#but season 3 logan would beat a season 4 ryan I think

[dingus0401]

Im trying to settle a debate with a friend, and what better way to do that than with a poll on tumblr :)

[massmurdera]

2019 & 2010s Best/Worst

Because I like lists and cataloguing the dumb shit I cared about. As my brother once said after seeing and reviewing NOW YOU SEE ME on a lazy Sunday, ‘Some would say it was a waste of time, others might say it was a colossal waste of time.’     

I’ll admit, it’s a bit over-the-top. Particularly including the Pats, but yeah, in the Tom Brady era that started when I was 14 as a Freshman in high school to 33 years old now and wrapping up soon-ish (?), there’s not a chance in hell I’ll care as intimately about this shit. I grew up with it at just the right time.

2019 MOVIES  TOP TIER 1) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2) Uncut Gems 2nd TIER 3) Knives Out 4) Parasite 5) Little Women 6) Midsommer 3rd TIER 7) John Wick III 8) Ready or Not 9) Marriage Story 10) Joker 11) Irishman 12) Shazam! 13) Us UNDERRATED Ready or Not TOO LONG John Wick III; Irishman SOLID El Camino GOOD BAD 6 Underground OK 21 Bridges; Avengers: Endgame; Dolemite is my Name; Dragged Across Concrete; Fighting With My Family; Hustlers; Knock Down the House; Longshot; the Report; Two Popes MEH Always Be My Maybe; Death of Dick Long; High Flying Bird; Spiderman: Far From Home; Standoff at Sparrow Creek DISAPPOINTING Hobbs & Shaw; Toy Story 4; Triple Frontier SUCK Laundromat; Under the Silver Lake OVERRATED Ad Astra; Booksmart; the Farewell FUNNIEST SCENE Dicaprio flipping out in movie trailer BEST CLIMAX/ENDING Once Upon a Time; Uncut Gems HAVEN’T SEEN 1917; Apollo 11; Beach Bum; Dark Waters; Ford vs Ferrari; Honey Boy; Jojo Rabbit; the Lighthouse; Star Wars 2019 TV  TOP TIER 1) Succession 2) Fleabag 3) Watchmen 2nd TIER 4) When They See Us 5) Barry 6) Unbelievable 7) Chernobyl 8) Sex Education DAMN GOOD Big Mouth; the Boys; Brockmire; Derry Girls; Euphoria; Loudest Voice; Mindhunter; Pen15; Righteous Gemstones; Veep WATCHABLE Atypical; Bosch; Dark; Goliath; Karate Kid; Kominsky Method; Mandalorian; Mr Robot; Mrs Fletcher; Russian Doll; Warrior HIGH/LOW I Think You Should Leave SHIT END FOR ALL-TIME GREAT Game of Thrones HALF-WATCH Living With Yourself; Raising Dion; the Society NOT UP TO STANDARD Stranger Things; GLOW; Killing Eve; True Detective BAD Luther; Shameless; Silicon Valley; SNL SUCK 13 Reasons Why; Big Little Lies; the Witcher FUNNIEST Desus & Mero DOCS 1) Fyre: both  2) Ted Bundy Tapes 3) American Factory 4) Leaving Neverland STAND-UP SPECIALS 1) Burr 2) Chappelle 3) Jeselnik 4) Birbiglia 5) Gulman BEHIND ON SHOWS I DIG Brooklyn 99; Catastrophe; Corporate; Expanse; Good Place; It’s Always Sunny; Letterkenny 2010s TV  DRAMA 1) Breaking Bad 2) Game of Thrones 3) Justified 4) Mad Men 5) Hannibal 6) Banshee ANTHOLOGY/LIMITED SERIES 1) Fargo SII 2) True Detective SI 3) When They See Us 4) People Vs OJ Simpson 5) Chernobyl 6) Show Me a Hero 7) the Night Of 8) Honorable Woman COMEDY 1) Atlanta 2) Fleabag 3) Veep 4) Big Mouth 5) Parks & Rec 6) Rick & Morty 7) Nathan for You 8) Review 9) American Vandal HIT/MISS Black Mirror OVERRATED Boardwalk Empire; House of Cards; Peaky Blinders; Westworld UNDERRATED Banshee; Brockmire; Hannibal FUN HATE-WATCH Newsroom DOWNHILL Homeland; How I Met Your Mother; Legion; Sons of Anarchy HATED Girls; Leftovers; Rectify UNWATCHABLE Twin Peaks BEST ENDINGS Breaking Bad; Justified; Fleabag; Parks & Rec DUMBEST ENDING Dexter; Sons of Anarchy LATE NIGHT Desus & Mero POLITICAL John Oliver 2010s MOVIES 2010 Social Network Animal Kingdom; the Fighter; Four Lions; Inside Job; Jackass 3; MacGruber; Shutter Island; Toy Story 3; True Grit; Winter’s Bone 2011 the Raid Descendents; Drive; Fast Five; the Guard; Mission Impossible 4; Take This Waltz; Warrior 2012 Magic Mike 21 Jump Street; Argo; Cabin in the Woods; Chronicle; Django Unchained; Goon; Looper; Queen of Versailles; Silver Linings Playbook; Skyfall 2013 Wolf of Wall Street Before Midnight; the Conjuring; Gravity; Her; Inside Llewyn Davis; Prisoners; Short-Term 12 2014 John Wick the Drop; Edge of Tomorrow; Gone Girl; the Guest; Lego Movie; Nightcrawler; the Raid 2; Whiplash 2015 Mad Max 7 Days in Hell; Big Short; Brooklyn; Creed; Ex Machina; Fast 7; It Follows; Logan; Magic Mike XXL; the Martian; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation; Sicario 2016 the Nice Guys Deadpool; Edge of Seventeen; Everybody Wants Some!; Green Room; La La Land; Manchester By the Sea; Moonlight; OJ: Made in America; Popstar; Sing Street; Weiner 2017 Get Out Blade Runner 2049; Coco; Dunkirk; Lady Bird; Logan; Thor Ragnorak; Tour de Pharmacy 2018 Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse BlacKKKlansman; Den of Thieves; Hereditary; If Beale Street Could Talk; Minding the Gap; Sorry to Bother You

THE BEST Mad Max BEST DOC OJ: Made in America FUNNIEST DOC Tickled UNDERRATED DOC Weiner HORROR Hereditary FAVORITE/FUNNIEST PERFORMANCE Ryan Gosling (Nice Guys) DESERVED 5 SEQUELS the Nice Guys SUPERHERO Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse WAR Dunkirk BEST FIGHT SCENES the Raid UNDERRATED any Lonely Island project NICE TRY Dark Knight Rises; Inception; Interstellar; Widows STAND-UP 2010s FAVORITE Bill Burr NEXT BEST Ali Wong; Anthony Jeselnik; Kyle Kinane; Bert Kreischer; Marc Maron; John Mulaney; Patton Oswalt; Rory Scovel; Tom Segura COMEBACK Chappelle DOWNFALL Louis CK DIED BEFORE PRIME Patrice O’Neal, Greg Giraldo UNDERRATED Joe Derosa MUST-SEE LIVE Robert Kelly  PODCASTS 2010s  BEST/FUNNIEST/UNDERRATED Walking the Room RUNNER-UP 600 Dollar Podcast ONE-MAN RANT Bill Burr Monday Morning Podcast SPORTS Pardon My Take RIFFING Bodega Boys HISTORY/COMEDY Dollop HISTORY DEEP DIVE Hardcore History MOVIES Rewatchables HATE-WATCH CRITICISM West Wing Thing POP CULTURE/FILM Frotcast MIXED Revisionist History GOOD/BAD Joe Rogan: GOOD: propping up comic friends; BAD: useful idiot for propping up bad faith fascists who should be put out to pasture INTERNET CURIOSITY Reply All LEFTIST POLITICS Chapo Trap House TRUE CRIME In the Dark ADVICE Don’t Take Bullshit From Fuckers LAME Pod Save America OVERRATED Missing Richard Simmons DIDN’T LIKE S-Town SERIAL Season 3>Season 1 TRUMP Trump, Inc SPORTS SCHAUDENFREUDE Fuck the Chargers OKAY Bill Simmons WTF WITH MARON good when he talks to comics MURDER My Favorite Murder OTHER GOOD ONES Hound Tall; Press Box

2010s MUSIC  FAVORITE anything Brian Fallon ROCK BAND Menzingers SONG Robyn-‘Dancing On My Own’ POP-PUNK BAND Wonder Years LIVE ALBUM Horrible Crowes-‘Elsie’ HEAVY BAND Every Time I Die ELECTRONIC Chvrches SOLO Rihanna COVER ALBUM Dustin Kensrue-‘Thoughts on a Different Blood’ GO-TO AT GYM Story So Far OFF THE INEVITABLE & IRRECOVERABLE DEEP END Kanye KIND OF LIKE THE MUSIC/HATE THE PERSON: LIKE KANYE Taylor Swift, Bieber THOUGHT I’D HATE BUT DOES NOT SUCK Lana Del Rey; Post Malone OTHER FAVES 1975; Arctic Monkeys; Beach Slang; Black Keys; Bon Iver; Carly Rae Jepsen; the National; Thrice MIXED Chance the Rapper; Kendrick Lamar I’ll be honest I spent far more time listening to podcasts nearly all the time and just listened to mostly the same couple of things I liked. 2010s PATRIOTS  2010s BEST GAMES 1) Seahawks Super Bowl 2) Falcons Super Bowl 3) Ravens 2015 Divisional 4) Chiefs 2019 AFCCG UNDERRATED CLASSIC Ravens 2015 Divisional BRADY/GRONK GO DOWN LIKE CHAMPS 1) 2018 Eagles Super Bowl 2) Broncos 2015 AFCCG: Brady’ offensive line was a sieve EITHER WAY Giants Super Bowl: game changed when Brady’s shoulder got fucked up by Tuck FAVORITE PLAYER TB12 MOST FUN/DOMINANT Gronk HEART OF TEAM Edelman BELOVED Wilfork ROCK SOLID 1) Hightower 2) McCourty 3) James White 1st BALLOT HALL OF FAMERS 1) Brady 2) Gronk 3) Revis LATER BALLOT 1) Edelman 2) Scarnecchia 3) Welker 4) Wilfork 5) Slater MAKING AN ARGUMENT Gilmore PATS HALL ONLY 1) McCourty 2) Hightower 3) Mankins 4) White 5) Gostkowski 6) Mayo 7) Chung UNDERRATED/GOOD VALUE 1) Amendola 2) Vollmer 3) Ninkovich 4) Chung 5) Woodhead DESERVED BETTER Welker UNSUNG Slater OVERRATED 1) Solder 2) Brandin Cooks NO-SHOWS Dolphins (Dec ’19); Jets Divisional (Jan ‘11) BEST REGULAR SEASON WINS 1) 2013 Broncos 2) 2017 Steelers 3) 2013 Saints BEST REGULAR SEASON LOSSES 1) 2012 49ers 2) 2016 Seahawks 3) 2014 Packers 4) 2015 Broncos LOL Miami Miracle: saved by winning Super Bowl LEAST TALENTED TEAM 1) 2013 by a mile 2) 2010 3) 2011 4) 2018 BEST TEAM 1) 2014  2) 2016 BEST PLAYS (NON-GRONK) 1) Butler INT Seahawks 2) Edelman TD pass vs Ravens 3) Buttfumble Jets 4) Edelman catch vs Falcons 5) Walk-off TD vs Falcons 6) Dan Connolly kick return 7) Brady TD pass to LaFell 2015 Divisional POUNDED TABLE TO DRAFT 1) Lamar Jackson 2) Kittle 3) AJ Brown 4) Honey Badger 5) Stefon Diggs WANTED BUT OUT OF REACH 1) Aaron Donald 2) Quenton Nelson 3) Derwin James 4) Hopkins 5) TJ Watt 6) Saquon 7) Keenan Allen 8) McCaffrey 9) Gurley WOULD’VE WON IT ALL IF NOT FOR INJURIES 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017. That’s football HEALTHIEST SEASON 2018 ROPE-A-DOPED/GOT BY ON VETERAN GUILE 2018: Belichick’s best coaching FAVORITE PICKS AT THE TIME OF GUYS I WANTED 1) Gronk 2) Hightower/Chandler Jones 3) Shaq Mason MOVES I HATED THAT I WAS WRONG ABOUT 1) Stephon Gilmore 2) trading Jamie Collins MOST IMPROVED Marcus Cannon BEST FIND Kyle Van Noy MOVE I LOVED getting Blount back the 2nd time IF BUTLER WASN’T BENCHED, DO THEY BEAT THE EAGLES? Yes 100%. If only because, if nothing else, he can tackle BUTLER’s INT KILLED THE ‘LEGION OF BOOM’ SEAHAWKS WOULD-BE DYNASTY Yes DRAFT REACH THAT MADE NO SENSE Jordan Richards: Tavon Wilson 2.0 BAD DRAFT MOVES 1) Dominique Easley 2) Cyrus Jones 3) Dobson 4) Mallett DIRTY SECRET Belichick sucks at drafting in 2nd round WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD IF HE STAYED HEALTHY Malcolm Mitchell HATE TO SEE WALK BUT COULDN’T AFFORD 1) Trey Flowers 2) Chandler Jones 3) Jimmy G 4) Talib 5) Akiem Hicks DEFLATEGATE fraud/power trip job by Goodell/owners BRADY OR BELICHICK MORE VALUABLE Brady 100% DISAPPOINTING/GAMBLES 1) Ochocinco 2) Michael Bennett: got him 2 years too late 3) Fanene signing 4) Haynesworth BEST SHORT-TERM 1) Martellus Bennett 2) Chris Long 3) Revis 4) Brian Waters SUSPECT CHARACTERS/EDGY PERSONALITY MACHINES Brandon Spikes; Brandon Browner…SERIAL KILLER Aaron Hernandez PERSONALITY DISORDER DISASTER Antonio Brown: bad signing/unexpected HOW THE FUCK DID WE LOSE TO THAT GUY? Eli Manning/Nick Foles LIFESAVER Scarnecchia MCDANIELS Frustrating—but continuity matters REFS FUCKED OVER Gronk  MISCELANNEOUS 2010s GOOD/ENJOY Bernie Sanders/AOC: people who actually want to get good done that’s long overdue…Lebron James; Stephen Curry; Kawhi; Zion Williamson; Luka Doncic...Lamar Jackson; Pat Mahomes; JJ Watt; Marshawn Lynch…Coach Ed Orgeron...David Ortiz…2011 Bruins…memes…Don Winslow crime novels…David Roth writing on Trump…David Grann non-fiction…’Book of Mormon’ DID NOT ENJOY Kyrie Irving…Deflategate…LeBron on the Heat…Bobby Valentine DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE LIKE ‘Between the World and Me’…Elon Musk…Lin Manuel-Miranda/’Hamilton’ INDEFENSIBLY AND INFURIATINGLY BAD THE MORE YOU LOOK AT IT Facebook…Obama Presidency/Democratic Party Leadership EVERYDAY DISASTER Media: CNN; Fox; MSNBC; NY Times Op-Ed…Trump/Republicans: Trump presidency was basically 2010s 9/11 for inevitable disastrous fallout & consequences my generation will never recover from…Grifters Trojan horsing way in shamelessly (Trump administration; Ben Shapiro; Alex Jones; Milo; Jordan Peterson, Tomi Lahren, etc.) and no repercussions...Republican Party basically one goal: to troll libs even with shitty ideas that suck FAVORITES WHO DIED Bourdain; Elmore Leonard; Garry Shandling; Muhammad Ali; Robin Williams; Tom Petty BEST TALENT CUT SHORT Philip Seymour Hoffman SHITTIEST PEOPLE WHO DIED Antonin Scalia; George HW Bush; John McCain; Osama; Steve Jobs; Whitey Bulger I FORGOT THAT SHIT HAPPENED Charlie Sheen loses it JEFFREY EPSTEIN did not kill himself WHAT DEFINES 2010s Amazon/Bezos…Climate Change/Gun Violence inaction…Journalism being taken over by Bane Capital-esque vultures/local places dying...one-sided Class War by the uber-rich…#MeToo…Netflix…Opioids…Outrage/Cancel culture…Police Injustice…Silicon Valley…Social Media…Superhero shit…Your mom

[marshmallowatheart]

To All The Boys I've Loved Before (Part 30)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23) (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29)

Dear Veronica,

Kissing you feels like the start of a new season, the sun in the early morning, and moonlight reflecting on the ocean. There is never a moment that I don’t think about your lips and how they make me feel when they are on mine.

I wish I were kissing you instead of just writing about it.

- L

P.S. You look beautiful today. You always do.

