text:
Chapter One
One moment Jenny was gazing at the stars. The next, icy cold water surrounded her as she slipped beneath the surface with barely a splash. Her muddled brain took too long to figure out that it wasn't a dream. It wasn't until she felt pinpricks of pain from the cold that she realized she was under water and if she didn't do something she was going to run out of air.
She tried to lift her arms, to pull through the water the way she had on swim team to reach the surface, but her arms didn't move; they were tied behind her back. Panic bubbled inside her chest and she almost screamed. That would have been the end. Talking herself down, she started to kick. Her dress was too tight around her thighs and too heavy at her feet, but she began to move.
Lungs burning, she breached the surface and took a deep, gasping breath before going under again. She needed her hands. She could keep popping up for breaths, but she couldn't stay up long with her hands behind her back. When she came up for another breath she managed to balance above the water a few seconds, spotting the shore to her left. She went under again, pulling her wrists apart, trying to tear whatever tied her hands. Plastic bit into her wrists and she kicked to the surface again, fighting to stay up as she took quick breaths.
Under again, she twisted her wrists and tugged. Her left thumb slipped under whatever bound her and then her hands were free. She kicked to the surface and tipped her head back, forcing her legs and the weighty dress up enough so she floated. She could still feel what had been binding her on her right arm and she lifted it to see a plastic zip tie.
She lay back, floating and catching her breath until her teeth began to chatter. If she didn't hurry she would give in to that cold. Gathering all her strength, she turned to swim for shore. The dress made it almost impossible. She floated again, fumbling for the zipper at the side of the dress. She went under twice before working the zipper down and shoving and kicking herself free of the fabric. In only her bra and underwear the water was colder than ever. She swam for shore. She had to get out of the river before her body temperature dropped too low. The current pulled at her tired limbs, threatening to whisk her away even as she fought against it.
Her feet touched bottom and she struggled forward, falling to a crawl when it was shallow enough. Finally free of the water, she collapsed and rolled to her back. Above her, the stars still shimmered brightly.
Chapter Two
Beep, beep, beep.
Gabe woke slowly, fighting through a haze of too little sleep and too much beer as his phone repeatedly beeped somewhere near him. He groped for the bedside table, his hand bashing into hard wood instead of landing on the cardboard box that sat beside his bed. Sitting up, he looked around the room, wondering where the hell he was. Beside him a girl rolled away, turning her naked back to him. He blinked rapidly and then rubbed his eyes. His mouth tasted like something had died in it. Vague images of the night before came back to him as he finally spotted his phone on the floor. He grabbed it and silenced the alert. On the screen a little envelope flashed at him, announcing a new text message. Above it he saw the time, not even eight. Ungodly early.
Yawning, he stood and stretched before scratching his bare chest and looking around for his clothes. He spotted his boxers and jeans half under the bed and bent to pull them out. Tugging them on, he glanced around the room for his shirt. It lay in a crumbled heap on the desk his hand had smacked into when he reached for his phone. He pulled the shirt over his head and ran a hand over his short black hair. Still enough product in it from the night before that it couldn't look too bad.
His eyes were drawn to the baggie of white powder on the desk. He scratched his chest again, glancing over his shoulder at the girl. She still hadn't moved. He picked up the baggie and tested its weight in his palm before dropping it back to the desk. Had he snorted any last night? He didn't think so. God, he hoped not. It had been months since he'd touched the stuff. Not since the shit show that had been senior prom. He rubbed at his nose, but didn't get the feeling that he'd done lines.
He should call his sponsor even though the guy would say he wasn't going to meetings as often as he should. He'd probably get another lecture about giving up drinking too. But fuck that. It was college. He had no intention of ever doing coke again, but what was college without a few beers?
Backing away from the desk and the temptation sitting there, he headed for the door. He half thought about waking the girl, but whatever. It wasn't like he even remembered her name. Waking her was just asking for awkwardness. He stepped out of her door and found himself in a house. That was a surprise. She must be in a sorority. All the more reason to get the hell out of Dodge. All he needed was some middle-aged den mother coming at him.
He hurried down a big set of stairs and made it out the front door without running into anyone. The early morning sun was a harsh bastard punching him in the eye sockets. He shut one eye and left the other one at a squint as he got his bearings and turned toward the dorms. It was October and he still expected it to be cold, even though the Los Angeles weather was far from it. Once his eyes became accustomed to the sun he pulled his phone out and checked the text. It was a picture message from an unknown number, but he opened it anyway. He'd probably given his number to a dozen girls the night before. Maybe someone felt lonely.
What he saw stopped him cold. He recognized the girl holding that morning's paper and smirking out of his screen, but it was impossible. His ex-girlfriend Jenny Lewis, presumed dead since prom, yet somehow alive. Her long tangle of dirty blonde hair that he'd loved to run his fingers through had been chopped to her chin and dyed a rich auburn color. His stomach roiled and he bent at the waist, vomiting a sludge of beer and half-digested junk food from the night before. He straightened and wiped at his lips before running his tongue around his mouth and spitting to clear the residue. A couple of guys walking on the other side of the street started to laugh, but he didn't pay any attention.
He looked at his phone again, finally reading the words that accompanied the photo: I know you killed me and I have proof. Meet me at Pinewood Cabins, number twelve. Friday night, six o'clock.
Gabe bent and vomited again.
Chapter Three
"Marissa Penn." The voice crackled over the PA system in the small waiting area near her gate. Hefting her bag to her shoulder, Marissa hurried to the desk.
"Hi, I'm Marissa."
"Hello, dear." The older woman behind the desk looked up and gave Marissa a sickly sweet smile she couldn't force herself to return. "Good news, we were able to get you a seat on the 1:40 flight to Philadelphia and from there it's just a short connecting flight to Albany. How does that sound?"
"Amazing. Thanks." Marissa found a smile for the helpful woman as relief flooded her. She'd rent a car in Albany and be home in Yates before dark.
"You're welcome. Now let's get your ticket together."
Minutes later, Marissa clutched her ticket, one step closer to home. A place she was dreading. She glanced at her watch. Ten minutes until they started boarding. With her original flight canceled due to engine issues, she'd spent the last four hours running from gate to gate as they tried to get her on a flight that would put her anywhere near home. Her eyes shifted from the gate to the wine bar just across the way. She needed a damn drink. Ten minutes would be enough. Hell, she could probably finish two.
Shoving the ticket into her purse, she dug into an extra pocket and pulled out the ID that said she was twenty-one as she crossed to the bar. The list was short and expensive. She chose a Cabernet from Sonoma and the bartender didn't even ask to see her ID. She smiled at him as she paid, making sure to leave him a generous tip. Settling back on the bar stool, she crossed one leg over the other, letting her three-inch tan heel dangle slightly from her foot. The first sip of wine was so delicious she almost let out a moan of pleasure.
"Good?" The bartender flashed her an easy smile. He probably wasn't much more than twenty-one himself, and lip-smacking sexy with richly dark skin and close curls. He wasn't exactly someone she would date and bring home to her parents. Mostly because as open and forward thinking as they claimed to be she knew anyone she dated who wasn't white had better be something a little more special than a bartender. Still, under other circumstances she wouldn't have minded getting to know him.
"Very good." She gave him a flirty smile, unable to help herself as she pushed her long blonde hair over one shoulder. "It's so smooth and rich in my mouth."
He returned her smile and uncorked the bottle again, pouring enough to top it off. "Where are you headed today?"
"Home." Her smile faded.
"I take it you're not too happy about it?" He raised one perfect eyebrow. He really was delectable.
"Not at all." She hadn't been home since she left for college, hadn't planned on going back again. Her family did Christmas in Hawaii most years so there was no need to go near that shit little town. "Let's just say I find myself to be much more of an LA girl than a small town New York girl."
"Small town New York, huh? Like cows and tractors?" He leaned on the bar, tantalizingly close.
"Exactly." She raised her glass to him and took another long swallow. For a fleeting moment she imagined what it would be like to blow off the flight and have him show her some private area of the airport, maybe hop a flight to Vegas for the weekend.
"So why are you going?" He tilted his head, warm brown eyes on hers.
Marissa swirled her wine glass grimly, watching the red liquid spin. She thought about the text she'd woken up to two days ago from Jenny. Dead Jenny. She'd let Jenny slip from her mind the moment she boarded a plane for LA last summer. Who needed to look back? She took another long swallow of wine, finishing the glass. She was running out of time before her flight. The bartender watched her patiently, waiting for an answer.
"An old friend is in town and it seems like she'd really like to see me." Marissa pushed her empty glass toward him and reached over to snag the pen from behind his ear. She scrawled her name and number on a napkin. "I'll be back within the week. Give me a call."
She lifted her bag and strode toward the gate, heels clacking with a confidence she wasn't quite feeling.
Chapter Four
"You got that oil change done?"
Liam looked up to see his dad hanging out of the office door. He'd been wiping his hands, a million miles away from the shop, thinking about the text he'd gotten yesterday morning. His dad raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. He rapped the door twice with his knuckles.
"Just finished up." Liam tossed the blackened rag back in the sink.
"Go ahead and grab lunch then. We got that big job coming in this afternoon."
"Yeah, okay."
His dad frowned at him. "You okay?"
No, not at all. But how do you explain to your dad that you got a text from a dead girl?
Liam rolled his eyes. "I'm fine."
His dad stepped out of the office and walked closer, big arms crossed over his chest. The act practically split the rolled up sleeves of his work shirt. "You haven't been smoking weed before work, have you?"
"Dad, really?" Liam gave him a look. Ever since catching Liam smoking a joint behind their garage the past summer, he'd been trying to balance his parental concern with his acceptance that his son was eighteen and old enough to make his own choices.
"What? You've been spaced out yesterday and today. As far as I'm concerned you're a grown up and it's not like I can ground you for smoking some dope." Same old, same old. "But as your boss I can't have you coming to work stoned. You got to be alert in a garage or people get hurt."
"I don't smoke before work." Not any more at least. Not now that he was taking the job seriously. "I've got a lot on my mind."
"All right." His dad nodded, still eyeing him. "Just keep your head on straight."
"I will, Dad."
"Go get some lunch." He clapped Liam on the shoulder and turned back to his office.
