossible in the NFL. It made Washington look like a stable and well-run organization.

Five years ago, each of these selections was an opportunity. Now they’re a lesson. The first 32 picks of that draft presented themes which can apply to 2020.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB

Winston’s cannon arm led Florida State to a national championship and earned him a Heisman Trophy. He used that unquenchable desire to create big plays to become the NFL’s most turnover-prone player; he had 88 interceptions, 50 fumbles, and zero playoff appearances with the Bucs. He’s currently a free agent.

Lesson learned: Heisman winners are no safe bet ... and extremely hard to quit.

Winston was given five years to stake his claim as Tampa’s franchise quarterback and went 28-42. The Buccaneers were finally willing to let the sun set on the Winston era, in part, because a superior option cropped up in free agency. Bruce Arians is betting Tom Brady is the key to unlocking his team’s potential.

Players it applies to in 2020: Joe Burrow

2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, QB

Mariota got stuck at “goodness” and never made it to “greatness.” The Titans finished 9-7 in four of the former Oregon star’s five seasons on the roster — a run that culminated in Mariota losing his starting job in favor of Dolphins retread Ryan Tannehill.

Lesson learned: See above.

Like Winston, Mariota has a Heisman Trophy at home, yet will likely head into a backup role after joining the Raiders.

Players it applies to in 2020: Joe Burrow

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dante Fowler, Edge

Fowler was more potential than production at Florida, but the Jaguars liked his power and athleticism enough to make him the centerpiece of their draft class. He missed his rookie year due to an ACL tear, then made one start in 2.5 years for Jacksonville before being traded.

Lesson learned: Potential needs opportunity.

Fowler’s injury wrecked his learning curve, and a slow start kept him trapped in the middle of the Jaguars’ depth chart. The first season in which he played more than 53 percent of his team’s defensive snaps came in 2019. He rewarded that faith with a career-high 11.5 sacks ... for the Rams.

Players it applies to in 2020: K’Lavon Chaisson, Yetur Gross-Matos, A.J. Epenesa

4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, WR

Cooper was drafted to be a No. 1 wideout in the league. Two Pro Bowl invitations in his first two seasons backed up that claim — though it took a trade out of Oakland to restore his luster after a disappointing 2017.

Lesson learned: Alabama’s Day 1 wideouts live up to the hype.

Julio Jones? Stud. Cooper? Stud. Calvin Ridley? Well, it’s still early to tell, but he’s got 17 touchdowns in 29 career games so far. All were Crimson Tide standouts.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs III

5. Washington: Brandon Scherff, OL

Scherff played both tackle and guard in college and was the ideal Iowa blocker: big, aggressive, and tough as hell. Fifth overall may have seemed a bit high, but he rewarded Washington with three Pro Bowl honors and was retained this spring via the franchise tag.

Lesson learned: Good blocking is important, wherever it is.

Only one guard has been selected in the top five picks since 1976. Scherff played enough on the edge to narrowly avoid a place on that list, but he’s been used almost exclusively at right guard in Washington. He’s kicked ass doing it, too. With NFL QBs now more mobile than ever before and the value of blocking expanding just beyond a blindside protector, it could soon be time for a full-time guard to return to the top five.

Players it applies to in 2020: Cesar Ruiz, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Netane Muti

6. New York Jets: Leonard Williams, DL

Williams was a projected top-three pick who fell to the Jets at No. 6. He began to reach that potential in a Pro Bowl 2016 campaign, but failed to match that production in the years that followed. He was traded to the Giants last fall.

Lesson learned: Never get your hopes up, Jets fans.

Between 2012 and 2016, New York had 11 first- or second-round picks. Williams, with his lone Pro Bowl invitation, may have been the best of a group that includes Sheldon Richardson (not bad!) but also Christian Hackenberg, Darron Lee, and Dee Milliner (bad!).

The past three seasons have trended in the opposite direction thanks to the brilliance of Jamal Adams and potential of Sam Darnold and Quinnen Williams. Still, as Leonard Williams proved, early success as a Jet is no guarantee of future returns.

Players it applies to in 2020: According to our mock draft database, CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Jedrick Wills

7. Chicago Bears: Kevin White, WR

White was electricity at West Virginia; a 6’3 burner with a nose for the end zone. But he was raw and often injured; he played just 14 games in four years for the Bears and spent 2019 out of the NFL.

Lesson learned: Sometimes the universe just says no.

White’s NFL career played out like a ragged curse. He missed the entirely of his rookie season due to a broken tibia. He broke a bone in the same leg after just four games the following year. He started the team’s season opener in 2017 and promptly fractured his shoulder. By November 2018, he’d become a shell of his former self enough to make him a healthy scratch.

White had the chops to be great. The football gods had different plans.

Players it applies to in 2020: There’s no way of knowing ... but the safe money’s on whomever the Browns pick.

8. Atlanta Falcons: Vic Beasley, Edge

Beasley was a first-team All-Pro in his second season, but hasn’t lived up to that standard in the three decent, but underwhelming, years since. He signed with the Titans this spring.

Lesson learned: Sack numbers don’t tell the whole story.

There was a warning sign that predicted his 15.5-sack season wasn’t sustainable. Despite ranking first in the NFL in sacks in 2016, he was just 45th with 16 QB hits. That suggested his numbers would trend downward — and they did.

Players it applies to in 2020: Zach Baun, Alex Highsmith

9. New York Giants: Ereck Flowers, OT

Flowers was drafted to keep Eli Manning upright. He did not succeed. Flowers was released in 2018, but showed enough with Washington in 2019 l to earn a three-year, $30 million contract with the Dolphins.

Lesson learned: Pay attention to red flags, especially if you’re reaching to fill a position of need.

There were plenty of reasons not to make Flowers a top-10 pick. He was unpolished and undisciplined, eager to draw holding penalties at the first sign of getting beat. He was big and athletic, but the Giants needed someone who could make an immediate impact. Flowers was not that guy, and it’s safe to say this overeager over-reach is still haunting the Giants.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jordan Love, A.J. Epenesa

10. St. Louis Rams: Todd Gurley, RB

Gurley was a gamble — an all-world running back coming off an ACL tear that threatened to hinder his pro career. While he earned rookie of the year honors and would be a two-time All-Pro in 2017-18, those injury concerns sapped his 2019. That, and an untenable contract, led to his release this offseason.

Lesson learned: High-usage running backs with injury histories are just as risky as they sound.

Gurley was a high-risk, high-reward selection who paid off both sides of that adage in five seasons as a Ram. St. Louis/LA would likely make that bargain again — though they’d probably like to rescind his record-setting contract extension.

Players it applies to in 2020: D’Andre Swift, Zack Moss, Darrynton Evans

11. Minnesota Vikings: Trae Waynes, CB

The rangy corner displayed lockdown tendencies at Michigan State to be the first defensive back selected in 2015. He eventually became a steady, if unspectacular, starter in Minnesota.

Lesson learned: Aggression is a double-edged sword.

Waynes built a reputation at MSU as a high-level press corner, thriving by taking risks, jumping routes, and using his recovery speed to clean up messes. That strategy hasn’t paid off for him as well against the NFL’s more athletic receivers. He’s allowed more than twice as many touchdowns (nine) as interceptions (four) in his last three seasons.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jeff Gladney, Amik Robertson

12. Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, DT

Shelton was one of the final picks of the Ray Farmer era in Cleveland. Despite having little impact as a Brown, he’s still arguably the team’s best Day 1 pick from 2011-15. After three years and only 11 tackles for loss in 46 games, he was traded to the Patriots.

Lesson learned: You’re probably going to regret trading your draft bust to the Patriots.

Shelton didn’t prosper right away in New England, but his second season with the Pats saw him emerge as an above-average interior lineman. He set personal bests in tackles, sacks, and QB hits as an invaluable piece of the NFL’s top defense.

Players it applies to in 2020: Since there aren’t any notable Rutgers prospects this year, we’ll have to wait and see.

13. New Orleans Saints: Andrus Peat, OL

Peat was drafted as a high-ceiling offensive tackle, but struggles forced him to guard for the bulk of his career. It’s worked out well in spurts. He was one of New Orleans’ most valuable blockers from 2016 to 2018, though he backslid in 2019 (despite earning a Pro Bowl invitation).

Lesson learned: A position change doesn’t mean admitting defeat, so find someone versatile.

Like Scherff before him, Peat’s best work came as a guard. That might not have been what the Saints drafted him for, but a good team (and also Washington) finds a way to maximize talent.

Players it applies to in 2020: Any OT prospect who struggles as a rookie.

14. Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, WR

Parker was a reliable presence at Louisville, but his senior season — 43 catches, 855 yards in SIX games — made him a top-15 pick. He didn’t meet expectations until 2019, however, because ...

Lesson learned: Adam Gase cannot be trusted.

Parker’s value plummeted in his three seasons playing under Gase. Freed from his underachieving head coach and catching passes from a freewheeling Ryan Fitzpatrick, Parker sprang for career highs of 72 catches, 1,202 yards, and nine touchdowns last season.

Players it applies to in 2020: Whichever skill players the Jets draft. Sorry, Jets.

15. San Diego Chargers: Melvin Gordon, RB

Gordon earned two Pro Bowl honors in his five seasons as a Charger. However, his tenure there may be defined by the 2019 contract holdout that proved an undrafted free agent, Austin Ekeler, could do his job better than Gordon could.

Lesson learned: Healthy first-round running backs are risky, too.

Gordon was a workhorse at Wisconsin, playing 41 games (and taking 611 carries) over his final three years. Even though he was good for the Chargers, he never quite reached the level of greatness ascribed to a top-15 pick.

Players it applies to in 2020: D’Andre Swift, J.K. Dobbins, Jonathan Taylor

16. Houston Texans: Kevin Johnson, CB

Johnson made 10 starts for Houston as a rookie, but injuries limited him to just 19 games the following three seasons. While he played every week of the 2019 season for the Bills’ dominant defense, he played just 32 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

Lesson learned: Even safe picks blow up sometimes.

Johnson looked every bit a star cornerback at Wake Forest. He put together a stronger college resume than almost anyone else in his draft class. Even if players like Waynes and Marcus Peters had boom-or-bust tendencies, Johnson appeared to have the lower ceiling but higher floor. Instead, he struggled as a rookie and then injuries robbed him of having a major impact in Houston.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jeff Okudah, Chase Young, Tristan Wirfs, Derrick Brown

17. San Francisco 49ers: Arik Armstead, DL

Armstead played a supporting role early in his career before moving into a full-time position on the defensive line for an ascending Niners team. After posting nine sacks in his first four seasons, he broke through with 10 last fall to help bring San Francisco an NFC title.

Lesson learned: Supporting cast matters.

Armstead came along slowly, but he blossomed when teammates like Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, and Dee Ford were there to soften up offensive lines and push quarterbacks into his path.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jeff Okudah, Chase Young, any Day 1 pick expected to prop up a bottom-third unit.

18. Kansas City Chiefs: Marcus Peters, CB

Peters came into the league as a high-upside coverage corner who could turn mistakes into turnovers (and allow opposing QBs to turn his mistakes into touchdowns), though his off-field record tarnished his draft stock. He’s enjoyed an up-and-down pro career that reached new heights after three pick-sixes in 2019 for the Ravens.

Lesson learned: Don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to a few bad plays.

