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bqstqnbruin · 4 years ago

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Come back to me part 7

Hello hello everyone! Here I am, with the last part of come back to me. Thank you so much to everyone who reads, likes, reblogs, or comments on this and everything else I’ve written. You guys are the real ones.

I also have to admit that I took the ceremony stuff from this website I can’t take credit for most of that 😬

Read the other parts: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6

I hope you guys like this!

__________________________

~Four years later~

“Are you sure you want to go see him?” Mat asks you, pacing around the living room.

“Yeah, we both agreed that this is for the best,” you reassure him, grabbing your bag to head out the door. “The worst thing that will happen is that he says no, and if he tries anything then I’ll just kick him or something.”

Mat throws his head back laughing, taking you in by the waist to say goodbye. “God, I’ll miss you,” he says, planting a kiss on your lips, “Call me if you need anything?”

“Always,” you say, kissing him again before heading out the door. You were nervous to see him, but this was something you knew you had to do. “I love you,” you tell him, both loving and hating how mushy he was getting for you to be leaving him for just an afternoon.

“I love you,” he says back, holding on to your hand until you’re too far away for him to do so.

You make your way towards the apartment you had rented with Kyle nearly five years ago. You hadn’t really been to this part of the city since that weekend you moved out and moved in with Mat. You had barely seen Kyle since that weekend, either; he would pop up every now and then at work for about a year after, but then you hear from Jessica that he had gotten a new job somewhere else. They had this whole party for him and everything in the Finance department and somehow, you didn’t even know about it until three weeks later.

And now, you were seeing him for the first time at the coffee shop down the street from what you assumed was still the apartment he lived him. You and Mat were nervous about this; Kyle didn’t say much to you while you were moving out. He knew what time you were going to be there and you told him everything you were taking. Other than him saying you forgot something there, you hadn’t even talked since that night you went back to Mat.

You get to the coffee shop, him already sitting at a table, two cups of coffee, his leg shaking so much you could see the liquid in the cups moving with him. He looks so different from the last time you saw him: his hair is shorter, not that swishy 2010s boy band hair that he had forever. His shirt looks like it’s been ironed, tucked in like he put effort into what he was wearing and not just taking the first shirt out of his drawers like he always did. Everything about him looked so much more put together; he actually looked like an adult, not a college student trying to relive his high school days.

Something about him looking so put together made a smile appear on your face. He wasn’t a mess like you thought he would be, or at least he didn’t give the appearance that he was freaking out as much as you were internally. He makes eye contact with you, a soft smile on his face as you make your way to him.

You both hesitate before doing anything, that awkward, ‘I haven’t seen you in a minute, do we shake hands or hug?’ giggle that you let out before you just take him in your arms. It still felt different than it felt with Mat, but at least now, it wasn’t a sad version of unfamiliarity.

“You look great, Kye,” you tell him, sitting down with him as he pushes the coffee towards you. “You’re different, in such a good way.”

“Thanks!” he says, in a cheery tone that you had never heard before, at least not in a time frame that you could remember, “You look great, too, but you always do,” he says, prompting an eye roll from you, even if you can’t help but smile. It’s not like he was flirting with you. “So, I heard you’re engaged, huh?”

You can feel the heat rush to your face, the smile growing bigger at the thought of being engaged to Mat. You look down at the ring under the table, biting your lip debating to show Kyle. “Can I see?” You let out a small laugh, extending your hand across the table to show him. “That’s way better than the one I got you,” he says, looking between you and the ring, “I’m happy for you. I really am, congrats.”

“Thank you, Kye. That means a lot.”

“Mat’s treating you right?”

You nod. He treats you like a queen. Everything he did was out of pure love. Loving him was the easiest thing you could think of doing. “Just as well as you did.”

“He’s that bad?” Kyle asks, his eyes wide.

You felt your heart break a little when you heard that, “Kyle, you treated me the best way you could. Never feel bad about what happened between us. None of that was your fault, it was mine.”

“There are two people in a relationship; if it doesn’t work it’s because of both people. I just want you happy. That’s what’s important.” The look he has on his face makes you know he means it.

“I am happy. I can’t wait to be married to him,” you admit, part of you feeling bad for telling this to your ex-fiance of all people.

“Yeah, I know,” he says, you raising an eyebrow at him. You hadn’t talked in months, how could he know, “I was out with some guys one night and they saw some of the guys on the Islanders on the other side of the street. I looked and there you were, Mat with his arm around you, him kissing the side of your head as you all went into whatever bar it was. The look on your face was pure bliss. I knew you and Mat were meant to be, but seeing you that night kinda sealed it. You were always going to find your way back to him.”

You look at him, a smile on your face while you try to find the words to say, “I hope you find happiness, Kye. You really do deserve it.”

“I actually am. I met a girl that night I saw you with Mat and she’s amazing. I think she might be the one,” he says, laughing, running his hands through his hair. “Is that weird to say to you?”

You shrug, laughing with him. “I mean I don’t care. Just promise me you will actually plan a proposal and not just in her apartment like you did for me.”

“Calista would probably say no like you should have. How did Mat ask you?”

You think back to that night, the smile on your face ever bigger, not even sure how that was possible. “We were at this rooftop bar in Manhattan, the weekend after the Isles clinched a postseason berth last season. One of the guys had rented it out to celebrate with everyone. I turned my back on Mat and Tito for like three seconds, and the next thing I know, Mat is on the stage they had set up, Tito is dragging me up to him and Mat asked me in front of his entire team while Tito is bouncing up and down like a child waiting for me to answer.”

“Easiest yes of your life,” he says. “When I ask Calista, I want it to be special. I hope it is. But, when’s the big day?”

“Four months. That way we know Mat won’t have any conflict with the season,” you tell him, digging through your bag. “That’s actually why I wanted to talk to you. Mat and I would love it if you came,” you said, handing him an invitation. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, or aren’t comfortable. But you are important to us. And you even had a ‘plus one,’ so if Calista is ok with joining you, we would love to meet her.”

He holds the invitation in his hands, looking at it as if he were studying it for a test. “I would love to. And I’ll let you know about Calista. I would love for you to meet her.”

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~Four months later~

“Are you nervous, babe?” Jessica asks, zipping up your dress as you stand in front of the mirror.

You couldn’t believe you made it to today. You had been waiting for this day since, well, since forever? Since the day you met Mat? You weren’t really sure, but everything was perfect so far. You were so happy with how your makeup and hair turned out, your dress was everything you ever dreamed it could be. “About finally marrying Mat? No, not at all,” you say, a smile on your face. “About tripping and breaking my ankle while walking down the aisle? Yes, very nervous.”

“So you’re not going to pull a runway bride move?” she asks.

“No. I would never do that to Mat. But I think Tito would be more upset, honestly.”

“He’s weirdly invested in your relationship with him,” she points out. You laugh, knowing she’s right. No one wanted you and Mat together more than Tito. You turn around to face her. You swear she’s about to cry looking at you, “You are beautiful. Mat is the luckiest man in the world.”

“Next to whoever marries you,” you tell her, taking her in for a hug. She was easily the best friend you had; making her your Maid of Honor was the easiest decision for the wedding since saying yes to Mat.

“Are you ready?” Jessica asks, leading you out of the bridal suite.

“Of course.”

While you get into your place, the music starting to play, Mat and Tito get into their places, too. “Are you nervous, man? She’s officially going to be your wife in like an hour,” Tito bounces on his toes, annoying his friend.

Mat rolls his eyes, “Nervous to marry Y/N? Not at all. How could I be? Of saying something stupid or messing up my vows? Yeah, really nervous.”

“You wrote them down, right?”

“Yes, but,”

Tito cuts him off, “You can read, right?”

“Yes, but,”

“You’ll be fine. Relax.”

“I can’t relax when you cut me off every two words. If you do that while I’m saying everything, I will not hesitate to punch you,” Mat threatens his Best Man, who can’t help but laugh as the rest of the bridal party makes their way down the aisle.

The music changes, everyone standing and turning their attention to the back to see you walking towards Mat. As soon as he sees, his eyes light up. He swallows hard, trying not to cry at the sight of how beautiful you looked. This was the last time he was going to see you not as his wife, all of it hitting him now that today marked the rest of his life with you. Mat felt Tito nudge him, the tears in Mat’s eyes threatening to spill over as you get close to him.

“You are beautiful,” Mat whispers to you once you get up to him. “I love you.”

The officiant starts, giving you the chance only to mouth back, “I love you.” You wanted to tell him how handsome he looked, too. “Marriage is perhaps one of the greatest and most challenging adventures of human relationships. But Mat and Y/N here, know that it takes a separate adventure to get there. After losing each other, they found their way back, to stand before you today. No ceremony can create a marriage; only those in it can. Mat and Y/N will need love and patience; dedication and perseverance; communication and support. They need to understand each other’s differences, forgive each other, appreciate differences, and make the important things matter. The purpose of this ceremony is to witness and affirm that the choice you make to stand together as lifemates partners is the one you want to make.

“No two people in love live in isolation. They are surrounded by their friends and their family, who care for, respect, love, and support their marriage and the new family they are creating today. Will everyone please ride?” Your guests all do, spotting Kyle and who you assumed was Calista sitting close to the front. You were so happy that he came, part of you didn’t think he would. “Will all who are present here today, surround Mat and Y/N in love, offering them the joys of your friendship, supporting them in their marriage?”

Everyone choruses, “we will.” You were smiling at the crowd, but Mat couldn’t take his eyes off you. If someone had told him when he first moved to Seattle, then to New York, that this is where he would be standing today, he wouldn’t believe them. He would tell them they were delusional. But, man, this was the best delusion he could have imagined.

“If there is anyone who has any reason that these two should not be wed, please speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

“I have a reason!” you hear someone call, a voice you can’t make out. This couldn’t be happening, the crowd gasping as they look amongst themselves, trying to figure out who was ruining your wedding. It wouldn’t be Calista, would it? What reason would she have for you and Mat not getting married?

“What the fuck?” you hear Mat groan.

“Satan,” Tito lets out, eyes wide. You follow his gaze to see who’s weeding their way through the row of seats to the aisle.

“Is that,” you start, trying to remember her name.

“Mona,” Mat lets out, voice low with anger. This was ridiculous. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since she threw water in his face. That was the fifth-best day of his life, behind today, the day he proposed, the day the two of you finally got together, and the day he got drafted. “We didn’t invite her, did we?”

“I forgot she was even part of your life at some point,” you admit, watching her practically stumble down the aisle, a tall, slim man in a blue plaid suit, black-framed glasses, and hair that had way too much gel in it for his own good. “Who’s following her?”

The crowd starts to murmur, watching the two of them walk down the aisle. You couldn’t tell if Mona was drunk or her heels were too high for her to be properly walk in them.

“Is that Satan’s keeper?” Tito asks Mat. Neither of them ever recall seeing Paxton, only hearing his voice and reading his messages instructing Mat how to date his client. You both shrug, confused as to why they were here in the first place.

“Do I need to kill this bitch?” Jessica asks, handing off your bouquets to one of your other bridesmaids, ready to fight.

“That is something you will not do,” you fend her off, putting your arm in front of her. It was a fifty/fifty chance that Jessica would actually do something to hurt Mona, and frankly, your wedding day was not the day to test those odds.

“Mona, what are you doing here?” Mat asks, clearly unamused by whatever shenanigan’s they had planned.

“Stopping your wedding, of course.”

“With?” Mat asks, gesturing to the man behind her.

“You know Paxton.”

“Of course,” he groans, rolling his eyes. He had really hoped he never had to actually meet the man, yet here he was. “So, why, exactly, do you feel the need to do this?” He had no time for this nonsense; he was trying to marry his best friend, the love of his life, his wife.

“I’m still in love with you!” Mona declares, putting her hands on Mat’s chest. You were shocked, everyone around you gasping again while Mat’s expression stays unamused.

“No,” he says, shaking his head, prying her hands off him, “You do not still love me because you never did love me. Our entire relationship was set up by Paxton. You two weren’t even invited.”

“I have always loved you, and I know you love me!” she whines again, Paxton standing behind her, smirking.

“What are you, a knock off Kardashian?” Jessica asks, stepping in front of you. “Get out of here. Tito, come on, you get her legs, I’ll get her arms.”

“What is the point of this?” Mat asks you, getting more and more furious at Mona each second she stands in front of him.

You shrug, not entirely bothered by the sight of Tito and Jessica carrying Mona out of the venue while Paxton just sauntered behind him. “I don’t know,” you say, starting to laugh, “What’s life without a little chaos, though?”

Mat looks at you, confused, “You’re not mad about this?”

“After everything we’ve done to get here, this is probably the least destructive thing that could have happened. At least it wasn’t Kyle,” you tell Mat, loud enough that only he could hear you. You hear Mona shriek, the guests all craning their necks trying to see any of the action that was going on. “Jessica did threaten to kill her, though.”

“Should I go get them?” Mat asks, hoping that he wouldn’t also have to deal with murder on his wedding day.

Before you can answer, Tito and Jessica reappear, closing the doors behind them. “All taken care of,” Jessica says, the two of them joining you.

“Let’s make her your wife!” Tito says, the crowd awkwardly laughing.

“You are two seconds from not being my Best Man anymore,” Mat whispers, Tito throwing up his hands in defense.

“I hope that’s the only interruption we have today,” the officiant says, pausing to make sure that no one else said anything else that would ruin your wedding. “Oh thank god,” they say, everyone laughing. “We’ve come to the point of the ceremony where you will say your vows to each other. Before you do, I ask you to remember that love, which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance, will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no vows are more sacred. If you are able to keep these vows from today out of a desire to love and to be loved by another person, fully and without limitation, then your life will be full of joy. No matter how far apart the two of you may be physically, you will always find your way back to each other.

“Please now read the vows you have written for each other. Mat, I believe you’re going first?”

Mat can feel himself shaking, his breathing uneven as he reaches into his jacket to get the paper with his vows. “September 2012 was simultaneously one of the best and work months of my life. It was the month I was drafted into the WHL, the month you and I went on our first date, the month I thought that were was no hope for us to last forever. Even at fourteen, I thought you were perfect. You were the force of nature that never stopped, you loved everyone and everyone loved you. I loved you the moment I saw you.

“May 2015 was another awful month. I was supposed to be happy about turning 18, excited for the draft, but instead, we broke up. We decided that it would be easier to be apart since we didn’t know where I was going to be. And even then I still loved you. I came to New York and still loved you. I never did stop loving you. I always thought that somehow, we would find out way back to each other. That night we happened to be at the same bar was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I know life with and without you, and life with you is better than anything I could ever imagine.

“I have loved you forever, and I will love you always. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side.”

You used every ounce of strength not to cry at Mat’s words. You knew he had help from his sister and Tito with writing them, but you didn’t care. You knew he meant every word. “Y/N?” the officiant prompts you.

You take a deep breath, hoping that Mat loves your vows as much as you loved his. “I never believed in cliches. ‘If you love something, set it free. If it’s meant to be, it’ll find it’s way back.’ That always seemed so absurd: why would you let go of something if you really loved it? Letting go of you the first time, Mat, was one of the most devastating things I ever did. That last fight we had before you got drafted tore me to pieces, and I think I stayed broken until I came to New York. I didn’t even realize that I never stopped loving you until I saw you that night.

“I can be unapologetically me around you, as annoying and obnoxious as that may be. You’re the person I would make cookies and dance around the kitchen while singing boy band songs horribly off-key at one in the morning. You’re the person who would come home with my favorite flowers just because you wanted to see me with a smile on my face. You’re the person I would go to the ends of the Earth for, no matter what toll it would take on me. You’re the most perfect person for me.

“I have loved you forever, and I will love you always. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life by your side.”

The only thing you had told each other about your vow was that line. You wanted to have that line be the same because you both felt it.

“Mat and Y/N will now exchange rings as a symbol of their love and commitment to each other. These rings, like your relationship and love for each other, are special; they enhance who you are. They mark the beginning of your long journey together. Your rings are a circle - a symbol of never-ending love. It is the seal of the vows you have just taken to love each other without end.

“Mat, please place the ring on Y/N’s left hand a repeat after me: As a sign of my love.”

“As a sign of my love,” Mat says, slowly putting the ring on your finger, a smile on his face that made his eyes light up.

“That I have chosen you.”

“Above all else.”

“With this ring, I thee wed.”

You say the same, your hands shaking as you slide the ring on Mat’s finger. This was everything you had been waiting for.

“And now by the power vested in me by the state of New York, it is my honor and delight to declare you married! You may now kiss the bride!”

Mat doesn’t need to be told twice. He takes your face in his hands as your hands find their way to his shoulders. He can hear Tito yelling about you finally being his wife, probably making a fool of himself as always why Jessica shoots daggers at him with her look. Mat finally pulls away, your foreheads resting against each other while your guests go wild around you. “Finally,” Mat whispers to you, kissing you once more before taking your hand to lead you to the rest of your lives together.

#mat barzal #mat barzal imagines #mathew barzal #mathew barzal imagines #new york islanders #new york islanders imagines #islanders imagines #islanders #isles #isles imagines #nhl #nhl imagines #hockey #hockey imagines

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tundrainafrica · 4 years ago

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Title: A Tale of Two Slaves (4/17)

Summary: “Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn’t exist. Everything is a choice.” At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him.“

Reincarnation AU. Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn’t.

Note: Feedback is very much appreciated!

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Link to cross-postings: AO3

As it turned out, Hange’s thesis wasn’t just about jumping.

But it would be nice to do it about flying. She had mentioned, echoing that same sentiment in those numerous interviews he had read.

A case study on the changes of an athletes body and muscle composition from preseason to postseason.

Levi only found out exactly what Hange and Moblit were doing for their final thesis as she ran through it with him over coffee the morning after they met in the lab. He had to admit, he had forgotten whether or not Moblit had explained that same thing to him which was probably just easily overshadowed by the pages and pages of waivers that had been laid out in front of him.

Hange had a different approach to the documentation. She had the same waivers that needed to be signed but had completely understood that no one would have that same drive to read the whole thing and consider the nuances and implications of every bullet point. She had just asked him to check everything and sign or she would not be able to work with him.

Compensation. Injury Insurance. Transportation Subsidy. Meal Subsidy

Levi quickly complied. In fact, he probably would have complied even without the benefits that came with participating in the study. He was already half way through mindlessly checking the boxes by the time Hange had mentioned those parts after all.

“Everything is funded.” Hange had explained. He knew their university was particularly well off. Being an athlete he had been a beneficiary multiple times of free branded shoes, gym bags jackets, meals and even gadgets with championship wins

The generous funding she had received to conduct the research was particularly seen in the well equipped sports facility where Hange was to conduct said research.

Cardiovascular endurance, strength power, speed, power etc. He listed the physical fitness components she wanted to study, the logistics of switching partners and starting anew completely forgotten.

It had been less than 24 hours since he visited her office and it was as if Hange wasn’t as deep into her research as Moblit had made it out to be.

She’s been cooped up in the lab lately, watching track and field videos.

She’s already been talking to Elijah, they did a few tests.

There was truth to what Moblit had told him. Hange did admit to having already the preliminary data needed for her case study but as Hange had shown him soon after they started talking, she had no problem just scrapping her data or giving it to Moblit and starting again from scratch.

As Levi soon found out, she was too passionate about her research to consider the preliminary data wasted work.

Levi had found that last part out after their talk in the lab after she had casually mentioned her lurker Instagram account on top of her blatant refusal to use Facebook and Twitter since too many social media sites were just too much to manage. He could not resist the urge to check the accounts she followed and just as he expected, they were all famous athletes from all different fields, the one thing common about all athletes being the almost inhuman height and airtime they achieved.

Nanaba Briete her friend and the subject of her high school thesis, was a volleyball player. Elijah Miller was a horizontal jumper. Moblit pointed out as well, her data for both players was too comprehensive beyond what was expected from someone of her level of study.

Levi soon realized with her YouTube and Instagram lurker activity, she probably was a stan and for some reason, he was one of the objects of her stanning activity. Levi had seen those types of people on Twitter and Instagram. They had weird voting conglomerations, used some sort of weird language and interacted incessantly with any post on the object of their stanning activity Hange was not vocal in particular, her Instagram profile and YouTube channels both empty. He only had to go through the profiles she followed to see that she left likes in most if not all pictures. Among those she had liked were profiles that reposted pictures of his jumps.

Liked by Wingsoffreedom132 and thousands of others.

Levi soon realized after hours going through most if not all the accounts she followed that just like the average stan, Hange spammed the like button like crazy

Looking deep into the comments of one of his jumps that year, he had found a comment from her. A pair of wings and a heart next to it.

How long has she been following him?

Did she have those dreams too?

“Why?”

“Why what?” Hange asked.

“Why me?” Levi continued.

“I told you before. You're amazing. Your forms are all perfect, your body composition is good and that crazy fast improvement from no name player to rookie of the year?" Hange seemed too sure of herself and glimmer of hope that somehow she had any inkling of their connection in Levi's dreams dissipated. She started to rattle off numbers relating to Levi’s height differentials and vertical leap every year since high school, Levi had to note that there was some truth to what she was saying.

High jumping events had suddenly become much easier for Levi when he moved to the city for college. He had attributed it to the more frequent training that came with the more competitive environment of collegiate sports. It was an ironic turn of events though since that was also around the same time he had started experiencing those painful mornings after dreaming things he could barely member. He chose not to mention that just yet. The connection was just too illogical to be a causation or even correlation issue. It might have even just been an irrelevant coincidence.

Levi continued to listen as she explained schedules and outlines for meet ups. There was preliminary data gathering, multiple tests to be done on weekends in a sports facility a little farther away from the school. There were a few more documents that needed to be answered and submitted similar to what Moblit had sent. It would be time consuming, inconvenient. The prospect of Hange being there made it somewhat bearable.

So bearable, that Levi had found himself arriving at the train station Saturday morning one hour earlier than they agreed upon. They were going to the sports facility for preliminary data gathering. To his pleasant surprise, Hange was already there waiting.

“I hope you don’t mind the shitty schedule,” Hange said in greeting. She was staring at the duffel bag Levi had slung over his shoulder.

Levi had to stay overnight. With the sports facilities being shared among multiple researchers and multiple athletes, Hange found the most she could secure for a last minute booking was an early morning slot, offering instead to provide lodging to Levi for a night so he wouldn’t have to take a taxi late night and early morning when the trains were already closed.