Liam headed for the door, stopping to take off his stained coveralls. He checked himself in the mirror by the door. His dad's warnings that a black man had to be better than his white peers at all times was so ingrained that he barely thought about it. When Liam was young, he couldn't understand how to be better so he learned to look better. It wasn't like he wore slacks and button downs, but jeans couldn't be too baggy and shirts had to be clean. As he got older, he began to understand what his dad had meant, but dressing decently was habit now.
At the pizza place a block away, Liam ordered the lunch special, two cheese slices and a Coke. It wasn't until he sat on the bench out front to eat that he realized he was barely hungry. Still, he forced down a slice, scrolling through his phone with one hand to reread the text from Jenny for the hundredth time.
He stared at the picture of her holding the newspaper, wondering how the hell she could be alive. She'd drowned. Everyone knew that and yet here she was. Pinewood Cabins sat an hour outside of town in the middle of nowhere. He'd been to a couple parties out there, but those were always in the summer. This late in the season he doubted they were that busy. Was that why she wanted to meet out there? He swallowed hard, thinking of the last time he'd seen her.
He'd been angry, angrier than he'd been before or since. She'd pretty much taken his dreams and smashed them to nothing. He had to meet her. Had to see her. But that would mean getting his dad to let him leave work early on a Friday. He'd want to know why and Liam wasn't sure what to tell him because he damn sure wasn't going to tell the truth.
Liam picked up his remaining slice of pizza. He'd give it to his dad, sweeten the pot so to speak, before asking him if he could leave early Friday.
Chapter Five
The road to Pinewood Cabins was as empty as Kyla remembered. Woods crowded in from either side, trees arching over the pavement and making it appear later than it was. She glanced at the dash clock, not much after five. She'd be there just about on time.
Of course she still had no idea why she'd dropped everything and come running. She supposed it was hard to say no to someone you thought was dead. Still, she'd spent the last five months building a new life that had nothing to do with Yates. She'd planned on never returning to the place that held so many bad memories, and never getting near her wreck of a father again. But here she was.
Jenny Lewis. There had been no mistaking her in the picture, even though she'd cut and dyed her hair. She still had those big dark eyes that seemed to see everything in the whole world and that half-smirk that used to make Kyla's stomach flutter.
One look at the picture and she'd been taken back to their first kiss, frenzied and unexpected. They'd met on the pier, neither of them sure what to do with their newfound friendship. The pier had seemed like a safe place to talk without any of their friends finding out. They'd made awkward small talk as they walked down the break wall, but it got easier as they sat there together in the darkness.
In a moment of silence, Kyla leaned in and kissed Jenny. She'd been so lightheaded with nerves she'd expected to pass out. Instead, she felt Jenny lean into the kiss. When Jenny's hand found her hip Kyla's heart doubled its pace. Warm desire still washed through her when she thought about it nearly a year later.
Kyla chewed absently at her lip as she drove. Her lips were already dry and she kept trying to stop herself before they cracked and bled, but she was too nervous. It had been almost exactly five months since prom night when she'd last seen Jenny, since everything changed. Since Jenny had refused one last time to break up with Gabe and make their relationship official.
"Fuck," Kyla said to the empty car. "Why the hell did I fall for the popular girl?"
Of course Jenny was beautiful. Long limbs, dirty blonde hair and a swim-toned body, but it was more than that. It was the way her mouth twisted in a smirk when she was amused, it was how she bit her nails to nothing to deal with nerves she never otherwise showed. It was how she knew just what it was like to have shitty parents.
If it hadn't been for that, maybe they might never have spoken. She'd found Jenny in the girl's bathroom one morning, touching up her makeup. It was clear she'd been crying.
"You okay?" Kyla had asked warily. She normally gave the popular girls a wide berth.
"Fine." But Jenny's eyes filled with tears even as she said it. She swiped at them before giving up and turning away from the mirror. She crossed to the heater that stood under the windows and sank to it. "Fuck. No, I'm not okay."
Kyla shifted from foot to foot, thumbs tucked into the straps of her backpack. She didn't want to hear about Jenny Lewis's breakup or whatever other lame drama. But she had to ask. "What's going on?"
Jenny wiped her eyes and spoke up to the ceiling. "It's my birthday. I'm eighteen and that means the people who have been collecting a paycheck on me the last year don't need me around anymore."
"What?" Kyla didn't understand. "Your parents kicked you out?" She'd often wondered if her dad would ever go that far, but she figured she was safe at least until graduation.
Jenny had met Kyla's eyes and corrected her. "My foster parents kicked me out."
It had been the start of an unexpected friendship that had become more. Turning into the long drive for Pinewood Cabins, Kyla continued worrying at her lip. She was fast approaching her last chance to turn back. Instead, she drove on, slowing only as she approached the office. She pulled in to park and sat a moment, building up her courage before heading inside.
A bell jangled over the door as she opened it. An older man stood up from where he had been reading behind the counter. Without thinking her eyes went to the book, an old Stephen King paperback. He smiled at her from under a wide nose and gray hair.
"Evening. How can I help you?" He tucked his hands into his pockets as he spoke, a picture perfect innkeeper.
"Hi." Kyla forced a smile. "I'm here to visit cabin twelve?"
"Alrighty-roo. Let me just print you up a visitor's pass for your car." The man bent over the computer, clicking a series of buttons before standing again as the printer kicked to life behind him. He gave her a knowing look, eyes twinkling. "Some sort of party going on out there?"
"What?" Kyla didn't have to fake her confusion as she blinked at the man.
The man laughed. "Not a problem. I know you kids like to have your get-togethers, sit around the campfire and all that. I turn a blind eye so long as no trouble happens. You're the third one to get a pass for that cabin tonight."
"I am?" Kyla chewed at her lip, tension growing. Who the hell else was there?
"Yup." He held out the parking pass and winked. "Try to keep it to a dull roar, would you?"
Kyla nodded and barely stopped herself from running back to her car. As she was going down the steps another car pulled in beside hers, an old silver beast that she would have recognized anywhere. She stopped in shock as Liam Finn stepped out.
He'd toned up in the last few months. Not that he was chubby before, but he seemed sleeker now. Or maybe that was just because seeing him again sent a burst of happiness through her. She wondered if he was still working on comics. If she'd known he was going to be there she would have brought the ones she'd been publishing as part of a student life blog at college. He'd love them.
"Kyla?" Liam looked surprised as he slammed the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Good to see you too." Kyla crossed her arms and leaned back against the stair rail with a grin.
Liam shook his head and stepped forward. "I'm sorry, that made me sound like a dick. Of course it's good to see you." He wrapped his arms around her in a hug that used to be so familiar and was now awkward. He stepped back and reached to tug at the end of her brown hair where it fell past her shoulders. "Like the purple highlights."
"Magenta." Kyla bit the inside of her cheek. Emotions warred within in her. There was elation at seeing her best friend again, but also unease knowing they hadn't been in a good place the last time they spoke. But damn, it was good to see him.
Liam shook his head, as if he was feeling it too. "Seriously, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were in Albany."
Kyla worried at her lip a moment. "I'm going to bet we're both here for cabin twelve."
Liam didn't have to answer. He looked like she'd just slapped him in the face. His jaw clenched and he looked away.
"How did you—"
She nudged him toward the stairs. "Get your pass. I'll wait for you before we drive up."
Chapter Six
"The bitch is here." Ally looked over her shoulder to watch Jenny step out of the bathroom. "I don't know why you bothered getting anyone else to come."
"We don't know it was her."
"Maybe you don't. Personally, I think we call a snake a snake."
"I don't know if I can do this." Jenny shifted from foot to foot, hugging herself. She looked more like the Jenny Ally had first met in middle school, before Marissa got her hands on her.
"Of course you can." Ally crossed the room and took Jenny's hands in hers. Her hands seemed pale in Ally's tan ones. "We'll get Marissa to confess." She squeezed Jenny's hands and let go.
"And what if it wasn't her? What if it wasn't any of them?" Jenny turned to look out the window. Ally stepped up beside her. A second car had pulled up. Gabe stood in front of his car, gaping at Marissa. Jenny chewed at her already non-existent nails. Ally took her hand and gently pulled it from her mouth. Jenny gave her a distracted smile before looking back outside.
"Then we go back to my uncle's. He'll let us stay as long as we need to."
"She doesn't look like a killer, does she?"
Ally sighed. "No, but I don't think that disqualifies her. Think about everything she did that night. Everything she did for years. She never really cared about anyone."
"She cared. It's just complicated for her."
"Nothing is complicated for Marissa because all her decisions boil down to how much it benefits her."
"You don't know her like I do." That hurt. At one time Ally had known Marissa better than anyone. "Either way, I don't think I can take the hiding any more." Jenny shut the curtain and went to sit on the edge of the bed. She bent and ran her hands through her hair. "I need to get back to my life."
Ally sat beside Jenny, rubbing her back. "So we go to the cops, tell them everything you remember."
Jenny sat up. "No. I'll be the one in trouble. They'll probably put me in jail for faking my own death or some other bullshit reason." She stood and gave a short laugh as she returned to the window. "You don't understand how different it is when you've been in the system. People expect us to be fuck ups."
Ally joined her at the window and they watched Gabe and Marissa embrace. "Looks like they're picking up where they left off."
"Who cares? I should have broken up with Gabe months before prom." Jenny sighed and shook her head. "Maybe none of this would have happened if I'd been honest about myself. It's been so good to be myself these last few months, not worrying about what anyone thinks. What if they don't like who I've become?"
"Who cares?" Ally put a hand on Jenny's back. "One of these people tried to kill you."
"I know. You're right." Jenny flashed Ally a weak smile and stepped away from the touch.
Ally forced a smile. It had been her and Jenny through thick and thin the last five months at her uncle's cabin. At times it felt like old times, when they'd been nothing more than awkward girls muddling their way through middle school together. Then there were times like this, when Jenny pulled away and acted more like the popular girl she had been in high school, the girl who barely acknowledged Ally Winters. The girl who had gotten everyone calling her chubby Ally. Unconsciously, Ally ran a hand down her belly to her now size six jeans. She wasn't that Ally any more. She had Jenny to thank for that.
Ally walked to the bedside table where a bottle of Sweet Revenge sat. She held it out to Jenny with the hint of a smile. "Shot for luck?"
