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Jake Ryan Tears ACL
Jake Ryan Tears ACL
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Jake Ryan is out indefinitely with a torn ACL suffered in Tuesday's practice.
Jake Ryan is out indefinitely with a torn ACL suffered in Tuesday's practice.
Opening remarks:
"It's exciting. I like how we worked during the winter and the winter conditioning and that phase of it. Excited for Saturday to get started. Spring ball's for a lot of different things. You find out your competitiveness. You find out the guys -- who's made the biggest improvements since fall and winter. [We're excited to] have a great competition positionally on offense and defense. And just excited. Really, we all like how we've come to work every day and what the guys have done from a genetic (?) standpoint and what they've done in the weight room with Aaron Wellman. So we're excited."
Ryan, Ross, QWASH
A couple guys on the DL. Last season this post focused on the three departures from the line, found only Washington and Campbell and what seemed like a woefully undersized Roh, and was pushing any button available whether it was marked "PANIC" or not. A year later, Roh was good, Washington dang good, Campbell at least serviceable, and we're all like COME AT ME ATTRITION BRO.
The problems here are insignificant compared to last year. Michigan gets Matt Godin, Willie Henry, Chris Wormley, and Tom Strobel off redshirts. They'll add an early-enrollee in Taco Charlton plus a couple of guys who just showed very well at their respective all star games in Maurice Hurst and Henry Poggi. They return Washington, Pipkins, Black, Heitzman, and three guys who saw time at WDE. They will find folks to fill in the gaps.
They do have to figure that out. First up: dollars to donuts Black moves to SDE. It's a better fit with his size, he spent that fateful final drive of the Outback Bowl running around the South Carolina left tackle, and even if it's a horde of redshirt freshmen who would hypothetically replace him, there is a horde.
At the now-vacated three-tech spot, pick from Wormley, Henry, and Godin. I bet Wormley is the winner there. There will be rotation, and improvement, and you will feel fuzzily positive about this in September.
Lineback—nevermind. Demens was missed in said bowl game, but with another offseason behind Morgan, Bolden, and Ross the ILBs should actually get better next year.
Not having an utterly reliable tiny linebacker at safety bailing your ass out for four years. Miss you, small guy xoxo.
Keith Heitzman is like a living breathing miracle of having a two deep
DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH DEPTH WOOOOO! We covered the line. Each positions has a two-deep of non-true freshmen, many of them proven or hyped. At linebacker there are three quasi-starters plus a solid rotation at SLB. The secondary is a bit dodgier but Terry Richardson should be serviceable as a sophomore.
Experience. Michigan loses five starters, yeah, but that's almost literally all they lose. Mike Jones may or may not return for another season of staring from the bench, other than that the only player they lose is Brandin Hawthorne, who was exclusively special teams as a senior. They return 16 heavy contributors to the D, 17 if you count Jarrod Wilson.
Linebackers. Ryan, of course, and then you've got Ross/Bolden/Morgan returning in the middle. Many people will pine for Michigan's linebacking corps next year.
My difficulty in thinking about bullets for the following two sections. Only got two in each.
looks good; was Mattison getting a free rusher at Miller's backside
Getting to the quarterback. Mattison generates lots of free blitzers with his schemes; other than that the only guy to consistently generate pass rush was Ryan. WDE, the glamor spot in a 4-3 under, barely produced. Three guys had three sacks between them last year. All of those guys are back, and Charlton gets added in. The time for someone to step up is now.
Matters should be a bit better on the interior, as whoever replaces Campbell is going to be a leaner, quicker guy who can get more penetration than he did.
A lack of outright stars. You've got Ryan, and I think Ross will get there next year, and then… maybe Countess, but that's asking for a lot after an injury like he had, and… dot dot dot.
Will not having Jordan Kovacs doom Michigan to a Yards After Safety kind of life? I don't think so but the parade of incompetents (and Jamar Adams) before him makes me leery.
Can anyone step in right away and be a QB terror? Looking at you, Taco Charlton. He and Ojemudia seem like the best bets for a truly fearsome edge rusher—we've seen a lot of Frank Clark this year and he just hasn't done much.
I was worried about a backslide last year. If there was one, it was exceedingly minor. In 2011 Michigan was 17th in yardage, 6th in scoring defense, 36th in pass efficiency D, and 39th in rushing D. Last year those numbers were 13th/20th/50th/51st, and if you'd added Blake Countess for the whole year, well…
I tend to trust the poorer numbers there since Michigan moves at such a slow pace and their YPC average allowed—3.8—is pretty meh. Pre-Outback Bowl, FEI has them 20th, and that feels about right.
Michigan is probably still a year away from being capital E elite, but you could see how they get there ahead of schedule. It requires three things:
#1 is possible. #2 seems doubtful, and #3… I hesitate to predict anything about that because it will blow up all over.
Anyway. Michigan tightens up its run D, moving from around 3.8 YPC allowed to under 3.5. The pass defense looks worse superficially because the Big Ten isn't as terrible at throwing the ball next year (right?) but is actually better since neither starting corner spends the entire year getting balls thrown over his head. The D moves up to around tenth in the advanced stats, stays static in yardage and improves pass D efficiency.
Save these lockers. A few years ago Michigan redid the locker room. Where did the lockers go? Pretty much a warehouse:
We're a demolition company that does contract work for the university. A few years ago we got contracted for the locker room renovation and removed all the lockers. We were selling them for scrap metal and a UM fan almost killed us when he found out! We posted them on ebay and sold about 20 of them at $1000 each at that point.
We're getting busy (doing more UM jobs) and need to clear house on the remaining 20-30 lockers. They are full lockers, and we have working combinations for them as the university gave them to us to make taking them apart easier. We have a "letter of authenticity" which is a portion of our work contract signed by the athletic department asking us to remove them.
General numbers are going for $800-1000 and the big popular numbers for $1000-1500.
We run major shipments from here all the time and ship them in about 10 days anywhere in the USA via yellow trucking or UPS. We've been charging $200 to ship to a location with a loading dock and $250 to a residential address.
If you're interested, email [email protected].
Orson in Columbus. A must-read:
17. In summary: Ohio Stadium is brutal, gray, loud--yes, loud, by any standard--mean, cold, and constructed out of concrete bearing a few too many visible cracks for you to be totally comfortable seeing in a structure capable of holding over 100,000 people. (The ledge from the upper deck on the east and west sides had me hyperventilating.) There are grim bells, columns, and one jumbotron plastered onto the south endzone. The effect is that of a flatscreen slapped on the wall of a Roman gladiator's quarters, something very modern hanging on a wall bearing the scars of prehistoric combat.
18. Which, in cliche and reality, is totally what Michigan/ Ohio State is. I get that now after seeing it, because this is not about fun, glorious spite, or simple culture-clashes. Robots programmed this rivalry, and its only prime directives on either side is opposition. You may joke about other rivalries claiming to have been at war with Eastasia, but to either side, the war is eternal, and it is the other side that believes in obliteration of the self and will not stop chewing at the borders of the free nation of Oceania.
19. It feels old, and wears its own leather helmet while drinking scotch and staring at a gray sky. It had been a while since I'd been in the Midwest, and the thought initially filled me with a real and arbitrary sorrow. Driving through Columbus, there are all these lost things--cabbies that arrive on time, bland family restaurants with buffets and non-chain restaurant names, bells that ring in buildings ripped from a Wes Anderson movie's backlot--all these things that never existed where I'm from.
Um, okay guys. It's tough to tell which is the more bizarre thing when it comes to the coaches' half of the All Big Ten teams announced yesterday:
In past years I've usually given the coaches' list more credence than the media, but putting Omameh on there is a pretty definitive indication that no coach has come within 50 feet of an All Big Ten ballot this year. They should rename it "SID's team," except then people would think of deceased infants and be sad.
Taylor Lewan and Will Hagerup made first teams and won their OL/P of the year awards. To maintain this blog's tradition of ignoring officially sanctioned Big Ten names for things I will tell you that these are the Long-Hutchinson and Zoltan-Zoltan awards, and feel slightly better about everything.
Craig Roh was second team to the SIDs and Ryan did scrape his way to second-team according to the media. Jordan Kovacs was second team to the coaches, but not the media. In his stead: Daimion Stafford!
definitely not discussing Stafford blowing a coverage so badly Bo Pelini had an aneurysm; definitely not something that has come up time and again
Micah Hyde! Johnny Adams! Josh Johnson!
