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Patriots To Hire Todd Downing

February 3rd, 2025 at 1:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another ex-colleague of Mike Vrabel‘s is set to reunite with him in New England. The Patriots are hiring Todd Downing to be their receivers coach, as first reported by Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal.

[RELATED: Patriots Add Ashton Grant, Others To Staff]

Downing’s NFL coaching career dates back to 2003, although he has never worked as a WRs coach to date. Still, this move comes as little surprise given his history with Vrabel. When the latter was head coach of the Titans, Downing worked alongside him (including two years as a play-calling offensive coordinator). The Patriots will – once again – have Josh McDaniels handling OC duties for 2025, but Downing represents an experienced addition to their staff.

The 44-year-old was fired after the 2022 season, one which he was arrested for DUI. Tennessee’s offense ranked 15th in scoring during Downing’s first year at the helm, but the unit regressed to 30th in that regard the following year. He did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, joining the Jets as their pass-game coordinator in 2023.

Nathaniel Hackett‘s tenure as New York’s OC did not go as planned, and part of the team’s midseason coaching shakeup included a plan from Robert Saleh to demote Hackett and install Downing as play-caller. Saleh was fired before he could do so, but interim HC Jeff Ulbrich followed through with the plan. The Jets did not rebound as hoped on offense, generally speaking, after that move was made. Especially with a new coaching staff being brought in, it comes as no surprise Downing will be moving on in 2025. It will be interesting to see how he fares with a Patriots WR corps which could see several changes this offseason.

Prior to the news of Downing’s hire, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Wes Welker was among the staffers the Patriots considered for the role of receivers coach. Welker worked in that capacity with the 49ers from 2019-21 and followed Mike McDaniel from San Francisco to Miami. The 43-year-old was let go at the end of the campaign, though, leaving him in need of a fresh start. Welker’s career included six seasons with the Patriots playing under McDaniels and his coaching tenure started with the Texans while Vrabel was the team’s defensive coordinator.

In other staff news, Reiss adds that Matthew Slater will not be back with New England in 2025. The longtime special teams ace held the title of special assistant to head coach Jerod Mayo last season, but with Mayo no longer in place that role will not exist under Vrabel. Slater will need to head elsewhere if he is to continue his coaching career.

Patriots Hire Ashton Grant As QBs Coach, Make More Coaching Moves

February 1st, 2025 at 9:34am CST by Ben Levine

Mike Vrabel‘s staff in New England continues to take shape. Most notably, the Patriots have landed on a new QBs coach to work alongside Josh McDaniels and Drake Maye. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports that the Patriots have hired Ashton Grant for the gig.

Grant has spent the majority of his coaching career in Cleveland, where he worked his way up from an offensive quality control coach to QBs coach. While Deshaun Watson‘s performance left plenty to be desired, Grant also earned praise for his handling of the rest of the depth chart (including Jameis Winston).

In New England, he’ll be taking over a QBs room that features a pair of young arms in Maye and Joe Milton. Grant is set to replace T.C. McCartney, who isn’t expected to return to the Patriots in a new role, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.com.

The Patriots weren’t finished making additions to their coaching staff. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Jason Houghtaling is expected to join New England’s staff. Houghtaling was an OL coaching assistant on Vrabel’s staff in Tennessee before spending last season with the Bears. Elsewhere on offense, the team is bringing in Riley Larkin as an offensive assistant, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Larkin most recently served as an offensive assistant in Ohio State’s quarterbacks room.

On the other side of the ball, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reports that former Titans defensive assistant Clint McMillan will also be following his former boss to New England. Further, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports that the Patriots are expected to hire Bills nickels coach/senior defensive assistant Scott Booker. Following the theme, Booker previously worked Vrabel during the duo’s time with the Titans. Finally, while a deal hasn’t been finalized, the Patriots are targeting Colts assistant defensive backs coach Justin Hamilton for a role on their defensive staff, per Zenitz. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton was on the Titans staff in 2023.

As Vrabel crafts his first New England staff, he’ll also be saying goodbye to a handful of incumbent coaches. Most notably, Brian Belichick won’t be back with the Patriots in 2025, according to Reiss. The son of Bill Belichick, Brian spent the past five seasons coaching safeties in New England, including this past year working under a new boss in Jerod Mayo. Drew Wilkins, who most recently served as the Patriots outside linebackers coach, also isn’t expected to be retained (per Jones), and cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino won’t be back with the organization (per Reiss).

