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weird-kid-maxx · 5 months

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It Hurts Me When You Hurt You (Bondi Rescue)

(Trent "Maxi" Maxwell X Harrison "Lionel Hutz" Reid)

Prompt: "Harrison has been acting a little bit strange up to the point of worrying Maxi. Hours later, Maxi decides to ask them in private, getting into their room, but then Maxi shocks with the following scene: Harrison was holding a blade and both their arms and legs have a lot of fresh wounds bleeding. Maxi steals the blade from Harrison's hands as soon as they can and goes for some items to heal the wounds. Once they had finished, Maxi asks them what happened. Harrison can't resist staying quiet and, whimpering a lot, explains how they feel the necessity to punish themselves for everything going on. In the middle of the cry, Maxi hugs their partner tightly."

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Third Person POV

Maxi had been observing a shift in Harrison's demeanor, a peculiar change that was toeing the line of concern. As each minute ticked by, the worry gnawing at Maxi only seemed to intensify. Finally, unable to bear the heavy silence, Maxi made the decision to confront Harrison, seeking out the solace of their shared room.

Upon entering, the sight that met Maxi's eyes was heart-wrenching. Harrison was there, a blade clutched tightly in his hand, his arms and legs marred with fresh, bleeding wounds. A gasp escaped Maxi's lips as they rushed forward, swiftly snatching the blade from Harrison's grip. Their heart pounded against their chest, a desperate rhythm that echoed their frantic dash to gather supplies to tend to Harrison's injuries.

Once the wounds were cleaned and bandaged, neither speaking, no noise but for Harrison's soft sniffles, Maxi took a deep breath, steeling themselves for the conversation to come. They gently asked Harrison, their voice barely above a whisper, what had led to this.

Harrison, his eyes filled with sorrow, couldn't maintain his silence. With a shaky voice and tears glistening on his cheeks, he confessed his feelings of self-blame, the compulsion he felt to punish himself for the chaos around them. His words hung heavy in the air, a painful testament to his inner turmoil. Being bisexual, his parents not accepting him, feeling like everyone was judging him.

In that moment, Maxi felt a surge of emotion. Anguish at the sight of their beloved hurting himself, but also a deep, unyielding love for Harrison. Ignoring the tears threatening to spill from their own eyes, Maxi pulled Harrison into a fierce hug. Their arms wrapped around him, their heart aching with every whimper that escaped Harrison's lips.

"Know this," Maxi whispered into Harrison's ear, their voice trembling with the intensity of their feelings. "You are not alone. You are loved, more than you can possibly imagine. And nothing, absolutely nothing, can change that. It never will, you hear me?"

The room fell silent, save for the quiet sobs echoing off the walls. Amidst the palpable angst, there was also a sense of comfort, a promise of unwavering support. No matter how dark the night, they would face it together, bound by a love that refused to falter.

#bondi rescue #bondi rescue australia #bondi beach #lifeguards #australia #sydney #harrison reid #trent maxi maxwell #angst #self h@rm #love #fluff #angst with a happy ending #drabble #tw blood #cw #sh

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zorilleerrant · 8 months

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a thing people don't seem to acknowledge in Batman is that Bruce would hold two types of galas: one for general audiences, and one for the society set. the second would be only for old money types, and Kate would always be in attendance, even while she avoided the fundraising galas. simpler foods, simpler decorations, smaller crowds (but only slightly), and guests would bring out their heirloom jewelry. Bruce would have to host these to a) maintain enough of his social status to push through any legislation or create his charity projects, b) keep an eye on all the rich Gothamites so he knows who's doing what and can harass them while dressed as a bat, and c) keep up appearances so no one knows he's the aforementioned bat.

and then there's the other type of gala, where there would be fundraising. tickets to it would most likely go on sale to the general public at a slightly later date than the members of whatever club is technically hosting it. there would be limited seats, but there wouldn't be any kind of credentials to get in. some tickets would get raffles off in various contests, maybe a radio call in or some promotion at a museum or something related to the fundraiser itself. while a lot of the glitterati would be in attendance, this is likely an event that any given rando would attend, just for fun because they wanted to see what it was like... or for the celebrity guest.

and this is the part that gets to me. because there's so much that a story could do by situating some character as the celebrity guest. and there are so many of them to choose from!

any superhero would be a major draw, and most superheroes canonically spend some time doing charity work like this

Diana or Arthur would be an additional draw because they're royalty, and it wouldn't have to be called a superhero thing

Dinah is a chart topping rock star

Zatanna is the world's foremost stage magician

Luke Fox is a world champion MMA fighter and inventor

Basil Karlo is a famous and dramatically respected actor

Simon Trent is probably not popular enough for all that, but that depends on the popularity of various revivals of his show

Lois Lane is one of the top journalists in the world, multiple award winner, household name, and generally thought of someone whose speeches are fun and interesting to listen to

we have a lot of CEOs available, depending on the type of fundraiser: Ollie, Ted Kord, Lucius Fox, etc.

Stella Maxwell, while also a CEO, is of the motivational speaker persuasion and could be a draw on that front

also imagine if Bruce forced Lex Luthor to do it

Theo Teth-Adam would probably be interesting from a certain perspective, and you could definitely guilt him into it

Boostie is??? an influencer??? or something??? maybe he's not popular enough to drive the show on his own, but he probably knows the people who can

Gar is definitely popular enough social media to be a draw, especially if you imagine it's the actor version

I want to go with the version of Arthur Brown who's a popular game show host but that seems like it's pushing it

#look i said something #feel free to add on #I know a bunch of characters have written books but I'm never sure how popular they're supposed to be #alas Mucous Membrane would not be popular enough for people to pay 1000 a plate At All

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infinitefandomimagines · 4 years

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Anniversary - Trent “Maxi” Maxwell x reader

WARNINGS: FLUFF. THAT'S IT. PURE FLUFF.

REQUEST: Hey 👋🏻 How are you? I saw that you’re writing for Bondi Rescue and thought I request something 🙈 Could you maybe write something for Maxi ? Something fluffy and cute. Maybe it’s also Valentine’s Day

A/N: I’m dumb and missed Valentine's day so I made it an anniversary imagine, I hope that's okay!

You glanced down at your phone as it vibrated against the wooden nightstand beside your bed. The screen lit up as two notifications appeared. Picking up your phone, you saw that Maxi had texted you twice.

"Just got off work, coming to get you, be there in 10" 7:03 p.m.

"Find something nice-ish to wear, I've got a surprise :)" 7:04 p.m.

You smiled down at the message, typing out a quick "okay." You padded across the hardwood floor of your apartment and over to the small closet, sifting through different outfits. You pulled out a white sundress with sunflowers decorating it, holding it up to examine it. Perfect.

You laid the dress down on your bed and pulled out a pair of white strappy sandals to go with it. You got changed from your sweats into the dress and shoes, checking in the mirror as you smoothed the dress out. You ran your fingers through your hair to style it, spraying in some dry shampoo as well. Your phone buzzed again, another text from Maxi popped up onto the screen.

"I'm outside with the car when you're ready" 7:15 p.m.

