Football Pros

Football Pros http://footballpros.com/ Discuss football with the professionals. en Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:31:51 GMT vBulletin 60 http://footballpros.com/images/misc/rss.png Football Pros http://footballpros.com/ Adrian Peterson: The Encore http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12681-Adrian-Peterson-The-Encore?goto=newpost Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:38:24 GMT Following last year's incredible comeback from ACL surgery in late December of 2011, many people are expecting great things from Adrian Peterson again this season. And why not? Last season, in his final 10 games, Peterson had 100+ yards rushing in every game but one, including 7 games with more than 150 yards. He scored at least one TD in 8 of his final 10 games. Now fully healthy, only an idiot would doubt Peterson's prospects for this coming season. I guess that's where I come in, my friends!

For those of you that are already questioning my sanity over that last statement, I'd like to first remind you of this article I wrote back in early December, where I oogled over Peterson and his accomplishments. Honestly, the article was borderline embarrassing in how much we were all gushing over him, and I'm proud to say that I led that charge.

But this is a new year. And while common sense dictates that Peterson will be in much better health this season than last, setting him up for similar, even if slightly regressed success, history strongly indicates that we should at least pause prior to crowning Peterson the NFL's rushing champ for the 2nd consecutive season.

Before I get into the analysis, let me throw out some numbers. If I were to place Peterson's over/under figure for this coming season at 1100/7, how many of you would write me off as a complete moron?

OK, you can put your hands down. Please. Seriously, it’s becoming uncomfortable. No? Alrighty then. I guess I’ll have to ignore your hands in the same manner that AD ignored the scar tissue tearing away from his knee last season

Below are 3 charts including players who have run for 2000 yards in a season. For the sake of comparison, I'll also include Earl Campbell in this discussion, because although he never ran for 2000, he's the only other player to rush for at least 1900 in a season, and he carried a 2063 yard pace in the 15 games he played. Chart A will represent the season prior to the 1900+ yard rushing season. Chart B will represent the 1900+ yard season. Chart C will represent each player’s encore season.

Code:

Chart A:  Yards/YPC/TD Pre 1900+ Yd Season



Eric Dickerson- 1808/4.6/18

Jamal Lewis- 1327/4.3/6

Barry Sanders- 1553/5.1/11

Terrell Davis- 1750/4.7/15

Chris Johnson- 1228/4.9/9

OJ Simpson- 1251/4.3/6

Earl Campbell- 1697/4.6/19

Adrian Peterson- 970/4.7/12



AVG- 1448/4.65/10.5

These 8 players combined to play 96% of their team's games. Only Chris Johnson (1 game) and Adrian Peterson (4 games) missed time in the season prior to rushing for 1900+ yards. Only Peterson failed to gain 1000 yards, and only Lewis and Simpson failed to rush for at least 4.5 yards per carry. In general, these appear to be elite numbers, with 75% of this list making the pro bowl, and half of this list being named 1st team All-Pro.

Code:

Chart B:  Yards/YPC/TD During 1900+ Yd Season



Eric Dickerson (24)- 2105/5.6/14

Jamal Lewis (24)- 2066/5.3/14

Barry Sanders (29)- 2053/6.1/11

Terrell Davis (26)- 2008/5.1/21

Chris Johnson (24)- 2006/5.6/14

OJ Simpson (26)- 2003/6.0/12 (14 games)

Earl Campbell (25)- 1934/5.2/13

Adrian Peterson (27)- 2097/6.0/12



AVG- 2034/5.6/14

All 8 RBs averaged at least 5 YPC, while 5 of the 8 RBs listed saw their YPC jump by a full yard or more, with the biggest gains for OJ (1.7 increase), and AD (1.3 increase). This includes 99% of team games played, with only Earl Campbell missing a game. Only Eric Dickerson and Earl Campbell saw their TD totals drop from the season before, but it’s not like 13+ TDs are something to be ashamed of. Half of the list was age 25 or younger, while Barry Sanders at 29 years of age was the oldest player to run for 2000 yards in a season. At age 27, Adrian Peterson represents the 2nd oldest player to accomplish the feat.

