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far-away-stars · 6 years ago

Note

Can I ask all for Tenja or Ezio (or both c;) for the NPC asks? -v-

Hi, yes, I did both kitties, which mean it took me too long and got tired of trying to make any sense halfway through it, so sorry if it doesn’t make any sense or it’s just lame here and there. :’D

Tenja Rel

1. Would they be recruitable?

As a new Jedi in training, yes, I pretty much think so. Sith is harder since he’s quite individualistic and has a pretty possessi-ehm, protective brother.

2. Would they be a class specific character? (ie. Imperial Agent only. Republic character only)

Probably Jedi specific. Either Consular or Knight both.

3. When would you recruit them? Vanilla story? an Expac? Post KOTET?

I think vanilla would be good, learning “peacefully” on the field the ways of Jedi.

4. Where would you recruit them from?

Probably directly from the Temple on Tython, going to pick him up for a mission you were assigned for by some of the higher-ups.

5. What would their recruitment mission be?

He wouldn’t really need one, since, simply put, he doesn't really have a choice, I’ll assume whatever missions the characters made so far in name of the Republic and jedi were enough as a vote of trust for the Council. If we are talking some sort of loyalty mission … maybe he asks you to accompany him on some sort of travel to Voss? To get some help for his blindness. Not to cure it, but to stop the phantom pains probably, or the general headaches from using the Force to “see” while not being yet fully used to it. It may also lead to a dream-travel adventure of sorts (with some comments of his regarding how he can somehow “see” you now.)

6.What would be their original recruitment outfit?

Visas Marr in an all-black dye.

7. Would there be a character they don’t like? Would that cause you to choose sides?

Well. There would be issues if he somehow came into contact with his brother, Di’taqt, so any sort-of public alliance with the Sith would probably be problematic.

8. Are they romancable? Why/why not?

They are, but it’s probably not one of the easiest shells to break. He didn’t really allowed himself love for the sake of it, I mean, his last wife blinded him in a fit of rage. Also, well, he doesn’t mind sex at all, because it what he was used to as a Sith and wasn’t going to go chaste just for the sake of old ass Jedi traditions, so there’s that. But, well. He doesn’t think love has a change to turn out well. He can be proved wrong, if one is willing to try.

9. What would they say if you clicked on them?

“I’m listening.” “What do you have in store for us today, my friend?” “At your service.” “I do wonder if it’s a wise idea.” “Mhnn, gossip. I like it.” “No one suspects the blind man.”

10. Do they know any other in game characters? (ie. trained under Satele Shan during the civil war. Knew Talos before he went to Hoth)

Aside from his brother and general Sith acquaintances I don’t think so.

11. What weapon(s) would they have?

His lightsaber, standard force-sensitive equipment. His sly charm.

12. Are they better as a tank, healer or DPS?

Essentially DPS but he can manage a decent amount of healing, at least for himself. His specialty consists in entropic redistribution of the Force, basically siphoning life force from his enemies to himself, wasting away his enemies while healing and strengthening himself.

13. What gifts do they Love? Like? What would they say when you gave them a gift?

Weapon and Trophy, probably. Doesn't mind Luxury and Courting either. - “Well. Someone will certainly find a use to it.” “Appreciated.” “For me? I’m honored.” “I.. thank you, my friend. It’s truly wonderful.”

14. What would they say if you sent them away/changed them out?

“I’ll be there when you need me.” “Good rest to you.” “Oh, you wound me, leaving so soon.” “I dare you to find company as good as mine, my friend.”

15. What do they say when they heal you? What do they say when they are attacking?

“Hush, hush. Better already, is it?” “Don’t die on me, my friend, I don’t need that kind of stress in my life.” “Fresh air and the the kiss of life.” - “Tut-tut, I’ll show how it’s done.” “Let it go. It will hurt less if you don’t fight it.” “You are lacking finesse. Not that it will matter for longer still.” “Do us a favor. Don’t get up.”

16. What’s their idle chatter like? Do they talk a lot (when you arrive on each planet) or do they suddenly say something in some strange places?

They certainly like to say something at each planet, idle stuff, less prone to start random conversations if unprompted.

17. What letters would they send post vanilla class story/SOR/KOTFE

Romance :

He would probably be so frustrated trying to write one, or think of a gift, but, yeah, letters are not his forte. He wouldn’t know what to write, how to explain, how to express what he feels. Not the full story of his life on paper would be enough to try to begin to put into words how he feels to this day next to them.

He will try to prove it, to show it, to make it spoken in a language he hopes the character will understand, but, no. Not in a letter. He will write invisible patterns on their skin, he will smile his gratitude and hold his hopes in their arms with them. And hope they understand.

Also he would have to dictate it to a holo-transcriptor and yeah, no.

18. If they are recruitable in vanilla story, where are they during KOTFE/TET? What are/were they doing?

Probably still with the Jedi. He didn’t have much choice, he couldn’t really go back to the Empire, and it’s not as if they were faring any better Tho I bet he was one of the most frustrated ones after the deal with Zakuul, very bitter. He may have left at a certain point to join some resistance’s group, if anything not to feel so useless.

Lucretyiio

1. Would they be recruitable?

Buy him food and he’s yours, honestly.

2. Would they be a class specific character? (ie. Imperial Agent only. Republic character only)

No, not really. He usually strays away from force sensitives and isn’t overly fond of the Empire, but well, he doesn’t judge people from covers. Or tries at least,

3. When would you recruit them? Vanilla story? an Expac? Post KOTET?

He’s pretty freestyle. He constantly asks for rides. Anytime would work.

4. Where would you recruit them from?

A Cantina. Could be anywhere from Coruscant, to Tatooine, to Nar Shadda.

5. What would their recruitment mission be?

Help him take down or stop some violent gang making business around probably, or something of the sort.

6.What would be their original recruitment outfit?

Canderous Ordo armor.

7. Would there be a character they don’t like? Would that cause you to choose sides?

Honestly.. Not really. There’s a lot of things he doesn’t like, but it’s not about choosing sides, not really, it’s about engaging ourselves to be the best we can possibly be. He doesn’t actually wants to shun or isolate people. He won't be comfortable or agree with everyone, but he wants to believe it’s doable while offering the chance to be united.

Honestly, like, yeah, he will vocally disagree to a lot of stuff if it involves violence, abuse and all that stuff. But he will stay as long as he believes in the cause. Being open about his opinions is also one of the ways he hopes will help changing things for the best and influence people with new ideas.

8. Are they romancable? Why/why not?

Yes, very. He’s so flirty. He just happens to become a mess if you flirt back. You may have to pick him up on a spoon. But he’ll sing all the love ballads to you.

9. What would they say if you clicked on them?

“Never wondered : why Banthas? No, like, that’s it. That’s the question. I can’t figure them out, mate.” “Why nothing rhymes with “Saresh”?” “Bada-mba-dababum mate, ya feel me?” “I. Need. Ice Cream.” “Oh shit, forgot the safety on the blaster.” “I’m here all day folks.” “No, man, you are the sidekick.”

