#i do wish the game overall did a better job at communicating how these eight strangers become the best of friends

[myreia]

Fully in the goofypool about Octopath Traveler and all I did was look at some art.

#you do not understand #the cast dynamics are so funny #like yes it's very simple and straightforward but if you find the tavern or rest point scenes #just asdfasdfaasdf #they're so delightful #i do wish the game overall did a better job at communicating how these eight strangers become the best of friends #but we can live that out in fan creations #therion and primrose beloveds #they are such idiots #primrose is a dancer who is ready to commit murder and it's so funny that this is your PERFORMER #really subverting the trope there #and therion is... hmmm #therion is my character catnip #if you know you know

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Fox news Biggest questions facing top 5 QBs at combine - NFL.com

Fox news

LSU's Joe Burrow heads to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week because the favourite to be the No. 1 overall draft capture. However there is a growing sense within the scouting community three quarterbacks would per chance cease up coming into into the tip 5 -- and it's tranquil too soon to name Burrow a lock to be the first one off the board.

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon's Justin Herbert additionally are heading within the correct route to head early, supplied Tagovailoa's surgically repaired hip checks out. And the names of two completely different QBs -- Utah Snarl's Jordan Adore and Washington's Jacob Eason -- approach up in each conversation about others who delight in the capability to rise throughout the pre-draft process and ultimately land in Round 1. (The consensus on completely different huge names, such as Georgia's Jake Fromm and Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, is they enter the thrust of the pre-draft process a notch under as seemingly Day 2 picks.)

The mix marks the first alternative for NFL groups to spend main time across the likes of Burrow, Tagovailoa and Eason, and the 2nd around Herbert and Adore, who had been on the Senior Bowl in January. It is now not going to be the last time, with pro days, non-public exercises, "Top 30" visits and more forward in an evaluation process that is more intensive for QBs than at any completely different position.

Groups delight in the total game tape (despite the undeniable reality that many coaches have not dug into it yet). Condo scouts delight in spoken to each person they will safe (even within the occasion that they will also now not delight in shaken the player's hand). So what's left to decide out?

Right here's a behold on the massive questions going through each QB this week, in retaining with present conversations with historical evaluators across the NFL, from resolution-makers to space scouts. Gamers are listed alphabetically.

Joe Burrow, LSU

Can his speedily rise proceed on the NFL stage? Anytime a player's numbers spike in a single year the diagram Burrow's did -- from 16 touchdown passes and a pair of,894 passing yards in 2018 to 60 TDs and 5,671 yards this past season (on his technique to a Heisman Trophy and the national championship) -- NFL groups want to model why. "A year within the past, the man seemingly would've long gone within the third or fourth spherical, and this year, all of a unexpected, he is Andrew Luck," an AFC government talked about of Burrow. "And the [2019 LSU team] become very, very, very proficient around him." Of the 11 players LSU performed most on offense, another exec talked about 10 will seemingly be NFL players, many of them high draft picks. LSU overhauled its scheme last offseason, ditching a huddle-up, pro-fashion diagram in settle on of a huge-open, shotgun attack directed by contemporary fade game coordinator Joe Brady, who's now the Carolina Panthers' OC. How mighty of Burrow's recount become connected to scheme? How mighty of it become Brady? How mighty of it become his teammates? Nobody has mighty doubt about Burrow's intangibles, management and capability to process, given rave experiences from each person who's been around him, relationship to his stint as a backup at Ohio Snarl earlier than his grad switch. "For me, it's only a huge-portray factor," an AFC scout talked about. "OK, you went from this signaling offense, name it from the sideline and the click field, to the headset cuts off at 15 seconds (within the NFL) and also potentialities are you'll maybe even delight in mass chaos in front of you -- how will you address that?"

How's his arm? Burrow's accuracy is a plus. However scouts payment his arm power as sensible, and completely under the likes of Herbert. "He'll be third out of these three (high) guys in the case of constructing factual force throws on the pro throws -- the dig, the comeback, the tight-window throws," an AFC scout talked about. "Nonetheless it's now not a detriment to him. It be nothing that caused you to cease." Acknowledged a college scouting director: "Everyone's evaluation of him from '18 -- that become piece of the evaluation that had him down (within the mid rounds), become fair [his arm strength]. And clearly, that didn't change. Burrow's now not a huge man (listed at 6-foot-4, 216 kilos in school). On account of this going to the Senior Bowl or going to the mix and getting when put next with guys -- it's now not what makes Joe Burrow special." Burrow declined his Senior Bowl invite to spend time with family; no observe yet on whether or now not he'll throw in Indianapolis or at for his pro day. "Scrutinize Eason, Adore, Tua and Herbert throw three balls, then throw [Burrow] on last," another AFC government talked about. "It fair looks completely different. It be now not honest. However each person is conscious of there is more to his position than that arm. Is he Alex Smith? Or is he gonna ever be better than that?"

Jacob Eason, Washington

Has he grown up? A 5-star prospect out of highschool, Eason began 12 games as a factual freshman at Georgia nonetheless ended up transferring after suffering a knee injury within the 2017 opener and shedding his job to the less-proficient, more dialed-in Fromm. "The factor that is haunting Eason correct now is he become Joe College when he got to Georgia," an AFC scout talked about. "It be available within the market he become a celebration man, compose of punched the clock. He's the one-year wonder who has capability oozing out of him, nonetheless he would per chance've historical another year." An NFC scout who spent hundreds of time on Eason talked about he is matured and off-discipline actions weren't a ache at Washington, where he redshirted in 2018 and -- after a nearly two-year layoff -- threw for 3,132 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions last drop. He has a likeable personality that will spend over NFL of us in interviews, which is in a position to be extreme, since they tranquil delight in hundreds of questions: about instincts, resolution-making, work ethic, and so forth. "My ache is from a psychological processing after which from a management standpoint," a college scouting director talked about. "However capability-colorful -- potentialities are you'll maybe also attach his capability up in opposition to any of them. He would per chance need the handiest arm, he is athletic, he is huge (6-6, 227). It be fair the tape is terribly up and down. However I keep in mind any person is going to drop in esteem with this man over the following two months. Someone's going to behold the capability and train, 'I will fix this man.' "

How fair of an athlete is he? Eason is now not going to fracture any mix facts, nonetheless he would per chance attain better than of us keep in mind, especially for his measurement. He'll attain every thing in Indy, including blow their own horns his arm within the throwing session. "I construct now not keep in mind Eason's going to check all that wisely in the case of working and leaping or anything else esteem that," an NFC scout talked about. "However he is going to throw the s--- out of it." Acknowledged another college scouting director: "Herbert's a huge man with a huge arm, and Eason's greater and got a greater arm. This mix factor need to tranquil be fair for him."

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Can he attach all of it together? The total traits scouts behold for are there. And Herbert helped himself with a mettlesome performance on the Senior Bowl, where he won MVP honors. "The Senior Bowl is now not the least bit times a straightforward assign of dwelling to trip correct in and adapt and be purposeful in a fully contemporary offense with a bunch of contemporary receivers, and I'd train he did it as wisely as any person in present memory," a college scouting director talked about. "No longer that that is a be-all, cease-all, nonetheless it completely's a fair correct fair indication that the man can address some transition and adjustment." That is especially famous for a Eugene, Oregon, native who'd never lived anyplace else earlier than relocating to California for pre-draft practicing. Herbert is the most experienced QB of this crew, having thrown for 95 touchdowns and 10,541 yards in 44 college games (42 begins). He returned to Oregon for his senior year, won the Pac-12 title and ran for 3 touchdowns, including the 30-yard game winner, in Oregon's Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. "I execrable Herbert first," an AFC scout talked about. "He's greater (6-6 1/8, 227). He's stronger. There's nothing more that youngster wishes to attain." Some scouts tranquil delight in questions about Herbert's instincts and innate playmaking capability, although neither the Geese' receivers nor their efforts to do a vitality-working game did him many favors. One scouting director talked about he wished Herbert had made greater strides throughout the last couple seasons; as a replace, his pattern looked to flatline. "What's his signature game? The Rose Bowl, where he ran? You fair desired to behold him gash free and fade originate a play," an AFC government talked about. "Now, they didn't give him any befriend schematically. It become a s--- offense to check. That is where our coaching staffs approach in: 'Is it him? Or is it them?' He's got the total bodily instruments. He's huge, he is snappy, he is athletic and he is got a huge f---ing cannon arm." The notion is for Herbert to throw and attain every thing else on the mix.

How will his personality play in an NFL locker room? Several scouts train they had been pleasantly very a lot surprised by Herbert's interactions with them, and teammates, on the Senior Bowl. "Everyone's fair going to knock him: 'Is he too good? Is he too nerdy? Is he too introverted?' All that bulls---. However he'll be stunning," an NFC scout talked about. "He's good dapper. He's refined as s---. He fair didn't delight in the Joe Burrow self perception that he is a baller yet. He become a dull-stunning dude, underrecruited, Eugene become his home, being a Duck quarterback become his pinnacle. He's fair growing up as a young man. He would now not understand how fair he can even be. However the boldness is coming."

Jordan Adore, Utah Snarl

How mighty football does he know? There were hundreds of elements in Adore's dip from a breakout 2018 season (32 touchdowns, six interceptions on an 11-2 Aggies crew) to 2019, when he threw 17 INTs. "This man goes through his third or fourth offensive coordinator, a brand contemporary head coach, nine offensive starters (leave) -- how would per chance that now not affect any person?" a college scouting director talked about. "He become compelled to attain too mighty and he tried to attain too mighty and it ache him." Ravishing the amount of turnovers raises questions, although, so Adore's board sessions will seemingly be main in meetings. "Everyone is going to drill into him about how mighty exact football he is conscious of and processing snappy and all that stuff," an NFC scout talked about. "He become in [an Air Raid] offense his first couple years, so it become honest straightforward and he become fair having fun with free and letting it rip. When he if truth be told needed to sit down down and browse coverages and flee more advanced schemes that he is going to thrill in flee on the following stage and attain more, he didn't capture that this year." There's plenty to esteem with Adore -- measurement (6-3 5/8, 223), broad arms (10 5/8), a natural stroke, capability to throw on the switch and a relaxed presence about him. He plans to throw in Indy. "I keep in mind Adore's going to be the attention-grabbing one," an NFC government talked about. "It be a terribly lively arm."

What become he pondering? Nobody thinks Adore is a execrable youngster or truly an off-discipline threat. However potentialities are you'll maybe also wager groups can delight in questions about Adore's quotation, along with two teammates, for marijuana possession on Dec. 14 -- days after he'd declared for the NFL draft and days earlier than Utah Snarl's bowl game -- although the costs had been later brushed apart. "If he told any person that he smoked weed, they'd be esteem, 'OK, no topic,' " an AFC government talked about. "However inserting your self in that position -- after having a down year -- it makes you merely keep in mind esteem, what the f---?" As a college scouting director attach it: "Quarterback is a judgment position. So if his judgment is unsuitable, you are in huge ache."

