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plush-anon · 3 years

Note

"who can create better prompts for their fandoms' fanfic-kers than they can write" Challenge accepted! What's a good MCU prompt?

Oh Anon... Anony-Nonny-Non.

Here, have 19.

1.) Snap!Swap - everyone who died in Infinity War (Snap or otherwise) is alive, while everyone who survived on-screen is now dead. Loki and Heimdall are the survivors while Thor dies; Gamora and the GOTG survive, but Rocket and Nebula are gone; Doctor Strange, Vision, Bucky, Falcon, and Spiderman survive while Tony Stark, Wanda Maximoff, and Steve Rogers perish, etc etc. How do they work together to fix what happens - with Doctor Strange, do they explore alternate dimensions, or do they still stick with time travel? How do they come together to help the world recover in the devastating aftermath of over 4 billion dead?

2.) Dead Loki TDW - Loki died at the end of Thor: The Dark World as initially planned. Now, there is no Loki pretending to be Odin to save Thor from his father’s wrath - only Odin himself remains. The father who sent soldiers to kill his own son when he committed treason and betrayed Odin’s wishes, and Loki is no longer alive to take the fall. Now Thor is the unfavored son, and Heimdall and the Warriors Three are banished from the realm. Hela is no longer released, but the burden of responsibility is heavy indeed.

3.) Fallen Loki, Collector’s Edition - at the end of Thor 1, when Loki attempts to kill himself, he doesn’t end up in Thanos’ grasp, no no - he ends up in the Collector’s. Reverted to his Jotunn form, suffering from head trauma, and growing horns, he lives out his days in the Collection fearing his brother’s wrath should he be found. After all, his brother only learned that genocide like he wished to enact was wrong - he didn’t learn to love the Jotnar. Surely he still wishes them dead?

Things change, of course, when the Guardians of the Galaxy first arrive with the Power Gem - now freed from his glass case prison, he ends up trapped/stuck with them for the rest of the movie, and becomes a Guardian himself.

4.) Pym!Ultron - Tony Stark isn’t the creator of Ultron in the MCU now, and Scott Lang’s Ant-Man never came to be. Infuriated by Stark’s apparent lackadaisical approach to saving lives, Hank Pym creates Ultron to supersede Tony Stark... but nothing ever turns out the way you plan, does it Hank?

5.) Hela’s Rise - after Thor is banished in Thor 1, Loki finds his Jotunn origins and Odin falls into the Odinsleep to avoid THAT conversation any further. Unfortunately, instead of being handed the throne while Odin recovers, Hela breaks through Odin’s weakening imprisonment spell and arrives back in Asgard - and as Odin’s firstborn, she takes command of the throne instead. Blocking Thor from ever returning to Asgard, casting Odin in a permanent sleep, banishing Heimdall and the Warriors Three to Midgard with Thor, and imprisoning Loki and Frigga, it doesn’t appear that anyone can stop her - especially when her new suitor is more than willing to kill for her favor. Can she be stopped?

6.) The Tragic Death of Tony Stark - Tony Stark dies before he can cure himself in Iron Man 2 - and hoo boy, does this open a can of worms. Unfortunately for Tony, he gets to watch it all go down as a ghost - because of course his luck’s just like that.

7.) Dead Hawk Do Not Eat - Natasha Romanoff is left to pick up the pieces after Hawkeye sacrifices himself on Vormir. Between her job as the new Director of SHIELD, the painful distance his family has enacted, and an old threat from her past rising to meet her, the world has never seemed so gray.

8.) For Better or For Worse - at the end of Endgame, Steve goes back in time. But despite himself, he can’t help but fight to change the intolerant society he’s returned to... and his changes ripple forward in ways no one could have guessed.

9.) Cracking Open a Cold One with the Boys - Howard Stark unearths and defrosts Steve in the 1980s. Between the Cold War, reuniting with Peggy Carter, and uncovering a HYDRA conspiracy with Hank Pym, Steve’s being kept busy enough without having to deal with a persistent little fan in the form of Howard’s only son.

10.) A Stane on Your Good Name - Obadiah Stane survives the end of Iron Man 1, and lives to endure a public trial, where we learn exactly what led to him betraying the man who was like a son to him.

11.) Pepper Fire - in Iron Man 3, Pepper Potts was cured of her superpowers. But what if they remained even after being cured? Now she must navigate the world as a mutant CEO, and all the bad (and good) that comes with it.

12.) No Longer So Sweet - when Loki was adopted and glamoured as a Prince of Asgard, it was under the assumption that he was a runt. Not so. When he begins to grow bigger than Thor, and horns bud at his temples, Odin and Frigga cast him away and tell the realm he died of sickness.

Years later, Thor is made mortal and banished, only to be knocked out of the Bifrost and onto Sakaar. There he encounters a familiar (if blue) face, looming over him at 8 ft 5 - and both must work together to return to home... whatever that is now. (Technically one of my older prompts, but still one of my faves)

13.) World War Panther - T’Challa remained in his coma for longer than expected; Killmonger declares war on the world, and gets exactly what he wants. But as Wakanda struggles to maintain a 360 degree front battle, Erik finds himself doubting the path he chose, as he witnesses the damage unravel before his eyes.

14.) Blood as Red as Reality - after Jane absorbs the Reality Aether, she isn’t retrieved by Thor - she is retrieved by Ego, who reveals she is his long-lost daughter, and takes her to locate her half-brother Peter Quill. He should be able to help her with her new powers over the Infinity Stone - after all, he looked near identical to her when he wielded the Power Stone. Now Jane must juggle these new and startling revelations between learning how to control the Aether within her and interacting with her new family, all the while pursued by Malekith, Thor, and Thanos, who sees the (relatively) unprotected Infinity Stone with his two errant daughters, and figures he can crush two planets with one missile. At least she’s safe on Ego’s home planet... isn’t she?

15.) A Marvelous Daughter - Thanos captures Captain Marvel shortly after she departs Earth in the 90s, intrigued by the concept of infusing his soldiers with the Infinity Stones without reducing said stones’ power. And the acolyte he carves out of her will make a fine role model for her two new little sisters... one he isn’t so keen on letting escape when she flees with Nebula and Gamora in tow.

16.) According to Plan - Zemo’s plan for revenge was never so complex as we saw; instead he decides to take three actions to ensure their suffering and demise. 1,heighten the death toll, 2, publish an article, and 3, get Bucky Barnes arrested under his brainwashing trigger commands. Because of this, the Avengers are not warned of their new boundaries until after the UN has passed them, causing internal strife and chafing at the political restraints. With the release of a breaking story on the death of the Starks, combined with Bucky Barnes’ ongoing trial, the Avengers are nearing the end of their patience and goodwill towards each other. What will remain after that?

17.) Never Rub a Ross the Wrong Way - Betty Ross reenters the picture when her father announces the Sokovia Accords, and declares war on him alongside her lawyer and close friend: Jennifer Walters.