Peters tends to gamble at corner, leading to big swings in coverage. His 25 touchdowns allowed since joining the league are second-most in the NFL in that span. That helped lead to two different low-cost trades for a two-time All-Pro with more interceptions than scoring plays given up.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jeff Gladney, Amik Robertson

19. Cleveland Browns: Cameron Erving, OL

Erving lasted just two seasons in Cleveland before being traded to the Chiefs, where he’s been a useful, if unessential, swing tackle ever since.

Lesson learned: The Browns can’t win.

Cleveland had two first-round picks and beefed up both sides of the trenches. Each pick garnered mostly positive reviews (Shelton more than Erving), but neither player lasted more than three seasons with the Browns.

The poor, poor Browns.

Players it applies to in 2020: Whomever gets the call to wear these swank-ass uniforms.

20. Philadelphia Eagles: Nelson Agholor, WR

Agholor was supposed to be the perfect playmaker for Chip Kelly. Instead, his career got off to a rough start before briefly stabilizing and then, in 2019, returning to disappointment. He’ll try to live up to his first-round status as a Raider in 2020.

Lesson learned: Some flaws don’t get fixed.

Agholor is an electric athlete and an occasional savior from the slot, but his college tape showed a player whose lapses in concentration led to frustrating drops. As an Eagles fan will tell you, that’s a problem that didn’t go away in the NFL — he had 21 drops the past four seasons.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jordan Love, Jalen Reagor

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Cedric Ogbuehi, OT

Ogbuehi was a big, quick lineman who played both guard and tackle at Texas A&M, but a torn ACL meant he brought injury concerns with him to the NFL. He never quite rounded into shape. He has appeared in only 16 games (zero starts) over the past two seasons with the Bengals and Jaguars.

Lesson learned: Maybe trust the All-Pro who says he can still play in his mid-30s?

Ogbuehi’s arrival made Andrew Whitworth expendable — and when the Bengals weren’t willing to pay his market value, he moved on to the Rams. He was an All-Pro immediately after leaving Cincinnati, then the blindside protector for a Super Bowl team at age 37.

Players it applies to in 2020: The players drafted to replace Tom Brady, Greg Olsen, Philip Rivers, or Jason Witten.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bud Dupree, Edge

Dupree started his career in more of a supporting role for Pittsburgh, but 2019 marked his ascension to the spotlight. His 11.5 sacks were a career high and made him a potent cantilever to T.J. Watt’s edge rush.

Lesson learned: Trust productive guys from overlooked Power 5 teams.

Dupree turned himself from a three-star recruit to All-SEC pass rusher at Kentucky, en route to 23 sacks in his final three seasons. He was still only the fourth pass rusher selected in 2015. Five years later, he looks like the best first-round edge rusher of his class.

Players it applies to in 2020: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, A.J. Dillon, Jake Luton, Justin Strnad, Markus Bailey

23. Denver Broncos: Shane Ray, Edge

Ray was supposed to be the explosive counterpunch to Von Miller’s tackle-shredding pass rush. But he had 14 sacks in four seasons for Denver. He spent the 2019 season out of the league.

Lesson learned: Tread lightly with numbers that look too good to be true.

Ray turned himself into a first-round pick with a breakthrough 14.5-sack junior season — 10 more than he’d had in his career to that point. It also turned out to be more than he’d have in his entire NFL tenure.

Players it applies to in 2020: Joe Burrow, Alex Highsmith, Brandon Aiyuk

24. Arizona Cardinals: D.J. Humphries, OT

Humphries has been a mostly fine blocker ... when he’s on the field. He was inactive his entire rookie season and has only played 43 total games, though he showed enough in 2019 to earn a three-year, $43.75 million deal.

Lesson learned: Injury reports matter.

Humphries only spent two seasons as a starter at Florida and missed at least two games due to injury in both of them. While his five-star potential was too much for the Cardinals to ignore, second-round tackles like Donovan Smith or Rob Havenstein would have been more productive blockers in Arizona.

Players it applies to in 2020: Tua Tagovailoa, Julian Okwara, Laviska Shenault Jr.

25. Carolina Panthers: Shaq Thompson, LB

Thompson is a do-it-all inside linebacker who’s been able to stand up against the pass and the run as an NFL gap-plugger. Last season was his best year: 109 tackles, three sacks, and 11 tackles for loss despite the inherent crappiness of the 2019 Panthers.

Lesson learned: Don’t overthink things.

The Panthers took a proven, athletic young talent to fill up an unsexy position. Thompson’s versatility is a godsend for his defensive coordinators. He’s poised to carry Luke Kuechly’s torch into 2020 and beyond.

Players it applies to in 2020: Jeff Okudah, Antoine Winfield Jr., Zack Baun

26. Baltimore Ravens: Breshad Perriman, WR

Perriman was a mess for the Ravens. Injuries robbed him of his rookie campaign, and he posted just a 42.7 percent catch rate in the two years after. His value has rebounded in recent years, though he’s still never caught more than 36 passes in a season.

Lesson learned: NFL development isn’t a straight line.

Perriman looked like a bust after flaming out in Baltimore, but the past two years have provided flashes of brilliance. Redemption has come in fleeting moments with the Browns and Buccaneers (seven games with at least 70 receiving yards). The Jets are betting he can fulfill his first-round destiny after signing him to a one-year, $6.5 million deal this offseason.

Players it applies to in 2020: Everyone.

27. Dallas Cowboys: Byron Jones, CB

Jones went from UConn standout to one of the league’s top cover corners in his five years with Dallas. A salary cap crunch allowed him to hit the open market. The Dolphins obliged by handing him a then-record $82.5 million contract to head up their rebuild.

Lesson learned: Bet on the guy who set a world record at the combine.

Investing in combine stars doesn’t always pay off, but when a guy goes out and produces such an outlier performance — like Jones did with a 12’3 broad jump — he’s probably worth a bump up the draft board.

Players it applies to in 2020: Mekhi Becton, Carlos Davis, Netane Muti

28. Detroit Lions: Laken Tomlinson, G

Tomlinson was one of the more surprising selections of the first round; the useful interior lineman was expected to be a Day 2 pick. Although he struggled in Detroit, he’s since developed into a steady starter for the 49ers.

Lesson learned: Be patient, even with a polished prospect.

The Lions didn’t have a left guard on the roster when they drafted Tomlinson, which led him to be thrown into the fire as a rookie. Detroit ended up trading away a still-developing starter on a low-cost rookie contract to San Francisco for ... a fifth-round pick. That trade looks like one the Lions would like to have back.

Players it applies to in 2020: Every fifth-year senior out there.

29. Indianapolis Colts: Phillip Dorsett, WR

Dorsett was a burner at Miami, averaging 23.3 yards per catch his final two seasons. He also had only 49 catches those two years — setting the stage for a career that’s seen him be vital in spurts and anonymous elsewhere between the Colts and Patriots.

Lesson learned: Deep-ball speed can be a tough transition to the NFL.

Dorsett has had the chance to play with two top-tier quarterbacks in his career (Andrew Luck, Tom Brady) and didn’t evolve into anything more than a reliable third option. While valuable, he’s never had more than 33 catches in a season.

Players it applies to in 2020: CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Quez Watkins

30. Green Bay Packers: Damarious Randall, DB

After three decent seasons in Green Bay, Randall was traded for DeShone Kizer, which is one of the most disrespectful sentences one can write about a football player. Randall moved to safety and was a versatile player for the Browns.

Lesson learned: Don’t trade for DeShone Kizer (or anyone who throws twice as many interceptions as touchdowns).

Kizer undoubtedly had his growth stunted by a rookie season starting for an awful Browns team, and shipping a player Green Bay wasn’t interested in re-signing wasn’t a bad idea in theory. But the Packers still sent a 25-year-old starter to Cleveland for a quarterback who went 0-15 and posted an 11:22 TD:INT ratio in his debut season.

Players it applies to in 2020: Whomever gets traded for Jameis Winston in 2022.

31. New Orleans Saints: Stephone Anthony, LB

Anthony played through his second stint with the Saints in 2019 after being traded to the Dolphins two years earlier. Unlike Tomlinson, he failed to rebound; he started all 16 games for New Orleans as a rookie but has just four starts in the four seasons since.

Lesson learned: An all-rookie team appearance is no indicator of success.

Anthony was an all-rookie selection, but he’s been primarily a special teams player since 2016. While teams have been eager to kick the tires on him, the fact the Jets, Falcons, and Dolphins all either released him or let him walk away is an indicator of just how little that potential means now.

Players it applies to in 2020: Each of the upcoming season’s rookie stars.

32. New England Patriots: Malcom Brown, DT

Brown spent four seasons in the center of the Patriots’ defensive line, then last year with the Saints. In both places, he’s done his job well enough to be mostly unnoticeable while his teammates largely benefitted from the disruptions he caused.

Lesson learned: Don’t let a potential top-20 pick fall to Bill Belichick.

Brown was expected to land in the top half of the draft, but his slide to No. 32 convinced Belichick to tamp down his basest urges to trade the pick. The Texas star filled an immediate need for New England and played a key role on two Super Bowl champion teams.

Players it applies to in 2020: Zack Baun, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton, etc.

[luobingmeis]

hawk in the raven nest, chapter six

A/N:  thank you for reading!!! as always, feedback is greatly appreciated :)

read on ao3 previous chapter chapter list

Kevin said it wouldn’t take long for the media to pick up on his whereabouts, and he was right. It took two days after Nathaniel’s talk with Andrew for the first report to be broadcasted. It was now officially two weeks since Kevin’s “hit and run”, and now May.

The report was broadcasted on the TV in the lounge of the Nest. At first, no one was paying attention to it. There was always a TV on playing sports news, it became background noise after a while. However, when the famous name “Kevin Day”, every Raven stopped whatever they moved and all pairs of eyes went the the TV.

“-quite a shame was happened to him, with that accident,” the newscaster said to her cohost. “And he had such a promising career ahead of him.”

“Yes, it is unfortunate. But, Kevin Day might have a new career ahead of him!” Every Raven went completely still. Riko, who had been lurking in the back, suddenly had an overwhelming presence. The co-host had a painted smile as he continued, “We’ve heard from various sources that Kevin Day, ex-striker for Edgar Allan’s Ravens, is now with the Palmetto State Foxes as an assistant coach. Despite the Foxes’... less than noteworthy reputation, many think that Day can be the one to whip the team up into shape and make them worthy of their Class I title.”

As one huge collective, all heads turned to Riko, who had not moved from the back of the lounge. His eyes stayed trained to the TV and his arms crossed over his chest. The look on his face was indecipherable, though Nathaniel noticed his fingers pressing into his biceps and how tight his jaw was. Nathaniel spared a glance to Jean at his right and Andrew at his left. Jean was the one to look back; Andrew just looked bored. Kevin wasn’t news to him anymore.

“If he thinks he can make that team anything better than a trainwreck,” Riko said to his audience though he made eye contact with no one. “Maybe the accident fucked up his brain too.”

Some Ravens muttered out agreements that the Foxes could get no better, others forced out laughs. But every single person in that room felt the tension thicken so much Nathaniel thought he would suffocate. The Ravens had officially lost their top striker two weeks ago. However, it was one thing to lose him to an “accident”. It was another thing entirely to lose him to the worst Class I team, the Palmetto Foxes. The former was an injury that caused his contract to be nulled. The latter was betrayal to his team at its finest.

