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Hey! Like everyone here I'm mostly just looking for some people to chat with for a bit and pass the time however we decided. I am pretty used to internet friends being temporary, but I have made time friends that have lasted years. So if you are into talking regularly, I'm very much down with that.
I recent graduated so am looking around for jobs to try and pay off my student loan I took to go study in Germany for a bit pre covid. After that, I'm not sure if I'm going to go straight into grad school for library/archive stuff, or maybe disappear to Japan for a bit to teach English, or who knows. I recent fell in love with scuba diving and have thought about maybe learning to sail for the next few years and the sailing around from dive school to dive school helping out. But who the heck knows. Equally possible I find some office job I do until I'm in my 60s.
As for how I spend my time, I try to keep up on reading and writing as much as possible. I find when I have both as a strong habit, everything in life tends to feel a bit brighter. I also try to work out daily (though I like eating an entire pizza to much for it to ever show to much lol). Right now I've been focusing again on running and body weight stuff as a rehab a back injury. But hoping to get been to lifting heavy circles soon again! I usually describe myself as a nerdy jock. I love media (movies, TV shows, anime, games, etc) and tinkering Ruth tech, but can also talk for ages about F1, hockey, both footballs, etc. Though I love learning new things so if you have a hobby you are into, let me know!!! I'm happy to explore it.
I usually write way to much so I guess I'll try to wrap this up here. If anything piqued your interest, I'm obviously happy to chat! I've been told before that people worry about time zones or age differences. Both really aren't a big deal to me, as long as you are over 18. Some of my best internet friends were much older then me, and my sleep schedule is so messed up that I often am awake in Asian or European timezones lol. So feel free to send me a message whenever you wish end I hope you find some fun people to chat with!!!

Amapá Iron Ore Mine, Brazil [KDNC] [Flair]

• Cadence owns 30% of the Amapá Iron Ore System which is an integrated mine, railway and port which was previously owned by Anglo American, the mining operation generated profits of $171m in 2011 and $77m in 2012.
• The mine is a major source of employment in the state and when operating previously was the largest employer in the state and represented the largest contributor to the GDP of Amapá amounting to 20% on a turnover basis and 1-3% based on profitability. The mine will employ 600-800 workers and indirectly 4000 workers. The economic prosperity of the region is linked to the success of the mine.
• 2023-01-07 Recent progress podcast:
  • PFS Completed $949m NPV with 10% discount rate and 16 year mine life at 5.28mtpa with profit after tax of US$2.96 billion over Life of Mine
  • PFS allows Cadence to engage with off-take partners, possible JV partners and strategic investors at a project level.
  • "If there is a good opportunity from a strategic investor, the joint venture partners would consider taking that money and for us that would prevent any further dilution in terms of funding going into it by selling off investments that we didn't wish to or raising capital in the market"
  • Options to substantially increase the NPV by reducing CapEx at the port, and increasing mine life.
• 2023-03-01 Corporate Update:
  • DEV Mineração S.A. ("DEV") was unable to meet the 2022 payment schedule as per the settlement deed and although the bank creditors have reserved their rights, the settlement deed remains in full effect with all parties in discussions with a view to agree a new timetable in order to rephase payments so these can be met in light of market conditions.
  • With improving iron ore prices and stability returning to shipping costs, the sale of the 58% iron ore concentrate stockpile is now economically viable. We expect shipping to recommence in the next six months, with the net revenues being used to pay the bank creditors, as per the settlement agreement.

Sonora Lithium Project, Mexico (Ganfeng Joint Venture) [KDNC] [Flair]

• Cadence has a 30% Joint Venture interest in several of the tenements in the Sonora Lithium project. The DFS envisages a total of 3.6% of ore associated with Cadence being mined in years 9 to 19 in the current 17.5kt/35ktpa LCE mining plan. Should Ganfeng accelerate production or increase mine life then the Joint Venture areas will be required sooner and in greater volume. Cadence has 839Mt LCE of mineral reserves associated with its Joint ventures which is 18.58% of the total 4,515Mt LCE of that defined.
• 2022-07-02 Recent highlights:
  • Ganfeng plans to accelerate construction
  • Ganfeng reviewing plans for a production rate above 17.5ktpa and an additional 500 hectares of land acquired at the eastern end of the plant site location to allow for future plant expansions.
  • Sonora Phase 1 plan massively increased to 50kt/yr Lithium Hydroxide
  • Ganfeng eyes US OEMs for “strategic” stake in Mexican lithium project. Elon Musk tweets Price of lithium has gone to insane levels! Tesla might actually have to get into the mining & refining directly at scale, unless costs improve.
• 2022-08-14
  • BN Americas reports “Mexico looks to buy out existing additional rights held by UK exploration giant Bacanora”
  • US Inflation Reduction Act to benefit Mexican Automotive Industry
• 2023-03-01 Corporate Update:
  • In 2021, a decree was passed by the Mexican government to reform the domestic energy sector ("Decree"). The Decree stated that lithium would be included among the minerals considered strategic for an energy transition. As a result, no new concessions for lithium exploitation by private companies would be granted. Earlier this month, the Mexican government passed a presidential decree confirming that within a 900 square-mile lithium mining zone in northern Sonora state, existing concessions would "remain safe". This aligns with the general opinion that the Decree passed by the Senate only impacts licenses, concessions, or contracts to be granted, not already those granted, as is the case for the Sonora Lithium Project.

Hastings Technology Metals, Australia (ASX:HAS) [KDNC] [Flair]

• 2023-03-01 Corporate Update:
  • On 25 January 2023, Cadence completed the sale of its 30% stake in several mineral concessions forming part of the Yangibana Rare Earths project for a consideration of 2.45 million Hastings shares, equating to approximately 1.9% Hastings issued share capital. This consideration was a premium over the Net Present Value ("NPV") of the Cadence portion of the mineable material, based on the definitive feasibility ("DFS") updated by Hastings on 21 February 2022
  • Hastings recently published an update on the Yangibana Rare Earth Project, highlights of which are as follows:
    • Significant progress during the last two months on enabling construction and ordering long lead critical items.
    • A total of $146 million in contractual commitments has been made to date, demonstrating the high degree of confidence by the Hastings Board in the future of the Yangibana project.
    • Ore Reserves increased 25% to 20.93Mt at 0.90% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) grade, increasing mine life to 17 years.

Evergreen Lithium, Australia (ASX:EG1) - [KDNC] [Flair]

• 2023-04-13 Notice of Initial Substantial Shareholder in Evergreen Lithium Limited
  • Evergreen was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on 11 April 2023.
  • Cadence holds 15,830,138 million shares, equivalent to 8.74% of the issued share capital of Evergreen and is its largest shareholder.
  • A further AS$3.47 million (£1.86 million) of shares in Evergreen are due to Cadence on the achievement of certain performance milestones by Evergreen. The pricing of Evergreen shares associated with this consideration is based on a defined pricing mechanism linked to the VWAP and the date at which the performance milestones are achieved.

European Metal Holdings, Cinovec, Czech Republic (LSE:EMH) [KDNC] [Flair]

• 2022-07-02 Recent highlights:
  • Soft debt / EU grants and financing deals
  • Potential plans to double production (by using two shifts)
  • Updated PFS 75% increase in NPV to S$1.94B, using $17/kg. 16% production increase to 29,386tpa. 30% increase in Lithium Hydroxide to $22.1/kg would increase the NPV8 (post tax) to over $3B.
• 2022-10-31 Expect 10-20% reductions of the Lithium Chemical Plant CapEx and OpEx as a consequence of using a simplified hydrometallurgical process, for which a patent application has been filed.

Passive Equity Investments - Notable Developments [KDNC] [Flair]

See the above menus for company links and announcements - noting that additionally Macarthur holds 20% of spin off Infinity Mining ASX:IMI

Analyst Reports and Recommendations [KDNC]

Date	Link	Who	SP	Summary / Price Target
2023-02-28	Kemeny Capital	Kemeny Capital (investment research)	12.9p	"Cadence Minerals has built a robust portfolio of base and battery metals with ample opportunities for shareholder value creation. Recent developments have helped to substantially increase the potential of two of the group’s asset positions, while adding to the overall corporate valuation. Our sum-of-theparts (SotP) indicative fair value is 43.6p."
2023-02-02	W H Ireland Research	W H Ireland (broker)	14.5p	WHI View: Our assessment is that the Amapá mine could be company-maker for Cadence. We are firmly of the belief that the current market cap is more than covered by the legacy investments that Cadence holds in various new technology metal companies and projects and that the addition of the Amapá stake to its portfolio can only be value enhancing. In our opinion, the development of Amapá will be transformational for Cadence and we see fair value at 71p/sh with plenty of upside potential.
2022-07-24	Reddit Post	u/EV-BULL (private investor)	10.75p	Due diligence short term price target: 60p-80p; 1-2 year price target: 130p; Long term bull case price target: 300p+
2022-07-02	Reddit Post	u/Observer842 (private investor)	10.4p	Due diligence Near term: £37.5m (21.5p) - £92m (53p); Medium term: £160-420m; Longer term: £1-2B+
2022-02-18	Daily Mail	Anne Ashworth for the Daily Mail (Journalist)	20.4p	"The white gold rush appears to be an inviting prospect. But if you want to join, remember that fortunes are far from guaranteed in any foray into commodities. Options include the Aim-listed businesses Cadence Minerals and Zinnwald Lithium."
2022-02-18	Edison Group	Edison Group (investment research)	20.4p	QuickView report
2022-01-01	Daily Mail	Justin Urquhart Stewart (fund manager)	28p	Top pick for the Brave in 2022

ICYMI [Previous]

Date	Article	Comment & Quotes
2023-04-21	Cadence Minerals Q&A session with Kiran Morzaria	Most recent of the presentations and interviews with CEO Kiran Morzaria.
2023-04-13	The Vox Markets Podcast / Kiran Morzaria of Cadence Minerals: Evergreen had a very successful IPO and we are the largest shareholder
2023-03-29	Cadence Minerals Investor Presentation March 2023
2023-02-28	Cadence Minerals - value waiting to be unlocked - SoTP indicative fair value 43.6p	6 page analyst Research report from Kemeny Capital which can be obtained for free by qualifying investors.
2023-02-02	WH Ireland Research Report: Cadence Minerals - Developing Amapá iron ore mine and strategic new technology metal interests (sees fair value at 71p / share)	To obtain this 34 page Analyst Research Report for free, (optionally) first register for Research Tree, then whilst logged in, register for WH Ireland (optionally) using your Research Tree account.
2023-01-03	Completion of PFS on Amapá Iron Ore Project	Post-Tax Project NPV10 US$949 million, Internal Rate of Return of 34% and a Project Maiden Ore Reserve Estimate of 195.8 Mt (Cadence attributable of 58.74 Mt) at 39.34% Fe Declared

Anything missing or incorrect? Let us know in the comments or LSE chat - the mods.