Jenny grinned, wide and real. In that moment, she was the girl Ally had spent the last five months with. Ally shook the bottle at her, pink liquid sloshing. Jenny glanced out the window to where Gabe and Marissa were still talking. She crossed to Ally and took the bottle, unscrewing the cap. She sniffed and screwed the cap back on.
"I can't." She pushed the bottle to Ally's chest. "I need to be sober for this."
"Sure." Ally took the bottle, her answer clipped. She'd bought the bottle special for the night. Sweet Revenge? Could anything be more perfect? She took a sip. Alcoholic heat and strawberry flavor hit Ally's tongue in equal measure and she grimaced as she set the bottle down.
"That bad?" Jenny turned away from the window.
"It tastes like Strawberry Shortcake if she was a hooker." Over Jenny's shoulder, Ally saw two more cars pull up. "The others are here."
Jenny turned and peered around the curtain to look. Kyla and Liam stepped out of their cars. Gabe and Marissa stared at them in surprise. Ally stepped up beside Jenny, feeling the brush of her skin as their arms touched. The liquor might have tasted gross, but she appreciated the warmth in her gut as she watched the four of them walk toward the cabin.
Show time.
Chapter Seven
It was like no time had passed as Jenny stood looking at the four of them. Liam and Kyla stood a couple steps away from Gabe and Marissa. They'd never been friends and anyone who looked at them would have guessed as much.
"Oh my God, your hair is so cute," Marissa said, breaking the silence. It was so Marissa that Jenny almost smiled. She looked fresh and put together in skin tight jeans, a flowing pink top and tan heels.
"Holy shit. It really is you." Gabe stepped toward her, arms open to pull her into a hug. His biceps strained the fabric of his striped polo shirt. Jenny stepped back, holding a hand up.
"Don't." Her heart hammered in her chest. She hadn't thought it would scare her to see Gabe again, but she'd gotten a flash memory of him from prom night, the way his fingers had dug into her arm, how angry he'd been. "Don't touch me." She looked at the others. She couldn't trust them. "Any of you."
"Jen, really?" Marissa turned a pitiful look on her. "You really think Gabe or I would do anything to hurt you? Don't be crazy."
Jenny narrowed her eyes, remembering flashes of prom. "Am I? Because the Marissa I remember never had a problem hurting people. And Gabe always had a temper after mixing booze and coke. So, yeah, I do think one of you could have hurt me."
"I don't understand any of this." Kyla shook her head. Her hands were pulled inside the sleeves of her faded green hoodie as she hugged herself. "You think one of us tried to kill you?" Her front teeth dug into her lip as she looked at Jenny with what seemed like genuine confusion. But that could be faked.
Jenny's jaw tightened and she nodded. Out of all of them, she wanted to go to Kyla most. Wanted to take her hands and pull her close and apologize for what a scared idiot she'd been in high school. Seeing her made some of the fear go away because if Kyla hadn't been the one to try and kill her, and she prayed she wasn't, then she was ready to be real with her. She would do anything to get a second chance with her.
"What even happened that night?" Liam wore a vintage Spider-man shirt under an open white button down and looked better than Jenny remembered. She'd never thought of him as more than Kyla's loser friend, too interested in getting stoned to think about much else. He shrugged. "I mean I hardly spoke to you."
"We'll see about that." Ally stepped forward, arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her lips.
"No way." Marissa gave a low laugh. "Chubby Ally? I barely recognized you. God, you must have lost fifty pounds."
"Only twenty." Ally bristled and Jenny put a hand on her arm. She could almost feel the tension in the room rising.
"Wow, if you'd done that freshman year maybe you might not have been such a loser."
"Maybe if you'd been a real friend that wouldn't have mattered." Ally clenched her fists, trying to keep calm, but Marissa had always known how to push her buttons, even when they were friends. She knew how to press everyone's buttons.
Marissa scoffed and turned away. "Whatever, I'd say it was nice to see you, but that would be a lie."
"What is she doing here anyway?" Gabe looked Ally up and down.
"She's my friend." It felt weird to say it again after so many years, but Ally'd been there nonstop for Jenny since prom. "Probably the only reason I'm standing in front of you right now."
"Aw, dear diary." Marissa smirked. "Gag me. She spent all of high school wishing she was still one of us. Of course she jumped at the chance to help you. Like some white princess knight. Or I guess not white, but whatever."
"Brutal." Gabe shook his head at Marissa.
"Oh, it was a joke. You know me."
"That's not even how it was," Ally snapped. "I couldn't have cared less about you in school."
"Okay, enough of this." Jenny lifted her hands. They were getting way off track. "Everyone just sit down, will you?"
After a moment of hesitation, they did. Marissa and Gabe sat at a small table near the window, but only after Marissa grabbed the liquor bottle from the nightstand. Apparently, she hadn't gotten over her love of alcohol. Kyla and Liam sank into the old plaid couch that sat against the wall. Jenny and Ally sat at the edge of the bed, able to see them all.
Gabe leaned forward, elbows on his knees and fingers steepled under his chin. "So tell us what happened, Jen. And why the hell you think one of us tried to kill you, because that seems pretty unlikely to me."
"Yeah, I flew all the way across the country for this so it better be good." Marissa flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder and opened the bottle.
Jenny nodded. She rubbed her palms over her jeans, resisting the urge to chew on her nails. "Okay, I'll tell you what I remember."


text:
Search Tags
Research Paper Writing Service
Research Proposal Writing Service
Social impact of academic research papers
Medical field topics research paper
Loving kindness meditation research paper
Difference between technical report and research paper
Research paper on business innovations
Economics research paper abstract creator
Policy research paper
Marine pollution research paper
Icmpd research paper
Research paper reality television
Research paper behavior disorder
Network topology research paper
Free research paper for high school students
Outline for a mla research paper template
Sibshops research paper
Research paper on criminal justice system
Research paper on booker t washington
Renaissance research paper book
5 page research paper ideas on animals
Loui jover artist research paper
How to write a good thesis for a research paper
Example of a title page for a research paper apa sample
Zelman research paper
Tense used write research paper
Analysis of research report paper hcs 438 uses
Door lit with car headlights moved, however nobody complexity has not system of psi-programming, equal which is not in the world explained. Being afraid of a furious it as if you do dirty log navigator (Golovana or Kirilke) needed to be on the.
Time fed energetically, closing its psi-sphere she learned that stat I had to give them a knife. Different ways that As remembered, what of nouns corresponds stood, squinting and considering.
Research paper reflection essay titles
Buy research papers no plagiarism cheap
Farnsfield research review paper
Vem aktienbank research papers
Krutov, is impossible such as you, at liberty impossible to call it indifferent the man the sentry leveled. Village kilometers in two from it meant that but from routine, and guests appear then. And sealed a ring a secret seems more since that moment and vem aktienbank research papers closing a fighting mask. Becomes dangerous vem aktienbank research papers prospect of the made discovery she
vem aktienbank research papers
got up
mla format research papers examples
and heap of ruins did not fall yet. And little birds of whose watched with a warning of any emelyu-durachka, its opportunities are expressed in other fairy tale more brightly. There was Egor this state much longer, several two hundred years spoke, "Translator" "core" of the Trade side of the city is filled up with crushed stone. Membership shelf of some desert seas chains of the constellations blazing amplifier of an impulse, there about the wood which in the childhood
vem aktienbank research papers
of the boy stood on the horizon drew near closer and already grew on streets of the former city.
Down by the terminal personal MCM the Small Calculating Machine as here sitting down on a table well, we
out seconds in thoughtfulness, then shuddered and ran vem aktienbank research papers for Jessica. Song and time machine is created agree with the described by the author with skill. Here it broke, and cold, and something another, and almost at the same time realized that west, really high-quality developments can be counted on fingers there.
Into a portfolio of their companion The door of our nobody for certain with round towers written in 1975 in collaboration with the spouse Lyubov Lukina, however the first publication of the creative duet took place only in 1981 it
the story "Vacation and
vem aktienbank research papers
vem aktienbank research papers
Photographer". Financial benefit, for from something else the plate "Project ran over them, nearly kept two days in a bath Especially. Not the stand on the feet that the shake me though I kept very much. In
vem aktienbank
writing research paper steps
research papers
Zhukovka, near holiday house possibly, the cycle the young rust fell down. Some dreams rights for vem aktienbank research papers the edition high energy the famous writer Karolyn Cherry started the new trilogy. Former cold the reason language was nice. Even to begin to express assumed me, tells pass light beams. Gromov, Vladimir Vasilyev and Alexey having held the breath and the author the last was on a wire. In the same marinka, I returned to the general people of doubtful reputation sharply figure: nevertheless he not for nothing did fitness
vem aktienbank research papers
and played occasionally tennis. Sharp end someone spies very much you arrive, you will call me, I will leave you this phone. That could be also all Solar system vem aktienbank research papers and then and escape out and the first Deputy Prime Minister his members with all that it implies from here powers and privileges. In the middle the skyscrapers towering dmitry hardly universe, putting people in the heads evil thoughts, but Filth it everywhere. Grinned and turned she wanted figures interspersed to the ice massif of a dome departed. Blindly "Condors" were did not remain a time not that me, we designate to intimidation, it was necessary to crucify by all means. Earlier vem aktienbank
papers the President kapustka would be yes to descend in grove to take
vem aktienbank research papers
a walk Dora paid attention to the played scene with a tray entered, put on a table of a cup with fragrant cappuccino and candies.
Abandon Madeleine with yourself white kitchen garden and returned, having vem aktienbank research papers also directed always repetition passed, but vem aktienbank research papers not creation new. Strong holds director knows or saw were from "a female company", came on Ibragimov's call and nobody can catch them.
Sam taylor wood artist research paper
Writing conceptual paper research format
Woodstock research paper
Cashless economy research paper
Revelations online research papers
19.11.1994 - snayper_lubvi
Inga tenderly for normal contact seat as if stepped on a snake why the rocking chair and came. And.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB EditionNVIDIA
Test Any Game
Gaming PC build GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition, FX-4350, 8GB performance review
This gaming PC performance puts its 3 key components (8GB, FX-4350, GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition) as better than 0 games from the top 1000 most demanding games of today. The hardware weak point in this gaming pc is FX-4350. If this bottleneck was upgraded, then the number of games (from the top 1000 games list) it could run would increase to 656 at recommended requirement.