If Nathaniel wasn’t preparing to destroy the Ravens, he would have been livid that Kevin left them for a team like the Foxes. But he already knew that that was a thing that happened, and he was already plotting the demise of the Ravens with Andrew. The only thing holding him back from sheer ecstaticness was waiting for Riko to explode.

Nathaniel, Jean, and even Andrew waited for Riko to flip his shit. They waited for shouting and throwing things. They waited for Riko to place the blame on everyone but himself, they if they had all just played harder Kevin would have wanted to stay and see them succeed. Nathaniel and Jean waited for blows, for kicks, for tugging and pulling and pushing and screaming and fighting and bleeding.

But as the three of them all watched Riko, none of that ever came. There was no shouting, no attacking, no explosions. Just a smirk on his lips and an evil glint in his eye. The red glow from some of the lights combined with the smirk made Riko look more devious than he did when he found out that Kevin escaped.

“Looks like we’ll just have to pay the Foxes a visit this season,” he said before turning and stalking out of the lounge. Nathaniel watched as he went up the stairs leading to the locker room, and he

“Kevin Day will die on that team,” Jean said to Nathaniel. “The Foxes breed no successes.”

Nathaniel wanted to tell Jean that Kevin Day was already dying on the Ravens, but he couldn’t do that. Not with this many people around.

Not yet.

When the evening came and the Ravens arrived to Castle Evermore, Tetsuji had them gather at outer court for a quick meeting. Nathaniel had Jean and Andrew at his side and Riko was across from them, shadowing his uncle. “I’m aware that you all saw the news earlier today.” When he was met with nods, he continued. “Kevin has signed a contract with David Wymack, coach of the Palmetto State Ravens. When he contacted me a couple nights ago, I debated whether or not to inform you all then. But I figured it might be better to not stack one tragedy on top of another, with Kevin having left so recently.” Nathaniel knew Tetsuji did not care that much about the well-being of his team to spread out delivering the news of Kevin being unable to play and then Kevin leaving for the Foxes. Perhaps, he just enjoyed seeing suspense and rumors plague his team.

Nathaniel’s eyes then went back to Riko, who did not look back at him but instead stared at his uncle. It was then that Nathaniel realized that this was also Riko’s first time hearing this news. Even when he went to speak with Tetsuji before, his uncle had not told him. Riko looked like he was considering speaking up, but Nathaniel knew he would never dare to interrupt Tetsuji.

“The next order of business,” Tetsuji said. “Is the matter of our district. We’re considering moving to the southeastern district this season.” It was all Tetsuji said, but he didn’t need to say anymore. The southeastern district was the Foxes’ district. That was what Riko had talked about earlier with Tetsuji.

It was easy for the Ravens to transfer districts. Being the only NCAA Exy team in West Virginia, they only needed a vote and some signatures to transfer. And Nathaniel couldn’t see why the ERC would even consider rejecting the change. In only the past couple of hours, every sports station had blown up with the news of Kevin assisting the Foxes. Newscasters were having a field day with the report and fans were outraged, switching districts would just add fuel to the fire and make the upcoming season even more worthwhile. The switch would answer the question that had already been posed a million-and-one times in the past couple of hours: with a team under the instruction of one of the sons of Exy, how will they do in a game against the Ravens?

It was the perfect publicity stunt, and Nathaniel was honestly surprised he never considered Tetsuji switching the Ravens to the Foxes’ district. He wondered how Kevin would react to the news. He left the Ravens only for them to follow him as his new rivals.

He also wondered what this meant for Andrew and Nathaniel’s plan. This could put them in the perfect place to set everything in motion if they just played their cards right.

Nathaniel let practice fly by him. Luckily, his body had finally recovered so that every hit didn’t feel like a gunshot.

When practice was over and the Ravens had returned to the Nest, Nathaniel felt the familiar tap on his shoulder and Andrew going past him. He waited a minute before following him into his room where, once again, only Andrew stood.

“Kevin won’t be happy with the district change,” Nathaniel said once the door closed behind him.

“He’ll have to deal with it,” Andrew said.

“I thought you were supposed to keep Riko from Kevin?” Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. “Have you suddenly stopped caring about him?”

“Every time you speak I hate you more and more,” Andrew said simply.

“So it’s true,” Nathaniel said. “You care-” before he could even finish what he was saying, Andrew closed the gap between them and pressed his hand against Nathaniel’s mouth to shut him up.

“Let me say this very slowly,” Andrew said, his voice low and full of bite. “I care about nothing. My deal with Kevin might as well be broken at this point. And I thought I made it very clear last time that I’m dealing with you now.”

Nathaniel took Andrew’s wrist and moved it away from his mouth; Andrew did not resist him, and instead dropped his hand down by his side. “Crystal clear,” Nathaniel said. He took notice to the way his heart pounded just a bit faster, and tried to equate it to something that wasn’t Andrew professing his loyalty. “So what do you want?”

“The district change makes gutting this place easier,” Andrew said, crossing his arms. “The Foxes have Kevin now. The Ravens  just have to face the Foxes in Championships, and the Foxes have to win.”

Nathaniel was about ready to laugh in Andrew’s face, if he wasn’t positive that that would be what gets Andrew to kill him. The Foxes were the most pathetic team in all of Class I Exy. He had seen enough tapes of them playing to see that they didn’t work together enough on the court to make a decent win. To think that Andrew, the man who couldn’t bring himself to care about Exy at all, now expected the Foxes to not only get to Championships, but to win?

“You think that they’ll win because they suddenly have Kevin? They don’t even really have Kevin, he’s just an assistant coach,” Nathaniel said, shaking his head.

“Get your head out of your ass and think for a minute,” Andrew said. “They’ll win because we’re going to lose. They just have to get there, and if Kevin holds to his words and gets them in shape, they will. The rest is on us.”

“How? The Foxes have to play well to get anywhere.”

“I told you to think, Wesninski. Do you know how?” Andrew bit. “For this to work, the Foxes just have to get to Championships. The rest is doing everything from in here. We are the ones who have to defend the goal, but this goes past just throwing games. That leaves too much room for error if we perform like normal in practice and not in games.”

“You’ve already thought a lot about this.” Nathaniel was honestly surprised. For someone who claimed that he cared about nothing, Andrew already had things planned start to finish.

“When you’re doing something like this, you can’t leave room for error,” Andrew answered. “We have to start now, and there can’t be any holes.”

“Seems like you have experience in destroying things and leaving no loose ends,” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow in silent question.

“Possibly.”

Nathaniel waited for an answer, an explanation, but then he remembered that he was talking to Andrew and realized that ‘possibly’ was as far as he was getting. He sighed and continued with, “So then what’s the plan? How do we get to meet the Foxes at Championships, lose, and not throw away any games?”

“Because this is when we start,” Andrew said. “We have the opening to begin our plan. And that plan starts with Riko and ends with him as well. Riko’s a power-hungry freak. If we want everything to fall into place, we can’t be the only ones to see that.”

“We have to destroy his credibility on the team,” Nathaniel said when the realization hit him. This plan started with Riko, as Andrew said, but it also ended with him. To tear Riko’s kingdom down, they needed to undermine the King first. “If he loses it on the Court where everyone is there to see, it’ll be easier to believe what he did to Kevin.”

Andrew nodded. “We go for Riko, Tetsuji, and the Ravens, and then we need Kevin to solidify everything. This has to get to Championships, because that is when everything comes together. If Riko loses his shit then, and certain people see a Moriyama losing it, and they see every other fault by the Ravens, led by two Moriyamas, then everything is complete. But there can be no mistakes.”

Nathaniel stared at Andrew. He knew that Andrew knew about the Moriyama’s business, everyone in the Top Five did considering one of them was a Moriyama, three were property, and the other was allowed in the inner circle. He just didn’t think Andrew’s plan would run that deep. The main Moriyama family always went to the Championships. If Lord Kengo Moriyama, leader of the gang and Riko’s father, and his heir and Riko’s older brother, Ichirou, saw that Riko was becoming a loose end, they wouldn’t hesitate to do what they had to do to secure their family.

This was a plan that needed to run perfectly. Andrew was right when he said that they couldn’t afford any mistakes. Dealing with the Moriyamas was dealing with life and death. They needed the plan to work out so that they see Riko as the loose end, and not Nathaniel, Andrew, and Kevin as the ones who undermined them.

“Everything will go according to plan,” Nathaniel said. He didn’t know if he was trying to assure Andrew or himself.

“Good,” Andrew said. “Now you can leave my room.”

“We work well together, Minyard,” Nathaniel said, throwing Andrew a smirk.

“Whenever you speak I feel a strong urge to kill you.”

Nathaniel let him have the last word and stepped out of his room, only to walk into Jean who was coming down the hall.

“Andrew’s room?” Jean questioned, following Nathaniel down the hall to their own room.

“He’s of the Top Five, we have to talk to him occasionally,” Nathaniel left it at that for the night, and fortunately Jean did too, for he wasn’t ready to drag Jean into what they were planning.

--

A week later, Nathaniel’s phone blew up with calls from Kevin. The first was just past noon. He had missed the call because he was in one of his classes, and Kevin left no voicemail. Nathaniel wasn’t able to call him back, so he called again two hours later, and Nathaniel couldn’t answer it because he was with Jean. The next time he called was when the Ravens were getting ready for their evening practice, the next when they were leaving the locker room.

After the fourth call, Nathaniel got a text:

answr yuor phone

Nathaniel, upon seeing Kevin’s lack of spelling and capitalization, now grew even more annoyed because not only was Kevin calling him at completely inconvenient times, he was apparently drunk while doing it all. In retaliation, he responded with:

do you not remember that the Ravens have a schedule that doesn’t coincide with talking to run-away teammates

Kevin’s next message, which consisted of misspelled profanity, caused Nathaniel to sigh and he informed the former striker that he would call later if he could.

Apparently Kevin forgot what the meaning of “I’ll call back later if I can” meant because in less than an hour Nathaniel’s phone was buzzing again. Fortunately, Nathaniel was in his dorm room, and alone. Jean had left only a couple of minutes ago to shower, so he had at least a couple more to himself to take the call.

His heart still pounded in his chest, despite the empty room. He always feared that people were listening in on him through the walls, that someone was able to know what their phone conversations held.

He answered with a quiet hiss of, “What do you want?”

“How could you let the Ravens change districts?” Nathaniel should have figured that that was what this was about.

Nathaniel could hear the alcohol in his voice. Kevin’s words slurred together and he was much louder than he needed to be. Nathaniel wondered how long he had been drinking for, but didn’t get the chance to ask since Kevin continued on with, “I left the Ravens to get away from Riko! And- And now they’re coming to this district?”

“This is how things are supposed to be going-”

“Supposed to!” Kevin was so loud that Nathaniel actually had to bring the phone away from his ear for a moment. “No, no, that’s not what this is! Things are supposed to be that I’m here and Riko’s there but now there’s a district change and I’m here and he’s here and-”

“Shut up,” Nathaniel said, making sure to keep his voice low, and was surprised to find that Kevin actually listened. “You’ve talked to Andrew, yes?” A noise of confirmation from Kevin. “Then you know what our plan is. What exactly has Andrew told you?”

