KARYN "COOKIE" KUPCINET
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karyn_Kupcinet
https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2004/The-Lost-World-of-Kup/index.php?cparticle=7&siarticle=6&requiressl=true
Karyn Kupcinet looked like Natalie Wood. That is to say that Karyn Kupcinet was simply gorgeous.
If Karyn was alive today she would have some stories to tell.
Apparently Warren Beatty made a pass at a young Karyn. Karyn knew Jessica Lange and her father was Irv Kupcinet (newspaper columnist for the Chicago Sun Times). She made appearances on Perry Mason, The Donna Reed Show and was personally offered a part in a movie by Jerry Lewis – who adored Karyn. Unfortunately rather than an old lady with glitzy stories of Hollywood, Karyn’s legacy is as a footnote in bat-shit conspiracy theories.
In researching the Karyn Kupcinet case I bought a copy of James Ellroy’s CRIME WAVE which has a segment on the Kupcinet murder. The language used by Ellroy is course and crude and fits in with his L.A noir style.
The location:
A courtyard complex off Sunset Strip.
The Victim:
A drug-addicted and eating-disordered dilettante.
The date of death:
28th November 1963 (Six-days after JFK’s assassination in Dallas).
Mark Goddard found Karyn on the 30th November 1963 at 7pm.
Discovery:
Mark was worried about Karyn. Mark is a TV actor. His wife Marcia waits in the car. Some of you may know Mark Goddard from playing Major Don West and Sgt. Ballard in The Detectives. As Mark approaches Karyn’s apartment, he knocks on the door. There’s no answer. Mark sees a light inside. He tries the door, it pops open. Mark is scared. He goes back to the car and gets Marcia. As they both enter the apartment, the TV is on and the sound down low and there on the couch is a naked, stretched out Karyn. Karyn is dead.
Karyn Kupcinet was 22 years old.
Mark revealed to the patrol cops the following:
Karyn was a close friend, they had met in 1961. They saw Karyn Wednesday night. She said that she was seeing a therapist. Karyn was dating actor Andy Prine. The romance was dying and Karyn was in a state of depression. She had been sending love letters to Andy and herself.
Cause of Death:
The coroner’s office concluded that Kupcinet’s cause of death was strangulation and her hyoid bone in her throat was broken.
Background:
A note found in Kupcinet’s apartment read as follows:
I’m no good. I’m not really that pretty. My figure’s fat and will never be the way my mother wants it. I won’t let it be what she wants... What happens to me-or my Andy? Why doesn’t he want me?
Karyn had her own personal issues. She was abusing diet pills and fretted over her weight since high school. She had been arrested for shoplifting. In July 1963 Karyn had an illegal abortion after falling pregnant with Andy Prine. Karyn had sent Andy abusive messages consisting of letters cut out of a magazine.
Despite being a prime suspect Andy Prine has never been charged with Karyn’s murder and Irv Kupcinet himself believes that Andy was not involved in Karyn’s slaying (as mentioned in Irv Kupcinet’s memoirs).
Possible motive for Andy Prine? His acting career was nose-diving and he blamed Karyn for this. Prine believed that she set out to ruin his career.
Sixty-years on we know that this hasn’t been the case for Prine and his acting career; he was after all cast as “Angry Man” in the 2005 remake of Starsky and Hutch.
Andy Prine turned over to the LAPD the notes received from Karyn Kupcinet prior to her death, they are as follows:
- WANT YOUR HOT BODY; ONLY TAMPAX WILL STOP YOUR FERTILITY PROBLEM.
- YOU WILL NEED PROTECTION. BEN CASEY CAUGHT MESSAGE FOR YOUR BEAU YOU HAVEN’T MUCH TIME FOR DREAMS.
- FORGET FAME AND ROMANCE WITH AGEING GLEN FORD DEVIL MUST KILL YOU.
- YOUR LADY NEEDS SURGERY SUDDENLY. EXPECT TO GET BAD BREAKS WHEREVER YOU GO. YOUR RICH BEAUTY HAS NO TIME.
- ARE YOU GOING TO LATIN AMERICA OR FLORIDAY? LET YOUR BEAUTIFUL VIRGIN BECOME LONESOME AND SO EASY TO MAKE. BET K KUP TASTES AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS. BLOW.
- YOU ARE THE CERTAIN GIRL TO DIE.
- YOU MAY DIE WITHOUT NOBODY. WINNE OF LONELINESS WANTS DEATH UNTIL SOMEONE SPECIAL CARES.
Upon searching the victim’s apartment the magazines and scotch tape were found to make the letters. Karyn had sent the letters to Andy – and herself.
In 1957 Hope Lange was nominated for an Oscar. She had her breakout performance in Peyton Place. Her brother David Lange emerged as a person of interest in this case.
David Lange was a Hollywood script reader.
Apparently David Lange told an anonymous tipster “I killed her, you know.” David said this was a joke and explained his whereabouts on the night in question by claiming he was having dinner at Natalie Wood’s house until 11:30pm. David Lange took a polygraph test but this was ruled as inconclusive. David claimed he never really knew Karyn and in 2007 he stated that he had only met her once and the next time he saw her “she was getting carried out of the courtyard in a bodybag.”
David Lange however admits making the joke that he killed her.
James Ellroy has speculated that Karyn’s murderer was Karyn Kupcinet.
Either by accident or on purpose, Ellroy suggests that Karyn may have been strung out on pills and may have “clipped her hyoid bone on the coffee table.” The Kupcinet family take umbrage to these theories as Kari Kupcinet-Kriser states “He’s the only one in 40 years who has ever.... every policeman will tell you it’s a murder.” And the case is officially designated as a homicide.
JFK
Researcher Penn Jones Jr claims that an unidentified woman called her local operator twenty minutes before the shooting of JFK and warned that the president was going to be shot. Jones alleges that this was Karyn Kupcinet. The theory goes that Irv Kupcinet, a man with a lot of power and connections, had informed Karyn of the hit. Neither the age, sound nor details of the voice in question matches Karyn’s according to the witnesses.
It was further alleged that Jack Ruby himself tipped off Irv, who told Karyn, who informed an operator on that fateful day in 1963.
This of course is denied by the Kupcinet family. However; it is stated that Irv Kupcinet did know Jack Ruby allegedly in the 1940s Chicago but the only source I can quote on this is Penn again, which leads this “association” to be questionable.
https://spartacus-educational.com/JFKkupcinet.htm
Penn’s theory further expands that it was the Italian-American Mafia that was behind the slaying of Karyn in her Los Angeles home.
When the Oliver Stone film JFK was due to be released in 1991, NBC’s Today Show listed Kupcinet first in a broadcast surrounding mysterious deaths and heavily linked this to JFK – a bandwagon piece of tabloid journalism.
Irv Kupcinet heavily criticised the piece in his columns in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Now we have gotten the poppycock out of the way, let’s move on shall we...
The Coroner
Harold Kade was a drunk and a lousy coroner. A theory is that Dr Kade broke the hyoid bone himself. Rumour has it that he used to make jokes about accidentally breaking Karyn’s neck:
“Well, at least I didn’t break the hyoid bone on that one.”
This is unsubstantiated rumour and in no way can a definitive source be found on Dr Kade’s alcoholism, incompetence and poor sense of humour.
The Other Suspects
There was of course freelance writer Edwin Rubin and Robert Hathaway – the last to see Karyn alive on the preceding Wednesday night.
11/27/63 – Rubin and Hathaway stay around Karyn’s to watch TV awhile. Rubin allegedly left before midnight to meet two girls but Rubin doesn’t mention it at the time.
In November 1966 Rubin calls LA homicide to revise his version of events and mentions the meeting of two girls.
Rubin did not give the story three days after the crime. He recalled the girls three years after the crime.
LAPD then contacted Hathaway – Hathaway refutes the revised statement given by Rubin and then proceeds to change his own statement.
Despite intense questioning of Hathaway and Rubin, and further pressure on Lange – who refused two polygraph tests 1966-1969 (on the advices of his lawyer) – no further action was taken.
DARLING “COOKIE” KARYN KUPCINET MARCH 6 1941 – NOV 28 1963
The 1970 Edition of John Austin’s Hollywood’s Unsolved Mysteries devotes an entire chapter to this case alongside James Ellroy’s Crime Wave which I have heavily quoted (chapter Glamour Jungle).
I think the big question around Karyn’s death remains as to whether this was accidental and a series of unfortunate coincidences or if this was a case of a toxic love affair turned murderous. The political spin that people put on this is a product of the closeness to JFK’s assassination but ultimately to link Karyn to the president is sheer ridiculousness.
With car-halting beauty and charisma to boot and a powerful, respected father, who knows where Karyn could have gone in her life and it is a tragedy that she was taken from us at the age of 22. That being said; it seems apparent that she had her own demons to conquer and much like Marilyn Monroe, she never got the help she needed before it was too late.

• Click here to see an archive of Wishlists we have already sent over or, if you are on New Reddit, look at our newly created 2K20 Wishlist Collection.
  Don't submit repeat feedback. Please respect my time by reading over the archive to make sure you aren't being repetitive.
  If something you commented last time was not selected to be forwarded, you can comment it again.
  
• Only well-formatted and professional-style feedback is forwarded. Make sure your suggestions are clear and easy to understand (this means good grammapunctuation!!). Provide reasoning for WHY something should be implemented as well as examples of how to implement your idea. I'm looking for thoughtful items where I can tell the user put time and effort into it.
  
• Specify which category your feedback falls under. If one of the categories is not specified, I will NOT send it.
  
• When this thread is closed, items that were forwarded will be listed within this post.
  

MyCAREER — Player Creation (Builds/Archetypes/Animations)

• Allow the option to select body shape. Thin > Average > Muscular > Chubby. Allow us to separate ourselves further.
  
• Personality traits that provide us unique advantages on the court. Similar to what MLB the Show is doing. Some examples could be Team Leader (Lebron, KG), Gritty/Spark players (Tony Allen/Patrick Beverly), Streaky Player (J.R. Smith/Jamal Crawford), Flashy (Kyrie/Vince Carter). Allow these personality traits to give us badges and unique animations.
  
• Allow the option to change height/weight/wingspan once free of charge and if the user wishes to change their physicals again at a cost of 50,000 VC. However, the user should be made aware that their attributes will change depending on their choices. Show the before and after of their attributes so the user makes an educated decision.
  
• New hair and facial hair. NBA players/Celebrities who have unique hairstyles in the game should be transferable to your player (travis scott hair etc.)
  
• Add new layup/contact layup packages. We appreciate the new Ben Simmons package but the other layup package were simply renamed and this is noticeable to longtime 2k players.
  