Veronica’s grin breaks through her face as she reads the note again and again. She bites her lip, grinning and embraces the feeling of being the absolute giddy teenage girl that she's come to be.

She’d fallen asleep with a smile the night they'd admitted to wanting them to be real and she'd been falling asleep smiling ever since with memories of his lips on hers and his confession of love playing in her mind. Logan Echolls really should come with a warning label and a list of side-effects; it's barely been a week and she feels addicted.

They’re in Journalism class when he slips her his note, he’s talking to Dick – hands wild and grin blazing as he talks about the upcoming surf competition they’re both sure to participate in when she reads the little poem he’s found for her. She softly smiles as he chatters on and she decidingly puts pen to paper.

Dear Logan,

things that fall

petals

tear drops

snowflakes

rain

stars

tides

eyelids

time

shadows

leaves

the sun

and I,

for you.

She’d seen this little snippet at a time when she'd thought her love unrequited. Ever since Logan had come back into her life and re-familiarised himself with her heart every little love poem, sappy quote, meaningful lyric became about him.

She’d never thought she’d actually share them with him but she hasn't responded to his notes before and she finds herself wanting to know if he'll smile at her note like she does at his.

She glances at his note, biting down on her lip and continues to write.

I love the way I feel when your lips are on mine.

- V

P.S. I wish you were kissing me too.

She folds it up, inks his name on the outside like he does with hers and lets it sit beneath her book as she waits for him to return to his seat beside her.

She hasn't actually given anyone a love note before. She's written her letters but those were just for her and she hadn't been the one to send them out - she didn't get the chance to feel the anticipation brim up inside her as the letters ventured out into the hands of the objects of her once affections.

She thinks that she could slip the note into his book and wait for him to open it but he's Logan and chances are he'll snark his way through class until the bell rings without opening his book. She could slip it into his pocket like he's done before but she doesn't think she can pull it off in the sauve way that he can. She could let it sit in his locker but she wants him to see it as soon as possible because her nerves are building as the note sleeps under her hardcover book.

He spins himself into his seat as Ms Dent begins to talk about layouts and interviews and things that Veronica should be listening to but can't seem to care about; she's got her on-going assignment and she knows she's not going to be asked to submit anything else along with it.

Her eyes find his brown ones between the chaos of their classmates negotiating on their assigned pieces. They're next to each other but not close enough to be touching

It's become devastatingly difficult to not touch him because she wants to feel his skin under the tips of her fingers and she wants to let herself fall in a spell of his fingers against her skin. Her body aches with the memory of his fingers on her neck and his lips on her jaw and it wants more.

She bites on her bottom lip and his eyes are immediately drawn south to her coloured lips that's peach, glossy and sweet - she thinks of his note and how he wishes he were kissing her - she finds herself looking at his lips too.

He looks like he wants to say something, whisper something to her, let his fingers touch her skin but he stays silent and tries to refocus, taking deep breaths and she knows that he's thinking about the four minute heated make out session they had in his car before they had to enter school this morning.

She sucks in a breath and leans closer to him. He moves forward, meeting her half way and she holds out her note for him between two fingers like it's something she's casually doing and she hopes it hides how much thought she's put into the simple act of passing him a little note - an act he's able to do everyday without a second thought.

She doesn't feel too confident about how she gave him the note, her body is jittery and she needs to turn away because his eyes are smouldery and his lips are looking as kissable as ever.

He looks surprised and soft and gentle and happy and she doesn't understand how his name sprawled on a folded side of the piece of paper incites so much of feeling into his brown eyes.

She looks away as he opens her note because as much as she wants to see his reaction to her words, her heart is beating a bit too fast and she's not sure if she can handle seeing his smouldering eyes without kissing him right here in the middle of class.

The minutes drag on to what seems like forever and the moment class is over he pulls her into the girls bathroom, slapping her out of order sign on the door - once again making use of the little red warning sign she initially only used for investigative purposes.

She's propped up on the bathroom counter, legs wrapped around his waist and his mouth on hers - hard, long, needy kisses.

Their hands are tangled around one another, grasping for closeness as they squeeze in their need for each other in the five very short minutes they have until their next class.

They haven't had time to be alone since their confession of wanting their relationship to be real. She's had soccer practice and Heather shaped obligations she's taken on while he's getting ready for surf competitions and accompanying his mother to formal events she'd rather not be alone at. The only time she's gotten to see him when he picks her and Heather up for school, at school and when he drops them home.

All they've had this week were stolen kisses between hours, brushing of hands as they go their separate ways coupled with heated glances from across the hallway. And Logan's little notes. Notes that flame the fires within her and make her feel the ache of not having him to herself now when he's finally hers to have.

They're late to their next class and Veronica's grateful for the tardy slips she's kept from months ago.

--vm--

It's Friday night and there's parties being thrown and appearances needed to be made but Veronica's home baking last minute cookies for Heather and her friends because she's written sleepover on Meg's to-do board that's hung on the side of the fridge and her dad is still working the night shift so she's got supervision duties.

She's working fast, shaping up cookies and baking them as quick as she possibly can. Her hair is a mess, the kitchen is a mess and the once neatly organised planner board is a mess. She remembers Heather swooning about Nutella filled crepes and fruit filled crepes and dozens of other homemade options that she'd had at her last slumber party because Lauren's mother is a perfectionist. Meg's never let them feel disappointment over not having something other kids had, she worked hard at cultivating fancy dishes and napkins and organising entertainment. Veronica wasn't about to be the one that damaged her sister's childhood.

"Ronica? Are you done yet?" Heather asks, tilting her head as she throws her bag on the side of the couch. "I need to be at Ophelia's in like thirty minutes so we have a bit of time before the sleepover."

Veronica's brows furrow, still working on the cookies, trying to be fast and diligent at the same time. "Why doesn't she come over here? I mean wouldn't that be easier?"

Her sister shoots her a quizzical look, plopping on a bar stole and stealing a bit of cookie dough. "Uhm no, we're staying over at her place, I told you this last week."

"Wait," Veronica stops, hands resting on the counter top as she looks at her sister in her eyes. "The sleepover isn't here?"

"No," Heather shakes her head, oblivious to her sister's incredulous expression as she licks her fingers. "Why would you think that?"

"Because," the older Mars blows out. "The board. Sleepover," she says and wants to hit her head for not being specific enough. She sighs. "Let's wait for this batch to be done, it'll take ten minutes more to bake and you can take it with you to Ophelia's."

Heather beams, bright eyes and toothy grin. "Thanks, Ronica."

She gives her sister a soft smile before she asks, "So are you and Ophelia good? I mean, did you talk to her?"

"I didn't have to," the little girl starts her story. "I saw Ophelia give Ryan her red balloon. She loves balloons. She wouldn't even let me have a balloon and I'm her best friend."

Veronica's brows furrow as she continues to stare at her little sister. "Because you always pop your balloons. It's like you're a human cactus."

Heather shoots her a glare. "Whatever. You don't understand how it looked under the sunset sky and the two of them smiling at each other. And she told him that she likes him."

"Were you spying on them?" Veronica asks, brow arched and tries to put on a disapproving face - she either fails or Heather doesn't take notice.

"I was observing my friends from a distance," the little blonde reasons.

"Uh-huh. Heather -"

Her sister doesn't let her finish as she continues with her story, "It's only after we went on the Ferris Wheel and Ryan gave me the red balloon that I realized that Ophelia was only trying to help him because she liked him as a friend."

"He gave it to you? I didn't see you with a balloon."

"Because it got popped," Heather tells her, sighing loudly like she misses the balloon. "Ophelia knew it would too. She thought it might break the ice between us, give us something to laugh at because I get nervous around him," she explains everything so quickly that Veronica almost doesn't catch the end bit but thankfully she's trained herself to be an attentive listener.

"Heather Mars, nervous?" Veronica clunks her tongue with the roof of her mouth. She looks at her sister nostalgically and says, "You're growing up way too fast."

--vm--

She texts Logan about her change of plans when she gets home from dropping Heather off. He doesn't ask her to come to the party with him, she doesn't really want to go but she feels disappointed that he doesn't offer because she does want to spend time with him even if it means sharing him with his friends.

She turns on her music, puts her apron back on, starts to finish off making the cookies and tries to let go of her woes for the night.

It's when she's cleaning up the mess she's made in the kitchen that she hears the unexpected chime of the door bell. Grinning before her, clad in a green shirt and blue jeans is her brown eyed, snarky and hot mouthed boyfriend.

"Hey," he lets out, soft and needy and she honestly wasn't expecting him to be here at her doorstep tonight.

"Hey," she breaths out, head tilted slightly, curious eyes and appreciative smile because she's happy that he's here. She missed him.

"Kiss the Baker," he reads, trademark smirk on his lips, looking at her with twinkling eyes as he comes in.

She closes the door behind him and gives him a curious look, he pointedly gestures to her apron with his brows and she chuckles, rolling her eyes.

He moves in closer to her, eyes set on hers as his arms come to wrap around her waist. "Who am I to deny the embedded command of the apron makers?"

She chuckles, teasing grin falling on her lips as she stares up at him with equal playfulness. Her arms snake up his sides and she adds, "You wouldn't want to upset them."

"Mm," he bops her nose with his before leaning in and whispering, "I wouldn't want that."

She sucks in slightly when his warm breath lingers on her lips before he closes the gap between them, capturing her lips with his in a sweet, sensual kiss.

He smiles, breaking from her before it got too deep. "Is that cookies I smell?"

She doesn't answer him, instead she moves her hands to his neck and pulls him back down to her, kissing him deeper and longer than their initial kiss. He has no qualms taking her into his arms and falling into the their kiss or the kisses that follow.

It feels good to not be in a race against time, they're on her couch when Veronica finds herself glancing at the clock. She knows that Casey Gant's party has already started so she asks Logan about it and all he does is inaudibly mumble against her skin and she can't help but chuckle in response. "I thought you wanted to go to the party?"

He nuzzles his nose into her hair and murmurs into her skin, "Not tonight. It's been too long since I've hand my Veronica full. I want to be selfish with you for a little bit longer."

He kisses her neck, lightly sucking careful to not leave a mark - not that he doesn't want to but he knows it'll be awkward for her and he doesn't want to put her in that position.

She aches into him at his words, lightly nods, his lips now pepping shoulder kisses as she airs out, "I didn't want to go to the party anyway."

He smiles against her neck, his nose pressing hard against her and she doesn't know why his nose of all parts of his body but it does.

She pulls back slightly, nudging his head up with her hands and kissing him senselessly. She's so filled with want and need and uncharted desire that she doesn't really know what to do with it. She just knows that she wants to kiss him until their lips are swollen and numb to the point where they can't kiss anymore.

Her lips find his neck, she peps kisses like he had done for her and he moves his neck easily to accommodate her. Her kisses line up to his jaw before she finds her way back to the crook of his neck and lightly sucks and bites. He groans, his neck leaning into her with force she hasn't felt before and she likes it. She wants him to do that more, make noises and press his body tighter against her.

He pulls away, capturing her face with his hands, he brings her mouth to his, kissing her fully and pouring his need into her. Their eyes are closed as they lean into each other, gasping silently for air between their long drawn kisses.

Her throat feels dry and the house is quiet reminding her of how alone they are. "Do you wanna go upstairs?" She means to be suggestive but she doesn't really know how to be especially not when he's pressed against her like this and she's melting into his touch. She thinks that the suggestion is obvious enough given the context of their position.

He leans in harder into her before bowing out. "I don't think that's a good idea," he breaths out.

"Oh," she lets out, disappointing breaking through the silence.

He tightens his hold on her, silently begging for her to not misunderstand him. "I don't want us to move too fast," he tries to explain, he's never had to have this particular conversation before but he often finds himself getting lost in the taste of Veronica and it takes everything in him to break away. They're alone in this house but he knows the sanctity of the couch will preserve him some limitations that her bedroom doesn't offer. He doesn't want her to regret him.

She nods her head against him, insecurity rattling it's way up her spine and he wants to assure her but his methods come in ways that he doesn't think she's ready for so he takes a minute and tries to gather his words. He holds onto her, letting his touch assure her until his words can. "I want you so much, Veronica," he finally whispers against the silence. "I don't want to ruin us by being too selfish."

"How is it selfish if I want you too?" She whimpers out against him. She doesn't know what she's promising. She wants his skin against hers. She wants him in her arms and she wants his mouth on her lips, her neck and everywhere his hands touch. He makes her want more but she's not sure what exactly more is yet.

He whispers his love against her skin and she revels in the glory that it brings. He doesn't move them to her room and she's silently relieved because she finds herself wanting more than she's ready for and she's not sure how he knows but she's thankful that he does.

They switch on a movie, wrapped in each other, fingers caressing skin and kisses in between snarky remarks. It's calmer than before and it feels good to just be in his arms.

[junker-town]

The best of Lamar Jackson’s jukes, spins and stiff-arms

May they rest in peace.

Lamar Jackson lit the NFL on fire during the 2019 season. He threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens, and rushed for another 1,206 yards and seven scores. On his way to winning the NFL’s MVP award, he also juked, faked out, and spun defenders into oblivion. The purpose of this story is to honor those souls that fell victim to Jackson’s ridiculous moves while trying to defend him. May they rest in peace.

RIP to Bengals DT Carlos Dunlap, S Jessie Bates, and LB Nick Virgil Cause of death: This ridiculous Jackson run

One of the most memorable runs of Jackson’s career happened in Week 10 against Cincinnati. First, Jackson juked out Dunlap and Bates before hitting Virgil with a vicious spin move on his way into the end zone:

LAMAR. JACKSON. That's it. That's the tweet. @lj_era8 : CBS : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/414bcK9I5b pic.twitter.com/bcKITPODez

— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2019

LOOK AT THIS FREAKING SPIN MOVE!

SB Nation’s Zito Madu said it best — Virgil was the true victim here:

Then there’s Nick Vigil. The true victim of the spin move. Shawn Williams was also a passenger on the merry-go-round, but Vigil felt the full force of it. Jackson turned Vigil, a grown man, into a bowling ball. He doesn’t just make Vigil fall, he spins so hard that Vigil loses his balance and takes out his own teammates in the process. The spin move had the same effect as a Mario Kart banana peel. What Jackson did to Vigil was so degrading that his teammates hopped over him as if he was simply debris.

This is the type of run that, as Jackson’s head coach John Harbaugh told him after he made this play, changes the game of football as we know it.

RIP, Steelers LB T.J. Watt Cause of death: A wicked stiff arm

In Week 5, Jackson destroyed Watt with this stiff arm. A note: Watt is 6’4 and 252 pounds. Jackson is 6’2, 212 pounds:

I don’t know much about the laws of physics, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t supposed to happen.

RIP Buffalo Bills LB Matt Milano Cause of death: Broken ankles

During Baltimore’s 24-17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, Jackson shattered Milano’s ankles with a nasty juke:

Jackson found another victim in this game, too — he stuck defensive end Shaq Lawson with a stiff arm. As my colleague Christian D’Andrea points out, Lawson is 270 pounds!

i feel like we glossed over it because he lost 4 yards on the play, but let's fondly remember the time Lamar Jackson stiff-armed a 270-pound defensive end into the turf pic.twitter.com/zKD0uybIhB

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) December 8, 2019

RIP, Chiefs DE Alex Okafor

Cause of death: Broken ankles

During the Ravens’ Week 3 game on the road at Kansas City, Jackson had two lethal plays on Okafor. Yes, what I’m saying is Okafor died twice during this game. The first time was when Jackson broke his ankles while getting this run on second down:

BrokenAnkles.gifpic.twitter.com/AiPm2Ilc8d

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 22, 2019

Later in the game, Jackson faked out Okafor again by causing him to slide right by:

But Jackson wasn’t done humiliating defenders.

Chiefs safeties Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorenson Causes of death: Broken ankles and a vicious spin move

In the same game against Kansas City, Jackson scored on a nine-yard touchdown run with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter, and pulled off a juke and a spin move on the same play. Mathieu, who he juked, was his first victim, followed by Sorenson, who he hit with a spin move to get into the end zone:

Not only did Jackson score here, he managed to embarrass two players on a single play. Amazing.

RIP San Francisco 49ers defensive back K’uwan Williams.

Cause of death: Broken ankles

The Ravens beat the 49ers, 20-17, in Week 13, and Jackson juked Williams while out-running a second defender trying to chase him down:

Look at how excruciatingly painful it looks from this angle:

I don’t think it would have made a difference if the field wasn’t wet from the rain, either.