You quickly grabbed your keys and a small brown across-the-shoulder bag, stuffing your phone into one of the pockets and zipping it up. You hastily made exited your apartment, locking the door behind you and headed down the two flights of stairs.

You spotter Maxi standing in front of his car waiting for you. He wore khaki shorts and a white button-up shirt, meaning he'd probably changed just after work in the Lifeguard tower. His smile grew as you approached him, and you could feel your cheeks heating up as he looked at you.

"You look beautiful," he said once you finally reached him. You blushed even harder at his compliment, even after three years with him he still gave you butterflies.

"Thank you," you beamed, "You look very handsome as well." It was Maxi's turn to blush now.

"So what is this surprise you've gotten us all dressed up for?" You asked, your curiosity getting the better of you.

Maxi smirked, "You'll find out when we get there." He smoothly stepped to the side and opened the passenger door, gesturing for you to get in. You playfully raised your eyebrows, "Such a gentleman," you teased, stepping into his car. Maxi let out a soft chuckled before shutting your door and running around to the driver's side.

The drive didn't take long at all, and neither did you figuring out where you were headed. You knew the route from your apartment to Bondi like the back of your hand. You turned to Maxi with your eyebrows furrowed as he pulled into the closest parking spot. A thousand possibilities ran through your mind as to what Maxi could possibly have planned.

Maxi shut the car off and quickly exited, running around to your side and opening the door for you. He extended his hand out for you to take, the biggest grin spreading across his face.

"What in the world do you have planned Trent Maxwell?" You playfully narrowed your eyes at him, placing your hand in his. Once you were out, Maxi shit the door behind you.

"Just trust me," he said as he began leading you across the car park and to the beach. It was after hours, so there weren't many people on the beach. Only a few surfers and a couple of people who roamed the shore remained.

You decided to take off your shoes once you got to the sand, holding them in your free hand. Maxi ended up doing the same.

The two of you passed by the Lifeguard tower, running into none other than Jesse and Harrison. The two boys walked up to Maxi and you with grins that matched Maxi's own on their faces.

Your brows knitted together, confused as to why they would be at Bondi so late. Weren't the lifeguards all supposed to get off at 7:00 p.m.?

"Funny seeing you two here," Harrison quipped. The lack of subtly on his voice gave away that he, and Jesse, were probably in on the surprise. "Long day?" You interrogated, attempting to see what you could get out of the two boys.

Jesse shrugged, "You could say that. Had something we had to take care of, but it's all good now." You just barely caught the quick wink he sent Maxi, who in returned mouthed out a thank you.

"Well, it was nice seeing you two, we're just gonna head home for the night. . . you two uh, you two have fun," Harrison stuttered out, before running away with Jesse. The two boys whispering and chuckling to each other.

You turned back to Maxi, "Well that wasn't at all suspicious," you deadpanned. Maxi only laughed, tugging you once more, "Just come on."

You let him lead you around to the other side of the tower, and not too much further down the beach something strange started coming into view. Flickering lights surrounded what looked like a blanket with things splayed out on it. You looked back and forth between Maxi and the setup, yet he ignored your confused glances. As you got closer, you began to take note of the details of the setup.

The flickering lights turned out to be candles buried in the sand, and they were set in the shape of a heart. The blanket in the middle had an array of your favorite fruits, chocolates, and other snacks. The set up faced the ocean, providing a beautiful view of the sun slowly lowering towards the horizon, painting the sky in beautiful pinks and purples.

"Maxi, what is all this?" You questioned, a smile working it's way onto your face as you stopped just in front of the candles.

"Happy anniversary," Maxi said softly. It seemed as though his mischievous grin had been replaced by a nervous blush.

Your heart immediately skipped a beat as you let out a sharp breath. "You did this for me?" You asked in disbelief.

"Well, I had the boys set it up while I went to get you, but uh. . . yeah, yeah this is for you."

So that's why Jesse and Harrison were acting so weird.

"Um, do-do you like it?" It was adorable how nervous he was, you could tell just how much getting this right meant to him. You reached a hand up and placed it gently on his cheek. Standing on the tips of your toes, you softly pecked his lips. "It's perfect."

Maxi let out a sigh of relief, his whole body relaxing. "Seriously, Maxi, it's beautiful, thank you," you reassured. A soft and genuine smile tugged at the corners of Maxi's lips. "Well then," he gestured to the blanket, "be my guest." You giggled as you stepped inside the ring of candles, taking a seat on the soft blanket. Maxon followed suit, sitting down next to you.

The two of you spent the next thirty minutes chatting, eating, and enjoying the beautiful colors of the sky as the sun dipped lower in the sky. At some point, a comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you peered out at the soft waves lapping on the shore. Most of the candles had burned out, leaving the golden sun that sat on the horizon as the only source of light. An idea popped into your head.

You carefully stood up, brushing the sand that stuck to your legs off. Maxi looked up at you in confusion, "Come on," you offered him a hand, "I want to put my feet in the water before it gets too dark."

Maxi took your hand as he pulled himself to a standing position. You didn't give him much time to get situated before you took off towards the water, yanking Maxi along with you. You didn't stop running until you were about calf-deep in the water.

The water was slightly chilled, but it felt nice and refreshing, a cool breeze sent goosebumps up across your skin. You gently skimmed your feet across the sand, feeling the water move against your skin soothingly. You stood peacefully for a moment, enjoying the view, until a shock of cold shot through your body as water splashed against your back.

Your whole body tensed up at the sudden contact of the chilled water. You slowly turned around to see Maxi attempting to stifle a laugh. Your eyes narrowed a bit, "Oh you're dead Trent Maxwell." Maxi's face shifted from an expression of joy to one of fear.

You wanted no time crouching down, cupping your hands, and catapulting a large amount of water in Maxi's direction. He turned a bit to shield the front of his body from the inevitable cold. But you were relentless, deciding to take another shot at him while his back was turned. After your second go at him, Maxi whipped around and used his foot to kick up water, soaking the front of your dress.

Laughter filled the air as the two of you childishly splashed one another until both of you were completely soaked.

"Okay! Okay! You win!" Maxi laughed out, holding his hands up in surrender. You crossed your arms over your chest victoriously. It was then that a cold breeze caused you to grip your arms tighter around yourself. Now that you weren't messing around you were finally able to feel just how cold you really were. The sun had long since disappeared from the sky, taking its warmth with it.

You watched as Maxi ran out of the water and up the beach, moving things off of the blanket and shaking the sand from it. He hurried back to you as you stepped completely out of the water, your arms still wrapped tightly around yourself. Maxi let out a breathy laugh at your shivering form. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, holding the two ends in both his hands. He then proceeded to wrap his arms around you, enveloping you both in the large blanket. You uncrossed your arms and wrapped them around Maxi's torso. His body heat provided instant relief as you melted into him, the blanket providing protection from any wind.

"This is your fault," you mumbled accusingly into his chest, referring to the giant splashing war the two of you just had. Maxi's chest shook as he chuckled, "I know, I'm sorry." Maxi pressed a light kiss to the top of your head.

