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doctorbrown · 1 year ago

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DOCTOBER '23 ⸺ 「 20 / 31 * REAR-VIEW MIRROR 」

June 12, 2025

23:11

❝Are you sure you can't spend the night, kids?❞ Marty asks as Ellie breaks the long hug with her father. ❝We've got the spare rooms and it'd mean a lot to your mother and I.❞

❝I'm sorry, Dad,❞ Ellie starts, and to her credit, she does look genuinely upset. ❝But Dan and I are travelling in the morning since this is my last open vacation for a while and—❞

❝And I've got to be in by five,❞ Emmett says, ❝to make sure these bojos don't screw something up. We open Saturday.❞

Marty sighs and moves to give his son a hug, patting him twice on the back. ❝I know, I know. You're adults now with your own lives. I just miss you.❞

Ellie pouts. ❝It's not like you never see us, Dad. You can call on the vidphone anytime you want.❞

❝No, no, I get it,❞ Marty says, a hint of a smirk ticking up the corner of his lips, ❝it's not cool to be hanging out with your parents anymore.❞ Before either of the kids can protest, Marty laughs. ❝Have a safe trip, Ellie.❞

❝El, Dad, El. Ellie's such a kid name.❞

❝And you're still my kid.❞ She groans dramatically and drops the point there, knowing there's no arguing with her father on this.

❝Break a leg this weekend, Emmett.❞ Marty nods at his son who smiles.

Both kids shuffle towards the door in an awkward line, reaching over each other to grab bags and sweaters. ❝And would you actually use the gift we got you?❞

Marty glances over his shoulder to the small box and envelope on the living room table and puts a hand on his hip.

❝Hey, I'm only fifty-seven! And I still look good for my age.❞ Apart from the soft age lines typical of a man in his late fifties and his greying hair, Marty still manages to carry a youthful energy tempered some by wisdom and experience. ❝I don't need to start thinking about that yet. Ask me again when I'm sixty-five.❞

Ellie makes a disapproving sound as her brother shoves her out the door and as the door slams shut behind them, leaving behind a deafening silence, Marty lets out a breath and shakes his head. He makes his way over to the couch and plops down, reaching for the piece of paper on top of the old-school birthday card.

A voucher for your first rejuvenation.

❝Really, those kids. What, do they think I'm gonna die tomorrow or something?❞

Before he can finish his thought, there's an urgent knock on the door in a sharp staccato rhythm that causes him to purse his lips. That sounds familiar, Marty thinks, but neither of the kids knock like that when they come over.

❝I'm coming!❞ he shouts, dropping the voucher back on the table without a care as to where it lands. He makes it halfway toward the door when the person on the other end knocks again in the same precise rhythm, causing Marty to grumble under his breath.

Whatever he had prepared to say when the door swung open immediately dies in his throat when the perpetrator's identity is revealed. Marty's eyes are blown wide, so much so they're in danger of falling out of his head. His breath catches in his throat and he would swear that, in that moment, he looks more like a fish gasping for air than a person.

❝Doc,❞ he breathes out when he finally remembers how to, and when the rest of his senses return, Marty barrels into his friend, capturing him in a tight hug which, after a second, he returns with the same warm affection Marty has always associated with him.

❝Doc, it's been—❞

Emmett immediately shakes his head, removing a hand from around Marty to hold it up, palm out. Stop. ❝Don't tell me, Marty. I don't know yet and I don't want to know.❞

Marty nods. ❝Right, yeah, future knowledge. But God, Doc, I missed you so much. What are you doing here? Why now? What's going on?❞ Before an endless stream of questions can spill from Marty's mouth, Emmett silences him again.

❝I have the answer to all your questions right here.❞ Emmett lets go to dig through the inner pocket of his overcoat. He produces a small rectangular gift bound in silver paper and hands it over to a very confused looking Marty.

❝Happy birthday, Marty,❞ he says, pushing the gift into his hands. ❝I've kept this secret from you for almost...forty years and now that it's completed, I figured this was as good a time as any to give it to you.❞

❝You came f—all these years into the future just to give me this? What is it?❞

❝I suppose the act of giving wrapped gifts must be obsolete by now if you're asking me what to do with a gift,❞ Emmett says, smirking. Marty gives him a look that very clearly says, you know that's not what I meant, Doc, but flips the gift over in his hands anyway.

Printed in what is unmistakably Emmett's handwriting is 'Do not open until June 12, 2025,' and Marty snorts at the familiar irony of it all.

Questions are clearly written in the lines of Marty's face and before he can even ask them, Emmett says, ❝Forty years is a long time for you to have seen results on this; you may not even remember insisting I do it, but I took your request to heart.❞

Marty's fingers curl around the edges of the gift. ❝Tell me you're at least going to stay for a little while, Doc. Come in, I'll grab Jen a-and—❞

To Marty's dismay, Emmett shakes his head. ❝I'm afraid I can't stay much longer; this was only intended to be a short stop, but I'm so glad to see you, Marty. You look well and I always knew that your future was going to be bright.❞

❝But Doc, there's so much I want to tell you. Jen and I, the kids—❞

❝Yes, I saw young—well, I suppose they're not young anymore; they've grown into fine adults.❞

❝What about Jules and Verne? And Clara? Are you going to see them while you're here?❞

Again, Emmett shakes his head. ❝No, that wouldn't be wise. Besides, I—❞ A high-pitched alarm screeches from Emmett's watch and he jumps, abandoning his train of thought as his eyes widen. ❝Damn! I'm late!❞

Marty blinks. ❝I'm sorry, Marty, I have to get going.❞ Emmett quickly pulls him into a crushing hug and Marty takes a moment to bury his face in his old friend's shoulder while he still can. ❝I think you'll find you have your hands full for a while with your gift. At the risk of repeating my past self, I'll leave you with these parting words: I'm proud of you.❞

Emmett pats his arms once before hurrying off. Marty stands there, dumbstruck, watching as his old friend climbs into a '76 Chevy Aerovette that he knows is the DeLorean in perfect disguise.

He stands there for some time even after the car and Emmett are well out of sight, gone back to whatever point in time he departed from to get here. Marty hugs the gift to his chest and quietly shuts the door, walking in a half-daze to the couch.

The clock reads 00:09 and Marty tears the paper off his gift.

It looks like a journal, but as Marty inspects it closer, he notices that the edges are worn from years of touch, there's a faint coffee stain on one of the corners, and the journal is at least double the size it started, torn apart and re-bound in a way that looks like it's ready to fall apart at any moment.

A piece of paper falls out from behind the cover, landing on Marty's lap.

First, let me tell you in writing, Happy Birthday, Marty. I expect I will have told you in-person as I delivered your gift, but one can never be wished well enough on their birthday.

By the time this gift finds you, I will have passed. If you ask why I chose to wait until this particular date of June 12, 2025 to present it to you, I'm afraid all I can say is that it felt right. As I do not know the precise date of my passing and have no intention of learning this information prematurely, I can only hope that enough time has elapsed where my delivering this to you will not open too fresh a wound.

But that is not the focus of this letter, nor do I intend to make it such.

You have always believed in me, Marty, even when nobody else has, and the enthusiasm with which you begged me to write this could not go ignored. So this is what I have been working on for the last several years with the knowledge that it would one day find its way to you.

You have been the greatest friend I could have asked for, and I hope that you will remember me fondly, even after some of the things you read here. This first-hand account of my life is yours to do with as you please, and I have been as detailed as circumstances will allow me to be. You will find no instructions for how to re-create the time machines within, though I do mention their existence in order to accurately recount our travels together.

I am proud to have called you my friend and just know I have treasured all of our years together.

'Doc' Emmett L. Brown

Marty blinks furiously against the tears welling up in his eyes. ❝God, Doc, you never change... I didn't think you'd actually do it.❞ The book weighs a ton in his hand and makes his chest weigh just as much.

The weight of his best friend's life story...

The journal's spine cracks as he opens it and there, in black ink, is something that threatens more tears.

For Marty, My partner across space-time. For Clara, Jules, and Verne, Who have made me the luckiest man to have ever lived.

He flips to the first page.

Every story follows a pattern. You start at the beginning, proceed through the middle, and then eventually reach the finale, in which everything wraps up, for better or for worse. A life story is no different, though the steps taken to reach said finale vary wildly between each individual.

So, as stories go, it is only fitting this one starts at the beginning.