/eyes roll so far back in head they explode
Positive spin! Michigan was third in total defense in the league, a mere four yards behind Wisconsin. Their haul of All-Big Ten players consists of some scattered second-team nods. Meanwhile Ohio State was seventh and had six different defenders lock down first team nods on either the coaches or media lists.
Imagine what might happen when Michigan has talented dudes. Pretty pretty good I bet.
GHOLSTONWATCH. Second team media. Four sacks on the year.
Salty. Collectively, Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett have bombed Hoke/Borges on twitter for the Denard/Devin thing and now they're all laying down the wood on the ABT choices:
That's not even the biggest stunner involving an Ohio State player. Buckeyes linebackerRyan Shazier did not make the first team, falling behind Michigan State's Max Bullough and Wisconsin's Chris Borland (Penn State's Michael Mauti is an understandable lock). There was talk of Shazier for Big Ten defensive player of the year after the way he blazed through the second half of the season. But that looks less likely now. (Unless the coaches want to engage in some serious trolling by naming Miller the offensive player of the year and Shazier defensive player of the year as second-teamers). Also bizarre: the coaches did not select Michigan's Jake Ryan for a first- or second-team spot. Ryan is undoubtedly one of the Big Ten's top four linebackers.
Fired up!
Quickly. One man's All Big Ten team, with the caveat that I didn't see much of Indiana or Penn State this year:
QB: Taylor Martinez, Nebraska (read too much of Ross Fulton pointing out Braxton Miller errors to give him the nod)
RB: LeVeon Bell, MSU (poor damn LeVeon Bell), Venric Mark, NW
WR: Allen Robinson, PSU, Kenny Bell, NU, Jared Abbrederis, UW
TE: CJ Fiedorowicz, Iowa
OL: punt
DL: John Simon, Johnathan Hankins (OSU), Kawaan Short (PU), Eric Martin (NU)
LB: Jake Ryan (M), Max Bullough (MSU), Ryan Shazier (OSU)
DB: Jordan Kovacs(M), Isaiah Lewis(MSU), Darqueze Dennard (MSU), Bradley Roby(OSU)
Other thing I looked up. Michigan had just 41 punts this year, which was last in the Big Ten by ten. Also despite having the second-best gross average their net was only seventh:
|Michigan St.
|Ohio St.
|Penn St.
Those punt returns stats aren't that bad despite seeming like they were going to be a disaster at any particular point; looks like the high touchback rate was an issue.
Scottish Premier League this baby. Tom Izzo is concerned [freep] that the Big Ten regular season title is no longer going to be an important thing, as I think everybody is. It was a big, big deal for Michigan to claim a share last year.
Once you get to 14 teams, you're playing everyone once and then missing about half the league the second time around. Schedule imbalances will lessen the importance of the regular season unless you go to 22 or more conference games, which may not be feasible.
Alternative: 19 game conference schedule.
PHASE 1: round robin.
PHASE 2: line is drawn between 7th and 8th teams in the league. Mini-leagues subsequently play round-robin. Rutgers is relegated to the Big East every year.
PROS: Absolutely fair. Winner is undisputed. Makes Big Ten title a huge important deal. Final six games for teams that make upper half would be knock-down drag out brutal free-for-all for league title. Would give top teams impregnable schedule strength. You could televise the schedule draw with Ronaldo and Messi in suits.
CONS: May cost league NCAA bids if the best team in the bottom half can't get any marquee wins in the last six games or the worst team in the top half just gets blitzed. Bottom half is just kind of sadly playing out the string. Uncertainty about final three home games may impact ticket sales negatively. Extremely distant possibility that the 8th best team 13 games in can climb all the way to the top.
In conclusion, anything that amps up the value of the regular season is good. Play For Stuff.
Formation notes: We've already talked about Michigan's 3-3-5 at the end of the game, which was really blue for some reason:
filmed in post-apocalyptic-Denzel-Washington-vehicle-o-vision
The rest of it was as per usual. Michigan goes with an even front against spread packages and flares the LBs out to deal. This results in things like this…
…and is a declaration of immense faith in the DTs. Here's Ryan over the slot again:
Michigan used some super wide splits once, when they were sick of getting edged by the option:
This was a FB dive that looked dangerous before Pipkins spatted the ballcarrier for two yards.
Finally, here's something. What? I'm not sure. THANKS DIRECTOR GUY
I swear these guys who come in and think they're Football Tarantino.
Substitution notes: Secondary as it always is. The front seven saw the same rotation they have in the last couple games, with CGordon/Bolden/Ross backing up Ryan/Demens/Morgan at LB and Heitzman/Black/Pipkins/Clark backing up Roh/Campbell/Washington/Beyer. Heitzman's increased PT continued; Bolden got relatively few snaps. Ross got more, including the last drive, but maybe not as many as I expected he did going in.
[AFTER THE JUMP: getting gashed, responding, Kovacs in your grill]
So. Michigan got a nice play from Will Campbell to turn second and three into third and one despite kind of conceding the first down, then saw Kenny Demens blow upfield as soon as he saw Venric Mark block a blitzing James Ross. He hewed down a Colter scramble in the backfield. Now it's fourth and two, and all the timeouts have been taken.
Michigan comes out in… this. I guess. Whatever this is. Weird is what it is.
Please note that Northwestern has also brought their share of weird to the party. They're in a two back set with all three WRs to the field, which means one of those slots is covered up. Michigan is seven on eight in the box, with a safety—Gordon—hanging out deep. If Northwestern can get guys blocked they should have a guy running free. As we'll see, they don't.
This has been mentioned before, but Michigan came out in this weird formation on fourth and two in an attempt to bait Northwestern into a handoff up the middle, which they successfully did.
As a bonus, the bait here is compounded by Northwestern confusion. It does not matter what Colter does here. They're dead.
Jibreel Black is shaded playside of the center above and immediately shoots upfield of said center.
This is easy for him. Just go straight upfield. It does two things:
In the wider view you can see three Northwestern OL releasing, with the fourth dealing with Clark.
That looks un-promising. But here's what they'll do:
The option provides blocking strength to the front side of the play because you're letting the end go to option him; on the backside you're blocking him. Here Northwestern burns that strength as two confused guys go after Ross. A third has to cut Ryan, and there's no one for three separate Michigan defenders.
At the mesh point Colter is looking at Roh on the edge and Black surging through, which seemingly puts acres of space between the NT and backside DE. There are acres, in fact.
Everyone run around and do things! Be happy! And then play the dog groomers song and kill everyone's buzz. But those first 5 seconds were rad.
This was dead in every way. If Colter decides to keep he is probably going to get pushed wide by Black, maybe even have a pitched forced by him a la Mike Martin last year. If he does not…
…it's Mike Trumpy in space against Jordan Kovacs with Roh pursuing from the inside-out. We've seen how that story ends, against this team even.
That was forth and inches, this is fourth and two. I'll take my chances there.
This play seems specifically designed to defeat the option. The Black surge is going to do one of two things. One option is what it did. The other is for the playside G to block Black, likely with help from the center, and leave one guy for Ross. If those guys can combo Black a keep meets the same fate you see in the frame on the last bullet. If those guys can combo Black and the C manages a release to the second level, then you are possibly in business as you hypothetically have enough guys to block the LBs.
I don't see how that happens though given what Black does here. No one is coming off that guy fast enough to be useful. The only option that gets yards is a check.
Nothing else? Just a check? The only other way in which this might eke out the first down is by letting the backside end go, too, and having that tackle hit Demens. This may or may not work and exposes the back to Clark coming down the line; at least if he's hit by Clark it's from behind. Really, though, there's nothing.
Demens! This isn't the hardest play in the world for a linebacker but even so you can't do it any better. There's no drama after this:
No spinning out or grinding forward or sliding off. The guy just goes down, backwards, game over. That's one of them form tackles.
Cat and mouse. This play followed a series of timeouts. Michigan showed the formation they ran before the first one:
Northwestern called TO, and came out with their covered slot formation. Michigan again showed the 3-3-5 alignment…
…until everyone in the front seven yelled at Ryan to get on the LOS…
Roh had to do a ton of pointing and talking to get this to happen
…and then Michigan called timeout before a false start. As a bonus, unless the slot receiver moved after the camera took him out of the picture, Northwestern only had six on the line of scrimmage and would have been hit with an illegal formation.