You lifted your head from his chest and smiled up at him, "Apology accepted."

Maxi leaned down and captured your lips with his in a sweet and loving kiss, pulling you in closer to him. “I love you so much,” he mumbled against your lips, causing a wide smile to spread across your face. “I love you too,” you whispered back.

TAG LIST: @iateyourdonuts @i-fangirl-for-bondi-rescue99

#maxi #maxi x reader #maxi imagine #maxi imagines #Trent Maxwell #trent maxwell imagine #trent maxwell imagines #trent maxwell x reader #trent maxi maxwell #Bondi Beach #bondi rescue #bondi rescue imagines #bondi rescue imagine #bondi rescue x reader

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gothicwidowsworld · 4 years

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Bondi Rescue #1

Imagine...

The grey clouds rolled in over the dark teal waters of Bondi, the usual sun shying away from the few members of the public who decided to brave a day at the renowned golden shores. Sighing in content Y/N adjusted her shades to cover her bright y/e/c orbs even though it was early Y/N couldn’t help but feel like she was in paradise. Picking up the worn binoculars the y/h girl skimmed the waters that was overrun with salty sea spray whipping wildly at the dark coastline looking out for anyone in distress.

The opening of a door broke her concentration, swivelling around to face her fellow teammates or the boys in blue as the public knew them Y/N couldn’t resist the chuckle that slipped past her delicate ruby lips. Maxi and Jesse entered looking absolutely ridiculous bundled up like Eskimos while shivering like leaves. Raising an eyebrow in silent questioning the British girl looked the two boys over. "Good morning Scott" the y/h/c female laughed before turning back to face the waters. "What?" Jesse finally managed to shutter out his normally energetic voice muffled by the many layers he was wearing. Sighing again Y/N whipped around to face the pair "You know Scott... Scott of the Antarctic. Famous legendary explorer." The girl trailed of taking a bite of her lukewarm butty. Max shook his head violently he never understood why the girl had so much semi useless information buzzing around her brain. It was only semi useless as the girls mind bank of odd information had often served them well on a quiz night at the local pub. Reidy and Harries who had both stayed quiet during the exchange finally looked up from their weekend catch up to grin at the feisty girl. "How are you not cold" Harries question the girl jokingly as the older man was also wearing one of the blue hoodies that came as part of the uniform. Shrugging thoughtfully Y/N took another bite of her breakfast "I don't know British weather probably it kinda prepares you." She stated simply.

Getting up Y/N tucked her chair in before pushing her Oakley's up to perch on her y/h/c locks "Well ladies I'm gonna get into the rhino, someone needs to be down there." Yanking the door open Y/N pulled a face to the group before continuing "Honestly you're all such babies it's not even cold." Before walking off to patrol the beach leaving the assembled group of Aussies in her wake.

#gothicwidow #imagines #au imagines #gif imagines #au gif imagines #x reader #Bondi rescue #Bondi rescue imagines #Bondi rescue x reader #tv show imagines #tv show x reader #Australian #lifeguard #jesse pollock #trent maxwell

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sweetlycreations · 5 years

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mrs maxi - trent ‘maxi’ maxwell

-unrequested-

#fake social media #fake social media imagine #bondi rescuse fake social media #bondi rescue x reader #bondi rescue imagine #maxi imagine #maxi x reader #trent maxwell

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thevalencianroyals · 4 years

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HRH Prince Adrien and Isla Ohanian Exclusive Engagement Interview

Soon after news broke of their engagement, HRH Prince Adrien and fiancée Isla Ohanian sat down for a very candid joint interview to speak publicly about their relationship for the very first time with VBC royal correspondent Maxwell Burns; the full interview aired in the evening and was watched by millions.

Maxwell Burns : Your Royal Highness, Isla Ohanian, congratulations to you both.

Prince Adrien & Isla : Thank you.

MB : Such an iconic love story you have. Would it be redundant to ask ‘how did you first meet?’

*Adrien & Isla laugh*

IO : It seems like we’ve known each other forever!

PA : It’s true; our families have been close for as long as I can remember. After spending a few summers in Sulani, we became friendly pen pals, and overtime… we fell in love.

IO : I give him most of the credit, he’s an amazing writer!

*Maxwell, Adrien & Isla laugh*

MB : Isla, how did you feel when one of your love letters was printed in the tabloids?

IO: I think we both knew that things would never be the same from that point on. But whatever we go through, we know that we have each other.

MB : Everyone is dying to know about the proposal and the actual moment that it happened.

PA : Well, it happened at the palace, in our private apartments. I didn’t plan the moment at all-- we were just together, and in that moment I knew I wanted to ask her.

MB : So you were surprised?

IO : I think he was more surprised than me! It was very spontaneous, and yet, not at all unexpected.

MB : Tell us about the ring.

PA : I chose to custom make it for her because she is so special to me. It didn’t feel right to give her a two hundred year old heirloom that belonged to someone else. Isla is a once in a lifetime woman, and she deserves as much.

MB : How long has it been since you were together?

PA : Seven years.

MB : And having a long distance relationship, was that hard?

PA : For sure. I was in the navy, and then back in Valencia-- all while Isla was in Sulani. So many times I just wanted to hear her voice. It was definitely a rocky part of our journey.

IO : That kind of distance can either make or break a couple-- I’m so glad it made us stronger.

PA : Ultimately, it came down to a choice. Even though we were in different time zones and quite literally separated by an ocean, we chose each other.

MB : What were your families’ reactions?

IO : Oh, everyone is so supportive and kind.

PA : My parents are particularly fond of her!

MB : How has it been to reach this point in your relationship and not have your father with you, Isla? I imagine you have a lot of mixed emotions.

IO : I admit, it’s been bittersweet. I was so close with my father growing up, and his tragic accident last year was so unexpected. He was also Adrien’s godfather, and always loved Adrien like his own son, so I know he would be so happy for us if he was here.

PA : When the news broke of my love letter, I actually called that same day and asked him for his blessing because I knew I wanted to marry her one day. He told me-- and I’ll never forget his voice-- “nothing would bring me greater joy.” I carry that with me everyday.

MB : Prince Adrien, understanding what your relationship means for the rest of the world, do you believe that you are changing the face of the monarchy with this union?

PA : I try not to put so much pressure on our relationship because if I take a step back, I don’t see the monarchy or the institution-- I only see the woman I love.

MB : Are they any details to share about the wedding?

PA : Right now, we’re in no rush, and we don’t really want a big wedding. Isla and I just want to enjoy this moment without any pressure.

MB : The entire commonwealth is so happy for the Duchess of Trent’s exciting news. Can we expect little royal cousins running through the palace halls?

*Adrien & Isla laugh*

PA : We definitely had that conversation, and we agree that we want children. But honestly… it’s up to Isla. She is her own woman at the end of the day and I don’t want to pressure her.

IO : He’s too modest! I think he’ll be a great father one day, and I can’t wait to start our family together.

MB : Once again, congratulations to you both.

Royal fans noticed Isla was very relaxed in front of the camera and appeared to be a total natural, but she also received quite a lot of criticism for her sheer top dress— a clear fashion faux pas for any (soon-to-be) royal.

