A laptop infected with some of the most destructive pieces of malware ever may sound like the kind of ticking time bomb you’d expect only in sci-fi movies. But one man has created just such a machine, and it can be yours — if you have about $1 million to spare.
No, this isn’t some shady dark web marketplace. It’s an art auction, and the current bidding price is around $1.2 million.
The piece, by artist Guo O Dong, is titled “The Persistence of Chaos,” and the name is apt because the laptop could wreak some serious havoc. The old Samsung Netbook that runs Windows XP is infected with half a dozen extremely dangerous pieces of malware that, cumulatively, have caused nearly $95 billion in damages, according to Dong.
This includes recent exploits, like the WannaCry ransomware, as well as as older viruses, like the nearly 20-year-old ILOVEYOU virus. You can watch a live stream of the laptop during the auction period in the video below.
While it may seem irresponsible to sell a machine capable of causing that much damage, Dong says he’s taken precautions to prevent the laptop’s contents from spreading. “The piece is isolated and airgapped to prevent against spread of the malware,” he writes on the auction page.
The listing also comes with a warning that the piece is intended to only be used as art or for “academic reasons,” and that “the sale of malware for operational purposes is illegal in the United States.”
If only all of our malware-ridden machines were this valuable.
The United States women’s national team ended their preparations for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a win, beating rivals Mexico 3-0 on Sunday in Harrison, New Jersey.
Tobin Heath celebrated her 150th cap in style with the opener in the 11th minute after a mistake from Mexican goalkeeper Cecilia Santiago. The Stars and Stripes kept prodding for a second goal but didn’t find one until the 76th minute, when Mallory Pugh doubled the lead. Christen Press added a third goal in the final minutes.
The defending champions will face Thailand, Chile and Sweden in the group stages of the World Cup.
The United States predictably came out with plenty of energy early, feeding off the home crowd and hoping to put away El Tri before they found some momentum.
They got a helping hand from Santiago, who gifted Heath the opener with a dreadful pass:
The American Outlaws @AmericanOutlaws
Tobin Heath will take your gift, add a little sauce and …
More goals seemed inevitable after the early opener, but Santiago soon started to make up for her errors. The 24-year-old stopper played a fantastic first half, aided by some poor finishing from the Stars and Stripes.
The best chance of the half fell to Alex Morgen, who also spent some time on the sidelines after taking a kick to the shins:
Jonathan Tannenwald @thegoalkeeper
35′ Julie Ertz blocks a ball with her face, Megan Rapinoe gets it and springs Alex Morgan with an outside of the foot pass, and Celia Santiago comes off her line to make a big stop. #USWNT #USAvMEX
USWNT reporter Erin Fish was impressed with the efforts from the Mexican stopper:
Erin Fish, FIFA @FIFAWWC_USA
Besides the one giveaway mistake that led to a goal, Santiago has been a BEAST for Mexico today. #USAvMEX
The pace of the contest dropped as the half wore on, in part due to the heat the match was played in. The Stars and Stripes were happy to defend their lead heading into half-time, with plenty of substitutions expected at the break.
Manager Jill Ellis didn’t disappointed, and scorer Heath was shifted around the pitch so much she wound up playing left-back:
Caitlin Murray @caitlinmurr
Tobin Heath is playing left back. I’d have trouble believing it, but Heath is like 20 feet in front of me, and it’s way too hot outside for me to be asleep and dreaming. #USWNT #USAvMEX
The many changes didn’t aid the level of play, however, as Mexico continued to find success with their high defensive line. Morgan tried to make the most of several balls over the top, but the offside trap was working, and Santiago’s heroics carried over into the second half.
The heat took its toll on the hosts as well, with goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher in need of the trainers at one point:
Neil W. Blackmon @nwblackmon
Naeher moving well after some water. It is really hot- about a 20 degree change from yesterday too so the US didn’t get to train in this heat.
The USWNT’s efforts to find a second goal were finally rewarded with roughly 15 minutes left to play, when Pugh just about managed to push the ball over the line after good work from Carli Lloyd:
While the hosts were far from their best, they showed the depth that will make them strong contenders in the upcoming World Cup. The efficiency in front of goal will have to improve, but Ellis has enough time to work on that with her squad before the opener against Thailand.
What’s Next?
The Stars and Stripes will travel to France, where they’ll open their World Cup campaign on June 11 against Thailand. Mexico failed to qualify for the tournament.
Brussels, Belgium – As voting draws near a close across the European Union, the first exit polls suggest this year’s European Parliament elections have seen a higher turnout than usual, and that the power balance is likely to change in the chamber.
Taking place against the backdrop of a rise in support for far-right and nationalist parties at the national level in recent years, the election has been largely portrayed as a battle between the pro-European establishment and its Eurosceptic challengers.
More than 400 million Europeans in 28 member states were called to the ballot box over four days to elect 751 members of the EU’s only directly-elected body. Brexiting Britain and the Netherlands kicked off the elections, which take place every five years, on Thursday. On Sunday, 21 countries voted and results are expected through the night.
The European Parliament is responsible for choosing the next president of the European Commission, shares responsibility for deciding on the EU’s annual budget with the Council of the EU, as well as oversees the work of EU institutions. While it can’t initiate legislation, which is the purview of the European Commission, it can adopt and amend it.
Turnout going up
European Parliament elections are normally considered “second-tier” polls by citizens, who have traditionally used them to vent their frustrations with their own national governments with “protest votes”. Turnout has been steadily declining since they were first held in 1979.
But turnout estimates suggest this year might buck that trend.
By noon, 14.4 percent of eligible voters had gone to the polls in Poland, almost twice as many as in 2014.
By early evening, an EU spokesman put the official turnout estimate at 51 percent for 27 countries except the UK.
At the last European Parliament elections in 2014, 42.6 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.
The European parliament’s two largest political groups, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the centre-left Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) are both on course to lose nearly 40 seats each, unsettling their dominance and making this parliament the most fragmented so far.
The EPP, whose lead candidate is Manfred Weber of the German Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) is currently the largest group in the European Parliament and holds all three EU top jobs.
As alliances tend to form on an issue-by-issue basis, this means it might become harder to form majorities.
There are eight political groups national parties can currently join. The centrist, liberal Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and the Greens are likely to play a more central role in future decision-making. The leftist European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) is projected to retain roughly the same number of seats as in the current legislature (52).
Far-right parties led by Italy’s firebrand interior minister and co-deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini are projected to win 74 seats, 38 more than in the last legislature.
Alongside a number of other Eurosceptic and nationalist parties that are part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group such as the Polish Law and Justice, they wish to take power back from Brussels and devolve it back to national governments.
However, these parties are highly divided on some issues such as the budget, the role of Russia and migration, raising questions about how coherent a front they can form in the parliament.
Preliminary results: watching the socialists
In the Netherlands, exit polls put the Labour Party slightly ahead of the ruling conservative VVD party led by Mark Rutte. The two poll at 18 and 15 percent respectively, a surprise result that will bolster first Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, who heads the Labour party and is the S&D’s lead candidate for the presidency of the European Commission.
The upstart far-right Forum for Democracy (FvD) and its flamboyant 36-year-old leader, Thierry Baudet, were seen as Rutte’s main rival after the party came first in provincial elections earlier this year. It lags in fourth place.
In Germany, the CDU/CSU centre-right political alliance which includes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, remains the largest party with 28 percent of the share, but it’s the Greens who appear to be on course to bringing home the best results, polling at 22 percent.
Meanwhile in Austria, the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) doesn’t appear to have suffered massive electoral losses following the “Ibiza-gate” video – it polls third at 17.5 percent, behind the Austrian People’s Party (34.5 percent) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (23.5 percent).
The FPO, a key ally in Salvini’s coalition for a “Europe of nations”, was hit by a scandal after a secretly-filmed video emerged of its leader and Austria’s vice-chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache, offering lucrative government contracts in exchange for campaign support to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch. The Austrian government witnessed a slew of resignations of far-right ministers and faces a no-confidence vote on Monday.
After a year and a half of deliberation on the new revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), which included gaming disorder in its 2017 draft, all 194 member states of the WHO agreed to adopt ICD-11. The new revision goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022.
So what exactly is gaming disorder? It sits in the subcategory in ICD-11 called “Disorders due to substance use or addictive behaviors” alongside alcoholism, gambling addiction, and, curiously, a section devoted to harmful cannabis use dependence.
Here’s the definition in full:
Gaming disorder is characterized by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e., over the internet) or offline, manifested by:
1. impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context);
2. increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and
3. continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. The behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
The pattern of gaming behaviour may be continuous or episodic and recurrent. The gaming behaviour and other features are normally evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe.
There are many people that play video games to an extent that feels like they meet some of these descriptors, but it’s important to remember that this is a deeper issue than just playing video games a lot.
What is and isn’t a gaming disorder
As Dr. John Jiao pointed out in a helpful Twitter thread Saturday about gaming disorder (which he refers to as VGA) , it’s not about hours put into games. It’s about when gaming gets in the way of other, important aspects of life for a long period of time.
