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wideouts4life · 1 year ago

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NFL Week 2

I’d have to check this next statement for actually facts. But, I believe Mike Evans either has tied Larry Fitzgerald for 9 consecutive seasons with 1000 yards. Or he set the record for most 1000 yard seasons to open a career. Either way, this is really impressive considering all the variables that go into maintaining such consistency. Staying healthy is the real key and Mike Evans has built a resume that could withstand any argument as a top wideout in his era.

This past Sunday Evans talent was on full display. Mike caught 6 balls for 171 yards and 1 touchdown. Evans most exciting play came on a pass that he out jumped a defender and raced for a 75-yard gain while being pushed out at the 5-yard line. His touchdown came on a simple go route that Evans made look too easy.

Mama there goes that man! Damn! Justin Jefferson is really good. Against one of the better cover corner’s in the NFL (Darius Slay), Jefferson had his way all afternoon. Catch after catch Jefferson made Slay earn his paycheck. Jefferson ended the night with 11 catches for 159 yards with zero scores. Jefferson ran the route tree and is only improving. I love how his run after catch has improved and he’s playing with more tenacity. If he continues to play at this pace, I believe he can be the first wideout to eclipse 2000 yards.

Puka Nacua is making sure the NFL knows his name loud and clear. Setting an NFL rookie record with most catches in the first two games of the season (25). Nacua is picking up what the team is missing from injured All-Pro Cooper Kupp. I won’t rain on Nacua’s parade but what he’s doing is leading me to look at Kupp’s record setting season as a by product of Matthew Stafford.

Think about it. Stafford was the QB of the Detroit Lions when Calvin Johnson set the record for most yards in a season with 1964. Stafford won the Super Bowl the year Kupp became the #2 yards leader in NFL history with 1947. I would not be surprised if similar numbers are achieved by Nacua especially if Kupp lingers on IR for about half the season.

Nacua caught 15 passes for 147 yards with zero scores. His play matched the intensity and toughness of the San Francisco 49ers defense. I love how physical the rookie is playing. Catching slants over the middle is no easy task at any level, especially the hard hitting NFL. I regard the 49ers defense as the best in football and watching the kid carve a hole in the defense lets me know he’s going to have a very productive season.

Nico Collins is making his first appearance on this blog with a healthy performance against the Indianapolis Colts. Collins caught 7 balls for 146 yards and 1 touchdown. Nico caught a slant on his first pass and raced 45 yards before eventually being tackled. Collins lone touchdown came on what looked like a busted coverage. I think rookie CJ Stroud has found his go to wideout and I look forward to the kid having more 100 yard games this season.

Ceedee Lamb is making his first appearance of the 2023 season. Against one of the better corners (Sauce Gardner) and a pretty good New York Jets defense, Lamb licked his chops all over the field this past Sunday. Ceedee caught 11 passes for 143 yards. I like that he’s playing aggressive and being physical at the point of attack. He’s now in his 3rd season and looking like the #1 wideout team owner Jerry Jones thought he could be.

Speed kills! Devonta Smith is a speedster like the road runner. The majority of his yardage came on two deep shots from Jalen Hurts with one being slightly under thrown. That didn’t matter as Smith jumped over the defender, Moss’n him in the process to complete the catch. Devonta’s touchdown came on a go-route that the defender was sitting on. Smith ran right by him on his way to the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown.

George Pickens is a name I have never heard of either. But after the game he had against divisional rival Cleveland Browns, I’m sure I won’t forget his name nor his game moving forward. Pickens only caught 4 of the 10 balls targeted in his direction. On a long 3 and forever, Pickens inside released on a speed dig and galloped his way 71-yards for a touchdown. Pickens finished the night with 127 yards to give his team the much needed victory.

It’s good to see Keenan Allen back carving up defenses across the NFL. The Allen of old would have a great game to then be sidelined the next week. But the 2023 Allen is a different animal. The thing I pick up in his body language is that’s he’s fully healthy and happy. Against the Tennessee Titans, Allen had 8 catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. His team took home the Loss but personally the day was a win for Allen.

Christian Kirk has lived up to the big contract he signed last summer worth $72 million dollars . Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kirk made his presence felt early and quite often. Christian caught 11 passes for 110 yards. Kirk didn’t score but I look forward to him continuing to dominate from the slot.

DJ Moore was traded this off-season to the Carolina Panthers. I feel this was an upgrade for the Panthers but a mistake by the New Orleans Saints. Moore caught 6 passes for 104 yards. He didn’t go deep but ran a couple dig routes that turned defenders around. As he and quarterback Bryce Young chemistry grows I expect Moore to have more than a few 100-yard games this season.

This last wideout had his first 100-yard game of the season. I’ll always root for the kid to do good because I coached him in high school. Amon-Ra St. Brown will get paid this off-season especially if he has his 3rd straight 1000 yard season. Against the falcons he was used all over the field. St. Brown caught balls from out wide, in the slot, and from the backfield. Amon-Ra caught 6 passes for 102 yards with zero scores.

Sorry this blog is a late but as long as it gets done that’s all that matters. After watching the tape I’m going to give Keenan Allen the WOW award (wideoutoftheweek) because he scored twice and at the end of the day the wideouts get paid to score.

#wideouts #wideouts4life #wideoutspublishing #nfl #wide receiver #mike evans #larry fitzgerald #justin jefferson #puka nacua #nico collins #ceedee lamb #devonta smith #george pickens #keenan allen #christian kirk #dj moore #amon ra st. brown #coachchess #stylethegreat

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camssportblog · 2 years ago

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My Top 5 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft

1. Carolina Panthers-with the first pick up in the NFL draft the Carolina Panthers will select Bryce Young out of the University of Alabama. Bryce Young is the best quarterback, coming out of the draft, with great pocket mobility, and the knack for finding the end zone, Young set himself apart from the order of the quarterbacks.

2. Houston Texans- the Houston Texans will select CJ Stroud out of the Ohio State University. CJ has the best arm strength in this draft class and put it to the test against a ferocious Georgia defense. He and Young are the two quarterbacks fighting for the number one pick however, I am leaning toward CJ going to the Texans.

3. With the third pick of the NFL draft the Arizona Cardinals select Will Anderson Jr of the University of Alabama. Anderson is the best edge rusher in this draft class. Leading first place in all pass-rushing stats (sacks, tfl, & qb pressures). With JJ Watt retiring this would be a great pickup for the team.

4. With the fourth pick of the NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts will select Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida. Richardson is the most athletic quarterback in the draft. With a frame like Cam Newton and an arm like Josh Allen, he will do great things in the league.

5. Seattle Seahawks- with the fifth pick in the NFL draft the Seattle Seahawks win select Jalen Carter how did the University of Georgia. Carter is the best interior defender in the draft with his strength and quickness he’s able to beat his opponents very easily. This is a great pick for a team that is in need of an interior defender.

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keepingupwiththefins · 2 years ago

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Back TUA the Future

Looking now at the present landscape of the AFC and AFC east, the Dolphins have a lot of good teams to compete against before they can get to the Super Bowl. This past year, the Dolphins were 9-8 and 3-3 in the division. After the off-season acquisitions and another year with McDaniel there is no reason why we shouldn't be better, barring any health related setbacks. But, here is the problem, the Buffalo Bills with Josh Allen will continue to do their thing and you can't not mention them until we win the division and the Jets with Aaron Rodgers could be very dangerous. Even though the jets didn't play the dolphins last year with Tua, you can't ignore the fact that they won 7 games this past year, something we haven't seen them do in about 3 years and before that 7 years ago. Last year they hit on all three of their first round draft picks (Sauce Gardner, Garret Wilson and Breece Hall) and as a result got to a 7-3 start this season. All that was done with Zack Wilson being the Quarterback, who we can now say is a bust, so imagine that but with Rodgers... Yikes. This year is definitely going to be a dog fight in the AFC east but I am confident the Dolphins have what it takes to win the division and if that's the case our post season will be a lot better having at least 1 game at home.

We already know what the offense can do when healthy, now you pair up Jalen Ramsey with Xavien Howard, not to mention Jevon Holland, Bradley Chubb, and Jaelen Phillips. We have a lot of pieces on the defensive side of the ball that can allow the Fins to really make some noise no matter who is in the way. I really believe with Vangio the Dolphins D will be able to transform back into that 2020 form along with Xavien Howard specifically. X last year didn't have his best year to say the least and it wasn't all because he was playing with a groin injury. Even though that doesn't help, X also struggled last year due to not having his guy Byron there and Boyers play calling. If I had a dollar for every 3&18 cover zero blitz that led to the defense getting torched I'd be a rich man. Vangio has a zone heavy scheme that will be able to help everyone out and lead to hopefully stops on third downs. The Dolphins last year were well below the bottom half of the league in third downs on defense. The defense had a dramatic fall in production after Flores left, now that we have Vangio we should look a lot different next year.

All in all, I project the Dolphins to win at the minimum 11 games next year if not 13. The AFCE will be tough but I think this is the year the dolphins finally pass the Bills and secure a home playoff game.

Pictures:

1.https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/dolphins-following-afc-east-rivals-blueprint-with-tua-tagovailoa-playing-like-an-mvp-alongside-tyreek-hill/

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erE9F638RwY

3.https://www.thephinsider.com/2022/11/27/23481032/qb-tua-tagovailoa-on-coach-mcdaniel-having-someone-that-believes-in-you-makes-all-the-difference

#miamidolphins #nfl #buffalo bills #new york jets #new england patriots #afc east

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strictlyfavorites · 2 years ago

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Team photographers David Silverman and Eric J. Adler present their favorite photos from the Patriots 38-15 win over the Cleveland Browns at First Energy Field on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. 02

A little known fourth-round draft pick who played at Conference USA school Western Kentucky, Zappe — pronounced ZAPP-ee — was pushed into action two weeks ago when starter Mac Jones and veteran backup Brian Hoyer went out with injuries. He now has now won two games in as many starts.