So they went to it, got a TO, showed it, got rid of it, called a TO, and then ran it. The dance of doom.
A gimmick defense for gimmick times. Yeah this could get gashed by stuff other than what Northwestern ran; Michigan knew their comfort zone and had a plan to blow it up. They had plenty of problems in this game, and I think Mattison is going to have to make some adjustments to slow the Wildcats down in future years, but at the end it was Michigan who got the last stab in after a knock-down, drag-out fight.
Formation notes: Michigan actually spent most of this game in an over front, i.e. shifted their line towards the strength of the line and held Ryan over the slot. Like so:
Michigan would normally put Ryan over that TE to the top of the screen and shift the line the other way. Not sure why they went with the over this time.
Michigan did this once, too: an under shifted line with Demens on the LOS, Morgan in a more conventional ILB spot, and the SAM (in this case Cam Gordon) over the slot.
This was "4-3 under slide." Lingo as per usual is supposed to be consistent and descriptive.
And I clipped this for some reason so here's a reminder of what I mean by "okie":
Seven guys on the LOS, with one deep safety off the screen and three DB type guys. This is of course zoneblitzapalooza.
Also here is Dooley creepin' on the jug:
hey baby wanna get painted?
Substitution notes: Secondary as usual. Wilson got a snap or two in a dime package. After a couple weeks of minimal substitution at linebacker, Bolden, Ross, and Cam Gordon got drives. Gordon left early with an injury of some sort and didn't return.
On the line, Clark and Beyer alternated at WDE with Beyer seeming to get slightly more snaps. Black and Campbell were at three-tech and split about evenly; Pipkins got a few snaps behind Washington; Roh actually got a breather or four as Keith Heitzman emerged to get more playing time than he had yet seen. Roh didn't get a lot of points, and that was a reason why. Seemed like Michigan was comfortable with where they were most of the second half and how Heitzman was playing so they let it ride.
[AFTER THE JUMP: the usual destruction of the enemies.]
[PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to a three-pronged failure in various systems I lost the first half of UFR and had to re-do it. I tried, but couldn't get it done for today. 2x UFR tomorrow.]
Minnesota's offense struggled to move the ball most of Saturday. When they did move it was often because Michigan was in a difficult position against spread principles. For example: on Minnesota's first snap, Michigan slid their linebackers way to the field against a trips formation and gave up five yards when the tailback cut all the way behind the defensive line.
I'm not sure if this is actually a problem Michigan should fix or if they're taking away certain things that would otherwise be open and will just open up another hole in the dam. In certain cases, anyway. I caught a second-quarter run—at twelve yards, Minnesota's long run of the day—on which Michigan's alignment had them in trouble from the start. Since the Big Ten Network was running an uncommonly large number of useful replays, we can take a look at it from the end zone.
From the dead center of the field Minnesota comes out in a pistol formation with two backs flanking the quarterback. Minnesota has two WRs not shown. When Blue Seoul was pumping out With Pics on the regular he would often point out presnap alignment issues, and Michigan has one here.
This is a balanced formation right smack in the middle of the field, but note that the linebackers are shifted to the left—Demens is left of the center; Morgan is inside the tackle to the right while Ryan is well outside. The line is also shifted left: Washington is inside the guard, Campbell outside. As a result you can draw a line with five Minnesota players to one side and three Michigan defenders:
Minnesota will run at this, running the back on the left across the QB and pulling a guard to keep that two-man advantage as the center uses his angle to take care of Campbell.
Before the mesh point a few things are clear: the three backside defenders are basically nonentities. Demens has a shot, maybe, but he's getting a free release from a tackle with an excellent angle and is in tough. The two backs are available to take on Clark and Morgan.
At the mesh point and just after, two things. First, Clark:
Clark dives inside the pack trying to get him, which could be a valid move. The second frame there has a pulling guard; if Clark hits him that's two blockers on one guy. Because Michigan was badly aligned that still won't matter, though. Minnesota will run this later at Keith Heitzman; Heitzman will do the same thing and peg the QB, so this was what Mattison wanted… sort of. I'll explain below what he actually wanted, probably.
Second, Demens:
He eats a block, but I'm not even mad when he eats a guy before it's even clear who has the ball. Even if he reads the play on the snap this guy probably gets him since he's got a great angle; if the tackle doesn't the pulling guard literally has no one to block so Demens will again feel the wrath of two different OL on the same play. If Demens is at fault it's for presnap stuff involving this alignment that gets him in trouble.
By the time the back breaks outside, it doesn't really matter what Morgan does, the play is getting yards, whether it's inside or out.
But man you still shouldn't get hewed to the ground like this and give up the edge:
It was faintly possible that Washington, who beat a down block, gets in some sort of tackle attempt, and you also wouldn't be forcing Kovacs to get on his horse outside like he does. Note that Raymon Taylor is also on his knees after eating a cut block:
Kovacs has to take an awkward angle around that block and misses the tackle as a result. He does get the guy off balance; Taylor recovers.
Twelve yards.
I don't really have a big theme here. Often these posts are attempts to explain a general trend—like Michigan not blocking anyone against Nebraska—with some concrete examples. This is just a thing that happened and probably doesn't mean much of anything. These things pop up from time to time; the defense is still really good.
If there is a theme it's that these things tend to get fixed, as we'll see in the next bullet.
Clark is less good at defending the run than other folk/Mattison adjusts fast. There are two main differences between this and a –1 yard run later in the game off this same play. One is Heitzman. Watch the defensive end to the bottom of the screen:
That may be a different playcall that causes Beyer to move down on the tackle and prevent him from releasing. It is more useful than what Clark does above. While that's not a two for one the guy taking Demens is now the pulling guard, who takes a lot longer to get out on him. That allows Demens to get outside of him; a gap further inside James Ross is also playside of that tackle when he finally releases.
The other difference is of course JMFR, who demonstrates what the coaches are talking about when they call him an "unorthodox" player by taking a cut block hard and still managing to fling his off-balance body at the RB for a TFL.
Even if that does not happen Michigan has this covered as this chain…
…has an unblocked guy waiting to clean up if'n Ryan isn't a wizard or something.
These things tend to get fixed. Note that Michigan's alignment above is even instead of slid to one side or the other.
I am sorry to remind you of our shared, dark past, but remember the GERG defenses when Michigan would frequently get annihilated by the same thing over and over again? In the Oh God Justin Siller game (to be fair, a GERG defense only in spirit, not in letter) it was ten yard outs over and over. In the 2010 Wisconsin game I think the Badgers ran power 28 straight times in the second half, and I am not even sure that's a joke. One of the most frustrating aspects of Michigan's terrible terrible defenses pre-Mattison were the times when the same thing just kept working.
Here Michigan gets burned for a first down. The next two snaps they see out of this formation are runs that go for zero and –1 yards. That's why there's not a theme, because the things that seem to be dodgy with this defense are pure talent issues. Michigan doesn't have an elite pass-rusher or a lot of speed in the secondary. This leads to lots of attempted deep bombs that have not come off yet, mostly.
Minnesota backs and receivers can really cut block. Seriously, our guys could learn something from the Gophers in that department. Michigan CBs and LBs hit the ground a lot in this game, even if sometimes they got up like an unkillable zombie and made the tackle anyway.
Washington: pretty good. He couldn't do anything about the 12 yarder above; he did get off a block and pursue in case he could.
Saginaw Valley exhibition things. Highlights:
The UMHoops recap notes that it was an immensely slow 54 possession game, making Michigan's PPP pretty freaking good: 1.4.
All due caveats apply to the below bullets.
I'm excited about the passing—Stauskas, Robinson, and McGary have all made at least one nice assist in the two exhibitions to go with the Albrecht/Burke/Hardaway shot generation axis. They've got a versatile, large, skilled lineup. They will be good at basketball.
[photo HT: UMHoops/Dustin Johnston]
Horford to return. He should get some minutes Friday against Slippery Rock:
"I think he's full-go," Beilein said after Michigan's 76-48 exhibition win over Saginaw Valley State. "Our expectation is that he'll be in the lineup at some point -- he'll probably be rusty -- but at some point Friday."
I was going to say something negative about scheduling what's effectively another exhibition that somehow counts but then I remembered that if you're going to play a team that can't beat you it's better if they're not D-I because it won't drag down your RPI.
