I Still Miss Him

So I'm watching the NFL Thursday night football game on Thanksgiving between the New York Giants & Denver Broncos. Sure enough every time the Giants have the ball, their is one player who seems to be in the middle of every play.

Guess who? None other than Eagles throw-off Brian Dawkins. B Dawk continues to have the keen ability to know exactly where to go to make a play. Although I cannot think of a specific game where I think he might have made a difference in turning an L into a W, his abilities are missed as are his leadership skills. It's clear to me that he still has plenty left & I think the Eagles missed out on that this season. Even as I type this, Mark Millen is talking about how he has been all over the field and his off field leadership is a big reason why his team responded so well this week and the Broncos seem to be making easy dispatch of the Giants.

Only time will tell if it will cost the Eagles this season, but I still believe that it is a shame the this Hall-of-Famer will not play his whole career as an Eagle. B-Dawk, you will always be an Eagle in my heart & I plan to wear my #20 jersey to the Linc when the Broncos play the Birds in your honor.

My Thoughts on Eagles v. Cowboys

At the end of the first half, I said to myself & the bartender at the downtown Courtyard (since I'm staying downtown for a few days), "As bad as the Eagles played, they're lucky they're only down by 4 (10-6 at half)". Unfortunately, the Eagles must have thought the same thing.

The Eagles came out blazing in the 3rd quarter and took a 13-10 lead. However, it was almost like they figured they took the lead & they would coast the rest of the way - WRONG!! At least they played that way. While the Cowboys were doing nothing special to win, the Eagles let them hang around by continuing to make stupid penalties & decisions.

The interception thrown by McNabb I think really started to turn the momentum of the game. The Eagles could have made a big play there as Maclin had a step on his defender, but Donovan under threw the ball & to add insult injury, Maclin grabbed the facemask to make the tackle. I thought that play was a perfect microcosm of the game: the Eagles had a great opportunity to put some distance between themselves & their opponent & they came up short.

I have to admit, I had no problem with Andy Reid making the first challenge. Even the second one was probably worth it when you consider the importance of the play & it being a change of possession issue. My problem with Andy continues to be his play calling. Most of the time when I think he should run, he passes & vice versa. It drives me nuts. Also, why send a kicker in to try a 52 yard FG with 4 and a half minutes left when you're down by 7 and you have no timeouts left? It means, even if you do make the long kick, you still have to stop their offense from getting one first down and the way Marion Barber was running the ball on us, I had little faith that was going to happen.

I have one other bone to pick with the coaching in the final two minutes. How do you not put someone from the jump on Jason Witten on 3rd and short. Dallas knew the 2 minute warning was going to stop the clock anyway, so why not throw a pass. And who is the one person who continued to give the Eagles fits - Jason Witten. I would have lined someone like Quentin Mikell on him from the line of scrimmage and forced him to beat one on one coverage. Instead he got a free release from the linebacker and Mikell was forced to chase him. No surprise Tony Romo found him for the first down & the ball game.

One final note - in my prediction, I said I liked the fact that the offensive line was finally giving Donovan time to throw. That did not happen tonight. Too many times he had the defenders in his face, unable to make a clear read. This inconsistency, along with Donovan's, is the one thing that needs to get fixed if they are going to make a legitimate run at a division title.

Next up - @ San Diego who just beat the Giants. So it's not going to get any easier. Here's hoping that inconsistency (& Brian Westbrook) get corrected soon!

World Series Review and a Return to My First Love

I think I can sum up the reason why the Yankees won and Phillies lost in one word - patience. The Yankees had it and the Phillies didn't. For me, the turning point in the World Series came in Game 3 in two crucial moments. Up to these two events, things seemed to be going their way since they had already accomplished a split in the Bronx making the series 1-1 with the next three games at home where they had been virtually unbeatable in the past two post-seasons.

In the first instance, the Phillies had the bases loaded with one out in the second inning. They had just taken a 2-0 lead when Jimmy Rollins worked a walk off of Andy Pettitte to force in a run. The next batter was Shane Victorino. Now after seeing his teammate get walked with the bases loaded, he should've thought to himself, "Gee! Maybe he's having some control issues & I should be selective with what I swing at.". But no, Victorino swang away at the first two pitches & they were both way out of the strike zone. Ultimately, he hit a sacrifice fly to score a 3rd run, but he was then hitting under the pitcher's terms since he was behind in the count. The Phillies only scored 3 runs that inning, but what was a good inning could have been a great inning if Victorino had a little more patience.

The second situation happened two innings later when Cole Hamels, who had been cruising in the first 3 innings gave up a walk to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira with two outs. Cole was upset by the pitch that was called Ball 3 as he thought it was a strike and would have meant Teixeira had struck out and the inning was over. I thought replay showed that it probably was a strike, but Hamels lost his patience and delivered a poor pitch for Ball 4. He continued to "lose his cool" in his careless approach to Alex Rodriguez who ended up hitting a 2 run home run off the right field camera in the first use of instant replay in the World Series. A little more patience by Cole there could have gone a long way to settling himself down and clearing his mind to allow him to have a better approach against one of the best hitters in the game. At that point, the Phillies were up 3-2, but I did not have a good feeling anymore about that game and the series in general. Sure enough, Cole's struggles continued the next inning when I still feel like he had that defeated look and he ended up surrendering the lead which the Phillies would never get back.

Ultimately, I look at those two events as the turning point in the Series, but there were other instances where the Yankees showed patience and Phillies did not. How many times, especially in the late innings did catcher Jorge Posada talk to the Yankees pitcher and infielders to make sure everyone was on the same page. Contrast that with the Phillies approach in Game 4 when Johnny Damon got a two out single. With Mark Teixeira at the plate, the Phillies were playing the over shift for the left handed hitter and no one was covering 3rd base. When Damon stole 2nd, he saw that no one was still covering 3rd and he made a break for it. After Damon got the hit, having some patience to go over the scenario if Damon did try steal and who would cover 3rd would have avoided the whole embarrassing situation and the need that Brad Lidge felt to go away from his best pitch, the slider since there was a man on 3rd.

Patience was the difference and now patience is what we will need to wait through another offseason and listening to all those bragging New Yorkers.

Well, if anything it means I can now give my focus to my true love of the sports world - the Eagles! Just in time, they are playing the Cowboys on Sunday night football with first place in the division on the line. I am still of the belief that the Cowboys are overrated because of their name and especially their quarterback, Tony Romo. In the Giants game, the Eagles offensive line finally started giving Donovan McNabb the time he needed to throw. If that continues, look for Donovan to expose the Dallas' suspect secondary. All in all, I like the Eagles chances to give the city a much needed lift after the disappointment of the World Series.

My prediction: Eagles 34, Cowboys 20.

Quick World Series Preview

Someone asked me for my prediction for the World Series. I can’t go into a whole breakdown as I have been busy with my new job, but I figured I’d go position by position and say who I think has the edge. So, here goes:

1st Base (Phillies – Ryan Howard; Yankees – Mark Teixeira): Phillies
2nd Base (Phillies – Chase Utley; Yankees – Robinson Cano): Phillies
Shortstop (Phillies – Jimmy Rollins; Yankees – Derek Jeter): Push
3rd Base (Phillies – Pedro Feliz; Yankees – Alex Rodriguez): Yankees
Catcher (Phillies – Carlos Ruiz; Yankees – Jorge Posada): Yankees
Left Field (Phillies – Raul Ibanez; Yankees – Johnny Damon): Phillies
Center Field (Phillies – Shane Victorino; Yankees – Melky Cabrera): Phillies
Right Field (Phillies – Jason Werth; Yankees – Nick Swisher): Phillies
Designated Hitter (Phillies – Francisco/Stairs; Yankees – Hideki Matsui): Yankees
Starting Pitching: Phillies
Relief Pitching: Yankees
Bench: Yankees
Managers (Phillies – Charlie Manuel; Yankees – Joe Girardi): Phillies

That gives the Phillies an edge as I see it in the different phases of the game 7 to 5 with 1 push. The push at SS is based on Jimmy Rollins defensive abilities in comparison to Jeter’s. Rollins has so much more range. He is also the emotional leader of the team and he seems to be getting his bat back too. If Jimmy continues to hit well, SS could become an advantage for the Phillies. At catcher, if Carlos (Señor Octobre) Ruiz continues to hit the way he has this post season, catcher becomes an advantage for the Phillies. The Phillies also have a clear advantage all across the outfield.

