#Red Card Gambling Prevention Support Project | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

houseisekai · 4 years

Text

FE3H:HI Shadowbringers - Part 2: Forward, Relentlessly

House Isekai Shadowbringers AU Masterlist Here

----

Being awoken by a familiar voice, Class VII find themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, separated and confused, and set out to find their classmates.

Meanwhile King Dimitri plans a daring mission, gambling his entire kingdom and perhaps all of Fodlan if he fails...

----

[Trouble Outbreak - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST]

(Boy's voice) "...-uctor? Instructor!"

Sara slowly opened her eyes, holding her head.

She felt as if it was about to split wide open.

(Sara) "Ugh...Oh, good we’re alive...I think...”

As her vision adjusted to the area they were in, she could see Rean right next to her, alongside Emma using some sort of healing spell.

(Emma) "Instructor Sara, are you feeling okay?!"

(Sara) "We just fell down into a bottomless pit, how do you think I feel?”

(Emma) “...She’s okay.”

Rean sighed in relief and stood up, looking to the rest of Class VII.

The area they were in appeared to be somewhere in the north, judging by how cold the wind was.

Looking to his left, he saw half the class talking with each other, also trying to get a bearing on their surroundings.

To his right, Valimar was kneeling with the other half near him.

Rean frowned when he examined Valimar.

At this point he had done it several times while everyone was waking up, but the Divine Knight was in such good shape considering the circumstances.

Valimar should have been destroyed in the fall. Then there was the question of how anyone was still alive.

...Shaking his head, he decided to turn his attention back to the present. He'd have plenty of time to worry about that later.

When he turned around, Emma was helping Sara get to her feet.

(Sara) "What happened?"

(Emma) "It looks like we were saved. How, we don't know."

(Rean) "Right now we're trying to get ourselves situated before we start investigating the area. Sharon should be back in a few minutes to tell us what she's found."

(Sara) "Right. Hoo, alright just give me a few minutes I'll be ready...!"

Rean nodded and walked towards Valimar as Emma tended to Sara.

Crow, Towa, Elliot, and Alisa were right next to Valimar, and noticed Rean coming to them.

(Crow) "Hey look, Sara's awake."

(Elliot) "Whew, thank goodness! I was starting to worry something was wrong."

(Alisa) "It's a miracle that we managed to get up as fast we did, honestly."

(Towa) "I suppose we should just be grateful everyone is okay. That fall was pretty scary!"

(Rean) "Hah, that doesn't even come close to describing it...We still haven't seen any sign of our other classmates have we?"

(Crow) "Nope. It's just been us as far as I could tell. Maybe we should ask Valimar if he can sense them."

(Towa) "He can do that?"

(Alisa) "I thought that only worked on Class VII since we were the only ones to activate him?"

(Elliot) "It might be worth a shot at the very least."

Rean shrugged.

(Rean) "Yeah, can't hurt to try. Valimar."

The Divine Knight's lenses flared to life with a bright green shine.

(Rean) "Can you detect any other member of House Isekai?"

(Valimar) Negative. A magical disruption in the area is preventing my scanners from working properly.

(Crow) "Well good, it does work, but the hell is causing the problem?"

Two figures watched from on top of a hill covered in trees.

They could see Emma walking over to the group, most likely being asked if she could sense anything.

The woman in black turned to the man on her right.

(???) "Lahabrea, we should attack them before they return to full strength. They're weak, we have the upperhand-"

Lahabrea shook his head.

(Lahabrea) "Patience. It'd do you well not to underestimate the professor's students. ESPECIALLY, the wielder of the Ashen Knight."

(???) "Our orders were to destroy any member of House Isekai and-"

(Lahabrea) "-And we know our higher ups are idiots. They seek to destroy this wild card because it threatens our plan. I like to think otherwise."

The woman's facial expressions weren't visible, but he could tell that she was fuming.

(???) "Just because you were put in charge of this operation does NOT mean you can just use this as an excuse to further your little pet project!"

(Lahabrea) "Hah! You have the nerve to refer to what I’m doing as a ‘pet project’? You know full well if Thales were to continue we'd-...It is VERY rude to eavesdrop, I'll have you know."

Sharon stepped out of the trees, her signature smile still present. Her hands were over one another, in front of her apron.

(Sharon) "My apologies. I just overheard someone threatening my class and had to make sure they would not have the opportunity to do so. You cannot fault for that, can you?”

(Lahabrea) "I would not, in fact. Forgive us, perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. My name is-"

(???) "Is this some sort of joke!? Why are we bothering to give her any pleasantries when we should kill her!?"

(Lahabrea) "... My name is Lahabrea. My uncivilized companion is Gaia. I am quite familiar with who you are."

(Sharon) “Oh, so polite! It’s very nice to meet you! Now, could you please leave us? I would hate having to be forced to kill you.”

(Gaia) "Hah! And what could a single maid possibly-?"

Lahabrea cut Gaia off by shooting a dark spell at her feet, a bundle of wires unfolding themselves.

(Gaia) "Wha?!-"

Gaia noticed that Sharon was covering the beginning of the wires in her hands.

(Lahabrea) "And THIS, is why I say not to underestimate ANYONE of that house. You invite death by doing so. Since you are so hellbent on the mission, then leave me!”

Gaia mumbled something under her breath and teleported away.

Lahabrea bowed once she left.

(Lahabrea) “My deepest apologies, Miss Kreuger. We will meet again later when the time is appropriate. While my colleagues would rather show hostility towards House Isekai, I would offer friendship. But, that conversation will come later.”

Lahabrea began to teleport away but spoke one last time.

(Lahabrea) “You are near Fhirdiad, by the way. Make your way south towards the gates, and you will find your friends. I recommend doing so with the utmost haste. Farewell for now.”

Lahabrea vanished, leaving a trail of dark purple smoke before it faded into nothing.

Sharon went down the hill and to Rean. All of Class VII went to Sharon, awaiting the news.

(Rean) “Sharon, did you see anything out there that might give us an idea of where we are?”

(Sharon) “I have found out our location, but...”

...

(Towa) “T-Those people who attacked Remire Village are here?!”

(Laura) “Not only that, they are watching us...”

(Sara) “The real question is why didn’t that guy named Lahabrea give the order to attack?”

(Millium) “Yeah, he would have kicked our butts while we were sleeping!”

(Sharon) “That is the next part I was about to bring up. He freely admitted that his friends would like nothing more than to kill us, he said he offers his hand in friendship.”