Code:

Chart C:  Yards/YPC/TD Post 1900+ Yd Season 



Eric Dickerson- 1234/4.2/12  (-1.4)

Jamal Lewis- 1006/4.3/7  (-1.0)

Barry Sanders- 1491/4.3/4  (-1.8)

Terrell Davis- 211/3.1/2  (-2.0)

Chris Johnson- 1364/4.3/11  (-1.3)

OJ Simpson- 1125/4.2/3  (-1.8)

Earl Campbell- 1376/3.8/10  (-1.4)

Adrian Peterson- ???



AVG- 1115/4.14/7

A number of things stand out to me with this list. First of all, that's a 45% drop on yards, a 50% drop in TDs, and a drop of a full yard and a half per carry. Yet, even with Terrell Davis, these 7 players combined to play in 91% of their team's games. Take out Davis, who blew out his ACL in the 4th game of the season, and that number jumps to 94%, with only Eric Dickerson (2 games) and Jamal Lewis (4 games) missing action. Barry Sanders actually had more carries in this season than he did in his 2000 yard season. No RB ran for more than 4.3 YPC in their follow up season. Each experienced a drop of at least 1 full YPC, with Barry Sanders, OJ Simpson, and Terrell Davis all dropping by at least 1.8 YPC. Even if we eliminate Davis from the discussion, the averages are only 1266/4.18/8.

Also, other than Barry Sanders, who was 30 at the time of his encore season, no other RB listed was older than 27, meaning that each of these RBs were smack in the middle of their prime.

Certainly regression should be expected following a season like Adrian Peterson just experienced. But those numbers above are stating that following a 1900+ yard rushing season, the encore turns even the greatest RBs, even in their prime, into not much more than a league average performer.

As for what to expect from Peterson, clearly he is a different animal. No one has overcome the odds quite like him to do what he did last season.

Let's set the over/under at 1491/4.3/12. While those numbers appear to be insanely modest, to go over would represent the highest encore figures for each of those statistical categories. Adrian Peterson has defied the odds before, so perhaps he will do it again. Call me crazy, but in general, isn’t it the smart play to always side with history?

Who's taking the over? ]]> NFL Trumpetbdw http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12681-Adrian-Peterson-The-Encore Might Need an IQ Test to Root for College Football http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12675-Might-Need-an-IQ-Test-to-Root-for-College-Football?goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:31:10 GMT http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/clemson-officials-announce-legendary-howard-rock-vandalized-030201835.html This is so stupid.... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-...030201835.html

This is so stupid. Along with the thing with the famous Toomer's Corner tree thing from a couple years, this proves to me that some people can't handle fandom. We might need to find a way to take it away from people who can't handle it responsibly. Things like this is why some weep for society. ]]> College Football Rich Gapinski http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12675-Might-Need-an-IQ-Test-to-Root-for-College-Football When private lives are public: Athletes are people too http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12674-When-private-lives-are-public-Athletes-are-people-too?goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:23:56 GMT A Bengals slant, but IMO a fascinating topic to discuss. CINCINNATI — Michael Johnson first got an inkling of what it meant to be an NFL... A Bengals slant, but IMO a fascinating topic to discuss.

CINCINNATI — Michael Johnson first got an inkling of what it meant to be an NFL player when he had a visit with two young cousins a couple of years ago.

“They’d be so excited. ‘We saw you on TV! Ahhhhh!’” said Johnson, the Bengals defensive end. “They forget, I’m your cousin. I’ve always known you. But they’re little 5- and 6-year-olds. They’re brothers but they always tell each other, “He’s my cousin,
he’s not your cousin,” but they’re brothers. They compete with little stuff like that.

“It’s cool to see how much you mean to people.”