Hi there! I’m in an open marriage and I’m a Dad.
I am looking for a woman who is also in an open relationship or at least has some experience with that. I look to find someone to date and see long term in a secondary type relationship. I’m looking for emotional intimacy that feeds into physical intimacy. I’m poly in that I’m open to romantic feelings if they develop but I also am not trying to force anything. Just want someone to appreciate and feel connected to. Ideally, once we are established you enjoy texting when we can’t see each other in person and you’re available for meetups once a week-ish as schedules allow.
I’m 43, white, 6’1”, 190lbs. I workout and run regularly. I am kind of a cute nerd type in the face crossed with a surfer dude. I have jaw length ashy/brown/blonde hair (still have all of it and it’s wavy/curly and thick), blue eyes, clean shaven and I wear glasses. Personality wise I’m strong, quietly confident, laid back, sweet, and introverted.
I like nerdy stuff like board/video games and I also enjoy football (Niners!), hiking and occasionally going out to dance. I work as a lead software engineer in video games. I am a native of the Bay Area. I also enjoy weed so be friendly with it please. Generally open as well to limited use of party/psychedelic type drugs and enjoy experimenting with the right person (combine this with dancing?).
In the bedroom I have a natural, passionate and sensual way. I enjoy being the masculine one in general but I am not formally kinky or a dom type. I have a strong carnal desire, I’m sensually very intuitive and I enjoy causing pleasure. Also, I’ve had a vasectomy.
Attributes I like in a partner are short, sweet, sensual, genuine and down to earth.
A word about my relationship; we are open but not swingers. I look to find a purposeful connection with a like mind. I am not looking for something quickly or for the short term. The goal is certainly to find amazing physical chemistry, but with someone whom I know, care for and respect.
I live in San Jose and I am quite mobile and happy to drive almost anywhere within reason.
Thank you for reading this far and I hope to hear from you!

Hello, welcome to London!

Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!
We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.
Your first port of call should be

the london wiki

It includes sections on:
What should I see and where are the non-touristy stuff and hidden gems? We've written about the big must-sees here and we highly recommend TfL's Experiences site. We've listed some of our favourite lesser-known stuff here And the cheap/free stuff here
How do I pay for the Tube/bus, and what's an Oyster card? You don't pay cash. You can use a number of contactless payments systems such as your Contactless bankcard (which is widespread in the UK, but maybe not so much elsewhere), Apple Pay, Android Pay, or you can buy an Oyster card and top it up with credit. See here for more.
Where should I live? What's x area like? Have a look here It includes recommended sites to find places to live and rent, and has a section on what particular areas are like.
How do I get from this place to that place? Use Citymapper. Honestly, we're not shills for them; it's just a really good app and is used by most of the locals on this sub.
Is x area safe? Yes. Bad stuff can happen in any large city, but London is generally very safe. There aren't any no-go zones. Even under the shadow of terrorist attacks, most Londoners feel safe. See our safety page here for more.
Where can I watch the baseball/basketball/football/handegg match? A comprehensive guide to all London football matches in all leagues can be found at tlfg.uk. Use Fanzo to find pubs showing a variety of sports and see our list of other places here
How do I get a UK SIM card for my phone? Advice on networks and how to get a SIM card is covered here. It also includes suggestions of cafés and other places where you can get free wifi and do a bit of work.
Is the London Pass worth it? Probably not
Other subs that you may find helpful:

• /LondonSocialClub - Meeting new people for events, activities and/or pints.
• /IWantOut & /UKvisa - Check if you need a visa and how to get one if you want to work here.
• /LegalAdviceUK - Good for all sorts, especially for questions about landlords and contracts.
• /UKPersonalFinance - Another goldmine of sage advice.
• /AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London.

Tips for posting:
Tell us about you - If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy. Don't just say "I like music", say what type of music. Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat", say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like). The more specific you are the better, otherwise you'll just get pointed back to the generic guidebooks, blogs and our wiki.
Tell us your budget - If you're on a budget then tell us what it is and we can bear that in mind when making recommendations. There's no point in us coming up with ideas for things to do and places to eat if they'll clean out your wallet within the first 5 minutes. Saying you want something "cheap" isn't really helpful because what's cheap is entirely subjective.
Tell us where you'll be based - Let us know where you'll be staying so that we can give local recommendations.
Asking about hotels or hostels - We have homes here so know very little about what the hotels are like. Look on review websites such as TripAdvisor. However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" then that's the sort of thing we can answer.
Non-touristy stuff - There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders! This is one of the most written about cities in the world, so when we want to go to a museum, or gallery, go window shopping, or whatever, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki).
^{These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us [ModMail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Flondon} with any suggested improvements!)

This is going to be longish but I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced similarities. I had 2 months of maternity leave, husband had one week. For that reason, most home-related things fell on me. I felt like he thought me being home with the baby/recovering was some kind of vacation (lol). Before our baby was born he assured me that he’ll be able to work remotely, take half days working at home, and that he’ll come home on lunch because that’s what “all the new dads at his company do.” He instead left for work an hour earlier to workout on his lunch break and came home at the normal time because “his work responsibilities don’t get done if he doesn’t do them.” He said he misunderstood about the flexibility of his job (he’s worked there for 5 years) when I said that I felt like he had lied to me and got furious, claiming “IM NOT A PIECE OF SHIT LIAR.” None of this words came from my mouth.
He’s extremely air headed at times, always has been, which is fine but I’ve asked him to get his sh*t together regarding things related to/impact me and the baby. If he’s able to implement a new routine of packing a gym bag each night, I feel like he can make changes to help us in small ways that make a big impact. I know that his boss(s) tried to coach him on time management during his last review as well, especially now that he’s going to be a father. I didn’t have the luxury to reflect on how selfish he’s been throughout the most vulnerable time in my life before now, in addition I believe I’m suffering from some PPD due to the most tumultuous maternity leave one could imagine, mostly due to our relationship struggles.
Another thing he did was (when I asked if he could help with household duties, specifically the laundry) he absolutely lost it on me, the fight escalated and he screamed divorce and how I’ll be a great single mom (3 weeks PP) He wrote down the list of finances that he pays for and told me I’m not responsible for half then stormed off to stay at a hotel. I had FMLA, but no income and some money saved for emergencies (we keep finances separate and normally I spilt things 50/50, but we agreed not while I’m out on maternity leave since he makes more than me). He also storms out each time I don’t agree with him, leaving me with the baby - which I prefer because he’s unable to control his emotions.
I recently broke my foot and he didn’t back out of a non-competitive company marathon (not mandatory) that lasted over the weekend because he “didn’t want to let them down.” He came home hungover and tired and complained. I feel like he let me down by not being there for me, more importantly our baby who needed an adult in case of emergencies since my foot is f*d which I told him. He told me that I didn’t need to go to the Dr. when I wanted to go and he could’ve helped me with baby because “this happened to him all the time while he played football,” and also “he doesn’t believe I’ve met my deductible.” But then turned around and tried to make me go to the dr when he was off running the marathon and I couldn’t walk up and down stairs with the baby - very unsafe. Meanwhile, a week after I gave birth with 2nd degree tearing he went to the emergency room because he has an inflamed zit which cost $1400. He always apologizes but after so much damage, rinses and repeats.
So these are just some of the things that have left me feeling numb and like I cannot trust him. This week was my first week back at work (I worked on a sprained foot at a physically strenuous job and part time/around his work schedule because I’m still the primary care giver) and he wanted to talk finances immediately (I haven’t even gotten my first paycheck). He said “I’ll continue to pay your half of the bills, and we’ll open up a savings account for what you make and it can be a down payment on a house.” I calmly stated my feelings which are: he used money as leverage over me my entire maternity leave. I went as far as to Zelle him thousands which he sent back to me when he wasn’t angry. But I feel like at any moment now he could try to pull the rug and do impulsive things to hurt me at the drop of a dime because he can’t check himself. I’ve tried deescalating him and he gets more angry because he thinks I’m “telling him what to do.” I don’t like the idea that now I’m unable to rebuild my savings from when I was out of work/commission and put it in a joined account that he can access when I have no access to his bank account.
I understand that dads go through PPD etc., so I’ve been as patient as I can, we have a counseling apt set up that cannot come quick enough but honest to god I don’t even know where to start. It’s obvious when you read how all over the map this is. As a PP new mom I don’t even feel like I’ve had time to process my own emotions, all I have the energy to do is be present for my baby and ignore all the ways he’s changed the way I view him, but it’s not good. The less reactive I am, the more reactive he becomes, I feel literally numb. Just today he told me “I hate living in this house with you, I hate you, you’re a monster.” It reminded me of an angry child and stormed off. And that was after I’ve tried to express how I’m feeling about why I don’t want to put all my paychecks in a joint account. He puts words in my mouth constantly, “I’m not a blank!,” when I never said he was, I just expressed how his actions make me feel. Something I’ve repetitively asked is that he comes to me with new ideas as an open discussion rather than dictating a new rule or goal. He fails at this constantly. And blows up when I try to turn it into a discussion. I resent him with composure.
Anyways I’m just writing this out for a sanity check maybe. Any (healthy) guidance or words of wisdom, hope or recommendations to resources for him and I is so so welcome.
Signed,
Someone losing hope in my marriage

Main hub thread with the full 131 rankings
What if I told you Memphis made Peyton Manning the QB he is today? In 1996, Memphis hosted junior QB Peyton Manning and #6 Tennessee late in the season. Memphis was just 3-6, while Tennessee was 6-1 and in the hunt for a national title. In true college football chaos fashion, the 26 point underdog Tigers pulled off a 21-17 win, scoring a TD with just 34 seconds to go. Returner Kevin Cobb took back a controversial 95 kick return for TD in which it looked like his knee was down, but the refs ruled it a TD. The play won an ESPY for college football play of the year, and the win was one of the biggest in school history.