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

How's the scientific checklist? It be now not only the hip Tagovailoa dislocated Nov. 16 at Mississippi Snarl, ending his junior season. Tagovailoa additionally has had "tightrope" surgical treatment on each his ankles -- the left in December 2018 and the supreme last October. He additionally had surgical treatment for a broken index finger on his left (throwing) hand last March and performed through a knee injury last October. "It be all (about) durability," an AFC scout talked about. "Durability and fair the play fashion, because clearly, he is ultra-instinctive, only a gamer. The problem is the injury historical past." The mix will provide the first alternative for NFL scientific doctors to scrutinize Tagovailoa, who's now not going to be ready to determine in Indy nonetheless intends to catch a non-public pro day earlier than the draft. So, whereas all indicators are only previously, each crew -- with its own scientific doctors, and its own stage of threat tolerance -- will give you the choice to diagram to its own conclusions about how wisely Tagovailoa's hip will catch up, whether or now not there are long-term risks such as arthritis, and so forth. "Even as you will wager your job on [drafting him], you better be rattling obvious that he checks each completely different field, because there is hundreds of issues to nitpick on with this man -- most importantly, the injuries," an AFC government talked about. "He's a 6-foot quarterback who's 230 kilos with a (dislocated) hip and it fair would now not add up."

How will his personality play in an NFL locker room? One NFC scout when put next Tagovailoa's personality to that of fellow Hawaii native Marcus Mariota: "It be Kind B, nonchalant, he performs the ukulele across the constructing -- only a exact laid-encourage dude." That is now not a knock in opposition to Tagovailoa. Groups fair will want to get to understand him, as wisely as learn more about his family, including his father, Galu, who remains heavily focused on his son's existence. "The man has confirmed he is a exact chief," a college scouting director talked about of Tua. "It be a dinky bit completely different fashion, nonetheless that is all legitimate." Though he is now not going to determine in Indianapolis, groups additionally can spend meetings to learn more about Tagovailoa as a player. His manufacturing below three completely different coordinators in three years -- 87 touchdown passes in opposition to fair 11 interceptions in 33 college games (24 begins) whereas throwing to the Crimson Tide's outstanding receiver crew -- suggests a high stage of adaptability. "(Slit) Saban loves this man. They esteem his instincts," another AFC government talked about. "I construct now not keep in mind [handling pro concepts is] going to be a major field, nonetheless potentialities are you'll maybe also want to assign him throughout the ringer. You give him no topic your crew has as a long way as making an strive out a man's capability to learn and lend a hand and also you lift him through that." Tagovailoa has been doing board work in present weeks with used NFL coach Ken Whisenhunt, who has been impressed.

Note Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.

[deskcoin64-blog]

Ask Sam Mailbag: 11.23.18

Basketball is the toughest sport to referee.  In college intramurals, I was a ref for many sports and basketball was easily the toughest, can't even imagine how tough it is in the NBA. With that said, it seems to be getting a little crazy some of these fouls called on Wendell Carter Jr. This rookie doesn't get the call thing seems to go too far with this seemingly mild-mannered kid. Besides just him, can they fix something with this "jump into the defender" when he's in the air, Dwayne Wade mastered, type of play.  It is getting ridiculous!  A defender jumps, and the offense literally jumps five feet toward the defender in a terrible shooting attempt and is barely touched by him and it is a foul? Is there some way to limit this absurd play that can end up ruining a game?

Jon Kueper

Sam: I know; it’s awful, but I have noticed they have stopped giving every foul call to James Harden when he throws himself at defenders, which more than Carmelo is the reason the Rockets got off to a slow start. I generally have the backs of the officials, though I recognize fewer and fewer of them every game. They get it as close as you can get it right as you understand having tried. They always say a foul is a foul, but we all know it isn’t certain times in the game, especially at the end of quarters, and for certain people versus other people. It’s not right, but life isn’t all a level playing field, either. Often Carter has been victimized by the officials who not only don’t know him, like Natalie Sago in the Suns game. I’ve noticed that some of the new ones when they haven’t made a foul call for awhile find a young player. Some would say the player has to defend himself more and complain. I commend Carter for not falling into that ugly trap, remaining professional and respectful, and I believe things will even out for him as they generally do in these situations. But it is another positive sign of his maturity and class the way he handles inequity and injustice. I’m also supporting him for Congress.

I think the Bulls are a little behind schedule in wins because of injuries.  But, the talk about Jabari Parker being a failure seems pre-mature.  One thing I noticed though that bothers me is his attitude with the media.  He seems to be at war with the media with his short answers and blank stares.   I have been a Chicago Bulls fan for 30 years.  And he could be a valuable piece; however, he needs a real attitude adjustment. I wish Gar and Paxson could sit him down and tell him to relax and grow some thicker skin.  What’s your prognosis for Parker and utilizing his talents? He could breakout with Dunn, Markkenen and Portis comeback.

Ryan Carpel

Sam: Thanks for the support. I know in this era it’s fashion to widely and angrily condemn media, but it’s a sensitive subject for those of us who hope to connect fans with their favorites (and others). Really, that’s what we do. You think everyone loves standing around while Robin Lopez gets dressed? The misconception is we are in this to become friends with the subjects or gain fame trough their reflected glow. Some are; the great majority are not. They’re basically working people who are serious about their jobs, which are generally more fun than yours but often don’t pay as much, who seek the same respect at work as anyone. It’s where it’s sometimes been awful with Parker. I’ve been at just about all his media sessions, however short many are. Players don’t have to speak with media, in my view, even if it is a requirement in their NBA contracts. The issue with Parker is the way he’s shown a lack of respect for the reporters with his sharp, often one word answers and, as you note, disconcerting stares. No one asking fair, straight forward and basically inoffensive questions, which is their job and which the NBA encourages, deserves to be treated that way. Frankly, I’ve been surprised because I had no idea given he always said he was a community minded type person. Actually, I think the Bulls must have spoken with him because lately he has loosened up some, though he still holds the title of Bulls player you’d least like to spend a minute with. But you are right in that it’s a premature talent evaluation. He basically told us he’s not likely to contribute much on defense, so I’ll credit him, at least, for honesty as many NBA players say they will and don’t. Parker has some tremendous scoring abilities and talents, and he’s still less than a year removed from his second ACL return. So even as much as he doesn’t want to hear about having had surgeries, I think he has space to grow and get better. He showed a lot of that against the Suns earlier this week with nearly a triple double and some really impressive play that left us as speechless as he often is. OK, that’s laying it on too much, I admit. But I would love to see him smile some day. You need talent to do that. Parker has it. Though when Markkanen and Portis return, who knows. Parker doesn’t seem malicious, but I just wish he reciprocated to the polite treatment he’s universally received from the Chicago media. Maybe he’s been asking Tyrus Thomas for advice.

The Bulls should go after Otto Porter. After all, he's a small forward (and the Bulls desperately need them in order to win). Parker's listed as a small forward, but we know he’s a power forward for now.

Kieron Smith

Sam: Porter was my most sought to-trade-for last week until later in the week rumors were that the 76ers’ Markelle Fultz wanted to be traded. His agent denied it, which I assume means it’s true. And it certainly should be with the situation he’s in now with Jimmy Butler added to the team and probably pretty soon to begin calling him Karl-Anthony. We know the story of Fultz leaving again for treatment and the 76ers being surprised. It’s clear to most everyone now that he needs a chance elsewhere. Also, remember being a No. 1 overall pick is an arbitrary number. Would it be much different if he were a No. 7 overall like Emmanuel Mudiay or Randy Foye? Or No. 5 overall like Ricky Rubio or Devin Harris? Or No. 6 overall like Johnny Flynn or Dajuan Wagner? Or No. 3 like O.J. Mayo or No. 2 like Jay Williams? When you are drafting kids who have to play complicated guard positions, you never truly know. If Fultz were selected No. 4 would he be as big a mistake? He clearly needs a chance elsewhere because he does seem talented. But given that the 76ers used a No. 1 pick for him and blew plenty of other top picks on the likes of Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, they’re not likely to settle for spare parts. At least for now. Though the hysteria last week was the Wizards had to do something! And right now! I think it may be the opposite. GM Ernie Grunfeld is cautious and veteran oriented. Rebuilds, as we mostly have seen, take years to bloom if they ever do again. Instead of trading off Porter—who makes about $27 million a year and is essentially a spot up three-point shooter whose salary would remove the Bulls from free agency possibilities—Wall or Beal, my guess is they add to them and take one more run. If they miss the playoffs, then I could see some changes next summer. Though with Wall’s $42 million annual salary for four years starting next season, it difficult to see who would take that on, especially for a player who cannot lead his team to the playoffs in the East, if that occurs. But you gotta love a dysfunctional team with Dwight Howard that doesn’t even mention his name.

How long before LeBron forces Magic to trade for John Wall. Well, as long as they make the playoffs. I would hate to see them win the lottery and get Zion Williamson.

Tom Plonowski

Sam: Now that’s an interesting conspiracy; the latter part, anyway. Say the situation is to get the Lakers a college star and….OK, OK, I know it’s not true. Which never stops the discussion. Another frequent name I hear is among the Duke freshmen. They’re at least for now expected to be among the top five draft picks, and though they’re still playing mostly basically exhibition games and they are teenagers, I think this draft doesn’t look as good as last year’s. No one ever has a good idea how these kids will be in the NBA, but I don’t see generational talent for now. Sure, some pretty good pros. But it makes me wonder why the Duke coach rarely seems to put the ball in the hands of the big dunker to make plays. College ball does matter even when they don’t stay long. It did tell you something about Andrew Wiggins when you’d see him score six or eight points in big games. Big time players perform in big time games at all levels. When they don’t, you can question who and what they’ll become. I know it’s tough to watch NBA coverage on ESPN or listen on NBA radio without three quarters of the discussion being about LeBron and the Lakers. Bor-ing! LeBron can be annoying in making demands and getting what he wants, but I’m voting with Magic’s patience for now and his summer free agency plan. After all, he got Lonzo Ball’s father to drop from sight. That has to be the undercard to being able to hold off LeBron and his advisors. I think this season is about LeBron going for one more MVP and just trying to get into the top four and then taking their personnel shot next summer. But we’ll know more after Dec. 15 when most contracts are available to be traded. Heck, with all the former LeBron teammates with nothing to do and about to be released or bought out, he may be able to assemble one of his former teams before the end of this season. Is James Jones coming back?

My attitude towards tanking is I think the same as yours...but man, have you seen this Zion kid play?  With Valentine's injury it’s gotta be tempting to shut Lauri down till February and go for broke.

