Fired for Winning

on November 21, 2008

. 0 Comments

Did OT Ignorance Include Game Official too? Seltzer says “Yes”

Just to continue beating the McNabb/OT debacle into the ground, per profootballtalk.com, ESPN 950 AM Eagles beat reporter Brian Seltzer is claiming that not only did the Eagles QB not realize that the game could actually end in a tie, but an official calling the game ALSO didn’t know that little nugget from the rule book.

Here’s Seltzer’s blog entry:

A member of the Philadelphia Eagles, who wanted to remain unidentified, told me that towards the end of Sunday’s overtime period against the Bengals, the player asked an NFL official standing on the Eagles’ sideline whether there would be extra time, in addition to the overtime. The player paraphrased the official’s reponse, “There’s one more. It’s not over,” thus indicating at the very least that the official himself gave the player the impression play would continue following the first OT.

According to the NFL’s official game summary, Allen Baynes (#56) served as the contest’s side judge; however, the Eagles player could not recall the official’s name or number.

Of course nothing can be confirmed. For all we know the unidentified player could just be trying to cover for Donovan’s ignorance. Maybe McNabb’s PR sensei, Rich Burg, paid the dude off? Who knows. Either way, this whole thing is a mess, and the sooner it goes away (which will be soon if they beat Baltimore) the better.

Published

on November 19, 2008

in Eagles

. 0 Comments

Andy Reid Screwed by His Own GM! Oh wait……

As much crap as Andy Reid is getting for his gameday imcompetence, not enough attention is being paid to his off-the-field work - specifically the draft.

The old NFL adage is teams are built through the draft, which is exactly what Reid’s philosophy mirrors. Unfortunately, Super Dad doesn’t seem to have the right tools to do so. The first 3 rounds of the draft should provide a team with the foundation they need to be successful for years to come. These should be your core guys. The guys you then surround with some strategic free agent signings, the role-playing late draft picks, and the occasional undrafted free agent. Well, lets take a look at how Reid has done building this team’s foundation over the past several years. I’ll go back to 2002 to help see why this team has struggled so much since its Super Bowl appearance.

2002:

Lito Sheppard (1): was a solid CB for several years, but injuries and a soft streak have him being picked on in nickel situations.

Michael Lewis (2a): Big hitting safety couldn’t cover anyone. Signed as a free agent w/ San Fran in 2007.

2003:

Jerome McDougle (1): Ankle, knee, hip, irregular heartbeat, gunshot wound, and rib fractures. Released.

LJ Smith (2): Will always be the TE Reid took instead of Jason Witten. Soft. Fumble prone. Gone in 2009.

Billy McMullen (3): Big WR who couldn’t catch a cold. Traded to Vikes for Hank Baskett after 22 total catches.

2004:

Matt Ware (3): Looked the part at safety, but generally played like crap. Did run a blocked kick back for a TD against Chargers though.

2005:

Reggie Brown (2a): Promising possession guy, but never much more than that. Injuries have made him a ghost in 2008.

Matt McCoy (2b): Reid’s stellar history of drafting LB’s in the 2nd round continued (Barry Gardner, Quinton Caver) with the mighty mite who sucked mightily. I think he had more penalties than tackles.

Ryan Moats (3): One smallish back wasn’t enough for Reid, so he took the bow-legged wonder from LA Tech. Unfortunately, Moats couldn’t grasp the offense or stay healthy. But good thing Andy decided not to go for a big back, since Dallas and the Giants got stuck with Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs respectively in the Round 4.

2006:

Winston Justice (2): Two words: Osi Umenyiora. This is the guy who was supposed to replace Tra Thomas? The dude has no heart. Jon Runyan called him a pussy! Looks like Reid wanted company in the Gutless Wonder club.

2007:

Kevin Kolb (2a): Traded out of the 1st round (to Dallas) and grabbed a QB who has yet to see any significant time on the field. Solid move Andy. Just what your aging, but still capable, QB needed to compete in the NFC East (Greg Olsen anyone?). Hopefully Reid won’t be around to ruin Kolb when he gets his shot in 2009.