(Alisa) “I’m not sure I’m ready to believe that considering what his group’s done to us.”

(Rean) “...So, after that he said our friends are in Fhirdiad, right? Does that mean the rest of House Isekai is in there?”

(Crow) “Wouldn’t get our hopes up, honestly. First of all we’re in Fhirdiad, from what I remember from our history lessons, Faerghus actively supports them.”

(Gaius) “And it’d be safe to assume we’re basically wanted criminals of the Church AND Faerghus.”

(Machias) “Well, what better choices do we have than to go to Fhirdiad? There isn’t any other town nearby for miles.”

(Rean) “We should at least go and see how bad the situation is over there first. It’ll give Valimar some time to recharge anyway.”

(Vailmar) I will have recharged back to full power by the time you need me.

(Fie) “Alright, then let’s go.”

Throne Room in Fhirdiad...

[Will and Reason - Tales of Berseria OST]

Knights of Seiros clad in ornate white armor walked past the guards towards a blonde man who sat on a throne next to his advisors.

(Knight Captain) “King Dimitri, you will heed our words and do so carefully!”

(Dimitri) “Very well. You have my full attention, Lord-Captain.”

(Knight Captain) “Several of our own have claimed that you have been conspiring with heretics these past few moons-”

(Dedue) “By what right do you accuse his highness of such treachery?!-”

(Dimitri) “Dedue, you will stand down.”

(Dedue) “...I beg your forgiveness for my outburst, your highness.”

(Knight Captain) “Hmph. These claims originate from knights, laborers, and even of your own forces. We are not so keen to pass judgement, lest we would have sent inquisitors instead of myself.”

(Dimitri) “Your trust is most grateful, Lord-Captain.-”

(Knight Captain) “And that trust has its limits, King Dimitri. You will quell these rumors by following the order of Seiros without fault by the coming days, or you will answer to the goddess herself!”

The knights turned around and marched out the room, letting Dimitri take a sigh of relief, sitting back into his throne.

(Dimitri) “I think it would have been best if you remained silent, Dedue. Their inquisitors have been known to behead those even showing any slight signs of antagonistic feelings towards the Church.”

(Dedue) “They do have to believe we’re on their side, with all due respect.”

(Dimitri) “Fair enough.”

Dimitri stood up and walked to a room nearby.

Several people wearing red armbands turned to the door and saw Dimitri open it, shaking his head.

[Troubled - Persona 3 OST]

(Dimitri) “We’ve been too careless with our actions as of late.”

(Minato) “Think they’re onto us?”

(Minako) “Psh, you hear how pissed off that guy was? Definitely!”

(Mitsuru) “Then that means we need to get out of here before they start sending Inquisitors.”

(Dedue) “Agreed. All of our group is ready to leave. What about the rest of S.E.E.S?”

(Mitsuru) “We’ve gathered our things and ready for the order.”

(Minako) “I’m worried what will happen to the Capital when we leave though...”

(Minato) “Almost everyone follows the Church more than Dimitri anyway, I think they’ll be fine. They don’t know the truth like we do after all...”

(Dimitri) “We leave for Enbarr in the dawn then. We’ll figure out someway to liberate Fodlan from their madness.”

A knocking came at the door, which made everyone go dead silent.

Minato, Minako, and Mitsuru slowly reached for their evokers while Dimitri and Dedue stood at the doorway.

Dimitri cleared his throat and shouted at the door.

(Dimitri) “What is the meaning of this interruption? We are in the middle of an important meeting!”

(Sylvain’s Voice) “Jeez, what’s crawled up your butt toda-”

THWACK!

(Sylvain’s Voice) “OW! H-HEY THAT HURT!”

(Ingrid’s Voice) “If you don’t take this more seriously, I will make it REALLY HURT. Ugh, apologies your highness! It’s just us two.”

Dedue opened the door for them as they walked in.

Shutting the door behind them, Ingrid bowed while Sylvain continued to stand firm.

(Sylvain) “Our remaining forces have agreed to make sure the Church doesn’t burn the place down while we’re gone.”

(Ingrid) “And we have our stories in place for when we depart.”

(Dimitri) “Perfect, my thanks. Now let’s-”

(Ingrid) “Actually your highness, there was one more thing I wanted to report. It...might cause some complications in our plan.”

(Minato) “What kind of complication?”

(Ingrid) “I just received a report from a pegasus knight patrol that stated they found some sort of statue kneeling by itself in the outskirts of Fhirdiad. It wasn’t there before, and looked far too heavy for someone to have just placed it there overnight.”

(Mitsuru) “Were they able to see what it looked like?”

Ingrid nodded and turned to the S.E.E.S members.

(Ingrid) “They ran back to me as soon as they found it, so I went to investigate myself. It looked like an Ashen Knight.”

(Minako) “An Ashen...-” !!! “Rean?!”

(Mitsuru) “Class VII!”

(Sylvain) “Oh, great! That means our caravan just became that much more secure!”

(Dimitri) “Ingrid, Sylvain, we are heading out right now to find Class VII, then we journey to Enbarr, alert everyone to the news!”

(Ingrid) “Yes, your highness!”

(Sylvain) “Got it!”

Dedue grabbed a nearby sword and shield as Dimitri went out of the room.

(Dimitri) “I will get Areadbhar, I trust you to find your classmates, S.E.E.S.”

The members of S.E.E.S nodded as Dedue and Dimtiri left.

(Mitsuru) “Fuuka, do you hear me?”

(Fuuka’s Voice) “I do, Mitsuru-senpai!”

(Mitsuru) “Good, we’re beginning the operation! Intiate Phase 1!”

...

Church in Fhirdiad

Mercedes sat in one of the pews, making a silent prayer to the Goddess.

She was one of many attending the service that day. Unlike them, she was praying that everyone in all the territories would be saved from this ruthless tyranny that made a mockery of the real church she knew.

And that Those Who Slither in the Dark would find defeat at their hands.

Once she finished, she saw Annette take a seat next to her.

(Annette) “Mercie, we’ve got to go now.”

Mercedes nodded and the two of them stood up. As they were leaving, they were stopped by guards.

They were Knights of Seiros.

(Knight 1) “The service hasn’t ended yet, and you just got here.”

(Annette) “S-Sorry! We have an important meeting to get to is all and-”

(Knight 2) “-And you would forsake the teachings of Seiros? You might as well be a heretic with what you’re doing little girl!”

(Mercedes) “We are supposed to be learning the words of the Goddess, not Seiros herself!”

