D.J. Williams is a warrior from way back…

De La Salle High School is a private, Catholic, all-boys school in Concord, CA. It currently enrolls just over 1,000 students (with roughly 98% of the graduating seniors going on to college). While that’s impressive, this High School is best known as the home of the Spartans football team. The green and silver Spartan motto is “Les Homme De Foi (Men Of Faith),” and it’s hard to see why they won’t have faith.

Their football team holds the record for most consecutive wins for any team (HS or otherwise). That record stands at 151 games without a lose and extends from 1992 to 2003. What was the previous record? Try 72.

D.J. Williams, attended De La Salle in the 90’s, and in Neil Hayes 2003 book When The Game Stands Tall, Hayes (the sportswriter for the local Contra Costa Times) describes some of the qualities that it took to be called Sparta.

In one example, he talks about a questionnaire that accompanied their football applications. The last question of this questionnaire was: “What would you do if you saw your mother running with the football?” If the applicant said “push her out of bounds” the coaches knew the kid was best suited to play offense. If he said “tackle her” the coaches would send him off to play Defense. However, if he applicant answered “knock her head off,” they made a notation that this guy would be a potential special teams player.

What was D.J. Williams answer, you ask? Oh, he actually included a videotape with his application that showed his mother in uniform catching a football… right before her 6’1” 220lb. son knocked the crap out of her! Although that probably qualified him to be a special teams warrior, he ended up started at both RB and LB for De La Salle.

With that level of intensity and will to fight, it’s no wonder he caught John Madden’s attention. Madden actually said D.J. Williams was the only player he had seen who could have gone from high school directly to the pros.

In fact, at the time of his graduation in 1999, he was named USAToday’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“LB – D.J. WILLIAMS, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 6-2, 220. Career: Had 312 tackles, including 92 for losses. Caused 12 fumbles and recovered eight. Scored school-record 81 touchdowns in three years. Ran 346 times for 4,276 yards and 64 touchdowns. Had 38 catches for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns. Scored on two kickoff returns, one punt return and one fumble return. Senior year: Had 86 solo tackles, including 37 for losses, and 47 assists while leading team to 12-0 record and national-record 100-game winning streak. Forced five fumbles and recovered three. Ran 170 times for 1.974 yards and 30 touchdowns. Tied school record with 38 touchdowns. Biggest motivator: “I love to compete and win. Every team I’ve been on since I was young was a winner and it’s something you get used to.”

— USAToday 2/25/00

Of course, his career at the University of Miami was no less impressive. He started at FB his freshman year and had 18 rushes for 142 yrds (7.9 avg), 12 passes for 153 yrds (11.9 avg) with two touchdowns. By the next year he was back at LB again as the Hurricanes won the National Championship. His most meaningful contribution came during the Rose Bowl against Nebraska when he forced a critical fumble late in the game.

During this Junior and Senior years, Williams racked up 190 tackles (99 solo), 10 sacks and three forced fumbles. He also made the highlight reels with a stunning 61 yrd run for a touchdown off a fake punt.

D.J. has dominated at every level of this game, but he has been under-used over the last two years in Denver. With his move to the Mike LB slot and his new leadership role on the Defense, I think this year we will finally get to see him obtain glory on the field of battle.

The Spartans will certainly be proud of our new warrior in the middle…

The Denver Broncos have traded St. Louis a sixth-round draft pick in next year’s draft for St. Louis’ former first-round choice Jimmy Kennedy.

Kennedy is 6’4″ and 325lbs. He is a former Penn State star whom the Rams had hoped would solidify the interior of their defensive line. Over the past two seasons, though, the Rams had issues with Kennedy not complying with their defensive scheme (they wanted a runstopper — he wanted to get sacks).

Last year Kennedy started all 16 games for the first time in his career and recorded a personal-best 55 tackles (32 solo). The defensive tackle also had one sack (5 yds.), two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one pass breakup in 2006.

Kennedy joins 16 other D-linemen already on the roster including recently signed Sam Adams.

To free up this roster spot Denver released first-year CB Eric Hill.

FULL STORY on Denverbroncos.com

It looks like the wheeling and dealing isn’t done yet for the Broncos. Mike Shanahan announced today that the Broncos have traded a 2008 6th-round draft pick for Jimmy Kennedy, another beefy 320-lb. Defensive Tackle who has played his entire four-year career for the St. Louis Rams.