RIP Cleveland Browns LB Mack Wilson and DE Bryan Cox

Cause of death: Juked to death

In Jackson’s last game of the 2019 regular season against Cleveland, he somehow converted on third-and-10 by juking out both Wilson and Cox on the same play. Please note Tony Romo’s hilarious sound effects on the second replay:

Another week, another @Lj_era8 juke❗️ (With sound effects from @tonyromo ) pic.twitter.com/Qn7hhwq5Ft

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 22, 2019

I mean, he makes this look effortless after he hits Wilson with the pump fake:

Although Cleveland did a pretty good job of containing Jackson in the first half, Baltimore made the right adjustments at halftime to beat the Browns, 31-15, proving that there’s no real formula for stopping Jackson.

RIP Tennessee Titans LB Derick Roberson, S Kenny Vaccaro, and cornerback Adoree Jackson Cause of death: All were juked to death by Jackson in the playoffs

The Titans upset the Ravens at home in the AFC Divisional Round, but Jackson was still able to make some magic even in defeat. One of his best runs of the night came when he juked four different Titans defenders on the same play. First, he made Roberson dive at him as Jackson juked behind the line of scrimmage:

As he turned upfield, he then faked out Vacarro with another juke:

He wasn’t done there! He stutter stepped to avoid Adoree while avoiding getting tackled by cornerback Logan Ryan (No. 26):

This might’ve been one of the few Baltimore highlights from this game, but damn if it isn’t a good one.

Seahawks DE L.J. Collier and Jamar Taylor

Cause of death: Turf monster

During The Ravens’ 30-16 win over Seattle, Jackson put Collier on skates.

LAMAR JACKSON SENT HIM SLIDING @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/R7aUvn2HWT

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 20, 2019

Lamar Jackson is the only one doing this @lj_era8 #BALvsSEA : FOX : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/wAXJCleXiU pic.twitter.com/7cdIzaQBw8

— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2019

RIP, Cardinals DB Chris Jones Cause of death: Faked out

During Baltimore’s Week 2 game against Arizona, Jackson fooled Jones with a double move. Jones even had a chance to try and make the tackle, but Jackson was too quick for him and made him miss:

Jones may have been one of the first, but he was far from the last person Jackson juked this year.

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — David’s Top 10

December 30, 2019 2:00 PM EST

With 2019 coming to a close, here’s David’s top 10 games of the year, including Kingdom Hearts III, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and more.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

As a college student, finding time to play video games has been tough. Some days I can get a few hours in and other days I don’t play anything. There have also been days where I’d rather read a book or watch a movie or TV show instead of playing something. It’s not until the end of this year where I felt more motivated to play stuff and relax from a long day of writing essays and reading books for school.

This is the first GOTY list that I’ve written, and putting it together was tricky. Oddly, it’s easier for me to come up with my top 10 movies of 2019 than my games of the year. Games like Life is Strange 2, The Outer Worlds, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Days Gone, and Death Stranding are ones that could’ve made my list, but I didn’t have enough time to get through them. For the games that are on the list, they each came at a time this year when they lifted my spirits and helped me escape from the real world.

10. Metro Exodus

Despite some technical glitches and its laughable Russian accents, I’ve always enjoyed the Metro series. After finishing Metro Exodus, it’s become my favorite game in the series so far. Exodus continues the series’ trend of having a moody atmosphere and tension increasing with each enemy you face. Additionally, I played this with headphones in my PS4 controller and it enhanced my experience and made it more atmospheric. With some DLC coming next year, I’m looking forward to reentering the Metro world.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Metro Exodus.

9. Devil May Cry 5

Other than playing DmC: Devil May Cry, I’d never played a main game in the Devil May Cry series. The further I got into Devil May Cry 5, the more I got invested in the game’s world. The combat was super fun and made me want to experiment with performing different combos to get a higher score. Its story was goofy at times and I loved every second of it. After rolling credits, I wanted to replay it a few more times and get even higher combo scores.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Devil May Cry 5.

8. The Walking Dead: The Final Season

Having been with Clementine since season one, I was looking forward to seeing the conclusion of her story. Throughout this season, you see her rise, fall, make mistakes, and trying to do the right thing. Like every Telltale game, it has you make tough choices that blur moral lines. Seeing the bond between her and an older A.J was a nice dynamic, and it showed Clementine trying to be a parent at an early age, where walkers come from every corner.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for the final episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season.

7. Super Mario Maker 2

Creativity pours out of Super Mario Maker 2. I played this at a low point in life, and playing dozens of levels helped me escape my problems for a while. With every level in the game’s story mode, each one offers a different experience and requires patience and good timing in order to make it to the finish line. Additionally, having to rebuild Peach’s castle gives you the motivation to keep going and see it completed. Super Mario Maker 2 is the game that keeps on giving. Even when you’re done with the campaign, there are a plethora of user-generated levels to keep you coming back and putting your platforming skills to the test.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Super Mario Maker 2.

6. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition

From the moment that I started the eShop demo of Dragon Quest XI S, I fell in love. Having never played a game in the series, I was drawn in by its charming art style and music. The more I played of the demo and final game, the more I wanted to keep exploring and leveling up my party. Additionally, the 2D mode added in the game made me want to spend even more time in the game’s already massive world. I’ve spent countless hours with Dragon Quest XI S and I look forward to spending more time finding everything I can.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition.

5. Luigi’s Mansion 3

After playing Luigi’s Mansion 3 at E3 2019, I was excited about the final release. The game exudes charm and personality with each floor that Luigi and Gooigi explore. There’s also something satisfying and fun about smacking ghosts around a hotel hallway. Adding Gooigi into the mix offers a variety of puzzles and exploring the world. While some boss battles can be annoying, Luigi’s Mansion 3 offers fun battles that put your skills to the test. It’s one of the best Switch games released in 2019 and it deserves to be played by everyone.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Luigi’s Mansion 3.

4. Control 

Words can’t describe how cool Control is. The story can be weird at times, but it’s one of the very few games where I felt compelled to find collectibles to learn more about the game’s world. The different powers you get make the gameplay even more enjoyable. As I went from one area to the next, I was blown away by the scale and presentation that Remedy put in. Additionally, the sound design and score was amazing and added to the tension with each combat encounter and story beat. With new story DLC on the way, I’m excited to explore more of the Federal Bureau of Control and everything it has to offer.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Control.

3. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

From start to finish, I loved everything about Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. Technical problems aside, this game gave me everything I wanted from a single-player Star Wars experience. The combat always kept me on my toes and I wanted to explore as much of each planet as I could. Throughout its story, it threw surprises at me that made the Star Wars fan in me freak out, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There’s also something awesome about force pushing a group of Stormtroopers off a cliff and throwing lightsabers at enemies.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

2. Kingdom Hearts III 

I’ll never forget my experience with Kingdom Hearts III. I got the limited edition Kingdom Hearts themed PS4 Pro from UPS and the limited edition of the game during the 9pm opening at my local GameStop. I cried a bit when I got in my car, clutching the game in my hands before I went home.

While the story is incomprehensible and ridiculous at times, I still enjoyed every second of it. Each world was fun to explore and I couldn’t get over how amazing everything looks. By the end of the story, I was in tears and went back to find more treasures and collectibles. For most of 2019, Kingdom Hearts III was my game of the year. It was the game I looked forward to the most in 2019 and it didn’t disappoint. Now I’m ready for the ReMind DLC to come out next month on PS4, so that I can finally spend time with Leon, Aerith, and other Final Fantasy characters I missed the first time around.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Kingdom Hearts III.

1. Sayonara Wild Hearts

Not one day goes by where I don’t think about Sayonara Wild Hearts. When I played it at E3, my mind was blown just by the loading screen and the opening song. I listen to the soundtrack every day and songs like “Begin Again” and “A Place I Don’t Know” are beautiful that are always stuck in my head. Each level in the game is a thrill ride and the music propels the story forward.

On top of the incredible music and visuals, Sayonara Wild Hearts evokes themes of depression, mental health, and not letting anything get in the way of achieving your dreams. The game’s final mission had me in tears and I was blown away with how it tied everything together.

From time to time, I go back to play random missions to experience them again. It’s a game I’ll continue to play when I need a pick me up or some inspiration. No matter where you are in life, Sayonara Wild Hearts is a game everyone should check out, experience for yourself, and get swept up in its theme of beginning again and starting anew.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Sayonara Wild Hearts.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 30, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-davids-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-davids-top-10

[auburnfamilynews]

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

B1G GALORE, CROW HATES IT.

This ain’t the main course here, because we’ll have picks for the Auburn-Florida game coming up around lunchtime, and that’s the biggest game of the day!

Instead, we make you start your morning by reading us picking B1G games.

Iowa @ Michigan (-4.5) (O/U 46)

So wait....Michigan is actually favored?! HOW?! Sure they are at home but....REALLY?! Has anyone watched this team? Well, this makes it a complete no brainer for me. Hawkeyes outright and the under. Iowa 17-14 . Hawkeyes 17-14. - Drew Mac

Is Michigan actually bad? Is Iowa actually good? This line has plummeted this week, and I don’t like when a lot of money goes one direction. Still I like Iowa to keep this close. Michigan wins but misses the cover on the hook. Michigan 24, Iowa 20 (Michigan wins, Iowa covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Michigan is favored? I don’t think Michigan is very good. Prove me wrong, Harbaugh. Iowa 28, Michigan 14 - Josh Dub

SP+, FPI & Sagarin all slightly favor Michigan in this one. A lot of folks have left the Wolverines for dead after that thrashing they took from Wisconsin. Iowa is doing Iowa things. Winning but not necessarily looking super dominant in the process. I don’t have a great feel for this game either way but I do think Michigan pulls it out in spite of their coaching staff because they have the better athletes on the field. In an ugly affair... Michigan 21 Iowa 17 - AU Nerd

My first reaction says take Iowa outright here, but that be an overreaction to Michigan’s loss to Wisconsin. Most analytical rankings give Michigan a one or two point edge, and add a 2 point adjustment for home field and 4.5 points sounds more reasonable. I’m going to be the conservative guy here and say surely the Michigan offense with Shea Patterson won’t continue to be awful. Michigan leans on their productive special teams and wins 24-20. - Ryan Sterritt

gross. Jack is trying to make us mad and it is working. Michigan shouldn’t be favored in this game. It is probably going to be the closest matchup of the week, or at least on this pick-em, but a close game isn’t the same as a good game. If football was pizza, this is a microwaved totino’s. You should feel greasy and bad for watching it. Iowa 21, Mich 19 - Son of Crow

It’s hard to trust Michigan after the beatdown in Madison but this game is in Ann Arbor. Iowa though continues to fly under the radar as they tend to do. It’s a tossup for me but I’ll go with Iowa TO COVER but Michigan to win. Michigan 26 Iowa 23 - Will McLaughlin

Moving on. Logans 26, Hawkeyes 22 - AU Chief

This is such a B1G game that there isn’t enough room here for my takes…other than Michigan is once again an underachiever. Iowa 17 Michigan 16 - Josh Black

Back in like 1985 I think Iowa beat Michigan on a last second field goal in a #1 vs #2 matchup.

This game won’t be that. Iowa gums Michigan to death like they’re gnawing on an old ear of corn. Hawkeyes 19-16 - Jack Condon

Michigan State @ Ohio State (-20) (O/U 48)

The talking heads love tOSU and they have every right to after crushing the teams that are in front of them. Meanwhile, Michigan State is still trying to figure things out, but has a nice 4-1 record that includes a head scratching loss to Arizona State a few weeks back. Hate to say this, cause I like MSU, but Ohio State wins this in a rout. Gimme Ohio State to cover and the over. Buckeyes 38-13. - Drew Mac

The Spartans won a game 40-31 last week. Is their offense actually good? Probably not. Is their defense actually bad? It could be. Does that create a problem against an absolute buzzsaw in Columbus? In the words of the poet Dorrough, “yeah buddy”. Ohio State 41, Michigan State 15 (OSU covers, OVER) - James Jones

Ohio State is probably the best team in the country right now. They haven’t played elite opposition yet, but Fields is rolling up there. Michigan State is good, with a few decent wins already, but this game margin will completely be dictated by when Ohio State takes the foot off the gas. Michigan State 14, Ohio State 42 - Josh Dub

Sparty always does a good job mucking this game up. This is by far the best defense Ohio State has seen to date & it wouldn’t surprise me if they struggle some early. But Michigan State’s offense is very bad per usual. My guess is this game looks like an upset alert at half before Buckeyes turn it into a route in 2nd half. Ohio State 35, Michigan State 13 - AU Nerd

Most years I would say this is when Michigan State drags the Buckeyes down to their level and fights them in the mud, but not this Ohio State team. Justin Fields is electric, and I also just don’t think Sparty is very good, even for their standards. 41-14 Ohio State. - Ryan Sterritt

Ohio State might be the most complete football team in America and I love that it’s Justin Fields who is doing it. Could you imagine thinking Jake Fromm State Farm is better than THAT GUY?! Justin Fields is a revelation and might be the heisman winner. YOU GUYS if Jalen and Justin are 1,2 in the heisman voting after transferring from UGA and Bama I will be Antonio Banderas leaning back after looking at a computer screen dot gif. - Son of Crow

ESPN loves them some Buckeyes. This is the first week we’ll see them actually face a decent team and we know the history of this series. Ohio State’s offense though is on another level and after seeing how Sparty lost to Arizona State, I’m just not seeing this turning into a weird game but wouldn’t mind to see Sparty keep it close. Ohio State 48 Michigan State 21 - Will McLaughlin

Suckeyes 33, Spartans 16 - AU Chief

Man that Georgia transfer may be bad at fake punts but he sure looks like the best Ohio State quarterback in at least a generation. Good thing Georgia knows how to fully maximize the talents of Jake Fromm by having such versatility as handing the ball off, tossing the ball off, and throwing dinks and dunks all over the field. Just a real group of geniuses in Athens who definitely know how to set folks up for success when they are going to be on a huge stage on say… November 16th. Ohio State 52, Michigan State 17 - Josh Black

Remember when Michigan State made the Playoff and promptly got boned by Alabama? Remember when they scored 3 points against Oregon in the Red Box Bowl (I think?) last season? Grow up, Mark Dantonio. You can’t B1G your way out of this one. Here’s your penance. Buckeyes 42-13 - Jack Condon

Cal @ Oregon (-17.5) (O/U 47)

Cal has been a fun team to follow this year. First they get a nice road win over a top 15 Washington team, then they go across the country and beat Ole Miss in one of the better games so far this season, only to tun around last weekend and have that Arizona State team get the better of them on their home field. WHATSUPWITHTHAT?! On the other side, Oregon has been quietly murdering folks since giving up 21 points in the last 20 minutes of the Auburn game. Sure, they haven’t played much of anyone with a heartbeat (yes, I will include Stanford in that sentence) but only giving up a total of 15 points since Seth Williams caught that pass is impressive no matter who you are. I think they continue that this weekend at home. Oregon Covers and take that over. Ducks 38 - 14. - Drew Mac

Cal finally played a defense that was on their level last week. Not only did they lose, but they lost their quarterback. Now they have to play an even better defense. I think Oregon displays why they’re the PAC-12 North favorite in this one. Oregon 31, Cal 6 (Oregon covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Once again, Auburn’s early season victory over a PAC-12 contender is looking better and better. This time, Auburn is backing up that early season win with results. Oregon is probably the best team west of Oklahoma. Their defense looks better each week (4th in SP+!!). I really need them to keep winning, so I will absolutely let it influence my picks. Oregon 35, Cal 9 - Josh Dub

An undefeated Cal with a healthy QB could have made this game VERY interesting. The Ducks have been dominant defensively since losing to Auburn & are coming off a bye week. The Golden Bears got Herm’d last weekend & are down Garbers. I expect Cal’s defense stifles an inconsistent Oregon offense but can’t do anything against what’s turning out to be one of the best defenses in the country in Oregon’s. Kinda like their win over Stanford, it won’t be pretty but it will be effective. Oregon 27, Cal 9 - AU Nerd

I, for one, would love to see Oregon continue to bash through their schedule with no more losses. Funnily enough, the vaunted offense we were all so scared of now sits #46 in SP+, while the defense that Bo Nix stunted on at the end of the game is #4 in the country. Cal, meanwhile is even more extreme. Led by tackling machine Evan Weaver (he’s got 77 through five games!), Cal has the #25 defense and #98 offense. I think Herbert is going to have a good game in this one, and Oregon wins 34-14. Luckily this is a 3:00 local kickoff, we should avoid any Pac12 after dark hijinks. - Ryan Sterritt

Cal has a ridiculous defense. Oregon is really good. This game might be borderline fun to watch. I think the Oregon win will look better and better each week. I don’t there is any team in the PAC12 that can stand in their way right now. I actually wouldn’t be shocked if they made the playoff. Oregon 32, Cal 14 - Son of Crow

The more Oregon wins, the better Auburn looks. Ducks Fly Together! Oregon 38 Cal 17 - Will McLaughlin

So I think everyone is off the Cal hype train after last week right? This week even the stragglers will jump off. Oregon, who are pretty good on both sides of the ball is gonna run away with this one. Ducks 31, Bears 13 - AU Chief

It’s the Pac-12, it doesn’t matter, and Oregon is probably the better team despite not beating anyone worth a flip on their schedule yet. Oregon 38, Cal 20 - Josh Black

All in on the Oregon train. Give me 12-1, Duckies. They have Washington coming up soon, so that’ll probably be the only game that really tests them the rest of the way. Cal might make it fun for a bit, though. Ducks 31-14 - Jack Condon

Georgia (-25) @ Tennessee (O/U 52.5)

This is just mean. Why on earth do you make me say positive things about that team. Tennessee is bad. Not Kentucky bad, or perhaps Vandy bad, but bad. And now a good team coming off an off week strolls in to town. This won’t be fun...and Vol fans will not enjoy this.

