Leopard’s ‘stunning’ leap showcased in slow-motion video

A rescue leopard at South Africa’s Harnas Wildlife Foundation is an impressive leaper, especially at mealtime.

A rescue leopard at South Africa’s Harnas Wildlife Foundation is an impressive leaper, especially at mealtime.

The accompanying footage, which has garnered millions of views over the past month, shows “Hellboy” leaping nearly 10 feet to catch a hunk of meat tossed over a fence by a caretaker.

“Hellboy in action, slow motion. Absolutely stunning.” The foundation wrote on Facebook.

The footage reveals the power and grace exhibited by Hellboy – and possessed by all leopards – while taking flight and upon landing. (Best viewed with sound.)

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Reads one of the more popular comments: “My favorite of all animals, agile, solitary, silent, adaptive and cunning. I call it the ultimate hunter.”

The Harnas Wildlife Foundation, originally a cattle farm, is a sanctuary for animals in need of care and rehabilitation.

The Namibia facility told FTW Outdoors that Hellboy arrived as a cub after farmers shot his mom in 2011 “as a result of humans-versus-wildlife conflict where farmers retaliate against leopards preying on their livestock.”

Harnas added: “The mom was shot but she had a cub and so the cub came to us. He is to say the least quite a character and an amazing looking leopard.”

Sadly, Helloboy is not a candidate for release because he was hand raised and has lost his fear of humans.“And as such he might come into conflict with farmers,” Harnas stated.

WATCH: Baldy’s Breakdowns highlights the Drew Brees leap vs. Carolina

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees earned a shoutout from NFL analyst Brian Baldinger for his leaping touchdown against the Panthers.

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The New Orleans Saints needed a touchdown, and they needed it fast. With the offense lined up at the Carolina Panthers goal line and the clock winding down, they went with one of their signature play calls: a Drew Brees leap over the top of his offensive line, snapping the ball out ahead of him to break the plane. And it worked.

Those impressive hops from Brees earned a shoutout from NFL analyst Brian Baldinger.

“This guy’s been doing this exact same play for the last, basically, 17 or 18 years,” Baldinger said. “He steps up in these goal-line plays and short-yardage plays and elevates, I mean: that’s good elevation right there. he does this all the time. Even if you know it’s coming. [The defense] knows it’s coming.”

And it still works. The Brees leap has been successful for nearly two decades. Per Pro Football Reference, Brees has logged 14 rushing attempts from inside the 1-yard line since joining the Saints, and he’s scored a touchdown on 13 of those tries. The lone failure was a Brees fumble way back in 2008 against the Denver Broncos, recovered by a teammate. He’s scored on every other try in the following 12 years.

Hopefully this scoring leap isn’t the last one we’ll see from No. 9. It’s clear he still has some gas left in the tank.

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Dwayne Haskins’ progression in rookie season could trend into Year 2 leap

Haskins’ stats in 2019 weren’t great, but breaking down the progress he made as the season went along shows that he could be set for a leap.

Many people are looking at the start of the 2020 NFL season to see if Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins can take the necessary steps to become a franchise-caliber player in Washington. Some think he can, noting the hard work that they’ve seen posted to social media this offseason. Others think he will continue to struggle, noting the long and arduous rookie campaign that we all sat through.

For those who think he can’t improve, however, it’s important to note the progress that Haskins made throughout the 2019 season. Though his year-end stats may have been nothing special, they were bogged down by the abysmal start that he got off to in the first few games. If you were to break it down into sections, it becomes clear that Haskins progressed nicely in his first year in the league.

Of course, all of the pieces matter, and you can’t pick and choose which stats you want to count from which games, but it’s clear that Haskins did start to find a groove near the end of the 2019 season, and the game started to slow down a bit for him. If that trend continues, then it’s fair to believe that he could make a leap in year two.

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Watch: Drew Brees goes over the top on fourth down for a Saints TD

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees jumped over the San Francisco 49ers defensive line for a rushing touchdown in their Week 14 game.

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Faced with a short fourth-and-goal in a one-score game, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton made the easy call and sent his franchise quarterback into the teeth of the San Francisco 49ers defense. Drew Brees took the ball himself and jumped over the top of the battling offensive and defensive lines to break the plane and pick up a touchdown to keep his team in the lead.

This one has turned into a boat race, with 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan creating big play after big play against a normally-sound Saints defense. Whether he’s scheming receivers wide-open downfield or fooling New Orleans’ pass rushers with trick plays, he’s picked up an early edge over Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Several big returns on special teams by Saints rookie Deonte Harris and precise execution from Payton and Brees are keeping New Orleans on top, but barely.

If the Saints can hold onto their lead at halftime and make their adjustments, they might outlast the 49ers. But it’s hardly been easy so far, and it should continue to be a dogfight as the game wears on.

You can watch Brees’ big touchdown score in the video embedded below, or at this link:

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