However, as is always the case with baseball, it comes down to pitching. I give the Phillies the edge at starting pitching because they go deeper than the Yankees. CC Sabathia is a great pitcher, but his numbers against the Phillies have been less than impressive. In 5 starts against the Phillies, including one in the NLDS last year for the Brewers, he has a 1-2 record with a 5.51 ERA. If he pitches Games 1 and 4, the Phillies will probably only have to beat him once to win the series. As for relief pitching, I give a slight nod to the Yankees because I am still concerned about Brad Lidge. Mariono Rivera is a Hall of Fame closer and Lidge has still been shaky. If Lidge finds his 2008 form, then this becomes a push at worst for the Phillies.

All in all, I like the Phillies chances. My prediction: Phillies in 6.

Eagles-Chiefs Preview

I didn't have a full opportunity to do a full preview this week, but knowing what I know about the Eagles and the Chiefs, I don't think a full breakdown is needed. As long as the Eagles don't take the same haphazard approach in preparing for this game as I'm doing for this blog, they should have little difficulty with the young, rebuilding Chiefs no matter who lines up at quarterback.

The one trend I will point out that works against the Eagles is the fact that Andy Reid has a losing record (3-7) on the week before the bye, which is what this week is. The Eagles have also not fared well against the AFC during Reid's tenure. All that said, unless the Eagles beat themselves, I don't see how they lose this game.

My prediction: Eagles 30, Chiefs 12.

Review of Eagles Week 2

Unfortunately, I was correct in my prediction that the Eagles would lose Week 2 to the Saints. I know a lot of people point to the fact that the Eagles had back up quarterback Kevin Kolb in the game instead of the injured Donovan McNabb, but I believe the Eagles would have lost that game even if McNabb would have played.

Instead the special teams I feel deserve most of the blame for this loss. Obviously the easy goat is Ellis Hobbs for fumbling the opening kickoff of the second half. The two Eagles turnovers at the start of the second half turned a close game into a runaway. I want to focus on a special teams blunder that I thought actually may have been bigger. It was by one of my favorite players too. With a few minutes left in the 1st half and with the score tied 10-10, DeSean Jackson decided to try and return a punt from the 5 yard line. Veteran punt returners know you are better off letting those punts go into the endzone and let the offense take over at the 20 yard line. While DeSean got a great return, a penalty got called which meant that the Eagles got the ball half the distance to the endzone from where he caught it - the 2 1/2 yard line.

That blunder set up a situation where the Eagles had to play conservative being so close to their own endzone. This gave the Saints great field position which they converted into a touchdown, leaving the Eagles with some, but limited time. As a result, the Eagles were able to move the ball, but with time running out they had to settle for a field goal. Score at the half: 17-13. That misplay by Jackson set that whole string of plays up. Had he let the ball go into the endzone, the Eagles would have gotten the ball at the 20 and would have been able to play their full offense and at that point, they were having success moving the ball. Between those possessions at the end of the first half and the turnovers at the beginning of the second, the Eagles were in a hole from which they were never going to recover.

Despite the poor result, I would also like to just talk about the experience I had on opening day. There's no game quite like the home opener. The season is still fresh (although there was a bit of a downer this year with McNabb's injury) so anything is still possible. The weather is usually nice (Sunday was absolutely beautiful) which makes for great tailgating and a lively atmosphere. The opening festivities with the full field flag for the anthem and the jet fighter flyover can make your hair stand on end. Finally, I get to be reacquainted with 68,000 of my closest friends. While that last one is a hyperbole, since this is the 7th year at the Linc, I have gotten to know many of the people around me and it was good to see all the familiar faces again.

This season was a little different for me though. My usual "partner-in-crime" at all these games was not going this year and I wanted to find someone extra special to take & experience the magic of a home opener. Knowing that Jen would NEVER go to an Eagles game with me, there was only one other person I could think of taking - my dad. He took me to my first ball games as a kid & although I turned into a more die hard fan than him, he was willing to feed into my passion and take me to more games when I got older. Some of my best childhood memories were going to games with my dad, so it made sense that I would take him to the opener.

Earlier this year when I was selling the bulk of my season tickets on eBay, I realized that I had no pictures of the Linc past the 1st season. So I decided I would take my camera this year. It then dawned on me that in all the years of going to games with my dad, I had no pictures of the two of us at one. So I made sure that got corrected as well. The picture below is that shot & it is one I will cherish the rest of my life. Dad, I love you.

A bit of trivia for my family: do you notice anything about my dad in the picture? (Kristel can't answer as we already discussed it).

Eagles Review of Week 1 and Preview of Week 2

After predicting that the Eagles would lose the season opener to the Panthers, I am more than happy to eat a little crow. What I didn't count on was the fact that the best player for the Birds turned out to be Jake Delhomme. I give new defensive coordinator Sean McDermott a lot of credit for the game plan he drew up which forced Jake into a lot of bad decisions. It was a defensive masterpiece that would have made his mentor, the late Jim Johnson, proud.

Unfortunately for the defense, they were over shadowed by the big news of the game - Donovan's injury. I've been waiting to post my prediction for this week to see if there would be any good news on McNabb's injury and whether he'd be available this week. At this point, it is looking like Kevin Kolb might get his first start in the NFL this Sunday.

To be completely honest, I think this makes this week's game against the Saints very hard to pick. The Saints have a dynamic offense and Drew Brees will not be as easily forced into turnovers as Jake Delhomme was. I think the defense will have to play even better this week if they want to hold the Saints under 30 points.

All this means that the offense will have to produce points. Last week's 38-10 score was deceiving from an offensive standpoint. Consider that the special teams scored 1 touchdown, defense scored 1 touchdown and the defense set the offense up on the 10 yard line for another. That's 21 points essentially scored by defense and special teams, leaving the offense only responsible for 17 points.

This week they will have to do better with a back up quarterback. Normally you would think that this all adds up to an Eagles loss, but Andy Reid seems to thrive on developing winning game plans for back ups. He has done so with Koy Detmer, AJ Feeley and Jeff Garcia. Because of this, I wouldn't count the Eagles out so easily on this one.

Hopefully, not having Donovan will force the Eagles to run more, which is something they were very effective doing in Week 1. I have been very impressed with Jason Peters as a run blocking tackle, although his pass blocking still needs improvement. Fullback Leonard Weaver has also been a great addition to the running game. Running the ball more will also keep the explosive Saints offense off the field and could shorten the game. I know Andy Reid loves to pass the ball, but this is one week that screams for them to run. If they do, I think they have a real chance to win this game.

Alas, I think though that Andy will give into his passing side and that will spell doom for the Eagles. Ironically, before the season started, I had predicted the Eagles would be 1-1 after 2 weeks, I just had the games reversed.

My prediction: Saints 34, Eagles 26.

Preview of Season Opener

The Eagles kickoff their season tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM against the Carolina Panthers. If you recall, when I first did my schedule analysis, I put this as an L on the schedule. Unfortunately, nothing has transpired which would make me change this prediction.

First of all is history. In the previous 10 seasons under Andy Reid, the Eagles opening game record is 4-6. Of those 4 wins, only one was an upset and many of the six losses were in games where the Eagles were favored. For a coach who has had a very good win/loss record, it continues to puzzle me how they have done so poorly in season openers.

However, the main reason I believe that the Eagles will lose has to do with their offensive line. It has had no continuity in practices and preseason games and we just learned yesterday that Shawn Andrews is definitely out at right tackle. That means that the person responsible to block Julius Peppers will be none other than Winston Justice. I'm already having flashbacks to the Sunday night Giants game when Justice was like a piece of swiss cheese and Donovan spent most of the night on his back. The Panthers know how to rush the quarterback and although I think the Eagles will have a very explosive offense this year, I think we will have to wait a week to see it.

All this said, the season is not lost. I think the next few weeks set up favorably for them. Although, I'll predict a Carolina win, I expect the Eagles will bounce back and have a good season.

My prediction: Panthers 23, Eagles 13.

Eagles Preseason Review

Well the Eagles have concluded their preseason schedule with a 1-3 record. As I said in prior posts, the preseason scores & records really mean nothing, but you can pick up on some things good and bad that then translate to the regular season.

For instance, last year you could tell instantly in the preseason that DeSean Jackson was a real talent and when the regular season started he kept up the great play. On the other side, I think of two years ago when the return game showed that there were issues in the preseason and sure enough a few misplayed punts cost them against the Packers in the first game and Reno Mahe found himself employed by an NFL team the next week.

So what do I take from this preseason. To be honest, I have a confession - I only watched the first two games. Those of you who know me personally are aware that I started a new job and my online training took up most of the third game. I did see the last two minutes in order to see David Akers kick the game winning field goal. As for the fourth game, I watched a little but hardly any of the starters played and the Phillies v Giants game became much more intriguing as there was a great pitching duel between Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincicum (one the Phillies won I might add). Once I got watching a baseball game that had a playoff atmosphere, a meaningless preseason football game became even more boring.