Best Seasons and Highlights

1. 2019: 13. Memphis: 12-2 (29.169) 2. 2014: 25. Memphis: 10-3 (14.915) 3. 2015: 34. Memphis: 9-4 (11.312) 4. 2017: 35. Memphis: 10-3 (11.256) 5. 2003: 32. Memphis: 9-4 (10.813) 6. 1983: 42. Memphis: 6-4-1 (0.514) 7. 2020: 52. Memphis: 8-3 (-1.024) 8. 2016: 53. Memphis: 8-5 (-2.515) 9. 1992: 45. Memphis: 6-5 (-5.086) 10. 2004: 46. Memphis: 8-4 (-5.388) 11. 1993: 45. Memphis: 6-5 (-5.914) 12. 2018: 65. Memphis: 8-6 (-7.446) 13. 2005: 57. Memphis: 7-5 (-7.696) 14. 1988: 55. Memphis: 6-5 (-9.088) 15. 2022: 66. Memphis: 7-6 (-9.635) 16. 1987: 55. Memphis: 5-5-1 (-11.684) 17. 2021: 78. Memphis: 6-6 (-13.121) 18. 1984: 65. Memphis: 5-5-1 (-13.469) 19. 1991: 60. Memphis: 5-6 (-13.473) 20. 1999: 68. Memphis: 5-6 (-14.812) 21. 1994: 63. Memphis: 6-5 (-15.174) 22. 2001: 74. Memphis: 5-6 (-18.471) 23. 1990: 71. Memphis: 4-6-1 (-19.290) 24. 2007: 80. Memphis: 7-6 (-20.859) 25. 1996: 72. Memphis: 4-7 (-21.378) 26. 2008: 85. Memphis: 6-7 (-22.433) 27. 2000: 83. Memphis: 4-7 (-25.765) 28. 1997: 80. Memphis: 4-7 (-27.819) 29. 1985: 80. Memphis: 2-7-2 (-28.717) 30. 2012: 100. Memphis: 4-8 (-36.249) 31. 2013: 99. Memphis: 3-9 (-36.251) 32. 1995: 88. Memphis: 3-8 (-36.550) 33. 2002: 98. Memphis: 3-9 (-40.272) 34. 1998: 104. Memphis: 2-9 (-46.048) 35. 1989: 94. Memphis: 2-9 (-48.897) 36. 2006: 110. Memphis: 2-10 (-49.540) 37. 2009: 112. Memphis: 2-10 (-54.004) 38. 1986: 104. Memphis: 1-10 (-59.789) 39. 2011: 116. Memphis: 2-10 (-60.369) 40. 2010: 120. Memphis: 1-11 (-67.338) Overall Score: 10364 (82nd) 

• 213-253-6 record
• 2 conference titles
• 5-8 bowl record
• 4 consensus All-Americans
• 60 NFL players drafted

60 NFL players is a LOT. Especially for a Group of 5 team. Memphis has produced the most NFL draftees of anyone on the list so far with 60, more than the 6 Power 5 teams we’ve seen including Iowa State, Indiana, Kansas, and Rutgers. Primarily they’ve been a RB factory in recent years, producing NFL RBs DeAngelo Williams, Tony Pollard, Antonio Gibson, Darrell Henderson, and Kenneth Gainwell. The first 3 produced 1000+ yard rushing seasons in the NFL, while Gainwell ran for 100 yards in a playoff game last year, and Henderson won a Super Bowl with the Rams recently. They also have a shout to be Special Teams U, producing All-American K Joe Allison, All-American P Tom Hornsey, NFL 2010s All-Decade K Stephen Gostkowski, and current NFL starting kickers Jake Elliott and Riley Patterson.

Top 5 Seasons

Worst Season: 2010 (1-11 overall, 0-8 Conference USA)
I can only imagine how helpless Dontari Poe felt. The 6’3 345 lb DT would be drafted with the 11th overall pick just 2 years later, and was a standout talent on an otherwise hapless Memphis team. Memphis ranked bottom 5 in both offense (14.4 PPG) and defense (39.8 PPG) in 2010, losing 8 games by 20+ points. Freshman punter Tom Hornsey probably enjoyed the inept offense, getting to punt 80 times for a 42.7 yard average. Hornsey would go on to be a consensus All-American 3 years later in 2013. They somehow beat Middle Tennessee 24-17, who made a bowl. But a 17-56 loss to 5-7 Houston was bad. Most of the blame fell on the shoulders of first year head coach Larry Porter, who prior to his hiring, had never been a head coach or even coordinator. Porter came from LSU’s RB coach position, and has returned to coaching RBs ever since his firing in 2011. As one cfb member put it, “Larry Porter almost got our program cancelled.”
5. 2003 (9-4 overall, 5-3 Conference USA)
After beating Tennessee Tech 40-10 in the opener, Memphis made themselves nationally known in week 2, beating Eli Manning and Ole Miss 44-34. Memphis QB Danny Wimprine outdueled Manning, throwing for 355 yards and 3 TD with no picks, also catching a 34 yard pass on a trick play. Future NFL RB Deangelo Williams burst onto the scene, racking up 166 and 3 TD from scrimmage on 32 touches. Ole Miss was a good team that year too, they’d finish 10-3 with a #13 final ranking. Memphis had a hangover after the game though, and won just 1 of their next 4. They grouped together to win 5 straight by an average score of 37-14, before losing to USF 16-21 in the final regular season game. Tied for 3rd place in C-USA, Memphis faced 3 straight Sun Belt champs North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, shutting down any UNT passing game for a 27-17 win. Junior QB Danny Wimprine threw for 3000+ yards with 22 TD 13 INT, and would finish his career next season as Memphis’ all-time leading passer with 10,215 yards and 81 TD. DeAngelo Williams won C-USA Offensive POTY with just 11 games played, going for 1814 yards from scrimmage. Sophomore K Stephen Gostkowski was 19/29 on FGs.
4. 2017 (10-3 overall, 7-1 American)
By 2017, Memphis was known as one of the more solid Group of 5 programs, having gone 27-12 over the previous 3 years, located in an area with lots of local talent. QB Riley Ferguson and WR Anthony Miller returned for their seniors year after a great 2016 connection, and would level up in 2017. In week 3 they hosted #25 UCLA and Josh Rosen, who had just completed a 34-point comeback against Texas A&M 2 weeks prior. Ferguson was the better QB on the day, throwing for 6 TD in a 48-45 upset win. After a 3-0 start they’d lose 13-40 to a UCF team that would finish the season unbeaten. A few weeks later, a 30-27 win over #25 Navy would give Memphis their second win over a top 25 team in one season, their first time ever doing so. Other wins included 42-38 over Houston after being down 14-31 in the 3rd quarter, 66-45 over 7-6 SMU, and 70-13 over East Carolina. It was #20 UCF (11-0) vs #20 Memphis (10-1) for the AAC title, and UCF, a team of destiny that year, would win 62-55 in OT in one of the games of the year. Memphis played an emotional Iowa State team in the bowl, who was having their best season in decades, and lost by 1 point.
Ferguson threw for 4257 yards 38 TD 9 INT, completing a fantastic 2-season career after transferring from community college. RB Patrick Taylor Jr. got the bulk of carries with 157 for 866 yards and 13 TD, but it was Darrell Henderson who popped off with 1154 rushing yards on 8.9(!!!) yards per carry. Anthony Miller was a consensus All-American with 96 catches for 1462 yards and 18 TD, leading the nation in TD catches. LB Genard Avery had a stellar season on the defensive side with 80 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and 13.5 TFL.
This was one of the best offenses in the country, ranking 2nd in PPG with 45.5.
3. 2015 (9-4 overall, 5-3 American)
Justin Fuente was building something special at Memphis. Hired to clean up the mess Larry Porter left, Fuente had Memphis go 10-3 in 2014, his 3rd year, ending on a 7 game win streak. With that momentum, the Tigers started hot in 2015. A 55-23 win over Kansas in week 2 wasn’t even close, outgaining them 651-359. After wins over eventual MAC champion Bowling Green, and eventual bowl teams Cincinnati and USF, Memphis improved to 5-0, set to host #13 Ole Miss. In front of 60,000 fans, Memphis owned the Rebels, scoring 31 straight points in a 37-24 win. Memphis looked like a legit team that could compete with Power 5 schools for the first time ever. 2 wins later, they were up to #13 in the nation with a win streak of 15 games dating back to last season. The wheels would fall off against 6-1 Navy though. A -3 turnover margin was costly, as Navy just chewed clock on drives in a 45-20 win. Navy would go on to finish #18 and Keenan Reynolds was top 5 in Heisman voting. Originally the media darlings as the top ranked G5 team, #21 Memphis now faced unbeaten #24 Houston, who came back from down 34-14 in the 4th quarter to win by 1 point. Memphis slipped again, losing 12-31 to a really underrated Temple team, before taking their frusturations out in a 63-0 win over SMU. The 63-0 win had…the wildest statline I’ve ever seen? Ferguson went 9/14 on passes for 222 yards and 7 TD. Seven touchdowns on nine completions???
The year ended with an uneventful 31-10 loss to Auburn in the bowl. It was kind of a “what if” season for Memphis, losing 4 of their last 5, but still their 3rd best season in the last 40 years. Lynch parlayed a 3776 passing yard 28 TD 4 INT season into a 1st round selection by the Denver Broncos, successfully scamming the Elways. Somewhat deserved though, this team had just 1 other 1st/2nd team all-conference player in OL Taylor Fallin, so Lynch carried most of the load. Fuente left for the head coaching job at Virginia Tech after the season.
2. 2014 (10-3 overall, 7-1 American)
The year before 2015 was slightly better. This team was young and nobody knew who they were yet, as they’d gone just 12-48 over the previous 5 seasons. The media could smell something brewing under Fuente though, as Memphis was picked 7th out of 11 teams in the American, giving them a solid shot at making a bowl. Memphis surprised everyone in week 2, playing #11 UCLA to a 35-42 loss in the Rose Bowl (venue, not game). A 41-14 win over Cincinnati in week 5 signalled that Memphis had truly arrived, the offense clicking on all cylinders with 610 yards and 0 turnovers. After a loss to Houston, Memphis was 3-3 and 1-1 in the American, about to get into the meat of conference play. Easy wins over SMU and Tulsa improved their record to 5-3, and a walkoff FG for a 16-13 win over 5-3 Temple earned them bowl eligibility for the first time in 6 years. At 6-3 and 4-1 in the American, Memphis just needed to win their last 3 games to claim the conference title. A soft remaining schedule consisted of Tulane, USF, and UConn, whose combined record at the end of the year was 9-27. Memphis won all 3 easily, and clinched a share of the American title with Cincinnati and UCF, completing a dream regular season. They had a wild game in the Miami Beach Bowl, beating BYU 55-48, and tempers erupted at the end of the game, leading to one of the best brawls of the decade.
Memphis achieved double digit wins for the first time in school history and finished #25, their first top 25 finish ever. LB Tank Jakes won AAC Defensive POTY with 92 tackles, 6 sacks, and 9.5 TFL. K Jake Elliott was the AAC Special Teams POTY, going 21/32 on FGs, ranking 1st in the AAC in scoring, and hit a 54 yard FG in the bowl. Justin Fuente won AAC Coach of the Year. Memphis football was back!
1. 2019 (12-2 overall, 7-1 American)
This team was LOADED offensively. QB Brady White, the second year starting QB who transferred from Arizona State, could hand the ball off to future NFL RB Kenneth Gainwell, or throw to all-conference WR Damonte Coxie or future NFL players Antonio Gibson and Calvin Austin III. The year started strong with a 15-10 shutdown of Ole Miss, followed up by a 5-0 start. #23 Memphis lost in a 28-30 upset to Temple, but that’d be the Tigers’ last loss all regular season. With College GameDay attending, #24 Memphis beat #15 unbeaten SMU 54-48 in an absolute barnburner, Antonio Gibson going for 97 rushing yards, 130 receiving yards, 159 kick return yards, and 3 total TD. And he touched the ball just 12 times!!! That’s 386 yards on 12 touches! Memphis needed to win their final regular season game against #19 Cincinnati to make the American championship game, and grinded out a 34-24 win. The two would rematch a week later, and Cincinnati would give a better effort, but the Bearcats were too depleted at this point in the season, and Memphis scored a late TD to win 29-24 and claim their 2nd conference title in 5 years. #17 Memphis earned the Group of 5 slot for a New Years 6 bowl and played admirably against #10 Penn State, losing 39-53 in a fun game. The two were polar opposites, Memphis throwing for 479 yards and rushing for 53, while Penn State threw for 133 and rushed for 396.
Brady White finished 2nd Team all-conference, throwing for 4014 yards 33 TD 11 INT. He’d go on to finish his career a year later as Memphis’ all-time leading passer with 10,949 yards and 92 TD. Freshman RB Kenneth Gainwell had an unreal year, rushing for 1459 yards and 13 TD on 6.3 YPC while also catching 51 passes for 610 yards and 3 TD. WR Damonte Coxie was 2nd Team all-conference with 1276 receiving yards. Do-it-all WR Antonio Gibson put on a show all year long with 369 rushing yards and 4 TD on 11.2 YPC, 38 catches for 735 yards and 8 TD, and won AAC Special Teams POTY with 28 yards per kick return and a TD. Even TE Joey Magnifico was all-conference.
2019 Memphis is my 42nd best Group of 5 team since 1983.

