From the first week with his new team, Darren Sproles had a sense that the New Orleans Saints would tap into his singular strengths as a small but elusive ball carrier.
"When I got into practice, and I started doing the stuff they wanted me to do, I was like, 'Man, this is going to be a great spot for me'." he said. "It was fun, and when you're having fun, that's when you're at your best, really."
His stellar debut with New Orleans last week left no doubt about how well he would fit in; he racked up 250 total yards against the Green Bay Packers.
The Saints may need a performance of a similarly high standard today when then play the Chicago Bears, who were impressive on defence in a 30-12 victory over Atlanta last weekend.
The Saints did many things well in their high-scoring 42-34 loss to Green Bay, but none of their players will be having much fun if they fall to 0-2.
Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback, knows Sproles from their days playing together with the San Diego Chargers and broke into a broad grin when his name was mentioned.
"I'm smiling because I know Sprolesie," Brees said. "I was in San Diego when we drafted him, I watched his career, so I know what this guy can do.
"I was one of his biggest proponents to come here and be a part of this, because I think he fits in great with this offence.
"Is he going to return a punt for a touchdown every week? Maybe not, but you feel like if you can get that guy in the open field, he makes it exciting. He gives defences something to worry about."
Sproles is a big threat in a small package, the shortest player in the league, at 5ft 6 ins, but also one of the quickest. His small stature can make tackling him, or even finding him, particularly difficult. Opponents who see him breaking into space can be forgiven for attacks of panic.
Against Green Bay, he had 92 yards on punt returns, including a 72-yard touchdown, and 76 yards on kick returns. From scrimmage, he carried the ball only twice, for seven yards, but he caught seven passes for 75 yards.
Sproles appreciates that Sean Payton, the Saints coach as well as play-caller on offence, "got me in space a lot, and that's what I love. That's when I'm at my best".
Payton said that the Saints need to find ways every game to get the ball to the little veteran, who was acquired as a free agent early in training camp when he signed a four-year, US$14 million (Dh51.4m) deal.
Payton said Sproles in many ways is meant to replace Reggie Bush, who left the team.
But he said that Sproles is a special talent who gives the Saints an elusive receiver out of the backfield and can be very hard to tackle in the open field.
The key, Payton said, will be mixing and matching Sproles with a variety of personnel and formations so that opponents are never certain when a play is designed for him.
"He's very smart and he makes good decisions in space and he has a great burst," Payton said. "It's up to us each week to find a way to put the ball in his hands in a similar way that we've done in the past with Reggie Bush. There are a lot of opportunities for us to get him on the field and get him involved."
The Bears have only one game of film to study of Sproles in a Saints uniform. But they certainly will make it a priority to identify him in every formation and track him as a play develops.
"You know, they have big linemen and sometimes it can be hard to find the little guy behind there," said Lance Briggs, the Bears linebacker.
"He's a fast guy with quick little feet; reminds me of one of those old Scooby Doo cartoons. The guy can fly."
Sproles said he understands he set expectations high with his debut performance, but added that he does not expect to be the featured player in the Saints offence in every game.
"Mainly, I just wanted to come in here and just do my part. Whatever they want me to do," Sproles said. "All I can do is my best.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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