There is at least one coach who will be retained from last year’s staff. Former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo is expected to stick on Vrabel’s staff, per Reiss. McAdoo spent this past season as a senior offensive assistant, but Reiss notes that the coach’s title could change in 2025. Speaking of titles, the Patriots have also officially hired Vrabel’s right-hand man, John “Stretch” Streicher, who will serve as the team’s vice president of football operations and strategy (per Albert Breer of TheMMQB).

Patriots Interviewed Eric Bieniemy For OC Job; Other Teams Interested

January 29th, 2025 at 11:23am CST by Sam Robinson

Once a regular interviewee for head coaching jobs, Eric Bieniemy has seen his stock drop since leaving Kansas City. As the Chiefs have continued their dynasty, Bieniemy ended up a one-and-done with the Commanders and UCLA. The Bruins hired him for that role last year but saw their offensive production dip.

Bieniemy is a veteran staffer who made significant contributions on two Super Bowl-winning teams, however, and he is drawing interest once again. Most notably, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz indicates he met with the Patriots about their OC post this month. Now-three-time Pats OC Josh McDaniels had always seemed the frontrunner for the job, being connected to Mike Vrabel even before the Patriots were the latter’s known destination. Had McDaniels not been in play, Schultz adds Bieniemy was viewed as a top candidate for the position.

Other teams have spoken with Bieniemy as well, though no other interviews are known to have occurred just yet. Bieniemy is no longer the Bruins’ OC, as the sides separated after the one season. As expected, he is interested in moving back to the NFL.

A path to an OC role no longer appears assured for a coach who accumulated more than a dozen HC interviews during his time as Kansas City’s non-play-calling OC. The coordinator carousel is in full swing, and time is running out to land a position. Though, a handful of coordinator posts remain unfilled. It will be interesting, though, if Bieniemy would be ready to jump back in the league for a lesser role.

Chip Kelly left his HC post at UCLA to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. That move paid off via the Buckeyes’ recent national title and generated more NFL interest. Meanwhile, UCLA dropped from 70th in scoring offense to 126th from 2023-24. This came after Bieniemy oversaw the Commanders’ offense, which finished in the bottom quartile in points and yardage — with former fifth-round pick Sam Howell at the wheel — in 2023. Bieniemy, 55, spoke with the Jets during their stealth search for Nathaniel Hackett help

Teams’ skepticism about Bieniemy’s importance in Kansas City led to the veteran assistant being unable to follow Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy in landing HC opportunities. This generated immense scrutiny, as the NFL has not seen a wave of Black play-callers emerge on offense. Bieniemy eventually left Andy Reid‘s team to secure a play-calling chance elsewhere, as Nagy stepped into a non-play-calling OC post in Kansas City for a second time. Nagy has a chance to collect a second Super Bowl ring, should the Chiefs topple the Eagles, while his former coworker angles to return to the league.

Patriots To Hire Thomas Brown, Doug Marrone

January 27th, 2025 at 9:42am CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Vrabel continues to build his Patriots staff, and a pair of interesting names have emerged on Monday as that process continues. Thomas Brown is the latest coach to head to New England.

Brown is being brought in, Mark Daniels of MassLive reports. He held three different titles during his time with the Bears this past season, including of course interim offensive coordinator and later interim head coach. It was already known he would not return to Chicago, but he has not needed to wait long to find his next opportunity.

Daniels’ report did not specify what Brown’s role will be in New England, but Tom Pelissero of NFL Network clarifies he will work as the Patriots’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator. That is roughly in line with where Brown stood with the Bears at the start of the 2024 campaign, one in which Shane Waldron was fired midseason. Brown took over as Chicago’s play-caller, eventually earning another promotion when head coach Matt Eberflus was dismissed.

That left the 38-year-old in an interesting position at the onset of the hiring cycle. Brown interviewed with the Bears for the full-time HC gig, but as expected the team made a strong (and successful) push to hire Ben Johnson away from the Lions. Considering Brown met with the Patriots for their offensive coordinator position, though, this news comes as little surprise.

Vrabel and the Patriots reunited with Josh McDaniels to serve (once again) as offensive coordinator for 2025. Brown will have a role on the new-look staff, working closely with a tight ends room led by Hunter Henry. The veteran set a new career high in catches and yards in 2024, and he will be counted on to remain a key contributor on offense moving forward. It will be interesting to see how Brown fares in rebuilding his stock over the course of his Patriots tenure.

Prior to the news of Brown’s hire on Monday, it was learned Doug Marrone will be joining the Patriots’ staff as well. ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes Marrone’s title is uncertain at this point, but his experience working on the offensive line suggests he could be heavily involved with a unit in need of significantly improved play moving forward. Marrone’s NFL coaching career has included seven years as a head coach (five in Jacksonville, two in Buffalo) as well as an offensive coordinator stint in New Orleans. McDaniels will certainly have a veteran presence on his latest Patriots staff.