There are a lot of hot takes out there today about the new video game addiction disorder. Let’s make one thing clear:
VGA is not about # of hours played. It’s when gaming takes precedence over health, hygiene, relationships, finances, etc.
Tons of people who play video games take time off from work to play a new release, spend the night inside to play rather than go see friends, or even (on particularly intense occasions) skip a meal because they’re so mentally locked in to a game. These aren’t problematic on their own, but if they happen again and again and again over 12 months, then gaming disorder may be a fit diagnosis.
So for instance, if your job is to stream video games and you play 12hrs/day but pay your bills, hang out with friends, have relationships, there’s no disorder.
If you play 4 hours a day but it causes you to abandon your family, gets you fired from work, etc, that’s disorder.
As Jiao points out, there are people who play games for a living, such as esports professionals, streamers, or even just intense hobbyists like hardcore MMO raiders, speedrunners, or completionists. They’re people who can play single games for hours and hours, but if they still maintain a pretty healthy life outside of that, they don’t have gaming disorder.
The importance of gaming disorder as an identifiable and diagnosable problem boils down to treatment. If there are people that fit these descriptions and don’t really have any underlying disorders, it’s much easier for them to get insurance to pay for therapy if this is a recognized thing. That can be a huge help to people who are struggling.
Why might we need an official diagnosis, you ask?
Because otherwise people with real, legitimate video game addiction can often have trouble with insurance paying for their therapy, especially if they don’t fit any other diagnosis (not clinically depressed, for example).
There’s no saying gaming disorder can’t go hand-in-hand with other issues such as depression, which is something I’ve written about in my own experience with addiction and World of Warcraft.
Plenty of gamers hear “gaming disorder” and turn up their noses or get defensive of their hobby, but they likely haven’t experienced the kind of self-destructive dependence on gaming that I and others have experienced.
If the inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11 allows more people to recognize and get treatment for this kind of behavior, that’s a net positive for the world.
Problems with gaming disorder diagnoses
Of course, there are valid criticisms of the WHO’s description of gaming disorder, as mental health and gaming organization Take This points out. While Jiao’s thread provides some helpful context to the definition of the disorder, those details are not in the official diagnostic guide.
The definition is rather ambiguous and there’s a lot that can be extrapolated from it. Streamers and esports pros have to start somewhere, and while amateurs aren’t making a living off of gaming at the moment, they still have to put in that time and effort to get to that level. Their time spent playing could fit within the description of gaming disorder.
The lack of details in the gaming disorder definition makes me question my own relationship with it. When I was in middle school and high school, I certainly fit within the diagnosis of gaming disorder at times. Do I still fit that diagnosis even though I don’t game like I used to?
Or how about the few days I took off from work for a little stay-cation a couple years ago when I played Diablo 3 for roughly 15 hours every day for three and a half days straight, forgetting to eat and completely neglecting everything else in my life? Would that fit in the part that says “the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe”?
Perhaps some additional information on gaming disorder and some more concrete details would strengthen its definition.
Still, its inclusion in the ICD-11 is a step forward for people who need help. Does it need work? Yes. But what doesn’t?
The Green Bay Packers announced Sunday that legendary quarterback Bart Starr, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the first two Super Bowls, had died at the age of 85.
The Packers’ official release noted Starr had “been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014.” He died in Birmingham in his home state of Alabama after being born and raised in Montgomery.
After a collegiate career at the University of Alabama derailed by injuries, he slid to the 17th round of the 1956 NFL draft and was selected by Green Bay with the 200th overall pick.
Bleacher Report NFL @BR_NFL
Packers legend Bart Starr has died at 85 years old.
MVP 5x champion First QB to win Super Bowl Best playoff passer rating ever
It will go down as one of the best selections in draft history with Starr leading the Packers to five NFL championships. They captured the 1961, 1962 and 1965 titles before the 1966 AFL-NFL merger and then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders to begin the Super Bowl era.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Packers legend Bart Starr has died at the age of 85.
Starr was the MVP of Super Bowls I & II. He’s one of 5 players to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. Starr and Terry Bradshaw are the only players to win Super Bowl MVP in consecutive seasons. https://t.co/ZVIQCLcvn8
“He called the right thing at the right time and he executed it,” former wide receiver and Starr teammate Boyd Dowler said in the release. “He never made a bad read. He never made a stupid throw. If somebody was open, he’d get you the ball. He knew what it took to win and he went about doing it. He was a tremendous competitor and he was so consistent.”
Judy Battista @judybattista
Legend doesn’t do Bart Starr justice. His QB sneak to win the Ice Bowl in 1967 remains not only the greatest play in Packers history, but one of the greatest plays in the 100 years of the NFL.
He became the first quarterback to win five championships. The record was only surpassed earlier this year when New England Patriots signal-caller Tom Brady, another draft steal as the 199th pick in the 2000 draft, captured his sixth title.
Tom Oates @TomOatesWSJ
Sadly, Bart Starr doesn’t get just due as a QB b’cuz too many people fixate only on Super Bowl era. Starr was the MVP of SBs 1 & 2, but those were the end of a run where the #Packers won 5 NFL titles in 7 years & reached 6 title games in 8 years. Best comp for Starr is Tom Brady.
Starr’s resume also features the 1966 NFL MVP Award for the regular season, a first-team All-Pro selection for the 1966 campaign and four Pro Bowl appearances.
Dave Dameshek @Dameshek
In the ’66 & ’67 NFL title games (which put the Packers in the first two Super Bowls) Bart Starr was a combined 33-52 for 495 yds, 6 TDs & zero INTs.
If Starr doesn’t shine v DAL in both games, it’s now called the Landry Trophy. https://t.co/qa5xMdZNqv
He’s a member of the Packers Hall of Fame, and his No. 15 is retired by the storied franchise. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 1977 class.
Starr joined the Green Bay coaching staff after his playing career and was named head coach in 1975. He held the position through 1983, leading the team to a playoff berth in 1982.
In the space of three days this week, two federal judges ruled decisively in favor of Congress’ right to subpoena President Trump’s personal financial and business records. The speed of the decisions—unusual in complex federal litigation—demonstrates a significant flaw in the administration’s “fight all the subpoenas” strategy. More importantly, it suggests that Trump’s strategy of categorically fighting all Congressional subpoenas will undermine his ability to stonewall Congress in subsequent cases.
Already, one of the rulings has been appealed by the Trump administration and the three-judge panel is scheduled to hear the case in July. In the meantime, however, we are witnessing profound legal decisions in defense of Congressional power. If Trump’s stonewalling strategy was intended to run out the clock by forcing Democrats into interminable court fights, it appears so far to be having the exact opposite effect—almost like a little league game that gets called early because one team is scoring too many unanswered runs.
Story Continued Below
On Monday, federal judge Amit Mehta issued a sweeping decision rejecting Trump’s personal challenge to a House Oversight Committee subpoena of his financial records from an accounting firm he used. The main argument Trump advanced was that there was no legislative purpose for the subpoena.
Judge Mehta made quick work of that argument, noting that courts have long held that they must presume Congress is acting to legislate. But Trump’s argument went further, claiming that Congress is engaging in “law enforcement” and that corrupt behavior by the president is not a “proper subject of investigation.” Mehta cited Watergate as an obvious rebuttal.
Trump’s argument is doomed to fail in the courts because the constitution gives the House the “full Power of Impeachment” and it could not exercise that authority without investigating presidential wrongdoing. Judge Mehta found that it is “simply not fathomable” that “a constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a president for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct—past or present—even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry.”
Wednesday’s ruling by Judge Edgardo Ramos made equally quick work of Trump’s argument that subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capitol One for his records lacked a “legitimate legislative purpose.” He found that argument “unpersuasive,” finding that it was “not the role of the judicial branch to question [Congress’s] motives.” He denied every one of Trump’s requests.
What is remarkable about these sweeping rulings is not the results, which were expected, but the speed with which they were issued. Judge Mehta issued his 41-page ruling just seven days after hearing arguments.
If Trump’s team is not alarmed by the speed and sweeping nature (not to mention the almost dismissive tone) of the two judgments against the president, it should be. Trump’s strategy on a variety of fronts has been to take extreme positions denying Congressional authority to investigate the presidency. On Monday, for example, the Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the President’s senior advisors are absolutely immune from subpoena to testify about their official duties. Buried on page nine of the memo was an admission that the only court to consider this issue had ruled to the contrary. Hiding an unfavorable precedent in this manner might work on a first-year law student, but it won’t fool a federal judge.
Last week, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, arguing against having to produce the full Mueller Report and underlying materials, said the House Judiciary Committee lacked any “legislative purpose” for investigating Trump’s conduct as detailed in the Mueller report. He accused the House Judiciary of conducting a “pseudo law enforcement investigation.” Sound familiar?