“Everything. The fact that we’re fucking toying with the Moriyamas, which is a suicide mission all in itself. That I have to get this fucking team to Championships, how am I going to manage that when they-”

Nathaniel could sense that Kevin was about to go off on another tangent, so he cut him off with, “Me and Andrew know what we have to do. We are carrying this out from the inside, you have to hold your part there. Get your team to Championships, we’ll work on the rest. This district change just makes it easier for the three of us to work together.”

“Three?” Kevin questioned. “What about Jean?”

“Did you listen to anything I just said, or are you just worried about him?” Nathaniel asked, growing annoyed with Kevin’s drunk antics and ramblings.

“Is Jean in on this?”

“No,” Nathaniel sighed, finally giving in to an explanation. “I’m not getting him involved. He doesn’t need to get hurt because of us. Why do you care so much?”

“Because he’s already involved.” Nathaniel hated how Kevin still had a slight voice of reason when he was drunk. “Might as well be better to get him in on it now than wait for him to be dragged into all of this.”

“What do you know? You’re drunk,” was the only response Nathaniel could think of. He wasn’t going to tell Kevin that he was right. He had a big enough ego when sober. “But that’s not the point of this. The point is, everything will be going according to plan. Let us work from here, and you work there, and we’ll meet in the middle somewhere.”

“You two have really thought this out,” Kevin said.

“We have.”

“You’re unlikely partners, but you guys work well together.”

“You’re drunk,” Nathaniel repeated, though he didn’t stop his mind from wandering to the thoughts of how easily him and Andrew fell together in this plan. Apparently he and Andrew weren’t allies, and he didn’t know where they fell on the scale of friends or enemies, but they were working together in all of this, and working well. They were definitely “unlikely partners”, considering Andrew’s blatant apathetic attitude for Exy and the fact that he was brought into the Top Five because he was recruited. But Kevin, who wasn’t even with them, saw how they worked together. Nathaniel had said that to Andrew, a sarcastic comment meant to just rile up the goalie, but...

“I’m hanging up on you,” Nathaniel told Kevin. “You know what you need to do.”

Nathaniel didn’t give Kevin a chance to answer before snapping his phone shut.

[flauntpage]

Which Country You Should Cheer for in the World Cup

Whether or not you've ever kicked a soccer ball in your life, now's the time to stand up and support "your" team in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Which team? Well, you could pick a nation to which you have some legitimate connection: citizenship, ancestry or temporary residency (for example, the country you had that wild summer in that you only half-remember). Or, just do what all the cool kids are doing—pick one of the tournament's 32 competing nations for some arbitrary reason and immediately hang on their results like your life depends on it!

Not sure where to start? Don't worry, this handy guide will have you stanning for a team (that you'd never previously seen) in no time!

If you like good odds and beer houses: Germany. They're the reigning World Cup champs and top-ranked team on Earth. If glory-hunting is your thing, Germany is usually a good place to find it.

If you like good odds and samba music: Brazil. Sure, they got humiliated on home soil at the last World Cup (losing 7-1 to Germany in the semifinals). But if the bookies are to be believed, this will be their summer of redemption... and an unprecedented sixth World Cup title.

If you like long odds: Panama. The Central Americans are at the World Cup for the very first time. Put some money down on them and... well, you'll have less money than you did before.

If you like lower oil prices: Saudi Arabia. They won't win, or even come close, but the Saudis doing well could maybe give us some relief at the gas pump… that's how the international economy works, right?

If you enjoy an underdog: Iceland. After just missing out on the 2014 World Cup, the frozen outpost of under 400,000 people made a remarkable run to the quarterfinals of the 2016 European Championship, and is now the smallest nation to ever compete at the FIFA World Cup.

If you enjoy an underdog but feel Iceland is a little too mainstream now: Peru. Back in the World Cup for the first time since 1982, the oft-overlooked South American side could fulfil the promise they showed before the Alianza Lima disaster of 1987. (Be sure to remember this reference, to show others you supported Peru before it was cool.)

If you wish poor Vladimir Putin could have something go well for him, for once: Russia. Just, c'mon, give Vlad a break, right?

If you've never heard the phrase "golden generation" before: Belgium. With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, and Romelu Lukaku, this is a Belgian golden generation. That sounds pretty good, right? Like they're destined to definitely win, as a golden generation probably always does? So, yeah, they're definitely going to win. Pick them.

If you like reboots: Spain. Sometimes, going back to the well can have disastrous results (hi, Roseanne!) But for Spain, winners of Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012, a six-year hiatus from the top of the soccer world could be just enough time to fill that bandwagon right back up.

If you like rock-hard abs: Portugal. We don't know if Cristiano Ronaldo will score in this tournament, but we can be reasonably certain that if he does, off comes the shirt.

If you root for the good guy: Egypt. After a record-breaking season with Liverpool that catapulted him into the global elite, Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah nearly had his arm broken in the UEFA Champions League final less than three weeks ago, leaving his World Cup status in doubt. Maybe your support can help him recover quicker?

If you root for the bad guy: Uruguay. The villain of the last two World Cups has been Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who in 2010 cheated to help his team reach the semis, and in 2014 was banned for biting an opponent. And it wasn't his first time biting someone on the field.

If you're a fan of sweet-ass fashion: Nigeria. Good luck getting a Super Eagles kit if you don't already have one; there were reportedly 3 million pre-orders for their Nike-produced jerseys, which sold out quickly. But the sartorially-minded soccer follower can still covet from afar.

If you're a fan of consistent-ass fashion: Croatia. Some things are guaranteed: death, taxes, and Croatia donning a red-and-white checkerboard pattern at a big soccer tourney.

If you like the exhilarating feeling of a roller coaster about to careen off the tracks: France. As always, the French bring plenty of talent to the tournament. But their World Cup performances tend to fluctuate between the highest highs (reaching the final) and the lowest lows (ego-driven implosions). Who'll show up this time?

If you're a glutton for punishment: England. Self-explanatory.

If you like conspiracy theory rabbit holes on YouTube: South Korea. The Taeguk Warriors had a best-ever fourth-place finish at the 2002 World Cup (which South Korea co-hosted with Japan) and oh boy, does the internet have some opinions about why.

If you're a North American full of regional pride: Mexico. The united bid of Mexico, the US, and Canada just won the right to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup! Huzzah! What better way to show unity than to rally behind the only one of those three nations that actually qualified for Russia 2018?

If you believe that "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again”: Morocco. Poor Morocco. They're the ones who lost out on hosting the 2026 World Cup, after previously falling short in bidding for the 1994, 1998, 2006, and 2010 tournaments as well. They could use a W.

If you love narratives with satisfying conclusions: Argentina. Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of the sport (yes, he is) but won't be universally regarded as such unless he drags 22 other schmucks to World Cup glory—and this is probably his last chance to do so.

Photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

If you like to hit the ground running: Japan. Akira Nishino has had just two months as head coach to prepare Japan for the World Cup, after the shocking firing of his predecessor in April. If you know the feeling of being thrown into the deep end, maybe Japan is the team for you.

If you won't let objective reality get in the way of your preferences: Italy. Alternate options: Chile, the Netherlands.

If you like sitting: Denmark. Chair design is a big thing in Denmark. It's true. Hey, there's 32 of these things, they can't all be gold.

If you believe good things come to those who wait: Senegal. The Lions of Teranga had to wait until 2002 to qualify for their first World Cup, where they made a rollicking, entertaining journey to the final eight. They've had to wait 16 more years to get back to the big show. Buckle up.

If you enjoy cleverly gaming the system: Poland. The FIFA World Ranking is an arcane, unpopular and often nonsensical system that also happens to be the way teams are seeded for big competitions like the World Cup. The Polish team, knowing this, scheduled its games in such a way as to maximize their chances of getting a favourable draw for Russia 2018. And hey, it worked!

If you're a stickler for correct spelling: Colombia. Adopt Los Cafeteros as your team, and not only do you get to watch James Rodriguez do his thing, you also get to righteously repudiate the dullards on social media who will inevitably spell it "Columbia."

If you want a team whose accent you can (badly) mimic while probably not being accused of cultural insensitivity: Sweden. Bork bork bork.

If you think lightning really does strike twice: Costa Rica. Los Ticos shocked the world at Brazil 2014 with their run to the quarterfinals following wins over Uruguay and Italy. And, oh yeah, scientifically, lightning can strike the same place twice. Boom, Costa Rica winning the World Cup, confirmed.

If you like riling people up: Serbia. Just belligerently tell anyone within earshot that Serbia is definitely going to win the tournament. "Why?" They just are. Keep going. Don't take "no" or "please stop bothering the other customers" for an answer.

If you're all about that anti-colonialism cred: Tunisia. The North African nation was a French protectorate until independence in 1956. At this summer's World Cup, over a quarter of the players suiting up for Tunisia were born in France. Turnabout's fair play, non?

If you've decided you're just going to remain neutral: Switzerland. HAHAHAHA, get it? (Sorry. Really.)

If you're an early-rising go-getter: Iran. Aside from Brazil, Iran was the quickest nation in the world to book a spot in the World Cup through the qualification process, making things official back on June 12, 2017.

If you like leaving things until the last minute: Australia. The Aussies punched their ticket to the tournament on Nov. 15, 2017—the very last day of the worldwide, two-and-a-half-year-long, 210-nation qualifying process for Russia 2018.

Whichever team(s) you decide to follow over the next month—or, heaven forbid, if you choose to just enjoy the competition without staking a claim—it's definitely as nice a time as any to be reminded that there truly are some things that can bring together people from virtually every place on our planet.

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports CA.

Which Country You Should Cheer for in the World Cup published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[bongaboi]

Revons Plus Grand, Chapter 16

Revons Plus Grand

Chapter 16:

Chariots

Paris went on to win the game over Bordeaux, 3-0, with the return of Marco Verratti and Kevin Trapp setting up for some expert game management from Alex Hunter and Danny Williams. Morning came, and a lone busker from out his window in another flat in Boulogne Billancourt, his old and weathered fingers pounding an old and dusty grand piano, played some light Gospel music in English as a flock of doves flew toward the Bois to feast on some breadcrumbs. It was Saturday morning, and the light was just breaking through the clouds over the city of Paris. Actually, it was an old song by Bruce Hornsby, Across The River.

The cat tracker that the Hartmann Sisters created like to go different places around the city. The Saturday after another difficult shift for Paris Saint-Germain's men's first team away to Girondins de Bordeaux, it chose to actually get on The Metro and ride to the northeast suburbs of the city, the banlieues. In the background, a looping melody with infectious backbeat played, "Chariots" by Paper Route, an arrangement with some orchestral tones.

Georgette Lemare and Sadako Shimohara were watching the scenes from the impoverished parts of the metropolis on their tablets while riding on the shuttle to the Camp des Loges for their next shift. Defaced posters of Marine Le Pen on the walls. A vandalized building with crude rhetoric. Nique La Police. Fuck The Police. A mob of picketers, arms entwined in black and white, representing different persuasions, singing and chanting as they marched, passing by destructed vehicles, broken down windows, shards of glass and debris while the embattled law enforcement in riot gear watched from a distance. Later on, the cat would meet with them back at the apartment.

"Surreal, isn't it?" Jose asked Sadako. "It's all happening before our eyes."

"This is the modern era for you," she replied with a grim tone and an emotioness stare, watching the drama and feeling sympathy for the afflicted that were in full throat under partly cloudy Parisian skies. "If you want to be successful as a newcomer, you need to work hard, earn your bread and integrate into the mainstream society and its norms, otherwise, you end up with this."