Kennedy is the eighth defensive lineman the Broncos have added this offseason – along with Sam Adams who was added only a few days ago, and 3/4 of our draft picks, we also added Carlos Hall and Alvin McKinley through free agency and Steven Harris as an undrafted rookie free agent.

Kennedy started all 16 games in 2006 for the first time in his career, posting career highs in most areas. Drafted 12th Overall by the Rams in 2003, it took Kennedy longer than expected to make an impact, and ultimately it seems he didn’t buy into new coach Scott Linehan‘s defensive ideas.

Another depth (and girth) adding move by the Broncos staff as we look to mold our D-Line to Jim Bates‘ liking.

Well, what do you know…. Jay Cutler has a friend in the mainstream media! Peter Schrager over at FoxSports has gone WAY out on a limb for Cutler in his recent Power Rankings article. Not only does he predict a Pro Bowl appearance for Cutler, he also mentions an MVP award! In fact, he credits Jay Cutler with the rise of the Broncos to fourth on his Power Rankings. I mean he uses the term “Superstar!”

Now for the important question. Why is Peter Schrager saying this and not someone closer to home? Where are the local Denver sports writers and their predictions for our young QB? Do you think any of them would go as far as to predict an MVP for Cutler?

I guess it’s easer to find fault after the fact than to inspire hope for the home team…

With the NFL’s opening weekend still a good three months away, it may seem a bit premature to put out our first NFL Power Rankings of the 2007 season in June. Training camp, the preseason, and about 300 previews praising the 49ers as “This year’s Saints” haven’t even begun yet.

Then again, after an off-season packed with player movement, coaching changes, and more disciplinary issues than a fifth grade class — we might as well sort things out the best we possibly can. If the NFL season were to start today, here would be our NFL Power Rankings. Agree or disagree, let us know how you feel.

1. Indianapolis Colts — Hey, you’ve got to beat the best to be the best. And until New England or San Diego proves they’re better than the Super Bowl champs on the field, I’m not going to crown them. Sure, Indianapolis lost a slew of key defensive players from their championship team last season (Nick Harper, Cato June, Jason David specifically). And yes, 2006 postseason rushing leader Dominic Rhodes is now playing in Oakland. But, the core of that Super Bowl wining squad — Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, the majority of the offensive line, Dwight Freeney, Joseph Addai, and the special teams unit — is back. Toss in sure-handed first-round pick Anthony Gonzalez and recently re-signed wideout Aaron Moorehead — and the Colts offense should be buzzing and clicking like it has been for years come opening day. On defense, Indy will look to fill holes left by veterans with a slew of young and relatively inexperienced players. That list will likely include 2006 third-round picks Daymeion Hughes of Cal and Quinn Pitcock of Ohio State. Sure, there are questions surrounding the Super Bowl champs. Is the defense TOO young? Can Addai carry the load himself? Are New England and San Diego as good as advertised? All will be answered over the course of the season. Just don’t be shocked when Peyton Manning’s playing for another Super Bowl ring come February. And hosting SNL by March.

2. New England Patriots — Just as everyone was fitting the New England Patriots for their 2007 Super Bowl rings and the parade route was being planned throughout Boston, a bit of controversy erupted out of Beantown this week. Disgruntled cornerback Asante Samuel announced on Monday that he doesn’t plan on attending the team’s voluntary mini camp … or training camp … or the first 10 weeks of the season. He’s holding out. Samuel was furious over being given the franchise tag, saying “I’m not coming to camp. I’m not showing up until the 10th week. I feel unappreciated. The way they’re treating me is just wrong.” The Samuel situation is muddy. That said, the Patriots’ off-season went unmatched as far as the haul they brought in. Donte Stallworth, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Kelley Washington at receiver; Sammy Morris at running back; Kyle Brady at tight end; and 2007 Defensive POY candidate Adalius Thomas at linebacker. The Pats have always been big on locker room chemistry. Do the new faces buy in? Or will the Pats implode? I trust Tom Brady, and will go with the former. But I can’t put New England past the Colts just yet. A date to circle? Nov. 4th. That’s when Tom Brady and Co. head to Indy to avenge last season’s AFC Championship Game loss. Cancel all other plans now.