5th Quarter

What play/playegame do you think of when you think of Memphis? Who was a better coach at Memphis, Justin Fuente or Mike Norvell? Fuente rescued Memphis from the depths they were in and built a solid foundation, while Norvell took it a step further, making a New Years 6 Bowl. How would you rank these QBs in college: Paxton Lynch, Riley Ferguson, and Brady White? How would you rank these RBs in college: DeAngelo Williams, Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, Kenneth Gainwell? What’d you think of those Fuente/Norvell teams that were beating top 25 teams on a yearly basis, were you scared of them? And how do you think Memphis should fare when it comes to conference expansion, are they a nice program to add?
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I have pain in L foot up the back of heel. Rarely ever in bottom of foot. Not really much different from morning to night. I ONLY notice the tingling when my knee is straight and I lift my leg as if to kick a football, toes are bent back. Otherwise I wouldn't even know I had an issue. So weird! I have had this pain since April. It hasn't gotten any better but it also hasn't gotten any worse. I am doing heel drops, heel lifts, rolling calf, still walk 3 mi day. Do exercises/strengthening I see on YT. Anybody else with similar or ideas? Will def. be scheduling MD visit if nothing better soon, but also know there really aren't any feasible fixes with the stage I'm at. Also new shoes, Brooks ghost which I've worn for years. Used to jog, but not for 6 months or so.

A bit of background: I am an U14 girls coach, we've just finished our season (Our last one at U12). Our A team is among the best in our region, allowing us to compete with teams much bigger than us. The girls are a great bunch who really get along with each other, which has allowed us to resist poaching attempts. One problem was that we did not have a lot of depth in our squad. Later in the season, a mix of scheduling disasters and clashes with other sports took its toll on the girls and they finished in disappointing fashion despite a great effort due to tiredness. The girls really enjoy their football but they themselves realize that we need more players to boost our chances. (We currently have 15 players for 11 a side).
To try and fix this, we have suggested organizing a mini world cup, coinciding with the Women's World Cup this year (& Ireland's qualification 🥳). We have told the girls to bring along any friends they have who may be interested in playing soccer. We'll organize the girls into teams of 5 or 7 a side, depending on how many girls turn up. Ability is not the be all and end all, since we would also like to field a B team so that some of the girls who may not be able for the pace of elite soccer still get the chance to play.
Has anyone here done anything similar to this? What advice would you give for organizing a tournament like this? Are there any fun mini-games or little things you can do to make the tournament more fun?
I'd love to hear from you all!

