May 24, 2013

Joe Banner sounds good but will have to prove it for Browns fans

May 24, 2013 by 13 Comments

Banner and HaslamLike him, trust him, or not, Joe Banner has said all the right things so far as CEO of the Cleveland Browns. His Q&A with Clark Judge of CBS yesterday was just more proof of Banner’s self-confidence and willingness to espouse the Cleveland Browns as a defining project in his career and life. I can remember a time when an interview like that would have had the Cleveland Browns fan base absolutely giddy. I don’t get the sense that Browns fans have that in them anymore.

Joe Banner’s even been perfect in not asking for the full faith and support of Cleveland Browns fans. He’s preferred to fill in any voids that used to be filled with pleas for patience with statements about accountability. That’s really the best answer anyway. Any fans who’ve put their “faith” in a football team in Cleveland since 1999 have been disappointed.

Plus, if we’ve learned nothing in Cleveland since 1999 it’s to put our sports and entertainment choices in proper perspective. This isn’t life, death, family, job or our deity of choice, so proof is far more valuable than faith. Where patience and faith used to go hand-in-hand for many Browns fans, if there’s any patience left it’s constantly being tamped down by paranoia and a now-raging demand for results. And Banner isn’t shying away from any of it. [Read more...]

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Brian Hoyer, Brandon Weeden and what it all could mean

May 17, 2013 by 16 Comments

Hoyer PatsA fictional conversation that could have taken place in Berea over the last couple of days…

Michael Lombardi: “Hey. Have you heard of Brian Hoyer?”

Ray Farmer: “You mean the journeyman Michigan State guy who went undrafted in 2009, with one career NFL start who was cut flat by the team, the Arizona Cardinals, with some of the worst quarterback play since Kurt Warner retired as an arthritic old man?”

Michael Lombardi: “Yep! He’s available! Go get him!”

And scene…

Look, the jokes that were going around yesterday had more to do with the fact that almost everything that’s ever been rumored about Michael Lombardi has come true. The only thing that hasn’t happened (yet) is the Browns trading for Patriots backup Ryan Mallett. With that lens, of course it’s somewhat comical that Brian Hoyer finally became available and signed with the Browns. That’s really where the comedy ends. In all, the Brian Hoyer signing is a good one for depth for a team that has question marks at the quarterback spot. [Read more...]

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NFL News: Michael Lombardi sheds light on Cleveland Browns’ present and future

May 14, 2013 by 23 Comments

Yesterday Mike Lombardi spoke to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club and fans and media were in attendance as he spent nearly an hour talking about the Browns. He took questions and it seems was intent on explaining how he could simultaneously plan for the future while also not giving up on this year. It isn’t an easy thing to explain.

“I’m just saying we’re going to build this thing the right way so we can sustain success,” he said to the big crowd. “We’re certainly, by no means, thinking about giving up on the season – I’m too competitive – Nor, is Rob Chudzinski.”

We’ve heard all that before, but it’s been very difficult to sell for the the Browns thus far. Many continue to point to the past record of the team and clamor that adding more talent today is exactly what the Browns should have done in the draft, rather than trade picks for future ones. That’s where Lombardi finally gave a glimpse into why he might have been willing to trade for future “value.” Maybe, just maybe, he likes a lot of the young players on this team right now.

“We’ve got some pieces to compete with. This team last year was in a lot of close games had a lot of opportunities in the fourth quarter. I think we can build on that.

There’s a lot more from Lombardi in Nate Ulrich’s report over at Ohio.com

[Related: Indians weekend, language police, Redskins, Cleveland kidnappings, Gatsby, Goldthwait and more – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-13]

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While We’re Waiting… Tribe Trends, No Free Pass For Chudzinski, and Eliminating MLB Playoffs?

May 5, 2013 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Leading off, Michael Hattery at IBI takes a look at some early season trends with Tribe hitters Lonnie Chisenhall and Carlos Santana, “I think in Chisenhall’s case we have all been struggling with confirmation bias, being that we highlight his plate discipline as the reason why he struggles when he struggles. And if you just look at his strikeout-walk ratio it is easily justified. However, his O-Swing% changes are positive and perhaps cause issues for the assumption about Chisenhall’s plate discipline being the key issues so far. This would be a second consecutive season of improvement for Chiz, and this statistic should stabilize with a slight shift to either side over the rest of the season. O-Swing% will always be a statistic worth monitoring for the lefty and hopefully its positive gains will start to effect his overall production.” [Indians Baseball Insider]