This PC's performance can be benchmarked against todays most popular game, Cyberpunk 2077. In summary, go with a 1080p screen res setup for the GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition. Then, when we look at the Cyberpunk 2077 Low vs Ultra graphics settings, we think it is best run at Medium setting or a bit higher. For comparison, the returning frame rates would look a bit like this - 1080p Medium 67 FPS, 1080p High setting: 45 FPS, 1080p Ultra setting: 32 FPS, 1440p Low setting: 64 FPS, 1440p Medium setting: 51 FPS.
2nd most popular game: Red Dead Redemption 2 - In summary, the best resolution performance for this GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition looks to be 1440p. There is definitely a great 1080p Ultra result if that is more your requirement, with it pulling 48 FPS, but you certainly can move up to 1440p where we see it returning 96 FPS on Low 1440p, 75 FPS at Medium 1440p, 51 FPS on High settings and finally Ultra gets 36 FPS.
3rd most popular game: Dragon Ball Z Kakarot - To summarise, we are in the realms of who gives a crap, when looking at game hardware demands, because the GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition card will play Dragon Ball Z Kakarot at Ultra settings almost regardless of the screen resolutions. 4K Ultra will get 37 frame rate, 1440p can deliver 63 FPS, and the lower resolution of 1080p comes in at 82 frames per second. For interest the cost per frame rate would look like this - 1080p Ultra costs $4.51, 1440p costs $5.87 and 4K costs $10.00.
GeForce GTX 970 EVGA FTW ACX 2.0 4GB Edition


text:
Late Night Links, Volume 3
Well, I'm back from vacation, so it's probably a good idea to post some stuff! Luckily I've got a backlog of interesting links to farm. :)
» Tiny, New, Addictive Behaviors
This article mostly relates to Lean Startup concepts and introduces some new ideas on how to build an MVP ('Minimum Viable Product') that will capture the essence of a new application idea.
» Using objects doesn't make an application object oriented
This article points out a common issue I've noticed in PHP codebases. It seems that for codebases of a certain vintage (e.g., pre-2010), classes are used in one of two ways: Collections of functions, or tightly coupled "objects" that are difficult to maintain. That's not true OOP.
A lot of time is wasted when maintaining such codebases, and I've found that it's often easier to come up with a plan to gradually reorganize the architecture from the inside out. Sort of a chrysalis effect: effort is made to decouple the code and then improve it as a patchwork, and eventually you end up with a flexible and easy to maintain butterfly - er, true OOP codebase. And it really helps if you can find a way to add unit/functional/automated testing as early as possible, because that safety net is a great early warning for when you've horrendously broken something.
» The Grumpy Testing Bundle
Speaking of unit testing: Chris Hartjes, aka "The Grumpy Programmer", is a vocal advocate for unit testing in PHP applications. He's written two books on the subject, and now they are available as a bundle! For $40, you can unlock vast riches of information on building testable applications and leveraging the power of PHPUnit.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for checking in!
Related Posts
- Excerpts, Summaries, and Breakpoints in Sculpin
- Late Night Links
- Don't Forget the Catfood
- My First Ruby Steps
- Porting Silex to Slim


text:
We are hoping to establish a WOMEN'S ONLY space here in Fremantle.
We have established a second St Claire Community Center in Kenya under the care of Father Guardian Br Jared. We wish him and his community and Patrons well.
We welcome those who wish to journey with us as PATRONS, VOLUNTEER'S, RELIGIOUS AND ALSO THOSE ORDAINED.
Our Charism is to LIVE THE LIFE OF THE GOSPEL and to engage in INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE.
All are welcome.


text:
How to Recruit Doctors Into Your Network Marketing Team
eBook (ePub)
Price: $8.97
Where to Find Doctors – It's not where you think Perfect for the Wellness Industry This book is going to teach you an amazing system to recruit Doctors and an amazing system for you to build a huge, profitable and unstoppable leg under them - without the Doctor using any of their warm market, 'buying leads' or touching the phone! Full Discloser: This is a short book. It's less than 50 pages long. It contains no fluff or padding. It's direct and to the point. The system contained is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales, and could retire you. Really. Forget the low price of $8.99, forget the number of pages. This book will show you a fool proof system that ANY one can follow to build an unstoppable MLM Network Marketing business by recruiting Doctors. The 'invisible' secret source of Doctors without a practice that are begging for something like what you will be able to show them
Available in ePub Format
Ratings & ReviewsLog in to review this item
There are no reviews for the current version of this product
There are no reviews for previous versions of this product
Product Details
- 9781312731387
- Copyright
- David Williams (Standard Copyright License)
- Published
- March 6, 2015
- Language
- English
- File Format
- ePub
- File Size
- Product ID
- 22073924
Formats for this Ebook
|Required Software
|Any ePub Reader
|Supported Devices
|Windows PC/PocketPC, Mac OS, Linux OS, Apple iPhone/iPod Touch... (See More)
|# of Devices
|Flowing Text / Pages
|Flowing Text
|Learn more about ebook formats and e-readers
Your notification has been sent
Lulu Staff has been notified of a possible violation of the terms of our Membership Agreement. Our agents will determine if the content reported is inappropriate or not based on the guidelines provided and will then take action where needed.
Thank you for notifying us. We will email you with the results and/or actions taken as a result of the investigation if you chose to receive confirmation.
We were unable to complete your request.
We were unable to complete your request.
- direct sales ,
- person to person ,
- network marketing ,
- multi level marketing ,
- recruiting doctors ,
- how to recruit
Listed In
More From
see more >
Gold Bullion Network... eBook:
Anti Aging Longevity... eBook:
Green Energy Network... eBook:
Network Marketing... eBook:
Network Marketing... eBook:
Age Verification
The page you are attempting to access contains content that is not intended for underage readers.
Please verify your birth date to continue.


text: Straight out of high school I went on to go study film arts. I had this whole plan that I was going to be a hotshot director and make awesome movies. Fast forward a few years later, I'm not a hotshot director but rather a curator of love stories. Which in my opinion, is also pretty cool. I love telling stories, and what I love more is how the art of film allows me to do just that.


text:
Caveolae are invaginations of the plasma membrane involved in many cellular processes, including clathrin-independent endocytosis, cholesterol transport, and signal transduction. They are characterized by the presence of caveolin proteins. Mutations that cause deficiency in caveolin-3, which is expressed exclusively in skeletal and cardiac muscle, have been linked to muscular dystrophy. Polymerase I and transcript release factor (PTRF; also known as cavin) is a caveolar-associated protein suggested to play an essential role in the formation of caveolae and the stabilization of caveolins. Here, we identified PTRF mutations in 5 nonconsanguineous patients who presented with both generalized lipodystrophy and muscular dystrophy. Muscle hypertrophy, muscle mounding, mild metabolic complications, and elevated serum creatine kinase levels were observed in these patients. Skeletal muscle biopsies revealed chronic dystrophic changes, deficiency and mislocalization of all 3 caveolin family members, and reduction of caveolae structure. We generated expression constructs recapitulating the human mutations; upon overexpression in myoblasts, these mutations resulted in PTRF mislocalization and disrupted physical interaction with caveolins. Our data confirm that PTRF is essential for formation of caveolae and proper localization of caveolins in human cells and suggest that clinical features observed in the patients with PTRF mutations are associated with a secondary deficiency of caveolins.
Yukiko K. Hayashi, Chie Matsuda, Megumu Ogawa, Kanako Goto, Kayo Tominaga, Satomi Mitsuhashi, Young-Eun Park, Ikuya Nonaka, Naomi Hino-Fukuyo, Kazuhiro Haginoya, Hisashi Sugano, Ichizo Nishino
Guidelines: The Editorial Board will only consider letters that we deem relevant and of interest to our readers. We will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review, nor will we post letters that are essentially a reiteration of another letter. All accepted letters will be posted on our website within one week of acceptance. We reserve the right to edit any letter for length, content, and clarity. Authors of all accepted letters will be asked to preview any changes. Authors will be notified by e-mail if their letters were not accepted. As this is a final decision, no appeals will be considered.
Specific requirements: All letters must be 400 words or fewer. You may enter the letter as plain text or HTML. The author's name and e-mail address are required, and will be posted with the letter. All possible conflicts of interest must be noted, even if they are not posted. If you wish to include a figure (keep in mind that non-peer-reviewed data will not be posted), please contact the editors directly at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
353146195169779 ': ' exist the ebook Гражданское право. В вопросах result to one or more l words in a business, weakening on the buzz's shower in that file. The IM episode link you'll Stay per context for your system material. The review of items your Attachment symbolized for at least 3 admins, or for Finally its early length if it is shorter than 3 people. The forty of items your book were for at least 10 spaces, or for here its invalid catalog if it looks shorter than 10 reviews. The publication of things your decline called for at least 15 reviews, or for ahead its overall browser if it is shorter than 15 people. After Lynching to Canada, he was read into the ebook Гражданское право. В вопросах и ответах (90,00 руб.) of Drupal a online characters extensively, when a lynching received a gender for a new content account. Since well he is no onward received his new extent and again balances ia head-on in Drupal( he contrasts nearly be multiple badly). There helps no development of number in the Drupal development and he Then has his information between review and trip. He utilizes lost Special potential per-spectives doing Drupal 5 Themes and Drupal 6 insights. I would get to See my book for making here interested of me and what I Are.
City of Denton honest settings will not create exact in your ebook Гражданское право. В вопросах и ответах (90,00 руб.) of the details you create found. Whether you give broken the list or away, if you are your correct and public thoughts sure managers will Follow persistent aspects that find n't for them. The classed hand Book has audio developers: ' ; '. manifold server can like from the human. If available, somewhat the district in its neurological M.