So from what I did see, I liked a lot from what I saw from rookie running back LeSean McCoy. I think he'll be a great back up to Westbrook and is his obvious eventual successor. Donovan showed me he is ready to be a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback, if he has time. That brings me to one of my biggest concerns - the health and continuity of the offensive line. I am hoping that their lack of playing time was a result of an abundance of caution from the coaching staff that they didn't want them to get more banged up. But the lack of depth at those positions is startling.

My other major concern is leadership on defense. I still think that the loss of coach Jim Johnson, free safety Brian Dawkins and linebacker Stewart Bradley will have huge implications in this area. I specifically think of the play against the Colts in game 2 where they gave up a deep ball where the defense clearly was not communicating. Initially, the commentator Darryl “Moose” Johnston totally got the play wrong. He criticized Eagles corner back Ellis Hobbs for not following with Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, but it seemed clear to me that the mistake was by the safeties and Johnston eventually recognized that. The Eagles always play that zone where the corners are responsible for the short routes while the safeties are there to protect the deep pass. Well the Colts ran two deep patterns and the safeties only concentrated on one of them. A player who is a leader on defense can recognize those situations pre-snap and call out adjustments. Dawkins and Trotter were great at it and Bradley had been the person who seemed to be following in those foot steps. If the Eagles get beat on a lot of big plays, I’ll be looking to see if it was because they got caught in an unfavorable coverage and no one called out an adjustment. That being said, they were going against a quarterback in Peyton Manning who is an expert at finding those kind of unfavorable conditions.

Well, I just checked the Eagles website and there was no big news on players released as of yet. I’ll be watching as tomorrow’s deadline approaches. I’d still be surprised if Reggie Brown makes this team and I think the only way the Michael Vick experiment continues is if the team parts ways with AJ Feeley. Since Vick isn’t available until week 3 according to the NFL Commissioner’s ruling, Feeley may still be with the team at the end of the weekend, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were him.

First Pre-Season Game Review and More Thoughts on Michael Vick

Well the first preseason game is in the books and the Eagles dropped a meaningless game to the Patriots 27-25. If you remember I said the biggest goal was to come out of the game with no injuries. Well, for the most part, they escaped with no serious injuries it would seem. The only mention of injury either during or after the game was Brent Celek and Jason Peters. Both were aggravations of prior injuries and I could find nothing in the news today to suggest that they will be a problem going forward. Of course, that could be because everything in the news regarding the Eagles was about Michael Vick.

That’s right – Michael Vick is an Eagle. It almost seems weird to say it. I’ll comment more on that, but there were a few things from the game that I thought should be pointed out. The starting defense seemed to do an ok job. While they did give up some yardage and points, keep in mind that they were going up against a team that I consider the pre-season favorites to win it all and that is largely because of their explosive offense.

More interesting was the Eagles offense where there was the good, the bad and the ugly. The ugly was the offensive line. I do know that the o-line that started last night was hopefully not the same o-line that will start the regular season, but if the line doesn’t start getting healthy, I do not like how things look. As for the bad, I was not impressed with the receiving corp. It also concerns me that the only “proven” tight end is Brent Celek. With Cornelius Ingram out for the season, I think the Eagles will need to look to sign another tight end. Watch as other teams cut players for the Eagles to possibly make an addition in this area.

The good was the running game. I loved the performance of rookie LeSean McCoy. He certainly looks like he will be an explosive player and I think he will be a great future replacement for Brian Westbrook. However, the off season move that was probably the least reported but may have one of the biggest impacts was the signing of fullback Leonard Weaver. It has been some time since the Eagles had a true fullback and Leonard Weaver is a true fullback. I was impressed with his performance and look for him to play a big role in both run and pass blocking along with an occasional touch himself.

The amazing thing about the game though was how quickly it became an after thought once word leaked out during the game that the Eagles had signed Michael Vick. As for Vick, there are really two parts to consider – the ethical story and the football story. As for the ethical part of the consideration, I honestly feel that he has paid his debt to society and when a convicted criminal does that, our society is supposed to accept that member back in and allow them an opportunity to rehabilitate themselves.

Let me be clear, I love dogs and I have my own that I would do just about anything to protect, so what he did in my opinion was despicable. That being said, the outrage over the Eagles signing Vick seems to be way over the top and I think a sad state of our society. Consider this – Browns (and former Eagles) wide receiver Donte Stallworth was convicted earlier this year of manslaughter for killing a man in a drunk driving accident. His penalty was only 54 days in jail and the NFL has suspended him for one season. Michael Vick lost two seasons and now that he’s back, some people don’t think he deserves the chance to play. I have not heard that same outrage about Donte Stallworth and he killed another living human being! I know we as Americans love our dogs, but they are not worth the same as a human who was created in God’s image. So, sure, I am willing to give Michael Vick a second chance.

The issue I have with the Eagles signing him is a football one. I just don’t see where it makes sense. Donovan McNabb is still clearly the Eagles quarterback and Kevin Kolb is the heir apparent, so where does he fit in? Everyone’s favorite answer is that they can use him in the wildcat formation where a running back is hiked the ball directly and then runs an option play. While that certainly is a possibility, why sign one player who is only going to be in the game for 1 or 2 plays a game? Roster spots on NFL rosters are rare and the Eagles cannot afford to take one up for a gadget player. With Vick on the roster, does that mean that A.J. Feeley may get cut? Today on the Eagles website, they list Vick 5th on the depth chart at quarterback behind McNabb, Kolb, Feeley and Adam DiMichele. While I don’t expect DiMichele to make the team, I don’t see how the Eagles can afford to cut either Kolb or Feeley, unless of course Kolb is more hurt than the Eagles are telling everyone and he ends up on injured reserve for the year.

Unfortunately, Donovan McNabb has not been the most durable quarterback. Plenty of his seasons have ended prematurely. While Kolb or Feeley have not shown me much to impress me, I think they clearly have a grasp of the Eagles west coast offense and can run it if they have to. As for Michael Vick, I have never been a huge fan of his quarterbacking skills. In fact when he was in Atlanta, I was probably overheard saying “Michael Vick is the most overrated quarterback in the league.” I think he relies too much on his running ability and his rocket arm. As for his throwing accuracy, for those Eagles fans who think Donovan McNabb is too inaccurate, Michael Vick makes him look like a marksman.

Those are my thoughts for now. I guess I’ll hold off judgment until I see how the Eagles can accommodate him on their roster. If they do so at the expense of another position, I may be very critical of this signing. So for now, I’ll sit back and wait.

Michael Vick - Initial Reaction

By now, the news is well known that the Eagles have signed disgraced quarterback Michael Vick to a two year deal. I'll do a more indepth posting about this and the first pre-season game later, but for now, I'm just scratching my head wondering why. Although, as I joked on my facebook account, it does give a whole new meaning to me having my dog named after an Eagles quarterback (picture below).

Eagles Pre-Season Game #1 Preview

First of all, let me make it clear what I think of pre-season games. They do serve somewhat of a legitimate purpose as they allow the coaching staff to evaluate their talent against other players, but for the most part they are a waste of time and highway robbery by the NFL that they charge us ticketholders full price. Well it all starts this Thursday night at the Linc when the Eagles play their first preseason game against the New England Patriots. With all this in mind, here, in order of importance, are the top ten priorities, for the Eagles in this preseason game:

1. Avoid Injuries
2. Avoid Injuries
3. Avoid Injuries
4. Avoid Injuries
5. Avoid Injuries
6. Avoid Injuries
7. Avoid Injuries
8. Execute Well
9. Get the rookies playing time to see who is the real deal.
10. Win the Game

Those first seven are so key. We have already seen two key Eagles most likely lost for the season due to injuries in training camp. Starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley and rookie tight end Cornelius Ingram have both been lost to torn ACLs in their knees.

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know that I really thought highly of Ingram who I thought was a steal in the 5th round if he could stay healthy. Note the end of that sentence - if he could stay healthy. This is the exact same injury that caused Ingram to miss his senior season at Florida. He will now be out for two straight seasons with the same injury. The question will now become whether he will be able to return and play football at all.

Now while I am bummed about the loss of Ingram, I think the loss of Stewart Bradley will be even bigger. Ingram was just potential while Bradley has been starting at middle linebacker for the past season and a half and doing a very good job of it. Someone asked me earlier who I thought would take the leadership position on defense now that Dawkins was gone and the first name that came to my mind was Stewart Bradley. The leadership hole on defense this year will be huge. Think of all the Eagles have lost. They lost their heart and soul with Brian Dawkins, they lost their mastermind with the passing of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and they lost their leader of the future in Stewart Bradley.