The Achilles heel of Trump’s strategy is that his extreme positions are not fact-specific or nuanced and are easily disposed of as legally groundless. Judge Mehta specifically noted that the “legal issues presented do not require the court to resolve any fact contests because the material facts are not in dispute.” Because Trump challenged the very right of Congress to investigate these matters, the only facts the court needed to consider were basic facts that no one could possibly dispute.
That stands in stark contrast to prior disputes between the executive branch and Congress. For example, the dispute over certain materials subpoenaed by Congress in its investigation of Operation Fast and Furious resulted in litigation that took eight years to resolve. But the Obama administration did not take the categorical, aggressive approach that Trump has. Obama’s Justice Department produced some witnesses and documents and fought over other documents over which it claimed privilege.
If Trump continues down this path—over former White House counsel Don McGahn’s refusal to appear before the House Judiciary, for example—expect to see more swift rulings swatting down his legal arguments in the coming weeks and months. No court is going to rule that the Executive Branch can categorically refuse to produce evidence and witnesses from a criminal investigation of the president of the United States from the House of Representatives.
Trump’s team no doubt believes that once their initial arguments fail, they will advance more nuanced arguments that seek to protect only a limited subset of material from disclosure. But as any experienced litigator knows, a judge’s impression of a party’s position is influenced by the history of the litigation. Because Trump’s lawyers have not even paid lip service to our constitutional system at the outset, judges will be less inclined to take seriously their arguments later on. In addition, the decisions issued by judges denying Trump’s challenges will influence other judges who consider similar challenges brought by Trump to other Congressional subpoenas.
Trump has appointed hundreds of federal judges, many of whom undoubtedly share his expansive view of executive power. (One of his appointees, Neomi Rao, sits on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that will hear the Mehta ruling.) But Trump has made it difficult for judges to show him the deference that courts might otherwise show the president.
For that reason, a savvy litigator would not roll the dice with the risky legal strategy Trump has advanced. A more sophisticated approach would be to make limited accommodations to Congress and advance very fact-specific objections to Congressional subpoenas that would require a court to engage in a time-consuming inquiry to parse through. Trump’s current strategy lacks that sophistication.
As a result, his strategy is not only generating adverse results quickly, but it could very well convince a court that he is acting in bad faith. If that happens, the House could get the courts to do what it is ill-equipped to do itself—enforce compliance with Congressional subpoenas. That could get Congressional investigations, or even an impeachment inquiry, off the ground.
Songs of the summer — you know them, you love them, and according to some, they’re an entire musical genre that is in danger of melting away like sweet sugar syrup on a popsicle.
It is true that it used to be a lot easier to judge which mega hit dominated the airwaves during the heatwaves. How do we measure the success of a single that you can’t escape during the summer months now? Billboard charts? Spotify streams? Music video hits? Inspired memes?
We’re taking a look back at the last decade of sizzling summer smashes, bops, and jams to give you unequivocally the best of the best. Our criteria will be a mix of cultural impact, and listenability while you road trip with the top down, put some dogs on the backyard grill, or chill by the pool.
2009
Best: “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas
This song is an absolutely ball, the definition of an anthem, everything you could ask for in a pumped-up party jam. There’s not much else underneath the surface — it falls under the John Mulaney-described genre of songs for 20-somethings where “tonight is the night and we only have tonight.”
Worst: “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon
It’s just so boring. Sounds like it was made to sell a Honda Civic in a Super Bowl ad. White boy angsty without being anywhere near as meme-able as “look at this graph” from Nickelback.
Snoop’s verse is cheesy as as a cheddar wheel, but the music video is iconic and it’s the epitome of a light-hearted summer hit. Admirably sexy in a fun way by really leaning into self-aware corniness that could’ve otherwise tipped into cringe.
Worst: “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy feat. Bruno Mars
Bruno whyyyyy? This eked out the stupidity of “Airplanes” purely based on that damn acoustic guitar. It’s also boring, and at least with millionaire recording artists singing about flaunting their money, it’s a fantasy we can all indulge in aspiring to achieve. This is just depressing — you wanna be a billionaire so bad? Bitch me too, the fuck.
2011
Best: “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO
Every single day of that summer we were all collectively shufflin’. Is it inane? Yes. Does it make any sense? No. Is it fun as hell? Oh, absolutely. No matter how many people ragged on LMFAO at the time, the numbers don’t lie, as this summer smash has over a BILLION views on YouTube.
Worst: “Good Life” by OneRepublic
Does anyone even remember OneRepublic? Most of these “bad” summer songs aren’t even so heinous that they push into being fondly remembered. They’re just tragically, forgettably bland. Also, negative points for being part of the advertising for literally every “inspirational” or “uplifting” family film at the time.
2012
Best: “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
This little number launched the career of cult Queen of the lovelorn gays, Carly Rae. It is the purest form, the definition of a “bop.” If you weren’t headbanging this in the car with your BFFs and the windows rolled down during that fateful summer, what were you doing? Perhaps, making one of the millions of lip-sync videos that followed. If “Friday” was considered the cursed viral video of the time, then this is its blessed counterpart.
Worst: “Whistle” by Flo Rida
Now this is “sexy” in a cringe way. “Let me see your whistle while you work it”? Drink some Respecting Women Juice, then we’ll talk, sir.
2013
Best: “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams
God, everything about this is just so good, and so tight: Pharrell’s velvet voice; Nile Rodgers, the legend, just jamming out on that rhythm guitar; Daft Punk’s robotic synth voices becoming part of the rhythm. It is a goddamn crime that this song never got a full-length, official music video (the video above is compiled from the 30-second SNL teaser.) Bright and funky, now this is what I call “summer lovin’.”
Worst: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke ft. T.I. and Pharrell
Dammit, Pharrell, you were doing so well! Why’d you have to collab with a clown like Thicke? There were somany think pieces on this one, I don’t even think I need to tell you why this one was bad.
2014
Best: “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
This goes unnecessarily hard for a song that’s essentially a glorified version of “If You’re Happy and You Know it, Clap Your Hands.” But really, when this song was released, it felt like a simpler time. Everyone and their mother made a “Happy” cover video. Such a catchy tune that conveyed such a simple feeling somehow managed to touch people all over the globe. Which makes it hard to remember that this song was originally made for the soundtrack of Despicable Me: 2. Whatever, it’s still impossible not to smile while listening.
Worst: “Rude” by MAGIC!
Who gave the incels a ska bop? Dude, if her dad didn’t want you marrying her (and it’s not a racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or religion thing), it’s probably for a good reason.
2015
Best (Tie): “Cheerleader” (Felix Jaehn Remix) by OMI
While 2015 wasn’t even the best year for summer releases, the ones that were good were very good. Choosing this year really stumped me, because “Cheerleader” came out of nowhere with it’s breezy, tropical, deep-house perfection. It refreshingly depicts a healthy, loving relationship! That horn section is *chefs kiss*! It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it!
“Shut Up And Dance” by Walk the Moon
But the ’80s white dad that my Spotify throwback playlist thinks I am craves that synth. I wanted to kick up my heels like it was the summer of ’69. Walk the Moon let me do that.
Worst:“Fight Song” by Rachel Patten
“Fauxpowerment” is a frustrating musical genre. You can’t necessarily disagree with the inherent messages, but they just feel so perfectly tailored for a Kohl’s ad selling women’s jeans, but ya know, in a feminist way. There’s no soul behind them — you know no matter how bad the song is, musically, the radios are gonna spin them constantly and tout them as “anthems” anyways.
2016
Best: “One Dance” by Drake
This was, quite literally, the biggest song on the planet in 2016. And how can you disagree with that? You can whine and grind to it at the club, yet it’s chill enough to reserve a space on your summer make-out playlist, softly thumping in the background while you’re going to tongue town. However you feel about Drake, he chose the perfect sample, the perfect collaborators, and the perfect beat for this summer smash.
Worst: “Don’t Let Me Down,” by The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
The Chainsmokers are the new Nickelback — send tweet.
2017
Best: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi feat Daddy Yankee
This song slaps (with or without Justin Bieber, although I strongly prefer without. His Spanish is fine, though.) I’m not a huge reggaeton fan, so you can take away my Latinx Card now, but give it back because I’ll say that even though it doesn’t redefine the genre in any way, Despacito is as fun as it gets.
Shoutout to my Cuban mom for having to explain to a Zumba class full of old white ladies that this song was about having sex on the beach. You’re the realest.
Worst: “Believer” by Imagine Dragons
First thing’s first, this song is ugly and loud. And with lyrics are so self-indulgent, it’s hard to imagine that Imagine Dragons makes music for anyone but themselves nowadays.
2018
Best: “In My Feelings” by Drake
This tune sprouted a bunch of corny t-shirts with Hayao Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service that said “Kiki, do you love me?” on them. Oh, and that viral challenge. As we get closer to present day, there’s more and more evidence that summer hits doesn’t necessarily emerge from the radio airwaves anymore. A lot of times their popularity skyrockets out of meme-ified versions on TikTok, or an associated “challenge” on YouTube. But the song itself is also just so good. What can I say? The guy really knows how to choose some killer samples.
