#we got help for that one but maybe after DT we can duo it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

dashuisofanubis · 5 years ago

Text

Making Excuses (or 5 times Eddie and Patricia got chores and 1 time they didn't)

Alternatively titled 6 times Victor got a migraine

My @sibunasecretsanta gift for @sibxna, who asked for anything Peddie related. I hope you like it!!!

Read on Ao3

It was all subjective really. Maybe they had been miscreants launching a deliberate and malicious attack against Victor’s prize dahlias, or maybe they’d just been having fun playing catch when the competitive streak kicked in and the flowers were unfortunately caught in the cross-fire. If he hadn’t wanted his flowers to become a casualty, maybe he shouldn’t have planted them there.

Tragically, Victor didn’t see it their way, so Patricia and Eddie were once again stuck doing chores for the foreseeable future. And apparently tending to the garden they’d ‘vandalised’ was a key part of this punishment.

Patricia groaned as she pulled up another weed. Why were there so many of them? If Victor cared about his flowers as much as he seemed to, why did he let them get so overrun? “Why does Victor like doing this to us?” she muttered under her breath.

“Uh, maybe because he likes to see us suffer?” Eddie replied, evidently not understanding her question was rhetorical. Eddie had drawn the short straw and was shovelling manure onto the rose beds. Either he was fine with that task or was doing a really good job at hiding how much he hated it.

“Well, duh.” Patricia shot back, taking out her frustration on Eddie, rather than this weed that would not budge however much she pulled at it.

“Uh, Yacker, hate to break it to you, but that’s a marigold.” Eddie said, watching her battle with the plant.

“Oh.” She released her grip, smoothing the leaves so it looked a little less like it had been viciously attacked. She’d thought it was a deceptively big dandelion, and debated whether she should tell Eddie that, before deciding against it.

Eddie paused in his work and turned to her. “You thought it was some kind of fancy dandelion didn’t you?” He asked, a grin set on his face.

“No.” She said defensively. Perhaps a little too defensively, she thought, as she watched Eddie’s smile widen considerably.

“Aw come on Yacker, it’s okay to admit you know nothing about plants.”

Patricia chose not to reply in words, but with a glare, though it was much harder to manage without bursting into laughter than she thought.

“You know, we could switch jobs, since you’re struggling so much.”

“Fight me.”

“Well, if you insist.” Eddie shrugged, tossing his spade to the side. Patricia had barely a second to process what he was doing before he came barrelling towards her.

“Eddie wai-!"

He collided with her, both of them falling bodily to the ground. They lay there for a few moments, stunned, before breaking out into laughter.

“Maybe the others are right, we are too competitive.” Patricia sighed, feeling the laughter subside.

“Yeah, but it is fun to prove I’m better than you.”

“No way! If I’d been prepared I totally would have taken you down.”

“Okay, you wanna prove this in a proper setting, Yacker?”

“Sure.”

“Tomorrow? At the gym?”

“It’s a date.” Patricia confirmed, then added: “If you buy me a drink after.”

Eddie paused, pretending to consider her offer. “You got yourself a deal!”

It was then, as they made to stand up, that they noticed where they’d fallen. Both of them peered down to see the marigolds, crushed and broken under the sudden weight.

“Uh oh.”

“Yeah, we might need to rain check that date.”

Victor sighed, resisting the urge to press a hand against his face as he looked at the students sat across from him, covered in bits of paint and plaster. Just last month, these two miscreants had destroyed not only his dahlias, but his marigolds too. After that, he’d banned them from all garden work, which made them happier than he liked, but he had to do it if he still wanted a garden to work in. These two seemed determined to give Lewis and Clarke a run for their money.

“So,” he began, “Let me get this straight-”

“More like let me run this bi you, am I right?” Eddie whispered to Patricia, who tried to suppress a laugh while under Victor’s stare. He sighed.

“Let me just check: you two put a hole into yours and Mr. Rutter’s bedroom wall?”

“Yeah, we did.” For some reason Eddie looked vaguely proud of himself, which potentially had something to do with the hand he was keeping firmly in his hoodie pocket.

“So, your first solution is not to come to me, but to try and fix it yourselves.”

“We didn’t want to get in trouble.” Patricia said, at the same time as Eddie says, “We thought we could handle it.”

“Oh, you did, did you?” Victor asked. “But neither of you take DT, and neither of you have any proficiency in DIY, so what did you end up doing?”

“We made it bigger.” Patricia muttered, rolling her eyes.

“What was that Ms Williamson?” Victor said, in a tone that was almost patronising.

“We made it bigger! Jeez!” She exclaimed.

“Exactly. So, what’s the reason you made the hole in the first place?”

The two students exchanged a look.

“It was an accident.” Patricia said quickly.

“Okay, how did you accidentally put a hole into the wall?”

“We, uh… tripped?” Eddie offered, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced at Patricia, who exasperatedly mouthed why?

Victor raised his eyebrow raised impossibly high “Tripped? Both of you? Into the same patch of wall with enough force to break through the plaster?”

“…yes?” Patricia pressed a hand to her face and sighed. Victor wanted to do the same. Eddie couldn’t even lie convincingly, let alone well.

Victor leant back in his chair, considering an appropriate punishment. The two wall destroyers were whispering furtively to each other, both of them berating each other for not thinking of a decent cover story before they came in. Victor cleared his throat deliberately, and they jumped, turning to face him as he delivered his verdict.

“Since the two of you seemed to want to solve the problem yourselves, you can help me repair the wall this weekend.”

The duo nodded, neither of them seeing fit to argue, for once.

“You can go.” Victor dismissed. He did not like plastering walls by any means, but at least by teaching them, he had someone he could relegate the task to if it happened again. Which, if he knew his students, which he unfortunately did, would happen sooner than he’d think.

“Well,” Eddie said as the two left the room, “That didn’t go as badly as I thought.”

“No.” Patricia agreed. “And we’ll get to learn how to fix walls, you know, in case you ever put your hand through one again.” She smirked.

“I was just trying to show you how tough I was, I didn’t know the walls were that thin!” Eddie defended, pulling his hand out his pocket and examining the bruises. They’d definitely help people think he was tough - he needed to make sure other students knew he was still a ‘bad boy with a heart of gold’, since they knew who his father was. “But” he added with a grin, “how cool is it that I was able to do that! Do you think it’s one of my Osirian powers, or do you really think I’m that strong?”

“I dunno.” Patricia said. “Maybe we should try it out with Sibuna later?”

“Maybe… ah.”

“What?”

Eddie looked at Patricia, a grimace forming.

“Who’s gonna tell Fabian about the hole in the wall?”

This was all KT’s fault. She was the one who suggested playing knock knock ditch with Victor’s office. And yet she was sat on the counter, swinging her legs as she watched Eddie and Patricia clean the windows.

“You could help you know.” Patricia said pointedly as she scrubbed the glass.

“I could,” KT replied, a smug grin on her face, “but I’m not the one who got caught in the act.”

No, that had been Patricia. It was the 6th time someone had knocked on Victor’s door that night and he’d been determined to catch the perpetrator. So much so that the second Patricia knocked Victor yanked the door open, causing the startled student to fall over. Eddie made the mistake of going to check on her, and as such had been stuck with the punishment too. Meanwhile, KT had been watching the goings on from a distance, laughing to herself at her friends’ continued excuses as to why they’d knocked so many times.

Patricia scowled as she dunked her sponge back into the bucket. “Next time, we’re totally dragging you down with us.”

“Good luck with that.” KT laughed. “Victor doesn’t like it when I pull the ‘that’s homophobia’ card, so he just doesn’t convict me of anything.”