❝Jen! Jen, you've gotta come down here! I just got a birthday present from the Doc!❞

#doctober 2023 #&; a great idea can change the world 「 hc 」#so if you've read my carrd you'll know that i've presented doc's backstory in the form of an autobiography #which marty has insisted he write and more so after the temporal experiment's resounding success because #as he put it - every great scientist has an autobiography and marty is determined that #doc get the respect and recognition that he deserved #so doc agreed with the caveat that he would deliver it to marty on a future birthday likely after he'd already passed #doc is going to live to 100 years old easy with the rejuvenation and such but #he won't live forever. remember that he's technically *seventy-five* (four? eh depends on timeframe) when he returns from being in the past #since 9-10 years have passed for him despite no time passing for marty. he also doesn't want to live forever #and i've chosen to interpret rear-view mirror in the sense of looking back on the past #now through the book doc has gifted to him

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Here are the biggest NFL veterans who could be cut this offseason

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

NFL teams looking to save some money means some familiar names will be looking for new homes.

The NFL’s salary cap leads to plenty of roster churn every year. Franchises are tasked with balancing expensive proven veterans with cheaper talent. That means some pricy athletes could find themselves looking for new homes — even if they’re still in their primes.

Last year, we saw former Pro Bowlers like Gerald McCoy, Demaryius Thomas, and Justin Houston excised in advance of free agency. This offseason has already seen All-Pro tight end Greg Olsen left to ponder his football future.

These are the other veterans who could join him on the free agent market, ranked by order of how much they can save their respective teams by leaving this spring.

Already gone

Josh Norman, CB, Washington

Savings from cutting Norman: $12.4 million

Norman was just one of many things that went wrong for Washington in 2019. He suffered through his worst season in the league, where he gave up more than 11 yards per target and accounted for -1 points saved, per SIS. That’s the lowest score among any cornerback who started at least five games last fall.

This sudden downturn at age 32 could put Dan Snyder’s former prized signing on the chopping block. The 2015 All-Pro has failed to reach that standard since joining Washington in 2016. As a result, the club plans to release him and make him a free agent this offseason.

#Redskins are releasing CB Josh Norman, source says. Intriguing situation to watch, as he now has time to find his new team ahead of free agency.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 14, 2020

Wide receiver Paul Richardson, who lasted just two seasons into his five-year, $40 million contract with Washington, will be released as well. Ryan Kerrigan, 31 years old and headed into the final year of his contract with none of the $11.6 million owed to him guaranteed, could also be up for discussion.

Prince Amukamara, CB, Chicago Bears

Savings from cutting Amukamara: $9 million

Amukamara has been a steady, if unspectacular cornerback in his nine seasons as a pro. While he made 42 starts for the Bears the past three years, Chicago felt it could better spend the additional $9 million owed to him elsewhere. Like perhaps on a veteran quarterback to push Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job?

Marcell Dareus, DL, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Dareus: $20 million

Dareus, at his best, is worth $20 million+ annually. The problem is, he hasn’t been that player in several years. Even if he was, the 2020 Jaguars — currently with negative cap space — probably couldn’t afford him. As such, they declined his 2020 option and made him a free agent on the eve of the Scouting Combine.

Dareus broke through with a 10-sack season in 2014 that he’s been chasing ever since. In just six games, he averaged a career-low 2.2 tackles for an underwhelming Jaguars defense in 2019. More telling, those tackles came an average of 4.2 yards past the line of scrimmage, which is an untenable mark for a player who is supposed to be pushing blockers backward and creating chaos in the trenches.

While he can still be a useful presence in the middle of a defensive line, he’s due for a major pay cut this offseason.

Russell Okung, OT, Los Angeles Chargers

Savings from cutting Okung: $13 million

Okung’s release would have been a surprise. The veteran left tackle played well in 2019 when he was on the field — but that only lasted six games due to a pulmonary embolism and, later in the season, a groin injury.

While he was capable, he didn’t fit in with LA’s rebuild. Rather than release a Pro Bowl-caliber blocker, he’ll be traded to the Panthers in exchange for guard Trai Turner.

The deal is tentatively agreed to and is expected to be processed at the start of the league year: The #Chargers are trading LT Russell Okung to the #Panthers in exchange for standout OL Trai Turner, sources say. A swap of big-time OLs. Nothing is final until it’s official.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 4, 2020

Turner is signed through 2021 compared to Okung’s 2020, and his $12.8 million cap hit for the upcoming season is less than Okung’s $15.5m. His cap number jumps to $15.4m next offseason, however — so we could see Turner wind his way to this list in 2021.

A.J. Bouye, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Savings from cutting Bouye: $11.4 million

Like Dareus, Bouye is a highly paid defender who has seen better days. And like his colleague, he’s looking at a change of venue this offseason thanks to the Jaguars’ cap crunch. He was traded to the Broncos for a fourth-round pick after news leaked about his imminent release in Jacksonville.

Bouye could be a boon for Denver, but he’ll have to put a disappointing season behind him. The former Texan allowed opposing QBs to post a 106.0 passer rating against him in 2019 while completing two-thirds of their passes with him in coverage.

With Jacksonville eager to find a way around Nick Foles’ cap-clogging $22 million average salary, Bouye’s departure may be the next step in a mini-rebuild of the Jacksonville defense.

Jimmy Graham, TE, Green Bay Packers

Savings from cutting Graham: $8 million

Graham wasn’t the red zone panacea the Packers hoped he would be when they signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract in 2018. After scoring 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Seahawks in 2017, Graham has just five scores over two years in Green Bay.

The Packers drafted Jace Sternberger in the third round in 2019 to take over as Graham’s replacement, but injuries limited him to only six games as rookie — and one target from Aaron Rodgers, which he dropped. Still, head coach Matt LaFleur must believe the second-year tight end is ready for a promotion, because Graham’s tenure in Wisconsin is over after two seasons.

Xavier Rhodes, CB, Minnesota Vikings

Savings from cutting Rhodes: $8.1 million

The Vikings have some very difficult decisions to make this offseason. After coming into the offseason with -$12.3 million in cap room — worst in the NFL by a significant margin — Minnesota had to cut some expensive veterans. First on the chopping block was Rhodes, who signed a five-year, $70.1 million contract extension in 2017 and struggled mightily in both 2018 and 2019. Per SIS, he gave up a 122.9 passer rating in coverage last fall.

Releasing Rhodes still left the Vikings over the cap, however. That led to DT Linval Joseph’s release as well. Together, they trimmed more than $20.5 from Minnesota’s 2020 salary cap.

The #Vikings have terminated the contracts of DT Linval Joseph and CB Xavier Rhodes.https://t.co/VIg4PYgTK7

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 13, 2020

Joe Flacco, QB, Denver Broncos

Savings from cutting Flacco: $10 million

The Joe Flacco who led the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII win is no more. This is the era of a Joe Flacco who is barely a replacement-level passer.

The former Super Bowl MVP has been mostly forgettable the past five seasons, recording an 83.0 passer rating and a 26-33 record as a starter. He also had his lead role usurped in both Baltimore (Lamar Jackson) and Denver (Drew Lock) after midseason injuries. Rather than keep him in town as an extremely expensive backup, general manager John Elway decided to run with free agent signee Jeff Driskel as his No. 2, sending Flacco to the open market for the first time in his career.

Broncos just informed former Super-Bowl MVP Joe Flacco that he is being waived with a failed physical designation, per source. Flacco now joins a group of free-agent QBs looking for work. Three Super Bowl MVPs in headlines this week: Flacco waived, Foles traded, TB to TB.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2020

Dontari Poe, DT, Carolina Panthers

Savings from cutting Poe: $9.8 million

The Panthers are a Matt Rhule-Teddy Bridgewater team now. The focus on the rest of Carolina’s offseason has been clearing out its ballast tanks and absorbing new talent into the cap room it’s created.

A 30-year-old Poe didn’t have much of a role in a Panther renaissance. The space-clogging tackle would have been the third-highest paid player on the roster after a good, but not great season. General manager Marty Hurney declined his contract option for 2020, allowing him to sign with the Cowboys instead.

Sticking around

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Savings from cutting Watkins: $14 million

Watkins has shown flashes of star-making play throughout his six-year career, but has ultimately failed to live up to the potential that made him the fourth overall pick in 2014. This past season was no different. He began it with a three-touchdown, 198-yard performance in the Chiefs’ season opener, had just one 100-yard game in the next 13 games, and finished the year with 14 catches for 288 yards in the postseason.

That makes it hard to justify Watkins’ $21 million cap hit for 2020 — especially now that reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is eligible for what’s sure to be a massive contract extension. With Chris Jones careening toward free agency, the team’s decision may come down to either its second-best wide receiver or the defensive lineman who helped save a Super Bowl win.

Then again, in the biggest game of his life, he put Richard Sherman on roller skates.