Worst: “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B
If this doesn’t convince you that Maroon 5 should’ve never played the Super Bowl Halftime Show, I don’t know what will. It’s the dull, lifeless equivalent of eating low-fat plain yogurt. Also I will never forgive Adam Levine for absolutely wasting Cardi B’s talent in this song.
2019
Best Early Potential Contenders: “Boy With Luv” by BTS feat. Halsey
I’m officially declaring this the “Summer of BTS.” You don’t have to be a BTS fan (or ARMY), to enjoy this perfect, breezy, joyful summer bop. You don’t even have to know Korean. If you’re just here for Halsey’s 3 seconds of vocals, that’s fine too. It’s the musical equivalent of frosé — and like frosé has become a summer staple, these boys aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sweet, cool, and refreshing, I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of BTS in our summer future.
“Juice” by Lizzo
Lizzo is also finally gettin the recognition she deserves with her self-empowering, retro-funk anthem “Juice.” It’s already been touted as the new “Uptown Funk” so many times that I won’t bother to make the comparison, because Lizzo is truly in a league of her own, now. Her badass, body-positive, supercharged lyrics are on a whole other level of what we’ve been used to from the mainstream.
“Old Town Road (Remix)” by Lil Nas X feat. Billy Rae Cyrus
Yee — and I cannot stress this enough — haw, baby.
Worst (Early Contender):
“Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish
Maybe I’m just too Millennial leaning on the Millennial/Gen Z cusp spectrum to understand Billie Eilish. I won’t rag on this too hard, since she’s still just a teen, but her music confounds me.
“ME!” by Taylor Swift feat. Brendan Urie
At this point though, I feel like Taylor Swift is fair game. “ME!” is cloyingly cute, but utterly unlistenable.
“I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber
“I Don’t Care” is proof that we need to start ragging on Ed Sheeran a little more. Maybe the music video gets a few chuckles, but it seems like Ed and Justin Bieber really just wanted an excuse to hang out, and maybe (unsuccessfully) recreate another “Sorry.”
Songs released in summer just seem more hopeful, more uplifting than any other time of year. They’re an invitation to let our cares be whisked away like fireflies in the night. And until the genre burns out, we’ll always be waiting for the temperatures to rise so we can tune in and turn up the sound.
It’s been a couple days since SpaceX sent its first 60 Starlink satellites into orbit and the skywatching has begun.
A video captured by Dr. Marco Langbroek, who runs the StatTrack Cam Leiden Blog, shows the satellites all lined up as they sail through the sky. It looks like some kind of high-tech conga line, or an unintelligible string of Morse code.
Whatever it is you see when you look at this, we should all be able to agree that it’s an unusual sight to behold in the night sky.
Langbroek points out in his accompanying blog post that the lineup you see here isn’t a permanent arrangement.
“Over the coming days the ‘train’ of objects will be making 2-3 passes each night,” he writes. “As they are actively manoeuvering with their ion thrusters, they will be more spread out with each pass, so the ‘train’ will probably quickly dissipate.”
These 60 orbiting Starlink satellites are just the first set. SpaceX intends to get almost 12,000 of them into low Earth orbit, where they’ll split into three separate groups that are each encased in an orbital shell.
The Starlink project is a massive telecommunications effort. Once the system is fully up and running — which likely won’t be until 2027 at the earliest — this satellite constellation will have the ability to deliver high-speed internet to the entire planet.
The prospect of global high-speed internet may be exciting to you, but astronomers would also like you to remember that our night sky, and the ability to see beyond the bounds of Earth, is a treasure. There’s no question that installing 12,000 satellites into low Earth orbit will disrupt that view in different places and at varying times.
Langbroek points to this thread from Cees Bassa, a professional astronomer.
These plots assume 53 degree inclined orbits at 550 km altitude, with 24 evenly spaced orbital planes, each having 66 #Starlink satellites. The total constellation would have 1584 objects. This is the initial @SpaceX plan for #Starlink.
But even in the spring, autumn and winter, around half a dozen #Starlink satellites will be visible at anytime upto 3 hours before sunrise and 3 hours after sunset. Depending on how bright they end up being, this will have a drastic impact on the character of the night sky.
It’s unclear what this would mean for a 12000 satellites, as the details of their orbits are not known. A rough guess would be to multiply these numbers by a factor of 7 (12000/1600). So around 70 to 100 satellites visible during twilight at any time and any location!
Others, such as NASA’s Doug Ellison — who, it should be noted, speaks only for himself here and not for NASA as a whole — take more of a position on what Starlink means for our ability to appreciate the night sky.
Ok. Starlink’s kind of blown up over the past 48 hours. Let’s get some things straight. Despite their creator insisting otherwise they WILL be naked eye visible, for at least an hour, more like two, after dark and before dawn. In higher latitudes in summer…all night….
The above tweet is the start of a lengthy thread that we won’t embed here in its entirety. It’s an informative and factually supported consideration of what Starlink says about what the future looks like for Earthbound skywatchers.
It’s worth your time to give the thread a full read if this is a subject you’re interested in, but here’s Ellison’s final takeaway:
tldr – If you love the night sky, go and see it now before it’s too late. Elon just opened Pandora’s box, and it’s going to shit on the night sky. And if you’re a ground based astronomer…..your job just got a lot, lot harder. Because profit comes first. I am disgusted.
In the offseason, NFL teams have one objective: infuse the roster with dynamic talent through free agency and the draft.
Front-office executives seek playmakers who can become matchup nightmares in the passing game, versatile running backs and defenders capable of disrupting offenses with penetration and ball-hawking tendencies.
Typically, first-round selections and high-priced free-agent additions are marquee pickups. At times, an under-the-radar acquisition garners buzz during the offseason program and carries that momentum into the regular season.
Last year, new faces made immediate impacts on their teams and should continue to do so for years.
Running back Saquon Barkley became the focal point in the New York Giants offense. Tailback Phillip Lindsay went undrafted but led the Denver Broncos in yards from scrimmage (1,278). Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul elevated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush, which ranked last in sacks in 2017.
We’ll highlight the most dangerous asset to join each team in the offseason. The selections feature players who have versatile skill sets or display top-notch abilities in a specific area of their games.
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Matt York/Associated Press
It’s an understatement to say the Arizona Cardinals simply improved the wide receiver group. First-year quarterback Kyler Murray will have three potential rookie playmakers at the position, but the team’s second-round acquisition stands out because of the state of the game.
In today’s NFL, offensive coordinators isolate their pass-catchers in space and allow them to eat up yards after the catch. We’ve witnessed this with running backs hauling in targets out of the backfield. And there are athletic tight ends and wideouts who are capable of winning one-on-one matchups.
Andy Isabella knows how to create separation and leave defenders in the dust with his 4.31-second 40-yard speed. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury underscored those aspects to his game, per Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic.
“He had a lot of production inside and outside, and that’s what is exciting to us, his ability to play on the outside and separate and create space,” Kingsbury said. “He’s dangerous on the inside as well, but he’s a guy who showed he could do it both on a high level.”
At times, Isabella uses his body more than his hands to catch the ball, but he’s a scorcher on the field with possession. Murray can hit him in stride and watch the receiver do the rest to move the chains.
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Tami Chappell/Associated Press
What’s so dangerous about an offensive tackle? At 6’7″, 317 pounds, Kaleb McGary will flatten defenders into the ground—that applies to edge-rushers attacking the pocket or 5-technique defensive ends in a two-gap scheme.
William McFadden, a contributor to the Atlanta Falcons’ official website, captured McGary in action on the perimeter for the Washington Huskies. In one instance, the first-round rookie cleared an outside lane for running back Myles Gaskin. He moved the defender against his will and put him on the ground. The second highlight shows McGary taking an Auburn defensive player to IHOP with a pancake.
How does this translate to the Falcons offense? If McGary wins the starting right tackle job over Ty Sambrailo, he’ll significantly improve the ground attack, specifically on outside-zone runs. Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith will be able to hit the corner, like Gaskin, and find space to pick up extra yards.
As a pass protector, McGary’s massive frame will form a wall on the right side. He can use his 10⅛-inch hands to lock on to smaller edge-rushers and drive them away from the pocket. It’s going to feel like shedding a block from a shark’s locked jaws.
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Bryan Woolston/Associated Press
Even though there’s excitement surrounding Baltimore Ravens rookie wideouts Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin, the front office acquired dynamic veteran running back Mark Ingram in free agency.
Ingram split the rushing workload with running back Alvin Kamara over the last two campaigns with the New Orleans Saints. He’ll probably handle the featured role with the Ravens. Last year, Gus Edwards led the team in rushing yards (718), but he didn’t show much versatility out of the backfield, catching just two passes for 20 yards.
Ingram could rush for 1,000 yards and add another 300-400 receiving yards with 15-18 touches per game, as he did during the 2016-17 terms. The 29-year-old is a physical player who consistently moves the ball in traffic, averaging 4.5 yards per carry for his career, and he shows soft hands out of the backfield with a 79.7 percent catch rate.