Arsenal 22/23 A Season Review Part 1 Of 3: August-World Cup: A Stunning Start.
The 2022/23 season is Mikel Arteta’s 3rd full campaign in charge of Arsenal and as well the 3rd of his managerial career. His 1st game in the hot seat came on Boxing Day of 2019, a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth which saw Arsenal drop down a place to 12th in the table. Just a few months into his reign and Arteta was the first high-profile figure in English Football to be diagnosed with Covid-19, the virus which drew the Premier League to a standstill for 3 months and the wider world for a much longer time. It was to empty stadiums which Arsenal played out the remainder of their season which eventually concluded on the 1st of August. An 8th-placed finish was the club’s lowest since 1995. However, there was joy to be found as there so often has been for Arsenal, in the FA Cup. In the one and only Covid FA Cup Final played in front of no spectators Arsenal came from behind to defeat London rivals Chelsea for their record-extending 14th FA Cup, after reaching the final with an unlikely triumph over Manchester City in the semis. Arteta’s first half-season had ended brilliantly and his first full-season started in the same vein with more silverware following as Arsenal defeated Premier League Champions Liverpool to win the Community Shield. Tough times quickly followed and Arteta may have been somewhat grateful for the empty stadiums, as it’s questionable whether the board would have held their nerve and kept faith with such a young manager through this dreadful period had the fans been inside the ground and able to voice their frustrations. On Boxing Day of 2020, not only did Mikel celebrate the 1 year anniversary of his first match in charge, he celebrated a 3-1 victory over Chelsea, his side's first league win for nearly 2 months. It was the first time Saka, Martinelli & Smith Rowe all started a league game together for Arsenal. It was to prove a seminal moment, but it wasn’t enough to move his team up from 15th in the table. It was never so bad again for Arteta and his Arsenal team, with the side eventually settling for a repeat of the previous season’s finish, again coming in 8th. Failure to win the Europa League (exiting the competition to Villarreal in the Semi-Finals, who were incidentally managed by Unai Emery, the manager sacked prior to Arteta taking the job) meant that Arsenal would be without European football for the first time since the 95-96 campaign. And the 21-22 season would begin horribly with Arsenal bottom after 3 matches in which they failed to score and conceded 9 goals. However as the season progressed Arsenal began to find some resilience, quality and self-belief. The sides upheaval came not coincidentally around the time club captain Aubameyang was stripped of that duty before being allowed to depart for Barcelona in the January window. Aubameyang had been the team’s standout performer when winning the FA Cup, but since those performances had seen him rewarded with a new bumper contract which made him by far the club’s best-paid player, his attitude and performance level had become a problem that needed to be dealt with.
More so than any win, it was actually a home defeat to Champions City which perhaps best demonstrated this new Arsenal which was beginning to emerge. They took City on and pushed them all the way only to eventually lose in the 93rd minute, whilst being a man down for the final half-hour with centre-back Gabriel being harshly dismissed. The fight was on with local rivals Tottenham for the final Champions League spot and it was firmly in Arsenal’s hands until a run of 4 defeats in 5 allowed Spurs back into contention. The Gunners appeared to retake control with a run of 4 straight wins before losing tamely away at Spurs and then Newcastle, in the end missing out by 2 points. Throughout the season Arsenal had spells of real high-quality football, and the fans had taken to the project with more passion and belief than they had in the final years of Wenger’s reign or during Unai Emery’s short-lived stint. In the end, though they missed out on the prize of Champions League football due to a combination of injuries to important players and the inexperience of a young group.
Despite the significant setback of missing out on a Champions League spot having held it in their hands for many of the season’s final months, Arsenal still entered the summer of 2022 with plenty of reasons for optimism. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe had emerged as the real breakout stars of the prior season and Gabriel Martinelli wasn’t too far behind. There had been some clearly smart signings made by the club, in particular, those of Martin Ødegaard and Ben White, signed from Real Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively. The July purchases of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko for a combined 75M from Manchester City seemed yet more smart business, in them, they had picked up two quality players with four Premier League winners medals each, and both arriving aged 25 they seemed in the perfect age bracket to become big players for Arsenal not just for the immediate but as well the foreseeable future.
Jesus’ Arsenal debut came in a 5-3 friendly win over FC Nurnberg in which he scored twice. He followed this up with another in a 2-0 win over Everton as Arsenal continued their pre-season with a tour of the USA. Arsenal played 3 matches in America and won all 3, by far the most impressive being a 4-0 trouncing of Chelsea. The Gunners made it 5 pre-season wins from 5 when they returned home the following weekend to beat Sevilla 6-0 at the Emirates, a hattrick from Jesus meaning he had netted 7 goals in his first 5 appearances in Arsenal colours. Arsenal would get the Premier League season underway away at Crystal Palace, under the Friday night lights of Selhurst Park. No Premier League side would have envied them this difficult fixture, Arsenal had experienced just how tough it was 4 months prior when a 3-0 loss away at the ground began a torrid run of results for the Gunners. Arsenal had also begun the previous season away on a Friday night and come unstuck against newly promoted Brentford. Again Arsenal was straight back under the Premier League spotlight to see whether they had grown and matured from such damaging defeats last season. The Arsenal quickly proved they were up to the test, starting right on the front foot and keeping Palace penned back in their own third. Jesus immediately highlighted the new dimension he was going to bring to Arsenal’s attack, when his strength and then neat dribbling fashioned a great chance out of nothing, a chance Martinelli should have done much better with, his side-foot finish going the wrong side of the post with the goal gaping. The Brazilian would make up for it in the 20th minute when a corner was headed into the six-yard box by Zinchenko, who was picked out by Saka to deliver a free header. His head found Martinelli’s and from close range, he was able to notch Arsenal’s first of the league campaign. That was to be the only goal in the game for the next hour, but despite Arsenal’s slender lead they rarely looked in danger of being pegged back. On the instances that keeper Aaron Ramsdale was called into action, he was ready and dealt with Palace’s occasional threats soundly. The game was put beyond Crystal Palace in the 85th minute when Bukayo Saka’s dangerous ball across the six-yard box was headed into his own net by Guehi. This made certain of 3 richly deserved points for the Gunners.
Jamie Carragher for one was particularly impressed with the start Arsenal made to the game saying afterwards: “Arsenal played like a big team. When I say a big team, I’m talking about a Man City or Liverpool, a team who wherever they go, dominate the opposition. I felt like we were watching City or Liverpool in that first 20 minutes, half an hour.” Fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was more impressed with Arsenal in the second half saying: “The question mark about Arsenal will be whether they’ve got that robustness and resilience, physicality to get through that difficult 15 or 20 minute periods in away matches, and they got through that (tonight) and that impressed me.” Saliba was also singled out for praise with Carragher adding: “He looked the real deal. He adds something, we’ve always felt they were weak, at Brentford last season they got bullied and here last season, his physical stature will certainly help them in tough away games.”
Arsenal’s first home league game of the season was against Leicester City. The opening goal began with Jesus tormenting Johnny Evans tight to the touchline, after beating him he fed Martinelli who was able to get into the penalty area and find Xhaka, the Swiss international touched it first time back into Jesus who took a touch to steady himself then teased it over the head of Ward in the Leicester goal and into the net. It was an angle he had no right to try from, let alone score from but such was the Brazilian forwards confidence in front of the goal he fancied his chances from anywhere. The goal was nominated for Premier League goal of the month. Jesus got his second to double Arsenal’s advantage in the 35th minute, this time in a much simpler fashion. A corner across the six-yard box was not dealt with, a Leicester head on it only sped up its path to Jesus who was waiting to nod home from practically on the goal line.
Later in the first half, Leicester thought they had a way back into the game when referee Darren England pointed to the spot having judged Ramsdale to have brought down Jamie Vardy. However VAR advised him to check the monitor, and after re-watching the incident it was clear there was no contact made and the penalty decision was reversed. Leicester did still manage to half their deficit early in the second half though, a long ball was flicked on leaving Saliba in a difficult situation to deal with. Ramsdale was advancing but wouldn’t get there first and Vardy was waiting on the French defender’s shoulder, leaving him no alternative but to try and head the ball clear whilst facing his own goal. He only succeeded in diverting it into the net. This could have been a moment when the Arsenal crowd got nervous and frustrated. They had allowed a soft goal and their youngest defender was at fault. However the crowd immediately rallied behind Saliba and his teammates, he and the team needed help putting that mistake behind them and the crowd’s noise in the aftermath of conceding will have been reassuring to the players.
Demonstrating this, Arsenal went straight up the other end and scored, Ward made a meal of a cross, dropping it at the feet of Jesus who squared for Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder was being deployed in a new, more adventurous role where he was spending more time in the opposition box, he got his reward for this new tactic with a simple tap-in from right in front of the goal. Leicester would again reduce the home team’s lead to one however when Iheanacho found Maddison, who was able to shoot straight through Ramsdale. The young English keeper will have been disappointed at being so easily beaten from such an angle, his wide-open legs presenting the opportunity to the Leicester midfielder. Again Arsenal immediately responded to the setback by going up the other end and scoring again. This move began with Martinelli winning the ball back and feeding Ødegaard who moved the ball on to Jesus, who carried it forward before finding Martinelli who shot low from outside the box, he beat the outstretched Ward and hit the bottom corner, with the ball hitting the inside of the post on its way in. It had been a good day at the office for Arsenal and a great day for Gabriel Jesus, though despite scoring 2 and assisting the other 2 of Arsenal’s 4 goals, according to his manager Jesus left the field disappointed because: “he thinks he should have scored 4, that’s the sort of mentality you need. I wouldn’t like to play against him. He’s so mobile, intuitive, sharp and proactive in any moment or phase of the game.”
Arsenal next travelled to newly promoted Bournemouth. It took The Gunners just 5 minutes to take the lead and again it came from the phenomenal centre-forward play of Gabriel Jesus. A loose touch from White saw the ball launch high into the air, the Brazilian reacted first, beautifully controlling the ball whilst at the same time using his considerable body strength to hold off the Bournemouth midfielder, with exceptional balance he then dribbled around two other Bournemouth shirts until he was on the edge of the box facing their defence, with a lovely disguised pass he then fed Martinelli who was free to his left, his shot was saved but it fell straight at the feet of new captain Martin Ødegaard who was on hand to notch his first of the season. Rightfully though the praise went to Jesus with commentator Alan Smith saying: “You won’t see a better example of centre forward play than this.”
Ødegaard had to wait just 6 more minutes for his second of the season, a cross along the floor from White found Jesus who was free, his first touch wasn’t the best but it allowed it to set up nicely for the Norwegian to strike first time, which he duly did and the ball flashed into the net. Early in the second half and Arsenal had a third goal, with Xhaka setting it back to Saliba just inside the penalty area. Saliba struck it beautifully the first time, keeping his shot down under the bar and too perfectly placed for the keeper to do anything about. It was just Saliba’s second goal in senior football but he had finished it with the class and composure of a player who had scored 200. The strike drew Zinchenko to his knees, clutching his head in disbelief at the quality of the finish and unsurprisingly it was voted as Arsenal’s goal of the month. Jesus thought he’d netted Arsenal’s 4th but a VAR check ruled the goal out for offside, so the North Londoners had to settle for a 3-0 win in what had been an excellent away performance.
The Arsenal faced more newly promoted opposition the following week, this time back at home against Fulham for Arteta’s 100th Premier League game in charge. They would be without Zinchenko and Partey who had picked up injuries and were replaced by Tierney and Elneny respectively. The best chance of the first half went to Saka who got beyond his marker to face Leno one-against one, but he was unable to beat the keeper. It would be Fulham who took the lead however with Arsenal falling behind for the first time in the season. From the full-back position, Saka flighted a ball into Gabriel, who unnecessarily played himself into trouble. He never seemed to have the ball truly under his spell, and his second touch invited Mitrovic to try and take it off him, the defender then got his body positioning wrong, and failed to protect the ball allowing the forward to nick it from behind him and then the Serb was able to keep his composure and finish past Ramsdale.
Fulham’s lead lasted just 8 minutes, Martin Ødegaard lodging Arsenal’s response. There was a degree of good fortune about the goal, with a big deflection on the strike. But there was no doubt the Norwegian had deserved it, he was having an outstanding game with all of Arsenal’s danger coming through him. He was constantly creating, with inventive passes and dribbling runs. In this instance, a clever stepover had bought him the space for the shot. Ødegaard continued to lead Arsenal’s push for a winner with he, in particular, deserving to be on the winning side, and the winner did come though not until the 86th minute. Leno failed to deal with a corner, missing his attempted punch clearance and the ball fell at the feet of Gabriel who was able to gain the perfect redemption for his earlier error by securing all 3 points for his side. The goal kept Arsenal at the top of the Premier League as they remained the only team with a 100% record.
Arsenal finished August with another home game, facing Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa. This presented Arsenal with a chance to win their opening 5 league games for the first time since 2004. Saka passed up a golden opportunity to give Arsenal the ideal start when Martinelli’s cross found him completely free at the back post, it was set up perfectly for Saka to hit on the volley, which he did but he got too under the ball and lifted it horribly high and wide from inside the six-yard box. An Arsenal opening goal felt inevitable however and it came on the half-hour mark when Emi Martinez could only push out an Xhaka shot as far as Gabriel Jesus, who was on hand to punish him. Martinez did go someway to redeeming himself later in the half with an excellent stop to deny a brilliant half-volley from Martinelli from 25 yards out.
Arsenal dominated the first half and continued their domination in the second but could not increase their advantage, it was instead Aston Villa who got the second goal of the game, in a somewhat controversial fashion. A corner from Douglas Luiz went straight into the net with Ramsdale unable to reach the ball due to his path being completely blocked by Kamara, who also limited the keepers’ movement by having both arms wrapped around his back. The goal stood but Arsenal cancelled it out in their own way, by going straight up the Villa end and retaking the lead. Saka coolly picked out Martinelli who struck it the first time on the half volley, Martinez clawed desperately at the ball but could not prevent it from going over his goal line and The Gunners were able to see the victory out. Arsenal’s player of the month was unsurprisingly Gabriel Jesus with 3 goals and 3 assists in 5 games. Arsenal’s maximum points after 5 games saw Mikel Arteta pick up Premier League manager of the month.