Not on board. Not to skip over what promises to be a thrilling and rewarding season, but Michigan's going to have an interesting time when it comes to the early draft entry window. Trey Burke, presumed gone, is still not any taller and checks in 30th on Jeff Goodman's inaugural 2013 Big Board:
Burke isn't physically imposing, but he can shoot and also excels in a ball-screen offense.
Glenn Robinson III, Mitch McGary, Hardaway, and Dennis Norfleet do not appear, nor do any of them appear on the most recent edition of NBAdraft.net's 2013 mock. GRIII is currently a lottery pick in 2014, though, so he is obviously a threat to move that timetable up. Hardaway is currently projected to be a second-rounder after a full four years. Chad Ford, meanwhile, has Burke 54th(!), McGary 65th, Hardaway 73rd, and Robinson 91st. I'm guessing that changes radically around midseason.
Michigan actually needs an early departure to fit their three-man 2013 class in. More than that and they could add another guy, but I'm guessing they'd just roll with what they have.
You may see this again. Via The MZone]:
Looks shopped to me—Ryan's arms are larger than that.
This again, with feeling. Many, many twitter wags piped up that Gardner's performance against Minnesota would start up the Gardner redshirt debate/fretting/confusion again, and lo twitter wags collect your prize:
"I've always been told the process was after the eligibility," Hoke said. "But I don't know if that is completely correct."
Turns out what Hoke had been told is not entirely accurate.
Michigan could have applied for the waiver at any point after Gardner's freshman season and there is no statute of limitations on when the school can file for the waiver.
"Institutions do not have to wait until after a student-athlete's true senior year, but rather, may submit a request as early as the end of the season in which the injury or illness occurs," Big Ten associate director of compliance Kerry Kenny said in an email on Monday. "Although we establish deadlines as to when an institution can submit a waiver request for the purposes of the bi-weekly review schedule, we leave the decision about when during a student-athlete's career to submit a medical hardship waiver up to institutional discretion."
Hoke said Monday that the school has not yet applied for Gardner's waiver.
Apparently it's the conference, not the NCAA, that decides these things. I'd assume Michigan applies for it after this season so they can plan for having him or not in 2014.
OL changes? They have been hinted at:
"Yeah, I am," he said. "I think we had some protection breakdowns that we can't have last week -- that we haven't had, to some degree. I think us moving the line of scrimmage (is an issue).
"We got to do a better job at the point of attack."
Hoke said he has considered making personnel changes to the line, including inserting Joey Burzynski or Jack Miller, but has held off because the current group also has had nice moments.
I know that the coaches have been high on Miller and his nasty disposition for a while now. He's listed at 288; while that's somewhat light it's not like he's 270. He's also been a center for over a year now, which is more than either Barnum or Mealer can say. I'd guess they give him a drive or two the next couple weeks to see if that helps things.
Hatch back on the court. Conditionally, anyway:
Austin Hatch has been conditionally released by his medical team to begin practicing with the Canterbury High School basketball program. The first official practice is today, however, Austin is limited to the types of drills he can participate in at this time. Although everyone is encouraged by the progress he continues to make, Austin and his family ask that you do not approach him for interviews at this time.
He has reclassified to 2014 already. The most likely outcome is that Michigan takes him and puts him on a medical scholarship, but he's got a couple years yet to recover fully.
Angry Michigan Defenseman Hating God progressing towards sated. Michigan had a rough weekend in Marquette, barely squeaking out a tie in game one and losing 4-3 in game two with Jacob Trouba sitting out for what sounds like a devastating hit on Wildcat Reed Seckel. Michigan had to ice Jeff Rohrkemper on D.
Michigan should be getting towards healthy this weekend in a home and home against State. Trouba won't see his suspension extended and Brennan Serville may return after missing the NMU series with a concussion. Emphasis on "may":
Sophomore defenseman Brennan Serville, who suffered what Berenson called a "facial concussion" against Miami (Ohio), should be back for this weekend's series against Michigan State, according to Berenson.
Berenson said before the defense can live up to its high preseason expectations, there need to be enough healthy bodies.
"We've got to get everybody healthy, number one," Berenson said. "And then start jelling like we thought we would. Hopefully Serville's back."
No word yet on John Merrill's potential return.
Lewan quote of the week. It's a goodun:
"I've never focused on scores my whole life," Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan said. "In high school we played in a state championship game, we were getting killed and I had no idea. It was the fourth quarter and I was like 'guys, we got this, we got this.'
"Then I look up and it's 38-0, and I'm like 'alright, I guess we don't got this.' I've never been one to watch scores."
Etc.: Everything you ever wanted to know about CHL/NCAA eligibility issues from the Bylaw Blog. A post-jail Greg Skrepenak profiled by LSA Magazine. UMHoops requests your support.
Jeremy Gallon continues to find new ways to confound defenses. First, it was the cloaking device, which made its spectacular debut against Notre Dame last year. Now, he's moved on to rocket shoes:
Dubious legality? Admittedly, yes. Fantastic results? Oh, indeed.
[The rest of the Minnesota game in gifs is after THE JUMP. WARNING: Jake Ryan nightmare fuel ahead.]


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USA Today columnist Michael Wolff posited on Tuesday that Lawrence Summers and Janet Yellen's contest to replace Ben Bernanke as the next Federal Reserve Chairman boils down to a battle over gender.
"Of the many things that distinguish Summers, one, not unironically, is that he got thrown out of the presidency of Harvard for seeming to suggest a woman's professional goals or orientation might be different from a man's," wrote Wolff.
Summers and Yellen are both Democrats "whose relative points of view really do not seem to differ all that much," he asserted.
It remains unclear whether the Obama White House will tap Yellen, the Federal Reserve's vice chair and former president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, to become the first woman to chair the Federal Reserve. However, a source close to the Administration tipped CNBC that Summers will likely be named chairman in a few weeks.
Yet many others say Summers's Harvard controversy will likely leave Obama leaning toward Yellen to please his feminist base.
A Reuters poll of economists found that 40 of 44 believed Yellen will receive become the next Federal Reserve chairman.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sport these striped ballet flats when going to a movie, a game or the library. Comfortable footwear that's chic enough for everyday wear.
- If you are a 1/2 size, size down to the closest whole size.
- Lightweight flexible construction
- Durable Poly-Cotton fabric
- Vegan, man-made lining
- Rubber Sole
- Made in Mexico
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TETRIX® Gears are a step above kits and systems with plastic gears – these are made of heavy-duty aluminum and really stand up to wear and tear. Three sizes available.
This pack offers a comprehensive assortment of the advanced gearing mechanisms available in the TETRIX® MAX building system. Featuring 48 total elements, this parts pack enables students to take their exploration of transmission and motion to a whole new level.
Get all three sizes of the TETRIX® Gears in this one pack.
The TETRIX® bevel gear and bearings pack includes two heavy-duty aluminum gears along with two acetal bearings that allow for the transfer of the direction of motion at 90 degrees.
Adding a forklift, conveyor, sorter, or other linear-motion component to robots is made simple with this pack. The rack gears – used individually or laid end to end – are attached to a TETRIX® Channel. The slide blocks and pinion gear go onto another Channel that slides across the rack gears when powered by gears and a DC motor with motor mount, sold separately.
Utilizing a 4:1 gear ratio for slow and smooth rotational motion, this gear box minimizes backlash and greatly reduces the chance of a back-driving gear motor, so its position can be held even when power is not applied. All-metal construction for durability and power.
Additional gearing options are available with TETRIX® 10:1 Worm Gear or TETRIX 20:1 Worm Gear.
If you need more torque or slower output speed, this can be used to replace the 4:1 worm gear that comes with the TETRIX® Worm Gear Box. Also, this set reduces the chance of back driving to almost zero.
The worm is steel and the worm gear is bronze.
Show your power with TETRIX® MAX Sprockets made from heavy-duty aluminum for maximum performance under heavy loads. TETRIX sprockets are available in three different ratios and designed to work with the 0.250" TETRIX steel chain. Sold in packages of two.
Get all the TETRIX® Sprockets and Chain with Links in one package. Made from heavy-duty aluminum for maximum performance under heavy loads. TETRIX chain is a 0.250" steel chain packaged in five-foot lengths.
TETRIX® Chain with Links is made to work with all ratios of TETRIX sprockets. The chain pack includes five feet of 0.250" steel chain and four master connecting links. TETRIX chain can easily be cut to custom lengths using the Chain Breaker Tool, sold separately.
