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Sporting News article on Mario

eriadoc

Texan-American
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=williamsdoesnthavethefas&prov=tsn&type=lgns

For all you Mario detractors, here's a snippet from the article by Brian Baldinger:

Muscle fibers are different. Some are slow twitch, sort of like they're built for a marathon. Others are fast twitch. They have a suddenness to them, like a cobra striking. All the good pass-rushing ends -- Dwight Freeney, Jason Taylor, Michael Strahan, John Abraham and a few others -- are fast-twitch guys. You either have it or you don't, and Williams doesn't.
 
And how exactly does the Sporting News know what kind of muscle tissue these DE have? Yes, Mario does not seem to exhibit the quickness I thought he would have, but give him some time, he is still thinking instead of reacting. And you dont put out on of the best D-line performances at the combine 40 yard dash if you are built for a marathon. He is a strong-side DE in my opinon and we should have either Peek or Babin on the other side of him. Playing Mario and Weaver at DE at the same time is not a good idea because it makes us too slow. We have to play Mario to his abilities.
 
I wonder how much good stuff I've passed up reading about Williams because when I see anything on him I don't read it since it is mostly bad.
 
It's funny how everyone becomes a ***** everytime they say something negative about Mario Williams. And the exact opposite happens when someone says something positive about Mario. The fact is that we don't know what's going to happen and the reality is that Mario hasn't shown up big and he hasn't really shown us any hints of greatness. But that doesn't mean he's a bust. Reggie Bush has like what 5 yards the other day on 6 carries? Does that mean he's a bust? Probably not but the point is that no one knows and we'll just have to trust that Kubiak, Casserly, McNair etc. made the right choice.
 
Fast-twitch? I think he means quickness...being quick off the snap is as much about preparation and watching game film as anything else at the NFL level.

Here is the deal. Teams are running at his side and using his quickness against him in their schemes. How can this guy say Mario isn't 'fast twitch' and then in the same paragraph infer that opposing teams are using his quickness against him.

The guy is strong. The guy is fast. The guy is quick. He just needs to get the mental game down first and hopefully leaving him at one position will allow him to see how things roll in the NFL. The fact that Mario is a smart guy and seemlingly well-grounded, should help him in this development.

Oh and then the guy belies Mario by pointing out he is moved to DT on passing downs. That is only an indictment of our own DT situation, not Mario's ability to rush the passer. Has Mario been good so far? Not really, nothing special yet. Has he been offered enough time to reasonably expect big numbers? Not yet. Hopefully more to come soon for all of us. Mario deserves more than 2 freaking games before garbage like this is printed in the national media....TSN's writers are pretty spotty anyway...didnt this writer play OL for the Aints back in the day...probably just a bittermen

doug
 
I'd like to atleast see a spin move, swim move, or some kind of move from Mario...:fireball: I'm all for him being the face of the DLine, hope things chg this weekend. :cowboy1: Go Texans!
 
Second Honeymoon said:
Fast-twitch? I think he means quickness...being quick off the snap is as much about preparation and watching game film as anything else at the NFL level.

Here is the deal. Teams are running at his side and using his quickness against him in their schemes. How can this guy say Mario isn't 'fast twitch' and then in the same paragraph infer that opposing teams are using his quickness against him.

The guy is strong. The guy is fast. The guy is quick. He just needs to get the mental game down first and hopefully leaving him at one position will allow him to see how things roll in the NFL. The fact that Mario is a smart guy and seemlingly well-grounded, should help him in this development.

Oh and then the guy belies Mario by pointing out he is moved to DT on passing downs. That is only an indictment of our own DT situation, not Mario's ability to rush the passer. Has Mario been good so far? Not really, nothing special yet. Has he been offered enough time to reasonably expect big numbers? Not yet. Hopefully more to come soon for all of us. Mario deserves more than 2 freaking games before garbage like this is printed in the national media....TSN's writers are pretty spotty anyway...didnt this writer play OL for the Aints back in the day...probably just a bittermen

doug


I agree with you here 100%. They say that pro ball is 80%mental and 20% physical. I would guess that to be true because the physical abilities of most of the NFL are in the same field, it's the mental aspect of the game that seperates the elite from the average. I don't expect him to get the mental part down until he gets comfortable with the NFL in general and then he will settle down and perform the way we expected him to when we drafted him. :wild:
 
Blu said:
I'd like to atleast see a spin move, swim move, or some kind of move from Mario...:fireball: I'm all for him being the face of the DLine, hope things chg this weekend. :cowboy1: Go Texans!


