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the-hoarse-bard · 4 years

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The ride to the embassy was uneventful, but cold. Azurah only knows why the embassy is atop a mountain outside of Solitude proper, I’d think there are some clear trust issues with the Thalmor even among Imperial loyalists. As I got off, I was greeted by a clearly inebriated Imperial. He was friendly enough for a random drunk, apparently he had also been invited. His drunken state was a common theme with him, according to a nearby Thalmor guard. I presented my invitation and headed inside ahead of the drunk man, I heard him cracking jokes about contraband to the door guard behind me.

The host of the party, the ambassador Elenwen herself, greeted me at the door, making a particular comment that she didn’t recognize me. I lied that I was sent an invitation as a local representative of Elsweyr, and that seemed to satisfy her. Unfortunately, she decided I was the perfect target for small talk and she continued to ask me about myself. Malborn’s bar station was nearby and, seeing my distress, asked Elenwen about a particular vintage wine they seemed to be out of. She was frustrated, commenting about his incompetence and excused herself to fetch a new bottle from the cellar.

I immediately went to Malborn and thanked him for the rescue. He said it was no problem, and then as per his profession, offered me a drink, which I accepted. Down to business, he then recommended I raise some kind of distraction so he could sneak me through to the kitchen, where he had stashed my equipment. Until then, I’d have to mingle and try to fit in.

Among the other guests, I recognized a few faces. Most of all Maven Black-Briar. I casually approached her from behind and got her attention, asking what she was doing here. She whispered she was on guild business and told me to go away to avoid suspicion. I whispered back that I’d be on call if she needed me and moved on, realizing she’d never risk her reputation on a distraction. Even for me.

The next person I recognized was Proventus, jarl Balgruuf’s steward. I tried to subtly ask the man for a favor, but he was as dense as a brick and continued to make small talk about how fortunate the Empire was to have Thalmor support, clearly not recognizing me in plain clothes. A toady to the end, that man. I had to make an excuse about needing a fresh drink to get away from his incessant yammering.

As I moved back toward the bar, I was intercepted by an elderly woman. She didn’t introduce herself and spoke strangely. She said something about lies and half-truths, and the Thalmor being fluent in both languages. I could detect some sadness in her words, but also a tone of warning. Thinking for a moment, I then recognized her as the jarl of Morthal. I had heard from many that she’s mad, but to hear her, she made a lot of sense, if you only choose to listen. I nodded that I understood her warning, she gave me a smile and walked away. I felt a shiver as she left me. I’d have to remember to visit her at a later time.

The last face I could name from the guests at the party was Jarl Elisif of Solitude. She had a reputation of being a bit.... Foolish, but I was desperate on that distraction. She clearly recognized me immediately from my meetings with Falk Firebeard, to my surprise, and asked how I was enjoying the party. For a moment, I almost felt guilty for drawing such an honestly innocent woman into my scheme, but I asked her to make a distraction for me, flat out. She initially said she didn’t feel like a juvenile prank was appropriate, all the better she thinks this is all just a joke. I did manage to convince her, however. She seemed almost giddy at the idea after I convinced her. I told her to wait until I gave a signal, and took my place over by the bar.

When I felt the time was right, I gave Elisif a nod from across the room, and she began accusing Proventus of making a pass at her, making quite the fuss and catching everyone’s attention. Maybe the stories about her were wrong and she was a mischievous soul just trapped in an extremely professional position. I turned to Malborn and told him that was the distraction, and we slipped into the kitchen unnoticed.

The Khajiit cook immediately raised objection to us being in there, but Malborn made up an excuse about me overindulging in drink and just needing a place to catch my breath. When she stated that it was against the rules to have guests in the kitchen, Malborn noted that so was having moon sugar in the kitchen, she hissed at him and immediately went back to her business.

Malborn lead me into the pantry, and indicated a crate where he had stashed the gear I had him smuggle in. He then said that he’d have to get back to the party, and pointed to a second door in the pantry, saying that it lead to the rest of the embassy, and he’d have to lock the door behind me to ensure I’m not followed. I grabbed my stuff, put on my armor and left, wishing him luck.