Sammy Watkins diced up Richard Sherman, then Patrick Mahomes just had to drop a pass in the bucket pic.twitter.com/ezEyARIu26

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) February 3, 2020

That’s why the two sides came to terms on a restructured one year, $9 million contract that could pay him up to $16 million should he meet certain incentives. That move will shave at least $5 million from the team’s cap this fall.

Janoris Jenkins, CB, New Orleans Saints

Savings from cutting Jenkins: $11.3 million

The Saints claimed Jenkins after he was released by the Giants for a combination of on-field malaise and off-field concerns. He performed well in New Orleans despite the team’s sudden playoff exit, but his one-year, $11+ million cap number was too steep for the team’s liking. Not wanting to lose him in 2020, the team worked out a two-year extension that lowers that cap hit for the upcoming year but also allows head coach Sean Payton to walk away from him in 2021 with minimal dead salary cap repercussions.

Faced with a big cap number for CB Janoris Jenkins, the #Saints chose to sign him to an extension that could keep him in the fold in the future: It’s a 2-year, $16.75M extension based on new money, source said. So, 3 years, $27M overall with $10.2M guaranteed — all in 2020.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 25, 2020

No decision yet

Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals

Savings from cutting Dalton: $17.7 million

Dalton gave the Bengals nine seasons of mostly good, never great quarterbacking. Now he has no place on team ready to draft Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick. Dalton’s career in tiger stripes is almost certainly over.

Even though Cincinnati will need a veteran quarterback to help ease Burrow’s presumptive transition from LSU to the NFL, it’s time for both sides to move on. The money saved by releasing the Pro Bowl quarterback can be spent acquiring weapons and bolstering the offensive line tasked with keeping Burrow’s jersey clean in 2020. The Bengals have already released one expensive standby this offseason; offensive tackle Cordy Glenn was released before the official start of the league year, clearing $9.5 million in cap space in the process.

Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

Savings from cutting Carr: $13.6 million

Carr’s future with the Raiders is very much up in the air. Reports suggest the franchise is interested in making free agent Tom Brady the face of its Las Vegas debut.

Brady may be a long shot, but this year’s free agent crop includes plenty of veteran alternatives should the Raiders want to swap out QBs. Las Vegas could also package its two first-round picks this April and move up to select a rookie quarterback at the draft.

The team has a lot of spending room this offseason, so moving Carr isn’t a priority, even if it lures a young QB to Nevada. He remains an efficient, if low-impact passer who could bring back a decent return via trade. There isn’t really a glaring reason for the Raiders to cut him loose, but this is Jon Gruden we’re talking about. You can’t rule out any splash-making move in advance of his team’s first season in Vegas.

Malcolm Butler, CB, Tennessee Titans

Savings from cutting Butler: $7.4 million

While he’s been steady in two seasons with the Titans, Butler is far removed from the form that made him an All-Pro with the Patriots in 2016. He’s been a good, if inconsistent, corner when healthy — and Tennessee is paying him like a great one.

The Titans have two major priorities at hand with both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry barreling toward the open market. Carving out extra space for them could mean cutting Butler, who didn’t play a snap for the club in 2019 after Week 9 and thus missed the team’s Cinderella run through the first two weeks of the postseason. Dion Lewis, another former Patriot lured south with a big contract, has already been informed he’s no longer part of the team’s plans:

#Titans release Dion Lewis and Cameron Wake Roster Moves » https://t.co/56J1hYazCv https://t.co/ubnTnfqrE4

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) March 12, 2020

Three other notable veterans — Wake, tight end Delanie Walker and kicker Ryan Succop — were each served their walking papers this offseason as well. Butler’s been better than Lewis was as a Titan, but if he can’t convince leadership he’s due for a bounce-back year, he could be next on the chopping block.

Nate Solder, OT, New York Giants

Savings from cutting Solder: $6.5 million

Solder was the first big-ticket signing of general manager Dave Gettleman’s tenure. He hasn’t panned out the way the Giants hoped, though. His 37 blown pass protection blocks were the most in the NFL in 2019.

He’ll turn 32 years old before the upcoming season, so last year’s struggles could either be an outlier in an otherwise solid career or the beginning of an age-related decline. He was the most important piece of an offensive line that allowed Daniel Jones to get sacked 38 times in 12 starts last season, a number that threatens to stunt the young QB’s growth if it isn’t remedied.

If Solder isn’t cut in 2020, this could be the former blindside protector’s last chance to prove he’s still an upper-tier blocker.

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ramajmedia · 5 years ago

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Frasier: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 5 They Rejected)

Amidst the comedy of errors and farce that made up the bulk of Frasier's narrative, the search for love and the attempt to understand its complexities was central. As a character, Frasier always considered himself unlucky in matters of the heart. Despite being a psychiatrist and often giving listeners of his radio show advice about their romantic woes, he never seemed to be able to follow it himself.

RELATED: Frasier: 10 Hidden Details About The Main Characters Everyone Missed

As the series chronicled his dating endeavors following his second divorce (from Lilith on Cheers), it also included the relationship mechanics of his unhappily married brother Niles, who pined for Daphne but had to develop the courage to pursue her. It examined his father's exploits after the death of his wife, who was afraid to cheat on the memory of the mother of his children. Frasier revealed the best and worst about us through the distinct tribulations of its relationships. Not all of them had a happy ending, of course.Here are some of the best and worst, from the fans' point of view.

10 WERE BEHIND: NILES AND DAPHNE

From the moment that Niles laid eyes on Daphne, she was no longer a caregiver to his ailing father, but a tender goddess that blessed mere mortals with her ethereal presence. Though he was unhappily married to Maris at the time, Niles held a candle for Daphne for years.

Daphne was oblivious to his puppy love (unlike everyone else) until Season 7, when he could no longer conceal his feelings for her. So, the slow-burning romance that had simmered beneath the surface of the series blossomed into the happiest relationship either of them had ever been in.

9 REJECTED: FRASIER AND JULIA

Frasier always had an attraction to strong women who exuded confidence and authority. His second wife Lilith had been like that, and, at one point, it's what drew him to put his job in jeopardy and pursue his boss Kate Costas, the station manager of KACL.

The steely woman he dated the longest was Julia Wilcox, KACL's financial adviser. Though they couldn't stand each other initially, their burning hatred transformed into burning passion. She retained her mean streak, though, and once she insulted his family she got the boot.

8 WERE BEHIND: MARTIN AND SHERRY

While the Crane Boys might not have liked Sherry, she was the best thing to happen to their father. She was loud, crass, and dressed in nothing resembling cashmere, but her down-to-earth nature and home-spun wisdom was exactly what Martin was comfortable with.

RELATED: 10 Quotes From Frasier That Are Still Hilarious Today

She was the first woman he had real feelings for since the love of his life passed away. He felt awkward telling Sherry how he truly felt about her because he thought it would be like cheating on the mother of his children, but in the end it was worth the risk.

7 REJECTED: DAPHNE AND DONNY

Donny Douglas began his time on Frasier as Niles' divorce lawyer when he was separating from his wife, Maris. A real battler in the courtroom, Donny gave Niles his freedom and his chance to be with the woman he really loved - Daphne.

Sadly, that wouldn't be possible, because Donny would steal Daphne's affections before Niles could make his move. Donny and Daphne's relationship would last for several seasons, and while it was pleasant enough, it lacked any sort of spark.

6 WERE BEHIND: FRASIER AND CHARLOTTE

One of the hallmarks of Frasier was the fact that its leading protagonist was so unlucky in love. He could dispense some of the most nuanced advice to his listeners about their relationship woes, but have no way of avoiding them himself.

This led him to seek the expertise of a matchmaker in the final season of the series. Unfortunately, it took almost the entire season for Frasier to realize his true love was in front of him the whole time trying to find him an alternative. The always-effervescent Laura Linney and Kelsey Grammer had some undeniable chemistry.

5 REJECTED: FRASIER AND LANA

One of the most insufferable women that Frasier ever dated, Lana came into his life during a particularly bad romantic drought. As per the parameters of such a period, Frasier was feeling undesirable, his self esteem had plummeted, and having the opportunity to date the Prom Queen was too tempting for him to pass up.

Lana and Frasier never had very much in common, and their attraction to one another seemed purely physical. Lana was an extremely negative and judgmental person who brought out the worst qualities in Frasier. She was only really with him to get over someone else.

4 WERE BEHIND: FRASIER AND LILITH

Though they couldn't possibly have remained together (Lilith was too busy ruling the Underworld), there was an undeniable chemistry between the two eminent psychiatrists that heightened their relationship on both Cheers (as pictured here) and Frasier.