“Maybe we should try that out.” Eddie said, casting a look at Patricia, who was scrubbing at the window like it had insulted her. “It might work better than our excuse did.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she responded, “I thought ‘there’s a fire that keeps reigniting’ was pretty inspiring actually.”

“Really?”

“Obviously not.”

“Oh.” Eddie said, and the group lapsed into silence as Eddie and Patricia washed the windows and KT offered them ‘helpful’ comments.

“You missed a spot.” KT said again, pointing to a patch of glass that was, admittedly, dirtier than the rest. Patricia, however, wasn’t appreciative of KT’s constant interruptions and picked up her bucket.

“Woah, woah hey!” Eddie said, placing a hand over Patricia’s and lowering the bucket down before KT ended up drenched.

“It’s fine, Eddie,” KT replied, “This is the kind of entertainment I was hoping for.”

“Really? You want to be covered head to toe in dirty window water?”

“Well, it’d make for a more interesting time, this is boring!”

“You don’t even have to be here!” Patricia exclaimed.

“Yeah, but I feel kinda guilty.” KT admitted.

“But not guilty enough to help.”

“Obviously not.”

They were now cleaning the windows in the living room, and KT was sat on the arm of the sofa, still watching them despite her claims of boredom. Eddie had set his bucket down on the floor just within arm’s reach of her sitting position, and the duo were getting competitive over who’s cleaning better. KT grinned, sensing the opportunity. She leant down, stuck her hand in the bucket and flicked a handful of water at Patricia before moving quickly back into position as she said “Eddie!” in a shocked tone of voice.

Patricia spun round, glaring accusatorially at the supposed culprit. “Hey!”

“What?” Was all Eddie managed to reply before the water hit him. “Oh, okay if that’s how you want to play it!” He said, shaking the water out of his eyes before retaliating.

“You started it!” Patricia shouted.

“No I didn’t!”

“Yes you did!”

The argument continued for a few minutes, each opponent getting slowly more drenched, before Patricia asked: “Okay if you really didn’t do it, who did?”

It dawned on KT that she really should have left before this point, as the two window cleaners turned to her, realisation clear on their faces. KT’s realisation was that maybe she should have helped, at least then she’d have her own water to defend herself.

“Oh sh-” she exclaimed, scrambling back. But she’d united the two against a common enemy and they were unstoppable.

Once they’d successfully driven a soaking wet but laughing KT out of the lounge, the two turned to each other, sighing with laughter.

“Okay, I’ll go with KT, this was more entertaining.” Eddie admitted.

“Yeah, it was.”

They stared into each other’s eyes, and Patricia thought she’d quite like to kiss Eddie. He evidently thought the same, as he placed a hand on her face, wiping away some of the water. They leaned in towards each other and-

“What on Earth is going on here?”

They sprang apart as Victor stared at them, two bedraggled teenagers, then at the room, which was decidedly more wet than when they’d started. They both looked at him, an excuse on their tongues:

“It was KT!”

“What have you got to say for yourself this time?” Victor asked. He looked like he needed a stiff drink, or at least a nap, which was impressive, considering it was 9 in the morning.

“Well you see,” Eddie started, “We were bored, so Alfie suggested we play 21, so we all said ‘yeah! That’s a great idea!’ Now, I don’t know if you know the rules to the game- “

“I’m familiar.” Victor interjected. The look on his face suggested he wasn’t 100% sure but was desperate for Eddie to cut to the chase. Eddie, however, was determined to drag this out as much as he could.

“Okay, good. So, we played a few rounds before this one but suddenly it gets to me and we’re up to 19. Willow was sitting next to me, so I could have passed it onto her, but I’m a gentleman, so I took 21 for myself. I choose dare because the last couple of rounds had been truth and we needed to spice things up a bit.”

Victor resisted the urge to press a hand against his face, and settled with a hard stare at the troublemaker, hoping he’d get to the point. He didn’t.

“So, the others go off to do some intense discussion on what the dare will be. Fabian and Mara return fairly quickly, because the others apparently don’t want the voices of reason guilting them into something less drastic. After, like, 10 whole minutes, they come back and tell me I have to get into your office and put a tiny party hat onto Corbierre. So, you see it wasn’t my idea, or my fault.”

Victor did not look convinced. “There wasn’t any way for you to refuse this ‘dare’?”

“Of course not, that’s just bad sportsmanship!”

“Of course.”

“Plus, if I did back out of it I’d owe them. We didn’t discuss what I’d owe them but just owing everyone in the house is enough. So really I’m the victim here, Victor! Go give the others a lecture on peer pressure!”

“Oh, I assure you I will, but first, tell me how you managed to conduct this dare of yours.”

“Really?” Eddie asked. He’d assumed Victor was just going to give him chores, especially since he’d spent the past 10 minutes looking like he wanted Eddie never to talk again.

“Oh yes.” Victor said, sounding vaguely interested. “I’m intrigued to know how you did it.”

Eddie felt a sense of unease wash over him but continued his retelling of last night regardless. “Okay, so the hard part was getting you out of your office. I needed to create a distraction, but tragically I cannot be in two places at once - I needed an accomplice. So, I called in a favour to Patricia. She didn’t want to help seeing as it wasn’t her dare, but she owed me for something completely unrelated to the hole in my wall, and the others agreed that the laws of owing people are ranked higher than the rules of 21, so she had no choice. I came up with the distraction idea, but she had to enact it, so I could slip in and place the hat on Corbierre…” Eddie trailed off, suddenly realising why Victor had wanted him to continue.

Victor smiled- well, it wasn’t a smile exactly but more like the look someone gives when they’ve got someone right where the want them. “So, it was Patricia who set the smoke alarm off, hm?”

“No-I- did I say that? I didn’t say that!” Eddie fumbled. Why was he so bad at lying when put on the spot?

Victor looked unimpressed. “Okay, Mr. Miller, I’ll give you a choice: either you and Miss Williamson get put on chore duty for the week, or you do chore duty yourself for a fortnight.”

Eddie considered the offer. He didn’t want to turn Patricia in any more than he had done, so really he should do the noble thing and take the two weeks but… that was a long time to be doing chores. Alone. Besides, he and Patricia were good at working together and technically this meant he could spend a week hanging out with her. Chores were never that bad when they were together, in fact they were almost fun. He sighed. Patricia would not be thrilled by his decision. “We’ll do the week of chores.”

Victor nodded. “Good. Now, go downstairs to the living room. I have a talk on peer pressure to give.”

Victor watched the boy leave. He didn’t seem to be entirely at fault this time, Victor was well too aware of the chaos that went down in the students’ games of truth and dare. But that didn’t mean he was exempt, Victor was fairly certain Eddie was behind several of the dares, especially the one that led to Jerome belting Bohemian Rhapsody outside at 1 in the morning. Plus, he’d talked Patricia into helping him, so he could sit through this talk just like everyone else.

Once Victor was certain Eddie had gone, he opened the drawer and pulled out the small party hat. He would never admit it to anyone, but he thought Corbierre was rather dashing in a hat.

“It was Jerome.”

“Liar I don’t even eat that crap!”

“Oh yeah, then why did I see you with a box yesterday?”

“We needed the box to build Victor Jr Jr’s home, everybody knows this Patricia!”

“Enough!” Victor’s voice cut through their argument. “This bickering is getting you nowhere! Patricia, I know you are covering for Mr. Miller, he has already confessed to taking the cereal from the cupboard.”

Patricia sighed internally. “Well, if you already knew Eddie did it, why did you ask us?”