Guy Danilowitz

Sam: No more tanking. I know it seems like it sometimes is what’s going on with the Bulls now with all the injuries and the hole they’ll inevitably dig. But with the first step smoothing out of the odds, the three teams with the poorest records have exactly the same odds of the top pick, and just 14 percent. Then it’s 12.5 and 10, 8.3 and 8.2. So you essentially have almost seven teams with similar odds of the top picks. And is 14 percent—one in seven—worth blowing off your whole season? Especially because this season was to begin to find out if the Bulls had a team with LaVine, Markkanen, Carter Jr. and Dunn. They still haven’t seen that. So you are going to postpone that for another year to take a one in seven shot at a top pick? Which means more than an 85 percent chance you won’t get it. What sort of a bettor would that make them? I know fans love the draft, the next thing, as it were, but really, enough with the draft picks. The Bulls are going to get another unless they make a trade, but they already have too many young players who have proven little given their lack of playoff experience and still are apprenticing on the roster. The Bulls seem set with Carter, LaVine and Markkanen. They’re still trying to find out about Dunn. Even if Dunn doesn’t prove out, they don’t need to continue teenage tryouts. The Bulls certainly hope he does. But it’s about time to begin surrounding them with veteran NBA talent. Assuming we ever do see them playing together.

Rookie of the year is one of two people right now. Doncic as you said or jaren jackson jr who you didn’t even mention. Jackson is probably the third best player on a team with an 11-5 record in the west. He has been really really good but memphis so no one remebers anyone there. Conley and gasol both playing like allstars again and neither is likely to make it. Doncic the best player on a 5-8 or 6-8 team.

Jake Henry

Sam: I agree with Doncic. It looks like he’s running away with Rookie of the Year. It was fun to see Carter Jr. go against No 1 pick Ayton Wednesday. Ayton is bigger with more athletic talent, but you could see Carter keep up with better defense and more hustle even as he had some bad luck with foul calls. He’ll be a good one for the Bulls, though not rookie of the year. I mentioned five guys when I wrote about rookies a week or so ago and had Jackson on the edge of that. Not because he’s not talented, and I’m pretty sure the Bulls had him as high or higher on their board than Carter Jr., though the Bulls seem fine with their selection. Jackson has a big edge over the others given who he plays with. Gasol and Conley get so much attention, he’s often not defended as much and often plays off the ball on the weak side. The other rookies have to be too involved and get more defensive attention because their teams aren’t nearly as good or with as many veterans. Which is also another thing about that tanking. A lot of those teams that were aren’t anymore and the race to the bottom isn’t going to be as repulsive. It will be more organic, like for a team trying but with a lot of injuries. Trae Young is inconsistent because of the pressure he sees and Marvin Bagley hasn’t gotten the playing time, but has been impressive in spots. Jackson, though, should rebound better for his size. It’s a terrific class, but for now Doncic stands above.

This Bulls team reminds me of the 2008 Bulls team a little bit. Neither team is a world beater, but they have their similarities: a core of promising young players, underperforming roster, and a coach on the fritz. What if we land the #1 pick again? From which angle will you crush my dreams?

Yuriy Fomin

Sam: The No. 1 pick, as I explained. It is an interesting comparison, though, as the first team John Paxson was building with his kinds of players. You can see why he’d be interested in Kris Dunn as a Kirk Hinrich defensive type with more athletic ability, Zach LaVine the scorer like Ben Gordon but bigger and more athletic and Lauri Markkanen the forward but a better shooter than Luol Deng. Ryan Arcidiacono isn’t quite Andres Nocioni. But you can see some similarities. Now just how do you find the Derrick Rose?

I noticed yahoo had a piece on teams with the most cap primed to be players in free agency. The list includes Lakers, Mavs, Brooklyn and a few others. My understanding was the Bulls had huge cap space post likely waving Jabari and getting rid of a few contracts.

Michael Burling

Sam: The Bulls should have a lot, if not the huge amount you expected. Part of the issue is this summer several could have more money, like the Mavericks, Clippers and Nets. The Lakers and Knicks have a lot, but the Bulls can be up there with them. Obviously, like you mentioned, if they keep Jabari Parker they probably don’t have all that much given they have to pay Bobby Portis to keep him. It will depend on whether he gets an offer and how quickly they have to move. With Omer Asik’s buyout and Portis’ cap hold, the Bulls could have around $40 million to $50 million, which would pay one full contract and part of another if they were to pass on Parker. The salary cap is expected to be around $110 million next summer. The presumption is they move on from free agents Holiday and Lopez, but nothing has been stated for now. There are other free agents they’ll have to make decisions on like Ryan Arcidiacono, and they are close to having to make a financial decision on Dunn. So this summer will be crucial and the Bulls can be a major player. Which is another reason why it’s so important to play the season out seriously and see what they have and where they fit.

Too bad about Valentine, I’m not a big fan but I am a human being and that’s got to be tough.

Tom Offa

Sam: Oh yeah, Valentine also. Another guy closing in on restricted free agency and we know we won’t see him again this season. Certainly his market has changed with all the injuries, but he says he’s been told this time it will be right. Grant Hill had serious ankle issues for years and came back and became an All-Star. Decisions, decisions. It’s a side factor of when you fill your roster with high draft picks. You also have to start making some decisions about who to keep, who to pay and who to move. You can’t pay them all.

I’ve got a friend who passionately argues that Lebron James is the greatest of all time. I don’t actually have a strong opinion about who’s the greatest. But I’m a contrarian and I grew up watching Jordan so he’ll always be my favorite horse in this particular race.  Well my friend, the Lebron apologist, is always locked and loaded for the MJ vs LbJ debate. So I decided to throw him a curveball last time we had the discussion. I argued that it’s neither Lebron nor Mike, but Wilt, who was in fact the greatest.  His otherworldly stats speak for themselves but neither of us ever saw him play so it’s kind of hard for us to fully compare Wilt and Lebron.  As an observer who’s seen both play, could you craft a convincing argument for why Wilt is greater than Lebron?

Daniel Slesnick

Sam: Here goes, though I still go with Jordan, also. Wilt is unquestionably the greatest scorer the game ever has seen; averaging 50 in a season, 100 points in a game, the most games above 60, 70, 80. And this notion that he was playing against basketball midgets is erroneous. He played against most of the greatest centers in NBA history, Russell, Thurmond, Unseld, Reed,  Kareem, Bellamy, all Hall of Famers. He is criticized for winning titles just twice, but he played against the greatest dynasty ever in the 60s Celtics and beat them face up when they were in their prime when he was with the 76ers. And with a team with half as many future Hall of Famers as the Celtics. When he finally got away from the dominant Celtics dynasty and went to the Lakers, he was in the Finals four of five seasons consecutively. Wilt played in an era when virtual assault was legal and he was the target in every game. They changed the rules of the game multiple times to limit his dominance, from widening the lane to changing goal tending rules. Wilt was so good they talked about eliminating dunking at one time, and the game was so easy at times that Wilt became bored and often shot a fadeaway bank shot to amuse himself. And still won the scoring title. Plus as he wrote in his infamous autobiography, he certainly didn’t get a lot of sleep. At one time or another, he led the league in every major statistical category, including scoring, rebounding and assists and was often all-NBA and all-defense first team. His Lakers team was among those who have held the record in their time for most wins in history. Wilt led two of the top five all-time teams with the best records ever. Wilt won championships just with those teams, showing what he had to do to win given the competition in his era. No team LeBron played on ever ranked in the top 10 of those teams with the greatest records. I guess my question might be in what way would LeBron be better than Wilt at almost anything but free throw shooting? And Wilt may have made more in the last minute of games.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/ask-sam-mailbag-112318

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

[uxanthros]

SfAA 2019 UX Workshop

Geek Out Vol. 4: User Experience (UX) Research Methods Jamboree

Overview

a strategy to research people’s experiences with a product or service online and offline

a process to analyze the data 

tools to visualize and communicate the findings to teammates or clients 

templates and other resources to keep practicing UX research 

“Standup”

Purpose: Used daily on teams 

to keep everyone on the same page

aligned with completing two-week chunks of projects 

and it allows for team members to help each other with their obstacles

How to: Everyone stands in a circle, and shares the following in 30 seconds (while passing something amusing from one speaker to the next):

*Name?

What are you working on / studying?

What are the obstacles you’re facing at work / school?

It’s not a conversation. 

Say, “parking lot” to end current speaker and move to the next.

If you can help someone with their obstacles then say, “I can help.”

After standup have follow up conversations (3-5 minutes).

For later:

Other ways of doing a standup.

Broader context for doing standups when building digital products.

Who is this guy? What’s his UX research journey?

Marc has been doing user research and service design for eight years. He currently leads a team of UX researchers and service and visual designers inside San Francisco government. He has facilitated numerous workshops on this topic for practitioners in industry and government, including at three previous SfAAs. He likes comic books and struggles to cook fish. Pointers welcome.

Why is anthropology a good fit for UX research?

Reflection & Curiosity: “Anthropological thinking is a habit of mind that begins by questioning fundamental categories of meaning.”  (Aaron Podolefsky, 2011:187)

Holistic & Critical: Lived experiences unfold in a historical context shaped by structures of power and privilege that impact personal agency. 

Methods Geeks: Blend qualitative and quantitative methods and anything else to be more effective.

Expectations?

What would you like to get out of our time together?

Marc’s expectations: have fun & deepen your understanding of how to be a more effective practitioner of design & UX research.

Guardrails?

How should we act / treat each other in order to be successful today? 

Example: At any time ask questions, leave for the room to use the bathroom or take a phone call.

Why UX research?

Source: Nick Bowmast, Userpalooza, Pg. 86

What is UX research?

To understand people’s needs are:

Functional (seeking out a company or org. to complete a task or job),

Emotional or context dependent (nostalgic, anxious, hungry, sick, etc.) (Clayton Christensen et al, HBR, 2016). 

We should also consider people’s needs within societal, environmental, historic and systemic contexts (social impact UX research or “design anthropology”).

Examples from the services you receive?

What about the services you provide others?

What is service design?

End to end journey or experience of the person/resident/customer/user. 

Face-to-face, online, email, SMS, mail and other “touchpoints.” 

From this perspective, product design done holistically is service design. 

Example: (SEE TAB)

Source: Adaptive Path & UIE

What is systems design? 

consider integration of services 

the whole organization/company 

society / other stakeholders 

the environment

Example: (SEE TAB)

Source: U.S. Veterans’ Affairs

Design Research (vs User Research):

Wireframes & other design outputs / deliverables (Sarah’s website).

Often tech-oriented.

Part of on an Agile or iterative product development team. 

Lets Do This!

57% of young Portlanders qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year. 

Thought Experiment: 

The City of Portland wants to make it easier for the kindergarten-12th grade population to access these lunches over the summer when most students are not in school. 

The City plans to use their recreation, parks and libraries to provide these lunchtime meals. 

They hired your UX research company to understand how to redesign some pages on its website (PortlandOregon.gov) to help in this effort. 

Let’s understand the problem space: Grab a marker and easel paper, and answer the first six questions only (7-10 minutes). We’re creating a design brief / project plan. (No need to write the question.)

Who may use the website?

What are their needs? (e.g., Role of equity? Historical context? Accessibility & usability?)

Intended outcomes / results / future state?

Outputs / deliverables?

Success Metrics (How many? How well? How is anyone better off?)