So does all this mean I won’t be watching Thursday night? Absolutely not! There is plenty to watch for in this game. On offense, I want to see how the rookies perform, especially Maclin and McCoy. The Eagles have a lot of depth at wide receiver and there has been a lot of buzz coming out of training camp about sixth round pick Brandon Gibson. However, the Eagles have five players returning at receiver plus first round pick Maclin. The Eagles will not carry more than six receivers on the team and they may only carry five. The only way someone like Brandon Gibson makes the team is if one of the veterans get cut. So I’ll be looking at how the Eagles veteran receivers like Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett and Jason Avant play in this game. I think there is a very good chance that one of them is gone by the end of the preseason. My early money is on Reggie Brown.

As for defense, with Bradley’s injury, there is also going to be an interesting battle at middle linebacker between Omar Gaither and second year player Joe Mays, so I’ll be watching to see who starts there and how each perform. The free safety spot is also interesting as the Eagles have Quintin Demps listed first on their depth chart, but I would keep my eye on Sean Jones who was brought in as a free agent. Of course, there’s also the long shot that rookie Macho Harris makes a splash, but I wouldn’t count on it. Finally, while it will probably be too early to tell, I'll be looking for any of the veterans that show a sign leadership that will be so needed as the season progresses.

Well, there are a few things I’ll be looking at this Thursday night when I tune in for that wonderful exhibition known as NFL pre-season football.

Phillies Deadline Deals – the One Made and the One Not Made

Well, the baseball trade deadline has passed and the Phillies made one key acquisition – Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians. While they did have to give up some prospects, they did hold onto the top prospects that the Blue Jays wanted for Roy Halladay. You may recall a couple weeks ago, I said that the Phillies should be willing to part with the likes of J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor just to acquire a player most consider the best pitcher in baseball.

So now that the Phillies did not make that deal but traded for Cleveland’s ace, Cliff Lee, I figured I would share my thoughts. First, as for Cliff Lee, while he is not Roy Halladay, he is an exceptional pitcher in his own right. Of course, well known is the fact that last year he won the AL Cy Young Award. As of today, his record this season is 8-9 with a 3.02 ERA and 113 strikeouts and 35 BB. However, do not let his win/loss record concern you. In pitching for the Indians, he was not getting run support. Run support is usually not a problem for the Phillies offense.

In his debut for the Phillies the other night, Lee pitched a complete game, giving up only 1 run and striking out six. In addition, he also helped himself at the plate going 2 for 4 including a double and he also scored a run. The end result was a 5-1 victory over a potential playoff team in the San Francisco Giants. Clearly, Cliff Lee is also the real deal. While he may not be Roy Halladay, Lee clearly is an upgrade in starting pitching for the Phillies and will be a very good 1-2 punch with Cole Hamels.

What did they give up for Lee? The quick answer is not much. First of all, the Phillies will able to keep all their top prospects, including the three players I mentioned above as well as Dominic Brown who is an outfielder in A Clearwater who the Blue Jays also coveted. The Phillies surrendered pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp, along with shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson. Carrasco is probably the best known of these prospects. The last two years, the discussion in spring training was whether he would be able to pitch his way into the starting rotation. Every time he’s been given an opportunity to do so, he has not faired very well. I’ll be honest, I do not know that much about Jason Knapp.

As for the other two, I think that Lou Marson has a chance to be a nice ball player. He was called up last September when the league allows for expanded rosters and he performed well. He also came up earlier this season when Carlos Ruiz spent some time on the disabled list. Since the Indians dealt their all-star catcher in Victor Martinez, hopefully Marson will get some playing time in the majors and I wish him well. As for shortstop Jason Donald, I think it’s pretty clear he was going to have to wait a while to play regularly for the Phillies considering Jimmy Rollins place on the squad. All in all, I do not see where the Phillies gave up much of their future roster to acquire Cliff Lee.

However, there are two criticisms I have of this acquisition. First of all, Cliff Lee is a left handed pitcher and secondly, he’s not Roy Halladay. Cliff Lee being left handed makes the starting rotation very left hand dominant. Lee, Hamels, Happ & Moyer are all left handers. The only right handed starter that I believe should remain in the five man rotation is Joe Blanton. Only time will tell, but I just hope that having a left handed heavy starting rotation does not come back to bite them. I was wrong about Ibanez making them too left handed heavy at the plate, so let’s hope the same is true in this case.

As for Cliff Lee not being Roy Halladay, that concern was more centered around my fear that another contender like the Dodgers or Cardinals in the National League or the Angels or Red Sox in the American League would trade for Halladay. I truly believe that the Phillies have a chance to do something special with this group of players and that is win multiple titles. The last thing I wanted was for another legitimate contender to land Halladay. Fortunately, the Blue Jays stuck to their guns and continued to ask for the world. As a result, Halladay is still in Toronto and will be a non-factor come October.

As with all trades, only time will tell if the Phillies made the right deal in getting Cliff Lee and holding onto their top prospects. For now, GO PHILLIES!! Their magic number to win the NL East is 54.

Eagles Training Camp Preview

Well, this week the Eagles start arriving at Lehigh University for the start of training camp, so I figured it was only fitting that I do my first preview of the upcoming season. The first major concern is the fact that the Eagles still haven’t signed first round draft pick Jeremy Maclin. Normally, this would be big news, but the simple fact is that not many of the first round draft picks are signed for any of the teams. As I explained in my post regarding Donovan McNabb’s new deal, the current collective bargaining agreement allows for an uncapped salary year in 2010-11. Many of these first round picks are reportedly trying to see if they can actually get shorter term deals so that they can then capitalize if there is an uncapped year.

This brings me to the first thing to look for in camp – when does Maclin report. We all remember the great rookie season that DeSean Jackson had last year. One of the things that many Eagles fans know all to well is how complicated the Eagles offense is and how the coaching staff is reluctant to use rookies, especially rookie receivers, for that very reason. Every day of camp that Maclin misses will put him further behind in the learning curve and more in the coaches dog house. In my opinion, if he’s not signed and in camp by the end of the week, I think it spells trouble for the Eagles rookie receiver.

Ad for what else I’ll be looking for, one of the biggest positions that concerns me ironically is running back. Those of you who know me know that Brian Westbrook is one of my favorite players (Go Nova!). Unfortunately, I think that Brian is starting on the down side of his career as running backs notoriously age the quickest due to the repeated pounding that their bodies take. The problem then becomes the depth, or lack thereof, at running back. I really like the drafting of LeSean McCoy, but it remains to be seen how he will transition to a pro offense where he is asked to pick up blitzes, something he was not asked to do in college. As for their other back up, Lorenzo Booker, I am less than impressed.

So at the running back position, there are two things to look for as training camp progresses. First is how much Brian Westbrook is participating in practices. I seriously doubt he will play in any preseason games, and I actually hope he doesn’t for risk of injury, but he should be involved in the practices at some point. Once the season starts, I doubt he will participate in practices at all, but given the fact that there are some new players on the offensive line, I would hope he would get some work in with them before the season starts. The second thing to look for is how the coaching staff feels that the two backups are doing. The way you will know that is by whether or not you hear talk of them bringing in a veteran running back to help out. That will mean that they do not have confidence in McCoy and Booker to do what they want, especially in their pass blocking schemes.

The final thing I will be looking for (or listening for) is the one player I am most anxious to see and I think could provide the biggest contribution as a rookie. That player is Cornelius Ingram – tight end out of Florida. It has been some time since the Eagles have had some regular contribution out of the tight end position. Early in McNabb’s career, he loved to go to his safety valve in Chad Lewis. The Eagles drafted LJ Smith to be that next player, but he never quite panned out to have that connection with McNabb and in my opinion, was a major disappointment. I think Ingram has a chance to be a great addition to the Eagles. As I said when they drafted him, a lot depends on how well he rebounds from an ACL injury he had his last year at Florida, which is why I am so anxious to see how he performs. If he turns out to be completely healthy, I expect great things from him and his jersey might be the next addition to my closet.

Well those are just a few things I’ll be looking for during the Eagles training camp. As the preseason starts, I’ll give more thoughts.

The Tale of Two Pitchers

Tonight the Phillies start the second half of the season against the Florida Marlins. As they come out of the All-Star break, they enjoy a 4 game lead on those same Marlins, so obviously this four game series becomes an important start to the second half. However, that is not the big story for the Phillies this week. Instead, it is the news and rumors surrounding the Phillies pitching staff that is the real big news of the week.

Ever since Brett Myers went down with an injury earlier this year, the Phillies have been looking for another starter to fill out the rotation. So far, they have tried Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and Rodrigo Lopez. Kendrick was a disaster. Bastardo started out well, but eventually the league caught on to him. Finally, I’m worried about Lopez’s durability. In only his second start, he had shoulder soreness and had to leave the game early.