The door latch clicked as I stepped into the hall beyond, and I heard a trio of men up ahead. Peeking into the next room, I spied a pair of Thalmor guards talking with a wizard. They were talking about how many parties Elenwen was throwing and how it was a serious safety concern. Soon though, the wizard excused himself, as he had to go on patrol.

Seeing an opportunity, I whispered the incantation for Nocturnal’s Shadowcloak, and followed the wizard. When I was sure we were out of sight of the other two, I drew one of my glass daggers and cut his throat, heading out into the cold of the courtyard.

The courtyard was relatively unguarded, considering I had just murdered one of the men who were supposed to be on patrol here. I followed the path from the main building a short ways and hid among some foliage around the edge of the yard. I stayed there until I saw a guard passed, then crept up to the door of the outbuilding.

There was a wizard leaning against the door, apparently dozing on the job. I was able to slip through the door behind him without causing a fuss.

As I entered the outbuilding, I immediately noticed the building was being used for torture from both the furniture and the sound of a prisoner groaning in pain, as well as the torturer ordering him to talk. I snuck down the stairs from the entrance, and planted a dagger in the torturers back. Unfortunately, a wizard was coming down the stairs right as I did the deed. I spun around and tackled him before he could raise an alarm, stabbing him through the chest.

The torturers handled, I turned my attention to the prisoner. To my shock and surprise, he was a guildmate! One of the local faces around the Ragged Flagon, we had just assumed he got pinched during a job. He was beyond relieved to see me, and I undid his shackles quickly, for which he was very grateful. When I asked about escape routes, he pointed out a trapdoor in the corner, saying he had seen the guards use it to dispose of bodies. I told him to go on ahead, I had some info to find.

A little rummaging around in the torturers chest revealed a few interesting dossiers. One about Delphine, Ulfric, and most interestingly one about a fellow named Esbern. It seems the Thalmor were after him on suspicion that HE knew something about the dragons returning. I was distracted from reading it fully by Etienne, the guildmate I had just rescued, cursing that the trap door was locked, followed by a commotion from the entrance. Etienne hid near the trapdoor and I quickly hid more toward the door, hoping to ambush whoever was coming in.

A pair of Thalmor guards kicked in the door, dragging in what sounded like Malborn with them. They shouted, “Alright spy! Come on out, we have your accomplice! You have five seconds before he dies!” Malborn yelled at me not to come out, though. He said he’d gladly sacrifice his life for this operation. The guard said, “Suit yourself.” and beheaded him. I couldn’t hold myself back, and leapt upon the guards, yelling all kinds of foul curses in Ta’agra at them. I hacked at the shaveskin snakes with my daggers again and again, long after they were dead. It took Etienne shaking me to get me to stop. He had found the key to the trap door in one of their pockets, and he said we had to go before more showed up. I nodded and we descended into the cavern under the embassy.

Etienne froze at a ledge, and said “Stop. Frost troll. You’ll have to take care of it, I don’t have any of my gear.” I cursed forgetting to pack flame powder, I’d have to be very careful here. I waited for the troll to wander close to the ledge and pounced down upon it, driving my dagger right into its third eye, followed by a quick slash for its throat, and it fell dead. I called Etienne down, and we continued on. Luckily, Etienne was able to find the remains of an unlucky mage, who happened to have a glass sword and a relatively fresh set of robes for him. We walked out of the cave together and said a short goodbye as he set off back to Riften, and I to Riverwood to deliver this intel to Delphine.

#skyrim #Shirazzha #diplomatic immunity #thieves guild #Solitude

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raendown · 7 years

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For the Halloween prompts from @sumigakure

Word Count: 2566 Prompt: “witches/wizards” Genre: romance/comedy Characters: Tobirama, Hashirama, Madara Pairing: MadaraTobirama Summary: Every Halloween it's the same damn thing. This year he wants answers.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

It took a bit of creative dodging for Hashirama to avoid the three heavy tomes which flew in the general direction of his head. He smiled, absently waving one hand to catch the books with a string of magic and ensure they landed safely. A rather delicate glass candlestick headed towards his midsection and he caught that too. The smile grew wider when Tobirama’s head popped out of the cupboard he was violently emptying, hair is disarray and a smudge of something orange drying on his forehead.

“Where is it?” the younger man demanded.