Assumptions about the problem & what UX research will uncover?

Current state / Project description? Historical context?  Existing data? (Critical for projects but we’re constrained by this thought experiment.)

If we___, then we____ (”Hypotheses” to test through research by bridging the current and future states. We plan to use this soon, but not now). 

57% of young Portlanders qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the school year. Thought Experiment: The City of Portland wants to make it easier for the kindergarten-12th grade population to access these lunches over the summer when most students are not in school. The City plans to use their recreation, parks and libraries to provide these lunchtime meals. They hired your UX research company to understand how to redesign some pages on its website (PortlandOregon.gov) to help in this effort.

[Break?] Now, let’s create a team strategy by placing our distilled answers on David Sibbet’s Game Plan template:

Who may use the website?

What are their needs? (e.g., Historical context? Equity? Accessibility & Usability?)

Intended outcomes / results / future state?

Outputs / deliverables?

Success Metrics (How many? How well? How is anyone better off?)

Assumptions about the problem & what UX research will uncover?

[We’re missing the proposed steps to achieve our future state.]

Time to do a premortem as a group to create some action items. Write your responses on sticky notes.

Thought experiment set in the future about the past.

Use the past tense of verbs. 

Imagine this project is done and...

Now imagine...

What can we do to...

Use “if we___, then we___”

Let’s add these in the middle.

Now that we understand the problem space we can introduce:

Source: U.K. Design Council & Cargo Collective

Pre-Double Diamond

What we did above was pre-DD phase.

Here is another pre-DD activity.

Top-Down (deductive analysis) Activity

It works against “confirmation bias” when analyzing our findings.

It also serves as a benchmark with clients or teams to help demonstrate the value of doing UX research.

Instructions:

Write one idea per sticky note. 

What you think Portland residents likely experience on the City of Portland website today when trying to find information?

3 minutes, go!

Affinity Cluster

Put the sticky notes on the Affinity Cluster of Assumptions/Top-Down Analysis space.

Next analyze the notes, looking for patterns.

Create column headings by writing on a sticky a note a pattern or theme.

Arrange the notes into vertical columns under the appropriate heading. 

There is no one right way. 

Rearrange the work of others or to write new column headings if you wish.

We will use these headings as part of the analysis later (see below).

Photograph your work for reference, data back ups, and portfolio building.

5-7 minutes, go!

Pause for reflection time.

Discover users’ “pain points”/needs.

Source: UK British Design Council (origin story), CargoCollective Visual

Usability Test

Form groups of three and decide 

who will be the local resident (sitting between)

the interviewer asking questions

the other interviewer taking notes to document their “pain points”, needs and overall experiences on the website.

Everyone in groups?

Before starting we will do this on the screen in front of the group for a couple of minutes with an example. A volunteer please?

Write one thing (observation or verbal feedback) per sticky note.

Be sure to keep your feedback in sequential order as you blow through the sticky notes with the first sticky note on top.

Starting prompt “Please speak aloud whatever you’re thinking“

Let’s try this for 3 – 5 minutes. [Set timer, go!]

Pause for reflections and questions before working in teams of three?

Your Turn

The user / local resident should be sitting between two researchers, and everyone should see the screen. 

Researchers: 

“Please speak aloud whatever you’re thinking. There are no wrong answers here. We’re trying to figure this out together.”

Researchers aren’t saying anything else besides the occasional “Please speak aloud whatever you’re thinking” and the occasional “a-huh” and “mmmm.”

Keep your notes in sequential order as to write them, so that the first note is on top of your pile.

Questions? 5 minutes. Go!

Define the problem(s)

Source: UK British Design Council (origin story), CargoCollective Visual

Experience Map

We’re now going to put all these notes on  the wall.

“Start” is written on the top far left and “Finish” on the top far right.

A horizontal line goes across the middle of the paper.

On far left side a + (positive experience) is above the line, – (negative experience) is below.

The middle area is a neutral experience.

Researchers work with the user to create the map.

Once done, put the sticky notes on the wall between Start & Finish, and either in the + or middle ground or – feeling expressed by or observed of the user.

Add additional notes underneath for how they were 

feeling

thinking

anything else that’s noteworthy

7 - 10 minutes. Go!

Now let’s add the column headings

Aware, Access, Receive, Finish/Next Steps

Bottom-Up (inductive analysis)

Next analyze the notes, looking for patterns.

Next compare your analysis with the Top-Down (deductive analysis). 

Similarities? 

Differences?

Create an experiment or prototype (e.g., draft, mock up, simulation) & Test it!

Source: UK British Design Council (origin story), CargoCollective Visual

Creating the prototype

Working individually, 

redesign 3 - 5 pages on the City of Portland website 

to make finding information about free and reduced lunches 

for K-12th graders & their families

to access in local parks, recreation centers and libraries

easy to learn about on their mobile phone. 

Start by drawing a simple outline of a mobile phone. (See Marc’s attempt).

Feel free to see other websites on your mobile device for inspiration.

Purpose is to work quickly and cheaply in order to get feedback early.

Feedback will be your teammates clicking on the paper and talking aloud what they expect to see and why.

Have 10 – 15 minutes. Go!

Testing the prototype with actual users / people.

Gather around me to demo.

Need two volunteers.

Testing prototypes is goal directed.

There are no wrong answers.

This isn’t a test.

We just want your help to make the website better.

Please talk aloud whatever you’re thinking or feeling. 

Let’s say you are interested to find free or reduced lunches this summer for you and your kids.

You are on the City of Portland website.

What you do to find the nearest location to your home for these lunches?

Can you touch the paper and tell me what you what expect to see on the next webpage?

Talk aloud whatever you’re thinking or feeling.

Questions from anyone? Your turn?

Return to your group of three.

Everyone switch roles and test your prototypes.

Three minutes each before switching roles.

Questions. Set timer Go.

Switch.

Switch.

Prototyping Guidelines

5 – 15 (or even 30) at a time until saturation.

Edge cases can be gold!

Pill bottle example.

Source: Jakob Nielsen, 2000 (read this article and keep in mind Nielsen’s advice: “You need to test additional users when a website has several highly distinct groups of users. The formula only holds for comparable users who will be using the site in fairly similar ways.”)

Deliver 

We can’t deliver a final product today.

Some UX researchers hand insights over to clients after doing a presentation and never know the impact they had.

Other UX researchers provide their clients with:

personas or profiles (see pages 15-20) 

video or audio clips

or transcriptions 

and ask them what patterns they see in the data.

Doing so brings in the decision-makers into the discovery and definition phases. 

Some UX researchers ask their clients to accompany them to do fieldwork as well.  

Take Home Messages

1) What was the big idea you plan to take home?

2) What’s your biggest unanswered question?

3) What’s going to be your next step?

Rest Assure: Basically Everyone���s Winging It (so don’t feel like you need to know all the answers).

Source: Lauren Ancona

Additional Resources

Community

Follow up with me to get on the Design Research listserv

EpicPeople.org

AnthroDesign listserv

Various Slack channels

UX Research Meetups

Code for America Brigades, Civic UX Research

One Team Gov

Service Design Network

Templates & Toolkits

Steve Krug, Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems

Usability.gov 

Service Design Toolkit

NYC Civic Service Design Tool & Tactics

Global Database of Innovation Toolkits

Authoritative References & Training

UIE (Jared Spool) | CenterCentre

Nielsen Norman Group

UX Booth

A List Apart

Center for Civic Design

Public Policy Lab

Google Analytics, Free Online Courses

Books

Userpalooza, Nick Bowmast

Just Enough Research, Erika Hall

Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug

Rosenfeld Media

Design Research Apps

PopApp.in (Paper prototypes)

SketchApp (Wireframes)

Podcasts

Dollars to Donuts (UX research)

99% Invisible (Design of everyday life)

Social Impact & Gov Jobs

Design Gigs for Good

Code for America Jobs Board

U.S. Digital Service

18F (Federal Gov)

Joining Your First Digital Product Team? (linguistic variation, nuance & meaning)

Agile: Sprints, Scrum, Kanban Board

Lean Startup: Test Hypothesis, Pivot

Design Thinking: ideate, Prototype, Iteration

Waterfall: Requirements, User Acceptance Testing

AI, ML, DL: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning

Data: Big Data, Thick Data

Misc.: Front End & Back End Development, DevOps, API, Full Stack Developer, Pair Programming (GitHub, Trello, Slack, AirTable, Twilio, Asana, StackOverflow, Medium, GIPHY) 

[rum-and-shattered-dreams]

Personal ramblings and continuing frustration with art block...