18.) Mother’s Intuition - It is not Frigga, but Odin, who dies at Malekeith’s hand in TDW. Now, with one son in pieces, another imprisoned, an estranged daughter returning from beyond the grave, and a terrified mortal overwhelmed with ancient power, she takes the throne and proceeds to do things very differently to protect what family she has left, while making deals with people many would fear crossing. Whether that works out well is another question...

(bonuses for featuring: Frigga being a deeply manipulative ruler, depressed!Thor, Loki freed to teach Jane how to work with the Aether within, and Hela bound by her mother’s magic - possibly an arranged marriage to Thanos? just go dark with it)

19.) When Loki falls and tries to kill himself in Thor 1, he lands on Earth with extensive memory loss in the year 1991, landing on top of a depressed Tony Stark (literally). His memories will not stay gone forever; but maybe, just maybe, he and Tony can change things for the better - for Midgard, for Asgard, and for Jotunheim.

#mcu #prompts by plush #prompts #fanfiction #yes i know a lot of these focus on loki #but he's my fave #i did try to spread out from my norm tho #Anonymous

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signourneybooks · 5 years

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Intro

You know sometimes I like to challenge myself.

How to Play

This reading challenge consists of 3 sections. Fantasy, Sci-Fi and General for a total of 52 prompts which comes down to about 1 book a week.

You can do 1, 2 or all 3 sections.

With each section you are allowed 1 Double-Up. Double-Up means you can use 1 book for 2 prompts. Preferred is not to at all but if for some reason you are struggling with time or a prompt you can.

In the general sections you can use both fantasy and sci-fi books but not other genres.

Graphic novels, comics, audiobooks and novella’s are allowed. It is all reading in my book.

Rereads count.

You can move the books around throughout the year if things fit better elsewhere and all.

You can step into this reading challenge at any point. I’m starting it in January 2019 but in reality this is a reading challenge you can fit for yourself in anyway you like. If you want to start in May and end April the year after, that is totally fine.

Graphic

Sign-Up

I don’t know if people want to join me but I would love to interact with each other if you do. You can participate anyway you like, with goodreads, twitter, instagram or your blog. I don’t require a sign-up post but I would appreciate if you boosted this.

If there are a nice group of people we can see if we can do a twitter dm group or an fb group or something to chat with each other on how to fill the prompts. 🙂

The widget won’t go into the post because wp sucks so here is the direct link.

If You Need Inspiration: Find Some Fitting Books Per Prompt Here

I figured some of you might like to have a list of options for each prompt so here we are. I’ve read a portion of these, others are on my own TBR and others I just know fit with the prompt. These are in no way meant as real recommendations, just those that fit the prompt. No links because do you see how many books I mention haha.

Fantasy

Classic Fantasy The Dragon Bone Chair by Tad Williams / Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin / The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien / Narnia by C.S Lewis /

Magic School Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling / Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce / A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. le Guin / The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss / Carry On by Rainbow Rowell / Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones / The Magicians by Lev Grossman / The Novice by Taran Matharu

Necromancers Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong / Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride / Sabriel by Garth Nix / The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco / Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews / Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard / Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh / Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry / Give the Dark My Love by Beth Revis

PTSD Witchmark C.L. Polk / The First Law by Joe Abercrombie /

Dragons The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli / Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb / The Copper Promise by Jen Williams / Talon by Julie Kagawa / Seraphina by Rachel Hartman / A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin / Eragon by Christopher Paolini / Eon by Alison Goodman / Temeraire by Naomi Novik / A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan / How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell / Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland / Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aron

Fairytale Retelling Uprooted by Naomi Novik / A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas / Ash by Melinda Lo / Forests of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao / The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh / The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden / Thorn by Intisar Khanani / To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Grimdark Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence / Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson / Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin / A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall / Skullsworn by Brian Stavely / Red Sister by Mark Lawrence / The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

Ghosts Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud / The Graveyard Queen by Amanda Stevens / City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab / The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman / The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater / Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Uncommon Fantasy Creatures So not the usual werewolf, dragons, vampires and the like Bones and Bourbon by Dorian Graves (Huldra) / The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker (Golem) / Steel & Stone by Annette Marie (Incubus) / Troll Fell by Katherine Langrish (Trolls) / The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (Goblins)

Shapeshifters Moon Called by Patricia Briggs / Written in Red by Anne Bishop / Stray by Rachel Vincent / Soulless by Gail Carragher / The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong /

Gods Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan / Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan / Aru Shah at the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi / American Gods by Neil Gaiman / The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin / The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter / The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White / Furyborn by Claire LeGrand / Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor / Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman / Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova / The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris

Animal (or in Animal Form) Companion(s) Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb / The Dragon Bone Chair by Tad Williams / Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh / Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell / The Summoner by Taran Matharu

Matriarchy Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima / Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake / Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop / Dragonflight by Anne McAffrey / The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells / The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

Set in Our World The Others by Anne Bishop / Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling / Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare / American Gods by Neil Gaiman / Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning / Psy-Changeling by Nalini Singh / Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Witches Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt / The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco / A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness / Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett / The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy / Uprooted by Naomi Novik / Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Magical Law Enforcement Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling / Rivers of London by Ben Aaronvitch / The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher / The Golem’s Eye by Jonathan Stroud / Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud

Thief The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron / The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch / Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo / The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima / The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells

Pirates Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo / Magic of Blood and Sea by Cassandra Rose Clarke / Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch / The Nature of a Pirate by A.M. Dellamonica

Portal Fantasy Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica / The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis / Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll / Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire / The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Warrior Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin / Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien / Night Angel by Brent Weeks / Half a King by Joe Abercrombie /

Sci-Fi

On a Different Planet A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers / Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray / The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin / The Martian by Andy Weir / Dune by Frank Herbert / Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Space Ship The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers / The Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers / An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon / Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Addams

Artificial Intelligence Point of View A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers / I, Robot by Isaac Asimov / 2001: A Space Odessey by Arthur C. Clarke / Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Kick

Proto Sci-Fi As Frankenstein is seen as the first sci-fi novel all books prior to that that seem to be sci-fi are called proto sci-fi but anything before H.G. Wells will count here as it seems to cause some discussions. New Atlantis by Francis Bacon / Frankenstein by Mary Shelley / The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson / From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne /

Alien The Fifth Wave by Rick Riordan / The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Addams / The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells / Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Time Travel The Time Machine by H.G. Wells / Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier / Passenger by Alexandra Bracken / The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig / The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma / Invictus by Ryan Graudin

Utopia The Dispossed by Ursula K. le Guin / Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel / Andromeda by Ivan Efremov / The Giver by Lois Lowry

Games/Gaming/Virtual Reality Warcross by Marie Lu / Armada by Ernest Cline / Otherland by Tad Williams / In Real Life by Cory Doctorow / Unplugged by Donna Freitas

Hive (Mind) The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft / Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie / City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender

Steampunk Soulless by Gail Carrigher / Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve / Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld / Boneshaker by Cherie Priest / Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina

Super Powers The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson / Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore / Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee / Nimona by Noelle Stevenson / The Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan

Science Better known as heavy sci-fi if you go searching for books Foundation by Isaac Asimov / World War Z by Max Brooks / The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson / Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Replicate/Replica Accelerando by Charles Stross / Replica by Lauren Oliver / Evolution by Stephen Baxter / The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

Space Colonization The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs / Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie / The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradburry

Mecha Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel / Gundam Wing by Haijme Hatate / Dreadnought by Cherie Priest

Space Creatures/Beasts Mistworld by Simon Green / Dune by Frank Herbert / Alien by Alan Dean Foster /

Teleportation Jumper by Stephen Gould / Timeline by Michael Crighton / The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter / The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Space Western The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury / Six-Gun Planet by John Yakes / Trigun by Yasuhiro Nightow / Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon / Cowboy Bebop by Yutaka Nanten

The Moon The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer / Moonseed by Stephen Baxter / Artemis by Andy Weir / Red Rising by Pierce Brown / The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

Invasion Alien or Human The Andromedia Strain by Michael Crighton / Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout / The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore / The Alien Years by Robert Silverberg / Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card / First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells / Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

General

For this you can use sci-fi and fantasy where you can make them fit.

Satire Discworld by Terry Pratchett / Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams / The Portable Door by Tom Holt / Red Shirts by John Scalzi /

Novella Binty by Nnedi Okorafor / Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire / The Ghost Line by Andrew Neil Gray / The Girl Who Rules Fairyland – For a Little While by Catheryne M. Valente

Finish a Series For this you can read the other books for other prompts throughout this challenge and read the last one here or finish a series you previously started. Or you could just read a whole series for this prompt alone. Whatever you want haha.

Mental Health Stormlight Archives by Branden Sanderson (depression) / The Magicians by Lev Grossman (depression) / Witchmark by C.L Polk (PTSD) / Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (PTSD)

Disability * On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis (autism) / October Daye by Seanan McGuire (weelchair) *Kristen from Metaphors and Moonlight created a masterlist.

Set in Africa Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor / Zoo City by Lauren Beukes / The Famished Road by Ben Okri / Changa’s Safari by Milton J. Davis

Library Library is semi-important in the book Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor / Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine / The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman / The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins /

By a Woman of Color Nnedi Okorafor / N.K. Jemisin / Tomi Adeyemi / Julie Kagawa / Malinda Lo / Heidi Helig / to name only a few…

One Word Title / Under 500 Pages / Over 800 Pages / Published Before 1990 I don’t think I need to make a list for these, right?

If you have any recs for any of these categories (especially Disability, Mental Health, Set in Africa and PTSD) than please leave them down below.

Printables

Let me know if these don’t work to save.

Dancing with Fantasy and Sci-Fi – A (2019) Reading Challenge + Bingo Cards Intro You know sometimes I like to challenge myself. How to Play This reading challenge consists of 3 sections.

#2019 reading challenge #Dancing with Fantasy and Sci-Fi #fantasy reading challenge #reading challenge #Sci-Fi reading challenge

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junker-town · 4 years

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The NFL’s best remaining free agents, by position

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

The new league year is here, but not every big name has been signed yet.

The official start to the new NFL league year is here, with a new collective bargaining agreement and all. It also comes at a time when the world is upended by the coronavirus pandemic, but other than changes to travel and locking down team facilities, NFL free agency is continuing unabated.

With the legal tampering period beginning on March 16, many deals were already agreed upon before free agency actually began. Some became official right at 4 p.m. ET when the new league year kicked off, while others have yet to be finalized until teams can conduct physicals. We’ve also seen a high number of franchise tags this offseason, with players like Dak Prescott and Chris Jones sticking with their teams.

Even after all that, there are a slew of free agents looking for a landing spot in 2020. Below, we’ll point you to the best available players at each position, with updates throughout free agency. Note that not every signing is included, namely for players at the bottom of the roster.

Quarterback

Signed: Kyle Allen, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne, Taysom Hill, Brian Hoyer, Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Colt McCoy, Sean Mannion, Nick Mullens, Nathan Peterman, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers, Nate Sudfeld, Ryan Tannehill, P.J. Walker, Jameis Winston

Best available: Blake Bortles, Joe Flacco, Josh McCown, Matt Moore, Cam Newton, Kyle Sloter

A strong group of free agent quarterbacks has been quickly depleted, with Dak Prescott getting the franchise tag and Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, and Marcus Mariota landing with new teams. Cam Newton’s reported release made him a late addition to the list and an intriguing option for teams that. missed out on the first wave of QB signings.

Running Back

Signed: Ameer Abdullah, Peyton Barber, Matt Breida, Kenyan Drake, Austin Ekeler, Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Derrick Henry, Jordan Howard, Kareem Hunt, Dion Lewis, J.D. McKissic, DeAndre Washington, Jeff Wilson

Best available: Devonta Freeman, Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, LeSean McCoy, Lamar Miller, Ty Montgomery, C.J. Prosise, Wendell Smallwood, Chris Thompson, Jonathan Williams

The value of the running back position continues to swing wildly, but that didn’t stop the Titans from putting the franchise tag on Derrick Henry. Other names like Austin Ekeler and Jordan Howard were quickly locked down, too.

Wide Receiver

Signed: Geronimo Allison, Nelson Agholor, Danny Amendola, Robby Anderson, Travis Benjamin, Kendrick Bourne, DeAndre Carter, Randall Cobb, Keelan Cole, Amari Cooper, Phillip Dorsett, Keelan Doss, Larry Fitzgerald, Devin Funchess, A.J. Green, David Moore, Zach Pascal, Breshad Perriman, Demarcus Robinson, Emmanuel Sanders, Tajae Sharpe, Laquon Treadwell

Best available: Taylor Gabriel, Rashard Higgins, Johnny Holton

We already saw two blockbuster wide receiver trades involving DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. The Cowboys didn’t let Amari Cooper hit the open market, as they signed him to a lucrative long-term deal. The Bengals tagged A.J. Green, but that still left some compelling names on the market.

Tight End

Signed: Ross Dwelley, Eric Ebron, Tyler Eifert, Darren Fells, Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris, Hunter Henry, Jacob Hollister, Austin Hooper, Blake Jarwin, Marcedes Lewis, Greg Olsen, Quinton Spain, Levine Toilolo, Jason Witten

Best available: Charles Clay, Jordan Reed, Luke Stocker, Geoff Swaim, Delanie Walker

A weak draft class at tight end put a premium on the free agents who became available. Hunter Henry got the franchise tag, while Austin Hooper was quickly snatched up. Veterans Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten had no troubles landing with teams, either.