Over at Cleveland Wins!, Jim says that Rob Chudzinski will get no free pass from the Cleveland fans, “Rob Chudzinski and the team is the only logical way for the Browns to start to wash away the dirt and cleanse the organization. We all know that it is the wins and losses on the field that ultimately determines their success or failure. So Chudzinski sets in the unenviable position of being the only logical redemption for the rocky and perilous start of the Joe Banner era and the easiest one for him to blame if things don’t go well. He has a proven Head Coach standing right below him running the Browns offense and a defensive coordinator that might be a bit more committed to his rise up the coaching ranks then the Brown’s success.” [Cleveland Wins!] [Read more...]

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NFL News: Browns’ Chudzinski won’t name starting quarterback

May 3, 2013 by 66 Comments

The Cleveland Browns did not draft a quarterback last weekend, but that has apparently not cemented the starting job for last year’s rookie Brandon Weeden.

In an interview with 92.3 The Fan, Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski said that he expects the recently added Jason Campbell to compete with Weeden for the starting job.

“We’ll just see as we go forward,” said Chudzinski. ”I expect both of these guys to compete. I don’t know any other way.”

Chudzinski added that Weeden’s approach—in the wake of all of the turnover in Berea—has been “outstanding” and that the second-year quarterback has shown solid progress. The team appears to be working on Weeden’s mechanics (the quarterback recently discussed his “patting” of the ball) and speeding up his delivery.

In 2012, Weeden threw for 3,385 yards to go with 14 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, totaling to a quarterback rating of 72.6. Weeden is expected to be in the shotgun exponentially more often this season under Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner than he was in 2012 under Pat Shurmur.

[Related: Michael Lombardi: Two different interviews, one set of answers]

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Michael Lombardi: Two different interviews, one set of answers

May 1, 2013 by 29 Comments

Michael_LombardiMichael Lombardi used the official launch day of the new Cleveland Browns radio homes to reach out to both 92.3 the Fan and ESPN 850 WKNR. He called in to The Fan’s “Kiley and Booms” first and later called KNR’s “The Really Big Show,” with Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer. I listened to both interviews because I wanted to hear some insight into what the Browns did this draft, and maybe what the mindset was regarding certain decisions. Now that it has all sunken in over the course of the day, it is absolutely amazing how different the two shows ran their interviews to basically arrive with the same, minuscule amounts of information.

Kiley and Booms (conspiuously named after the show’s hosts, Kevin Kiley and Chuck Booms) seemed to operate like attorneys complete with Kiley injecting a “Can I finish?” when Lombardi started to speak too soon. Booms followed it up by listing all the players that the Browns had in for visits that they didn’t end up drafting, insinuating that because they were brought in for a visit that the team had interest in acquiring their services. The two hosts seemed more interested in reading their questions 1 than what Lombardi would provide as an answer. Contrast that with Tony Rizzo who asked questions and then shut his mouth and let Lombardi talk. 

[Read more...]

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  1. Booms started the segment prior to the interview by saying he had his “list” ready but didn’t want to “tip” Lombardi on the questioning in the event he was already listening. [back]

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Joe Banner and Rob Chudzinski on first round draft pick Barkevious Mingo

April 26, 2013 by 15 Comments

Following Cleveland’s selection of LSU LB/DE Barkevious Mingo, team CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski talked with the media about the pick.

Joe Banner spoke about Mingo’s character:

“He is very high character, very hard working, extraordinarily competitive naturally, this guy. We’ve talked about bringing in aggressive players to play an aggressive scheme. He fits that very well. This was the outcome we were hoping for. We’re very excited.”

Rob Chudzinski on the characteristics that made them choose Barkevious:

“His athleticism speaks for itself. He’s an extremely gifted athlete, explosive, great speed off the edge and a developing player. Obviously, he’s been battle tested in the SEC. He has played a lot. He still has plenty of room for growth. But, we really see him as an outstanding pass rusher and somebody that is going to be able to bring that to our team.”

Banner spoke about adding Mingo to a group that now includes Paul Kruger, Jabaal Sheard and Quentin Groves as edge rushers:

“It really started with our coaching search, and Chud’s philosophy which was part of the reason he got the job frankly by playing aggressive attacking defense, making life uncomfortable for quarterbacks. Being on the attack even when the other team has the ball and I think you can see it in the moves we’ve made that our philosophies are consistent whether it was the free agent moves, what you’ve seen so far in the draft. It fit the plan from the coach to the coordinator through to the players we’re adding.”