10. Do they know any other in game characters? (ie. trained under Satele Shan during the civil war. Knew Talos before he went to Hoth)

Nope, don’t think so.

11. What weapon(s) would they have?

His brazen and melodious singing voice. His halliksete, if smashed on someone’s head. A blaster that he mostly knows how to use. Also smoke grenades. Because he often needs a diversion from when he needs to quickly disappear.

12. Are they better as a tank, healer or DPS?

He can damage things alright. Mostly willingly. I wouldn’t really trust him for anything else.

13. What gifts do they Love? Like? What would they say when you gave them a gift?

Underworld Good and Courting are his faves. Luxury and Cultural Artefact can work out. - “Hey, yeah, cool. What is it?” “Fancy ass cool, man!” “Fuck. Thanks.” “*sobbing*”

14. What would they say if you sent them away/changed them out?

“Hey, be back soon for another show.” “Yeeees, party time!” “No, yeah, of course I can be left to my own devices. No dangers. Ah.” “I’ll be back when you need me!”

15. What do they say when they heal you? What do they say when they are attacking?

“Hey. Wanna me to kiss it better?” “I’m trying!” “Hey, all better, Am I the best or am I the best?” “Oh fuck man that must have hurt.” - “Aaaand perfect strike for local handsome!” “Yes, that was… totally what I meant to do!” “Oh fuck that hurt.” “In your BEHIND, dude.”

16. What’s their idle chatter like? Do they talk a lot (when you arrive on each planet) or do they suddenly say something in some strange places?

He talks a lot. Don’t even get me started.

17. What letters would they send post vanilla class story/SOR/KOTFE

One of his letters, both romance and not-romance (tho romance’s content are slightly different) is the messy drafts of a song he’s trying to compose about the character. It’s some sort of epic tale, or brash cantina chant, or something more private. It’s a mess, with all his annotations. It’s very sincere. He says he never managed to finish it, and maybe it’s because he doesn’t want it to finish. Never.

18. If they are recruitable in vanilla story, where are they during KOTFE/TET? What are/were they doing?

Helping refugees. He started off really angry, blazen songs about Zakuul and how they all had to fight. Then… he just wanted to help people.

#oc : Tenja Rel #ask : Tenja Rel #oc : Lucretyiio #ask : Lucretyiio #thank you for the ask! <3 #hunting-for-beasts

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graemeruns · 6 years ago

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Multiple update time: Reigate half, Sittingbourne 10 and Abingdon marathon

Oh dear, it’s been 3 months since I last wrote anything on here about my running, so now’s the time to get up to speed with what has been going on.

After the Caterham half (detailed here) I looked at the goal races I had lined up and drew up a training plan. I actually only had two races booked in my calendar: the Reigate half marathon in mid September, and the Abingdon marathon five weeks later. So I decided to loosely follow the marathon training plan I used for my first ever marathon in Brighton in 2014, with Abingdon as the eventual finale and Reigate as one of the marathon tune-up runs. I always find training difficult in the warm summer months and during the school holidays, but this plan was doable because it shouldn’t mean excessive mileage (the greatest week being 55 miles, but most weeks between 40-50 miles). It also only meant five running days per week, so two days to fully rest and recover and not create any further injuries. I was hoping that training when it was warm would mean that the cool autumn races would be much easier too!

I had entered the Reigate Half in 2017 at the ‘early bird’ price and it had always been my main aim this year once recovered from my injury; it had been useful to have a long term goal to focus on when I started back running in April. After my Caterham half disappointment my training needed to focus on building up the Sunday long runs (all after a fast paced Saturday parkrun) and also ensuring I tried to get one tempo or interval session in during the week. I was also determined to listen to my body, so if I felt too tired for one of the sessions, I would change it to something else, but make sure that I still got the miles under my belt. By the time the Reigate half came round on 16th September, I had managed 5 runs between 16 - 20 miles, and felt a lot more prepared than when I ran Caterham 2 months previously.

This was my first time running the Reigate half. The organisation was superb, and the communication, event village, baggage tent and parking was faultless. The course itself was all on closed roads, and I’d been warned it was quite hilly. In fact there were only really two hills - in the first mile and the last mile - but everything else was all slightly undulating; I never felt like I was on the flat at any point. My race plan was to go out at 4min/km (6:25/mile), and see how long I could keep that up. In the end I managed that pace for the first 8 miles, then started to slow, crossing the finish in 1:26:34. My whole run, however, had been slightly hampered by the hill in the first mile: going up it had been slow, so I had rocketed down it and that had made both my hamstrings sore, like a minor strain, which remained for the rest of the race. It probably didn’t slow me down much, but it certainly wasn’t nice to run with. Nevertheless, I was content with my time, and finished 1st in the V50 age category, which was an added bonus despite there being no age category prizes. You can view my race on Strava here.

After Reigate there were now five weeks until the Abingdon marathon. In the next two weeks my long runs consisted of a 16 miler with 12 miles at around marathon pace (4:13/km or 6:46/mile), and a 20 miler. The following week I decided to do a final tune-up race and entered the Sittingbourne Striders 10 mile road race. I had run this race in 2015 in a time of 64:30; you can read about that encounter here, which explains the course in detail. This year I was hoping to run a bit quicker and something in the 63 minute range. The weather was cool and conditions very good apart from a fairly stiff breeze in places, and this came to the fore midway through the race at the highest point of the circuit. I ran well, and, more importantly, enjoyed the race; I enjoy few races these days as I’m usually thinking of pace, splits and times rather than the event itself. The fact that I didn’t hit my goal time, but finished in 64:22 (which was a small PB) didn’t really bother me. Oh, and I was third too, and received a £10 Sweatshop voucher and a trophy for my troubles.

You can view my efforts on Strava here.

Now there were two weeks left before Abingdon, so I tried to do a mini taper, but failed really because I had put myself down for the Surrey League Cross Country the following Saturday, and ended up with a 41 mile week. So in the end it was more like a 1 week taper, with a half-hearted attempt at carb loading two days before the race. I examined the training I’d done over the past 17 weeks, and the mileage worked out at an average of 43 miles/week. Compared to 2015, when I finished the London marathon in a time of 3 hrs 06 minutes on an average 52 miles/week, and 2016 when I finished in 2 hrs and 58 minutes on an average of 57 miles/week, the training was certainly on the light side. Saying that, I’d got some good long runs in, and was sure that the warm weather training would be beneficial now the temperature had dropped. I was also weighing in at the lightest I had been for some time, which could only help. Realistically, I didn’t think I could get under 3 hours again, but thought I could be close, so my plan was to run the first 13.1 mile in 90 minutes and see how it went from there.