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lorirwritesfanfic · 6 years

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Choices Fandom Ultimate Questionnaire

I think I have done this a while ago, but I'll do it again to see if my answers changed. Tagged by @walkerisbae (thanks, dear 😘)

1. Which of your MC’s would win the hunger games?

I never watched Hunger Games and I have no idea what the story is about, so I don't know 😶 😁

2. Which MC is your favorite?

TRR MC. She is funny, outgoing, adventurous, sexy. I love her.

3. If only one LI could be transported into your real life to become your real-life partner, who would it be and why?

Liam. Or Hayden. Or Jax. It’s hard to decide because all three of them are adorable, kind, witty, charming and they can fight (I love men who play martial arts). Does it really have to be only one? Damn... 😣 Okay, Liam.

4. Which character do you relate to most?

Sereena + Drake. I'm a tiny grumpy feminist marshmallow.

5. What was the first book you played?

The Freshman. I miss the old days when I cared about that series and its characters. I still love Chris though.

6. Which book have you replayed the most times?

TRR.

7. Would you rather have Hero 2 or Most Wanted 2?

Hero 2. I miss Grayson 💔

8. Did you like LoveHacks?

Yeah, Book one was nice, book two not so much. I mostly played because MC is fun and Ben is adorable.

9. Do you like RoE?

Yes. I admit the story wasn't great, but I like Party Twin's relationship with Blake, they're a cute pairing. I loathe RoE MC, but Leo was my first huge crush and I'd love if the writers had explored more his story, especially about his mother's letter.

10. Which MC in your opinion is the most beautiful?

I'm torn between PM MC and Kenna.

11. Which female character (from any book) is the prettiest in your opinion?

Kepler, Hana, Alana... Do I really have to pick just one?

12. Which male character (from any book) is the most handsome in your opinion?

Liam. No, wait... Asian Hayden. I don't know... This is hard 😣

13. Which character is the most intriguing?

Jax. He's so mysterious and enchanting. I'd love to know more about him.

14. If you had to befriend anyone from any book, who would it be?

Maxwell, Hana, Drake, Tom, Andy, Michael, Party Twin, Teagan, Bianca, Kamila, Nadia, Sloane, Damien... Can you imagine throwing a party and having all of them as guests? 😍

15. Which MC has the best outfits?

Love Hacks because my clothes are kinda like hers. PM has some great outfits too.

16. Which book would you want to be transported into and live the life of that MC?

TRR. Just give me my King and my crown already. I was born to rule and have tons of outdoor sex.

17. List 5 characters you dislike the most.

Aka list of misogynist assholes. No particular order here. I hate all of them equally Duke Richards, Victor Montmartre, TJ, Trent and Tariq.

tagging: @thequeenchoices @bruhvs @bardiniwalker @iknewyoudcome @nanieuniverse @silviasutton1989 @umccall71 @smalltalk88 @cocomaxley I don’t really know who to tag, but there you go. Feel free to ignore it 😅

#choices fandom questionnaire #tagged game

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firefly-hwufanficwriter-blog · 7 years

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I dreamed that Drake was a baker XD

June 30, 2017, Friday [#219]

This is my third Drake dream, but the first one where he had a profession 😁

First, in the dream, I was in a town. It was somewhere in Europe (oooh, was I in Cordonia?? 😀), judging by the stone architecture and the general atmosphere. I had a friend with me, “Raven” who... seemed to be somebody's OC? We were on vacation, and while the place was unfamiliar to me, I did know that certain people were in the dream with me - namely, Raven, Drake, and some guy I'll just call Trent.

So, I went inside a bakery, and inside was... Drake! 🍰 He was standing behind the counter, working with dough. (Imagine his big, strong hands and skilled fingers kneading and massaging dough. Remember the sunblock scene in the game? ☀️🏝️ I don't know whether to thank my brain or hit it with a spatula.)

Then, at one point I was in a dark, dungeon-like room behind the bakery - you know, the kind that has a small window in the door to let light through. Though from the "feel" of the dream, it's hard to remember, but I don't think he was mad - just a little embarrassed that I had seen him?

And the bakery thing might have been some sort of summer job, since I got the feeling that Raven, Trent, and I were on vacation for the summer. Not that Raven and I were with Trent! I got the feeling that we were in a group somehow, though. Like maybe we were part of the same... cruise? 🚢

Though I did have a theory (see here) that Drake might be a baker... 😁🍰

So, after that, in the dream, I'm on some kind of... fishing boat, with Raven, and we were talking about me using diamonds to see the diamond scenes with Trent (yup, not Drake - TRENT) to see what they were like 💎 I think she was asking ME to use the diamonds. She sure didn't seem to be contributing any 😆 And in the dream, I "knew" that some of the diamond options included making repairs to the boat ⛵ Maybe so that he could join us while we were fishing, or something. I told her that I wasn't sure I should, since he doesn't seem like he "deserves it" (my using diamonds).

The boat seemed to drop us off at some type of resort, so we went swimming in one of the pools that were inside 🏊 Then, Trent came in and saw my sneakers. Apparently, one shoe had a word written on it that was some kind of nickname for Drake (and it was profanity, which is weird because I hate profanity 😭). I don't know who wrote it on my shoe (it definitely wasn't me), but I got the feeling that one of my friends must have jokingly scribbled it on there because they knew I liked him?

Anyway, Trent saw the shoe, and I'm all flustered and trying to hide it by stuffing my shoes in some sort of bag, but that bag must have had glass in it or something (why?? 😲), because, due to something that Trent did (maybe he was clowning around or something), glass shards ended up on the floor of the pool.

Which just goes to show you how familiar my brain is with the laws of physics, because glass shards that small would have FLOATED in real life 😀 I swam to the bottom of the pool and picked some up, but I knew that I couldn't get them all, and I didn't want other guests to get hurt 😨 so I called over a pool attendant and told them about the situation.

After that, I called Trent aside so we could talk. I don't think his name was Trent in the dream (in fact, I think his name might have been "Maxwell" in the dream, but he looked and acted nothing like the Maxwell we know 😎), but since it felt like we were on a cruise or something AND he was sort of acting like a goofy version of the Trent from Rules of Engagement, I decided to call him "Trent" here.

So, after I called him aside, I gave him a version of the "let's just be friends" talk. I can't remember the exact words of our conversation, but it would have been very close to this:

"Look, Trent," I said kindly. "If you want to be my friend, I would really like that. But if you do things, like this (I meant that glass shard fiasco), that disrupt my time with my other friends, then you and I are going to have some problems. I want to spend my time here getting to know people, like Raven, like you, like..."

"...Like Drake?" he finished. He was a little unhappy (since he seemed to like me), but he also said that in a teasing, 'it's so obvious that you like him' kind of voice.

"Drake?" I laughed. (But it was the kind of airy laugh you give when you're actually sad about whatever you're saying but you're trying to act all cool and stuff.) "We're only here for the summer, so it's not like we could have anything serious."