“Because, Miss Williamson, while I don’t doubt his dedication to making my life difficult, he usually has an accomplice, and it’s usually one of you two.”

“I would never partner with Eddie willingly!” Jerome exclaimed, sounding affronted.

“Why? Afraid he’ll outshine your reputation?”

“Stop, both of you, before you give me a migraine.” Victor sighed. “Patricia, go join Eddie upstairs and start clearing up your mess.”

Jerome smirked at Patricia like he’d won. In response, she turned to Victor and said in a sickly-sweet voice: “Oh Victor, just before I go, I think you should know that Jerome’s the one who’s been stealing pens from your office. He’s been selling them to first years.”

Jerome paled. Patricia left and made her way upstairs, grinning as she listened to Jerome’s attempted excuses. Eddie was rifling through Victor’s drawers, pulling out cheerios’ and placing them into a bowl by his side. He appeared to have only filled a tiny amount of the bowl, but that could be because he was eating them as he went along.

“Oh, hey Yacker.” Eddie waved a handful of cereal in acknowledgement of his girlfriend.

Patricia wasted no time in returning the greeting. “Why did you tell Victor! Jerome would have taken the blame, I know it!”

“Please,” Eddie laughed. “There is no way Jerry was going to crack that easily.”

Patricia snorted. “Oh yeah? Tell that to the guy who’s now trying to explain why first years are using Victor’s fancy handwriting pens.”

Eddie looked impressed. “That’s cold.”

“Eh, he had it coming.” Patricia replied. Jerome had told Victor it was her who tracked mud into the house the other week, and she knew he would get her back sooner or later, but that was just how they worked. The more pressing issue was why Eddie dobbed her in again. Last month he told Victor of her part in the Party-hat Corbierre incident, when she hadn’t even come up with the idea- that had been Alfie- and he’d only pulled her into it because she’d helped put a hole in his bedroom wall.

“So why did you drag me down with you, Edison?” she asked.

“I just like spending time with you, Yacker.” Eddie admitted.

“Aww, that’s sweet.” she said, smiling. It was sweet, and it kind of made sense, they did work well together, after all. “But maybe next time just ask if you want to hang out, then maybe we could go see a movie instead?”

“You make it sound like spending the day clearing out cereal from Victor’s papers isn’t fun.”

“It’s not the first thing that comes to mind when I think ‘fun’, no”

“Why not? We’ve got free snacks-” Eddie shoved a handful of cereal into his mouth to demonstrate “-and we get free run of Victor’s office, at least till he finishes shouting at Jerome.”

As if on cue, Victor’s voice rose up from the living room. If Patricia thought she had it bad, Jerome was gonna be grounded till the end of the year.

“Okay,” she said, “You make a good point.”

“Of course I do.” Eddie replied, holding up a small book. “I mean, don’t you want to read Victor’s journal? I wonder how many times he calls us ‘miscreants’ or ‘the bane of my existence’?”

Patricia grabbed a handful of cereal from the bowl and sat down next to him, nudging him with her shoulder. “Go on then, start reading.”

He smiled, nudging her back, then opened the book. “January 1st, 2011…”

Oh, this time they were definitely to blame. Sure, it had been an accident, but that wouldn’t stop Victor. Neither of them could think of any good excuses, and they were standing right at the scene of the crime. Patricia grimaced. They were supposed to be going out to see the movie Eddie had promised her, but now it looked like they weren’t leaving the house for another few weeks. She looked up at Victor, who was standing in front of them with his arms folded, staring at the broken picture frame.

“Would you believe us if we said KT did it?” Eddie asked, hopefully.

“No.”

“Okay, well in that case…we were really hoping it wouldn’t come to this but,” Eddie took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he was about to say. “There was an Egyptian spirit in the house.”

Patricia tried not to show the incredulous look on her face, because of course this was how Eddie was going to play it. Victor, however, merely raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Yeah, they showed up last week and started following me around, y’know because I’m the Osirian and they wanted my help.” He nudged Patricia, who nodded. “It’s true he wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Anyway,” Eddie continued, “They turned on me, as ghosts seem to do, so we had to fight them here in the foyer. I blasted them a couple times with my powers, which got sent them right back to the underworld-”

“Afterlife.” Patricia interjected.

“Yeah that too. So, I sent them packing and Anubis House is once more safe from spirits.” Eddie performed a bow. “You’re welcome.”

Victor’s eyebrow was once more raised, causing Patricia to wonder if he practiced in a mirror to make sure it was the perfect amount of condescending. If he did, it needed some work, his tiredness was bleeding through.

“I see.” He said, and was Patricia going delusional or did he sound vaguely impressed? “So, how does that explain the state of my picture?”

“Oh, well,” Eddie began, before Patricia cut in:

“Would you believe it, our oh-so-amazing Osirian cannot aim to save his life? He completely missed his first shot and hit the photo, then it fell off the wall.”

Eddie gave Patricia a look at the albeit accurate statement. Sure, he was terrible at archery but was that necessary?

“Is this true, Edison?” Victor asked.

“…yeah it is. Sorry. It was an accident.” Oh, Patricia could buy her own sweets for this - if they make it to the film, of course. The two of them braced themselves for Victor’s verdict.

He said something truly shocking.

“That’s okay.”

The two students were taken aback. What kind of shapeshifter had replaced Victor? Maybe there was an actual Egyptian spirit possessing him that Eddie needed to vanquish.

“What, so you’re not going to make us do chores?” Patricia asked dubiously.

“No, like you said, it was an accident, and we apparently have you to thank for saving us from another spirit.” Victor said, unfolding his arms and making a shooing motion. “Now go wherever it was that you were going.”

The two exchanged incredulous looks, shocked that it had worked. They turned to go before Victor changed his mind, or the force controlling him left. Eddie realised he was still holding the photo frame, so he darted across and set it down on the table before taking Patricia’s hand and leaving, all the while glancing across at Victor. Once they were out of earshot, the two burst into laughter.

“I cannot believe that worked!”

“I know right? The guy’s losing his touch! And he thinks I saved the house from an evil spirit! Again!”

“Come on, oh so amazing Osirian.” Patricia said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “We’re gonna be late.”

Victor watched them walk away, hand in hand and exchanging relieved looks. He heard Eddie whisper ‘See? Told you we could convince him!’ and struggled not to smile. Of course, he hadn’t fallen for it, what did they take him for? But it was one of their more entertaining excuses, and he knew grounding them giving them chore duty just led to more catastrophic results than their original crime. At least if they went to the cinema, they’d be out of the house and trouble caused out there didn’t need him to deal with it.

Hopefully, this meant he’d have a couple hours of peace, to account the tale in his journal, and to find a better hiding place for it than his desk drawer.

Naturally, that’s when a loud crash came from upstairs, accompanied by a range of shouts. Victor sighed, cursing the day Sarah had talked him into founding a school, and went to get an aspirin.

#house of anubis #Eddie Miller #patricia williamson #sibunasecretsanta #this ended up longer than i expected #as in its the longest fic ive written so im kinda proud

15 notes · View notes

takerfoxx · 5 years ago

Text

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Season 4, Episode 8, First Impressions!

Can’t they just have a good time for once?

So Boy’s Night Out is an episode that attracted my attention ever since it was announced. At first I was looking forward to the boys of the group going out to paint the town red in their solo episode (yes, even Swift Wind, because I do want to like him), but then I kept hearing rumblings that this episode might be a major game changer for the plot, so I figured that it would do the same as Princess Prom and drop a big twist that will kickstart the plot.

The truth turned out to be somewhere in between.