Offensive Line

Signed: Daniel Brunskill, Bryan Bulaga, Anthony Castonzo, Jack Conklin, Rashaad Coward, George Fant, Cam Fleming, Ereck Flowers, Marcus Gilbert Graham Glasgow, Joe Haeg, D.J. Humphries, Joey Hunt, Roderick Johnson, Ted Karras, Alex Lewis, Justin McCray, Connor McGovern, John Miller, Justin Murray, Cedric Ogbuehi, Andrus Peat, Ty Sambrailo, Brandon Scherff, Brandon Shell, Matt Skura, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Joe Thuney, Ricky Wagner, Andrew Whitworth, Elijah Wilkinson, Daryl Williams, Stefen Wisniewski, Andrew Wylie

Best available: Demar Dotson, Cordy Glenn, James Hurst, Ronald Leary, Jason Peters

The Colts held on to left tackle Anthony Castonzo with an extension. Guards Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff would have been next to new deals, but both received the franchise tag fairly quickly. Still, there’s a lot of beef out there!

Edge

Signed: Mario Addison, Arik Armstead, Shaquil Barrett, Vic Beasley, Ronald Blair, Bud Dupree, Dante Fowler Jr., Rodney Gunter, Bruce Irvin, Quinton Jefferson, Matt Judon, Roy Robertson-Harris, Branden Jackson, Carl Nassib, Yannick Ngakoue, Robert Quinn, Stephen Weatherly, Leonard Williams, Derek Wolfe

Best available: Jadeveon Clowney, Markus Golden, Everson Griffen, Clay Matthews, Cameron Wake

Getting to the quarterback is becoming more and more important as crazy-athletic passers continue to enter the league. The 49ers gave Arik Armstead a huge extension, while the Jaguars were quick to tag Yannick Ngakoue.

Defensive Tackle

Signed: Beau Allen, Andrew Billings, Michael Brockers, Adam Butler, Maliek Collins, Tyeler Davison, Sheldon Day, Brandon Dunn, Javon Hargrave, Shelby Harris, Chris Jones, Linval Joseph, Star Lotulelei, Gerald McCoy, Michael Pierce, Dontari Poe, Mike Purcell, D.J. Reader, Jarran Reed, A’Shawn Robinson, Danny Shelton, Ndamukong Suh, Josh Tupou, Antwaun Woods

Best available: Damon Harrison, Margus Hunt, Brandon Mebane

Chris Jones got the franchise tag, which is unsurprising because of how important he was to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. After him, D.J. Reader got a huge contract with the Bengals, and the market is beginning to be pretty depleted.

Linebacker

Signed: Vince Biegel, Jon Bostic, De’Vondre Campbell, Jamie Collins, Brandon Copeland, Thomas Davis, Kyler Fackrell, Leonard Floyd, B.J. Goodson, Jordan Jenkins, Devon Kennard, Christian Kirksey, Nick Kwiatkoski, Sean Lee, Cory Littleton, Blake Martinez, David Mayo, Kevin Minter, Nicholas Morrow, Denzel Perryman, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Reggie Ragland, Elandon Roberts, Joe Schobert, Danny Trevathan, Kyle Van Noy, Nick Vigil, Tahir Whitehead, Kyle Wilber, Eric Wilson

Best available: Mark Barron, Anthony Chickillo, Kareem Martin, Alec Ogletree

There are a lot of tackling machines available this year, even after guys like Jamie Collins, Cory Littleton, Thomas Davis, and Joe Schobert got big deals elsewhere.

Cornerback

Signed: Mackensie Alexander, James Bradberry, Bashaud Breeland, Anthony Brown, Ronald Darby, Michael Davis, Pierre Desir, Grant Haley, Vernon Hargreaves, Chris Harris Jr., Byron Jones, Nevin Lawson, Jalen Mills, Emmanuel Moseley, Brian Poole, Xavier Rhodes, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Bradley Roby, Jimmy Smith, Desmond Trufant, Levi Wallace, Trae Waynes

Best available: Prince Amukamara, Eli Apple, Darqueze Dennard, Johnathan Joseph, Logan Ryan

It’s unbelievable that someone as good as Byron Jones hit the open market, and he wasn’t there for long, signing a megadeal with the Dolphins. There are still quite a few corners worth kicking the tires on, however.

Safety

Signed: Vonn Bell, Tre Boston, Chuck Clark, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Anthony Harris, Jeff Heath, Eddie Jackson, Malcolm Jenkins, Karl Joseph, Devin McCourty, Jordan Poyer, Damarious Randall, Andrew Sendejo, Justin Simmons, Jimmie Ward

Best available: Morgan Burnett, Blake Countess, A.J. Howard, Tony Jefferson, Colin Jones, Reshad Jones, Eric Reid

Several big names at safety, like Devin McCourty, Anthony Harris, and Jimmie Ward, were scheduled to be free agents. Unfortunately for teams in need of safety help, all three are staying put, leaving the next tier of safeties for the rest of the league.

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papermoonloveslucy · 6 years

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LUCY GOES HAWAIIAN: PART TWO

S3;E24 ~ February 22, 1971

Directed by Jack Donohue ~ Written by Milt Josefsberg, Ray Singer, and Al Schwartz

Synopsis

Lucy and Harry have to put a 'Farewell Show' for the final night of their cruise. It's a good thing that Viv, Harry, Kim and Craig are along to help her to produce a Hawaiian extravaganza.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Vivian Vance (Vivian Jones) was born Vivian Roberta Jones in Cherryvale, Kansas in 1909, although her family quickly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where she was raised. She had extensive theatre experience, co-starring on Broadway with Ethel Merman in Anything Goes. She was acting in a play in Southern California when she was spotted by Desi Arnaz and hired to play Ethel Mertz, Lucy Ricardo’s neighbor and best friend. The pairing is credited with much of the success of “I Love Lucy.” Vance was convinced to join the cast of “The Lucy Show” in 1962, but stayed with the series only through season three, making occasional guest appearances afterwards. This is the fourth of her half a dozen appearances on “Here’s Lucy.” She also joined Lucy for a TV special “Lucy Calls the President” in 1977. Vance died two years later.

Robert Alda (Captain MacClay) originated the role of Sky Masterson in Broadway’s Guys and Dolls, winning the 1951 Tony Award. He is the father of Alan Alda of “M*A*S*H” fame. He made one appearance on the “The Lucy Show,” and this is his final appearance on “Here's Lucy.” Alda died in 1986.

The surname MacClay is a tribute to Lucille Ball's long-time publicist Howard McClay, who also loaned his name to characters on “The Lucy Show.” The end credits, however, spell 'McClay' as 'MacClay.'

Anita Mann (Wendy) was assistant to the series' choreographer Jack Baker. This (and Part One) are her only appearances of record on the show. She later choreographed for the Solid Gold Dancers and the Muppets. Mann won an Emmy Award for her work in 1996.

Although credited as 'Wendy,' she is not identified by name and has no dialogue. She does, however, get a kiss on the lips by Craig!