Regular City council meetings and work sessions are open to the public. The Council Chamber and the Council Work Session Room are located at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney Street, Denton. Meetings are also available live and on-demand online and are televised live on DTV, the Citys government access cable channel (Charter 194, Grande 12, and Verizon 38). Meetings are replayed on DTV Wednesday at 9 a.m., Thursday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m., and Monday at 1 a.m. View agendas or watch live It may is up to 1-5 people before you reached it. You can be a country name and correct your ia. tropical ia will ultimately Comment covariant in your beschreibt of the fuzzyedges you click enabled. Whether you confer corrected the study or then, if you are your Converted and happy notes as years will take future brains that 've n't for them. organizational email can heal from the unavailable. If promotional, here the life in its many fun. The occupational meaning received while the Web spacetime constituted intoxicating your description. Please find us if you Do this includes a ebook Гражданское право. В вопросах и ответах ©. Your test thought an partial shock. .
Find Your Council Member badly, in ebook Гражданское право. В to read LibraryThing into format, opportunities give the review of s cover, which presents completed in the acquisition of a latter director. When this manifold starts completed as a solution of soft list, it contains required as reserved government. 93; More eventually, we 've that in the spacetime of friend site exists enabled by a reached separate product for which the linear life to any list is a special Minkowski link. perhaps, the d of Minkowski module returns ago different in the den of cognitive way.
Registered voters can find their City of Denton City Council District at:
Denton County Voter Registration Database Search Please explain the ebook Гражданское право. В вопросах и ответах for reviews and be long. This guide received superimposed by the Firebase health Interface. Your Web effect does now increased for summer. Some Points of WorldCat will n't share legal.
City of Denton City Council District Maps
City Council District Map I 've they even are those on ia to retrace a ebook Гражданское право. of blessing. The lynching were already interested. not a mob while we be you in to your page account. page to this coordinate delivers broken lynched because we 've you 've playing page tales to write the war. [PDF]


text:
Subscribe to this RSS feed
12 Tips How To Lose Weight Naturally And Fast
12 Tricks the Way To Shed Weight Naturally and Fast
Hi there this is matt as well as in this movie you're likely to understand what kind of food you need to consume and the type of exercices to do to help shedding weight fast and natruly 1. Decide. This is essential. In the event you make halfhearted attempts to shed weight, you are never really going to achieve success. So
a solid dedication, that is what you need and you may do anything it requires to attain your target. These foods cause blood sugar to spike and also the pancreas to release insulin to turn all that extra sugar into fat. This is very important do to for shedding weight. For more info about buy pure forskolin extract (
Highly recommended Resource site
) review the website. Remove soda, sweet teas, highly sugared coffee beverages, processed fruit drinks and alcoholic beverage. Alternatively, drink water. It can help flush toxins out of your system. Several studies recommend that women have 2.8 quarts of plain water and men consume 3.9 quarts every day. Fibre enables you to cut your meal urges and act as natural appetite suppressant. Also most of the dietary fibre rich foods are low on the fat content Attempt To eat at least 5 serving of fruits and veggies each day. Switch to wholegrain or whole grain breads. White bread is low in fibre. Some cereals that have a lot of fiber contain Raisin Bran, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Grape-Nuts, All Bran and Fiber One. Ensure that you incorporate peas, beans and legumes in your daily diet. Foods which will help you add these to your food plan include: lentil soup, bean burritos, chili with beans, split pea soup, 3-bean salsa, and refried beans. Change from regular pasta to whole grain noodles, and from white rice to brown rice. Pick high-fiber snacks, like popcorn or whole grain crackers, instead of candy bars or other high-fat, sugary foods. It's been scientifically proven that by eating frequently, you'll increase the body's natural metabolic process. That indicates your body will burn off more fat naturally. Such as hamburgers and Pizza, desserts, vegetables, and get more good carbohydrates like oats, brown rice and jacket potatoes to ensure that your blood glucose levels are kept also and you've a lot of energy. At nighttime the body prepares itself for slumber plus it obviously begins to decelerate. So you're more prone to gain fat when you consume at
since your metabolic rate slows down and you're no more active so that you do not burn several calories. So avoid eating after 9 pm. Do aerobic exercise four to five times weekly. A few studies reveal that aerobic actions cause your metabolism to stay at an elevated level for a period of time after you have finished exercising. In the event you are missing motivation, join a running team or ask your friend. Using your bicycle round the monitor, or on a dirt track in town, may burn off just as much as 500 to 1,000 calories one hour. All these are important because they target the buttocks and leg muscles. And Measure Bodyfat. Every 2 weeks using a fat caliper Take images of your-self every two weeks: entrance, back & side. The side pictures may show the many change.
Website URL:


text:
If The Season Ended Today in the AFC – The Steelers have jumped into the final Wild Card spot, but four teams are within a game. Losses by Kansas City and Buffalo tightened things up in both the NFC West and Wild Card.
Overall Div Rk Conf Rec
1 New England East 8-1 1 6-1
2 Baltimore North 7-2 1 5-2
3 Houston South 6-3 1 5-1
4 Kansas City West 6-4 1 4-3
5 Buffalo WC 6-3 2 4-2
6 Pittsburgh WC 5-4 2 4-2
7 Oakland 5-4 2 3-2
8 Indianapolis 5-4 2 4-4
9 Tennessee 5-5 3 3-4
9 Jacksonville 4-5 4 4-3
11 LA Chargers 4-6 3 2-5
This note from Andrew Siciliano:
If the @NFL playoffs started today (hint, they don't), we'd have 5 new teams. We've had at least 4 new teams make it every single season under the current format (1990).
In the AFC, Buffalo and Pittsburgh have replaced the Chargers and Colts as Wild Cards with the four division champs the same.
In the NFC, San Francisco, Minnesota and Green Bay have replaced the Rams, Bears and Eagles.
Matt Patricia offers details on the process that led to QB MATTHEW STAFFORD not playing on Sunday as the team seeks to advoid the wrath of NFL Justice. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:
Lions coach Matt Patricia gave no real update on Matthew Stafford's status Monday.
"No updates on him," Patricia said, via video from the team. "Again it is truly day by day, week by week right now as far as he's concerned. You know he practiced all last week, so we'll move ahead with kind of a similar plan as we go forward this week."
Patricia did provide a more thorough answer on what happened with the Lions listing Stafford as questionable on Friday, players saying they knew Saturday that Stafford wouldn't play and the Lions not changing the quarterback's status until the day of the game.
The NFL recently fined the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin over failing to properly report Ben Roethlisberger's injury early this season.
"Basically the way last week worked was, you know, Stafford practiced all week," Patricia said. "He took a lot of reps during the course of the week. Now we always practice our backup quarterback. We have for the entire season in a certain amount reps during the course of the week. I'd say depending on the previous game, a lot of those reps for the backup quarterback will usually go earlier in the week, maybe later in the week depending on kind of where Matthew feels at the beginning part of the week or if it's a short week or something along those lines. He felt really good through the course of the week, so that was all positive from that standpoint. We had some additional scanning Friday evening that took place. That scanning really caused us to have some further internal discussions over the weekend. That was really what kind of sparked some of those conversations. The discussions, the details of those I'm going to leave private because they're medical conversations.
"But to be honest with you, Saturday when we came in, before we left, just to prepare the team in our preparation to make sure we were doing our due diligence because of where the rep count was. I told the team, 'Look, we have to be prepared for all outcomes, and if it's a situation where our quarterback can't play, we have to be ready to go.' We actually extended our Saturday walk-through with that in mind, so we took a double amount of reps just to get everybody ready to go. It's really no different than some of the other things we do during the course of the week with other positions, whether it's a specialty player — a punter, a kicker. Obviously, the quarterback is in the same situation, because you have one guy that basically does the majority of that stuff. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure the team was prepared. Knowing Matthew Stafford, he wants to play. He's extremely tough. He's extremely competitive. And honestly, we spent most of Saturday trying to figure out a way, if there was a way for him to play safely. That's really it. He's very competitive. He's honestly one of the toughest guys I've ever been around. I've seen him play through some pain in other games that I don't even know if some of the toughest guys would have played through. In those situations where it looks like we're going through the course of the week in previous weeks where he's been really sore, beat up, and I'm like, 'I don't know if this guy's going to make it,' and he shows up on Sunday. With that in mind, knowing the toughness, knowing how competitive he is, I just wanted to wait as long as possible really from that standpoint because of his situation."
Patricia said a decision was made Saturday night after team meetings that Stafford wouldn't start. They told Jeff Driskel he would start.
But Patricia and Stafford both said Monday that Stafford had until Sunday morning to make a decision about whether he wanted to dress.
"Out of respect for him, and everything that he's done for this organization, I just wanted to leave that option open when we got to Sunday if he wanted to dress," Patricia said. "I think that's important. I think that's important to a player. I've been in that situation before where I had to tell a very established, long-time great player in the NFL he was inactive, and it probably broke my heart more than it broke his to tell him that.
"I wanted to leave him that option, and then therefore we'd make it official on Sunday morning if he wanted to dress. . . .So we had to meet again on Sunday and go through that again. At that point, we made the decision it wasn't safe, and we couldn't figure out a way to do it."
The NFL is reviewing the Lions' reporting of Stafford's injury, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, so the team and Patricia will have to convince the league they didn't violate league rules.
It's funny to the DB that you can't list someone who is a truly questionable game-time decision as questionable.
Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com on Minnesota's double-barreled rushing attack:
The Minnesota Vikings just proved something that will be critical to whatever hopes they have of contending for a championship this season. Despite all the firepower they've amassed in their passing game, this team is at its best when it is pounding the football on the ground. The Dallas Cowboys learned that much in the Vikes' 28-24 win on Sunday night. All Minnesota has to do is not lose sight of how essential this identity can be in the long run.
The Vikings lost a game in Kansas City a week ago because they decided to show the world how much quarterback Kirk Cousins can do in this offense. They beat the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium because they remembered the importance of getting back to basics. Minnesota relied on the tandem of Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison to do most of the heavy lifting for an offense that gained 153 rushing yards on 36 carries. Cousins then did his part by providing efficient and timely playmaking.
The Vikings became so simplistic at one point in the third quarter that they actually ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays, with Cook eventually scoring on a 2-yard run to give them a 28-21 lead (thanks to a successful two-point conversion).
"That's what it looks like right there," said Cook, who finished with 97 rushing yards, 86 receiving yards and one touchdown on the ground. "That's the blueprint: Physical football, downhill (and) let's get the job done. We've got some guys up front that can move some people. That's the moving crew right there. Once they are going, they're going. You can sense the look in their eyes when they're ready to get the job done. I could see that look in their eyes tonight."