3. San Diego Chargers — The Chargers’ Super Bowl dreams ended in heartbreak last year, with a slew of brainless plays and foolish penalties giving New England the opportunity to dance all over mid-field after an upset win in San Diego. San Diego’s roster remains pretty much the same this go-around, but their coaching staff is all new. Five of the top minds on the coaching staff of last season’s 14-2 squad, including head coach Marty Schottenheimer, are gone. In comes Norv Turner and a completely new cast of characters calling the shots. Personnel-wise — Michael Turner’s back, Kris Dielman was re-signed, Donnie Edwards is gone, and first-round draft pick Craig “Buster” Davis will join the re-signed Malcolm Floyd to form one of the more promising 1-2 wideout combos in the league. Did San Diego get over the hump this off-season? The AFC’s as tough as it’s ever been, so 14-2 will be hard to top. Come postseason time, the Chargers want to be the ones dancing on their home-field logo, not their opponents. We’ll see in January if that ends up being the case.

4. Denver Broncos — Denver picked up yet another weapon for their struggling defensive line by signing defensive tackle and all-around clog in the middle Sam Adams earlier this week. Adams joins a revamped line that has already added three draft picks in Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, and Marcus Thomas. In comes Travis Henry as well. A 1,500-yard rusher with Tennessee last season, Henry comes to Denver with a Pro Bowl-caliber 2006 season under his belt. But is that really enough to propel Denver to the fourth spot? A team that didn’t even make the playoffs last year? No, not quite. It’s the development of Jay Cutler that does the job. I see the second-year man out of Vanderbilt having a breakout season in 2007; the kind that puts him in the league’s “superstar” discussion. Cutler really came on toward the end of last season. And with Jake Plummer gone, it’s fully his team. Look for a Pro Bowl season, and quite possibly, an MVP year.

FULL STORY on Fox Sports

Jay Cutler’s Championship Background

I was very impressed by a recent post on the Broncomania Forum and have asked the author of this fantastic article if I can re-post it here on my blog. I haven’t heard anyone in the mainstream media break down our 2006 O-line production or efficiency relating to Matt Lepsis’ injury like this and I thoroughly respect all the research necessary to put this together.

Well, in the two years prior to last year, we ranked third in the league in fewest sacks allowed both years. This ranking was very good. Last year, for the year, we ranked 13th in the league in fewest sacks allowed in the league.One huge factor in this ranking is the fact that Matt Lepsis went down with injury in the Cleveland game, but there was generally discontinuity in the line last year. Still, before the Cleveland game when we lost Lepsis, we were on track to allow 22.4 sacks (According to sacks per game projections) or 24.8 sacks (According to sacks per attempt projections). The difference was also in large part because we passed more in the second half of the year and that we were forced to pass more later on to keep up with better offensive teams. We would have ranked 4th or sixth if we had continued our production at those levels throughout the year.

The point is clear, losing lepsis hurt our pass blocking tremendously, but that’s not all. What’s even more surprising is what losing him meant to our run blocking on the left side of the line.

Denver averaged 2.64 yards per carry around the left end last year. This was good enough to rank us 30th in the league around left end. Between left tackle and left guard, Denver averaged 4.04 yards per carry to rank 25th. Both rankings were pretty substandard. This was a huge difference from last year when we ranked 2nd in the league around the left end when we averaged 5.28 yards per carry around the left end. We ranked 15th between the left tackle and guard with an average of 4.39 yards per carry.

In 2004, we ranked first around the left end with an average of 5.44 yards per carry. We ranked much lower between the tackle and left guard, however with an average of 3.89 yards per attempt to rank 25th.

What this tells us is that Lepsis was dearly missed in the run game. Particularly around the left end, he was missed quite a bit.

The good news is that we’ll have him back and last year was an eye opener for the Broncos who realized that drafting a tackle in the third round who would be able to hold the fort and hopefully take over when Lepsis retired was imperative.