Some days I can’t ignore the actual very terrifying underlying reason for being depressed and having anxiety.  I have tried so many times to prove people wrong when they said I’d never be able to make it on my own.  Doctors said I’d never be able to work full time or go back to college because of my chronic illness in 2001.  They said I’d probably be dead by 30 but I’m still here.  I found my own ways, outside of their prescriptions (which gave me brain damage and didn’t actually help anything.) to manage things and survive but I believe the root cause of everything was never touched upon.  I believe the stress from trying to conform while having no idea that I’m on the Autistic spectrum caused my illness to flare up.  Maybe if I’d known earlier, a lot of my life would have been different.  (But I’m not even going to go there because I didn’t, it wasn’t, it’s over now, and there’s nothing I can do to change that past.  I just want kids now and future kids to have a better experience with a more knowledgeable society.) And now it’s becoming more and more apparent to me that I can’t prove the friends who said things like “I can’t imagine you living on your own” and “what are you going to do when you’re 30 and still living with your parents?  You don’t want to be that pathetic person, do you?” wrong.   I had to quit community college once because I couldn’t keep food inside me for nine weeks and nearly died.  I did make it through an eight month technical school and managed to get a job in my field for a while but the company went out of business right around the time I figured out that every day was leaving me a little more drained than the last.  I probably would have had health issues again if they hadn’t gone out of business.  Other than that, I’ve worked retail and had to take breaks from full time hours when my health took a downward spiral again until I finally had to quit that too. Anyway, what it all boils down to is that I’m trying to come to terms with not having the mental/physical capabilities of functioning in a full time job which also means constantly not having enough money to afford living on my own.  I’m pretty good with household things like cooking and cleaning but if there’s more than basic bills to pay I start to get overwhelmed with that too. And of course there’s the inevitability that my parents won’t be here anymore someday.  I don’t have any siblings and to be honest, I haven’t seen any other family members in so long that if I met them at random, I’d have no idea who they were.  Not that that would happen since they all live in another country.  So quite honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do.  I don’t make friends easily (but I love the few I have) and probably will never have a significant other because apparently there’s something inherently off-putting about me even if I try to look nice.  And being a sex-repulsed asexual doesn’t help (but it really sucks when you do crave romantic physical and emotional experiences.  Ha ha ha what does it feel like to cuddle?  IDFK...) I simply don’t know how to interact properly and the lag in my comprehension of things (especially spoken words and physical signals) means I’m always slow to pick up on what’s going on and even slower to react and my reaction will most likely be inappropriate in some way.  All of that means that it takes more energy to interact with people and makes interacting with groups nearly impossible.   As an example - I love the idea of D&D style tabletop games and I love listening to people play but if I try to play, my comprehension lags and I end up a nervous wreck who can’t even figure out which side of the D20 is actually facing up.  Someone else would have to help me add things if there’s multiple rolls involved.  So, while half of me wishes I could find a group and join a campaign, the other half just stays home because I don’t want to drag them down and make them have to pause every time it’s my turn to do something.  And then probably pick something dumb as an action and be completely boring because I can’t think fast enough to be funny and am overwhelmed by everything.  So basically, I’ve always known I’m not invited.  And I get why.  And I don’t blame anyone for it and I try to make it easier for them to feel like there’s no obligation because why should they have to make special accommodations for me?  It’s not fair for me to make an entire group have to change the way they do things.   So I just try to stay out of the way because I’d feel uncomfortable with people having to sacrifice anything to include me  (which is a much deeper feeling than it appears on the surface.  I want to be able to keep up.  I want to be able to do what they do and when I can’t and others have to treat me differently, I feel like a humiliated child so, believe me, I know it’s not other people who are a problem and I don’t want anyone to feel guilty or anything.  I know other people try the best they can.  But, there’s probably nothing anyone else can do.  I know it’s my problems and I’m the only one who can do anything about how I feel.)  And that’s where the suicidal ideation cuts in and I have to fight against my own brain. At the moment I’m at least useful for helping my parents with things around the house.  But when things inevitably change, I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to fight my own brain anymore.  I know what my options are for things I can do when the time comes as far as continuing to survive (sell things, move into a smaller place, try to find a job that doesn’t kill me, probably move out of the US since I’m not a citizen here for the reason that I’ll probably move away at this point because there will be no reason to stay.) but I don’t know if I’ll be strong enough to actually do them and to do it alone. And this is probably causing a lot of my recent art block.  I’ve been trying to get better at it but suddenly I don’t know why.  I probably won’t be healthy enough to find a job or go back to school.  And I’ve hit this point where there’s something about all of my drawings, something about the curves and angles of my lines or the overall feel of it that I really hate and I don’t know how to fix it.  I know it’s not good enough.  I know I’m not there yet.  And I feel like I’m still stuck back in art class when my work was never good enough to be accepted to the gallery shows and the only time it was ever displayed was when we were required to have a piece displayed.  Somehow I always miss when there’s a zine looking for works and whenever I do happen to catch one, I’m not accepted so clearly I still have a lot of practicing to do.  I’m not willing to open commissions yet because people don’t even want to request things from me most of the time (Super thanks to the people who do!  I appreciate it so much.  I really do want to get better and you’re helping me practice.) and I know part of that is that I don’t send requests to others because I never have any good ideas (hence why I need requests).   TBH when there was a call for Gravity Falls fan artists on twitter, part of me kinda wished someone might suggest me but part of me is glad no one did because if I’m not good enough for someone to have done that, then I’m not good enough to do whatever it was they needed an artist to do.  And I’m just at that point of frustration where I don’t know what to do next in order to move forward and get better or if there’s even a point to it. It’s getting harder every day to make myself sit down and do daily drawing or look for tutorials and classes to try to make some sort of headway but I don’t want to stop because then I’ll never get anywhere.  I’m trying to fight and stay as positive as I can but sometimes I just get tired and start to wonder why I’m even bothering to try because it stops being fun when the frustration kicks in.  I need it to be fun again, I guess.  Maybe I’ll get there again.

#whining #art block #personal ramblings #depressing things #Eeeeehhh sorry I usually don't do this because I don't want to bring people down #so please don't feel like you have to read or reply or anything this is just like... for the sake of putting how I feel out there #For the sake of honest communication I guess. #And because sometimes I can't fight being terrified #by covering it over with cartoons and fics and art

[sporadicbeepboops]

20 Games I Loved in 2016

The Switch delay. Several big AAA duds. Another year without an official Mother 3 U.S. release. 2016 could have been a disappointing year. (Outside of video games, it certainly took its toll.) But at least from my perspective, the good far outweighed the bad. Virtual reality finally made it out of the gates, and despite some hiccups, it shows real promise. Long-delayed games like Final Fantasy XV and The Last Guardian somehow made it to store shelves AND surpassed expectations. And love it or hate it, Pokémon Go inspired a genuine pop culture craze the likes of which we’ve never seen before, at least as far as games go. I think all of that is worth celebrating.

Before we get to the list, some quick shout-outs and no-brainer caveats…

2016 was not kind to the Wii U, but the 3DS quietly had one of its best years ever. That’s partly reflected here, but I couldn’t make room for Dragon Quest VII, Fire Emblem Fates, BoxBoxBoy!, Metroid Prime: Federation Force and Gotta Protectors, to name a few. Sometimes it felt like Nintendo was just cleaning out its closet — how long ago was DQVII released in Japan? — but we benefited either way.

Overall, I played fewer games this year, but the ones I did play held my interest longer. Thanks to various microtransactions and DLC, 2016 probably hit my wallet just as hard.

What didn’t I play? Stardew Valley, SUPERHOT, Final Fantasy XV (at least past chapter 2), Frog Fractions 2, Hitman — oh, and I didn’t get to stuff from last year like Yakuza 5 or The Witcher 3, either. Yakuza 4 was pretty solid though.

I left off any new ports of games that came out last year or prior, unless there were substantial additions that changed the experience in a meaningful way. That meant The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Mini Metro weren’t in the running, while Rez Infinite technically was.

Love making lists, hate ranking items in said lists, just because I’m incredibly fickle. There’s a good chance that I’ll want to shuffle everything around the moment I publish this. But my podcasting buddies are counting on me here, so it’s time to be decisive.

Keeping all that in mind, here are the games I really loved in 2016…

20. The Witness - I’m already cheating because if I’m being honest, I didn’t actually love this game. The Witness takes a couple dozen hours to finish, and I spent at least half of them staring at a notebook, drawing grids, connecting dots, and having no idea how to pave forward. But even if I didn’t love the game, I respect it immensely. I admire Jonathan Blow’s commitment to this singular idea, of taking the kind of puzzle you might see on a restaurant placemat and coming up with every possible permutation of it. And there is of course a “meta” layer on top of that, where solutions to each component change the environment around you — tree top bridges that unfold based on the paths your lines take, or colored glass panels that create new puzzles on top of old ones. It might be cold and off-putting at times, but The Witness is still commendable as the ultimate puzzle box.

19. SuperHyperCube - I bought into PlayStation VR for games like Rez Infinite and RIGs — big, flashy, “immersive” experiences. And they delivered! I’m a very happy PS VR owner, and I hope Sony builds on its momentum this year. (I’m skeptical, but then being a virtual reality early adopter was always a leap of faith.) However, while I got exactly what I expected from most of the launch titles, it's the simple puzzle game seemingly modeled off of “Brain Wall” that I keep coming back to. I turn on the headset to play Job Simulator or Battlezone, but I always play a couple rounds of SuperHyperCube before I’m done. A solid case for virtual reality not as a thrilling roller coaster, but a hypnotic, relaxing voyage.

18. Headlander - The best game Double Fine has put out since Iron Brigade. Free-roaming Metroid-style exploration, a perfect 70s-synth sci-fi score and a fun body swapping gimmick at the heart of it all. I wish there were more vessels for your noggin to control, but there’s a strong foundation here. 

17. Kirby: Planet Robobot - It’s easy to take Kirby games for granted, and that’s especially true of Robobot, which uses the same engine and many of the same powers as the recent Triple Deluxe. What does the former bring to the table then? Smart level designs that take advantage of the new mechs without letting them dominate the action. A novel mechanical world that feels distinct from the typical pastel meadows. New amiibo support. OK, so maybe it doesn’t add that much to the series, but it’s right up there with Super Star anyway. 

16. Pokkén Tournament - This game is a fresher, more enjoyable fighting game than Street Fighter V. It doesn’t even matter (too much) that the single player is pretty thin or that the roster is small. When’s the last time you played a one-on-one fighting game that felt truly new? Pokkén is a great 3D fighter and a great 2D fighter at the same time, which is no small feat. And it’s also a gorgeously animated recreation of those battles we all imagined happening in our Game Boys 20 years ago.

15. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - The popular sentiment seems to be that Madagascar is when this final Uncharted entry really takes off. Slow drama and frequent cut scenes give way to island exploration and memorable shootouts. My take? The back half is fun and the epilogue is lovely, but I could spend an entire game in Nathan and Elena’s living room, or hopping around the globe for the next story sequence. Wherever you stand, this is a fine way to close out a reliable series.

14. Picross 3D: Round 2 - Seven Picross games — eight if you count the Twilight Princess freebie — on the eShop. That’s a lot of a perfectly fine thing. But none of them are Picross 3D. Thankfully, the real deal finally arrived this year, with hundreds of puzzles and a few extra gameplay wrinkles. Worth the premium price tag.

13. Titanfall 2 - The campaign didn’t need to be good. Multiplayer FPS games live and die by their multiplayer, and many developers seemingly write off the single player experience as an afterthought. That’s why Titanfall 2 is such an unexpected treat. The factory, the time hopping, the airborne carrier — all cleverly designed, with platforming gimmicks that would feel just as suited for a Metroid Prime game. I think the reason the new Mirror’s Edge fell flat for me was that this game featured the same parkour moves in a much more exciting package.

12. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - This crossover game is Persona-lite, yes, but I think that sells the characters and world a bit short. While its inspiration focuses on the pressures of being a Japanese high schooler, #FE is all about the Tokyo show biz scene. Pop music, soap operas, microwave cooking shows — it’s all very goofy, but the game still takes its protagonists’ dreams and ambitions seriously. #FE also makes clever use of the Wii U GamePad, turning it into a tablet/social app that helps keeps the conversations going. Even if you’re not into this particular “scene,” #FE may still win you over.

11. Rhythm Heaven Megamix - I can’t get enough Rhythm Heaven. They could put 20 new musical minigames on a cart annually and it’d make my list every year. Sumo wrestlers, lumberjack bears, monkey slumber parties — all magic.

10. Severed - A Vita game! It’s great to see DrinkBox Studios stretch beyond sidescrollers with this first person dungeon crawler full of grotesque monsters and creepy, colorful mazes. Swiping and poking on the Vita’s touchscreen feels great. The controls are key to Severed’s success; if battles were menu-driven, the entire game would fall apart. 

9. Pocket Card Jockey - I hope Nintendo keeps letting Game Freak be this weird. It’s not just that it’s horse racing plus solitaire. It’s your jockey biting the dust and being brought back from the dead to repay his debt to the angels. It’s the brassy, big band score that accompanies every race. It’s horses with luchador masks and cats hanging from their backsides. Pocket Card Jockey is a miracle of localization.