"The many, the marginalized, the hopeless," said Mr. Sami with a grim expression of sympathy as the coach continued to roll along. "When their own nation will not give them a chance to work hard, to be respected, to be wanted and love, those from the departement of Seine-Saint-Denis resort to fleeing to the Middle East to join the Islamic State and waste their own lives because do not choose to integrate and be important tools in making our world safe."

"So I can see with my two eyes," said Jose, "Why Madame Le Pen, as I will call her now, is leading the polls and being tipped to take over the nation. This is all the hopeless in France can do, wage war against those who work hard to be great and successful because they lack the intelligence and self-respect to survive in this world. The only religion they know is the type of Islam that advocates violant means to avenge those who have been supposedly wronged by them."

Sadako looked out the window, her mind deep in thought as the tracker continued to walk with the marchers, who then gathered in a cordoned area to rally and make their voices heard amidst the desperation and hopelessness that lay out and about. "We will leave it to those in the know to keep us posted, then."

The shuttle then arrived at the door. As they got off, Mr. Benoit Rousseau was there to greet them. "Ladies! Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, Mr. Benoit," they replied, bowing to the chief.

"After taking care of our men's and women's first teams," said Benoit, "you will be having dinner with the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who will talk to you about the city's Olympic bid for 2024 and why she needs your support to ensure the games come here. So, get going."

"Right!" said the two of them.

The day was nothing too spectacular. Drills, strategy, lunch, more drills, more strategy, and that was that. After the teams had called it a day, Jose and Sadako went over to the door to meet Benoit again. "A limousine will be taking you two a location in the 7th arrondissement, where Mayor Hidalgo will be greeting you. Be sure to be sharply dressed for the occassion as this is a very important, though private function."

"We will do so," said Georgette. "Trust us."

"Very well then, on your way. Enjoy." And so the girls returned to the apartment to get showered and dressed.

40 minutes after they returned, Sadako and Georgette found the right outfits to wear. Jose wore a fluid V-Neck Sild dress, a soft lambskin bra, digital gate ankle boots and wish bone earrings. As for Sadako, she wore a structured cropped lambskin jacket, a cropped technical knit top, a technical knit skirt, a Persian Print skirt, black digital gate ankle boots, an ID Louis Vuitton Signet Ring and idential wish bone earrings.

"Looking very nice," said Sadako as the two of them procured their respective handbags. "Changing your hairstyle to Takami's again?"

"Yep, just because I can." It was a simple white bow with red and blue stripes.

"Fantastic. So, let's go." They exchanged fist bumps and went down the escalator to the door, where a few chaffeurs were waiting to go with a long stretch limo. Jose and Sadako stepped inside, and as the limo took off, the Paper Route song with its infectious back beat and piano melody.

"Love is never invincible

It's the mystical, a body into a soul

You, you thought of me differently

Traded everything, a moment in memory

You promised me that everything is fair

If it's love and war

But you're giving up the fight

Is it not worth fighting for?

All of this tethered to the heart

Holding what you meant

If it's really what you want

Then I confidently send

(Chariots)

I send my love to carry it

Without your guard our chariots fall

(Chariots)

No part of us left innocent

Without your heart our chariots fall

(Chariots)

Blind to think you would never thirst

In the burning earth

And trade what our love is worth

I am sewn to your sleeve

Refuse to retreat

I'm chasing every shadow off the wall

I am caught in time

All these chemicals I take

Can't erase you from my mind

All of this tethered to a thought

I am holding here

If it's really what you want

Then I'll patiently prepare

(Chariots)

I send my love to carry it

Without your guard our chariots fall

(Chariots)

No part of us left innocent

Without your heart our chariots fall

(Chariots)

I'm losing my faith

I'm losing it all

Just give me a chance before

(Chariots fall)

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

I'm losing my faith

I'm losing it all

Just give me a chance before

(Chariots fall)

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

I'm losing my faith

I'm losing it all

Just give me a chance before

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

Where's the blood?

(Chariots fall)

(Chariots)

(Chariots fall)"

The limousine cruised through some of the most important destinations in the city befor arriving at the restaurant, the L'Abeille at the Shangri-La Hotel Paris in the 16th arrondissement. The cat tracker had already joined the two girls as the limo arrived and was on Jose's shoulders as an unintended scarf replacement that no one else could see but her and Sadako. As they got off, Mayor Hidalgo greeted them. "Good evening!" she said to the two of them.

"Hello," said Jose.

"Your are Miss Georgette Lemare and Miss Sadako Shimohara, correct."

"Yes, Madame Hidalgo, we are," said Sadako with a bow.

"I've been expecting you, follow me." The two followed Mayor Hidalgo to the lobby, where the attendant on the premises escorted the three of them to their table. The resident chef was on the premises to greet them. "This is Christophe Moret, a good friend of mine. He will be your chef today."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Moret," said Georgette.

"Take good care of us, sir," Sadako added.

"Thank you for coming to my restaurant, all of you," he said. "Our attendants will get your order, do you want anything to drink? We have an extensive wine list."

"I will have the Pays de L'Herault, 15cl," said Mayor Hidalgo. "What about the two of you?"

"Give me the Saint Joseph," Georgette said.

"Pommard," added Sadako.

"Merci beaucoup, thank you," said Christophe. "I will have my attendants take your order when you are set." As he went to the kitchen to get ready along with his kitchen staff, the sommeliers helped pour some wine for the three of them.

"I am so glad you are here with us in Paris," said Mayor Hidalgo. "Did you enjoy the tour?"

"We most certainly did, it was a magical experience," Sadako said.

"You're from Japan, right?"

"Hiroshima, Madame Hidalgo."

"Very nice city, blue collar place with committed men and women. You should be very proud of coming down here to help us. How's PSG, both of you?"

"They are having one heck of a race for the league championship," said Georgette. "I don't know if they will win it because Monaco's form has been so spectacular. Kylian Mbappe has been a godsend for the club; I don't think they will be caught!" The 18-year old Mbappe was instrumental in their 5-0 smashing of relegation bound FC Metz.

"They are a fine bunch of lads, Monaco are. They have been waiting more than a decade to get their hands on the trophy." She noticed the attendant coming in to take their order. "Order what you want on the A La Carte, and we will all share the truffle menu that Christophe has. Later on, of course, is dessert."

"Fois gras, of course," said Sadako, "and souffled potatoes."

"I will have the colvert duck and the squash," said Jose.

"Bresse chicken, good sir," Mayor Hidalgo instructed to the attendant, "and the entire truffle menu to share." The attendant noted them all done. "And for the two of you, your choice of dessert, as designed by another good friend of mine, Mr. Michael Bartocetti. Which one do you want for the three of us?"

"The quinces and the cheese plate," they both said.

"Good call," said the mayor. The attendant saluted and he went off. "So, with that out of the way, I want to show you the plans for the bid committee." She produced two books, one of each of the girls, and they were mighty thick.

"What's this?" asked Sadako.

"It's the finalized bid book for Paris 2024. We last hosted the games back in 1924, and none of us were alive to see that day."

"I wasn't alive either," said Jose to Sadako.

"Neither was I," she replied back.

Mayor Hidalgo went on, "Thus, we would like to host the Olympics after Tokyo in the 100th anniversary of the last Summer Games in this great city. A monumental occassion that will bring happiness, glory and peace through the power of sports! Your venue that you work at, Le Parc, will host the football finals and other select matches. And many of the top stadiums in Ligue 1 will be hosting matches so that the taste of the games is worldwide. And Marseille, our sister city to the south, will take care of the sailing."

Georgette leafed through the pages, filled with visuals and text in French and English, the two official languages of the International Olympic Committee. "Nicely detailed."

"With the ascendancy of Mr. Trump to the White House and the possibility of exclusivity posing great danger to Los Angeles's bid, the backlash from those in Budapest who rail against the city's own bid to host the Games, and your esteemed presence," said Mayor Hidalgo, "we won't lose!"

"You won't lose with us around, huh?" said Sadako as she sipped some wine while the a la carte appetizers were still being prepared.

"Absolutely not. But it can only be possible if we obtain your support. We believe that we will win the bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. We came up painfully short a number of times but we feel that with all of the events currently going on, this will truly be our victory."

Jose giggled. "You have our support."

"Thank you so much. And get this: our slogan parallels that of PSG."

"Oh?"

"The slogan of our big is La Force d'un Rêve. The Strength of A Dream. Put your slogan together, and it echoes the message of our city. In Paris, we dream bigger, and the strength of our dream signifies hope and a vision of happiness and achievement to our ever-changing world. Today, Paris will lead the way into the future. This is our dream. This is our destiny. This is Paris, and Paris is Magical. Ici C'est Paris et Paris Est Magique."

"Awesome!" said Jose, who was applauding with Sadako. "Don't worry about it. Keep lobbying for the cause and when September 13 comes, your name will be called, I promise you."

"The IOC Evaluation Commission will be coming to our city from May 14 to 16. We will be the last city to be evaluated. Whether or not that works in our favor remains to be seen, but I am convinced that this will work out." Soon enough, the rest of the plates came. "But first, before we talk further..." The glasses were charged.

"A toast to Paris 2024, Paris Saint-Germain and to this city being the winner of hosting the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad!" exclaimed Jose.

"Here, hear! Bon Appetit!" they all said with a laugh, clinking glasses. And so they continued to talk into detail the venues and the layout of the event, which the cat tracker was able to convey to the observers on the others side by downloading the entire candidature file through the newly-discovered technology by the Hartmann sisters.

END CHAPTER 16

[junker-town]

Meet the quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft

Getty Images

Joe Burrow is the headliner this year, but there are a lot of names to know.

The 2020 NFL Draft is fast approaching, and the next class of quarterbacks is looking to make its mark in the NFL. A lot of these prospects have some interesting backstories that will be highlighted throughout the NFL scouting process. This year’s group features the likes of a Heisman winner, a Senior Bowl MVP, a quarterback who won big at two different Power 5 programs, and players who tried renewing their careers at different schools.

Let’s get to know each quarterback that who was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine as they begin to take the next step in their football careers. We broke them up into three sections, with the prospects listed in alphabetical order.

The quarterbacks who will most likely be off the board first

Last year there were three QBs taken in the first round, and there were five in 2018. We’ll likely come somewhere within that range in 2020.

Joe Burrow, LSU

I don’t think you need an introduction for this guy, right? After winning the Heisman and national championship for the Tigers, Burrow has a case to be called the best college QB ever. He’s almost certainly headed to the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick.

Fun fact: Burrow is from Ohio and hates Skyline Chili, which was invented in the city he’s probably going to be drafted to:

I knew I wasn’t trippin lol pic.twitter.com/XhaOdDzSHN

— George Iloka (@George_iloka) January 14, 2020

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Herbert could have been a first-round pick after his 2018 season with the Ducks. He threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns with eight interceptions that season. He came back instead, and Herbert threw for 320 more yards and three more touchdowns than he did the season before.

Herbert’s headed into the draft with a lot of momentum. He won the Senior Bowl Practice Player of the Week and MVP awards.

Fun fact: He’s super smart!