5:10am on Sunday and I’m up before my alarm goes off. I’d sorted out everything the night before, but it still took me the best part of an hour to eat and get ready, so soon after 6am I was in the car and away. I hadn’t been looking forward to the drive much, and it took me about 1 hour 45 minutes, taking it easy as it was dark and also foggy in places, with the outside temperature about 8 degrees - perfect running conditions though! Parking was in a local school, for which there were plenty of spaces, and the event all took place at the local sports arena, so everything (toilets, baggage, snacks and coffee, and space to warm up) were all close to hand. I spotted the local scouts were selling flapjacks for 50p, so bought some to add to my pre-race banana as I was already feeling peckish from my breakfast 2 hours previously. I stayed dressed until 15 minutes before the start, did one lap of the track just to get the legs moving, and settled in waiting for the starter.

Abingdon marathon is a marathon for serious marathon runners. You won’t find many charity fun-runners here. The only real reason to run it is because it is flat and fast, and the race was packed with lean racers who were certainly not new to this game, looking for that elusive PB that perhaps they had missed at the hottest London marathon earlier in the year. It was 18 months since I last raced the distance, and I was quite nervous whether I’d be able to complete it on the limited training I had done. When the hooter went, there was the usual excited racing off by some runners who forgot that it wasn’t a 5k, but I soon fell into my own pace and let these runners gradually come back to me.

The route heads out to the east at first to Radley, onto a footpath through Radley lakes (covered in low mist) then back to the west, twisting through the narrow streets of Abingdon town, where we were greeted with some generous support. The route then headed south out of Abingdon, along the River Thames, until it turned sharply to the west again, just before 10k, for the first of two loops through the local villages, each loop approximately 14k. It then headed back towards Abingdon town again, through western part of the town before turning back to the finish at the athletics track.

My memory of races is usually vague, but there were some parts that stuck in my mind:

There was the heavily panting runner who was taking up the whole path through Radley lakes by running in the middle (it was easily two-abreast if you ran to the side). That slowed me down a bit, and I genuinely worried that he could safely run 10k let alone a marathon.

There were the three runners who drafted behind me for many miles, using me as a slight windbreak against the breeze. I didn’t get annoyed because I was running my own race, but it would have been nice for them to have taken turns at the front. I dropped them both later in the race.

There was the point after about 5 miles when I said to myself “Why am I doing this? It all feels quite hard, and I could just stop and go home early”. That was a strange emotion so early on, and I think I was focusing too much on the remaining distance. I calmed down by telling myself it was just a long training run.

There was the lady runner who caught me somewhere around the 18 mile mark, and it urged me to concentrate on my pace, which must have been slowly dropping. I ran with her for a few miles before she gradually pulled away and finally finished a minute in front of me.

I remember the joy at seeing the 20 mile marker, and knowing it was only 10k to go. If I could keep my pace up I would finish in a respectable time. Although I was starting to struggle to turn the legs over, it was only in the last 5k that my pace really started to slow.

As you run through Abingdon town with only 3k to go, you have to negotiate a twisty underpass, and climbing up the short steep far side was torture!

Finishing on the athletics track with a fast 300m sprint where I overtook a few people, including the triathlon legend Annie Emmerson. It was a great conclusion to the race.

So how was my race overall (which you can view on Strava here)? Well, I passed half-way in just over 90 minutes, and proceeded to lose another 3 minutes over the second half. My 10k splits were 42:28, 43:05, 43:43 and 44:34, so no big collapse, just a gradual slowing, although I did get my pace back on track for the final 2.2k which I completed in 9:33. My finish time was 3:03:23, which is my second fastest marathon time, albeit 5 minutes slower than my PB. I placed 152 out of the 744 finished, of which the first 124 ran sub 3 hours. Now that is a quality field of marathon runners!

Would I recommend it? Absolutely - the results speak for themselves! The race has a capacity for 1200 and does sell out, so enter early. It usually opens in mid February and is full within 6 weeks. I got a medal and a t-shirt for my £43, as well as some very sore legs for a few days, followed by a nasty head cold as my immune system wasn’t up for keeping anything at bay!

Next race is the Brighton 10k in 3 weeks. I’ve not run a 10k this year yet due to my long time absence with injury, so it will be interesting to see if I can remember how to pace myself over that shorter distance. I’d like to aim for 38 minutes but I need to shift this cold first and get some speedwork in to see if I have any hope of that. Whatever the outcome, it’s great to be back running well again.

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logosminuspity · 7 years ago

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2017 Year in Review of Writing

January

I began 2017 with continuing by Everwinter saga with Ch. 13, intending to finish out my multi-chapter epic in the first part of the year. At this point I knew I only had one more chapter/epilogue after this. I also began working on an original fic (see end of calendar for more).

February

I did it! In February I was able to finish out my Freljord epic, Everwinter, with Ch. 14 Epilogue. This was a huge milestone for me, and marks only the 3rd true multichpater story I’ve ever finished.

March

In March, I focused a lot more on my original fic, while interspersing my original writing with bouts of Overwatch one-shots to keep the writing muse flowing. “Lahar” was Pharmercy smut with a buildup to it courtesy of a teasing Angela. “Finally Found” was another of my longer Pharmercy one-shots focusing on reconciling Fareeha with Ana in the context of Pharmercy as the backdrop.

April, May

Apparently having focused on a multichapter epic for so long combined with the sinful encouragement of my friends resulted in a sudden explosion of shameless and relatively plotless smut from me. This included: “Dynamic Equilibrium”, a Mercymaker smut which has led to TOO MANY FORK/PLATE/KNIFE EMOJIS IN MY LIFE; “Ride”, a Pharmercy smutty one-shot; and it’s unexpected sequel, “Rock Your Body”. I have sinned greatly

June

June saw me getting stuck on a new multichapter fic idea instead of pushing through with my original fic, namely, SuperRisu’s concept for a mafia AU Pharmercy story, which absolutely captivated my muse. The result was the first chapter of Pocket Full of Shells.

July

End of June and beginning of July saw me doing many international travels for both work and pleasure. That said, I still managed to get out a second chapter of Pocket Full of Shells, which was getting an amazing amount of support from readers! Thank you all!

August

August saw, per usual, the start of rugby season--one that was going to be longer and with even more travel than usual. That said, the muse was riding me hard with the mafia AU, and I released Ch 3 of Pocket Full of Shells.

September

In September, a huge wrench got thrown into my life plans. While I had initially been expecting to finish up my PhD in the spring, I now had to switch to defending my thesis at the end of November, which severely crunched my fall in terms of job search and writing my thesis. With this chaos going on and me desperately trying to get my life in order, no writing was accomplished.

October

I managed this month to push out Ch. 4 of Pocket Full of Shells, but with my defense looming the next month wasn’t expecting to get anything else done...

November

...yet ended up surprise writing Ch. 5 of Pocket Full of Shells in a fit of stress relief from work, which, like prior chapters was very well received and with amazing understanding and patience from readers.

December

Though I’d finished my PhD work going into this month, I was left with a compressed schedule of interviewing and landing a job, and then the holidays, and planning for moving in the new year. No writing was done for the end of the year, but I’m excited for more in 2018

Total Wordcount for 2017: 55,920 (posted on AO3). This is roughly half of last year’s output. HOWEVER, I wrote 41,991 words of original fic (still incomplete) in addition to the fanfic, which I intend to continue working on this new year!