8. Pokémon Sun - Yes, another Pokémon game. The Alola region is the best thing to ever happen to this series. Previous games had regions based on cities like New York and Paris, but the results always felt half-hearted. In Sun (and Moon), the tropical island setting influences everything from the creatures you catch to the trials you complete. I’ve never demanded a believable world from this series, but that’s kind of what we get here, and it’s terrific.

7. Inside - This is the type of game where the less you know going in, the better. It’s Limbo — a previous Justin GotY — filtered through a twisted dream logic that I still can’t get out of my head months later. 

6. Paper Mario: Color Splash - I know you don’t like Sticker Star. Rest assured: that 3DS oddity feels like a rough draft for Color Splash, which improves upon its predecessor in every way. A textured, vibrant world that rivals Tearaway in its papercraft. Thrilling scenarios like a train heist, an underwater game show and the throwback above. Hilarious dialogue that mostly makes up for the many, many identical toads. I miss the liberties Intelligent Systems used to take with the Mushroom Kingdom, but everything else about Color Splash restores this spin-off series to its former glory.

5. Overcooked - This year’s couch co-op champ. Cooking with a partner is all about communication, and that’s doubly true when the kitchen is split across two flatbed trucks or on an iceberg rocking back and forth. My friends and I love head-to-head games like Smash Bros. and Towerfall, but it’s nice to play a game that’s all about puzzle solving and careful planning together. And I love the wistful stage select music.

4. Dragon Quest Builders - Minecraft has always fascinated me, but I don’t do well without direction. That’s why I’m so grateful for Dragon Quest Builders, which breaks down the open world construction into small, manageable tasks. I started off just sticking to blueprints and keeping decorations to a minimum; now, I’m spending hours building up towns the way I want them to look, for no other reason than my own personal satisfaction. Even taking the crafting element out of the equation, Builders does a great job of capturing the adventuring spirit of its parent series.

3. Pokémon Go - I didn’t set out to put THREE Pokémon games on here, and in a vacuum, this is much less satisfying than Pokkén or Sun. But we don’t play video games in a vacuum, and certainly not this one. I played Pokémon Go in Central Park, talking to strangers to find out where the Ivysaur was hiding. Or I played on my lunch breaks, exploring parts of South Street Seaport with coworkers that I had ignored for years. Go’s peak came and went, but it remains one of my fondest experiences of the year.

2. The Last Guardian - Another game that’s more than the sum of its parts. The Last Guardian is finicky and sometimes frustrating. Trico is hard to climb. The camera doesn’t know what to do when you’re up against the wall. So what? How many games feature a creature this lifelike? He may be an illusion made up of A.I. routines, scripted animations and fur shaders, but all of those elements come together in a uniquely convincing way. His evolution from reluctant ally to friend has a subtlety I’ve never seen before. I’m glad Ueda spends as much time focusing on the inner struggles as he does the external ones. Hope it doesn’t take another decade for his next game.

1. Overwatch - I didn’t even know what Overwatch was until two weeks before its release, and even then, I didn’t expect much from it. I had played Team Fortress 2 and thought it was just fine. I knew what to expect. Medics, tanks, builders — that sounded familiar to me. But I was so wrong. Overwatch isn’t just a team-based shooter; it’s the superhero team-up game I’ve been longing for since “The Avengers” was in theaters.

All 23 (and counting!) heroes have their superpowers, and all of them have their jobs to do. What really sets Overwatch apart is when these heroes are bouncing off of each other. Any combination of six is going to have its own dynamics. Mei dropping ice walls to give Reinhardt time to recharge his shield. Junkrat dropping traps to help Bastion watch his back. Mercy gliding up to Pharah to give her rockets a little extra punch. Every battle brings new possibilities and strategies to the table. I’ve played over 100(!) hours and feel like there’s still so much to learn.

But it’s not all serious business either. The colorful personalities, animations, costume designs and more do so much to shape the world, even when I know next to nothing about the overall “lore.” Last year, Splatoon felt like the only shooter I’d ever need, but Overwatch has actually managed to supplant it in my heart. That’s something this Nintendo fanboy never thought he’d say. Can’t wait to see how Blizzard builds on their masterpiece in year two.

#video games #games of the year #games of 2016 #nintendo apologist

[snowmatch763]

Speed Dating Man Calexico California

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[blogfortunatelymycollection-blog]

final draft

Davion Smith 

Mrs. Willams

English B

Should college basketball players be force to stay for more than one year?

 I think that they should be force to stay at least for two or more years because by them leaving after their first year and they get there and not getting any playing time and getting move from team to team getting cut and release a lot an get put in the G- League and some of them after that they will leave and go overseas to play but that not what they want to do they put all of they hope in to make it to the league but really not ready for it, and don’t have a college education they want know what to do after it all don’t pan out the way that they thought it will.

         The people that think it’s good the way it is they think that if the players stay they can chance that they will get hurt and they draft stock will go down, but if they go injuries can happen anytime if they go and stay it can happen like some get hurt in the league and after that they try to keep playing but they not the same player that they use to be but the ones that went and graduated from college they know when they get hurt they have a back- up plan that they know they can rely on then the ones that try and keep playing and stay getting hurt and most NBA teams don’t want you anymore because they scared that they keep playing you that much and you will stay getting hurts and that’s the waste of the money so then you out of a job with not a lot of places you can work at so you going to try to stay in the league.

         Since 2006, 57 players who were one year out of high school have been drafted by NBA teams. There have been stars such as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose, and others who have struggled to stick in the league, including Tiny Gallon and Josh Selby. A lot of them came out to support their family "I had a family, and it was a decision to take care of my family," says Gallon, who played at Oklahoma and was selected 47th overall by the Milwaukee Buck in 2010. "I was at Oklahoma for the money. I had to take care of my family. I felt I was ready, so I came out” this quote came from USA today, Many coaches have espoused the benefits of a rule similar to baseball's, where players could get drafted out of high school, but if they choose to go to a four-year college they must stay at least three years, But I think it should be at two years and they should be able to have a chance to get better.

The two-year minimum is gaining support, at least publicly. It would give college programs more stability, provide players with time to develop and give NBA teams better prospects. It would help perhaps change the image that players are using college campuses as an eight-month pit stop on the way to the pros , when the ask the NBA commissioner Adam Silver agrees, saying, "We believe the additional year of maturity would be meaningful." A lot of college coaches want them to get do away with the one and done to help the players that think they ready but really not then by them being freshman they allow them to leave school go through the NBA combine workout then end up going back to school and that’s not good because it’s hurting the players that is senior and that work hard trying to get drafted and they will be out of the a job while you all will be back in the college if you go to the combine you should be force to just leave even if you didn’t get an agent. More than 20 years after he last played a college game, Montross spoke recently of the invaluable experience of staying four years. So did Duke’s Grant Hill. Both players came from affluent, financially secure backgrounds, yet both believe they maximized their careers by staying in school.

“I’m glad I played when I played,” Hill said during a recent interview and when he was ready to leave he had a great NBA career and won a couple championship even the player that known as the greatest player of all time Michael Jordan he stayed in college for three years before he went to the NBA and had a great career in the league and is known for being the greatest player of all time. "A lot of guys do it because of their financial situation and they need to do it. That's the only way to provide a better means for their family. So when you look at it from that aspect, I understand it," said O'Neal, who then told Emmert that if up to him the rule would "probably say three-and-done."  Shaquille O'Neal is a great player he stayed all four years and he got four championship rings in the league.

The NCAA, though, and the NBA don't like the idea of players skipping college ball and want to do something about it. Mark Emmert, the president of the NCAA and the latest wet blanket to be dropped on college sports by its ruling body, sat on a panel discussion just before the start of the NCAA tournament and said, "I happened to dislike the one-and-done rule enormously and wish it didn't exist. I think it forces young men to go to college who have little or no interest in going to college." I hate to take a cynical note on this, but I don't think Emmert or anyone else in the NCAA really cares about young men going to college—or at least attending college classes. I think what they care about is whether or not these young men play college basketball, and I think what they would like is to have the NBA's cooperation in doing anything they can to keep boys playing college basketball for as long as they can, he said this in an interview with ESPN and if the president of NCAA feel like that that’s how you know that they should change the rule.

One and done has become such a measure of a player's talent in college sports that players who stay in school four years and never make it big in the pros are almost looked at as failures. The popular attitude is get out of college as quickly as you can. Stay four years, you're a loser.

“That's kind of maybe a societal issue where we start to deem what success is for a lot of these kids,” Donovan said. “And if they don't make it to the NBA, then their college careers mean nothing, is nothing. I feel bad that a lot of kids walk off a college campus if they have been there for four years and view themselves as being anything less than successful” but what if they do go to the league and be good like Shaquille O’Neal and he went all four years an end up they become as good as him if you a good player you will make it but it’s good to have a college degree, I cannot tell somebody they shouldn't take that kind of money. But if you ask me, I would tell them, ‘No, he shouldn’t go. But he has to go because of the money.’ That's the only thing that I think and it’s depleting the professional game as well as it is depleting the college game. It’s doing both because in the professional game you don’t have anybody who is there with experiences to try to re-enforce what the coach is saying because it will be in the best for the players an help them become a better player and leave college with a college degree.

      The age issue is part of it, but I think back to the question about Kobe, it’s something that he’s been particularly focused on. The last two times we’ve met, it’s almost exclusively what he wanted to talk about as he was stepping away from the game, about his experience growing up as a player, largely outside of the United States, versus sort of how the system works now and how we can do a better job preparing these young men for the NBA and this coming from a legend who went into the league after high school and he was a good talent in high school and he said he would of wish he would of took the rout because he never got to experience it at all and I think if he feel that way that should let the NBA and the NCAA to make the rule change to force them to stay for two or more years because education is very important and it can help them when they body get old and tired you mind will still be there.

Silver was also asked how big of a factor this rule will be in CBA negotiations with the players an some player want the college student to stay in college and get ready because the speed from college and NBA is very different from college because in the NBA mostly everyone is fast and can jump an can score the ball they are very different level so the want them to come very ready for the league.

         In fact, the University of Kentucky last year also lost all of its starters because of the early draft and, as a result, has remained quiet in the 2012-2013 season. Losing the best players to “better leagues” as soon as they appear, a disease that plagues minor league baseball, has now been brought to NCAA basketball. It makes the league random and fickle and ruins the sense of community that sports create for students to rally around in college.

If anything, requiring students to play through college will give players a taste of playing for the love of the sport and loyalty before it becomes all about the money. It will also serve the careers of the 98 percent of athletes whose sports careers effectively end in college. So with all that been said you make the decision should they be force to stay or should they keep the same and let them keep doing what they want an leave early and some making it and some not even get drafted without an degree.

We see it every year.  Athletes that are still in college must choose between the risk of going professional in their sport, and risking injury for another year of ball. 

Athletes like O.J. Mayo and Michael Crabtree have been a few of the players that have put their education on hold to test their values in their respective sports.  Other athletes like Troy Smith and A.Q. Shipley have put education first, while still reaching the professional level in their sports.