He did have a few against the Colts and I think he was shcoked when they actually worked. Hopefully he will continue to develope those skills where they become natural instinct and then he can reak havoc in the backfield.
 
Cjeremy635 said:
He did have a few against the Colts and I think he was shcoked when they actually worked. Hopefully he will continue to develope those skills where they become natural instinct and then he can reak havoc in the backfield.
thanks for clearing that up for me...must of been when I covered my face in anger.
 
I agree with the article. He doesn't have that suddeness that the great outside rushers have. You can't teach it. You have it, or you don't, and he doesn't. I think that much is painfully obvious.

I think if he is ever truly going to be a major force, he will need to become more of a Reggie White type, who used his overall brute strength and size, in combination with his overall speed and athletism, his great desire and sheer force, to simply manhandle the opposing lineman. Reggie wasn't a fast twitch guy either, and he also took time to develop.

Let's stop making Mario into something he isn't. He will never be Kearse or Freeny. I see him trying to become parts Peppers, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White. Whether he makes it anywhere near that level is very questionable, but those are the types of guys he should be emulating imo.
 
Fiber type alone is a poor predictor of performance, even among elite endurance athletes. There are many other factors that go into determining athletic success, including mental preparedness, proper nutrition and hydration, getting enough rest, and having appropriate equipment and conditioning.

And theoretically, if Mario does have slow-twitch fibers (which is fine, by the by), GREAT! that means his muscles won't be tired in the 4th quarter. Stoked. And that's what we call spin.
 
Porky said:
Let's stop making Mario into something he isn't. He will never be Kearse or Freeny. I see him trying to become parts Peppers, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White. Whether he makes it anywhere near that level is very questionable, but those are the types of guys he should be emulating imo.
Michael Strahan is who his game will be more like if he ever gets there. I'm not sure if he can be as good a pass rusher though.
 
Kind of hard to tell that without sampling each player's muscle tissue. Besides, you can stimulate Type I and Type II(a, x) muscle fibers using different training methods. Many trainers who train athletes will incorporate a little of everything. Endurance, power, etc.

Anywho, he's just trying to say Mario is a slow poke and then tries to back it up with science, which makes him look stupid.
 
Some of the tests that I believe Mario did really well on at the combine are supposed to tell you if someone has predominately slow or fast twitch fibers in certain parts of your body. Since Mario did well on those tests, he should be primarily fast twitch.

BUT....

The only real way to determine if a particular muscle is fast or slow twitch is to take a biopsy and count the damn fibers. Let's not go that far, kay?

AND...

Just because one of your muscles are primarily fast twitch doesn't mean that all your muscles are. You might have fast twitch quads and slow twitch pecs. So, saying someone is fast or slow twitch is kinda misleading. They might get a good burst from their legs and their hand speed, not so much.

BUT...

Recent studies have shown that there are some fibers that will "switch" depending on your training. Train for explosiveness, your mix starts to tend toward fast twitch. Train for endurance, your mix starts to tend toward slow twitch.

In other words, if you train right, you can improve that first step.
 
to me football is football, and Mario is overwhelmed by being the 1st pick and playing in the NFL. He needs to realize that football is football in hs, college and the pro's, and then and only then, he will be the defensive monster he was in college. Every time i see him play, he seem too cautious and affraid to bust some heads. He is a big guy with alot of talent, all he lacks is desire and to be aggresive. Mario need to get over it and play some football the way he used to.

just my opinion.
 
So this is what it has come to... Fast twitch vs. slow twitch. Im surprised they didnt detect that in the combine ;)
 
Nawzer said:
Probably not but the point is that no one knows and we'll just have to trust that Kubiak, Casserly, McNair etc. made the right choice.

I don't trust that they made the right choice.
 
Wow, I didn't know that Brian Baldinger was a doctor that did a muscle biopsy of Williams.

Sports writer AND a doctor. Impressive.
 