Victor Abiamiri (2b): Not going to judge Abiamiri yet, but he made no impact in 2007, and little in the games he’s played in this season. He’s the 4th or 5th end on the team. Not what you want from a 2nd-rounder.

Tony Hunt (3b): Can’t block pass rushers. Can’t block run stoppers. Can’t find a spot on the roster anymore.

2008:

Lorenzo Booker (traded a 4th round pick): Now taking a shot at Booker (even though he’s smaller than Westbrook) was so terrible by itself. It was the fact Reid passed on Felix Jones in the 1st round because of the deal. IDIOT.

I’m not about to say Reid has whiffed on every pick, but this is quite a collection of busts and nonproducers he’s collected over the years in the early rounds. Maybe his coaching isn’t so bad. He’s managed to win a lot of games despite being screwed over by his own GM.

Published

on November 18, 2008

in Eagles

. 0 Comments

Where is McNabb Going Next Year? Minnesota Anyone?

After Sunday’s dismal performance against the Bengals, the next train out of Philly may have the greatest Eagles QB of all-time sitting in first class. The man who almost single-handedly made winning an expected event for this franchise, over a good part of the past decade, is being railroaded out of town by exasperated fans.

Unfortunately for McNabb, Andy Reid wasted his prime years (sound familiar Randall Cunningham?) by surrounding him with mediocre talent, having no desire to run the ball, and possessing some of the worst gameday instincts in football. And with the chants for Kevin Kolb beginning to pick up steam in the upper reaches of the Linc, change is in the air. Whether Reid bows to the call for the bullpen this season or not, the chances of keeping the Houston product on the bench another year seems more remote with each disappointing week. It may be Reid’s saving grace as well. Giving the embattled coach an excuse to stick around one more season.

So alas, McNabb will most likely be suiting up for another team in 2009. But who? What teams will be in the market for an aging, yet arguably top 10 QB talent? Lets take a look:

1. Minnesota
Brad Childress has already abandoned the Tarvaris Jackson experiment for journeyman loser Gus Frerotte 20 games into Jackson’s career (and a 68.6 passer rating). Jackson has all the physical talent in the world, just not the head for the NFL game. McNabb knows Childress’ offense, and would have an actual, real-life running game to lean on in Minnesota. This seems like a slam dunk possibility.

2. San Francisco
First it was J.T. O’Sullivan. Now it’s Shaun Hill. Certainly not Montana and Young. Whoever’s head coach next season in San Fran will need a guy at QB to help restore some semblance of respectibility to the franchise. McNabb gives them that. Frank Gore gives McNabb the run game he needs to succeed, or at least not have to win games himself. And playing in the NFC West certainly doesn’t hurt either. McNabb could make the Niners playoff contenders pretty quick.

3. Seattle
With Matt Hasselbeck’s career taking a turn for the worse this season due to back trouble, and a new coach (Jim Mora reportedly) replacing Mike Holmgren in 2009, Seattle may want some veteran insurance. McNabb knows the West Coast offense they run, and is an instant upgrade to Seneca Wallace. It’s a long shot, but having a high-priced, top notch back up sure would have helped a couple of teams this season (Brad Johnson anyone?).

4. Chicago
Yes, Kyle Orton has played well this season. But is he really going to be anything but a game manager for the Bears? McNabb is a native Chicagoan, and has been on the Bears fans’ wish list for a long time. 2009 could be his year to finally suit up for the hometown team.

Published

on November 18, 2008

in Eagles

. 1 Comment

This Just In: Andy Reid Sucks

Well, after last week’s debacle of an ending, how could a game against a 1-8 Bengals team, featuring Ryan Fitzpatrick, be any worse?