But, that’s not the only change to our line. The last couple of years, we’ve seen Foster playing right tackle for us, but he didn’t for a good portion of last year and we’ll see somebody else on that right side this year. We shouldn’t expect a dropoff. That much is clear because last year we ranked 24th around the right end with an average of 3.46 yards per carry. We also lost Cooper Carlisle as our right guard. Surprisingly, we did decently well between the right guard and the right tackle with a ranking of 7th and an average of 4.46 yards per carry. The year before we ranked 11th in the league with an average of 4.45 yards per carry. In other words, Carlisle played a lot better for us than I think that people sometimes give him credit for. We ranked 10th, 1st and 6th running behind the center over the last three years which shows that Nalen is still competing at a very high level, but that the guards have performed pretty well for us.

Still, Denver has shown that they have a terrific ability to get good play out of their guards even if they drafted them late. And Denver should not miss a beat with whoever ends up winning the job at right guard.

I also think that the numbers suggest that Hamilton was not clearly superior to Carlisle. The right end was significantly lower than the left end, but the right guard was not worse than the left guard in run blocking statistics. So, there is some risk in trying to replace Carlisle, but we should see no dropoff around right end.

Our run blocking should be immensely improved around the left end because Lepsis will be back and we should be much better at pass blocking for the same reason.

Of course, we also have a new back in Travis Henry who should be able to push the pile a lot more capably than Tatum Bell was able to. And I think that adding Graham as a dual threat pass catching and run blocking tight end will also help, but the return of Lepsis will help more than anything else.

I wouldn’t expect a huge dropoff with the loss of Carlisle and a change at right tackle shouldn’t hurt us, but we’ll just have to wait and see if we’ll see any improvement.

Still, I think that we’ll be able to return to an elite run game next year as we were the two years prior.

POSTED: 06-01-2007, 04:56 AM — Broncomania Forum

by Archimedes Owl — LINK

The BroncoTalk Offseason Awards continue! I’ve awarded 10 or so awards to outstanding (and outstandingly bad) offseason moves as the world prepares for the 2007 NFL campaign. In my opinion, everything up to this point have been the “warm-ups” – like a Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars, these have been the fillers, preparing for the real juicy stuff.

There were A LOT of free agent signings this year – hell, for a complete list, courtesy of NFL.com, go here. Also consider my Top 10 Signings so Far, done about 5 days into free agency.

The nominees were easy to determine. Travis Henry coming to Denver. Adalius Thomas, who was #1 on the countdown then. Joey Porter going to Miami. Ahman Green to Houston and Jeff Garcia to Tampa Bay were also considered, as well as other Denver signings of Daniel Graham and New England WR Donte Stallworth. I looked at the impact each player is expected to have and the contract they signed, and came up with THE Best Free Agent Signing over this offseason…

The BroncoTalk Offseason Award for Best Free Agent Signing goes to…

The Denver Broncos for signing Travis Henry

Since the bigger splashes were trades (Randy Moss, Dre Bly), the Best Free Agent signing goes to Henry. Photo Courtesy

Originally it was Henry 2, Adalius Thomas 1 on the countdown. But Thomas won’t have as big an impact on the Patriot’s defense as Henry will have on our offense – and considering that Henry cost us much less than Thomas cost the Pats, it was the best signing of the offseason, PERIOD. Henry has been able to stay clean, and once he gets through October he is rotated out of the league’s substance abuse program.

So now that the riskiness of the pickup is out of the way, we explore the significance. Not since Terrell Davis, and to a certain point Clinton Portis have the Broncos had a real, realy playmaker at the runningback position. And we’ve never paid for one until now, showing that Mike Shanahan was so disgusted with our running game last year that he wasn’t about to put up with that again.

The Broncos offense is very improved under Henry and Graham and, of course, the full-time job that will be Jay Cutler‘s. Expect nothing short of 1,500 yards from Henry, an exciting prospect as we go for the Super Bowl.

The BroncoTalk Offseason Awards continue! Today I discuss the worst Free Agent signing – not a trade, so no Matt Schaub or Randy Moss consideratons here. Just free agents. So how do you determine what makes a “bad” free agent signing? Was the signing for a position of real need for the team who signed? Was there great value? Was the market for that position reflective of the total amount of the contract?

The biggest loser of free agency was hard to determine. Ultimately, bang for the buck was the determining factor. And here we go…

The BOA for Worst Free Agent Signing goes to…

The San Francisco 49ers for Signing Nate Clements [for $10 mil per year]

HONORABLE MENTION:

The Kansas City Chiefs for signing Damon Huard and causing months of QB controversy in KC.