RELATED: 10 Things Frasier Did Better Than Cheers

They were far too similar and far too conceited to actually be able to have a healthy relationship, but the dynamic nature of their fiery trading of barbs created some of the best episodes of the series. Lilith was always someone Frasier couldn't live with, yet couldn't live without.

3 REJECTED: NILES AND MEL

Other than Donny, the only major roadblock preventing Niles and Daphne from being together was Mel, Niles' second wife. The term can be applied loosely, since he abandoned her to reveal his long-held feelings for Daphne, and the only way she'd concede to a speedy divorce would be if he pretended to be the doting husband for a time.

RELATED: Frasier: 10 Best Niles Crane Quotes

She proceeded to make his life miserable, wielding the power she had to control his future happiness like an evil queen's scepter. She lived to humiliate him, and it was only after he had almost utterly destroyed himself socially that she released him from his obligations.

2 WERE BEHIND: MARTIN AND RONEE

Following Martin's breakup with Sherry for good, an old flame decided to re-enter his life. Ronee used to babysit Frasier and Niles when they were children, and as it turns out, Ronee always had a bit of a crush on their old man. She had since become a lounge singer and sang a lot of the old classics Marty loved.

While at first it might have seemed like an odd pairing, Ronee's fast comebacks meshed much better with Frasier and Niles' acerbic wit, and before long, she and Martin were planning their wedding. Martin's past allowed him to acquire a whole new lease on his future.

1 REJECTED: FRASIER AND DIANE

While there can be no Frasier without Diane (his former fiancee who introduced him to Cheers and all of his life-long friends), the way she left him at the altar never sat well with fans. When she reappeared on Frasier looking for help, it seemed hollow, and her apology insincere.

Viewers either loved or hated Diane Chambers on Cheers, and seeing her on Frasier causing him to briefly contemplate inviting her back into his life was almost unfathomable, after what she'd put him through.

NEXT: 5 Reasons Why Frasier Is Better (& 5 Why Cheers Is Superior)

source https://screenrant.com/frasier-relationships-best-worst-couples/

#screenrant

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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Ramblings: Two Russians sign, Sid stymied; Stone, Stastny stoked; Jackets, Jets jacked and more (Apr 15)

***

In early December I traded Vince Dunn for Nazem Kadri in my keeper league. At the time, I wanted the depth forward as it would keep me in the hunt. I also wanted a playoff guy and Kadri was a lock for the playoffs, whereas clearly Dunn and his St. Louis Blues were, uh…done. They were bottom dwellers at the time. And as a bonus, Kadri had a great second half last year and although that was due to playing with Mitch Marner (which wasn’t going to happen again this year), I figured there would still be an uptick. Well, that entire transaction has derailed and I feel like I gave up a good quality young defenseman for nothing. With Kadri’s track record of dirty hits, he’s going to miss time and likely lots of it. So as a playoff asset, he’s done. And he never had that second-half uptick so he really didn’t help the bottom of my roster very much, either.

Dante Fabbro’s ice time on Saturday dipped from 11:45 to 9:11. I wonder if that means Matt Irwin or Yannick Weber draw in for him next game. Fabbro still hasn’t seen a sniff of PP action in six games of professional hockey.

Well it’s done. A week ago I didn’t expect this to happen. Not even when I had my “interview” with Nikita Gusev’s agent a couple of weeks ago. I thought this would come in the form of a signing in late June, or an announcement in August. But things have moved quickly over the last week and Vegas has actually signed Gusev to a one-year entry-level contract. The 26-year-old has dominated the KHL – and the international stage – for a couple of years now, and he’s ready to step into the lineup right away. Not only that, but he is actually eligible to play, since he wasn’t signed as an unrestricted free agent. It would surprise me if this happened in the very next game, as teams tend to give players such as this some time to get to know the system. But I don’t think they’ll wait too long. He could have an Artemi Panarin-type of impact. Vegas already has their first two lines in stone (or “Stone”, if you will):

William Karlsson – Jonathan Marchessault – Reilly Smith

Max Pacioretty – Paul Stastny – Mark Stone

Which means that if Gusev were to get into this lineup, he would knock out Tomas Nosek and play on a line with Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch.

Out of curiosity I searched my files for the oldest thing I wrote on Gusev and I found a few interesting things:

1. I had him ranked 18th in my Top 20 Forwards from the 2012 Draft to own in a keeper league, from the 2012 Fantasy Prospects Report.

2. In the draft write-up for that year in the FPR (before the draft took place), we had the following words on Gusev:

Nikita Gusev – LW (CSKA, MHL)

Nikita Gusev was the diminutive offensive star of the 2012 U20 WJC who has been passed over in two drafts already. There are plenty of knocks against Gusev – mainly his size (5-9) and his nationality (Russian) but given his dominant performance for Team Russia where he tallied nine points in seven games there is certainly some upside here. He thrived on a line with Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov and given that Tampa Bay’s GM Steve Yzerman has shown no hesitation in selecting Russian talent, it would not be surprising to see Gusev end up with a lightning bolt on his chest. His puck control, creativity and vision are elite and even if he is not willing to transfer to North America right away, he is certainly worth a flyer in this year’s draft.

Upside: Top line playmaking winger (Marty St. Louis/Claude Giroux-esque), 25-40-65+

3. In 2012 for The Hockey News.com, I wrote the following:

If he were “Joe Smith” from out of the OHL, and was 6-0, 175, then this dynamic player would have been one of the five or six highest forwards drafted. Instead, he’s Nikita Gusev from out of the KHL and he’s 5-9, 163. He’s already been passed over in two drafts. But TB made a great pick using a seventh rounder on him. He’s a long-term project and “boom or bust”. He’ll either be a high-scoring star, or we’ll never see him in the NHL. Only the deepest leagues should consider him, as he is several years away.

I have since included Gusev in every FPR since, so seven editions and counting (because he will be in this one as well – out June 1st).

It was the Mark Stone – Paul Stastny – Max Pacioretty show as the 1B line has turned into the first line and the 1A line is now the clear-cut second line. What an add all three of these players turned out to be. This has been a battle of the big-name adds with Stone, Stastny and Pacioretty up against Erik Karlsson and Gustav Nyquist. Both teams spent big, but one team will be out first round.

Stastny and Stone each had five points, while Pacioretty was in on just two. Shea Theodore, unheralded, but he snuck three assists in as well.

Joe Thornton only got two minutes for this, but look for a suspension to be announced soon I’m sure:

{youtube}sgWdoMuZKrw{/youtube}

Great fight between Evander Kane and Ryan Reaves late in the third.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane drop the gloves in Game 3 <a href="https://t.co/Ypuy3QqAmI">pic.twitter.com/Ypuy3QqAmI</a></p>— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradyTrett/status/1117649589488640000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2019</a></blockquote>

There was a Deadline Deal this year that I must have missed. You know, the one where the Islanders went back in time and traded Jordan Eberle 2018 straight up for Jordan Eberle 2012?

Eberle has had a great postseason so far, with five points. A bit of a late surge to juice up that UFA contract this summer. He’s been playing with Anders Lee and Brock Nelson, but Sunday Mat Barzal was bumped up to that line in place of Nelson, in a move that piled all the hot players onto one line. The three of them have now combined for 12 points in the three games.

Can the Islanders shut Sidney Crosby down for four games? It doesn’t seem like it’s possible, but here we are. Crosby is still looking for point numero uno. Jake Guentzel, Patric Hornqvist and Nick Bjugstad are the other key offensive players with goose eggs after three games.

Jared McCann was back in the lineup for the Penguins, but he wasn’t put on the Crosby line. Trying to shake things up a bit, Coach Mike Sullivan went with:

23.8%

HORNQVIST,PATRIC – MALKIN,EVGENI – MCCANN,JARED

20.2%

CROSBY,SIDNEY – GUENTZEL,JAKE – SIMON,DOMINIK

16.7%

CULLEN,MATT – RUST,BRYAN – WILSON,GARRETT

14.5%

ASTON-REESE,ZACH – BJUGSTAD,NICK – KESSEL,PHIL

Now with their backs against the wall, I would go with Crosby/McCann/Guentzel, Malkin/Kessel/ZAR, Bjugstad/Simon/Hornqvist, Cullen/Rust/Blueger. But I’m no coach.

Not only was Nikita Kucherov out of the lineup for the Lightning due to his suspension, but the team was also without star defenseman Victor Hedman. He’s out with a – gasp – unknown injury. Unknown to us, I mean. I’m pretty sure it’s known to him and the Lightning. The Blue Jackets were without Markus Nutivaara, who was injured by Kucherov in the hit for which he was suspended.