Athletes do mean a lot to people. No matter what level of play, sports are engrained deeply into our society. We associate our lives with our favorite pro teams and teams from the schools we attended (or wish we had attended) and how they do on the field of play affects us. A win equals a good day. A loss and life just ain’t right even though you had no bearing on the outcome of the contest, all of your positive vibes and cheers notwithstanding.

Sometimes we forget that athletes are people, too. Sometimes they forget that fact, or the fact that they are more recognizable people. What they do and say matters to us. Maybe more than it should, but it matters.

If Adam Jones isn’t a cornerback in the NFL it’s doubtful anyone hears about the incident last week outside a downtown Cincinnati bar. When he tweets that he’s being arrested, would anyone re-tweet the announcement if it weren't for the fact that he plays for the Bengals? Would he have been in the situation in the first place?

The case of Jones and his alleged assault against 34-year-old Shannon Wesley will play itself out in the court system. The video surveillance footage of the altercation is out there for us to see, but it only shows a snippet of the story. His side is that he was protecting himself. Her side is that he was harassing her friends and she was sticking up for them. I’ll let the police and the lawyers and judge sort all of that out. Neither side looks good in the matter.

What I wonder is: Where does the line of privacy exist for players out in public? Is there a line? How much do players owe fans when they are off the field, attempting to bring a little normalcy to lives that are far from normal?

“It comes with the territory,” said linebacker Rey Maualuga, who has had a couple of off-field incidents of his own. In 2012 he was charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a bar manager. The charges were eventually dropped.

“When you put yourself in a situation where you want to go eat, of course you want to have some privacy and be with your wife, your family, your kids but we’re in a situation where we’re in the limelight and people are going to know who we are so things like that we have no control over.

“We’re human too. We’re just like everyone else. We want to go out and have a good time, be with friends.”

Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips has a gleaming public image in part because of his friendly nature with fans. He’s got a healthy relationship with more than 880,000 Twitter followers, interacting with them and posing for pictures with them not only at ballparks but out on the street. He doesn’t have to do that but it has become part of his personality.

Not everyone is so outgoing.

“I’m not real flashy so I’m not trying to do anything to draw attention to myself but I try to be cordial,” said Johnson, who at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds is hard not to notice. “I’ve always told myself to enjoy it while it lasts because none of us is going to play this game forever and when we’re done we’re going to pretty much be irrelevant as far as people wanting your autograph.”

Johnson recently had a fund-raising event for Most Valuable Kids, an organization that serves underprivileged children, at Princeton Bowl in Tri-County. Numerous teammates, including Jones, showed up to help and he’s just one of the players who have foundations or donate their time to charitable causes for more than just the good publicity it draws.

“They look up to us big time,” said Johnson. “For us, we’re just being ourselves being around kids and different people but for them that’s major to them. A lot of times for us it’s everyday life and we forget that people really look up to us and admire us whether we want them to or not. We’re just in that position.”

Last month it became known that left tackle Andrew Whitworth and his wife Melissa paid the funeral expenses of a Louisiana high school player who had died following a hit suffered at practice. It wasn’t a story that Whitworth had wanted to publicize but word of mouth about the gesture got out.

While it’s a grand gesture, it would not have gotten the national play it did if not for Whitworth’s standing as an NFL player.

“There’s not a moment where I don’t step out and think that,” said Whitworth of being recognizable. “I think it’s important not just for trouble or anything negative but positive things as well. There are a lot of opportunities you have to make someone’s day. I think it’s something all guys should think about; where they are and where they are at and where they are seen is important. Sometimes that’s the only perspective some guys have of him.”

http://www.foxsports...191&feedID=3724 ]]> NFL Bengals1181 http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12674-When-private-lives-are-public-Athletes-are-people-too 49ers team prayer http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12673-49ers-team-prayer?goto=newpost Thu, 13 Jun 2013 02:53:48 GMT From Greg Lee over at Niners Nation (http://www.ninersnation.com/2013/6/12/4402580/49ers-colt-mcCoy-eric-mangini-emotional-worried): ---Quote---... From Greg Lee over at Niners Nation:

Quote:

Our Baalke, which art in the Owners Suite,
aggressive be thy game;
thy Harbaugh come;
thy trades be done,
at Candlestick as it is in San Francisco.
Give us this day our Patrick Willis
And forgive us for Dennis Erickson,
as we forgive them that went 4-12.
And lead us not into the Wild Card;
but deliver us a Super Bowl.
For we are the nation,
the Red, and the Gold,
for ever and ever.
Montana.