When I first heard the terms of the contract that the San Francisco 49ers gave cornerback Nate Clements, I had to rewind my Sirius and make sure I heard eighty instead of eighteen. As you can see from the stat table above, Clements has averaged 3-4 picks per year with a one-year high of 6 interceptions a few years back. Like our own Champ Bailey, he does have a knack for tallying up the tackles, and he is one of the better corners in the league.

But the biggest contract for a cornerback in history? Are you kidding me? In two years, when Champ is virtually impossible to resign, all of Denver can thank San Francisco for making his market in the $100 million echelon. Thanks SF.

So, what have the coaches said after one day with new DT Sam Adams? 

Shanahan, who believes D-linemen are as honest about their weight as desperate housewives, says that speed and quickness are more important than weight.  And Adams agrees…

“I’ve been in Pro Bowls at 355 and I’ve been in Pro Bowls at 335. So it doesn’t matter.”

— Sam Adams 6/5/07

“You can see that he has great quickness for a player that size.  He did a couple of things today in practice that were very impressive. Hopefully he can do it when it counts.”  

— Mike Shanahan 6/5/07

Jim Bates game strategy is based on having the middle of the D-line filled with two large quick-footed men at the tackle position.  If these tackles can occupy more than one O-lineman each, his lighter defensive ends can speed around the corners of the line and break up the pocket.  The bigger and faster his tackles are in the middle, the wider he can spread his DE’s — this closes down the outside lanes while giving the ends a great angle to the QB.  Adams, who is often double teamed, obviously has the size to fill the middle at tackle, but Bates also believes that Sam’s biggest advantage lies in his agile footwork.

“Sam has a uniqueness as far as quickness – his first step is as fast as any big man in football.”

— Jim Bates 6/5/07

Another important part of Bates’ new scheme is the rotation on the D-line.  Unlike other defensive positions, the D-line rotates heavily so everyone stays fresh and can play at full speed all game long.   This is especially helpful for those big guys up front facing those nasty double teams.

“With Dré (Bly), you’re looking at 50 to 55 plays a game.  With Sam, hopefully you’re looking at 25 to 30 plays. There’s a difference in terms of that, but within those 30 plays, (Adams’) impact could be enormous. People sometimes don’t see the dirty work done up front. But we certainly see it, and you win football games up front.  All you have to do is talk to our offensive linemen who have played against him. They talk about an immovable object — in this defense, that’s important.”  

— John Lynch 6/5/07

“We usually dress seven, eight defensive linemen. We rotate them quite a bit and try to keep them fresh and healthy.”

— Mike Shanahan 6/5/07

And although most of the talk was positive and upbeat, we also heard several disclaimers yesterday.  Most of them had to do with conditioning, but some still mentioned weight.

“We’d like (Adams) at a weight where he can play at least 28-30 snaps a game. Some games it may be more, some games it may be less, so we’ve got to get him at a weight where his endurance will be a factor going into the fourth quarter.”

— Jim Bates 6/5/07

“You want him in football shape.  With the offseason conditioning program and camp, hopefully there’s no setbacks and he’s ready to go.”

— Mike Shanahan 6/5/07

As I mentioned before, we’ll have to wait and see what Rich Tuten and his strength and conditioning staff can do to prepare Adams for camp (and hopefully the season).  But from the positive things the coaches have said so far it seems like we may have found one more piece to the personnel puzzle. 

NEWS FROM TEAM CAMP:

Always the first with pictures and team info – Mason’s Morsels: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6. Day 7

Some good news on Brandon Stokley. He was seen jogged around the playing fields while the rest of the Broncos stretched and watched from the sidelines when the team ran plays.

“He is looking pretty good. I was thinking about practicing him this week and decided not to. We’re having him do some football related drills. He should be able to go full speed for the next mini camp on July 9 and 10.”

— Mike Shanahan 6/6/07

DT Sam Adams was at his first Mile High OTA on Tuesday. He impressed the coaches with his quickness and said his knee was 100%.

“I feel good. This is a great system to be a part of as a defensive lineman. It’s an attacking front. It allows us to put pressure on the football, whether it be run or pass.”