The knights stepped closer to them, but Mercedes did not back down.

(Knight 1) “Speak your next words very carefully...”

Mercedes smiled.

(Mercedes) “Can you get these two out of our way, please?”

(Knight 1) “What?”

It was then that knight noticed that everyone’s shadow was completely enveloped by something far larger than them.

The knights slowly turned around to see what was behind them.

They dropped their weapons upon realizing who it was.

(Knight 2) “G-GODDESS HELP US...”

Doomguy motioned to Annette and Mercedes towards the door.

They nodded and made a run for it as he grabbed both of the knights by the head, and tossed the first one towards the front of the pews.

Several people screamed once they saw Doomguy walking up, still holding the second knight in his hand.

(Woman) “W-Who is that?!”

(Man) “H-He bears the mark of the beast!”

(Priest) “BACK DEMON! THE POWERS OF SEIROS WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN IF-”

The second knight grabbed a knife that was on his belt and attempted to stab Doomguy’s arm.

Using his free arm, Doomguy grabbed his hand and with a loud crack, snapped his wrist to face the opposite side of his arm.

Doomguy dropped the knight as he screamed in pain, slowly walking up to the priest.

(Priest) “IF...I-IF...!”

Doomguy looked at the statue he was standing in front of, one that looked similar to Rhea.

Doomguy wanted it gone.

He picked up the priest by the collar and tossed him behind him, making everyone get up in fear.

(Man) “GODDESS! A MAN OF UNTOLD STRENGTH, A MAN WHO HAS THE MARK OF THE BEAST?!”

Doomguy pulled out a rocket launcher and aimed it at the statue-

(Man) “IT’S THE DOOMSLAYER!”

-And pulled the trigger.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

Mercedes and Annette saw several knights rushing into the temple as people left it screaming.

(Mercedes) “Phase 1′s going off just as planned! Now we need to find a way out of here.”

(Annette) “Right! Ashe said he knows a way, so let’s get to him fast!”

...

Rean looked at the entrance to Fhirdiad and saw several Knights of Seiros alongside Faerghus soldiers.

(Fie) “No way we’re getting in. Too much security.”

(Angelica) “Doubt anyone from House Isekai’s in there.”

(Jusis) “Then we’re better off asking where our classmates are in another location.”

They all nodded and prepared to move before-

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

[Atrocious Raid - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel OST]

Everyone in Class VII turned around and saw the smoke rising in the distance.

(Machias) “The hell was that?!”

(Elliot) “An explosion?!”

Several of the soldiers looked back in confusion, turning to each other and giving out orders.

All of the security force began to scramble as more explosions occurred throughout the city.

Several soldiers were blown back by another explosion. From the smoke, students with a red armband ran out the gates and away from the city.

(Towa) “Look, it’s the Arisato’s group!”

(Sara) “Hmph. Looks like that bastard wasn’t lying after all!”

Several knights chased after S.E.E.S, making Class VII unsheathe their weapons.

(Rean) “Class VII, with me!”

(Everyone) ‘Right!”

...

“PERSONA!”

Both of them spun around and pulled the trigger on their evokers, summoning the Persona, Thanatos.

Some of the knights following them faltered in their steps seeing such a ghastly figure being summoned, but the veterans charged without hesitation.

The first knight was completely knocked into the air as if he were a ragdoll by Thanatos swinging his sword.

The second knight tried going for the legs, and ended up getting kicked by the Persona.

The veterans stopped in their tracks seeing what happened, trying to figure out what to do.

Before any of them could form a plan, Thanatos disappeared, leaving Ken and Junpei standing in front of them, evokers to their heads.

(Junpei) “HERMES!”

(Ken) “NEMESIS!”

A wall of fire erupted in front of the knights, making all of them back away and they continued to make their escape.

As S.E.E.S moved closer to the nearby forest, they were cut off by several pegasus knights.

(Akihiko) “Damn it!”

(Pegasus Knight) “YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY, HERETICS!”

Another group of knights rushed behind their flank, beginning to surround them.

(Shinjiro) “Tch, we got a plan B?”

(Yukari) “Yeah, fight our way out!”

(Junpei) “Oh, that’s a greaaat, idea! You got enough arrows in that quiver for all these bastards thats after us?!”

Fuuka’s Persona formed around her and she scanned the area.

(Fuuka) “Everyone, we have energy signatures incoming!”

(Ken) “Crap, are they inquisitors?!”

(Fuuka) “N-No! Wait, that can’t be right...I think Lucia is detecting-”

(Boy’s Voice) “SECOND FORM, GALE!”

A red blur sped across the pegasus knights, with that blur ending up in front of S.E.E.S.

(Akihiko) “What was that?!”

Rean turned around and saw the weapons of the pegasus knights fall apart, all of them looking in confusion as to what happened.

(Minako) “Rean!”

(Minato) “Heh, saves us the trouble of finding you guys at least!”

Emma and Elliot casted a spell in the middle of the pegasus squad, the explosion knocking everyone away.

Machias blasted the heavier knights with his shotgun, catching them all by surprise.

Before they could get back up, Jusis jumped in with Machias.

(Jusis & Machias) “ARCUS, ACTIVATE!”

Jusis’s rapier sliced the weapons away from any knights attempting to counterattack, with Machias aiming his gun at the knights coming from their sides.

A wire shot out from the trees at their legs, making the teams fall, unable to get back up.

Sharon giggled as she hopped down the trees and brandished her knife.

(Sharon) “It is good to see you again, everyone!”

The rest of Class VII joined S.E.E.S and had their weapons ready to fight.

(Sara) “Don’t you worry your little heads, your teacher is here!”

(Minato) “Hah, not yet they aren’t!”

A lone pegasus came riding down from the skies, with everyone pointing their weapons at him, until realizing who was on it.

Numerous small black objects dropped from the rider, with incoming knights looking at their feet.

An explosion of ice froze them all on the spot completely solid.

Jumping off the pegasus, with it wildly flying off into the air, Doomguy took out a shotgun.

(Minako) “NOW they’re here!”

(Angelica) “Ouch, how’s that feel Instructor?”

(Sara) “S-Shut up you guys!”

Towa giggled as she reloaded her pistol.

(Towa) “Welcome back, sir!”

Doomguy gave them a thumbs up, with more soldiers starting to surround them.

This time, it was Kingdom soldiers instead of knights.

The soldiers made way for Dimitri as he stepped forward.

Dimitri was wearing a bright white and blue battle armor, wielding his relic weapon.