“I think the last time I saw it was when you were preparing for that evocation for-”

“For Tsunade! Yes!” Tobirama leapt to his feet and hurled himself to the opposite side of the room, only just barely dodging the large cauldron bubbling away in the middle of the carpet. Hashirama bit his lip to keep the laughter inside. His sibling was such a composed man – except when he was practicing magic.

For being born in an age when magic was supposedly dying out, the two Senju brothers had been gifted with incredible stores of power, nearly unheard of within the last few generations. Hashirama’s magic helped him commune with nature and he largely channeled it for healing purposes. As a doctor it was rather easy to hide the secret of his true methods from the Mundanes who had long ago forgotten the existence of the more fantastic things in the world.

Tobirama’s magic, on the other hand, was much more wild. It had a habit of filling him and spilling over until he stayed awake for days on end researching a single spell, making his hair stand on end and his fingers twitch as he drew summoning circles, breaking his composure and leaving him looking like some sort of madman while he tore his own house apart looking for the correct length of yew wood. Hashirama shook his head as he watched Tobirama’s head disappear in to another set of cupboards. His brother had hurt himself on occasion during his manic episodes but that was more due to absent mindedness than anything else. His own magic would never hurt him. It was against the very nature of it.

“Is this-? No that’s maple. Nothing like yew. Useless. Oak. Hazel. Ash. Where did I leave it, it must be here. I need the yew for – oh!” With a low noise of triumph he reappeared, ducking out of the cupboard with a length of yew wood somewhat longer than his hand. The expression on his face could be said to be evil, although Hashirama maintained that there wasn’t a single evil bone in his sibling’s body no matter what Izuna said.

He should really talk to Madara about this rivalry between their brothers. Preferably sometime before they ended up dueling in the streets in broad daylight.

“This is just what I needed. Ha!” Tobirama reached distractedly in to a jar sitting on the mantle place, retrieving a handful of glittering blue sand and tossing it thoughtlessly in to the cauldron as he passed it. The bubbling liquid inside belched a cloud of smoke in thanks before settling back down to simmer quietly.

“Why do you need new wards, again?” Hashirama asked. Tobirama didn’t bother to look at him as he marched over to the ring of crystals he’d set up on his kitchen table. The yew slotted perfectly in to the only spot missing in the diagram he’d made with various, specifically chosen materials.

“To keep that asshole off my lawn.”

Hashirama sighed. There could only be one ‘asshole’ Tobirama would refer to in that exact tone of voice. “What did Madara do this time?”

“Nothing yet! But he’ll try something soon!” The younger sounded much too gleeful, almost like he was very much anticipating an attempt of…something. “He always uses that stupid Mundane holiday as an excuse for tomfoolery. What is again? Hallows? Hallobean? Wallo-?”

“Halloween. It’s a harmless thing for the kids. You’d like it if you’d just participate one of these years; you like kids!”

“Hmph. What I don’t like is that deranged friend of yours creeping around my property every year doing Merlin knows what. For the love of ley lines, last year I caught him attempting a summoning in my backyard! And I recognized that circle, he was definitely calling something up from the lower levels!” His hands hovered over the pink and yellow crystals, charging them slowly. “And no. I refuse to celebrate anything the Mundanes do. If they get to forget that we exist then why should I have to pretend they matter? I have to hide my magic every other day of the year, I’m not going to reward them with candies on the one day they pretend to like it.”

The symbols in the center of his arrangement flashed once, twice, then darkened back to normal. Nodding with satisfaction, Tobirama let the glow fade from his hands and began to pick the materials from the center. Some of the sturdier woods could be reused and the thick gem in the center was as undamaged as the last dozen times he’d charged it. The more brittle woods, however, were useless now in their used up state. He flicked them out of the way to inspect his favorite lump of amber.

With a roll of his eyes Hashirama strode over to help him clean up. Things that could not be used again he removed for proper disposal, not wanting to risk Tobirama forgetting and attempting to use them again. Last time it had just been a small backlash and a slight purple tinge to his skin had been the only consequence. Who knows what might happen next time.

“You act so old and crotchety all the time,” he murmured. “You’re only three hundred years old. You don’t get to be this crotchety until you’re at least a millennium!”

“Go fall in a fire pit.”