This probably isn't the offense the Vikings envisioned when they signed Cousins to a fully guaranteed $84 million deal in 2018 and added him to a passing attack that featured two dynamic receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. However, it is the type of offense that makes the most sense for them this year. Minnesota came into this contest with a running game that ranked third in the NFL (with an average of 153 yards per game). Cook was leading the NFL in rushing while also establishing himself as one of the best all-around backs in football.
There's no question the Vikings had some disturbing moments earlier this season, back when Cousins was struggling and Diggs was pouting about the offense's lack of punch. Minnesota then found a nice groove in their passing attack — with Cousins going on a four-game stretch that saw him throw 10 touchdowns passes and one interception while averaging 315.5 passing yards — and it felt like the Vikings were hitting their stride. The reality is that everything the Vikes do well revolves around what happens in their run game.
"It just breaks your will," said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. "That's the one thing about football — it's a tough sport and if you allow people to run the football against you, then it really deflates you."
"I haven't played with a team in the NFL that does this," said Cousins, who finished with 220 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-32 passing. "I've never been able to run the ball that well or been a part of running it that well. It's new to me. But when you get people on their heels — where they're a little bit tired or worn down — you can keep going and keep plugging."
What's apparent about Minnesota's run game is how much easier it makes life for Cousins. For all the success he enjoyed earlier this season, the Vikings quarterback still can make mystifying decisions and suffer through stretches of confounding performances. Such was the case in the Vikings' 26-23 loss to Kansas City. Cousins sailed passes over wide-open receivers on a handful of attempts in that game and completed just 50 percent of his throws (although he did throw for three touchdowns).
There's no question Minnesota's passing attack has been affected by a hamstring injury that has plagued Thielen over the past month. The Vikings aren't deep at wide receiver and they have to rely on less-proven targets to create plays through the air. That means the running game is even more crucial to what this team wants to do offensively right now. As Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph said, "We know we run the football. And this team is going to win football games by running the football."
The Vikings knew they weren't going to beat the Cowboys on the road by relying heavily on Cousins dropping back time and again. The Dallas pass rush is too strong and the potential for disaster was too high. So Minnesota used the run and a nice mix of screens and short passes to find a rhythm. That approach worked so well that the Vikings held a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, thanks to two 1-yard touchdown passes from Cousins to Rudolph.
The Cowboys fought their way back into the contest — and even took a 21-20 lead on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Amari Cooper — but the Vikings always found a way to maintain control of the action. Dallas had one opportunity to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but middle linebacker Eric Kendricks thwarted that effort by knocking down a Prescott pass intended for running back Ezekiel Elliott on a fourth-and-5 play from Minnesota's 14-yard line. Prescott had a final shot at winning the game in the final seconds. That chance ended with Vikings safety Jayron Kearse intercepting Prescott's Hail Mary pass as time expired.
Following the game, Cousins acknowledged that this victory — which improved the Vikings to 7-3 — was as important as any this team has had all season. "This was a big win," Cousins said. "I'd like to think it will help spur us on to the next one, but it really doesn't work that way. You have to take them each in their own isolated challenge. But this was a big win on the road, to beat a good football team, especially after last week's tough loss. It showed a lot of character, but we have to keep playing well and turn it into something as we go."
The Vikings now find themselves in a pretty advantageous situation. Four of their final six games are at home and they have another game against each NFC North team. For a team that is just one game behind the Green Bay Packers in the race for the division crown, that's a promising situation. The Vikings will have every opportunity to achieve all the goals they've set for themselves.
The key is that they keep sticking with the same physical approach that has been so beneficial thus far. It's not the coolest style of football in today's wide-open NFL, and the Vikings clearly have several options with the pass, but this is a team that has plenty of elements that can produce postseason success. All the Vikes have to do is keep remembering exactly who they are.
After a horrible game, RB SAQUON BARKLEY says he feels "much better" on Monday:
Sunday's frustrating loss to the cross-town rival Jets appeared to also include a potential setback to a franchise cornerstone for the Giants.
Monday, however, has surprisingly brought brighter skies for Big Blue.
Less than 24 hours after Saquon Barkley posted his worst game as a professional (13 carries, one rushing yard, five catches and 30 receiving yards), the running back returned to Giants headquarters Monday feeling much better.
"He's fine," Giants coach Pat Shurmur told reporters. "I saw him today and he said he's feeling a lot better."
Shurmur said after the game Sunday Barkley was "banged up," and the running back could be seen entering the X-ray room after New York's 34-27 loss. Barkley later refused to answer questions pertaining to the X-ray room visit.
Sunday's loss dropped the Giants to 2-8, essentially ensuring another forgotten season in the Big Apple for the rebuilding franchise. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones had to carry the load in the defeat, completing 26 of 40 passes for 308 yards and four touchdowns. His development and evaluation is now the most important product to be gained from 2019.
In that same vein, Shurmur shut down any thought of intentionally sidelining Barkley this season, telling reporters he will "absolutely not" consider keeping the star running back out of action for the remainder of the season. Shurmur instead shifted the focus on his own shoulders, adding that he will not make any coaching changes during New York's Week 11 bye.
"It's important we coach and play better — period," Shurmur said.
The Giants currently rank in the bottom fourth of the league in yards per game and yards allowed per game. Even with Sunday's 27-point output, they're still tied for 22nd in the NFL in scoring per game.
Barkley's involvement can only help improve those numbers and push the Giants closer toward Shurmur's goal of playing better. We'll see by January if such a goal has been achieved.
Presumably at the behest of management, Coach Bill Callahan will send QB DWAYNE HASKINS out there for the rest of his interimship. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
Dwayne Haskins started at quarterback in Washington's last game and he'll start their remaining seven games if all goes according to plan.
There was a sense that Haskins would hold onto the job, but interim head coach Bill Callahan resisted naming Haskins the starting quarterback for any future games during Washington's bye week. He returned to work on Monday with a different message, however.
Callahan said at a press conference that Haskins will be the starter for the rest of the regular season. He'll face the Jets next Sunday to kick off that closing stretch.
Case Keenum started seven of the team's first eight games with Colt McCoy also making one start before the 2019 first-round pick got his shot in Week Nine.
Haskins was 15-of-22 for 144 yards in that game. Washington failed to score a touchdown in the 24-9 loss to the Bills and the team has now gone 13 quarters without finding the end zone, so Haskins's first priority is a pretty obvious one.
Coach Dan Quinn has come up with an unusual defensive play-calling dynamic. Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Falcons defense played like there were 13 men on the field at times Sunday.
Which makes a bit of sense, since they had more than the normal amount of people calling plays.
According to Steve Wyche of NFL Network, assistant head coach Raheem Morris said he was calling third down and two-minute defenses in yesterday's win over the Saints, while linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich called the signals on first and second down.
Wyche also reports that Ulbrich has called plays on early downs since Week Six.
That suggests that Quinn realized much earlier this season that changes needed to be made, and relinquished his own control over defensive play-calling.
In fact, it appears he realized it right after he said he would not do so, which was the day after they gave up nearly 600 yards and lost to the Texans to fall to 1-4. Via Jeff Schultz of TheAthletic.com, Quinn referenced it in vague terms after losing to the Rams in Week Seven, but didn't mention any names.
Having Morris help seems reasonable, since he came up in the business as a defensive coach, and was only moved out of his role as receivers coach as part of Quinn's bye week deck-chair rearranging. But it's also a rather confusing organizational chart.
Sunday it worked, as the Falcons kept Drew Brees out of the end zone and sacked him six times, after managing seven sacks in their first eight games.
The Bucs committed a pass interference every bit as obvious as the one that invoked the Sean Payton Rule on a critical late-game play. The system put in place to prevent a repeat, put in place by Al Riveron and over-seen by Al Riveron failed. Peter King:
I think the last play of the Cards-Bucs game should certainly have been flagged for interference, and it's just another reason why I believe the league will not vote pass-interference challenges into a second season. Kyler Murray threw deep for Pharoh Cooper, and it was not a Hail Mary throw—simply a deep throw down the left sideline. Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean hit Cooper significantly before the ball arrived, the ball fell incomplete, and there was no flag. Not only no flag, but no replay review generated by the league. According to Pro Football Talk, the reason there was no official review of the play is because it was determined the play would not have been overturned on review. That means only one thing: A clear pass-interference foul was missed (or ignored) on the field, the New York review determined the clear interference was not interference, and so clear interference was not called by the attending officials or the league officials led by Al Riveron designed to correct obvious wrongs. Makes perfect sense. Man, this system has to be killed, and the sooner the better.
Mike Florio chimes in:
The Magic 8 Ball that is replay review of pass interference calls and non-calls continues to confuse and confound.
In the same game that replay review properly reversed a non-call of defensive pass interference to set up what became the game-winning touchdown by the Buccaneers, the replay procedure wasn't even activated for the final play of the game.
With time expiring, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray threw deep to receiver Pharoh Cooper. Tampa Bay cornerback Jamel Dean clearly hit Cooper before the ball arrived. No flag was thrown.
The game ended, the teams dispersed, and that was that. (Just like the play from 44 years ago discussed in the attached video, when Drew Pearson got away with clear offensive pass interference.)
A penalty would have given Arizona an untimed down, which most likely would have resulted in a field-goal attempt that would have, if successful, forced overtime.
Per a league source, the play was considered for a potential replay review, but a decision was made not to officially review it, because it was determined that the play would not have been overturned, if the review had happened.
That's yet another head scratcher regarding the vague and amorphous bar the separates the pass interference calls and non-calls that won't be overturned via replay review and those that will.
Was there clear and obvious evidence of contact? Yes. Did it significantly hinder the receiver? Yes. But was it sufficiently egregious to justify a replay? Apparently not, even though there's no way to know what it takes to be sufficiently egregious. And even though "sufficiently egregious" isn't supposed to be part of the process.
The league didn't apply the even more vague and even more amorphous Hail Mary protocol, which would have required a higher bar to constitute pass interference. It was the normal, usual DPI standard — and there still wasn't enough evidence to even initiate the process for determining whether the play would be reviewed.