When we start out, things are just a mess. The Horde, having overrun the Salineas capital, is now trampling Bikini Bott-I MEAN the smaller settlements, and the princess squad is trying to at least evacuate everyone that they can. Unfortunately, though DT has been caught (and unfortunately is only referenced in this episode), the damage left in their wake has not been undone. Or maybe they aren’t really to blame for this. DT stirred the pot, sure, but the issues between Glimmer and Adora are of their own making, and are only getting worse. Plus, you know, Mermista’s kind of a self-pitying wreck due to her whole kingdom being conquered and her people slaughtered, captured, or at the very least driven from their homes, so that’s still a thing.

So can you really blame the boys for wanting to just take a break for one night? Go out, get some space between them and the drama (and bloodshed and horror), have some fun, mentally decompress and all that? And hey, Sea Hawk and Bow always make for a great comedic duo (even if Bow isn’t feeling it at first). And also Swift Wind’s there, because he is now designated as my official punching bag. So yeah.

Still, we actually only get on actual scene of the boys out on the town (accompanied by a catchy number) before we find out what this episode is really about: dissolving friendships, and how hard they are to repair.

The big one is Adora and Glimmer of course. I mean, Sea Hawk hatched his whole crazy “Let’s kidnap ourselves!” scheme to make them reconcile. But at the end of the day, it still didn’t address the underlying problems, and they remain estranged. You know, I’d say I’m not worried because it’s a kid show so of course they’ll reconcile, but this show has thrown curveballs at me before, so...

Another broken friendship that is addressed is Catra and Scorpia. And as it turns out, Catra still hasn’t noticed that Scorpia left! And she still expected Scorpia to just show up to hang out when Catra did feel like spending time with her. It just goes to show just how much Catra took her for granted. She never actually expected for Scorpia to be driven away by her mistreatment. No, the ever-loyal Scorpia was just going to take her punches and always be for her in the end!

Well, as it turns out, her toxic behavior has consequences, and Catra has finally realized that she managed to drive away the only person that has ever accepted her unconditionally. That look on her face as she reads Scorpia’s note says it all. Will Catra finally, finally, finally have an epiphany on how bad she’s gotten, or will she continue to live in denial and double down on her self-destructive course?

All signs point to the latter.

At the very least, Sea Hawk got Mermista to snap out of her funk. I mean, don’t get me wrong, her sobbing to herself in the bathtub while eating tub after tub of ice cream was totally justified, but she still had a duty to her people. You know, this show has never really made their relationship clear. Are they like actually dating? I mean, Sea Hawk swoons over her pretty constantly, and there was that, ahem, Tunnel of Love incident, but other times it seems that he just think that she’s really cool and wants to be her friend? Well, whatever, they’re together again, complete with a rock remix of Sea Hawk’s shanty, so at least someone had a happy ending.

All that being said, the part that really got to me was Bow’s little breakdown. He’s had to be the glue holding everything for so long, the Superego to Glimmer’s Id and Adora’s Ego. He’s had to be the peacemaker, the one working extra hard to help other people work out their problems, and that’s just so exhausting! So it was kind of wonderful that the show acknowledged this and showed how much being that kind of person really wears you down. So I don’t blame Bow for cracking, and I’m glad that they showed that.

Anyway, things feel like they’re going to really heat up soon, so here’s a few misc. moments that got a giggle out of me:

The songs in general.

All all sailors hate Sea Hawk because he burned their ships down too!

“Why do I hear the ocean?”

SEAGULLS!

As soon as I heard Admiral Scurvy’s name, I knew that he had to be a repurposed character from the original show. And I was right. And his old design...is kind of a lot.

Wow.

#she ra and the princesses of power #she ra #spop #bow #sea hawk #swift wind #adora #glimmer #mermista #catra #scorpia #reaction

20 notes · View notes

junker-town · 5 years ago

Text

Check out our most recent NFL mock draft, right here

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

After a national title win, the Tigers have a chance to match the mythical Miami team from the 2004 draft.

Think back to the 2004 NFL Draft. Times were better then. We really loved Usher and Napoleon Dynamite, and the only overly tan politician that mattered was Arnold Schwarzenegger. And Facebook launched. Fine, maybe things were awful in 2004 too.

But that year something special happened on April 24. After the draft got off to an awkward start with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers, a record six Miami Hurricanes were then taken in the first round. Count them out: Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Vernon Carey, and Vince Wilfork.

Some thought that last year Alabama could tie Miami for the most first-round picks for one school in the draft. It didn’t happen. The Crimson Tide had just half that many in the first round, with Quinnen Williams, Jonah Williams, and Josh Jacobs all going in the first 32.

Miami’s record could be tied in the 2020 NFL Draft, though.

But not by Alabama.

Instead, it could be the Tide’s rivals at LSU. Following a whirlwind national title season, the Tigers are guaranteed to have the No. 1 pick with quarterback Joe Burrow. After that things get interesting with several defenders and a wide receiver. This week’s mock draft looks at how LSU could make history with six first-round picks:

1. Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

Here’s your week in Joe Burrow: He was compared to Tom Brady. A giraffe was named after him. Heck, you can even buy a painting of Burrow puffing on a cigar on Etsy for the low, low price of $49.99. See you next week when Burrow is still the first pick for the Bengals and I have to come up with something to write about it.

2. Washington: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

John Keim of ESPN floated the idea of Washington trading out of the second pick. It’s true, Washington could get a franchise-altering return for the No. 2 pick. But it’s also true Washington would be passing up a chance to take a game-changing pass rusher at a time where the position is more important than ever. Don’t be Washington, Washington.

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

As Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit explains, the Lions have a lot of needs, and cornerback is arguably the top one. So although head coach Matt Patricia has a middle-out building philosophy on defense, the lean for the pick could be Okudah.

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

It’s funny how a single game between two bad teams can have such a huge impact. New York and Washington played one of the most exciting games of the season in Week 16. It was a 41-35 overtime win for the Giants. It was also the Chase Young Bowl. The loser, Washington, gets Young. The winner, New York, picks whomever it decides is the top offensive tackle in the draft.

5. Miami Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

Tagovailoa got good news recently after having hip surgery in the middle of November. While teams like Miami will poke and prod Tagovailoa plenty at the NFL Scouting Combine, this was a strong positive first step.

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

As Geoff Schwartz explained recently, if Herbert is there for the Chargers with the sixth pick they should take him. Sure, general manager Tom Telesco might like his internal options like Tyrod Taylor, but no one on the Los Angeles roster is a potential franchise quarterback like Herbert.

7. Carolina Panthers: Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

Choosing between Brown and Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons will be a difficult task for Carolina. Both are among the draft’s elite prospects and do very different things. The choice between them will be a philosophical one about team building.

8. Arizona Cardinals: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

Many will argue that there’s little difference anymore between the value of a left tackle and a right tackle on an NFL roster. Still, there’s something to say about protecting the quarterback’s blind side. That’s why Becton could get the nod over Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

Following the stunning retirement of Telvin Smith last year, the Jaguars lost a degree of athleticism and playmaking ability on defense. Simmons could change that in a hurry. In a time when sub-packages on defense are the norm, Simmons would be a versatile asset who does just about everything well.

10. Cleveland Browns: Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

Everyone knows the Browns need two offensive tackles this offseason. Greg Robinson was a disappointment last season at left tackle, and he’s a free agent. Right tackle Chris Hubbard has been ordinary since leaving Pittsburgh for Cleveland. The Browns should draft whoever they like most at tackle.

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

The pick for the Jets in mock drafts is often a wide receiver. While it’s true the receiver situation in New York is dire, both of the team’s starting offensive tackles are free agents. Yikes. Although they could end up getting the fourth offensive tackle off the board, it doesn’t matter as much in a talent-rich draft for the position.