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year or less than what you’d predicted? Given that I went into 2017 wanting to focus more on original fic, I knew my fanfic writing would take a corresponding hit in numbers. So with that said, I ended actually writing more fanfic than predicted, though I admit I fell short of my own goals for my original fic output. I do notice that last year I mentioned finishing and posting my Shyvana one-shot, which didn’t happen...hm...

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January 2016? Mafia AU for Pharmercy. It’s a very strange AU in the sense that it falls largely outside of the normal realm of reasonable character actions and motivations for both Fareeha and Angela--but it’s also the fun of putting them into such an inherently violent, greedy, and murky setting but still making the characters feel true to themselves.

What’s your favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest. Everwinter by and far for the win! There’s nothing that’s quite like wrapping up a multichapter fic. It’s both wonderful and a bit bittersweet after having put so much time and energy into it to see the characters’ stories finally wrap up. This is also the story that I wrote wholly for myself to see, so I’m very, very happy to have taken through to the end.

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year? For fanfic, I would like to finish up Pocket Full of Shells this year (I think a doable goal). Beyond that, it really would be amazing to actually continue and post the next chapter of Nautilus Cit, or get another large one-shot out (like my Shyvana story). Outside of fanfic, I really want to get an entire first draft of my first original fic novel completed this calendar year. FINGERS CROSSED FOR 2018!

#logos year in review #year in review #my writing

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Every first-round pick in the NFL Draft, graded with a pass or fail

Photo by NFL via Getty Images

Geoff Schwartz has a different kind of grading system, based on which player was drafted and who was still available.

For all the pre-draft talk about trades, surprise picks, and overall wildness, the top of the 2020 NFL Draft went as chalk as it can go. No one traded up in the top 10, and there wasn’t an unexpected pick until the middle of the first round.

Things got a little more unpredictable after that.

Instead of assigning every first-round pick a specific grade — which Dan Kadar already did — I went with a different approach. I gave them all a pass or fail grade, depending on who was drafted and what other options there were.

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU — Pass

Duh. This was the clear choice for the Bengals. Burrow had one of the best college seasons of all time. The intangibles, the leadership, showing up in big games, and his ability to find the hole in the defense and attack it — all elite. This was always the pick, and the Bengals didn’t bungle it.

2. Washington: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State — Pass

Double duh. Young was the highest-graded player in the draft for most people. It’s hard to find pass rushers out of college with multiple refined moves. He’s also able to counter well, including a spin move. Pair him with Ryan Kerrigan, and Washington has a formidable pass rush.

3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State — Pass

The Lions didn’t screw this up. Can you find me an elite defense without an elite corner? Nope. And with Darius Slay gone, Okudah can be that guy. He loves to tackle as well, which can be uncommon with that position. The Lions had to make this pick to get their defense back on track.

4. New York Giants: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia – Fail

Look, this grading scale is harsh. I don’t think it’s that bad of a “fail” for the Giants, but there were better tackles on the board. Drafting Thomas means they’re moving Nate Solder to right tackle, which isn’t a position he’s played much in the NFL. Thomas needs to work on his hand usage, which is doable because he’s got awesome footwork and ability to recover. If Giants were looking for a left tackle, Mekhi Becton was available — and is better.

5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama — Pass

I’m the biggest Justin Herbert fan there is. But this pick was a coup for the Dolphins. They entered the 2019 season attempting to Tank for Tua. It didn’t go as planned, and they ended up with the fifth pick. Despite reports the Dolphins were looking to move up, they never did. They stayed at No. 5 and drafted a dynamic talent in Tagovailoa. Injuries are a concern, but I think they had to pick him over Herbert.

6. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon — Pass

If you had to choose a spot for Herbert, this would be it. First off, there’s no pressure right now for the Chargers. They are the 11th team in Los Angeles. Herbert needs time to fix some of his issues, and he can do it sitting behind Tyrod Taylor. His weapons were nonexistent at Oregon, and now he gets Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, and Austin Ekeler. This is a great situation for him.

7. Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, DL, Auburn — Pass 8. Arizona Cardinals: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson — Pass

There were both best player available picks. It’s hard to argue with the Panthers grading Brown higher than Simmons, who played multiple positions in college. I will say the explanation from the Panthers about why they chose Brown over Simmons is rather odd, though:

The Panthers liked Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons a lot at No. 7 and he was the best pure athlete on the board, but they felt he was a better fit for a veteran team because of his ability to play so many positions. So they went with Auburn DT Derrick Brown,... https://t.co/Wfu6yhMSgv

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) April 24, 2020

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida — Pass

At this point in the draft, Henderson might not have been the highest player on the board, but he was high enough at a position of extreme need. I think the Jaguars did the right thing. They could have overdrafted a wide receiver or an offensive lineman, but this was the best call.

10. Cleveland Browns: Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama — Fail

The Browns need a left tackle. Wills has never played left tackle. He played right tackle in high school and in college. I understand people will say it’s because of Tagovailoa, who is left-handed, but Wills also played right tackle with the right-handed Jalen Hurts.

I’m fortunate to be well connected in the offensive line community, and I can’t find one person who thinks he would be a slam dunk at left tackle. I don’t know why you wouldn’t draft a pure left tackle. You have to hope Wills follows the path of Tyron Smith, who played right tackle in college and made the switch in the NFL.

11. New York Jets: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville — Pass

The Jets must have been thrilled when Becton dropped to them. Becton has the highest upside of any offensive tackle in the draft. He can be special, and the Jets need someone like Becton to help protect Sam Darnold.

12. Las Vegas Raiders: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama — Fail

The Raiders had their choice of wide receivers and took the one who’s the least polished and most likely not a No. 1 guy. Of course they did. They took the speed guy with great run-after-catch skills, instead of a better receiver like Jerry Jeudy or CeeDee Lamb.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa — Pass

Tampa Bay ended up with a fantastic offensive lineman, and it only took trading up one spot to get him. While Wirfs won’t start at guard, he might end up there. He can be a terrific OT, but he could be an All-Pro OG eventually. Wirfs has excellent balance, power, and core strength.

14. San Francisco 49ers: Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina — Fail

I don’t get this one honestly. In my opinion, it doesn’t help the team get better. The 49ers already have an outstanding defensive line. They could have used a wide receiver, a future left tackle when Joe Staley retires, or a defensive back. You can say this is a best player available pick, and I can’t argue that. But again, I’m not sure how this helps them get back to the Super Bowl.

15. Denver Broncos: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama — Pass

This is a home run for the Broncos. A guy they coveted the entire process, and the Broncos didn’t even have to move back for him. Jeudy is another weapon for Drew Lock and another upgrade this offseason for Denver’s roster.

16. Atlanta Falcons: A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson — Pass

Given where the Falcons were picking and what they needed, Terrell makes sense. He plays the type of press corner that works in the Falcons’ scheme. You could debate the Falcons could have waited to draft a DB, but they weren’t getting a top-flight talent in the second round.