Johnny Ukulele (Himself) was born John Ka'aihue in Kalani, Hawaii in 1901, the son of Prince Koeheo Ka'aihue. He eventually settled in St. Louis to begin a family, playing local clubs and operating an instructional school teaching Hawaiian music. Shortly after World War II ended he joined up with bandleader Harry Owens, remaining with his Royal Hawaiian Orchestra for 15 years, including a nine-year stint on CBS television's “The Harry Owens Show.” He returned to Hawaii headlining a triumphant homecoming gig. When his children became mainstays on the Las Vegas Strip, Ukulele migrated to Sin City himself, playing casino nightclubs throughout the 1960s. He died in Hollywood in November 1971, just nine months after this episode first aired.

“The Boys” go unbilled and uncredited. Johnny Ukulele has no speaking lines.

Jack Donohue (Dancer with Cigar) was the director of this episode and 34 others. He also directed 107 episodes of “The Lucy Show” where he was seen on screen as Man in the Bank in “Lucy and the Bank Scandal” (TLS S2;E7) and “Lucy Conducts the Symphony” (TLS S2;E13). He will be seen on camera in one future episode, which he also directed.

Donohue is cast as a typical American tourist, smoking a big cigar and wearing a Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned to his navel.

The ship's passengers and crew are played by uncredited background performers:

Nick Borgani appeared with Lucille Ball in the 1937 film Stage Door and in one episode of “The Lucy Show.”

George DeNormand appeared in three films with Lucille Ball from 1937 to 1963. This is just one of his many appearances on “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy.”

Chester Jones makes the last of his four background appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Paul King makes the third of his five background appearances on the series.

Bernard Sell was an English-born background player who made three appearance on the “The Lucy Show.” He was also an extra with Lucille Ball and Bob Hope in their films The Facts of Life (1960) and Critic’s Choice (1963).

Lisa Pharren ("Tiny Bubbles” Back-up Singer with Red Hair) gave up performing after only four appearances on screen and became a Hollywood make-up artist eventually earning three Emmy nominations for her work. She was also seen in “Lucy the Co-Ed” (S3;E6) in 1970.

The final draft of the script was dated April 1, 1970. This episode, and the preceding one, are sometimes referred to as “Lucy’s Hawaiian Vacation.”

This is Desi Arnaz Junior's final appearance as a regular cast member. He will make a guest appearance on “Lucy Meets Joe Namath” (S5;E5). He never intended to be on the show more than three seasons, regardless of how successful it was. He was also being offered jobs that he couldn't turn down, including the filming of Red Sky at Morning (1970).

This is the final episode of season 3, which ends as the #3 show of the year with a 25.9 share, the highest of all six seasons.

Originally, the two episodes were to be filmed aboard the SS Lurline and on location in Hawaii. When costs proved prohibitive, Lucille Ball productions had a three-quarter scale model of the ship built on the Paramount lot. At the time it was the second largest ship ever built at the studio. The sets occupied three sound stages. It even included a real swimming pool.

These two episodes were a single-camera shoot and filmed without a live studio audience.

Hawaii was a favorite getaway destination of the Arnaz family. The Season 3 DVD contains home movie footage of the family (and friends) vacationing together in Hawaii. In 2007, Lucie Arnaz remembered their trips to Hawaii fondly:

"It was before my parents were divorced and the time when they were at their happiest. No arguing, no work to take them away, and they just loved being there and with each other.”

The SS Lurline was a real ship sailing from California to Hawaii for the Matson Steamship line from 1932 to 1963, when it was sold to the Chandris Lines and re-christened the RHMS Ellinis. The Matson Line then brought the Matsonia (first known as the Monterey) out of retirement and re-christened it the Lurline, keeping the historic name alive in their fleet. She sailed her last voyage under this name in June 1970, before being sold to Chandris and re-christened Britanis. During the 1980s it was briefly the oldest cruise ship in service. The vessel underwent one more name and ownership change before being deliberately sunk in 2000 after nearly 68 years at sea.

THE FAREWELL SHOW

Captain MacClay acts as the host, introducing the acts:

Vivian sings "Yellow Bird" (aka “Choucoune”) a 19th-century Haitian song composed by Michel Mauleart Monton with lyrics from a poem by Oswald Durand. It was rewritten with English lyrics in the 20th century as “Yellow Bird.” Vance sang it in a high falsetto, with a calypso beat, dressed in yellow with feathers like a canary (including a long tail feather) and perched on a swing decorated as a nest. This is the last full musical solo Vivian Vance sings on a Lucy program.

Kim and Lucy sing “Ukulele Talk.” Lucille Ball learned to play the ukulele for “I Love Lucy,” although the only full song she knew was “Has Anybody Seen My Gal?”

Craig does an impression of Don Ho (inset), singing "Tiny Bubbles" by Martin Denny and Leon Pober. It was released in 1966 by Don Ho (inset) and became his signature song.

Lucy and Viv sing the 1957 novelty song “Mama's Mumu” by Gene Burdette. Harry makes a special appearances as 'Mama', wearing a wig and a padded mumu.

The Captain (Robert Alda) sings “Just Keep Your Eyes on the Hands” while Kim dances a seductive hula. The song was written by Tony Todaro and Liko Johnston and was interpolated into the 1956 film The Revolt of Mamie Stover.

The Carters perform “A Hawaiian War Chant,” written by Johnny Noble, a composer who was a native Hawaiian. The song was previously performed on “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show” making it one of the few songs to be performed on all three of Lucille Ball's major sitcoms. The finale is filled out with several of the female extras who previously appeared in the Hula lesson scene.

In 1955 Desilu recreated the SS Constitution on their Hollywood sound stage the same way LBP does the SS Lurline in 1971. Both episodes were filmed with the cooperation of the shipping lines, American Export Lines (1955) and Matson Steamship Lines (1970).

Hawaiian music was featured on “RIcky’s Hawaiian Vacation” (ILL S3;E22)...

...and “Lucy and Carol in Palm Springs” (TLS S5;E8).

Playing his Hawaiian-style conga drum, Desi Jr. bears more than a passing resemblance to his famous father.

Oops! There is a transistor radio next to Harry while he is lounging poolside. There would be no radio reception if the ship was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Wha’ Happen'? Despite the title, just as on “RIcky’s Hawaiian Vacation” we never see the characters in Hawaii - or even learn later if they got there or what they did. Did the Lurline spend any time in Hawaii or did it immediately return to California? Was Lucy aboard, or did she stay on for a vacation and fly back later? We never find out!

“Lucy Goes Hawaiian: Part Two” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

This is one of those cases where one 45-minute episode would be better than two 30-minute installments. The fist 15 minutes of this show are basically filler for the Hawaiian-themed musical revue that ends the show (and the season). Gale Gordon and Desi Arnaz Jr. are completely bare-chested for the first time in three seasons! Ratings soared!

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azeeshanfan · 5 years

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Tutankhamun relic sells for $6 mn despite Egyptian outcry

LONDON: A 3,000-year-old quartzite head of Egyptian “Boy King” Tutankhamun was auctioned off for $6 million on Thursday in London despite an outcry from Cairo.