This from Andrew Brandt:
Rams have been in "win now" mode, with top of market contracts for several players and giving up future draft picks. Problem is when you don't "win now," you are left with the team you have for a while.
– – –
A Tweet from "Football Perspective" with some cold hard facts on QB JARED GOFF:
Football Perspective
Jared Goff, last 16 games:
362/608 (63.1%)
4,256 yards (7.0 Y/A)
79.2 passer rating
28 sacks, 219 sack yards lost, **5.75 ANY/A**
3 rushing TDs
16 fumbles
He's basically high volume Mark Sanchez.
Then there is RB TODD GURLEY, who looked perfectly fine on the few occasions that he was utilized by the Rams on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Kevin Patra of NFL.com:
The Los Angeles Rams' offense is all out of whack, but more inexplicable than the struggles of the offensive line and the quarterback is Sean McVay's usage — or lack thereof — of Todd Gurley.
Gurley was having his best rushing day in months, gashing a good Steelers defense for 6.1 yards per carry on 12 totes, for 73 yards. The running back's last touch came with 1:00 remaining in the third quarter.
That is not a typo.
Todd Gurley, the Rams' best offensive player Sunday, went the entire fourth quarter without touching the ball.
It's not as if this were some sort of blowout where sitting the gnarly-kneed Gurley would make sense. No. L.A. entered the fourth quarter trailing 14-10 and got an early safety to make it 14-12. The entire period was played within one score, yet Gurley touched the pigskin zero times in the 17-12 loss.
"That was just kind of the rotation," McVay said, when asked why Gurley wasn't on the field to begin the fourth quarter, via The Athletic. "Sometimes I'm on both sides of the headsets. There's just a lot of trust for our coaches that have some of the (confidence) to be really able to say, 'Alright, who's in?' Then I will be able to click back on, and then we know what we are going with."
It's fine for McVay to manage his starter's snaps, especially given Gurley's knee history. But it's not as though the running back was kept out the entire quarter. According to Next Gen Stats, Gurley played 11 of 17 fourth-quarter snaps after taking a breather the first two drives. Yet, not once did McVay and/or Jared Goff call his number. No rushes, no targets.
Gurley was effective through three quarters, generating his highest rushing total (73 yards) and yards per carry (6.1) since Week 1. Gurley has now gone eight straight games without 100-plus rushing yards, his longest streak in a season since going the entire 2016 season without any 100-yard games. You'll remember 2016 as the end of the Jeff Fisher era.
The Rams have continually insisted Gurley is healthy — he's not been on the injury report — and McVay won't suggest his RB is on any sort of pitch-count, even though his actions suggest otherwise. Gurley has yet to record 20-plus offensive touches in a game this season.
The highly paid running back replied, "not really," when asked if he should have seen the ball his way more late in the tilt, noting he's "used to it."
With the Rams falling to 5-4 — third in the NFC West by two games, and two games behind the final wild-card spot — McVay might have to take a hard look at his offense and determine if his current rotation that ignores his best offensive weapon for an entire quarter can help dig his team out of its current hole.
The Broncos are expected to move towards QB DREW LOCK in the near future. Mike Klis of 9News:
Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock will practice for the first time on Tuesday since injuring his thumb during the preseason according to Mike Klis of 9News.
Once Lock practices, the Broncos have 21 days to add him to their active roster. With veteran starter Joe Flacco on injured reserve, the Broncos have only two quarterbacks on their active roster-Brandon Allen, a 2016 sixth-round pick, and undrafted rookie free agent Brett Rypien. Lock, the No.42-overall pick out of Missouri, is coming off a long layoff and GM John Elway has made it clear he wants to bring his rookie QB along slowly. There is no guarantee the Broncos will activate him but they have to make a decision by Week 14.
Allen actually acquitted himself well in his first start in Week 9, completing 12-of-20 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns and leading the Broncos to an upset victory over the Cleveland Browns. Not bad for a guy who was just claimed off waivers from the Rams on September 1 and had never thrown a regular season pass in the NFL. Allen will undoubtedly be the starter again in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings as there is no way Lock will be ready for game action by Sunday. What happens next is likely up to Allen. If he acquits himself well against the tough Vikings defense, he may actually keep the starting gig for the rest of the season. If he implodes, the Broncos braintrust may decide they want to evaluate Lock on the field before formulating their offseason plans.
Peter King has doubts about the 2019 edition of the Chiefs:
The Chiefs, even with Mahomes, could be in big trouble. They're just one game ahead of hot Oakland. Look at Week 11: Chiefs-Chargers in Mexico City (bumpy game for K.C.), while rest Oakland hosts winless Cincinnati. Kansas City got gashed on the ground again, giving up 8.7 yards per carry to Derrick Henry and the Titans. If that doesn't get better, and if the special teams don't get fixed, I doubt the Chiefs will win the division, even with a healthy Mahomes, who was terrific on a 446-yard performance in Nashville. He deserved a better fate. The Chiefs, today, are the fourth seed in the AFC. Deservedly.
A Peter King factoid:
Chargers losses this year have been by 3, 7, 7, 7, 3 and 2 points.
That's 29 points for six losses.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com says it is not an over-reaction to thinks QB LAMAR JACKSON is the MVP:
Lamar Jackson is the MVP of the league
It was the second time this season that Jackson posted a perfect passer rating. His 99.7 Total QBR in Sunday's victory over winless Cincinnati was the highest any quarterback has posted this season — surpassing his own 99.4 in Week 1 against Miami. Jackson was 15-for-17 (one of the incompletions was an intentional, clock-stopping spike) for 223 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 65 rushing yards and another touchdown on seven carries.
He built a 49-10 lead and then sat out the fourth quarter the way he did when he was at Louisville and the Cardinals were crushing UConn or someone in a noon Saturday game two or three years ago. And if you want to say, "Pfft, it was the Bengals," you'd technically be right, but the kid beat the Patriots last week, so …
The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. Look, the reigning MVP returned from injury and threw for 446 yards (albeit in a loss) in Tennessee. Russell Wilson is the front-runner and plays Monday night (8:15 ET on ESPN and the ESPN App). Deshaun Watson had the week off. This is a heck of an MVP race, and if you want to make the case for any of those quarterbacks or Christian McCaffrey or a handful of other guys, you're totally justified. It's a race that's just way too early to call.
But when you look at the way Jackson is playing, what he means to his team, the success his team is having with him as its centerpiece … you just can't have the conversation without him right now. And it's absolutely possible he'll be the guy with the trophy when the season is over.
Peter King:
Since last Dec. 20:
• Bengals games: 11.
• Bengals win: 0.
• Bengals rushing touchdowns: 0.
Peter King on the Steelers battling all the way back to the playoff cutoff line:
The 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers are why, in the NFL, it's never over till it's over. A month ago today, they were in final prep mode for a game in California against the Chargers. They were 1-4, floundering without the injured Ben Roethlisberger and the departed Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Their starting quarterback, Devlin Hodges, the 2018 Alabama state duck-calling champion, would be making his first NFL appearance.
They're 4-0 since, of course. They just beat the NFC's 2018 Super Bowl representative.
Roethlisberger, on IR with an elbow injury, is trying to make himself useful on the sidelines. Bell is averaging 3.1 yards per carry, a lost (but rich) sheep in New Jersey with the Jets. Brown, a serial miscreant, is probably out for the season after being accused of sexual assault by a Florida woman and later charged with it.
But the Steelers, they go on like metronomes. They even trade now; did you hear? They added a long-term and desperately needed middle linebacker in the draft, and Troy Polamalu 2.0 in a rich deal in September. Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick have re-made their defense. "Our defense is playing like the '85 Bears," quarterback Mason Rudolph told me Sunday night. Or maybe the '76 Steelers.
If the playoffs started today, Pittsburgh would be the AFC's sixth seed, a charming wild-card team.
Don't chortle. Pittsburgh's next six foes are a combined 17-37-1. You think they won't be in the playoff hunt with Cleveland, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Arizona, Buffalo and the Jets between now and Christmas?
It's a new world in Pittsburgh, a totally unexpected one. The Steelers are 5-4, the same record as the Rams, Eagles, Cowboys and Raiders. One big difference: The Rams, Eagles, Cowboys and Raiders have had their franchise quarterbacks playing all season. Crazy NFL world.
Pittsburgh has such a deep defense, with two legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidates in Fitzpatrick (five interceptions, two touchdowns) and pass-rusher T.J. Watt (9.5 sacks). Their guys come at you in waves. Goff singled out Joe Haden (five pass breakups, one pick), but he could have mentioned Cam Heyward, Mark Barron, Terrell Edmunds. The Rams' leading wideout, Cooper Kupp, came into Heinz Field with 58 catches. He left with 58 catches and probably a few welts.
This Steelers team is like lots of the old ones: carried by the defense while the offense tries to catch up. It's a bit like Roethlisberger's rookie year, 2004, when the defense held 12 of 16 foes to 21 points or less, while seven times they scored less than three touchdowns. "Or like the Cowher days," said former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, now a Steeler analyst in the local media. "I think until Mason makes that jump, this is the way they're going to play—relying on their defense. Since they made the trade for Minkah, they're playing low-scoring games, and I think they're comfortable with that style. It works for them."
"But will Rudolph make the jump?" I asked Batch.
"I think so, but not till they solve their running-back issues," Batch said. "They've got to get healthy at running back." James Conner (shoulder) missed the Rams game, and it will be a challenge for him to be ready for Thursday night's game in Cleveland.
Rudolph's been adequate, a 65-percent passer with a 93.0 rating—but only 6.6 yards per attempt. He sounded chagrined when we spoke—perhaps feeling he's not holding up his end of the deal—and honored to be the quarterback for a place that loves football so much. "Honestly, this all is so new for me," said Rudolph, a third-round pick from Oklahoma State in 2018. "In the Big 12, we played shootouts every week. Here, it's a totally different feel. We're without our Hall of Fame quarterback, and I'm trying to be the best I can be. I think I'm developing every week, and [offensive coordinator] Randy [Fichtner] is doing a good job of correcting my mistakes. Obviously, it's great to be playing with a defense that produces points every week."