That brings me to the news of the week. As had been rumored for a few weeks, the Phillies announced yesterday that they signed three time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez. Let me state right off the bat that when this rumor first came out, I thought it was a horrible idea. Pedro is now 38 years old and in his last few years with the Mets, he had struggled to get through five innings of work. While I really like Jamie Moyer, that is usually all he can pitch as well. Occasionally, Jamie will get into the 7th inning, but that is the exception, not the rule. If you already have one pitcher who is regularly going to demand 3-4 innings out of your bullpen, can you really afford to add another like him? For that reason, I have reservations about Pedro. (Of course as I write this, Jamie Moyer pitched 7 innings of scoreless, 1 hit ball against the Marlins tonight.)

All that being said, I have to give Reuben Amaro some props on this move. The Phillies only signed him to a one year deal worth the small sum of $1 million. In other words, the Phillies are taking very little risk in this deal. If Pedro somehow finds the fountain of youth, he will be a steal. If he turns out to be an old washed up pitcher, they have not risked that much and can easily release him.

However, I hope that the Phillies do not assume that their search for another starting pitcher is over now that they have signed Pedro. While everyone remembers the domination that was Cole Hamels in last year’s playoffs, easily forgotten is the fact that Brett Myers was a very good pitcher in the post season and he and Hamels were a great 1-2 punch at the beginning of every series. The Phillies currently have no one this year that can fill that role. Which brings me to the real rumors of the last few weeks – Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.

With the Blue Jays struggling at 2 games under .500 and in 4th place in the tough AL East, they have started shopping their ace pitcher Roy Halladay. This season, Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 106 strikeouts, compared to 17 walks. If that isn’t enough, Halladay was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star game. It is believed that the Blue Jays are looking for some top prospects in exchange for Halladay. However, Halladay does have a no-trade clause, so the team that trades for him will have to be a contender as Halladay has made it clear he wants to pitch in the post season – one thing he has not done yet.

Enter the Phillies. The Phillies are one of the few contending teams to have a number of top prospects. Some people have suggested that it may take the Phillies trading current starting pitcher J.A. Happ along with minor leaguers Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor. For those of you who don’t know, Kyle Drabek is one of the Phillies top pitching prospects, currently in AA Reading. He was the Phillies first round pick in the 2006 draft. Michael Taylor is an outfielder, who just today was promoted from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley. In Reading, Taylor was batting .333 with 15 HRs and 65 RBIs. There are many fans who say we shouldn’t give up these three players for Halladay.

What do I say? Can I drive them to the airport?

While this trade would give up three potentially good players, that is all they are – potential. Halladay is the real thing. Many people think we need to think about the future, but for the Phillies the future is NOW! Obviously as the reigning World Series champs, the Phillies have a core of a team that is a championship caliber club. Unfortunately, due to free agency and the like, the Phillies may only have three more years with this core until players like Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels hit the free agency market and then it will be unlikely this team stays together. So you may save Drabek, but he may have no offense left when he gets to the majors in a couple years.

Instead, the Phillies have the opportunity to put together a dynamic offense with one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball – Hamels and Halladay. In the post season, if you have two top flight starters, you are really hard to beat in an extended series the way the majors have set up the playoffs. Remember the Diamondbacks of 2001 with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling? The D-backs road those two all the way to a World Series title.

With the current lineup, the Phillies have a chance to do something very special – win multiple titles. Doesn’t this city deserve that? After all those years of heartache, Philadelphia deserves a team that has even a mini-dynasty and wins two or dare I say even three titles. Halladay allows you to honestly think about that possibility for the next two seasons as it should be noted he is signed until the end of next year. Trading for Halladay I believe would make the Phillies the instant favorite to win the National League and maybe the whole thing.

One other thing to consider: when it comes to the National League, the LA Dodgers are clearly the team to beat, but there one weakness is that they do not have that one ace pitcher. They have several good starting pitchers who would be a #2 starter on many squads, but they don’t have that #1 pitcher, like a Cole Hamels. First of all, if the Phillies got Halladay, their starting pitching would get that much better against the Dodgers, but also consider the reverse. What if the Dodgers (or any other contender) traded for Halladay? Do you really want to face him in the post season? Personally, I’d rather see him wearing the red pin stripes than pitching against them.

J-Roll – The Straw that Stirs the Phillies

Well if there was any doubt, this weekend proved that one of the main problems with the Phillies through the month of June was Jimmy Rollins. In fact, the case could be made that he is one of the reasons the Phillies seem to be suffering a bit of a championship hangover this season. He came into this weekend hitting .212, not exactly what you want out of your leadoff hitter.

Fortunately for the fightin’ Phils, the rest of the NL East has been in a bit of a funk as well, especially as they went through inter-league play against the AL East. As a result, the Phillies were still barely holding onto first place in the NL East.

Charlie Manuel had tried a number of things to get Jimmy Rollins going again – from dropping him to sixth in the lineup and even giving him an occasional day off. Most recently, he gave J-Roll off for four games. Initially, it didn’t seem to work as he came out and promptly went 0 for 8 in his first two games back. But then he showed some life in the last game in Atlanta Thursday night as he went 2 for 4.

Going into the weekend series against the Mets, I was anxious to see how the Phillies would respond to coming home after a dreadful stretch which ended with them getting swept by the Braves in Atlanta. They also entered the weekend tied with the Marlins for first place. As I tuned in Friday night, I was especially interested in how the Phillies started off as I thought that would show whether they understood the urgency of the moment. Sure enough, after new pitcher Rodrigo Lopez put the Mets down 1-2-3 in the top of the first, Jimmy Rollins lead off the game for the Phils with a double. That lead to a 3 run first inning and the Phillies cruised to a 7-2 victory over their rivals.

However, it was just a preview of Jimmy Rollins’ weekend. During the series against the Mets, J-Roll went 5 for 11 (AVG of .455) with 2 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 3 walks for an OBP of .571. Perhaps more importantly, he only struck out once the whole weekend. When Jimmy is getting on base, the Phillies just win. I know that the common wisdom is that the critical hitters for the Phillies are Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, but those hitters do not get RBI opportunities if the guys in front of them are not getting on base. If you want more proof, consider this: as I write this, Jimmy Rollins lead off tonight’s game with a walk and that started a huge 10 run first inning in which he also hit a double, drove in a run and scored two runs (all in the first inning).

All this to say, it’s no surprise to me that the Phillies seem to be turning around just as Jimmy Rollins seems to be turning his season around as well, because as Jimmy goes, so go the Phillies.

Donovan McNabb’s New Contract

This week it was announced that the Eagles and Donovan McNabb had restructured the last two years on his existing contract. Donovan was due to make $19.2 Million over the next two years, but with the restructured deal, he will now receive $24.5 Million over those same two years plus another possible $1 Million in incentives.

At first, I found this curious as the Eagles gave him a pay raise without McNabb agreeing to an extension. At this point, I could bore you all with a long explanation of how legally this may mean that the contract is invalid since there was no new consideration, but I’ll resist that temptation. I’ll take both sides at what they say when they said the reason the contract was not extended beyond 2010 has to do with the upcoming labor uncertainty in the NFL. The current NFL collective bargaining agreement between the union and the league expires at the end of the 2010-11 season. In fact, there is the possibility that there would be a year without a salary cap if a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached, which is why a player of Donovan’s caliber would resist signing a long term deal when it is unknown what the future of the salary cap will be.

Certainly, from Donovan’s perspective, the new contract without an extension makes perfect sense. However, this begs the question, why would the Eagles agree to it? The easy answer is that they want a happy quarterback and Donovan thought he was being underpaid. While $19.2 Million over two years may sound like a lot to you and me, for a star quarterback in the NFL, it is on the low side. In the past, the Eagles have been content to tell their other players that were being underpaid that they need to live with the contract they signed (i.e. T.O.), but this goes to show what exceptions teams will make for a premier quarterback.

The other thing that not doing an extension does for the Eagles is that it gives them time. Time to see what happens with the collective bargaining agreement, as well as time to see how Kevin Kolb continues in his development and time to see how Donovan’s health holds up. Once the next two seasons play out, the Eagles will be in a much better position to determine what they should do for the next few years at the quarterback position. In fact, the only down side to the Eagles restructuring this deal without an extension is the problem it might cause with some other players - players like Sheldon Brown, who want a new contract, but are being told to live up to the terms of their current deal, even if they are unhappy. However, that just proves the point of how important quarterbacks are in the NFL and that the Eagles are willing to make exceptions for their franchise quarterback.