“Brother! So mean!” Hashirama pouted to cover the smile threatening to come back. “Anyway, haven’t you ever talking to Madara about this weird Halloween thing? If he only tries to pull this kind of stuff on just this one day every year then you don’t think that maybe – oh I don’t know – there might be some kind of reason behind it?”

“Reason! When has Uchiha Madara ever listened to reason?” The crystals hummed politely as he gathered them up, fingers gently cradling them in a direct counterpoint to the way his boots stomped fitfully on his way to the front door. “He wouldn’t know reason if it stripped naked and danced in front of him.”

“I’m sure he’d like it better if you did that,” Hashirama muttered under his breath, careful not to be overheard.

Luckily, Tobirama was too busy crossing the yard to begin setting up his new wards.

Not that they did much good. Halloween being the very next day, it was only a little more than twenty-four hours later that saw Tobirama jolting off his couch when the alarms attached to his wards went off, jangling in his ear like discordant bells. The evening had been so pleasantly calm up until now. No Mundane children banging on his door begging for sweets. No nosy older brother trying to wrestle him in to being social. No stupid rival Izuna come to spit epithets in his face for however he’d managed to offend his fellow caster this time.

All that peace was ruined in an instant and there could only be one reason. Madara must be here. A scowl settled down over his features as he stormed towards the back of the house, slamming open the door and scanning his backyard with sharp eyes.

There. Just at the edge of his property, where the innocuous wooden enclosure became an enchanted living barricade, Madara was trying hard to muffle his shrieks while at the same time attempting to extract himself from the wooden jaws of Tobirama’s fence. His leg had been caught and no matter how much he swore and tugged, the enchanted planks simply clamped down harder. Tobirama wrinkled his nose as he watched.

“Uchiha!” he hollered. “Get the hell off my lawn!” Madara squawked indignantly, looking back over his shoulder with light panic on his face.

“I can’t get anywhere with this thing trying to eat my shoes! Call off your guard-beast!”

“Maybe if you weren’t a creep trying to break in to my property again then you wouldn’t have to worry about your shoes.” Not a drop of sympathy was to be found in his tone. Madara snarled.

“Well excuse me! You’re the one who won’t listen! If you’d just sit still for five damn minutes without being suspicious of every time I so much as breathe maybe I wouldn’t have to!” Giving vent to a huffy noise of frustration, Madara gathered magic to his fingertips and smacked the mouth trying to cut him off at the knees. The semi-sentient fence gave a yowl, its jaws stretching open just enough for Madara to jerk free and tumble backwards with a yelp.

Tobirama crossed his arms, still offering no help. The fence was imbued with a portion of his own consciousness so it knew not to actually hurt Madara, just rough him up a little bit to show his lack of appreciation for this yearly stupidity.

The two of them had been clashing for centuries, Tobirama’s water-based magic clashing spectacularly against Madara’s fire. Whoever said opposites attract was clearly only thinking of magnets. The only attraction he felt for the spiky haired half-wit caster stomping across his yard was the attraction to the idea of sealing him inside a pocket dimension just for some peace and quiet.

And he was sticking to that story.

“You infuriating damp rag!” While not particularly cutting, Madara’s insults never failed to be amusing.

“Don’t yell at me,” Tobirama bristled back. “I’m the one under home invasion right now!” His magic swirled up inside him, crackling beneath his skin and shifting his hair like some pale entropic beast. The darkness was lit by the subtle glow of him, shining with energy just looking for an outlet. Madara gawped openly for a few moments, either fascinated or fearful. Tobirama honestly wasn’t sure one which he would prefer.

“If you’d stop setting up traps I wouldn’t have to fight my way through them!”

His eyes couldn’t decide whether to narrow or not to roll. They ended up twitching and blowing out sparks that both men pretended not to notice. “The traps are meant to keep you out. As are the wards. And the barriers. And that hex I sent your way last Tuesday. Am I being too subtle?”

“Am I!?”

That gave him pause. “You’ve never been subtle a day in your life, what are you on about now?”

“You are the stupidest genius I have ever met!” Madara’s face twisted in to a rictus of indignation as he crossed the neatly cut grass to shove his face close to Tobirama’s. “It’s been years and you still don’t get it!”

“Get what!?”

“You don’t even remember do you?” Madara shoved an accusing finger against his nose and Tobirama swatted it away.

“Start making sense! What exactly am I supposed to be remembering?”