17. Dallas Cowboys: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma — Pass

The Cowboys can’t have enough weapons for Dak Prescott. There’s not much more to say. Lamb was the best player still on the board at that position.

18. Miami Dolphins: Austin Jackson, OT, USC — Fail

Jackson needs some work. He’s young and has potential, but he has to improve his technique and get his play strength up. The problem I have with this pick is Jackson will most likely play right away, and he’s not ready fo that. There’s too much recent history of drafting “high upside, raw technique” guys early and expecting them to play, and then it not working out.

19. Las Vegas Raiders: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State — Fail

It’s hard to find many people who had a first-round grade on Arnette. It just feels like such a Raiders pick when everyone is trying to figure out why a player was drafted so high. The draft is about finding value and the Raiders failed to do that twice.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars: K’Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU — Pass

The Jaguars need pass rush help, and Chaisson was the best player left on the board who can rush the passer. With Yannick Ngakoue probably out the door, this makes complete sense.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU — Pass

This is a great pick for the Eagles’ offense. Reagor is on the smaller side, but he’s super quick and fast. He’s an excellent fit in the West Coast offense, which relies on shorter passes with longer runs.

22. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU — Pass

I think this is a huge steal for the Vikings, getting a weapon like Jefferson. Jefferson might be the third-best wide receiver — fourth at worst — in this draft class.

23. Los Angeles Chargers: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma — Pass

The Chargers traded back into the first round for Murray, who’s a great fit for their team. The Chargers have improved their roster this offseason and if they hit on Herbert, they could challenge the Chiefs in a few seasons.

24. New Orleans Saints: Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan — Fail

I don’t dislike this pick that much, but it just feels unnecessary. The Saints didn’t have many holes to fill, and Patrick Queen was still on the board. I had assumed Ruiz would move to OG because current center Erik McCoy played well as a rookie, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It just feels like a luxury pick.

25. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State — Pass

Aiyuk can fly and is a great route runner. He’s going to be a perfect receiver for the 49ers’ offense.

26. Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State — Fail

WTF, Packers? You just went to the NFC Championship Game and then use your first pick on a QB who won’t play for years. You needed to get Aaron Rodgers help at wide receiver, and he’s on the hook for at least two more seasons. This feels like such a waste of a pick, especially on a QB like Love, who has to grow so much to be an elite QB.

27. Seattle Seahawks: Jordyn Brooks, LB, Texas Tech — Fail

On the list of team needs, a box linebacker is like 15th on that list. I have no idea what the Seahawks are doing. They could have taken an offensive tackle or a pass rusher. It just makes no sense.

28. Baltimore Ravens: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU — Pass

The Ravens get the guy they wanted the most. Queen is exactly what the team needed at linebacker. Queen can move so well laterally, and he’s going to fit well in this scheme.

29. Tennessee Titans: Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia — Pass

Wilson is a giant human and should slide right into the Titans’ run-based offense. He is a better run blocker than a pass protector at the moment, and he can be hidden in pass protection for now. Good pick.

30. Miami Dolphins: Noah Igbinoghene, CB Auburn — Pass

Honestly, I don’t have much here. I don’t pretend to be a guy who dives deep into the cornerback position. Twitter seems to like the pick, so I’ll roll with it.

31. Minnesota Vikings: Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU — Pass

Ditto what I said above. He was graded as a first-rounder. He went in the first round. Good for me, especially because it fills a big need for the Vikings.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU — Fail

WHY WHY WHY? Don’t draft a running back in the first round!

It’s so counter to everything the Chiefs and Andy Reid have done. I don’t get it.

0 notes

ryttu3k · 7 years ago

Text

Let’s do the whole thing because why not XD

For the asks I got: @ladynorbert asked 15, 35, and 40, and @lumaphoenix asked 9, 26, and 38! Italicising those questions!

1. First things first, did you have a good year? *wiggly hand gesture*

2. How old did you turn this year? 31. Right near the end, though.

3. Do you feel your age? Man, with my collagen I feel 81.

4. Did your appearance change in anyway? My hair grew about an inch?

5. Post your favorite selfie. Nah.

6. If you traveled, where did you go? Went down to Sydney for a concert and stayed overnight. It’s about an hour and a half away.

7. Which fashion trends did you love? b o t a n i c a l s

8. Which fashion trends did you hate? The rest of them.

9. What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible? Flowery space smile shirt!

10. What song sums up this year for you? Pick one, haha.

11. What album came out and has been on heavy rotation since then? The Breath of the Wild soundtrack!

12. What was your favorite movie of the year? Rogue One came out late enough last year that it counts, I think.

13. Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year? First time? Nah, but I continue to adore the Star Wars cast <3

14. Favorite new TV show? The Librarians :D I mean it’s not new new, but it’s new to me this year!

15. Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears? There was that brief but very enthusiastic DDADDS surge! But then back to business as usual with Zelda, Pokemon, and Star Wars, yeah. BotW is a new subset of Zelda fandom, at least!

16. What food did you try for the first time? I discovered furikake seasoning (without fish). I love it.

17. Did you make any big permanent changes this year? Nah. I started regularly dislocating my wrist in my sleep, though!

18. What was one nice thing you did for someone else? If I say, it doesn’t count any more!

19. What was one nice thing you did for yourself? Lush baths. Good shit.

20. Did you develop a new obsession? Bullet journalling, like, right at the end, haha.

21. Did you vote? Yup, just a local council election and in the marriage equality survey.

22. Did you move? / 23. Did you get a job? / 24. Did you get a pet? Nope!

25. Do you regret not doing anything? Researching tomatoes more. We attempted to grow them and lmfao fail.

26. Do you regret doing something? Apologies for the weak-ass answer, but not really!

27. Have you done anything that scared you? Not enough.

28. Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days? God fucking politics.

29. Did you lose anyone close to you? My paternal grandmother died, but we weren’t close (I hadn’t actually seen her for a couple of years), so I’m not sure that counts...

30. Did you fall in love? / 31. Did you fall out of love? / 32. Did you start a new relationship? / 33. Did you go through a break up? / 34. Did you have to cut ties to someone? Nope!

35. Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year? Some of the friends I’ve made, maybe?

36. Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year? I’m drawing a blank here.

37. If you could have a do over on one thing you did, would you take it? Nah. I don’t fuck with causality that way.

38. What was the best moment of the year for you? Symphony of the Goddesses on a personal note, marriage equality finally passing in Australia on a broader note!

39. What was the worst? *lies down on the floor*

40. Did anything happen that you were sure would change you as a person but it really didn’t? Oh, hmm. Nothing really comes to mind, I’m afraid.

41. Did anything happen to you that you were sure wouldn’t change you as a person but it did? Again, nothing comes to mind. Sorry!

42. What are you most proud of accomplishing? Finished first drafts of the entire Synth trilogy!

43. What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior? More health shit, haha. Also, how far my patience can stretch with my grandmother, I guess? (She has dementia.)