The Ravens won’t have to tip their hand by using specific backs for certain pass or run situations. Ingram can do it all at the position and understands pass-protection schemes, which bodes well for second-year quarterback Lamar Jackson.
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Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press
Ed Oliver lined up as a nose tackle at Houston and accumulated 13.5 sacks and 53 tackles for a loss in three years. At 6’1″, 287 pounds, he’s going to play a different role with the Buffalo Bills, according to general manager Brandon Beane
“He plays from the snap to the echo of the whistle,” Beane said, per Matt Parrino of NYup.com. “They used him in Houston a little different than how we’ll use him. … I think Sean will slide him in as a three tech in our defense, which is a very important piece for what we’re doing.”
It’s important to point out Oliver’s prospective position on the defensive line because the 3-technique role will allow him to focus on the quarterback on passing downs. Furthermore, in a one-gap assignment, offensive guards may struggle to handle his explosiveness.
Oliver ran a 4.73-second 40-yard time at Houston’s pro day. He also logged 36.0 inches and 120.0 inches in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively, at the combine. Now, primed for a role that allows him to use that athleticism, expect to see an uptick in his production on the interior.
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Joe Robbins/Getty Images
In 2018, the Carolina Panthers ranked 27th in sacks with 35. Back in March, the front office signed Bruce Irvin to help in that area, but rookie first-rounder Brian Burns comes into the league with a high ceiling and the physical tools to excel within a defensive scheme that will use more 3-4 looks.
During the predraft process, analysts pointed to Burns’ ability to bend around the corner as a major strength. He used burst out of his stance, speed and a spin move to beat the guy in front of him. The Florida State product logged 23 sacks and 38.5 tackles for a loss at the collegiate level.
Burns played with his hand in the dirt and stood up within the Seminoles defense. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera took note and referenced the rookie’s ability to affect the opponent’s passing attack in another fashion, per Bryan Strickland of the team’s official website.
“You see him not just on the right side. You see him on the left side. You see in the two-point [stance]. You see him in the three-point [stance],” Rivera said. “A couple of times you see him back off the ball and drop into coverage, which I know Marty [Hurney] isn’t a big fan of but that he’ll have to get used to.”
The Panthers picked up a three-down defender to replace Julius Peppers, who retired this offseason, and Burns should provide an immediate impact in even- and odd-man fronts.
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Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
David Montgomery isn’t the most explosive weapon; he ran a 4.63 40-yard time at the combine, but the 5’10”, 222-pound tailback makes up for that with a physical running style.
According to NBC Sports Chicago’s Cam Ellis, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy referred to Montgomery as a three-down ball-carrier, which puts him in the mix with Mike Davis to handle the majority of the workload in the ground attack. The team’s lead skipper also compared the rookie’s on-field skill set to Kareem Hunt’s.
“Yeah there are some similarities for sure,” Nagy said. “You look at him and the size of them and you see how they run between the tackles. They’re physical – they run angry, both of them, and I think the other connection is just the background of the coaches they both had too.”
As a rookie, Hunt led the league in rushing yards (1,327) during the 2017 campaign. He also hauled in 53 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdowns. Montgomery displayed his pass-catching skills at Iowa State, registering 71 receptions for 582 yards through three terms.
If Montgomery sees 15-20 touches per contest, defenders will have a tough time taking him down on the run out of the backfield and after receptions in the short passing game.
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Gary Landers/Associated Press
The Cincinnati Bengals are in need of depth at linebacker.
They cut ties with Vontaze Burfict in the offseason. Preston Brown didn’t miss a game until last season, when he suffered ankle and knee injuries that cost him nine contests. In 2017, Nick Vigil suffered an ankle injury, and he sprained his MCL last season. Both ailments forced him to miss significant time on the field.
With the notable subtraction and injuries plaguing the linebacker unit, Cincinnati needs an emerging talent on the second level of its defense. Bengals linebackers coach TemLukabu thinks rookie Germaine Pratt could see the field in a prominent role in the upcoming season, per Geoff Hobson of the team’s official website.
“Lukabu says Pratt is right on schedule for a third-rounder expected to contribute heavily, if not start,” Hobson reported.
At North Carolina State, Pratt played safety for two seasons before transitioning to linebacker. He finished his collegiate career with six sacks, four interceptions and nine pass breakups. The versatile defender could become a key asset in nickel coverage, which is a valuable role against an increasing number of spread offenses.
While some defenders take on the hybrid linebacker-safety role because of their size or skill set, Pratt has actually played both positions. He’s also shown the production to prove he’s capable of lining up in different spots on the field.
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Ron Schwane/Associated Press
When healthy, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. plays at an elite level, but he’s missed 16 games over the last two seasons. However, look no further than his strong start with the Giants between 2014 and 2016 to remind yourself of his talent.
Beckham logged the second-most receiving yards (4,122) for any player in his first three years in the league—trailing only Randy Moss (4,163), who played five more games.
Beyond the spectacular one-handed grabs and slant patterns that can go for 30 yards because of his speed, the three-time Pro Bowler produces at a high level when he’s fit to play. As a rookie, Beckham led the league in receiving yards per game (108.8).
Quarterback Baker Mayfield will have a No. 1 wide receiver option with explosive playmaking ability to challenge defenses on the back end.
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Darron Cummings/Associated Press
Defensive end Robert Quinn doesn’t jump off the page as the flashiest weapon, but he’s still a danger to quarterbacks and running backs.
Last year, Quinn led the Miami Dolphins in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (nine) in his first year with the club. Miami traded him to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-rounder during the offseason, but that’s not a knock on him considering the Dolphins are in a transition period with a new coaching staff. Quinn is not short on production or losing his legs.
Assuming defensive end Demarcus Lawrence fully recovers from shoulder surgery, Quinn should be able to win one-on-one matchups on the other side with his raw power.
The coaching staff can unleash Quinn on passing downs, but last season with Miami, he also showed the ability to break through the line of scrimmage and accumulate stops against the run. The ninth-year veteran registered 25 solo tackles in addition to providing constant pressure on the end of the Dolphins defensive line.
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David Zalubowski/Associated Press
At the combine, Noah Fant stood out among the tight end group because of his athleticism. He ran a 4.5-second 40-yard time, clocked 6.81 seconds in the three-cone drill and pushed 20 reps on the bench press.
Over his last two seasons at Iowa, Fant registered 18 touchdown receptions. Oftentimes, he seemed unstoppable once the offense ventured into the red zone. The 6’4″, 249-pounder escaped linebackers with his speed and high-pointed contested balls against smaller defensive backs—that’s a true matchup nightmare.
Fant’s potential receives a bump because of quarterback Joe Flacco’s strong history with tight ends.
In Baltimore, Dennis Pitta, Todd Heap, Ed Dickson, Owen Daniels and Ben Watson all had at least one strong campaign, eclipsing 500 receiving yards, with Flacco under center. None of them have an athletic profile comparable to Fant, who possesses a unique blend of speed, agility and soft hands at the position.
Flacco to Fant could become a popular touchdown call in the next couple of seasons.
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Charles Krupa/Associated Press
The Detroit Lions acquired one of the most coveted free agents on this year’s market when they signed defensive end Trey Flowers to a five-year, $90 million deal in March. The club needed pass-rush help along the front line after Ezekiel Ansah left for Seattle.
Flowers reunites with Detroit head coach Matt Patricia, who served as his defensive coordinator for three seasons with the New England Patriots. He’s recorded 21 sacks since 2016, but it’s important to look at when the 25-year-old flashes in the trenches.
According to Mark Chichester of Pro Football Focus, Flowers has come up huge in critical moments: “Among the 49 edge defenders with at least 200 third-down pass-rushing snaps since 2017, Trey Flowers’ pass-rush win rate of 23.2% ranks third, while his pressure rate of 20.1% ranks second.”
The Patriots have built a reputation on playing effective situational football. Flowers epitomizes that with his strong pass-rush production on third downs. He isn’t able to just line up inside and outside; in both spots, the versatile defensive end is a closer able to stop drives and force fourth downs.
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Al Pereira/Getty Images
Za’Darius Smith will draw attention because of his pass-rushing prowess, especially after logging a career high in sacks (8.5) last year. Preston Smith’s numbers in that category didn’t look as impressive with only four in 2018, but he brings a little more to the defense.
Through four seasons, Smith has 24.5 sacks, 13 pass breakups and four interceptions. In 2018, he took on more coverage duties, which lowered his sack count after logging eight in both 2015 and 2017.
If defensive coordinator Mike Pettine wants to unleash Smith on quarterbacks, he’s capable of contributing double-digit sacks. The coaching staff may instruct him to drop back in shallow zones to cover tight ends or redirect pass-catching running backs, which isn’t outside of his capabilities.
Smith could play all three downs in run or pass scenarios because of his competence in coverage and proven production going downhill. A high number of sacks, a handful of pass breakups and a couple of interceptions may lead him to the Pro Bowl for years to come in Green Bay.