“As long as there’s a place to stay.” It’s still better than commuting at 3am.

“Let’s drop your stuff first.”

The sports facility was a 15 minute train ride and as Levi exited the station, he was greeted by a large building that stretched out a fair number of meters in both directions. Was that the sports facility?

That wasn’t their destination though. Hange guided him through a few alleys and out into a main street where a quaint mid rise condominium was located right to their left.

“My condo only has one bedroom so I hope you won’t mind staying on the couch. It has a pull out bed though so you wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.”

Somehow Levi had expected a hotel. “Wait, I’m staying in your place?”

The area Hange lived in turned out to be only 15 minutes away by train but oddly enough, it was Levi’s first time there. He found himself just gazing at nothing in particular but whatever was in front of him at that moment as they walked through the streets. They were going to have brunch in a nearby cafe, Hange had clarified. He found himself particularly entertained by the crowds, the grey pavement and the tall buildings that lined his view all making up the urban jungle of the center of town.

The university and the surrounding town where Levi spent a good chunk of his five years was located in a quieter part of the city which Levi had gotten accustomed to pretty fast when he moved there. He never left that area unless necessary for competitions or for schoolwork. Consequently, he was not completely used to the bustle at the center of the city,

They had settled into a diner in a small part or town with Hange offering to pay for the lunch. As soon as they had given their orders, Hange slid a document to him with the words “personal data sheet” written in bold on the top. “In the final output, you will remain anonymous, Erwin just requested we keep the basic data on everyone we study.” Hange explained.

Levi scanned the document before looking up at Hange again. By the way she had looked at him, Levi was sure she could have answered some of it for him. “Why don’t you answer it for me.“ He challenged.

“It’s your data Levi so I---”

“I wanna see how much about me you know.” Levi answered with a no-nonsense tone.

Hange turned red as she pulled the form back towards herself. She scribbled a few things on the paper. “Where do you live?”

Levi gave his city and province.

“I knew that much.” Hange admitted. “Exact address?”

Levi answered it briefly, spelling it out when needed. “How many siblings do I have? What are their names?”

“Trick question. You’re an only child.” Hange said, looking up from the data sheet.

“The number question isn’t a trick question. You can answer with zero.” Levi continued. He did not need to make an effort to keep his tone playful. He was amused already. “And how do you know about my family?”

“Interviews.” Hange answered briefly.

Levi smiled. “I know you’re an only child too.”

“How did you know that?” Hange asked.

“Interviews.” Levi could see she had relaxed, a small smile creeping up her lips.

“So you’re researching me too.” She asked.

“You started it.”

“Which city am I actually from?” Hange challenged.

“You grew up here…” Levi answered. He sat up a little straighter. Seeing the amused smile on Hange's face, Levi felt it was a good time for other questions. His mind raced as he articulated one of his passing thoughts as he read through her articles. “Which brings up the question, if you live so near campus, why do you live in your own condo?” The public transport here isn’t shit either. Levi noted to himself. She had little excuse to live alone and from the looks of her place, she seemed to come from a well off family who could at least afford a place like that.

“I wanted freedom.”

A Tale of Two Slaves

The gym was huge. It was also so complete, the coverage so comprehensive that Levi was almost inspired to take up all the sports offered. They had indoor basketball courts, tennis courts and a complete track and field set.

The important part Hange pointed out as they entered though were the devices that could measure things like speed, weight, pulse, all necessary for her study. One of the more boring parts of the tour but surprising none the least.

Levi found himself particularly fixated on the fact that Hange was greeting everyone in the job like a regular.

"Hey, you weren't at the gym this morning."

"Had to pick up my friend here. He'll be helping me with my thesis."

Levi felt a tap on his back, brief and light. Maybe hesitant? Levi could not help but entertain the passing thought that if he were Moblit or maybe anyone else, she probably would have had her arm around his shoulders. He had seen her make that gesture towards Moblit and Elijah after all.

As Hange walked towards the desk and made conversation with what looked to be the receptionist, Levi watched her from behind. At first she had seemed too nerdy and too geeky that he had expected her to be lanky under the sweaters and the white coats she wore.

That day, she was in shorts and a blouse and Levi could not help but notice how her body curved underneath her clothes, and as he focused on her legs, he could make out the subtle muscle cuts on her legs. Hange's physique was definitely more toned than average and Levi pondered Hange's own physical fitness.

Her vertical. Her endurance. Her strength. The same things she had mentioned wanting to study about him.

As Hange gave him a tour though, Levi decided that it could wait until later.

A Tale of Two Slaves

That morning, with only less than a minute to drop his bag and could only afford a glance of her room.

As he arrived back there late in the afternoon after a long tour of the gym, he had to stop himself from making a face. The fastidious side of him was silently judging Hange.

It was obvious in the way Hange had prepared the bed and the way that most tables and furniture had space for a visitor to sit or rest that Hange had at least cleaned in anticipation.

But she's a horrible cleaner.

The sofa bed was prepared but the sheets were wrinkled. The trashcan was overflowing, a disturbing sign that Hange did not segregate her trash. The dining table was empty but a display table at the corner of the room took the brunt of what Levi guessed the dining table used to carry.

There were jackets messily folded on the display table and Levi recognized her schoolbag particularly by the keychain he had returned only a few days ago.

“Make yourself at home.” Hange dropped a few towels on the sofa bed before making her way to her own bedroom. “You can use the shower in the powder room. Also, what do you want for dinner?”

“Anything.” Levi answered. He was still bothered by the state of the room to demand much of anything. The food was free, the accommodation was free, he felt guilty just complaining internally.

Hange seemed unbothered by the shitty state of her “cleaned up room.” In fact she had seemed proud as she toured him around her house. As Levi watched Hange with her goofy smile as she played with her phone in between bites of the pizza they had ordered, he could not help but feel guilty for having harbored such negative thoughts when Hange seemed more relaxed than he had seen her in a while.

“What are you watching?” Levi asked, an attempt at conversation more than anything. There were things he had wanted to ask her, yet at that moment, he felt would seem too intrusive.

Hange turned her phone to him. The video Hange had been looking at was that figure skater glided to the rink and jumped into the air, rotating quickly.

“I didn’t know you liked figure skating.” Levi said, his eyes focused on the heart on the side, to see it filled over. Hange liked the video.

“I like a lot of sports. I definitely would have wanted to try skating as a kid. Maybe gymnastics or even track."

Levi tried to imagine Hange in a tutu or a leotard, having to hold back a snort as he did. “You never looked like the type to wear a dress.”

“I wouldn’t. But I’m pretty sure you know how fun it would be to be able to launch yourself up in the air like that. You’ve done it multiple times.”

Levi thought back to the interviews he had read, the answers she had made even since grade school. I want to see how people can fly . “Why didn’t you take a sport as a kid?”

The smile she had given him after was wry, a little sullen and Levi knew he must have hit something sensitive inside her. “Because my parents didn’t allow me. If I take gymnastics, I’d break my neck. If I take skating, I’d break my spine. If I take track and field, I’d break my knees." She explained in an almost mocking town." They never ran out of excuses when it came to sports. But when it came to academics, they were always shipping me off to some new competition.”

I wanted freedom. That afternoon in the cafe, Hange had answered it so casually, he had brushed it off as they continued to fill out the data sheets. As he listened to Hange explain her situation right there, Levi could not help but recall a twinge of sadness in Hange’s voice as she had said the word “freedom.”

“Don’t get me wrong, academics can be fun.” Hange said. “But I don’t think it’s ever going to beat the adrenaline rush of jumping or sprinting.”

“And that’s why you’re going to the gym a lot now.”

“I’m in college. My parents can’t stop me now. But yeah, my childhood is done. I don’t think I’ll ever get to your level, even when I train everyday.”

Levi had heard people say that before. The body of a child is flexible, the bones and muscles can still be easily molded. By the time people grow to be adults, their body is set and sure, they could probably jump or run along a track casually, collegiate competition and professional competitions were out of the question for most if not all people who start a sport as an adult.

"Maybe I can teach you?"

A Tale of Two Slaves

The Hange in Levi’s dreams was able to fly. She was the one who would be screaming as they glided through the air in those contraptions. She had the ability to launch herself up in the air, to flip, to spin, just like the athletes in the videos she constantly followed.

Hange wasn't at all out of shape either. In fact as he saw her in gym clothes and as he watched her do a few rounds around the empty track, he had to note that her form was good. Her physique and the cuts in her muscles were also well defined. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the Hange who was watching him do rounds of jumps as she took notes was the same Hange in his dreams.

The bar Hange had set for him was clearable with little to no effort. After clearing a few rounds, enough for Hange to be satisfied with the preliminary data, he took the stopwatch from her hands and guided her to the place he had positioned himself a while ago. He opted to adjust it a few centimeters lower, at a height he had seen less skilled jumpers back in high school clear with no problems.

He spent a few minutes going through the basics with her, particularly the method of softening a landing, having seen teammates from long ago get injured from that in particular.

“You’ve seen me jump countless times. I’m sure you can do it.” Levi assured. He knew that that last part was for himself more than anything. It pained him to see her nervous. Her face was a far cry from the Hange he knew.

She should know how to do it right?

Keeping the bar at its minimum and going through that landing with Hange a few times had turned out to be a good decision. It was in the way Hange had run to the bar, through the way her eyes went wild as she ran and as she landed right next to the bar that had fallen did Levi realize though, that Hange was terrified.

Terrified yet determined. Hange went back to her starting point and prepared herself for it a few more times.

“You don’t have that bounce in your step when you take off.” Levi bounced on the balls of his feet a few times for emphasis.

Hange gave him a quick nod before readying herself to run again. Levi could see she was tired. As Hange went through the motions pre jump, Levi could feel his heart beat faster. It took him a split second longer to realize why. Hange’s motions were wild and unsynchronized.

Levi did not say anything for fear of distracting her and possibly causing injury. He found himself running towards her instead. He was too late though. By the time he had arrived by the bars, she had fallen on it. One side of the bar flailed up in the air as Hange landed and she let out a loud gasp of surprise.

“Hey, you okay?” Levi asked, as he crouched next to her. He had kept his voice soft for fear of her hearing the panic in it.

Hange was lying face up on the mat, her light brown eyes looking longingly above her.

They had started training in the stadium at four in the morning, hours before the sun was scheduled to rise. It was only when Levi saw how unnaturally light Hange’s eyes were did he realized the ceiling above them was glass, and the sun had risen enough for the light to reflect on it.

“Must be nice to fly huh?” Hange voiced out before sitting back up again. “I’m fine but I think I bruised my shoulder.” She reached out for her right shoulder with her left hand and winced.

Having been jumping almost his whole life, Levi had forgotten for a while, how difficult the mechanics would be to pick up for the average adult. While gazing at Hange who had bent her head back and continued to watch the sunrise from the glass ceiling, Levi continued to reflect on it. If it were any other person, he probably would have even removed the bar as he thought them the mechanics.

The game changer in those particular circumstances was that it was Hange he was teaching, the subject of his dreams, the one who was flying with him from tree to tree in the forest. The one who was smiling and doing backflips, provoking him to chase her. For the life of him, Levi could not believe that she was not able to clear that jump.

A Tale of Two Slaves

The sullen mood of a while ago quickly dissipated to something a little more bearable when Levi suggested they play on the trampolines adjacent to the track.

It had felt ridiculous at first. As Hange continued to gaze upward, mumbling about wanting to fly and as Levi himself dealt with the disappointment of what just happened, it had seemed like a logical suggestion.

It was the most mindless way he could come up with to get both of them flying and jumping and maybe, get them both cheered up in the process. They only had to bounce a few times for it to be exciting. After a few bounces, Hange started to laugh, she started to scream in excitement.

The same excited scream he had heard so many times before in his dreams. Levi found himself staring at Hange as she jumped. The spark in her eye was brighter than it had ever been. Her cheeks were starting to flush from what could have been excitement or exhaustion. After what could have been a few more minutes of jumping, Hange landed on her ass and let out a loud laugh in between gasps.

“Something tells me you haven’t done this before.” Levi said as he settled on the floor of the trampoline next to her.

“Parents didn’t allow me.They said I’d break my ankle.” Hange answered, after she had gotten control of her ragged breathing. She was sweaty and flushed but she looked carefree.

That was the Hange Levi was familiar with. Before Levi even noticed it, he had brought out his hand and lightly touched her on the side of her arm. Oddly enough, she did not resist the light and quick squeeze he had given her. As Levi looked closely at her, he guessed she probably didn’t notice or didn’t care. He quickly let go of her arm, a few seconds after he had noticed the odd action. Before that, he had allowed himself a few seconds to process the warmth of her skin and the up and down movement that came with her heavy breathing. It was oddly calming and assuring.

She's real. She's alive. She's warm and she's breathing.

Soon after that, they were kicked out of the gym. Actually, no one had kicked them out. The Sunday gym goers though had taken up their territory on the track as they started their warmups. Levi and Hange soon realized their time was up. The rude awakening to that reality had felt like they were being kicked out anyway.

It also turned out the giant trampoline Levi suggested they played on was only for the children's use. One reason, Hange had never bothered to touch it even when she did frequent the gym.

Hange had sleepily explained that part to him as she sprawled herself on the sofa of her condominium that afternoon. The early morning in the gym had left her exhausted. She fell asleep soon after and Levi could not help but notice the smile on her face as she slept. He wondered if she usually smiled in her sleep.

Levi settled himself on one of the chairs around the dining table in a good position to watch her, busying himself by going through all the Instagram profiles Hange had followed, following them using his own account. Some of the videos were in slow motion and Levi found himself in that same blackhole as Hange had been in many times before, begrudgingly agreeing that Hange was right.

The slow motion videos in particular showed the detail. The way the legs make a slight bounce before launching up, the slight movements the body made as it is suspended in the air. Levi knew there was a lot of body coordination involved in getting the highest vertical possible. Seeing the body work together, the miniscule movements all cooperating to get the jumper spinning, flipping or twisting was oddly satisfying. Levi was distracted, so distracted the only thing that could break it was the vibration of his phone accompanying the banner on top.

Coach Greg.

Levi was once again pulled out of his blackhole. Of course he’d have to train. He had missed multiple trainings the past week due to the wound in his knee. He had also missed yesterday morning’s training having to meet Hange. Their season was starting in a few weeks and he was their best chance at a championship that year. Levi wasn’t too surprised that their coach was more than ready to run through drills with him on a Sunday night.

After a few minutes of digging through Hange’s unit, Levi managed to unearth a pile of post-its and a pen. Thank you for letting me stay over. Gotta run. He wrote. He kept it short and simple, knowing he would probably end up chatting with her soon anyway. He stuck it on the dining table, slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and silently left the room.

As he took the train back to campus, Levi continued on his little blackhole. A video was just released, taken in a tournament in Russia just a few days back.

Quad Queen Alexandra Trusova.

Levi did not know his way around figure skating jumps but he found himself watching it in slow motion anyway. The sped up version was surprising but the slow motion version that followed was mesmerizing. Levi counted four spins in the air, noting both the slight bounce before the jump and the bounce that followed the landing.

As Levi refreshed the video on his phone, he could not help but notice that Hange’s name still wasn’t among those who had liked the photo. Was she still asleep?

He could only imagine the smile she makes as she watches videos. He clicked the paper airplane icon below the videos, scrolled through the users and clicked send on Wingsoffreedom132. He made sure to add a wings emoji and a heart emoji, the way Hange had done in a few of the videos.

Somehow, after doing that, it became easier to imagine that goofy smile a little more vividly.

#levihan #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #levi x hanji #fanfic

32 notes · View notes

zackcollins · 4 years ago

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blue jays on the radio || b. bichette/c. biggio

Author’s Note: As you all may know, I write hockey fics. What some of you may not know is that baseball is my other true love when it comes to sports. That’s why I had to write something based upon this. I just had to. It would be a crime not to. This is my first time writing something for baseball, so please be gentle on me. GIF credit to austonandersen!!

Warning: Nothing, I don’t think. Feel free to let me know if you disagree though. I’ll add a warning for anything you think deserves one.

Word Count: 1.4k+

Title: Soggy Bottom Summer by Dean Brody (I will not be taking comments about it at this time)

Additional: If you found this by Googling yourself, are in this yourself, or know someone in this, please click back. No harm was meant in the creation of this fic. It’s purely fictional and for fun. That being said, I hope you enjoy this!

Cavan’s brain was running rampant with emotions. He was elated that he was headed to the postseason in the Major Leagues. This had been a dream of his for as long as he could remember. He was exhausted from having played a full baseball game. His body ached but he didn’t much care because of the circumstances surrounding the end of the game. In his mind, that made the exhaustion and the body aches worth it.

As everyone was sequestered into the middle of the infield for a photo, Bo laid down and put his head on Cavan’s lap. Cavan froze, unsure of how to proceed. His brain was turning on all cylinders in an attempt to produce a coherent thought.

After a few moments of panic, Cavan regained composure of himself and jostled Bo’s shoulders, screaming excitedly in his face. Bo laughed and screamed back, crossing his arms over his chest at the sudden movement of his body. Cavan patted Bo’s chest, exhaling in relief.

Lourdes leaned over from Bo’s left, patting Bo’s chest and screaming something in Spanish that Cavan couldn’t quite understand. Bo laughed again, head falling backwards onto Cavan’s lap a moment later. Cavan squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling heavily through his nose. When he opened his eyes, Lourdes was looking directly at him, a smirk on his face.

“What,” Cavan asked, keeping his voice quiet.

“You know none of us will care, right,” Lourdes said, cryptically.

Cavan raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. Lourdes sighed and raked his hands down his face.

“I’ve seen the way you look at him.” Lourdes motioned to Bo, who had turned his attention to Teoscar on his right. “I look at my wife the same way.”

“Lourdes, I—“

“Save it, Cavan. I don’t care if you’re attracted to men. I only care that you’re being an idiot about your attraction to one specific man.”

Heat rose in Cavan’s cheeks as he sat there. He looked over at Bo. Bo was swatting hands and laughing happily with Danny who had migrated over from where he had been sitting. Cavan felt more heat rise on his face, reaching as far as the tips of his ears. His face was burning red-hot as he looked back at Lourdes.

Lourdes reached over and squeezed Cavan’s shoulder. Cavan relaxed, sighing in defeat. He brought his hands up and raked them down his face. Lourdes reached up and ruffled Cavan’s hair before he stood. He looked at Cavan and then cast a glance at Bo before he walked towards the dugout, yelling excitedly at everyone in his path.

Cavan raked another hand down his face before he looked down at Bo. He squished his hand into Bo’s face, making Bo shift his attention away from Danny and over to Cavan. Danny glanced at Cavan and quickly smirked before standing and chasing Alejandro over to the dugout for a hug.

“Can…” Cavan started, pausing to swallow a nervous lump. “Can we talk after everything has settled down?”

Bo gave Cavan a sideways glance but nodded.

“Yeah, man,” Bo said. “Whatever you need.”

Cavan smiled, ruffling Bo’s hair before he pushed Bo forward far enough to allow himself to stand up. Bo grumbled a little bit but Cavan stopped the grumbling when he offered Bo a helping hand to get him off the field. Bo smiled, gripping Cavan’s hand firmly as they worked together to get Bo on his feet.

Once Bo was standing, he continued to hold Cavan’s hand. Cavan, wanting to test the waters, squeezed Bo’s hand gently. Bo squeezed back almost immediately. When Cavan dared to look at Bo, he had a soft expression on his face. Cavan felt a ball of nerves form in his stomach. Seeing Bo acting carefree and soft made Cavan want to reach out and brush that one stray piece of hair out of Bo’s face. It made Cavan want to pull Bo in for a hug, a hug that meant something entirely different than the one they had shared five minutes before. He wanted to pull Bo in for a kiss to show how proud he was of him. To show how much he loved him.

How much he loved him.

Cavan wasn’t sure when that became the truth but there was no denying it now. He was in love with Bo Bichette and he had to do something about it.

“Come with me,” Cavan said, dragging Bo through the crowd of their teammates towards the dugout.

“Where are we going,” Bo asked.

Cavan didn’t answer. All he did was guide himself and Bo through the dugout and down through the tunnel towards the clubhouse.

Once they were in the clubhouse, Cavan directed Bo towards the trainer’s room. He triple-checked to make sure no one was there or on their way there before he closed the door. Bo gave Cavan a sideways glance as he hopped up to sit on one of the examination tables. Cavan hopped up beside Bo, leaning his head against Bo’s shoulder.

“I know I said I wanted to talk later,” Cavan said. “But I changed my mind and decided I couldn’t wait.”

Bo lifted Cavan’s head from his shoulder and turned it towards him. Cavan swallowed thickly when he saw the blank expression on Bo’s face. It never failed to amaze Cavan how well Bo could handle his emotions. It scared him sometimes, quite frankly.

“What is it, man,” Bo said, voice steady. “You look scared as hell.”

“I’m in love with you,” Cavan said, burying his head in the crook of Bo’s neck.

A sudden wave of emotions overcame Cavan. Tears fell from his eyes and onto Bo’s shirt. He sniffled a few times, shifting around to get as comfortable as he could at the awkward angle.

“Cav, Bige, hey,” Bo said, pulling Cavan’s head back and up to look at him.

Cavan sniffled a couple of times as Bo wiped away the tear stains on Cavan’s cheeks. Bo squeezed Cavan’s cheeks, leaning forward, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Cavan’s brain short-circuited at that. He sat there, staring helplessly at Bo.

“I’m in love with you too,” Bo said, running his hand through Cavan’s hair. “Why do you think I chose your lap to lay in?”

A small smile broke out on Cavan’s face.

Cavan reached out, brushing away that stray piece of hair that was in Bo’s face. Bo hummed, smiling softly. Cavan brought his hand down, cupping Bo’s cheek. Bo hummed again, leaning into the touch.

“Stop me if you don’t want this,” Cavan mumbled, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to Bo’s.

Bo kissed back almost immediately, making Cavan relax.

As they kissed, Cavan felt butterflies dancing in his stomach. Everything about this kiss felt right. It felt even better than any kiss Cavan could’ve ever imagined having with Bo. It was everything he could’ve hoped for and then some.

“It’s about fucking time.”

Cavan jolted backwards, nearly falling off the examination table in his haste.