44. Did your opinion of anyone change for the better? There were a lot of cool people this year!

45. Did your opinion of anyone change for worse? ...And a lot of shit ones, yes.

46. If you make resolutions, did you complete them this year? / 47. If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year? Nope :D

48. If you could go on an adventure during the remaining days of the year, where would you go and what would you do? Who would you go this? There’s five and a quarter hours left of the year, not really doable!

49. What do you wish for others for the coming year? Peace, happiness, stability.

50. What do you wish for yourself? Sure, let’s go with the above, haha.

#memes #year in review

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soysaucevictim · 6 years ago

Text

The interview came and went. Won’t know how I did until a later date.

July 8

I got up a bit after 10AM, today.

Decided to spend some time messing with my Twitter and fandom blogs for awhile, before getting in all my exercise for the day.

First, today’s DD. 2 minutes side-to-side chops with EC. A bit antsy today, but this helped somewhat. I counted 138 reps by the end of the 2', very fun and doable! :D

Second, Day 3 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop punching. I swapped stances every minute (except one time where it was 2′ for both sides.) I also counted 1101 punches thrown, although I may’ve made a counting error at some point... I think this sounds right. (Noting a bit over 100/min.)

Last, Day 3 of CCC. 40 torso twists. This was basically a very similar action to the DD! Pffft. But it was still breezy work! :,D

(Ooof, perhaps it’s all the squats or yesterday’s DD... but my quads have been quite sore today!)

I then took a shower and tried to assemble some notes for that job interview... despite constantly distracting myself out of anxiety. orz

July 9

I got up a bit before 8AM.

One of the first things I did while at the facility was ask other people about their local dentist experiences. I think I may have a solid pick to revise what happened to my molar... so I’m happy I have a bit of direction there.

Then, went to Seeking Safety Group, which went well enough.

I spent the rest of my time there doing a second pass over that stream footage and doing the DD. 30 leg raises with EC. Did this one while I was out at the facility, again. Manageable but certainly a bit tough. :P

One of the first things I had to do once back home was make the family dinner, even though on the inside I was tired and didn’t want to. It was stuffed green bell peppers and tasty, though. Bro also doing the dishes from yesterday’s dinner was nice, too.

Spent a few hours playing games and watching YouTube before finishing up my exercise.

First, Day 4 of the T10C. 7 sets of 40″ squats + 20″ shoulder taps, with a finisher of 3′ of squats. I found this very manageable... had to get going later than intended because I was still digesting my food. :P

Last, Day 4 of the CCC. 70 side leg raises, done in one go. This time I opted to do 50%/50%, which was more challenging than alternating sides. Might try to do the rest of this commitment like that or continue mixing things up. We’ll see. :Ic

July 10

I got up around 9:30AM. Spent much of my day leading up to the interview prepping some notes and getting ready... and getting aggravated with my browser hanging. :/

Got to my interview. Was nervy for awhile out of my own concerns abt my transportation arrangements (Though now I have a few potential plans to get to the facility) & feeling like I didn't prepare myself enough. But I don't think I did COMPLETELY abysmally.

When I got home and got some food in me, I spent some time drafting my thank you notes/letters. Despite still being nervous and attempting to process what occurred. I hope I can get them finished and delivered before tomorrow’s end, once I’ve smoothed some details out.

Remains to be seen whether I got the position or not (going to take a couple weeks or so).

I then worked on some HW my psychiatrist handed me to do, which on some level I didn’t really want to do, because my brain was getting kinda hazy at that point. But did something to that end. (Kinda frustrated with myself for thoughtlessly scheduling my next appointment tomorrow at an awkward time for the county transport... nnng.)

Getting in my exercise helped a bit though.

First, today’s DD. 1′ reverse plank with EC. Took some willpower to get through, but steady breathing is key. Ooof. :P

Second, Day 5 of the T10C. 10 sets of 2x20″ high knees + 20″ climbers, with 1′ march steps as a warmup. Because i didn’t feel like negotiating a HIIT timer situation - I went for 30 climbers for each set. As I went, it was a couple seconds short - but close enough in my book. It was NOT a cakewalk. Had to pace a bit to get the HR down.

Last, Day 5 of the CCC. 40 torso twists. I do appreciate this was the easier of the two days after T10C’s stuff.

July 11

Been up since a bit before 7AM, needed to be up earlier for an appointment.

The psych appointment went well enough. Did ask the clinic about the para-transit application. I won’t submit it unless I get this job - because I don’t have the income to support getting [standard OR para] bus tickets, etc..

Then I did some socializing, played some Risk with others, got to WRAP Group, and did the DD. Also asked about something in regard to the interview - when I get the info I need, I’ll finish up and send those thank you letters.

The DD was 3′ balance stand with EC. Did this one while I was out at the facility today. Was not up for doing the EEC though, takes a lot of emotional energy I do not have, today. But I did EC twice, 3'/3' in one go. That was fun and meditative. :D

After all that, got home and mostly tried to get situated. But I did do the rest of my exercise.

First, Day 6 of the T10C. 5 sets of 1′ sit-ups + 1′ flutter kicks. Had to do the sit-ups a bit more slowly and took several pauses for recovery during the flutter kicks. I also did tht latter mostly wwith my head down... too tired to deal with neck strain.

Last, Day 6 of the CCC. 80 side leg raises, in one go. I think I’ll do all of this challenge 50%/50%. Especially given that the other one’s instance of them are side-to-sides.

I’m... was not happy about having to make dinner today. Or doing the dishes. But I had to, even though I running on fumes. orz

July 12

I got up at around 10 AM, today.

Spent a few hours on the usual, before getting in my DD, today. 200 squat hold punches with EC. Oof, that took some willpower to get through. But I'm happy I managed it, trying to throw faster punches helps. :D

I also wrote my thank you letters, did dishes, and made the family dinner.

Bleh... let’s just say I found myself in a spiral about the letter, but a friend helped me deal with the anxiety spike. I’m grateful for the reality check.

July 13

I got up after noon, today.

I spent much of my time on the usual. But I did get in some exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 side-to-side lunges with EC. This was pretty challenging, especially in the last 10 or so reps. But this was still pretty manageable. :P

Second, Day 7 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop side-to-side leg raises. Ooof. That was tough. I counted 524 reps in the duration, lifting my left leg got to be harder than the right.

Last, Day 7 of the CCC. 40 torso twists in one go.

One of the last things I did today was prepping for tomorrow’s dinner. Intend to make some vegetarian chili.

July 14

I got up before 10AM, today.

Similar thing as yesterday. Did a bit more meal prep and some exercise, though.

First, today’s DD. 60 knee-to-elbow twists with EC. This was pretty fun, first few was a bit awkward because I wasn't super focused. But quickly got in the rhythm and enjoyed myself. :D

I guess making that vegetarian chili today and opting to do some mass repairs on the gloves I use... took too much of my time/energy to get around to doing my main exercise stuff. But hey, knocked out a fairly big To Do, there. :P

July 15

I got up around 10AM, today.