On Sunday, he threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots buried the Cleveland Browns 38-15. It was the 324th career win for coach Bill Belichick, who tied George Halas for second on the NFL's career list.

"We're just playing football," the 23-year-old Zappe said. "It's what we've been playing since we were 5 years old, so it's fun to play with these guys."

Zappe, starting for the second consecutive week, threw second-half TD passes to Tyquan Thornton and Hunter Henry as the Patriots pulled away from the anemic Browns.

Zappe finished 24 of 34 passing a week after throwing for 188 yards and a touchdown in his first start, a 29-0 win over Detroit.

"He has pretty good instincts, but again, there's a lot for him to learn," Belichick said of the young quarterback. "He saw some things today and he learned from them, he was able to take advantage and make a couple plays, so it was a solid performance."

The Patriots' offense took a while to get going in this one, and the Browns (2-4) never really did.

Late in the first half, Rhamondre Stevenson broke through, bounced left and tore down the sideline for a 31-yard score.

Early in the second half, Zappe hooked up with Jonnu Smith for 53 yards to get down to the Browns 20, and a 13-yard completion to Henry set up first-and-goal at the 2. Three plays later, Thornton grabbed Zappe's short toss in the end zone.

Later Patriots linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley hit quarterback Jacoby Brissett as he was throwing, leading to a pick by Jalen Mills that gave them the ball at the Cleveland 40. Three plays later, Zappe found a wide-open Henry, who ran untouched for a 31-touchdown and a 24-6 New England lead.

The Browns' offense produced only a pair of field goals by Cade York in the first half.

Cleveland's Nick Chubb, who entered leading the NFL in rushing, didn't have a double-digit gain until late in the third quarter. He had 23 yards rushing and 14 receiving on that drive, but again the Browns stalled — and York came on for a 51-yard field goal.

Chubb finished with 12 carries for 56 yards, both season lows.

Brissett, who finished 21 for 45 for 266 yards with two interceptions, threw a 15-yard scoring pass to Amari Cooper in the fourth quarter but a 2-point attempt failed, leaving it a two-score game with 6:22 left.

New England sealed it with a 19-yard end-around for a touchdown by Thornton. Brissett fumbled the ball away on the Browns' next drive, leading to Stevenson's second TD, a 6-yard plunge with 3:40 left.

It was the most points allowed by Cleveland this season and its most lopsided loss.

"Every way you can get beat — offense, defense, special teams, coaching — we got beat," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "They beat us, and we also beat ourselves a few too many times."

Defensive end Myles Garrett said Zappe caught the Browns off-guard when he came out throwing.

"The plan was they were going to run the ball, based on what's happened the last two weeks," Garrett said. "But we shouldn't have made it so easy on him."

HISTORIC WIN

Belichick, who is 324-159 including the playoffs, has a chance to pass Halas next Monday night at home against Chicago — the franchise with which Halas won all his games. Don Shula tops the list with 347.

"You can't win games in this league without good players, so I've been very fortunate to coach a lot of great players and have a lot of great coaches through the years," Belichick said. "A lot of those guys have gone on to great coaching careers and the players, obviously, some are going to the Hall of Fame."

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highparkresidences0 · 3 years ago

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High Park Residences - Shangri-La for Fitness Lovers

High Park Residences, an idyllic hilltop residential area set amidst green hills and with splendid panoramas of the nearby areas such as the Straits of Java and beautiful park scenery, make for a perfect holiday retreat for both families and individuals. Offering bountiful of facilities and luxurious residential units from 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, four bedroom and 5 bedroom apartments, High Park Residences are the ideal getaway. Accommodate your loved ones and friends with deluxe private pools, lush green surroundings and well-equipped amenities including maid services and laundry facilities at selected apartments. From dining and shopping spots to outdoor recreational activities, High Park Residences offer something for everyone to enjoy.

Ferndale High School, one of the oldest high schools in Singapore, is located just a few steps away from High Park Residences. Located in Ong Kei Tae, the community is built on stilts adjacent to the prominent Mount Elgon State Reserve. Its architecture, one of a kind, was completed in 1963 and has been hailed as the architectural masterpiece of that era. Today, it is one of the most prestigious schools in all of Singapore. Apart from being home to promising students who pursue their higher education in any of the many universities in the country, the school prides itself on its "continuous visionaries" and "continuous improvement". The school boasts one of the most comprehensive child care and kindergarten facilities in all of Singapore, as well as a number of after-school programs and activities for kids of different ages.

For those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of central Singapore, living within Fernvale Road Apartments is the perfect choice. Located on the fringes of Singapore's business district, these fully furnished apartments are ideally suited for individuals who seek privacy and seclusion. Moreover, these fixtures are perfect for business travelers, thanks to the wide network of high speed internet connections available within the complex. One can even get high speed satellite television installed in most of the units. If the resident prefers to get out and explore the wonders of Singapore's cityscapes, then there are many places to go within this trendy residential complex, from fitness centers to art galleries to high end shopping malls.

There are several other attractions located nearby, making life in high park residences an enjoyable one. The upcoming Bukit Timah Nature Reserve will bring more tourists into the city, and is located just a short walk from each of the complex's units. Located to the north of the centre, Bukit Timah will surely become a favorite destination among tourists keen on seeing the flora and fauna of Singapore's South Island. Other popular parks in the vicinity of Fernvale Road are also being developed by local and foreign companies. Major attractions such as the Sentosa Island aquarium and the Marina Bay Sands Casino Resort are located nearby, and visitors can take public transport to get to all of them.

There are also several other residential units that can easily be found in high park residences. To the south of Ferndale Road is the vibrant town of Jalan Kayu, home to many cafes, restaurants, and shopping malls. To the north of Bukit Timah is the Penang Peninsula, which is home to more than a few interesting historical landmarks. Finally, to the north west of Jalen Kayo is the sleepy township of Ann Siang, where you will find inexpensive shopping and good eating.

You do not have to live in the complex to appreciate its perks. Located directly across the road from the fitness area, there is a small green space which was once an outdoor swimming pool. Today, it has been transformed into a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of the high-demand zone. The area also provides easy access to the Bukit Tomah Nature Reserve, which is just a short walk from the fitness center and central business district. It is a great place for both day strolls and overnight stays if you are interested in exploring nature or history in greater detail.

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nflweeklyuk · 3 years ago

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NFL Divisional Preview

AFC East

The Bills figure to remain the top dog in the division this year, if not primed to establish a dominance over it. Josh Allen looked in midseason form in his preseason play. He is an ascendant talent and that should worry the other teams in the East. If the Bills can provide support in the run game this team will be a powerhouse in the AFC. An new crop of QB’s in this division should make it a fun one to watch in coming years. With a second year starter in Tua, Miami are still looking to see if he is the guy, all noises coming from South Florida are that he is the guy and we will see that this year. I hope so. The Patriots and Jets are starting rookies under centre, but in very different situations. Mac Jones will be put in positions to succeed by Belichick and McDaniels, and only asked to do the minimum required. The Patriots defence looks to follow on from an overall good showing last year where the they were top ten in passing and tied for the league lead in interception. An improvement in rushing yards allowed will see this defence provide all the support a ball control offence needs to win enough games to be in the playoff hunt. The Jets have their QB of the future but Zach Wilson is a raw talent who will likely ride the rookie rollercoaster in his first season. His supporting cast is the worst of the teams overall and the best Jets fans can hope for this season is to end the season with hope!

Projected Standings:

Bills

Patriots

Dolphins

Jets

AFC South

The two best units in this division are the Titans offense and the Colts defense. I would rate the Titans unit as the better of the two at this point, bringing back all major contributors in Henry, Brown and Tannehill provides great continuity. When you throw Julio Jones into the mix to play as the number 2 wideout on this team then you have a pretty fearsome unit. Expect Julio to take Jonnu Smith’s end zone production after the TE left for Foxborough. The young Colts D will look to build on the leaps it made last year and could turn out to be one of the best in the league. I just don’t trust the offensive side of the ball enough. What Wentz will we get? Who will emerge as his go to with Hilton’s injury worries? Michael Pittman has flashed but his overall production does not point to a number one wideout at this point.

If Watson was suiting up (terrible legal issues to one side) then the Texans would possibly challenging the Colts here. He is not, and likely won’t be for at least a meaningful chunk of the season. Outside of him the Texans roster is bare. There is not much to like, and they have just traded their starting corner away. That is the move of a team thinking full rebuild. The Jags have some hope and some intrigue at last! Trevor Lawrence makes this team relevant and more competitive. One of the top prospects in recent years has the usual number one pick pressure but after a 1-15 season any improvement in record will be considered a success.

Projected Standings:

Titans

Colts

Jags

Texans

AFC West

The Chiefs are favorites for the Superbowl, and rightly so. Therefore there is no surprise they are my pick to win the AFC West. Mahomes is an rare player and it is just great to watch him week to week. His supporting cast still includes Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce so we can probably move on! You could make an argument for any of the other three teams, in any order in this division. The Chargers have an ascendant talent at QB and some nice pieces on D. The Raiders have an underrated QB in Derek Carr and will put up points with Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller and Henry Ruggs supporting him. The defense is always a question mark, and so are ALL of the high picks spent on that side of the ball by Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden. The Broncos likely have the best defensive unit in the division and will lean on that to win games. Teddy Bridgewater has made stops in several locations for a reason, he is a good but not great QB, and lets be honest Drew Lock is not the answer. If Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick can all make strides then this could be a sneaky good offense. When things are close calls I always revert back to who has the best player at the most important position. In this division they rank Herbert, Carr, Bridgewater. Behind Mahomes. Obviously.