Okay,
I think someone needs to light a fire under this kid. Thus far in the season the defensive standout appears to be Ryans. (I love that guy!) Whatever Demeco Ryans has he should infect the rest of the defense with it. The Texans would be invincible! Thus far he and Peek Seem to be the only guys with it. Occasionally Earl and Robinson seem to coming down with it but the rest of the team should be quarantined until they catch it too.

DH
 
eriadoc said:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=williamsdoesnthavethefas&prov=tsn&type=lgns

For all you Mario detractors, here's a snippet from the article by Brian Baldinger:

from what I have seen, he would have been something on grass. Outside. In the mud like the conditions Reggie White played on mostly (well except Philly was artificial turf). Unfortunately we don't play football that way any more. He's a tweener. Too long to be a tackle, too big to be a speed rusher. Has anyone seen if he can spin. Haven't seen it yet and I've iso'd him every game. He's going to bull over NFL men like college boys? Don't think so.
 
Porky said:
I agree with the article. He doesn't have that suddeness that the great outside rushers have. You can't teach it. You have it, or you don't, and he doesn't. I think that much is painfully obvious.

I think if he is ever truly going to be a major force, he will need to become more of a Reggie White type, who used his overall brute strength and size, in combination with his overall speed and athletism, his great desire and sheer force, to simply manhandle the opposing lineman. Reggie wasn't a fast twitch guy either, and he also took time to develop.

Let's stop making Mario into something he isn't. He will never be Kearse or Freeny. I see him trying to become parts Peppers, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White. Whether he makes it anywhere near that level is very questionable, but those are the types of guys he should be emulating imo.

He's not a tunneler. His technique is none existant. I guess we need to see some seasoning on him. Hopefully not sage and oregano with some stuffing.
 
I think Mario will be fine but we can't expect the guy to be HOF quality just because he was #1 pick overall...would be nice, but its not reality...what we need from the guy is 100% effort and 100% professionalism in both his preparation and game day efforts. He has the physical tools (i dont buy the whole fast/slow twitch argument, we all put our pants on the same way) and I think he has a good head on his shoulders.

I think we just need to give Mario even half the patience we have afforded other players on the roster before we start labeling him as anything but a rookie and a rough diamond. Lets hope he polishes that diamond up....as for Ryans, its no surprise he is as good as he is. He was Top10 projected draftee before last college season...normally when you are SEC Def Player of the Year you are pretty good :)

Now only if we would have drafted Derrick Johnson last year we would have the LB corps of the millenium with both those guys....hopefully Travis keeps progressing into a good NFL DT...but that is another thread

doug ftw
 
For a big guy, Mario can run in a straight line really fast.

He's quite the workout warrior, though. Let us all hope that he becomes quite the defensive lineman, too.
 
If Kubiak and company thought that Mario was the right choice then I agree with them. We can all be mad that Reggie was passed on but come on guys the past cant be changed. We need to support the guys our regime chooses.
 
Double Barrel said:
For a big guy, Mario can run in a straight line really fast.

He's quite the workout warrior, though. Let us all hope that he becomes quite the defensive lineman, too.

Sigh.

He isn't someone who was just a combine freak that never did anything in college.

Look up his college stats. Look to what his teammates said about him.

His last year started slow statistically, and then picked up when they changed what they were allowing him to do. He had stats in a half season that most DEs would kill for in an entire season.

The truth is that he was a true junior coming out who may have had some suspect coaching. One way or another, I don't know what kind of player he is going to be but it pains me to see the blanket point of view that he is just a combine freak, unless you consider Peppers to be a combine freak too, because Mario's college stats are similar to Peppers, being a year younger. Peppers got the knock that he got big stats against weak college opponents and that he took plays off. Look at the articles from the time Peppers came out of the draft.

I am not saying Williams=Peppers, but I also thinking Williams-Mamula not right either. I am just trying to be fair in the analysis of what we have: a young guy that needs some coaching, like most rookies do, and is clearly not a finished product. He did well in college and did well at the combine and has played exactly 2 NFL games.

I think that is a fairer analysis versus: just a combine freak or has no fast twitch muscle.

DB, I'm not just pointing this out to you, but the MB in general, because I keep finding this point of view popping up more and more, and I don't know if it is because people gave it some thought are are just regurging what they read somewhere.
 