Our conversation ended after that, and so did the dream 😋

BUT, dream-me knew EXACTLY what she was doing. That "slip of the tongue" about me being interested in Drake was totally done on purpose 😎 (Though the sadness was completely real 😔) I dropped that hint about liking Drake because it was part of my evil plan that involved Trent going to Drake and telling him I liked him, and seeing what happened from there 😁 Dream-me wanted to know if Drake would try to, you know, be in a relationship with me after getting the green light 🚦😊 (Though the "nothing serious" part could totally work against me as well 😨)

I knew from the dream that Drake and I knew each other already, but I didn't know if he liked me and we flirted on a regular basis; or if he liked me but he was completely oblivious to how I felt... or if he liked me only as a friend and nothing more 🤔 I don't know why dream-me didn't just ask him out after I found him at the bakery. Maybe I was shy 😋

And so, I have a third Drake dream to add to my two previous (Dream #01) (Dream #02) Drake dreams 😲 This is so weird 😆 WHY do I keep dreaming about this dude? 🤔

(Waiting for H.W.U. to come back, forever and always; 30/06/17.)

#playchoices #the royal romance #mcxdrake #thedrakeside #firefly-hwufanficwriter original post

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 5 years

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World Cup 2019: David Warner's 166 trumps Mushfiqur Rahim's 102 as Australia beat Bangladesh by 48 runs

http://tinyurl.com/yynke5oz David Warner firmly stamped his authority on the World Cup 2019 as he hit a blazing 166 to arrange Australia’s 48-run victory over Bangladesh of their encounter at Trent Bridge on Thursday. Set a goal of 382 to win, Bangladesh have been at all times taking a look at a troublesome process as they stored dropping wickets at common wickets to muster 333/eight in 50 overs. Having gained the toss and opting to bat first, Warner and skipper Aaron Finch (53) placed on a 121-run stand for the first wicket, punishing the bowlers everywhere in the park. The shock component for Bangladesh was part-time bowler Soumya Sarkar who picked 3/58 off his eight overs to 5 Bangladesh some respite. After Finch departed, new batsman Usman Khawaja (89) joined Warner to submit a 192-run partnership to place the match past Bangladesh’s attain. There was a time when Warner appeared good for a 200 however he fell whereas attempting to scoop a bouncer from Sarkar. Glenn Maxwell then offered the innings the required impetus by hitting 32 off simply 10 balls, earlier than being run-out by a direct-hit from Rubel Hossain. Australia win by 48 runs! Mushfiqur led the battle for however the Aussies simply had an excessive amount of on the board, with Warner’s century and good fingers from Finch, Khawaja and Maxwell. go high of the desk! #CWC19 | #RiseOfTheTigers | #CmonAussie pic.twitter.com/alYr8TRFox Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 20, 2019 Alex Carey (11*) and Marcus Stoinis (17*) then pulled the crew whole to 381, regardless of rain arriving on the finish of the 49th over. In reply, Bangladesh misplaced Sarkar early to a direct-hit from Aaron Finch, which introduced final match’s hero Shakib al Hasan to the crease. Together with Tamim Iqbal, the duo posted 79 runs collectively to deliver Bangladesh over 100. Shakib (41) fell quickly after leaving the accountability of the chase on Tamim and the remainder. Tamim did not disappoint as he held agency at one finish earlier than being bowled by Mitchell Starc for 62. Liton Das (20) too fell whereas attempting to up the ante. At 175/four within the 30th over, Mahmudullah joined Mushfiqur within the center and the pair performed collectively some audacious photographs to string collectively an 127-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Their sensible hitting made the Australians briefly nervous because the final powerplay ensued. Bangladesh wanted 82 off the final 5 overs and although it appeared inconceivable, the presence of the two batsmen on the crease made the aspect imagine. However the hope was shortlived as Mahmudullah perished attempting to heave a bouncer from Nathan Coulter-Nile, being caught by Pat Cummins at deep-square-leg. Sabbir Rahman was out for a first-ball duck on the subsequent supply leaving the chase in tatters.Thereon, Mushfiqur tried his finest – whereas citing his century from 95 balls – however because of lack of a correct batting accomplice on the different finish, he may solely watch as his aspect fell quick by 48 runs. Get real-time alerts and all of the news in your telephone with the all-new India Right this moment app. Obtain from !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '605311446619075'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); Source link

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equipedefranceinfo · 5 years

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Bruno Genesio est-il un bon entraîneur ?

L'histoire débute par un clin d'œil: un coach nommé le jour du réveillon de Noël, affublé d'un surnom similaire à celui qui a tout gagné avec Messi. Pour beaucoup, Genesio n'est pas Bruno mais Pep. Un sobriquet à l'ironie certaine, triste honneur qui n'a pas de réel équivalent ailleurs en Europe. Leverkusen fut Neverkusen, et Everton Santos, dans les couloirs du PSG, était Jean-Claude Robigneau. Mais même Ravanelli, qui tenta de copier la méthode sans se faire comprendre de ses joueurs et ne gagnait jamais, n'a jamais été Fabrizio Lippi.

Le coaching et le contexte

Un fait, déjà: avec plus de trois ans d'ancienneté sur le banc lyonnais, Bruno Genesio dépasse la moyenne à son poste. Bien sûr, cela tient d'abord à la confiance de son président, qui aurait pu appuyer sur le détonateur à plusieurs reprises au cours de cette période – et l'aurait peut-être fait avec un coach n'étant pas du cru. Mais ne pas être lâché par son vestiaire est déjà une forme de réussite, relative mais notable, surtout en comparaison de la situation dans laquelle se trouve actuellement l'autre Olympique.

Contrairement aux joueurs, dont on estime le potentiel et la progression par rapport à leur âge, les entraîneurs sont vus comme des entités statiques binaires: bon/pas bon. Leur métier, basé sur l'intellect et la transmission, se juge à l'aune de ce qu'il se passe sur le terrain mais n'est pas réellement quantifiable (bonnes consignes et mauvaise transmission, l'inverse, ni l'un ni l'autre?). Souvent quinquagénaires, anciens joueurs et/ou multiplement diplômés, on suppose qu'ils ont assez de connaissance et de vécu pour proposer un produit fini. S'il est de qualité, alors ils sont considérés comme bons.

La réalité est pourtant bien plus nuancée. Rudi Garcia, dans l'impasse à Marseille, a gravi les échelons et gagné des titres en alliant une communication intelligente à un jeu abouti. Marcelo Bielsa, qui n'a pas réussi à Lille, n'a pas changé sa méthode et ses idées en allant à Leeds, avec qui il est en tête du Championship. À de rares exceptions près, aucun technicien n'est toujours la bonne personne au bon endroit, un talent supérieur transcendant les contextes. Et même Alex Ferguson, modèle de réussite durable, n'a gagné que deux coupes nationales entre 2003 et 2007.