I don’t have much to show for myself other than exercise. And eating FAR too many damn cookies today. orz

First, today’s DD. 2′ O-pose with EC. A personal favorite, because of the ab work and the balance focus. But still not a cakewalk, didn't take a whole lot of time before I got to trembling! Steady breathing is key. :D

Second, Day 8 of the T10C. 7 sets of 30″ jumping Jacks + 30″ plank jacks; with a finisher of 3′ jumping jacks. Had to go at a deliberately slow pace with the jumping jacks to get through this, but I managed. My calves really felt it. :,D

Last, Day 8 of the CCC. 90 side leg raises. 45/45 in one go. That got mildly tough shortly after all the jacks.

With that, I should get to bed in a bit, now.

Okay... I really need to hit publish... this post is getting too damn long.

#adventures with fitness #long post... woops

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junker-town · 7 years ago

Text

Cal can progress in Justin Wilcox’s first year, but look at this damn schedule

Wins will likely have to wait until 2018, no matter how much the Golden Bears improve in 2017.

This preview originally published May 31 and has since been updated.

The effects of the air raid offense are obvious. Teams that employ this style define the game in a specific way, force you to make open-field tackles (often for 80-plus snaps), and wear your linemen down by forcing them to attack the quarterback from large splits.

The defense gets tired, and the offense feels pressure to keep up on the scoreboard without making too many mistakes. It’s doable, obviously — no air raid coach has won a national title, after all — but for coaches with harder jobs, being able to define the game is awfully appealing.

The system also works. Or at least, it can.

Art Briles converted Baylor from doormat to conference champion with his version.

Mike Leach has taken teams to 13 bowls in 15 years.

Dana Holgorsen has a couple of 10-win seasons at West Virginia.

Kevin Sumlin (a strong recruiter) has won fewer than eight games just once in eight years as a head coach.

Air raid father Hal Mumme rode the system to two bowls at Kentucky when the school had been through a mostly destitute 15 years.

There’s another appeal, at least in hindsight: it’s hard to replace your system with something else.

In replacing two air raid coaches (first Mumme, then Guy Morriss) at Kentucky, Rich Brooks won nine games in three years before building traction. (NCAA sanctions didn’t help.)

In succeeding Briles and Sumlin at Houston, Tony Levine went 5-7 in his first year and couldn’t top 8-5 before getting dismissed.

After Sonny Dykes went 17-8 in his final two years at Louisiana Tech, Skip Holtz dealt with a 4-8 reset when Dykes went to Cal.

Ruffin McNeill won between five and eight games for most of his tenure at ECU, which was deemed unacceptable; afterward, Scottie Montgomery went 3-9 in his first year.

After ranking in the S&P+ top 30 for five straight years before Leach got fired, Texas Tech fell to 60th and 86th in its first two years under Tommy Tuberville.

Is this purely anecdotal? Of course. But it makes some sense that a stark culture change could create issues, especially if a defense-first coach is taking over a let-’er-rip system. Tuberville, for instance, tried to install defensive principles while maintaining the attack that fans loved, and it was never a natural fit.

That Cal and Dykes parted wasn’t surprising. Dykes’ performance didn’t earn him a dismissal — the Bears won eight games in 2015, and the step back to 5-7 in 2016 was predictable, considering the massive turnover. But his constant flirtation with other schools and his apparent disinterest in finding a new defensive coordinator eventually got him pushed out. I say “eventually” because while the move wasn’t completely unexpected, it came late in the 2016-17 carousel.

Regardless, the school found a suitable replacement on paper. Wilcox played defensive back at Oregon, got his breakthrough under Jeff Tedford at Cal, and has spent 13 of his 16 years as a coach either in the Pac-12 or at Boise State. He knows the West, and in his 11 years as a coordinator, has produced five top-25 Def. S&P+ rankings.

Good defense has become a foreign concept in Berkeley. Wilcox takes over a team that, over the last three seasons, averaged rankings of 12th in Off. S&P+ and 101st in Def. S&P+. Though air raid teams can play decent defense, that was never the case for Dykes. Wilcox has never had a defense that ranked worse than 54th, so something will have to give.

Wilcox is trying his best to avoid a Year Zero situation; his hire of 3-4 guru Deruyter made plenty of sense, considering Wilcox’s 3-4 roots, but he also brought in former Eastern Washington head coach Baldwin to coordinate the offense.

Though technically not a branch on the air raid tree, Baldwin’s EWU teams were prolific and successful. In total yardage, Baldwin’s last four EWU teams had an average ranking of fourth in FCS on offense and 101st on defense. They won at least 11 games three times in that span and four times overall.

There’s nothing saying the balance can’t work, but pulling off a successful first year could be tricky. Baldwin’s first Cal offense will be without last year’s starting quarterback, leading rusher, leading receiver, and five linemen who combined for 120 career starts. There’s far more continuity on defense, for better or worse, but the switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 can be awkward if the size balance isn’t right.

There’s enough talent to think Cal can eke out a minor bowl bid, but I’ll withhold expectations until year two.

Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Wilcox

2016 in review

2016 Cal statistical profile.

Cal was projected to win five games in 2016 and did so, but the way the season began, it felt like more was possible. Grad transfer Davis Webb did a decent enough job of replacing top NFL draft pick Jared Goff, and five games in, the Bears were 3-2 with a couple of nice home wins (Texas, Utah) and respectable road losses (San Diego State, pre-collapse Arizona State).

A frustrating road loss to Oregon State, however, signaled a turn, and after a shootout win over Oregon, Cal faltered.

First 5 games (3-2): Avg. percentile performance: 74% (~top 35) | Avg. yards per play: Cal 6.8, Opp 5.9 (plus-0.9) | Avg. score: Cal 42, Opp 39

Next 6 games (1-5): Avg. percentile performance: 40% (~top 75) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 7.7, Cal 5.5 (minus-2.2) | Avg. score: Opp 51, Cal 33

The offense failed to produce as many big plays, and with attrition in the secondary, the defense fell apart. The Bears rebounded to pound a faltering UCLA in the season finale, but the damage was done. And while it looked like Dykes would survive, about six weeks after the season ended, he did not.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

The air raid is built on avoiding negative plays, getting the ball out of the QB’s hands quickly, and cranking out efficient gains until defenses take risks.

The same can be said for a Baldwin offense. In 2016, EWU threw more than 60 percent of the time, took sacks on just 3.7 percent of attempts (more than Cal, but not that much more) and completed 68 percent of its passes. Granted, the Eagles had the best receiver in FCS on their side — Cooper Kupp, who caught 117 passes for 1,700 yards and posted 12 for 206 against Washington State in the season opener — but this was an offense similar to Dykes’.