Projected Standings:

Chiefs

Chargers

Raiders

Broncos

AFC North

This is one of the trickier divisions to predict. There are three teams that you could make a case for winning this division. The other one is the Bengals. It’s really hard not to like what the Bengals have done at the skill positions on offense. Joe Burrow looked the real deal before his injury last year, and Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon have shown how good they can all be. Throw in Ja’Marr Chase, preseason struggles aside, and you have a very talented core of players. Offensive line woes were not seriously addressed though and that will put a cap on this offense, if not stymie it completely. The defense has improved but not enough to challenge the other teams in this division.

The Ravens will look like… the Ravens, the ground game will dominate most opponents and ensure Baltimore puts up plenty of wins again. I forsee a déjà vu year for the Ravens who will make the playoffs but not go deep into the competition when they cannot keep pace with the powerhouse AFC offenses. The defense figures to be stingy again, allowing the run first offense to run over teams throughout the regular season.

The Browns were a nice surprise last year (even with the hype). With Chubb and Hunt leading this offense and Baker Mayfield not having to play the leading role, the Browns found a great offensive rhythm. Mayfield had his own moments worthy of plenty of praise and admiration but I still don’t trust him week in week out. There is so much talent on this roster across the RBs, WRs and TEs, but outside of the RB room there has been no consistent performers. Landry has probably been the most consistent but I’m not sure there are clear roles defined, or a plan to feed all the mouths on this offense. Defensively we know Garrett is going to terrorise QBs and with a 17 game slate some records might be in danger! The Browns gave up a lot of touchdowns and yards through the air last year (although a low completion %), if they can improve that area then they may walk away with a division title.

The Steelers have some great talent on both sides of the ball. Ranking dead last in rushing through 2020, however, was very anti-Steelers. Drafting Najee Harris in the first round looks to improve the balance of this offense, but was it the backs that were the problem? Harris is an upgrade, but you do need some holes to run through. The defense boasts the highest paid defensive player, rightly so, and looks to be a turnover machine once again. Tieing for the lead league in INTs as the Steelers did last year generally helps with field position and setting up the offense in good field position. Downside? The two teams the STeelers are competing with were both top 4 in rush attempts and rushing yards last year. The Steelers led the league defensively in completion % allowed, but were middle of the pack against the ground game. There is a lot to like about the Steelers, but the teams that provide the worst match ups for them reside in their division!

I’ll take the Ravens for the division but it is a coin flip with the Browns. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cleveland go deeper in the playoffs than Baltimore though.

Projected standings:

Ravens

Browns

Steelers

Bengals

NFC East

I’m rooting for the Dak Prescott of last year to be the guy we see minute one on Thursday night. It will just be great to see the guy suit up to be honest, that was a really chilling injury to see, to someone who seems a stand up guy as well. If Dak comes back in that form, or even gets there after shaking off some rust and uncertainty then I don’t have much doubt the Cowboys take this division. The defense sorted itself out to a large extent towards the end of last year and has added some nice pieces this offseason. With Lamb, Cooper and Gallup and a trim Ezekiel Elliott all returning I can only see this offense putting up big numbers. Any defensive improvement should translate to Ws, especially within the division.

Placing the rest of this division was a lot trickier. Washington have a fearsome front with Chase Young and Montez Sweat likely terrorising opponent QBs on a regular basis and the defense will be the strength of this team once again. Who doesn’t love Fitzmagic? Well, winning records don’t really unfortunately. Fitzpatrick is with his 400th team for a reason, he is a streaky QB that cannot string together consistent performances. He did a great job in Miami last year, and perhaps is having a late career settling down.. but would you really bet on that? Washington will win games based on the strength of this defense but to challenge for the division, or even the playoffs then they need a makeover in the QB room.

I bought a little too much into the Jalen Hurts early showings last year and had a flutter on the Eagles making some noise in the playoffs. Only for Hurts and the rest of the team too play a couple of duds and miss out completely. The second year pro will likely see ups and downs as any young QB does, but his athleticism and courage should provide enough spark to drive the Eagles to a middling win total, which is likely enough to slot into second in this division.

The Giants are in Daniel Jones purgatory, he has not quite done enough for the plug to get pulled but an insane number of turnovers in his first two years has to be worrying. If the G-men can get Barkley going and limit the work Jones has to do then this offense could thrive on play action with the likes of Golladay, Shephard and Slayton on the outside. The defense has a star in James Bradberry and should keep the Giants in plenty of close games, I just don’t have faith in the QB to put the Giants on the right side of them.

Projected standings

Cowboys

Eagles

Washington

Giants

NFC South

The Bucs bring back all 22 starters on offense and defense from their Superbowl triumph last year. That kind of continuity is rare and makes the Bucs perhaps a more fearsome team than that which closed the season last year so strongly. Like most, I have no real interest in discussing Tom Brady’s age, I have no doubt the first person to call time on Brady correctly will be Brady himself. Someone so in tune with their body and committed to their craft will know the time before we see any semblance of decline. Therefore the Bucs stroll this division this year, a division which sans Drew Brees leaves less talent to challenge the Bucs main area of concern, the secondary. As areas of concern go, it is not a huge concern!

Matt Ryan will be challenging that secondary with Calvin Ridley, Russel Gage and Kyle Pitts. I’m not sure there is anyone who is not excited to see the latter get on the field. Again I fear a déjà vu type year for the Falcons, yes, points will be scored, but that will be a necessity as the perennially thin defense projects to underwhelm once again. If this team could find balance on that side of the ball they would be an NFC team to watch. As it happens they will be just that, but only because they should be in a fair few shoot outs.

What will Sean Payton’s game plan be? How much trust does he have in his QBs? I would expect heavier doses of Alvin Kamara.. and Taysom Hill?.. leading to some deep shots off of play action, limiting the amount Winston (to start with) has to do on any given day. Without Michael Thomas suiting up for the first 6 weeks of the year do the Saints have enough out wide to take advantage of those deep shots? Callaway has flashed the potential, as has Tre’quan Smith, but neither have yet been consistent performers. On the other side of the ball the Saints have a strong pass rush and an improved secondary after the acquisition of Bradley Roby from the Texans. This secondary group may be a little thin and will need rookies to step up to push this defense to the next level. It was a toss up between the Falcons and Saints to take the spot behind the Bucs but again, when in doubt go with the better QB!

The Panthers round out this division, not so much because they are a last placed team, but because there are strong teams in this division. The Panthers defense has the chance to be much improved, if a Brian Burns led pass rush can maintain pressure on opposing QBs then this unit can improve from it’s middle of the pack showing last year. On the offensive side of the ball there are serious questions on the offensive line, that does not bode well for Sam Darnold. Darnold does have a much better supporting cast around him at the skill positions, and a bona fide stud in McCaffrey to be the workhorse but the jury is still out on him as a starting QB. If the offensive line can hold up we should know by the end of the year whether the Panthers have an answer at QB or whether they will be back in the market next offseason.

Projected standings:

Buccaneers

Falcons

Saints

Panthers

NFC West

Probably the most competitive division of the lot. Great, established coaches (mostly…). Talented, proven quarterbacks (mostly…) and top notch skill position players everywhere. All these teams look poised to put up plenty of point on offense, so will this division come down to who has the better defensive unit?

The Rams acquisition of Matthew Stafford is a brilliant move in my opinion. Stafford deserves a chance on a loaded team after being the ultimate competitor and teammate in Detroit, without any support from the organisation. In LA he will benefit from a team that knows how to run the ball, and play defense. The Rams offense has been hit and miss under Goff in more recent history but Stafford will bring consistency and aggression, raising the ceiling of this offense. The defense still has Aaron Donald so they will be just fine, if not a great unit. Pressure up front and lock down play in the secondary from the likes of Jalen Ramsey will mean that the Rams will limit opponents offensive production. With a solid offense with Stafford at the helm this looks to be one of the most balanced teams in the league.

The 49ers are up there with the Rams in almost all facets. They are more talented at the skill positions, certainly, with the likes of Kittle, Aiyuk and Samuel, however Garropolo is not Matt Stafford, until proven otherwise. The guy has been to the Superbowl, but he has also been underwhelming for longer than he has been good overall. Trey Lance is waiting in the wings and there will be plenty of noise if Garropolo is anything but stellar, distraction potential? The run game usually reduces the burden on the quarterback and the 9ers have some talented backs that will rotate to keep a heavy dose of the ground game going. This offense will be good, even with mediocre QB play. I’m not buying the hype of the return of the 2019 9ers just yet but they could easily win this division and be one of the best teams in the league. The defense has lost it’s spearhead in Robert Saleh, so some question marks about continuity need to be answered. There is plenty of talent there though. I have the Rams slightly ahead of the 9ers here but it could go either way.

Russell Wilson is one of my favorite players of all time, when he came out of the gates last season on a record breaking pace it looked like he was about to elevate into the very top tier of QBs. So where did the second half of the season come from?! Letting Russ cook was working beautifully, yeah the D was atrocious, winding up second in the league in air yards allowed, but it didn’t really matter all that much. Until it did. As soon as the offense’s average points per game dropped to a more middling level the Seahawks were not going to win games. We can expect Wilson, Metcalf, Lockett and co to be a dynamic offense which, in all likelihood, will not be so up and down. What can we expect from the defense? Unfortunately while offensively the Seahawks are up there with the teams above, they do not boast the same talent defensively, limiting their ability to compete for honours in this division.

A very similar story looks to play out in the desert. Arizona boast a truly talented offense that has only improved this offseason. The one question mark remaining is do they have a lead back who can carry the load and relieve pressure on Kyler Murray? I’m not sure, and I don’t think this offense will have balance. Yes the rushing numbers will be inflated by Murray himself but that will not be what is seen on field. Defensively the Cardinals have lost Patrick Peterson and will rely on younger players to step up. They will need to generate way more pressure up front to compensate for a weaker secondary. Not you Budda. There are more questions surrounding this team than any of the others in the division, so last place it is.