MyCAREER — NBA Career

• Instead of front-loading the story, give us content over the course of multiple seasons or at least the entire rookie season. Maybe a cutscene every 5 games at first, then every 15, then just triggered once every so often by a new accomplishment or random rivalries coming into play. It's harder to get invested or feel like I'm doing more than grinding VC when the stakes are all gone after the first week of my career.
  
• More intricate negotiations would be exciting. As someone who always has one guy on the roster that I hate, it'd be cool to be able to say "I'm requesting a trade / leaving if you don't trade this guy". Obviously that should require me to be integral to the team in order to pull off.
  
• For those of us who simulate games, allow the option for critical situations to be available to play in. For example, after simulating two games I get a notification that my team is down 6 with two minutes left in the 4th against Lebron in staples center and that he is currently 70,000 votes ahead of me in all star voting. Be creative with it!
  
• Free Agency should feel like recruitment. Have teams come down to visit you if you're a marquee free agent and pitch their team and city (Actual text or audio dialogue of the team's owner or coach). Big Market teams should feel like they have an advantage when it comes to endorsement deals and fans while small market teams are more willing to accommodate you with trade/free agent requests and/or team customization's like jersey creations/accessory colors.
  
• Incorporate the draft combine and draft into the story of MyCareer. To make all parties happy, have the option to go undrafted and skip the combine and try out for the team you want (Less VC per game since you're undrafted) or try your hand at the combine to see if you can get drafted. (Cap the highest draft selection at 7-8). Just an example, you could start by having the guy coming out of high school and playing showcase games broken up into 4 categories: East, Mid-States, West, International. After the games go to the draft. If you get drafted, you would go to the G-league for a few games like in 2k19. Or you could defer and go to the euro league for a season, then go back and sign as a free agent or go to draft again if that would be possible.
  
• Add the possibility of draft day trades (Kobe selected by the hornets but traded to the Lakers)
  
• Bring back being interviewed by teams in your draft position, have them ask you questions that influence your draft position (promises to pick you if you're available)
  
• Bring over contract extensions, trade rumors, injuries, and drama to spice up MyCareer. In my opinion, I have found myself only using MyCareer to grind 99 instead of enjoying the game mode. I feel like a dynamic and dramatic MyCareer (not prelude) would have me engaged and playing beyond my first two seasons.
  
• Good players comeback improved after the work they put in during the offseason. Allow users to grind a new bronze badge after the season. To avoid exploits, players have to play every game of the season/playoffs to qualify.
  
• Make our attributes match with how we enter the league. Example if we are high draft prospect we should be 70-75 rated with some badges already. If we are from G-league we should be 60-65.​
  
• Co-op Career. Choices are endless to make but as this is not yet in the game. We could start with a simple version to see if people like it.
  There is only an option to be on the same team as your friend. It's not realistic to go to same team via draft so to keep it easy let's say we entered from the G-league, working our way up the ladder to enter the NBA team of our choice. but maybe there are ideas to join same team also from other possibilities. We then have to be online together and play to proceed.
  Or, another option would be that we can just play the games even if we are not online together. So if I play, an AI is going to be playing for my friend. When we are online again together we continue with were I left. In this case only I earned VC and progressed on the cap breaker. To not make a big gap vs the other person who has not played, we can give him the VC and badge progression earned by the AI but at a 50% rate.
  

MyCAREER — Playground AKA Park

• Allow users to see court streaks, it was really a step back in 2k19 when it was an option in previous 2k's.
  
• Allow users to shoot around while waiting for park games. Often I find the park to have few users as the majority are idle in the neighborhood so while you are waiting for new opponents it could keep you occupied.
  
• Allow users to use their bikes, scooters, skateboarders, etc in the park. I was highly disappointed to find that I couldn't ride my BMX bike to park spots and felt that I wasted my VC. If this is something that cannot be changed due to technical reasons, please let the user know before they purchase it.
  

MyCAREER — Pro-Am and Jordan Rec Center

• Allow a casual (3-4 player teams) and a competitive pro-am circuit (5 player teams). As someone who played over 300 ranked pro-am games in 2K18, due to the change in player requirement this year, I have only played 10 pro am games.
  
• Lively crowd for JRC. It feels dead when a player makes a dunk or clutch shot.
  
• Different gyms for JRC. Having a rotation of three different gyms with different uniforms for each would add to the game mode's 'freshness'.
  
• Allow users to see the rank progress in the JRC as it is in Park. There should also be a green bar indicating your progress within your current rank.
  
• Instead of only listing PPG in the load up menu at the JRC, we should also see our teammate grade, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
  
• Split stats up among your different builds. For those with multiple builds, it makes no sense to see their combined stats rather than their stats on their current build.
  
• Bring back full game stats to pro am. Similar to the full game stats you see at the end of an online head to head game.
  
• Bring back clear path fouls, I have played over 700 rec games and I have yet to see one clear path foul called.
  

MyCAREER — Neighborhood (including Clothes/Open-World/Events)

• Add ninja headbands (Jrue Holiday/Mike Scott)
  
• It was great that you guys gave us branded Nike and Jordan sleeves this year, but we need them for the padded and angular sleeves now. We should also be able to choose home and away accessories separate just like the colors so that when teams wear jerseys with a white sleeve, they have the black swoosh and vice versa.
  
• Fast traveling is a necessity. The concept of the neighborhood is great, but it takes too long to get from place to place and load new areas in.
  
• Skipping animations/cutscenes for trying on clothes, picking up checks, etc...
  
• Let us layer clothes ex. Buy a jersey and wear a sweatshirt under it. Countless other possibilities.
  
• Give us the option to buy backpacks.
  
• Change the Neighborhood depending on the season. Snowy in the winteAutumn leave/Spring rain. Holidays like Halloween, Christmas, New Years, St Patty's Day, Summer beach balls and umbrellas
  
• Neighborhood Affiliations - 3 or 4 different neighborhoods. Allows the user to travel to different neighborhoods and represent their neighborhood. Having one neighborhood gets bland after awhile.
  
• Make clothing and collectibles transferable between your different builds. I am less likely to create more builds if I have to keep buying the same things over again.
  
• More clothing options - Formal clothing, Jackets, Jeans that are in-between skinny and baggy etc.
  

MyTEAM

• Add a wager mode where you could bet all the way up to 100kMT. The Wager mode would have player position lock and maybe limit the tier amount of cards you can use. For example 3 Pink Diamonds and 3 diamonds and the rest Amethysts and under? I think that would add a big competitive and strategic aspect of the game.
  
• Add a search for auction price feature for cards you currently have and for cards you get from packs. For example if I’m looking to sell a card instead of having to search the auction for it you can go straight to collections and search the auction price. Another example is when you pull a card from the pack before you decide to quick sell you can search the auction price right from the pack screen.
  
• Add character chemistry traits to cards and add a chemistry system to further the strategic aspect of the game and preventing god squads of all the best cards in the game.
  
• Add accessory boosts. The same idea of shoes but have shoes boost a stat for something to do with how athletic a player is and add headbands and shooter sleeves and wrist bands that boost other attributes such as IQ and Offensive and defensive attributes to allow more customization on how you want your players to play.
  

MyLEAGUE/MyGM

• For the Start In Offseason mode, we should be able to turn injuries on or off from the previous season. So for example, if I were start one in 2K19 and turn on injuries, Demarcus Cousins would have had his torn achilles, Porzingis would have his torn acl, etc. It would make it more realistic and should change free-agency by injured players taking less money like we saw with Cousins going to Golden State.
  
• Fix older veteran players asking for so much money in free-agency. For example, I wanted to sign Pau Gasol to mentor young players, but he's asking for 10 million per year and he's 40 years old.
  
• I'd like to see more buyouts for veteran players on terrible teams and them signing with playoff teams or contenders, especially around playoff time. (e.g. Wes Matthews with the Knicks, Jeremy Lin with the Hawks, Wayne Ellington with the Suns, etc.)
  
• We should be able to create a coach just like we can with players. They should be fully customizable. We should also be able to fully customize our MyGM character separate from our MyPlayer as this year we only had the options from the prelude to customize them.
  
• The center contract glitch still exists in MyLEAGUE. Usually in the first off-season, centers are asking for crazy amounts of money. Backup centers are asking for max contracts and you aren't able to sign any of them.
  
• Option to add a fourth scoring option in your gameplan points of emphasis
  

Gameplay (User and AI/Sim)

• Fix pump fakes getting blocked as the defender is coming down. There are countless times were I pump fake my defender and he bites and as I am going up with my shot it blocks it with his legs and I lose the ball.
  
• Have foul and-1 animations. There should be unique animations for players who get fouled and make the bucket. Whether is a jump shot, layup or dunk. For example the LeBron James layup where he gets wrapped up by the shoulders and makes the layup because of his strength.
  
• Add contact block animations, a player who doesn't have a high dunk/layup rating and drives on a rim protector should get a block animation that resembles NBA basketball. Rim protectors should have more animations in general. Blocks off the glass, into the stands, snatch blocks. I want to feel like I have Rudy Gobert or Myles Turner.
  
• Add chase down block animations for those with a gold or higher badge. I want to see players who have weak finishing ability on the fast break get their shot pinned off the glass and caught the same hand. Similar to how Lebron would pin players in the past.
  
• Please add a gameplay feature/animation to be able to set a HAND OFF (currently which is set to holding the circle button) into a SCREEN/PICK AND ROLL. This is a very common basketball action in the NBA (watch the nuggets play one game) and being able to perform this in the game will make it 10 times more realistic.
  
• One thing I'd love to see is additions to the game to reflect James Harden's style of play. Just like Curry did a few years ago (and still is doing), Harden is drastically changing the game of NBA basketball. I think there should be two ratings for off-hand finishing at the rim: Off-Hand Dunk and Off-Hand Layup. That would mean something like making Harden go right is a legitimate strategy, since his ratings for these would be lower than his normal Dunk and Layup.
  There could also possibly be a badge for drawing fouls, either in addition to or in place of the Draw Foul rating.
  It'd also be cool IMO if there was a mechanic (maybe hold down on right stick) where you can pull your hands back to avoid fouling a shooter. But it's a trade-off, because if you do that, you can't contest the shot properly, so it has a better chance of going in.
  
• Shot meter is often incorrect. When I am doing layups the bar often gets halfway as I release it and it say that it is late. Very frustrating as I cannot get the correct feedback to improve.
  
• Make the green window for mid range shots the same as three pointers. It shouldn't be easier to shoot a three than it is to shoot from the mid-range. You get less points from shooting the mid range so it should be the same difficulty.
  