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Joe Robbins/Getty Images
The Houston Texans found their most dangerous weapon on Day 3 of this year’s draft. Defensive end Charles Omenihu doesn’t come into the league with polish, but his physical tools translated to production during his senior year at Texas. He led the Longhorns defense in tackles for a loss (18) and sacks (9.5) in 2018.
Omenihu could flash immediately with an opportunity to play a decent role. At 6’5″, 280 pounds with 36-inch arms, he brings a power push that will allow him to break through blocks to thwart the run or pressure quarterbacks.
According to Pro Football Focus, Omenihu logged the highest run-stop percentage among edge defenders in the Big 12 at 8 percent. He could see an uptick in snaps later in the upcoming season if the team curtails D.J. Reader’s role in a contract year—a pivot from the 2016 fifth-rounder to this year’s fifth-rounder.
Because of his proven track record against the run and the pass-rush potential he showed last year, Omenihu could become a late-round gem.
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Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard signed Justin Houston to a two-year, $24 million deal primarily for his pass-rushing ability, but he could provide more than situational pocket pressure.
Through eight seasons, Houston has 32 pass breakups and four interceptions in addition to 78.5 sacks. Because the Colts have young talent in the front seven with second-year linebacker Kemoko Turay and rookie second-rounder Ben Banogu, Houston may see a reduced role. However, the battle-tested veteran can still finish with big sack numbers.
In 2018 with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston recorded nine sacks playing 61.0 percent of the defensive snaps. He doesn’t need an every-down role to impact the game in a significant way. His tendency to tip passes and attack the football should allow him to see the field just as much in Indianapolis.
And Houston feels there’s still a lot of football ahead of him, per Joel Erickson and Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I have plenty left in the tank,” he said. “I think some people don’t believe that.”
Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will likely have a rotation at defensive end and coming off the edge in nickel alignments, which keeps Houston’s legs fresh. He’s a double-digit sack candidate for the next couple of years.
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Joe Robbins/Getty Images
During the predraft evaluation process, linebacker Josh Allen generated buzz for his sack numbers at Kentucky after he totaled 31.5 in four seasons. But his developing coverage skills flew under the radar.
Over the last two years, Allen had seven pass breakups and secured an interception. According to John Reid of the Florida Times-Union, the Jacksonville coaching staff will attempt to optimize the totality of his skill set.
“Rookie Josh Allen, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, is expected to play opposite of Yannick Ngakoue on passing downs when Calais Campbell shifts to the inside,” Reid wrote. “He’s also likely going to get reps at outside linebacker because of his speed and ability to drop into coverage on tight ends.”
Myles Jack expects to remain in the middle of the defense. Telvin Smith’s decision to step away from the team could put rookie third-rounder Quincy Williams in line for a bigger role than anticipated. Defensive coordinator Todd Wash can also experiment with Allen’s short-area coverage capacity on the strong side in base alignment to round out the second level of the defense.
Allen’s steady improvement in coverage could propel him into the discussion of unique playmakers in the league. Quarterbacks may have to evade his rush off the edge and account for the versatile defender in the short passing game.
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Abbie Parr/Getty Images
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach parted ways with his top two edge-rushers from last season, Justin Houston and Dee Ford, amid a schematic shift to a 4-3 alignment. Finances likely factored into those decisions.
On his last deal, Houston was set to make $32.3 million in the next two seasons. The Chiefs franchise-tagged Ford, which was worth $15.6 million. After parting ways with both, Veach inked defensive end Frank Clark to a five-year, $104 million contract.
Clark can’t replace two edge-rushers, but he’s going to create opportunities for his teammates along the defensive line while generating pocket pressure on one end. Since 2016, he’s ninth in total sacks (32) and logged at least 10 tackles for a loss in each of the last three campaigns.
With that level of production, offensive coordinators will attempt to seal Clark off from the action with double-teams. As a result, the Chiefs’ 2018 sack leader, Chris Jones, may have more one-on-one opportunities on the interior.
As a lone pass-rusher, Clark wreaks havoc up front, but his presence could become the key to unlock a collective attack-style defensive front.
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Chris Carlson/Associated Press
The Los Angeles Chargers have landed a safety early in the draft in consecutive years. In 2018, Derwin James fell to the club at No. 17. Now, the front office may have acquired a complement to the All-Pro with the 60th overall pick this year.
At Delaware, Nasir Adderley transitioned from cornerback to safety for his junior year and became a ball hawk, registering nine interceptions over the last two seasons. He also listed second on the team in solo tackles (48).
After Day 2 of the draft, general manager Tom Telesco outlined the possibilities for Adderley in the secondary.
“He probably fits at free safety, but he’s played corner earlier in his career,” Telesco said. “He played some corner at the Senior Bowl as well as more as kind of a nickel corner. So nickel corner, free safety. But just has a lot of range, a lot of ball skills, instincts, runs well. Very athletic.”
Since 2017, Desmond King has been the primary slot defender and has solid performances. He made strides between his rookie and sophomore years, finishing with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups last year. Assuming he remains in that spot, Adderley would have a chance to carry over his ball-tracking skills at safety.
If Adderley wins the starting safety job over Rayshawn Jenkins and Adrian Phillips, he’s going to erase drives with game-changing takeaways in pass defense.
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Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Rams signed safety Eric Weddle, but he may yield snaps to rookie second-rounder Taylor Rapp in the upcoming campaign.
Rapp’s versatility will allow him to see the field early in his career. He talked to Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus about his do-it-all capabilities.
“I think I’m very versatile, the most versatile safety in this draft,” Rapp said. “I think I can do it all. I think I can play in the deep third. I can run the alley. I can tackle. I have a high football IQ. I can rush the passer. I can blitz. I can cover. I think I’m the full package. I can do everything.”
Rapp’s collegiate production backs up his self-assessment. As a true freshman, he snagged four interceptions, returned one for a touchdown and broke up two passes, which shows his coverage skills and field awareness. The former Husky recorded four sacks and five tackles for a loss last year, displaying the strength needed to battle closer to the line of scrimmage.
In all three of his seasons at Washington, Rapp logged at least 51 combined tackles. The coaching staff could utilize him as a small linebacker in nickel or dime sub-packages, but wherever Rapp lines up, he’s capable of making a play.
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Mark Brown/Getty Images
The Dolphins went into the offseason with two major defensive issues: a poor pass rush that totaled 31 sacks (ranked 29th) last year and the 31st-ranked run defense. The front office dug a deeper hole in those areas by allowing Cameron Wake to walk in free agency and trading Robert Quinn. Those two combined for 12.5 sacks and 46 solo tackles.
But during the draft, Dolphins swapped out the old and expensive for a versatile rookie. Christian Wilkins can strengthen the run support and penetrate the pocket to pressure quarterbacks, and he amassed 16 sacks and 40.5 tackles for a loss through four years at Clemson.
More impressively, Wilkins can drop back in short areas to disrupt quick throws to the running backs. During his sophomore season, he broke up nine passes and finished with 15 in total at the collegiate level.
Head coach Brian Flores came to Miami from New England, where the coaches focus on building systems around player strengths as opposed to fitting talent into a fixed scheme. Wilkins brings an array of qualities that allow the Dolphins staff to implement creativity in the play-calling. But even more importantly, he addresses the team’s two major weaknesses up front.
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Jim Mone/Associated Press
At 6’2″, 242 pounds, tight end Irv Smith Jr. provided a mismatch downfield within Alabama’s aerial attack. He used his body frame to establish position in the red zone and found holes in zone coverage to accumulate chunk yardage.
Alabama’s coaching staff moved Smith to various spots on offense. At times, he came out of the backfield or lined up on the perimeter in addition to his seam routes, which tested opposing linebackers and safeties.
During his junior season, Smith recorded 44 catches for 710 yards and seven touchdowns. He frequently flashed his pass-catching prowess, and that skill set will translate to production on the pro level. Don’t overlook his blocking ability, though.
Draft Network’s Brad Kelly captured a play in which Smith held up in a blocking assignment against Clemson product Clelin Ferrell, who went fourth overall to the Oakland Raiders. On film, Smith had moments that showed his ability to match strength with power edge-rushers.
The Minnesota Vikings and tight end Kyle Rudolph are currently at a contract impasse. If the two sides come to an agreement, Smith would join the ninth-year veteran in two-tight end sets. The front office may also trade Rudolph, creating ample opportunities for the rookie to exploit defenses with weak coverage in the middle of the field.
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Steven Senne/Associated Press
Quarterback Tom Brady won’t have a safe option in the passing game at tight end for the upcoming season after Rob Gronkowski decided to hang up his cleats. Since entering the league in 2010, he recorded the most touchdown receptions (79).
The Patriots didn’t draft a direct replacement for Gronkowski. However, they signed tight ends Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Ben Watson and Matt LaCosse.
Seferian-Jenkins has put together decent years, but he’s notched fewer than 400 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of his five campaigns. LaCosse has just 27 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown through three terms. Watson will be playing his age-39 season. They’re all average to low-tier receiving options.