With the Chain Breaker Tool, quickly and easily change the length of the 0.250" TETRIX® Chain with Links. Simply measure the length you need for your application, position the chain in the breaker block, and turn the side-mounted screw to remove a chain-linking pin. A connecting link (included in the TETRIX Chain with Links pack) is used to reconnect the chain. This tool is a must if you are planning on changing lengths often.
These lightweight aluminum spacers are exactly half the width of TETRIX® Channels and feature four tapped holes to provide secure 16 mm spacing between TETRIX structural elements. These handy spacers are useful for obtaining proper gear mesh spacing when building geared servo mechanisms and for a variety of other adjustments and attachment needs.
These bearings provide extra support when building mechanisms interact with heavy-duty loads.
Provides consistent spacing between wheels and gears. Includes four cap screws for each spacer.


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Shenzhen Landslide: Environmental Monitor Detailed 'Safety Lapses' at Landfill Before Collapse
A government-appointed monitor detailed months of safety lapses and sloppy work practices at a landfill in southern China before it collapsed and caused a deadly landslide, in a series of inspection reports reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. As WSJ's Eva Dou and Chun Han Wong report:
The reports said the landfill operator hadn't sufficiently compressed the soil onsite and cited "severe" erosion on some slopes, among other findings, from September to November. These findings eventually prompted the monitor to recommend suspending operations at the landfill—just four days before construction debris broke loose and swept into an industrial zone in the city of Shenzhen, killing at least four people and leaving more than 70 missing.
The inspection reports were compiled by Shenzhen J-star Project Management Consultant Co., an environmental-monitoring firm, hired in July by urban administrators in Guangming New District—where the landslide occurred—to monitor Hong'ao and another landfill. A J-star executive had previously described the findings to the Journal.
Government officials have pinpointed the Hong'ao landfill as a focus of their investigation into Sunday's landslide. Rescuers found just one survivor, state media reported.


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1. What Topps projects are
you currently working on?
Right now, I am working on... or at least, I should be working on the Garbage Pail Kids All-New Series 5. These days, I am a bit slow due to the chemotherapy and its unpleasant side effects. For the last Wacky Package series I didn't get to do any work for the same reasons. I was slow and weak, and when I could have started, the whole thing was already over and done with.
2. How many pieces of art,
per project, do you hope to have completed for the release(s)?
I hope to paint at least 4-5 pieces, depending on the deadline. As usual, I have many different jobs and things going on at the same time, though Topps is one of my priorities. Jeff Zapata (art director at Topps) is very understanding of my situation and gives me a lot of leeway... but deadlines are deadlines. I hope I can do more paintings than mentioned above.
3. What did you think of the Sketch
cards commemorating the 20th GPK anniversary for the All-New Series
4 set? That's twenty sets in twenty years you've worked on for Topps.
The sketch cards were a nice idea for the fans, so they could get their greedy, collector fingers on some original art. It was also good for Topps to sell more boxes, but for me, it was additional work (for minimal compensation), and because it was shortly after my surgery, radiation, and chemo, I had a really hard time even climbing up the stairs to my studio and holding a pencil. That's why I did only some cards, I don't even know how many I did. The remaining blank sketch cards I had to send back for somebody else to do their sketches. The 20 years commemorating part didn't really enter my mind very much at the time, but now I do think more about time flying away rapidly, and my mind with it!
4. How does working on Garbage
Pail Kids now differ from twenty years ago?
Twenty years ago, it was much more exciting to work on the GPK. I had a studio in Brooklyn, not far from Topps. They were in an industrial part of Brooklyn, near the port, a very romantic area... it looked like some great background for Mafia movies, where they get rid of their victims by putting them into cement blocks and dumping them into the water. Well, I went there once or twice a week to meet Art Spiegelman and Mark Newgarden (and other nice people who were involved, like Len Brown and Stan Hart). With the 3rd Series GPK, I started to work on the fronts, but I also did a lot of work on the backs... partly complete series and partly with other artists. I was actually so busy and stressed-out that I didn't realize that the GPK had become a phenomenal rage all over the globe. I remember Art asking me whether I knew that I was involved in something really big... I didn't, but then I started to see all of the newspaper articles about the GPKs crazy fame, and everywhere I went I saw GPK wrappers on the floor, on the streets, and in the subways. I was excited... thrilled... and amazed!
Today, things are just different - calmer, and more professional. In the beginning, I was still learning how to render the work realistically with Acrylic and airbrush. Though it's not as exciting and nerve-wrecking because I am technically more experienced and I feel more experienced, and I feel more confident. But now I do enjoy it very much in another way, for example, I am now getting recognition for the work I do and did for the GPK (and many of the other Topps projects I did). The collectors are now more knowledgeable about the artists behind the stickers, thanks to the fabulous people like you Aaron, who kept the GPK flame on the front burner all of these years - I wasn't even aware of it until Jay Lynch told me about two years ago to check the internet in this regard. Well, in the 80's, the fans were little kids, there was no internet and typically, kids don't really care very much who does what, as long as it's really disgusting - and the most important thing was that their parents and teachers and other grown-ups hated them nasty, naughty stickers.
The other very nice side of the development now-a-days is that because of the increased interest in the art itself, I am starting to sell my sketches and roughs to collectors and fans. Fortunately, I have kept all of my sketches (not because I thought I would sell them one day, but because I can't throw anything out!). Now I'm glad I stuffed every piece of paper into my drawer and left it there all of these years.
5. What is/were your favorite Garbage
Pail Kids that you drew in the Eighties?
My favorites are still the first ones: #89 (Hurt CURT/PAT Splat), #91 (BLAKE Flake/Hippie SKIPPY), #95 (Grim JIM/BETH Death), #115 (Warmin' NORMAN/Well Done SHELDON), especially #178 (EARL Painting/Blue Boy GEORGE), #263 (VINCENT Van Gone/Modern ART) and many others. Because they are all somehow like my children, it's hard to choose just one favorite - actually, I wouldn't like to have the GPK as my own children, they would totally destroy my already unstable state of mind! - but I still love them.
6. Do you have a favorite Garbage
Pail Kids for the All-New Series releases?
ANS1 - # 18 (Rodent ROB), #23 (Sushi SUSIE) and #28 (Duped DAVID). [editor's note: also from the unpublished 16th series set]
ANS2 - #5 (Fat CHANCE) and #16 (Dandruff DAN).
ANS3 - #14 (BOB Gnarly), #10 (Astro NAT) and # 31 (Poopdeck PETE).
ANS4 - #12 (Brainwashed BRIAN) and #30 (Turdking TRAVIS).
7. With the Care Bears being
popular again, any hopes that Topps will come out with a card release for
the Gross Bears buttons you worked on in the 80's?
I don't know anything about Topps' plans in this regard, but I'll ask Jeff Zapata. It would be about time to take on these cute bears and tear them apart!
8. How was it working on the Gross Bears set?
When I got the job in June of 1985
to create a complete Barf Bears series (that's what they were called then),
I thought, "Oh, my - that's going to be a major headache!". It was
the same time that John Pound was already working on the Garbage Pail Kids,
and Topps, Art Spiegelman, and Mark Newgarden had me already drawing the cartoons
for the reverse side of the complete 1st and 2nd GPK sticker sets.
And, on top of it all, my first child was just about to be born. My wife and
I lived in a one room apartment in Manhattan, and I had to do the airbrushing
(it's kind of toxic) in our tiny, windowless bathroom! Also, I didn't
know anything about airbrushing and had to teach it to myself the nerve-wrecking
way! So I had to find a studio somewhere else where I would have the space,
the peace, and the light for the work... which happened to be in Brooklyn
at my inlaws house not far from Topps. There I completed in September, the
whole Gross Bears Buttons series, including the box artwork, "wrappers",
and lettering... warts and all!
Unfortunately, the Bears didn't have much of a chance to get very far, because the GPK craze took all of the attention away from Topps, the candy store sellers, the american youth, and the nation in general. Then immediately after I finished the Bears, I started to work on the Garbage Pail Kids, this time not only continuing to do work on the backs, but now also on the fronts (starting with the 3rd series). Because the GPK rage started to really take off and we had to produce sets fast and furious, soon James Warhola joined the crazy club with his art. It became a very stressful time for me for a couple of years (without getting even one additional penny from the multi-million dollar profit Topps ended up making - we didn't even get the originals back - Topps later sold these in auctions making even more profit without giving the artists any compensation as recognition of their contribution -- which I thought really sucked). After that, Art Spiegelman left Topps and made comic history by finishing his Maus books.