#Oregon QB Justin Herbert (30:00) did not deny he’s a bit of a nerd. The 4.01 GPA speaks to that. But will he miss school? “As long as I’m playing football, no,” he said on RapSheet + Friends. A look at the person teams would be drafting: https://t.co/yGplUseycG

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 14, 2020

Jordan Love, Utah State

Love made a name for himself during his breakout season in 2018, finishing in the top 10 in the nation in passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, and points responsible for. Although his 2019 numbers weren’t as good as the season prior — losing his offensive coordinator didn’t help — Love ended his Aggie career with a school-record 9,003 yards of total offense.

His combination of a deep-throw ability paired with the athleticism is enough for him to earn first-round buzz. LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said Love was “definitely a first-round pick” when discussing his skill set ahead of the Tigers’ game against Utah State last season.

Fun fact: Love plays a lot of Madden in his free time, and he thinks he can beat anyone he plays against in it.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

Tagovailoa finished his career as Alabama’s career passing touchdown leader with 87, and he holds the school record for touchdowns responsible for with 96. He did that even though he played just one full season as the starter, in 2018.

Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury near the end of Alabama’s 2019 season, but he should be ready to go by the time NFL training camp rolls around. He is also a left-handed quarterback, which the NFL hasn’t had as a regular starter since Michael Vick.

Fun fact: He can sing!

You guys asked for more here is part 2 of the @Tuaamann_ Concert Series pic.twitter.com/9F6D8BHmhc

— Michael Locksley (@CoachLocks) December 22, 2017

The next tier of passers you may have heard of

This group includes some familiar names. A couple of them have a chance to sneak into first or second round, or they could all be mid-rounders.

Jacob Eason, Washington

The former five-star recruit started as a true freshman for Georgia in 2016, but he was benched for Jake Fromm in 2017. Eason sat out a year and played his 2019 season at Washington, throwing for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns during the Huskies’ 8-5 season.

Fun fact: Eason’s nickname is “Skinny QB” that he coined after his dad gave him a short haircut.

Jake Fromm, Georgia

Fromm declaring for the draft was a bit of a surprise, given that his play wasn’t very consistent in 2019. Still, he finished his Georgia career fourth in school history with 8,224 career passing yards, and was 35-7 as a starter over three seasons. He led the Dawgs to a national championship berth in 2017 after defeating Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal.

Fun fact: In the summer of 2018, Fromm once suffered two accidents at a lake. The first one was a broken hand, the second when he got a fishing lure stuck in his damn leg!

Perhaps Fromm should stay away from lakes while he prepared for the draft, just sayin.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

Hurts’ story is one of the most unique in college football. He was the starter at Alabama, during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. But in the second half of the 2017 CFP National Championship win against Georgia, he was benched for Tagovailoa and then was a backup in 2018. He did come in for an injured Tagovailoa in the SEC Championship Game to lead the Tide to a 35-28 comeback win, again over Georgia.

In 2019, he transferred to Oklahoma, where he had the best statistical year of his college career with 3,851 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air and 1,298 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. He was the Heisman runner-up behind Burrow.

Fun Fact: Hurts took two teams to the College Football Playoff as a starter, with Alabama in 2017 and Oklahoma in 2019, and played in the Playoff all four years.

Last but not least, the possible sleepers

Most of these guys probably won’t be picked until Day 3, if they’re selected at all. They still could find their way on an NFL roster.

Kelly Bryant, Missouri

Bryant started his college career at Clemson, where he had to replace Deshaun Watson in 2017. He led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff that season but transferred in the middle of 2018 after then-true freshman QB Trevor Lawrence got the starting job. Bryant’s exit had a tinge of bad blood to it. He told reporters after announcing he was transferring that it “felt like a slap in the face” when he was benched for Lawrence.

Bryant spent 2019 at Missouri, where he threw for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in an injury-plagued season.

Kevin Davidson, Princeton

Davidson started just one season for the Tigers in 2019, but he set a couple records. He became the first Princeton player with at least two games of five or more TD passes, and he’s first all-time in lowest interception percentage (6 in 374 passes). Davidson hangs out with Marshawn Lynch from time to time, whom he met when he was in high school.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State

Gordon started his college career at JUCO City College of San Francisco before redshirting at Washington State in 2016. SB Nation’s Dan Kadar called Gordon one of the Senior Bowl’s most interesting players:

Gordon started only a season for the Cougars while sitting behind walking meme Gardner Minshew. Gordon’s 2019 stats are eye-popping. He put up 5,579 yards and 48 touchdowns, with 570 yards and nine touchdowns alone coming against UCLA.

Brian Lewerke, Michigan State

In his three years as the Spartans’ starting QB, he finished with 9,548 yards of total offense, which ranks first in school history. A shoulder injury limited him in 2018, but he came back to throw a career-high 3,079 yards in 2019. He has a pretty impressive 40-yard dash time, too:

I’ve been working with some Quarterbacks the last few days as they prepare for their all-star games and the combine. Brian Lewerke is a promising prospect. Great athlete (4.61 40) who has a big arm. We’ve made some small changes to his motion and drop.@QB_Collective @WillHewlett pic.twitter.com/aQxMc9hyJh

— Sage Rosenfels (@SageRosenfels18) January 7, 2020

Jake Luton, Oregon State

Luton started his career at Idaho, where played in eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2015. He then transferred to Ventura CC before landing at Oregon State. Over three seasons, he played in just 23 games for the Beavers. The NCAA granted Luton a sixth year of eligibility for 2019, when he had career-best numbers, including 28 touchdowns to just three interceptions in 11 games.

Cole McDonald, Hawaii

McDonald started his last two seasons at Hawaii, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 10-5 mark last season as a junior. He threw for 4,135 yards and had a 147.6 passer rating. But hands down the most important aspect of McDonald’s Hawaii career is how gloriously his hair progressed:

https://t.co/ozqZNmNiSu

— °°° K . C °°° (@ColeHunter520) September 29, 2019

Tragically, McDonald has since cut off his blond dreads. RIP.

Steven Montez, Colorado

Montez set 43 school records in his four-year career, and finished as Colorado’s all-time leader in total yards (10,609) and passing yards (9,467). Montez’s father, Alfred, spent one season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders in 1996.

James Morgan, FIU

Morgan finished his Panther career breaking seven school records, including most passing touchdowns in a season (26) and the highest pass efficiency in a season (157.6).

He played at Bowling Green before transferring to FIU in 2018:

FIU QB James Morgan caught my eye at the Shrine this year — and he's got some really impressive throws on tape from his days at Bowling Green, too! pic.twitter.com/FAFgYSGRrp

— Kyle Crabbs (@GrindingTheTape) February 13, 2020

Shea Patterson, Michigan

Patterson was the No. 1 overall pro-style prospect from the class of 2016, and he began his career at Ole Miss. In 2017, he threw for 2,259 yards and 17 touchdowns, then transferred without penalty to Michigan after head coach Hugh Freeze was ousted in the summer of 2018. Over two seasons in Ann Arbor, Patterson passed for 5,661 and 45 touchdowns.

Nate Stanley, Iowa

Stanley started three seasons for Iowa and threw for 8,302 yards and 68 touchdowns throughout his career. He is one of two Hawkeye quarterbacks to have a 3-0 record in bowl games. Stanley mastered the QB sneak in college, averaging 3.6 yards per sneak at Iowa.

[junker-town]

Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury might have an unexpected silver lining

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Tagovailoa will almost certainly lose money, but could wind up surrounded by much better players.

Before suffering a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State, Tua Tagovailoa was steaming toward a football wasteland. The one-time Heisman frontrunner had played well enough to emerge as a likely top-five pick — and that meant a spot in a total teardown in the NFL.

Tagovailoa’s wizardry at Alabama had cemented his spot as one of the top two quarterbacks eligible for the 2020 NFL Draft, alongside LSU star Joe Burrow. There’s a chance he’ll still be the second quarterback taken off the board, but the near-certainty he’d be selected as part of grand-scale rebuilds in Cincinnati or Miami has waned as clubs wait to hear reports of his rehabilitation:

Which NFL team drafts Tua Tagovailoa in 2020? Dolphins +200 Chargers +350 Broncos +400 Bengals +500 Titans +700 Buccaneers +800 Panthers +1200 Patriots +1500 Bears +2000 Via @SportsLine Oddsmakers

— SportsLine (@SportsLine) November 19, 2019

Tagovailoa underwent successful surgery to repair his dislocated and fractured hip earlier this week. Though concerns will linger about his ability to remain the explosive athlete who occasionally seemed superhuman under Nick Saban, his early prognosis suggests a full recovery. If he’s looking at an approximate four-month span before resuming football activities and at least six before practicing, that time off and questions about ever finding his top gear again will undoubtedly affect his draft stock.

That will have a negative impact on his rookie contract and the money he’ll make as a pro. It could also be a net benefit for his NFL career.

A slide to the middle of the draft would push Tagovailoa to a softer landing spot

There’s still a chance the big-armed Hawaiian winds up with the Dolphins or Bengals. While he’d instantly become the centerpiece of either franchise, he’d also be playing alongside supporting casts that would need more than a season’s worth of draft picks and free agent signings to even approach league average.

Whichever rookie QB ends up in Ohio or Florida will end up playing in an offense with little to offer a budding quarterback. To wit:

There’s a benefit should injury concerns slide him to the middle of the first round or later. This would connect him to a handful of teams with stronger rosters and a gaping need for a franchise QB. There’s a wide range of talented-but-flawed rosters floating above the Dolphins-Bengals-Washington tier of hopelessness but below the realm of true contenders.

Teams like the Bears, Titans, and Buccaneers need fresh faces behind center. The Steelers, Chargers, Broncos, and maybe even the Panthers need succession plans for aging passers.

Any of those franchises would provide a softer introduction to the league than a place where Tagovailoa would be the focal point opposing defenses swarm to in Cincinnati or Miami. Chicago, who would have to trade their way back into the first round thanks to 2018’s Khalil Mack trade, could buttress him with one of the league’s top defenses. Tampa Bay would give him elite receiving help. Denver can flank him with emerging skill players like Courtland Sutton, Phillip Lindsay, and Royce Freeman. Pittsburgh — who, like the Bears, would have to trade back into the first round — could make him the centerpiece of a new era of Steeler football.

Of course, the Dolphins also have three picks in the first round of next year’s draft. It’s entirely possible Tagovailoa isn’t their first choice — as previously noted, they’ve got needs basically everywhere — and he still winds up in South Beach when the team cashes in picks acquired from the Texans and Steelers later on Day 1.

Would a stronger supporting cast be worth the financial cost to Tagovailoa?

There would likely be an on-field benefit to a slide down draft boards, at least for Tagovailoa’s rookie campaign. There would definitely be a financial drawback that comes with it. Here’s what last year’s Day 1 picks will make in guaranteed money over the first four years of their NFL careers:

A slide of just four picks could cost Tagovailoa as much as $6 million. Falling to the very end of the first round would result in a loss of $25 million. If Miami and Cincinnati each decide he’s not a risk worth taking, there’s little chance he’d be a top-five selection — Washington and both New York franchises are likely to fill out that group on Day 1. None need a young quarterback at the moment.

If the strong-armed passer’s recovery is going well, he might not lose much more than that. Slots 6-10 of the 2020 draft are currently slated to include Tampa Bay and Denver. They’re flanked by teams with a stable quarterback situation but major holes elsewhere like the Jets, Cardinals, and Falcons — all of whom would be happy to trade down in the first round to accumulate assets and fill out rosters in need of talent. Even with a relatively loaded crop of veteran talent set to hit next spring’s free agent marketplace, NFL franchises remain ever-thirsty for a young, dynamic passing talent who can clear salary cap room with a relatively inexpensive rookie contract.