Arsenal started September with a chance to go 4 points clear of City in 2nd, after just six games. Standing in their way was Manchester United who would be hosting the Gunners at Old Trafford, a ground Arsenal had only won at once in the league since 2006, that one as well being without fans during the Covid season. Arsenal was boosted by the return of Zinchenko but had to start with their 3rd choice midfielder Sambi Lokonga for the Partey role after Elneny had followed the Ghanaian onto the treatment table. Regardless of the blow, Arsenal appeared to have made the ideal start when Saka threaded the needle and put Martinelli clean through on goal. The Brazilian finished brilliantly to give Arsenal the lead, but VAR advised the referee to have a look at a potential foul in the build-up. On review, the referee judged Ødegaard to have won the ball from Eriksen unfairly and chalked the goal off. The intervention made by Lee Mason on VAR was later judged by a Premier League review to be an incorrect one, the minimal contact not penalised in real-time by the ref was judged not to be a clear or obvious error. The review came too little and too late as far as Arsenal were concerned as they’d lost their lead and instead found themselves trailing at half-time after a good move from United culminated in a debut goal for Antony who finished past Ramsdale.
VAR’s intervention in the Arsenal goal was always likely to prove a vital one as remarkably United had not lost at Old Trafford when leading at half-time since 1984. This showed the size of Arsenal’s task going into the second half, but they continued to probe and ask questions of United and they got their equaliser on the hour mark when the ball broke to Saka in the penalty area after Ødegaard had looked to thread one through to Jesus. United dealt with that immediate threat but could only clear as far as Saka who slotted through the legs of Martinez for his first of the season. Arsenal looked to be in the ascendancy, but they were only level for 6 minutes. Overcommitting bodies forward left them without a midfield and after winning it back United was able to counter-attack with Bruno Fernandes who looked and found Rashford in behind the defence and he put United back in front. Arteta reacted immediately by looking to chase the game, giving a debut to summer recruit Fabio Vieira. The changes appeared to backfire however as Arsenal were left with even fewer defensive bodies on the field and in the 75th minute they were cut through once more, with Eriksen and Rashford both left in acres of space as United hit Arsenal once more on the counter-attack. It was a horrible goal for Arsenal to concede, it reminded of the worst years of Wenger with everyone so committed to attacking they had no thought for defending. Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season going down 3-1.
There were some positives to take in how confidently and capably they had passed the ball around, however, United had defended their penalty area very well and counter-attacked effectively. The frustration for Arsenal was how they had helped them in that regard, by leaving key areas of the midfield devoid of players. Partey had been very badly missed, and to a lesser extent so had Elneny whose defensive intelligence would not have seen him vacate his position as often as Lokonga did. The third goal conceded was perhaps the responsibility of Arteta who had gone all out attack mode too early, given the counter-attacking success United were already enjoying.
Arsenal got the chance to put the defeat behind them 4 days later when they began their Europa League campaign. They were placed in Group A alongside PSV Eindhoven, Bodo/Glimt and FC Zurich, and would kick off against the latter away in Switzerland. Summer signings Matt Turner and Marquinhos made their competitive debuts, and Vieira would make his full debut. Arsenal did some counterattacking of their own in the 16th minute when Vieira found Nketiah who travelled down the wing before playing a great ball across the box which found Marquinhos who expertly finished the first time into the top corner. The hosts equalised on the verge of half-time however when Nketiah was judged to have committed an offence in his own penalty box. The death of the Queen being announced during the first half led to the unusual circumstance of a minute’s silence taking place before the second half. When it did kick off, Arsenal regained the lead in the 62nd minute through Nketiah who was found with a delightful ball by Marquinhos who had made a fine debut. That’s how the score remained. Arsenal would not be in Premier League action that weekend, with their home game against Everton being postponed due to the Queen’s passing. Also delayed was their home game against PSV the following week, so the team were not back in action until 10 days after the Zurich game when they travelled to Brentford.
Arsenal dominated the games opening and took a deserved lead in the 17th minute when Saliba’s header from a corner struck the inside of the post on its way over the line. Just shy of the half-hour mark and Arsenal had their second, again with a header, this time it was Gabriel Jesus who rose to meet Xhaka’s perfectly placed ball. The Gunners then got the ideal start to the second half, when Vieira, making his first start in the Premier League in place of the unavailable Ødegaard, struck a beauty out of nowhere from well outside the box for Arsenal’s September goal of the month. Arsenal was in cruise control, always looking like the more likely team to score whilst barely giving Brentford sight of their goal. In the final minutes, Ethan Nwaneri came on for his Arsenal debut, aged 15 years and 181 days he became the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League. After the match, Brentford Manager Thomas Frank was one of the first to tip Arsenal for a title challenge saying: “I think they will do brilliantly. I think they compete for the title now.” Xhaka was the resounding winner of Arsenal player of the month picking up 83% of the votes. A once deeply unpopular player, his turnaround best exemplified the strides in the right direction Arsenal were taking.
After the international break, Arsenal returned to action in the North London Derby against hated rivals Tottenham. Arsenal went into the fixture just one point above their opponents. Spurs were content to let Arsenal have possession whilst aiming to contain them and spring counterattacks. They kept Arsenal at bay until the 20th minute when Thomas Partey shot from over 20 yards out and hit it so perfectly that Lloris couldn’t get so much as a fingertip to it, the ball flew past him into the net for Arsenal’s goal of the month. Spurs responded in the 31st minute however after a good counterattack between the front three of Kane, Son and Richarlison saw the latter presented with a chance to cross from inside the penalty area and Arsenal did not effectively deal with the situation, a loose touch from Xhaka put his side back in trouble and Gabriel was panicked into conceding a penalty. Kane stepped up and of course, scored for the 7th time from the spot against Arsenal. This sent the sides in at the break-level pegging.
Arsenal regained the upper hand early in the second half after a shot by Saka was spilt by Lloris to his centre-half Romero who, under pressure from Jesus, looked to return it to the French keeper. Lloris missed the ball, it travelled under his body and then Jesus reacted first to poach it home. Spurs hopes of drawing level for a second time were damaged when Emerson Royal was shown a straight red card in the 62nd minute for a stupid and unnecessarily bad tackle on Martinelli. Arsenal quickly punished this ill discipline getting their third 5 minutes afterwards, with Granit Xhaka rifling past Lloris. At this stage Conte retreated to avoid a hammering, he accepted defeat and took off his offensive players, bringing on defenders to ensure the score line didn’t get embarrassing and Arsenal saw out a comfortable 3-1 derby win. Arsenal next returned to Europa League action putting Bodo/Glimt to the sword with a 3-0 win, goals coming from Nketiah, Holding and Vieira, the latter after brilliant footwork in the box from substitute Jesus.
Next up for Arsenal was another tough test at home against Liverpool. With a win, Arsenal would return to the top of the Premier League. Arsenal had faced Liverpool 4 times the previous season, failing to win any, losing 3 times including twice at home. They had also failed to even score against Liverpool in their last 6 meetings with them, but they needed just 58 seconds on this day, with Saka finding Ødegaard, whose ball between Van Dijk and Alexander Arnold put in Martinelli who finished beyond Alisson. Liverpool recovered well from the nightmare start however and was the better team from that point until they got their deserved equaliser in the 34th minute through Darwin Nunez. It was Arsenal however who went into half-time with the lead when Martinelli led a brilliant counter-attack from a Liverpool set piece, finally taking out both Arnold and Henderson by cutting inside and finding an unmarked Saka who slid in to put his team back in the ascendancy.
Again Liverpool responded well, equalising for a second time early in the second half through Roberto Firmino. From that point on though Arsenal found another level, they searched feverishly for a winning goal, looking to pass Liverpool to death and calving many openings. The noise inside the Emirates had reached deafening decibels as the fans urged their team on. The golden chance came with just under 15 minutes to go when Thiago was judged to have caught the back of Jesus’s foot inside the penalty area, having been beaten to the ball by the striker. Saka stepped up and held his nerve, confidently dispatching an excellent spot kick. Arsenal held out for what was in the end a deserved win after an excellent second-half display. In a decision that had raised a few eyebrows, Tomiyasu had been drafted in for a first league start of the season to go into an unfamiliar left-back position, the move paid dividends as the Japanese international had a fine game up against Mo Salah. The result put Arsenal 14 clear of Liverpool who had endured a dreadful start to the season.
“These are broad shoulders, this is courage. A sporting moment in time. Bukayo Saka.. Such poise! such noise!” – Peter Drury as Saka beats Alisson Becker from the penalty spot.
Four days later Arsenal made it 3 wins from 3 in the Europa, with an away win in Norway on the artificial pitch of Bodo/Glimt. A sole goal from Bukayo Saka was enough after he got on the end of a one-two with Lokonga. His initial shot was blocked by a defender but the ball then deflected in after coming back off the Arsenal winger. Bodo calved out many good chances for themselves but was let down by woeful finishing, squandering chance after chance by blazing high and wide of the target. Arsenal then returned to Premier League action at Elland Road against Leeds, though 40 minutes behind schedule after a power outage just after the game had initially kicked off caused the game to need restarting once power had returned.
Again Saka was the only man to get himself on the scoresheet, his goal coming after Jesus had passed up a golden chance to open the scoring failing to hit the net from close range after Ødegaard had found him with a backheeled flick. Jesus attempted to lift the ball over the keeper, but he lifted it too high and it ended up over the crossbar. Arsenal did not let Leeds off a second time however and punished them after a sloppy cross-field pass from Leeds midfielder Rodrigo only found Saka who headed it into Ødegaard’s path. Ødegaard’s return pass then asked a lot of the winger, but his speed allowed him to reach the ball first. Saka was faced with a tight angle, but it didn’t phase him one bit and he picked out the top corner hitting it high into the roof of the Leeds net.
The second half was full of drama, first when Bamford thought he’d equalised but was instead penalised for a foul on Gabriel. The Leeds striker received a second chance though when Saliba was found guilty of a handball in the box after the referee had checked the monitor. Ramsdale guessed correctly in his dive, but in the end, he wasn’t required as Bamford’s penalty went wide of the post. Arsenal continued to suffer in the second half, struggling to cope with the Leeds onslaught and maintain their slender advantage. Through fatigue and pressure from the home side, Arsenal had lost all ability to pass the ball and could do little else but stay in their own half and try to defend. Ramsdale proved his worth to this Arsenal side with his best performance of the season to date, right when his team needed him most. It appeared as though Arsenal had got the job done when crazily they conceded a second penalty of the half in additional time. Patrick Bamford was nowhere near the ball which was safely back with Ramsdale when Gabriel was penalised for a kick out in the box on the Leeds forward. As well as a penalty, the Brazilian centre-back was also dismissed. However on a VAR review, it was clear that Bamford had fouled Gabriel first, barging him to the floor, so rightfully the decision was reversed and Gabriel’s red card was rescinded. Arsenal held on to a win they’d scarcely deserved and it proved an even bigger win later that day when City lost at Anfield meaning The Gunners stayed 4 points clear after 10 games.
The following Thursday Arsenal were back in action in the Europa League. They were originally scheduled to host Manchester City in the league that mid-week, but the Queens’ death led to the postponement of Arsenal’s fixture with PSV, and it was re-arranged to this game week. Arsenal battered their Dutch visitors, in the end mustering 25 shots to Eindhoven’s 4. As was often the case Saka and Jesus were the standout performers. The young English winger was unstoppable in his direct dribbling runs, unstoppable that is without resorting to fouling, which PSV defenders did time and time again after being skinned by Saka’s great ball control when running at speed. Jesus was similarly dangerous, doing his usual thing of fashioning chances out of nowhere with his quick thinking and somehow even quicker feet. In the end, though the deadlock was broken by Xhaka in the 70th minute when Tomiyasu found him in space 15 yards from the goal. He hit the shot down into the ground and it bobbled just at the right time to go under the keeper and past him.
Next Arsenal travelled to struggling Southampton looking to make it 9 straight wins across the Premier League and Europa. They started fast, and when Xhaka finished off White’s cross with a brilliant volley into the back of the net in the 11th minute, it looked like it would be a case of how many, as it wasn’t the first good chance Arsenal had created. For the first 20 minutes, Southampton couldn’t get out of their own half, Ødegaard cleverly found Jesus with a lifted return pass but his volley was straight at Bazunu in the Saints goal. Jesus was in again after a long ball flighted over the head of Caleta-Car putting the Brazilian clean through until the defender dragged him back using both arms. There seemed to be enough contact for 3 separate penalties in there, but unbelievably the referee Robert Jones didn’t point to the spot and nor did VAR intervene. One of the most inexplicable decisions of the season, and that’s saying something, meant that Arsenal went in at the break only a single goal to the good.
The Southampton defence must have felt encouraged from not being penalised inside the box, as the fouling continued on Jesus outside the box for much of the second half, Lyanco getting away with man-handling Arsenal’s striker time and time again, wrapping both arms around his body whenever the ball was anywhere near the Brazilian. Jones did not however ignore perceived ‘diving’ from Saka showing him a yellow card for simulation, even though there did appear to be some contact. A one-sided refereeing performance and poor finishing from Arsenal allowed the home team back into the game and they got the equalising goal with 25 minutes to go through Armstrong after a swift move cut through Arsenal’s defence. In the 78th minute, Ødegaard thought he’d put Arsenal back in front but Tierney had just carried the ball beyond the line before he was able to cut it back into his captain’s path.
The Gunners had to settle for a point and an end to their winning run, paying the price for not scoring more in the first half. As they began to tire in the second half Southampton calved out some good chances of their own, but there’s no doubt the visitors were also harmed by a dire refereeing performance. The dropped points cut Arsenal’s lead at the top down to two. Another away game followed for The North London side as next they travelled to Eindhoven. With 2 group games remaining, they needed just 1 more win to secure the top spot which would mean they progressed straight through to the final 16, without the need for a playoff game. However Arsenal’s performance was poor, PSV were the better team for 90 minutes and good value for their 2-0 win.