(Dimitri) “House Isekai! You trespass on holy grounds! Surrender yourself to the Church, or we will kill you!”

Class VII intensified their battle stances.

Doomguy slowly inched his way towards Fie as Dimitri continued talking.

He poked her in the arm without trying to draw too much attention.

(Fie) “What is it?”

He pointed at her belt, which had several grenades on it.

(Fie) “Here, take the frag-”

Doomguy shook his head and pointed more aggressively.

(Fie) “...My flashbang?”

Doomguy nodded.

She shrugged and gave it to him.

(Fie) “Whatever you’re doing, make it-”

Doomguy fired his weapon wildly into the air, and put the flashbang into his shoulder cannon.

(Fie) “...Subtle.”

The soldiers stepped back in confusion, and the flashbang was fired into the air.

(Fuuka) “EVERYONE, GET DOWN!”

With the flashbang going off, everyone became blinded, except for House Isekai, and Dimitri.

Knights and soldiers struggled to see what was going on as Dimitri was dragged into the bushes by an unknown hand.

(Rean) “What the?!-”

(Familliar Voice) “Psst, guys!”

Looking to his right, Ashe revealed himself behind a tree.

(Ashe) “Get in before they see you all!”

S.E.E.S moved in without hesitation. After seeing them do so, Class VII joined in soon after.

The soldiers recovered and saw that their king and House Isekai was nowhere to be seen.

(Knight) “They captured King Dimitri?!”

(Soldier) “Not for long! MEN, SPREAD OUT!

The soldier looked at the knight.

(Soldier) “We’ll look for his highness, we’ll-”

(Knight) “AND WHO ARE YOU TO GIVE ME ORDERS?! Fine, look for the king, we will restore order to Fhirdiad!”

The Knights of Seiros quickly moved back to the city as the soldiers of Faerghus scrambled.

(Soldier) “...Prick.”

(Soldier 2) “Their escape route is secure, now let’s get ‘looking’ shall we sir?”

(Soldier) “Right. I sure hope those kids know what they’re doing...”

...

(Dimitri) “Agh, Felix, you didn’t have to drag me that hard...”

(Felix) “Shut up. It had to be believable.”

(Ingrid) “Felix, you should be a bit more respectful!”

(Felix) “Alright. Shut up, your highness.”

Ingrid sighed as the rest of House Isekai was catching their breath.

(Ashe) “I’m not sure where you guys came from, but we’re happy to have you!”

(Rean) “Hah, thanks Ashe.”

Rean looked around and saw the rest of the Blue Lions together, some conversing with members of S.E.E.S.

(Sara) “So, assumed we interrupted something?”

(Dimitri) “Yes, our escape. We would have let you known if...well, we knew you were coming. We had to improvise at the end there.”

(Sharon) “I’m sure it will be a riveting tale, but I think we should get moving, your soldiers are looking for us as we speak.”

(Dedue) “I would not worry about them. The soldiers are aware of our plan, and are helping to lead us out of Faerghus.”

(Rean) “Outside the country?”

(Minato) “We’ll let you know what exactly we’re doing soon. For now, I’d say we take Sharon’s advice and get out of here.”

Everyone nodded and began to move through the forest.

Accidentally bumping into Faerghus soldiers “looking” for them, they were guided to a path that was to be secured for their escape out of Faerghus.

(Dedue) “We are now approaching the city’s border, and will be out of Fhirdiad territory soon.”

(Junpei) “Ugh, my legs! You think we could’ve taken a carriage out of here or something?”

(Crow) “I’m with Iori here, if we’re seriously walking out of here on foot, I think I’ll die.”

(Woman’s Voice) “No, you’ll die regardless.”

(Everyone) !?

[Those Who Sow Darkness - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

Gaia teleported in front of the group, making everyone draw their weapons.

(Sharon) “Ah, these are the ones I confronted in the forest. Though there is quite a few of them now.”

(Dimitri) “What is the meaning of this?!”

(Gaia) “House Isekai cannot be allowed to live and interfere with the grand plan!”

(Dedue) “What?! We had a deal with Lahabrea!”

(Class VII) ?!

(Gaia) “Lahabrea is a traitor, and I will deal with him too, after I have seen your corpses!”

(Rean) “You made a deal with them, knowing what they did?!”

(Dimitri) “We will talk of that later, Rean!”

Dimitri pulled out his lance.

[The 13th Dilemma - Kingdom Hearts 2.5 OST]

Gaia’s hand went over her mask, a red crest symbol forming and glowing in front of the mask.

(Gaia) “Lahabrea seemed so afraid of you all, but I will show him that he was wrong to fear you children! WITNESS THE POWER OF THE AGARTHANS!”

Crow, Machias, Fie, Towa, and Doomguy raised their guns and opened fire, the bullets being absorbed by a dark circle protecting her.

Gaia teleported farther into the air and summoned multiple fireballs to rain to them.

Emma and Elliot summoned a protective sphere to shield them from the blast, but after the first one collided, the shield broke.

The second one was about to hit them before they dodged out the way, igniting the ground into flames.

Sara reached for her pistol, only to be met with nothing in her holster.

(Sara) “Byleth...!”

Shaking her head, Sara forced herself to ignore that. This was not the time to remember something like that.

Ashe got behind Gaia’s line of sight and let loose an arrow. It slipped by the magical shield and grazed her arm, leaving her robe cut and a small bleeding wound.

Teleporting back down and directly behind Ashe, she raised her hand to his head ready to blow it off.

Thanatos’s sword slammed down in front of her, her head instead almost getting cut off.

It roared into the air as her hand quickly formed another spell, firing it into Thanatos, sending the Persona into a tree.

Minato and Minako felt the blow in their backs which made them kneel over in pain.

Laura swung her sword downwards at Gaia’s position.

The force of the sword’s impact obliterated the ground beneath them, making it fly upwards with chunks of debris flying into the air.

Gaia tumbled over into the trees, surrounded by Blue Lions and members of S.E.E.S.

(Sylvain) “Come on, a pretty lady like you should know when to surrender!”

(Ken) “...Really, Sylvain?”

(Gaia) “HAH, IT IS YOU ALL WHO SHOULD KNOW WHEN TO LIE DOWN AND DIE!”

With a swipe of her hand, they were all blown back.

Everyone with a firearm aimed at Gaia again until her crest glowed even brighter and an ear piercing screech came from below the ground.

A massive horn erupted from the ground, sending them into the air and falling harshly onto the floor.