The team not in Orange 48-10 (they cover and the over) - Drew Mac

25 is a big number on the road, but I just don’t see Tennessee doing anything to slow down UGA. Dwags minus whatever pick here. Georgia 42, Tennessee 14 (Georgia covers, OVER) - James Jones

Tennessee looks like a program that is drowning. They have yet to put together a win over an FBS opponent and have had their program in the news for all the wrong reasons this week. If Georgia wanted to, they could come out and beat them 100-0. However, I believe this is a game that Georgia just wants to get through. Let the clock hit 0’s as quick as possible. The result will never be in doubt here – Georgia will be in total control – but the final score will not reflect the dominance. Georgia 31, Tennessee 17 - Josh Dub

The hilarity if UGA lost this game could end up being more than I could bear. Auburn lost inexplicably to the Vols last year thanks to turnovers & some wild 3rd down magic by UT. Could ya’ll repeat that this week Tennessee please? No?

Well screw you guys anyway. Dawgs do what they do which means ignore all the elite WR talent & run it 50+ times but it works out fine against a bad Tennessee team. UGA 41 UT 16 - AU Nerd

H8 FEEDS THE DAWG. 45-17. NEXT. - Ryan Sterritt

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.

Georgia 48, Tennessee 2 - Son of Crow

Oh man..... it will be an interesting next few weeks in Knoxville as I will not be shocked to see Phillip Fulmer take over very soon. Just a feeling I’ve had for awhile. I don’t expect things to get any prettier this weekend with Georgia in town. Dawgs will roll. Georgia 42 Tennessee 14 - Will McLaughlin

Kirby worked with Jeremy Pruitt for several years. There is no way he doesn’t want to embarrass him, and boy oh boy is he gonna do it. Dwags 55, Vols 10 - AU Chief

I was in Neyland Stadium two years ago when Georgia came to town. Tennessee checkerboarded the stadium. Peyton Manning was there and threw a touchdown pass to Marcus Nash at halftime. Didn’t matter. A freshman Jake Fromm led the Dawgs to a 41-0 shutout. Phil Fulmer’s gonna be dropping Nick Saban “I guess I have to say it, I’m not gonna be the Tennessee coach” quotes like crazy after this one. Kirby makes Jeremy eat his asparagus, without liquid cheese. Let’s roll it back. Georgia 41-0 - Jack Condon

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/10/4/20898401/staff-picks-cfb-week-6

[thrashermaxey]

Ramblings: Hart Wins His Debut, Ghost Wakes Up, Morrissey, Skinner, Kadri, & Kase (Dec. 19)

  The Maple Leafs and Devils met on Tuesday evening in Jersey. Toronto came into the contest on a mini-slide, picking up just four points in their last five contests. That slipped them to third in the Atlantic and they were looking to right the ship. Meanwhile, Taylor Hall returned from injury for a floundering Devils squad who needs to get the momentum running in the right direction if they have any aspirations of a wild card spot this spring. 

  It was all Toronto early in this one. The Maple Leafs scored three goals on their first eight shots, with Auston Matthews getting in on two of them (1+1). The porous play of Keith Kinkaid only further exacerbates the issues in net for the Devils. Cory Schneider is now mercifully on the IR, but his days of stopping pucks at a respectable level appear over. Kinkaid has had stretches of success, but shouldn't be considered a long-term solution.

  That leaves Mackenzie Blackwood. 

  The 22-year-old is up with the big club after posting a .911 save percentage in 15 AHL games this season. Blackwood has the pedigree of a potential NHL starter but still has more than a few warts to clear up. If you're looking for a prospect goalie with a clear path though, there aren't too many better spots than in New Jersey.

  Blackwood would see some action after Kinkaid let in his fifth of the night. It wasn't overly promising for the youngster either as he stopped 8/10 and the Leafs cruised to a 7-2 victory.

  Nazem Kadri produced three even-strength primary assists on the night. The line of him, Marleau and Nylander seem to be forming some chemistry. Kadri still sees strong deployment on that vaunted top power-play unit. He's likely good for a better pace than the 45-point clip he was at coming into this game. 

  Watch for an opportunity to buy low. 

**

  With Dave Hakstol finally and mercifully, let go. The Flyers hosted the Red Wings on Tuesday evening. Fill-in coach, Scott Gordon shook up the lines ahead of this one. It was JVR being elevated to the top line next to Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny. A great spot for the two youngsters. 

  Jakub Voracek, who has been waking from his early-season slumber and just saw a seven-game, eight-point streak snapped in Vancouver last Saturday, was skating next to Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds. That left Nolan Patrick to skate beside Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl. 

  What really needs to be fixed for the fantasy folk is the power play. 

  The Flyers have historically been a dangerous team on the man-advantage. They clicked at 20.7 percent a season ago, but have slipped all the way the 30th overall this season with a putrid 12.7 percent conversion rate. This has been felt in no bigger a spot than to Shayne Gostisbehere owners.

  Ghost led all defenders in power-play points last season with 33. He has seven in 31 contests this year to be on pace for 19. Bravo to all you who have remained patient, waiting for your All-Star blueliner to return to form. 

  Ghost continued to skate on the top unit with Voracek next to him on the point. Simmonds was given the first crack at the net front job on the top unit – a place that he occupied (and thrived in) for years in Philly. 

  Lo and behold, Gostisbehere managed to get in on the action tonight. He assisted on a van Riemsdyk first period even-strength tally and converted an even-strength goal as well. That brings the Gostisbehere up to 15 points in 33 games. We'll take this a positive indication that more good times will follow.

  **

Allow me to bury the lede here and slip in that 20-year-old, Carter Hart started his first NHL game. He's the sixth goaltender to start a game for Philadelphia this season.

    The Flyers' top prospect wasn't exactly lighting the AHL on fire as a first-year pro, with just a 0.901 save percentage in 17 games. He had been warming up though, with a 0.922 mark across his last seven starts. 

And what'd ya know, the kid earned himself a victory. Hart stopped 20 of 22 shots as the Flyers took down Detroit 3-2. Not a bad opening act. 

**

Obligatory Elias Pettersson chat. Coming into Tuesday's matchup against the Lightning, here is how the 20-year-old rookie compares to his first-year brethren over the past 25 years

  {source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Most points through their first 30 NHL games (last 25 years):<br><br>Alexei Yashin 36<br>Elias Pettersson 35<br>Alex Ovechkin 34<br>Connor McDavid 34<br>Evgeni Malkin 33<br>Sidney Crosby 31<br>Patrick Kane 30 <a href="https://t.co/DgtIhvtQrS">pic.twitter.com/DgtIhvtQrS</a></p>— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/1074537548616163329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  The 20-year-old saw his seven-game, 13 point streak come to an end on Tuesday as the Canucks fell to the Lightning 5-2. It was a feisty and shot-filled affair. Not bad for a couple of teams on opposite ends of the continent.

  The Lightning are now 26-7-2 on the season. Vasilevskiy is back and looking like the franchise netminder he is. This team is jacked up. 

  **

The Ducks took on the Rangers on the road. They've been riding hot of late and I think I know the reason. 

  {source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ducks are 12-3-2 since Ondrej Kase recovered from concussion and joined the lineup. Nine goals in his 17 games, with six in his last six.</p>— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) <a href="https://twitter.com/icemancometh/status/1074894735196733440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  I've been a big proponent of Kase's for a while. Maybe not as big as our boy, Slim Cliffy, but a proponent nonetheless. His spot in the top six was facilitated by injuries, but he's held it due to his production. He looks like a perfect fit next to Ryan Getzlaf on L1. Now all that's left is to get him onto the top power-play unit and watch him produce at a consistent 60-point-pace. 

  Kase managed to snag a secondary assist in this one to give him eight points in his last five games. That's a heater. But it's not as good as what Kevin Hayes is up to. The Rangers' pivot scored the shorthanded game-winner on Tuesday to extend his point streak to five games and 10 points. 

  Hayes has been excellent in the second quarter and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. He's clicking below his career shooting percentage and has been feasting on opponents at five-on-five. Those are great signs for prolonged success.

  If he's still on the wire, it's time to snatch him up. 

  **

Vladdy Namestnikov had a goal and two helpers in this one. But he's seeing virtually no power-play deployment and has been living in the bottom six. 

  Leave him be for now. 

  **

John Klingberg skated at Stars' practice for the second consecutive day. He's getting closer to a return and could suit up on Thursday against Chicago. Needless to say, this is a big-time Christmas present for the Stars and for fantasy owners. I know it's been a long five weeks without him on my roster. 

  **

Dallas and Calgary hooked up for a battle in the Big D. The Flames came into this one having won eight of their last nine games. Meanwhile, the Stars reunited Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov on the top line to spark some offence. The Dallas trio hooked up on the first goal of the game as the Stars beat the Flames 2-0

  It wasn't an overly exciting contest, but Ben Bishop did leave this one after taking a knock to the head. He returned to lock up the shutout, but we've seen players come back into games after potential concussions only to feel the effects a day later. Keep an eye on his status. 

  **

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chicago just announced that they will loan Henri Jokiharju to Finland for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WJC2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WJC2019</a>. That's HUGE for the Suomi. They've got their top defender now and will hope to get Vaakanainen to complete the top pair.</p>— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hockey_Robinson/status/1075069051234222080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

  **

The Panthers earned a much-needed victory on Tuesday evening. They overcame two first period deficits to beat the Sabres 5-2. Evgeni Dadonov led the way with two goals and an assist. One of the tallies came via a penalty shot that narrowly squeaked in. And I do mean narrowly. 

  https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/Daddy.mp4

  Dadonov continues his terrific season. The 29-year-old now sits with 33 points in 32 contests. 

  **

Jeff Skinner tallied his 25th goal of the season and added an assist in this one. He's all alone in second for the race for the Rocket. But at some point, his 24 percent conversion rate is going to crater. I love him next to Eichel in all-situations as captain Jack is establishing himself as a premier talent in this league. However, I smell a serious sell-high opportunity here with Skinner. 

  If you can pull an established 75-80 point player for Skinner, please do. 

  **

Martin Jones and the Sharks shutout the Wild 4-0. Logan Couture provided two goals, while Tomas Hertl chipped in with a couple of assists. 

  This was a big outing for Jones and his owners. He had just a 0.893 save percentage over the last six weeks coming into this game. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a sustained run of quality starts. Erik Karlsson is looking more and more like himself. That shouldn't hurt things. 

  **

Josh Morrissey kept his hot play alive despite Winnipeg losing 4-1 to LA in one of the late games. The 23-year-old grabbed a first period assist to give him 10 points in his last seven games. He's up to 21 points in 32 games all while seeing just 1:43 on the man-advantage each night. Granted, that Jets' second power-play unit boasts some big skill, but it's difficult to maintain a 50-plus point pace from the backend with top unit deployment. 

  I expect a cold streak is coming.

  **

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

    from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-hart-makes-his-debut-ghost-wakes-up-morrissey-skinner-kadri-kase-dec-19/

[365footballorg-blog]

Who made Rob Maclean's team of the weekend?

Sunday’s two Scottish League Cup semi-finals took precedence this weekend – not only in the headlines but in Rob Maclean’s team of the week.

St Mirren goalkeeper Craig Samson is the only man to feature from Saturday’s league fixtures. Semi-final winners Aberdeen and Celtic make up the rest of the BBC Scotland commentator’s team.

Agree with his picks or not? Comment below.

<!–

4-2-3-1 formation; Craig Samson (St Mirren); Shay Logan (Aberdeen), Michael Devlin (Aberdeen), Filip Benkovic (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Celtic); Lewis Ferguson (Aberdeen), Callum McGregor (Celtic); James Forrest (Celtic), Tom Rogic (Celtic), Ryan Christie (Celtic); Odsonne Edouard (Celtic).

Goalkeeper – Craig Samson

The struggling Buddies’ 2-0 defeat by St Johnstone in Perth would have been heavier had it not been for the saves of Samson. One stop in particular, when he tipped Tony Watt’s header on to the crossbar, was right out of the top drawer.

Defenders – Shay Logan, Michael Devlin, Filip Benkovic, Kieran Tierney

Shay Logan had, potentially, the toughest task on the Hampden pitch to try to deal with on-form Rangers winger Ryan Kent. Logan made a lot of well-timed tackles and helped prevent Kent becoming a big player in the game.

Former Hamilton Accies skipper Michael Devlin is a developing Don with each passing game after his long injury absence. He delivered an assured performance alongside central defensive partner Scott McKenna that meant goalkeeper Joe Lewis had only one serious save to make.

It was an emotional weekend for on-loan Leicester City centre-half Filip Benkovic and, after the helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium, home of his parent club, Benkovic dedicated Celtic’s semi-final win to the families of those who died. He also managed to turn in one of his best performances in Scottish football so far.

Kieran Tierney has set the bar high for himself with so many top performances in the past two seasons and it’s difficult for the 21-year-old left-back to always reach that level. But he showed signs at Murrayfield on Sunday that he’s getting back to his best.

Defensive midfielders – Lewis Ferguson, Callum McGregor

Lewis Ferguson has all the tools to become something special. He’s had better games than Sunday’s semi-final defeat of Rangers, but the 19-year-old produced the moment that mattered most with a thumping header for Aberdeen’s winning goal that was all about the desire to get himself on the end of Niall McGinn’s corner.

Callum McGregor dropped back to a deeper midfield role when Celtic suffered injuries on Sunday and must have made Scotland manager Alex McLeish think about deploying him in that position. There are few players in our game who use the ball better than McGregor.

Attacking midfielders – James Forrest, Tom Rogic, Ryan Christie

James Forrest is in a rich vein of form as Hearts left-back Demi Mitchell found out in Sunday’s first League Cup semi-final. When the Celtic winger scurries forward with the ball at his feet, he takes a whole lot of stopping.

It’s getting to the stage where I should cut and paste this paragraph from week to week. Tom Rogic glides through games and oozes quality. The Australian was a key player as Celtic beat Hearts emphatically in the end to reach another final.

Celtic’s lack of summer signings has offered Ryan Christie the opportunity to force his way into Brendan Rodgers’ first-team thinking. Introduced at the interval on Sunday, he won a penalty and scored the other two goals. Yes, I’m giving him the second one, which, for me, dribbled over the line.

Forward – Odsonne Edouard

There wasn’t exactly a mad scramble to claim the main striking position in my leading XI from the weekend. Odsonne Edouard is the man in possession and Celtic’s 20-year-old Frenchman did enough at Murrayfield to hold off the underwhelming challenge for that up-front role.

BBC Sport – Scottish

Who made Rob Maclean's team of the weekend? was originally published on 365 Football

[flauntpage]

Losing in Style – Ten Takeaways from Titans 26, Eagles 23 (OT)

Dilly Dilly!

The Eagles choked on the road and looked bad doing it, blowing fourth quarter and overtime leads en route to a walk-off touchdown loss.

That has to be the worst defeat of the Doug Pederson era, yeah? I can’t think of anything else that matches Sunday in terms of overall disappointment and distaste. Maybe you can look at the Detroit game back in 2016, when the Birds were 3-0 and coming off a bye week. That was a deflating loss that started the eventual tailspin, though expectations then weren’t even close to being what they are now.

Last year featured only one real clunker, the road loss in Seattle, but that was wiped out by a bounce-back win against the Rams just one week later. The season finale didn’t count for diddly poo and the Kansas City loss took place in week two, so whatever with those games.

Therefore, I think we’ve reached the following conclusion –

Yes, this was the worst defeat of the Doug Pederson era.

1) The secondary

Easy to point fingers at these guys, so we’ll start there.