• Save Ball Animations - in the NBA, players hustle to save the ball from going out of bounds. They jump into the crowds, they ricochet it off of opponents legs, they launch it into the air.. None of this is in 2k, yet there are animations for it, yet I've never seen a successful ball-save in my many years playing 2k. Not every ball that is heading out of bounds should be chased after, but those hustle players (Beverly, Draymond) and anybody near should at least attempt,
  
• Block / Steal Attempt Animations - too many times I will switch to control my big man, and when a player drives in to layup or dunk they put up the wrong hand to block the ball!! That doesn't even make sense! These professional basketball players see a player driving in and forget what hand to put up to block it, or what side of his body to contest him with, what? Even the cpu players do this so this is not just user-based. Same goes for steals,, how do you put the wrong hand/arm up for a steal? it's only coming from one direction, and the player almost always knows what direction.
  
• CPU rotation logic needs to be improved. For example, I was just playing a game where I did a fantasy draft and the team I was playing against had Rudy Gobert and Boban Marjanovic out on the floor at the same. It's really frustrating when I'm trying to play a realistic MyLeague and teams are just constantly making stupid decisions.
  
• More long three-point attempts by the AI would be a really cool addition. More and more guys are stretching the floor to almost 30 feet (Ryan Anderson, Curry, Klay, LeBron, Brook Lopez, Harden), and it really has an impact on how teams play defensively. And just to make sure it didn't get out of control, I think the level of a player's Limitless Range badge should dictate how far from the three-point line he's willing to shoot and/or spot up before receiving a pass. And if they don't have the badge at all, they should strictly shoot from right at the three-point line.
  
• One thing the simulated-stats engine has struggled with for a while is free throw attempts. James Harden has averaged 10 FTA per game for the last five seasons (and six of the last seven). In a typical NBA 2K MyLeague, rarely will you see anyone at all average more than 6 or 7. It'd be very realistic if this number was turned up, so we could see multiple players averaging 8 or more, and having the top 2 or 3 averaging double-digits.
  
• I'd really like to see the CPU be smarter when it comes to gameplans and in particular, matchups. For example, I'm doing a MyLEAGUE with the Sixers and none of the teams that I play against put a taller player on Ben Simmons nor do they sag off of him, but instead play him super tight like he's a shooter. Teams just let their point guard stay on Simmons and I could literally just score on every possession if I wanted to.
  

Other

• Playoff Introductions need to be upgraded. Steph Curry should not be dunking on Clint Capela, Kyrie Irving shouldn't be blocking Giannis, etc. The voiceover should also be either erased or improved as they never mention one of the teams playing.
  
• Show The Coaches More - For example, Steve Kerr is never on the court directing the players, screaming at the referees for missed calls, etc. Where are the coaches? Talk about their record, show them moving around and not quietly sitting on the bench.
  
• Let us choose which court we want to play on like we do uniforms.
  
• Add more classic legends signature moves (e.g. dribble moves, fade-aways, etc.) warm-ups, signature arena sounds, and era-specific rules. It would also be awesome if we had the option to choose era-specific filters.
  
• Make sure that all classic teams have accurate jerseys, accessory/sock colors, and court colors for their specific years. For example, the 2004 Pistons had an issue where the headband color was white for their away uniforms when it should have been red. (To solve this, we should have the freedom to completely customize all accessories to the exact color we want by implementing the color palette from the shoe creator.)
  
• Make All-Star Team Up public solo queue possible again.
  

Art and Likeness

• Classic player cyber-face updates - Too many players with outdated cyber-faces, kills the immersion in a way. There are issues with face/head structure being off for some players, inaccurate hairstyles/facial hair for the specific time period, wrong eye color, etc. Here are a few examples:
  T-Mac Face Example
  Isiah Thomas Face Example
  Wilt Face Example
  Detlef Schremphf Head & Eye Color
  Jason Williams Face & Eye Color
  Bill Laimbeer Face & Eye Color
  Ray Allen Hair Example
  Player Head Shots
  
• Many players need different/younger models of themselves and shouldn't have their current day models just reused. Here are a few examples:
  '13 LeBron should have a slightly younger model with a short beard and balding hair
  '12 Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook should have a younger, skinnier models; KD should have a short goatee and Russ with a buzz cut with no facial hair
  '13 Mike Conley should have a younger model with a buzz cut
  '14 Paul George should have a buzz cut with a short trimmed beard
  '16 Curry should have a short fade with a trimmed goatee
  '08 Chris Paul should have a way younger model with light stubble
  '06 Pau Gasol should have a younger model with long curly hair
  
• For some players, headbands are either worn too high on the players heads or they're too small and should be a little bigger. Here are some examples in real-life vs how it is in 2K.
  2K Ex. 1
  2K Ex. 2
  Cousins Real-Life Example
  Carmelo Antony Real-Life Example
  
• Teams that go to the Finals should have the small patch on the back of the jerseys.
  
• Crowd Consistency - too many times the crowds react late to shots or actions (ex. the crowd saying "DEFENSE" as the home team has the possession). The crowd should be aware of the situations and react reasonably. They shouldn't be cheering late after a layup to the point where it seems they're rooting for the opponents.
  
• Crowd Faces/Size - If you have the opportunity to look deep into the stands, you realize that there aren't really any seats and the arena looks unreasonably small. I thought the stands would keep going but it actually fades to black past the observable camera point. Crowds should hold up posters other than players faces.
  

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) at Dallas Cowboys (5-4)

The Eagles won their bye within the division as all three of their divisional opponents suffered losses in week 10 while the Eagles took a much needed break to get healthy. Doug Pederson will try to use some of his mentor’s bye week magic to come out and get another win at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia is 5-4 at AT&T Stadium, winning 3 of its last 4 games at the venue and they will look to improve upon that record on Sunday Night Football in Arlington. The Eagles are rode a 7 game win streak into the bye after dropping a 50 burger on the stout Denver defense and they will look to do the same against a Cowboys team that is on the ropes. Though the Eagles have lost some key players this season to injury they should get one back when cornerback Ronald Darby returns to action after being injured in week 1. The Cowboys are coming off a rough loss vs. the Falcons where Dak Prescott was sacked 8 times and the team struggled missing Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith, Sean Lee and Dan Bailey. The Cowboys will be desperate for a win to keep their division hopes alive, a as a loss would all lock up the division for the Eagles pending an unlikely collapse. Two of the last three games against these teams have ended up in overtime, so I would expect some fireworks in this one.

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to join us on Slack during the game!
Click here to register for Slack.
New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!

Date
Sunday, November 19th, 2017

Game Time	Game Location
8:30 PM - Eastern	AT&T Stadium
7:30 PM - Central	1 AT&T Way
6:30 PM - Mountain	Dallas, TX, 76011
5:30 PM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Retractable Roof
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 55°F
Feels Like: 55F
Forecast: Some clouds in the morning. Clear overnight.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 0%
Wind: ENE 2 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Philadelphia by -4.5
OveUnder: 48
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 7-2, Dallas 5-4

Where to Watch on TV
NBC will broadcast Sunday’s game to a national audience. Al Michaels will handle the play-by-play duties and Cris Collinsworth will provide analysis. Michele Tafoya will report from the sidelines.
TV Map - Week 11 TV Coverage Map

Internet Streams
NFL Streams - Look here 30 minutes before the game for Streams

Radio Streams
Disclaimer: Subscription Based Official NFL Radio Streams available via TuneIn
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (41st season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo, Macu Berral and Gus Salazar will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Dallas Radio

Dallas Cowboys Radio Network Brad Sham returns for his 39th season in the Dallas Cowboys radio booth. Beloved by Cowboys fans, Sham's award winning play-by-play has provided the soundtrack to many of the most memorable moments in Dallas Cowboys history. Babe Laufenberg returns as the Network's full-time color analyst. A fixture on the sideline, veteran reporter Kristi Scales provides instant updates from the field.

National Radio

Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and Jason Taylor (analyst) will call the game for Westwood One’s national broadcast.

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Cowboys Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)
XM Radio	XM 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 81 (Internet 825)	SIRI 83 (Internet 808)

Eagles Social Media	Cowboys Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: cowboys

NFC East Standings

Team	Record	Pct	Home	Away	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Strk
Eagles	8-1	.889	5-0	3-1	3-0	6-0	283	179	7W
Cowboys	5-4	.556	2-2	3-2	2-0	4-3	233	205	1L
Redskins	4-5	.444	2-3	2-2	0-3	3-4	207	232	1L
Giants	1-8	.111	0-4	1-4	0-2	0-7	150	238	3L

Series Information
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (65-51)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 30th, 1960 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. Dallas Cowboys 25 - Philadelphia Eagles 27
Points Leader
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (2533-2292)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 1-1 against the Cowboys
Jason Garrett: 7-7 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Jason Garrett:Series tied 1-1
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Cowboys: 1-1
Dak Prescott: Against Eagles: 1-1
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Dak Prescott: Series tied 1-1
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Cowboys lead the Eagles: 8-6
Record @ AT&T Stadium: Eagles lead the Cowboys: 5-4

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 1 - Cowboys No. 14
Record
Eagles:8-1
Cowboys 5-4
Last Meeting
Sunday, January 1st, 2017
Eagles 27 - Cowboys 13
Wentz and Ertz finally gelled at the end of the season as they connected for 2 TDs against a Cowboys team that already had things wrapped up and rested many key starters. Tony Romo threw the final touchdown pass of his career in relief of Dak Prescott.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap
Last Meeting at Site
Sunday, Oct 30, 2016
Cowboys 29 - Eagles 23
Dallas WR Dez Bryant has 4 catches for 113 yards & TD. Cowboys TE Jason Witten has the game winning 5-yard TD catch in OT.
Click here to view the Video Recap

Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
1/1/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	27-13
10/30/2016	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/8/2015	Eagles	Cowboys	33-27
9/20/2015	Cowboys	Eagles	20-10
12/14/2014	Cowboys	Eagles	38-27
11/27/2014	Eagles	Cowboys	33-10
12/29/2013	Eagles	Cowboys	24-22
10/20/2013	Cowboys	Eagles	17-3
12/2/2012	Cowboys	Eagles	38-33
11/11/2012	Cowboys	Eagles	38-23

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Cowboys	Cowboys

2017 Weekly Matchup
Week 11 - Iron Rank Matchup
Week 11 - "Expert" Picks

2017 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Cowboys Season Stats

2017 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	176	291	60.5%	2262	23	5	104.1
Prescott	183	289	63.3%	1994	16	4	96.3