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

That guy Jerry Jeudy, man, would be a perfect fit for the Raiders. This guy catches everything, man. I like to call this guy Marvin Harrison 2.0, man.

13. Indianapolis Colts: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

While the Colts could easily opt for a player like South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, the team could use another weapon for whoever plays quarterback. Maybe it’s Tom Brady. Maybe it’s Philip Rivers. Or even Jameis Winston.

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

The Buccaneers may have led the NFL in run defense last season, but they could still use a player like Kinlaw in the middle of their defense. The first round is light on edge rushers, so Tampa Bay could go after Kinlaw to fill that need. Of course, that is assuming Kinlaw lasts this long. He should be a combine standout at the end of the month.

15. Denver Broncos: Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

16. Atlanta Falcons: A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa

I’ve been stuck with these two for pick Nos. 15 and 16 in just about every mock draft. Some things just make too much sense. Try and talk me out of it in the comments.

17. Dallas Cowboys: Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn

The ideal pick for the Cowboys is probably Kinlaw. They’ve needed a pressure-creating defensive tackle for several years. But if he goes a few picks before Dallas comes up, things will get interesting. This may seem early for Davidson — and it probably is — but never, ever forget that strange and unexpected things happen in the draft. Davidson is a unique player. He started four years at defensive end for Auburn and played standing up a lot last season. But at 280 pounds, he has some intrigue as a gap-shooting interior player.

18. Miami Dolphins (via Pittsburgh Steelers): Josh Jones, OT, Houston

Jones is another player who could be a combine riser thanks to his quick feet and athleticism. In any other year, he might be in contention for the top 10. But with so many tackles, Miami could snag a starter in the middle of the first round.

19. Las Vegas Raiders (via Chicago Bears): Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

I’ll spare you the terrible Jon Gruden impersonation with this pick. It’s been years since the Raiders have had an athletic, playmaking linebacker. The team is thin at the position going into the new league year, so Murray should be on its radar in the first round.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars: (via Los Angeles Rams): Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

Following the trade of Jalen Ramsey, the Jaguars find themselves in need of a cornerback. A.J. Bouye is still a solid player, but he had just one interception last season. At No. 20, the Jaguars should have their pick of cornerbacks after Okudah. Maybe it’s Fulton, Florida’s CJ Henderson, or even Mississippi State’s Cameron Dantzler.

21. Philadelphia Eagles: Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado

Somehow, Carson Wentz managed to throw for 4,039 yards last season while his top wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, had 490 yards. That’s kinda odd. And yes, the Eagles have arguably the best tight end duo in the NFL with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. And running back Miles Sanders is an effective pass catcher. But the addition of a player like Shenault could lead Wentz to going from a 4,000-yard passer to a 5,000-yard passer.

22. Buffalo Bills: Curtis Weaver, Edge, Boise State

Buffalo was already in need of a pass rusher before Lorenzo Alexander retired at the end of the season. In addition to the loss of Alexander, Shaq Lawson is a free agent. The Bills are desperate for pass-rushing help at this point. Weaver may not have a lot of sizzling speed as an edge player, but he was consistent at Boise State and knows how to use his hands to get off blocks. Buffalo can line him up on the edge, or even put him inside in nickel situations.

23. New England Patriots: K’Lavon Chaisson, Edge, LSU

Chaisson could be a nice fit for New England considering Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy are free agents. Bill Belichick could figure out how to utilize Chaisson best to replace one of those players.

24. New Orleans Saints: Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

This is another pick I’m stuck on. Don’t forget that not only is Drew Brees one of the oldest players in the NFL, but he’s not officially signed for the 2020 season. Plus, Teddy Bridgewater could leave this offseason.

25. Minnesota Vikings: CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

Even though it’s easy to argue for an offensive lineman for the Vikings, would Mike Zimmer ignore going after a cornerback? Since Zimmer became the head coach of the Vikings in 2014, the team has taken a cornerback in the first or second round three times. He’s addicted!

26. Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans): Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider did a tremendous job recently of summing up all of Miami’s needs this offseason. Quarterback and offensive tackle are the obvious big two, and there are value fits in the first round. Cornerback is another high need for the Dolphins. Xavien Howard’s domestic violence charge was dropped, but the team could still be wary and look to move on. Cordrea Tankersley also has just a season left on his rookie deal. The time could be now to take a player like Diggs and coach up his skill set.

27. Seattle Seahawks: Terrell Lewis, Edge, Alabama

The defensive line for the Seahawks is a mess. Despite adding Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney, the Seahawks were near the bottom of the NFL in sacks last season. If Clowney departs, Lewis could be his replacement. Because he played at Alabama and stood up at the edge, it’s easy to forget that Lewis is 6’5 and 252 pounds. That’s almost the exact same size as Clowney. While Lewis isn’t the athlete Clowney is, he could get used in similar ways. Hopefully, the production will come.

28. Baltimore Ravens: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson

The Ravens have great tight ends in Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst. They have speed receivers with Marquise Brown and Willie Snead IV. What they don’t have is a true outside wide receiver who can go up and get the ball. That’s Higgins’ game. He could be a fantasy star in Baltimore — and help the team to a Super Bowl.

29. Tennessee Titans: Julian Okwara, Edge, Notre Dame

The Titans badly need to find a pass rusher to run opposite Harold Landry. Head coach Mike Vrabel is able to scheme sacks with his defensive line, and squeezed seven sacks last season out of Kamalei Correa, including the playoffs. Imagine what he could do with a speedy, 6’5 pass rusher like Okwara.

30. Green Bay Packers: Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU

This is another pick I remain bullish on. Jefferson really emerged in the LSU offense last season with 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns. There’s no question that he’d be able to help a dull Packers passing offense.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Grant Delpit, S, LSU

With Jimmie Ward entering free agency, the 49ers could replace him with Delpit to maintain the rest of the depth on the roster. Delpit could slide back this far due to concerns about his tackling ability. But he’s a playmaker in the secondary and has special tools.

32. Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Queen, LB, LSU

A third straight LSU player to close out the first round, with the quick Queen being an excellent option for the Super Bowl champions. The LSU program has become a linebacker factory with players like Kwon Alexander, Deion Jones, and Devin White all coming from the school in the last five years. Queen was only a starter for one full season, but he has the type of talent teams want in the modern NFL linebacker.

0 notes

kidfromsurrey-blog · 7 years ago

Text

NFL Week 3

Takes on this week's games, including my thoughts on players and game lines.

LAR (-2.5) @ SF

- Sean McVay has this offense looking miles ahead of what they looked like last year. Todd Gurley has been more involved in the passing game which has helped his poor run game efficiency, I think he will have another solid game, Chris Carson just went for almost 100yds on 20 carries. Kyle Shannahan has rejuvenated and worked wonders on this run game, and Carlos Hyde has been a man reborn. They kept it extremely close with Seattle and I see it being close against the Rams too, but I think the Rams take it.

BAL (-3.5) @ JAX

- The Ravens defense has looked like the real deal. I know they played the Bengals and Browns, 2 suspect offenses, but they looked stout. When Jaguars offense has to put the ball in the air I don’t like their chances... Blake Bortles is terrible. Javorius Allen is a safe play, he is playing a lot of snaps and getting used in both the passing and running game. If you have Leonard Fournette you are playing him, but I wouldn’t feel good about it. I expect the Ravens to take this game by stacking the box to limit Fournette and making Bortles beat them which I doubt happens.