Athletes have been successful through both of these decisions; however, some athletes have been left behind that chose the wrong path to professionalism.  You can take professionalism any way you want it, but in this case I refer to professionalism as the act of making a living in any field, whether that means being an athlete or working in a cubicle in your metropolitan broker’s office. And O.J Mayo doesn’t even play basketball anymore for the NBA and he left for the draft early, there are many points to both sides of the arguments and each has levied beneficial stories and opinions. Ultimately the decision is yours to what you think in this situation, but the pros will always be there but the school and your education should be more important than the pros because when you leave the league what you going to do.

[vioncentral-blog]

The Tony Romo Experiment: Rookie TV Analyst Reflects on First Two Months in CBS Booth

https://www.vionafrica.cf/the-tony-romo-experiment-rookie-tv-analyst-reflects-on-first-two-months-in-cbs-booth/

The Tony Romo Experiment: Rookie TV Analyst Reflects on First Two Months in CBS Booth

So we’re seven weeks into the great Tony Romo Experiment at CBS. What have we learned?

1. He’s really good. 2. He predicts several plays a game, or where the ball is going, before the snap. 3. He knows when to be excitable and when to be analytical. 4. He can speak in the five- to eight-second bites that a game analyst must be able to do, because often that’s all the time you have between plays.

We spoke late Saturday night, before Romo did Cincinnati-Pittsburgh on Sunday. Romo was Romo. This is the way I’d describe him: He loves football. He loves talking about football. He loves opining about football. He loves putting himself in the shoes of the defense and trying to figure out what the defensive coordinator is going to call. He’s been like this for years—just listen to my 2016 podcast with him to find out how he thinks. When you’re done with that, you’ll believe he had the chops for TV, and the only thing you’d wonder is whether he could be economical with his language, and could he speak to those who don’t know football as well. So far, he’s done both.

“I know how to get ready for a football game,” Romo said. “I always knew how to prepare. Preparation for this has not been hard—I love doing it. What it comes down to is, I think about the game a lot. Even when I was playing, I was trying to figure the game out.”

Tony Romo is in his first year as a broadcaster after a 13-year career with the Cowboys. John Lamparski/WireImage

The latest example: With 41 seconds left Thursday night in Oakland, the Chiefs led 30-24. Fourth-and-11 at the Kansas City 42. Listen to Romo from the broadcast.

“It’s the game. Fourth-and-11. I suspect Kansas City’s gonna run what they like to do, which is to rush three … at the most four, play two-man super-wide. [The two safeties deep, playing wide to try to limit the throws Derek Carr can make to either sideline.] You [the Raiders] gotta go to the middle of the field.”

Pause. Slight chuckle, looking at the Chiefs’ front. “They don’t pressure here, do they? First time all game?” Carr calling signals from the shotgun. Safeties very wide, outside each hashmark. “It’s man-to-man. Two high guys [safeties].”

Romo telestrates in yellow how wide the safeties are. Then he draws a circle around the middle of the field, with the center right around the 31-yard line—where the Raiders must reach for the first down. The area is empty. Totally devoid of Chiefs.

“The area to throw to is right here in the middle!” Romo says, voice rising to the importance of the game, the season, for Oakland.

The amount of time it takes to go from “They don’t pressure here, do they?” to “The area to throw to is right here in the middle!”: 7.34 seconds.

Jim Nantz: “Here we go, everything on the line …” Carr throws to Jared Cook, right where the center of that Romo circle was. Right there. Nantz: “Right at the spot, Tony!”​ Gain of 13. First down, Oakland.

Romo: “They need to attack that every time on each play with different plays right there … Then, as soon as that safety comes down, you take your shot outside the numbers.”

NFL The Derek Carr Throws That Saved the Oakland Raiders’ Season

​

What I liked about the sequence is Romo made it sound so simple, so that even sportswriters can understand it. On Saturday night, asked about calling plays before they happen: “That’s a tough question to answer. I don’t think I do it that often. I know the viral sensation of the world we live in, with social media everywhere. But I only do it maybe three times a game. I’m just trying to think along with the game, to say what I see. It comes down to years of experience, knowing the defense as well as the offense. It’s been natural for me to feel what the quarterback is thinking and feeling at the moment.

“As far as what I say … I want people to feel when the game’s on the line how important the play is. It’s like, you’re at dinner or in the bar with your buddy, and you look up at the game on TV and say, ‘You gotta see this!’ That’s the way I want do the games.”

Some of what Romo was told before his TV life started has been right on the money. Other things, not so much. Like this: He hasn’t struggled with the amount of time he needs to make his points. “The thing coming in, what everybody was talking about, was you can’t educate, you can’t communicate everything you need to do. Not enough time,” he said. “I get the point, but I’m not sure about that. You gotta be symbiotic with the play-by-play guy, and Jim [Nantz] is so good at his job. Jim has the ability to exactly understand the situation and how much time he needs, and how much time that leaves. To me, it’s been far easier to understand the subtleties of timing.”

And about being too complex in his explanations? “People want to learn football,” Romo said. “People are passionate about their teams, and they want to know exactly why something just happened. So I try to tell them. I don’t think it’s that tough to tell them in a way they can fathom.”

NFL The Fog, the Flag and the Football

“You miss playing?” I asked. “Ever think about playing again?”

“I don’t really think about that,” he said. “When I make a choice—and I bet it was the same with [Cris] Collinsworth and [Troy] Aikman—you know how much effort goes into it. You gotta give everything you got to this. You can’t fake things. You gotta be yourself. You always hope people enjoy it. The goal is to talk to the guy having a beer next to you, just explain the game. And if I can do that, I’ve done my job.”

So far, so good. Now for your email…

Though seven games this season, Jared Goff has nine touchdown passes, nearly double his total of five as a rookie in seven starts. Mitchell Gunn/Getty Images

GOFF FOR MVP Although you were more restrained, the rest of the NFL intelligentsia left Rams QB Jared Goff dead and buried after last season even though he was playing under the offensive albatross that is Jeff Fisher. If Goff gets the Rams to a double-digit win record and into the playoffs, he's the league MVP, regardless of whatever any other player does this season. —G.M., Silver Spring, Md.

Goff is an incredible turnaround story. I truly appreciate it, because I had little regard for him at the end of his 0-7 rookie season, and the distance the Rams have traveled is great. But my MVP through seven weeks is Carson Wentz. More accurate, more yards, more touchdowns (17 to 8), better yards per attempt, better rating (by 13.7), more wins.

NFL Everybody Believes in Carson Wentz Now

THE EFFECT OF THE FOG CAMERA ANGLES I turned on the Pats-Falcons game in the third quarter and was confused why they were showing the game from one camera angle (behind the offensive line 10 feet above/behind the QB). I found out the reason a minute later when they showed the fog. I watched and found the new angle interesting (not the usual sideline view) but I really was surprised at how much more violent the game looked. Did you notice this too? —Jay T., Green Bay

Interesting point, Jay. When I have been on the field for games, I always think: How is that guy going to get up after that collision? It’s a ferocious game, and it looks ever rougher when you’re watching up-close, which the NBC cameras were able to show Sunday night. On Monday night, I was down on the field in Philadelphia before the game and ran into Ross Tucker, the former NFL offensive lineman, who was there doing the game for Westwood One. When I asked him if he wished he was playing in the game, he looked out at the field to mammoth Fletcher Cox warming up, and said, basically, HECK NO!!!!

CLEVELAND’S QB CARNAGE We're nearing the mid-point of another Browns campaign tormented by atrocious quarterback play, which means it's time to start thinking of who will be the next name on that stupid jersey. I understand your point in this week's MMQB column about needing more time to assess the college QBs. Let's assume the Browns are not sold on any of them after doing their due diligence. The Browns should trade the Texans' picks (Cleveland has their 1st and 2nd rounders) to the Patriots for Jimmy Garoppolo. The Browns could throw in the Eagles’ second-rounder if they must in order to ensure the deal happens. Then, the Browns could hold an auction for the first overall pick. What are your thoughts? Would the Pats make this deal? —Kovacs, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Kovacs, I’m glad you asked about whether the Pats would make the deal. You could have offered them the moon last offseason and they would not have traded Garoppolo. So I have no idea, nor does anyone, if they’d do anything with him going forward. Keep this in mind: Garoppolo is going to be a free agent in March. The Pats could franchise or transition-tag him, or let him walk, or sign-and-trade. If they didn’t deal with Cleveland for the 12th overall pick last year, I question whether they’d do anything this year if they really want to keep him. Bill Belichick doesn’t value high draft choices the way most of the league does. Why should he? Of the 11 offensive players on the field during the fourth-quarter drive for the tying touchdown in the Super Bowl, only one was either a first- or second-round draft pick. (It was Nate Solder, first-rounder in 2011, and he was not having a great game.)

NFL The Search for Franchise Players in the 2018 NFL Draft Class

THE STEELERS ARE THE BEST TEAM RIGHT NOW There is a best team in the league right now. The Steelers are coming around on all areas. Ben Roethlisberger is throwing touchdowns instead of picks. Le’Veon Bell ran for 130-plus yards Sunday. The defense had four sacks and two picks … in the best rivalry in the NFL right now. And not 1 peep about them. —Don, Pittsburgh

The Eagles might beg to differ, Don. But I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a Philly-Pittsburgh Super Bowl.

NFL APPEALS PROCESS It seems that players have nothing to lose by appealing even the most obviously correct rulings. Given that a player can still be eligible to play while the appeals process is ongoing, why isn’t a mandatory appeal just built into the process? Allowing a player who has been hit with a suspension to look at their upcoming opponents and then use the appeals process to manipulate which game they would sit out seems to take some of the teeth out of the disciplinary penalty. — Steve M.

Most of the disciplinary hearings occur before the next game, such as this week with the Marshawn Lynch appeal. I would agree that in baseball the process can be manipulated to choose which games to miss, but that’s not often the case in the NFL.

JEFF HEATH, WOW As a Dallas fan, I don’t have a lot of love for Jeff Heath, the safety. But, Jeff Heath showed the kind of football player he is over the weekend. With Dan Bailey out, Heath steps in and goes 2-for-3 on PATs and adds couple of touchbacks. He is the team’s starting strong safety, for crying out loud! Tremendous. Figure he deserves a little more recognition this week. —Teddy C.

You’re right. I owe Heath his due. That was a big miss by me Monday.

CAL RIPKEN AND JOE THOMAS The Joe Thomas streak is amazing. You mentioned Ripken’s incredible consecutive games streak; however, I think his consecutive innings streak may be even more impressive. He played in 8,264 consecutive innings from June 5, 1982 to Sept 14, 1987. Given the brutality of the NFL I think Thomas’ streak may be even more impressive than either of Ripken’s. —Brian C., Richmond, Va.

Agreed.

YES! ON OUR WASHINGTON-PHILADELPHIA GAME STORY PODCAST Mr. King: Yes, more of the game-story podcasts. I really enjoy them and they bring a unique depth to The MMQB’s offerings. —Ross S.