NFC West

Projected standings:

Rams

49ers

Seahawks

Cardinals

NFC North

Aaron Rodgers with a bigger chip than usual on his shoulder, coming off an MVP year… the league should be afraid. His connection with Adams should be as strong as ever. The depth in the receiving core is a little better but I’m not sure why there is so much hype about the return or Randall Cobb, yes, there is familiarity but we have not seen the game breaking play from Cobb since he left Green Bay. Having two backs in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon should mean the run game continues to be an important, and effective cog in this high power offense. I don’t see any drop off from the leagues leading scoring offense. Defensively the Pack will look to improve again this year, with a young secondary that played well last year. An easy choice to take this division.

The Vikings project to be just fine offensively, the combination of Dalvin Cook with Jefferson and Thielen on the outside will mean this offense is capable of going toe to toe with the better offenses in the league. Well, at least if you don’t watch the preseason. Defense was the problem for this team last year, the Vikings could not effectively stop the run or pass, meaning opponents could play whatever game plan they liked and have success. I would not expect a Mike Zimmer coached defense to repeat such bad stats for a second year. The additions of the likes of Patrick Peterson and Eversen Griffen, among others, should ensure that improvement is seen on the field, making this team a lot more competitive this year.

Projected standings:

Packers

Vikings

Bears

Lions

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fuckyeahalexedler · 4 years ago

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Under the toughest minutes of his career, Alex Edler is quietly having his best defensive season yet

Wine, allergies, blue jeans, and Alexander Edler.

As cliché as it sounds, some things really do get better with age.

These past two seasons, at ages 32 and 33, Edler posted 34 and 33 points in 56 and 59 games, respectively. Extrapolate those totals over a full 82-game schedule, and they’re Edler’s second and third-best offensive seasons ever, and his best since 2008/09.

All the while, however, Edler’s defensive numbers took a nosedive under the strain of shouldering more responsibility on a blueline in flux.

Now in 2021, Edler has posted a scant four points in 19 games, but no one is complaining. That’s because he’s also facing the toughest minutes of his career, and yet somehow responding with defensive metrics that blow his last couple of seasons out of the cellar — and might just constitute his best overall performance as a Canuck thus far.

And all at the age of 34.

Where other defenders might be winding down toward retirement, Edler finds himself on the upswing.

Edler’s 2021 deployment: quality over quantity

Though the Canucks’ blueline arguably improved in the 2020 offseason via the addition of Nate Schmidt, Edler’s job hasn’t gotten any easier, mostly because he’s been stapled to Schmidt for the bulk of the season, eating up the team’s toughest minutes.

It’s true that Edler’s current TOI average of 20:19 per game is the lowest since his rookie campaign; but when it comes to deployment, Edler’s 2021 has been all about quality over quantity — as in top-quality opponents in low-quality situations, and all with high-quality results.

No regular Vancouver defender has started more of their shifts in their own end than Edler, who sports a not-so-nice 69% defensive zone-start rate, significantly higher than his 49.9% career average.

As per Micah Blake McCurdy of HockeyViz, Edler has also faced the toughest competition of any Vancouver defender, consistently being thrown out against top lines and whatever elite talent the opposition can muster up.

Both his quality of linemates and PDO of 95.9 — lowest among regular defenders — suggest that Edler isn’t getting quite as much support as he could from other skaters and his goalies when he’s on the ice.

Brutal zone-starts, the strongest competition, and a lack of support from linemates. Sounds like a recipe for defensive disaster, right?

And, yet…

Edler by the numbers

Pick a fancy stat, any fancy stat, and you’ll probably find that Edler leads the 2021 Vancouver blueline in it.

Corsi? Check. Control of scoring chances, and specifically high-danger scoring chances? Oh yeah. Fenwick and Expected Goals? Edler doesn’t just lead the D-corps in those categories, he’s ahead of anyone not named Justin Bailey.

Again, it bears serious mentioning that Edler is accomplishing all this despite the toughest deployment of his career, because these numbers also rank quite well when it comes to comparing them to the Edlers of years past.

In every major defensive metric, Edler is either beating or right in line with his career bests, most of which were recorded during the heyday of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals run. Obviously, Edler is surrounded by a significantly worse Canucks roster today than he was back then, and yet somehow, he’s still finding the same success.

Let’s not mince words here. Edler isn’t just past his physical prime, he’s probably close to a decade past his physical prime. But here he is being asked to do a much more difficult job than he did in those prime years, and he’s performing just as well, if not better.

Truly, it defies all sense and reasonable explanation. Edler, as it turns out, is equally adept at defending against age-related hockey conventions as he is top-flight on-ice competition.

As far as coach Travis Green, who spoke to our own David Quadrelli on Friday, is concerned, there’s no real secret to Edler’s renewed success, aside from the reduced ice-time. To Green, Edler is the same ol’ Steady Eddie he’s been for the majority of his career in Vancouver.

“I think he’s just playing well,” said Green. “Eddie, he’s been a great defenceman for us for a long time. You know, I think he’s used to getting those tough assignments. We’ve tried to keep his minutes a little bit down by not putting him on the power play. And he looks fresh, he’s smart, he’s been physical. He’s having a good year.”

And lower minutes may go a long way toward explaining Edler’s personal renaissance, but he’s also performing better than before in those areas in which his duties haven’t been reduced, namely, the penalty kill.

Penalty killer queen

As of this writing, the Vancouver Canucks have the tenth-ranked penalty kill in the league at 82.3%, a sizeable jump on their 16th-ranked 80.5% of last year.

As was the case in 2019/20, Edler ranks second on the team in shorthanded minutes per game. He trailed just Chris Tanev last season, and just Travis Hamonic this year — the same Hamonic who has only played five games thus far.

In other words, if you’re going to give a single player credit for the Canucks’ improvement on the PK, you’re going to have to give it to Edler. That’s backed up by the fact that Edler has allowed just 0.32 high-danger chances per shorthanded minute, one of the best rates among regular penalty killers and way, way better than he put up in 2019/20. This is, again, despite being put out there against the other team’s top unit on most occasions.

The Nate Schmidt factor

By this point, we know what you’re all thinking, and it’s almost impressive that we’ve made it this far with only one mention of Nate Schmidt.

Yes, in terms of defensive partners, Edler has a big upgrade in Schmidt — with whom he’s shared the ice approximately 44.5% of the time in 2021 — over Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher, with whom he split the 2019/20 season.

Obviously, Schmidt’s presence alone goes a long way toward explaining Edler’s sudden defensive resurgence. But to suggest that Schmidt is the sole reason for Edler’s stellar performance is to not give the veteran defender his full due.

Both Edler and Schmidt have been significantly better together than they have been apart, and both see their metrics drop drastically with other partners — but more so for Schmidt than Edler.

When he’s not partnered with Schmidt, Edler has spent most of his time alongside rookie Jalen Chatfield. When not with Edler, Schmidt has spent most of his time alongside Tyler Myers.

Despite that time apart, their chemistry has been apparent from the get-go.

“We tried [the Edler/Schmidt pairing] originally at the beginning of the year,” said coach Green. “It wasn’t that we didn’t like it, we just wanted to get Chatfield into some games, and with the hand combos, we had to change the pairings. But that pairing’s been good for us.”

It appears then, that the benefits Schmidt has brought to Edler’s game are, at the very least, somewhat mutual, and that’s something that coach Green certainly agrees with.

“I think it goes hand-in-hand, whenever you have a partnership that you like and that is playing well together,” said Green, “It’s usually because both partners are bringing something to the table. I think they’ve had real good communication, they like playing with each other…they like the assignments they’ve had.”

The eye-test, intangibles, and head coach all agree

Though the numbers definitely look good, they’re perhaps not even the best indicator of Edler’s true excellence. In past seasons, most Vancouver fans would agree that the “eye-test” served Edler better than the fancy statline, and that he’s generally seemed to overperform the expectations of the analytics crowd.

And such is the case in 2021, too, even with a boffo set of stats.

Edler has been noticeably more mobile this year, roving up into the play in a way he hasn’t done since his earliest days in the league. He’s yet to score, but he’s come close on a couple of net-front chances, which says a lot about how active his offence has been.

He’s also hitting — if not exactly as zealously as he used to — with the sort of ferocity Vancouverites haven’t seen in years. His hits-per-60 might be down slightly, but the quality of those hits has increased by board-rattling magnitudes. Edler has made a real habit out of obliterating Calgary Flames this season, and he was one of the few players to stay consistently ornery during that dreadful six-game losing streak — one of the few who seemed genuinely angry to be losing so much. He elbowed Elias Lindholm, decked Rasmus Andersson, and even managed to turn Matthew Tkachuk into an agitatee, rather than an agitator, for once.

If Edler’s stern and silent brand of leadership wasn’t apparent enough during that losing streak, it was key in helping the team get out of it and over it. In fact, Edler’s quiet, steady alternate captaincy has been arguably more important in 2021, with the offseason departures of key leaders Tanev and Jacob Markstrom, than it ever has been before.

So, to summarize, Edler’s ice-time and offensive production may be down, but everything else is up, up, and away. The Canucks’ own man of steely glares has faced the toughest zone-starts and competition of his career and responded with the best defensive statline he’s ever put together, all the while increasing his physicality and playing a vital role in maintaining team culture as the last holdout of the Sedin era.

All of which goes to show, one should always respect their elders — and their Edlers, too.

And one should never count them out.

(Feb. 20, 2021)

#vancouver canucks #canucks #alex edler #feb 2021 #text #article #stats

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racecarsharks · 3 years ago

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Thoughts on Yahoo ADP (Picks 31-36)

‘31. Chris Carson: He is one of my favorite RB2s. If he remains healthy, you might be able to get away with him as an RB1. Again, Seahawks fired their OC for not running the ball enough. I think Pete Carroll does not let Russ cook as much as he did last season and will see less pass attempts and more rush attempts. Carson is built for the job and I know there are injury concerns so he’s justifiably an RB2 in my eyes. I’d reach for him earlier in round 3 if I don’t have a second RB.