As a result, Brady may find a new favorite target in wideout N’Keal Harry. He’s a 6’4″, 213-pounder who’s equipped to outmuscle defenders at the top of his routes and haul in contested catches. The Arizona State product can also line up on the inside as a mismatch against small slot defenders or beat less physical perimeter cornerbacks.
Though Harry ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the combine, he’s capable of escaping defenders after the catch with a mean stiff-arm. The rookie will expose defensive backs who have issues wrapping up on takedowns.
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Robert Stevens/Associated Press
Tight end Jared Cook isn’t new to the league; he’s been a consistent pass-catcher with the Tennessee Titans, Rams, Packers and Raiders. The 32-year-old has 425 receptions for 5,464 yards and 25 touchdowns through a decade of play.
Cook earned his first Pro Bowl invite after logging career highs in catches (68), yards (896) and touchdowns (six) with the Raiders last year. He can still move the chains and win matchups against linebackers and safeties. The Saints can also split him out wide against cornerbacks.
New Orleans didn’t have a strong No. 2 option among its wideouts and tight ends last year. As a rookie, Tre’Quan Smith finished third in receiving yards (427), and the 38-year-old Ben Watson ranked third in receptions (35). Running back Alvin Kamara finished second in both categories with 81 catches for 709 yards.
Since Michael Thomas will draw most of the attention in the passing game, Cook should have opportunities to take advantage of one-on-one matchups. Coming off his best statistical season, he’ll be a significant threat to defenses for the foreseeable future.
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Julio Cortez/Associated Press
Oshane Ximines became the first player drafted into the league from Old Dominion. He holds program records in sacks (33.0), tackles for loss (51.5) and forced fumbles (11).
Ximines has the athleticism paired with the technical skill to excel at a high level. He caught defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s attention with those qualities (h/t Big Blue View’s Chris Pflum).
“Saw a guy that could flip and had athleticism to move in space,” Bettcher said. “If you are picking a prototypical outside linebacker, he has some of both of those skills. He has the rush skills and has skills in his hips to open, change in space and change who the rusher is.”
There’s no question about Ximines’ pass-rushing capability. It’s his movement in space that will help him to reach another level of production. If Bettcher can keep offenses guessing as to which outside linebacker goes downhill and who’s dropping into coverage, the rookie can neutralize receiving tight ends.
Ximines could push to be the team’s sack leader and force opposing quarterbacks to think twice about throwing short out routes.
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Gail Burton/Associated Press
Former New York Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan had one of the best free-agent hauls, a group that included premier players like linebacker C.J. Mosley and running back Le’Veon Bell.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, head coach Adam Gase wasn’t thrilled about the price tag for Mosley or Bell, and 710 ESPN Seattle’s John Clayton noted the possibility of a trade for the running back (h/t Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan).
“If there’s a suitor, I could absolutely see the Jets trading him before the start of the season,” Clayton said.
It’s just speculation. If Bell remains on the roster, he can elevate the Jets offense on two levels. First and foremost, the 27-year-old would improve last year’s 26th-ranked ground attack with his patient style. Gang Green acquired All-Pro left guard Kelechi Osemele to help in that area as well.
Secondly, Bell ranked first among running backs in receiving yards (2,660) from 2013 to 2017—before he sat out the 2018 campaign because of a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gase would do a disservice to quarterback Sam Darnold if he traded a top running back who’s also the ideal playmaker to create mismatches in the passing game.
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Ben Margot/Associated Press
This was an easy choice. General manager Mike Mayock landed arguably the biggest acquisition of the offseason, sending third- and fifth-round picks to the Steelers for wideout Antonio Brown.
Since his 2010 rookie campaign, Brown leads the league in receiving yards (11,207) and ranks second in touchdown receptions (74). He hasn’t lost a step going into the 2019 term; the four-time All-Pro had the most receiving scores (15) in 2018.
In Pittsburgh, Brown faced constant double-teams. That won’t change with the Raiders, but he could see a boost in catch rate with his new squad.
Head coach Jon Gruden’s West Coast-influenced offense places an emphasis on short completions. Quarterback Derek Carr will find Brown on high-percentage throws and allow him to rack up yards after the catch.
Additionally, the wide receiver’s top-notch route running should set up deep-ball opportunities to challenge defenses with inexperienced outside cornerbacks or slow-footed safeties in center field.
Brown’s quickness, field awareness and toe-tapping skills paired with Carr’s second-year knowledge of Gruden’s system should lead to a ton of productivity in the passing game.
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Matt Slocum/Associated Press
We’ve watched wide receiver DeSean Jackson produce at a high level with the Philadelphia Eagles in years past.
He spent his first six seasons in Philadelphia before signing with Washington as a free agent during the 2014 offseason. After a two-year stint in Tampa, the 32-year-old returned to the city of Brotherly Love via trade.
Despite his age, Jackson hasn’t lost his explosive playmaking ability. In 2018, he led the league in yards per reception (18.9) with Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for the Buccaneers.
Jackson will pair with quarterback Carson Wentz, who’s participated in organized team activities without limitations after fracturing a vertebra in December.
It’s fair to say Wentz is an upgrade over Winston, who’s been turnover-prone throughout his career, and Fitzpatrick—a journeyman quarterback who built some chemistry with Jackson last year. The Eagles signal-caller throws an accurate deep ball, and he’ll make the most of the veteran wideout’s ability to stretch the field.
Expect Jackson to take the top off defenses like he used to do for the Eagles.
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Keith Srakocic/Associated Press
The Steelers may have found an inside linebacker replacement for Ryan Shazier, who’s still recovering from a spinal injury. The front office traded up to select Devin Bush with the 10th pick in this year’s draft.
Bush’s play recognition allows him to become a wreaking ball on the field. He’s a high-IQ playmaker, and the Steelers have shown confidence in his processing early in the offseason program. The Michigan product called plays during rookie minicamp, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
That wouldn’t come as a surprise to Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown, who holds Bush in high regards, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘sRay Fittipaldo.
“This guy is a machine,” Brown said. “He’s really on top of his craft. He’s a role model for other guys. He’s always responsible for the game plan. He makes all the checks. The guy just has unbelievable attention to detail.”
Elite-level defenders can see plays develop before the action unfolds; Bush has that quality when he’s sniffing out the run, sticking his hand between the ball and a receiver or darting toward the quarterback on a blitz. He registered 18.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, 11 pass breakups and an interception over the last two years.
Bush’s smarts should lead him to the right spots on the field, and his physical tools will allow him to execute game plans. As a result, he’ll likely have a productive career with multiple Pro Bowls.
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Michael Zagaris/Getty Images
The San Francisco 49ers acquired two wide receivers on Day 2 of the draft in Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd, but the latter is more intriguing because of his versatility.
Hurd logged 589 carries for 2,635 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns at Tennessee before he transferred to Baylor and transitioned to wide receiver. At his new position, the 6’4″, 227-pounder hauled in 69 receptions for 946 yards and four touchdowns.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan suggested Hurd may see looks at a third position in his offense:
“He can do about everything. I think if he would have stayed a running back, I believe he would have gotten drafted as an NFL running back. Today he got drafted as an NFL receiver, kind of. I believe if he tried to play tight end, I think he could have gotten drafted as an NFL tight end. That’s a pretty neat thing to have. I don’t remember being able to say that about any player I’ve studied before.”
When asked if Hurd could separate, Shanahan said, “You’ve got to to be able to play receiver or tight end.”
The 49ers have a crowded wide receiver unit with Marquise Goodwin, Jordan Matthews, Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor likely to get looks in the passing game as well. If Samuel takes on a sizeable role, Hurd could use his athleticism to beat defenders in two-tight end sets with George Kittle.
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Ted S. Warren/Associated Press
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll saw what everyone else did at the combine: a unique athlete in a 6’3″, 229-pound frame. Wide receiver DK Metcalf ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, repped 27 times on the bench press and recorded a 40.5″ vertical jump and 134″ broad jump.
Carroll acknowledged Metcalf’s impressive workout performances, per John Boyle of the team’s official website.
“There’s never been a guy that ran any faster that was that big and strong at the combine, so he’s got all those things behind him,” Carroll said. “He’s got to go fight and figure out how to play football now.”
Beyond that, Metcalf must stay healthy. He appeared in 21 contests at Ole Miss, missing significant time because of a broken foot during his true freshman term and a neck injury last year.
Nevertheless, when Metcalf took the field, he performed at an exceptional level. Despite the disruptions because of injuries, he averaged 18.3 yards per catch and racked up 14 touchdowns through three terms.
Metcalf can beat press coverage with strong hands to maintain a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Once he accelerates, defensive backs will have difficulty keeping stride with him downfield. His hands trap the football, which may lead to some highlight-reel receptions on deep balls.
If Metcalf stays on the field, he’ll be a tough matchup for any defender. The former Rebel’s size-speed combination will require frequent bracket coverage with a cornerback up front and a safety over the top. The Seahawks need him to contribute early following wideout Doug Baldwin’s retirement.
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Chris O’Meara/Associated Press
The Buccaneers allowed linebacker Kwon Alexander to walk during free agency and replaced him with an impact prospect out of LSU. Devin White has a penchant for blowing up plays when he’s moving toward the line of scrimmage.