First, the personnel was different with Rodney McLeod on the shelf. Jim Schwartz brought in Corey Graham as expected but decided to use Avonte Maddox at safety in dime looks while leaving Rasul Douglas on the bench. That amounted to 20 snaps (28% of the game) for Maddox, who had the big interception early but slipped on the Corey Davis touchdown. You saw several instances of confusion in the secondary with Maddox covering the deep middle third of the field and playing a position he says he never played before. 

The tackling was poor, the Titans found some holes in the zone coverage, and you were just waiting for someone to step up and make a play, which didn’t happen, not in the fourth quarter or overtime at least. Ronald Darby missed tackles. Jalen Mills got beat deep a few times. Graham was culpable on the horrible 4th and 15 conversion. Sidney Jones and Malcolm Jenkins committed overtime penalties.

Individually it was poor, but I also don’t think they were set up the correct way, and that’s on Schwartz.

I honestly do think Douglas would make more sense as a 6th defensive back out there or converted safety, and I know what you’re thinking, ‘here goes Kinkead with his West Virginia shit again,’ but just hear me out:

Avonte Maddox has the body type and skill set to be a slot corner. 6’2″ Douglas played in an unorthodox 3-3-5 defense in college where he moved around in a nickel base. He’s taller, more rangy, a ball hawk who doesn’t have great speed but has soft hands and goes up and attacks passes. 5’9″ Maddox played hard-nosed stuff on the inside at Pittsburgh. I personally believe, as Miss Teen South Carolina once said, that you could use Douglas to cover for McLeod, move Sidney Jones to the outside, and play Maddox on the inside, where he competed during training camp and preseason. I really don’t understand using him as a dime safety.

It’s important to point out that Tennessee came into this game throwing the 2nd fewest passes in the NFL. Last week they ran it 35 times and only threw it 21 times in the win against Jacksonville. This time around they threw it 43 times and ran it 22 times, numbers that do skew a bit due to the extra minutes provided by the overtime period, but that’s pretty close to a 66% pass to run ratio, which is not their game at all.

In more simple terms, the Eagles got torched through the air by a running team.

2) Jalen Mills

Not a great game. I especially enjoyed the finger wagging after the dropped pass that literally had nothing to do with his play at all.

On the afternoon, he gave up 99 yards on three targets, including a 20 yard pass interference play where I thought he did a good job to recover from a stumble before wrapping the receiver prior to the ball arriving:

It’s really not bad coverage. He stays with Davis there, he just has to drop the hands, specifically the off-hand in front of the ref, which killed him last week.

I do wonder where the safety help was on the pair of plays where he got beat deep. That’s hard to identify without the all-22 film, which is released by the league on Wednesday, but here’s what I found going through the regular video:

That was the 51 yarder to Davis. The Eagles were in cover 3 and Graham bit on a shallow route, leaving Mills with no cover over the top.

Also this:

The Titans run a couple of receivers on the strong side and Davis hits Mills with a double move on the outside. Graham can’t help because he’s trending to the side with multiple route runners.

Otherwise that’s it, Mills wasn’t targeted beyond those three times, not that I see when I go over the game film.

I wrote a column last week that basically amounted to  “Jalen Mills is what he is,” which is a 7th round draft pick, a solid tackler, a physical overachiever who really does not have elite speed or elite athleticism. I think people have to remember that he beat out guys like Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks and Aarony Grymes for a spot, which brings us to where we are now.

The thing with Mills, is that when he gets beat, it looks bad. Ronald Darby got beat yesterday and Sidney Jones committed a horrendous penalty in overtime. Those plays are killers, but they don’t happen 35 yards down the field. When Mills bites on a double move in space with no safety help over the top, the optics of his fuck ups just look worse than the optics of other people’s fuck ups, even though everyone is fucking up.

Is that a fair point?

I’m not saying he’s an amazing player, I’m just trying to come at it from an angle other than “omg Jalen Mills sucks cut his ass right now.”

3) Personnel and play calling

I thought Carson Wentz looked pretty good on the day. I wouldn’t put too much of the fumble on him since Lane Johnson did his best turnstile impersonation on that play.

Defensively, I mentioned the Maddox deployment earlier. Fletcher Cox played 60 snaps for an 85% mark and Haloti Ngata was up to 52%. He and Michael Bennett (51%) have been preferred to Destiny Vaeao on the inside and Bennett has been playing a lot of time there also because the depth at DT is not what it is at DE.

Offensively, they gave Jay Ajayi 15 carries, nine of which took place later in the game. Wendell Smallwood carried the ball five times and Josh Adams was given zero carries while Corey Clement missed the game through injury. The Eagles really did not run the ball much through the early part of the game, just six times out of 25 play calls through the Birds’ first four series. Doug didn’t commit to the ground game until later on.

Pederson also only showed eight under center sets on the entire day. Most of the running came out of the shotgun, and a lot of the under center play-action passes were disastrous, with the offensive line struggling to allow those slow-developing sequences to flourish against a strong Tennessee pass rush.

As for special teams, DeAndre Carter had a really nice punt return doing spot duty back there. The Eagles had zero kick returns, which would have gone to Smallwood if Ryan Succop hadn’t booted every single thing into the end zone.

4) Offensive line

Poor game from the Eagles’ best unit.

I don’t feel like this was talked about much during the week, but Tennessee was the first 3-4 base defense the Birds played against this year. I don’t know how much that played a role in the O-line struggles, but I want to think it did. Harold Landry and Jayon Brown had good games on the left side of that D, and they really do show you a lot of looks that fluctuate from a front three to a front four or five, with guys coming at you from different angles than what you’d get in a typical 4-3.

Here’s an example of one of those slow under center play-action passes that just took too long to develop:

I have no idea what Lane Johnson is doing there. He sticks a hand out and holds position while Brown runs right by him, so it makes me think they were trying to set up some sort of screen.

But look at this Titans’ front –

They’re only running two defensive linemen here, a pair of tackles in DaQuan Jones and Bennie Logan. They put three linebackers on the line of scrimmage and rush five while using Rashaan Evans and safety Kendrick Lewis in shallow coverage:

Looks like some 2012 Eagles wide-9 shit there. I like the 3-4 base because you can do a lot of different things with hybrid defensive end/linebacker tweeners, which Tennessee has plenty of, studs like Landry, Brian Orakpo, and Sharif Finch.

Carson Wentz was sacked four times Sunday, which follows five sacks allowed last week and three the week before. Wentz was hit 11 times total on 52 drop backs and the line conceded six tackles for loss.

5) One-dimensional?

The Eagles defense held Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry to 24 rushing yards.

Seriously.

Marcus Mariota accounted for 46 of the Titans’ 70 rushing yards, which was their lowest total of the year, even with an extra overtime period to pad their numbers.

Again, it’s not really a defensive line thing. They make teams one-dimensional, and when they do, the secondary should be able to clamp down in nickel assuming you can get a decent pass rush going or throw some different blitz looks at the opponent. They sacked Marcus Mariota three times, flushed him from the pocket other times, hit him on six occasions, and did do a decent job overall, decent enough to the point where that game should have been won in regulation.

The Eagles generally have trouble with Russell Wilson type quarterbacks who can run around like a chicken with their head cut off then heave a 50 yard ball to one of five receivers running a route. That wasn’t Tennessee yesterday, but there were a few occasions where Mariota was able to extend plays with his feet and they rolled him and bootlegged him about 6-7 times during this game.

I think the line was pretty gassed by the time the Titans were on their 34th and 35th minute of possession in overtime. You can’t sustain a pass rush against a team going 66% to 33% in a pass/run ratio for five periods of play. It just doesn’t happen. At some point, the secondary needs to make a play, and they didn’t.

Also, can people stop saying the Titans suck? They don’t suck. They were 9-7 last season and won a road playoff game. They are 3-1 this year. They are a decent team.

6) Zach Ertz

He’s on pace to have a million targets this season, or at least it seems that way.

Seriously though, he’s been targeted 33 times through four games, so he’s projected to receive 132 targets over the course of 16 games.

For context, DeAndre Hopkins led the NFL with 176 targets last season. Travis Kelce was the top tight end with 123 looks. Ertz hit 110 on the season, so he’s well on pace to shatter that mark.

I drew a diagram of what I believe was his route chart and heatmap:

Ertz just kept finding that soft spot in the middle of the zone, and Wentz hit him there over and over and over again.

Ok, here’s the real thing.

White lines are completed passes and green is yards after the catch:

Close enough.

Ertz caught 10 of 14 targets for 110 yards Sunday, though Wentz didn’t find him in the end zone.

That honor went to:

7) Alshon Jeffery

Gotta be the biggest positive from otherwise shitty afternoon.

He just makes plays that other receivers can’t make. I’m talking about tough sideline grabs, contested back shoulder throws, jump balls in the corner, and key red zone receptions.

Alshon caught eight balls for 105 yards and a score, and while the touchdown might have been his best grab, he really had a couple of early snags to get himself and the Eagles going. Particularly, there was a great 34 yard reception he made on a 3rd and 4 to keep the chains moving. He caught another one later going up against Malcolm Butler and the only blemish on the day was the catch and fumble that disallowed a first down in Tennessee’s half of the field.

Welcome back Alshon Jeffery, or “Jefferies” if you’re a moron and still can’t get his name right.

8) Doug’s best call?

Probably the decision to pound the ball with the running game to begin overtime.

That’s about it.

9) Doug’s worst call?

Obviously I hated the choice to punt with three minutes left in the fourth quarter on that fourth down and four. The Eagles got the stop and got the ball back to force overtime, but that punt felt antithetical to everything we’ve seen from Doug over the last year or so.

I also did not like the third down draw play right before halftime, the run on 3rd and 3 at Tennessee’s ten yard line. You’ve got Alshon matched up 1v1 in the red zone. Throw him the damn ball.

That felt like the same shit Penn State did on Saturday night in their Ohio State choke job, running the ball when everyone knows you should have thrown it instead.

This just didn’t feel like a Doug Pederson type of game. Mike Vrabel was the coach making gutsy fourth down decisions on the other sideline.

10) Like deja vu all over again

We got Chris Myers and Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin for the second straight week. Shouldn’t that be a violation in and of itself? Why not just rotate the crews so they aren’t calling the same team two weeks in a row?

The good thing was that Myers was unable to mispronounce “Clement” this time, since Corey Clement didn’t play. It did sound like one of the pair kept saying “Ajayi” wrong, but I honestly did not pay much attention to the broadcast. This group is fine, but they just don’t do anything to get me super excited OR super annoyed. They just sort of exist, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.

My only real complaint with the broadcast is that we got that commercial with the hypnotist sitting in his front yard. He snaps his fingers and asks some guy to clean his gutters, then says this:

“Todd, you go make me a “fertata”

I don’t know why he pronounces it that way because the dish is a “frittata.” It’s an Italian egg-based casserole type of thing, and it’s spelled with the F-R-I, not F-E-R. There’s no such thing as a “fertata.”

Anyway, that annoys me, but not as much as the Eagles losing on a 16 play, 75 yard drive in overtime.

The post Losing in Style – Ten Takeaways from Titans 26, Eagles 23 (OT) appeared first on Crossing Broad.

Losing in Style – Ten Takeaways from Titans 26, Eagles 23 (OT) published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

[wheelhousehockey-blog1]

HOCKEY GM ADVICE: Team Power Rankings #9 - 1

With the season approaching so quickly I dont want to bore everyone and overpopulate Facebook with so many of these power rankings over the next few days, so i am putting all the final 9 teams into one big article.

Power Rankings San Jose Sharks #9

San Jose made the biggest acquisition this offseason being Erik Karlsson. What is also very beneficial is that they made this trade without having to give up any star talent or youth on their current roster. They now have a team that boasts two of the best offensive defencemen and have multiple Norris trophies between the two of them. Add in one of the best defensive defencemen in Vlasic and you have one great defence core. With a healthy Thornton, a newly signed Evander Kane, captain Joe Pavelski and veteran Logan Couture, this is one talented lineup ready to make their mark in the playoffs this year. Unfortunately for them I do not see enough talent in their bottom 6 to provide the depth scoring needed to go all the way.

Team #8 St Louis Blues

The Blues went into this offseason on a mission to improve their center depth. They did just that, they traded for Ryan O’Reilly who will be their new first line center to play with Tarasenko, and also signed free agent Tyler Bozak who is arguably the best third line center in the league (besides maybe Kadri who isnt a third line center).This team also brought back for another run, forward David Perron. Their forward lineup is so loaded with talent they needed to send some players down just because their is no spot for them. Their defence core is very solid as well, led by captain Alex Pietrangelo. What is lacking on this team is goaltending. Jake Allen is great goalie, when he is on. But every year their is a few weeks where you dont even want him anywhere near the ice surface. To the point where the team sent him home from a roadtrip. If this team wants to move deep into the playoffs they need their #1 goalie to play like a #1 goalie all year long.

Team #7 Pittsburgh Penguins

This team still has in my opinion the top 2 centers in the NHL. Some will argue that Washington’s Kuznetsov - Backstrom, Toronto’s Matthews - Tavares or Edmonton’s McDavid - Draisaitl are better, but their is no better center combo than Crosby and Malkin. What these two have accomplished since entering the league is incredible. 3 stanley cups! This offseason they brought in a familiar face in Matt Cullen, and also a new face in Jack Johnson. They lost Connor Sheary this year via trade. But dont even start to think that this forward core is going to lack goal scoring. Expect to see them as a top 5 team in goal scoring this season, and once again, expect the second round of the playoffs in the Metropolitan to go through Pittsburgh and Washington.

Team #6 Boston Bruins

Domination took place last year with this team. They could physically beat you and beat you by skill, and speed. They had one great line up and boasting probably the best line in the NHL with Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak. This team did not lose any talent in the offseason except for deadline pick up Rick Nash, and as long as their bottom 6 forwards can hold up I would expect Boston to pick right back up where they left off last year.

Team #5 Toronto Maple Leafs

Where to start. John Tavares. Should I end there? The Leafs won the Tavares sweepstakes and if you have been watching preseason, he is already looking deadly with Marner. Seeing that powerplay work with him, Matthews, Marner, Reilly and Kadri has been absolutely lethal. The leafs have unbelievably strong forward depth. Icing a top 3 lines that could all be first lines. But where they are lacking is on defence. And year after year this problem does not get addressed. Is this the year fans begin to like Gardiner? Has the young blueliners matured enough now to have what it takes? Lets see what the leafs can get done this year, but I dont think this is “the year” just yet.

Team #4 Nashville Predators

Until this season, Nashville had arguably the best defence core in the league, thanks a lot San Jose. Making it to the finals 2 years ago and then going home early at the hands of Winnipeg is not sitting well with the Predators. They did not make any major adds or subtractions this offseason, and believe they have the lineup to make it all the way. They recently just sent down rookie Eva Tolvanen too because they believe they have the scoring ability without him to go deep. Their is not one hole in this lineup that needs to be addressed. Nashville is the real deal, even without real deal Neal.

Team #3 Tampa Bay Lightning

The lightning were the team picked to go all the way last season. Then they ran into the Washington Capitals. Going down 0-2 they stormed back to take a series lead 3-2, then ultimately losing in game 7, failing to score a goal in both game 6 & 7. What happened? This team is easily the most dynamic offensively in the league. Every single line can score. When a team has Tyler Johnson on the third line, and Mikail Sergachev on the 3rd pairing, you know they are deep. All thats missing from this team going all the way, is their captain. Stamkos when he is needed most does not show up. He has not scored a goal is any elimination games. If their captain can wear that letter and score when they need him, expect him to be raising that Stanley cup above his head.

Team #2 Winnipeg Jets

Just like the lighting the Jets are loaded offensively. Laine, Ehlers, Scheiffle, Wheeler, Connor the list just keeps going on. Then you look at their back end and you see Bif Buff, Myers, Trouba, Morrissey, they really have everything it takes to score, defend and win. Losing to the Knights last year did no go over well for this team and I would expect them to come back this season and I expect to see them in the finals. Perhaps seeing Laine dethrown Ovechkin for the goal scoring leader as well.

Team #1 THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Stanley Cup champions, returning with the same winning roster, minus their fourth line center. This team now has the taste of winning, the taste of being champions, and I do not expect them to let that feeling go without a fight.

Enough said.

[rahullikesthings]

I’ve done these year-end reflections for the last four years, and most of them have been how things went badly and how I hope they get better. I’m happy to say 2017 was a really solid year for me. There’s a whole list of accomplishments I’m proud of, some I had worked towards, some that happened by coincidence. I moved into my own apartment. I got a promotion and two different raises at work. I’ve been booked more than ever since I’ve been doing standup. I started my own show. I’ve made friends, at work and through comedy. And as someone that hasn’t had much of that in a few years, I think it’s helped me be less cynical and paranoid about new acquaintances and relationships whenever they do happen. I met Terrell Owens (kind of a weird dude) and Eric Dickerson (cool guy!) and got that close to Steve Kerr at the Warriors championship parade. 