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Blount	109	504	56.0	4.7	2
Ajayi	8	77	77	9.6	1
Elliott(SSPD)	191	783	97.9	4.1	7
Prescott	32	237	26.3	7.4	5
Morris	25	169	24.1	6.8	0

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Ertz	43	528	66.0	12.3	6
Bryant	42	478	53.1	11.4	4

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Graham	5.0	25.0
Lawrence	11.5	28.0

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Bradham	50	34	16	1.0
Smith	53	30	23	1.0

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
Mills/Robinson	3	11
Brown/Heath/Jones/Lewis/Woods	1	5

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
D. Jones	34	1586	59	46.6	41.0	9	3	0
C. Jones	35	1523	62	43.5	40.8	20	2	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	20	17	85%	61	24/27
Bailey(INJ)	7	7	100%	56	16/16
Nugent	6	4	66.7%	48	8/8

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Smallwood	4	93	23.3	28	0
Switzer	10	220	22.0	33	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Barner	6	183	11.4	76	0	6
Switzer	14	92	6.6	21	0	6

League Rankings 2017

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Offense	377.0	4th	355.2	11th
Rush Offense	136.8	4th	143.6	2nd
Pass Offense	240.2	14th	211.7	20th
Points Per Game	31.4	2nd	25.9	8th
3rd-Down Offense	47%	3rd	46%	4th
4th-Down Offense	70%	3rd	56%	10th
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	68.0%	2nd	44%	28th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Defense	315.9	10th	325.9	15th
Rush Defense	66.4	1st	104.7	12th
Pass Defense	249.4	26th	221.2	14th
Points Per Game	19.9	10th	22.8	17th
3rd-Down Defense	30%	3rd	44%	27th
4th-Down Defense	36%	14th	38%	15th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	52.4%	15th	46.7%	9th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Turnover Diff.	+6	T-6th	+2	T-12th
Penalty Per Game	7.00	T-19th	6.2	8th
Penalty Yards Per Game	64.2	27th	61.6	T-22nd

Recap from Last Week’s Games.
Eagles - Video – The Eagles were on the bye week 10, but dropped a 50 burger on the usually stout Broncos defense in week 9. The Eagles dominated every aspect of the game Wentz was 15 of 27 for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns and the Eagles added 197 and 3 TDs on the ground including a 44 yard rumble by Jay Ajayi who joined the Eagles earlier in the week in a trade from the Miami Dolphins. The defense did their part as well holding the Broncos rushing attack to just 35 yards and forcing Brock Osweiler into two interceptions while sacking him three times. Overall a dominate performance by the Eagles.
Cowboys - Video – The Cowboys struggled against the Falcons in their first game without Ezekiel Elliot as he serves his 6 game suspension. The Cowboys were also out All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith and All-Pro Kicker Dan Bailey and lost Pro Bowl MLB Sean Lee in the first half. The Cowboys struggled block the Falcon’s pass rushers particularly DE Adrian Clayborn who sacked Dak Prescott 6 times on the day and the Falcons got him 8 times overall. The Cowboys defense also struggled without Sean Lee in the middle as Tevin Coleman was able to run for 83 yards and a TD and Matt Ryan tossed two more TDs as the Falcons dominated most of the day.

Connections
Eagles RT Halapoulivaati Vaitai is a native of Haltom, TX and went to Haltom High School. Vaitai played collegiately at TCU in Fort Worth, TX
Eagles S Jalen Mills was born in Dallas and grew up in DeSoto, TX and went to Desoto High School.
Eagles LB Jordan Hicks played collegiately for Texas.
Cowboys Safeties Coach Greg Jackson played for the Eagles during the 1994-95 season.
Cowboys Director of Pro Scouting Judd Garrett was selected in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles but was released before the season began.
Cowboys Assistant Director of Video Stephen Gagliardino began his NFL career in 1995 as a ball boy with the Philadelphia Eagles when he was 16 years old, working training camp and game days at Veterans Stadium. He did that for four seasons before moving over to the Eagles video department in 1999, where he worked full time as an intern for three seasons (1999-2001).
Many Cowboys fans were born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia Area, however have no ties to Dallas nor have ever been to the city.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was born in Abington, PA, located roughly 15 miles north of Philadelphia
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott played together at Mississippi State University when Prescott was a red shirt freshman.
Eagles OT Lane Johnson is from Groveton, TX and has family who are Cowboys fans including his grandmother who has told “Shut up, if you want to see 75” while she was routing for the Cowboys.
Eagles WR Mack Hollins and Cowboys WR Ryan Switzer played WR together at University of North Carolina the last 4 seasons.

Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Cowboys
OT Jason Peters (Starter)	QB Dak Prescott(Starter)
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	RB Ezekiel Elliott (Starter)
DE Brandon Graham (1st Alt)	OT Tyron Smith (Starter)
FS Rodney McLeod (1st Alt)	OG Zack Martin (Starter)
PR Darren Sproles (1st Alt)	C Travis Fredrick (Starter)
C Jason Kelce (2nd Alt)
ST Chris Maragos (2nd Alt)

General
Referee: Bill Vinovich
Philadelphia has produced 20 points or more in thirteen consecutive contests dating back to Week 14 in 2016, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
The Eagles currently hold the best record in the NFL (8-1)this season. Philadelphia has started 8-1 for just the fifth time in franchise history (tied for the Eagles’ best start all-time through 9 games), having previously done so in 2004, 1980, 1960 and 1949
Philadelphia is the only NFL team to score 20+ points in every game in 2017.
The Eagles have won 7 consecutive games, which is tied with New Orleans for the longest active streak in the NFL. The last time Philadelphia posted a 7+ game winning streak was from 12/27/03-10/31/04 (8 games)
Philadelphia’s 283 points this season are the club’s 3rd most through 9 games in franchise history, behind 1948 (300) and 1949 (289)
The Eagles have scored 25+ points in 7 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the the club’s 2nd longest streak in team history.
The Eagles lead the NFL in 10+ yard plays (137).
Philadelphia leads the NFL in 20+ yard rushing plays (12).
Philadelphia has scored on 13 of 14 goal-to-go drives and lead the NFL in goal-to-go TD efficiency (92.9%)
Philadelphia leads the NFL in rushing defense (66.4). The Eagles have allowed just 598 rushing yards this season, which are their fewest allowed through 9 games since 1944(518). Philadelphia has not allowed a 100+ yard rusher since Week 6 vs. Washington in 2016 (Matt Jones - 135 yards).
The Eagles rank 3rd in the NFL in third-down defense (30.1%), behind Denver (27.6%) and Minnesota (28.7%).
Carson Wentz is the youngest NFL QB since 1950 to throw 23+ TDs and no more than 5 INTs through 9 games. Only three other NFL QBs have accomplished that feat since 2014: Matt Ryan in 2016 (23-4), Tom Brady in 2015 (24-3) and Aaron Rodgers in 2014 (25-3).
Zach Ertz has caught a TD in 4 consecutive games, which is the longest streak by an Eagles TE since Charle Young from 12/1/74-9/21/75 (also 4).
Philadelphia ranks 3rd in the NFL in punt return average (11.2), trailing only Detroit (17.9) and Baltimore (11.8).
Philadelphia ranks 2nd in the NFL in average time of possession (33:12), trailing only Carolina (33:42). The Eagles also rank 2nd in the NFL in 5+ minute drives (17), behind Carolina (19).

Draft Picks

Eagles	Cowboys
DE Derek Barnett	DE Taco Charlton
CB Sidney Jones	CB Chidobe Awuzie
CB Rasul Douglas	CB Jourdan Lewis
WR Mack Hollins	WR Ryan Switzer
RB Donnel Pumphrey	S Xavior Woods
WR Shelton Gibson	CB Marquez White
LB Nathan Gerry	DT Joey Ivie
DT Elijah Qualls	WR Noah Brown
	DE Jordan Carrell

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Cowboys
WR Torrey Smith	OG Byron Bell
WR Alshon Jeffery	OG Jonathan Cooper
DE Chris Long
DT Timmy Jernigan
RB LaGarrett Blount
CB Patrick Robinson
G Chance Warmack
QB Nick Foles
S Corey Graham
CB Ronald Darby
K Jake Elliott

LB Dannell Ellerbe OT Will Beatty| |
Notable Off-season Free-Agent Departures

Eagles	Cowboys
CB Nolan Carroll	QB Tony Romo
DE Connor Barwin	OG Ronald Leary
DT Bennie Logan	OG Emmett Cleary
QB Chase Daniel	DT Jack Crawford
CB Leodis McKelvin	DT Terrell McClain
WR Dorial Green-Beckham	CB Brandon Carr
DE Marcus Smith	CB Morris Claiborne
RB Ryan Mathews	SS Barry Church
	FS JJ Wilcox

Milestones
QB Carson Wentz (5845) needs 160 yards to move up to 12th on the Eagles all-time passing list passing Adrian Burk.
QB Carson Wentz (39) needs 1 more passing TD for 40 career passing TDs.
TE Brent Celek (4,940) needs 60 more yards to reach 5000 career receiving yards.
TE Brent Celek (392) needs 8 more receptions to reach 400 career receptions.
TE Zach Ertz (3368) needs 126 yards to move up to 16th on the Eagles all-time receiving list receiving list passing WR Harold Jackson
TE Zach Ertz (19) needs 1 more receiving TDs for 20 career receiving TDs which would tie him with Keith Jackson and Terrell Owens for 20th all-time in Eagles history.
DE Brandon Graham (34 – 9th) needs 1.5 sacks to move up to 8th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying William Fuller. He needs two sacks to move up to 8th passing William Fuller*.
DE Fletcher Cox (33 - 13th) needs 1 sack move into a tie for 10th all-time on the Eagles sack list with Brandon Graham and Dennis Harrison.
S Malcolm Jenkins's (4) needs 1 more Interception for a TD to tie CB Eric Allen (5) for most Interceptions for a TD by an Eagles player. Jenkins is the only Eagles player to have a pick 6 in 3 straight seasons
DE Demarcus Lawrence(21.5) needs 1 sack to move into a tie for 13th on the Cowboys all-time sack list with LA'Roi Glover
DE Tyrone Crawford(16.5) needs 1.5 sacks to move into a tie for 17th on the Cowboys all-time sack list with John Dutton
QB Dak Prescott (5661) needs 179 passing yards to move up to 8th on the Cowboys all-time passing list passing Quincy Carter.
QB Dak Prescott (39) needs 1 more passing TD for 40 career passing TDs.
QB Dak Prescott (494) needs 6 more completions for 500 career completions.