So perfect. ]]> 49ers msclemons http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12673-49ers-team-prayer Dolphins offense unveils brave new strategy http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12672-Dolphins-offense-unveils-brave-new-strategy?goto=newpost Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:10:14 GMT ---Quote--- “We need to score more points,” offensive coordinator Mike Sherman said bluntly Tuesday. ---End Quote--- ...

Quote:

“We need to score more points,” offensive coordinator Mike Sherman said bluntly Tuesday.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/06/12/3445986/miami-dolphins-adding-firepower.html

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if the Dolphins are able to achieve this goal they will be a better offense and a better team. This is really brilliant strategizing by Sherman, I'm surprised no one has come up with this idea before. ]]> Dolphins Andy Freeland http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12672-Dolphins-offense-unveils-brave-new-strategy Outdoor wireless speaker recommendations? http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12668-Outdoor-wireless-speaker-recommendations?goto=newpost Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:15:44 GMT Perhaps also co.troller system recommendations?

I am bad with gadgets and don't want to learn much in this arena. I am looking for good sound and ease of use.

Tried Sonos, but while easy, they only talk wirelessly to ther soonos speakers, and do not make an outdoor rated device. ]]> Off Topic ScottDCP http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12668-Outdoor-wireless-speaker-recommendations The Beatles http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12667-The-Beatles?goto=newpost Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:17:16 GMT So I was thinking yesterday, if you had to pick 5 Beatles songs, what would they be? For me, most are pretty easy as my favorites: Eleanor... So I was thinking yesterday, if you had to pick 5 Beatles songs, what would they be?

For me, most are pretty easy as my favorites:

Eleanor Rigby
Yesterday
Let It Be
Hey Jude

The 5th isn't as easy to pick for me. Candidates are Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds, I wanna Hold Your Hand, All You Need Is Love and Come Together. I think I'd go with Come Together as it has become so iconic in commercials.

Have always loved this version of Eleanor Rigby

]]> Off Topic Bengals1181 http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12667-The-Beatles Review: Google Music All Access http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12665-Review-Google-Music-All-Access?goto=newpost Sat, 08 Jun 2013 16:39:30 GMT In my on-going pursuit of giving you too much information on technology that you don't care about (hey, looks like i have a new catchphrase):

Do you still buy music, either through itunes or amazon?
Do you listen to music primarily through your computer and/or android phone?

If you answered yes to both of those questions, try the new incarnation of google music (http://google.com/music). It's a subscription service that gives you access to 15-20 million songs. It's kind of like Pandora only better (and more expensive). Pandora let's you create radio stations and fine tune them to your taste. While google music can do that, you can also access songs, albums and artists directly, create your own custom playlists and keep those songs and playlists on your phone, laptop and tablet for offline listening. It's really like having the world's biggest mp3 collection.

Cons: unlike pandora, it's not free (but unlike free pandora, it doesn't have commercials). If you sign up before June 30th it costs $8/month, after that it will cost $10/month (that's not a one time $2 savings, sign up now and you'll save $2 every month). It's also free for the first 30 days, though you do have to put in a credit card to get the free trial. Bottom line, if you spend $96/year on music it's a good deal.