32. Terry McLaurin: WFT offense in general is a bit questionable with Fitzpatrick as the starter for Week 1 (for now). McLaurin is an absolute stud and got over 1,000 yards, but he only had 4 TDs last year. Then WFT went and got more mouths to feed by picking up Curtis Samuel and drafting Dyami Brown. It’s possible his TDs go up this year but I think his receiving yards should regress with more weapons now than before.

33. Josh Allen: Josh Allen has improved significantly to become the fantasy MVP last year. I expect him to continue on this path and he provides a nice rushing floor as he can take it to the house with his feet. The Bills should be a high powered offense again but I still think Round 3 is the last place to get a decent RB1/RB2 core so his price tag is pretty high here. I would pick him up if he fell to the turn (pick 35+).

34. Allen Robinson: The Bears will likely continue with their QB controversies, but I doubt it’ll effect Robinson too much. He’s getting paid around $18M this year so expect him to get the ball. He’s a fine WR2, I’d take him over McLaurin and over Montgomery and Jacobs, too. I just don’t think the Bears are going to be as good passing-wise to the Chargers (Keenan Allen) so I like where he is now.

35. D’Andre Swift: He gets a bit of a downgrade moving from Stafford to Goff. I just can’t see the Lions being in the lead and having the luxury of game script to be in Swfit’s favor. Plus, the Lions went out and signed Jamaal Williams who is another great pass-catching back. I liked Swift last year and I like him as a player -- it’s just easy to see the Lions falling behind quickly and playing from behind pretty often this season. I wouldn’t trust him as my RB2 and carries more question marks than Montgomery and Jacobs.

36. Miles Sanders: If I was forced to, I may take Sanders as my RB2. Sanders really can take any run to the house at any given moment. The one looming issue would be that Jalen Hurts is also a very good runner and very capable of being a red-zone threat on his feet. I would only take him in the 3rd round if I had CMC or Dalvin as my RB1 though, which would mean you’d pick him at the turn (pick 25+), where it’s likely Carson and Dobbins would still be available and they’re more solid options there. I doubt Sanders falls to you at the end of round 4.

#Chris Carson #Terry McLaurin #Josh Allen #Allen Robinson #Dandre Swift #Miles Sanders #fantasy football #fantasyfootball #nfl

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liamah4 · 4 years ago

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State of Philadelphia sports

***I want to start off my first blog post with my thoughts on the current state of Philadelphia sports teams. I feel if you continue to read my content it is important to understand where I stand on each team.

In season: Philadelphia 76ers

I will start with the first place Sixers with a top three, if not THE MVP frontrunner in Joel Embiid. My unbiased opinion believes he is the MVP at this point in time. When the Sixers have their starting 5 they are undefeated. You have to love this stat from the Sixers and it is a great thing to see in a season that had a shortened off-season where the Sixers had new pieces and a new coaching staff.

Finally a win without Embiid. What a win it was and it should be a morale and confidence boost for the team.

Overall I can't complain about the Sixers. Sure, there are some things I wish they were doing better, but they're in first and I'm happy about that (especially if they are in first and can still play a lot better). Saving the best for last shout out to Glenn "Doc” Rivers. The organization was in need of a fresh mind and Doc has the boys playing at a high level. He was a great hire and I think the biggest addition to the team in the off-season (yes, bigger than Morey and the Al Horford trade).

To finish off my thoughts on the Sixers, I would ask if you believe this season is finals or bust? Not sure I am ready to answer that, but the Eastern Conference Finals are a must.

In Season: Philadelphia Flyers

Just like their Wells Fargo Center roommates the Flyers are also in first place. I cannot say watching the Flyers has been easy this season. They don't look great in any of the 3 zones. D-Zone is a mess and they turn the puck over way too much. They are scoring a lot but the offensive zone hasn't been great either and they need to shoot the puck much more. At times in games they decide they want to get more pucks to the net and this creates more opportunities but also always them to cycle the puck and get their legs moving when the defense is standing still.

Although it was a couple games ago I did not love the benching of TK. Goal scorers are streaky and he started the season hot and cooled off some. Also he is a glue/chemistry guy and the Flyers are better with him in the line up; it is as simple as that. Even if he is not playing his best he is still a danger to score every night and defenses have to game plan for Konecny.

People always say good teams find ways to win when they are not playing well. That might be the case for this Flyers team at the moment. They have the most wins in the East Division despite not playing their best hockey. Further Coots (best player) is still hurt and we see how the Sixers play without Embiid (best player), so at least the Flyers have been able to win games without Couturier. Once again they need to start playing better but at the end of the day, first place.

Out of Season: Philadelphia Phillies

I honestly don't know what to think of the Phillies. I have to start with JT Realmuto. Getting JT back is huge and I am so pumped they signed him. Maybe not all of Philadelphia felt this way, but somehow it felt like we were going to mess it up and let him go. Also I believe Bryce Harper deserves to be rewarded for the contract he signed. Harper wants to be here long term and win in Philly. He has given himself to the Phillies Organization and I believe they owe him by bringing in top talent. Our next big re-signing was Didi Gregorius. This was also a great move and I am excited to have Didi back in this line-up.

Even with these recent signings we all know the Phillies still need more pitching if they want to make the playoffs and contend for a World Series title. Archie Bradley is a start for the bullpen and he should be a huge help, but a couple more arms are still needed. Ideally the Phillies starting pitchers get better on their own and improve, but I think we have seen enough of Vince Velasquez and could really use some rotation depth.

Other than pitching I like the current state of the Phillies. I am excited to see a full season of Didi and Alec Bohm and a full season with this line-up. The NL East title might be out of reach with the talent of Atlanta, but this should be a playoff team and if they do not find a way in the season is a failure.

Out of Season: Philadelphia Eagles

Where do I start with this one? I always have hope when it comes to the beloved Eagles. I crave for the Eagles to be competitive and perhaps let my emotions blind me to the truth more with the Eagles.

I do think that Carson Wentz is fixable, but I am still not sure if he is the answer for the Eagles. If he gets back to his old self we hope every year is as productive as his 2017 season, but we have no way to prove that that is the player Caron Wentz is. Let's be honest, if Wentz starts and gets back to his old self and the Eagles are winning, all our problems go away (in the short term) because we are winning. I also like Jalen Hurts and thought he showed promise in the time he got. He gave me more hope than Carson did last year.

Nick Sirianni is an interesting hire and I don't know too much about him, but I am not surprised they went after a Frank Reich guy. I do not have a strong opinion on the hire either way and I hope he is successful. I was pulling for Duce Staley and believed he deserved it. I would love for him to be the head coach down the line at some point.

Their best hope at success next year is the NFC East once again being a terrible division. If the Eagles are in a rebuild then this division is the perfect one to be in, they can rebuild and win the division at the same time. Once you get into the playoffs you never know what can happen.

We all know the cap situation is a mess and we have a bunch of older players on expensive contracts. Ideally I would want to trade or move these contracts even if we have to "lose" the deal. Howie should have been let go, but if he is responsible for these contracts maybe he can fix the situation. When the Phillies won the World Series older players got long and expensive contracts. The Phillies are still feeling the effects of that today. I do not want the Eagles to make the same mistakes and move on as quickly as possible and getting rid of the money in the short to medium time frame is essential.

After this miserable season, we have a no name head coach and an unpopular GM. Further, Lurie needs to take a step back and not be as involved. For as long as I can remember (I'm 23) the Eagles have been bad at drafting. They were bad with Andy and it wasn't much better with Doug. We need a GM who knows how to draft and we need an owner that lets the people who know football make football decisions. Hopefully the new coaching staff can light a fire under this team and lead them to first place in the dreary NFC East.

***Thank you for making it through my first blog. I hope you enjoyed the content and I will try and continue to bring interesting content on our favorite sports teams. I would love to hear feedback in the comments and any suggestions would be awesome!

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luvblacklove · 5 years ago

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#rosesarewed #luvblacklove

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wideouts4life · 2 years ago

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NFL Week 16

What a phenomenal weekend of wideout play. I never thought I’d see the day when a wideout would break the daunted 2,000 yard receiving barrier that no one has ever achieved. Justin “The Man” Jefferson only needs to average 104/g for a total of 208 yards to achieve 2,000 on the season. I damn near feel like he will get that this weekend and then pad his numbers to end the regular season. Jefferson and Ceedee Lamb will split the wideout of the week award. Jefferson finished his day with 12 catches for 133 yards and 1 touchdown on a tough dig route near the end zone. His team won and the Minnesota Vikings appear to be having a magical season. Lamb had 10 catches for 120 yards with two scores. I love the aggressiveness Lamb displays and his hunger after the catch.

Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are clearly being hindered right now. Yes, Waddle had 5 catches for 143 yards and 1 amazing touchdown where he out ran defenders and broke a few tackles for an 84-yard score. Hill had 4 catches for 103 with no scores. There are many times the speedy duo is open and Tua just doesn’t have it. I’m hoping Bridgewater can get the ball to “Cheetah” Hill so he can have a shot at 2,000 in his best season to date.

Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals has quietly balled under the radar. He currently is 11th with 1,022 yards on the season. The Bengals look hot and I’d hate to be a defense facing their trio of wideouts. Higgins finished the day with 8 catches for 128 yards. Jerry Jeudy looked explosive this weekend. He runs like my frat brother who ran 4.26 3 times in college during junior pro day. Jeudy is knocked knee, which helps his agility tremendously. Too bad Russell Wilson has performed awfully which has stifled Jeudy’s productivity. On the afternoon he finished the game with 6 catches for 117 yards.

Devonta Smith and AJ Brown both had productive outings against the Dallas Cowboys. Smith had 8 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD’s. Brown had 6 catches for 103 yards with no tubs. They didn’t have Jalen Hurts at the helm and found a way to compete in a close loss. I look forward for these boys to put on a show and make a run at the Super Bowl.