Pro Football Focus Matchup Charts courtesy of PFF Edge

WDB Matchups (CAPS = Shadow Coverage)

Eagles WRs vs. Dallas DBs

Tm	Rec/DB	Pos	H	Wt	Sp	Rt	L%	S%	R%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
PHI	Alshon Jeffery	LWR	75	218	4.48	322	47	17	36	23	50	1.66	74.2	+5
DAL	Jourdan Lewis	RCB	70	170	4.54	266	9	9	82	14	63	1.05	76.7
PHI	Nelson Agholor	Slot	72	198	4.42	260	6	87	8	16	74	1.74	79	+27
DAL	Orlando Scandrick	Slot	70	196	4.32	257	5	69	26	19	66	1.55	70.2
PHI	Torrey Smith	RWR	72	205	4.41	266	35	20	45	12	53	0.91	42.7	-44
DAL	Anthony Brown	LCB	71	196	4.33	361	71	16	13	14	57	0.85	60

Dallas WRs vs. Eagles DBs

Tm	Rec/DB	Pos	H	Wt	Sp	Rt	L%	S%	R%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
DAL	Cole Beasley	Slot	68	180		250	6	86	8	16	67	0.83	73.6	+12
PHI	Patrick Robinson	Slot	71	191	4.46	296	8	70	22	17	56	1.35	90.7
DAL	Dez Bryant	LWR	74	220	4.52	335	49	26	25	25	55	1.56	81	+24
PHI	Ronald Darby	RCB	71	193	4.38	12	100	0	0	17	61	1.27	*45.1
DAL	Terrance Williams	RWR	74	210	4.52	266	37	9	53	17	74	1.45	68.3	-16
PHI	Jalen Mills	LCB	72	191	4.61	399	81	5	15	20	61	1.2	69.8

TE Matchups

Tm	TE/Def	H	Wt	Rt	Bl%	Inl%	S%	W%	%TaRt	Cat%	YPRC	Gr	Adv
DAL	Jason Witten	78	263	355	14	39	54	8	29	82	2.13	69.9	-1
PHI	Nigel Bradham (LB)	74	241	36					3	100	0.31	78.6
PHI	Zach Ertz	77	250	299	9	44	38	18	27	75	2.51	85.8	-5
DAL	Byron Jones	72	199	102					12	25	0.41	81.8

OL/DL Matchups
Note: Pressure Rate and Yards Before Contact are projected numbers based on the starters' grades and are adjusted for injuries. All other stats are based on this season's data

Tm	Pr%	SackConv	YBCon	Runs ins. 5 yd ln/gm	D ins. 5 yd ln%	PB Adv	RB Adv
DAL (OL)	5.9	15	1.98	1.3	42	-27	-16
PHI (DL)	7.3	18	1.35	0.7	17
PHI (OL)	4.8	21	2.41	1.3	33	+6	+38
DAL (DL)	6.6	17	1.87	0.7	33

Stats to Know
The Cowboys' Edge Defenders
[DeMarcus Lawrence has been playing lights-out in 2017. He's generated the 4th-most number of pressures (46) for Edge Defenders and has the 5th-best Pass Rush Productivity Score of them, too (14.4). In their last game, the Eagles game-planned around negating/mitigating Von Miller--who also primarily rushes from the left side--and it largely worked, despite him coming up with 5 pressures on the day. The trouble for the Cowboys could come if the Eagles are also able to slow/mitigate Lawrence's pass rush because their next best pass-rushing ED, Tyrone Crawford, ranks 67th in PRP and 45th in total pressures. For comparison, the Eagles, who heavily rotate their EDs--and sometimes use Graham at DT--spread the wealth, with the 4 primaries ranked 8th, 32nd, 35th, and 38th in pressures. (Courtesy of PFF Elite)

Matchups to Watch
Eagles Offensive Line vs. Cowboys Pass Rush
It wasn’t that long ago that the phrase “Cowboys Defensive Line” was actually referring to their defense of Greg Hardy. A few years later, their defensive line is actually playing quite good on an otherwise lackluster unit. They are led by Demarcus Lawrence, one of the leagues leaders in sacks, who almost exclusively lines up at LDE. Lawrence has posted a sack in nearly every game this season. The Cowboys defensive line also features David Irving, who returned from early season injury and has posted 6 sacks on the season. Irving is tall and has the length to keep opposing offensive linemen off him. This unit has done a lot of damage to opposing offenses and will be the key component in stopping the Eagles offense, especially since All Pro LB and Eagles killer Sean Lee will be missing this game. The Eagles offensive line has been one of the best units in football this season even without future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters. Lane Johnson has another tough task this weekend in Demarcus Lawrence. Fans should have a lot of faith in Lane to play well since he has neutralized virtually everyone he has gone up against this season. Irving is a tough matchup on the interior and will pose some issues throughout the game. If the Cowboys want to win they need to win this matchup considering Lee’s absence. The difference between the Cowboys defense with and without Lee is appalling. The Eagles offense will look to further exploit that weakness.
Eagles Defensive Front vs. Cowboys Offensive Line
For a long time, we heard how great the Cowboys offensive line is. Under the microscope, in their first game without Zeke and future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, the Cowboys offensive line collapsed on itself like a dying star. Cowboys’ replacement tackle Chaz Green went out on the field in Atlanta and made former Eagles tackle Winston Justice look like an All Pro. Keeping that offensive line together over the long term was always going to be a challenge considering Tyron, Frederick, and Martin are all among the tops at their positions and will require (and have required) sizeable investments in them for their services while remaining in good health for long stretches of their careers. Doug Free retired in the offseason and was replaced by their former guard La’el Collins. As of week 11, Collins ranks as PFFs 60th ranked right tackle. Last week, per NEXGEN stats, the Cowboys ran the ball almost exclusively to their right side, which is smart considering Collins is at least better than Chaz Green and Zach Martin is an All Pro. Left tackle, and really the entire left side of the Dallas offensive line without Tyron Smith, is a huge liability for the offense. As of today, the status of Tyron Smith for Sunday isn’t resolved, though he likely won’t play. Sunday presents a big challenge for Dallas as the Eagles have one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL from top to bottom. The Eagles are made in the trenches and are built to be able to combat what Dallas brings. The Cowboys coaching staff has to be able to adjust if Tyron Smith is out again. Zach Martin and Travis Frederick are as good as ever but they cannot carry the line without adjustments. The Eagles defensive line is full of game wreckers. How can Dallas combat this with the lack of real depth on their roster?
Dak Prescott vs. Eagles Defense
Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension will loom large again this week while Dallas figures out a way forward without last year’s rushing leader and fashion nobody. What everyone knew but what was finally understood last week was Elliott’s ability as a runner and pass blocker would surely be missed. The Dallas offensive line is one of the better run units in the league and Elliott is a load to bring down without litigation. He has excellent patience, vision, and strength in between the tackles and on stretch runs. He’s a true bell cow, 3 down back, whose absence really forces the Dallas coaching staff back to the drawing board. While he is not the best player on that offense – Tyron Smith is – his loss changes the effectiveness of the Cowboys offense. Now they have to rely on their second year signal caller, which did not go well last week. Make no mistake; regardless of who you think is better, Dak Prescott is a franchise QB. This isn’t to say he is flawless but he’s no scrub. Prescott is lethal in the running game, especially if the Cowboys are in the red zone. Additionally, he is a very good QB throwing on the run. The Cowboys would be wise to incorporate more read option looks and boots to try and slow down the Eagles pass rush and keep them off balance – especially if Tyron Smith is out. Cole Beasley hasn’t played to the level of last year’s production but is an effective receiver from the slot. They still have their stud CB and PBU leader Dez Bryant outside. And Jason Witten still somehow walks. While their offense has taken a step back some from last year’s pace, they Eagles still have a lot to game plan for. It’ll be up to the Eagles defense to play smart and contain Prescott. If the Eagles are up to the task, it could be a long night for Dallas.
Eagles Offense vs Cowboys Defense
The Eagles will march into Dallas with the 5th ranked offense per DVOA, 5th through the air and 10th on the ground. They will face a Dallas defense that is ranked 22nd per DVOA, 19th against the pass and 26th against the run… and this time it will be without Sean Lee. The Cowboys defense is an average at best unit with Mr. End the Talking Horse playing but drops off more quickly than Jaylon Smith’s foot when he is out of the lineup. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this has been a vicious cycle with Lee throughout his career. Lee is excellent in run and pass defense and has made it habit to stomp the Eagles with his hooves when he plays. After Lee, the Cowboys will trot out Anthony Hitchens and the ghost of whatever Jaylon Smith used to be in college. Hitchens is currently PFFs 24th ranked LB. He is solid in run defense but is nowhere near as good as Lee is in coverage. The Cowboys will likely lean on second year but basically a rookie LB Jaylon Smith. Smith was a stud LB at Notre Dame and likely top 5 pick in the 2016 draft who suffered a major injury in his final college game. This dropped him into the second round where the Cowboys took a major gamble on him. So far, Smith has struggled to look like he belongs in the league, registering only a few bad ass tackles and generally being a liability on the field. He has had to overcome a lot just to see the field again for what is basically his rookie season. Time will tell if he improves. Right now, Cowboys fans must be nervous. Lastly, the Cowboys remade their entire starting secondary outside of second year CB Anthony Brown. The CBs have been decent as the season has gone on – they’ve certainly taken their share of L’s. Jourdan Lewis, one of the few Cowboys to ever win in court, avoiding a conviction, has had a solid rookie season at CB. The same could be said for fellow rookie Xavier Woods. The Cowboys will likely be without Safety Jeff Heath, much to the joy of Cowboys fans. Rookie Chidobe Awuzie may get the start alongside PFFs 43rd ranked Safety Byron Jones. Long story short, the Cowboys secondary has dropped off from last year’s average pace when 3/4ths of their starters walked in free agency. Additionally, their run defense is very weak. Enter the Eagles, who have a diverse offensive scheme that is difficult to game plan for and can beat you in many ways. Lead by MVP Front Runner and the best QB of the 2016 NFL Draft Class Carson Wentz, the Eagles will look to establish dominance over a young and struggling defensive unit. The Eagles won’t take this match up for granted and neither will the Cowboys. This is a huge rivalry game that could effectively end the NFC East race should the Eagles win. The Eagles offense has a number of match up advantages against the Cowboys defense in this game that may likely prove to be too much, especially considering the Eagles have put up at least 20 points in every game this season.

Special thanks to MikeTysonChicken and abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.

Presenting the Character of the Month #15 (Villain's Month) ...

The Rogues

Please give your thanks and appreciation to Austounded for this Spotlight!