Well the increasingly clueless Andy Reid managed to outdo himself today by calling one of the most ridiculous games I’ve ever witnessed. In an almost amateurish game plan filled with reverses, WR pass attempts, and flea flickers, and extremely light on any sort of attempt to establish a running game against a less-than stout Cincinnati defense, Reid and his equally-incompetent chronie Marty Mornhinweg have now completely nixed the Eagles’ chances of making the playoffs. On top of that, they made Dhani Jones look good!

Reid’s absolute fear of trying to run the ball on the third-and-one on multiple occasions early in the game set the tone for an abysmal day on offense - a day when Donovan McNabb never looked worse, but still managed to get 58 pass plays called. Are Reid and Mornhinweg really convinced they know what they’re doing? Do they really know who their players are and who their coaches are?

The only good thing that can come out of this game is the slight chance that the apparently oblivious owner of this franchise finally woke up at the end of the OT period and said “We f%$#@#n tied the Bengals?!” and began to come to terms with eating the remaining years of Reid’s contract.

They say tying is like kissing your sister, but watching this sad spectacle play out to its less-than-satisfying conclusion was more akin to having your sister kick you in the chuckles repeatedly.

Published

on November 16, 2008

in Eagles

. 0 Comments

Domowitch and PFT.com Engage in an Internet Slap Fight

I like Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News. I also LOVE Mike Florio’s site profootballtalk.com. Sadly, there is little love between the two, and I’m caught in the middle.

Apparently Domo took umbrage to a piece Florio posted about Bucs coach Jon Gruden possibly being interested in the head coaching gig at the University of Tennessee. Florio based this bit of juicy speculation (and we all love juicy speculation) on the fact his Gruden’s wife is from Tennessee, was a cheerleader at Tennessee, and that they own several tracts of land near Knoxville.

Domo apparently thinks Florio, and all Internet misinformers, are full of crap.

To the irresponsible, throw-crap-against-the-wall-and-see-if-it-sticks Internet rumormongers like profootballtalk.com who were suggesting earlier this week that Bucs coach Jon Gruden was interested in the vacant University of Tennessee head-coaching job because he happens to own 3 pieces of property in the county adjacent to where UT is located. Uh, hello? His wife, Cindy, grew up in Tennessee and was a UT cheerleader. Chucky’s first coaching job was as a grad assistant at UT. The Tennessee Smokey Mountains are one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If I had the money, I’d buy property there. And like Gruden, I’m not interested in the UT coaching job either.

Domo doesn’t really say why it is so unreasonable to think Gruden wouldn’t at all be interested in such a high-profile job. He doesn’t even mention Gruden’s half-ass denial that he’d even consider UT. If you’re gonna call some Internet hack out Paul, at least say why it’s so off the wall wrong.

Florio responds to Domo’ cyber slap in the face with this rebuttle - a typically smooth, and well thought out response.

Maybe I simply missed the day in “J” school (actually, I know I did because I never attended “J” school) when they teach you to always accept as truthful and accurate anything that anyone ever says in a press conference, and to ignore other factors indicating that there might be more to the story. Maybe that’s what responsible journalists do — accept everything at face value, and never bother to scratch for something deeper.

I just think this is a case of real-journalism jealousy on Domo’s part. Florio, a lawyer in WV by trade, has a site that gets pounded with readers daily, and he’s blowing up on the national scene. Meanwhile Domowitch, who like I said above is a pretty darn good writer himself, continues to toil out of the national media’s subconscious (he is good on DNL), despite his real journalism credentials. It’s just where things are going these days Paul - for better or worse. Resistance is futile (my lame attempt to attract the Trekkie demographic), but there’s still room for both.

Just my opinion, but then again, I’m just a another jerk with a keyboard.

Published

on November 14, 2008

in Media

. 0 Comments

One Fat Man Calls Out Another - Jason Whitlock’s Top 10 Worst Coaches

Jason Whitlock is an excellent writer, and is certainly never afraid to speak his mind. While what he has to say in his Top 10 Worst Coaches of 2008 isn’t ground-breaking stuff, Whitlock doesn’t pull any punches. And his assessment of who the worst head coach of the season is definitely won’t come as a surprise to anyone in the Greater Delaware Valley.