The Detroit Lions have weapons all over the field. A name I hadn’t heard all year DJ Chark, caught 4 passes for 108 yards with zero touchdowns. Chark is fast and if the Lions happen to sneak into the playoffs I would not want to face this explosive offense.

Keenan Allen had a good day at the office. Allen caught 11 catches for 104 yards and was a huge factor in the Chargers win. It’s satisfying seeing Allen healthy and finishing a full game.

Kendrick Bourne rounds out the list of wideouts who had at least 100 yards receiving. Bourne scored against a Bengals defense who hadn’t given up a touchdown in the second half of their past 7 games. He finished his day with 6 catches for 100 yards and that lone score.

Wideouts Let’s finish strong!

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ren-c-leyn · 5 years ago

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Happy sts, I hope you're having a great time and positive vibes to you! If you had to drag your character(s) out of their comfort zones, where would they be and how would they react? - notwritinganyflufftoday

And a happy Storyteller Saturday to you as well. =)

Honestly, my characters are almost always being drug kicking and screaming out of their comfort zones.

Sparrow’s comfort zone was the comfort and safety of her room and she died and was put into a fantasy world, and she’s continuously reacting with a flood of mixed emotions. Excitement, terror, hope, despair, it depends on what new thing she’s learned about her new home and what situation it decides to put her in.

Jalen’s comfort zone is inside with friends/family and being outside around new people is definitely uncomfortable and that’s before you factor in Sparrow’s curse nearly killing both of them on a semi-regular basis. He’s almost constantly in a state of silent panicking.

Raina willingly abandons comfort zone after comfort zone throughout the course of her life to the point where I don’t know if she really has one anymore. It can be difficult to tell what she’s thinking, as most of her reactions is a quiet stare or a drawn sword. If I had to pick something out of her comfort zone, it would be a place where she is actually safe. I don’t think it would take long for her nerves to fray from the waiting of something to go horribly wrong.

And that’s just three examples. Because as far as epic fantasy adventure stories go, I don’t know of many that stay within a person’s comfort zone.

Thank you for stopping in again this week, I really enjoyed this question. =)

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mitchintille · 5 years ago

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2020 Mock Draft (Pre-combine)

Alas, it is finally here. Draft season has officially kicked into full gear, and that means it’s time for yet another installment of a mock draft that will undoubtedly be ridiculously wrong come April. With that being said, I sincerely hope you enjoy!

1. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

The Bengals are widely regarded as one of the most incompetent front offices in all of sports, and nothing that they can do with this pick would shock me. With that being said, it is with almost 100% certainty that Joe Burrow will be a Bengal. Sharpie it in.

2. Washington Redskins - Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

Another pick that is almost entirely locked in. Young is one of the best defensive prospects to come out in recent memory. His blend of athleticism, raw power, and moxie is a match made in heaven for new head coach Ron Rivera. Young is a transcendent type talent with true superstar potential, and should be snatched up within seconds assuming they don’t trade down.

*TRADE*

3. Miami Dolphins - Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

This should come as a surprise to no one. A team with a trajectory pointing directly upwards and a bevy of picks at their disposal, the Dolphins trade up to assure they land their franchise QB. Tua is a polarizing prospect, coming off an historically great career which saw him cement his legacy as early as his Freshman year. He is deadly accurate with a knack for creating plays outside the structure. His riddling injury concerns are valid, but should the medicals come back clear, there is not a better player in the class in my eyes.

4. New York Giants - Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

Back to back Bama players here, as new coach Joe Judge establishes a trend from his first pick as the new coach. Build. The. Trenches. Wills is a highly athletic tackle with the ability to play in space; not to mention he is far and away the most pro ready run blocker at his position group as well. The Giants have a tendency to be unpredictable come draft time, but I can’t see them ignoring the glaring holes on their offensive line for another off-season.

*TRADE*

5. Detroit Lions - Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Win-win for the Lions here as they collect additional picks and the best corner prospect to come out since Jalen Ramsey.

6. Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

The writing is on the wall here. Philip Rivers and the Chargers have decided to mutually part ways after a disappointing season for both parties. Insert Justin Herbert. The live armed QB is the NFL prototype of what one should look like. Tall, athletic, big arm, smart. Herbert is not going to be for everyone, but with the Chargers’ throw heavy offense, he should develop nicely for them and give them (somewhat) a sense of continuity.

7. Carolina Panthers - Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

Admittedly, this is a bit of a mystery pick for me. The Panthers have been non-committal to whether or not they view Cam Newton as their QB of the future, meaning a possible huge void will be created if they indeed let him walk. Assuming the draft shakes out with the top three QB’s going in the first six picks, the Panthers are left in a BPA position. Brown is the type of mauler up front the Panthers desperately lacked last year, fielding one of the league’s worst run defenses. He is a plug and play type player who should see the field and contribute immediately.

8. Arizona Cardinals - Ceedee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

Do the Cardinals have more pressing needs than a wide receiver? Yes, absolutely. But in the case of Lamb, he has all the ability and potential to be a true WR1 in the league. His familiarity with the Cardinals’ scheme and QB Kyler Murray is simply too irresistible to pass on for Kingsbury and Keim.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars - Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

A once strong and dependent LB corps quickly saw a rapid decline after the sudden retirement of Telvin Smith last off-season. The Jags recently retained both Doug Marrone and DC Todd Wash, and with their recent track record of picking the best available defensive player, it’s hard to assume they’d pass on a player of Simmons’ caliber. A true chess piece, seeing snaps at seemingly every position on the field last season, Simmons’ versatility should be coveted given the direction the NFL is heading towards.

10. Cleveland Browns - Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

New head coach Kevin Stefanski should be foaming at the mouth if Wirfs is still on the board. The recently hired Stefanski is well known for his wide zone run scheme featuring heavy dosages of play action. Insert Wirfs. A freakish athlete for his size who is only scratching the surface of what he can become. Wirfs’ natural agility and raw strength is exactly what the Browns need to upgrade their dire situation at offensive tackle.

11. New York Jets - Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

It’s simple, the Jets need to draft offensive line to protect their young QB. The Jets are in need of a serious makeover on the offensive line, and while Rome wasn’t built in a day, Thomas, a 3 year starter at Georgia, is the perfect benchmark towards repairing a withered offensive line.

12. Las Vegas Raiders - Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

This screams Raiders to me. The Raiders have plenty needs, but a true WR1 is something this offense has been lacking since...well...Amari Cooper. But nonetheless, Mayock has shown a tendency to draft players from big time schools. Jeudy fits the billing, as he is the most gifted route running prospect we’ve seen in a long time, and a guy Gruden will undoubtedly be pounding the table for.

13 - Indianapolis Colts - Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

The term “polarizing prospect” is thrown around loosely each and every draft season, but there is truly no other way to describe Jordan Love. The Utah State product saw his stock rise after a very a productive 2018 season, only to be minimized by a drastically underwhelming 2019 campaign. Love’s supporting cast is, in my mind, one of the worst in recent memory in regards to QB prospects. No other prospect’s career trajectory is more team dependent than Love, and the Colts are the perfect fit. Love can sit a year behind Jacoby Brissett in Frank Reich’s QB friendly offense. His skill sets as a QB are exactly the type that the new NFL is targeting, and with the opportunity to sit for a year and learn might be exactly what is needed to tap into Love’s full potential.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

Sigh. Given the impending loss of Ndamukong Suh, Kinlaw could plug and play into the league’s reigning top run defense. Personally, I am not as high on Kinlaw as most. A nagging knee injury and questionable production are legit concerns of mine, but how he wins is a perfect complement to Vita Vea. If Kinlaw’s repertoire expands, there is some serious Chris Jones-esque potential there. Nonetheless, this is more of a continuity pick than anything else.

15. Denver Broncos - Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

The idea of pairing Henry Ruggs was very tempting to me, but given the depth in this year’s receiver class, Becton is the safe choice here. It is imperative that they invest in protecting Drew Lock, and the 6′7 behemoth should give them an immediate upgrade over Garrett Bolles.

16. Atlatna Falcons - AJ Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

With the recent release of Vic Beasley, it is no secret that the Falcons should be looking to add EDGE depth. Epenesa is not the twitchiest player, but his high pass rush ceiling and savvy run defense are a dream fit for Dan Quinn.

17- Dallas Cowboys - Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU

This is another one of those picks that feels somewhat mysterious to me. Yet given the need at safety and the fact that they tried making a push at the trade deadline to acquire Jamal Adams last season, it would not shock me to see them go this direction. Delpit, the 2019 Jim Thrope award winner, is a fast twitch, instinctive eraser in the back end. His tackling concerns are valid, but I fully expect him to clean that issue up early on in his career.

18. Miami Dolphins - Josh Jones, OT, Houston

With a roster lacking talent at seemingly every position, it is best to build from the ground up. After selecting their franchise QB in Tua, they double down and select the athletic Jones to begin solidifying their offensive front.

19. Las Vegas Raiders - Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

The Raiders have no talent in their secondary. Seriously. Fulton isn’t exactly the flashiest player, but his body of work has proven time and time again that he can hang with the best of them. His Football IQ and moxie provide the Raiders a nice building block towards reshaping that secondary.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars - CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

After going defense with their first pick, the Jags double down and keep building towards that elite 2017 defense they once had. Henderson has faced several ups and downs throughout his career, but his athleticism and potential are higher than anyone else in the class not named Jeffrey Okudah. With the Jags defensive front seeing a hopeful improvement, Henderson should plug in nicely alongside AJ Bouye.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama

A true burner. Ruggs gives me some Tyreek Hill/Hollywood Brown type vibes. The Bama product offers world class speed, and is a more well rounded receiver than given credit for. Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffrey are only getting older, and Ruggs provides a much needed deep threat that Carson Wentz has been so desperately lacking the past few seasons.