The other issue is availability. Pandora is ubiquitous, it's on every blu ray player, smart tv/stereo and roku-like device. I'm sure google music will start to appear on those device but for now you have to use either android or a browser. It's my understanding that iphone browsers will cache music for offline listening but I don't have (or will ever have) an iphone so i don't know how well that works. I mostly listen to it through my pc connected by optical cable to my stereo and phone/tablet through headphones or connected to my car stereo.

quality: I'm not an audiofile but the sound quality is noticeably better than pandora and just as good as mp3's I've purchased from amazon. Speaking of which, you can upload any drm free mp3's that you've purchased so you have all of your music in one place. I did that, but I don't really think it was necessary. Most if not all of my albums were already available on google music, but some of you might have some obscure songs that google doesn't have. Every song that I've wanted, I've found. Throw out any songs, albums or artists and I'll let you know if they're available. ]]> Off Topic Andy Freeland http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12665-Review-Google-Music-All-Access <![CDATA[Help Packa figure out where to find vans for his team's trip to Texas]]> http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12663-Help-Packa-figure-out-where-to-find-vans-for-his-team-s-trip-to-Texas?goto=newpost Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:53:52 GMT Need help finding 15-passenger vans to rent...pickup at Dallas Fort-Worth Int'l Airport, dropoff at Laredo Int'l Airport. 28 people traveling from June 28th to July 9th. Enterprise is sold out, Alamo doesn't drop cars off in Laredo (that I can find). Does anyone know any good places to look?> ]]> Off Topic packa7x http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12663-Help-Packa-figure-out-where-to-find-vans-for-his-team-s-trip-to-Texas Future Road Block to a team in London? http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12661-Future-Road-Block-to-a-team-in-London?goto=newpost Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:08:40 GMT how many players do you think feel the same way?

Quote:

It's clear that the NFL is committed to building its brand in London.
The league has been hosting regular-season games in the city since 2007. There will be two more games in 2013, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly indicated on Tuesday that the league's hope is eventually to put an actual franchise in London.
An intriguing idea no doubt, but one that's sure to be met with some disapproval from the players. Take, for example,Andrew Whitworth, the Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle who has a plan in place if he were to end up on a team that played home games in Europe.
"I would hope that I was financially able to quit," Whitworth said, according to Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer. "That's what I would hope because if I was, my papers would be the first one in."
Whitworth doesn't think he's alone. As a connected guy -- Whitworth's the Bengals representative for the NFL Players Association -- he might know.
"I don't see that a lot of guys would want to do that," he said. "I don't see any players that would enjoy that. Sure, you may find a handful of guys that say, 'Oh hey, that'd be cool,' but the rest of them wouldn't."
Whitworth brings up a legitimate point. A franchise in London would struggle to attain consistent and lasting success if it were unable to lure free agents or hold on to homegrown draft picks. Whitworth might have an extreme take on the situation, but player sentiment can't be overlooked.
http://www.nfl.com/n...-on-london-team

]]> NFL Bengals1181 http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12661-Future-Road-Block-to-a-team-in-London June-July NFL General Thread http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12660-June-July-NFL-General-Thread?goto=newpost Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:53:53 GMT A very nice Michael Silver story on Peyton Manning from Yahoo. A lot of quotes from Manning about what he went through last season. ... A very nice Michael Silver story on Peyton Manning from Yahoo. A lot of quotes from Manning about what he went through last season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--de...023543270.html ]]> NFL wxwax http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12660-June-July-NFL-General-Thread New Blog by Rich Gapinski - Russell, Bosh and Bosch http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12658-New-Blog-by-Rich-Gapinski-Russell-Bosh-and-Bosch?goto=newpost Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:32:08 GMT Image: http://www.opposingviews.com/sites/opposingviews.com/files/imagecache/300x250/featured_image/russ_2.jpg *Blots is on because of the MLB... ... Image: http://www.opposingviews.com/sites/o...age/russ_2.jpg *Blots is on because of the MLB...