When Cavan turned his attention toward the direction the voice had come from, he saw Randal standing there. He was holding a heating pack to his back and wearing a giant grin on his face.

“How obvious was I,” Cavan asked, burying his head in his hands.

Randal chuckled as he walked across the room, sitting on the examination table beside Bo and Cavan.

“On a scale of one to ten,” Randal asked; Cavan nodded. “About thirteen. It’s a miracle Bo didn’t notice.”

Bo blushed, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck.

“Then again,” Randal pointed at Bo, “you were no better. You were also about thirteen on the obviously-in-love-with-my-teammate meter.”

Cavan and Bo looked at each other, awkward smiles on their faces. Randal dropped the heating pack on his examination table before reaching over and squeezing a shoulder each on Bo and Cavan.

“Birds of a feather, flock together,” Randal said, smiling. “In this case, the two birds are Blue Jays that were too idiotic to see that the other was in love with them until someone nudged one of them off the diamond.”

Cavan kicked Randal’s shin, to which Randal smirked and ruffled Cavan’s hair.

Bo grabbed Cavan’s hand, placing them atop Cavan’s knee. Cavan smiled at Bo, reaching over and brushing another stray hair out of his face.

Not caring that Randal was sitting right there, Cavan leaned forward and pressed his lips against Bo’s. Bo hummed softly into the kiss, following along with Cavan’s slow, methodical pace.

When the two pulled back, Randal was still sitting there, though he had a soft smile on his face. He reached over and squeezed their shoulders again.

“Let’s win this thing,” Randal said.

Cavan squeezed Bo’s hand, looking at him fondly. He leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Bo’s forehead, mumbling softly against it.

“Together.”

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cmanonstillinhiding · 4 years ago

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second impact

@enbies-and-felonies pt 5!! i’m gonna call this one the end but i might write an epilogue of sorts at some point? i hope you like it! <3

Hotch was gracious enough to wait until 7:30 to call them in later that day, so they drove Ellie to school on their way to the BAU.

‘I’m getting my uniform today! We’re meeting our coach too, and having our first practice and-’

JJ groaned. ‘-and drowning your mothers in release forms, physical forms, contact forms, the list goes on.’

‘Oh, yeah. We got those already, they’re on the hall table. They need to be in by Friday.

Emily smirked. ‘Well, Ellie, I think your mom can help you with that. She does have experience.

‘Yeah, from the athlete’s perspective. I feel bad for my mother, having to fill all those out every year.’

Ellie rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not that bad. You have case reports longer almost every day.’

Emily sighed as they stopped in front of Ellie’s school. ‘All the more reason for you not to add on top of them! You have your things? Alright, we’ll pick you up after practice. Have a good day!’

Ellie hopped out of the car, waving as she headed into the building. Emily dodged through the rush hour traffic as they drove the familiar route to the BAU, neither one wanting to break the silence that had settled once Ellie left.

Hotch only kept them until around noon that day, just finishing up paperwork and tying off any loose ends that had been left in the investigation. After Morgan and Reid left arm-in-arm at 11:30, he gave up on anything productive and gave them the rest of the day off.

JJ drove home, half watching the road and half lost in thought until Emily reminded her she’d just missed the turn down their road. JJ sighed and turned the car around, aware of Emily’s eyes drilling into her. ‘You really want to have that talk, huh?’

‘Yeah, I do.’

‘Okay. As soon as we get home.’

JJ tossed her keys onto the hall table, grabbing Ellie’s small mountain of sports forms as she walked into the kitchen where Emily, who was already making coffee, stared at the stack. ‘All that for a middleschool sport?’

JJ sighed. ‘Oh, yeah. All that plus impact testing, insurance forms, allergy information, and gosh knows what else.’ She pulled the top packet off the pile. ‘This at least is information. Her team roster, game times, uniform rules, and her-’

Emily frowned over the counter at her pause. ‘Her what?’

JJ tossed the form back onto the table. ‘I’m going to go pick up Ellie.’

‘What? It’s 1:00, she doesn’t even get out of school for another hour and a half.’

‘I don’t want her going to practice today.’

Emily come around to grab the packet off the table. ‘I thought we were going to talk about this? What happened?’

‘Her-’ JJ’s voice broke. ‘Her coach. He used to be-’

Emily met her eyes. ‘Brian Andrews. That’s your old coach, isn’t it?’

JJ closed her eyes, barely nodding. ‘Yes. He was.’

‘You need to tell me what’s so bad about him. I don’t want your perception of him to affect Ellie.’

‘Why don’t you just trust me?’

‘JJ, you know I do. I just can’t-’

‘Can’t what? Can’t just please, please, listen to me without needing to hear exactly how he hurt me? Exactly what happened? Em, stop. Just stop, please. I don’t want to hear how I ‘need to look on the bright side’ and ‘just because I had a bad experience doesn’t mean Ellie will.’ Because that’s so, so, not what I need to hear right now. You think Ellie should be allowed to play, great, she can play. But I cannot look the man that almost killed me in the eye and tell him I’m glad he can do the same to my daughter. Emily, you have to hear this. I don’t want my life to ruin Ellie’s. But I need my life, my experience to mean something to you.’

Emily, entirely taken aback by her outburst, paused for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice had none of its previous edge. ‘What do you mean ‘he almost killed you?”

JJ shook her head, lips pressed together.

Emily nodded. ‘Okay. If you don’t want to talk right now, fine, but will you sit with me?’

‘What?’

Emily shifted over to make space for her on the couch. ‘Sit with me. Please.’

JJ sat down gingerly, bracing herself for Emily to continue the conversation.

Emily laid her hand on JJ’s knee, waiting for her to make the next move. JJ placed her own hand over Emily’s, leaning into her until she could rest her head on the other’s shoulder. Emily threaded her fingers into JJ’s hair, stroking gently until she felt her relax. ‘Hey, sweetheart. You with me?’

JJ nodded, tucking her head against Emily’s shoulder.

‘Okay. Do you want to talk now, or just stay here?’

Barely more than a whisper. ‘Talk.’

‘Can I ask you a question?’

‘Yes.’

‘What did you mean when you said your coach almost killed you?’

JJ stiffened, her entire body tensing against Emily’s. She took a deep breath before beginning to speak. ‘I was 17, and got the flu just before a game. I had a fever of 102°. But missing a practice, let alone a game, as a captain was grounds for dismissal from the team. So I went. I almost passed out just walking to the field, so I swallowed my pride and asked to sit out.’

She paused, closing her eyes against the memory.

‘I stumbled out there, and he said to me,’

‘Are you serious? I trained you for years! Years! I made you everything you are, everything you will be, and you ask to sit out? How do you think that looks for me? My best senior, on the bench in the postseason? Not a chance! Get moving, girl. Three laps for your attitude, then practice.’

JJ had caught one word in five of his tirade through the pounding in her head. The tylenol the nurse had given her was wearing off, and she didn’t think making even one lap around the field was a possibility. She’d paused too long though, and a hand between her shoulder blades had her on the ground, facedown in the damp turf.

‘That’s four laps now, lazy. Get to it.’

JJ pulled herself up slowly, waiting for the world to stop spinning, then started a miserable jog around the field, barely upright. Pain, she was used to that. But this was different, a loss of ability, coordination, senses. Just three more laps, just two more laps, just-

‘I didn’t know I’d passed out until I woke up in the ER. I was left on the ground until practice was over. I was hypothermic and my temperature had spiked to 104°, but as far as Coach was concerned, I was useless.’

Emily was silent for so long JJ pulled back, turning her head up to look at Emily, hoping she hadn’t just ruined...well, everything. But Emily was staring down at her, mouth slightly open. ‘Sweetheart...I don’t know what to say.’

JJ didn’t answer, so Emily pulled her onto her lap, tucking the blonde’s head against her chest, wrapping her arms around her. ‘Shhhh, hey, I’m here. I have you.’

JJ nodded, staying where she was. ‘Do you understand now?’

‘Yeah. At least better than I did.’ Emily turned to look at her. ‘You lived like that for four years?’

‘Four years, year-round. We had an indoor rec league and spring games too. I saw him more than I saw my mother.’

‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘Because that’s normal! He wasn’t out of the ordinary at all for what he did, and it made us better players.’

‘I can assure you none of that made you a better player.’

‘It made me stronger.’

‘You’re repeating something he said, aren’t you.’

‘Yeah. I don’t know what else to say.’

‘What else happened?’

Emily waited a minute before JJ answered, her voice flat and detached.

‘He kept us on the field for as many as six hours, running almost the whole time. We were to attend practice no matter what, sick, injured, sister had just died, whatever. We would bleed through our cleats from blisters. When I got home every night, I would have to soak my socks and uniform to make sure my mother didn’t see the bloodstains. I played concussed and on stress fractures for two years, almost all without any access to medical care, because that would mean I had to sit out, and I couldn’t do that. On weekends we played dawn til dusk, before and after our games, with laps if we weren’t performing well enough. I wanted to quit so badly, but I had no other way out, and he knew that. For all of us.’

‘How could he do that? You were a child!’

‘We were children, and had no idea what we’d gotten into. When you don’t know anything else...I didn’t even know something was wrong with what he did until I graduated college.’

‘My god...JJ, why didn’t you tell me this earlier?’

‘I really, really don’t like talking about it, and I was hoping you’d trust me enough I wouldn’t have to.’

‘I should have. I’m so, so sorry that happened to you, love.’

JJ nodded, still curled against Emily. ‘I can’t let that happen to Ellie.’

Emily kissed her hair, pulling her closer. ‘No. We won’t let that happen. But, if there’s a rec league, or maybe a travel team around here...she really does want to play.’

JJ paused. ‘I think I could handle that, if she had a different coach. I want her to be happy, but I-I can’t have her near that man.’

‘I understand. We’ll figure it out, okay?’

‘Okay.’

They stayed like that for a while, until JJ’s phone buzzed with a text from Garcia. Emily opened it with a sigh. ‘You’ll never guess what this says...’

JJ groaned. ‘We have a case?’

‘Four dead in Providence, Rhode Island. Hotch wants us there ASAP.

‘Of course he does. I’ll call my mom to get Ellie.’

Emily groused into the hall the grab the keys. ‘They really can’t give us a day off, huh?’

‘Oh, where else would you get your adrenaline if not from chasing down the scum of the earth?’

‘We’re going to be chasing down a teenage daughter soon, I think that should about cover it.’

JJ grinned. ‘You have a point.’

Emily smirked back. ‘I know.’

She turned just as she reached the door, reaching for JJ’s hand. ‘I love you.’

JJ took it. ‘I love you too.’

#fun fact! nothing i have tossed into jj's backstory is something i haven't seen or personally experienced over 4 years of hs varsity sports #so if you think 'this is barbaric! how could you come up with this??' just remember that i did not in fact make this shit up #have i had some coaches who were worse than the norm? yes #were those coaches worse bc we had a reputation for winning? also yes #have i dealt with a lot of this shit? also also yes #second impact

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myhockeyfics · 6 years ago

Text

sweet solace

Player: Nathan Mackinnon

Length: 6.4k

Requested: No

Smut: Yes

Content: Masturbation, Oral, Vaginal

Summary: The aftermath of Game 7, giving Nate all the love and comfort that you can.

------

As the clock continues to count down, your heart sinks further into your chest. You’re already stressed and worried about Nate, seeing him go down the tunnel after slamming into the boards was easily one of the scariest moments of your life. Sure, he came back, but you know in your heart that nothing could keep Nate away from this game. His team’s back is up against the wall, and there’s nowhere else he could be.

The buzzer sounds, and that’s that. The magical season is over, just 12 games into the postseason. You’re even happier now that you were able to travel with the team, along with other friends and family, and got to experience the playoffs as much as possible. Nate is going to be devastated, and you still don’t know the extent of his injury.

The group of friends and family who made the trip to San Jose slowly begin to get their things together, in order to head down and meet the team by the visiting locker room. You want to get to Nate as quickly as possible, but you know he’s probably going to be wrapped up in trainers and doctors for a while.

Once you reach the locker room, you prop yourself up against the wall to wait. You know you’ll probably be on the last bus back to the hotel tonight, because there is no way you’re leaving without Nate. As players begin to head out of the room, you nod at them, but no one approaches, heading straight to the comfort of their loved ones, until Tyson exits, and he heads straight over to you.

“Hey, Nate wanted me to tell you that’s he’s fine, and that he just going through final tests, and shouldn’t be much longer,” Tyson says, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“Thanks, Tyson,” you say, “Do you know anything else about him? Is it just his shoulder, or?”

“I’m not really sure, sorry. All I know is what Nate told me to tell you.”

“Alright, thanks again,” you say, and Tyson pats your shoulder before heading off to the buses. Being left alone with your thoughts isn’t great, and you begin to think of all these worst case scenarios. What if it isn’t just his shoulder, what if it’s also his head and he made it worse, what if all of the above? It’s hard dating a hockey player, knowing the injuries that they get every single day, but head injuries really are the scariest of them all.

The hallway is almost completely empty by the time Nate shuffles out, back in his gameday suit. He spots you and heads your way and you meet him halfway, sinking into his arms once you reach him.

“I’m so sorry baby, I’m so sorry that it ended like this,” you whisper to him, partially due to his head, but also due to the mood surrounding you. You lay your head on his chest, and listen to his heartbeat, rubbing your hands along his back.

“I’m sorry too babe, I know I scared you when I went down. They want me to take it slowly the next few days, and they’ll check up on it again once we’re in Denver,” Nate says. It’s not really comforting, because if he was really okay, he wouldn’t need to do that, but you’re happy that he’s going to be careful and take care of himself. In a way, it’s a blessing they lost this game, so you don’t have to worry about Nate in another series in two days. Of course, you would never tell him this, but it is what it is.

“Alright, Nate, let’s go,” you say, after taking a few deep breaths, buried in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. You pull back a little, and make eye contact with him, and you can see the sadness in his eyes, but you know he’ll be okay. You reach down to grab his hand, and begin leading the way to the bus, ready to end the night.

------

Once you reach the hotel, the two of you stop by Nate’s room to grab his toothbrush and so he can change, because there is no way you’re sleeping apart tonight. Not only for his health, just to be safe, but also for the comfort that it brings to the two of you. It’s tough, when you’re traveling with the team, to not be able to sleep together, when you’re able to when you’re at home, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

“Okay, I think I’m ready,” Nate says, coming back out of the bathroom, startling you out of your thoughts.

“Let’s go,” you say, wanting to just be in bed already, curled up against Nate’s chest. Nate holds the door for you on the way out. You can feel your eyes getting heavier with every step. All you have to do is go up three floors, and you’ll be at your room.

In the elevator, Nate leans against the wall, and pulls you in, back to his chest. You lean back on him, soaking in the heat of his body, letting it wash over you. There’s no way you could have fallen asleep in the short elevator ride up, but it feels that way, as you sleepily navigate through the halls of the hotel to your room. You pull the key out of your purse, and try to open the door but you keep yawning, so Nate pulls it out of your hand, and does it for you.

You feel a little bad, Nate is the one who just played an entire hockey game, on top of an injury, but you’re just ready for sleep. You stumble through the motions to get ready for bed, stripping down, washing your face, and putting your hair up. In silent agreement, you and Nate each decide not to shower, and to just deal with in the morning. Nate got clean enough at the arena, and you’re too exhausted to care either way.

Nate heads into the bathroom once you finish with your routine, and you climb into bed, plugging your phone into it’s charger. There’s not much else to do but wait for Nate, as you curl up on your side of the bed. It won’t be for much longer, as you plan to sleep on Nate’s chest, or as close to him as possible.

You close your eyes as you wait for him, and after a minute or so, you hear the door open, and feel the blankets on the other side of the bed get pulled back. You turn over to face Nate once he’s settled, scooting closer until you’re nearly on top of him.

“Hey babe, I just wanted to thank you for coming with us for all these games. I know work’s been really busy lately, and it means so much to me that you chose to come with me once it calmed down. I love you so much,” Nate says, low and sweet. He kisses your forehead when he’s done.

“Of course, baby, you know there’s nowhere else that I would rather be than cheering you on,” you mumble into his chest, before kissing right over where his heart is. Nate turns on his back and pulls you in under his arm, as you lay your head on his chest. “Goodnight Nate.”

“Goodnight sweetheart.”

------

In the morning you wake up slowly, registering the feeling of Nate all around you, and the echo of his heartbeat under your ear. Neither of you shifted much in the night, and you feel warm and content, here with him. Without Nate you can sleep just fine, you have to, with him gone so often. But there’s just another level of satisfaction that comes from being able to spend the night in the same bed as him.

You’re not sure if Nate is awake yet, and you don’t want to try and move to see, in case it wakes him up. After the rush at the season to even get into the playoffs, and then the grind of the playoffs themselves, you know Nate needs all the rest he can get. This is all for nothing, however, when you hear his voice, still rough with sleep.

“Morning baby, you sleep alright?” he asks.

“I slept really well,” you admit, turning over until you can look at him. He looks tired, but otherwise okay. “Do you want me to order breakfast while you shower?” You both went to sleep so fast last night that you know Nate didn’t eat anything other than the requisite protein shake at the arena.

“Sounds good, you know what I like,” he says, before gently moving you off his chest so he can sit up. You watch him walk to the bathroom, before sitting up yourself. You reach over to the phone and dial the number for room service.

“Hi, I’m in room 1247, and can I get two orders of pancakes, an omelette with spinach, onions, tomato, and cheddar cheese, an omelette with spinach, mushrooms, and onions, and a bowl of your berry mix? Thanks,” you say, finishing up the order.

“It’ll be about 30 minutes, ma’am,” says the employee on the other end of the line.

“Sounds good, thanks so much,” you say, before hanging up the phone. Having time before the food arrives means you can join Nate in the shower. It’s not sexual, but it will be comforting. To be honest, both of you are still so exhausted, and with Nate’s head, you probably won’t have sex for a couple more days, especially not shower sex.

You slip into the bathroom and begin taking off the t-shirt and panties that you slept in, before letting your hair down. You’re sure Nate is almost done in the shower, but you know he’ll stay with you and wash your hair if you ask, so you walk into the shower cubicle, tucked in such a way that there isn’t a door or curtain to get in.

Nate is standing with his back to you, let the water rain down on his head. You can smell the shampoo you use, and you know that Nate must have used it instead of the hotel offering. You step up behind him and slide your hands around his waist, hugging him from behind.

“Hey baby,” he sighs out, placing his hands over yours.

“I got us omelettes, pancakes, and fruit, if that sounds good to you?” you say, before pulling your hands back and nudging him around until he’s facing you. You lean up for a kiss, and he ducks down to meet your lips.

After you pull back he smiles, and it makes your heart happy, because it looks like a real one. With the concern over his shoulder, you’re not sure if he’s really processed the loss yet, but he seems to be doing okay. You stand there together for a minute, before Nate breaks the silence.

“Want me to wash your hair? My shoulder should be totally fine for this,” he asks, already beginning to grab for your shampoo. You nod, and he squirts some into his hands before speaking again. “Get your hair wet, so I can lather you up.”

You snort, but comply, making sure to really get all of your hair wet, knowing it will be easier for Nate if it is. As you step back out from under the spray, you feel Nate at your back, and his warmth. His fingers makes their way into your hair, and you can feel the tension begin to seep out of your body as he scrubs at your head gently. He takes his time, making sure to get your hair clean, not just massaging uselessly at your head.

“Rinse,” he says, stepping away again to grab your conditioner. The water feels so good running down your body, warming you, and relaxing you. You feel like you could fall asleep again right there in the shower. You make yourself step away again, however, to let Nate work the conditioner in your hair.

The feeling of his hands in your hair reminds you of the first time he did this for you, and how he had used conditioner all over your head before you realized, and could explain to him that your hair only needed it on the ends, and not all the way to the roots. He’s got the routine down now, having done this many times. He steps back again, and rinses his hands under the water, before reaching for your body wash.

“Do you want me to?” he asks, and once again you nod. You love having his hands on you, even when its not sexual, and the shower is no exception. He soaps up his hands, and you breathe in the scent of your body wash, which right now is a warm vanilla, light enough that it doesn’t bother you, but is still very pleasant. He begins with your back, rubbing all over it, lightly working at the junction of your shoulders and neck, where you’re always tight. He then trails his hands over your arms, one by one. Finishing that, he turns you around and begins washing your chest, carefully rubbing his hands over your breast, giving you a little jolt, but you calm down, as he soaps up your tummy. Finally he gets down on his knees, and he scrubs at your legs, lifting each one to quickly clean your feet.

“Thanks babe,” you say as he stands up. “You want me to wash you?”

“Nah, I was pretty much finished when you got in, I’ll let you finish up while I wait for the food.”

“Okay, I’ll only be a couple more minutes,” you say as you begin to let the shower wash off the soap. You leave the conditioner in as you wash your face, making sure to be more careful than you were last night, to get any remaining traces of makeup or oils. You can hear Nate in the room, probably looking for the clothes you had packed for him in your suitcase, knowing that no matter what had happened in the game last night, you would be spending the night together.

You finish washing the conditioner out of your hair, and give your body one last rinse, just to make sure everything is off. When you walk out of the shower stall, you see that Nate has left you towels and a robe to put on after you’re dry. Drying off only takes a minute, and you wrap your hair up in a towel after using your hair oil.

While you’re moisturizing your body, you hear a knock, and Nate answering the door. It must be the food, so you make sure to finish up moisturizing quickly so you can get some food in before Nate eats it all. He never would actually do this, but you love to tease him about it, so you walk out of the bathroom wrapped in the fluffy robe.

“Make sure you leave some for me Nate, I am the one who ordered it after all,” you say, teasingly. Nate blushes, and you’re struck with a wave of fondness for this big, beautiful man.

“Of course babe, do you want the mushroom omelette or the tomato omelette?” he asks, taking the lids off the plates on the rolling cart.

“I was thinking we could maybe split them today, I’m kinda in the mood for both,” you say, walking over to him and hip checking him out of the way. “I can take care of this if you want to get some coffee going.” Nate nods and heads over to the coffee machine, knowing that you’ll both be needing the caffeine for today.

“So, we need to be in the lobby by eleven to catch the bus to the airport, I think,” Nate says. “It’s just past nine now, so we should be safe.” You hum in agreement, focusing on the food, and splitting up the fruit between the two of you.