To which Rob Chudzinski added:

“Like Joe was talking about, it has been a priority for us. We want a strong front and guys that can run, hit, who are relentless. Affecting the quarterback in this league is a key to winning games and a key to playing great defense. So as we went through the process looking at guys who could do that, obviously, we found some guys in free agency that could do that and fit that bill. Going forward in the draft, we felt the same way about Kiki. It happened that he was available there and we’re happy to have him.”

There will be a press conference Friday at 2:00pm to introduce Barkevious to Cleveland.

[Related: The Browns and the first round- Barkevious Mingo]

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NFL News: Dee Milliner claims he won’t miss training camp

April 24, 2013 by 5 Comments

A storyline that seems to have appeared almost out of nowhere in the last week or so was questions surrounding the health of one of the top corners in the 2013 NFL draft, Dee Milliner. It seems that a story like this comes out every year, and it’s always a bit suspect to try and figure out where it came from and what agenda it might be serving to potentially push a pick down the board a bit. According to a report by Clark Judge at CBS, Milliner is telling anyone who will listen that he’s fine.

“I’m doing great, and I didn’t miss any time with the injuries,” he said. “All of them are minor. I don’t even how all this got started, but I’m not really worried about it. Whatever teams takes a chance and picks me, I’ll go out there play for them and play on. (What teams should know is that) I’ve been fine, I had minor surgeries and I missed no games.”

We don’t know if Milliner is truly the top corner on the Cleveland Browns’ official draft board, but we do know with a high level of certainty that corner has to be up there in terms of draft need. We also know that if they happen to pick as high as number six without trading down, Dee Milliner could and should seemingly be a potential candidate for the team to pick there. As Clark Judge points out, Milliner is a popular match for the Cleveland Browns in mock drafts all over the Internet.

So we’ll see if the injury news or subsequent rebuttals have any impact on the Browns’ draft thinking tomorrow. When our own TD wrote about it, it was a consideration that represented a 30% swing in likelihood that he thought the Browns would consider Milliner.

We have heard his stock had been dropping over the past week, but these injuries could potentially add to his slide. NFL teams however, have had access to this information for a while now. The Browns still need a corner desperately and Milliner is still the best on the board.

If asked for a percentage of whether the Browns will take Milliner at six, I originally gave it 65% chance. After these latest injury reports, I would lower it to 35%.

 

[Related: The Browns and the First Round: Dee Milliner]

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Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal talks about being a beat writer and the Browns draft – WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-23

April 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoNate Ulrich’s first appearance on the podcast was a good one. We talk about what it’s like to be a beat writer, and also some more specifics about what to expect from the Browns on Thursday.

  • Covering the Browns and how it’s been over the last four years

  • Jimmy Haslam’s approval at the ownership group

  • Pilot Flying J scandal

  • The layers of management in Berea

  • Fan negativity and paranoia and distancing yourself from it in the professional capacity

  • Solving pass rush or corner first?

  • Trading down

  • Rob Chudzinski and the read option

  • What does Nate have in his provisions for the marathon draft weekend beat?

Check out this episode

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Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski on his offense

April 17, 2013 by 25 Comments

The Browns completed the second day of voluntary mini-camp today, and afterwards coach Rob Chudzinski had this to say about his offense in comparison to the one he ran in Cleveland in 2007 as offensive coordinator-

“We’ve evolved, and that’s one thing that, as a coach, you hope to learn and grow. Defenses are always working to try and catch up to you. You have to try to stay and work ahead. One of the biggest things is tailoring your system to your players. Everyone has a million plays, but trying to fit what your guys do best and putting them in the best position to win is key. Right now we are building that foundation and building the base of what we want to be – not just as an offense but as a team, with defense and special teams.”

When asked specifically about how Trent Richardson fits into his system-

“Trent will be our primary runner. We will use him on first-second down and Trent has some unique skills. He can actually catch the ball well and run routes well out of the backfield. That’s one thing out of the last few days that we have been able to see. He is a guy that we could play on three downs. Obviously, we just have to keep him fresh. ”

The Browns conclude on-field workouts tomorrow. Coach Chudzinski’s offense had at least one fan after the first day of mini-camp-

[Related: Browns thoughts after the raid on Pilot Flying J]

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Craig and Rick talk Browns – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-22

March 22, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoCraig and Rick of Waiting For Next Year discussed the Cleveland Browns’ off-season so far.