There’s still plenty more I hope to accomplish, but it’s fair to say this year is the start of an upward trajectory. I’m in a good space mentally and physically. I see people around me progressing and moving forward and I’m super happy for them. I’m thinking of going vegan. There’s people I hope to meet, places I hope to travel to, more achievements to realize. 

As I started to put together these lists, I realized how strange my media intake felt this year. Stuff that happened earlier in the year feels like sooo long ago. There are songs I loved that I forgot were released this year at all. The albums list was tough because there was no clear number one for me but definitely a handful that I really liked. There were more beyond that I thoroughly enjoyed, put in a playlist, and then completely forgot about because I guess that’s what streaming is. “Crew” was easily my favorite song this year. I spend just enough time in car to actually listen to the radio and it was such a cool feeling to hear Shy Glizzy on there. I get psyched and sing along to his verse every. single time. 

I watched a ton of TV this year but, really, no show comes close to American Vandal. The humor, the characters, the depth of the parody, the bingeability. It’s maybe the best representation of high school I’ve ever seen on screen. Quality all around. I don’t know that would tell someone who has never seen Twin Peaks to watch it, but there were three of four moments in this season that were some of the most visceral experiences I’ve ever had watching any TV or movie. Godless was fire. Mindhunter was also great. I thought this final season of The Carmichael Show was nearly perfect. Curb might not have had its best season but I laughed uncontrollably at every scene between Larry and Richard Lewis. The Get Down deserved more. The Deuce was as good as people said, but I think I needed a little something more. Shout out to Shark Tank for always coming through. 

I may have watched more movies this year than in any other year in recent memory (shouts to my Movie Pass). I don’t know that I had an obvious number one, but Lady Bird, Florida Project and Get Out are in that discussion for me. But also Star Wars: The Last Jedi was maybe the greatest movie I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve spent so much of my life with this franchise, I didn’t think I could be surprised anymore. The throne room scene is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, and the audience reaction to Laura Dern’s lightspeed was priceless (every single time). Highlight: Watching Get Out at the Jack London theater in Oakland on opening weekend / Lowlight: not being able to discuss it at work the next day because San Francisco is the whitest, most clueless, most tone-deaf city on Earth. American Made won’t get mentioned a lot but it was one of the more fun experiences I’ve had at the movies. Girls Trip was awesome and hilarious. The Game of Thrones prison scene in Logan Lucky and the Kumail/Ray Romano 9/11 joke in The Big Sick are literally two of the funniest moments in any movie ever. I thought I was over comic book movies, but three ended up on this list. I still can’t tell if I liked Dunkirk.

Here’s to 2018.

Best Songs:

Goldlink “Crew (feat. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy)” SZA “Supermodel” Tove Love “Disco Tits” Migos “T-Shirt” Playboi Carti “Magnolia” Future “Solo” Sevyn Streeter “Before I Do” Kendrick “Fear” Kelela “LMK” Bruno Mars “That’s What I Like” Ty Dolla $ign “Famous” Adrian Marcel “UKNOWUDO” Miguel “Told You So” 2 Chainz “It’s A Vibe (feat. Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz & Jhene Aiko)” A$AP Ferg “Plain Jane” Buddy “Type of Shit (feat. Wiz Khalifa)” Devin the Dude “Are You Goin' My Way?” Frank Ocean “Chanel” Che Ecru “2 Am” Majid Jordan “One I Want (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)” Rick Ross “Trap, Trap, Trap (feat. Young Thug & Wale)” Young Thug “Daddy’s Birthday” Vince Stapes “Big Fish” PRETTYMUCH “Open Arms” Wizkid “Come Closer (feat. Drake)”

Best Albums: 

Future HNDRXX Future FUTURE Kelela Take Me Apart Kendrick Lamar DAMN. IDK Iwasverybad Miguel War & Leisure SZA Ctrl Ty Dolla $ign Beach House 3 Jonwayne Rap Album Two Aminé Good For You Mary J. Blige Strength Of A Woman Drake More Life Meek Mill Wins & Losses Jay-Z 4:44 Playboi Carti Playboi Carti Che Ecru buries SiR Her Too Goldlink At What Cost Lou The Human Humaniac Roc Marciano Rosebudd’s Revenge Mozzy & Gunplay Dreadlocks & Headshots Wiki No Mountains In Manhattan milo who told you to think??!!?!?!?! Migos Culture Anna Wise The Feminine: Act II

Best Beats:

Oh No x Tristate “Wind Chime Wizardry” (Oh No) Juelz Santana & Dave East “Time Ticking” (Jahlil Beats) Offset & Metro Boomin “Ric Flair Drip” (Bijan Amir, Metro Boomin)  Future “Solo” (Dre Moon) Iamsu “Shake” (Iamsu) Aminé “Slide” (Jahaan Sweet, Aminé) Kap G “Motivation” (???) Mila J “Fuckboy” (Immanuel Jordan Rich) Jonwayne “Afraid Of Us” (Jonwayne) SZA “Go Gina” (Scum, Lang, Frank Dukes) Milo “Sorcerer” (Kenny Segal) Action Bronson “Bonzai” (Harry Fraud) RJMrLA & DJ Mustard “Hard Way” (DJ Mustard)

Best TV Shows:

American Vandal Mindhunter Godless Twin Peaks: The Return Bojack Horseman The Carmichael Show The Deuce Rick and Morty The Leftovers Master of None Veep Halt and Catch Fire Mr. Robot The Good Place The Get Down Shark Tank Glow Insecure Marvel’s Runaways Lady Dynamite The Defiant Ones All or Nothing  Every scene in Curb Your Enthusiasm between Larry and Richard Lewis

Best Movies:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Lady Bird The Florida Project Get Out Logan Lucky American Made Logan Girls Trip Hidden Figures The Meyerowitz Stories Molly’s Game The Big Sick Thor: Ragnarok Coco Wonder Woman It The Disaster Artist Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond Spider-Man: Homecoming  Dunkirk The Lost City of Z

Best Comedy Specials:

Louis C.K.: 2017 (I know, I know...) Roy Wood Jr: Father Figure Norm Macdonald: Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery Chris Gethard: Career Suicide Al Madrigal: Shrimpin' Ain't Easy Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King Brent Weinbach: Appealing to the Mainstream  Rory Scovel Tries Stand-Up For The First Time Maria Bamford: Old Baby Erik Griffin: The Ugly Truth Neal Brennan: Three Mics The Standups: Fortune Feimster The Standups: Beth Stelling Marc Maron: Too Real Comedy Central Stand Up Presents: Anthony Devito Comedy Central Stand Up Presents: Sam Jay Joe Mande's Award-Winning Comedy Special Todd Barry: Spicy Honey Ryan Hamilton: Happy Face The Standups: Nate Bargatze 

Previously: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

Titans Defensive Quarterly Evaluations

Titans Defensive Quarterly Evaluations

DE Austin Johnson- Johnson has three games where he predominantly played end and one where he predominantly played nose tackle. First of all, he’s not playing enough. He’s only played in 30 percent of the teams snaps and that’s just not enough for a key defensive end. His stats are poor, but he is regularly “right there” to make a play while someone else gets a tackle. Since he only played one game at End as a rookie, this is essentially his rookie year there. He gets bulled over by offensive linemen but yet other times he also shows real good fight to him. The “jury is still out” on him as an end. I would predict good things but only give him a C for a grade.

DE/NT DaQuan Jones- He plays 48 percent of the snaps which is too low. Once he became a fine “fill-in” at nose tackle, his stats and snaps should have increased considerably. I think he likes getting moved around. My impression is that he is somewhat stagnant when he is always at end, but there’s a ‘skip to his step’ when he is moving around the defensive line.  When he’s fired up, he’s a pretty solid defensive end. He won’t remind anyone of Reggie White, but he can hold his own just fine. I see him as the best defensive line player four games in. Grade: A.

DT Jurrell Casey- Mister wonderful is having issues this year. On the rare occasion that he doesn’t have 3 or 4 blockers to fend off, he is his typical wonderful self. Offenses are smothering him with unfair numbers. Still trails a play better than any defensive lineman in football. fGrade: B.

Sylvester Williams-  As I’ve said, he gets pushed around at least 80 percent of the time and regularly looks at his feet. He has a surgically repaired ankle and while it’s a total guess on my part, looking down at the ankle so often could mean he has an issue with it. His 21-32 percent snap counts for weeks 1-3 don’t warrant $7 mil per season nor display confidence from the coaching staff. Grade: F.

Wesley Woodyard- Dig out the cliches of the fountain of youth, he has been either very good or excellent each week. Grade: A.

Erik Walden- The defensive linemen listed as an outside linebacker rarely lines up off the line of scrimmage. Did the Titans switch to a 4-3 and not tell anyone? He is good, not bad, not excellent….good. I absolutely never expected him to play 50 percent of the snaps. He sees as much time as some starters.

Kevin Dodd- Still can’t cover, essentially a defensive lineman with his hands in the dirt. As I’ve written often, I don’t see it with him. I think he’s a bust and Mularkey or Jon Robinson need to move on. He was only active for one game. Grade: F.

Jayon Brown- There are good long stretches where all he does is cover the tight end. That limits his effectiveness and I wish they would use him more as a traditional ‘backer. Their usage of Brown in preseason was perfect- do that. He’s only “soso” covering the tight ends. He’s a rookie and he is often there, but not making a play. Brown will develop. There’s much to be hopeful for here. Grade: C.

Avery Williamson- My Man! What happened? He is not holding up as he used to. In every prior year, the Titans had weak nose tackle play making Williamson’s job more difficult than necessary. He still got it done. This year, he is struggling. He often misses tackles and/or holds on until someone else makes a tackle. In the past, he would wrap someone up or lay a hit and the play was over. Grade C.

Derrick Morgan- There have been moments that he is the lone bright spot. He is on his way to having an impressive 2017 season. Grade: A.

Brian Orakpo- The man impacted by Casey switching sides is Orakpo. He’s got his hands full trying to get around the swarm of linemen smothering Casey. He’s still a beast and clearly can still be a top linebacker. His job is just unusually difficult thus far. Grade: B.

Logan Ryan- Outstanding slot corner came over as advertised. He doesn’t play so well outside. He’s a shutdown corner in the slot and that should be enough for the Titans staff to work with. Grade: B.

Adoree Jackson- The Titans staff needs to pull him when he’s whooped. My goodness does he have the talent and athleticism to be a super cornerback. Some Sunday’s he takes his lumps and looks like a glutton for punishment though. I imagine a series on the sideline to get his head back would do wonders for the future star. He has allowed a ton of catches but he is also “right there” step for step with some of the best wide receivers. Grade: C.

Brice McCain- Last year he struggled outside and was good in the slot. This year it’s been the same. Why put him outside if the results are predictable? Just let him be a dime cornerback and Ryan’s backup. Sometimes when he gets subbed in, quarterbacks go right after him. Grade: D.

LeShaun Sims- Still a human blanket. He (and Ryan) have had some bad snaps here n’ there. In totality though, he’s been sharp. Sims playing less than 50 percent of the snaps has been a head-scratching decision by the staff. Grade: B.

Kevin Byard- Still stuck as a free safety, rocks as a strong safety. As I’ve written often, the Titans did not address the lack of an outfielder and didn’t keep (Denzel Johnson) the one outfielder they had this summer.  Free Safety grade: D. Strong Safety grade: A.

DaNorris Searcy- He’s “out of place” as a free safety splitting the field or a free safety playing outfielder. He hasn’t done well and a strong safety shouldn’t have to. Grade: F.

Curtis Riley- I have been impressed with Riley. This is his first extensive taste of NFL action and he gets better each week. I don’t know that he’s fast enough to be their outfielder, but with his effort, he will “die trying” and I applaud that hustle. He is an effective shoulder tackler too; looks like a well-drilled pupil. Grade: B.

Kalan Reed- Curiously absent thus far. Zero games, always inactive.

Brynden Trawick and Daren Bates- I had written that the Titans were “blowing smoke” and they wouldn’t truly play much on defense. Those two combine for two defensive snaps. Without the special teams effectiveness, they don’t appear to be good free agent signings by the Titans. I am hopeful special teams will improve though.

Overall-

The legend that is Dick Lebeau can only use what he has. That’s the first problem. It’s not totally on Lebeau that the defense hasn’t done so well. It’s on Mularkey and Robinson that decided the roster.

(Beating a drum) Antwaun Woods must be activated. MUST. Everything falls into place when he takes the field. Woods is an immovable object of a nose tackle and he has the ability to get into the backfield which few NFL nose tackles truly have. Defenses are always taught to funnel things toward the center. When the Titans do this and Williams has been pushed around, it’s hardly effective. Woods commanded double-teams against starting units all preseason. Austin Johnson would be getting one on one matchups and Casey would only have to beat one or two men. Behind Woods, “my man Avery” could play the middle linebacker role and just swallow up running backs rather than have to take on two blockers while simultaneously tackling the running back. All of these people in their spots with favorable matchups yields more effective pressure so less time for the defense to cover. Woods doesn’t have to be Aaron Donald or Albert Haynesworth during their best seasons. He can be Haynesworth during his younger years where he just held his ground moreso than pressured. That is sufficient. The domino effect Woods has on this defense is tremendous.

With difficult times at nose tackle the Titans have resorted to having four men on the line of scrimmage, often blitzing Woodyard, using Jones, Casey, Klug, and Johnson as an out of position nose tackle. If Woods plays, all of them play their typical roles. Some of them have the toughness to man the nose for a play here and there, but they don’t have the “beef” to handle it every snap. Lebeau is clearly compensating for the loss of Woods.  In prior years, Lebeau will stack five or six players on the line to apply intimidating pressure. This year it appears to be a way to compensate. It’s lost its effectiveness without Woods since those out of position nose tackles are still weak up the middle.

Free up the safety- Denzel Johnson needs to play or last year’s starter, Rashad Johnson, needs to be brought back. Kevin Byard needs to do what he does best. There’s no gain from making a star strong safety into a below average free safety. Start Johnson and let Byard roam; let Byard remind us just how vital great strong safety play is to a Lebeau defense.

Too cute-

Let them all do what they do well, everyone. Sylvester Williams played a few snaps at defensive end this summer. He did fine. He held his ground and allowed Orakpo to get to the quarterback. Let Brown use his speed and some of the times let the Safety cover the tight end. Let Ryan stick on the slot and go into games knowing one wide receiver is shut down. Let Sims continue to blanket wide receivers and develop opposite Adoree. Blitz Woodyard sometimes, not “every down” as it often seems. Let him play linebacker. Stop running this faux 4-3 where Avery is the middle linebacker, run the 3-4 that Lebeau is famous for.

No, no, and no! Stop having Leshaun Sims be the gunner and down on every punt and kick return. Starting corners should not be risked like that. Eric Weems should have one spot manned and there are a plethora of wide receivers and David Fluellen who should be able to man the other spot. Another option would be to treat Brice McCain as the backup and play him there, not Sims.

The Tennessee Titans rank 30th in total defense. They have way more talent than the 30th ranking indicates. There’s a curious exercise that teams do where they play vanilla defense in preseason to not show the other teams too much on tape. Well, what they did in preseason worked well. Start Woods and Johnson and play the preseason defense. Let Lebeau scheme off of that base, not some faux 4-3 with everyone playing different roles than normal. Let the players and coaches do what they do best.

Missing spark plug-

It may seem minimal but its effect has never been. Karl Klug has to play and he has to be at defensive end. When that man makes a play, the entire defense and the crowd are instantly energized. Stop playing him at nose tackle, let him do his thing, and watch the trickle down effect it has on the other players.

Video snips from NFL.com 

Notice how the line performs as one cohesive unit and how they don’t.

On this play, Williams gets pushed aside and a huge hole is created for the runner.

During this play, Williams is stood up by the center and can’t make a play on the quarterback as he runs by.

During this play, Antwaun Woods wins his battle and the Titans swarm

The defensive line loses the battle here, but Woods chases down the runner showing unusual tenacity for a nose tackle.

Woods holds his ground, as does the entire Titans defensive line, and they shift left to get the runner

AROUND COVER32 ​ ​Recapping the 49ers’ Week 4 loss

Rams off to a surprisingly strong start to begin the year ​​ How has the Seahawks’ offense done so far this year?​

Who’s going to win each Week 5 game?