Nate heads back over to the table with a mug in his hand and hands it to you, already doctored to your liking. This boy really does know you well, and it makes you so happy to be in love with him. The two of you sit down and dig in, eating with gusto. Nate eventually gets up and retrieves his own mug of coffee, slurping it down in between bites of delicious omelette and fresh fruit. Nate always leaves pancakes for last, as a breakfast dessert, so to speak.

By the time the two of you are done with breakfast, you have about half an hour to finish packing and head down to the lobby. You work in silence until Nate come up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist.

“Hey, I’m gonna head to my room and grab my bags. Do you want me to come back up here or do you want to meet in the lobby?” Nate asks.

“The lobby’s fine, I’ll probably head down in like ten minutes. I just have to finish my makeup and pack that up and I’ll be ready to go.” you say, before turning around and giving Nate a kiss on the cheek. He nods and heads for the door, before turning around and giving you a sweet wave before leaving.

------

The trip home is short, in theory, but it feels like it drags on, due to the heavy feeling emanating from everyone around. The team feels like it could have gone so much farther this year, they feel like they could have really won it all. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, for everyone, that the season really is over. You know Nate’s already beginning to worry about the offseason, and signings, and trades. Nate’s obviously in no danger of being traded, but one of his close friends, Colin, is a free agent, and Nate really doesn’t want him to leave. That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface with trade possibilities, and those rumors are always flying.

You lean your head on Nate’s shoulder, thankfully sitting on his good side, as you watch the flight time tick down. You just want to be in your home, in your bed already. You want to be there for Nate, but you know he won’t let himself appear weak right now, among all of his teammates, all trying to accept the outcome of Game 7.

“Wanna watch an episode of something?” Nate asks. It makes you smile, thinking of how Nate only likes to watch tv shows on planes for some reason, never movies. Just another quirk of his that endears him to you all over again.

“Yeah babe, what do you wanna watch?” you say, already digging for the headphone splitter in your bag.

“New Girl? Just want something kind of light,” Nate says, flicking through Netflix on his iPad. You nod, and he selects it from his list, starting whatever episode he had last left off on. You nuzzle further into him, as he wraps his arm around your shoulders, and you can feel your eyes growing heavy. You doze on and off through the two and a half episodes it takes to touch down in Denver.

------

It’s been a week since the season ended for the Avalanche, and Nate finally has more answers about his shoulder, and what he should do for rehab this summer to prepare for the next season. Thankfully, it does not appear to be as serious as it first looked, and Nate won’t require much rehab work before he can ramp up his summer training. This year, you and Nate are going to spend most the summer in Denver, before heading up to Halifax for the last month before training camp, You’re excited, as it will be the first time you get to spend an extended amount of time in Nate’s hometown.

More importantly, or more relevantly, Nate’s also been cleared for… physical contact. You haven’t touched him, like that, since before Game 7, and both of you are a little on the edge. Nate called you as soon as he got the news, and you’ve got big plans for tonight. He still has to be cautious about overworking his shoulder, so you figure the best way to make sure that he’s being careful is to ride him.

Nate’s a big fan of you riding him, always talking about how hot you look on top of him, tits bouncing, taking your pleasure from him. It gets to you in a way not much else does, and you know you’re in for the ride of your life tonight. You already feel primed to go off quickly and easily, and nothing gets Nate as hot as you having multiple orgasms, so you know it’ll be a good night for both of you.

There’s still a couple hours before Nate will be home, as he has stuff to wrap up at the rink, and then he’s meeting up with Colin and Tyson for drinks before Tyson leaves Denver for most of the summer. That means you have time to pamper yourself, and get dinner ready. You don’t get to cook much during the season, at least not as complicated as you can, due to Nate’s schedule (and meal plan). It’s an activity that relaxes you, and makes you happy, so you’re excited to get everything ready for tonight.

First, however, you’re gonna take a nice long bath, and get yourself ready to have some great sex tonight. Nate may not care if you’re perfectly shaved, or smelling perfectly like roses or whatever, but sometimes it’s nice to go through a intricate routine, shaving your body, rubbing in the sweet-smelling lotion Nate brought back from a roadtrip through California earlier in the season.

This afternoon, you even get a little fancier than you normally would, using a bath bomb and a bubble bar, creating a warm, luxurious bath that you feel like you can spend hours in. In the end, you soak for about half an hour, before you begin the shaving process, starting with your legs, and ending with your pussy. While there’s nothing sexy about the act of shaving, the reminder of why you’re doing it certainly is sexy, and as you’re carefully shaving yourself, you can feel yourself growing damp between your legs,

You finish shaving and begin eyeing the removable shower head, thinking about getting off. It’s a hot idea, and you know it’s one of your favorite ways to get off. You step out of the tub, and head to the counter to grab your phone, before taking a picture of the showerhead to send to Nate.

You: Guess what I’m about to do? ;)

Nate: Have fun sweetheart, and be good. I’ll be home in a couple hours. Hope you’re ready for a few more orgasms by then.

You: Love you, and I’ll be thinking of you ;)

Nate: I would hope so, babe.

Heading back to the tub, you sit on the little bench ledge, before turning on the showerhead and adjusting it to your preferences. You play with yourself a little bit, running your fingers through your slit, feeling your slick spread around. When you can’t take it any longer you aim the water at your clit, and gasp as you feel it pulse as the water runs over it.

It’s not going to take much, and your toes are already beginning to tingle. You clench down on nothing and it sends a spark up your spine. You begin panting, and moving around, trying to find the perfect spot for the pressure of the water. Finally you find it, and quickly you feel your orgasm approaching, “oh, oh, oh!” and just like that it’s hitting you. You try to keep the water on your clit to prolong your climax, but you begin to move around, with the strength of your climax, and you can’t control it anymore. You drop the showerhead, and let yourself fall back against the wall, breathing hard, and feeling oh so good.

Taking a moment to recover, before getting up on shaky legs, you once again move back over to the counter and pick up your phone, You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror as you do so, and see your flushed face, and decide to send Nate a selfie, knowing that he will recognize that post-orgasm glow you have going on.

You: [picture] had a lot of fun, babe, see you soon. ;)

You know Nate’s probably with the boys by now, and that he won’t open any pictures you send him if he’s not alone after the incident with Josty earlier this season. Josty still turns bright pink when he sees you, and it’s sweet, but Nate would rather avoid that happening again.

It’s almost time for you to start dinner, as you know the prep will take longer than the actual cooking itself. Tonight you’re planning on chicken and asparagus, cooked in a garlicky cream and white wine sauce. You even have time to make mashed potatoes, a favorite of Nate’s, and you know it’s going to be a success.

------

“I’m home baby! Where are you?” you hear Nate’s voice coming from the front door.

“I’m in the kitchen! Dinner is almost ready, if you wanna set the table?”

“Sounds good, thanks for cooking tonight,” Nate says, coming into the kitchen. He gathers up silverware and napkins to take to the table just off the kitchen. You guys don’t normally eat there, but tonight you’re going all out.

“Wanna pick out some wine for dinner? That’s all I have left, I’m plating up the food now.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right back,” Nate heads to the wine fridge in the lounge to grab a bottle. You take the plates to the table, setting them down before heading back for wine glasses.

“Looks great,” says Nate coming back into the room with the wine and a bottle opener. He kisses you on the cheek before opening the bottle. You sit while he pours the wine out.

“How are Colin and Tyson?” you ask, and then you take a sip of the wine. It’s perfect, and you don’t know how Nate got so good at wine, but you’re happy to reap the benefits.

“They’re both good. Colin’s starting contract talks next week, and hopefully he’ll be able to stay. Tys is set to go back to Canada, and we made plans for him to come to Halifax while we’re there,” Nate says, and you smile.

“Nice, hope we get to see him, I’ll miss him this summer,” you say. You dig into the food, and you’re pleased with the result. Everything seems to be cooked perfectly, and Nate also looks be enjoying his food. Nate nods, and the two of you finish dinner in peaceful quiet.

------

“That was fantastic babe, thanks again,” says Nate, standing. He picks up your empty plate, and then his, taking them to the sink. “I’ll do the dishes since you cooked. Want to pick out a movie and grab another bottle of wine?”

“Sure, do you want white again, or do you want to change to a red?” you ask.

“Maybe red? Whatever stands out to you though, I don’t really care,” he says, starting to load the dishes into the dishwasher. You grab two new wine glasses before heading to the wine fridge and grabbing a bottle of white that you both like, taking it to the den.

You open the bottle with little difficulty, thankfully, before pouring out two glasses. You take a sip, and it’s delicious. Thinking about what you want to watch, or rather start to watch before you’ll probably jump Nate, you turn on the tv before navigating to Netflix. You find a comedy that you both like, but that Nate won’t mind missing once you make your move.

Nate enters the room and sits down next to you, pulling you in. You hand him his glass of wine and take a sip of yours. The beginning credits finish up, and the movie begins. You let it play for while, before you start to consider Nate. How do you want to do this? You could just kind of flop on him, or you could tease him a little, work him up. The second option sounds like fun, so you put your hand on his knee, and let it rest there for a few minutes. You rub your thumb on his leg in circles, just soothing him. Then, you begin to inch your hand up his thigh, slowly but surely. You stop before you get to where you know his cock is lying.

A little bit more time passes, and you continue rubbing circles on his leg. You can feel his muscles moving beneath your hands. His strength is such a turn-on, you know exactly how powerful his thighs are. Finally, you move your hand up to where you can feel the tip of his dick, and stroke it over his pants.

“Baby, you know what you’re doing to me?” Nate asks, and whoa, his voice is already deep and a little scratchy. He’s already turned on, and that fills you with a sense of satisfaction. This gorgeous, strong, wonderful man is just as weak for you and you are for him.

You remain quiet, and continue stroking him. He groans, and it’s this deep, very sexy noise that sends a shiver down your spine. You can feel him becoming harder underneath your fingertips. You’re getting close to your breaking point as well. You want him naked and you want him in you.

“Let’s go to bed baby,” Nate says, and you give him one last squeeze before standing up. You extend your hand to him, and he stands up as well. The tension between the two of you is simmering, growing stronger with each step you take towards the bedroom. Once you get inside you gently push Nate down to sit on the bed and step back, just out his reach. You step out of the dress you are wearing, displaying the matching bra and panties set you’re wearing, one that you and Nate picked out together.

“You’re killing me sweetheart,” Nate groans, reaching for you. You dance out of his reach again, before reaching behind you to unclasp your bra. Your tits bounce a little as you let them down, and you can see Nate’s eyes focus on them. You grab each breast with your hands, rubbing your nipples, tugging at them. It sends sparks of pleasure to your clit.

“Undress baby, I wanna suck your dick,” you say to Nate, continuing to play with your tits. Nate stands and looks like he’s about to whip off his t-shirt, but remembers his shoulder and gently begins to take it off. His pants come off quicker, and his boxers go with them. He’s naked and waiting for your mouth quickly. “Sit down, up against the headboard,” you say, watching as Nate obeys.

You crawl up the bed to him, nosing your way up his legs. When you’re face to face with his dick, you begin to gently suckle at the head, in a way you know drives Nate crazy. He groans and buries a hand in your hair. You take him a little further into your mouth, maintaining suction around his cock. It’s so hot, and you love sucking him, the weight on your tongue, taste in your mouth, and feel of power as Nate’s whole world narrows down to your mouth.

Continuing to mouth at his dick, you bring a hand up to play with his balls. You can feel him getting close, so you pull back, wanting to get his cock in you before he comes. You sit up and you look at Nate, and he’s pouting. You giggle, before leaning in to kiss him quickly.

“I want you in me, Nate, lemme ride you,” you whisper. You move back so he can lay all the way down, before climbing back on top of him.

“C’mere baby,” Nate says, and you lean over him, “let me kiss you a little more.” You make out for a little longer before you absolutely need to get him inside of you. You pull back once more, and shift down a little, until you’re almost on top of his dick. You reach behind your back, and grasp his cock, before rubbing him against your slit. You can feel how wet you are, getting your slick all over his dick.

You finally sink back onto his dick, slowly, and both of you let out moans. You keep going until you’re flat on his torso, feeling him deep within you. He’s not extremely thick, but he’s long, and he fills you up just right.

“Baby you feel so good, you so good for me,” Nate moans, bringing a hand up to hold onto your waist. He rubs his thumb along your side, and it tickles, just a little. You start to move, up and down, slowly, giving your thighs a good work out. You’re already so close, and you know Nate is, after you sucked half his brain out just a few minutes ago.

“Nate, Nate, please touch me, please babe,” you beg, grabbing his hand and moving it from your waist to your clit. Nate begins moving his fingers in just the right way as you move up and down. It’s a little hard, but eventually you both begin to move in sync.

“Oh baby, you’re so good, you’re so good, you’re so tight around me,” Nate pants, thrusting up to meet you just a little.

“Babe, you gotta stay still, you gotta take care of your shoulder,” you say, slowing down.

“Okay, okay, just please keep moving.” You speed up again, and clench down as him as you move. Nate lets out a deep moan, “I’m so close baby.”

“Come on Nate, come on baby, come in me, I know you want to,” you say, knocking his hand out of the way, bouncing up and down, working your clit yourself. This sends Nate over the edge, and you swear you can feel his hot come inside of you, his cock pulsing as he comes deep inside. The feeling is just about enough to make you come, but you need just a little bit more. You keep playing with your clit, clenching down on Nate’s dick inside of you.

“Come on, baby, come for me,” Nate gasps out, and that’s it, your climax hits you hard. You clench on him again as you come, panting, on his dick. You feel his fingers come back up to rub at your clit, and you shudder as you come down from your orgasm. You slump down over him, breathing deeply, with his cock still inside of you.

“Oh baby, that was so good, thank you,” Nate says, still a little breathless. He brings his hand to your back to rub gently over you. You breathe out, trying to catch your breath. You feel so good, and you know that Nate does too. “Hey baby, you wanna sit on my face?”

You whimper, but nod, and move to gently pull of his dick. It reminds you that Nate’s come in still inside of you, and that Nate’s about to lick himself out of you. You move up his body carefully, in order to watch out for his shoulder. You carefully get into position, realizing that it will be better for his shoulder if you turn around, and lower yourself onto his face, facing down to the foot of the bed.

The first touch of his mouth to your sensitive entrance rips a moan out of you. It feels unbelievably good, with just a hint of overstimulation. Nate laps at your entrance for a little, and you know that he’s tasting himself, mixed with your slick, and that also makes you moan. It’s so hot when Nate licks you out after coming inside of you.

Nate begins to nose his way up to your clit, and you’re so so sensitive, it’s not going to take much else. He begins running his tongue over your clit slowly, and you can feel your orgasm building deep within you. All of a sudden Nate sucks at your clit, and that sends a bolt down your spine.

“Oh, Nate, Nate, do that again, baby please,” you beg, and Nate complies. He suckles at your clit and it feels so so good. Nate brings a hand up behind you, and lightly sinks a finger into your entrance, and that’s it, that’s what you needed. Your second climax of the night hits you hard. Nate continues to lick at you, pulling his finger out so he can get his tongue in you.

Once you’ve come down, you slump forward onto Nate, ending up with your face next to his dick. You give it a little kiss, before sitting up again, gently turning around so you can curl up under Nate’s good arm.

“Thanks sweetheart, that was fantastic,” Nate says, rubbing your back. You stretch a little, so you can kiss him. You can taste yourself, and that’s beyond hot, but both of you are exhausted, and you know that you’re ready for bed.

“Right back at you baby,” you say. You sit up, so you can pull Nate up with you. “Let’s go get cleaned up so we can go to bed.” The two of you make your way into the bathroom. You stand at the sink, brushing your teeth, and you knock your hip into Nate’s, smiling at each other in the mirror. Nate finishes up, and heads back into bed as you wash your face. You go to the bathroom quickly, before washing your hands and head back to snuggle with Nate.

“Baby, I’m so proud of you, this season, and always. You did everything you could, and I love you so, so much,” you say, pressing a kiss to his chest.

“Love you too, sweetheart. Thanks for all of your support, I just wish we could have pulled it off,” he says, rubbing you back.

“I know baby, next year.”

The two of you snuggle in together, settling down for the night. You love this man so much, and you know he’ll get there, someday soon.

#nathan mackinnon #nathan mackinnon smut #nate mackinnon #nate mackinnon smut #nhl smut #nhl imagines #mine

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your-dietician · 4 years ago

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The NBA Play-in: The moments the young Memphis Grizzlies grew up

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nba/the-nba-play-in-the-moments-the-young-memphis-grizzlies-grew-up/

The NBA Play-in: The moments the young Memphis Grizzlies grew up

The play-in games were a resounding success for the National Basketball Association. Obviously, single elimination games have this fascinating mystique around them. With it added into the NBA, and with fans entering the arenas again, it made these situations that much sweeter.

The play-in games were a resounding success for the Memphis Grizzlies as well. They had great tests in both games against teams with riches of playoff experience compared to this young squad. San Antonio had Gregg Popovich — arguably the most successful NBA coach of the 21st century — and a good blend of battle-tested veterans (DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Patty Mills, to name a few). After a strong win there, they had to enter the Chase Center to battle Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and the rest of the Warriors on the road.

It was no small task ahead, but the Memphis Grizzlies prevailed and grew immensely from it.

Now after a month since the play-in tournament was played, let’s take a look at the different themes from these two games that illustrated growth for the Grizzlies.

In both play-in games, the Memphis Grizzlies got off to such strong starts. It wasn’t uncharacteristic for them to do so, as they were 11th in first-quarter net rating (+2.6) and 5th in first-period defensive rating (108). Granted, rating rankings have a slim separation statistically. Nonetheless though, it suggests they’re a pretty good first quarter team.

However, for most young teams those first 12 minutes of playoff-intensity games can be nerve racking and could start slow starts. The Grizzlies’ strong starts demonstrated great poise for a young team, as they outscored their two opponents 68-48 in those minutes. They also amassed incredible runs in those stretches as well — including a 19-2 run against the Spurs, and a 14-3 one against the Warriors.

Starting with the home game, the Grizzlies utilized the meaning of home-court advantage — a beauty that we actually got to experience in this COVID-ravaged season.

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Ja Morant pulled the offense out of the 4-on-4 fast break. Jonas Valanciunas runs the floor since DeMar DeRozan oddly enough didn’t already beat him down the floor. Since Jakob Poetl — the primary rim protector — was playing the potential screen from Jaren Jackson Jr., there was an opening for Valanciunas to rumble down the lane for a thunderous jam. That’s always something that’ll get the crowd going.

Then, there was the resounding fast-break jam from Dillon Brooks that was probably the staple of the Grizzlies 1st-quarter run.

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It was the classic “turning defense into offense” — a sweet way to get the momentum rolling on your end and away from the opposition. Brooks corrals the steal, audaciously looks off Morant, and throws down a vicious tomahawk slam right over Dejounte Murray.

In that same quarter, we saw the flashes from Jaren Jackson Jr. that make him such a tantalizing offensive prospect.

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This sequence illustrates the duo potential of Morant and Jackson. Morant is going to garner attention off of the drive, like most good finishers. Poetl tags Morant, while Lonnie Walker — his original man — goes over to help. Since Keldon Johnson has to play help to prevent the Valanciunas bucket, Jackson relocates to a window Ja could whip a pass through for the in-rhythm 3.

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This recognition from Jackson was ridiculous. He curls so far out that he’s not even in the frame here. It has to be 30 feet out! Johnson is caught ball-watching here, while probably waiting for Anderson to make the pass over to Valanciunas in order to make a deflection.

Though that 1st quarter lead vanished and didn’t seem as impactful in the process, it helped the Grizzlies establish a tone to energize the crowd, while also get its other franchise cornerstone going early.

The Grizzlies continued their excellent 1st quarter starts on the road against Golden State. That one was extremely imperative, as road games against the Warriors can still be dangerous for slumps. They possess the greatest scorer of all time in Steph Curry, and it seems like an avalanche whenever he’s humming.

However, the Grizzlies did an excellent job staying composed, setting the tone, and establishing an aggressive mindset. When it comes to those 3 things, this play pops to mind:

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Dillon Brooks sent a message here that the Grizzlies were going to swarm defensively, and they were going to win every 50-50 ball. Again, turning defense into offense is a great way to find your footing early in high-stakes games.

With that in mind, this is probably the sequence most Grizzlies fans would appreciate the most:

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Limited sample size, but Jaren Jackson Jr. nearly doubled his offensive rebound percentage from last season to this one (3.6 to 6.9). Though caught near the perimeter, Jackson chases the long rebound — probably gets away with a little bit of an “over the back” call — and gets reward with a trip to the line following an aggressive take to the basket.

Moving over to the offensive end, Ja Morant got going from deep en route to a career night from downtown.

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Curry or Kevon Looney did not pay a single bit of respect to Morant on this jumper. Curry decided to go under the Valanciunas screen, while Looney stayed in drop coverage to play the roll. It allowed Morant to step into a 3 in rhythm to knock down his 2nd triple of the game, instilling more confidence in his outside game.

Young squads could get rattled early in playoff situations, especially when it’s unfamiliar to them. We even saw it a bit from the Grizzlies in the Utah series. Their composure and poise in the play-in games demonstrated maturity and growth from the young Memphis team.

Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

How the Grizzlies defended their opponent’s go-to scorer was one of the defining moments of the play-in games.

It served as the prelude to Dillon Brooks’ 2021 postseason breakout. He was tasked with defending DeRozan and Curry, and he lived up to his role as “defensive stopper.” He held DeRozan to 2-10 shooting as the primary defender, and Curry was 5-12 against him as well. The Curry numbers may not be as glorious as his other strong matchup data points (see: Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard or Luka Doncic), but he made it difficult for him to get shots off with a vigorous face-guard.

He surely does get more individual praise for his defensive performance against DeRozan, and rightfully so. He forced him into tough, uncomfortable shot attempts, while not falling for too many fakes.

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While Brooks is fighting through the screen here, Valanciunas hedges the screen a bit until Brooks is over the Poetl pick. Once he’s free, he flies into DeRozan’s shot to force him into a rough miss.

There was another good hedge moment here between Valanciunas and Brooks late in the game. Off the high screen, Valanciunas does a great job of moving his feet until Brooks could recover. As the big man returns to drop coverage, DeRozan is forced into a tough sideline floater with a defender flying through to contest the shot.

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Brooks’ physicality remained a strong trait in another resumé-building performance as a defensive stopper — the good (tough contests like this), and the bad (5 fouls).