The Rogues

The Flash and his cohorts have numerous villains they are forced to deal with. From lunatics who attach them to giant boomerangs to people who can travel between dimensions Iron Heights has no shortage of inmates, super-powered and the benign.
The most notable of villains is a group called The Rogues. Primarily led by Captain Cold, this group has tussled with the Flash Family more times than anyone else. Moreover, the trait that makes The Rogues unlike most hero's adversaries is their allegiance to their home - Central City - a place they have been known to protect even if it means allying with the Flash. In the eyes of The Rogues this is all a competition; in other words, they want to best the Flash not kill him. They are thieves after all not murderers and to that extent they have rules. The first being never kill unless absolutely necessary and never kill women or children and another being never kill a speedster. This is best demonstrated when Bart Allen's clone Inertia convinced the Rogues to kill our young speedster. When they found out they had unknowingly killed a child they put a swift end to Inertia leaving a message "Tell the Flash we are even now". What a stand up bunch of guys! Joking aside, they are one of the best groups of baddies in comics and much like their adversaries have a legacy all their own.
For the purposes of this list let's focus on the core team of Rogues. They have been many "honorary" Rogues and even a rival team of reformed Rogues, but that's a story in an of itself.
 

Flash Facts

Current Members:

• Captain Cold - Leonard Snart
• Mirror Master - Samuel Scudder / Evan McCulloch
• Heatwave - Mick Rory
• Weather Wizard - Mark Mardon
• The Trickster - James Jesse / Axel Walker
• Golden Glider - Lisa Snart

Honorary Mentions:

• Captain Boomerang - George "Digger" Harkness / Owen Mercer
• The Top - Roscoe Neyle Dillon
• Piped Piper - Hartley Rathaway
• Abra Kadabra - Abhararakadhararbarakh

And so many more..
First Team Appearance: Flash #155, Volume 1 (September 1965)
Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino
 

Rogue Profiles

While there have been characters that have fought along side the Rogues, the list you see below is made up of the core and constant members. (Moreover, I will be addressing their origin and various events from their life but not necessarily everything because of the Reddit character limit and the characters long publication history.)
Throughout their publication history the Rogues have largely remained the same in respect to their abilities and appearance. The only notable change in the status quo was during "the New 52" where they underwent an experimental process to fuse their iconic weaponry into their DNA. This resulted in Mirror Master being trapped in his mirror dimension, Heatwave becoming a scared mess of a man with fire powers, Captain Cold gaining ice powers, Golden Glider gaining the ability to leave her body in an astral form, Weather Wizard gained the ability to control the weather with only his emotions, and Trickster got his arm ripped off - probably better than getting an explosive yo-yo or itching powder fused with your DNA.
Some clarification: There were two splinter groups of Rogues throughout Johns' run on the book resulting in the "New Rogues" led by Blacksmith, and the "Reformed Rogues" led by Heatwave.

Captain Cold

• Design: Pre-Flashpoint / briefly during "the New 52" / after he lost his power / Post-Rebirth
• Real Name: Leonard Snart
• Abilities: Master tactician/strategist, mastery of cryogenics, utilizes a "cold-gun" that freezes objects to absolute zero, cold based powers (During New 52).
• First Appearance: Showcase #8 (June 1957)
• Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

 

"I am the man who mastered absolute zero."

 
Pre-Crisis: The Coldest Man Alive
Born to an abusive father Snart began to grow cold from his birth. The constant torture he enduring from his father taught him to hide his emotions as they were a weakness. The only man to show him mercy was his grandfather who would help Snart escape reality by taking him to the ice cream truck, the only place Snart could go to feel safe. Snart would run away from home at the age of sixteen fleeing from an abusive home into a life of crime that got him caught and put in jail by none other than the Flash of Central City. Upon his release Snart would scour records and research trying to find anyway to counter the Flash. Finally he landed upon a theory that certain temperatures could slow the Scarlet Speedster down that temperature being absolute zero. He would go on to steal the device mentioned in the research referred to as a "cyclotron" and began to modify it to shot ice that would alter the temperate around it drastically. Upon his invention he would adopt the name of Captain Cold.
Not too long after more costumed villains started showing up Cold would bring them all together and form The Rogues and become their de facto leader and a good one at that leading them into battle against the Flash countless times.
Flash Fact!: Cold and Glider feigned reformation in an attempt to get quick cash by creating a company called "Golden Snowball Recoveries" (just call 1-800-GET-COLD now!) whose aim was to reclaim stolen items for a fee - or your money back!
Post-Crisis: Cold as Hell
At the start of this era Cold and the Rogues are absent mainly due to the events of Underworld Unleashed which saw the Rogues trade their souls to the demon Neron. They later return as soulless husks rampaging across Central and Keystone City. Only through the will (and love) of Linda and Wally are their souls returned.
Having gone to hell and back Cold and the rest of the Rogues begin to lay low for awhile, Cold was even seen enjoying Keystone Combines hockey games as witnessed by Wally. Their retirement wouldn't last long however. Their reemergence was followed only by devastation for the Gem Cities.
Shortly after their return during the Thinker's takeover of Keystone City, Cold's team of Rogues had abandoned him to join the Blacksmith backed New Rogues which sought to not only take over Central City for themselves but also kill the Flash. The mutiny among his ranks did not sit well with Cold; he planned to dismantle Blacksmith's team, kick some ass, and take his team back. They are his Rogues after all.
Flash Fact!: Blacksmith runs the black market for super villains of the Midwest - its located under Keystone City and known as the Network.
Having terrorized Central City during The Thinker's attack on Keystone another splinter group of Reformed Rogues backed by Heatwave emerged and challenged Cold. This confrontation would lead to an all out battle of the Flash's rogue gallery and the cities in total ruin.
The Rogue Code
Under the influence of Inertia (Bart's evil clone from the future, obviously) the Rogues would be reformed and promised the biggest score of their life with his device that would freeze time. Not knowing that Inertia's true plan was to force the Rogues to kill the acting Flash Bart Allen, a mere child filling in following his predecessors disappearance. This device rather than freezing time sapped Bart of his Speed Force leaving him defenseless and without its miraculous speed and healing factor. The Rogues then shot him in the back at once awestruck that they actually managed to him with so much at one time (we would normally dodge it or heal). In reality that had actually killed Bart. Cold would then lead the rest of Rogues on to a hunt for Inertia which left a dead clone in the streets of the Gem Cities with a sign attached that read, "Tell the Flash we're even now" (Wally had returned from the Speed Force at this point).
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
During the New 52 Cold influenced the acting team of Rogues to undergo experimental procedures to fuse their weaponry with their DNA. This felt Cold with the ability to conjure ice from his hands and more effectively fight the Flash, but it didn't work out so smoothly with all the Rogues..
Moreover, Cold would lead the Rogues in defending Central City from Grodd's invasion and once more defending the world during Forever Evil. Whats more, Cold was even seen assisting the Justice League.
Cold was cleansed of his super-human abilities after Deathstorm ripped it out of his molecules. This was no problem for Cold seeing has he has deconstructed and rebuilt his cold-gun so many times he can almost build it from anything.
The last we saw Cold and his Rogues, he was attempting to regain his reputation as a cold-hearted crook. Their public image had shifted in the way of heroism in the wake of all their heroic deeds. Currently Cold is building his underground network forming a organized crime group in the vein of the Blacksmith.
 

Mirror Master

• Design: Scudder / McCulloch / Scudder Post-Rebirth
• Real Name: Sam Scudder (Mirror Master I), Evan McCulloch (Mirror Master II)
• Abilities: Can move through and trap people within mirrors as well as access a mirror dimension, mirror projection/holograms.

Scudder

• First Appearance: The Flash #105, Volume 1 (March 1959)
• Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

McCulloch

• First Appearance: Animal Man #8 (February 1989)
• Created by: Grant Morrison & Chas Truog

 

"Welcome to my world."

 
Pre-Crisis: The Career Criminal
The story of Mirror Master doesn't begin with a stray bolt of lightning or a chance encounter with a space-cop, no, the story of Mirror Master begins with a down on his luck convict working in a mirror factory. That felon being Samuel Scudder. And one day in this factory Scudder happened to mix the wrong chemicals into the mirror giving it strange properties. Following this discovery a mystified Scudder studied the mirror learning everything about its mutated properties. Seeing his renewed opportunity for riches he created the persona of the Mirror Master to commit robberies and outwit the Flash.
Scudder's first encounter with the Scarlett Speedster (Barry) saw him creating holograms to commit the crimes for him, however, our speedster quickly saw through the illusions and defeated the rogue. His imprisonment didn't hinder his development though, instead, it led to his discovering of the Mirror Dimension an entire universe with it own people and places. Scudder would quickly add this to his expanding arsenal against the Flash even trapping him inside the dimension multiple times.
Following these first encounters Scudder would soon join The Rogues, an up and coming group of thieves who had decided to band together to defeat the Flash; they found their strength in numbers. Since then Mirror Master has become a staple villain of The Flash doing battle with him countless times. During one such time Mirror Master trapped the young speedster-in-training Kid Flash in an attempt to lure his mentor to his hideout. Upon the speedster arriving Mirror Master seemingly murders the young hero's idol and in a fit of rage busts out of his imprisonment and beats Scudder within an inch of his life. However, Flash had escaped Mirror Master's trap and quickly calmed Kid Flash down saving Mirror Master's life and teaching Wally a valuable lesson.
Scudder would go on to join several other villainous groups besides the Rogues: namely, The Injustice Gang of the World and the Secret Society of Super Villains.
Finally, during the event known in the Super-Hero community as "The Crisis" (Crisis on Infinite Earths to readers) heroes and villains alike joined ranks to defeat the all-powerful Anti-Monitor and save their world. While the heroes fought the Anti-Monitor head on the villains led by Lex Luthor had a plan: to send a group of people into the past and prevent Krona from looking at the the beginning of creation - the Dawn of Time - the curiosity that created the Anti-Monitor. Lex then sent Mirror Master, Icicle, and Maaldor the Darklord into the distant past of Oa to complete the mission. However, when the trio arrived they began to bicker about who should destroy the equipment Krona uses to observe time all three believing they should be the one to do it. Their argument was cut short when a booby trap was activated killing all three of them.
For a short time after his death the scoundrel Captain Boomerang would adopt the title of Mirror Master so that he could commit crimes without his counterparts in the Suicide Squad knowing. Scudder wouldn't see a true heir until much later when a poor cocaine addled Scotsmen would assume the name Mirror Master.
Flash Fact!: Scudder was briefly possessed a Black Lantern ring during the event Blackest Night which saw dead heroes and villains brought back to life under the control of Nekron! Check it out!
Post-Crisis: The Addict
Born to wealthy and young parents - Louis and Carol Erikson - new born Evan McCulloch was put up for adoption by the parents believing they were too young to care for a child. Rather than a life of luxury inside a penthouse Evan found himself growing up in the harsh environment of the McCulloch Orphanage where he would commit his first crime at the age of eight. An older boy tried molesting him and in response McCulloch gave the boy a swift end, killing him. He would later leave the orphanage at the age of 16 where he would go on to live a life of crime becoming a hitman and assassin. During his tenure as a hired gun, McCulloch would unknowingly be hired to murder his father. He was successful not realizing until it was too late. Before he could even confront his mother she had committed suicide.
Flash Fact!: Evan McCulloch draws his surname from the orphanage he grew up in.
This chapter in McCulloch's life would end when he was hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an agent and outfitted with the arsenal and attire of the deceased Mirror Master. His job was to pose as a super villain and take care of government targets. This career was short lived however when Evan killed those who employed him. We would later be invited to join the Rogues.
Flash Fact!: One of Wally's New Rogues is actually a stowaway from his pocket dimension - the Mirror World (or dimension, whatever you want to call it). He goes by Plunder and is the doppelganger of Detective Jared Morillo!
Evan was immediately confronted with the stern and strict leadership of Captain Cold upon joining the Rogues. You see, the Rogue Code states that no Rogue can use drugs but Evan had a terrible addiction to cocaine. He and Cold came to blows over this many times, Cold trying to cure his addiction through his own form of tough love.
McCulloch would later join the Blacksmith's team of "New Rogues" after being influenced to murder the Piped Pipers parents. This would fracture his allegiance to Cold's team but it would later be mended by Inertia who would reunite the team in order to exact his master plan against Bart Allen.
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
Scudder is once again alive and the acting Mirror Master - Evan has yet to be mentioned or shown - and even dating the Golden Glider. Even more, Scudder got to show his true colors during Forever Evil, a story that saw the Justice League disappear and villains rise. The Rogues refused the riches and plunder however. And while Cold went to confront the problem head on with Lex Luthor's team of super villains the rest of the Rogues led by Scudder were pursued by not only Deathstorm and Power Ring but also a whole menagerie of villains from all rogue galleries.
Most recently Scudder was seen advancing his Mirror Construct technology into a Mirror Monster to combat the Flash.
 