More... ]]> Blog Announcements Administrator http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12658-New-Blog-by-Rich-Gapinski-Russell-Bosh-and-Bosch Abolish the Black Out Rule? Why fix something that isnt broken? http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12656-Abolish-the-Black-Out-Rule-Why-fix-something-that-isnt-broken?goto=newpost Wed, 05 Jun 2013 05:10:17 GMT Recently john McCain has railed with the legislature to abolish the blackouts that happen in the NFL. Been discussing it on a different forum with... Recently john McCain has railed with the legislature to abolish the blackouts that happen in the NFL. Been discussing it on a different forum with folks that don't have the chops of the posters here. I'd like to discuss the in depth mechanics and potential fall outs of the black out rule being changed. I'm on the side of leave it be, no sense in upsetting the delicate balance that has catapulted the NFL to its highest level of popularity ever.

Here was my first post in reply to the topic of McCain getting involved:

" Please file this bill McCain suggested under the "not neccessary, nor does it affect many people" tab in the "what politicians should be worried about" file cabinet.

The NFL allowed owners last year to lower the blackout threshold to 85%, but required them to share more of the gate with the visiting team as a result. Very, very few took advantage to give the hometown fans a break for small market, struggling franchises.

There were only 15 blackouts last year, down from 16 the year before. Only 5.8% of games blacked out. These blackouts only affected 5 teams, cincy for one game, Oakland for one game (vs Cleveland, HUGE surprise), 3 games for buffalo, 4 games for san Diego, and 6 for Tampa.

Buffalo made their own grave. Sucked forever, and didnt agree to lower the threshold. As did San Diego. Not the most popular team, always in the mix to relocate, and didn't agree to lower their threshold for blackouts. Oakland lowered their threshold and ONLY had 1 blackout vs the terrible browns. Good move by the ownership group. Bengals only had one, and Brown gambled by not lowering his threshold. Good move, he gambled on future returns and won IMO on a young, talented roster. Tampa took the hit, but still led the league in blackouts.

To sum it all up, 13 of 15 blackouts were due to 3 teams. 2 of which KNOW they don't have strong fan support( bills and chargers), and chose not to take a cut in their gate revenues to benefit the ENTIRE market, and perhaps entice some more folks to come out for game day. They other are the downtrodden bucs, who still blacked out a game 75% of the time, even with cutting their gate split. They've been bad for a while, and were in transistion last year. Not surprising.

Had the bills and chargers lowered their thresholds they probably would have been in the 1 or zero blackout club.

So basically one team made a biz decision to end the blackouts and give back some revenue sharing and was an compete failure , out of 32 freaking teams!!! Add to that it was the lowest % of blackouts in a long time. And 100% of the blackouts were from small market teams. Why is the government involved here again? Are you kidding me???

Frame this up against historical numbers and its ludicrous to even suggest it needs fixing. The popularity of the league reigns supreme. Blackouts happened 50% of the time in the 70's, 40% of the time in the 80's, 31% of the 90's, 9% of the 2000's, now down to an all time low of under 6%.

Nothing needs to be fixed. The system is fine, unless you're a bucs, bills, or chargers fan. If they weren't small market teams that sucked they wouldn't be blacked out.

The system is just fine, and when its not broke you don't try to fix it Mr. McCain. The game is at an all time height for popularity, and all an time low for blackouts.

Why is this even up for discussion???" ]]> NFL mikesteelnation1 http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12656-Abolish-the-Black-Out-Rule-Why-fix-something-that-isnt-broken Cowboys draft board leaked http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12655-Cowboys-draft-board-leaked?goto=newpost Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:28:20 GMT Jerry kept giving interviews in front of the board, someone looked through all the pics and reconstructed the draft board. ... Jerry kept giving interviews in front of the board, someone looked through all the pics and reconstructed the draft board.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2013/5/30/4378574/dallas-cowboys-2013-draft-board-leaked-almost-complete-7-round-board ]]> NFL Andy Freeland http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12655-Cowboys-draft-board-leaked The Bears finally getting some OL help http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12654-The-Bears-finally-getting-some-OL-help?goto=newpost Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:17:22 GMT Looks like JaWalrus is in for a try out.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...arcus-russell/

He can't be any worse than Chilo Rachal at guard, so why not? ]]> NFL msclemons http://footballpros.com/showthread.php/12654-The-Bears-finally-getting-some-OL-help