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This defensive epitomizes Brooks’ performance on DeRozan. Here, he bodies up DeRozan just enough to bother him, but not too much to create the foul call. Once he gets to that step-back, Brooks makes sure to get in a spot where he’s in his airspace without being completely in his landing spot — which would’ve given him a foul.

It wasn’t just Brooks tasked with stopping DeRozan. The Grizzlies put together an awesome scheme centered to stop him, leading to an uncharacteristic 5-21 night for the veteran star. It really ended with Jonas Valanciunas here. He’s often criticized on that end for his inability to guard out on the perimeter, but he was able to use drop coverage to a strength more against the mid-range maestro.

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This sequence triggered evergreen memories of my basketball coach growing up screaming at our team to cut off the baseline. Jonas Valanciunas demonstrates one of the potential pluses in doing so. He has to hedge off the Dieng screen before Desmond Bane could recover. In the process, he forces DeRozan baseline which sends him to “no man’s land” and generates a turnover.

Again, Valanciunas showcases fantastic verticality here:

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He helps off the DeRozan drive, and he maintains good rim protection instincts. He stays in control as the driver decelerates looking for contact, and he goes up with textbook verticality to swat the shot.

Switching over to Steph Curry, it was a bit of the opposite. Instead of a tough shooting night (still 13-28), the Grizzlies did a great job of blitzing him, forcing the Warriors into making quick decisions, and putting the supporting cast in positions to make plays without its star. Curry finished with 7 turnovers, the 6th time this season turning the ball over 7 or more times.

Before getting into Curry’s parade of turnovers, I want to showcase the defensive versatility of Jaren Jackson Jr.:

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Jackson switches onto Curry off the screen and stays with him the entire drive. He forced him into the paint, where Xavier Tillman was ready to help. Both big men went straight up to swallow Curry’s shot and send it out of bounds to a Grizzlies’ possession.

Carrying on.

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Ja Morant does a great job of stepping up into the switch, and Brooks tags the roller well too. Kent Bazemore is not the roller Curry is used to — story of the 2020-21 Warriors, right. Curry instinctually slips the short-roll pass to…nobody…leading to a turnover.

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Xavier Tillman takes on the switch here and is really good at staying attached to his hip and in a spot where he could strongly contest the shot. The Grizzlies add extra pressure with Brooks stunting and Morant providing help. Curry is then forced to a mid-air decision, and the closest person near him is Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Morant is there for the steal.

The Grizzlies continued to swarm Curry and force him into quick, mid-air decisions that are either going to result in a wild shot, pass, or a travel.

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Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson — the team’s two best perimeter defenders — blitz Curry out of the dribble hand-off. What is Anderson’s alternative? A Draymond Green 3? Though he splits between the two defenders momentarily, Anderson recovers to offer a strong enough contest — coupled with Valanciunas’ presence as well — to get him to pass cross-court out of his shot.

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This play could’ve gone badly. Brooks probably should’ve played Andrew Wiggins’ roll, while Grayson Allen should’ve returned over to Steph Curry. Ja Morant saved the day here defensively though. Curry sees a sliver to whip a pass to Wiggins — and it’s a smart call, because an easy 2 for an athletic 6’9” wing is good offense. He was a bit too loose with the pass, and that — along with the pressure off Ja’s help defense — forces Wiggins to bobble the ball and turn it over.

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In one of the largest possessions of the game, the Grizzlies come up with a massive turnover off of great defensive tactics. Tillman hedges the screen and forces him to the sideline, while Brooks recovers. It leaves Curry in a rough spot.

Let’s marvel at the defensive placement here:

Grizz defense -> curry turnover

Tillman and Brooks are trapping. Morant is in the corner, taking away further drives or a pass to the corner. Anderson is playing the roller and taking anything away in the middle. Grayson Allen is playing a free safety role — ready for anything baseline or crosscourt. It leads to an errant, crosscourt pass that goes over Green’s head for the turnover.

This was just a wonderful display of defensive strategy that forced their opponent into tough decisions the whole night.

Defending veteran stars like Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan helped the Grizzlies grow in multiple ways. It illustrated the importance of locking in to create turnovers and to help your teammate tasked with stopping that player. It helped Dillon Brooks grow as a primary stopper in playoff situations. It was also a growing opportunity for Taylor Jenkins to learn, adjust, and get crafty with defensive schemes.

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

The biggest area of growth for the Memphis Grizzlies during the play-in games was in late-game execution. It was definitely a nervous spot, as the Grizzlies had close games with playoff contenders over the course of the season, and lack of experience typically led to losses. Those regular-season moments served as learning opportunities to set them up for success when it mattered most.

The late-game execution, for the most part, was really good — aside from that non-challenge on the Jordan Poole 3 that would’ve sent all areas of Memphis Grizzlies coverage into a frenzy if they lost.

One thing we learned in these moments is, it always pays to have floor spacing around Ja Morant. He’s the driving force of the offense, and one that savors the opportunity to make big moments. If you give him space to operate, he will do so. Others, too, have the chance to shine and contribute whenever the defense collapses on Morant.

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In both plays, there are at least 3-4 defenders that are geared towards what Morant is doing at the rim. Rightfully so. Morant’s vision and poise are assets here, as he’ll dish out passes you don’t think he’ll make. In both dimes, he rises up and contorts his body in a way to sling a pass over to the lone corner man for an easy 3.

Something else to highlight with this young team is the amount of winning plays made late in the game from the role players. Xavier Tillman and Grayson Allen both made an impact down the stretch, whether it was big 3’s or hustle plays. One I want to particular point out is this put-back from Desmond Bane.

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Bane tracks the ball as soon as it leaves Morant’s hands, leading to an easy put-back. No groundbreaking analysis with basketball terminology there. However, it was a momentum-swinger that ultimately changed the trajectory of the game. With that put-back, the game goes from becoming a 2-possession game to 3. When there are only 90 seconds left, that’s massive.

Another cool aspect from the Warriors game, especially in crunch-time, was the Grizzlies’ willingness to let the other guys beat them. They were not going to let Curry be the one that put the dagger in. That was evident with hilariously bad missed bunnies from both Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. They were going to make this supporting cast create for themselves and win them the game.

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Both Brooks and Anderson played the dribble handoff extremely well, preventing any sort of look for Curry. Green is forced to turn to Poole, who dribbles it off his foot in a massive possession. Against top-heavy teams, there are two cases defensively: 1) let the star cook and worry about the other guys, or 2) stop the star and let the supporting cast beat you. Though Curry toughly got off his shots, the Grizzlies did an excellent job of forcing the ball out of his hands when it mattered most.

All of these particular executions wouldn’t be possible without a pure go-to closer. Every team has them. There are stars who face the moments head-on and live with either rising or falling in the process. Ja Morant got his first crack at the clutch, go-to moment on the road in a playoff environment.

It’s safe to say he rose above the moment.

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Ja Morant got the switch he wanted, credit to the screeners for helping him do so. He was in a spot where he could hit the move that’s most comfortable for him: that hesi-dribble into the drive towards the left, then the right-handed floater. It’s absolutely money.

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With a chance to ice the game, Morant didn’t falter under pressure. He sizes up Toscano-Anderson and gets back to that sweet spot where he wants his floater. Off to Cancun the Warriors go.

Yes, there were some inexperienced blunders. However, it didn’t break the Grizzlies this time. The Memphis Grizzlies grew from regular-season heartbreak to execute in the clutch when it mattered most. Role players saw the dividends from making the simple play. Coach Jenkins found the right combinations to ensure good half-court offense, while coming up with great defensive schemes. Then, its franchise point guard Ja Morant had his first moment to be a go-to scorer down the stretch in a playoff atmosphere.

These clutch moments are what expedites the growth process for a young team.

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

All season long, Taylor Jenkins preached the importance of growth opportunities. Whether it was a losing in the clutch to a contender, dropping a game against an inferior opponent, or a big-time win over a bonafide playoff team — the vision of sustainable success was preached repeatedly throughout the year.

Those close losses to Milwaukee and Denver back in March prepared them to perform in the clutch in a “do or die” situation.

Dillon Brooks’ battles against the league’s elite prepared him to do so in games where the best players are expected to unload the clip.

All season, the players and coaches preached locking in for all 48 minutes, and that was backed up with strong 4th quarter play and staying active with the defensive gameplay.

For a season full of growth opportunities, the play-in tournament was a growing experience you cannot beat. The young Memphis Grizzlies grew up a lot in those two games — as well as the Utah series — and they’re more ready for whatever lies ahead.

For more Grizzlies talk, subscribe to the Grizzly Bear Blues podcast network on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and IHeart. Follow Grizzly Bear Blues on Twitter and Instagram.

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junker-town · 4 years ago

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The NFL’s top contenders for the Super Bowl, ranked

Let’s rank every team left standing in the 2021 NFL playoffs.

The dust has settled on the opening weekend of action in the NFL playoffs with eight teams remaining in the hunt to make the trip to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. Four games will take place next weekend to determine who faces off in each conference championship game.

Super Wild Card weekend was headlined by the Cleveland Browns’ upset win over the Steelers. Their prize for winning? A date with the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, who are trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls. In the NFC, the No. 1 seed Green Bay Packers will face a Los Angeles Rams team that advanced out of the opening weekend despite suffering several injuries to key players. Elsewhere, we have a pair of intriguing quarterback matchups featuring the future of the position (Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen) and two of its all-time greats (Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady).

Who looks best positioned to hoist the Lombardi Trophy of the teams that are left? Here is the rest of the playoff field, ranked.

8. Cleveland Browns

The Browns’ first playoff appearance in 18 years came as head coach Kevin Stefanski and several key players (including All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio) were out because of Covid protocol. As if that weren’t enough, Cleveland was facing its long-time rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road, where they haven’t won since 2003. Just when it felt like the Browns were still cursed even after finally making the playoffs, Cleveland responded with a thrilling 48-37 win that pushes them into the Divisional Round.

Cleveland scored a defensive touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage. Baker Mayfield threw for 263 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Nick Chubb added 76 yards on the ground, while fellow running back Kareem Hunt got into the end zone twice. The Browns are going to have their work cut out for them against the top-seeded Chiefs next week, but the win over the Steelers was the type that should be celebrated by the fanbase for years to come.

7. Los Angeles Rams

Though offense has been the Rams’ calling card for much of Sean McVay’s tenure thus far, defense was their biggest strength in 2020, and that continued in their 30-20 playoff win over the Seahawks in Seattle. The Rams made Russell Wilson look awful as he completed just 11-of-27 passes for 174 yards with a pick and two scores while taking five sacks.

The offense got an unexpected spark when Jared Goff came off the bench in relief of John Wolford, who left the game after a big hit from Jamal Adams. Goff managed the game well while throwing for 155 yards and a score as he’s recovering from thumb surgery, but the Rams will need more from him to make a deep playoff run.

The real story on offense was rookie running back Cam Akers, who torched Seattle for 131 yards and a score on 28 carries while grabbing two passes for 45 yards. After battling for touches in the regular season, Akers has left no doubt he’s the best back for this offense moving forward.

Unfortunately, the Rams lost Aaron Donald (ribs) and Cooper Kupp (contusion) to injuries, and their status for the Divisional Round is in doubt. If the Rams are to beat the Green Bay Packers and make a deep playoff run, they need both of those guys in the lineup, especially Donald, a strong candidate for NFL Defensive Player the Year.

6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Despite entering the game as 10-point favorites, the Buccaneers were pushed to the limit by the Taylor Heinicke-led Washington Football Team before holding on for a 31-23 win. Tampa’s top-10 defense struggled to stop Washington’s journeyman passer, but Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does in the playoffs, throwing for 381 yards and two scores to win his first playoff game as a Buc while his former Patriots teammates and coaches sit at home for the postseason.

The offense looks primed for a big postseason, but the defense must play better to continue the playoff march. Next up for the Bucs is a Divisional Round showdown with the New Orleans Saints. In a meeting between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Brady needs to show he’s the one with more left in the tank. If Tampa can match the 500+ yards of total offense they put up against Washington, they should have a good chance to continue their dream of playing in the Super Bowl on their home field.

5. New Orleans Saints

The Saints beat the Chicago Bears, 21-9, in the opening round in a game that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate. Chicago scored only a garbage time touchdown, and was held to just 239 yards of total offense. New Orleans is about to face a much stiffer test against Tom Brady and a Tampa Bay offense that put up more than 500 total yards against Washington in their own playoff opener.

If the Saints want to extend their playoff run, Brees will need to show he’s not just a shadow of his former self. Brees threw for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks against the Bears, but it’s clear he doesn’t get nearly as much velocity on his throws as he used to. Star running back Alvin Kamara may be asked to do the heavy lifting. He ran for 99 yards against a good Bears defense, but he’s capable of doing more in the passing game. Brady vs. Brees might feel like an all-time matchup based on their history, but it’s more likely the game will be decided by the other players on the field.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson has his first playoff win, and it came in impressive fashion as he exercised the demons of last year’s playoff loss to the Titans with 136 rushing yards and a score while throwing for 179 more in the Ravens’ 20-13 win in Tennessee.

The Ravens also snapped a streak of 21 straight losses in the regular season and playoffs when trailing by 10+ points. After going down 10-0 early vs. the Titans, Baltimore ended the game on a 20-3 run, held Derrick Henry to a mere 40 rushing yards, and won the total yardage battle 401-209.

It was the type of complete performance that makes Jackson and the Ravens look like a legitimate Super Bowl threat, but things are only going to get tougher from here. Josh Allen and a tough Buffalo Bills defense are waiting next week in a matchup of two of the brightest young quarterbacks in the league. While Jackson will deservedly get most of the attention, he’ll need to get another sublime performance from his defense that just smothered the Titans.

3. Buffalo Bills

The Bills had gone 25 years without winning a playoff game entering the weekend. That streak is no more.

Buffalo came away with a 27-24 win Saturday over the Colts to advance to the Divisional Round. Josh Allen was once again the star of the show, as he threw for 324 yards and ran for 54 more while accounting for all three of Buffalo’s touchdowns. However, Buffalo’s defense left a lot to be desired, as they allowed the 39-year-old Philip Rivers, who may retire this offseason, to throw for 309 yards and two scores while finishing with a season-high 91.9 QBR. Buffalo’s defense will have to be better against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

One thing that should make Buffalo feel better is the performance of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. The Bills’ big offseason acquisition went off for 1,500 yards receiving during the regular season, and followed it up by catching six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown in his playoff debut for Buffalo. Allen will be looking his way early and often against a great Baltimore defense.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Packers will be well rested when they begin their playoff run in the Divisional Round. After finishing the regular season ranked ninth in total defense and fifth in total offense behind likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, the top-seeded Packers enter the playoffs as the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Green Bay now draws the Los Angeles Rams in their playoff opener. LA looked dominant defensively in their win against Seattle, but several injuries to key players means the Packers are likely to be a big favorite ahead of kickoff. The spotlight will be on Rodgers, as it always is. He’ll be looking for top target Davante Adams throughout the game. Adams popped off for 115 receptions, 1,374 yards, and 18 touchdowns during a breakout regular season performance. We’ll believe someone can stop the Rodgers-Adams connection when we see it.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

What more is there to say about the Kansas City Chiefs? Quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads a perpetually dangerous and explosive offense back into the postseason as the frontrunners to win it all and defend their championship crown.

The Chiefs are coming off of a 14-2 regular season with one of those losses coming with an asterisk next to it seeing as it came in a Week 17 game where Mahomes and several star players sat out to rest up for the playoffs. The loss to the Los Angeles Chargers snapped a 10-game winning streak, but this is still one of the league’s hottest teams entering the Divisional Round.

If there are any concerns about the Chiefs, it might be that they coasted through portions of the regular season and could get bitten by thinking they could turn it on or off at any given time. Still, this team is loaded and ready for another run at the Lombardi Trophy. It would be an absolute shock if Kansas City struggles with the Browns in their playoff opener. The AFC still goes through KC.

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jrsechelon · 5 years ago

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Battle For First - Week 10

Black Hole Son has built a winner by bringing in grizzled veterans such as Michael Thomas, Julien Edelman, and Cameron Jordan to fortify a roster that requires the veteran presence. The coaching staff is undergoing a youth movement that has led to some surprising success early in his second season back. An impressive rookie class led by running back Josh Jacobs has Black Hole Son 6/2/0 first place in the Noll division and the thick of the playoff race heading into Thursday night's home game against the other 6/2/0 teams, Yuba City Sultans.

"That is something we have been priding ourselves on since we came in," Jacobs said. "We knew we wanted to help change the culture and start a dynasty here. We all came in and made that agreement together."

That was on display in a big way Sunday when Black Hole Son beat Straight Edge Society behind several touchdowns from the rookie class. Jacobs ran for 120 yards and two scores, Jacobs has been the engine of Oakland's offense, which relies heavily on the run and play-action passes. He has at least 20 carries four times after doing it just once in his entire college career and has shown the knack for getting extra yards on almost any play.

Jacobs Leading The Way For Black Hole Son

He has two games already this season when he's carried the ball at least 25 times without once getting stopped behind the line, keeping Black Hole Son in manageable situations. No other back has done that twice in the last seven seasons. Jacobs has helped change the culture in Oakland in their last year in California, Black Hole Son is giving their fans something to cheer for. In a season that will bid farewell to Black Hole Son being in Oakland, there is no bigger mission on Derek Carr's mind than to bring this city their first Super Bowl Championship. Carr was asked why that was the case. His answer was simple, time.

“We’ve been given time. This league does not give quarterbacks enough time to develop. This organization has done that. It has given me time. It’s steady. We know who the coach is and who the quarterback is. We have been allowed to grow. This growth is huge in the aspect of our team as a whole, we have a real chance of giving this team the goodbye they deserve.”

Carr feels more comfortable with every rep, as was displayed Sunday and this coming Week 10 contest will be the biggest test yet.

Yuba City Sultans are not going to dominate many opponents this season. Usually, they don’t need to, not with Rodgers doing his thing with the offense but this season has shown us that this team can win with their defense and offense. This coming weekend they are going to need their team playing almost perfect in all phases of the ball. To outside observers, Aaron Rodgers and Yuba City Sultans are winning a different way this season under new head coach Matt LaFleur. Rodgers, now 35, has put together serviceable numbers through six games, throwing for 1,590 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. Those numbers are good, but they aren't what we've become accustomed to seeing from one of the most talented quarterbacks in EFL history. Carr and Black Hole Son will look to their balanced attack for success come Thursday.

It's Not Just Rodgers, It's The Defense Too.

While the Sultans defense looks a lot better from the prior era, they still are surrendering 124.5 yards per game on the ground and is giving up 4.9 yards per carry, which means Josh Jacobs should get the ball early and often as Black Hole Son looks to control the game against another difficult opponent.

"Rodgers is still working the snap count, you see him beat opponents with the hard count," LaFleur said Wednesday after practice. "He's magnificent scrambling, creating offense is uncommon. It's just unbelievable to watch. I love watching this guy. He's fun to watch, but for Black Hole Son, he's really not fun to watch when you got to play against him. He still has a very quick trigger, deadly accurate, a lot of overall athleticism and a great competitor. You saw it again the other night."

LaFluer and company believe that they have the advantage of going into this early Week 10 contests for the battle of the 1 Seed. Early projections have Yuba City Sultans defeating Black Hole Son by 6-points, while we look down the rosters we notice that Black Hole Son heavily is favorited in the running game with Zeke and Jacobs but against a stout defense, it may be hardpressed for this team to create any runs from the inside or the outside. Yuba City Sultans defense has been known for bringing the blitz 43.6% of the time on 2nd and 3rd downs which is the 2nd most in the entire league. For an offensive line that has found success creating holes for their running backs, this game is going to be won between the trenches. Although there is a ton of quality star power in every position, don't be surprised if the front four on both sides of the ball determine this game. There are many implications this game has for both teams. The winner will be the top seed, pulling away from the rest of the pack, the loser will still be in a good position for a top spot but to ensure you have the top spot and play the lowest seed come playoff times, this is the one that counts the most. The one match-up I'd say to watch for is Chris Godwin versus Ken Crawley - Crawley has been shaky at times and Godwin is beginning to put on the jets, I would not be surprised if this match up haunts Black Hole Son the majority of the game, Godwin is a big body with cheeta like speed, he can zip past defenders in an instant. Crawley is going to have to play a lot of press coverage to keep Godwin from breaking off massive gains. Both of these teams have had remarkable years so far and with five more weeks to go in the season this is really where it starts heating up. I cannot wait for this game to see which team emerges as the top dog.

Other notable Week 10 contests are the four division games.

Rainelo Hawks @ Buds Bums - Both teams are on a losing streak and are trying to find themselves fighting for the thick of a Wild Card spot. The decision for Rainelo Hawks to go back to Phili Rivers comes off of Minshews worst game of his early career. While Buds Bums will look to get some form of fire going with Jameis Winston as the woes for Wentz has continued to struggle deep into October and early into the first Sunday of November. At 2/7/0 it might be too late though, the best they can go is 7/7/0 and even a .500 record might be not good enough with how many 4/5/0 teams ahead of them. Rainelo Hawks are only a game back from being .500 giving them a chance to still maintain a realistic chance for a Wild Card spot.

Straight Edge Society @ HellbentKronik - Straight Edge Society is sitting at the bottom of the basement, but looking back at their games they've played you would see that they have kept competition pretty close all year, losing only by the smallest of margins Straight Edge Society has just been bitten with bad luck this year. HellbentKronik is coming off a very embarrassing loss. This week we will see these two divisional rivals attempt to battle for pride at this point. It isn't a season lost yet, but in reality the teams in front of these teams, it is a season lost regardless of what these coaches tell you. The best scenario, play spoiler and get those division wins to build toward 2020.

LilShupeScoresBIGPoints @ BroncosTillDeath - This is the first of five straight divisional games for LilShupeScoresBIGPoints who will end their season with nothing but division games from Week 10 to Week 14. LilShupeScoresBIGPoints sits one game out of the final Wild Card spot and with their last remaining games divisional games they can have a turn around from last in the Walsh to first if everything goes according to their plan. The first test will be BroncosTillDeath who lost last weekend and will have a hard time gathering the right player personnel to fill many voids this week. They have to do something in order to hold onto their playoff spot, what? I am not sure but this coaching staff and general manager are wise and have the knowledge to work around any obstacle. A heated division game in a contest that is a must-win for both teams. They'll see each other in a short turn around in Week 12 so these next several games are hugely important for these two Walsh rivals.