Christie’s auction house sold the 28.5-centimetre (11-inch) relic for £4,746,250 ($5,970,000, 5,290,000 euros) at one of its most controversial auctions in years.

No information about the buyer was disclosed.

The famous pharaoh’s finely-chiselled face — its calm eyes and puffed lips emoting a sense of eternal peace — came from the private Resandro Collection of ancient art that Christie’s last auctioned off 2016 for £3 million.

But angry Egyptian officials wanted Thursday’s sale halted and the treasure returned.

Christie’s decision “contradicts international agreements and conventions,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday..

Former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass told AFP that the piece appears to have been “stolen” in the 1970s from the Karnak Temple complex just north of Luxor.

“We think it left Egypt after 1970 because in that time other artefacts were stolen from Karnak Temple,” Hawass said.

Christie’s countered that Egypt had never before expressed the same level of concern about an item whose existence has been “well known and exhibited publicly” for many years.

“The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation,” it said in a statement to AFP.

The auction house has published a chronology of how the relic changed hands between European art dealers over the past 50 years.

Its oldest attribution from 1973-74 places it in the collection of Prince Wilhelm of Thurn and Taxi in modern-day Germany.

Yet that account was called into doubt by a report from the Live Science news site last month suggesting that Wilhelm never owned the piece.

Wilhelm was “not a very art-interested person,” his niece Daria told the news site.

A journalist and art historian who knew Wilhelm told Live Science site that the prince had no arts collection at all.

‘Clear ownership’

Tutankhamun is thought to have become a pharaoh at the age of nine and to have died about 10 years later.

His rule would have probably passed without notice were it not for the 1922 discovery by Britain’s Howard Carter of his nearly intact tomb.

The lavish find revived interest in ancient Egypt and set the stage for subsequent battles over ownership of cultural masterpieces unearthed in colonial times.

Tutankhamun became commonly known as King Tut and made into the subject of popular songs and films.

International conventions and the British government’s own guidance restrict the sale of works that were known to have been stolen or illegally dug up.

The British Museum has been wrangling for decades with Greece over its remarkable room full of marble Parthenon friezes and sculptures.

Egypt’s own campaign to recover lost art gained momentum after numerous works went missing during the looting that accompanied former president Hosni Mubarak’s fall from power in 2011.

Cairo has managed to regain hundreds of looted and stolen artefacts by working with both auction houses and international cultural groups.

But Egypt has been unable to substantiate its case with firm proof that the Tutankhamun bust was illegally obtained.

Christie’s told AFP that it would “not sell any work where there isn’t clear title of ownership”.

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junker-town · 4 years

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The NFL’s best remaining free agents, by position

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

The new league year is here, but not every big name has been signed yet.

Quarterback

Signed: Kyle Allen, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Chase Daniel, Chad Henne, Taysom Hill, Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Nick Mullens, Nathan Peterman, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers, Nate Sudfeld, Ryan Tannehill

Best available: Jameis Winston, Josh McCown, Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles

A strong group of free agent quarterbacks has been quickly depleted, with Dak Prescott getting the franchise tag and Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, and Marcus Mariota landing with new teams.

Running Back

Signed: Matt Breida, Kenyan Drake, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, Jordan Howard, Kareem Hunt, Jeff Wilson

Best available: Ameer Abdullah, Peyton Barber, Devonta Freeman, Melvin Gordon, Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, Dion Lewis, LeSean McCoy, Lamar Miller, Ty Montgomery, C.J. Prosise, Wendell Smallwood, Chris Thompson, DeAndre Washington, Jonathan Williams

Wide Receiver

Signed: Danny Amendola, Kendrick Bourne, DeAndre Carter, Randall Cobb, Keelan Cole, Amari Cooper, Keelan Doss, Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green, David Moore, Zach Pascal

Best available: Nelson Agholor, Geronimo Allison, Robby Anderson, Travis Benjamin, Phillip Dorsett, Devin Funchess, Taylor Gabriel, Rashard Higgins, Johnny Holton, Breshad Perriman, Demarcus Robinson, Emmanuel Sanders

Tight End

Signed: Ross Dwelley, Darren Fells, Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris, Hunter Henry, Jacob Hollister, Austin Hooper, Blake Jarwin, Greg Olsen, Quinton Spain, Levine Toilolo, Jason Witten

Best available: Eric Ebron, Luke Stocker, Geoff Swaim

Offensive Line

Signed: Daniel Brunskill, Bryan Bulaga, Anthony Castonzo, Jack Conklin, Rashaad Coward, George Fant, Ereck Flowers, Graham Glasgow, D.J. Humphries, Joey Hunt, Alex Lewis, Connor McGovern, Justin Murray, Brandon Scherff, Matt Skura, Joe Thuney, Ricky Wagner, Elijah Wilkinson, Andrew Wylie

Best available: Demar Dotson, Cordy Glenn, James Hurst, Ronald Leary, Jason Peters, Ty Sambrailo, Andrew Whitworth, Daryl Williams

Edge

Signed: Mario Addison, Arik Armstead, Shaquil Barrett, Vic Beasley, Ronald Blair, Bud Dupree, Dante Fowler Jr., Quinton Jefferson, Matt Judon, Roy Robertson-Harris, Branden Jackson, Carl Nassib, Yannick Ngakoue, Robert Quinn, Stephen Weatherly, Leonard Williams

Best available: Jadeveon Clowney, Markus Golden, Everson Griffen, Cameron Wake,

Defensive Tackle

Signed: Michael Brockers, Adam Butler, Maliek Collins, Tyeler Davison, Brandon Dunn, Javon Hargrave, Chris Jones, Linval Joseph, Star Lotulelei, Gerald McCoy, D.J. Reader, Jarran Reed, Josh Tupou, Antwaun Woods

Best available: Damon Harrison, Margus Hunt, Brandon Mebane

Linebacker

Signed: Vince Biegel, Jon Bostic, Jamie Collins, Thomas Davis, Kyler Fackrell, Leonard Floyd, Christian Kirksey, Nick Kwiatkoski, Sean Lee, Cory Littleton, Blake Martinez, David Mayo, Nicholas Morrow, Denzel Perryman, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Joe Schobert, Danny Trevathan, Kyle Van Noy, Eric Wilson

Best available: Mark Barron, Anthony Chickillo, De’Vondre Campbell, Kareem Martin, Alec Ogletree, Nick Vigil, Tahir Whitehead

There are a lot of tackling machines available this year, even after guys like Jamie Collins, Cory Littleton, Thomas Davis, and Joe Schobert got big deals elsewhere.

