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?

Remembering Harry Kalas

Shortly after the news broke on Monday about Harry Kalas’ sudden death, I have been thinking about a fitting tribute that I could give him here. I knew that there would be a lot of retrospectives on his life and what he meant to the Phillies fan base and most of what I would say would just echo those same sentiments. I think all of us in the greater Philadelphia area can recall the memories of hearing his voice and knowing that spring was finally here. Even my wife, who is not a big sports person, talks fondly about how she and her dad used to sit on her parents’ back deck in the summer and listen to Harry call the Phillies’ games. Since there will be several of these types of reflections, I’ve decided to talk about two of his most famous calls and what they meant to me.

The first came on Saturday, April 18, 1987. Since I grew up with the Phillies in the late 1970’s and 1980’s, one of my favorite players was Mike Schmidt. At the beginning of the 1987 season he started five home runs short of the historic 500 home run club. At the time, there were only thirteen major league players who had reached that mark. I had been listening to the Phillies games very intently throughout the beginning of the season and tracking Schmidt’s progress. I had heard a few of Harry’s calls leading up to #500. All of them were basically the same with just the number changing, “Swing and a long drive! That ball is outta here! Home run Michael Jack Schmidt number 497.”

The night before, April 17, he had hit #499. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was in my parents’ basement playing a game and listening to the game on the radio. The Phillies were losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-5 going into the 9th inning. The Phillies managed to get two runners on base, but they had two outs when Schmidt came to the plate. I stopped what I was doing and listened intently thinking this would be the perfect time for Michael Jack to hit #500. Think of it: down by 1 run with 2 runners on and 2 outs in the 9th inning. Then I heard Harry’s voice. I still remember it like it was yesterday. He said, “Swing and a long drive! There it is number 500!” It struck me that he didn’t say his usual, “That ball is outta here!” but I didn’t care as I was ecstatic and Harry made me, a 15 year old kid, feel like I was there.

The second call is probably now his most famous call and the one that has been played over and over for the last six months: October 29, 2008, the second half of Game 5 of the World Series. Jen and I were in Florida with our friends, Tim and Lisa Kenderdine. As Tim and Lisa were sports fans as well, we made sure we got back to our room in enough time to see the second half of Game 5 which was scheduled to start in the bottom of the 6th inning with the score tied 2-2. We celebrated as the Phillies took the lead in the bottom of the 6th 3-2, but were “concerned” as only Philly fans can be when the Phils surrendered the lead in the top of the 7th. With the score tied 3-3, the Phillies took back the lead in the bottom 7th and were up 4-3 as the 9th inning approached. As we all know, although Brad Lidge allowed one runner on in the 9th inning, he shut down the Tampa Bay Rays and struck out Eric Hinske for the final out, clinching the Phillies first world championship since 1980 and Philadelphia’s first title in any sport since 1983.

It was sort of a surreal moment for me. Since we were in Florida at the time, I felt a little disconnected from Philadelphia at the time and didn’t feel the emotion I thought I would feel when Philadelphia’s 25 year title drought ended. Then it happened. Fox Sports, who was broadcasting the World Series, played Harry’s call of the final out: “The 0-2 pitch, swing and a miss, struck him out! The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball!” That was it. Tears came to my eyes and I felt like I was back in Philadelphia, and Harry made that happen.

Note: I would be remiss if I did not point out a great tool for baseball fans that I used in preparing this post as I remembered some but not all the details surrounding Mike Schmidt’s 500th homerun. The website is http://www.retrosheet.org/ and it has just about every box score of every game ever played in major league baseball. Check it out if you are interested in that sort of thing.