But whatever the reason, the Blue Jackets dominated the Lightning again and have seized a 3-0 series lead in what has easily been the shocker of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Columbus took five or six weeks to get the new roster to mesh and things have come together just in time. On paper, back at the end of February, the Jackets looked awesome. But they needed a two-time Vezina winning goalie backstopping them and they didn’t have that. Until mid-March. That was when Sergei Bobrovsky’s alarm went off and he arrived for the 2018-19 season.

I also think the arrival of Oliver Bjorkstrand as a top-six player has helped. It’s like adding one at the deadline. Bjorkstrand has 26 points in his last 40 regular season and playoff games – 18 of them are goals. That’s a 36-goal full season pace (pretty tough math there). So not only did this team add Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel in February, but they also added an improved or more comfortable 36-goal man in Bjorkstrand. Will this be enough to win one of the next three games? And I say “three” instead of four because if Tampa claws back to a Game 7 they’re not losing it.

Another advantage – Torts is rolling four lines. The top line is getting 17 or 18 minutes, and the fourth line is getting 13 minutes. For Tampa this is more like 20 minutes and 10 minutes.

Erik Cernak, not really an offensive defenseman but more of a two-way guy, leads the Lightning with three points.

This is the first time Tampa Bay has lost three games in a row this season. Also the first time Columbus has one three playoff games in a series.

Nikita Gusev wasn’t the only Russian star to sign with an NHL playoff team. Columbus signed Vladislav Gavrikov, a defenseman who played with Gusev on SKA St. Petersburg. There were also questions as to whether or not Gavrikov would sign, too. Funny enough – the Jackets have two defensemen hurt and had to actually dress Adam Clendening Sunday. Gavrikov is 23 and he moves into the Top 100 on my Fantasy Prospects list for defensemen. His upside is minimal (mid-30s) but he’s close to a sure thing when it comes to making it into the NHL. At least, as much as one can be a sure thing. You can read our scouting report on him here.

Kevin Hayes was demoted to the fourth line and promptly scored a goal en route to a Jets win.

Jordan Binnington only faced 29 shots, but six of them were goals. But the Jets poured it on early, with 13 shots in the first and 12 in the second. However, despite just four shots in the third, Winnipeg scored three of them. The first indication that Winnington is indeed human.

I noted (above) the ice times of different lines for Columbus and Tampa. It’s worth noting that Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice had his fourth line play just 7:30, other than Hayes who played 11 minutes. Jack Roslovic and Mathieu Perreault just 7:30 each. I don’t believe the Jets can go deep if that’s what they think of their bottom forwards. I don’t think it’s Winnipeg’s year, but I think they’ll get there some day soon.

And I think Connor Hellebuyck will be the guy to take them there. A good “buy low” in my eyes. I think this was just an off year.

In one of my leagues I have a decent playoff team carrying over from the regular season, but I didn't think I could win because the goalies on my team that made the playoffs aren't great ones. I'd much rather own a Rask or a Vasilevskiy. But my goalies – Sergei Bobrovsky and Robin Lehner – aren't doing so bad after all.

Playoff data is rolling for Frozen Tools, simply change the relevant drop-box from Regular Season to Playoffs. Eric Daoust has also added TOI charts, which look pretty awesome. You can check out TOI and Points charts here in the Chart Generator. But Eric is also putting these charts where relevant. For example if you were looking at Kevin Labanc and you wanted to compare him to Timo Meier, click the Info/Analysis tab and type Meier’s name in the box. Besides the comparable stats one over the other, there is also this TOI chart game by game:

See you next Monday.

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-two-russians-sign-sid-stymied-stone-stastny-stoked-jackets-jets-jacked-and-more-apr-15/

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thegloober · 6 years ago

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Year in Review: Top 10 NHL stories of 2018

Any discussion of the top story in hockey in 2018 begins and ends with the Humboldt Broncos tragedy. Nothing even came close. So, we’ve chosen to devote one year-end piece to Humboldt, which ran on TheHockeyNews.com yesterday, and another to the top 10 NHL stories we’ll remember long after the calendar flips to 2019.

Here they are:

1. The redemption of Alex Ovechkin: From the time he started 2018 with three goals in his first two games, Ovechkin was on a mission this year. Actually, it was a dual mission to reassert his relevance among the best players in the game and prove his Washington Capitals were indeed a championship team and not a perennial also-ran. Both boxes were checked off with gusto. In terms of offense, Ovechkin was a one-man wrecking crew in 2018, leading the NHL with 15 playoff goals en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Nobody in the history of the Stanley Cup embraced the experience more than Ovechkin, but he also came back hungrier and more at ease with the burden of winning behind him. Now, suddenly, the biggest question surrounding Ovechkin is whether or not he’ll challenge Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goals record. With four games remaining in 2018, Ovechkin had 69 goals in 99 games, including playoffs.

2. Johnny T.O.: The Toronto Maple Leafs landed the biggest free agent in NHL history July 1 and John Tavares fulfilled a childhood dream, becoming the only Toronto-born player to jump to The Center of the Hockey Universe™ in anything resembling his prime. The moved changed everything, instantly making the Leafs a serious contender for the Stanley Cup and completed a forward contingent that is without peer in the NHL in terms of depth of talent. Once the puck dropped, he and Mitch Marner meshed brilliantly and with four games remaining in 2018, Tavares was on pace for a career-high 54 goals.

3. Vegas Strong: Continuing on their mind-boggling final three months of 2017, the Vegas Golden Knights never let up. Not only did they become the most successful expansion team in the history of professional sports, they made a run to the Stanley Cup final before running out of gas after winning Game 1. They almost singlehandedly drove the price for an expansion franchise up to $650 million and provided a template for success that will be almost impossible to match. And after starting the 2017-18 season by crashing back to earth, the Golden Knights finished the year in firm possession of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

4. Goodbye to the Sedins: After a combined 34 seasons, 2,636 games and 2,111 points Henrik and Daniel Sedin took their last shifts with the Vancouver Canucks, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and integrity that will likely land them together in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Both intensely proud and competitive, the Sedins were not content to continue on as secondary players, otherwise they would have been back for more. But after recording a very respectable 55 (Daniel) and 50 (Henrik) points, they decided it was time to leave the game on their terms. They even handled their diminished roles and spots in the Canucks lineup with their typical class and level-headedness. “We understand, we know what’s going on,” Daniel told The Hockey News in 2018. “We’re not stupid hockey players.”

5. I’ll take it from here: And just as two Swedish legends in Vancouver were prepared to pass the torch, one of their countrymen was there to willingly take it from them. After setting the record in the Swedish League for scoring by a junior-aged player, Elias Pettersson went on to lead the league in playoff scoring and his Vaxjo team to the championship. Despite missing six games with a concussion, Pettersson established himself as the favorite for the Calder Trophy and distanced himself from the rest of the field with every passing game. His eye-popping skills and the maturity of his game have accelerated the Canucks’ rebuild and had them competing for a playoff spot in the Western Conference when they were expected to be a serious contender in the Jack Hughes Sweepstakes.

6. Capital Punishment: The Ottawa Senators were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2018. It’s hard to believe that any organization could have had a more extensive string of ham-handed public relations disasters than the Senators endured. Not all, but almost all of them started at the top with owner Eugene Melnyk. A suspected case of cyber bullying between the girlfriend of Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson’s wife led to both of them being traded. Crowds at the Canadian Tire Centre were terrible in 2018 and there was a constant pall of negativity surrounding the franchise. And just for good measure, the year ended with former assistant GM Randy Lee pleading guilty to harassment stemming from an incident at the scouting combine and a combined $1.7 billion in lawsuits and countersuits between Melnyk and his business partner over their failed bid to build a downtown arena. And that interview with Sens defenseman Mark Borowiecki prior to the season. Woof.

7. Here comes No. 32: What was undoubtedly the longest gestation period for an expansion franchise finally came to an end when Seattle was granted admission into the Original 32. The NHL and Seattle had been doing a ritualistic mating dance for years, one that was always held up by the inability to find a suitable place for the team to play. Once Seattle’s city council gave approval for $700 million in renovations to the Key Centre to accommodate big-league hockey, approval from the board of governors came in the form of a $650-million rubber stamp. The NHL wisely placed Seattle’s debut to the 2021-22 season, largely because it, like everyone else, knows there will be a lockout the season before.