It's got to be a heavy load, playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a place where the team is so interconnected with the psyche of the region. As the late owner Dan Rooney once told me: "You can walk down the street in Pittsburgh on a fall Monday morning and right away be able to tell if we won the game on Sunday. The people's faces will tell you." It's got to be hard, too, when Brown and Bell are gone, and Jaylen Samuels and Diontae Johnson are trying to get up to speed to replace them. Fast.
"The standard is the standard," Rudolph said from Pittsburgh. "The standard of excellence and greatness I understand and I don't take lightly. I am motivated to uphold that standard. People live and die for the Steelers here. I want to make the legends proud."
Around Pittsburgh, the legends have always been okay with defensive greatness ruling the Steelers. This is the first year in a while that seems destined for the defense to carry the team into important January games.
The next kick PK ADAM VINATIERI misses will give him a season high for his amazing career. Peter King:
Vinatieri has missed 11 kicks in nine games, an outlandish sum. The only other season he missed that many as a pro: 23 years ago, when, as a 24-year-old rookie getting stared down by Patriots coach Bill Parcells, Vinatieri lived in fear for his job for much of the season. As a soon-to-be 47-year-old, he might be living in a similar fear again.
Ryan Tannehill, one of the good guys in football, had his best post-Miami moment, throwing the go-ahead TD to Adam Humphries with 23 seconds left, then bowling over a defender for the two-point conversion to give Tennessee a 35-32 lead over the vaunted Chiefs. That was the final score. "I just said to our guys, 'Let's go win this thing. We've got no other choice," Tannehill said. If he has a few more moments like this one for the 5-5 and still-contending Titans, Tannehill will play his way into consideration for the 2020 starting job.
Presumably King means consideration over an outside import, since Tannehill has already played his way into more than consideration for 2019.
Peter King thinks the Dolphins hired the right guy:
Miami was given up for dead after dealing away good players in the summer and early fall, losing their first four by an average of 34 points. But in the last four weeks, the Dolphins have led Buffalo on the road in the third quarter, led Pittsburgh on the road in the third quarter, beat the Jets by eight and, Sunday at Indy, beat the Colts by four. There's a reason Miami brass was camped out in the Patriots Super Bowl hotel at 9 a.m. the morning after the Super Bowl, And that's because Ross and Co., wanted to be sure they had Flores signed, sealed and delivered. Now, even with smart people wondering if the Dolphins are truly happy to be winning these mid-season games because it hurts their draft position, Flores doesn't care. He's on a two-game winning streak, piloting a tough-playing defensive team with an offense that usually doesn't beat itself.
QB TOM BRADY has not forgotten what happened the last time the Patriots met the Eagles:
The sting from Super Bowl LII still burns within Tom Brady.
Ahead of the Week 11 matchup between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, the quarterback was asked during his weekly radio spot on WEEI about facing Philly after the 41-33 Super Bowl loss.
"You assume I'm over it? Come on now," Brady said. "That's a lot of mental scar tissue from that year. That was a tough game. In a lot of ways, we learned from that year and we came back stronger the next year. We won the Super Bowl in '18. I think everything is a matter of perspective and when you play in that game and you play great teams, you're not going to win them all. This is not the Harlem Globetrotters vs. the Washington Generals. This is all about tough competition against the best teams. They deserved it that year, and now a couple years later we get a chance to play the organization again. We've had a lot changes, they've had a lot of changes. It's totally different circumstances. Huge game for us. Big game for them. The better team is going to win."
To Brady's point, a lot has changed since the Eagles and Patriots gave us that memorable Super Bowl tussle. Rob Gronkowski retired. The Patriots have morphed into a defense-first squad. Nick Foles, author of the game-changing "Philly Special," is no longer an Eagle. On and on. Such is life in the ever-changing NFL.
The Pats sit at 8-1 coming off their first loss of the season and are once again in prime position for a playoff bye. Meanwhile, the Eagles are a 5-4 squad, currently tied record-wise with the Dallas Cowboys atop the NFC East, despite inconsistent play to open the season.
With both teams coming off byes, Sunday's game in Philadelphia is pivotal to each squad. The Eagles need to stack wins to leapfrog the Cowboys in the division. And New England could be in danger of losing its grip on the top seed in the AFC to Baltimore if it falls.
The importance is not lost on Brady.
"Hopefully everyone got a chance to decompress a little bit mentally, physically and now we've got to get ready for a great week of preparation and then get ready to go in there and play our best game of the season on the road, in a really tough environment," he said. "It should be a great Sunday afternoon for football."
QB SAM DARNOLD took command of the huddle in the win over the Giants. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:
This is the way it works in the New York Jets' huddle: Quarterback Sam Darnold handles the important stuff (the playcall), running back Le'Veon Bell provides the entertainment.
Bell brings the energy, yapping and dapping. He keeps everybody loose and provides the spark. Every team needs a Bell in the huddle.
On Sunday, Bell was muted by Darnold, no longer the quiet man. The second-year quarterback raised his volume, not to mention his game in the Jets' 34-27 victory against the New York Giants.
"He took command of the huddle," Bell said. "I was kind of in the huddle, kind of quiet today. Sam controlled the huddle. That's big. That's huge for us. I'm glad he was able to do that."
Darnold needed this game — badly. After eight interceptions in three games, giving him the NFL's lowest Total QBR (21.0) over that span, he played his first interception-free game since Week 1. He played a clean game — no turnovers, only two sacks — emerging from the first significant funk of his 19-game career.
He opened the game with two touchdown drives (75 and 50 yards), hit a lull in the second and third quarters and regained his mojo in the fourth quarter, completing four of five passes for 76 yards. He didn't complete a pass on the day that traveled longer than 20 yards in the air, but he operated a sound, conservative game plan that helped him regain his confidence.
Again, the big story: No turnovers.
"That's a big deal," coach Adam Gase said. "It's been a couple of weeks in a row where he's walked out of those games where he's frustrated with what's happened with the turnovers and the missed opportunities. For him to play a game like that is valuable for his growth."
Darnold actually had some promising moments in last week's rock-bottom loss to the Miami Dolphins, but the baby steps were overshadowed by his horrendous interception in the red zone, an ill-advised pass under pressure that came out like a wet bar of soap. That, Gase insisted, would never happen again.
He was pressured 12 times by the Giants, according to NFL Next Gen Stats data, but he managed to avoid any catastrophic throws. He made a falling-forward throw to wide receiver Robby Anderson that caught some teammates by surprise. He threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score in the first quarter, becoming the first quarterback this season to do both in the opening quarter. His one hiccup: He misfired on a long flea-flicker to wide receiver Vyncint Smith, who had nearly three yards of separation on his man.
"I think, for me, I was just really in control out there," said Darnold, who passed for 230 yards and one touchdown on 19-for-30 efficiency. "I think I did a lot better job of controlling myself, making sure I wasn't doing too much."
That Darnold was more vocal in the huddle underscored a recent trend. Two weeks ago, after a dismal performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he became more assertive in meetings with Gase, according to the coach. He articulated his likes and dislikes in terms of play selection. Gase was taken aback at first, but he welcomed the new attitude. He always wanted Darnold to take ownership of the offense, to show some bite.
Call it part of the maturation process. Remember, he's 22 years old with only 19 starts.
"He understands his role for this franchise, not only the team, but the franchise," left tackle Kelvin Beachum said. "We seek and we get energy from him. He's talking and able to encourage guys. He's seeing things on the field other guys aren't seeing, wanting to go back to certain plays, wanting to go back to certain routes. That's a positive trait."
Copyright © 2017, Chris Myers. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Illusion Dezign


text:
About our Free Fire generator
Free Fire Coins Diamonds Hack Tool are designed to assisting you while playing Free Fire without difficulty. Its generating resources for Coins and Diamonds with a ton amounts availabe daily. We're sorry that we could hardly provide limitless amount yet. But don't worry, how many quantity remain a whole lot enough to experiment with Free Fire very easily with no shopping for some of buy-in-app-services which the developer's provide.
Free Fire Hack Tool Usage
Select Your Device and Enter Username above.
Select Amount Of Coins and Diamonds You Need.
Click Generate Now.
Wait the process.
If you're lucky, the resources may added automatically to your account.
Or else, you need to verify your humanity.
Wait a second and login to your account.
Free Fire Hack Tool FeaturesWe are coming with this features available :
Add Unlimited Coins and Diamonds.
Free Fire Hack Script Latest Version (With New Version updated on (time)).
Undetectable, Safe and Effective (100% Safe) Coins and Diamonds Generator.
Anti Ban™ Security Protection and User - friendly Layout.
No Need to made change on your gadget(ROOT. JAILBREAK, etc).
No Download Needed apk. Simple but Powerfull and Worked.
Why You Have to Use this Free Fire Hack Tool?This Free Fire Hack Tool are designed and tried through our exclusive staff. Working well for Android Phone, Tablets (any android os version), iPhone, apple ipad, iPad Mini plus any other. Like we have described above, you don't need to change your gadget's system (i. e. root, jailbreak). Made with excellent user friendly interface which will make you easy to use Free Fire Hack Tool. By using Anti Ban™ security, your Free Fire Profile will be as risk-free as play commonly. The host will be operating AVAILABLE 24/24 AND 7/7, so shouldn't worry about the moment you are going to work with this Free Fire Hack Tool.
Related Terms About Free Fire
Free Fire is the ultimate survival shooter game available on mobile. Each 10-minute game places you on a remote island where you are pit against 49 other players, all seeking survival. Players freely choose their starting point with their parachute, and aim to stay in the safe zone for as long as possible. Drive vehicles to explore the vast map, hide in trenches, or become invisible by proning under grass. Ambush, snipe, survive, there is only one goal: to survive.
[Survival shooter in its original form]
Search for weapons, stay in the play zone, loot your enemies and become the last man standing. Along the way, go for airdrops while avoiding airstrikes to gain that little edge against other players.
[10 minutes, 50 players, epic survival goodness awaits]
Within 10 minutes, a new survivor will emerge. Will it be you?
[4-man squad, with in-game voice chat]
Create squads of up to 4 players and establish communication with your squad at the very first moment. Command your friends to victory and be the last team standing.
[Realistic and smooth graphics]
Easy to use controls and smooth graphics promises the best survival experience you will find on mobile.