What Mike Macdonald said about the Seahawks' new surprise wea.pon
The only thing we knew for sure about the Seattle Seahawks' new offense under Klint Kubiak coming into the season was that Jaxon Smith-Njigba was going to be the WR1 for Sam Darnold. We had no idea that JSN would suddenly become a top-two receiver or that Darnold would be in the early MVP conversation.
That lethal QB-WR combination isn't the only pleasant surprise, either. Heading in nobody knew who would function as Darnold's No. 2 target. Some surmised it might be Cooper Kupp, others liked rookie wide receiver Toy Horton, or rookie tigth end Elijah Arroyo.
As it turned out none of them were right - and so far the real WR2 for this offense has been second-year tight end AJ Barner. Going into Week 6 he leads the Seahawks (and all NFL tight ends) with four touchdowns and has caught an incredible 14 of 16 targets from Darnold.
Here's what head coach Mike Macdonald told reportes about Barner on Wednesday, per Mike Dugar at The Athletic.
“He’s a sparkplug for our whole football team,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “This guy’s got a great mentality. He’s got swag to him. He’s got an edge. He’s got toughness. He’s got a great spirit about him, where it’s not just for our offense, but he cares about our football team, and we love him for it.”
While Cooper Kupp has significantly more targets (29 to 16) he's yet to record a single touchdown catch and is only averaging one more yard per reception more than Barner.
Put it another way, Darnold has been more efficient and far more productive than Kupp, who the Seahawks just gave a three-year, $45 million deal.
While that doesn't sound great, it would be an even bigger mistake to try to prioritze Kupp because of his contract rather than allow Barner to grow into a greater role.
If the Seahawks can get Kupp or Horton or another pass-catcher going to complement what Barner and JSN are doing, this could yet be one of the most-explosive offenses in the league this year.
Jeremy Simon & Bailey Brown Discuss Moving In Together, Engagement Plans,
Bachelor Nation saw Jeremy Simon and Bailey Brown form a connection and leave the beach together on Season 10 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
Since then, the two have been keeping fans updated online with their lives after “Paradise.”
And now, the two are opening up about moving in together, engagement plans, and more on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.
Bailey revealed that she will be moving into Jeremy’s apartment within the next few months.
“We don’t have a date yet, by the end of the year for sure,” she said. “Thankfully he has a giant loft and there’s nothing up there. He has like four things up there. So I’m gonna throw all my sh*t up there. Everything. But yeah, I think going through all my clothes is going to be hard and deciding what I’m going to pick and choose to bring to New York will be really cool. And also very stressful. We have a lot of traveling coming up, so kind of after we slow down on the traveling, when it’s freezing cold in New York, that’s when we’ll start doing all that.”
The couple also shared that they’ve met each other’s friends and family, which has gone well. Bailey expressed, “We’re working towards meeting everyone that really matters and I feel like it’s been really good.”
Jeremy then discussed their relationship and why they didn’t get engaged on “Paradise.”
He said, “Even though we were in the show, we’re also trying to take it like normal life, which is hard to do. I asked her to be my girlfriend at the end. I thought that was a big step. I would’ve never done that if I wasn’t serious about it. But I don’t think either of us would’ve been ready for a real engagement after a few weeks, no matter how well you get to know someone… And neither of us wanted to get engaged for the [heck] of it.”
Bailey also chimed in, revealing that she did plan for an engagement when leaving for “BIP.”
She shared, “I think also where we were emotionally, I can’t fathom us getting engaged and then if it didn’t work in the real world, I would be very distraught. Obviously you come to the show thinking you might get engaged. Like, did I bring a dress? Of course, I’m prepared for everything. But I think as we got closer we were just like, ‘Oh, wait, we can’t fathom doing this right now, for us at least.’
“I think we really wanted to acclimate into normal life and… make sure that it would work outside of ‘Paradise’ too. And it does! Everyone’s on their own timeline and everyone has different goals in mind, and I feel like we made the right decision for us. And yeah, we’re really happy.”