  • Rob Chudzinski and his talk with Mike Florio
  • Phil Dawson and the Browns communication about his departure
  • Jordan Cameron and the Browns’ tight end situation
  • The Cleveland Browns’ signing of former Chicago Bears tight end Kellen Davis
  • D’Qwell Jackson and his value to the organization
  • Josh Cribbs and his value going forward
  • Joe Haden and just how much he’s worth on an extension
  • The pre “rookie wage scale” draft picks and if they’re in for a rude awakening

Much much more. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Tanking’s future in baseball?

February 23, 2013 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Discussing how #tanking might be making its way into the MLB lexicon: “OK, that’s a loaded term, a dirty word in the world of sports. As we saw this offseason, however, there is a big difference between being the 10th-worst team in baseball and the 11th-worst. The New York Mets needed an outfielder. Actually, they needed three outfielders. As Michael Bourn’s free agency dragged into late January and then into February, it became clear the Mets were very interested in the speedy center fielder.” [David Schoenfield/ESPN's SweetSpot Blog] [Read more...]

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Rob Chudzinski to speak for Browns at combine

February 21, 2013 by 2 Comments

Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan reports that Michael Lombardi will not speak to the press on behalf of the Browns at the combine. The Browns instead will opt to have head coach Rob Chudzinski speak for the team. The Browns always said they wanted a coach to be very involved in personnel, and in one of the first opportunities, they appear to be proving it.

In the end, it probably means very little in determining who has the power in the personnel department, but it is at least symbolic early that the coach won’t just be a bystander. Either that or they’re looking to extend the grace period for Lombardi as he continues to try and separate himself from his most recent media past that already had him commenting on this upcoming draft.

No matter who is speaking for the Browns, I expect them to reveal very little. The team has a good amount of time to mold the current roster via free agency before the draft itself. Common thought around media circles (of which Lombardi was recently a big part) is that the Browns will look to address defense, specifically the pass rush, with their first draft pick this year.

We’ll see, of course, but I’ll wait a bit before I start slotting names onto the mock boards.

[Related: NFL Rumor: Browns not planning on re-signing Phil Dawson]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-25 – Cleveland Frowns in a two-part podcast

January 25, 2013 by 31 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoPeter Pattakos is a guy that many at WFNY have come to know over the years in person. He never shies away from controversy and he serves a rabid, loyal fanbase at his site Cleveland Frowns. There’s so much backdrop to Peter and his site that it makes what he does at his site somewhat stark for newcomers. Jim Rome has inside jokes that his “clones” all are aware of kind of like junior historians of the program. Frowns has a trail of perspectives and causes that serve as a basis for his website and I thought it would be interesting to explore it a bit in a long-form manner. Perfect for a podcast.

Peter insisted on doing it in person, which was cool by me. He showed up with a bottle of wine that we crushed as we did a two-part podcast talking about Peter’s website, the Browns, Mangini, Modell, Grossi, Wahoo, the Cleveland media and even his recommendations for what he might do to change this very website. I didn’t anticipate taking them to heart, but he likes our site, so I was curious what he might say.

Hopefully this is the first of many podcasts with the Frowner. Also, he had one plug. Make sure you go to his Super Bowl party at the Map Room in Cleveland. And of course you can also follow him on twitter. [Read more...]

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Recap: WFNY at the 2012 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards

January 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Greater Cleveland Sports AwardsOnly behind seeing a championship, attending the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards should be next on any Cleveland sports fan’s bucket list.

A sensational event year after year, Waiting For Next Year was lucky to become a sponsor of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission this year, enabling various writers the opportunity to be at the 2012 main event both as attendees and media members. And boy was it a hoot.

Taking place as always at the Renaissance Hotel downtown, Thursday night’s event again hosted more than 1,250 people, including some of the biggest names in Cleveland sports. It was the place to be on a very Cleveland-esque cold night: Placed strategically in between Cavaliers home games, the event strives to gather together the stars for a night of auction items, award presentations and fine dining. [Read more...]

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What do the Browns know about Brandon Weeden?

January 24, 2013 by 71 Comments

Weeden ScreamThe Cleveland Browns have been committal about being non-committal about their quarterback situation. From Rob Chudzinski to Michael Lombardi and yesterday Norv Turner the Browns have been steadfast in putting barely a single word on the record that leads anyone to believe that Weeden is first on the depth chart right this very second. Even if you’ve somehow found a way to infer that, it is only by default because that’s the way the season ended and there hasn’t been a roster move that easily leads everyone to speculation otherwise. The Browns claim to need to see more tape study, but it seems to me that a need for more tape study is all the sign of a lack of confidence that I need to see.