Des résultats mais pas de titres

Le problème de l'OL, et donc de Bruno Genesio, est d'être régulier dans l'irrégularité. Il n'y a pas de bonnes et de mauvaises saisons, de sommets très hauts suivis de chutes encore plus grandes. Lyon est souvent bon dans les grands matches? Oui, mais il y a aussi la demi-finale aller de Ligue Europa face à l'Ajax et le huitième de finale retour contre le CSKA Moscou. Lyon souffre contre les petits? Il y a certes des sorties de route, mais pas assez d'accrocs pour parler de crise.

Manière et résultat: voilà le cœur du problème. La façon de faire est subjective (les fans du Barça et de l'Atlético n'ont par exemple pas les mêmes attentes) mais les points engrangés ne sont pas discutables. Quand, pour certains, leur total suffit à légitimer le travail d'un coach, les autres attendent plus. Et les Rhodaniens ont suffisamment gagné depuis le début du siècle pour que la question esthétique, secondaire chez les "losers", devienne importante.

youtube

Les chiffres, les voilà: deuxième, quatrième puis troisième lors des trois premières saisons sous les ordres de Genesio, Lyon est pour l'instant troisième. Le total de points, en augmentation constante (65, 67, 78), sera probablement en baisse, le compteur étant bloqué à 32 après dix-huit journées. Voilà pour le championnat. Demi-finalistes de C3, les Gones n'ont par ailleurs pas dépassé les quarts des coupes nationales et n'ont donc rien gagné depuis la Coupe de France 2012. Une disette à mettre en rapport avec la domination du PSG, mais rarement proche d'être stoppée.

Un potentiel inexploité

Bruno Genesio, dont les échecs à Villefranche-sur-Saône et Besançon n'ont pas aidé à bâtir une image de gagnant, n'a donc pas de palmarès. Pas beaucoup de charisme non plus, ce qui ne permet pas de détourner l'attention du terrain. Rolland Courbis, vainqueur d'un championnat de D2 et de deux coupes en Algérie en trente ans de coaching, soit moins que Victor Zvunka par exemple, pourra confirmer l'intérêt d'enrober des déclarations à la pertinence discutable d'une gouaille sympathique.

Toujours amené à jouer les premiers rôles en Ligue 1, le coach lyonnais a pour plus grand échec l'absence de podium en 2017, avec un retard sur Nice supérieur à l'avance sur Bordeaux, anonyme sixième. Et pour plus grande réussite le redressement opéré à son arrivée, même si la qualification pour les huitièmes de Ligue des champions, marquée par une victoire face au City de Guardiola, peut être le début d'une belle histoire.

Cette rencontre face à l'ogre anglais, double affrontement même puisque le nul du retour fut également abouti, ouvre paradoxalement la porte aux critiques. Jusque-là trop souvent proche de sa (faible) valeur plancher, avec une tendance à tourner en rond avec le ballon et mal couvrir ses zones sans, l'OL a alors rappelé que son plafond était très haut. Les détracteurs, qui devinaient l'énorme potentiel de cette équipe à la lecture de l'effectif, y ont eu la preuve de ses capacités. Et se demandent bien pourquoi elle évolue si loin de son maximum, semaine après semaine.

Logique difficile à suivre

On entre alors dans le cœur du problème: la gestion tactique d'un entraîneur qui n'a pas d'idées suffisamment fortes pour qu'on décèle une ligne directrice. Depuis sa prise de fonction, les exemples de ce qui ressemble à de l'improvisation sont nombreux: gestion du onze (Yanga-Mbiwa, Nkoulou, Mammana et Diakhaby alternant titularisation et tribune), des postes (Tolisso et Fekir baladés un peu partout) ou des systèmes (un différent à chaque match de C1 cette saison selon whoscored)…

1 - Depuis 2010, Bruno Génésio est le 1er entraîneur à prendre au moins 4 points lors de ses 2 rencontres de phase de groupes face à Pep Guardiola lors d'un même exercice de Ligue des Champions. OnlyOnePep. @OL pic.twitter.com/bGN63cPj2v

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) 27 novembre 2018

Pour symboliser le manque de continuité des choix faits depuis trois ans, impossibles à résumer en un seul article, il faut imaginer un curieux avec beaucoup de temps libre et d'ouverture d'esprit, qui cliquerait sur tous les hyperliens de la page wikipédia "tactique (football)" jusqu'à avoir cinquante onglets ouverts. Un scientifique mélangeant des produits pour tester chaque réaction, érigeant la sérendipité au rang de projet footballistique.

Parfois suffisamment audacieux pour faire des découvertes (Marçal en défense centrale) ou suffisamment attentif pour copier la formule des autres (Memphis en pointe comme en sélection, défense à trois calquée sur celle d'Hoffenheim). Mais jamais totalement à la pointe, le lancement d'Houssem Aouar dans l'entrejeu et le placement de Maxwel Cornet en pointe suivant de plusieurs mois l'injonction de nombreux suiveurs.

Comprendre le "pourquoi" n'étant pas facile, il faut imaginer des hypothèses. Deviner des sanctions contre certains quand ils sont subitement sortis de l'équipe, supposer qu'il y a un parti pris anti-routine dans le renouvellement permanent des fondations de jeu. Et c'est dans cette incompréhension que naît le débat sur le coach, dont on questionne d'autant plus vite les capacités quand on ne voit pas où il veut en venir – même s'il connaît a priori bien mieux le foot que tous ceux qui jugent son boulot.

La théorie du livret A

Alors, pour revenir à la question du titre, Bruno Genesio est-il un bon entraîneur? Il n'est déjà pas le plus mauvais, ce qui peut paraître bête à dire mais peut vite s'oublier quand Lyon rate complètement un match. Là où, au hasard, un José Mourinho peut se couper de son groupe et nettement sous-performer, lui arrive pour l'instant toujours à garder le cap.

Mais c'est aussi très loin d'être le meilleur, les performances ponctuelles ne masquant qu'en partie l'absence de projet de jeu reproductible qui ferait passer un cap à l'OL en championnat, lui qui dispose d'un effectif dont on mesurera la qualité dans quelques années – quand Ndombélé et consorts seront des références à leur poste. Au fond, dans un club dont la présence en bourse oblige à une gestion prudente, il est une sorte de livret A: rassurant car sans risque mais sans apport substantiel.

En refusant d'être dogmatique, Genesio laisse un cadre assez libre et donne les clés à ses joueurs. Cela leur permet de progresser dans la prise d'initiatives et d'intéresser beaucoup de grands clubs, mais expose le groupe à la variation des états de forme. Sans structure supérieure à celle de l'adversaire, il faut que les individualités soient en mesure de faire des différences... ce qui est plus facile avec de l'espace que contre des blocs bas, et explique aussi les difficultés en championnat.

À sa façon, Bruno Genesio est encore un entraîneur en formation qui, comme ses ouailles, réussit des matches et en rate d'autres. Un nouveau venu au plus haut niveau qu'une communication défensive dessert autant que des soutiens médiatiques à l'argumentation discutable. Et qui, même s'il commence à prendre le parti du jeu depuis quelques semaines, n'a jamais proposé suffisamment de spectacle pour qu'on en fasse un romantique incompris.

via http://bit.ly/2AyBHlQ

#equipedefrance #allezlesbleus #Article

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jodyedgarus · 5 years

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Patrick Mahomes Is Proving That QBs From Gimmicky College Offenses Can Succeed In The NFL

When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 draft, scouts lauded his work ethic and impressive arm strength — but they still had doubts about Mahomes’s NFL future. It wasn’t personal; it had to do with the high-flying college offense Mahomes played in at Texas Tech and old misgivings about how quarterbacks from pass-happy systems would translate to the pros.