Texans_Chick said:
DB, I'm not just pointing this out to you, but the MB in general, because I keep finding this point of view popping up more and more, and I don't know if it is because people gave it some thought are are just regurging what they read somewhere.

I understand you pov, TC, and I hold out hope, as well.

However, at this point, Mario has not revealed certain tendencies that the great DEs showed in their rookie years. He clearly puts himself in a position to be controlled by offensive lineman, and he has yet to show us that he can separate from engagement.

Now granted, he's played against two of the best and experienced o-lines in the NFL. So I'm not one that has formed a solid opinion on him.

But, I can certainly understand the case that is being made that he is a 'project' player, meaning that under certain coaching conditions and given enough time, he'll be a good DE.

The only problem with this, though, is he is a first overall pick on a team that doesn't need any more 'project' players. Our roster is still full of players that need more time, more coaching, more playing experience.

The next two games will be revealing for so many reasons, both looking at the team, as well as individual players. We'll talk two weeks from now and see how he looks against average o-lines.
 
We have seen everything from Mario that we need to know. Two games into a 8 million dollar investment for a team that has never had a winning season with a new staff, new scheme and six new starters on the defensive side of the ball.

And who said witch hunts were so 1600's?
 
I'm slow twitch, except for my brain .... c'mon ask me anything ...


I'm smart, I'm smart .... Fredo Corleone
 
jdog said:
Everybody has both types of muscle fibers. Based on this quote, I think this person is dumb.

Yup.

Its how you lift that trains what type of fibers. This guy is probably a 135 pound nobody who looks like they've never touched a weight in their life.
 
texaslifter said:
Yup.

Its how you lift that trains what type of fibers. This guy is probably a 135 pound nobody who looks like they've never touched a weight in their life.

Actually, Brian Baldinger is a former NFL offensive lineman. But that doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about. He just heard some physiologist somewhere using this terminology and he thought he'd show everybody how smart he is by parroting it (poorly). Some people might be buying it, but I ain't....
 
Phew, I really hate to come down on this guy but this is just silly.
If a guy has a 40+ inch vertical and a 10'+ broad jump while weighing almost 300Lbs I think it is safe to conclude that he is explosive. And, though I am no doctor and have performed no biopsies, it is probably safe to assume that he is loaded with fast-twitch fibers.

That doesn't make him a football player but he is a freak athlete. He plays slow, and we can debate why till the cows come home. Personally I think it is as simple as he is trying too hard to "read and react" rather than trying to impose his will. This is why he plays very poor "leverage" football right now. This is common to rooks, they are overwhelmed by the relative size and quickness of the athletes they face, and the complexity of the game.

It will come together for him in time or it won't. This type of debate puts me in mind of playing craps, everyone bets but there is no way to know how the dice will fall. He has the physical tools, it is his head that I question.
 
Wanna know why everyone who says something negative about Mario is an *****? Because its freaking *****ic. he has played 2 games in his rookie year.

Wanna know what else is *****ic? expecting a 290 pound DE to move like a 250 pound pass rush specialist.

Mario is an athletic freak because he has size AND speed.. no he isnt as fast as Freeney.. but that doesnt mean that he cant compensate by making better use of the extra weight he has.

Julius Peppers people... comparing Mario to Freeney is like comparing Bush to Bettis.
 
The writers would be kissing Mario's buttocks if he played for the Saints saying that "although he doesnt have a sack he looks explosive off the line, this guy is going to be great. Too bad the Texans didnt pick him because of their lack of pass rush. They will regret it in the years to come"

We cant win.
 
New_Texans said:
The writers would be kissing Mario's buttocks if he played for the Saints saying that "although he doesnt have a sack he looks explosive off the line, this guy is going to be great. Too bad the Texans didnt pick him because of their lack of pass rush. They will regret it in the years to come"

We cant win.

You can't be serious. Where does this inferiority complex come from? ESPN hasn't piled on the Texans that much. To be honest, I think SI and TSN have piled on far harder than ESPN has in regards to our passing on Bush/Young and taking Mario. The ESPN guys who still pile on the Texans about passing on Bush are Irvin (he's offense, what you expect), Hoge (he's a moron, what you expect) and Salisbury (he's a total has been that never was). If you listen to Mortenson, Clayton, and Jackson (all 3 respectable football journalists), all 3 of those guys know what the Texans did and why they did it; even if some of us are still wondering at times.....