I know that there are a lot of Philly fans that think McNabb is a choke artist and that he can’t win the big game, but if you look at the possible alternatives, it is pretty clear that he is one of the best in the game right now. All you have to do is watch the NFL throughout the season and look at the quality of starting quarterbacks across the league. In my opinion, he is clearly in the top ten among NFL quarterbacks and arguably could be in the top five. Wherever you rank him, having a franchise quarterback who consistently gets a team to the playoffs is a rarity these days and Donovan is in that category. As for winning big games, Philly fans unfortunately only remember the losses like the Superbowl or the NFC Championship Games. They forget all the other playoff games that he has won, along with several big regular season games. In fact, McNabb actually has a winning record in playoff games – he is 9-6. While he has yet to get us that elusive championship, Donovan has proven to be one of the best (if not the best) quarterback in franchise history and he understands that he still has another goal to meet. In fact, according to ESPN.com, he mentioned Superbowl five times during his 14 minute press conference, including saying “With the type of team that we have, I think it's important that we focus in on what we have to do in order to achieve that common goal, and that's obviously to win a Super Bowl.” For that reason, I believe that giving him the raise was the smart thing to do for the Eagles as he represents the best chance we have at getting that Superbowl title.

My Analysis of the Sixers

It has been a week since the 76ers repeated their performance of last year and were bounced out of the first round playoffs in six games after being up two games to one. You may recall that I said I would wait until after the season to comment on their performance, and more specifically, the coaching job by Tony DiLeo. So, here are my thoughts on the state of the Philly basketball team.

First, we’ll start with what cannot be fixed – the roster. As I see it, there are two main problems with this roster. First, they do not have anyone who can consistently hit an outside jump shot. I’m not just talking about 3 pointers. To succeed in the NBA, you need to be able to have some one who can spot up and nail an open jump shot when the opportunity arises. The Sixers have two young players in Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young who are very good at driving the basket, but if there is never anyone who a defense will fear hitting that jump shot, they will just collapse their defense and bottle up Iguodala and Young. A good example of this is Michael Jordan, who was so successful all those years because he always had a John Paxson or Steve Kerr to kick the ball out to take an open jump shot. The Sixers do not have a player like that. Iguodala has got better at shooting the jumper, but it is still too inconsistent to be a regular threat and I do not believe his style of play lends itself to him being that spot up shooter.

The second problem is in the middle. Samuel Dalembert, to say the least, has been a BIG disappointment. He just does not have the desire you need to have to be successful playing against the big men of the NBA. There was a lot of press about after Game 5 about Dwight Howard’s elbow against Dalembert that caused Howard to be suspended for Game 6, but the one thing I kept thinking as I watched the replays was that Dalembert seemed not to react much to receiving an elbow in the neck. Contrast that with Ron Artest who got an elbow from Kobe Bryant in Game 2 of the current Lakers-Rockets series. That elbow was not nearly as bad and, in my opinion, was just part of the play and was inadvertent. Artest blew up and went after Kobe, chasing him down the court to take issue with the elbow. Ultimately, it was stupid for Artest to do, because, given his reputation, he got thrown out of the game for it. I’m not advocating that Dalembert should have exploded like Artest did, but I would have liked him to show some emotion. Instead, he is willing to get pushed around. That attitude in a big man is never a winning one.

Unfortunately, due to the NBA salary cap, there is not much that can be done to fix these problems, especially with Dalembert. He has a 15% trade kicker in his contract and he already counts too much against the Sixers salary cap. I don’t see how another team will be willing to take him. I read some report earlier this week that the Sixers were supposedly working out a deal to trade him, but I think it’s wishful thinking. If they do trade him, I’m worried what we’ll get back to make the trade fit within the NBA salary structure. Deals like this are usually one team trading their problem contract for another team’s problem contract. Maybe a team gets desperate close to the trade deadline next year and the Sixers are able to ship him off, but I’ll be shocked if they deal him in the off-season.

As for the rest of the roster, this team is constructed for the regular season, not the playoffs. In other words, they are an athletic team that likes to run and has trouble scoring when it becomes a half court game. Opponents just will not let you run in the playoffs as they are usually much more focused on getting back and playing good defense. I know there are a lot of fans that are having buyer’s remorse over the Elton Brand signing last year. While he may not have fit what they did in the regular season, it would have been really interesting to see what he would have been able to do in a playoff series against Dwight Howard as his game is much more geared to the half court play. IF Brand can come back and stay healthy (and I realize that is a BIG if), I think that may solve some of these problems.

All this brings me to what the Sixers can change – the head coach. In my last post, I said that I was unimpressed with Tony DiLeo’s coaching in the series against the Magic. Specifically, there were times that I think he just failed from an X and O standpoint. The Sixers started with a good game plan in the series in keeping with their outside shooters and letting Howard have his points inside. However, the Magic eventually adjusted and started using many more screen to get their shooters open looks. The Sixers never made the appropriate adjustments to be able to fight through the screens and maintain the match ups they wanted. The biggest example was at the end of Game 4 when, due to a screen, Thaddeus Young ended up guarding Hedo Turkoglu, who hit the game winning shot. Don’t get me wrong, Thaddeus Young is probably my favorite of the Sixers’ young players, but he is still too inexperience to guard a shooter of Turkoglu’s caliber in such a big situation.

Another pet peeve I have on Xs and Os is scoring coming out of a timeout. I’m not talking about end of game situations where there is a lot of thought put into drawing up a play, but the flow during a game when there is a timeout right before you have a possession. You should have a better than average success rate coming out of a normal timeout during the course of a game as the team should all be on the same page about what is going to happen on the next possession. When watching the Sixers, it just seemed that this was not the case and that is a sign of poor coaching.

All this said, I think DiLeo did an admirable job taking over part way through the season considering his lack of head coaching experience. However, he had the same result as Maurice Cheeks did last year and he got fired after a less than stellar start this year. I think the Sixers should thank DiLeo for helping them in a tough situation and return him to the front office where I’m sure he was doing a good job. Then the team can go out and get a head coach with experience who will be able to try and get something out of this poorly put together roster. Maybe that new coach will be able to light a fire under Sam Dalembert and get him to play like a true big man. Yeah, right!

Weekend Sports Recap

On Saturday, I said that this was the best sports weekend of the year. So let’s look at what happened from a Philly perspective. We’ll go from the bad to the good:

Flyers: After jumping out to a 3-0 lead in their Game 6 match-up with the Pittsburgh Penguins, they came up small and gave up 3 goals in the second period. Once the Flyers gave up the lead, I was very worried and sure enough, the Penguins scored at the beginning of the third to take the lead, which they would never relinquish. In a weird way, the fight when it was 3-0 actually woke the Penguins up, even though Carcillo clearly won the fight for the Flyers. As the off-season begins now for the Orange and Black, one question is glaring: can the Flyers find amongst themselves, someone who will stand up in that kind of a situation and be a leader among this group. I doubt the same thing would have happened if Keith Primeau were still playing.

76ers: After a very exciting win in Game 3 for the Sixers and after they overcame a 10 point deficit in the 4th quarter of Game 4, Hedo Turkoglu hit a 3 pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, giving the Magic an 84-81 Game 4 win, tying the series at 2-2. Unfortunately, I think this spells the beginning of the end for the Sixers. They may force the series to a 7th game, but I don’t think they can win at this point. I also do not want to “hate” on a team while they are still alive and kicking the playoffs, but I might have to write a blog post after this series is over about how unimpressed I have been with Tony DiLeo’s coaching throughout this series. The Sixers actually got a good match-up by playing the Magic in this round and they should be up 3-1 right now.

Phillies: What a weekend! They sweep the first place Marlins in dramatic fashion. First they come back in the ninth inning in Games 1 and 2 and then the cagey veteran Jamie Moyer shuts down the Marlins (again – he’s now 12-1 against Florida) as the Phils shellac the Fish 13-2 on Sunday to complete the sweep. The Phillies are now within 1½ games of the Marlins in what is a very long season. One other thought: although it is early, I am ready to declare that Raul Ibanez is a big upgrade over Pat Burrell in left field. Coming into the season, I shared the same concern as many fans, that his bat would make the Phillies’ line-up too left-handed. But he has remained fairly consistent at the plate, something that could never have been said of Pat Burrell who was the definition of “streaky.” However, it is in the field that Ibanez has been the biggest upgrade. There have been several occasions already this year that I have been watching a game and thought, “Well Pat Burrell would have never caught that one.” The defensive abilities of position players often goes overlooked, but it is so critical, especially when someone like Jamie Moyer is pitching, and Ibanez had two nice catches during Moyer’s game yesterday.

Eagles (after all, that is where it begins and ends for Philly sports): If there is ever a doubt as to which team (still) rules this city, NFL Draft weekend should make it pretty clear. In listening to 610 WIP Sports radio today, the majority of the talk is not about the Phillies sweeping the first place Marlins. It’s not about the Sixers or Flyers and their respective playoff performances. No, it is about the Eagles and their draft choices. They don’t even play a meaningful game for five months, but that is what people want to talk about.