All of that seems silly now, of course. In truth, Mahomes came along at just the right moment: the moment when NFL teams are finally embracing offensive elements they used to consider mere collegiate gimmicks. Now Mahomes and his MVP-caliber performance through eight games have the potential to forever eradicate questions about air-it-out college passers.

The history of college QBs with video-game statistics traces its way back decades before Mahomes lit up Big 12 defenses for 5,052 yards as a junior for the Red Raiders in 2016. According to Sports-Reference.com’s data, the first modern1 major-college quarterback to break 4,000 yards in a season was BYU’s Jim McMahon in 1980 — one of multiple passers to crack the milestone in Provo under the guidance of innovative coach LaVell Edwards. (Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer — three times! — and Steve Sarkisian would also break that barrier over the next decade-and-a-half, while future Hall of Famer Steve Young barely missed it in 1983.)

Around the same time, other similarly pass-centric offenses were piling up big numbers, too. As the 1980s came to a close, Houston run-and-shoot passers Andre Ware and David Klingler racked up stats that still defy the imagination. That same offensive scheme would migrate to the NFL in the 1990s and find new life in the 2000s with Hawaii coach June Jones, who turned Warriors QBs Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan into ultra-prolific passers. Elsewhere in the spread, Utah’s Scott Mitchell had a field day in Jim Fassel’s wide-open system in 1988, while Drew Brees, Chris Redman and Tim Rattay thrived in the ’90s while running various versions of the single-back scheme championed by coaches such as Purdue’s Joe Tiller.

And we haven’t even gotten to the quarterbacks who played in the air raid system of Hal Mumme and his many proteges. The air raid borrowed elements from both the run-and-shoot and Edwards’s BYU offense, forging a passing playbook that has obliterated opposing defenses. Playing for Mumme at Kentucky, Tim Couch threw for 4,275 yards and 36 TDs in 1998, while Kliff Kingsbury joined the 5,000-yard club directing Mike Leach’s Texas Tech offense in 2002. Leach was just getting started: From 2002 to 2008, five different Red Raider QBs broke 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, with Graham Harrell tossing for 48 TDs and 5,705 yards (second-most in the FBS modern era) in 2007 and fifth-year senior B.J. Symons, Kingsbury’s former backup, going for a ridiculous 52 scores and 5,833 yards (first in the modern era) in 2003.

Leach was no longer in Lubbock by the time Mahomes arrived on campus — the coach had moved to Washington State, where he’s been rewriting the Pac-12 record books — but the young QB learned from the next-best thing: Kingsbury himself, now Texas Tech’s head coach. Kingsbury is part of a whole generation of quarterbacks-turned-coaches who came up in the air raid and spread it like wildfire across the college and high school ranks. Coaching the Red Raiders, he helped Mahomes become one of the most prolific passers in Big 12 history.

As the author S.C. Gwynne wrote about in his excellent book “The Perfect Pass,” these similar (yet distinct) strains of aggressive passing all came together to change the sport forever, dragging it out of an antiquated era of primarily run-based football and making it into the aerial showcase we see today. Nowadays, the college game is a passing game, one in which 86 percent of snaps come in the shotgun, and even Alabama — long religiously balanced on offense — is averaging nearly 350 yards per game in the air.

Just how much have extreme pass-first philosophies taken over college football in recent years? Kingsbury became only the third modern member of the 5,000-yard club (joining Detmer and Klingler) when he broke that barrier in 2002. Sixteen years later, the group has expanded its membership fivefold (including Mahomes), with current Leach QB Gardner Minshew on pace to join this season as well.2

But for all the collegiate success these prolific passers enjoyed, pro front offices became fearful of handing them the keys to an NFL offense. And not without cause: In the 1980s and ’90s, a number of the wide-open college passing game’s early adopters were picked highly in the draft, at least partly on the basis of their big NCAA numbers — and few were especially successful in the NFL. BYU’s Marc Wilson and McMahon, Houston’s Ware and Klingler, plus Trent Dilfer (who played at Fresno State under Tiller’s mentor, Jim Sweeney), Ryan Leaf (who starred at Washington State under spread-passing guru Mike Price), Kentucky’s Couch and Marshall’s Chad Pennington were all taken among the draft’s top picks. Pennington and McMahon had the best careers of the bunch with more than 60 points of Approximate Value (AV) apiece — the mark of a solid, if not Hall of Fame-worthy, career — while the rest went varying levels of journeyman or bust in the NFL.3

(Young, it bears mentioning, is a special case. Because he went to the USFL out of BYU, he was selected in the NFL’s supplemental draft, so he doesn’t get lumped in with the group above. Young easily had the best career of any pass-happy college product since the 1980s.)

Most stat-stuffing college QBs of the 1980s-90s fizzled out

Career NFL Approximate Value (AV) for college passers who had at least 150 more adjusted yards per game than the Division I-A average and played in a notable college offensive system, 1975-2000

Best College Season NFL Draft Player College System Year Yds TD Year Pick NFL AV Chad Pennington Marshall Spread 1999 3799 37 2000 18 62 Chris Redman Louisville Spread 1998 4042 29 2000 75 10 Tim Couch Kentucky Air raid 1998 4275 36 1999 1 32 Tim Rattay La. Tech Spread 1998 4943 46 2000 212 13 Ryan Leaf Wash. St. Spread 1997 3968 34 1998 2 1 Danny Wuerffel Florida Fun ‘n’ gun 1996 3625 39 1997 99 6 Josh Wallwork Wyoming Spread 1996 4090 33 — — 0 Mike Maxwell Nevada Pistol 1995 3611 33 — — 0 Trent Dilfer Fresno State Spread 1993 3799 30 1994 6 60 Jimmy Klingler Houston Run and Shoot 1992 3818 32 — — 0 Craig Erickson Miami-FL Spread 1990 3363 22 1992 86 22 David Klingler Houston Run and Shoot 1990 5140 54 1992 6 11 Ty Detmer BYU Vertical 1990 5188 41 1992 230 15 Andre Ware Houston Run and Shoot 1989 4699 46 1990 7 5 Anthony Dilweg Duke Fun ‘n’ gun 1988 3824 24 1989 74 4 Scott Mitchell Utah Spread 1988 4322 29 1990 93 53 Robbie Bosco BYU Vertical 1984 3875 33 1986 72 0 Steve Young* BYU Vertical 1983 3902 33 — — 171 Jim McMahon BYU Vertical 1980 4571 47 1982 5 71 Marc Wilson BYU Vertical 1979 3720 29 1980 15 40

* Selected in NFL Supplemental Draft

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, sports-reference.com/cfb

Over time, the prevailing notion became that a quarterback’s college statistics were as much a liability as an asset, a sign that some coach’s gimmicky scheme had propped up a mediocre talent, giving him numbers he had no real business producing — ones that almost seemed like they were specifically designed to deceive scouts. And in fact, Mumme did base the air raid in part around the notion of making an elite quarterback talent unnecessary for passing success. “If he could design a system that featured passing and could be run by average or sub-average football players who could not throw like Dan Fouts or Jim McMahon,” Gwynne wrote of Mumme’s philosophy, “he could truly change the game of football.”