22. Buffalo Bills - Tee Higgins. WR, Clemson

A 6′5 target with the best hands in the draft is the exact type of receiver the Bills have been lacking for years. Josh Allen gets a new best buddy in Higgins, who has the wingspan and strength to win contested catches and collect errant throws from the gunslingin’ Allen. Higgins has true WR1 potential, and pairing him with John Brown could be what the Bills need to unlock Allen’s full potential.

23. New England Patriots - Xavier Mckinney, Safety, Alabama

The impending free agency of Devin McCourty leaves the Pats in a bit of a pickle. Whether the Pats decide to resign him or not, it can’t hurt to gain some youth at the Safety position. Patrick Chung is aging and beginning to show signs of decline. Enter Mckinney. Nick Saban bestowed the same responsibilities on him that he once did with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Mckinney is a versatile, high IQ player whose instincts should quickly prove to be useful for Belichick.

24. New Orleans Saints - Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

I can’t envision a scenario where the Saints look a different direction if Reagor is still on the board. An absolute freak of nature, Reagor is expected to dominate the combine. He once posted a ridiculous sub 4.3 40 and an absurd 26 foot (!!!) long jump. Did I mention the fact that all of this was while he was still in high school? Reagor is a true vertical threat, but also serves plenty of value as a return specialist and gadget type player. He is the exact type of player that Sean Payton covets, and while he has all of the makings to become a WR1 in this league, being the Robin to Michael Thomas’ Batman is simply a pairing that cannot be resisted.

25. Minnesota Vikings - Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

This one feels obvious to me. After investing into the offensive line the last two drafts, the depth in the draft allows the Vikings an opportunity to go out and grab a toolsy corner. Xavier Rhodes looked like a shell of what he was once last season, and that pricey contract still looms large. Both Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander are heading towards free agency, and given Mike Zimmer’s penchant for drafting very athletic corners with good ball skills, this fit seems plausible.

26- Miami Dolphins - Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin

The ideal chess piece for Brian Flores. Baun’s unique skill set is reminiscent of Kyle Van Noy, as his versatility offers loads of endless opportunities for Flores’ defense. He has all of the traits to play off the ball and offers plus blitz skills, and would give the Dolphins a much needed infusion of talent on the defensive side.

27- Seattle Seahawks - Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame

The Seahawks last two first round picks have been bizarre to say the least, so don’t be surprised if the twitchy Okwara ends up as the pick. After investing into LJ Collier last season- who is now 25 years old and has recorded one (!) pressure in his young career- it is obvious that the Seahawks are still searching for an answer on the edge outside of Jadeveon Clowney. Okwara is a bit rough around the edges, but offers an intriguing athletic profile and runs with a very high motor. He’s going to need to add play strength early in his career, but his burst and bend might be too tempting to pass on.

28. Baltimore Ravens - Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

As competitive of a player as there is in this draft. Murray is the type of natural, vocal leader that the Ravens organization seems to covet. His blend of power and speed is something that should mesh immediately in that locker room, and given the Ravens recent track record of drafting Oklahoma players (Mark Andrews, Hollywood Brown, Orlando Brown), Murray seems like an ideal fit.

29. Tennesee Titans - K’lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

Chaisson fits the mold of a Titans defender. Highly athletic, versatile, and bendy off the edge, adding Chaisson to an already talented defense could be the missing piece they need towards taking that next step to being elite. Chaisson offers plenty of risk, but a guy like Mike Vrabel should be able to milk all of the potential out of him that he can get.

30. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State

The former JUCO product burst onto the scene this year with a whopping 65-1192-8 stat line. His pure speed and natural after the catch ability is something that offense has long been lacking. Pairing this dynamic playmaker next to Davante Adams would solve what was a very lackluster group last season.

31. San Francisco 49ers - Cesar Ruiz, OC, Michigan

Starting center Weston Richburg is coming off a torn patellar tendon, and the interior depth is showing signs of aging. Ruiz, a late riser, has all of the tools and youth to slide nicely into that unit. An intelligent and experienced player, Ruiz movement skills for his size would be an ideal fit in Shanahan’s offense.

32. Kansas City Chiefs - Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU

Behind Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi, the depth at defensive tackle leaves plenty to be desired. Blacklock is an athletic specimen who offers plenty of juice to be a high end player. Coming off a 2018 season in which he missed due to a torn Achilles, Blacklock displayed the same explosiveness he had in 2017. While his processing needs some work, he is the type of high ceiling player that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo could get the most out of.

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pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles · 6 years ago

Text

If You’re Gone (Girls Talk Boys part 32)

I think I've already lost you I think you're already gone I think I'm finally scared now You think I'm weak, I think you're wrong

If you're gone, maybe it's time to come home There's an awful lot of breathing room But I can hardly move If you're gone, baby you need to come home, come home There's a little bit of something me In everything in you

Ashton got to Cal's about 20 minutes after Cher texted him. He knocked but when he got no answer he opened the door and let himself in, the place was a wreck. Calum had flipped his coffee table over slinging things across the room and he'd kicked a hole in the drywall by his front door. Ashton carefully made his way around the mess hearing Calum upstairs. He saw the refrigerator door open and went to close it before heading up noticing the whiskey Calum had just bought was not there.

Ashton jogged up the stairs and peeked into Calum's bedroom. Seeing no sign of man or beast as he made his way down the hall. Calum had a 2 bedroom unit and had turned the second room into a gym/music room. He was sitting at his piano with his back to the door and Duke at his feet half slurring half singing “If You’re Gone” by Matchbox 20. Ashton shook his head, he knew this was gonna be a mess. He put a hand on Calum's shoulder causing him to look up with a tear streaked face and unfocused eyes.

“What happened?” Ashton hadn't ever seen Cal look this dejected.

“I fucked up,” Calum hung his head and sniffled fighting back tears again scooting over so Ashton could sit next to him.

“Did Camille break up with you? Cal I don't understand what's going on,” Ashton was puzzled.

“I acted like a complete asshole towards Camille, and she's probably never going to speak to me again. She's already blocked my number on her phone and all her social media,” Calum slumped against his shoulder and reached for the bottle before Ashton grabbed it.

“Getting sick everywhere won't make you feel better tomorrow” Ashton told him taking a swig himself draping his arm across his friend as Calum alternated between babbling and crying trying to explain the fight with Camille.

Cher pulled into the airport's unloading zone and took a deep breath. Both women had been crying as Camille told Cher everything that went down. Camille was devastated by the argument and pissed beyond words but Cher knew she had the ability to compartmentalize and decide she wasn't dealing with Calum right now. With him deleted and blocked she had to focus on work and put her personal life on hold until she got back. Cher had always admired Camille's ability to just that, but also knew it was her way of avoiding dealing with her problems. She helped Camille with her bags and gave her a hug.

“You're gonna be great Cam, don't let this shit get to you. Calum knows he fucked up,” Cher cupped Camille's face in her hands sharing the sadness in her friend's eyes.

With a flash the sorrow vanished and Camille was angry and again Cher knew she was more comfortable being mad, as Camille didn't do sadness well.

“Are you guys done? He thinks you broke up with him,” Cher asked her.

“No I mean, I don't think so. He really fucked up and pulling this right now made it so much worse. I'll deal with it when I get back. Thank you for texting Ashton to go check on him,” Camille shook the thoughts out of her head and put her game face on.

“I'll see you when you get back,” Cher gave her another quick hug before waving to Stephen who was already waiting for Camille in the terminal.

Before Camille made it to the escalator to head up to check in her phone dinged. Cher had sent her a $10 Starbucks gift card knowing Camille needed a pick me up.

Cher checked her messages seeing two missed calls from Calum and a text from Ashton.

Cal's drinking and in a bad way. I'm gonna stay over here at least until he passes out. He tried to call you, Camille has him blocked. Did they really break up?

Cher answered him

Camille won't talk to him until she gets back. He acted like a complete asshole and I don't want to talk to him either. Camille hasn't decided what to do yet I'll explain later.

Ashton set his phone down. “The girls don't want to talk to you right now.”

Calum nodded, he was now sitting on the floor with his knees pulled to his chest. Duke kept nudging at him and Calum would almost smile. Ashton had gotten some of the story out of him but Calum couldn't bring himself to repeat the worst he'd said. After a couple hours of drinking and listening to sad songs Ashton put him to bed and texted Cher.

I'm staying here tonight. I hope Camille is ok, Calum is too upset to talk about it but he knows he's wrong

Cher smiled and messaged back

Thank you for not defending him but still supporting him. I'll see you tomorrow daddy

Ashton chuckled and squeezed his dick through his pants glad this fight between their best friends wasn't coming between them.

Calum had spent two days holed up with his laptop and journal in his music room with Duke. Ashton checked up on him but they didn't talk much as Calum was watching the all the ProFantasySports live streams and scribbling down song ideas. Calum was laid out on the floor with his laptop watching Camille's interview on SportsTalk and Ashton was fiddling around on the piano when they both jumped at the sound of the front door slamming.

Footsteps came thundering up the stairs before Luke burst into the room.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Luke was angry and accusing.

Calum flinched at his words and Ashton stood up “Luke you don't know the whole story,” he said trying to calm him down.

“Actually I do, I was on the phone with her last night because she couldn't sleep,” Luke fumed. “He basically accused her of lying, wanting to cheat on him with her ex, and, this is the best part, accused her of using sex to get ahead in her career.”

Ashton was stunned and Calum couldn't meet their eyes, his face burning with shame.

“The worst part is the timing of it. Camille feels like you’re trying to sabotage her job. You need to figure out your insecurities and your jealousy because while she's going to forgive you this time, you will lose her if you keep it up,” Luke sat down and his expression softened. “I know you love her. I want to see you guys make it.”

“What did you come back from your vacation with Summer just to yell at him?” Ashton asked slightly annoyed.

“Did you and Summer have a good time?” Calum asked.

“Yes, thank you. We're really good right now” Luke replied. “I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help you get your girl back.”