8. Coaches on the firing line: In the space of 44 days in November and December, five NHL coaches were given their walking papers – John Stevens in Los Angeles, Joel Quenneville in Chicago, Mike Yeo in St. Louis, Todd McLellan in Edmonton and Dave Hakstol in Philadelphia. In addition to that, Doug Weight was fired by the New York Islanders and Glen Gulutzan was let go by the Calgary Flames after the season. Barry Trotz left the Capitals after winning the Stanley Cup and replaced Weight and Bill Peters took his coaching talents to Calgary to replace Gulutzen. Ken Hitchcock announced his “retirement” after failing to lead the Dallas Stars to the playoffs.

9. Terrible Tom Wilson: There was not a more polarizing player in the world than Tom Wilson in 2018. When he wasn’t scaring the daylights out opponents with his scoring ability and physical impact, Wilson was suspended and gaining enemies around the league. His hits on Zach Aston-Reese in last year’s playoffs and Oskar Sundqvist in the pre-season placed him firmly in the Raffi Torres predatory headhunter category. The latter earned him a 20-game suspension that was reduced to 14 on appeal to the NHL-NHL Players’ Association independent arbitrator. Despite constant contact with the NHL Department of Player Safety and a publicly stated intention to toe the line, Wilson still crosses it. And it’s all amplified by the fact that he’s so damn good, scoring 10 goals and 17 points in his first 15 games back from the suspension. He’s almost singlehandedly stoked the rivalry between the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins.

10. An Avalanche of offense: At a time when super lines in the NHL are all the rage, none was better than the trio of Nathan MacKinnon between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen in 2018. With four games remaining in 2018, the three players had combined for 71 even-strength goals in 2018, with Rantanen and MacKinnon vying to become the first two teammates to finish 1-2 in NHL scoring since Marty St-Louis and Steven Stamkos in 2012-13.

Tags: calgary flames, chicago blackhawks, colorado avalanche, dallas stars, edmonton oilers, expansion, new york islanders, ottawa senators, philadelphia flyers, seattle, toronto maple leafs, vancouver canucks, vegas golden knights, washington capitals

Connect:

About the Author

Ken Campbell

Ken Campbell, The Hockey News’ senior writer, is in his second tour with the brand after an eight-year stint as a beat reporter for the Maple Leafs for the Toronto Star. The Sudbury native once tried out for the Ontario League’s Wolves as a 30-year-old. Needless to say, it didn’t work out.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/year-in-review-top-10-nhl-stories-of-2018/

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Has Cam Newton played his last game for the Panthers?

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Newton went on injured reserve and has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

Cam Newton won’t be returning to the Panthers’ lineup anytime soon, if ever. Carolina put its starting quarterback on injured reserve in advance of a Week 10 showdown with the Packers, ending his 2019 regular season after only two games due to a foot injury.

That decision puts a middling franchise at a crossroad. Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, has only one year and no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. His replacement, former undrafted free agent Kyle Allen, won his first four games as a starter in his stead. Allen has since hit a rough patch and has the Panthers on a four-game skid. Now coach Ron Rivera has been fired and any hopes for the postseason are shot.

All that turmoil makes moving on from Newton via trade an interesting possibility. It would likely bring some draft assets back in return while saving the team more than $19 million in salary cap space in 2020.

A Newton trade or release seemed unheard of four years ago when the dual-threat passer rallied his team to a 15-1 regular season record and a victory in the NFC Championship. His Panthers have stagnated since then; he’s an even 23-23 as a starter in the three-plus years since.

In that span, they’ve missed the postseason twice — a third miss is on the way — and gotten a new owner who may be looking to make a splash. David Tepper bought the franchise from a scandal-embroiled Jerry Richardson after a wildly successful finance career based predicated on bold moves. He already moved on from Rivera and could make another such deal by swapping out his starting QB.

So what are the odds Carolina moves on from its all-time passing leader?

Christian D’Andrea: 50 percent (was 20 percent before Rivera’s firing)

There’s some logic to moving on from a former MVP who is only 30 years old. Newton’s breakthrough 2015 looks more like an oasis in a desert of mediocrity the further it gets in the rear view mirror. In the 3.5 years since, he’s completed less than 60 percent of his passes, thrown 44 interceptions in 46 starts, and averaged only 6.9 yards per attempt. Of the 42 quarterbacks who’ve thrown at least 500 passes in that span, Newton’s 82.6 passer rating ranks 33rd — just beneath Joe Flacco and Josh McCown but just ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Blake Bortles.

These are all numbers that likely make a man with an analytical background like Tepper’s very uneasy. With Rivera gone, there’s reason to believe firing a head coach but not cleaning house would be a half measure where a full one is needed. There’s a not-insignificant chance Newton wears a color other than teal for the first time in his NFL career come 2020.

That might be a rash decision whose risks outweigh its potential rewards. Newton’s top gear puts him on a completely different plane than those guys. While it may be panning for fool’s gold to hope he’ll ever be the same player he was — especially as nagging injuries have conspired to sap a little bit more of his strength every year — he still brings plenty to the table.

Newton’s 2020 cap number is a relatively affordable $21.1 million. Combine that with the paltry six-figure/low seven-figure number Allen will receive as an exclusive rights restricted free agent, and you’ve got a QB rotation that would likely cost the Panthers less than the Jaguars will pay Nick Foles next fall.

That’s a fair price to keep a reliable QB tandem in town, and few teams understand the value of a useable backup more than the Panthers right now. If Newton doesn’t work out, he can leave in free agency the following year without Carolina owing him anything. If he does — and the team still believes in Allen as its future — the club could still move him before the trade deadline to a needy team with postseason aspirations and a shaky passing offense.

There isn’t much incentive to release Newton. Trading him while his value may never have been lower isn’t likely to bring the kind of return for which the Panthers would hope. If some team — i.e. the Bears — bowls Carolina over with an offer, Newton could be gone. Otherwise there’s little risk involved with keeping Newton around and seeing what he can do after a full year of rehab.

James Dator: 45 percent

Never, ever underestimate the possibility of the Panthers doing something monumentally stupid — and make no mistake, moving on from Newton would be colossally idiotic. Newton is the first and only true, franchise quarterback the team has ever had, and it took them almost 20 years to draft him.

That said, there are salary cap and coaching issues at play too. Now that the Panthers decided to part ways with Rivera (and likely general manager Marty Hurney by extension), there is a plausible scenario where a new leadership team wants “their guy” to be the quarterback moving forward. Newton will eat up a sizable chunk of the team’s cap space next season, and it might seem prudent on paper to free up that money and get some draft picks in exchange.

Should this happen then the Panthers deserve the next decade of mediocrity. The team’s defense and Christian McCaffrey are good enough that they won’t see a top-five pick anytime soon, so they’ll limp along to a series of 6-10 and 7-9 seasons with Kyle Allen or whomever at the helm until someone finally gets fed up and lets the team tank.

On a personal level, moving on from Newton is just gross. The front office retained their jobs on his back for the last eight years, floundering to give their franchise QB decent receivers or an offensive line of note. He still went on to take them to a Super Bowl and become the best passer in team history despite every card in the beck being stacked against him. Newton never threw the organization under the bus, even when they deserved it. Turnabout is fair play and they deserve to stick with him now.

But football is a cruel, harsh business sometimes run by total idiots who can’t see the forest for the trees — so a scenario absolutely exists where he’s gone by the draft. If Newton is traded to another team they deserve to kick the crap out of Carolina every year until Newton eventually retires.

What does this mean for the Panthers going forward?

D’Andrea: Two questions for you, James.

What do you think Tepper’s presence means to the franchise and how much he’s ready to take the wheel after leaving things relatively stable in his first year as owner?

What you think the Panthers would do with the extra cash/assets the team would glean from moving on from Newton?

Dator: Tepper was resolutely behind Newton when he took over as owner, largely taking the approach that he would support whatever his football staff believed was the right. It’s still early to put a pin on what Tepper really believes in as owner, however. This is still the honeymoon phase, and there’s no doubt he’s monitoring how fans are reacting to Newton being hurt.

In terms of what the team would do with potential assets — that really depends on who the GM is. There’s a scenario where I can envision them finally building from the inside out and shoring up their offensive line before trying to find a quarterback, but fans are also growing weary of mediocrity. If the Panthers decide to part ways with Newton they better have an answer, and fast.

Remember when the Chargers let Drew Brees go to New Orleans? That didn’t sting very much because Philip Rivers is excellent. If that same scenario plays out and the Panthers don’t have a Rivers-like QB to insert then there are no depths of how upset fans will be. The big problem: The team is winning right now.

Some questions for you, since you don’t have a vested interest as a fan.

Is there a scenario you see where the Panthers can compete in the next five years without Newton?