Just stop blaming the media for everything....puhlease

doug
 
So many are comparing Mario to Peppers. Many are also acting like Peppers came in and started terrorizing the league immediately. So I thought it would be interesting to see Peppers stats his first yr:

wk 1--1 assist (Ravens)
wk 2--5 solo, 3 sacks (Detroit)
wk 3--1 solo (Vikes)
wk 4--2 solo, 1 assist (GB)
wk 5--4 solo (Cards)
wk 6--3 solo, 3 sacks (Cowgirls)
wk 7--3 solo, 1 sack (Atl)
wk 8--3 solo, 3 assists, 2 sacks (Bucs)
wk 9--(?out or bye week?)
wk 10--2 solo, 1 assist, 1 sack (NO)
wk 11--2 solo, 1 sack (Bucs)
wk 12--2 solo (Atl)
wk 13--3 solo, 1 sack (Browns)
wk 14-17 (out)

I find it interesting that through two games Peppers only had 5 solo, 1 assist, 3 sacks.....Mario has 4 solo, 1 assist, 0 sacks through two games...........and from what I'm seeing, we haven't played a Detroit yet....FWIW.
 
Double Barrel said:
I understand you pov, TC, and I hold out hope, as well.

However, at this point, Mario has not revealed certain tendencies that the great DEs showed in their rookie years. He clearly puts himself in a position to be controlled by offensive lineman, and he has yet to show us that he can separate from engagement.

Now granted, he's played against two of the best and experienced o-lines in the NFL. So I'm not one that has formed a solid opinion on him.

But, I can certainly understand the case that is being made that he is a 'project' player, meaning that under certain coaching conditions and given enough time, he'll be a good DE.

The only problem with this, though, is he is a first overall pick on a team that doesn't need any more 'project' players. Our roster is still full of players that need more time, more coaching, more playing experience.

The next two games will be revealing for so many reasons, both looking at the team, as well as individual players. We'll talk two weeks from now and see how he looks against average o-lines.
Carson Palmer was the overall pick. He contibuted absoultuley nothing to the team in his first season, except for holding a clipboard. His second season, he threw 18 TD's and 18 picks and was average. His third season, he lead the league in TD's and was a Pro-Bowler before he was hurt. We got the number one pick because we were a very bad team that isnt ready to win now. Give Mario some good coaching and some time, and we will see the freak that he really is.
 
run-david-run said:
Carson Palmer was the overall pick. He contibuted absoultuley nothing to the team in his first season, except for holding a clipboard. His second season, he threw 18 TD's and 18 picks and was average. His third season, he lead the league in TD's and was a Pro-Bowler before he was hurt. We got the number one pick because we were a very bad team that isnt ready to win now. Give Mario some good coaching and some time, and we will see the freak that he really is.

Yeah, but he would not have been able to handle that clipboard if it weren't for his fast twitchedness (I am making stuff up now since it is the theme du jour). Ok, I know he was a workout warrior and may have fooled a bunch of football people or they only watched him workout and viewed no game film of him in college, but this comparision is not germane to anything addressed on the board.

That was me, being sarcastic. Good post.
 
Nawzer said:
It's funny how everyone becomes a ***** everytime they say something negative about Mario Williams. And the exact opposite happens when someone says something positive about Mario. The fact is that we don't know what's going to happen and the reality is that Mario hasn't shown up big and he hasn't really shown us any hints of greatness. But that doesn't mean he's a bust. Reggie Bush has like what 5 yards the other day on 6 carries? Does that mean he's a bust? Probably not but the point is that no one knows and we'll just have to trust that Kubiak, Casserly, McNair etc. made the right choice.

I completely agree with you. We don't KNOW anything yet...and maybe we won't for a while.

HOWEVER...

You don't have to see stats to recognize Reggie Bush's physical brilliance. You only need to watch him. Some of his 5 yard runs, like Barry Sanders, demonstrate ultra-rare athletic prowess. His feet are blazing quick and he can stop (and change directions, and accelerate exponentially) on a dime.