Eventually, NFL teams all but gave up on drafting air raid or run-and-shoot products. When Kingsbury broke the 5,000-yard barrier, all it got him was a lousy sixth-round draft slot. (Unlike that other Patriots sixth-round pick, Kingsbury’s career transitioned to coaching not long thereafter.) Chang and Brennan combined to throw 248 college touchdowns at Hawaii … and neither threw a pass in the NFL. Likewise, Symons and Harrell both nearly cracked 6,000 yards in a season … and Symons wasn’t taken until the eighth-to-last pick of the 2004 draft, while Harrell wasn’t drafted at all. The system was unstoppable, but the players in it were easily brushed off.

For most of the 2000s, big college numbers got you nowhere

Career NFL Approximate Value (AV) for air raid or run-and-shoot passers who had at least 150 more adjusted yards per game than the Division I-A average, 2000-07

Best college Season NFL Draft Player College System Year Yds TD Year Pick NFL AV Graham Harrell Texas Tech Air raid 2007 5705 48 — — 0 Chase Holbrook NM State Air raid 2006 4619 34 — — 0 Colt Brennan Hawaii Run and shoot 2006 5549 58 2008 186 0 Cody Hodges Texas Tech Air raid 2005 4197 31 — — 0 Sonny Cumbie Texas Tech Air raid 2004 4742 32 — — 0 B.J. Symons Texas Tech Air raid 2003 5833 52 2004 248 0 Kliff Kingsbury Texas Tech Air raid 2002 5017 45 2003 201 0 Nick Rolovich Hawaii Run and shoot 2001 3361 34 — — 0

Sources: pro-football-reference.com, sports-reference.com/cfb

Here’s how Gwynne summarized the attitude surrounding air raid passers by 2008, the season in which Leach and Harrell’s Red Raiders pulled off a monumental upset over No. 1-ranked Texas: “The proof that this was a ‘system,’ commentators all agreed, was that hardly any of Leach’s players, and none of his quarterbacks, ever made it in the NFL,” he wrote. “They were merely products of a scheme that magically spun dross into gold, mediocre quarterbacks into NCAA record-holders.”

Because of that perception, the early to mid-2000s were a wasteland for QBs from wide-open college offenses. Some more traditional spread passers got more traction — Byron Leftwich and Rex Grossman were both first-round picks out of vertical passing systems in college, though neither ultimately lived up to early expectations. A feedback loop was established in which the shortcomings of past system passers were used as an excuse to discount current ones, whose lack of NFL success was in turn held up as further evidence that the model simply couldn’t work in the pros.

But more recently, the tide has begun to turn in favor of the college spread passer. First, Sam Bradford of the Oklahoma Sooners — where Leach worked as offensive coordinator in 19994 — was picked No. 1 in the 2010 draft. Bradford wasn’t highly regarded out of high school, either, but he passed for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns while leading the Sooners to the 2008 BCS title game. More importantly, he had the size and other attributes to quell concerns about the system he came out of. While Bradford’s NFL career hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of the No. 1 overall pick, his acceptance by the scouts — and his subsequently decent NFL career — began to usher in the era of collegiate system passers as legitimate NFL prospects.

Around the same time, the NFL itself began to change. In a shocking upset in 2008, the Dolphins famously used the Wildcat — a literal college scheme — to run roughshod over the New England Patriots. Spread formations featuring the shotgun and/or the so-called 11 personnel — one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers — started being used on the majority of NFL plays. The lines between “pro-style” and college offenses began to blur even further with the quick success of mobile, read-option QB prospects such as Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III, each of whom thrived with plays that borrowed heavily from university playbooks. While defenses ended up adapting to some of these innovations — and Griffin and Kaepernick’s careers have fizzled due to, respectively, injuries and politics — the Philadelphia Eagles used college-style run-pass option tactics to win the Super Bowl with a backup QB in February.

As Kevin Clark recently wrote for The Ringer, the NFL’s scheme wars are over, and the spread — with its influences ranging from Edwards at BYU to Tiller at Purdue, Jones at Hawaii and Mumme at Kentucky — won the day. Against this backdrop, former big-number college passers have begun to thrive at the game’s highest level. Case Keenum, whose resume in Houston’s air raid system included a 5,631-yard, 48-TD season in 2011, went from an undrafted backup to one of the NFL’s best passers last season.5 Jared Goff, who starred in Cal’s “Bear raid” offense under coach Sonny Dykes (a Leach disciple), has a 104.6 passer rating and a 19-4 record over the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Oklahoma product Baker Mayfield parlayed his college performance in Lincoln Riley’s system into the No. 1 overall pick in the draft; he’s currently holding his own as a rookie with the Cleveland Browns.

All of this might culminate in the success of Mahomes, whose 22-AV pace this year would place him second only to Steve Young (peak AV: 23) among the best NFL quarterbacking seasons by pass-heavy college-system products. Between Mahomes’s own considerable skill set, the amazing amount of talent around him in Kansas City and the coaching genius of Andy Reid — himself drawing on many tricks and ruses from the college game — the Chiefs’ young passer is off to maybe the best career start of any quarterback ever, establishing himself as the MVP front-runner in the season’s first half. In the process, he may be driving the final stake into the heart of the myth that crazy college passing stats are the harbinger of NFL failure, or that playing QB in a wide-open scheme makes you unfit to run an offense in the pros.

If so, it would be the crowning moment of a trend decades in the making. We can trace the rise, fall and return of the spread-system quarterback prospect if we map out the career-high AV and draft value invested in FBS (or Div. I-A) passers who averaged at least 150 more adjusted passing yards than the NCAA average in a season and played in an air-it-out college scheme — whether it be the air raid, run-and-shoot, spread option, single-back, Fun ’n’ Gun, pistol or BYU vertical offense:

After the stellar success of Young and some decent seasons by Mitchell and McMahon, the failures of Klingler and Ware set off a long drought for prolific college system passers. But the recent rehabilitation of the archetype is evident on the right side of the timeline, with Mahomes currently soaring highest.

Fewer than 10 starts into his pro career, it may yet be premature to anoint Mahomes as the college-style passing attack’s permanent NFL savior. But as systems such as the air raid spread further throughout the college ranks, and as NFL teams show more and more willingness to embrace those same offensive concepts, it seems likely that traditional concerns about spread-system quarterback prospects will fade into oblivion. All it took was four decades of ups and downs, changing schemes and adapted attitudes — and miles and miles worth of college passing stats.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/patrick-mahomes-is-proving-that-qbs-from-gimmicky-college-offenses-can-succeed-in-the-nfl/

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