“We met on Halloween you tight-assed excuse for a magical mishap! Why do you think I show up every year on this particular day?”

Tobirama huffed, leaning back a bit and trying to pretend he was offended by Madara’s proximity rather than enticed by it. The prickly asshole had always been too pretty for his own good. Not that Tobirama was about to admit to having had any thoughts on the matter.

“What does that have to do with anything?” he asked, feeling oddly as though he had missed something rather obvious.

“I have been trying to ask you out for years! But you always mess it up somehow! A few years ago you sent me to the Astral Realm while I was trying to invite you to dinner! The year before that I was bringing you flowers and you somehow set off a storm in my hair! You don’t even use lightning conjuration!” His hands were tracing patterns in the air, small tongue of flame dripped from his fingers as his magic overflowed with his temper.

“Last year you were summoning something from the lower levels in to my backyard! Explain that!”

“Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to summon a hellcat? How long it took to train a hellcat? Because you like cats! But nooo! Senju Tobirama can’t even take the time to see the effort I put in!” Madara’s face pushed up so close to his own that the tips of their noses brushed together, matching each other scowl for scowl. “Arrogant prat!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that’s what you were doing?” Tobirama demanded, face growing hotter and hotter by the moment. “And why is it so important you do it on Halloween? There’s an entire year in between you could ask me out! Three hundred and sixty four days that happen between each occurrence of Halloween.”

“IT’S ROMANTIC, OKAY?”

Madara’s outburst silenced them both for a long moment. They stared at each other, each equally wrapped up in the cloak of their righteous irritation. They had been at odds with each other since the day they met over two hundred years ago; hate at first sight as Touka liked to say. Except that Tobirama didn’t really hate the older man, never had.

Sure, he thought the other was an asshole. And sure, he found him annoying a great deal of the time. But he also found him attractive and engaging, was fascinated each time to witness the passion with which he cast his magic, found frustration in their continued inability to speak coherently around each other. He lost his tongue around Madara more often than anything else, making up for its absence with cutting barbs and instinctive standoffishness.

The idea that Madara was trying to ask him out on the day they met because it was romantic was certainly not on the list of reasons he had considered for their annual clash.

“You,” he declared in an ominous voice, “are the single most vexatious, exasperating, idiotic ass I have ever met.” Madara opened his mouth to offer what would obviously been a heated protest but Tobirama cut him off by leaning forward and removing the space between them for a first kiss that had been too long in coming. His magic swelled higher and higher, lifting both of their clothes in a spontaneous wind. “Unnecessarily complicated foolish plan!” He bit down on Madara’s lower lip. “Could have been doing this years ago!” Rough hands pulled him closer by the hips, pressing their bodies together. “You fucking asshole.”

“Fuck,” Madara whimpered against his lips, fingers digging in until there were sure to be bruises and shuddering as teeth sank in to his lips a second time.

The sentiment of ‘finally’ went unspoken by either, though they were both surely thinking it. Madara’s mouth abandoned Tobirama’s lips in favor of tracing down his throat and the younger man could feel the fire raging just under his partner’s skin, bursting to be let out and threatening to burn him to ashes.

He couldn’t wait.

#k the second half of this was written while drinking #i am still drinking #whoops #rae writes #madatobi #madara #tobirama #hashirama #fanfiction #naruto shippuden

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tkmedia · 3 years

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Julio Jones trade gives one man dream do-over

Cameron Hogwood Interviews, Comment & Analysis @ch_skysports

After an unsuccessful stint as Raiders offensive coordinator in 2017, Todd Downing has a star-studded crack-team at his disposal as he looks to fill the void left by Arthur Smith at the Tennessee Titans.