VanillaGorillas @ Hyrule Empire - After ripping off four straight wins, VanillaGorillas has stumbled a bit back to reality. They are having major issues at quarterback but with the return of Kareem Hunt, this week it might help reduce the pressure and stress on Trubisky or Mayfield. A tough division game this weekend against Hyrule Empire who has Russell Wilson running away with the league MVP after the performance he had last Sunday. VanillaGorillas is going to need to contain Wilson if they want to have a shot at getting a big underdog win. Hyrule Empire is only a game back from Balls Deep but it seems their lead is unreachable. Every team in the Shula division still has a shot to win the division, but it starts this week for VanillaGorillas knocking off Hyrule Empire a peg or two.

Reports are coming out from Dallas that Patrick Mahomes is practicing in full, this is a good sign for The Busy Killers who have been struggling since Mahomes went down. With a win last week that was much needed, The Busy Killers will be hosting Thunderbuddy4Life who like The Busy Killers are only one game away from pushing their record to .500. Not only is Mahomes looking like he may be making a comeback but Sterling Shepard too. As for Thunderbuddy4Life, their defense has been playing remarkably well throughout the year and keeping them right in contention for a postseason spot. This rivalry is always a fun one to watch although the head-to-head is pretty lopsided. Thunderbuddy4Life holds a 5/1/0 record all-time against The Busy Killers and if The Busy Killers want a chance to muster up the focus they need to right this ship after suffering through a four-game losing streak, they are going to need Mahomes back against this physical defense in San Fransisco.

The Canadian Cripplers have shut down Cam Newton for the year but luckily for them, they don't have to roll with Kyle Allen, Daniel Jones, or anyone else but Drew Brees. Brees was brought into this team to right the ship, due to the thumb injuries he hasn't been given the chance to do that. With five weeks remaining The Canadian Cripplers can try and correct their early-season woes and try and surprise the league ripping off wins in a schedule that only has two teams above .500 the rest of the way. This week is a big game for them if they want to try and get into the mix of the playoffs, it isn't out of the question with the schedule they have but they have to win out. The task at hand this week is against PURPLEHAZE who is steaming after another devastating loss last weekend. Holding a slim lead over Evolution in the Walsh division, PURPLEHAZE needs to win this game, a game they should have no problem winning. Then again, The Canadian Cripplers have a healthy Brees back with a roster that is playing better every week. Don't sleep on The Cripplers this weekend.

Balls Deep will be heading on their third straight road game, clear across the country to Miami. They will play Evolution who just took HellbentKronik behind the woodshed putting them out of their misery. Balls Deep has been playing good football and good football on the road. Their first match-up ever will help us see how well rounded Balls Deep is against the most winningest franchise in the league. Evolution is back after a three-week slide, coming off a big win in that fashion the players in Miami have to bee feeling good. Evolution however either blows their opponents out or loses tight games. If Balls Deep can keep the game close then they might be able to pull an upset over Evolution. This is a match-up of running backs. Whichever team can establish the run early and often will get the victory.

Week 10 has games that are uneven and some that are more even, the main thing to watch for is who is truly the top-dog in the EFL?

CLICK TO VOTE

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deskcoin64-blog · 5 years ago

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The Bear’s Den, November 29, 2019

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

Joniak’s Journal: Bears’ Chase Daniel Aims To Be ‘Perfectionist’ - 670 The Score - Chase Daniel could start at quarterback again this Sunday.

Emma: Numbers Suggest Bears’ Running Game Will Stay Grounded - 670 The Score - The Bears’ rushing attack has struggled even more with Kyle Long out.

Emma: Bears Safety Eddie Jackson Not Surprised By His Success - 670 The Score - ”I knew that I wanted to come here and dominate,” Eddie Jackson says.

4 Bears Lead At Their Positions In Pro Bowl Voting - 670 The Score - Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller and Tarik Cohen are on a Pro Bowl path.

Bernstein: Another Chance For Matt Nagy To Prove Himself - 670 The Score - The Bears’ game plan will have to evolve if Chase Daniel starts again.

Ellis: Mitch Trubisky limited in practice, but 'the arrow is up' on injury progress - NBC Sports Chicago - Mitch Trubisky was limited in practice Wednesday, but Bears coach Matt Nagy is still optimistic about the progress of the young quarterback's throwing shoulder.

Ellis: Eddie Jackson named NFC Defensive Player of the Week - NBC Sports Chicago - The safety's star continues to rise.

First and Final Thoughts: Talking ourselves into Chase Daniel again - NBC Sports Chicago - We're almost on to New Jersey York.

Mayer: Bears playing waiting game with Trubisky - ChicagoBears.com - Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis and remains day-to-day with a right shoulder injury in advance of Sunday’s road game against the Giants.

Mayer: Wednesday weigh-in: Bears prepping for Giants - ChicagoBears.com - Seeking their sixth straight victory, the Bears returned to the practice field Wednesday for the first time in a week to prepare for Sunday’s road game against the New York Giants.

Mayer: 9 questions to test your knowledge of Bears-Giants history - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears will visit the New York Giants Sunday. How much do you know about the two teams? Take this 9-question quiz to test your knowledge.

Chalk Talk: When was Bears’ last perfect November? - ChicagoBears.com - Senior writer Larry Mayer discusses the last time the Bears went undefeated in November, how close the Bears are to breaking their team record for defensive touchdowns in a season and how the Bears have fared after compiling an 8-3 record.

Medina: The Bears Are Feeling the Love with FOUR Leading Pro Bowl Vote-Getters - Bleacher Nation - Vote early, vote often because it's the Chicago way ... and the Bears have players worthy of your vote.

Medina: Jordan Howard Continues to Receive Reassurances That He'll Be Part of the Offense Moving Forward - Bleacher Nation - Jordan Howard is so excited to be part of a winning team, he has no complaints about his disappointing statistical season.

Wiedman: Bears must take giant step at MetLife Stadium - Our Turf Football OTFB's Wanda Wiedman talks about what the Bears have to do to ensure a victory over the Giants

Biggs: Mitch Trubisky limited in Wednesday's practice as tea leaves point to Chase Daniel starting against Giants - Chicago Tribune - Mitch Trubisky was limited in Wednesday's practice as the Bears quarterback continues to heal from a right shoulder injury. Don't make the mistake of thinking the team will rest Trubisky against the Giants because they're struggling. That said, they're comfortable with Chase Daniel at the helm.

Biggs Bears Q&A: Could a pay raise entice Vic Fangio to stay? What is the trade value of Jordan Howard? Is it time to sign Bryce Callahan? - Chicago Tribune - Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly. Lots of folks are wondering if the team can block Vic Fangio from leaving for a head coaching opportunity after the season. Is it time to sign CB Bryce Callahan? What's the trade value of Jordan Howard? Plus much more.

Campbell: Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky limited in Wednesday's practice, could miss Giants game - Chicago Tribune - Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is not expected to practice Wednesday, coach Matt Nagy said. It creates significant doubt about his availability for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Kane: Can the Bears beat the Giants on Sunday? Check the numbers - Chicago Tribune - Here’s a look at the Bears by the numbers as they prepare to play the Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Kane: Bears safety Eddie Jackson named NFC Defensive Player of the Week - Chicago Tribune - Bears safety Eddie Jackson was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Bears’ 23-16 victory over the Lions on Thursday.

Audio Mailbag: What Should the Bears' Next Touchdown Celebration Be? - Da Bears Brothers Podcast - Da Bears Brothers provide another round of in-depth analysis on questions submitted by the fans in their weekly Audio Mailbag episode.

Stankevitz: Three reasons why the Bears should beat the Giants with Chase Daniel (and not Mitch Trubisky) - NBC Sports Chicago - The Giants are 3-8 and have a particularly sub-optimal defense, meaning if Chase Daniel is the QB on Sunday, the Bears should still win.

Mullin: For Bears, 9-3 a magic 'number' for postseason but little after that - NBC Sports Chicago - A 9-3 record has been good to the Bears, and they can reach that mark with a win in New York on Sunday. Here's how they'll get there.

Cox: Akiem Hicks misses Bears practice Wednesday; Mitchell Trubisky limited - NBC Sports Chicago - The Bears are trying to get healthier during their “mini-bye week” but their Thursday game on Thanksgiving did a number on the injury report.

Under Center Podcast: Can the Bears win again with Chase Daniel? - NBC Sports Chicago - JJ Stankevitz, John “Moon” Mullin and Cam Ellis wonder if the Bears can beat the Giants without Mitchell Trubisky, and look at some encouraging trends that should help this team finish the 2018 regular season strong in the final five games

Householder: Chicago vs NY Giants Betting Picks & Analysis - Sports Bet Collective - The Bears travel to New York with their quarterback’s status up in the air again. Many sports books are holding off putting up a line on this game due to Mitchell Trubisky’s shoulder injury. It’s possible that the team holds him out one more week and roll with Chase Daniel. Daniel was effective and efficient but still lacked some of the downfield throws and scrambling ability of Trubisky.

Williams: Mitchell Trubisky officially limited in Wednesday’s practice – ProFootballTalk - Bears coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday morning he wasn't expecting Mitchell Trubisky to practice. As it turned out, the quarterback did something during practice. The team officially listed Trubisky as limited with a right shoulder injury.

Finley: Bears TE Adam Shaheen, OLB Aaron Lynch clear concussion protocol, practice - Chicago Sun-Times - The timing of the injury was particularly cruel for Shaheen, who had been activated from injured reserve the day before the game against the Vikings.

Jahns: Bears backup QB Chase Daniel getting first-team work - Sun Times - Bears backup quarterback Chase Daniel is preparing to start against the Giants.

Morrissey: The Bears should sit Mitch Trubisky against the Giants - Sun Times - It would be much better to have a healthy QB for the rest of the season than expose him to the possibility of discomfort, or worse, down the stretch.

Potash: Bears safety Eddie Jackson ’blessed’ to be in the right place at the right time - Sun Times - I wouldn’t want to be anywhere than here — with the type of teammates I’ve got. I feel like being on the same team with them makes me better.

Finley: Giants star Saquon Barkley is the Bears' toughest RB challenge to date - Sun Times - Barkley has lived up to the hype — from Bears safety Adrian Amos and those with bigger megaphones — since being drafted second overall.

Finley: Mitch Trubisky injury update: Bears QB remains out with right shoulder injury - Sun Times - The Bears don't expect quarterback Mitch Trubisky to practice later Wednesday, coach Matt Nagy said.

Finley: Bears S Eddie Jackson named NFC Defensive Player of the Week - Sun Times - It marked the third such award for the Bears in as many weeks

Telander: Bears must rein in Mitch Trubisky before he runs himself ragged - Sun Times - It’d be demoralizing to see Trubisky become just an old-school pocket passer. But it would be even worse to see him get badly hurt running.

Kane: Linebacker Aaron Lynch returns to Bears practice, ‘fresh’ and ‘hungry’ to test the Giants offensive line - Chicago Tribune - Bears outside linebacker Aaron Lynch spent his Thanksgiving at home with his family, watching the Bears beat the Lions on TV.

KNOW THY ENEMY

NFC North Rundown: Minnesota Vikings keep playoff hopes alive - Acme Packing Company - While Chicago began to pull away from the rest of the crowd for the divisional title, Minnesota kept its wild card chances alive with a win over the Packers.

Raiders 2019 NFL draft order after week 12: Acquired picks keep tumbling - Silver And Black Pride - The Raiders have not scored a touchdown in 9 quarters and have been outscored 75-9 over that time.

Former Lions coach explains why Detroit chose Eric Ebron over Aaron Donald in the 2014 NFL Draft - Pride Of Detroit - A behind-the-scenes look at what happened that fateful April evening.

Wednesday Walkthroughs: Who’s your coaching crush for the Packers? - Acme Packing Company - APC Writers share their picks for who should be the next head coach of the Packers. Ken's Note: We hear both Mark Trestman and Dave Wannstedt are available...

Cardinals offense has improved under new OC Byron Leftwich - Acme Packing Company - Seth Cox of SB Nation’s Arizona Cardinals blog Revenge of the Birds answers our questions about new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

Lions again practice in freezing temperatures before an indoor game – ProFootballTalk - Two weeks ago, Lions coach Matt Patricia took some criticism in the media for having his team practice outdoors on a cold day, even though the Lions were preparing to play a game at home, indoors.

Jay Gruden: “We’ll deal with the outcry” on Reuben Foster – ProFootballTalk - Washington knows it will be taking flak for claiming linebacker Reuben Foster on waivers. And the organization seems to be OK with that. "At the end of the day we decided to make the move, and we’ll deal with the outcry, so to speak," coach Jay Gruden told reporters on Wednesday.

Tom Brady is limited again with a knee injury – ProFootballTalk - For the second straight Wednedsay, Tom Brady didn't get a full practice in. The Patriots quarterback was limited with a knee injury. It matches his official status from last week's first official practice in advance of a win over the Jets.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

WhiskeyRanger: Eddie Jackson has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week - Windy City Gridiron - Is Eddie Jackson the best safety in football?

Wiltfong's Chicago Bears Sackwatch 2018: Week 12 vs. Detroit Lions - Windy City Gridiron - Just when the Sackwatch was trending into some rarefied territory, the Chicago Bears give up four sacks to the Detroit Lions. Not having Mitchel Trubisky definitely hurt the sack numbers, but I’m...

Sunderbruch: Sustaining Success - What Do The Bears Still Need Work On? - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears are playing meaningful football in December. That alone is worth celebrating. However, it’s also worth asking what the Bears still need to do in order to sustain their success.

Link's 2018 Chicago Bears Rush Report 2018: Week 12 at the Lions - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears defense was noticeably gassed in this game, and that was to be expected. Coming off a grueling 3-game stretch with games at home against the Lions, the Vikings, and then traveling to...

WhiskeyRanger: OSS - Eddie Jackson is Action Jackson! - Windy City Gridiron - It’s time for "Action"

Leming's Bears mailbag: Mitchell Trubisky’s status, playoff talk, Jordan Howard’s future and much more - Windy City Gridiron - The (8-3) Bears are rolling and optimism as the playoffs approach are high. See if your questions were answered in this week’s mailbag.

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - iTunes - Robert Zeglinski

THE RULES

Windy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. The following is not permitted in comments, FanPosts, usernames or anywhere else in an SB Nation community: Comments, FanPosts or usernames that are intolerant or prejudiced; racial or other offensive epithets; Personal attacks or threats on community members; Gendered insults of any kind; Trolling; Click link for full information.

The Bear’s Den Specific Guidelines – The Bear’s Den is a place for Chicago Bears fans to discuss Chicago Bears football, related NFL stories, and general football talk. It is NOT a place to discuss religion or politics or post political pictures or memes, and any posts that do this will be deleted and the poster will be admonished. We do not allow comments posted where the apparent attempt is to cause confrontation in the community. We do not allow gender-directed humor or sexual assault jokes. The staff of WCG are the sole arbiters of what constitutes “apparent attempt to cause confrontation”. We do not allow the “calling out” of other members in any way, shape or form. Posts that do this will be deleted on sight. Bottom line, it’s fine to debate about football, but personal jabs and insults are strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you keep beating the same dead horse over and over and fail to heed a moderator’s warning to stop, you will be banned.

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter:

WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Andrew Link; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2018/11/28/18117391/chicago-bears-2018-season-news-updates-analysis-game-twelve-new-york-giants-trubisky-daniel-lynch

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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flauntpage · 6 years ago

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Why The Raptors Are Such a Good Bet Against The Warriors

The NBA Finals are here and I’m excited. I mean, the Golden State Warriors? Talk about a fresh, compelling storyline. Truly riveting. And Drake? I can’t get enough of Drake. Just what will he do next? Top notch, high-level drama all the way around as we take a look at Warriors-Raptors odds and delve into our NBA Finals betting preview.

Yeah, I gave it a shot.

This year’s NBA Finals leaves a lot to be desired, particularly for Sixers fans still reeling from Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7 triple-clank buzzer-beater in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but persevere we must. So how do we inject a little energy into a series that feels like something between a tiresome Golden State squad that everybody thinks will win and the mundane Raptors? By betting on it, of course.

You probably know that it’s been all systems go for New Jersey legal sports betting, but just in time for this series is the initial testing phase of Pennsylvania legal sports betting! Check out our FAQ regarding SugarHouse Sportsbook’s three-day testing period right here.

With that, let’s take a look at all of the need-to-know information before the series gets started on Thursday night.

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Perhaps the prices will deviate at the different shops as the series progresses, but we’re seeing a relatively consistent market on series prices at this point.

At DraftKings Sportsbook, you can grab the Warriors at -286 and Raptors at +225. The prices are the same at SugarHouse Sportsbook. And over at PointsBet, you can get the Warriors at -285 and the Raptors at +230.

In case you’re wondering, those odds imply the Warriors have an approximate 74% chance to win the series.

Public money backing Warriors

No surprise here. The public money is on Golden State, but the price is driving a higher volume of bets on the underdog. Here’s the most recent breakdown at DraftKings:

And while the line has swayed from Warriors as a favorite to Raptors as a favorite, most of the action is on the Warriors at Caesars:

Warriors at Raptors (-1, 213.5): 75 percent of the bets, 71 percent of the money wagered on the point spread @CaesarsPalace books is on Golden State.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) May 30, 2019

The Raptors are a value play

That 74% figure above is pretty strong, and given the Warriors’ star power and championship pedigree, most experts believe Golden State will overcome the injury bug to get their three-peat.

Clearly, oddsmakers see it that way, too, but there are some reasons to pump the brakes on crowning the Warriors just yet.

Predictive models actually consider the series a coin flip:

FiveThirtyEight actually favors Toronto in this series, giving them a 54% chance to win.

ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Warriors a 52% chance of winning.

So again, coin flip.

Even if you don’t believe in predictive models and think the Warriors have a much greater chance of winning, there is clearly some value here in betting the underdog.

Intern Joe nailed it in our most recent daily sports betting newsletter:

In essence, sportsbooks are taking bets on the Warriors as if they are overwhelming favorites in this series, when in reality, it could very well be a toss-up in regards to who ends up raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Therefore, a Raptors bet could end up being very valuable if the series is, in fact, closer than it might seem.

What’s more, it’s a bit of an oddity that the Raptors are Game 1 favorites but such heavy underdogs in the series.

Even at a 40% chance, the Raptors would be +150. They’re a full 80 points higher right now.

Reader Joe points out:

Moneyline implies Raptors have 53% chance to win game 1… even if you say Raptors have 50% chance to win their home games, and 30% chance to win the road games that still gives them a 31.5% chance to win the series. At a true 31.5% chance any moneyline over +217 is a good value

— Joe K (@joek62635) May 30, 2019

Like we said, value.

Warriors-Raptors series analysis

There’s a reason national pundits have taken their time making a Finals prediction: uncertainty. In the two matchups this season between the Warriors and Raptors – both Toronto wins – two of the most important players in the entire series didn’t factor into the games.

Steph Curry was absent from the 131-128 OT affair in Toronto and Kawhi Leonard sat out the 113-93 dismantling at Oracle. The positive for Raptors fans is the knowledge that Golden State can be beaten. Hell, they dropped a stunner to the Phoenix freaking Suns. Let’s tap into some of that uncertainty.

Question 1: Who Guards Kawhi Leonard?

In the Raptors’ home victory, Kawhi Leonard was guarded on 50 possessions by Kevin Durant. Of course, with Durant’s calf injury costing him at least Game 1, someone is going to have to front the reincarnation of Michael Jordan. The Warrior with the second-most possessions guarding Leonard was none other than Klay Thompson. In 26 possessions against Thompson, Leonard shot 3-5 from the field for eight points, while attempting zero 3PT.

The Raptors benefited from the matchup, scoring 33 points while Klay guarded Kawhi.

That said, it’s unlikely that Steve Kerr will deploy Thompson as the primary stopper for the entirety of Game 1. Andre Iguodala should get the nod to guard Kawhi on around half of Toronto’s possessions.

Question 2: Does Kawhi Take Steph?

The 46 possessions spent guarding Kevin Durant aside, Kawhi Leonard split the majority of the remaining possessions guarding Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson. The duo posted six combined points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 0-3 from 3PT.

The potential matchup I’m most interested in is that of Leonard jamming up Steph Curry. I don’t expect it to happen much, but it could happen early. Pascal Siakam’s length could prove problematic for a switch on Klay Thompson, while the size and quickness of Serge Ibaka could keep a suddenly-revitalized Draymond Green in check.

The inclusion of Ibaka would likely come at the expense of Marc Gasol, which on the surface would appear to be a terrible decision. Gasol is one of the best passing big men to enter the league in the past 20 years, but his lack of lateral quickness could be Toronto’s undoing, especially if he were matched up with Green.

That leaves Kyle Lowry and Danny Green left to switch onto some combination of Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Damian Jones – barring the reinsertion of Andrew Bogut into the starting lineup – which is less than inspiring and a disaster waiting to happen for Toronto.

That’s the conundrum for Nick Nurse if he chooses to put his best defender on Golden State’s most important weapon. It’s more likely we’ll watch Villanova alum Kyle Lowry pester Curry until the latter burns him for 18 first quarter points.

How the Raptors win

For Toronto to win this series, it’s all about controlling its home floor. The Raptors must continue their excellent play at ScotiaBank Arena where they are 40-11 this season, good for a .784 winning-percentage. More importantly, they’ve been even better at home during this postseason, posting an 8-2 record while outscoring opponents by more than 12 points per game.

For its part, Golden State has excelled with the NBA’s best road record this season at 33-16, but It’s worth noting that the home team has won Game 1 of the NBA Finals in 13 of the last 14 seasons.

Perhaps that’s why after opening as a small underdog ahead of Game 1 the Raptors are now favored by 1-point. By the way, when the spread move between one and three points away from Golden State, as it has in this game, the Warriors are only 9-12-1 ATS. But Toronto is only 9-15 ATS when it moves in their direction, so that movement looks like a wash.