Cornerback

Signed: Eli Apple, James Bradberry, Michael Davis, Darqueze Dennard, Grant Haley, Vernon Hargreaves, Chris Harris Jr., Byron Jones, Nevin Lawson, Jalen Mills, Emmanuel Moseley, Bradley Roby, Levi Wallace, Trae Waynes

Best available: Prince Amukamara, Bashaud Breeland, Ronald Darby, Johnathan Joseph, Jalen Mills, Xavier Rhodes, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Logan Ryan, Jimmy Smith, Desmond Trufant

Safety

Signed: Tre Boston, Chuck Clark, Anthony Harris, Jeff Heath, Eddie Jackson, Malcolm Jenkins, Devin McCourty, Jordan Poyer, Justin Simmons, Jimmie Ward

Best available: Vonn Bell, Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Blake Countess, A.J. Howard, Colin Jones, Reshad Jones, Karl Joseph, Damarious Randall, Eric Reid

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junker-town · 7 years

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It’s a reset year for UNC football. How far will Larry Fedora’s Heels fall?

Now that North Carolina’s production finally makes sense, let’s find out what the program’s made of.

Chapel Hill is a lovely place, and it houses a lovely campus. UNC has an enrollment in the neighborhood of 30,000. It’s spacious but not too spaced out, it’s got plenty of trees and pretty, old buildings, and the athletics facilities are mostly baked into the cake.

The old basketball arena is on the main artery road on campus (the Dean Dome is separated but isn’t too far away), and the football stadium is in the middle of things. Downtown is nearby, and it’s got drinking (cheap and fancy) and eating (ditto) options. From the dorms, you can access virtually all of this by foot.

This is a semi-idyllic, normal college town, and for a couple of years now, it has had a normal football team for once.

Over Fedora’s five seasons, he has averaged a recruiting class ranking of 29.8 (per the 247Sports Composite), produced three S&P+ top-30 performances, and averaged eight wins per year. You could note that the other two teams were pretty far outside of the top 30, or that he should be doing a hair better in recruiting, but recruiting and performance are finally in line with each other.

For most of the 2000s, that hadn’t been the case. The Tar Heels were the poster boys for what could be. In John Bunting’s first season, they beat No. 6 Florida State and No. 13 Clemson by a combined 79-12. They also lost to Wake Forest and Maryland and finished 8-5. They beat No. 4 Miami in 2004 but finished 6-6. They beat ranked Virginia and BC teams in 2005 but finished 5-6.

When Butch Davis took over, he demonstrated the program’s ceiling by signing a top-10 class in 2007 and top-20 classes in 2009 and 2011. He went 8-5 for three straight years, and he was dismissed in the summer of 2011 as part of UNC’s ongoing effort to fight academic misconduct and improper benefits allegations.

Big recruits, big wins, and no top-15 finishes from 1998 to 2014. That was UNC’s reality. And now it’s something far more ... reality-based.

Fedora’s classes are almost identical from year to year, and from an S&P+ standpoint (presented in the format of adjusted points per game) his three good teams (2013, 2015, and 2016) have been within 0.4 points of each other: plus-11.1, plus-10.7, and plus-11.1. This is almost too normal.

How does Fedora raise the bar now? I’m not sure, but I know he probably won’t do so in 2017. Like 2014, when UNC slipped to 6-7 and 71st in S&P+ before surging, Fedora’s Heels have a lot to replace, particularly on offense: a top-10 draft choice at QB, two running backs who combined for 1,500 yards, five of the top six receiving targets, and two all-conference offensive linemen. A scary-in-a-good-way special teams unit is also rebuilding. The defense is experienced but lost its coordinator.

UNC is projected to fall from 21st to 38th in S&P+. The Heels’ schedule is kind, for an ACC slate — no Clemson or Florida State, and Louisville, Miami, and Notre Dame at home — and eight of 12 games are projected to finish within one possession, which means a few exciting new pieces could make the difference between a four- or nine-win season. The former might lead us to wonder about Fedora’s staying power; the latter might make UNC the 2018 ACC Coastal favorite.

2016 in review

2016 UNC statistical profile.

I got yelled at by UNC fans during the Heels’ 11-win 2015. UNC ranked a mere 28th in S&P+. It was easy to explain why — they lost to both of the S&P+ top-25 teams they faced (Clemson and Baylor), barely got by teams ranked 40th and 68th, and lost to a South Carolina that ended up in the 80s.

When you’re winning, it feels like you should rank high no matter what, but things normalized in 2016. The Heels exceeded expectations from an S&P+ standpoint (they were projected 27th and finished 21st) but finished with a win total (eight) right where it was projected to be. The schedule went from featuring two top-30 teams to six; that’ll cost you a few wins.

That’s not to say the season went according to plan. (UNC hasn’t totally kicked the UNC habit, I guess.) The Heels went 3-3 against those top-30 teams, beating No. 6 Florida State and No. 14 Miami on the road and knocking off No. 20 Pitt at home. If you’re capable of that, you probably shouldn’t also lose to a mediocre Georgia and both chief rivals (28-27 to Duke, 28-21 to NC State). The record was less a product of the schedule and more a product of when they showed up.

UNC in eight wins: Avg. percentile performance: 83% (~top 20) | Avg. score: UNC 40, Opp 22 | Avg. yards per play: UNC 7.5, Opp 5.5 (plus-2.0)

UNC in five losses: Avg. percentile performance: 47% (~top 70) | Avg. score: Opp 30, UNC 20 | Avg. yards per play: Opp 5.2, UNC 5.2 (plus-0.0)

The defense was roughly the same, but the offense fluctuated. The Heels laid an egg in a rainstorm against Virginia Tech, but even in the other games, there was a clear difference between Good UNC and Bad UNC.

Maybe it’s a good sign that the defense was more stable, as the defense will far more closely resemble last year’s unit than the offense will.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Mitch Trubisky was only the starting quarterback for one year at UNC, but he made the most of it. He completed 68 percent of his passes and threw for nearly 3,800 yards with 30 touchdowns to only six interceptions; after completing 66 percent of his passes through two seasons as a backup, he proved small sample sizes can tell a semi-accurate story. That was enough to get him (over-)drafted second in the 2017 NFL draft.

If he didn’t produce, however, UNC wasn’t going to win. He threw interceptions in three games (two in each), and the Heels lost all three. When he produced a passer rating under 150, UNC went 1-4. The run game was decent but unspectacular (and it was horrendous in short-yardage situations), and the defense was decent but inefficient, and Trubisky had to be awesome for the Heels to survive.

Trubisky’s gone, and so are running backs Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan, receivers Ryan Switzer, Bug Howard, and Mack Hollins, and starting linemen Jon Heck, Lucas Crowley, Caleb Peterson. Yikes.

This isn’t going to scare coordinator Gunter Brewer too much; he’s seen things. His career got rolling when he coached Randy Moss as Marshall’s receivers coach, and he ended up holding the same roles at UNC and Oklahoma State (under Fedora). When Fedora left to take the Southern Miss head coaching gig, Brewer ended up as OSU co-coordinator, then as passing game coordinator for a year at Ole Miss. Once you’ve worked for a desperate Houston Nutt, not much is going to phase you.