Last Updated: 17/06/21 10:35am

Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing (AP) 'Pick your poison' be the message from Titans new man Julio Jones upon slotting into Tennessee's near-complete jigsaw. But who be chief poison-picker? That job shall belong to Todd Downing, who, while cushioned by an envied weaponry in his second shot as an offensive coordinator, will realise that the same scenario affords him few excuses not to be successful as play-caller, string-puller, poison-picker in Nashville.In Jones he has a defense-dwarfing seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time receiving yards leader, a two-time first-team All-Pro, exemplary virtuoso and perennial top three wideout; in Derrick Henry a tackle-swatting Fighting Bull whose backfield prowl has amounted to two successive Pro Bowl selections, two successive rushing yard titles, two successive rushing touchdown titles and a seat in the 2,000-yard club; in A.J. Brown a body-hauling number one receiver in-waiting and in Ryan Tannehill a reborn top 10 quarterback. The main meal comes with its complementary side dishes, too. Trading for Jones likely had its ulterior motives beyond the shrewd acknowledgement of a possible Championship window: namely offering Downing the receiving siren that's presence is engrained in defensive game-plans, which will only serve to benefit his new teammates. Particularly Brown, who pitched hard for his idol to join him as a double-team-denier at Nissan Stadium. Downing lived in 11 personnel for 70 per cent of the time while offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders in 2017, and though his options mean that could prove the case again he may well be hoping it's where the similarities end.Portrayals as an offensive wizard following the Week One win over the Titans had by the end of the 2017 season evolved into Downing being labelled 'in over his head' by David Carr, brother to Raiders quarterback Derek. For a culmination of reasons it all fell a little dreary at an equally-uninspiring period for the Raiders franchise, which capsized to a 6-10 finish a season after ending its 13-year playoff drought with a 12-4 record in 2016.Eyebrows lifted when head coach Jack Del Rio cut ties with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave following the Wild Card defeat to the Houston Texans, especially given his role alongside Downing in helping Carr towards back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons.Downing was subsequently named Musgrave's replacement in a promotion from quarterbacks coach, a role that he had also previously carried out with the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills.The result was an ugly decline on offense. The Raiders collapsed from 6th overall in 2016 to 18th under Downing, going from 13th in passing to 16th, 6th in rushing to 25th and 7th in scoring to 23rd. They lacked the subterfuge and deception and unpredictability with motioning pieces pre-snap and disguised concepts of those around them, Carr's efficiency took a hit as he nursed niggling back issues down the stretch, wide receiver Amari Cooper's production fell off a cliff, there was a case for an ageing Marshawn Lynch being under-utilised and what was then the highest-paid offensive line in the NFL struggled to play like it. Combine the aforementioned with the defense failing to record an interception through the first 10 games of the season and the Raiders were stagnant across the board.Upon being fired alongside Del Rio and the rest of his coaching staff at the end of the season, Downing returned for his second spell with the Minnesota Vikings, where he had served as offensive quality control coach in 2005, this time as senior offensive assistant before eventually beginning the campaign as tight ends coach.There he assisted Kyle Rudolph as he recorded career second-best returns of 64 catches and 634 yards receiving, until he was hired to the same role by Mike Vrabel and the Titans in 2019, since overseeing Jonnu Smith's ascent as he incorporated sneaks and swings and out routes on his way towards becoming one of the league's most productive in his position.Downing is now tasked with succeeding Smith, who begins his tenure as Atlanta Falcons head coach having schemed his offense towards a tied-2nd most yards per game (396.4) last season, with the Titans ranking 23rd in passing, 2nd in rushing and 4th in scoring.

0:38 Derrick Henry storms to a 52-yard rushing touchdown against the Texans Derrick Henry storms to a 52-yard rushing touchdown against the Texans "I think there would be pressure if I looked at it as: My job is to fill Arthur's shoes'," Downing told reporters this offseason. "But I think each year is its own year. It has its own challenges, its own components. I look at this job more as what Coach (Mike) Vrabel and Jon Robinson asked me to do to fill it this year, not to be Arthur Smith or to be anybody else."I am not as caught up in putting Todd Downing's stamp on the offense as I am coming up with what the right recipe for the ingredients we have is, and making sure that we're as competitive and consistent as we can be."On the heels of Tennessee's potency in 2020, few could blame Downing were he to blend a natural desire to make this offense his own with components of Smith's own style.Downing called play-action just 14 percent of the time (30th in the league) during his stint as Raiders offensive coordinator, an approach you would envision him expanding on given its role in Smith's system.