Between his sophomore and junior seasons, White registered 25.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. General manager Jason Licht expounded on what the team saw in him, per Carmen Vitali of the team’s official website.
“He’s a physical guy,” Licht said. “He can pressure with his ability to blitz. He’s one of the better blitzing linebackers we’ve seen in a long time. He can also cover, and last but not least, he’s a tremendous person, leader, very smart and you’ll feel his energy right away.”
The Buccaneers may struggle to generate pocket pressure because of Jason Pierre-Paul’s expected absence following a car accident; he won’t undergo surgery but will likely start the 2019 campaign on the physically unable to perform list. Moreover, the team released defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. The two defenders combined for 18.5 sacks last year.
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will likely use White’s aggressive style if the defense is unable to make quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket. White could push to be the team’s sack leader. If not, he’s certainly in the conversation to lead this defense in takedowns and tackles for loss.
During his last collegiate season, White broke up six passes. If he continues to develop in that area, he should be able to handle coverage duties on an island in the middle of the field.
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Mark Humphrey/Associated Press
Rookie defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons would’ve been the standout acquisition, but he could miss the 2019 campaign because of a torn ACL. Though he’s only 21 years old, it’s not a given the Mississippi State product will return to pre-injury form as a 301-pound penetrator on the interior.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown could bring an immediate spark to the Titans’ aerial attack. He lined up on the outside and in the slot as a collegian. Though the Ole Miss product ran a 4.49-second 40-yard time at the combine, defenders must account for his game speed.
Brown can beat his assignment in a foot race if he stacks on top of the defender with the ball in the air. Don’t expect him to let many well-placed throws fall to the ground; the former Rebel didn’t have issues with focus drops. In fact, quarterback Marcus Mariota may be able to confidently toss 50-50 targets to the rookie wideout.
Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean recalled a moment when Brown snagged an impressive catch during rookie minicamp: Listed at 6’0″, 226 pounds, “Brown was responsible for the biggest highlight of the open portion: a one-handed grab that he secured right before stepping out of bounds.”
Brown is also a refined route-runner who can create space regardless of the play design. The rookie wideout has the ability to extend short receptions into long gains and gash defenses downfield.
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Nick Wass/Associated Press
The Washington Redskins drew criticism for their lucrative investment in Landon Collins: a six-year, $84 million deal. On the flip side, he’s a do-it-all safety who can shore up the back end of the defense and provide run support.
Collins looks comfortable on the strong side of a defensive formation and in the box, and he’s capable of shadowing tight ends in the seam areas. The versatile safety can also line up deep if necessary. The four-year veteran put together an All-Pro 2016 season with five interceptions and 13 pass breakups, which showed his coverage range.
Patrolling sideline to sideline, Collins is in seek-and-destroy mode. He’s a reliable open-field tackler who takes effective angles to stop the run. The 25-year-old led the Giants in solo takedowns in each of his years with the club.
Because of Collins’ pay, he’s not going to become a restricted box safety who racks up tackles. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky will likely use him in various roles, including in center field, closer to the line of scrimmage, as a linebacker in sub-packages and in blitz schemes.
The end Game of Thrones left fans with so many open ended questions. Namely: What happens to all their favorite characters after the show?
We looked into where everyone went and what happened to them after the cameras stopped rolling and put together these post-Thrones biographies. Some of them had happy endings. Some of them didn’t really do much after the final episode.
Here’s where your favorite Game of Thrones ended up.
Arya Stark
Image: Helen sloan / hbo
Arya sailed west of Westeros with a crew of hesitant sailors that really thought she was out of her mind trying to find something other than open ocean. After sailing for a month, the crew landed on a new continent and promptly named it Westermost.
After exploring the unpopulated land for a few years, the crew returned to Westeros. Arya set off to find Nymeria and her pack in the Riverlands and the two re-bonded immediately through the Starks’ predilection for warging. Arya became a wolf queen and terrorized bandits throughout the continent. No one knows what happened to her after that.
Sansa Stark
Image: helen sloan / hbo
Sansa ruled the North and maintained a healthy relationship with the rest of Westeros because her brother was the king. Trade between Sansa’s people and the people of the south was booming, allowing Winterfell and its surrounding lands and bannerpeople to rebuild their strengths beyond what they had ever been in the past.
Sansa married the hottest man imaginable and he treated her with so much respect, it set a new standard for relationships in Westeros. They had several children and they all took the surname Stark, continuing the line of brutally honest and honor-bound rulers of the North for countless generations.
Jon Snow
Image: helen sloan / hbo
With the threat of the White Walkers gone, Jon ordered the Night’s Watch to meticulously melt the wall, leaving only a small portion of it remaining at Castle Black, to be converted into a tourist destination. People from around Westeros and Essos traveled to see the Wall and stay at the castle for an authentic Night’s Watch experience, complete with mock battles and a gift shop where people can purchase souvenir dragonglass. Jon Snow made so much money he retired at the age of 40 and lived out the rest of his days on a nice waterfront property at Hardhome.
Bran Stark
Bran, able to tap into the entirety of Westerosi history, ruled the continent with unbelievable success. The economy boomed, problems were solved quickly and efficiently, and inter-family squabbles were squashed before violence ever got out of hand.
Like the Three-Eyed Raven before him, though, Bran slowly integrated his own body with the roots of a tree and ended up living underground for thousands of years. For a while, people still treated him as their king, but after a few generations of people came and went, everyone kind of forgot about him and Westeros went back to the war-torn terror land that it was always meant to be.
Tyrion Lannister
Image: helen sloan / hbo
Tyrion remained the Hand of the King for 10 years until he realized that he really needed a change of pace.
As a notoriously horny man, Tyrion set out to find as many sex workers as he could, bouncing from brothel to brothel across Westeros and Essos, drinking wine like a fish drinks water. He died at the age of 55, riddled with STDs.
Drogon
Image: courtesy of hbo
Drogon carried Daenerys’s body back to their ancestral lands of Valyria, where all kinds of horrible demonic things were lurking around. Not wanting to die, Drogon hightailed it out of there and flew around Essos before heading over to the Shadow Lands where he found tons of other dragons. The place was just lousy with dragons. They all became friends.
Samwell Tarly
Samwell lived out his days with Gilly, with whom he had a dozen children. He didn’t really do much as archmaester aside form offering small bits of advice here and there, which were largely ignored by the much louder council.
Brienne of Tarth
Image: helen sloan / hbo
As the leader of the Kingsguard, Brienne stayed loyal to Bran, keeping her head in her service until she was sent to the north to check up on things. She ran into Tormund Giantsbane who still longed for her and managed to win her affection.
With Bran being a reasonable leader, he allowed Brienne to bring Tormund back to the south with her where the two lived happily ever after.
Gendry Baratheon
Image: helen sloan / hbo
As a new lord of Westeros, Gendry took his seat at Storm’s End and ruled the land justly. Gendry never got over Arya and no other person could ever live up to the extremely high bar that she set for the rest of his love life.
Gendry never loved again and the Baratheon line ended with his death.
Yara Greyjoy
Yara Greyjoy returned to the Iron Islands and realized that she too should have demanded independence from the rule of Bran Stark, just like Sansa did. She quickly turned her ships around and went to Bran with her hat in her hand, asking for independence. Bran granted the Iron Islands freedom from the crown and Yara’s people loved her for it.
After months of relative peace, Yara’s long-lost uncle Victarion Greyjoy returned to the Iron Islands and tried to put his name in the ring for the kingsmoot, but unfortunately he missed the whole ordeal by a few months because word got to him too slowly. Yara caught Victarion up on everything that happened and he was floored.
Yara passed away peacefully with her wife at her side.
Grey Worm
Image: courtesy of HBO
Grey Worm sailed to Naath, Missandei’s homeland, where he and his crew of Unsullied were roundly rejected because they knowingly committed war crimes at the siege of King’s Landing and the people of Naath had heard about it. The Unsullied packed up again and went to Essos where they went right back to fighting in various battles and wars between the cities of the East.
Podrick served in the Kingsguard for a few years until demand for his sexual prowess became too high and the people of Westeros threatened to riot unless he was released from his service so that he could freely bless the world with his body to his heart’s content.
Davos Seaworth
Image: hbo
Davos served as Master of Ships at King’s Landing until he died. He didn’t really do anything exciting.
Bronn
Bronn, having no knowledge of business, taxes, or really anything having to do with government infrastructure, was quickly replaced as Master of Coin at King’s Landing. Bronn went back to his sellsword ways but grew sloppy in his old age, eventually meeting his demise when he was attacked by a pack of wolves.
Hot Pie
Hot Pie’s baking skills became renowned throughout Westeros and Essos. His popularity grew so much that investors approached him about franchising. Soon, Hot Pie’s House of Pies restaurants were popping up all over the place, and while the quality of the product diminished a bit as it expanded, it still retained that unmistakable character. Hot Pie died fat, rich, and happy.
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