I am not saying anything about Brandon Weeden, personally. I think he had a pretty typical rookie year, statistically speaking. He definitely trailed many of his rookie brethren in terms of rookie performance too. I’m just characterizing the vibes I’m reading from the public comments thus far. And maybe it’s true that they need to see more tape. Maybe they will unleash those hours of footage of Shurmur-led practices and decide that Weeden is a guy they can mold and that under their new tutelage he’ll become a front line NFL starter. It just seems to me that the guy who plays the most important position on the team who also put 15 games of real NFL video into the universe this season is likely to have made enough of an impression on the team that they might be willing to say something that tips their hand that they like him. Of course that’s only true if they were given a positive impression.

To be fair, Norv Turner was somewhat complimentary of Weeden because he helped the Browns beat Turner’s Chargers this season. Then again, Weeden had a QB rating of 55.9 against the Chargers completing 11 of 27 passes for 129 yards in a 7-6 win. [Read more...]

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Norv Turner will call the plays for the Cleveland Browns

January 23, 2013 by 33 Comments

According to new Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski, Norv Turner will be calling the plays as offensive coordinator for the team.

Chudzinski said, “Norv’s been one of the best playcallers in the league for a long time,” when asked about the decision. Chud went on to say that he needs to recognize the abilities of the coaches around him and he feels confident that Turner will do a great job.

That’s good news for Browns fans who were wary of Pat Shurmur over the last few years going without a coordinator completely in year one and preferring to continue to hide behind his laminated play sheet again in season two. It will still be up to the newly named Chud to manage the game effectively, but if he falters in that realm, at least it won’t be the easiest and most obvious criticism to lob first about him trying to do too much.

Stay tuned to WFNY for all the updates from the Norv Turner press availability today.

[Related: NFL News: Browns add three more to coaching staff]

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2013 NFL Draft: Jarvis Jones’ value falling, so what?

January 21, 2013 by 17 Comments

Jarvis JonesThe Super Bowl matchup is set. But for the Browns, despite the meaningless Pro Bowl next week, the next truly meaningful event on the schedule is April’s NFL Draft.

Of course, there will be the combine and several other related activities until the three-day draft begins on Thursday, April 25, but let’s just go for the imagery of this magical, franchise-defining moment in the middle of spring for the Browns and their new front office/coaching staff.

Each of the last two months around this time, I started out WFNY’s draft coverage by looking at the Big Board for the NFL Draft. First, I professed my love for a certain underclassman turnover-machine from Georgia, and then, I squared off against my friend Jordan in the debate over picking a guard or a defensive playmaker.

So let’s take another updated look today at the aggregate Big Board. [Read more...]

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Chud, Norv, Horton, and Lombardi: The Future’s In Their Hands

January 19, 2013 by 26 Comments

chudzinskiThe speculation is over. With the exception of a few positional assistants, the Browns have their personnel and are sculpting out their direction for the next few years as we speak. Some of the hires made by owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner have been overwhelmingly popular while others are decidedly not. With a shift in offensive and defensive philosophies and the corresponding personnel changes required to fit them, there’s no shortage of topics surrounding our Browns right now. Here’s my point of view on just a few of them. [Read more...]

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A Look Into Ray Horton’s Defensive Philosophy

January 19, 2013 by 24 Comments

A big h/t to @MikeAmmo for digging this video out of the vault. Two years ago, when new Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton was hired on as Arizona’s defensive coordinator after being Pittsburgh’s defensive backs coach under Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau, he sat down and talked about his defensive philosophy on the Arizona Cardinals’ website.

http://www.azcardinals.com/videos-photos/videos/Ron-Wolfley-Sits-Down-With-Ray-Horton/5763a7fd-9827-4a02-b194-666f751c3495

 

The highlights included his desire to have “big guys who can run, little guys who can hit” to make his defense successful as well as being a 3-4 defense on first and second downs and a 4-2 D on third downs. All of what Horton said seemed to fit right in line with what new Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski said about wanting an attack style defense. Horton’s D utilizes a variety of zone blitzes and its main goal is to put pressure on the quarterback. Given the Browns’ current personal, that will take some acquisitions in the offseason.

Related: Lombardi Has A Lot To Prove For Browns Fans

 

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