9. Where else can we find Bunk
art? And what other personal projects have you recently been working on?
I have worked quite regularly for MAD magazine since 1990, and I'm doing a lot of other jobs for children books, science magazines, and illustrations for high school textbooks (physics, chemistry, earth science, etc.). I'm just now having an art exhibition in the Hall of Science in Queens, NY where almost 60 of my metaphysical illustrations for Quantum, a science magaizine, are being shown. There is also a wonderful book, called Quantoons, with all of the illustrations that is published by NSTA. When I have some time inbetween, and I wish I had more, I work for my own plain pleasure on larger size oil paintings. That's what I really would like to do in the future, whatever future there is in store for me. But to survive, I have to do all of these jobs, after all, somebody has to put the tofu on the table! I actually love to do them, too.
10. What other Topps projects,
other then Garbage Pail Kids and Gross Bears, have you worked
There were jobs to do all of the time besides GPK that Topps wanted me to do. I worked on complete projects (with wrapper and box art, etc.) like Stupid Smiles Stickers or Pick'N Chews Bubble Gum. I illustrated two, very funny, little books called The Nursery Crimes (parody of Nursery Rhymes) and My Pal the Pit Bull, both have been finished but they never made it to the stores. I also created art for a whole bunch of boxes: Dino (toys with candy eggs), Wacky Packages (1985), Mutant Eggs, Funny Farm (my first job in 1984), Cheap Toys (GPK toy figurines), T-Shirt Factory, Thumb Sucker, etc. I also worked on various projects like Toxic High, Gruesome Greeting Cards, Iron-Ons, Wacky Packs, Trash Can Trolls, Bathroom Buddies, and there were projects that were created, worked on, but never finished or published - like the Loco Motion cards, with crazy images of x-treme sports, like skating, snow boarding, dirtbiking, surfing, etc. There were also projects that were started, and I don't even remember what they were about! I did practically all the odds and ends stuff that needed to be done at Topps, and I was always around. It seems I was Topps' multi-talented, all-around, resident artist... and when I look back, I wonder how I even had the time to take a breath, let alone live!


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With Scotland set to go to the polls in two weeks' time to make a decision which will affect the whole of the union, the governing body which runs the Scotland National 6 a side football team has come out to publically back the Better Together campaign.
The United Kingdom Minifootball Association, which sends the Scotland team to national and international competitions around the globe, explained that they were pushing for the union to be maintained.
Spokesman Alex Young said: "The name perhaps gives a clue, but we at the United Kingdom Minifootball Association will be hoping for a no vote on September 18th."
Mr Young admitted that if the result went in favour of the independence lobby the future of the Scotland 6 a side team would be unclear: "At this stage whilst we would hope that Scotland team is unaffected, it is not something that we can guarantee," he warned.
"The Scotland team are vital to us and for that reason we hope that they, along with England and Scotland, are all travelling under the UKMA banner to the next European Championships."
Their most recent appearance in competitive fixtures saw them take on England and Wales in the special Home Nations competition at the UK 6 a side Championships (pictured), where they shared a goalless draw with England and beat Wales 3-0.


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There have been two major revolutions in the field of geological sciences. The first, about 200 years old, was the discovery of deep time: that the Earth is very old. The second is plate tectonics. It has demonstrated that what we call geology is embedded within constantly moving tectonic plates that are driven by convective motions in the Earth's mantle. Plate tectonics has linked geologic processes separated by great distances on the Earth's surface. Equally important, it has deepened geology by revealing strong interactions between the plates and the mantle below. Recent research shows that many geologic processes are controlled by forces deep within the Earth's interior, even down to its core. Thus, to be a geologist today, one must consider the Earth in its entirety.
Paul Silver is a Senior Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism. He has studied Earth science problems from understanding and ultimately predicting damaging earthquakes to using seismological techniques to delineate the structure and dynamics of the Earth's mantle. He is a world leader in the use of seismology to detect mantle deformation and flow. This has enabled him to study the relationship between mantle convection and the motions of the tectonic plates. He is presently involved in a large-scale experiment that extends across Southern Africa to study the mantle beneath this very ancient continent. Mr. Silver received BA degrees in Geology from U. C. Berkeley and Psychology from UCLA and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from U.C. San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he received the Carl Eckart Prize for outstanding thesis. He has been a staff scientist at Carnegie's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism since 1982.
- Meeting Archive - Home -


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Employees on maternity leave are not exempt from being dismissed or selected for redundancy in a genuine redundancy situation where there is no suitable alternative vacancy.
Once the dismissal takes effect, the maternity leave period automatically comes to an end. However, employers should be aware that the right to receive statutory maternity pay (SMP) survives termination of the contract. Provided the employee fulfils the conditions for payment of SMP, she will be entitled to receive SMP regardless of her departure for any reason, including resignation, misconduct and redundancy.
While the vast majority of SMP can be reclaimed by employers through the tax system, two recent tax tribunal cases highlight why employers need to bear in mind SMP entitlement when negotiating exit packages for pregnant employees and those on maternity leave.
Our employment and equalities experts consider the SMP tricky issues, including 'bonus babies', 'offsetting' and agreeing exit packages.
Entitlement to SMP
A pregnant employee with:
- 26 weeks' continuous service into the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth (EWC);
- average weekly earnings above the lower earnings level (currently Ł112 per week);
- is still pregnant (or recently given birth) 11 weeks before the EWC
is entitled to SMP payable for 39 weeks.
Calculating SMP
SMP is paid
- for six weeks at 90 per cent of her average weekly earnings (with no upper limit); followed by
- 33 weeks at a flat rate currently Ł139.58 or 90 per cent of her average weekly earnings if that is less than the flat rate.
To calculate the average weekly earnings, the relevant period is the eight weeks before the qualifying week being the 15th week before the EWC.
To calculate the average weekly earnings, employers must take account of (non-exhaustive list):
- wages or salary;
- overtime;
- holiday pay; and
- commission, including any unusual payments such as an annual bonus.
paid in the relevant eight week period. Some payments are excluded from the calculation such as pension contributions and payments under share incentive schemes.
If the employee is eligible for a pay rise between the start of the relevant 8 week period and the end of her statutory maternity leave (SML), the SMP must be recalculated as if the pay rise had taken place at the beginning of the relevant period.
Employer reimbursement level
Employers can usually reclaim 92% of the SMP they pay by deducting it from their next payment of NI contributions, PAYE and other payments to the Inland Revenue. Employers who qualify for Small Employers' Relief can reclaim 103%.
Offsetting SMP
Many employers operate enhanced contractual maternity pay schemes. A contractual obligation to pay enhanced maternity pay for the same week in which SMP is due is offset by any SMP received, i.e. SMP is not payable in addition to contractual payment. SMP can also be offset against other contractual remuneration such as contractual notice pay and enhanced contractual redundancy pay (but not against statutory redundancy pay).
The offset rule only applies on a week-by-week basis. For example, it would be unlawful for an employer to pay enhanced contractual maternity pay for the first 26 weeks of the pay period and then pay nothing for the remaining 13 weeks of the SMP period, even if the amount paid for the first 26 weeks exceeds the total amount of SMP due for the full 39 weeks.
Dismissal before maternity leave begins
A pregnant employee dismissed before she has begun maternity leave will still be entitled to receive SMP provided she meets the qualifying conditions.
The SMP pay period will start on the earlier of the following dates:
- the Sunday of the 11th week before the baby is due; or
- the day after the baby is born.
If she leaves her employment after the start of the 11th week, then the pay period starts the day following the day on which she left her employment.
Where the employer terminates the employee's employment before she qualifies for SMP and the employee can show that the sole or principal reason for dismissal was to avoid liability for SMP, the employer will still have to pay her SMP if she has been employed by the employer continuously for at least eight weeks.
Special cases
In the sad circumstances of a stillbirth special rules apply. A woman who suffers a stillbirth occurring after 24 weeks' pregnancy remains entitled to SML and SMP. However, if a woman's pregnancy results in a miscarriage or stillbirth before the end of the 24th week of pregnancy she will not be entitled to SML or SMP. If the child survives only for a very brief time this constitutes a live birth. In such a case, the birth would attract SML and SMP entitlement even if the child was born (and died) before 24 weeks of pregnancy.