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Brandon Harris

With so much gone, let’s take stock:

LSU graduate transfer Brandon Harris was the Tigers’ QB for most of 2015, and he threw for 2,158 yards and 13 touchdowns while sharing a backfield with Leonard Fournette. He was inefficient but explosive, completing 54 percent but at 14.6 yards per completion. He struggled in a season-opening loss to Wisconsin last year, then got yanked after going 1-for-4 for eight yards against Jacksonville State.

If Harris doesn’t seize control, the job will go to sophomore Nathan Elliott (8-for-9 for 55 yards as Trubisky’s backup) or one of two redshirt freshmen — Chazz Surratt or Logan Byrd. Surratt was the most well-regarded as a recruit, and Elliott wasn’t awful in scrub time last fall.

Senior Austin Proehl is the de facto go-to in the receiving corps. Of the six players targeted at least 20 times, he’s the only returnee. He had 597 receiving yards at 8 yards per target, and his 49 percent success rate second-best of that six-man bunch. He peaked with seven catches for 99 yards in the win over Pitt and seven for 91 in the bowl loss to Stanford. The only other wideouts with more than three catches last year: former walk-on and potential possession extraordinaire Thomas Jackson (18 targets, 17 catches, 78 percent success rate last year) and Jordan Cunningham (10 targets, six catches, 82 yards).

Tackle Bentley Spain and guard R.J. Prince have combined for 35 career starts, and sophomore guard Tommy Hatton added an extra eight last season. They are joined by Florida graduate transfer Cameron Dillard and USC graduate transfer Khaliel Rodgers, plus a smattering of former star recruits — sophomore William Sweet, redshirt freshman Jay-Jay McCargo, freshman Jonah Melton, etc. In theory, there’s a nice starting five.

Oh right, running backs. Hmm. Auburn grad transfer Stanton Truitt rushed 31 times for the Tigers last year as a part-time RB/WR. Sophomore Jordon Brown gained just 45 yards in 20 carries last year. True freshmen Michael Carter and Antwuan Branch are options. Aaaaaand I’m not sure what else.

The run game will probably regress, which will put Trubisky-level pressure on the new passing corps. That doesn’t usually translate to success.

Defense

Former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was really good at a couple of specific things. His Tar Heel defenses prevented big plays, waited for you to make a mistake, and then pounced, usually on passing downs. They were bend-don’t-break to the core, ranking 97th in success rate and 19th in IsoPPP (which measures the magnitude of the successful plays).

It’s hard to create an elite defense with those principles, but when you’re trying to restore credibility, it’s a good place to start. Before you can win (make stops), you have to figure out how not to lose (suffer big breakdowns), right?

UNC improved from 110th in Def. S&P+ pre-Chizik to 72nd in 2015 and 44th in 2016. But the 55-year old stepped aside to spend more time with his family, leaving John Papuchis to figure out how to keep pushing the defense forward.

The 39-year-old is a Bo Pelini disciple who spent 2008-10 as Nebraska’s defensive ends coach and 2012-14 as NU defensive coordinator. His last Husker defense ranked basically the same as UNC’s last year, but the Huskers ranked a more balanced 43rd in success rate and 56th in IsoPPP. They gave up more big plays but created far more turnover chances. And they did that with an ultra young front.

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Malik Carney

Chizik had to deal with something similar last year. Among the 14 combined linemen and linebackers who recorded at least 8.5 tackles in 2016, six were sophomores, and three were freshmen. That didn’t do the Heels too many favors — they were 72nd in Rushing S&P+, 95th in rushing success rate, and 120th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line) — but assuming a normal developmental curve, that could mean improvement.

End Malik Carney recorded 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last year, while tackles Jeremiah Clarke and Aaron Crawford appear to have potential as boulders in the middle. Meanwhile, junior linebackers Cole Holcomb and Andre Smith and senior Cayson Collins combined for 15 TFLs and eight breakups. If younger players like ends Jason Strowbridge and Tomon Fox and linebacker Dominique Ross live up to flashes of potential, the front seven could be fun. And if it isn’t, it probably will be in 2018.

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

M.J. Stewart

The secondary was dealt a tricky hand in having to compensate for such an inexperienced front seven. Opponents far preferred run to pass, rushing 68 percent of the time on standard downs (13th in FBS) and 45 percent on passing downs (second). And the return of safety Donnie Miles and corner M.J. Stewart gives the Heels a couple of anchors in the back once more.

Chizik didn’t employ a large rotation in the back, and the loss of safety Dominquie Green and corner Des Lawrence hurts. Even with Miles and Stewart, UNC will rely on youngsters — some combination of marginally tested juniors (Corey Bell Jr., J.K. Britt), sophomores (Myles Dorn, Patrice Rene, K.J. Sails, D.J. Ford), and freshmen (Myles Wolfolk, Greg Ross, C.J. Cotman, Tre Shaw).

The run defense better improve, but the timing might be right for Papuchis to dial up the aggressiveness.

Special Teams

First, the good news: punter Tom Sheldon is back. The 6’3 sophomore was a first-year hit, averaging 42.7 yards per kick with a good fair catch ratio and a 70 percent punting success rate (14th in FBS). Odds are decent that UNC will be punting more, and Sheldon could give the Heels a field position bump.

Now the bad news. No more Ryan Switzer (seven career punt return touchdowns). No more T.J. Logan (four career kick return touchdowns). No more Nick Weiler (7-for-10 on FGs longer than 40 yards last year).

UNC ranked ninth in Special Teams S&P+ last season, and unless Weiler’s replacement is amazing, there’s almost nowhere to go but down.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep California 55 5.5 63% 9-Sep Louisville 14 -9.0 30% 16-Sep at Old Dominion 93 11.7 75% 23-Sep Duke 65 6.6 65% 30-Sep at Georgia Tech 31 -4.6 40% 7-Oct Notre Dame 17 -5.7 37% 14-Oct Virginia 70 9.4 71% 21-Oct at Virginia Tech 25 -7.0 34% 28-Oct Miami 18 -4.5 40% 9-Nov at Pittsburgh 33 -3.8 41% 18-Nov Western Carolina NR 38.8 99% 25-Nov at N.C. State 27 -5.4 38%

Projected S&P+ Rk 38 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 59 / 32 Projected wins 6.3 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 6.9 (41) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 29 / 24 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -2 / 7.4 2016 TO Luck/Game -3.6 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 41% (19%, 64%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 8.5 (-0.5)

UNC is experimenting with a newfound sense of normalcy, and it’s looked good in baby blue. But when you reach this top-30 level, one of two things tends to happen: you either upgrade, or you deal with bumps in the road. Recruiting isn’t changing much, so when experience isn’t distributed quite right, there will be setback years.

UNC will almost certainly regress, with this much offensive turnover, but whether the Heels fall to 35th or 55th or 75th will set the bar. Adding Harris helps to assure a higher floor, but if one of the younger guys beats him out for the starting QB job, that might not be the worst thing, long-term.

From Cal in the opener to NC State to finish the regular season, UNC’s season will be filled with relative tossups and ups and downs. The potential UNC shows will say a lot about Fedora’s ability to keep normalcy in Chapel Hill.

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