— Sam Adams 6/5/07

Shanahan mentioned in his press conference on Tuesday that Sam Brandon probably could have participated fully this week. But since he’s recovering from two torn knee ligaments, Shanahan has opted to keep him from full participation until Minicamp (where he should be “full speed”).

Brandon Marshall has been sidelined recently with a slight groin injury. No one seems too concerned — it’s likely a precautionary move.

Eddie Moore has been running off-and-on with the first team defense for a couple days now: FULL STORY

“D.J. gives me lot of tips — like ‘run fast'” — Eddie Moore 6/1/07

Here are articles about two of our new players: Backup QB Patrick Ramsey and FB Paul Smith.

“It’s my first time in this system, and I’m still adjusting. But I feel like I’m picking it up quicker than I have with other systems.”

— Patrick Ramsey 6/1/07

Interesting news that Cecil Sapp (12lbs lighter) is working at both FB and tail back positions: FULL STORY

It’s good to see some of our injured players back on the field: Sam Brandon, Nick Ferguson, Cecil Sapp, and Matt Lepsis (STORY ON MATT)

The Denver Post talks to Daniel Graham about his homecoming: FULL STORY

“I’m doing real good picking up on this offense. Everything is coming pretty smoothly. It’s been a good first week. I feel comfortable, but I know I have a lot more to learn. “

— Daniel Graham 5/25/07

Rocky Mountain News takes a look at Bronco rookie kicker and form Virginia Tech student Brandon Pace: FULL STORY

Here is a great look at our team during Quarterback Camp provided by Andrew Mason through this blog Mason’s Morsels — thanks Andrew! :)

Quarterback Camp Photos from Mason’s Morsels:

Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four, Day Five, Day Six, Day Seven

My thoughts on what we learned during Quarterback Camp

Fox Sports just listed off all of the Free Agency moves the Broncos have made this off-season. While I’ve followed each one, the size of this list still surprised me! Saying it’s been a busy off-season is one thing, but taking a look at this list really demonstrates how eager Mike Shanahan is to better this team and get back to the Super Bowl.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED:

–LB Louis Green: Potential RFA; 3 yrs, terms unknown.

–FB Kyle Johnson: RFA; terms unknown.

–WR Quincy Morgan: UFA; terms unknown.

–DT Kenny Peterson: UFA; terms unknown.

–FB Cecil Sapp: RFA; $1.3M/1 yr.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED :

–CB Dre’ Bly (trade Lions).

–TE Daniel Graham: UFA Patriots; $30M/5 yrs, $15M guaranteed.

–RB Travis Henry: FA Titans; 5 yrs, $12M guaranteed; other terms unknown.

–LB Warrick Holdman: UFA Redskins; terms unknown.

–OG Montrae Holland: UFA Saints; $1M/1 yr, SB unknown.

–LB D.D. Lewis: UFA Seahawks; terms unknown.

–DT Alvin McKinley: UFA Browns; $8M/4 yrs, SB unknown.

–QB Patrick Ramsey: FA Jets; $4.5M/2 yrs, SB unknown.

–P Todd Sauerbrun: UFA Patriots; $820,000/1 yr.

–FB Paul Smith: UFA Rams; $2.55M/3 yrs, $300,000 SB.

–WR Brandon Stokley: FA Colts; 1 yr, terms unknown.

–WR David Terrell: FA; 1 yr, terms unknown.

PLAYERS LOST:

–RB Tatum Bell (traded Lions).

–DE Courtney Brown (released).

–LB Keith Burns: UFA; retired.

–OG Cooper Carlisle: UFA Raiders; 2 yrs, terms unknown.

–DE Patrick Chukwurah: UFA Buccaneers; $5.5M/5 yrs, SB unknown.

–RB Cedric Cobbs (released).

–OT George Foster (traded Lions).

–DT Michael Myers: UFA Bengals; $1.65M/2 yrs, $100,000 SB.

–RB Damien Nash (deceased).

–QB Jake Plummer (traded Buccaneers).

–CB Darrent Williams (deceased).

–LB Al Wilson (released; post-June 1 designation).

P.S. It still unnerving to see Darrent and Damien listed as ‘deceased’. :(