[hos17armageddon]

Tate’s Opening Statement

Whew! What a season. I've had a great time playing this game and I just wanted to quickly thank the hosts for putting on such a great game. I'll try to keep this as short as possible, but there were so many things going on that I can't wait to talk about. My basic strategy when it comes to ORGS is to 1: Make friends early. 2: wiggle my way into a majority alliance 3: Win comps late into the game. I think I followed that game plan fairly well.

My pre-jury game was super UTR. My goal was to stay out of the spotlight and make bonds with people that I saw as real movers and shakers in this game. I quickly formed solid relationships with Jenna, Alex and Ryan. Nothing really happened until double eviction week. So after Elsa nominated me, obviously my envelope saved me this week. It can be argued that I might have stayed without it by winning the veto or getting the votes to stay, but the envelope did play into my favor. One key thing that I did was I used this as a chance to get close to Elsa. I could've nominated her at two points that week, but I saw her potential and I wanted her on my side.

Trail nomination week was when I started to really make things happen. Adrian told me he wanted to target Alex and Elsa. Those were 2 people that I was working with, so I HAD to do something. I quickly messaged Alex/Ryan/Keegan/Elsa/Lauren and told them what was going on. This was the birth of "The Leftovers Alliance". Once I switched up the nominations it left Logan and Zach on the block, and the Leftovers had a majority in this game.

The next few weeks it was mostly the majority alliance working together. During UK week, I got lot's of people from the Facebook ORG community to vote out Jenna. My reasoning was even tho I had a good relationship with Jenna, Adrian was such a good meat shield for me moving forward.  I had to keep him in the game. Jenna was also such a strong social player that I was really scared of the damage she could do. So this public vote worked into my favor. The Lightning round kinda sucked because I was going to lose someone I was very close with no matter what. Losing my final 2 partner (Alex) made me have to go out and find new people to work with. Lauren and Keegan became those people. Lauren was great for me because she had insight into the game that I didn't. And Keegan was so loyal, a perfect partner to go deep into the game with.

During Keegan's HoH we knew it was best to get out Zach because he was a total all around threat. We had a plan and Keegan got it done!

Survivor week was HUGE for my game. At the Auction I found 2 clues to the idol. Keegan found a third clue there too. So with our 3 clues, Keegan was able to find the idol almost instantly. Everyone was telling me that the vote was Keegan that week, and I wasn't ready to lose Keegan just yet. I told him to play the idol on himself. We decided to idol out Elsa because we thought she was in the best position out of anyone. She had friends on both sides of the house. This was a great opportunity to send her home. I told Keegan I was going to vote with the group to try to keep my bonds with them strong. That turned out to be a great idea because the envelope that made the votes public showed that I voted with the majority!

The Adrian vote was pretty straightforward, everyone was on board.

I lost Keegan the next week while I was on vacation and could't compete.

At final 5 I knew I had to stop throwing comps and get myself to the end. I won f5 HoH. I honestly saw ways for me to get to the finale no matter who went home this week. My only goal this week was to flush Ryan's envelope. Obviously that didn't pan out but I was still able to make a move. Ryan was my initial target, but he beasted that veto comp. So I had to do plan B, Backdoor Lauren. I decided  on this because I knew Lauren would be mad at me for evicting her. I had been creating this persona for a few weeks that the jury was going to be super bitter towards me. Backdooring Lauren only added to that persona. Lauren was also a player I was scared of going up against in a final 2. I was confident that my game would beat Agustin or James'.

Final 4, I knew it was in Agustin's best interest in keeping me because James was perceived as a goat. If he voted out James, he would be 2 against 1 in the final 3. Compared to if he saved me, both Ryan and I would probably take him. So this is why my plan to backdoor Lauren at f5 and keep Agustin played off.

I won the final HoH and took out Ryan. Ryan played the best all-around game imo. He won comps, was never nominated post jury. Had a decent social game with everyone. He never had to rely on his envelope, the list goes on.  And now here we are.

Compared to Agustin I won more comps and had way more influence in how the game unfolded. While we both relied on other people at times, there were multiple times where I was able to steer the entire game exactly in the direction I wanted to go. The two obvious downsides to my game were that I got  "saved" by my envelope (I had no control over whether it affected me or not so) and that my social game with some people wasn't the strongest (Zach). All in all, I think I played a game that deserves the win.

Thanks for reading this wall of text! I can't wait to answer any jury questions!

[junker-town]

2017 Florida State is nearly a sure thing, but that schedule’s awfully tricky

The Seminoles might be one of the three best teams in college football. Will their final record convey that?

Each year, the top of the preseason polls contains teams we think we really like and a couple we just know will be good.

Last year, for instance, there were plenty of teams that were a couple of ifs away — Oklahoma, LSU, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Washington — and basically two sure things: Alabama and Clemson.

This year, there are either two or three sure things. I haven’t quite decided. We’re pretty sure teams like Washington, USC, Penn State, Clemson, Oklahoma, and maybe Auburn, Michigan, or LSU will be very good. We know Alabama and Ohio State will be.

Where does that leave Florida State?

The sure-thing case for the Noles

Only three teams ranked in both the Off. S&P+ and Def. S&P+ top 10 last season: the two title game participants (sure things Bama and Clemson) and Jimbo Fisher’s Noles.

In terms of single-game percentile performances, only four teams were at 90 percent or above at least seven times and below 70 percent no more than once: Bama, Clemson, Michigan, and FSU. Steadiness tends to carry over when you bring back a more experienced team the next year (and FSU does).

In terms of S&P+ projections, only four teams project in the top 10 in each of three primary factors (recruiting impact, returning production, recent history): Alabama, Ohio State, FSU, and LSU.

The Seminoles laid a significant egg early in 2016 (a 63-20 loss at Louisville). And on October 1, their defense, reeling a bit from the loss of star safety Derwin James, got ripped up in a last-second, 37-35 loss to UNC. The next week, they fell behind Miami, 13-0, at Hard Rock Stadium.

From that point forward, though, the Noles basically played like a national title contender. They came back to beat Miami and won seven of eight to finish the year. Their only loss was a statistical coin toss against eventual national champion Clemson. They beat an awesome Michigan in a fun-as-hell Orange Bowl.

Their single-game percentile performances over the last eight games: 86, 90, 89, 87, 96, 96, 98, 97. They were good, and after holding on to beat a good NC State in Raleigh, they became great.

In a way, Fisher has been building for 2017 since the 2013 national title campaign ended. The depth chart is balanced between veteran leaders and young difference-makers. The table is set.

So what could get in the way?

The case against the Noles

No Dalvin Cook. Cook was an amazing security blanket for a first-year starting quarterback. He not only rushed for 1,765 yards (and behind a line that started nine guys at least twice, no less) and powered an offense that ranked fifth in Rushing S&P+; he also caught 34 passes for 513 yards and a 53 percent success rate. Among other things, FSU doesn’t win the Orange Bowl without Cook. When you recruit like FSU, you can more capably replace stars, but the training wheels are off for both quarterback Deondre Francois and the line.

No receivers? FSU must replace last year’s top four receiving targets: Travis Rudolph, Jesus Wilson, Kermit Whitfield, and Cook. Rudolph, Wilson, and Whitfield combined for 120 catches, 1,616 yards, and nine touchdowns. On a per-target basis, they weren’t great, but continuity in the receiving corps is a big thing, and FSU doesn’t have much.

No DeMarcus Walker. When you only lose one player from your front seven, you usually end up okay, but Walker was a one-man pass rush, recording 16 sacks (second-most in FBS) and almost single-handedly powering a No. 2 ranking in Adj. Sack Rate. Ends Josh Sweat and Brian Burns combined for 16.5 sacks as well, but that came against offenses distracted by Walker. Never assume elite production will replace elite production.

A mystery at cornerback. FSU is loaded at safety with the return of not only James but also Trey Marshall, A.J. Westbrook, and Ermon Lane. But Marquez White and reserve Marcus Lewis are gone, leaving Tarvarus McFadden and relative unknowns. This is FSU, so the Noles will be choosing between Former Five-Star A and Former Four-Star B, but proven entities are minimal.

All-world freshman Cam Akers is among six former four- or five-star running backs vying to replace Cook, the top two returning wideouts (Nyqwan Murray and Auden Tate) were far more effective on a per-target basis (9.3 yards per target, 51 percent success rate) than those they are replacing (8.1 per target, 50 percent success rate), and ... go ahead and try to worry about a defense that includes James, Marshall, Burns, Sweat, tackles Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Christmas, and every linebacker.

The schedule presents a major challenge. Because of the Week 1 battle with Alabama, the Noles have terrible odds of going 12-0 and could live up to their No. 3 projection while still finishing with two losses. This will require some careful skating, but they might have the pieces to pull it off.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Jimbo Fisher

2016 in review

2016 FSU statistical profile.

This is pretty much the exact definition of “young team rounding into form”:

First 5 games (3-2): Avg. percentile performance: 74% (76% offense, 53% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 7.0, FSU 6.6 | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-5.5 PPG

Next 4 games (3-1): Avg. percentile performance: 88% (74% offense, 72% defense) | Avg. yards per play: FSU 6.1, Opp 5.2 | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: minus-1.5 PPG

Last 4 games (4-0): Avg. percentile performance: 97% (80% offense, 87% defense) | Avg. yards per play: FSU 6.7, Opp 3.2 | Avg. performance vs. S&P+ projection: plus-12.5 PPG

The offense was relatively stable, which is an incredible thing to say about a team led by a redshirt freshman and a shuffled line. Such is the power of Cook and a receiving corps of seniors, I guess.

Francois was a little too much of a gamer and seemed a little too willing to take a hit in the name of making a big pass. He was sacked 34 times, and it seemed like another 100 times, he was getting hit as he threw. But he always picked himself up in time to make another big throw, and he somehow didn’t miss much action — he threw 235 of FSU’s 244 passes.

The defense took a little time to figure things out. The Noles had to replace three of 2015’s top four defensive backs, and then the fourth (James) went down. Plus, they had to face three tremendous quarterbacks — Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, UNC’s Mitch Trubisky — in the first five games.

The passer rating reflects what you would expect. FSU allowed a 154.1 over the first five games, a 121.5 over the next four, and a 90.1 over the last four.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

FSU played against an incredible eight defenses that finished in the Def. S&P+ top 25 and averaged 28 points per game and 5.8 yards per play. Even more impressive: against three top-six defenses, they averaged 32 points and 6.3 yards per play.

Predictably, opponent adjustments were kind to the Noles. They finished third in Off. S&P+, second in Success Rate+, and fifth in IsoPPP+ (an explosiveness measure). They were eighth in Standard Downs S&P+ and, with a freshman quarterback getting hit too much, second in Passing Downs S&P+.

Again, you don’t get that without Cook. I cannot emphasize enough how incredible he was, and even with all the blue-chippers in the world, the running back position gets worse in 2017. There’s no way around it.

But that passing-downs success wasn’t driven by Cook. He helped, obviously, but FSU’s passing downs run rate was only 27 percent, 105th in FBS. Fisher and co-coordinators Randy Sanders and Lawrence Dawsey put the game in Francois’ hands on passing downs, and it paid off. On third-and-4 or more, Francois had a passer rating of 155.5, 10 touchdowns, zero interceptions, and five scrambles for first downs.

Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

Deondre Francois

To be sure, he also took a lot of hits. But FSU’s passing-downs success rate of 39.9 percent was astoundingly good against this level of competition, and that was with a lot of throwaways and safe decisions. If he manages to avoid injury, he could be capable of incredible things.

The supporting cast is still a concern, though. FSU’s line ranked 72nd in stuff rate and 63rd in Adj. Sack Rate, and that was with All-American left tackle Roderick Johnson and all-conference guard Kareem Are. Of the nine guys who started games for the Noles up front, six are back, and if the same five are able to remain on the field for most of the year, the line should improve. It’ll need to.

Here’s who isn’t gone from the FSU skill corps:

Junior RB Jacques Patrick. The 231-pounder averaged 5.7 yards per carry backing up Cook and was only slightly behind Cook’s averages in efficiency (opportunity rate: Cook 42 percent, Patrick 39 percent) and explosiveness (highlight yards per opportunity: Cook 6.9, Patrick 5.7). He might not have Cook’s upside, but who does?

WRs Murray and Tate. Their per-target production topped that of FSU’s top receivers last year, and that’s something that tends to translate reasonably well as players move up the depth chart. Plus, they came on strong late: they had 13 catches for 164 yards in the first seven games and 39 for 686 in the final six. They’re ready.

RBs Ryan Green, Amir Rasul, and Johnathan Vickers. Green and Rasul were four-star recruits, and the trio combined to carry 22 times for 165 yards last year. At least one could become an interesting backup.

TEs Ryan Izzo and Mavin Saunders. FSU hasn’t had a Nick O’Leary-level tight end for the last couple of years, but as Francois searches for efficiency options in Cook’s absence, this duo (combined in 2016: 45 targets, 29 catches, 409 yards) could produce.

Yes, Cam Akers. He was the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2017 signing class. He will almost certainly become a star. But how long might it take?

Former Star WR Recruits A, B, and C. Sophomores George Campbell and Keith Gavin were four-star recruits, as was incoming freshman D.J. Matthews.

That should play.

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

Cam Akers

Defense

Coordinator Charles Kelly deserves massive credit for adjusting on the fly. In the three games following James’ injury, FSU allowed 63 points and 8 yards per play to Louisville, 35 and 8.2 to USF, and 37 and 7.7 to UNC. That’s egregious, even against good offenses. This was a hapless unit for a bit, and it cost the Noles the game against the Heels.

From that point forward, though, FSU found itself. The only opponents to average more than 4.6 yards per play over the last eight games were Clemson and NC State, and FSU still held NC State to 20 points in Raleigh. That the defense rebounded to 10th in Def. S&P+ despite that September speaks volumes.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Tarvarus McFadden

I like to say that injuries hurt in the present tense but help in the future tense, and 2017 FSU could be a pretty good illustration. The Noles found a new set of effective safeties with Marshall, Westbrook, and converted receiver Lane. And while White logged major minutes at corner with McFadden, freshmen Levonta Taylor and Kyle Meyers took on heavier loads as the season progressed. And the numbers kept improving.

Of that big batch, only White and is gone. James is healthy, too. To move the ball on FSU, you’ll probably have to be able to run.

Running on FSU wasn’t impossible last year, but it typically came in big chunks (and in the first half of the season). The Noles were 16th in rushing success rate but 99th rushing IsoPPP (which measures the magnitude of the successful plays). It wasn’t impossible to block smaller ends like Sweat (listed at 250 pounds last year) and Burns (218), and when a good back found the edge, there was room, especially before FSU’s safety situation was ironed out.

With the 280-pound Walker gone, Sweat and especially Burns might face more of the same issues. Maybe there’s an opportunity on rushing downs for a younger end like redshirt freshman Janarius Robinson or incoming freshman Joshua Kaindoh, but they aren’t exactly 280.

You can survive issues with your ends against the run, though, when the interior of your defense is dynamite ... and when those skinny ends can rush the passer. Tackles Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Christmas somehow still have eligibility left (Christmas is only a junior), and juniors Walvenski Aime and Fredrick Jones were sturdy rotation pieces last year.

This foursome combined for 14 TFLs and eight sacks (mostly from Nnadi) and ate up blockers quite well for weakside linebacker Matthew Thomas (10 non-sack TFLs). Thomas and basically every other linebacker are back.

This really was a young-as-hell defense last year. It’s not any more.

Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports

Derrick Nnadi

Special Teams

Call it the revenge of Cason Beatty. After years of being maligned by Nole fans, FSU’s punter had a monstrous senior season in 2015, which, when paired with place-kicker Roberto Aguayo, gave FSU the No. 1 ranking in Special Teams S&P+.

Last year, the first year post-Beatty, freshman Logan Tyler struggled, and FSU’s punt efficiency fell to 107th. Young Ricky Aguayo took well to the place-kicking job, but punting and returns plummeted, and the Noles ranked just 58th. Special teams benefited FSU by about 1.3 fewer points per game. Think that could have helped in a season in which the Noles lost two conference games by a total of five points?

Aguayo’s back, which means a high-ish floor for special teams, but Tyler and the return team have plenty to figure out.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep vs. Alabama 1 -8.3 32% 9-Sep UL-Monroe 121 43.6 99% 16-Sep Miami 18 14.7 80% 23-Sep N.C. State 27 18.8 86% 30-Sep at Wake Forest 64 20.8 89% 14-Oct at Duke 65 20.8 89% 21-Oct Louisville 14 10.2 72% 27-Oct at Boston College 76 25.7 93% 4-Nov Syracuse 60 25.2 93% 11-Nov at Clemson 6 0.9 52% 18-Nov Delaware State NR 71.5 100% 25-Nov at Florida 15 5.4 62%

Projected S&P+ Rk 3 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 5 / 8 Projected wins 9.5 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 18.8 (3) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 3 / 5 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 3 / -6.7 2016 TO Luck/Game +3.7 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 70% (60%, 80%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 10.1 (-0.1)

I’ve got good news and bad news.