That said, Toronto must make its move early and grab at least one of the series’ first two games before heading west to Oracle Arena where the Warriors are 36-13 overall this season and an astounding 36-6 in the postseason since 2016, and before Kevin Durant works his way back into the lineup–if he does at all. Much has been made of the Warriors’ 31-1 record in their last 32 games when Durant is out and Steph Curry plays, but advanced basketball metrics supports what common sense tells us–Golden State is better with Durant.

What do do?

If you like the Warriors, waiting to get involved could pay off. Similarly, if you think Toronto can pull the upset, then now is probably the time to get involved. As noted above, Toronto enters Game 1 as a short favorite and with a win in the opener the inflated price on Golden State should plummet. The Raptors have been good at home with short lines this season, going 5-2 ATS when favored by three points or less. Of course, waiting on the Warriors could backfire. Golden State is only 5-5 straight up in 10 games as an underdog this season, but are 6-3 ATS as road underdogs and 5-2 as a road underdog coming off a win. In the event of a Game 1 Golden State win, the price will soar well north of -300.

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ravensale46-blog · 6 years ago

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The Bear’s Den, January 5, 2018

BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!

BEARRRSSSS

4 Bears Named To AP All-Pro Team - 670 The Score - Khalil Mack, Eddie Jackson, Kyle Fuller and Tarik Cohen received the honors.

Zeglinski: The Bears and Eagles are a test of every meaningful and meaningless football cliche – The Rock River Times - This time a year ago, a confident roster full of leaders, dynamic talents, underdogs, and a courageous coach were preparing to go on a Super Bowl run for the ages. They had the NFL’s best defense led by Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, a host of balanced offensive playmakers in Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery, and were dripping with swagger and team chemistry thanks to head coach Doug Pederson. That team was the Philadelphia Eagles, who ran roughshod through the NFC en route to an upset of the dynastic Tom Brady-Bill Belichick New England Patriots on February’s big stage.

In his own words: Miller talks Bears playoffs - ChicagoBears.com - With the Bears preparing to host the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs Sunday, rookie receiver Anthony Miller. shares his thoughts exclusively with ChicagoBears.com.

Medina: Mitch Trubisky is Taking Matt Nagy's "Be Obsessed" Mantra to Another Level - Bleacher Nation - You can talk about being the best, but Mitch Trubisky is obsessed.

DaBearsPod: Special Wildcard Weekend Edition with Paul Domowitch - Da Bears Blog - On this special Wildcard Weekend edition of DaBearsPod...

Nick Foles versus Bears 'D' shaping up to be a heavyweight bout - ESPN - The Eagles' quarterback has recaptured some of his '17 magic, but he's about to face a defense that has tamed some of the NFL's hottest teams.

Dickerson: Building the Bears - How it became fun again in Chicago - ESPN - The Bears have a roster packed with talent, an innovative coach and victory dance parties. But a lot had to happen for them to be relevant again.

Wiedman: Fog won't be an issue in Bears-Eagles matchup - Our Turf Football - OTFB's Wanda Wiedman talks about the last time these teams met in the playoffs, aka The Fog Bowl. This time, weather shouldn't be a factor!

Joniak: Keys To Bears-Eagles - 670 The Score - The Bears (12-4) host the Eagles (9-7) in a wild-card game Sunday at 3:40 p.m.

5@5: Where Does Trubisky Rank Among Playoff QBs? - 670 The Score - The Mully & Haugh crew debates a five-pack of questions every weekday.

Emma: Bears' Eddie Jackson Questionable For Wild-Card Game - 670 The Score - Eddie Jackson (ankle sprain) practiced the last two days after missing two games.

For Matt Nagy, Playoff Run With Bears Comes After Long Rise - 670 The Score - Matt Nagy directed the Bears to a 12-4 mark and NFC North title in his first year.

AP All-Pro team has Chicago accent: Mack, three others make team - Daily Herald - Khalil Mack and three other Bears made The Associated Press 2018 NFL All-Pro Team on Friday. They were joined by the first rookie teammates since 1965 -- Colts guard left Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard.

Stankevitz: Bears’ All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson will be a game-time decision for playoff game vs. Eagles - NBC Sports Chicago - Eddie Jackson is officially questionable for Sunday's playoff game against the Eagles, with Matt Nagy saying whether he plays or not will come down to a game-time decision.

Ellis: Khalil Mack, Tarik Cohen, Eddie Jackson, and Kyle Fuller all named AP All-Pro - NBC Sports Chicago - Jackson, Cohen, and Fuller are first time selections.

Wildcard: Bears-Eagles 5 Matchups to Watch (And 3 Keys to the Game) - The Chicago Audible Podcast - Here are the three keys and five pivotal matchups to pay attention to in Sunday's wildcard game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Neveau: Chase Daniel Encourages Bears Fans to Bring the 'Boom' Sunday - NBC Chicago - Chicago Bears fans looking to help the team out on Sunday afternoon got some advice from quarterback Chase Daniel this week.

Mayer: Eddie Jackson will be a game-time decision - ChicagoBears.com - After practicing on a limited basis Friday for the second straight day, Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson was listed as questionable for Sunday’s playoff game against the Eagles.

Hoge’s 10 Bears Things: The Myth Of Matt Nagy’s ‘Failure’ In Last Year’s Playoffs - WGN Radio - 720 AM - One of the biggest myths in the NFL over the last calendar year is that Nagy cost the Kansas City Chiefs a win in last year’s Wild Card round. After leading the Tennessee Titans 21-3 at halftime, the Chiefs' offense didn’t score a single point the rest of the game and the Titans came back to win 22-21 on the road at Arrowhead Stadium.

Mayer: Four Bears selected first-team All-Pro - ChicagoBears.com - Four Bears players on Friday were named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press: outside linebacker Khalil Mack, cornerback Kyle Fuller, safety Eddie Jackson and punt returner Tarik Cohen.

Where to watch, listen to Bears-Eagles game - ChicagoBears.com - The Bears will host the Eagles in a wildcard playoff game at 3:40 PM (CT) on Sunday. Here's how you can watch and listen to the contest.

Kenney: Mike Ditka returns to golf after heart attack, excited for Bears playoff game - Sun Times - Mike Ditka didn't let a heart attack stop him from coaching the Bears in 1988 and he won't let one stall him now.

Finley: Bears S Eddie Jackson questionable for Sunday's playoff game - Sun Times - Bears safety Eddie Jackson is questionable for Sunday's playoff game after practicing Friday for the second-straight day.

Finley: Ex-Bears thrilled for playoff return - 'The city is on fire' - Sun Times The buzz around Sunday’s wild card game against the Eagles feels all too familiar to Lance Briggs, the Bears’ former star linebacker.

Potash: Four Bears named first-team All-Pro - Mack, Fuller, Jackson, Cohen - Sun Times - The last time the Bears had four first-team All-Pro players was in 2006, when Brian Urlacher, Olin Kreutz, Devin Hester and Robbie Gould were honored

Eagles at Bears preview: Hoge & Jahns Podcast - Sun Times - Will the Bears' defense continue to dominate against quarterback Nick Foles? Can Mitch Trubisky handle the intensity of the playoffs?

Wiederer: How the Bears are helping kids from Chicago's West and South sides - 'I care about people who are on the margins. I care about people who are forgotten about.' - Chicago Tribune - The Bears have enlivened Chicago this season with a surprising run to the playoffs. But through a recently formed social justice committee, players are making their impact felt away from the field, too, pushing to empower youth in under-resourced communities.

Haugh: Eagles' Alshon Jeffery unlikely to recognize Soldier Field - or the Bears defense - from the last time he saw both - Chicago Tribune - This is not the Chicago that Alshon Jeffery was in such a hurry to leave. His return with the Eagles to face the Bears in Sunday's wild-card playoff game creates a compelling contrast.

Kane: Mitch Trubisky can't avoid the scrutiny a postseason brings. Not in front of a Bears crowd that has waited 8 years for a playoff game - Chicago Tribune - Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky has made undeniable strides this season under coach Matt Nagy. But what will be fresh in everyone’s minds for the next six months will be how he performs from here on out, whether it be one more game or four.

Kane: Eddie Jackson will be a game-time decision for Bears' playoff game vs. Eagles - Chicago Tribune - The Bears listed free safety Eddie Jackson as questionable to play in Sunday’s first-round playoff game against the Eagles at Soldier Field. Jackson, who has been recovering from a sprained right ankle he suffered Dec. 16, practiced in a limited capacity for the second straight day Friday.

Wiederer: 3 keys for the Bears against the Eagles - Mitch Trubisky must keep his composure in his 1st playoff game - Chicago Tribune - As the Bears attempt to get their first playoff victory in eight years, they'll have their hands full against a feisty Eagles team. Mitch Trubisky will have to be composed and clutch. And the Bears will have to handle Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz and Fletcher Cox.

Williams: Bears hope to have Eddie Jackson, but call him “game-time decision” – ProFootballTalk - The Bears hope to have All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson on Sunday, but they don't know if they will. “He’ll be a game-time decision,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Friday, via Larry Mayer of the team website. “He’s literally going to go right up to it. We’ll test him out, see how he is.

Finley: Bears' defense knows playoff dominance can cement legacy - Sun Times - The Bears defense has been must-see viewing this season. But it won’t be memorable unless the Bears dominate in the postseason.

Morrissey: Bears might as well go for it all now - Sun Times - Lots of fans are still living off the buzz of the 1985 Super Bowl team. They want more. They deserve more. With this defense, they might get it. Ken's Note: Wow, there's some amazing reporting... the "Bears might as well go for it all now". Who would have thought?

Jahns: Bears-Eagles injury report: Bears safety Eddie Jackson is a game-time decision - Sun Times - Bears safety Eddie Jackson is listed as questionable for Sunday.

Finley: 4 Bears questions - Tarik Cohen meets his idol, team picks captains and ... Boom! - Sun Times - Four questions as the Bears prepare for their first playoff game in eight years, a wild-card matchup Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champs:

POLISH SAUSAGE

2018 playoff picks – ProFootballTalk - Before the regular season started, the PFT writers made their projections/wild-ass guesses at the 12 playoff teams and the ultimate progression of the postseason, through the Super Bowl.

The 2018 AP All-Pro team – ProFootballTalk - The major Associated Press awards won’t be announced for another 29 days. For now, the AP has unveiled its annual All-Pro team. The first team for offense, defense, and special teams appears below. Offensively, the quarterback is Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs.

NFL playoffs pressure cooker: Now or never for Philip Rivers? - NFL.com - Come January, Marc Sessler writes, the vice grip tightens and all wiggle room withers away. Especially for the following list of people feeling an added dose of pressure as kickoff nears on a playoff date with fate.

KNOW THY ENEMY

APC NFL Wild Card Picks: Bears and Seahawks to advance in NFC - Acme Packing Company - Based on the totals of our writers’ predictions, APC narrowly expects three road teams to pull off victories this weekend.

Packers LT David Bakhtiari earns first-team All-Pro honors - Acme Packing Company - Despite not making the Pro Bowl, Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari earned first-team All-Pro honors for the 2018 season.

2018 NFL All-Pro Team only features two Eagles players - Bleeding Green Nation - The voters got some things wrong.

Previewing the Eagles vs. Bears wild card game - Bleeding Green Nation - BGN Radio Episode 30!

Nick Foles, Carson Wentz, or Neither. Who is the QB of the Future for the Eagles? - Bleeding Green Nation - Just hopefully not our future.

Matthew Stafford is in it for the long haul, and Bob Quinn has his back - Pride Of Detroit - Matthew Stafford isn’t going anywhere

2018 NFL All Pro teams: Lions players didn’t receive a single vote, Snacks snubbed again - Pride Of Detroit - The Lions were shut out of All-Pro voting.

6 takeaways from Lions GM Bob Quinn’s end-of-season press conference - Pride Of Detroit - A look at the six most important topics from Bob Quinn’s presser.

Zimmer: We’ll have an offensive coordinator decision by Tuesday - Daily Norseman - And it probably won’t be Hue Jackson. Huzzah!

Packers will interview former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, per report - Acme Packing Company - Add another name to the list of offensive minds interviewing with the Packers.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRON

Gowton & Wiltfong: Chicago writer (Lester Wiltfong, Jr.) gives 3 reasons why Philadelphia will win - Bleeding Green Nation - Giving you a look at the enemy’s biggest concerns.

Wiltfong: NFL Playoffs Bears vs. Eagles Injury Report - Eddie Jackson is questionable - Windy City Gridiron - This is the full injury report for the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles in advance of Sunday's Wildcard game.

Wiltfong: FanPulse voters have Bears beating the Eagles, Matt Nagy as Coach of the Year, and much more... - Windy City Gridiron - We have the FanPulse picks for the Bears vs. Eagles winner, coach of the year, most valuable player, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, and Bears’ fans confidence results!

Wiltfong & Gowton: Eagles writer gives 3 reasons the Bears WILL beat the Eagles - Windy City Gridiron - By now you’ve already read our special, and massive, playoff edition of Five Ten Questions With Bleeding Green Nation, to get us the inside scoop on the Philadelphia Eagles before they travel to...

Zeglinski: Windy City Gridiron picks Bears-Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Game - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears’ playoff journey begins with a showdown against the defending champions. Our staff picks for the battle.

Infante: Four Bears players named first-team AP All-Pro - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears had quite the showing on the first-team All-Pro list this year.

Thorman: How confident or not NFL fans were about their teams in the 2018 season - SBNation.com - Where does your team fall?

Curl's & Berckes' Bears Blither-Blather: How will the Chicago Bears devour the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 wildcard game? - Windy City Gridiron - Patti & Jeff discuss New Year’s resolutions, the wild card coaching match-up, and how they envision the Bears inevitable triumph on Sunday.

Bears vs. Eagles: Playoff Schedule, streaming, odds, previews and more - Windy City Gridiron - This is everything you need to know about the Bears vs. Eagles playoff game.

Whiskey Ranger's Video Game Preview: Bears – Eagles | Wildcard Weekend - Windy City Gridiron - Who needs to go fishing through hours of game tape, when you have Madden?

WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS

THE RULES

Click on our names to follow us on Twitter:

WCG Contributors: Jeff Berckes; Patti Curl; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Ken Mitchell; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; EJ Snyder; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; Whiskey Ranger; Robert Zeglinski; Like us on Facebook.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2019/1/5/18168450/chicago-bears-2018-season-news-updates-analysis-home-playoff-philadelphia-eagles-wildcard-weekend

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Injury Ward: Malkin, Byfuglien, Pacioretty, Raanta, Krieder & Pavelski

Here’s this week’s latest in the world of injury updates! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message on Twitter @BrennanDeSouza.

Nick Ritchie – Is not travelling with the team as they continue their tour of Western Canada through Calgary on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday. He hasn’t been practicing either, so it’s hard to imagine him making an impact in fantasy leagues for the rest of this season.

Ryan Getzlaf – Has been practicing and is currently travelling with the team as their road trip brings them to Calgary on Friday and Edmonton on Saturday. I get the feeling that Getzlaf will return from an upper-body injury in one of those two games.

Antti Raanta – He’s been sidelined for about four months with a knee injury, and will finally start practicing with the team at some point this week. Darcy Kuemper has been excellent in Raanta’s absence, sporting a 25-19-7 record alongside a 2.40 GAA and .922 SV%. I’d expect Kuemper to close out the regular season, but if the Coyotes make the playoffs, it sounds like Raanta could be an option.

Torey Krug – It’s possible he returns from a concussion on Wednesday against the Rangers. Krug has 48 points in 59 games this season – a 66-point pace.

Marcus Johansson – Should be back in the lineup on Wednesday against the New York Rangers. Considering he was a game-time decision for Monday’s clash with the Lightning (meaning he was already close to a return), he should be good to go on Wednesday now that he’s had a couple of extra days off.

Rasmus Ristolainen – An illness kept him off the ice for Tuesday’s matchup with the Senators. Buffalo plays three more games this week; Thursday against the Red Wings, Saturday against the Islanders and Sunday against the Blue Jackets. I’d be surprised if Ristolainen didn’t play in at least two of those three games, but it’s more likely that he plays in all three. Ristolainen needs just one more point to record his fourth-straight 40-point season.

Sam Bennett – While he probably won’t be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Stars, it sounds like Bennett will return on Friday against the Ducks or Sunday against the Sharks. He has recently resumed practicing as he recovers from an upper-body injury. Calgary has already clinched a playoff spot, so while he could play immediately if the remaining regular season games were more important, the team is happy to let him return to full health.

Mikko Rantanen – Out for an “extended period”, meaning he won’t be in the lineup on Wednesday when the Avalanche take on the Golden Knights. Colorado is clinging to the second wild-card spot in the West and is playing some of their most crucial games of the season. I get the feeling Rantanen would be in the lineup if this were just a minor injury, let’s hope it’s not too serious.

Gabriel Landeskog – Has been shooting the puck and participating in some team drills. At this point, it looks like he’s about two weeks away from a return. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll be back in time to have an impact on your fantasy hockey championship or the end of the NHL regular season.

Mats Zuccarello – He’s been able to stickhandle for the past week which is a great sign considering he broke his arm about a month ago. He’s still dealing with a bit of pain when he shoots the puck, but he continues to increase the intensity of his stickhandling every day as he returns to full health. He has been making great progress and is currently travelling with the team through Western Canada – a trip that sees the Stars face the Flames on Wednesday, Oilers on Thursday and Canucks on Saturday.

Zach Parise – The Wild hope to see Parise return at some point this weekend, either on Friday against the Golden Knights or Sunday against the Coyotes. Minnesota has a tough schedule to close out the season and will need all hands on deck if they’re going to qualify for postseason action.

Paul Byron – Was knocked down by an uppercut from MacKenzie Weegar of the Panthers as the two dropped the gloves on Tuesday in Montreal. Byron appeared dazed as he stumbled to the locker room after the fight and did not return to the game. While early speculation leads me to believe that Byron suffered a concussion during the fight, it’s officially being called an upper-body injury by the team.

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Sami Vatanen – Missed both Monday’s game against the Sabres and Tuesday’s team practice because he was sick. An illness kept Vatanen out of the lineup for a few weeks earlier in the month, but we don’t know if this is related to that.

Chris Kreider – Has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury and his status remains day-to-day. The Rangers face the Bruins on Wednesday night, so we should get an update on Kreider’s status shortly after this article is posted. As I write this, he hasn’t yet been ruled out of Wednesday’s game.

Kris Letang – Is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and hasn’t been practicing. Coach Mike Sullivan declined to comment on whether this injury was related to the on that Letang suffered in late February when he was wrestled to the ice by Shayne Gostisbehere of the Flyers. As you can tell from the video below, it appears that Letang might have injured his neck on the takedown from Gostisbehere. The fact that he had surgery on his neck in 2017 to repair a herniated disc makes this situation all the more concerning. Again, this injury might have nothing to do with the last one, but it is worth mentioning since Letang only played three games in between absences.

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Evgeni Malkin – Has been skating and is making good progress as he recovers from an upper-body injury. The Penguins haven’t lost in regulation during this five-game stretch without Malkin and have no reason to rush him back considering they’ve almost secured a playoff spot.

Joe Pavelski – The Sharks are considered contenders for the Stanley Cup this season and will need a healthy lineup to achieve that goal, so they’re understandably being cautious with Pavelski’s recovery from a lower-body injury. San Jose’s captain has been participating in some on-ice drills and it’s possible that he returns on Thursday against the Blackhawks. The team has lost all four games they’ve played during this stretch without Pavelski and are currently riding a six-game losing streak.

Erik Karlsson – The team still hopes for Karlsson to get back in the lineup before the regular season ends, but he’s no longer skating every day. While the team hasn’t officially announced that Karlsson has suffered a setback in his recovery from a groin injury, it’s hard to imagine that this was a planned part of his rehab. He had been skating every day and all of a sudden coach Pete DeBoer announces he won’t be skating every day going forward? If he were progressing well, wouldn’t he be skating more and more in an attempt to get back into form for the playoffs?

Ondrej Palat – Suffered an upper-body injury on Monday against the Bruins. While we don’t know the exact nature of the injury and how long he’ll be out, we do know that he isn’t dealing with a concussion.

Jake Gardiner – Has been skating but not taking contact as he continues to recover from a back injury. The Leafs play six more games before the end of the regular season and I think they’ll try to get Gardiner back in the lineup for at least one of those games, so he doesn’t go into the playoffs completely cold. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’ll return soon enough to have an impact on your fantasy hockey championship this year.

Max Pacioretty – Went down awkwardly on this play as his legs bent at angles that no legs should ever have to experience. Fortunately, the injury wasn’t as bad as it originally appeared and his status remains day-to-day.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Hasn’t been practicing but could join the team in Colorado for Wednesday’s matchup with the Avalanche. Malcolm Subban has posted a 3-1 record in Fleury’s absence but gave up three goals in three of those four games (the fourth game being a shutout).

Michal Kempny – Is dealing with a long-term injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season. The team is waiting on test results to determine whether or not Kempny will need surgery for his lower-body ailment.

Laurent Brossoit – Has been progressing well from a lower-body injury but whether or not he participates in Wednesday’s practice hasn’t yet been decided.

Josh Morrissey – Is still on target for a return in early April, but we don’t know exactly when he’ll be back.

Dustin Byfuglien – The aim is for Big Buff to participate in Wednesday’s practice, which will give the coaching staff a better idea of when exactly he’ll be ready for a return to the lineup.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/injury-ward/injury-ward-malkin-byfuglien-pacioretty-raanta-krieder-pavelski/

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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The most important weekend in the NBA’s regular season is here

Kawhi Leonard, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo will the NBA playoffs’ most important characters.

All of the NBA’s best teams are about to play important games to see how good they really are before the playoffs start.

The 2019-20 NBA regular season doesn’t end until mid-April, but the five-day stretch between March 5 and March 8 is both a delicious preview of the upcoming postseason and an unofficial capper on the portion of the campaign with real high-level stakes. There are still interesting games on the schedule after this — Milwaukee-Houston on March 25, for example, has extra spice now — but none offer us the opportunity to learn about the playoff readiness of the league’s title favorites.

If you’ve been out on the NBA this year for whatever reason, these next five days offer the chance to binge on the league and feel like you can at least pretend to be caught up. (I would recommend watching every game possible because the NBA is a cool sport, but I know that’s not healthy for most of you. It’s probably not healthy for me either! Alas ...)

Here are the games you must watch and why they matter.