1. Andy Reid — Eagles

Twice this season Reid has taken the game out of the hands of Donovan McNabb and tried to win at crunch time with his running game. Here’s a coach who loves to throw on damn near every down except when the game is on the line. I also blame Reid for the Eagles failing to trade a second-round draft pick for Tony Gonzalez. Other than the one season with Terrell Owens, McNabb has made a living throwing the ball to the James Thrashes of the world. It’s ridiculous. I’m convinced the Eagles don’t want to win it all.

Anyone shocked? Anyone disagree?

The rest of the list looks like this:

2. Romeo Crennel - Browns
3. Norv Turner - Chargers
4. Jack Del Rio - Jaguars
5. Wade Phillips - Cowboys
6. Mike McCarthy - Packers
7. Mike Singletary - 49ers
8. Mike Shanahan - Broncos
9. Marvin Lewis - Bengals
10. Sean Payton - Saints

Shanahan’s the same as Reid. Stubborn and unable to change what once worked for him. The only difference is - Shanahan actually WON something.

From FFW contributor Jeff:

While Reid is probably not the worst coach this year, he has been pretty bad. I think Reid has done wonders for this franchise since he arrived here. We, as fans, actually expect to win every week, which is a HUGE change from the old days.

But he needs to go at this point. He is costing this team games. Play-calling? Fact of the matter is…he’s just no good at it. He won’t do a better job of putting players in position to make plays. He still refuses to even acknowledge the importance of a legit run game. Our lack of a full-back this year is disgusting when you look at how effective the FB’s have been for the Giants and Skins in destroying our run defense. He can’t just flip a switch and expect the team to have a “running mentality”, and pick up all the blocks when they are just not used to doing it game in and game out.

I’m just sick and tired of it all. And trading out of the first round two years in a row??? WTF!!! Look at this team!

I’m just frustrated. Andy has been great for this city for many years, but its time for a new course.

But….expect this same email this time next year since
nothing will happen.

Published

on November 13, 2008

in Eagles

. 2 Comments

Peavy on the Move to Braves or Cubs - Who’d Hurt the Phils More?

Padres’ ace Jake Peavy is on the move. Reports have San Diego in hot and heavy talks with both Atlanta and the Chicago Cubs. According to Buster Olney on ESPN.com:

The Braves and Padres have settled on two pieces of the package that Atlanta would send to San Diego — shortstop Yunel Escobar and outfield prospect Gorkys Hernandez. The Braves likely would include one of two young pitchers, either Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes. The two sides are at odds over the other pieces in the deal; the Padres are known to have interest in young pitcher Jeffrey Locke.

The Cubs and Padres have talked about a deal built around Josh Vitters, the Cubs’ top pick from 2007. But unlike the Braves, Chicago is not steeped in pitching, and so the Padres and Cubs are in the process of drawing in a third team to their talks, and that third team would be the side that would flip the pitching necessary to San Diego, in order to make the deal work for the Padres.

Peavy, the 2007 Cy Young winner, is under contract through 2013. This can’t be good for the Phillies. While Peavy resides in San Diego the Phils only had to face him once, maybe twice a year. And he was in San Diego - the city where baseball goes to die. But if Peavy comes East (to the Braves), or at least closer to the East (Cubs), two teams the Phils actually have to worry about get that much stronger - especially the Cubbies, who already boast Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, and Ted Lilly.

So in a weird way I’m rooting for the Braves to make it happen. Even though that’ll mean facing down the former Cy winner 4 or 5 times a year, they pretty much suck at this point, and having Peavy would probably be a lot less of a threat on the bigger postseason stage.

Maybe I’m delusional that the Phils are slam dunks to get back to the postseason next year, but this World Series thing has totally gone to my head.

Published

on November 11, 2008

. 1 Comment

Battle of the Conferences - Who Produces the Best Players in College Basketball?