A skeletal beast that resembled some sort of horned wolf screamed into the air, looking at everyone.

(Annette) “Crap, demonic beasts?!”

Doomguy was slightly disappointed it didn't have guts he could tear open, but he made do with it.

Jumping directly into the fight with it, he activated his wrist blade and slashed at its body, bones from its stomach area flying off, but having almost no effect.

Sharon used her wires to surround the legs, but it was too strong for her and snapped them off with ease.

Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid had their weapons strike the beast’s head at the same time, but they failed to even make a scratch on the bone.

(Millium) “LAMMY!”

A contraption spawned behind Millium and flew towards the front of the beast alongside Laura, Dimitri, and Dedue.

They all used their brute strength to meet its swipe, but they were flung to the side, all landing on each other.

Jusis and Gaius’s weapons deflected off the beast when they tried to attack from behind, the monster roaring in response.

(Gaia) “AHAHAHAHA! THIS IS WHAT LAHABREA WAS AFRAID OF? CHILDREN WHO CAN’T EVEN FIGHT AGAINST ONE OF THE WEAKEST SUMMONS?!”

(Rean) “Alright then, we’re up next!”

Gaia turned to Rean, raising an eyebrow underneath her mask.

[Awakening - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II OST]

(Rean)

“Heed my call...

Despite being miles apart, Valimar’s eyes glowed in response.

Valimar stood up, scaring the multiple knight and Faerghus soldiers investigating him.

Bending its legs, Valimar jumped and flew off into the distance towards Rean.

Gaia sensed a magical energy that was beyond her comprehension and spun around, seeing Valimar overhead.

(Sara) “Hah, you’ve done it now!”

(Minako) “WOOO! GIANT ROBOT FIIIGHT!”

(Minato) “KICK HER ASS, REAN!”

Doomguy raised a hand into the air, forming the “rock on!” sign.

Valimar behind Rean, kneeling down.

(Rean) “Valimar, let’s take ‘em down!”

(Valimar) Acknowledged, Awakener!

Rean teleported into the cockpit and the camera turned on, seeing the skeletal beast in front of him.

The skeletal beast made the first move, its jaws grabbing onto Valimar’s arm.

Valimar spun around, the momentum sending the beast into the trees, making several fall over from the impact.

It got back up an ran back to Valimar, Valimar sheathing the greatsword in response.

Right as the beast was about to bite Valimar again, the sword struck upwards.

The strike cut off half the body and part of its leg, the bones flying off into the distance.

The beast landed into the floor, scrambling to get up.

(Gaia) “I-IMPOSSIBLE!”

Gaia prepared to fire several spells before Valimar’s head turned to her.

The spells fired off from her hands and made its mark, but the spell had no effect on Valimar’s body.

Valimar leapt forward, swinging the massive sword into the ground, shaking all the trees in their area from the impact.

Gaia was too slow, and got an arm severed from Valimar, making her scream in pain.

Parts of her mask was blown off from the strike, and she fell onto the floor unable to get up.

The beast rushed towards Valimar, only for Valimar to step to the side, dodging the attack. Valimar planted the sword downwards into the monster’s skull.

It pierced through from the top of the skull to the jaw, the sword being planted deep into the ground.

In an instant, the beast stopped moving, but Valimar left the sword in the head and moved to the body.

Valimar grabbed the tail of the beast and moved backwards, severing the skeletal head from the rest of its body.

Throwing its body into the trees, dark energy left the head as it crumpled into dust.

Seeing Gaia bleeding profusely on the ground nearby, Valimar sheathed its sword and knelt down, letting Rean teleport out.

(Gaia) “Hah...S-So this is the power of House Isekai...!”

She slowly stood up, with everyone’s weapons still drawn. Her mask was still barely intact, but they could now see an eye and her mouth.

(Gaia) “R-Rest assured...this is NOT the last you have seen of me!”

She attempted to teleport, but nothing happened.

Gaia noticed that everyone was now looking behind her, something suddenly making her entire body jolt.

(Man’s voice) “Didn’t I tell you to have patience, my uncivil companion?”

[Those Who Sow Darkness - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST]

They could see her eye go wide, her mouth slowly opening, blood slowly coming out of her mouth.

(Lahabrea) “And would you look at that? Your overconfidence caused your downfall by the Ashen Knight.”

He walked to her side with an arm still behind her.

(Lahabrea) “And you have caused my guests unnecessary trouble. I don’t think I will forgive that.”

Gaia fell to her knees and into the ground, a knife sticking out of her back.

She was reaching her hand out, trying to say something, but all that came out was blood.

(Lahabrea) “You could have lived long enough to see the new era unfold, but alas you are too rooted to our worthless traditions. A pity.”

Raising his hand, he fired a spell that covered her entire body, making it slowly disappear into a dark cloud.

Lahabrea pulled out a vial, and her essence was transferred inside of it.

He turned to the others and took a bow.

(Lahabrea) “I do hope none of you came under harm due to her treachery.”

Class VII kept their weapons out, but S.E.E.S and the Blue Lions stepped forward.

(Dimitri) “I trust this will be the only time an interference like this occurs?”

(Lahabrea) “Of course. I always work alone, but was forced to bring her along. I will say she...hm...Died to an inquisitor, that will work.”

(Rean) “Dimitri, what’s going on, why are you guys working with them?!”

(Dimitri) “...When did you wake up, Rean?”

(Lahabrea) “Not too long ago, Class VII awoke this morning in the outskirts of Fhirdiad.”

(Minato) “Hm. Fortunate.”

(Minako) “We’ve only been here for a month, but trust us, we need his help.”

(Lahabrea) “You will be here for quite some time if you talked, so I recommend pickiing up the pace.”

Lahabrea bowed again and raised his hand to teleport.

(Lahabrea) “I must be off on an errand, but we will see each other soon, King Dimitri.”

Dimitri nodded and gestured goodbye, Lahabrea nodding in response and teleporting away.

(Dimitri) “We will explain everything on the way to Enbarr. It has been a long four years...”

(Crow) “Enbarr? Why Enabrr? I thought you hated Edelgard.”

(Dimitri) “I did...Before I knew the truth. Before Byleth told me.”

(Sara) “Byleth, he’s alive?!”

(Dimitri) “He is, but he left as suddenly as he appeared. That was about three years ago now. I have no idea as to what he’s doing now.”

(Sara) “I...I see.”

(Dedue) “We will divulge the full story another time. We must make our way to Enbarr now.”