1. Clippers at Lakers, Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The two Los Angeles teams have been on a collision course all season, and this is the last real chance we get to see how they measure up before the postseason. (They play again on April 9 in a game rescheduled due to Kobe Bryant’s death, but the Lakers will be playing their third game in three nights and the Clippers will themselves be on a back-to-back).

It’s the last chance for the Lakers to shed the prevailing theory that the Clippers are actually the title favorites despite having a worse regular-season record. That view got a boost from the first two matchups, both Clippers victories despite no contribution from Paul George in the first (he was injured) and little in the second (he shot just 5-18). So far, the Clippers have presented more challenges for the Lakers than the reverse.

The timing for the Lakers to flip this narrative isn’t exactly ideal. Though the Clippers have often been up and down in non-Lakers matchups, they are rolling with a fully healthy roster, having won five in a row by an average margin of 17.4 points. Maybe health really was their only issue all along.

The Lakers’ best chance may be for Anthony Davis to dominate the game. LeBron James’ greatness is clear, but the Clippers’ collection of tough wing defenders present many problems for the King. James was passive in the first matchup and inefficient in the second, and both games came before the Clippers added Marcus Morris to help Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Davis, on the other hand, has a size advantage against the Clippers’ power forwards and a major quickness advantage against their motley crew of centers. He needs to be the best player on the floor on Sunday. (Luckily, he’s been just that recently).

But the Lakers and Clippers both have stern tests before Sunday that are delicious appetizers for the main event.

2. Clippers at Rockets, Thursday, 8 p.m. ET, TNT

Houston’s bold decision to trade away its only center in Clint Capela and double down on small ball has worked out brilliantly. (Told y’all). They’re 7-3 since dealing Capela for Robert Covington, and one of those losses came without Russell Westbrook. They beat the Lakers in LA, took down Boston twice, and avenged a freak loss to Utah with a dominant road victory.

The extra space on offense has accelerated Russell Westbrook’s surge and made the Westbrook-James Harden pairing more seamless. As The Dream Shake wrote:

But as Russ got healthier (he had offseason hand surgery, which he re-injured, along with an arthroscopic knee scope this past summer) and more acclimated, and the Rockets traded Clint Capela to open the floor more for Russ’s preternatural athleticism, Houston may finally have the second superstar to complement Harden that they’ve been searching for since The Beard arrived eight seasons ago.

They also haven’t suffered defensively despite downsizing. In fact, they’re even better at doing the things big players are supposed to do now, all thanks to Covington and P.J. Tucker. As I wrote:

Turns out P.J. Tuckington is an intimidating presence at the hoop. Houston allows teams to shoot just 59.1 percent at the basket with that combination in the game, according to Cleaning the Glass. That’s on par with the Lakers’ mark when Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee share the floor, two percentage points lower than LA allows with Davis on the court with whoever else, 2.5 percentage points better than the 76ers surrender with Joel Embiid on the court, nearly three percentage points better than Jazz opponents shoot with Gobert on the floor, close to five percentage points better than the Rockets allow from that zone with Clint Capela and Tucker sharing the court, and 5.3 percent more than they did with just Capela out there.

Think about that for a second. Lineups anchored by a 6’5 pancake-loving thicc dude and a 6’7 wing player on his third team in 14 months aren’t just better at altering shots at the rim than lineups anchored by the only tall guy the Rockets previously had. They’re also better at altering shots at the basket than lineups built around three of the NBA’s best rim protectors.

Beating opponents by making them play your game is one thing, but what happens against a team that may play your game, but better? We’re about to find out. The Clippers have elite wing defenders, giving them the capacity to go small and do it even better than Houston does. Covington and Tucker are good, but Kawhi Leonard is even better. Will that negate Houston’s strategy, or will the Rockets prevail anyway? I can’t wait to find out.

3. Bucks at Lakers, Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Bucks remain the NBA’s most dominant regular-season team, but Monday’s double-digit loss in Miami was a concerning wobble. The Heat swarmed the paint, shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo, and knocked down the three-point shots the Bucks’ defense is designed to give up. The Bucks rebounded to smash Indiana on Wednesday, but a high-profile loss in LA may create more lingering doubts about their ability to perform against top opponents.

The Lakers and Bucks last played back in December, a game in which the Bucks surged ahead early before holding off a late LA run. The Lakers would suggest tossing that game out because they were at the end of a grueling five-game East Coast swing. But there’s no tossing out this one.

4. Raptors at Warriors, Thursday, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Steph Curry back! Steph Curry back! However you feel about this regular season, it’s undeniable that Curry’s 58-game injury absence left a gaping hole in our hearts. That all ends Thursday night against the team that ended the Warriors’ run last June.

These Warriors, of course, have the NBA’s worst record and will be nowhere near the playoffs. So why bring Curry back at all? Matt Ellentuck laid out a few reasons when it looked like Curry would return last Sunday. One that stands out to me: Curry getting court time with Andrew Wiggins, acquired in February in a blockbuster deal for D’Angelo Russell. As Ellentuck wrote, now’s the time to build on-court familiarity, not next year.

5. Kings at Blazers, Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass

My advice: skip Saturday’s ABC showcase (Curry’s Warriors against the 76ers’ skeleton crew) and watch this de-facto playoff elimination game instead. Both teams are 3.5 games out of the playoffs, but both are surging and both have much easier schedules down the stretch than the current No. 8 seed Grizzlies. The winner still has a chance. The loser has an uphill climb.

Portland’s here despite having a season from hell. Three projected starters — Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and Rodney Hood — have barely featured this season, and only Nurkic has any real hope of returning. They rescued Carmelo Anthony from the free-agent scrap heap because they legitimately had nobody else to play power forward. Damian Lillard went on a scoring binge for the ages in late January, then got hurt as well. But he’s back now, and Portland has just two road games left against .500 or better teams on the schedule.

The Kings have quietly put together a nice run since moving Buddy Hield to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic. They’re 6-1 in their last seven games, and they too have some easy games down the stretch. Remember De’Aaron Fox? He’s really damn good again. As Sactown Royalty noted:

If you watch game to game, you know this. De’Aaron Fox is incredible. He’s so much fun to watch, and makes a handful of “holy shit” plays every game. Sometimes it’s a timely steal, sometimes it’s threading the needle for a gorgeous pass, sometimes it’s a dagger or a dunk at just the right moment. The kid is good.

Since Jan. 1, about two weeks after Fox returned from his ankle injury, he has averaged 22.0 points, 6.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. That’s a huge leap in production from last season when he finished third in MIP voting. He’s doing this despite his three-point shot regressing significantly. He’s shooting just 31.4 percent from deep this year, down from 37.1 percent last year, and yet defenses still can’t stop him.

This game’s also crucial for tiebreaking purposes. A Blazers’ win gives them a 3-1 head-to-head advantage, so they’d lock that tiebreaker up. A Kings’ win, on the other hand, knots the series, 2-2, and Sacramento is four games better than Portland in conference (19-20 vs. 15-24). The Kings already have the tiebreaker against Memphis locked up, so a victory over Portland would cement their status as a real playoff threat.

Expect this game to be super intense, which is all you can ask for this time of year.

Other notable games, in case you need more

Jazz-Celtics, Friday, 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass: The rise of Jayson Tatum continues.

Heat-Pelicans, Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: A must-win for New Orleans after consecutive losses to Minnesota and Dallas. They’re already five games behind Memphis with only 20 to play.

Grizzlies-Mavericks, Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass: Luka Doncic vs. Ja Morant! And a biggie for Memphis’ playoff dreams.

76ers-Warriors, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC: In case you just wanna watch Curry.

Hawks-Grizzlies, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass: A rematch of the most hilariously hideous game of the year, which took place on Tuesday.

I take it back choosing to watch this game was the best decision. pic.twitter.com/vB9t39oB9L

— Mike Prada. I have spoken (@MikePradaSBN) March 3, 2020

God bless @BobRathbunTV and @DWilkins21 for this call pic.twitter.com/kLy2jViKx0

— Mike Prada. I have spoken (@MikePradaSBN) March 3, 2020

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burning-up-ao3 · 6 years ago

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20 Penguins thoughts: Brass thinks Brassard fits. Are they nuts?

December 4, 2018 8:00 AM By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It ranks among the bigger trades Jim Rutherford has made during his two-plus decades as an NHL general manager. It was almost assuredly the most complicated.

Yet here we are, more than nine months after the Penguins general manager acquired Derick Brassard from Ottawa, and the results haven’t been close to what anyone expected.

Brassard has just six goals and 18 points in 42 games (regular season and playoffs), while the Penguins as a team are just 28-23-7 in those games. There’s been multiple lower-body injuries to Brassard, difficulty adjusting to a third-line role and fewer minutes plus a weird illness at the start of training camp.

Coach Mike Sullivan has tried nearly every winger he has with the 31-year-old center, who as recently as 2015-16 produced 27 goals and 58 points with the New York Rangers. However, not a single one of them has stuck.

It doesn’t sound like the Penguins are ready to admit failure here, but they also aren’t happy. The Penguins gave up a ton to get Brassard. So far, he has yet to prove that he can be the right third-line center for their team.

“He should be a fit,” Rutherford said. “He’s played some of his best hockey [this season]. He came in and had a good camp. He played well until he got hurt again. Since he got hurt, he hasn’t seemed to be able get it back on track.

“It’s there. Will it come back or how long will it take? I don’t know. But we need him to be better.”

Yes, the Penguins absolutely need Brassard to be better. Whether or not that will actually happen is the primary topic of this week’s column.

2. A simple glance at the standings should tell you that the Penguins need results. They’re 25 games into the season and only two points clear of the Eastern Conference basement. As captain Sidney Crosby said after Monday’s practice, “I wouldn’t say it’s early anymore.”

Which means, in theory, that Sullivan — even more than usual — needs to find lines that work, that score, that have productive shifts.

Brassard and Phil Kessel have done little of that over the past two games, but Sullivan is bucking a recent trend of his and trying to remain patient. He’s sticking with Brassard and Kessel. For now.

The coach has had an itchy trigger figure during much of his tenure here, but he seems intent on figuring out, once and for all, whether Brassard and Kessel can actually play together.

On Tuesday against Colorado — which is riding an 11-game point streak and arrives here as one of the best teams in the NHL this season — it’s likely Brassard and Kessel will get another chance to make it work, with Zach Aston-Reese on the left side.

For Sullivan, it’s always a delicate balancing act between short-term results and long-term development.

“There’s always a fine line,” Sullivan said. “We’re trying to find combinations that bring success. We’re trying to allow combinations to work through the process. We’re also trying to evaluate whether or not we thinking it has potential to find traction.

“When’s the right time to split up a line or when’s the right time to allow guys to stay together and work through things? I think [it’s] the coaches’ instinct just based on what we see. It’s something that we discuss daily with our group. We’ll make decisions daily based on what we see.

“It’s not like our coaching staff is hesitant to make change because we’ve certainly made a fair amount. It’s a matter of whether or not we think it’s the right thing to do at this time for the group.”

3. To be fair to Brassard and Kessel, they really did look good together last Tuesday against Winnipeg. However, the next night in Colorado was ugly.

Brassard was on the ice for one five-on-five shot on goal and 11 against. They combined to produce one five-on-five scoring chance. One!

Saturday against the Flyers showed tepid progress, with four five-on-five scoring chances produced. But only one of those qualified as high-danger, per naturalstattrick.com, and the eye test didn’t exactly scream that they were a threat to score.

After the game, Sullivan said essentially that he and his coaching staff would go back to the drawing board and revaluate some things.

At practice Monday, however, Sullivan didn’t return to the Kessel-Evgeni Malkin pairing that many expected, the one that was the Penguins’ best early in the season. He kept things status quo.

With a horde of reporters gathered around his dressing room stall after practice, Brassard mostly danced around the Kessel topic.

“We played one or two games,” Brassard said when asked whether he felt his line was close to breaking through. “The lines are always changing pretty much every game. We had some guys injured who came back.

“When you say my line, yeah, for [Tuesday] it’s Phil, me and Zach. Who knows if we’re going to finish the game together. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just going to try and focus on [Tuesday] and make plays with those guys.”

4. Something interesting about Brassard that may indicate how he truly feels about playing here: He routinely slips in comments like this, about the lines changing or his limited ice time.

You know how you change it? Give the coach a reason to keep your line together or play you more.

5. Sullivan insisted Brassard doesn’t need to change his game to become more like, say, Nick Bonino, who thrived on going to the tough areas of the rink, playing solid defense and making smart passes.

It doesn’t mean it won’t work, but Brassard isn’t the same type of player. He’s a speed-and-skill guy.

More than anything, for Sullivan, it’s about cooperative play. It’s about Brassard and Kessel working together, and the coach said that doesn’t solely fall on Brassard, who has one point — a goal — in eight games since returning from a three-week absence because of a lower-body injury.

“It’s hard to just identify one guy on a line and say, ‘He’s the reason.’ ” Sullivan said. “When you look at line combinations, they must have cooperative play to have success. The game’s too hard out there. Teams defend hard. It takes cooperative effort for lines to have success both offensively and defensively.”

6. Strip this down to its core, and I don’t think it’s overly complicated.

Sullivan is sticking with Brassard and Kessel right now because he has to. And because Malkin and Kessel haven’t produced much together, either. It’s the perfect time to ride it out.

The optimist in me wants to say that Brassard and Kessel will be fine. They’re both skilled, and sooner or later this will work.

Only they haven’t clicked yet, and how much longer can the Penguins afford to wait?

7. I asked Brassard flat-out Monday whether he thought he had any chemistry with Kessel.

“Yeah, there’s chemistry,” Brassard said. “We just have to make plays.

“It’s hard to score in this league five-on-five. You might have two or three chances a game. You have to try and capitalize on it. We’re just going to try and do our best [Tuesday].”

While I understand what Brassard is saying, we’re talking about two guys who combined make $13 million per season — although they only cost the Penguins $9.8 million because the Maple Leafs and Golden Knights are picking up part of their salaries.

Creating offense is hard, but elite players — as Kessel and Brassard are paid — should be able to do it. At least ones that are capable of playing together.

8. Much like Kessel in the postseason, there have been some mixed messages regarding Brassard’s most recent lower-body injury.

“He’s trying to get back to that point since he’s come back from the injury,” Sullivan said of Brassard. Rutherford’s comments were similar.

“I don’t think the injury has any issue,” Brassard said of a lower-body injury that forced him to miss nine games.

I do think it’s possible for both of these things to be true. Brassard is working his way back and doesn’t want to make excuses for his lack of production. Sullivan and Rutherford want to protect the player.

“Before he got hurt, he was playing really good hockey for us,” Sullivan said of Brassard. “There was a lot that we liked about his game. He’s trying to get back to that point since he’s come back from the injury.”

It should be noted that Brassard was playing left wing at that time — he had three assists in a blowout win at Calgary on Oct. 25 — and may actually profile better there on the Penguins.

Unfortunately, though, that job isn’t available right now. Jake Guentzel has found his groove, and Brassard must figure it out at third-line center. Or potentially move on.

“I think he’s got to play his game,” Sullivan said. “I think he has to hang onto pucks in the offensive zone. I think he has to support the puck down low in the offensive zone when his linemates are fighting for it or have it.”

But mostly, it’s what Rutherford said: The Penguins simply need Brassard to be better.

9. Moving on to other parts of my conversation with Rutherford …

The Penguins have dropped eight of 12 since his epic rant before the game at Washington on Nov. 7, the one where he basically started threatening to break up the team.

In a subsequent conversation we had at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, Rutherford said he would be monitoring what happens to determined whether or not he ultimately thinks this group has become stale.

I asked him Monday where he stood with that idea.

“I don’t know if stale is the right word at this point,” Rutherford said. “It just seems that once a week we have at least one or two players that contribute to a good effort in the wrong way and cost us games. That’s what happens when things aren’t going right.”

10. That said, Rutherford sees signs of progress that the Penguins are almost out of it.

Look at enough analytics, and they’ll paint the same picture. For example, the Penguins are controlling 57 percent of the five-on-five scoring chances over the past six games. The Penguins have done a lot of good things. They simply haven’t gotten on a winning streak, which they need to do.

“I really feel that there’s a lot of positive signs that we will start to win,” Rutherford said. “But, we can’t afford to have individuals have off-nights when our team is working well enough to win games. That’s what we have to come out of at this point.

“We went through the real bad stretch where we weren’t playing well, but we did deserve to win a couple of those games. We didn’t. Then once we got through that stretch, we started to play better as a team.

“We’re at that point now, but it doesn’t do you any good if you don’t win. We’re good enough to win.”

11. I think that’s mostly fair, although that “real bad” stretch was … well, really bad. I don’t know how many of those games the Penguins legitimately deserved to win.

Definitely not the Maple Leafs (5-0) or Devils (5-1) at home. Probably in Washington (2-1). Not at Ottawa (6-4) or at home against Tampa (4-3, four power-play goals allowed).

Whatever. I will agree with Rutherford on the idea that the Penguins need to pick up points. I think there was a period of the season where you could focus more on the process and ignore the results. We’ve passed that. They need the results. Otherwise …

12. I believe Rutherford must be cognizant of when it’s time to call this a transition year.

It’s not now, mind you, but I don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world if the Penguins just admitted it wasn’t going to happen and set themselves up appropriately for the rest of the Crosby/Malkin Era.

If this year turns out to be a failure on the ice but winds up sustaining the rest of the championship window, I hardly think anyone is going to look at the Penguins like they blew it.

But again, we’re not there yet. Just something I think Rutherford is keeping in the back of his mind.

13. My sense now is that I do think Matt Murray was dealing with a legitimate, physical injury. Previously, I had thought his current absence was more mental than anything.

That said, I think the timing of his lower-body issue could’ve been worse. Good time to step away for him, maybe unplug a little and clear his head.

In my opinion, goaltending is one of the things that has held the Penguins back recently. The individuals having off-nights Rutherford mentioned above absolutely involves the goaltenders allowing too many soft goals.

Getting the good version of Murray back will do wonders for that, but Rutherford knows that, as a whole, the guys getting paid to stop the puck need to be a lot better.

“In order for us to get to where we want to get to where we want to get to — and that’s playing into June — we have to get that consistent goaltending,” Rutherford said. “I believe we have the guys to do it.

“I’m a big believer in Matt Murray. You don’t do what he did in the first two years and end up not having the ability to be a good goalie in this league.”

14. Murray skated before practice Monday, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back with the group soon. He looked excellent, at least in the limited, individual drills I watched.

There seems to be little concern over the physical side of things with Murray, even though his injury history is not short.

Rutherford is mostly concerned with Murray regaining his mental edge.

“There’s something to be said for the mental aspect of the game and dealing with all situations,” Rutherford said. “He definitely has it. He was the key goalie to winning the two Stanley Cups. That’s what he has to find as he goes forward.”

15. Touching on a few other topics …

It would be impossible to write something like this and ignore Tom Wilson’s illegal perfectly fine hit on New Jersey Devils left wing Brett Seney from Friday night.

Here are a few things I know are true:

• It was extremely late.

• As such, there was no reason whatsoever to make the hit.

• Wilson has, well, a bit of a reputation for doing things that the NHL Department Safety deems illegal.

It was, at minimum, a careless play by Wilson, who was given a match penalty but no supplemental discipline for the hit. In my opinion, it showed someone who isn’t close to receiving the message the league is trying to send.

16. I almost can’t blame him for the last part. The NHL doesn’t do nearly enough to show it takes head injuries seriously, even though, as a society, I’d like to think that we now do. Or at least more seriously than we once did.

Why should he change when the people in charge aren’t forcing him to by allowing such plays to go unpunished? Or by cutting short a previous suspension?

If parents looked the other way when their kids misbehaved, or they eased off punishments for no clear reason, don’t you think those same kids would continue to flout the rules?

17. My biggest problem with the Wilson situation, however, doesn’t involve the league. It has to do with Wilson’s teammates and the Capitals organization.

Nobody thinks anything is wrong. Nobody thinks there’s a trend here. Nobody thinks he’s failing to get the message. They all think everyone else is crazy.

It did take a while, probably too long, but eventually the Penguins stopped siding with Matt Cooke, realizing that hitching their wagon to how he was playing, and the pain he inflicted, was a bad idea.

18. Dominik Simon has a pretty idea what it takes to mesh with Crosby right now.

“Get him the puck, and he’ll score,” Simon joked with me before Saturday’s game against the Flyers.

While it’s tough to argue with Simon’s logic, there’s definitely been more to it than that.

Remember last postseason, when Simon got chance after chance to play with Crosby and seemed in over his head? Not anymore.

I’ve been very impressed with what Simon has done on the Penguins’ top line this season, to the point that, when Hornqvist returned against Philadelphia, I didn’t question for a second the decision to leave Simon there.

19. “I just think this year’s Dom’s brought more consistency to his overall game,” Sullivan said. “He has great offensive instincts. For a guy who’s not overly big in stature, he’s really strong on the puck. He’s strong in the battle areas. We think one of his greatest assets is his ability to play in traffic, the give-and-go game down low. That’s an area where Sid thrives.”

Some of this simply has to be maturity. It may be easy to overlook, but Simon is just 24 years old. Saturday’s game was just his 63rd in the NHL. Reading off Crosby is hardly an easy task.

Full credit to Simon: Where we’ve seen Sprong fail to elevate his game, Simon has seemingly taken the next step.

“You learn every time you’re on his line,” Simon said. “Definitely helps to play with him more, then you know where he’s going. He’s such a smart guy. It’s really nice to play with him because he’s always in a good spot.”

20. Simon is currently on pace for 13 goals and 43 points, respectable totals for someone who has not yet logged a full NHL season.

Dig a little deeper, and Simon has been driving play quite a bit. His five-on-five shot rate of 56.5 ranked third on the team, while he was No. 1 in scoring-chance (60.3) and high-danger (63.4) percentages among regulars.

Some of that is being strong on pucks. It’s also thinking the game the way Crosby does and getting the mental side of thinks to connect with the physical side.

Not saying Simon is immovable like Guentzel might be on Crosby’s left wing, but the results have been markedly better than they used to be.

“It’s a lot of different things,” Simon said. “It’s not just shooting and passing. “It’s about reading the game, playing smart and putting pucks behind them. It depends. Little stuff.”

Little stuff that seems to be adding up to bigger stuff.

Jason Mackey: [email protected] and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

#pittsburgh penguins #Jason Mackey #Pittsburgh Post-Gazette #not mine

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