OK, I’m bored. So bored that I went to NBA.com, looked up players by NCAA conference, and produced a 12-man roster for each of the conferences that had at least 12 guys on active NBA rosters, all in hopes of sparking a debate on which conference could put the best team on the court.

Unfortunately I’ve had to exclude the A-10 because at this point they only have 11 active players on NBA rosters. Same with Conference USA, who’s Memphis-heavy NBA presence only amounts to 11 players as well.

Here are the teams. Who do you think would dominate a round-robin tourney with these rosters?

ACC

Dominated by the big three schools in North Carolina, the ACC squad is a bit thin at guard, but quick and versatile up front.

PG Chris Paul - Wake Forest
SG Vince Carter - North Carolina
SG/SF Luol Deng - Duke
SF Thaddeus Young - Georgia Tech
SF Shane Battier - Duke
SF Antawn Jamison - North Carolina
PF Carlos Boozer - Duke
PF Rasheed Wallace - North Carlina
PF/C Chris Bosh - Georgia Tech
PF/C Elton Brand - Duke
PF/C Tim Duncan - Wake Forest
C Brendan Haywood - North Carolina

Big East

My favorite to dominate this tournament, the Big East is deep at every position. They lack a true point guard, but no other conference offers such a balance of scorers and defenders as the Big East does.

PG Allen Iverson - Georgetown
PG John Salmons - Miami(FL)
SG Dwayne Wade - Marquette
SG Ray Allen - Connecticut
SG Ben Gordon - Connecticut
SG Richard Hamilton - Connecticut
SF Ron Artest - St. John’s
SF Rudy Gay - Connecticut
SF Caron Butler - Connecticut
SF Carmelo Anthony - Syracuse
PF/C Emeka Okafor - Connecticut
C Samuel Dalembert - Seton Hall

Big 10

The Big 10 is thick with big, stong rebounders, but isn’t going to wow you athletically. Deron Williams, Michael Redd, and Jason Richardson are a nice trio, but I just don’t think this group survives very long.

PG Deron Williams - Illinois
PG Devin Harris - Wisconsin
PG Mike Conley, Jr. - Ohio State
SG Jason Richardson - Michigan State
SG Eric Gordon - Indiana
SG Michael Redd - Ohio State
SF Ricky Davis - Iowa
PF Reggie Evans - Iowa
PF Zach Randolph - Michigan State
C Brad Miller - Purdue
C Greg Oden - Ohio Stat
C Joel Przybilla - Minnesota

Big12

This roster is solid all the way through, but lacks a true center. The point guard play would be very steady, and they’ve got plenty of guys who can score from 15-feet and in. Could give the ACC a run for their money.

PG Chauncey Billups - Colorado
PG TJ Ford - Texas
PG Daniel Gibson - Texas
G Kirk Hinrich - Kansas
SG Tony Allen - Oklahoma State
SG/SF Paul Pierce - Kansas
SF Kevin Durant - Texas
PF Michael Beasley - Kansas State
PF Drew Gooden - Kansas
PF/C Nick Collison - Kansas
PF/C LaMarcus Aldridge - Texas
PF/C Mikki Moore - Nebraska

Mountain West

A surprise entrant into the tourney, the MWC roster is made up mostly of big role players who will most likely get destroyed in this arena. But kudos for this obscure conference for being able to field a team.

PG Andre Miller - Utah
PG Marcus Banks - UNLV
SG Danny Granger - New Mexico
SF Shawn Marion - UNLV
SF Kenny Thomas - New Mexico
PF Kurt Thomas - TCU
PF Louis Amundson - UNLV
PF Jason Smith - Colorado State
PF Joel Anthony - UNLV
C Michael Doleac - Utah
C Theo Ratliff - Wyoming
C Andrew Bogut - Utah

Pac 10

The West coast boys have plenty of guys to run the show, but will get eaten up inside. The Pac 10 would have battle the Big 10 for the cellar.