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Hi all,
Me and a group of friends organise a holiday each year and schedule a football match (11 a side). We are a group of late twenties from England and mostly play only yearly on holiday! This year we are coming to Marseille at the end of July.
I was wondering if anyone in here was interested in getting in touch if you play for a team and would be looking to organise a game? Or whether anyone could point us in the direction of some amateur teams that would be interested?
Thanks!

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

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I am looking for answers. I have searched the internet on similar sighting and have found nothing to compare.
CONTEXT: It was back in the summer of 2014 I was 21 at the time and there was a shower scheduled for around 1-3am. This was in west michigan grand rapids area. My room mate and I sat out til 3am not seeing much more than a few rouge shooting stars. He is getting up to call it and I coax him to stay a bit longer with something along the lines "if we leave now we will miss the show 10 minutes after we leave." He agreed to stay a bit longer and about 15 minutes later the fist one started to appear over the eastern horizon. It was shaped like a football and was about the size of a football at arms length in the sky for size reference. The bottom 10 percent of it glowed yellow. The part above the glow was like rocky with the yellow glow hitting it from below quickly tapering to a the blacked sillouette peak. It moved quite slow and was erie for being so silent. As it almost was passing the western horizon a second mountain about 80% as large and more vertical oval shaped but more rigid with similar lighting and details floated over about 15 degrees south of the first one coming from the east and dissapearing in the west. This is by far the craziest thing I have ever witnessed in the sky at night. If anyone has seen something similar or know what it was that we witnessed that night, that would be great!!
Thanks for the intrest, I truely am curious as to solve this mystery.

Hi Everyone, I am planning my first solo trip in September and I would really appreciate any feedback. Things to know about me:

• 25M from Vancouver
• Enjoys hiking, cycling, and swimming/ surfing
• Big football (soccer) fan (want to watch a Champions league game)
• have travelled to numerous places with family and friends in the past (Singapore, Indonesia, Mexico, all over USA, Japan, Greece)
• have 1 month of vacation allocated for this but worried if I will get overwhelmed as this is my first solo trip

My plan:

• 5 days in Barcelona
• 5 days in Madrid
• 3 days in Seville
• 4 days in Lagos
• 5 days in Lisbon
• 5 days in Porto
• 2 days in London (this is tentative depending on Champions League Schedule)

Feedback I would like:

• Am I spending too much time in any city
• Any excursions/day trips I should add to my trip
• Any city I should include based on what I like

Thank you in advance for any feedback!