ATL (-3.0) @ DET

- This matchup has me very interested. You have both teams coming in at 2-0, one being a preseason Super Bowl Contender, and one not being taken very seriously. The Big 3 from Atlanta all should be safe bets to produce, but I like Austin Hooper in this matchup a lot if you have to stream a TE in fantasy. Stafford looked very good on Monday against the Giants and now he faces the Falcons D who will be missing Vic Beasley (their best player). I think he has another big game and that Golden Tate will be the main beneficiary of it. I think the Lions surprise a lot of people and take this game at home.

CLE (-1.5) @ IND

- I can’t remember the last time the Browns were a road favorite but that is what the Colts roster is without Andrew Luck. The Colts have been surprisingly good vs the run this year but that might be because everyone is exposing their pass D. Crowell is more of a floor play, Kizer should bounce back from his tough matchup vs the Ravens. I wouldn't feel good playing anyone on the Colts roster except Jack Doyle, but again I’d avoid the entire offense without luck. That being said... I like the colts here. This is going to be the 3rd week without Luck, they looked a lot better last week vs Arizona, and they are at home.

DEN (-3.0) @ BUF

- Denver absolutely destroyed my Cowboys last week. That defense is as good as its ever been and look for them to expose this struggling Bills O. Siemian has been on fire, and while I don’t think it will continue for the whole year I think he can keep it up for one more week. I like CJ Anderson again this week, and I prefer Sanders to DT. I expect the BIlls to come out and try to run the ball to try and bleed the clock and keep it close, meaning Mccoy might be the only player you can play. I like Denver to take it, I don’t think the Bills score more than 13 points against this D.

HOU (+13.5) @ NE

- The line is heavily in the Pats favor and for good reason, Belichick just doesn’t lose to rookie Qb’s very often. Lamar Miller is splitting time with Foreman, Watson doesn’t look very good and will be in tough this week, Hopkins is getting peppered with targets and is the only player I’d feel decent about playing. I know the Texans have an elite D but Tom Brady is a start against anyone, Gilislee is looking good for a TD any time inside the 5 and the Pats may be running out the clock early this game. Gronk, Hogan, Amendola all look like decent options given their health status, Cooks might be the only healthy WR on the team, start him. 13.5 is a lot to cover, but I’ll take the Pats at home against the rookie QB.

MIA (-6.5) @ NYJ

- The Jets don’t look very good, as expected. Miami looked like a run-heavy team in the one game we’ve seen, Ajayi is going to have another big game, and Landry should eat in the short passing game. Kearse is perhaps the only player on the Jets to put up decent stats just because he will get targets. The Dolphins do not have an elite D so this game could be closer than people expect. They want to run A LOT, and that means clock will disappear quick, keeping the game low scoring. I think the Dolphins win, but Jets cover.

NO (+5.5) @ CAR

- The Saints defense is terrible, what else is new. Start Cam Newton, Kelvin Benjamin is always a boom or bust type WR but Cam has to throw to someone. I think this is the game we see McCaffery have a big stat line too. Brees has never been a great road Qb, but this is a warm-weather game, and I think he will be fine. Ingram is the RB I’d want out of the Saints backfield. This is the first real test for this Panthers D, and the Saints can’t afford to go 0-3, I think they come out playing fast and pull off the upset in a tight divisional game.

NYG (+6.0) @ PHI

- After seeing this Giants team the last two weeks I have been so happy as a Cowboys fan. The offense is garbage without a healthy OBJ. Eli looks washed, there is no run game, and that Oline... With all that, I didn’t think they’d be +6 in this divisional game. Carson Wentz has looked good but also has thrown a lot of risky balls. if Janoris Jenkins plays and this D is healthy I think they get 2 INT’s. The Philly Dline will eat up this Giants O if Odell isn’t his other-worldly self. I think this game will be low scoring and a lot closer than other people expect. Giants to cover.

PIT (-7.0) @ CHI

- Pit has looked good, the Bears have not. People saw them get smoked by the Bucs but forget they were a Jordan Howard dropped pass away from beating the Falcons at home. Start Antonio if you have him, but I wouldn't expect a huge stat line. Bell will have a big game, he will get his 1st Td of the year. Sometime soon we will see Trubisky because Glennon does not look like a starting NFL Qb, Jordan Howard is banged up but he already was splitting snaps with Tarik Cohen, who I think has another decent day. Both teams will want to run the ball and I think that helps the Bears keep it close. Ben has had issues on the road and I think that trend continues, with the Bears covering.

TB @ MIN

- There is no line for this game yet due to the questions around Sam Bradford. Him playing changes this whole offense, so I don’t know how to feel about this game yet. Mike Evans will draw Rhodes all game long, if you have another decent option it wouldn’t be crazy to not start him.

SEA (+2.5) @ TEN

- A lot of people are writing off the hawks, I’m not. This team always starts slow, they lost to the lowly Rams last year (9-6). I don’t expect them to be a whole lot better than they were last week, but they have kept games close and kept them competitive. The Titans most likely won’t have Demarco or rookie Corey Davis, and I am a fan of Mariota, but Earl Thomas plays like no other safety in the league. Derrick Henry would be a must-start if Murray doesn’t play, as the Hawks have been a bit suspect against the run so far. Chris Carson looks like the guy in that run game, and Doug Baldwin is Wilson’s go-to WR. The Titans O should reel back from the 37pts they scored last week against this top tier D. I like the Hawks to win.

CIN (+8.5) @ GB

- Alright so Aaron Rodgers is the best Qb in the league, and Andy Dalton... is not. That Bengals offense has looked horrid, the only player I would start is AJ Green. The Packers secondary is not good and I think the Bengals trail a lot in this game = passing attempts. The Bengals pass D is good but they also haven’t played an offense of GB’s caliber so far. Jordy Nelson looks like he will play and TyMont should have another good week. I don’t see the Bengals scoring at a pace near what the Packers are capable of scoring at, Packers cover.

KC (-3.0) @ LAC

- Kareen Hunt looks unreal and I think he keeps it up. Andy Reid has a good track record RB’s (Westbrook, Mccoy, Charles) and Hunt was a hand-picked player. I think he will be in a lot of top-5 RB rankings for the rest of the year. Tyreek Hill looks like a more polished WR than we saw last year and Kelce is a start every week. The Chargers seem to always seem to find a way to lose. Rivers will be in tough this week as Marcus Peters will take away one-half of the field and with the run game not being very efficient, the KC pass rush will be flying. Keenan Allen looks healthy and is playing well, he should get moved around a lot and avoid Peters quite a bit. Melvin Gordon looks like the same player as last year, lots of touches, not very efficient, but consistent in fantasy. If Verrett doesn't play in this matchup I like the Chiefs, even more, Gimme KC.

OAK (-3.0) @ WAS

- Washington has not looked as good as the team last year. Maybe that’s due to Sean McVay leaving but this offense gives me pause. If Jordan Reed plays I think he is the best pass catcher in that offense this week. The run game is up in the air with the Rob Kelly injury. Oakland struggled a little bit with the Jets and that could carry over on the road vs Washington. Carr is a good Qb, I’m not as enamored with him as most people, but I think he will have another solid outing. This Washington team struggled against Todd Gurley last week and now face a top end Oline and a young looking Marshawn Lynch. I think Lynch and the duo of Richard & Washington have a solid performance. I’d expect to see Norman play on Cooper but it’ll be worth monitoring who he covers. Under the radar play is Jared Cook, he should expose a weak LB core. I think this game is close, not confident but I think the Raiders take it by 4.