Looking ahead to the draft: Is there any way the Panthers could conceivably find another franchise QB quickly?

D’Andrea: I think the Panthers could be a couple of impact defensive players away from being able to succeed with a caretaker QB. Hell, they hit the midway point of the season 5-3 with Allen playing roughly as well as late-stage Andy Dalton. McCaffrey’s cheat code abilities out of the backfield should boost any quarterback, and adding another few difference makers to the core of Luke Kuechly, Brian Burns, Donte Jackson, Kawann Short, and a potentially re-signed Mario Addison could mire opponents long enough for an average QB to squeak out a series of wins. The last two guys on that list are starting to get old, though — so Carolina would have to make that move soon.

Finding another franchise quarterback, especially without a top-10 pick, will be tough but not impossible. In recent years we’ve seen players like Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, and Nick Foles fall to the back end of the first round or deeper. The Panthers could also take a chance on a rehabilitation project on the free agent market like Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, if they want to swing hard in 2020. Neither path is ideal. I like the draft idea far more than trying to break a middling QB’s bad habits, especially when you consider the contract costs involved, but Carolina has options.

The Panthers started 5-1 without Newton in the lineup in 2019 and jumped into the thick of the NFC playoff race behind Allen, stout defense, and McCaffrey’s MVP-like performance. That fell apart, though. Now the team is a rudderless, sinking ship that’ll be eliminated from playoff contention soon.

Rivera’s team could wind up stuck in the league’s middle class as 2019 winds to a close; not good enough for the postseason but not ready to rebuild either. That’ll push some serious questions about this team’s future to the forefront of its offseason planning. All things considered, it makes sense for Newton to play out his contract in Charlotte — but asking the Panthers to make the logical choice isn’t always a safe bet.

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junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

Has Cam Newton played his last game for the Panthers?

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Newton went on injured reserve and has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

Cam Newton won’t be returning to the Panthers’ lineup anytime soon. Carolina put its starting quarterback on injured reserve in advance of a Week 10 showdown with the Packers, ending his 2019 regular season after only two games due to a foot injury.

That decision puts a middling franchise at a crossroad. Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, has only one year and no guaranteed money remaining on his contract. His replacement, former undrafted free agent Kyle Allen, is 5-1 as a starter in his stead. Moving on from Newton via trade would likely bring some draft assets back in return while saving the team more than $19 million in salary cap space in 2020.

A Newton trade or release seemed unheard of four years ago when the dual-threat passer rallied his team to a 15-1 regular season record and the NFC championship. His Panthers have stagnated since then; he’s an even 23-23 as a starter in the three-plus years since.

In that span, they’ve missed the postseason twice and gotten a new owner who may be looking to make a splash. David Tepper bought the franchise from a scandal-embroiled Jerry Richardson after a wildly successful finance career based predicated on bold moves. He could make another such deal by swapping out his starting QB and head coach Ron Rivera this offseason.

So what are the odds Carolina moves on from its all-time passing leader?

Christian D’Andrea: 20 percent

Still, Newton’s top gear puts him on a completely different plane than those guys. While it may be panning for fool’s gold to hope he’ll ever be the same player he was — especially as nagging injuries have conspired to sap a little bit more of his strength every year — he still brings plenty to the table.

James Dator: 45 percent

That said, there are salary cap and coaching issues at play too. Should the Panthers decide to part ways with Rivera (and general manager Marty Hurney by extension) after the season, then there is a plausible scenario where a new leadership team wants “their guy” to be the quarterback moving forward. Newton will eat up a sizable chunk of the team’s cap space next season, and it might seem prudent on paper to free up that money and get some draft picks in exchange.

On a personal level, moving on from Newton is just gross. The front office retained their jobs on his back for the last 8 years, floundering to give their franchise QB decent receivers or an offensive line of note. He still went on to take them to a Super Bowl and become the best passer in team history despite every card in the beck being stacked against him. Newton never threw the organization under the bus, even when they deserved it. Turnabout is fair play and they deserve to stick with him now.

What does this mean for the Panthers going forward?

D’Andrea: Two questions for you, James.

What do you think Tepper’s presence means to the franchise and how much he’s ready to take the wheel after leaving things relatively stable in his first year as owner?

What you think the Panthers would do with the extra cash/assets the team would glean from moving on from Newton?

Some questions for you, since you don’t have a vested interest as a fan.

Is there a scenario you see where the Panthers can compete in the next five years without Newton?

Looking ahead to the draft: Is there any way the Panthers could conceivably find another franchise QB quickly?

D’Andrea: I think the Panthers could be a couple of impact defensive players away from being able to succeed with a caretaker QB. Hell, they’re 5-3 right now with Allen playing roughly as well as late-stage Andy Dalton. McCaffrey’s cheat code abilities out of the backfield should boost any quarterback, and adding another few difference makers to the core of Luke Kuechly, Brian Burns, Donte Jackson, Kawann Short, and a potentially re-signed Mario Addison could mire opponents long enough for an average QB to squeak out a series of wins. The last two guys on that list are starting to get old, though — so Carolina would have to make that move soon.

The Panthers have gone 5-1 without Newton in the lineup in 2019 and have jumped into the thick of the NFC playoff race behind Allen, stout defense, and McCaffrey’s MVP-like performance. However, Carolina is only 1-2 against teams with winning records this season and still has plenty of work to do before putting a capital “C” on their contender status.

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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6 NFL teams would look much different if the Eli Manning-Philip Rivers trade never happened

No team should be happier than the Saints that the trade actually happened.

The 2004 NFL Draft began with the Chargers taking Eli Manning with the No. 1 pick, despite the quarterback’s objection to playing in San Diego. A few picks later, the Giants took Philip Rivers and the players were swapped in a blockbuster trade.

It took a delicate negotiation between executives A.J. Smith and Ernie Accorsi to get the deal done — and it could’ve easily fallen apart if not for some clever subterfuge and brokering.

Had the trade not happened, the NFL would look much different today. That’s even the case for the Steelers, who sat tight at No. 11 overall and landed the third passer off the board, Ben Roethlisberger.

Accorsi, who was the Giants general manager at the time, says he wouldn’t have picked Rivers if he didn’t already know a trade with the Chargers was about to go down. He would’ve drafted Roethlisberger instead.

“We had it Manning, [Ben] Roethlisberger, Rivers,” Accorsi told SB Nation 15 years after the trade. “We liked all of them — it’s just that was the way we had them rated. We didn’t think we could lose.”

Then-Chargers general manager Smith said if no deal transpired with the Giants, he would’ve been fine with letting Manning follow through on a threat to sit out his entire rookie year. That would’ve set up the quarterback for an unprecedented re-entry into the draft in 2005.

That scenario didn’t unfold because the Giants offered up 2004 third-, 2005 first-, and 2005 fifth-round picks to swap quarterbacks. But what if New York’s proposition for Manning hadn’t been good enough?

Let’s imagine a world where the Chargers take Manning with the top pick and don’t offload him to New York. The ripple effect would’ve significantly changed the future of at least six franchises across the NFL.

2004

Chargers

Your first thought — it would’ve been mine too — is probably “the Chargers would’ve just traded Manning somewhere else.” But Smith says that wouldn’t have been the case. He told Chargers owner Dean Spanos ahead of the draft that he was going to give the Giants a chance to make a trade happen and that’s it.

“If they can’t, I’d just say I have some bad news — if it doesn’t work to our liking then we’ll just be out a first-round draft pick,” Smith told SB Nation.

So let’s take him at face value and assume the Chargers really don’t trade Manning. That means they don’t get the 2004 third-round pick that turned into Nate Kaeding or the 2005 first-round pick that eventually became Shawne Merriman. Most importantly, they don’t get Rivers.

The silver lining is that, like in real life, Drew Brees has a breakout year after a 2004 offseason full of drama. He posts a 104.8 passer rating and becomes the first Chargers quarterback since Dan Fouts to go to the Pro Bowl.

Manning follows through on his threat and never shows up to join the Chargers. Still, San Diego has reason to feel optimistic about the quarterback position now that Brees has emerged as a star.

Giants

After a potential trade with the Chargers falls through, New York sticks to its draft board and selects Roethlisberger instead.

Despite coming from the MAC, Roethlisberger is surprisingly adept as a rookie after replacing Kurt Warner halfway through the season. He’s efficient enough to take over the 5-4 Giants and finish the year 9-7 — good enough for a Wild Card Round berth. (Manning wasn’t as successful in the real world, losing his first six starts to end the year 6-10.)

The Giants make an early exit from the postseason, though.