PG Jason Kidd - California
PG Mike Bibby - Arizona
PG Baron Davis - UCLA
SG Brandon Roy - Washington
SG Gilbert Arenas - Arizona
SF Andre Iguodala - Arizona
SF Richard Jefferson - Arizona
SF Luke Walton - Arizona
PF Leon Powe - California
PF Kevin Love - UCLA
C Spencer Hawes - Washington
C Brook Lopez - Stanford

SEC

The SEC will give the Big East its stiffest competition. The team is filled with greyhounds who can get up and down the court as well as anyone in the field. They’ve got long-range shooters, maniacal rebounders, shot blockers, and defensive stoppers.

PG Mo Williams - Alabama
PG Rajon Rondo - Kentucky
SG Joe Johnson - Arkansas
SG Mike Miller - Florida
SF Tayshaun Prince - Kentucky
SF Gerald Wallace - Alabama
SF Ronnie Brewer - Alabama
PF Udonis Haslem - Florida
PF David Lee - Florida
PF Tyrus Thomas - LSU
PF Al Horford - Florida
C Shaquille O’Neal - LSU

Published

on November 10, 2008

in College Basketball

. 0 Comments

NL East’s First Move - Olsen to Nationals

The off-season is now off and running as the Washington Nationals followed up news of Matt Holliday being traded to the A’s by trading for Florida Marlins’ lefthanded starter Scott Olsen.

The fiery Olsen was 8-11 with a 4.20 ERA in 2012/3 innings in 2008. He immediately becomes Washintgon’s top starter. The trade also keeps Olsen in the NL East where he has an ongoing fued with the Phillies.

In return, the Marlins will receive a package of minor leaguers, including Class A right-hander P.J. Dean.

I know, not breaking news, but it’s just too painful to write about that delusional, fat bastard down at the Novacare Complex.

Published

on November 10, 2008

. 0 Comments

No Holliday for Phillies - Slugger Going to A’s

SI.com is reporting that Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday is heading to Oakland. The players the A’s will receive are still not known. A strange move by A’s GM Billy Beane on the surface, but reports are coming out that the A’s payroll will increase significantly this season, so they may be hoping to keep Holliday past 2009. Regardless, if they let him go he’ll bring back 2 high draft picks that Oakland always covets. It’s also been rumored Beane is hot after Dodgers’ SS Rafael Furcal. Did he see Game 4 of the NLCS?

The Phillies were said to have been interested in Holliday to replace Pat Burrell in LF, but it was always more media speculation than anything else.

At least now the Phils can truly focus on finding just a righthanded piece to team with Greg Dobbs, Geoff Jenkins, and Matt Stairs in LF. I still believe Rocco Baldelli is the best fit. With his medical condition limiting his ability to play a lot of innings, a platoon is ideal for him. Plus, Baldelli is a Northeast guy, growing up in that baseball hotbead, Rhode Island.

Published

on November 10, 2008

. 0 Comments

Worst. Call. Ever. - Andy Reid Makes Giant Blunder, Again.

It’s too late, and I’m too fuckin’ angry to write about how the Eagles can’t stop the run, Brian Dawkins can’t cover me, and Tank Daniels has already made 2 ridiculous plays on special teams too many to continue justifying his spot on the roster.

The fact I won’t sleep tonight thanks to the rage welling inside of me right now is going to prevent me from exposing on how baffled I am by the Eagles’ inability to run block, how the Eagles continue to win the turnover battle (much improved from last season), and how great Donovan McNabb’s protection was all night.

But the thing my fury over the Eagles’ 36-31 loss to the Giants will prevent me from writing about is just how terrible Andy Reid’s end-game play calling is. How running Brian Westbrook on 2 consecutive plays, against a defense that hasn’t given the Birds the light of day to run against the entire game, may have just cost the Eagles a postseason berth.

As I sign off here so I can return to punching some pillows in the living room, let me just say the Birds battled hard tonight but were undermined, once again, by an inept, too-smart-for-his-own good play caller who could sadly learn a thing or two from freakin’ Kevin Gilbride.

Mother F%^@$#%&!!!! Leave it to Reid to begin killing the World Series buzz already.