(Rean) “Why, what’s happening at Enbarr?”

(Minato) “They’re under siege by the Church, but we have no idea if they’ll still be alive by the time we arrive.”

(Rean) “Then we need something a bit faster than carriages!”

The members of House Isekai turned to face Valimar.

(Valimar) Acknowledged. Opening Spirit Portal to Enbarr..

-----

Garreg Mach Monastery, Present Day...

[Mezame no Waltz - School-Live! OST]

Sitri sat alone in Jeralt’s old room, reading his journal of what had happened during those twenty years she had been dead for.

Yuri was kind enough to give it to her while they waited for any signs of other classmates approaching the monastery.

She had finished it yesterday, but couldn’t help herself to reread it again.

Jeralt had truly loved her...It must’ve been tough to raise Byleth alone, but from what everyone’s told her, he grew up to be a good man.

While she was reading, she heard a loud crash from outside the room.

She yelped in response and slowly went to the door, seeing Kazuma and Yuki at the end of the hallway.

(Kazuma) “Ah shi-...I mean dam-Agh!”

(Yuki) “Um...y-you can swear if you want to, Satou.”

(Kazuma) “Ugh, no I can’t! Your classmates and Megunee would kill me for letting you hear all that stuff.”

(Yuki) “I don’t think swearing is as severe as...well...all of this.”

Yuki looked to the floor sadly with Kazuma struggling to say the right thing.

(Sitri) “Um...-”

Both Yuki and Kazuma jumped.

(Yuki & Kazuma) “AGH!”

Sitri couldn’t help laugh, quickly covering her mouth, but still smiling.

(Sitri) “O-Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you! Is everything okay?”

(Yuki) “Ye-...N-No. We dropped the food we were going to give you while you were here...”

(Kazuma) “Yeah, sorry ‘bout the mess.”

(Sitri) “Do you need some help cleaning up?”

(Kazuma) “Huh? N-No, we couldn’t make you clean up OUR mess. I’d hate that if it were given to me.”

(Yuki) “But you don’t like doing any work Satou-”

(Kazuma) “Shush, Yuki.”

(Sitri) “It’s no problem, now let me see...”

After a few moments, they cleaned up the broken plate shards, and threw them away.

(Yuki) “Thank you, Miss Eisner!”

(Sitri) “Oh, you don’t have to call me that. Please just call me by my first name.”

(Kazuma) “Uh...T-Thanks, Sitri.”

(Sitri) “Of course.”

Kazuma couldn’t look her in the eye.

Sitri reminded him too much of Wiz. And just like Wiz, Sitri seemed to have the kindest personality massive boo-

(Kazuma) No. Kazuma, head out of the gutters and into the right place. Right betwe-NO. THIS IS THE PROFESSOR’S MOTHER.

(Yuki) “You know, you remind me a lot of Megunee, Sitri!”

(Sitri) “Megunee...? Oh, you mean Megumi Sakura! Why’s that?”

(Yuki) “You’re super pretty and nice! Even though you really don’t know us that well, you’re looking out for everyone!”

Sitri blushed a little and laughed.

(Sitri) “T-Thank you, Yuki. That’s high praise from what you’ve told me about her.”

(Kazuma) “Anyways, sorry for bothering you. Do you want us to bring you some new food or?”

(Sitri) “No no, I’ll come down to eat with everyone.”

(Kazuma) “Alright let’s-”

(Ainz’s Voice) “Kazuma, do you hear me? Kazuma?!”

(Kazuma) “Eh? Yes, I’m Kazuma-”

(Ainz’s Voice) “We have people approaching with Class VII, S.E.E.S, Doomguy! We think they’re the Blue Lions!”

(Yuki) “D-Dimitri’s here?”

(Kazuma) “On our way to the gates, see you there!”

Everyone nodded and moved towards the entrance.

-----

[Rain (Deference for Darkness) - Halo 3: ODST OST]

Year 1, Faerghus territory, nearing the border of the Adrestian Empire...

Byleth woke up with a violent jolt in his body, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

After a few moments of silence, he slumped back and sighed.

Another nightmare...

A distant explosion brightened the dark skies as he got out of a ruined building, stretching.

He stared with indifference to the battle happening far below him.

Imperial and Faerghus soldiers clashed into each other, trying to gain this territory for the war effort.

Byleth would be long gone by the time this battle would end.

He passed by a man dressed in black who was leaning against the door.

(Lahabrea) “Finally awake, I see. And where are we going?”

Byleth walked silently past Lahabrea, holding tightly onto Sara’s pistol as he did.

Byleth did his best to try and forget about that nightmare, but it would always come back to him. The battle of Garreg Mach had only been a month ago, so it’d make sense that it was still fresh in his head.

That fact didn’t make it any more comforting to him.

As he felt rain start to drop onto him, he thought about his plan on how to kill Edelgard and Rhea.

He was one man with a sword against 2 armies that controlled entire parts of Fodlan.

When the rain intensified, he put his jacket over his head and continued.

He heard footsteps behind him splashing in the rain but he refused to let his thoughts break off.

Even with his divine pulse, he would be severely out manned. Without help, he would die before he reached his goal.

(Lahabrea) “You’re headed the wrong way, you know-”

(Byleth) “Why are you following me?”

(Lahabrea) “I’d be lying to you, and you’d be an idiot for believing me if I said I was helping you for completely altruistic reasons. We both want to take Seiros down, but you need to focus hatred to the right people. We need Edelgard alive.”

That made Byleth stop in his tracks completely.

(Byleth) “...What?”

(Lahabrea) “Stop to think about it. Does Edelgard seem like the type to like what us Agarthans did, ESPECIALLY regarding Kronya, Remire village, and your fath-”

Byleth spun around and pointed Sara’s pistol at Lahabrea’s head.

(Lahabrea) “...Forgive my careless words. But my point stands.”

(Byleth) “...”

(Lahabrea) “Edelgard, like myself, actively voiced against attacking those innocents, and anyone of House Isekai. Why do you think she offered her hand to you so many times in the tomb?”

(Byleth) “So she could use us. We would have been tools for the Empire, just like we were tools for the church. Just like you Agarthans are tools for her.”

He stopped aiming the pistol at Lahabrea and continued to walk on his way.

(Lahabrea) “And so you think the Agarthans are completely loyal to her cause? We are to her, as I am to my own organization. We have the same goals, but different ways of achieving it. The demonic beasts that attacked the Monastery, Remire Village, and all those you encountered throughout that year was ours. Your hatred should be focused on the Agarthans, NOT the Empire.”