For the purposes of SML and SMP, it is the birth mother who is regarded as the child's mother. Provided they meet the qualifying conditions, surrogate mothers and those who give their child up for adoption are entitled to SML and SMP regardless of whether or not they continue to have contact with the child following birth.
Bonus Babies
The inclusion of annual bonus payments for the purposes of calculating "average weekly earnings" can have a significant effect on the amount of SMP an employee receives during the first six weeks of maternity leave.
The relevant regulations define 'earnings' as including "any remuneration or profit derived from a woman's employment".
The recent case of Campus Living Villages UK Ltd v HMRC and Sexton, provides a useful illustration.
The relevant dates as regards Ms Sexton were:
- employed since 1 July 2010;
- Ł44,077 annual bonus under employer's discretionary scheme received 15 October 2014;
- EWC 28 January 2015 (baby born 5 February);
- dismissed as redundant on 26 December 2014
The employer argued the October bonus payment should not be taken into account in calculating the first six weeks of SMP (90% of average weekly earnings). The employer also argued that the bonus payment related to the previous year and so could not be part of Ms Sexton's 'normal weekly earnings'.
The First Tier Tax Tribunal rejected the employer's arguments and held:
- the October bonus payment clearly fell within the relevant period' - being eight weeks ending with the 15th week before the EWC of 28 January.
- 'earnings' include any remuneration or profit derived from a woman's employment. Irregular or one-off payments including bonuses therefore count as earnings. Ms Sexton's contractual right to participate in the employer's bonus scheme 'derived from her employment'.
- there is no requirement that the pay in the relevant period must be 'normal' in the sense of the usual amount. The regulations make it clear that all payments, whether usual or not, are included in the earnings for the purpose of the calculation.
PILON clauses and offsetting
Can SMP be offset against a payment in lieu of notice (PILON) on termination of employment? If contractual - yes.
In Ladiverova v (1) HMRC (2) Chokdee, the First Tier Tax Tribunal confirmed that a PILON payment made pursuant to a term in the contract of employment constitutes contractual remuneration. As such, it should be set off against the employer's liability to pay SMP.
In this case, the employee was not entitled to payments of SMP in addition to the contractual PILON payments already received in respect of the weeks to which the PILON related. However, the employer was not entitled to offset the total contractual PILON paid against the total SMP due as offset only applies on a week-by-week basis - in this case Ł2,807.64 of the Ł3,068.80 PILON paid could be offset.
The decision is limited to the treatment of a contractual PILON payment. Whether or not a non-contractual PILON is subject to a similar offset will have to be decided in a future case. It is certainly arguable that a non-contractual PILON amounts to 'damages' for breach of contract and not 'contractual remuneration'; which can be offset.
Exit agreements and SMP
Can SMP be included in a settlement agreement? No.
In the Sexton case, Ms Sexton brought employment tribunal claims for unfair dismissal and pregnancy dismissal in relation to her selection for redundancy. Following conciliation by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), the claim was settled in February 2015 for the agreed sum of Ł60,000, with the Settlement Agreement stated that the amount was:
In August 2015, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) issued a decision that Ms Sexton was still entitled to SMP of just over Ł42,000 (see bonus baby above) from the employer. The employer argued that the additional sum was not payable as SMP had already been taken into account as part of the Settlement Payment. The tax tribunal rejected the employer's arguments:
- women who meet the qualifying conditions have an absolute right to the payment of SMP. Under section 164(6) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, it is not possible for a woman to contract out of that right. Any agreement which purports to exclude the right to SMP is void to that extent.
- while the Settlement Payment may have included an element in respect of maternity rights, there was no indication that any part of the payment was in respect of SMP. Also if an element for SMP was included that element would be subject to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) contrary to the wording of the agreement.
- while it was unfortunate that the ACAS officer did not advise correctly in relation to the impact of the agreement on SMP, ACAS is independent of HMRC and ACAS's acts or omissions could not affect HMRC's correct application of the law.
Practical implications
As most employers can reclaim 92% of the SMP they pay by deducting it from their next payment of NI contributions, PAYE and other payments to the Inland Revenue, why should employers be concerned?
- 8 per cent of SMP
may still amount to a sizable sum where a large annual bonus
payment must be factored in the SMP
In the Sexton case, the employer clearly believed that in offering Ł60,000, this would extinguish its SMP liability as well as injury to feelings and unfair dismissal compensation. By not appreciating the effect the October bonus payment had on SMP, the employer vastly underestimated the SMP payable.
- SMP liability cannot
be negotiated and settled under a Settlement Agreement, even under
the auspices of ACAS (COT3).
In the Sexton case, designating a portion of the settlement payment as 39 weeks of SMP in the settlement agreement would not have prevented the full amount of SMP being payable - a lower SMP payment could not be agreed . However, the employer would have at least been able to offset the allocated sum from the total SMP payable. It no doubt would have influenced its bargaining positon and sums offered in settlement of the other aspects of the claim.
- Understand the offset rules and tax implications. SMP can only be offset against contractual remuneration on a week-by-week basis. Where a qualifying employee is dismissed during the SMP pay period, it would be unusual for a contractual notice period to extend to 39 weeks. PILON payments can only be offset if contractual. Failure to operate SMP correctly could result in a penalty charge by HMRC of up to Ł3,000. Settling a matter under the auspices of ACAS is not a get out of jail free card as far as HMRC is concerned.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.


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Your organization's brand lives in two spaces. It's first, the one you believe exists, and then there's the reality of the one you've formed during thousands of tiny, seemingly insignificant interactions with the people you serve.
When the integrity of your brand is in question, every interaction matters.
Great organizations find these two selves are nearly identical when compared side by side. Our aim is to help design an external brand that echoes the truth of your organization's purpose.
In the 10 years since our founding, we've found hidden in the attic of many institutions the forgotten chords and lyrics of an anthem. It was the tune that carried the purpose and passion of first days, before profits and other urgencies drowned the melody of a world-changing idea.
Whether an organization is past the century mark, or is weeks away from opening day, the song's survival is always at risk.
At Churchill, our team doesn't write the song; we sing it back. We awaken the unifying strength and aspirations of a great mission.
Our creativity begins with you.


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Transform your photos into one-of-a-kind, hand painted masterpieces!
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Let's Live Here by Dyanne Parker - 8.000" x 6.375"
Archival Matte Paper
Rolled in a Tube
Assembly Charge
Art Print
Let's Live Here art print by Dyanne Parker. Our prints are produced on acid-free papers using archival inks to guarantee that they last a lifetime without fading or loss of color. All art prints include a 1" white border around the image to allow for future framing and matting, if desired.
Ships Within
2 - 3 business days
Ships From
Atlanta, GA
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All prints ship in durable cardboard tubes.
Fine Art America is one of the largest, most-respected giclee printing companies in the world with over 40 years of experience producing museum-quality prints. All of our prints are produced on state-of-the-art, professional-grade Epson printers.
We use acid-free papers and canvases with archival inks to guarantee that your prints last a lifetime without fading or loss of color. Paper prints include a 1" white border around the image to allow for future framing and matting. Canvas prints include a 2.5" white border to allow for future stretching on stretcher bars.
Prints ship within 3 - 4 business days in durable cardboard tubes.
Average Rating (5 Stars):
Cam Niz
August 17th, 2018
8 x 10 oil on gessoed panel. SIgned and Sealed. We talk our whole life about where we want to be. Everyday we need to get our feet wet and take steps to reach our ultimate goals. Living on the beach just might be one of them.
"Art is the most sustainable possession you can own". I am a self-taught artist with the initial inspiration from a woman who has been painting for over fifty years. I believe that whatever you do in life, enthusiasm and energy determines how successful you will be. Serving the corporate world for decades as a CEO and working with businesses of all sizes has given me life experience that inspires timeless art. Whether painting portraits of life heroes or capturing once in a lifetime moments, capturing emotion on canvas makes art the most sustainable possession you can own. Thank you for visiting & may your world be filled with art.
Our return policy is very simple:
If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on FineArtAmerica.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Fine Art America does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Fine Art America sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Fine Art America to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
Customer Service: 877-807-5901
(Call Any Time - 24 Hours Per Day)
All art prints ship from our production facility within 2 - 3 business days of your order.