So where could the Alabama quarterback fall?

We’ve seen injury derail the draft stock of a handful of players in recent years. Jaylon Smith’s knee injury pushed him from a potential top-five pick and into the second round, where he emerged as a bargain pickup for the Cowboys. Myles Jack followed a similar path with the Jaguars. Last year, Jeffrey Simmons tore his ACL in February 2019, still wound up as a first-round pick by the Titans (19th overall), and made his NFL debut seven months later.

None of those players were quarterbacks. Playing the most important position on the field raises Tagovailoa’s stock. None of them had to deal with a dislocated hip either, which tempers some of that value and makes his 2020 stock much more volatile. Some mock drafts have him keeping his position in the top four. Others have him languishing on draft boards until Day 2. Since it’s roughly five-and-a-half months until the draft, almost all of these educated guesses will be wrong.

One recent trend in the pre-draft process is that many quarterbacks, even flawed ones, tend to pick up steam in the dead zone that follows the Super Bowl, thanks to the league’s desire for young over-performing passers. Baker Mayfield went from a first-round hopeful to the first overall pick. Mitchell Trubisky and Daniel Jones worked their way into top-six selections despite underwhelming college careers.

Tagovailoa will be subject to similar scrutiny that weighs his strengths (a national championship and a career 87:11 TD:INT ratio) against his weaknesses (a sub-optimal build at 6’1 and, uh, a broken hip). His fortunes won’t rise on the strength of his throws at the Combine or based on what scouts are saying about his locker room demeanor. His hopes hinge on the reports his doctors give and how much NFL teams buy in to that prognosis. If even one quarterback-needy team sees value there, he could be off the board before 2019’s contenders can begin dreaming about a bargain QB at the end of the first round or start of the second.

Tagovailoa would be both the foundation and architect in the middle of a massive rebuild from the teams at the top of the 2020 draft. A slide out of the top five would provide a blueprint and some freestanding pieces that would make it much easier for the young passer to become a finished project as an NFL passer. That would come with a significant financial loss, but it could be a net win if he emerges as an elite quarterback in the right setting — a quarterback who’d likely sign the biggest contract extension in league history sometime in 2023.

[junker-town]

What we learned from 2017 WWE Battleground

Remember when SmackDown was great? It feels like WWE doesn’t want us to remember that SmackDown was great.

WWE’s Battleground started out great, immediately cratered, rose from the dead, stayed level for a bit, then went on a murderous rampage using boredom as its weapon of choice. It was even more exhausting than getting through that sentence of mixed metaphors.

Let’s try that again:

Ah, the efficiency of a meme.

Alright, let’s get started on what we learned, other than that the goal of SmackDown now feels like it’s to punish people who dared to enjoy SmackDown more than RAW.

Aiden English def. Tye Dillinger (Kickoff Match)

I ignore kickoff match results a lot here because they ultimately end up not mattering, but you should watch Aiden English vs. Tye Dillinger. It was one of the better matches of Battleground, and that’s not a backhanded compliment even if it might come off like one. They gave two talents who don’t get enough time on camera, well, time on camera. There were near-falls, English getting to sing his full song prior to Dillinger’s entrance, and maybe most importantly, a match that was good enough to make us want to see an eventual rubber match between the pair.

What we learned: Watching the kickoff can be a good thing, even when you’re accidentally exposed to Jerry Lawler on a pre-show roundtable while waiting for the match to begin.

The New Day def. the Usos to become SmackDown Tag Team Champions

This match was great. Big E sat things out, which meant Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston were the New Day alignment of choice. That doesn’t always bode well for them, since E is the muscle, but here, Woods shined. He and Kofi toughed out everything the Usos had, and to the heels’ credit, they didn’t bail this time when New Day wouldn’t go down. Instead, the Usos got increasingly violent, with a barrage of kicks — some inventively thrown — and a powerbomb to the outside that took Kofi out of the proceedings long enough for everyone to forget he was in the match.

Man, just watch this match if you haven’t already. And watch it again if you already did.

What we learned: WWE isn’t finished with New Day as a successful tag team, as they’ve moved on from being the longest-reigning tag team in company history while holding the RAW Tag Team Championships to SmackDown Tag champs. Doing so with Big E on the outside for moral support — and not rule bending or cheating — went a long way toward making sure we know that this iteration of New Day are pure babyfaces.

The Usos will get another shot at these titles, but whether that’s in the next month on the road to SummerSlam or at SummerSlam itself is unknown at this point.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin after getting kicked in the junk

Shinsuke Nakamura is great. Baron Corbin is really good and getting better. These two did not work together as a pair at all, maybe because both require their opponent to look like the offense they are taking hurts, and neither seemed willing to do that for the other. Also because Nakamura is wrestling at half-speed and even the Philadelphia crowd wouldn’t get behind him. What a mess.

What we learned: These two have potential together, and this won’t be the last time they face off either in this feud or in a future one, so WWE better figure out what will make it work as well as the backstage attacks and the Money in the Bank assault did.

Natalya def. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Tamina, and Lana to become the no. 1 contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship

This was a surprise, but it wasn’t a bad one. Becky Lynch took down both of Tamina and Lana — she tried to make it Lana and then Tamina, but Tamina wouldn’t allow that to happen and therefore had to be eliminated first. Natalya then snuck up behind Becky and rolled her up to make it Nattie vs. Charlotte Flair, who was the presumed winner heading into this and also at this stage of the match. Instead, Natalya won, meaning we’ll get SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi vs. Natalya at SummerSlam.

WWE.com

What we learned: SmackDown remains willing to put women other than the Four Horsewomen (on this show, that means Charlotte and Becky) in their women’s main event. Natalya vs. Naomi also means WWE can find another way to feature Charlotte and Becky, who do not need a title attached to them in order to be put on a SummerSlam card. This is the unexpected route, but also one worth waiting until Tuesday for to see what else SmackDown has up their sleeve for their women’s division.

That being said, if Charlotte and Becky aren’t at SummerSlam either facing each other or in some kind of high-profile moment (helping put eyeballs on the Mae Young Classic, setting up a future showdown for the next Big Four event that brings Monday’s and Tuesday’s rosters together) and WWE is content with the one SmackDown women’s match on their six-hour August show, then you’ll my tone change just a little bit.

Kevin Owens def. AJ Styles to regain the United States Championship

Remember that “land of contrasts” meme from the beginning? There’s no turning back after this — I have like, one more unqualified positive thing to say about Battleground after this paragraph. You got almost 900 words in before here, so that’s a pretty good deal, and unlike with Battleground itself, I had the courtesy to warn you about the change.

HOW DID WWE MAKE AJ STYLES VS. KEVIN OWENS FOR A MAJOR TITLE ACTIVELY NOT GOOD

Two of WWE’s best performers are sleepwalking through this feud, and when they finally have a match that seems to be rising above all of that, it finishes ugly and unconvincingly well after it should have if this was the angle they were going with. Kevin Owens threw AJ Styles into the ref — that was fine, especially given it was a blind throw, so Owens could always pretend it was an unfortunate accident. The ref was down forever, which is not unexpected, and missed AJ Styles putting Owens into his submission.

The ref apparently also was blinded by this attack, literally, as he kept looking directly at Owens and Styles for an uncomfortably long amount of time without performing any of his ref duties, instead way overplaying the idea that he was woozy after taking a hit. This all dragged on and on until Owens pinned Styles by putting his shoulders down mid-submission for a lame finish that also means this feud and Kevin Owens pretending he’s an evil foreigner because he’s Canadian and fighting for the United States Championship has to go on at least one more pay-per-view cycle, and possibly two.

What we learned: WWE is very capable of missing layup after layup.

John Cena def. Rusev in a Flag Match

The build to this was a jingoistic waste of the time of anyone exposed to it, but at least the match had its moments. It wasn’t good when they were trying to pull the flags down from the poles they were on in the ring, but once they did and the action switched to outside of the ring, this was MTV’s best attempt at accidentally creating an MTV The Challenge course for its wrestlers, and that was fun.

Like everything else that didn’t quite go right at Battleground, however (there’s one of those qualifiers I warned you about!), this just went on far too long for too little payoff.

What we learned: WWE is very capable of missing layup after layup. Oh, right, I already used that one.

Rusev and Cena are two of WWE’s top performers, and they stuck them in a match no one outside of people who legitimately believe America has problems with Bulgaria — [lowers sunglasses] who’s an ally, by the way — cares about.

Stop with the lazy “evil foreigner” gimmick you perpetually broken clocks posing as writers. They’re creatively bankrupt, alienating to the international audience you’re also supposed to be catering to as an international promotion, and at a time when said international audience probably sees Rusev as the face given what America currently stands for, also just needlessly tone-deaf.

Breezango’s attackers did not reveal themselves at Battleground but they did attack Breezango once again

This was great, even if we didn’t learn the identity of Breezango’s assailants as it was implied we would. The Ascension tried to take credit for the attacks once again because, just like before, they know that it’s their best shot at performing on a WWE pay-per-view and collecting the paycheck that comes with that. When they left the room, the lights dimmed, Tyler Breeze was assaulted, and then the lights went out once more before we saw Fandango laid out beside him... only to be slowly dragged away by whomever — or whatever — attacked him.

What we learned: THE FASHION FILES ARE NOT ACTUALLY FINISHED WITH THIS IS JOYOUS NEWS BURIED WITHIN A SEA OF MEDIOCRITY

Sami Zayn def. Mike Kanellis

I’m not one to complain about a Sami Zayn victory, but (qualifier!) what is Mike Kanellis doing out here losing his second match in WWE when he and his wife, Maria, are supposed to be these big new heels?

This felt like a television match where things will escalate because of the defeat, however, so I don’t want to get too worked up about the result. Like with the women’s result, let’s see where they go from here with it.

What we learned: The Kanellis’ better not show up on Tuesday billed from somewhere besides the United States.

WWE Champion Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match after the Great Khali returned to WWE and held Randy Orton in place on the outer cage with his intensely large arms that contain the strength of a literal giant

I’d write something like “this match sure did happen” to signal to you my ambivalence about it, but given how difficult it was to see within the Punjabi Prison structure, I honestly can’t confirm to you that a match for sure did happen.

Yes, fans, as you can clearly see here at the Punjabi Prison... something is... I think something's happening? Something's happening. http://pic.twitter.com/nZkR9cnOlg

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) July 24, 2017

Let’s just say that this went so well that the former WWE writer who came up with the concept of the Punjabi Prison match apologized for doing so on Twitter on Monday morning.

What we learned: The Great Khali poked his head out from backstage, signaling that the Summer of Jinder will continue unabated for at least one month more.

I swear WWE if you book Super Patriot John Cena against Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam I will... what’s that? I already bought SummerSlam tickets and will be forced to see that live? Touché, WWE. Touché.

At least Braun Strowman will be there, too.

[junker-town]

WWE Battleground 2017 results: Show starts off hot but devolves into a mess

It was all downhill after the opening tag team match, culminating in the return of Great Khali, of all people.

WWE Battleground 2017 had an uphill fight from the start. Jinder Mahal as champion still doesn’t sit right with some people, and his never-ending feud with Randy Orton was set to blow off in the infamous Punjabi Prison, which has never produced a good match ever. That streak of bad Punjabi Prison matches continued Sunday night, with Mahal retaining the WWE Championship thanks to the help of an unlikely returning player.