The making of Trevor Lawrence From 'naked wild man' to 'ego-less superstar'. Those close to Trevor Lawrence's ascent provide insight on the generational talent behind-the-scenes. The Tannehill play-action discussion is an interesting one. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he ranked 32nd out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks in play-action completion percentage (60.1), however, managed to register a third-most 1,561 yards for a tied-seventh-most 11 touchdowns while his 9.6 averaged yards per attempt was bettered only by Tom Brady and Deshaun Watson. Smith and the Titans employed play-action as an effective avenue to chunk plays; when it worked, it worked well.At the same time, Tannehill also recorded a 68.3 completion percentage in non-play-action scenarios, throwing for 21 touchdowns to four interceptions and averaging seven yards per attempt. So just a reminder he can do it both ways.But when Henry gives defensive coordinators no choice but to stack the box, why wouldn't Downing pursue play-action knowing the likelihood of Mount Julio finding himself one-on-one downfield?

5:43 Highlights of the Baltimore Ravens against the Tennessee Titans in the NFL Playoffs Highlights of the Baltimore Ravens against the Tennessee Titans in the NFL Playoffs It ideally makes for a seamless introduction for free agency pickup Josh Reynolds coming from a Los Angeles Rams offense in which he had become a reliable target for Jared Goff in play-action, bootleg, and RPO situations.Downing's Raiders meanwhile ranked 30th in rushing attempts per game (23.1) with Lynch leading things out of the backfield behind an offensive line that endured difficulties transitioning from a power scheme to zone blocking.He appears to be better equipped in Tennessee in that regard with a line far better suited to accommodating Henry's threat from wide/outside zone. Second-round offensive tackle Dillon Radunz will aid the gap cause too as he arrives out of North Dakota State with a glowing reputation as a run blocker.Smith's Titans also laid the foundations for the balance required on offense, lining up in 11 personnel 38 percent of the time and 12 personnel 35 percent. That includes using two tight ends in 12 on 36 percent of run plays and one tight end in 11 on 31 percent of run plays, meaning the departure of Smith in free agency could impact how Downing builds on that.It thereby creates the opportunity for Anthony Firkser to assume a more prominent role after working closely with Downing to increase his workload in 2020.The 2017 undrafted free agent out of Harvard saw his snap count increase from 198 (20 percent) in 2019 to 348 (32.4 percent) last season, Smith using him regularly in 12 personnel with flood and smash concepts as a means of identifying soft spots on intermediate routes.Between the crossers, the sneaks and the whip routes evident on tape along with the loss of Smith, Firkser is primed to be a familiar feature at middle field.

2:40 Jaguars Senior Reporter J.P. Shadrick describes the team's vision for rookie running back Travis Etienne Jaguars Senior Reporter J.P. Shadrick describes the team's vision for rookie running back Travis Etienne An aspect to look out for when it comes to Downing's offense could be his use of running backs in the passing game. Raiders running backs were targeted 119 times under Downing, and 161 times when including Cordarrelle Patterson, who occasionally operated out of the backfield.Granted, Henry's presence and power reduces the need to motion him into the flat, but the pass-catching talents of second-year running back Darrynton Evans, limited to five games in his rookie season, offers Downing a chance to expand on the 57 targets for Titans running backs in 2020, which includes the five for fullback Khari Blasingame.Evans posted 1,480 yards rushing for 18 touchdowns from 255 carries alongside 21 catches for 198 yards and five scores in his 2019 season with Appalachian State.Five years is an age in the NFL and plenty of time for Downing to have reflected, learned, recalibrated, absorbed and re-prepared for an offensive coordinator job that perhaps caught him off-guard in Oakland at the time. Julio is Julio. He will run and leap and catch and destroy, weaving in the gritty blocking side as he has done throughout his entire career. Brown has supplemented the curls, the drags and the crossers with an enhanced ability to both break down field as a game-changer and combat man coverage with violence to his hand usage and breaks. There is arguably more pressure on Henry to sustain his influence and continue defying a game that seems desperate to abandon power backs.Julio's arrival was a major step towards ultimate goal for the Titans. Maybe the biggest step is Downing competing with the Eric Bieniemys, the Brian Dabolls and the Greg Romans of the AFC. Between a glaringly more harmonious environment compared to that in Oakland, a star-studded offense and necessary upgrades to a defense that hindered Tennessee last season, Downing is in as welcome a position as he could have wished for in what is possibly a second audition.Follow the latest offseason news across Sky Sports' digital channels and @SkySportsNFL on Twitter. Read the full article

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