Heat Wave

• Design: Pre-Flashpoint / briefly during the "the New 52" / Post-Rebirth
• Real Name: Mick Rory
• Abilities: Mastery of pyrotechnics and explosives, utilizes a "heat gun" that functions as a flamethrower, violent fire based powers (During New 52).
• First Appearance: The Flash #140, Volume 1 (November 1963)
• Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

 

"Look at me. I'm not even breaking a sweat. How about you?"

 
Pre-Crisis: The Evil Pyromaniac
Born to farmers just outside Central City, Mick was obsessed with fire from a young age. His obsession became destructive one day after he burnt his family's farmhouse down with his family inside. Too memorized by the flames Mick was frozen, rather than getting help he just stood and stared until every ash cooled.
Now orphaned, Mick was sent to live with his uncle where his adoration of fire only grew until he was forced to run away from home following his arson and murder of a fellow student trapped inside his own house all over a prank. His exodus landed him a job in a circus as a fire-eater; this would last until Mick set the circus on fire.
Following the years of devastation he had wrought Mick was finally ready to come to terms with his problem but to the Flash's chagrin he witnessed the Rogues of Central City and choose instead to put his pyromania to use being the super villain Heat Wave. The dueling nature of Cold and Mick's abilities set them at odds eventually becoming rivals; Mick did not like the cold.
Late Pre-Crisis/Post-Crisis: The Good(-ish) Pyromaniac
Due to the influence of the Top, Mick managed to reform and even become friends with Barry Allen before he would perish in "The Crisis". During his time as a law-abiding citizen he found employment as a firefighting consultant due to his wide knowledge of fires as a result of his pyromania. He did succumb to the event Underworld Unleashed but later was restored by Wally West along with the rest of the Rogues. After which he would get a job with Project Cadmus as an agent but eventually found his way to the FBI along with other reformed Rogues. There he would lead his own team of Reformed Rogues created by the FBI. They came to blows with Cold's Rogues but in the end Top undid his tampering and Mick returned to his villainous ways. His reformation was nothing more than a manipulation of the mind.
Burned at the Stake
Mick was among the Rogues reunited by Inertia to take down Bart Allen (the Flash), unknowingly killing a child he too joined Cold's plot to avenge and set the score straight with Inertia. This resulted in Inertia's death and the Rogues full reformation.
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
Convinced by Cold to undergo experimental procedures to fuse his weaponry with his DNA, Mick was "gifted" with the ability to emit flames from his body at the cost of the pain it gave him and the damage to his body. While the other Rogues either have gained control over their powers or lost them entirely Mick has not been so lucky. He is still wrecked with pain and has even been captured and experimented on following Forever Evil. Though reunited with the Rogues now Mick still has not fully recovered from his aliment.
 

Weather Wizard

• Design: Pre-Crisis / Post-Crisis / "the New 52" to Present
• Real Name: Mark Mardon
• Abilities: Control over the weather using his "weather wand"; sometimes enhanced by his emotions.
• First Appearance: The Flash #110, Volume 1 (December 1959)
• Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

 

"Quite the weather we're having."

 
Pre-Crisis: Something, something, lightning strikes twice
The story of the Weather Wizard begins plainly with a criminal on his way to prison, the crime unimportant. A down on his luck Mark Mardon found himself under arrest and desperately looking for any window of escape. As fate would have it his luck would turn and Mardon would in fact escape his ride to penance. Instead of in jail we pick up with Mark fleeing to his brother Clyde's house; Clyde who had just finished his design for a device that could control the weather the potential of which he had not yet realized. Clyde's convict brother's appearance caught him off guard however and being a law-abiding citizen himself he warned Mark he would call the authorities at which point Mark grabs his brother's finished experimental weather wand and uses it to kill Clyde.
Flash Fact!: Ashamed of his actions Mark claims that his brother died of a heart attack before he arrived at the door and the nature of the murder weapon meant there was no way to prove it was murder. The only one to know the full story is Captain Cold.
Mardon quickly adopted the moniker of the Weather Wizard and joined the Rogues of Central City. Moreover, Mardon attempted to take over the entire country once by building weather control towers that would in effectively extend his range and blanket the whole country. It all began in Goldville, Wynoming but when reports were coming in that seasons were no longer changing in Goldville it drew the attention of Kid Flash and the Elongated Man. Together they would defeat Mardon sending him back to Central City in chains.
Pre-Crisis (Still): He dresses like a Bat, I mean how tough can he be?
Mardon like many Rogues would attempt to diversity their criminal activity (some even giving it up). This landed the Weather Wizard in Gotham City, sure that the Batman would be no match for his skills. What Mardon didn't realize is that Batman had a sidekick - Robin! - who proved to be his downfall. Gotham was to much for him.
After "The Crisis" which took the life of both the Mirror Master and the Flash, Mardon like most of Barry's rogues decided to retire.
Post-Crisis: EF-6
Like all of his fellow Rogues, they came out retirement at the request of Abra Kadabra and would end up losing their souls to the demon Neron, only to be restored by Wally the new Flash months later.
Following his return he went back his life of crime, officially out of retirement. He had seemingly grown in power as well from his years of exposure to his weather wand; he could heighten the effect and conditions higher than ever before. Making tornados that could redefine the Fujita Scale. Mardon was at his most destructive after he learned that he had a young son in the custody and care of the patrol officer Fred Chyre (the former-partner of the deceased mother). Following the funeral of the child's mother Weather Wizard struck with full force demanding the child, not to care for but to dissect and understand. Upon his demands being ignored he summoned a ravenous series of tornados the biggest one being in the center of Keystone City giving Wally no choice but to try and cancel it out. It didn't go well. In the end Mardon was defeated and Chyre would soon adopt young Josh Jackam.
Flash Fact!: It would appear that Josh has the innate ability to control the weather similar to his father's weather wand. The... radiation that had affected Mardon had seemingly been transferred to his son.
By this time Weather Wizard had joined rank with the Blacksmith's New Rogues and would wreck havoc on both Central City and the Flash during the Thinker's takeover of Keystone City.
Following the destruction of the New Rogues, Mardon rejoined the original team just in time to combat Heatwave's group of Reformed Rogues. The conflict between these two groups led to an all out war between Flash's entire rogues gallery.
Flash Fact!: Mardon by this point was able to conjure weather and control it completely without aid from his wand. It was completely vestigial.
Weather Wizard was among the reunited Rogues that would be manipulated into murdering Bart Allen, the active Flash at the time. Moreover, he was also apart of the team that hunted Inertia - the one who tricked them - and successfully exacted revenge.
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
Persuaded by Cold to fuse his weather wand with his DNA, Mardon becomes a man consumed by his emotions. Suddenly his powers were triggered by whatever emotion he was feeling in that moment this meant in order to summon storms he would need to be depressed or sad and truly feel it. This extremely hindered his effectiveness and mental health.
He would eventually gain the ability to use his staff again, albeit, he did retain some of his emotional and innate power over the weather.
During Forever Evil and his fellow Rogues were marked for death and hunted by members of the Crime Syndicate along with other rogues from various heroes after they refused the Syndicate's offer to join them.
 

The Trickster

• Design: Pre-Crisis Jesse / Post-Crisis Jesse / Pre-Flashpoint Walker / Walker in the New 52 / Walker in Rebirth
• Real Name: James Jesse (Trickster I), Axel Walker (Trickster II)
• Abilities: Access to goofy gadgets and joked themed weaponry: rocket shoes, itching powder, explosive yo-yos

Jesse

• First Appearance: The Flash #133, Volume 1 (June-July 1960)
• Created by: John Broome & Carmine Infantino

Walker

• First Appearance: The Flash #183, Volume 2 (April 2002)
• Created by: Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins

 

"Either you're the trickster. Or you're the one gettin' tricked!"