DAL (-3.0) @ ARZ

- The Cowboys got beat from start to finish by the Broncos. On Offense, Defense, Coaching, in every aspect of the game they looked overmatched. Zeke had his worst statistical game ever as a pro and I do not think that will happen again. That Oline will look to maul everyone and Zeke should bounce back after being scrutinized for “quitting on the team”. There is always that Angry Brady narrative, I like this week as an Angry Zeke week. Witten looks like Dak’s safety blanket on third down and in the red zone, that could be big this week because.... Dez gets Patrick Peterson. Dez has struggled against Elite CB’s and in my opinion, Patrick Peterson is the toughest corner Dez will have to go up against all year. He is big, super fast, has long arms, and plays physical. He is a physical corner that I don’t see getting bullied by Dez. Dak needs to bounce back from the poor showing last week and I think he will. Carson Palmer needs a clean pocket and if he gets it he will dissect this defense. The issue is I’m not sure he will consistently get it. Demarcus Lawrence is tied for the NFL lead in sacks right now and I see him being disruptive again. JJ Nelson could have a big game, again, against this shaky secondary. Fitz working out of the slot against rookie Jourdan Lewis will be interesting. I like Lewis but he has missed almost all of training camp and just saw his first action last week. Don’t expect too much from the run game but I prefer Chris Johnson. I think Dallas takes this 24-20 in a back and forth game, where the winner is decided late.

Side note - If you haven’t yet watched a CBS game where Tony Romo is commentating, I highly recommend you tune in this weekend. As a huge Romo fan I was hoping he’d do well as a broadcaster, but I had no idea he would be this good. He gives insight to a degree nobody else has even come close (youtube him predicting plays in TENvsOAK, or breaking down why Bill Belichick ran a certain defensive play). He has been getting a lot of love by NFL watchers on twitter and I expect it to continue.

0 notes

junker-town · 8 years ago

Text

How will 2017 Pitt football follow up on beating Penn State and Clemson?

The Panthers are progressing nicely, but this season is probably a bump in the road.

In my North Carolina preview, I mentioned how Larry Fedora had the unstable program achieving at a strangely normal rate. The Tar Heels are now recruiting and playing at a top-30 level. They cannot be called underachievers.

Narduzzi has pulled off a similar feat.

It felt like I was bringing it up in the Pitt preview every year just to twist the knife: the Panthers had, over the course of two decades, experienced brutal close-game luck.

Since Johnny Majors retired and Walt Harris took over, Pitt has had a winning record in one-possession games just five times and has been at least two games under .500 in such games nine times. In this nearly two-decade sample, the Panthers are 35-53 in these contests, a 0.397 win percentage.

The Panthers have managed to attend 13 bowls and share two conference titles in these 18 years. If these demons that have taken over Heinz Field ever relinquish their powers, Pitt could easily become an annual ACC Coastal contender.

I wrote in 2015 that bringing in a guy who helped kill the “Sparty, No!” meme was a deft one.

Baggage: shed. Sort of. Narduzzi is still struggling to get his classes balanced and takes on a massive rebuild of the two-deep, but not only have his Panthers reminded everyone of the program’s upside, they’ve finally won their share of close games.

Pitt is 7-7 in one-possession finishes over the last two years. For this program, that feels like 14-0. Last year they beat two Power 5 champions — Penn State early and national champ Clemson in November — by a combined four points. They were two of the most exciting, symbolic Pitt wins of the last decade. They survived shootouts with Georgia Tech (37-34) and Syracuse (76-61) and finished 20th in S&P+, their best finish in seven years. They fielded maybe their best offense since Dan Marino was quarterback. They took on a brutal schedule, one featuring six S&P+ top-25 teams, and landed punches.

There were still regrets, though.

There was the 45-38 loss to Oklahoma State, which could have been a win with one fewer deep-ball breakdown.

There was the 37-36 loss at UNC, in which the Tar Heels scored the winning touchdown with two seconds left.

There was the 39-36 loss to Virginia Tech, which could have flipped if the Panthers had managed a minus-2 turnover margin instead of minus-3.

There was the 31-24 bowl loss to Northwestern, which could have flipped had the Panthers held NU’s Justin Jackson to 150 rushing yards or so instead of 224.

2016 was huge. But the Panthers still left wins on the board, and despite the top-20 S&P+ finish, they ended 8-5. The demons aren’t vanquished just yet, and last year’s pangs might feel a little stronger as Narduzzi attempts a third-year rebuild.

Pitt has to replace star running back James Conner, quarterback Nathan Peterman, tight end Scott Orndoff, All-American guard Dorian Johnson, all-conference tackle Adam Bisnowaty, four of five defensive linemen (including Ejuan Price and Shakir Soto), three of four linebackers, and three of five defensive backs. Plus, Canada leaves Watson with nearly impossible expectations.

The Panthers are not without star power; dynamic rusher/receiver Henderson is back, as are leading receiver Jester Weah, cornerback Avonte Maddox, and, of course, 2016 Piesman Trophy winner Brian O’Neill. And if some high-profile transfers find niches, Pitt will have more than enough talent to challenge good teams.

Still, it’s going to be nearly impossible to match last year’s upside, and Pitt’s success might end up defining how we look back at 2016. Was it the year a corner was turned, or was it a year of dramatic upside and too many missed opportunities?

From a symbolism standpoint, you could do worse than this:

Narduzzi is 16-10 after two years, ranked 20th in S&P+ in his second year. He faces a third-year setback.

Mentor Mark Dantonio at Michigan State: 16-10 in his first two years, 23rd in S&P+ in year two, and 6-7 in year three.

Beginning in year four, Dantonio went 65-16 over his next six seasons.

So there’s that.

2016 in review

2016 Pitt statistical profile.

The offense was not only good; it got better against better teams. Unfortunately, the defense was demonstrably worse.

Pitt vs. S&P+ top 50 (3-5): Avg. percentile performance: 68% (80% offense, 36% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.6, Pitt 6.5 | Avg. score: Opp 40, Pitt 36

Pitt vs. everyone else (5-0): Avg. percentile performance: 78% (60% offense, 54% defense) | Avg. yards per play: Pitt 7.0, Opp 4.9 | Avg. score: Pitt 50, Opp 28

Against top-50 competition, the offense averaged just 0.4 yards per play fewer than it did against lesser squads, but the defense allowed 1.7 yards per play more. As a result, Pitt games were virtually guaranteed shootouts; only the first and last games of the season finished with fewer than 70 combined points. Not what one would expect from either Pitt or a Narduzzi team.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

The most encouraging thing I can say about Watson is that Canada hadn’t proved himself before coming to town either. In nine seasons as a coordinator, Canada had never fielded an Off. S&P+ top 20 offense, and his average finish was 51.9. His first Pitt offense was 46th before his second surged to fourth.

Watson’s track record hasn’t been sterling either. Including his time at Texas — even though he was technically QBs coach and associate head coach, he was at worst a co-coordinator in Charlie Strong’s strange arrangement — he has spent 15 years as an OC with an average Off. S&P+ ranking of 45.7. Since ranking in the top 10 in 2007-08 at Nebraska, that average has ballooned to 64.9. At Louisville, with Teddy Bridgewater at QB, he peaked at 47th in 2013.

Narduzzi and Watson worked together at Miami (Ohio) 25 years ago, and apparently the bond was a good one.

For his struggles as an OC, Watson is still regarded as a good quarterbacks coach. In Peterman’s absence, the Panthers turn to either USC grad transfer Max Browne or sophomore Ben DiNucci. Whereas Peterman averaged 15.4 yards per completion in last year’s explosive offense, Browne and DiNucci combined to average just 8.6. And creating explosiveness will be a key now that Conner, a wonderful grinder in the backfield, is gone.

Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images

Quadree Henderson

Then again, you don’t have to throw deep to Henderson for him to end up going deep. The 5’8 junior was one of the most thrilling players in the country, gaining 631 rushing yards in just 60 carries. One in five carries went for at least 20 yards, and while he lined up all over the field (he was also targeted with 42 passes), it appears he will begin as Pitt’s No. 1 receiver.

That leaves relative unknowns at running back, but there’s size and upside. Sophomore Chawntez Moss (5’11, 210) and juniors Darrin Hall (5’11, 220) and Qadree Ollison (6’2, 230) combined for 111 carries and 514 yards in 2016. That’s an average of just 4.6 yards per carry, 0.5 below Conner’s pace, but while Conner was far more explosive, this trio was actually more efficient. Plus, two incoming freshmen — Todd Sibley Jr. (5’9, 215) and A.J. Davis (6’0, 205) — are four-star prospects per the 247Sports Composite.

There’s quite a bit of potential in the backfield, and there’s even more up front. Losing Johnson and Bisnowaty hurts, but Piesman-winner O’Neill was a third-team all-conference selection, guards Alex Officer and Alex Bookser have combined for 51 career starts, and size won’t be a problem: the 10 players on the OL two-deep average 6’5, 319. Combined with the bigger backs, that’s quite a bit of meat.

Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Brian O'Neill

The receiving corps could be a thrill as long as Weah and Henderson don’t get hurt.

Weah’s return gives the Panthers one sure big-play threat. He was one of the nation’s most underrated receivers, combining a 24.2 yards-per-catch average with a 51 percent success rate. He caught fewer than three passes per game but still nearly finished with 900 receiving yards. Henderson was a nice possession option near the line of scrimmage. The tight end position, meanwhile, has quite a bit of potential as well between four-star sophomore Chris Clark, senior Devon Edwards, Rutgers transfer Matt Flanagan, and incoming four-star Charles Reeves Jr.

Size isn’t an issue here either. Weah is 6’3, backup sophomore Aaron Mathews 6’4, and Reeves is listed at a whopping 6’5, 280.

A single injury could be devastating, though. After Weah and Henderson, Mathews, sophomore Maurice Ffrench, and junior Rafael Araujo-Lopes combined for just nine catches last year.

Defense

The offense has potential, but there’s almost nowhere to go but down. That means the defense will have to pick up the slack. Easier said than done.

A Narduzzi defense is nothing if not aggressive. He is willing to give up big plays in the name of making some. He wants to force college players to make plays college players typically can’t, and that’s great as long as he has the personnel. But his first two Pitt defenses ranked just 50th and 62nd in Def. S&P+. Last year’s Panthers made plays up front but gave up too many big plays; meanwhile, the pass defense was strangely conservative (and still gave up too many big plays).

Pitt allowed 213 gains of 10-plus yards (120th in FBS) and 24 of 40-plus (121st). And that was with Price and Soto up front. That duo combined for 33 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks, and of the nine players to record at least 4.5 TFLs last season, six are gone.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Rori Blair

The end position still has plenty of potential. Rori Blair and Allen Edwards combined for seven TFLs as complementary pieces, and four-star Tennessee transfer Dewayne Hendrix had a good enough spring to be listed as a starter. But there’s a massive void at DT, where the three leading tacklers are gone.

Shane Roy and Amir Watts combined for 6 tackles, and that’s the extent of your experience in the middle. Big things are expected of four-star redshirt freshman Keyshon Camp, but he’s still a redshirt freshman. There’s still plenty of size here, thanks to players like junior Mike Herndon (6’4, 315) and incoming freshman Jalen Twyman (6’2, 315), but there are no proven pieces.

There aren’t many at linebacker either; junior Oluwaseun Idowu is the only of last year’s top four tacklers to return, though senior Quintin Wirginis and sophomore Saleem Brightwell showed some potential in backup roles.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Avonte Maddox

Last year, opponents had to be wary of the run defense and took to the air. They ran just 49 percent of the time on standard downs (123rd in FBS) and 24 percent on passing downs (126th), a sign that there wasn’t much fear of the secondary. Maddox took advantage of the extra attention, combining for 8.5 TFLs and 11 passes defensed, but opponents still completed 64 percent of their passes with a 143.6 passer rating. Pitt basically turned every quarterback into Washington State’s Luke Falk (145.6).

Opposite Maddox will be some combination of sophomores Dane Jackson, Damar Hamllin, and Malik Henderson, junior Phillipie Motley, and redshirt freshman Therran Coleman. Blue-chip freshman Paris Ford could help, but he needs to secure his eligibility first.

Safety was less of an issue last year, but it remains unsure. Free safety Jordan Whitehead returns, and junior Dennis Briggs had 2.5 TFLs and a breakup and might be a play-maker. But once again, if someone gets hurt, there’s almost nothing proven after them.

Special Teams

Chris Blewitt made the biggest field goal of his life against Clemson but still left something to be desired from a consistency standpoint. Pitt ranked just 85th in field goal efficiency, and while punter Ryan Winslow’s leg was strong (42.6 average), the Panthers ranked just 103rd in punt efficiency because of an eight-yard return average.

When you grade poorly in those, you’re going to grade poorly in Special Teams S&P+. Pitt ranked 81st, losing about 0.4 points per game, despite Henderson’s superhuman averages (30.5 yards per kick return, 15.8 yards per punt return, four combined touchdowns). Winslow is back, but Blewitt is replaceable, and Pitt isn’t likely to fall further here.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep Youngstown State NR 25.0 93% 9-Sep at Penn State 8 -16.0 18% 16-Sep Oklahoma State 22 -2.4 44% 23-Sep at Georgia Tech 31 -3.3 42% 30-Sep Rice 120 24.6 92% 7-Oct at Syracuse 60 2.3 55% 14-Oct N.C. State 27 0.9 52% 21-Oct at Duke 65 2.9 57% 28-Oct Virginia 70 10.7 73% 9-Nov North Carolina 38 3.8 59% 18-Nov at Virginia Tech 25 -5.7 37% 24-Nov Miami 18 -3.2 43%

Projected S&P+ Rk 33 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 13 / 78 Projected wins 6.7 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 7.8 (35) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 33 / 41 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 1 / -0.4 2016 TO Luck/Game +0.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 44% (44%, 44%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 8.2 (-0.2)

Ten years ago, Pitt pulled one of its biggest upsets ever, when a team that had lost seven of its last nine games went to Morgantown and took down No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9.

It was the biggest possible rivalry move — we can’t make anything of our season, but we’re going to destroy yours — and it was a springboard. Pitt went 19-7 over the next two seasons, their best two-year win total since 1981-82.

It’s hard to imagine that happening again following last year’s PSU and Clemson wins. The Panthers just have too much to replace. And that’s fine — sometimes it takes a while to get your classes balanced, and Narduzzi’s mentor experienced a third-year blip before he got rolling at Michigan State.

But as with UNC, newfound normalcy will be tested by a 2017 blip. If Pitt manages a top-40 performance and wins seven or eight games, that could set up a nice run in 2018 and beyond. This team doesn’t have many seniors, after all.

In the increasingly talented ACC, a top-40 performance could take on a lot of looks in the win column. S&P+ projects Pitt 33rd, which means three likely wins (Youngstown State, Rice, Virginia), one likely loss (at Penn State), and a whopping eight relative tossups with win probability between 37 and 59 percent. Pitt has played 14 one-possession games in two years; unless the Panthers fall further than expected, that average probably won’t go down.

That means 4-8 and 10-2 are technically on the table, depending on the bounces that eluded the Panthers for so many years.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

0 notes