So far, I've not seen a single instance of the "unparalleled" athletic brilliance from Mario Williams that he was supposed to have had. And I have seen it in Merriman, Freeney, etc. What does that mean? I don't know yet; but I'm concerned enough to keep monitoring obviously.
 
caspian said:
So far, I've not seen a single instance of the "unparalleled" athletic brilliance from Mario Williams that he was supposed to have had. And I have seen it in Merriman, Freeney, etc. What does that mean? I don't know yet; but I'm concerned enough to keep monitoring obviously.

You mean the Merriman who wasn't even a starter for the 1st 6 games of his rookie season? He played part time after missing the 1st game and had basically 1 tackle per game. Yes he is a freak--let's give a little time to see our freak develop.
 
New_Texans said:
The writers would be kissing Mario's buttocks if he played for the Saints saying that "although he doesnt have a sack he looks explosive off the line, this guy is going to be great. Too bad the Texans didnt pick him because of their lack of pass rush. They will regret it in the years to come"

We cant win.


I think you're deluded if you think they'd be talking about Mario Williams (had we picked Bush, and Mario went 2nd, which is doubtful) like they talk about Reggie Bush now.

And, in 20-20 hindsight (as of right now), it's an obvious fact that our taking him would have been laudable (a no-brainer to everyone anyway; remember when they debated whether teams were throwing games to get him?) with our desperate need for a game-changing RB right now. We would definitely have "won".
 
infantrycak said:
You mean the Merriman who wasn't even a starter for the 1st 6 games of his rookie season? He played part time after missing the 1st game and had basically 1 tackle per game. Yes he is a freak--let's give a little time to see our freak develop.

Yeah, that Merriman. I've seen him explode (the stats are irrelevant here). I haven't seen Mario explode (yet, hopefully).
 
caspian said:
I think you're deluded if you think they'd be talking about Mario Williams (had we picked Bush, and Mario went 2nd, which is doubtful) like they talk about Reggie Bush now.

And, in 20-20 hindsight (as of right now), it's an obvious fact that our taking him would have been laudable (a no-brainer to everyone anyway; remember when they debated whether teams were throwing games to get him?) with our desperate need for a game-changing RB right now. We would definitely have "won".

You do not need 20-20 hindsight to know that Reggie Bush plays for another team. Feel free to mix it up with others who adore him. You are in a Texans forum, we have Mario. If you do not like Mario break his game down, but the Bush stuff is done, over and irrelevant for the next 3-4 years.
 
caspian said:
Yeah, that Merriman. I've seen him explode (the stats are irrelevant here). I haven't seen Mario explode (yet, hopefully).

The pretty obvious point which was still missed was Merriman either wasn't asked to or wasn't up to showing his explosion as a starter until the 7th game. Mario clearly needs technique work--something good coaching and his work ethic certainly can cure. Try taking the rearview mirrors off and giving him some games to develop as well.
 
infantrycak said:
The pretty obvious point which was still missed was Merriman either wasn't asked to or wasn't up to showing his explosion as a starter until the 7th game. Mario clearly needs technique work--something good coaching and his work ethic certainly can cure. Try taking the rearview mirrors off and giving him some games to develop as well.

You could tell Merriman was an explosive athlete despite his bad stats early on.

I'm obviously hopeful that Mario exhibits the freakish explosion that should come from such a freakish specimen worth a #1 pick. But I haven't seen it yet; his movements look average and somewhat cumbersome.

We'll wait and see...
 
caspian said:
So far, I've not seen a single instance of the "unparalleled" athletic brilliance from Mario Williams that he was supposed to have had. And I have seen it in Merriman, Freeney, etc. What does that mean? I don't know yet; but I'm concerned enough to keep monitoring obviously.

Buddy you need to go back and watch the film...you'd be amazed at some of the things you don't see watching it in real time....It's easy to see Reggie Bush's and Merriman's physical ability because they are in the open field a lot...We have played two of the better teams in the leauge both of which have above average O-lines....Give it some time...Wait till we play the latter half of our schedule...It's only been two games...BUT in the meanwhile...Go back and look at the film of the pre-season game where Mario took an inside move and made that play in the backfield on their running back....That is an example of his physical ability...Watching the game in real time you can't tell, but that OT was hold on to Marios waist...He had him in a bear hug.....if that aint power I don't know what is...
 
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