Marrone spent the 2024 campaign at Boston College working as a senior analyst for football strategy, so a role along those lines could also be in play. In any event, his addition – along with that of Brown – adds to the number of notable staffers in place under Vrabel for 2025.

2025 NFL Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

January 26th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, half the league changed up at offensive and defensive coordinator. As most HC-needy teams have now filled their open positions, the coordinator carousel has accelerated. Here is how the market looks now. When other teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 2-21-25 (1:59pm CT)

Offensive coordinators

Chicago Bears (Out: Chris Beatty)

Cleveland Browns (Out: Ken Dorsey)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Brian Schottenheimer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Ben Johnson)

  • John Morton, pass-game coordinator (Broncos): Hired

Houston Texans (Out: Bobby Slowik)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Press Taylor)

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Klint Kubiak)

New York Jets (Out: Nathaniel Hackett)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Promoted

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Ryan Grubb)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Liam Coen)

Defensive coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Jimmy Lake)

Chicago Bears (Out: Eric Washington)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Lou Anarumo)

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Mike Zimmer)

Detroit Lions (Out: Aaron Glenn)

  • Larry Foote, inside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Kelvin Sheppard, linebackers coach (Lions): Promoted

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Gus Bradley)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

  • Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach/running game coordinator (Packers): Hired
  • Jonathan Cooley, pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
  • Patrick Graham, former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed 1/27
  • Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/27
  • Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/28

Las Vegas Raiders 

New England Patriots (Out: DeMarcus Covington)

  • Ryan Crow, outside linebackers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/21
  • Terrell Williams, defensive line coach (Lions): Hired

New Orleans Saints (Out: Joe Woods)

New York Jets (Out: Jeff Ulbrich)

  • Chris Harris, former defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator (Titans): Interviewed 1/29
  • Steve Wilks, former defensive coordinator (49ers): To be hired

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Nick Sorensen)

Patriots’ Jabrill Peppers Acquitted Of Domestic Violence Charges

January 24th, 2025 at 3:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

The legal proceedings surrounding Jabrill Peppers have come to an end. A jury in Quincy District Court acquitted the Patriots safety on domestic violence charges Friday.

Peppers testified in the trial on Friday before the case wrapped up. As detailed by Nick Stoico of the Boston Globe, the jury deliberated for a little over one hour before delivering the not guilty verdict. Peppers had faced charges of strangulation, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery on a family or household member.

Shortly after Peppers’ arrest in October in relation to the incident — during which he was alleged to have choked, hit, and shoved a woman down a set of stairs — he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. The woman had identified herself as Peppers’ on-and-off girlfriend; the arrest occurred shortly after Peppers’ 29th birthday. Placement on the exempt list is commonplace in the case of domestic violence cases, with a six-game length being considered the standard. After seven missed contests, Peppers was taken off the list.

Peppers’ testimony included a denial of the woman’s claims, although he did admit on Thursday to cocaine possession. That charge has been continued without finding, meaning that without further incident for a period of four months it will be dropped. While the woman in question has also filed a civil suit against Peppers for $9.5MM, his attention will now turn back to his status with the Patriots.

Robert Kraft had said the Patriots conducted their own investigation, adding that if the initial report turned out to be true the team would have cut Peppers. The eight-year veteran returning to play in two games before season’s end provided a reasonable indication the Pats did not conclude the initial allegations against him were entirely accurate, but the former Browns and Giants defender may not be out of the woods yet.

NFL suspensions are not entirely contingent on convictions, as many recent examples have shown. Peppers could still face league discipline, which would put his 2025 guarantees in jeopardy. The Michigan alum’s three-year, $25MM extension — one of many Eliot Wolf greenlit for Bill Belichick-era acquisitions in 2024 — calls for $2.5MM of Peppers’ $4.5MM 2025 base salary to be guaranteed.

A suspension would void the $2.5MM number, giving the Pats a clearer path to a smooth release. If Peppers is banned, only his $4.5MM in prorated bonus money would count as dead cap in the event of a release. Still, Peppers’ extension years have not yet begun. It would represent a notable miss on the Wolf-led regime’s part if a release occurred before he played in 2025.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Mike Vrabel, Eliot Wolf Will Both Report To Patriots Ownership

January 23rd, 2025 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Since the Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their head coach, there have been some questions regarding the organizational hierarchy. Despite the major changes, it sounds like the team’s operations should remain status quo. According to Albert Breer of SI.com, both Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf will report to ownership, an indication that there’s no singular leader in the front office.