(Byleth) “Speak plainly of why you’re telling me this, Agarthan.”

(Lahabrea) “Because both Agarthans and Seiros must be put down before we end up blowing up this world all the way to the seven hells with the Javelin of Liberation.”

(Byleth) “...Explain.”

(Lahabrea) “Meet me at House Arundel’s territory, and I will reveal all I know.”

He began to teleport away, but looked at Byleth once more.

(Lahabrea) “Not only will you avenge your friends and family, but you can put an end to this vicious cycle of war that WE started, forever.”

With that, he disappeared.

Byleth stared at Sara’s pistol for a moment before finally holstering it, making his way to House Arundel.

PART 2: END

[Escape - Darling in the FranXX OST]

The forecasted rain wets us

What should I say to you, as you tremble? My soaked blazer is cold and heavy

I feel as helpless as a chick who's left its cage. I felt that my dreams were on the other side of the heavy clouds

I digested only the sweet pain that spread in my chest

I wonder if it'd be better if I'd never met you

Hey, I can't even see the stars

Hey, my tears won't fall either

To Be Continued in:

#fire emblem three houses imagines #House Isekai Shadowbringers #fe3h imagines #blue lions #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #dedue molinaro #sylvain jose gautier #ingrid brandl galatea #mercedes von martritz #annette fantine dominic #ashe ubert #felix hugo fraldarius #rean schwarzer #minato arisato #minako arisato #doomguy #sitri eisner #byleth eisner

8 notes · View notes

junker-town · 5 years

Text

NFL coaching grades 2019: How each team’s new hire rates

The NFL’s needy teams turned to some budding offensive minds — but will they pay off?

The 2018 NFL season saw one quarter of the league move on from its entrenched head coaches. Now, in 2019, a new wave of sideline generals are ready to make their mark on the league — and it’ll be a heady brew of young, emerging minds and reliable old standbys.

Bruce Arians called off his retirement after a single year to mentor Jameis Winston with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kliff Kingsbury made the jump to Cardinals head coach without spending a minute as an NFL assistant. Vic Fangio is getting his first shot at a head coaching position at age 60, more than three decades after taking his first NFL assistant job. Freddie Kitchens had never ranked higher than “quarterbacks coach” on an NFL coaching tree before 2018, and now he’s the Browns’ sideline general.

It will take years to figure out who got 2019 right (mostly — the Cardinals only needed one season to determine they’d seen enough from 2018 hire Steve Wilks), but that doesn’t mean some decisions make more sense than others in the face of an evolving NFL. So which teams look the smartest with their head coaching choices? And who is taking on the biggest risk in hopes of a turnaround?

Let’s dole out some snap judgments and way-too-early grades for 2019’s hirings so far:

Arizona Cardinals: hired USC offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury

The most surprising hiring of 2019 came when Arizona replaced Wilks with a coach who’d been fired by Texas Tech less than two months earlier. Kingsbury emerged as a potential candidate not long after being hired at USC, and wound up making the jump from the college ranks to the NFL — where he hasn’t been seen on a sideline since a training camp stint as a Bills backup quarterback in 2006 — despite the university’s best efforts.

Kingsbury’s success with future NFL quarterbacks at a lower tier Power 5 outpost like Texas Tech was enough to supersede that lack of pro experience. He turned Patrick Mahomes from a three-star quarterback to a top 10 draft pick, made Davis Webb a third-round choice, and even spent a year with Baker Mayfield — though that ended with Mayfield famously transferring to Oklahoma. His Texas Tech offenses ranked third, ninth, first, second, and fifth in passing yards per game among FBS programs in his five years on the job.

Arizona is hoping that mastery will help Josh Rosen live up to the potential that made him the 10th overall pick of the 2018 draft. Rosen was a disaster as a rookie, but he wasn’t exactly surrounded by talent. Kingsbury and a cast of dynamic playmakers will give him the tools he needs to succeed, though the Cardinals will have to bring in a potent defensive mind to look after the other side of the ball. Arizona ranked 26th in the league in points allowed this past season, but holding this year’s No. 1 overall pick should help fix that.

Grade: C+. There’s no denying Kingsbury’s success with passing offenses ... but that was at Texas Tech. The Cardinals are trying to jump the line in order to find the next Sean McVay, and hiring Kingsbury is a gamble.

It could pay off in a big way. While Kingsbury may have only gone 35-40 with the Red Raiders, he was trapped in a recruiting heat sink in Lubbock, Texas, that prevented the caliber of player he could slide onto his depth chart. He’ll have more weapons to use than ever before in Arizona. Will he be talented enough to cobble them into a playoff contender, or will he just be the Cards’ next failed head coach?

Cleveland Browns: hired interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens

Kitchens only has two months of coordinator experience at any level, college or pro, under his belt. But what a two months they were. Over the course of eight games, he turned Baker Mayfield from a first-year project to an offensive rookie of the year frontrunner — and the difference between Mayfield’s output under Kitchens and former OC Todd Haley is stark.

Kitchens’ stock soared as the league trended toward relatively inexperienced offensive minds in the mold of Sean McVay and Matt Nagy. Rather than face losing the man who helped guide the team to its best eight-game stretch since 2007, the Browns made him their head coach. Now they’ve got to hope he can keep their offense rolling while finding the right coordinator to unlock the budding potential of their defense.

Grade: A-. The Browns saw what worked and stuck with it. Kitchens doesn’t have a wealth of experience, but he proved he’s capable of turning Mayfield into a franchise quarterback over the span of just eight games as a rookie. This was a smart, common sense hire for Cleveland that may blow up in its face anyway because of the Browns of it all.

Denver Broncos: hired Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio

While the rest of the NFL zigged, John Elway zagged, turning away from the league’s trend of promoting young offensive-minded assistants to instead turn his team over to a 60-year-old defensive coordinator. Vic Fangio has spent 19 of the last 20 years as an NFL DC, with the only break coming in 2010 when he commanded Stanford’s defense (the Cardinal allowed just 323 yards per game that fall).

Hiring a touted defensive mind makes sense, especially for a team in the AFC West. Fangio will pit his defense against the dynamic scoring of the Chiefs and Chargers four times per season, and it’s clear Denver was in no position to consistently out-score their rivals. Bringing the architect of Chicago’s dominant defense into the fold sends a message; the Broncos are going to drag their opponents down into the muck and try to out-slop them in low-scoring affairs.