As for the draft picks, I am very pleased with the net result. I’ve done some more research about first round pick Jeremy Maclin and I figured out the reason I ignored him in my draft preview analysis – he simply did not seem to be a possible pick for the Eagles because everyone had him going much higher. The lowest pick that the mock drafts had him at was #17 and most had him going in the top 10. Quite a few teams had him rated higher than Michael Crabtree as the top receiver in the draft. I am also encouraged to learn that he is pretty smart as well as he scored very well on the NFL’s Wunderlich test. Hopefully, that means he will be able to pick the offense up quickly and get on the field his rookie season like DeSean Jackson did. (Interesting query: Would the Eagles have been as quick to draft a wide receiver in the first round had Jackson not had such a big rookie season last year?)

As for the second round, if you read my updates on Saturday, you know I was looking for the Eagles to take LeSean McCoy in the second round. Obviously, I was quite pleased by that pick. I think he will be a perfect compliment to Westbrook and will be his eventual successor. Although it makes no difference in a player’s performance, I also love the idea that he grew up in Harrisburg as an Eagles fan. The only down side that I see – when they showed him on ESPN learning he was taken by the Eagles, who was standing next to him, but his agent – Drew Rosenhaus. For those of you who don’t remember him, Drew Rosenhaus was/is the agent for TO and was, in my opinion, the main reason why the whole Eagles/TO debacle occurred. Hopefully, Rosenhaus won’t cause trouble when it comes to negotiating McCoy’s rookie contract.

In my Day One Recap, I hoped that the Eagles would draft a tight end, a safety and a defensive end on Day Two. Well, I went 2 for 3 (sort of). They got their tight end in the person of Cornelius Ingram. More on him in a minute. They did not draft a defensive end, but they did draft Virginia Tech CB Victor Harris who many people believe will be a better fit at safety in the NFL. As for defensive end, Anthony Gargano made a good point on WIP today. He said that the Eagles believe that 3rd year player Victor Abiamiri will step up and play a big role at defensive end this year. It remains to be seen if that will happen, but I guess I’ll reserve judgment and see how Abiamiri plays.

As for Florida Tight End Cornelius Ingram, the Eagles took him in the 5th round. The common line on Ingram is that he will be a steal for the Eagles if he can come back from an ACL tear that caused him to miss his senior season at Florida. If he would have been healthy, most believe he would have been a second round pick. Let’s hope he is healthy, because at 6’4”, he is exactly what the Eagles need to address their red zone woes - a big target for Donavan McNabb to look for in the end zone. (Plus with Lito Sheppard leaving, you can’t go wrong with getting another Florida Gator.)

The other big piece of news to come out of Day Two of the draft was the Eagles traded two of their fifth round picks to the New England Patriots for their starting corner back Ellis Hobbs. At Andy Reid’s press conference regarding the draft, he went out of his way to say that the acquisition of Hobbs had nothing to do with the Sheldon Brown situation. Sheldon has requested a trade as he is unhappy with his contract. On a scale of 1-10 on the truth-o-meter, where 10 is completely truthful and 1 is the biggest load of crap you ever heard, where does Andy Reid’s statement about Hobbs having nothing to do with Sheldon Brown fall? Try negative 5. Let’s count the corners on the Eagles right now. The Eagles have a Pro-Bowl caliber corner in Asante Samuel. One. Sheldon Brown. Two. They just signed Joselio Hanson to a nice big contract. Three. And they just traded for the Patriots starting corner. Four. I know Andy Reid likes to say that you can never have too many corners in this league, but four? I know that Howard Eskin (the Eagles mouth piece) said that Sheldon will be an Eagle this year, but it still would not surprise me if he was gone before the regular season starts.

One final note: Simeon pointed out in my last blog that I forgot the most obvious “Mc” – McNabb. So with McNabb, McCoy and Maclin, the Eagles will have the “Triple Mac Attack” with their offense.

2009 NFL Draft Update #4 – Day One Recap

It turns out that in the second round, the Eagles did get their running back after all. They drafted Pitt running back LeSean McCoy. After Knowshon Moreno was drafted by the Broncos at #12 in the first round, I began thinking that the Eagles would be better off waiting on the running back until Round 2. In fact, I posted that they should be prepared to move up in the 2nd round and grab McCoy. The fact that he fell to them at the 53rd pick was great news.

Since my last post, I listened to some of the discussion on the Eagles first round pick Jeremy Maclin. I still want to read some more to come to my own conclusion, but from what I’ve heard, he sounds like a great pick-up. He has a lot of speed and he has had some experience returning kicks which could give some relief to fellow receiver DeSean Jackson.

As for Day Two, I’m hoping the Eagles use some of their picks to pick up a tight end, a safety and I still wouldn’t mind a defensive end. All-in-all, the Eagles seemed to have a good first day in the draft. I have not heard anyone say it yet, so I’m just wondering, with the last names of Maclin & McCoy, how long will it take until the two of them are referred to as the “Mac & Mac Attack?”

2009 NFL Draft Update #3

So the Eagles just traded up to the #19 spot to draft Missouri Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin. I must admit that I know nothing about him. I’ll have to do a little research and post my thoughts later.

2009 NFL Draft Update #2

OK, so Ayers went to the Broncos at #18. What is it with the Broncos taking all the players I want the Eagles to have? First they take Brian Dawkins from us. Then they draft Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers. It’s almost like they are reading my blog!

2009 NFL Draft Update #1

Well, the Broncos surprised all the pundits and took Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick. As I write this, the Browns are picking at #17 and TE Brandon Pettigrew is still available. Eagles could definitely take him and I’d be happy with that.

Another interesting name that really surprises me is still available is Robert Ayers, a defensive end out of Tennessee. I never thought he’d get this low, so I didn’t even chart him. But if he’s still there at #21, then the Eagles should absolutely grab him.

Another note, if they don’t get their running back in this round, I think they should definitely go after LeSean McCoy from Pitt in the second round. They may have to trade up to do it, but with their extra draft picks, they can do it and it would be worth it.

Best Weekend of the Year

For those of you who have been reading my blog from the beginning, you may remember that I decried the last weekend of January as the worst sports weekend of the year. Well today I get to talk about the flip side as this weekend is, without a doubt, the best sports weekend of the year. All four major sports have something going on this weekend. The only other time that happens occasionally is at the end of October when the start of the NBA season sometimes overlaps with the World Series, but that is not quite as good as only two baseball teams are playing and basketball and hockey are just starting a very long season.

As for this weekend, the NBA and NHL are in the midst of the first round of the playoffs and since both these leagues feel the need to allow over half the teams into the playoffs, then there is a good chance that your team is still playing. I, for one, am looking forward to Game 6 between the Flyers and Penguins later today and Game 4 between the Sixers and Magic tomorrow. If you’re interested in my prediction, I think the Flyers will force Game 7 to be played Monday night, but will fall short against the Pens in Game 7. As for the Sixers, I think they will drop the next two games, but win Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 as well. Before the playoffs, I would have never predicted that the Sixers would take the Magic to 7 games, but I believe that is where we are headed. As for Game 7, I tell you what I think if it gets there.

Major League Baseball is also now well into it’s season. The Phillies are once again off to a slow April start. At 7-8, they are 3 ½ games behind the Florida Marlins, but after last night’s comeback win against those Marlins (the Phillies scored 7 runs in the ninth to win 7-3), it’s good to remember that this is a long season and there is plenty of baseball to be played. As for this weekend, the Fightin’ Phils can continue to cut into the Marlins lead as they have two more games against the Fish.

However, one of the biggest sports headlines this weekend is the NFL Draft. If you are one of those people who don’t understand the excitement of the NFL Draft and would rather watch the NBA or NHL Playoffs, just consider this – you are in the minority. The past few years the NFL Draft has actually had a higher television share than either the NBA or NHL Playoffs. Now that the new commissioner Roger Goodell has shortened the time of the first round picks from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, it moves a lot faster and the excitement is that much better.

Well, that’s a run down of the weekend. I know many of you are planning to go out and enjoy some of the beautiful weather we are having here on the East Coast, but I have a lot of sports to watch.

Eagles Draft Preview

Tis the season – it’s Christmas time in the NFL and teams are anxious to see what gifts will be waiting for them under the draft tree come this weekend. When it comes to the Eagles, let’s start by taking a look at what should be on their wish list before looking at specific players that they could choose.

I know most Eagles fans are looking for skill players to be added and before the Birds acquired LT Jason Peters, I was prepared to take issue with that position as I thought the left tackle position was too important to ignore. However, now that the Eagles addressed that need by trading for Peters, I can now agree with the majority of Eagles fans who are looking for a skilled player.