With SummerSlam just over a month away, we at least got some answers as to how the card will shake out (such as the No. 1 contender to the SmackDown Women’s Championship), but there were a lot of underwhelming matches with bad finishes, which only served to extend feuds that are already past their expiration date. SmackDown Live is going through a pretty rough slump at the moment, and Battleground didn’t really inspire confidence that they’ll right the ship soon.

The opening tag title match was by far the highlight of the show, but everything else was skippable at best, with the bad stuff standing out as particularly bad.

WWE Championship: Jinder Mahal (c) def. Randy Orton in Punjabi Prison match to retain the title

A stupid match gets the stupid finish it deserves.

Yup, we’re actually doing a Punjabi Prison match in 2017. If you’ve forgotten the previous two barnburners that took place in this thing (Undertaker vs. Big Show, Great Khali vs. Batista), let me explain the rules.

It’s basically a cage match, but the cage is made of bamboo and there are two cages surrounding the ring. The inner cage has four doors that a referee can open on request, but that door is only open for 60 seconds. If you can’t get through, the door closes forever, but you can just climb over it anyway so it doesn’t really matter. Once a wrestler gets out of the inner cage, they must climb the bigger, outer cage to win the match.

Got all that? No? Too bad, we’re doing this thing. Hold on to your butts.

Jinder called for a door to get opened right from the start, but Orton cut him off and the door closed, leaving three doors left. Nothing important happened for a while. A second door opened up via Jinder’s request, but Orton cut him off again and the door closed. See a pattern developing here?

The Philly fans in attendance were so enthralled by the action they started up a “trust the process” chant.

Orton called for a third door to open up, but naturally, Jinder fought him off. The door closed, leaving just one left. Orton hit the draping DDT off the middle rope, which was the closest thing to exciting in this match. He got the final door opened and could’ve easily walked out, but decided to pose for some reason and let Jinder come back.

Of course, the Singh Brothers were hiding under the ring the whole time and helped Jinder get through the door before it closed, leaving Randy inside. Jinder started climbing the outer cage, but Orton somehow recovered and got over to the cage alongside Jinder. The brothers laid out Orton and Jinder made his climb once again before getting dragged down. Orton went back to his favorite pastime, beating the hell out of the Singhs. Jinder then beat him up with kendo sticks before Orton came back with kendo stick shots of his own.

Randy started climbing again, but somehow the Singhs were small enough to crawl outside and fight him on the other side of the cage. Orton fought off one brother and sent him crashing through the announce desk, which was by far the best thing to happen in this match. Orton killed the other brother with chair shots and went after Jinder, laying him out with the chair.

Orton made his climb once more and seemed on his way to victory, but ... THE GREAT KHALI IS HERE. After leaving WWE years ago, Khali came back and choked out Orton on the cage, buying Jinder time to climb over the cage and win. It’s a fitting end to Battleground, which had more bad than good.

Sami Zayn def. Mike Kanellis by pinfall

This played out much like their match on SmackDown Live last week — Sami took most of the match, but Mike used the power of love (read: Maria Kanellis’ interference) to gain an advantage.

This was a standard match, not much to say about it. Zayn got his fiery comeback and nailed Mike with a dive to the outside. He hit a crossbody and tornado DDT before Maria hit the ring. This time, Sami didn’t fall prey to the distraction, hitting the exploder suplex and Helluva Kick for the win.

Maybe this feud continues, maybe not, who knows.

Flag Match: John Cena def. Rusev

Yes, it’s a Flag Match. Yes, it’s a game of Capture the Flag with wrestling moves. Yes, John Cena is still defending the honor of America against the evil ... Bulgarian? Sure, why not.

For the record, Bulgaria and the United States are NATO allies. Also, how many Americans actually have a strong opinion of Bulgaria? Can’t Rusev just be a cool, tough Bulgarian who doesn’t hate America? Whatever.

Anyway, the rules of the match are that each man’s flag is hooked on a pole on opposite corners of the ring. The person who grabs his flag and plants it in a spot on the entrance ramp wins the match. That’s it.

This match, with no pinfalls or submissions, started off with Rusev and Cena trading chinlocks. The match mostly went like this: someone tries to climb up and grab his flag, the opponent pulls them down, they do some wrestling moves. This cycle repeated itself multiple times. Rusev took out Cena with a powerbomb counter off a leg drop and took his flag off the pole. But Cena hit a dropkick and Attitude Adjustment before putting Rusev in the STF. He grabbed Old Glory before Rusev knocked him out again.

Rusev was the first to get up and walk his flag up the ramp, but Cena flew out of the ring to take him down. They brawled on the ramp and past the finish line, with neither man holding their flag. Rusev set up some tables, but Cena fought him off and got his flag. He crawled up the ramp and nearly planted the flag, but Rusev recovered and locked Cena into the Accolade. He struggled mightily to lift the Bulgarian flag (which presumably weighs 1,000 pounds) up the podium, but Cena cut him off again. he lifted up Rusev and hit the AA through the tables. then he planted the American flag and won.

Woof. Let’s hope they have some better plans for Cena at SummerSlam.

WWE United States Championship: Kevin Owens def. AJ Styles (c) to win the title

Good match while it lasted, but the finish left many people scratching their heads. There was a needlessly complicated sequence with the ref getting knocked out, which didn’t actually matter because the heel won clean without cheating. Baffling end.

Owens is getting his rematch after surprisingly losing the belt to Styles at a Madison Square Garden house show. Owens did his usual stalling tactics early on before Styles took the fight to him, as both men brawled on the outside.

They got back in the ring and Owens took Styles to Chinlock City. Styles fought back with some strikes, but Owens put hi down with a DDT and went back to the chinlocks. Styles got back on his feet and hit Owens with a flurry of forearms. He caught an Owens superkick and almost had the Styles Clash, which Owens escaped before Styles hit the neckbreaker on his knee for two.

Styles went for the springboard 450 but Owens got his knees up and rolled up AJ for a two-count. A cannonball into the corner got another nearfall for Owens. He put Styles on the top rope and went for a superkick, but Styles countered into a Torture Rack for two.

AJ went back up and set up the Phenomenal Forearm, but Owens rolled out and caught him from behind, nailing his shoulder on the apron. Despite the bad arm, AJ hit a Pele kick. He set up the Styles Clash again, but Owens threw him into the referee, knocking him out. Owens nailed a superkick and tried the Pop-Up Powerbomb, but AJ reversed it into the Calf Crusher. Owens reversed that move into a crossface, while the ref came to his senses. Styles rolled into a crossface of his own, but the ref counted three while his shoulders were down, giving the belt back to Owens. Weird, weird finish that just came out of nowhere. The match was good but it never really got out of first gear, so I guess this feud is continuing.

Natalya def. Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Lana, and Tamina to become No. 1 contender for SmackDown Women’s Championship

This was a Fatal Five-Way elimination match. With a lot of bodies in the ring, this match was pretty clumsy at times. But things got better towards the end when it was just Charlotte vs. Nattie.

SmackDown women’s champion Naomi sat in on commentary. The match quickly broke down into chaos, and eventually settled in with Tamina and Lana double-teaming Charlotte. After a long, long segment of Charlotte attempting to make Tamina and Lana look like a threat, Becky finally got back in the ring and the match picked up. Natalya also joined the fray, mixing it up with Charlotte and Becky and bringing some much-needed energy to this match.

Nattie locked a Sharpshooter on Charlotte, which was broken up by Lana. Becky then put Lana in the Disarmer before Tamina made the save. Becky fought back and got the Disarmer on Tamina, tapping her out. Tamina eliminated by submission. Another Disarmer on Lana got her out of the match. Lana eliminated by submission.

However, there was no time for Becky to celebrate, because Natalya rolled her up from behind for a flash pin. Becky Lynch eliminated by pinfall. It was down to Charlotte and Natalya from here. Nattie tried an armbar, but Charlotte lifted her up into a powerbomb for two. Flair went for a moonsault, but Nattie got the knees up and threw Charlotte’s head into the turnbuckle, scoring the pin and No. 1 contendership. Charlotte Flair eliminated by pinfall.

Naomi vs. Natalya at SummerSlam is on — unless plans change, of course.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Baron Corbin by disqualification

A slow, plodding match ended on a lame non-finish, presumably to protect Corbin as Mr. Money in the Bank. This was not a highlight of either man’s career.

The two men traded strikes early, perfectly playing into Nakamura’s style as Corbin powdered outside. Corbin eventually got the upper hand and locked Nakamura into a bear hug for several minutes. Nakamura escaped and put Corbin in a triangle choke, before Corbin broke the hold and threw Nakamura into the barricades outside.

Corbin put on another bear hug that seemed to last forever. He went for a chokeslam, but Nakamura fired back with stiff kicks. he started hitting his signature moves, including the running knee into Corbin’s gut while Baron was laid across the turnbuckle. Corbin was forced out of the ring, but flew back in and wiped out Nakamura with a clothesline for a two-count. Nakamura went for the Kinshasa but Corbin countered with Deep Six, getting another nearfall.

More strike exchanges ensued before Nakamura dropped Corbin with multiple kicks. He set up for the Kinshasa again, but Corbin kicked him in the groin for a DQ. He walked out after the match, but came back into the ring to hit End of Days on Nakamura. This feud must continue, apparently.

SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The New Day def. The Usos (c) by pinfall to win the titles

Another excellent match between these teams, and unlike Money in the Bank, we got an actual finish this time! Battleground peaked early, and this stands out as the obvious best match of the night. The New Day became the first team to win both the Raw and SmackDown tag titles.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods represented the New Day in the match, with Big E at ringside. Kofi got the match started with a huge dropkick right off the bat. He and Xavier Woods double-teamed an Uso, but the other Uso turned things around by landing cheap shots on Woods behind the ref’s back.

Jimmy Uso enjoyed total control of the match for a while, putting the boots to Woods alongside his brother, Jey. Xavier got some momentum back and tagged in Kingston, who ran wild on both the Usos. Kofi went for a massive plancha off the top, but both Usos caught him and double-powerbombed him to the floor. Woods also got wiped out, leaving both New Day members laying outside. Woods recovered and nearly got the pin with a rollup, but Jimmy got him on his shoulders and lawn-darted him into the turnbuckles. A Samoan Drop on Xavier only got a two-count, though. He went up for a splash and jumped into a dropkick by a different Uso for another nearfall. Jimmy hooked a half-Boston Crab on Xavier, who barely reached the rope after a long struggle.

Kofi tagged back in and the New Day teamed up for their tandem Midnight Rider move, only for Jimmy to kick out at the last moment. A superkick and frog splash on Kofi appeared to finish it, but Kingston kicked out yet again. Jimmy missed another splash and Kofi hit Trouble In Paradise, followed by a Xavier elbow drop to get the pin and win the titles.

Kickoff Show match: Aiden English def. Tye Dillinger by pinfall

English did his usual singing before the match started. Dillinger had the upper hand early to get the “ten” chants going, only for English to cut him off and take over. Dillinger made his comeback with a dropkick and a couple of hard chops, getting the crowd fired back up. A spinebuster from Tye got two. English fought off a superplex attempt and hit a crossbody off the top, then got a couple more nearfalls. English got the win with some kind of neckbreaker/DDT combo. Fun match, if inconsequential.