Good news: that season opener against Alabama is going to be spectacular for the public.

Bad news: that game will make it almost impossible for FSU to go 12-0. In fact, thanks to the 32 percent win probability there, S&P+ gives the Noles only a 3 percent chance of finishing 12-0. And if they lose to Bama, a road loss to Clemson or Florida or a home loss to a top-20 team like Miami or NC State would make FSU a really interesting case study. The Noles could be 11-2, top-three in S&P+ and most computer rankings ... and still be a two-loss conference champion that falls behind unbeatens or one-loss champs. We don’t yet know how the CFP committee will handle that.

We do know that the Seminoles are going to be pretty fantastic, though. That’s enough for now. S&P+ favors them, at least slightly, in 11 of 12 games, and they have more than a puncher’s chance against Bama. Plus, with so many key underclassmen, FSU has a chance to be even better in 2018, too.

After that? We’ll see. But outside of Tuscaloosa and Columbus, FSU is as close as there is to a sure thing in 2017.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

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2017 NFL Preview: All aboard the Tennessee Titans' bandwagon

Shutdown Corner is previewing all 32 teams as we get ready for the NFL season, counting down the teams one per weekday in reverse order of our initial 2017 power rankings. No. 1 will be revealed on Aug. 2, the day before the Hall of Fame Game kicks off the preseason.

Some NFL team is going to make a huge jump this season. Last season it was the Oakland Raiders. Just about every season, some team surprises us.

Step right up, Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee has come together fast, and last season was a nice growth season. Nobody expected them to go 9-7, but it didn’t seem all that fluky. Quarterback Marcus Mariota had a strong season. Running back DeMarco Murray revived his career, and rookie backup Derrick Henry looked like the real deal. The offensive line was the best in the NFL outside of Dallas (and, if you believe some metrics, even better than the Cowboys). The defense wasn’t too bad either. Tennessee finished in the top half of the league in yards per rush, yards per pass, yards per rush allowed and yards per pass allowed. The Titans were solid all around.

After improving by six wins in 2016, I think the Titans will find themselves in the playoffs this season.

If there was any complaint last season, it was that Mariota didn’t have enough help. So Tennessee fixed that this offseason. They drafted receiver Corey Davis out of Western Michigan fifth overall. Maybe that was a bit of a reach, but it was the pick obtained from last year’s brilliant trade with the Los Angeles Rams for the No. 1 overall pick. Tennessee had a surplus, and using it on the best receiver in the draft isn’t bad. Eric Decker fell in their laps in June after the New York Jets cut him. Rishard Matthews had a solid 2016 season, but he’s not a No. 1 receiver. He doesn’t have to be anymore. A position of weakness in 2016 looks pretty good now.

The key to the Titans’ resurgence, this season and for the foreseeable future, is Mariota. From Tennessee’s fifth game through its 12th, Mariota had 21 touchdowns and three interceptions. In those eight games Mariota completed 163-of-242 passes (67.4 percent) for 2,073 yards. That’s a 117.7 rating. He did all of that with one of the thinnest receiving corps in the NFL. When you hear that Mariota might turn into a star this season, know that it’s wrong. Mariota has already played like a star. Now the trick is doing it over a full season. He’ll need to prove he’s healthy after breaking his leg late last season, but that’s the only obstacle to him having a big season and being widely recognized as one of the league’s best quarterbacks.

It has been a long road for the Titans. Last season’s 9-7 record was just their second winning mark since 2008. They have missed the playoffs eight straight seasons, and have made it to the postseason just twice in 13 seasons. They haven’t won a playoff game since beating the Baltimore Ravens 20-17 on Jan. 3, 2004.

That seems to be turning around. The Titans have built a competitive roster around their fantastic young quarterback. They play in a division that remains the easiest in the NFL. When the Titans take the next step and get back to the playoffs this season, don’t be too surprised.

Marcus Mariota looks to improve upon a promising 2016 season. (AP)

The Titans knew they needed to upgrade Marcus Mariota’s targets. Corey Davis was the best receiver in this draft. Eric Decker is a consistent veteran who happened to be hurt most of last season. Receiver Taywan Taylor and tight end Jonnu Smith, both third-round picks, were good investments too. You have to respect the way the Titans attacked an obvious deficiency. The Titans added a pair of cornerbacks, free-agent Logan Ryan and first-round pick Adoree’ Jackson. Safety Johnathan Cyprien wasn’t great with the Jaguars, but he’s young and physical. Former Broncos first-round pick Sylvester Williams was added to help at defensive tackle. All of the free-agent losses were players who probably won’t be greatly missed. The Titans had a winning record last season and upgraded the roster in a big way. Grade: A

The Titans are the rare team with a young, exciting quarterback that hasn’t built its entire identity around that quarterback. The Titans’ biggest strength is a fantastic offensive line, led by tackles Jack Conklin and Taylor Lewan. Pro Football Focus ranked the Titans as the best offensive line in the NFL last season, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys. I’d still pick Dallas, but the Titans line is great too and it can push opponents around. Tennessee was third in the NFL in rushing yards and fourth in yards per carry last season. That’s why it was no surprise Tennessee was fourth in the NFL with 476 rushing attempts. DeMarco Murray rushed for 1,287 yards and Derrick Henry came off the bench for 490 yards on just 110 carries. This is a run-based team that just happens to have a future star at quarterback. The Titans have put Mariota in a great spot. He doesn’t need to do everything for Tennessee to win.

The defense, with legendary coordinator Dick LeBeau, was competitive last season but not great. It’s a defense that allowed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles to throw for 325 yards – by far his best game in a terrible season – in a 38-17 loss late in the season. Cornerback play was an issue, and the Titans hope they have fixed that. But if the Titans don’t improve as a team, it’s probably because the defense posts another below average season.

It’s probably not smart to brush aside concerns about Marcus Mariota’s health. He has finished both of his NFL seasons on injured reserve. He broke his right leg in late December and he was still rehabbing it in mid-June. Mariota sounded like he was on the right track when he spoke to reporters after a minicamp practice on June 14.

“I think from a strength standpoint I’m good. I’ve been doing everything lifting-wise. My body feels at a point where I can do all those things,” Mariota said, according to Jason Wolf of the Tennessean. “Now it’s getting to the point of trusting myself to do it, because a lot of it, even through this entire rehab process, it’s going through that mental obstacle of, you want to protect it.

“Now it’s good; you’ve done everything. Just trust it, that you can do the movements that you’ve been doing. For me, that’s my next step. I’ve got to just go out and do it.”

That sounds great, but Mariota needs to prove he’s healthy in training camp. Then he needs to show he can stay healthy over a full season.

Defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is the best defensive player the Titans have. Pro Football Focus’ grades placed Casey as the 71st best player in the NFL last season. Casey is a disruptor in the middle, especially rushing the quarterback. He has made two straight Pro Bowls and at 27 is still squarely in his prime. If the Titans defense moves to above average, it might be because Casey was closer to his 2013 sack total of 10.5 than the five he posted last season.

From Yahoo Sports’ Andy Behrens: “Marcus Mariota has pretty much every individual trait we like to see in a QB for fantasy purposes, and he now has a loaded receiving corps at his disposal. Not only did the Titans add Corey Davis, the consensus top receiver in the 2017 draft class, but they also managed to pluck Eric Decker from the discard pile. Decker is one of the best red-zone receivers of this era. Don’t be a bit surprised if Mariota delivers a top-five positional finish in his third NFL season. He’s accurate, mobile and he limits turnovers. Mariota is also a year younger than Carson Wentz, so he’s still a young, ascending talent, directing a fun offense.” 

[Pressing Questions: Fantasy outlook on the Titans]

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DeMarco Murray led the NFL in carries by a wide margin with the 2014 Dallas Cowboys. After getting almost 500 touches (including postseason) that season, Murray’s yardage dropped 1,143 yards in 2015 with the Philadelphia Eagles. That was the biggest drop ever for a reigning rushing champ. Murray looked like he might be prematurely on the back nine of his career, but he wasn’t. Tennessee struck gold on a low-cost trade, as Murray bounced right back to being one of the best running backs in the NFL. If there’s an issue, it’s the 293 carries Murray got last season. That ranked third in the NFL. Eventually these huge workloads will catch up with Murray. The Titans hope it’s not this year, though they have Derrick Henry ready if Murray slips.

WHAT’S A REASONABLE EXPECTATION FOR ERIC DECKER?

Decker’s 2016 was an injury-filled mess. He played just three games due to shoulder and hip injuries, and had just nine catches for 194 yards. He has turned 30 years old, so a bounce-back to his previous levels isn’t a sure thing, even if he stays healthy. Decker got just $4 million on a one-year deal from Tennessee, which is an indication teams are wary. But Decker had at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns three times in a four-season stretch before 2016. Even if Decker doesn’t reach those levels again, he can still be valuable to the Titans. It’s not ideal to rely on any rookie as a No. 1 option, even if he’s as talented as Corey Davis. Decker’s arrival means less pressure on Davis while he learns, and that will probably be a good thing.

Nobody figured on the Raiders improving by five games last season and leading the AFC West when Derek Carr got hurt. The Titans won’t improve by five wins (what a story that would be), but you can see some similarities. And the Titans play in a much easier division than last year’s Raiders. The Titans look like the best team in the AFC South, and their schedule is pretty easy (the sixth easiest in the NFL, according to analyst Warren Sharp). If everything comes together it’s not crazy to believe they could be in the mix for a first-round bye … kind of like the Raiders were last season.

While the Titans’ arrow seems like it’s pointed up, teams that make a huge leap often regress the next season. The Titans won two games in 2014, three in 2015 and nine last season. They also posted a 4-0 record in games decided by three points or less, and that’s fluky. As much as I like the Titans this season, there’s good reason to believe they were out over their skis last year and are due for a correction. That would be tough for a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer for in a long time.

Whenever I’ve been asked who this year’s surprise team will be, the Titans have always been my answer. I believe Marcus Mariota is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL. I don’t think the Titans’ offensive line is as good as Dallas’ line, but it’s elite. The defense is not great but not weighing Tennessee down either. And Tennessee plays a favorable schedule in a division that has no other top-shelf team. Maybe the Titans don’t quite reach 2016 Raiders levels, but picking them to win the AFC South was easy for me. If everything goes right, the Titans could pile up wins in an easy division while the AFC West and AFC North cannibalize each other, and Tennessee could end up in the hunt for a top-two seed. Tennessee has done a great job building the roster, and this is the year it starts to pay off.

32. New York Jets 31. Cleveland Browns 30. San Francisco 49ers 29. Chicago Bears 28. Los Angeles Rams 27. Jacksonville Jaguars 26. Detroit Lions 25. Houston Texans 24. Buffalo Bills 23. Indianapolis Colts 22. Baltimore Ravens 21. Los Angeles Chargers 20. Minnesota Vikings 19. New Orleans Saints 18. Washington Redskins 17. Philadelphia Eagles 16. Miami Dolphins 15. Cincinnati Bengals 14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13. Arizona Cardinals 12. Denver Broncos

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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2017 American League Central Preview

Chicago White Sox:

Additions: Manager Rick Renteria, IF Yoan Moncada, RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Reynaldo Lopez, LHP Derek Holland, C Geovany Soto, RHP Anthony Swarzak, IF/OF Cody Asche.

Subtractions: LHP Chris Sale, OF Adam Eaton, 2B Brett Lawrie, OF Peter Bourjos.

The White Sox made two of the biggest trades of the winter when they unloaded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. They received Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech from the Red Sox, who are some of the top prospects in baseball. From Washington, they received Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, who are two very good and young pitchers. I think the management finally woke up and realized that they cannot buy players and need to produce a good farm system. Rick Renteria is now the manager with Robin Ventura stepping down. I think that will be a nice chance for the Sox. Overall, Chicago will be implementing the young guys as the season goes on and will finish last in the division.

Cleveland Indians:

Additions: 1B Edwin Encarnacion, OF Austin Jackson, LHP Boone Logan, RHP Carlos Frias.

Subtractions: 1B Mike Napoli, C Chris Gimenez, RHP Jeff Manship, 1B Jesus Aguilar.

The Indians took the division with their great pitching staff last year and went all in with the trade of Andrew Miller. I never thought that team would make the World Series with only Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Josh Tomlin, but somehow they did without Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar. The starting staff is among the games best and with Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, and Boone Logan in the ‘pen it will be tough for teams to compete with them. Mike Napoli was a huge reason for their success last year. The Indians won’t be the same without him. Overall, the Tribe wins the division again, but the Red Sox beat them in the playoffs.

Detroit Tigers:

Additions: RHP AJ Achter, RHP Edward Mujica, IF Brendan Ryan, OF Mikie Mahtook, C Alex Avila. 

Subtractions: C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, IF Erick Aybar, OF Cameron Maybin, RHP Mike Pelfrey, RHP Mark Lowe.

The Tigers were the beasts of the division three years ago after winning four straight division titles. Now, they might have one last chance in 2017 for a World Championship. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez are aging and it is undetermined how much longer they will produce at a high level. JD Martinez is going to be out awhile to start the year with a bad foot. The club finally woke up and released Mike Pelfrey, who shouldn’t have even been in baseball last year or this year. The bullpen is the same and Tigers fans have to hope the starting rotation stays healthy all year for a chance. Overall, the Tigers have an old roster and lots of question marks, but still have a slim chance to compete. 

Kansas City Royals:

Additions: OF Jorge Soler, 1B/OF Brandon Moss, OF Pete O’Brien, RHP Jason Hammel, RHP Nate Karns, LHP Travis Wood, RHP Seth Maness. 

Subtractions: RHP Yordano Ventura, RHP Wade Davis, RHP Luke Hochevar, DH Kendrys Morales, RHP Edinson Volquez, RHP Kris Medlen.

Well the Royals lost some talent this offseason with Yordano Ventura passing away and the trade of Wade Davis. Edinson Volquez and Kendrys Morales were glue guys on the team and they are gone. This team still has a great core that anybody would want to have. Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, and Lorenzo Cain are all great components to this lineup. The biggest question mark is the rotation. Danny Duffy and Ian Kennedy will be the main guys, but can Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, and Nate Karns step up and make this a solid five-man staff? The bullpen lost Wade Davis, but Kelvin Herrera is back there. Joakim Soria, Peter Moylan, and Matt Strahm are good, but do they have enough other arms in the ‘pen to be really good. Overall, this team has a chance if their pitching staff is good enough. 

Minnesota Twins:

Additions: C Jason Castro, C Chris Gimenez, IF Ehire Adrianza, RHP Matt Belisle, LHP Craig Breslow, RHP Justin Haley.

Subtractions: C Kurt Suzuki, C Juan Centeno, IF James Beresford, 3B Trevor Plouffe, OF Logan Schafer, LHP Andrew Albers, LHP Pat Dean, RHP Pat Light, LHP Tommy Milone. 

The Minnesota Twins were very quiet this winter with their only major move being the signing of Jason Castro. The new front office had their hands tied with the contracts of Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, and Joe Mauer. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong last year in a 103-loss season. This year the new front office is hoping that Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, and Hector Santiago step up in the rotation. I think Santana and Gibson will be fine, but the other two are huge question marks. The bullpen is a huge question with Glen Perkins being out for at-least two months with rehab. Will he ever be back to his old form? I hope so, but the Twins cannot rely on him this year. Brandon Kintzler, Matt Belisle, Ryan Pressly, and Taylor Rogers form an impressive quartet in the bullpen. The other guys will need to do decent enough to give the team a chance. The lineup will be solid with some young guys turning it on. I think the experts did not watch the Twins last year and think just because they didn’t make moves they will be awful again. That’s not the case. There is lots of talent in this team and we had lots of bad luck last year. Overall, they will take a step forward and the young pitching arms will start to emerge with Jose Berrios, Stephen Gonsalves, and Fernando Romero.

AL Central Standings:

1.) Cleveland Indians

2.) Kansas City Royals

3.) Detroit Tigers

4.) Minnesota Twins

5.) Chicago White Sox

The Indians will win the division with their pitching staff. Mike Napoli’s departure cannot be overstated. The Royals will compete, but their pitching just cannot compare to the Indians. Last year, Kansas City had lots of injuries that hurt them. The Tigers will be there, but can the starting staff and old veterans hold up for six months? The Twins take a step forward and the White Sox start a rebuilding project.

-Chris Kreibich-