 
Pre-Crisis: The Flying Graysons Jesses
James Jesse was born in a circus to the famous Flying Jesses, however, much to the chagrin of his parents James was terrified of heights and would rather spend his time reading about the old west criminal Jesse James. In order for James to overcome his fear of heights he invented his iconic air-walker shoes. With the use of the shoes James was able to make a name for himself as a aerialist, even becoming famous. The circus life grew dull for James though and he sought a more exciting life so he moved to Central City and joined The Rogues as the Trickster.
Flash Fact!: James' true name is Giovanni Giuseppe!
Post-Crisis: The Soul of the Party
Following the prelude of Underworld Unleashed James was greeted with the obituaries of his former allies which sent him on a quest to finally get out of the slump he was trapped in. James' best bet was to team up with Rainbow Raider, however, the job proved to be too much for James still Raider left James with a mysterious package. Inside the package a candle and a note which Raider described as saying: "the candle -- when lit at the stroke of midnight tonight -- would open the door to fame, power and glory.". James appeared not to buy into Raider's tale and gave the box back to him; when Raider opened the box again later, all he found was a rubber chicken rather than the candle.
Meanwhile, James is lighting the candle at the prescribed time - it glows with a green flame - when in a flash of light he is transported to to Underworld along with several other villains. Soon after being transported their host was revealed to be the demon Neron! The demon appeared to favor the Trickster for some reason though and kept him in his inner circle where James learned of Neron's one weakness: a single word, powerful enough to create magic. In addition, he also learned of Captain Marvel's (now called Shazam) ability to withstand Neron's corruption due to his pure soul. Finally it all clicked for James after he Marvel in action: he told Marvel the word and hoped for the best. Luck would have it that this magic word was in fact the very word Marvel used to transform - "Shazam!" - upon using it he manages to free the heroes and even convince Neron to release all the heroes' souls. Unrecognized for his actions James notable muttered to himself, "I engineered the greatest sting of all time... and no one saw me do it.".
Post-Crisis: The New Kid
After dropping out of high school Axel Walker decided to break into the storage unit of James Jesse, stealing all of his old gear. Walker's goal was initially to join Cold's Rogues but after being dismissed by Snart is recruited by Blacksmith to join her own New Rogues and aided in the sacking of Central City during "Crossfire".
After the collapse of the Network and Blacksmith's New Rogues, Walker is finally invited by Cold to join the Rogues despite the fact that the Rogues found him annoying he had finally proved himself capable.
During the battle between the Rogues and the Reformed Rogues, Walker and James came face to face and James exclaims that Walker is nothing more than an impostor, an imitator. He then used his expertise to defeat and strip Walker of his gadgets and issued a threat to Walker if he ever dawned the costume again.
Post-Crisis: Suit and Tie
Next time we pick up with James he is working for the FBI of which he had grown bored of, eventually joining the now resurrected Rogues. He figured that if the government ever found out he was operating as a criminal again he could just claim he was undercover.
Following a series of blunders including the murder of Bart Allen, Trickster along with Piped Piper find themselves tied up at the wedding of Green Arrow and Black Canary by Wally West. The duo manage to escape using James' invisibility field. Still cloaked the two follow the Suicide Squad back to Belle Reve hoping they can free other villains held there. When plans go sideways they learn of the planet that villains are being shipped to and attempt to flee by stealing a car, barely evading Deadshot. Later while on a train Deadshot catches up with the two vagabond Rogues resulting in James being shot and killed while trying to defend Piped Piper.
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
The next time we see Trickster the mantle is once again worn by Axel Walker, who is at a point in his criminal career where he was attempting to go solo after being "fired" from the Rogues due to his numerous mistakes. In his attempt to make a name for himself he allies with Mob Rule as a mercenary. This position didn't last long though after Flash defeated Mob Rule forcing Walker to go his own way again.
During the invasion of Gorilla Grodd which saw the Rogues teaming up with Flash to defend Central City, Walker tries to align himself with Grodd. Grodd makes his reaction to Trickster clear by ripping Walker's arm off leaving him to bleed out on the sidewalk.
Walker would survive the encounter with Grodd and commissioned a special robotic gadget arm so he could return to being the Trickster. It wasn't too long after that Walker is arrested and put in Iron Heights. He doesn't sit there long though because The Rogues having decided that Walker had earned his status as a Rogue back broke into Iron Heights to liberate him.
Once again a Rogue, Walker is immediately hit with the danger of opposing the Crime Syndicate along with his fellow Rogues. This sent them on the run trying to survive the bounty place on their heads.
 

Golden Glider

• Design: Pre-Flashpoint & "the New 52" to Present
• Real Name: Lisa Snart
• Abilities: Skilled figure skateutilizes ice skates, access to jewel-themed weaponry (Classic), uses an astral form that offers: flight, fast speeds, and ribbon-like tendrils (During New 52-Present)
• First Appearance: The Flash #250, Volume 1 (June 1977)
• Created by: Cary Bates & Irv Novick

 

"Allen's dead. It's over. I hated that man, not the costume. You'd have to be crazy to do that."

 
Pre-Crisis: On Thin Ice
Attempting to escape the infamy of her brother who was known as Captain Cold, Lisa became a world famous figure skater. Things were going great for Lisa until she discovered that her coach and lover was actually Roscoe Dillon, the Top the whole time. After Top died doing battle with Flash, Lisa swore vengeance on Flash. Thus the Golden Glider is born. Using specially engineered ice skates that creat a surface on which to skate under themselves and jewelry-themed weaponry he would attack the Flash repeatedly. When Glider learned that The Flash was actually Barry Allen she began to terrorize his wife Iris West with her deadly gadgets.
Following the death of the Flash in "The Crisis" she would hang up her skates for a time even "reforming" with her brother to open the "Golden Snowball Recoveries" service which would retrieve stolen items for a fee.
Pre-Crisis: Dollar Store Replacements
Her retirement would be short lived as she would return to crime with a paranoid distrust of men. This didn't stop her from turning her then lover into her new partner in crime; Lisa stole her brother's gear and weapons and outfitted her dim-witted boyfriend with them. His gross lack of training and experience actually led to his death on their first criminal outing. This didn't stop Lisa, no, she instead began luring other equally dim-witted men to claim the mantle of "Chilblaine", all of whom perish. The final one, however, ended up tricking Lisa by gaining the weaponry and immediately executing her with them.
Flash Fact!: Lisa was among the Rogues risen by the Black Lantern rings during the Blackest Night. She did battle with her brother Captain Cold.
The New 52, Rebirth, and onward
With her death no longer having happened we see her watching her brother's team, the Rogues, and from the sidelines she witnesses them fusing their weaponry with their DNA the result of which causes an explosion that puts Lisa in a coma. All hope is not lost though because he too has gained abilities. Lisa can now use astral projection to appear in the corporal world. Going behind her brother's back she is slowly began to form her own team of Rogues that didn't include Cold. Lisa actually leads the Rogues to success as well but when Grodd attempts to invade Central City she allows her brother back on the team.
Flash Fact!: Golden Glider and Mirror Master are dating and still are to this day following the creation of the New 52.
Fed up by Scudder's entrapment in the Mirror World, while in her astral form Lisa actually pulls him out and while she had previously recovered from her injuries was put in a coma once again. But with Scudder free he would be able to protect not only her but the whole team in Cold's absence.
 

Rogue Reading (In chronological order)

"Through a Glass Darkly", The Flash (Volume 2) #105 - McCulloch launches a personal attack on Wally West after appearing at his door-step and endangering Linda's life to force the Flash to play along with his games.
"Wonderland", The Flash (Volume 2) #164 to #169 - Wally is trapped inside the Mirror Master's Mirror Dimension with no way out and no speed - to make matters worse, McCulloch and Snart are trapped inside as well! It would appear the rookie "master of mirrors" can't seem to control his own abilities.
"Birth Right", The Flash (Volume 2) #175 to #176 - Upon learning he has a son Weather Wizard sets his sights on Keystone City demanding the baby be turned over to him. He is swiftly rejected and sets his eyes on razing the entire city. There's only one man fast enough to cull the countless tornado's ravaging the city, his name, Wally West - The Fastest Man Alive.
"Absolute Zero", The Flash (Volume 2) #182 - Witness a day in the life of Captain Cold. From leading a team, to stomping out cheap knock-offs, to dealing with childhood trauma. Snart is a supremely strong but also damaged man.
"Crossfire", The Flash (Volume 2) #184 to #188 - Keystone and Central City are under siege by two different entities both wanting the other's side but more importantly, Wally's life. Wally is stuck in the crossfire with no allies. Queue up "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel and enjoy.
"The Flash: Iron Heights" #1 - A dangerous contagion has broken out inside Iron Heights endangering not only the inmates but potentially all of Keystone City! It’s up to the Fastest Man Alive, Wally West to find the cause and end this outbreak.
"The Mirror, Mirror On The Wall", The Flash (Volume 2) #212 - A struggling drug addict, an ex-hitman, and a Rogue. Meet the man behind the mirror.
"The Heat Wave", The Flash (Volume 2) #218 - There is no Rogue more twisted than Heat Wave. His passion is a dark and dangerous one but this story will shine some light on his life and how he has come to grips with his pyromania.
"Rogue War", The Flash (Volume 2) #220 to #225 - A war that begins as the Old Rogues versus the New Rogues quickly spins out of control and becomes to big for one Flash to handle.
"Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge" #1 to #3 - This is what happens when you cross the Rogues. See the unadulterated fury of the Rogues unleashed on Kid Zoom (formerly Inertia).
"Blackest Night: The Flash" #1 to #3 - RISE. Watch the Flash and the Rogues combat the threat of undead Rogues including the likes of Mirror Master (I), the Top, Captain Boomerang (I), and more.
"Dastardly Death of the Rogues", The Flash (Volume 3) #1 to #6 - Barry is back! but a group of people from the future calling themselves the Renegades have appeared attempting to arrest Barry for a crime he hasn't even committed yet? It's Rogues vs. Flash vs. Renegades. (This arc actually has supplemental material you can read before hand: The Flash: Secret Files and Origins #1 (2010))
"Rogues Revolution", The Flash (Volume 4) #9 to #12 + Annual #1 - The Rogues have fused their famous weaponry with their DNA in an attempt to get an edge on the Flash.
"Forever Evil", #1 to #6 - The Crime Syndicate having disposed of the Justice League summon all villains offering them entry into their organization for most it’s a no brainer but a few dissenters rise, chief among them: Lex Luther and the Captain Cold.
"Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion", #1 to #6 - Having rejected the Crime Syndicate's offer the Rogues get a price put on their heads and everyone is looking to collect. To survive they'll have to stay on the move and watch each other's backs. The only problem: Cold has ditched them, Heat Wave is missing, and Golden Glider has just fallen into a coma.
"Rogues Reloaded", The Flash (Volume 5) #14 to #17 - The Rogues are fed up with being seen has "heroes" and they long for the day when they were feared, hated even. To this end, Cold and the gang have whipped up the biggest score yet. The score to end all scores and if they are successful they will retire legends.
 
CotM artwork by Scott Kolins
CotM Voting: "Villain's Month"
1. The Rogues 2. Sinestro 3. Lex Luthor 4. Reverse Flash 5. Black Manta
Character of the Month archives