When Vrabel was brought on, it was assumed that he’d have a major influence over player personnel. That will surely be the case, but it sounds like it will be a collaborative approach vs. the former totalitarian approach under Bill Belichick. While last season’s results left plenty to be desired, Breer notes that Wolf and former HC Jerod Mayo already started making an effort to build an actual football ops department, something that was sorely lacking.

The next step could see the Vrabel/Wolf duo look to improve the “player-development side” of operations. The Patriots had “next to nothing” in that regard under Belichick, meaning there was effectively nobody overseeing the development of bottom-of-the-roster players and practice squad players. The Patriots could also look to improve their football analytics/research department (with Marshall Oium a name to watch) and their sports science department.

Following a dismal season in New England, it was thought that Mayo may not be the only casualty. However, Breer notes that ownership was impressed by Wolf during his first season at the helm. The executive worked on “modernizing the scouting department” and building out football operations. Wolf’s strategy won’t be completely foreign to Vrabel; as Breer writes, Tennessee’s Chad Brinker had a similar Green Bay-centric grading system, so New England’s head coach is already familiar with the perspective.

Vrabel is also familiar with a handful of other members of New England’s front office. Ohio State alums Camren Williams and Pat Stewart are the Patriots college and pro scouting directors (respectively). In fact, Vrabel recruited Williams to the Buckeyes when he was on Ohio State’s staff. Of course, Vrabel has also influenced some new additions to the front office dynamic. Ryan Cowden, who previously held multiple high-ranking roles in the Titans front office, was brought over to New England earlier this offseason. Breer notes that Cowden will definitively be under Wolf in the franchise’s pecking order.

Vrabel also continues to add to his coaching staff. According to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Zak Kuhr has agreed to join the Patriots. Kuhr spent four seasons working under Vrabel in Tennessee, and he spent this past season on the Giants defensive coaching staff. Meanwhile, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that John Streicher is also joining the staff in New England. “Stretch” spent this past year as the Rams game management coordinator, and he also has experience working alongside Vrabel in Tennessee.

The Patriots’ first season in their post-Belichick era revealed some major cracks in the organization’s foundation. While the team still isn’t operating with a traditional front office hierarchy, it doesn’t sound like there will be any power struggle between some of the team’s major voices.

Coaching Rumors: Bears, Washington, Packers, 49ers, Allen, Giants, Pats, Bengals

January 23rd, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Panthers and Colts are recent examples of an incoming coaching staff keeping a coordinator in place, the Bears‘ 2024 coordinators will not stick around like Ejiro Evero and Gus Bradley did elsewhere. Neither Thomas Brown nor DC Eric Washington will be retained under Ben Johnson, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns notes. O-line coach Chris Morgan, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and interim OC Chris Beatty are also out in Chicago. This is not especially surprising, as new staffs regularly want to bring in their own hires.

Brown, 38, will be on his way to a fourth team in four years. The former Sean McVay assistant spent the 2023 season alongside Evero, as Carolina’s OC, and moved from pass-game coordinator to interim OC to interim HC in Chicago last year. The Bears went 1-4 under Brown, who has received OC interest elsewhere. Washington came over from the Bills in 2024, when Matt Eberflus replaced Alan Williams after calling the signals himself for most of the 2023 season. Washington, 55, only took over play-calling duties in 2024 when the Bears fired Eberflus.

Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:

  • Teams making HC hires will expand the OC and DC carousels, and the Bears’ entrance on the coordinator market revealed interest in Dennis Allen. The rumored favorite to follow Johnson to Chicago, Allen may also have heard from the 49ers, as ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner indicates the NFC West team showed some interest in the ex-Bengals DC. Allen, though, may have been a Robert Saleh contingency plan. Although Allen has been closely linked to the Bears, Saleh is still in the mix for the Jaguars — with a second interview scheduled — and Raiders. The Cowboys also met with the former Jets HC, who would seem likely to rejoin the 49ers if his HC paths close.
  • Speaking of Washington, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones adds the Packers interviewed him for their defensive line coach role. Prior to his one-season Bears stay, Washington was the Bills’ D-line coach for the previous four years. He was Carolina’s DC from 2018-19. With a few DC gigs yet to open, it will be interesting to see if Washington would return to the position coach level early rather than wait on a potential lateral move. Green Bay is also interviewing Tampa Bay D-line coach Kacy Rodgers for the role, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds Rodgers’ Buccaneers contract is up.
  • Former defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel will change facilities, but he will (presumably) not need to relocate. The four-year Jets safeties coach is joining the Giants as their DBs coach, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. A former NFL safety who ascended to the role of Falcons DC in the late 2010s, Manuel has been an NFL staffer since 2012. The Giants went 3-14 but did not fire their head coach or their coordinators, but Shane Bowen — after retaining some holdover staffers last year — is bringing in his own guy to replace Jerome Henderson, who spent five years in the role.
  • The Patriots already have a “new” OC-DC tandem, with Josh McDaniels’ third stint in the play-calling role accompanying Terrell Williams‘ arrival as the team’s defensive boss. But Mike Vrabel is retaining special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. Springer was not a Bill Belichick hire, but rather a Jerod Mayo addition; he came over from the Rams last year. Pro Football Focus graded the Pats’ ST units second overall in 2024.
  • Vrabel did not retain Mayo’s O-line coaches, and both have found new gigs. The Bengals are hiring Scott Peters as offensive line coach, with Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson adding ex-Pats assistant O-line coach Michael McCarthy to the same role in Cincinnati. Peters spent four seasons under Bill Callahan as Browns assistant O-line coach and, per Hobson, had spent previous time serving as a UFC trainer for Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. Zac Taylor played under Callahan at Nebraska, creating a natural tie here. The Bengals fired Frank Pollack from the O-line coaching role at season’s end.

Patriots Hire Terrell Williams As DC

January 22nd, 2025 at 7:41am CST by Sam Robinson

Familiarity will continue to play a lead role for Mike Vrabel as he fills out his first Patriots coaching staff. After Josh McDaniels‘ New England return became official, the new Patriots HC will make one of his former Titans assistants McDaniels’ counterpart on defense.

Terrell Williams will come over from the Lions to become Vrabel’s defensive coordinator, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss report. The hire has since been confirmed. This had become a rumored scenario, and it will reunite Vrabel and Williams after a year apart. Prior to becoming the Lions’ defensive line coach last year, Williams spent six seasons with the Titans.

Williams, 50, spent six seasons as Tennessee’s D-line coach, presiding over Jeffery Simmons‘ rise into one of the game’s premier interior defenders. Vrabel’s 2024 firing led Williams to Detroit, where he helped Aaron Glenn‘s defense remain a top-10 unit despite numerous injuries. Now, Vrabel will give the veteran position coach/one-year Lions run-game coordinator his first DC shot. Interviewing only one other candidate (Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow), it is fairly clear Vrabel had Williams in mind from the start.

Dan Campbell‘s team has now lost two assistants — Williams and Ben Johnson — and appears likely to see Glenn leave for the Jets’ head coaching position. This exodus from a 15-2 team is certainly not unexpected, but it will challenge the Lions to both protect certain assistants from following some of the departing coaches while also finding new hires who can keep the NFC North champions in high gear.

A college assistant for over a decade, Williams has now been in the NFL since 2012. He coached the Raiders and Dolphins’ defensive lines, respectively, from 2012-17. Vrabel brought him to Nashville with a lateral move in 2018. The finest hour for Williams’ Titans troops may have come in a loss, as Simmons joined Harold Landry and Denico Autry in driving a nine-sack effort against Joe Burrow in a 2021 divisional-round matchup. While the Titans’ DC from that period (Shane Bowen) was also believed to be on Vrabel’s Pats radar, the Giants are retaining their defensive play-caller. And Williams will end up replacing DeMarcus Covington to run the Pats’ defense.

Covington’s year in charge under Jerod Mayo brought a steep step down after Bill Belichick had kept the Patriots’ defense as the 21st century’s most reliable NFL unit. After consistently giving Tom Brady‘s teams sturdy safety nets, Belichick’s defense continued to play well following the legendary QB’s exit. The Pats had sported 18 top-10 scoring defenses from 2001-21, and despite Mac Jones‘ significant regression in 2022 and ’23, Belichick’s unit respectively ranked seventh and eighth in total defense during the since-fired coach’s final two seasons in town. Under Covington, New England regressed to 22nd in both scoring and total defense.

Vrabel’s team is carrying the most cap space in the NFL, by a wide margin, and will have some holes to fill. And, as expected, neither Covington nor one-year OC Alex Van Pelt are in line to be part of the 2025 operation. Covington had been the Patriots’ D-line coach under Belichick from 2017-23, before Mayo elevated him to DC. It should be expected the young assistant — who has received coordinator interest elsewhere, including a recent Bengals interview — should land on his feet soon.

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