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Minneapolis Criminal Lawyer Thomas Gallagher's criminal defense practice includes criminal matters of every type, including accusations of murder, sex crimes, assault, domestic-related charges, theft, property crimes, alcohol, marijuana and other drug "crimes," gun charges, possession crimes, white-collar crimes, embezzlement, theft, DWI, etc.
Devoted to being the best criminal defense lawyer possible in every case, Gallagher has successfully defended clients in the most serious felony cases and misdemeanor cases. Gallagher has successfully handled numerous jury trials, trials to a judge, evidentiary hearings, probation hearings, and appeals, including cases of high-profile.
Lawyer Gallagher is relentless, works hard, with the client's outcome goal in mind.
Minnesota Defense Attorney Profile
Twin Cities Criminal Lawyer Gallagher has also been retained by clients being investigated or possibly investigated by police, providing "pre-charge counsel" designed to reduce the likelihood of ever being charged with a crime.
Gallagher has successfully represented many non-citizens, including Permanent Resident "Green Card" holders, at risk of Removal (Deportation) or other negative immigration law consequences. Since a criminal prosecution, guilty plea, or conviction can be the trigger for negative immigration consequences, such as Deportation or Denial of Naturalization, etc., by managing or winning the criminal case, a much more difficult immigration law problem may be avoided.
Criminal Attorney Gallagher is highly regarded in the local legal community as an expert in criminal law. For example, he is a frequent author of law-related articles; and a frequent lecturer to Minnesota criminal defense lawyers, judges and police officers on criminal law topics. He is often contacted by news media for comment and background on related news events. He has been rated the highest possible rating by his peers – an "AV rating" though Martindale-Hubbell's peer rating system. He has been given a "superb" 10 out of possible 10 rating from avvo.com.
If you have been accused or charged with a crime, or questioned by police, or otherwise have a criminal law question, call Minneapolis Defense Attorney Thomas Gallagher to discuss your case or to make an appointment for a personal consultation about your question or case, for up to one-half hour at no charge.
Minnesota Defense Lawyer Thomas Gallagher's law office is conveniently located in downtown Minneapolis, next to the United States federal Court house, one-half block from the Minneapolis jail, and one-block from the Hennepin County Court house.
Criminal Law Practice Areas
- Confessions Law
- Criminal Defense Minnesota
- Disorderly Conduct Minnesota
- Drug Lawyer
- Driving While Intoxicated Minnesota – Minneapolis DWI lawyer
- Federal Court Criminal Defense
- Federal Conspiracy Charges
- Federal Drug Trafficking
- Felonies
- Felon in Possession
- Juvenile Criminal Law – Juvenile Defense Attorney
- Marijuana Grows
- Murder and Homicide – Homicide Defense Attorney
- Search and Seizure
- Sex Crimes, Criminal Sexual Conduct – Sex Crime Defense Attorney
- Theft, Embezzlement, Property Crimes
- White Collar Crimes – White Collar Crime Lawyer
- Witness Representation
Bar Admissions
Minnesota Supreme Court, 1988.
United States District Court – District of Minnesota, 1989.
President, Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice 2011
Member, Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice 2000-present
Member, Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 1995-present
Member, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers1995-present
Member, NORML Legal Committee 1995 – present
Board of Directors, Minnesota NORML 2011 – present
Commissioner, Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission 2011 – 2017
Member, Hennepin County Bar Association 1988-present
Member, Minnesota State Bar Association, Criminal Law Section 1988-present
Member, Issue Editor, Hennepin County Bar Association, The Hennepin Lawyer Editorial Committee 1989-2004
Member, Board of Governors, Minnesota State Bar Association, 1995-2001
Member, Governing Council, Hennepin County Bar Association, 1995-2001
Chair, Hennepin County Bar Association, Criminal Law Section 1995-1999
DWI Laws of 1997 – A Brave New World, The Hennepin Lawyer, March, 1998
We Must Save Ourselves from Violence Created by U.S. Drug Prohibition Laws, Minneapolis Star Tribune, December 11, 1983
Seminars Taught
Defending Marijuana Cases, Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice Annual CLE, June 15, 2018
Guns – Criminal Laws and Civil Rights, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education October 27, 2016
Marijuana – It's Still Illegal: Selected Issues in Defending Marijuana Cases in Minnesota, Criminal Justice Institute, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, August 26, 2013
Criminal Defense and Guns, Minnesota Society for Criminal Justice CLE, July 9, 2011
Auto Stops, Searches and Arrests Law; and, Confessions and Their Suppression, Law of Arrest, Search and Seizure, and Confessions in Minnesota, Lorman Education Services, April 20, 2007
Drivers License Law and DWI Practice, Minnesota DWI Practice Institute, Minn. Continuing Legal Education, November 4, 2004 – November 14, 2005
Winning DWI and CVO Cases at Pretrial Hearing and at Trialand Winning Implied Consent and Other Drivers License Cases, Strategies for Success with DWI Cases in Minnesota, Lorman Education Services, December 3, 2004 – June 10, 2005
Preparing the Defense, Ethical Issues, and Guns, Immigration and Other Collateral Consequences, Defending Domestic Crimes, Hennepin County Bar Association CLE, October 21, 2004
Drivers License Law and Records; Expungement, Minnesota Criminal Justice Institute, Minn. Continuing Legal Education, August 3, 2004
Winning DWI Cases, Hennepin County Bar Association CLE, November 14, 2002
Strategies in Handling DWI and DUI Cases in Minnesota, Topics: (1) Searching for the Truth – Winning with Discovery; and (2) Vehicle Forfeiture and Plate Impoundment – Get It Back, Lorman Education Services, January 27, 2000
DWI Defense Update, Criminal Law Committee of the Hennepin County Bar Association, January 21, 1998
Ethical & Practical Considerations When Representing a Person Accused of Violence Against a Loved One; Guns and Immigration; State and Federal Laws; and, Defense Strategy, Family Law and Domestic Abuse, Minn. Continuing Legal Education, May 16, 1997
Basic Civil Litigation – The Closing Argument, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, March 7, 1996
How to Use Medical Records to Win Your Case, Minnesota Association of Legal Assistants, June 16, 1995
University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, 1988, Juris Doctor.
University of Minnesota, Psychology, 1983, Bachelor of Arts.


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Chelsea has today announced that the signing of Pedro from Barcelona has officially been completed.
There had been speculation over the past week that the Spaniard would be joining the Premier League champions; following Manchester United dropping out of the race for the much sought after winger.
Pedro has been unsettled in recent times at Barcelona, which prompted many transfer rumours, none of which came to fruition until now.
The 28-year-old has managed to already accumulate three Champions League titles in his career. Along with these, he has also been a part of five La Liga titles and been a winner at both the World Cup and European Championship.
Pedro has claimed that he has joined Chelsea "to keep winning titles".
Pedro will be hoping he can turn Chelsea's fortunes around in the coming weeks. This signing comes as a bit of a shock to many Chelsea fans as Jose Mourinho had previously stated that he was happy with his squad.
Chelsea now boasts arguably the best attacking line-up in the league and appears to have the credentials to retain their title, despite a slow start to the season.


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Allied Soccer Scrimmage at Centennial scheduled for today has been moved to Monday, 9/19 @ 3PM due to excessive heat forecasted for today.
The HOCO Cross Country Invitational on 9/10 @ Centennial has been moved up to 9AM.
Click Here to view the complete Athletic Calendar.
Friday Night Lights It's MRHS Varsity Football HOME OPENER vs. Hammond at 7:00 PM!!! Grab a friend and sign-up to volunteer in the concession stand during the game! It's a great way to stay connected with school, neighbors, and your children!
Saturday Field Hockey Tournament on the Turf Watch the girls rock the field hockey tournament while volunteering in the concession stand! The concession stand needs volunteers to keep it going. PLEASE sign up for a slot (or two) and volunteer just a little of your time to such a great cause - THE KIDS!
Thanks in advance and GO MUSTANGS!
Sexting, Cyber Bullying, Internet Safety, Technology, & Child Porn
Thursday, September 8th
6 PM / Rouse Theater
Wilde Lake High School 5460 Trumpeter, Columbia
Presenter is Christopher Reid of the Maryland State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. Please share this information with your friends, family, and neighbors. The WLHS Community looks forward to hosting this informative event with the surrounding community.