NO! ON OUR WASHINGTON-PHILADELPHIA GAME STORY PODCAST More writing instead of pods. 10 Things w/Gary and Andy is a must listen but I’d rather read about a game than listen to another pod. —Dana

​

GARY GRAMLING IS GOLDARN GREAT Just sayin’, Gary is hilarious—with great football insight. Sorry, Peter, but Gary is my favorite MMQB read now. And I bet he drinks good ol' GMO-corn-syrup-boosted PBR—hipsters and high triglycerides be damned—not limp-wristed saisons or shandies, or 1st-degree-felony-assault-on-tastebuds IPAs. Just love his twisted take on covering the NFL, right up my deranged yet dedicated alley. —Kris K., North Yarmouth, Maine

I happily cede my crown to the maestro of the pre-game column, Mr. Gramling. I love it too. It’s so different, and so necessarily cynical when need be. Couldn’t be happier to have him on our team. He’s the most versatile man in the biz.

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twenty five-calendar year job? Seahawks' Russell Wilson bolsters offseason routine - Seattle Seahawks Site

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twenty five-calendar year job? Seahawks' Russell Wilson bolsters offseason routine - Seattle Seahawks Site

7:00 AM ET

Sheil KapadiaESPN Author

Near

Included the Philadelphia Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine and Philly.com from 2008 to 2015.

Included the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL for BaltimoreSun.com from 2006 to 2008.

RENTON, Clean. — By the time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots done their epic Super Bowl comeback in February, Russell Wilson‘s offseason education software was very well underway.

The Seattle Seahawks‘ playoff operate had finished a few weeks previously at the palms of the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional spherical. But like anyone else in the football planet, Wilson watched from afar as Brady piled up 466 yards en route to his fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Wilson observed how Brady appeared to be transferring better at age 39 than he did at twenty five. He took recognize of how Brady maneuvered in the pocket. He took recognize of how Brady’s arm seemed as solid as at any time. He listened this offseason when Brady said he’d like to enjoy at least into his mid-40s right before he even considers retirement.

“Uh, yeah, I fork out notice,” Wilson informed ESPN.com. “I’ll say that. I fork out notice. Something that I have noticed and witnessed. He’s a excellent case in point of longevity. He’s a excellent case in point of getting able to be mobile — a distinctive mobility, but you know what I suggest. Remaining able to look like he’s just having better. That is what I usually want to be. That is my focus.”

The highlight of the Seahawks’ 2016 period was a Week 10 victory over Brady and the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Seattle was the only team to defeat New England in the 15 online games (postseason provided) that Brady started. Wilson threw for 348 yards and a few touchdowns on that November night. But total, his 2016 period was marred by a few distinctive accidents.

Wilson even now has not skipped a match in his five-calendar year NFL job, but previous period poked at his invincibility. He rushed for a job-small 259 yards, and the Seahawks had to shrink their playbook mainly because Wilson was mostly a nonfactor with his legs. A calendar year following finishing with the most productive offense in the NFL, Seattle fell all the way down to No. 17.

Prior to previous period even finished, Wilson made a decision that he wanted to make some adjustments to cut down the chance of a repeat functionality.

“I want to enjoy twenty five a long time,” he recurring a few situations during the training course of a 15-minute dialogue, ignoring the truth that no QB has at any time played that prolonged.

Wilson sought out a comprehensive-time trainer who could enable him close to the clock, and he speedily made a decision on twenty five-calendar year-old Decker Davis, whom he had recognised formerly. When Wilson vacationed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and traveled to China on a Nike trip this summer, Davis was there by his side like yet another member of the family.

Wilson spends most of his offseason in Los Angeles, so Davis identified a spot to continue to be that was five minutes away. When Wilson moved to Seattle for the begin of the offseason software, Davis did the exact.

“He travels with me everywhere I go,” Wilson said. “We go everywhere alongside one another. He’s super in-depth. We can go in any condition, any situation, any spot and discover something to do. We’re consistently undertaking that.”

Davis provided his evaluation.

“This is my sole focus — all with him and also with Ciara [Wilson’s wife]. She had her newborn, so we’ll be undertaking some circuit kind of education. So I’m comprehensive time for them, for the family.”

In February, when Davis officially began his new function, the mornings with Wilson began with a swim or a boxing work out at Freddie Roach’s health and fitness center, Wild Card, in Hollywood.

“It was not the 1st time I boxed, but it was the 1st time I got to go perform out with Freddie Roach,” Wilson said. “A person factor I actually wished to perform on was my ft. And Freddie and I worked on my ft a bunch. Just doing work on my equilibrium and quickness and just continuing to make my match.

“The idea of getting able to do something and almost everything at any second and so you have to be organized for that. Also, excellent boxers have excellent defense much too, meaning getting able to go and get away and all that. So that was something that was actually significant to me much too. And it’s a excellent conditioning work out — a person of the toughest routines you could at any time do.”

Wilson spent portion of his offseason taking part in boxing routines at Freddie Roach’s health and fitness center, Wild Card, in Hollywood, California. Courtesy Daniel Mogg/West2East

On Mondays and Thursdays, Wilson would perform on his higher overall body, but he stayed away from straight-arm workouts (these as the bench push) to cut down the hazard of personal injury. On Tuesdays and Fridays, he would perform his lessen overall body. Wednesday was a light-weight working day.

Davis formerly worked below Wilson’s former trainer, Ryan Flaherty. The notion of his offseason routines is to merge heavier lifts with plyometrics (these as a box leap). To have a prolonged job, Wilson realizes adaptability wants to be just as substantially of a focus as energy education.

In addition to employing Davis, Wilson fully revamped his eating plan. And Wilson added yet another comprehensive-timer to his own workers: actual physical therapist Janet Jin. All through minicamps in June, Jin would be at the team’s practice facility doing work on Wilson through the working day, in involving his team obligations.

She would heat him up right before the Seahawks’ 1st practice. When Wilson broke for lunch, he would have yet another session with Jin. And a person additional later on in the working day at property.

“The way I explain it is muscle mass firing on all cylinders,” Jin said. “I do not want him heading into practice where by his muscle mass are only firing on only four cylinders when it ought to be eight. So I perform on mobility, security and activation, earning certain that he’s all set to go for practice.”

Wilson said he has observed a variation specially with how his throwing arm and shoulder experience following doing work with Jin. And Pete Carroll famous during the spring that Wilson’s arm appears stronger than at any time.

But how does the head coach experience about Wilson owning his personal own team in addition to what the team provides?

“To be organized with enable like that — a amount of our men have people they go again to perform with mainly because we just cannot get in the vicinity of them for the 6 weeks, and there’s the time frame involving the end of the period and middle of April,” Carroll said. “These men have to go someplace so they acquire excellent interactions, ideally. Russell’s got a actually great group at the rear of him, and we’ve fulfilled alongside one another with his individuals just to make certain everyone’s on the exact webpage, and it’s worked out good.”

Jin said her perform with Wilson at the practice facility was cleared by the Seahawks.

“They know that I’m undertaking this. I do not want to interfere with what’s heading on with the team and the other customers of the Seahawks,” Jin said. “So I continue to be out of the way. We go to a separate place to make certain that there is not a distraction. The Seahawks know about it, and I communicate with them and they are good with it. But in the end, what they have an understanding of is the rationale that we’re undertaking this is mainly because it’s not only benefiting Russell, it rewards the total team. He wishes to enable this team get a Super Bowl.”

When Wilson got injured previous calendar year, he flew in a actual physical therapist and underwent solutions in the middle of the night at his property. This calendar year, he’ll have Jin. She moved to Seattle from Los Angeles, and she will be on connect with 24/7 during the period to enable the quarterback.

On the field, Wilson reconnected with his former offensive coordinator from NC Point out, Dana Bible. They would watch movie at USC in involving routines, heading through Wilson’s tape from his 1st five a long time in the league, in addition to watching other quarterbacks.

The vital for Wilson will be having again to the player he was the 2nd fifty percent of the 2015 marketing campaign. All through an eight-match extend then, he done 67.five percent of his passes, averaged eight.sixty two yards for each try and threw twenty five touchdowns with only two interceptions. Wilson was lethal from the pocket. But a person of the causes for his success was that his protection held up.

Last period, Wilson was pressured on 36.five percent of his dropbacks, the highest mark in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information study. The team signed Luke Joeckel in totally free company and drafted Ethan Pocic in the 2nd spherical. The coaches are optimistic that younger players these as George Fant, Germain Ifedi and Mark Glowinski will boost. But the offensive line remains the major query mark on the team.

From a weapons standpoint, this may possibly be the most effective group to enjoy with Wilson. His targets will incorporate Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham, Tyler Lockett and C.J. Prosise. Jermaine Kearse will search to bounce again from a down 2016 marketing campaign, and Paul Richardson will try out to make on the momentum he created at the end of previous period.

Wilson and his teammates worked alongside one another at USC during the spring. There is a perception close to the team that this could be the Seahawks’ previous prospect at a Super Bowl while their present-day core group is even now alongside one another. You will find a feeling that the earlier a few a long time have been loaded with much too several skipped options.

Wilson employed trainer Decker Davis to perform with him comprehensive time, commencing in February. Courtesy Daniel Mogg/West2East

But it is really truthful to marvel why this was the calendar year Wilson manufactured so several adjustments. He has been in the league considering the fact that 2012 and usually has had a plan for offseason education. Likely into his sixth period, why did he experience he had to alter matters up and use a comprehensive-time trainer and a comprehensive-time actual physical therapist? Why now did he choose to fully alter the way he eats and deliver in his faculty coach for enable?

The answer goes again to previous season’s accidents.

“He obtained some weight mainly because he was not able to operate,” Davis said. “He was not able to have that cardio and operate as substantially as he did the past a long time. And even now, he did not miss out on a match following suffering these accidents. Just looking at him gain that weight and sluggish down, that is not Russ. I think the moment he felt that weight, the moment he felt himself slowing down, that was it for him. He was like, ‘I’m employing a comprehensive-time trainer. I do not want to get like this. I do not want to experience like this at any time all over again.’

“I just cannot say that is not heading to occur, mainly because you in no way know what’s heading to occur in an NFL match. But my goal is to in no way have him experience that way at any time all over again. So his accidents ended up a significant portion of it.”

On Sunday, the Seahawks will open up education camp with genuine Super Bowl expectations. They have manufactured it to at least the divisional spherical in all five of Wilson’s NFL seasons, but they are hungry for a 2nd Lombardi trophy.

The Seahawks are banking on an enhanced offensive line and a additional productive operate match. With protection Earl Thomas returning, it ought to go a prolonged way in fixing the challenges on defense.

But the actuality is that a healthful Wilson is the major vital to Seattle heading on a operate.

“I want to enjoy twenty five a long time and be in every match,” Wilson said. “So, to me, how do you get there? That is the basic query I question myself.

“I experience excellent. I experience the most effective I have at any time felt. I experience like I’m 18 all over all over again. So that is something that I have been actually invested in is owning a excellent team of people that can enable me be effective on the field and in the end enable the Seahawks get.”

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