Fangio is a respected assistant finally getting his shot at the top job. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to build the Broncos back into a top-five defense, especially with the high-impact pass rushing duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb (26.5 sacks, 47 QB hits in 2018) bookending his linebacking corps. His mission now will be to translate the techniques that made his Bears’ 2018’s top-ranked defense into Denver’s scheme — which will probably need him to add some extra help in the middle of his defense.

His bigger problem will be leveling up an offense that has only ranked among the league’s top 15 scorers three times since 2005 — and all three came with Peyton Manning behind center. Adding Case Keenum as a free agent has yet to pan out for the Broncos, and while a beat-up offensive line and undrafted free agent tailback Phillip Lindsay overachieved, Denver still scored fewer than 21 points per game.

Fixing that issue is now Fangio’s problem. And while he’ll likely have some support from Gary Kubiak, hiring an outside mind to help run the offense will be difficult in a year where rising playcallers are getting promoted to head coaching jobs with regularity.

Grade: B. Elway’s playing to his strengths, and Fangio’s ability to build the league’s top-ranked defense around Khalil Mack is the type of plan that should translate around Von Miller and the rest of the Denver defense. Fangio is a safe hire, but the success of his tenure may depend on whether or not he’ll be able to turn whomever is taking snaps at Mile High Stadium into even a league average quarterback.

Green Bay Packers: hired Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur

Green Bay turned to a Great Lakes native to replace Mike McCarthy, snagging former Saginaw Valley State quarterback LaFleur after one underwhelming season as the Titans’ offensive coordinator. The rising star didn’t do much for Tennessee on paper — the club scored fewer points and won fewer total games with him in the fold than it did in 2017 — but there were signs of life contained within that helped convince the Packers that LaFleur was their man.

Despite alternating between a hurt Marcus Mariota and a very Blaine Gabbert-y Blaine Gabbert and dealing with a Week 1 season-ending injury to 2017 leading receiver Delanie Walker, LaFleur was able to up the Titans’ offensive efficiency (from 5.2 yards per play to 5.3). His schemes turned Derrick Henry into a late-season beast (585 yards, seven touchdowns in his final four games) and turned Mariota into a dynamic runner in a season where shoulder and elbow injuries shredded his passing accuracy.

The latter half is what will either make or break his tenure in Wisconsin. LaFleur’s penchant for run-pass options made him a trendy pick, and his ties to Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s coaching trees give him a background pushing both veteran and emerging young passers into stars. He was the Falcons quarterbacks coach in 2015 and 2016, a run that ended with Matt Ryan leveling all the way up to league MVP. He was McVay’s offensive coordinator in 2017, and while he didn’t call his team’s plays, he still helped turn Jared Goff from replacement level player as a rookie to one of the league’s top passers.

That’s the experience the Packers are counting on after a relatively underwhelming season from Aaron Rodgers. The two-time MVP suffered from a lack of targets, and the result was the lowest touchdown rate of his pro career as well as his lowest Total Quarterback Rating. Turning him back into an All-Pro will be LaFleur’s prime directive — and a modest bounceback from one of the league’s top passers could make the 39-year-old head coach look brilliant in his first year on the sideline.

Grade: C+. LaFleur looks like a boom-or-bust hire, a candidate with a background developing quarterbacks and engineering wide-open offensives, but without much of a track record on which to fall back. The good news for him is that Rodgers gives him one hell of a learning curve. The bad news is any struggle will shave another year off Rodgers’ rapidly closing window of contention. LaFleur may have worked his way up to one of the NFL’s softest landing spots, but that also means he’ll be under scrutiny if he can’t win immediately in Green Bay.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: hired former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians

Arians’ retirement lasted 370 days before the chance to coach Jameis Winston — a passer he’d mentored when Winston was just a bright-eyed 12-year-old at a southern football camp — dragged him back into the world of press conferences and tape study. He’s already gone on record telling Rich Eisen he plans to build around the former No. 1 overall pick, even if the 25-year-old quarterback only has one year remaining on his contract.

youtube

Rolling with Winston makes sense given a lack of better immediate options in the draft or free agency, but it’s a risky proposition none the less. Arians will have to rein in a QB who is entirely inconsistent on the field — he managed to tie for the league lead in interceptions seven weeks into the season despite playing in only four games — and a constant victim of his own terrible judgment off it.

Arians will also have to build up one of the league’s worst defenses to get the Bucs back on track, though that’s an area where he’s had success in the past. Tampa Bay rated out among the league’s top six defenses (in terms of yards allowed) four times in his five-year tenure with the Cardinals. He’s even got his defensive coordinator from 2013-14, Todd Bowles back to run things on that side of the ball.

Grade: B+. Hiring Arians means he’ll either sink or swim based on Winston’s performance. The fifth-year quarterback closed out 2018 on a hot streak, but his volatile game could leave the Buccaneers stuck in limbo. Hiring Bowles was a nice touch, and it’s easy to see this team making major strides in 2019. The question is whether Arians and Bowles can transform an up-and-down roster into an actual contender, especially in the crocodile skin-tough NFC South.

New York Jets: hired former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase

The Dolphins hired Gase in 2016 the last time “hot young offensive minds” were all the rage in coaching hires. They wanted him to turn Ryan Tannehill into a true franchise quarterback. Three seasons later, the team fired Gase and is expected to finally move on from Tannehill.

The Jets are hiring Gase because 1) “hot young offensive mind” and 2) to develop quarterback Sam Darnold. Sounds familiar. It’s gotta work this time, right? Right?

The good news for Gase and the Jets is that Darnold just finished his rookie season and showed moments of promise during the campaign. In other words, this isn’t quite as impossible of a task as making Ryan Tannehill elite. But that’s only one thing on Gase’s to-do list.

He’s also being asked to turn a team mired in perpetual chaos into a contender. The Dolphins expected him to do the same thing, in the same kind of dysfunctional environment. Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has a poor track record of personnel decision in his four seasons on the job. So there’s not much for the new coach to work with. This looks like a situation where the Jets will be blowing it all up again in 2-3 seasons.

Grade: D. Maybe Gase will be fine, but we haven’t seen anything from his track record as a head coach to think he will. His biggest accomplishment so far has been pulling Jay Cutler out of retirement in 2017 to lead a 6-10 team. Gase also didn’t have much support from his players when the end came in Miami either. That’s never a good sign for a coach’s career. He got wrapped up and/or consumed by the organizational disarray in Miami, so it’s folly to think he can overcome or be a part of the solution in New York.

0 notes