There are reasons to worry about turnover on offense; Webb threw 620 of Cal’s 621 passes (the other was thrown by the punter) and is gone. So are Chad Hansen (1,249 receiving yards), Khalfani Muhammad (959 combined rushing and receiving yards), four-year starting tackle Steven Moore, and two other stalwarts on the line [update: make that one, as starting guard Dwayne Wallace has been dismissed]. Your leading active career passer is Chase Forrest, who completed 10 balls two years ago.

Still, Dykes left Baldwin some presents. After a slow start (seven catches in his first three games), five-star Demetris Robinson finished his freshman year with 50 catches and four 90-yard receiving games. Another freshman, four-star Melquise Stovall, caught 42 balls as the No. 3 target.

Three other returning wideouts caught at least 15 passes, so the cupboard is in no way bare. Plus, backup running back Tre Watson wasn’t really a backup to Muhammad — he carried only nine fewer times, and while he was less explosive, he had better rush efficiency numbers and caught 21 of 24 passes for 241 yards. He is a custom-made back for a pass-first system. Meanwhile, 245-pound Vic Enwere was actually Cal’s most explosive back as the No. 3 guy.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Tre Watson

The leaders are gone, but there’s still plenty of depth at the skill positions. The quarterback will likely be either Forrest or sophomore Ross Bowers, a mid-three-star recruit from Washington. This is a QB-friendly system, and one assumes that the winner of the starting gig will be fine.

Really, with the splits and quick passing, this is a line-friendly system, too. Center Addison Ooms is back after starting every game, but at the end of spring ball, the new pass protectors at tackle were Patrick Mekari and Jake Curhan. Mekari is a junior with three starts to his name; Curhan is a redshirt freshman. The experience level up front is down quite a bit.

Cal hasn’t ranked outside of the Off. S&P+ top 20 since 2013, Dykes’ first year. Baldwin has plenty of skill guys to utilize, and his system could dampen the turnover. Still, another top-20 performance might be a little too much to ask for. If the Bears hit the top 35, that’s a win.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Melquise Stovall

Defense

Cal’s defense ranked 66th in yards per completion last year. Per the radar chart above, that was the Bears’ biggest “strength.” They were 85th in Passing S&P+ and 116th in Rushing S&P+. They had almost no disruptive presence (122nd in havoc rate) but weren’t good enough at big-play prevention to claim a bend-don’t-break approach.

The secondary was supposed to be a relative strength, and I guess it was. But injuries assured that this unit was never what it could be. Safety Damariay Drew was lost for the season with injury in August, and while a whopping 15 DBs ended up averaging at least one tackle per game (the sign of an at least semi-regular contributor), only five played in all 12 games. Top cornerback Darius Allensworth played in six games, top safety Luke Rebenzer in nine.

But hey, last year’s injuries are this year’s depth. Thirteen of those 15 DBs are back, so DeRuyter at least has options.

Allensworth (12 passes defensed in 2015), Rubenzer, and other seniors like corner Marloshawn Franklin Jr. are back to provide some level of veteran leadership to the group, while sophomores like safeties Jaylinn Hawkins (a former four-star recruit) and Evan Rambo and corners Josh Drayden, Traveon Beck, and Ashtyn Davis) should assure the competition level remains high. Freshmen Camryn Bynum and Elijah Hicks made some noise this spring as well.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Marloshawn Franklin Jr. (18)

With fewer injuries, the secondary could be decent.

The front seven, however, is quite a few steps from decent. It absorbed a lot of turnover before 2016 and didn’t fare well, and now comes the move to a 3-4.

If this move goes poorly, it’s usually because the new defense doesn’t have the right size. Likely starting nose guard Tony Mekari is listed at 295 pounds, lower than you’d like, but size at end is fine, with likely starting ends James Looney and Zeandae Johnson hitting 280 pounds.

Looney and Mekari showed play-making potential, combining for 12.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, but their main job now will be filling gaps and occupying blockers for a linebacking corps that is seasoned but unproven. Junior Cameron Saffle (8.5 TFLs, four sacks, four breakups) should take to the OLB position nicely, but only one other linebacker recorded more than 1.5 TFLs, and DeRuyter might have to turn to a youngster like sophomore Russell Ude, redshirt freshman Cameron Goode, or JUCO transfer Alex Funches to provide some play-making.

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

James Looney (9)

Defense always appeared to be an afterthought for Dykes. That won’t be the case with a successful defensive coordinator now running the show, but it remains a mystery how quickly Wilcox and DeRuyter can find traction.

It’s also a mystery what DeRuyter will do now that he’s back in the coordinator chair. He was a successful DC at Air Force and Texas A&M, but he lost the plot as Fresno State head coach; after ranking 38th in Def. S&P+ in 2012, none of his last four FS defenses topped 82nd.

Special Teams

This transition could go in a couple of directions, but at least Wilcox inherits decent legs. Matt Anderson was 33rd in field goal efficiency, nailing 94 percent of his sub-40 field goals and six of nine longer ones as well. Plus, Dylan Klumph is one of the league’s better punters if punting suddenly becomes more of a thing in Berkeley.

The return game is questionable, and kickoffs are an unknown, but place-kicking and punting are the most important parts of a good special teams unit, and Cal’s got those covered.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep at North Carolina 38 -5.5 37% 9-Sep Weber State NR 27.6 94% 16-Sep Ole Miss 26 -4.8 39% 23-Sep USC 7 -16.0 18% 30-Sep at Oregon 23 -10.7 27% 7-Oct at Washington 13 -17.1 16% 13-Oct Washington State 40 -0.2 50% 21-Oct Arizona 68 4.4 60% 28-Oct at Colorado 50 -3.2 43% 4-Nov Oregon State 54 2.4 55% 18-Nov at Stanford 12 -17.5 16% 24-Nov at UCLA 34 -6.5 35%

Projected S&P+ Rk 55 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 25 / 90 Projected wins 4.9 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 2.0 (60) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 53 / 44 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 3 / -4.3 2016 TO Luck/Game +3.0 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 58% (38%, 78%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 5.7 (-0.7)

When you inherit a team that’s been really good on one side and really bad on the other, the transition can be difficult. In Cal’s case, the offense has nowhere to go but down, even with a nice coordinator hire ... and to maintain a near-.500 pace, the new defensive staff will have to engineer quality the Cal D hasn’t seen in a while.

Maybe new input and new tactics give the defense the shot in the arm it’s been dying for. The secondary could be solid, and the front seven can’t be worse. And maybe Baldwin finds everything he needs on offense in this exciting skill corps.

Even if Cal exceeds its No. 55 projected S&P+ ranking, though — let’s say the Bears get into the top 35 — damn, look at that schedule.

At North Carolina, at Oregon, at Washington, at Colorado, at Stanford, at UCLA.

Ole Miss, USC, Washington State, Arizona, and Oregon State at home.

Seven games with win probability between 35 and 60 percent with one above that and four below.

This is not the schedule for first-year success. So for Wilcox, the goal is just to make things interesting. Show that the offensive ceiling is as high as it has been and show that defensive competence is around the corner. Build for 2018 and hope you win enough of the close games to keep fans engaged.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

0 notes

junker-town · 8 years ago