“Wait did you say she forgave him?” Ashton asked.

“No she hasn't yet but she wants to. He needs to convince her, and we're going to help.”

The party was going strong but Camille wasn't really having fun. She'd escorted the contest winners around from breakfast, a day in the NFL Zone meeting players and testing their pass, punt, and catching skills before ending the day at a charity dinner. She'd promised Brandon Pearcy she'd drop by his party tonight and Stephen agreed to tag along. Being a sports agent Brandon had gone all out, he had clients on both the Rams and the Patriots so they'd split house down the middle, blue and gold on one side with silver, red and blue on the other. The food was themed accordingly, New England had lobster rolls, crab cakes, fried clams, Greek pizza, fluffer nutter sandwiches and whoopie pies. L.A. served up french dip sandwiches, Pink's chili cheese dogs, Pho, shrimp tacos, chicken and waffles and rice krispie treat chocolate chip cookies.

Brandon was always friendly and introduced her to several big name players. Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez, Calvin Johnson, Cam Newton and even Odell Beckham Jr who was extremely good looking and very flirty. People were snapping and posting pics and Camille couldn't shake the feeling she was doing something wrong.

“Camille,” a familiar voice was at her side and she looked up to see Quentin standing there.

She jerked back, panicking when he put his hand on her arm.

“Easy now, baby girl I didn't mean to scare you.” Camille relaxed seeing the concern on his face.

“Sorry I was lost in thought. You scared me.” Camille put her hand on her chest.

“You looked miserable,” he told her with a laugh before she noticed his eyes catch something across the room distracting him for a second.

Before she could turn around his attention was back on her “I know this is a work event for you but come hit this blunt,” he spoke quietly leading her out to a side patio where several people were smoking.

Camille took a puff and Quentin leaned down to talk to her.

“You need to leave this party. Brandon is going to make a move on you and he can be very aggressive and very nasty if he doesn't get his way.”

“Q, why are you telling me this? You think I can't handle myself?” Camille kept smiling and her voice low.

“Please trust me this one time, this will get ugly if you stay. His dealer just showed up and Brandon on cocaine It's something you don't want to see. It's only 9:30 my dude was just talking about getting out of here and hitting up this bar he knows that's got some decent food, you should go with the girls. I'll tell Brandon you're fighting with your boyfriend and left.” Quentin stopped when she looked surprised and hurt. “Damn I'm sorry, I was just making shit up. I'll go get your boy Stephen and we'll turn this night around.”

Quentin went back into the party and Camille found herself being surrounded and hustled out of the house by three women she'd just met.

They stopped once they got to the driveway and one of them began laughing “Well that was dramatic.” She stuck her hand out “Hi, I'm Brittany. This is Shay and that's Megan.”

“Nice to meet y'all. I'm still a bit confused as to what just happened,” Camille shook her hand.

Stephen, Quentin and three other guys were right behind them. Camille recognized two of them as NFL players Patrick and Von. The other one, Jalen, she knew personally from her guest appearances on his ESPN show “Two Minute Warning.”

They ended up at Vortex for burgers before finding a silly karaoke bar. For the first time since she'd arrived in Atlanta she was actually having fun. Camille wasn't even worried about posting pics to Instagram, let Calum be mad. She wasn't doing anything wrong and if he couldn't see that then he had to go. Of course the thought of actually breaking up with him made her feel like someone knocked the wind out of her. She blocked that thought almost as soon as it popped into her head.

Tonight was her night with her new friends. Quentin left before midnight to make the teams curfew the rest of the group stay till closing at 3am. Camille had to be up at 11 AM to appear on Two Minute Warning in a surprise guest appearance. Camille texted Cher the details before getting some much needed sleep.

Cher hadn't ever had a Super Bowl party without Camille which made it really weird. Camille usually went all out with a Tex Mex taco bar but Cher went instead with pizza and chicken wings. It was the first time Cher had seen Calum since he stormed out of her house the night of the fight. She was pleased to see he looked like hell. He deserved it for making her best friend cry. Aside from that everyone seemed to be in a decent mood. They all cheered through Camille's segment where she dissected, correctly as it turned out, just how and why the Patriots would win. Everybody was in a great mood, and then the game started.

“Be serious, that game was a fucking snooze” Camille joked with Stephen as they presented their boarding passes to go home.

“The halftime show was worse than I thought it would be,” Stephen responded. “Both Sicko Mode and Sweet Victory deserved better.”

Camille laughed but then the Dramamine kicked in and she knocked out for the flight. Cher picked her up at the terminal.

“I hope you know Calum went all out for your return,” Cher warned her as they drove home.

“Mmmm we'll see,” Camille tried not to smile.

“Are you still mad?” Cher asked her.

“Yes, but I really missed him,” Camille sighed.

Walking in she immediately saw the place was filed with pink roses. She headed upstairs to her room and saw tulips strewn out on her bed with an envelope in the center.

Opening it she recognized Calum's messy handwriting and sat down on her bed to read.

My Darling Camille,

There is no excuse for how I treated you and I can't tell you how deeply ashamed and sorry I am. You are the best thing that has happened to me and I'm so afraid of losing you. I've already put you through so much I feel like an asshole asking you to forgive me. I should've never acted like you had to choose between me or your job. Your career is your life the same way mine is and that was completely unfair. You love what you do, you're brilliant, funny and I am so proud of everything you've accomplished. I didn't mean to act like you ever have to choose and I'm truly sorry.

The rest of what I said is completely inexcusable. I lost my mind for a second and lashed out at you and while there's no taking back what I said please know that I didn't mean it. I never thought you would cheat on me. My jealousy is all on me and I'm an absolute twat for behaving like that.

I know words are empty unless they're followed by changed behavior. I want us to really talk this out and I want to be more open with you. I've never been good at expressing my feelings but I want this to work. I want us to work. I have more to say but I'd really like to do it in person. Please give me another chance.

Yours Always

Calum

Luke watched as Calum paced back and forth staring at his phone. It had been almost an hour since they'd seen Cher's car come back from the airport. Calum was sweating and looked nauseous. There was a knock at the door and Luke saw Calum slump in relief when he answered.

“I thought we should talk,” Camille said before she saw Luke “hey peanut, are you guys busy?”

“NO,” both men answered in unison.

“I talk to you guys later,” Luke gave Camille a quick kiss on the cheek and quickly left.

Camille found herself wrapped up tightly in Calum's arms the second the door closed.

“Camille I am so sorry. I'm an idiot and an asshole. Please don't leave me, I want to be better for you.” Calum was trying not to lose it, barely choking out the words.

They stood there like that, both of them crying together, his face buried in her hair and her face pressed to his chest. Until Camille finally had to pull free because she was all stuffy. Returning from the bathroom wiping her eyes she found Calum splashing his face with cold water at the sink. She came up behind him hugging his waist before he turned and picked her up setting her on the counter.

He looked her in her eyes, “so are we ok?”

Camille nodded, “yes but this can't happen again. Mistakes will be made and this won't be our last fight, but I don't want to keep having the same fight. Respect is the minimum I expect from you. My job is going to get hectic next fall and you're going back on the road. We're going to have enough problems without creating new ones for no reason. I need you to talk to me., I need you to trust me. You're so good at hiding your feelings babe, I never thought about you being insecure. I look at you and see Calum Hood: this gorgeous rock star who I'm lucky enough to be with. I can't imagine you'd ever think you weren't enough.” Camille brushed his curls off his face and stroked his jaw.

“I just think you're amazing and you could do better than me,” Calum couldn't meet her eyes now. “Honestly you could do better than most of the guys you're around. None of them are good enough for you either.”

“You saw the pictures?” Camille asked.

Calum nodded looking guilty. “I watched all your live streams and checked your Insta and Twitter constantly.”

“And?” Camille raised her eyebrows.

“And it was the first time I saw you smile since you got to Atlanta. I'm a complete dickhead for ruining your trip. I'm glad you got to have some fun,” Calum met her eyes again. “I have a surprise for you if you'll come upstairs.”

“Calum we are not jumping into bed. I couldn't anyways,” Camille laughed before giving him a light kiss on the lips.

“No come upstairs to the music room,” Calum put her back on the floor and pulled at her sleeve.

She followed him upstairs and he sat her in a chair before getting behind his piano. He cleared his throat and Camille could see he was nervous but once he started to play and sing Camille was left in awe of his talents.

I was just coastin' Never really goin anywhere Caught up in a web I was gettin kinda used to stayin' there And out of the blue I fell for you

Now you're lifting me up, instead of holding me down Stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown Untangled all the strings round my wings that were tied I didn't know her and I didn't know me Cloud nine was always out of reach Now I remember what it feels like to fly You give me butterflies

Kiss full of color makes me wonder where you've always been I was hiding in doubt till you brought me out of my chrysalis And I came out new All because of you

Now you're lifting me up instead of holding me down Stealing my heart instead of stealing my crown Untangled all the strings round my wings that were tied I didn't know her and I didn't know me Cloud nine was always out of reach Now I remember what it feels like to fly You give me butterflies, yeah You give me butterflies

Now you're lifting me up instead of holding me down You're taking my hand instead of taking my crown Untangled all the strings round my wings that were tied I didn't know you and I didn't know me Cloud nine was always out of reach Now I remember what it feels like to fly You give me butterflies You give me butterflies

“Calum, that was beautiful,” Camille was trying not to cry.

Calum motioned for her to come sit in his lap and when she did he kissed her and looked her in the eye. “I'm sorry for everything. I love you and don't want to lose you.”

“Calum do you know what you just said?” Camille was stunned.

“Yes,” he was smiling at her his eyes bright. “I love you my darling Camille, my everything, my queen.”

“I love you too Calum,” Camille had more to say but it was smothered by his kiss.

@biba3434 @toofadedtofight @babygirlcashton @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @slimthicccal @vfdsstuff @unabashedlymyself @5sos-ficssmut

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