Steelers

The Steelers wind up with the third quarterback off the board in 2004: Rivers. He starts the season third on the depth chart behind Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch, but — unlike in San Diego, where he would’ve sat behind Brees — it doesn’t take long for Rivers to be tossed into action.

He inherits the best defense in the NFL and the strong rushing duo of Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley. Despite Rivers’ rookie inefficiencies, Pittsburgh is still really good and cruises to an AFC North title. Then the Steelers run into the Patriots in the playoffs and a promising season ends early.

2005

49ers

San Francisco faces an interesting choice in 2005. Do the 49ers take Utah’s Alex Smith, Cal’s Aaron Rodgers, or gamble that the top prospect of 2004, Manning, is just as talented after a year away from the game?

Private workouts convince the 49ers that Manning is still a special player and worthy of the No. 1 pick. It doesn’t hurt either that his brother Peyton is now the back-to-back NFL MVP.

Instead of picking Smith, the 49ers roll the dice on Manning. Unfortunately for San Francisco, he struggles through a rough rookie year on a team that’s bad at just about everything.

Buccaneers

Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden passes on Rodgers because he’s a system player, or a Kyle Boller clone, or some other reason that will eventually look hilariously dumb in hindsight. But with the chance to draft Alex Smith, Gruden resists his temptation to take a running back and snags a passer instead.

Smith is in a pretty favorable situation in Tampa Bay with a top defense. He’s just not much different than third-year quarterback Chris Simms (who actually started when the Buccaneers picked running back Cadillac Williams in 2005). Tampa Bay gets to the postseason with Smith starting, but loses in the Wild Card Round.

Packers

For some reason, nobody seems to want Rodgers. The Packers pick him No. 24 overall with the hope that he’ll eventually take over for Brett Favre. Maybe it’ll work out.

2006

Saints

Six years of Aaron Brooks is more than enough time for the Saints to figure out that he’s not their quarterback of the future. But solving the issue in free agency isn’t much of an option after the Chargers lock down Brees with a big extension. That leaves Jon Kitna and Jeff Garcia as the top veteran options.

New Orleans tries patching things with Kitna and gets predictably mediocre results. He isn’t terrible, but the Saints only finish 6-10 and miss the postseason.

2007

Saints

New Orleans knows that Kitna — who’s soon to turn 35 — isn’t the future either. So when they get a chance to trade up a bit and draft Brady Quinn in the middle of the first round, they jump at the opportunity. He sits for a while behind Kitna, but never quite pans out. It’s the beginning of a frustrating decade or so that has nothing close to a Super Bowl run.

The Saints become a revolving door of bad quarterbacks — just like the Browns, who can’t escape their fate even if they avoid drafting Quinn.

To recap the QB situations:

So here’s how six teams look at the quarterback in an NFL where the Manning-Rivers trade doesn’t exist.

Chargers: Drew Brees Steelers: Philip Rivers Giants: Ben Roethlisberger 49ers: Eli Manning Buccaneers: Alex Smith Saints: Jon Kitna Brady Quinn a bunch of other bad quarterbacks

If the Manning-for-Rivers trade never goes down, the ramifications would’ve been widespread.

The biggest impact the trade had was giving the Chargers, Giants, and Steelers quarterbacks who each have had long careers full of success. In this alternate timeline, those three teams wind up with different passers, but the same result.

Maybe the Chargers would’ve got over the hump if Brees were at the helm during the height of the Marty Schottenheimer era. Or maybe Rivers would’ve got that Super Bowl ring that’s eluded him if he instead landed in Pittsburgh, where Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowl rings. Roethlisberger probably would’ve had the chance to do the same in New York too.

There’s also good chance Manning would’ve accidentally stumbled into a Super Bowl ring in San Francisco, because that’s just what he does.

The real loser of it all is the Saints, who never get their savior who arrived in 2006. No team should be happier that the Giants and Chargers figured things out back in April 2004.

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junker-town · 8 years ago

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Super Bowl 2017: 7 winners and losers from Patriots vs. Falcons

Martellus Bennett was a big winner Sunday. Kyle Shanahan was not.

The New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions for the fifth time in the last 16 years, topping the Atlanta Falcons by scoring 31 unanswered points to win, 34-28.

It was the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and smashed several records. Altogether, 24 records were topped and seven were tied with Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady headlining the list of those rewriting the history books.

The wild finish also changed the fortunes for many on both teams. Some have a brighter future ahead of them after Sunday, while others took a step backward.

Here are seven who have a little different futures ahead of them after Sunday:

Winners

Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett

This time a year ago, the talented tight end was an unhappy player on a Chicago Bears team that just finished a 6-10 season. He hadn’t been to the playoffs since the 2009 season when he was with the Dallas Cowboys.

But after a trade, he landed in New England and posted a career-best seven touchdowns. He stepped up in Rob Gronkowski’s absence and caught three touchdowns in the last four weeks of the regular season, and then added five receptions for 62 yards Sunday against the Falcons.

What does this mean for the impending free agent? He knows exactly what it means:

Patriots TE Martellus Bennett: "I'm going into free agency as a Super Bowl champion. You know they overpay Super Bowl champions!" LOL

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) February 6, 2017

With his 30th birthday coming in March, there isn’t much reason to think Bennett doesn’t still have some good years left in the tank. So he’s probably right, some team is going to pay big for Super Bowl Marty.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady

This one doesn’t need much explaining.

Brady already owned a ton of Super Bowl records and somehow managed to rewrite the history books with 466 passing yards on 62 attempts. It was enough to earn him a fourth Super Bowl MVP award, something no other player has ever accomplished.

His legacy wasn’t in question, but it somehow improved anyway and he validated rumors that he could be in line for a contract extension soon.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels

His stint as the head coach of the Denver Broncos was unsuccessful, but McDaniels revived his coaching career in New England and was thought by many to be a favorite to land one of the top jobs for 2017.

It didn’t end up happening, but McDaniels is more well-positioned than ever after the Patriots’ miraculous comeback.

It’s anyone’s guess which jobs will open up, but McDaniels has continued to bolster his claim as the top coordinator in the league worth pursuing. Who knows? Maybe he’ll even step into Bill Belichick’s shoes if the coach decides to hang it up soon.

Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett

The second-year player didn’t finish the season with a ring, but he did etch his name in the history books with Reggie White, Darnell Dockett and Kony Ealy as the only players ever to record three sacks in a Super Bowl.

It wasn’t exactly a game out of nowhere for Jarrett. The 2015 fifth-round pick worked his way into the starting defensive lineup for Atlanta and had a really solid 2016 campaign. But it was certainly the best game of his young career and he has just four career regular season sacks.

On a defense filled with young, speedy talent, Jarrett has made sure he isn’t forgotten and eventually that should pay off with a nicely sized contract.

Losers

Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan

The San Francisco 49ers are likely to land Kyle Shanahan as their next head coach, and that sounded a lot cooler for them at about 9 p.m. ET when the Falcons had a sizable lead over the Patriots.

Nothing to inspire hope for the future of the 49ers than the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history and a gameplan that saw the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL manage to convert just one third down.

With 9:40 left in the game and a 16-point lead, Shanahan called a grand total of four running plays against the Patriots.

Of course, the result from Sunday doesn’t have much bearing on Shanahan’s future. Two years ago, Dan Quinn was on the losing end of a heartbreaking, come-from-behind victory for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, and he hasn’t had trouble turning Atlanta into a winner.

Still, there’s significantly less momentum for Shanahan and the 49ers now.

Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd

Yes, Floyd earned a ring Sunday and nobody can take that from him. But with a DUI suspension likely on the horizon, the receiver needed to do big things in his short time with the Patriots to warrant a new contract.

Instead, he was a healthy scratch in the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl, dismissed as a nonfactor that wouldn’t be missed by the New England offense.

That doesn’t bode well for the receiver when he hits free agency in March. It’s already tough enough to convince teams to take a chance, despite off-field concerns, and when your stats on the field slip too that could be a wrap.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn

Turning the fortunes of the Falcons franchise around as quickly as Quinn has deserves acclaim, but boy that Tom Brady is a pain in the ass.

Two years ago, Quinn was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks when the Patriots scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit. The Seahawks offense had a chance to bail him out, but Malcolm Butler ruined that.

Beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl would have the perfect redemption for Quinn, but instead it was ripped from him once again.

That’s quite the monkey on Quinn’s back.

There’s still plenty of opportunities for things to change. Jarrett’s career could go south, and Floyd’s could turn around.

But for now, there are a lot of Patriots sitting pretty after yet another championship victory for the dominant dynasty, and there are a lot of Falcons back at square one after coming so close to a win.

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