HOW WE GOT HERE:
Brad Holmes is a wizard. What he has done as the Detroit GM in just 3 years has been a playoff push away from being quite remarkable, especially considering the context of succeeding prior general manager Bob Quinn which ended in typical Lions losing fashion. Brad Holmes would immediately come out swinging and first transaction as general manager was trading longtime franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for two first round picks, a third round pick, and quarterback Jared Goff. At the time, it was bittersweet for fans, as Stafford was the practically the lone bright spot in the last decade (outside of Megatron), but the haul they got in return was at least something. Stafford was injured and already likely leaving to chase a Super Bowl and Detroit was going into full rebuild mode so Detroit fans were just happy with what they could get. Brad ended up hiring a one time Head Coach, Dan Campbell. A pick made purely on the potential he would be able to change the culture with his grind it out, Football attitude Campbell was known for. All in all, it was business as usual for Detroit as they begin yet another rebuild....
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Oh parity in sports.... You never cease to amaze us....
Somehow and someway, In Holmes' first draft, Penei Sewell falls to Detroit at #7 and the Lions draft room goes bananas on camera! At the time we did not know it, but Detroit just landed their future Pro Bowl leader in the trenches. In round 4, the Lions scoop a literal Sun God in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Little did we all know the impact both of these players would have today. Both players are arguably top 10 in their position.
Fast forward to 2022 and the Lions are coming off one of the most promising 3-13-1 seasons that you could ever ask for. The team and coaches have bought in to Dan Campbell's grind it out style of Football. The culture seemed to finally be changing and it felt like Jared Goff turning into a solid Stafford replacement, despite being considered a throw on by most in the Stafford trade.
The 2022 draft Brad Holmes' statement to the NFL. It does not matter where you take guys. If you know how to evaluate talent, you go for YOUR guys and you can be successful. Holmes was able to draft Aiden Aiden Hutchinson at #2 (some say he should have been #1), Jameson Williams (best receiver in the draft at 12 via trade), Kerby Joseph (who picked off Aaron Rodgers THREE TIMES IN ONE GAME!), and drafted James Houston and Malcolm Rodriguez in the 6th round. Both players are looking like future defensive stars. Dare I say the best 6th round success since the Pats drafted TB12? Don't @ me lol
The Lions followed up the draft with a MUCH improved 2022, landing a 9-8 winning record and going 8-2 in their final 10 games. Jared Goff is looking like the guy who took the Rams to the Superbowl, every position has young talent and this upcoming 2023 draft is looking like it could seriously push the Lions into serious playoff contention if the cards are played correctly.
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Key Offseason Additions:
CB Cameron Sutton -- Signed to three-year, $33 million contract
CB Emmanuel Moseley -- Signed to one-year, $6 million contract.
RB David Montgomery -- Signed to three-year, $18 million contract
OL Graham Glasgow -- Signed one-year, $4.5 million contract
S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson -- Signed to one-year, $8.5 million contract
WR Marvin Jones -- Signed to one-year, $3 million contract
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Key Offseason Losses:
Safety DeShon Elliott -- Signed to one-year, $1.77 million contract with Dolphins.
Running back Jamaal Williams -- Signed to three-year, $12 million contract with Saints.
WR DJ Chark -- Signed to one-year, $5 million deal with Panthers.
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Round 1: No. 12 (from CLE through HOU and ARI) – Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
Flashback! Remember that Stafford trade where they got got the Rams draft pick? You know that pick that was supposed to be in the upper 20s because LA is so good and are coming off winning a Super Bowl? Yea, well they sucked.... Somehow they sucked so bad that that pick turned into the number 6th overall pick.
Odds makers had the Lions grabbing Devon Witherspoon as their secondary was a big need. However when Seattle took him at 5, who knew what would follow? Well, the last thing fans expected.... The Lions ended up passing on Tyree Wilson, Jalen Carter, AND Bijan Robinson by trading down to 12 to take Alabama running back, Jahmyr Gibbs. Hindsight is 2020, but reports now show the Lions wanted Jahmyr over Bijan, which means Holmes and co. got THEIR guy.
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Immediately fans realized the inevitable. Fan favorite and oft injured running back, DeAndre Swift, was going to be cut or traded. Almost immediately they traded D'Andre Swift and a 7th round pick for the Saints' 2025 fourth-round pick and a 2023 7th round pick.
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This pick is exactly why you and I are sitting on the couch and Brad Holmes gets paid the big bucks. "HoW cAn YoU dRaFt a RuNnInG BaCk ThAt hIgH". Well, the dude is a straight up baller. If I asked you who led Alabama in receiving last year you would probably say some 5 star Wide Receiver. It was Gibbs. Gibbs is being compared Alvin Kamara in the way he can run and catch. He was listed as running a 4.36 at the combine. Gibbs transferred to Alabama last season after spending the first two seasons of his career at Georgia Tech. He carried the ball 151 times for the Crimson Tide in 2022, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and scoring seven touchdowns. He also caught 44 passes for 444 yards and three catching scores. With the departure of Swift and the newly acquired bowling ball back in Montgomery, Gibbs is going to be an immediate impact as a "weapon" and less of a conventional running back. The thunder and lightning combo the Lions will have will be fun to watch behind their top 5 O Line.
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Round 1: No. 18 – Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
"HoW cAn YoU dRaFt a RuNnInG BaCk ThAt hIgH" made sense with the Gibbs pick, but drafting a Linebacker at 18 with other glaring needs like lineman and secondary left Lions fans a bit puzzled by this pick. It hurt a little less when you remember this was their 2nd pick in the first round. Also, many people had Jack Campbell on their board for later in the draft so in terms of liking a guy for who they are, very few people are against this pick. But like I said before, Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell go after guys they have faith in. Until they screw up, fans cant complain too much!
But who is this guy and what makes him so good? Well if you care about RAS or "Relative Athletic Score" Jack is outstanding. He scored a 9.98 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 6 out of 2600 LB from 1987 to 2023. He possesses rare athleticism for being 6-5 and that allows him to be exceptional in coverage. PFF rated him as the highest coverage grade since 2018 Devin White at LSU. He also has great leadership skills as he was Iowa's team captain and won Big10 Defensive Player of the year.
Jack Campbell is going to join a much improving linebacking core that is led by team captain Alex Anzalone and 2nd year stars Malcolm Rodriguez and James Houston. The Lions will likely play him on the outside because off his athleticism but I am certain he will be moved all around the field.
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Round 2: No. 34 (from ARI) – Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
This is getting a bit out of hand for the Lions fans that appreciate positional value when you draft. Clearly Holmes has totally thrown conventional wisdom out of the window. However, tight end IS a need. Of all of the positional units Tight End is probably the weakest. In 2022 the Lions trotted Brock Wright, James Mitchell, and Shane Zylstra....WHOOOO?!?! Exactly...they needed help. Outside of when they took him, most pundits are pretty happy about this pick. Not only did the Lions get their second Iowa captain, but Sam might have landed the best tight end in the entire class.
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With LaPorta, the Lions get a player that can do a variety of things. He can play in the slot, in-line or even out wide. This is EXTRA important when you remember that Jameson Williams is suspended for 6 games due to gambling. During his career at Iowa, he had 513 snaps in-line and 304 snaps out of the slot (per PFF). It really wouldn’t be surprising if LaPorta walks into Detroit and earns the starting tight end spot. He has the talent to do it and by being the 34th overall pick, there is going to be some high expectations for him.
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Round 2: No. 45 (from DET) – Brian Branch, S, Alabama
For the first time all draft it felt like a player fell to Detroit and they werent reaching for their guy (for better or worse). At 45, the Lions were already drafting their 4th player and wasnt even the end of the 2nd round. Scouts said that Branch was one of the safest picks in the draft due to his lack of a jarring weakness. Branch is siad to have extremely high football IQ which led him to play all around the defense for the Crimson Tide. Branch has primarily handled nickel coverage, but has the range and instincts for single-high or split safety looks. He’s quick, fast and strong with the ability to match up with shifty slots, bigger possession receivers and pass-catching tight ends. Branch is also tough and gritty which makes himu a perfec fit for this Lions team. He has a nose for the ball and is capable of making game-changing plays. He had two interceptions and two forced fumbles during his freshman season at Bama.
Branch made headlines on draft day to be the only guy to stay into day 2 in the greenroom as he was projected to go in the first round. I think that shows how much he cares about this opportunity and has his heart in it.
Also, Branch as a great opportunity to learn from newly acquired Safety, Chauncy Gardner-Johnson who is one of the best young safeties in the league.
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Round 3: No. 68 (from DEN) – Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
You ever feeling a little uncomfortable and then you let out a massive fart and all of your uneasiness washes away? Yea, well thats the feeling Lions fans got when they landed Hendon Hooker with the 68th pick. QB wasnt a terrible need, but once we got him, a sense of relief was felt across the fanbase. When the Lions ended up getting Goff in the Stafford trade, it was sort of unsaid that Goff was just the bridge before they draft a QB of the future. However Goff has played way better than expectations and less and less fans are calling for a replacment. So, instead of using one of their first round picks on a QB, they waited and got a guy with first round updside! Now, they are in a much more confortable position at QB with a very solid back up.
The Lions used the 68th pick in order to take the former Tennessee quarterback. The pick came just before the Rams and Raiders were scheduled to pick and been teams have been seen as possible landing spots for a quarterback in this year’s draft. Hooker is recovering from a torn ACL, but his doctor recently informed teams that he is expected to be ready to go by the first week of the regular season. With Jared Goff in place as the starter in Detroit, there won’t be any need for Hooker to rush back for what will likely be a redshirt season if all goes according to plan in Detroit.
This pick was safe, exciting, and sets the Lions up with a solid back up QB. The first time that they can say that since they had Shaun Hill.
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Round 3: No. 96 (from ARI) – Brodric Martin, DT, Western Kentucky
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Before the draft, a need that was discussed as a hole in the Lions defense was interior line. They got their big boy in the middle with nose tackle, Brodric Martin. After starting his career at North Alabama, Martin transferred to Western Kentucky to play his final two seasons at the FBS level. Since 2021, Martin has played in 26 total games, and has managed to contribute 62 total tackles to the Western Kentucky cause. He’s piled up six tackles for-loss as well as four sacks, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. This move with help the Lions run defense that ranked 4th to last in the NFL last year.
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It is no surprise that winning is won in the trenches. The Lions have done a great job of drafting players to build out this line with the likes of Alim McNeill, Isaiah Buggs, and John Cominsky, but with big interior guys like Martin, they usually operate best in a rotation. This move should be huge in terms of depth and opening up even more opportunities for Aiden Hutchison to get to the QB.
This move didn't feel flashy, but it felt needed.
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Round 5: No. 152 – Colby Sorsdal, OL, William & Mary
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The Lions had to finally wait a bit before this pick due to moving around in the draft and trading away their pick round 4. They elected to add depth to their O-Line by taking Colby Sorsdal out of William and Mary. Sometimes its fun being the big fish in the small pond. Sorsdal started in all 46 games he appeared in during his five-year stint at William & Mary. He spent the duration of his college career at Right Tackle. Sorsdal is the first Tribe player to be drafted since 2016, when the Chicago Bears selected safety DeAndre Houston-Carson in the sixth round.
Serving as an offensive co-captain and starting all 13 games at Right Tackle, Sorsdal anchored an offensive line that helped the Tribe rank third in total rushing offense and fourth in fewest sacks allowed. Behind one of the best offensive line units in the country, the Tribe accumulated an 11-2 record and won the CAA Conference Championship for the first time since 2015.
He will be joining a elite O-line led by Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker. Colby wont start, but he will add in needed depth for a team that's success will only goes as far as their line will take them.
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Round 7: No. 219 (from HOU through MIN via PHI) – Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina
With the Lions last pick in a very intense draft, they selected Wide Receiver, Antoine Green out of UNC. Most projected Antoine to be signed to a team after the draft so it is a but of a peculiar pick. In the late 7th round, you are just hoping to take a flier on a guy and hoping they pan out.
The 6-foot-3, 199-pound receiver impressed Detroit's coaching staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl, and has the opportunity to compete for playing time his rookie season. According to NFL Draft Bible, Green is a "technically sound, fluid athlete that can give you a little bit of everything as a wide receiver. Green runs routes, it is as if he is attacking his defender rather than going about his route without considering what the defense is doing. Green has a good release off the line of scrimmage and does not get held up too much when facing press coverage. He uses his hands well to reduce contact against the press and accelerate off the line. He analyzes coverages well and makes quick decisions on how to break down his defender throughout his route. He can read zone defenses and has a knack for finding spaces to make himself an easier target."
With Jameson Williams missing 6 games to start the year, there is an opportunity for Green to poach snaps away from anyone not named Amon-Ra or Marvin Jones. There is also a chance he doesn't make it out of camp. Unlikely, but we will see.
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Conclusion:
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The 2023 NFL draft for the Detroit Lions was a resounding success. They were able to draft 6 times....BEFORE THE FOURTH ROUND!! The extra picks allowed Detroit to really control the draft and move around in a way to get the guys they wanted. They did not care about who they got and when. They just simply got the guys they wanted. After reflecting on its entirety, they landed a lot of great talent. They were able to add a player at every single positional unit and several will end up starting and making an immediate impact.
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Look, the Lions are going to Lions so hold your breath a little longer, however Brad Holmes and Jack Campbell have really turned this franchise around and are making them a legit playoff contender. Right now the Lions are favored to win the NFC North for the first time since god knows when. I am projecting a record of 12 and 5 and a NFL North Division Win.
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GO LIONS!!!! (FTP)