Specifically, there are two skill players that the Eagles lost in free agency that need to be replaced. First is Correll Buckhalter, who has been an underrated player for the Eagles over the last three years. As Brian Westbrook’s back-up, he has been a huge contributor for the Eagles. From 2006-08, Buckhalter averaged well over 4.5 yards per carry for a total of 342 yards per season. Buckhalter proved not only a capable back-up, but he was also a very effective weapon when he would be lined up with Westbrook and the Eagles would use Westbrook as a decoy. However, in looking for a replacement for Buckhalter, the Eagles should also think about the long term. They need more than just a back-up. Westbrook will be turning 30 before the beginning of the season and history tells us that as starting running backs get north of 30, their production goes way down. That is due to the amount of abuse their body takes week in and week out. This means that the Eagles should not only look at a running back as a replacement for Buckhalter, but also for Westbrook as well. In other words, they need a future starter.

The other skill player the Eagles really need to replace is LJ Smith. I know most Eagles fans’ reaction will be, “Why do you have to replace a player who never showed up?” But the simple fact is that he was the starting tight end and while Brent Celek has shown to be capable as a receiving tight end, he leaves something to be desired as a blocker. At any rate, the Eagles clearly need another tight end.

The other big need the Eagles have, in my opinion, is defensive end. Since the days of Hugh Douglas, the Eagles have not had a defensive end who has gotten consistent pressure such that he requires a regular double team. I know the Eagles have a full complement of defensive ends, and guys like Trent Cole and Juqua Parker are good players but none of them are the type of player that is going to keep an offensive coordinator up at night trying to figure out how to stop them. One of the things the Eagles really were missing on defense last year was the ability to generate a pass rush without blitzing. I know that Jim Johnson likes to blitz, but sometimes it’s nice just to be able to get to the quarterback with just your four lineman. Generally, the Eagles can’t do that. I agree that this is not their top need, but if one of the top defensive ends drops to them, I think the Eagles should consider taking him.

So who could be available to the Eagles at these positions? I looked at seventeen mock drafts and charted several players at these positions. For the Eagles fans who are looking for a wide receiver, I also charted them as well. For the purpose of the skill positions, I only looked at players who I thought the Eagles had a reasonable chance of getting at the 21st pick, which is where they will pick in the first round. This means, I did not even consider a player like wide receiver Michael Crabtree. These are the players I charted with the school they attended and the average position at which the mock drafts had them going:

RUNNING BACK
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia 19
Chris “Beanie” Wells, Ohio State 21
Donald Brown, Connecticut 31

TIGHT END
Brandon Pettigrew, Oklahoma State 24

WIDE RECEIVER
Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland 22
Percy Harvin, Florida 29
Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina 31

DEFENSIVE END
Aaron Maybin, Penn State 16
Everette Brown, Florida State 17

Of the seventeen mock drafts, the most common pick for the Eagles was RB Knowshon Moreno who was the Eagles pick in 6 of those drafts. The second most common was TE Brandon Pettigrew who was the pick in 4 of them.


So, what is my opinion? Who should the Eagles target? I am actually going to agree with a lot of the local pundits I have listened to this week and root for the Eagles to draft Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno. Moreno is preferable to Beanie Wells as he is a better fit in the Eagles offense. He has more experience catching the ball out of the back field and is much more experienced in picking up blitzes, something that is crucial in the Eagles offense. In fact, many reporters who have sources within the Eagles say that Moreno is the player that they are targeting.

What is the possibility that the Eagles will get him? As I showed above, the average of the mock drafts had him going #19. In 8 of the 17 mock drafts, he was available at the 21st pick. (As I said above, in 6 of those, he was the Eagles pick). In the other 9, he was drafted before the Eagles with the most common spot being #16 to the Chargers. In fact, just as many mock drafts (6) had him going to the Chargers at #16 as had him going to the Eagles at #21. This means that the Eagles may need to trade up to spot #15 where the Texans draft in order to get him. With the extra draft picks that the Eagles have in later rounds, I would not be surprised to see them making that move and I, for one, think they should be willing to do so.

What about a back up plan? Many of the pundits have suggested that if the Eagles cannot get Moreno, they will still pick a running back – Donald Brown out of Connecticut. While this would be a pick that would fill a big need, I think I would prefer them to pick TE Brandon Pettigrew who I think is a better value at the 21st pick. The only caveat to a selection of Pettigrew would be if one of the defensive ends falls to #21. Then, if Moreno is not available, I think the Eagles should jump at the opportunity to draft either Aaron Maybin or Everette Brown. In the unlikely event that Moreno, Maybin, Everette Brown and Pettigrew are all unavailable, then I think that picking Donald Brown would not be a bad pick, but I’d love to see the Eagles slide down a few spots to get him.

One final wild card: I would not be surprised to see the Eagles select a corner back if Moreno is unavailable. With the recent squabble they have had with Sheldon Brown, the Eagles may look to add to a position that they place a premium on. I don’t think they should invest a first round pick on a corner, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it.

Well, if you’re a draft nerd like me, you’ll be glued to your TV tomorrow starting at 4 PM (it’s on ESPN in case you didn’t know). As you watch, spot #16 is the key place to watch to determine whether the Eagles will have a chance at landing Knowshon Moreno. Depending on my mood (and how the Flyers fare in Game #6), I may do some updates as the day progresses. If not, you can be sure that I’ll give my thoughts at the beginning of next week.

A “Big” Addition and My Schedule Analysis

This past Friday, the Eagles made a trade with one of their two first round draft picks. Since the Eagles did have two first round picks, many Eagles fans were hoping the Eagles would use one of those picks to work a trade with the Arizona Cardinals as Anquan Boldin is apparently being shopped. Well the Eagles made a deal with one of those picks, but it wasn’t exactly the trade the Eagles fans were looking for. Instead of acquiring a big name wide receiver like Boldin, the Eagles traded for a little known wide body named Jason Peters.

Jason Peters is a 6’ 4” left tackle who has been with the Buffalo Bills for the past five seasons. In 2007 and 2008 he was selected to the Pro-Bowl. Last year’s selection to the Pro-Bowl was despite the fact that he led the league in sacks surrendered. Why did he surrender so many sacks last year? In listening to the pundits the last few days, it was due to the fact that he was unhappy with his contract going into last season so he held out and missed all of the mini-camps and the entire training camp. In fact, he did not report to the team until right before the start of the regular season. As a result, he was a step behind all season. Part of the deal the Eagles had with the Bills was that the trade would only go through if they were able to agree to a new contract with Peters, which they did. Presumably, he should be a happy “camper” and be present for all the pre-season practices.

So what do I think of the move? I’m thrilled! In fact, I think it is a better pick-up than if they would have traded for Boldin or another wide receiver. Why? In short, while lineman aren’t the “sexy” players, they are what lets you win games. You may recall when Tra Thomas left for the Jaguars, I said, “The simple fact of the matter is that the most crucial part of the offensive line is left tackle. In fact, after the quarterback, it is probably the second most important position on the team. Why? The left tackle protects the blind side of the quarterback.”

All the big name wide receivers in the world can’t catch the ball if the quarterback is on his back which is what will happen if there is no protection up front. Without Tra, the Eagles had a HUGE hole to fill and they did that with a two time pro-bowler. I was getting ready to do my draft preview and left tackle was going to be my number one need. Now the Eagles have answered that question in a big way. (By the way, look for my draft preview later this week).

On another note, the NFL gave me a birthday present on Tuesday by releasing the 2009 schedule. As is my usual custom, I went down the season schedule and predicted the wins and losses. The following is my analysis of the Eagles 2009 schedule:

Sun., Sept. 13 @ Panthers L
Sun., Sept. 20 SAINTS W
Sun., Sept. 27 CHIEFS W
Sun., Oct. 4 BYE
Sun., Oct. 11 BUCCANEERS W
Sun., Oct. 18 @ Raiders W
Mon., Oct. 26 @ Redskins L
Sun., Nov. 1 GIANTS W
Sun., Nov. 8 COWBOYS L
Sun., Nov. 15 @ Chargers L
Sun., Nov. 22 @ Bears W
Sun., Nov. 29 REDSKINS W
Sun., Dec. 6 @ Falcons W
Sun., Dec. 13 @ Giants L
Sun., Dec. 20 49ERS W
Sun., Dec. 27 BRONCOS W
Sun., Jan. 3 @ Cowboys W

This would give the Eagles, 11 wins and 5 losses. My general rule after I go through this process is to usually add one loss and that becomes my prediction. This makes my prediction for the Eagles 2009 record, 10-6. This should put them in the playoffs with a chance to win the division.

One final note, it looks like I may be looking for people to go to a few games with me this year. Those games will be the first two (Saints & Chiefs) and the last one (Broncos). Anyone interested?