Editor’s Note: And at what point does Jim Johnson start getting some blame? His D got gashed all night.

Published

on November 10, 2008

in Eagles

. 2 Comments

Is Carle the Next Pat Falloon?

In a swap of recently acquired, and disappointing defensemen, the Flyers acquired Matt Carle and a draft pick from the Lightning for Steve Eminger, Steve Downie and a pick.

The 24-year old Carle is another swift, puck-moving blue liner the Flyers can’t seem to get enough of lately. After a 42 point season in 2006-07 landed him on the all-rookie team, Carle slipped to only 15 last year. The Sharks dealt him to Tampa in the offseason as part of the Dan Boyle trade. At the University of Denver, he became the first junior defenseman to win the Hobey Baker Award and seemed to be on a path to stardom. However, the Hobey seems to be a NHL jinx the way the Heisman is in the NFL. Granted, guys such as Paul Kariya, Ryan Miller and Chris Drury have won the trophy, but how about Peter Sejna, Brian Bonin and Chris Marinucci? Hobey winners who are not exactly household names.

Barry Melrose and the Lightning gave up Boyle to get him and now unload the kid after only 12 games….seems very strange.

Eminger was a curious acquisition by the Flyers from the start. Paul Holmgren dealt for him from Washington for a first round pick after Eminger didn’t even dress in two of the seven playoff games against Philadelphia last season. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Caps aren’t exactly loaded on defense, and he couldn’t even crack the lineup everyday?

Quick, name three other defenseman on that Caps team from last year…..exactly, can’t do it.

Eminger may have sealed his fate after he tripped over himself twice on Thursday in Ottawa, leading to two ridiculous scoring chances for the Sens. What’s more amazing? The fact Homer traded a first rounder for this guy, or that he actually got some value in return for him?

Downie is the most interesting part of this trade to me. He seemed like the perfect Flyer. Tough and talented with a mean streak. A notorious pest in Juniors for three different teams in the OHL, Downie also put up solid offensive numbers and seemed to be a modern day Ken Linseman in waiting. It turned out that the only things Flyers fans will remember is the hit on Dean McAmmond that drew a 20-game suspension, and the sucker punch on Jason Blake of the Maple Leafs (I’m trying to forget all his penalties and turnovers in the playoffs). Good thing the Phantoms are only across the parking lot because it seemed he was shuttled back and forth between the AHL and the big club almost every other day. Was he a winger or a center? A grinder or a goal scorer? Nobody seemed to know. For his sake, hopefully somebody figures that out for him in Tampa.

The great thing about the Flyers is that they never wait around if things aren’t working. The defense has been brutal and Eminger and Downie didn’t seem to fit. Holmgren feels his new acquisition can become a top-four defenseman, something Eminger clearly was not. Can Carle cash in on the tremendous potential he seems to possess? At first, this trade didn’t mean much to me but now I’m excited to watch him on a nightly basis. Will he join Pat Falloon and Alexander Daigle on the list of talented guys the Flyers took a chance on but never panned out? Or will he become another piece to the young core already in place?

It’s going to be very interesting to find out…

Editors Note: In his Flyers debut, Carle played almost 20 minutes at even strength, the most of anybody on the team. His 25:50 of total ice time was second to only Kimmo Timonen.

Published

on November 9, 2008

in Flyers

. 0 Comments

Run Game a Giant Problem This Week - Eagles Week 10 Preview

On Sunday night, riding a 3-game winning streak, the Eagles will attempt to put the NFL on notice that they are, once again, legit. That’s exactly what beating a very good team, in this case the 7-1 Giants, will do.

The Giants have not suffered a Super Bowl hangover, looking dominant at times (Seattle,Dallas, St. Louis), and finding ways to win when they’re not playing their best (Cincinnati, Washington, Pittsburgh). A combination the Eagles have struggled to master.

When the Giants have the ball on offense the Eagles will have to concentrate on stopping the Giants’ 3-headed running attack - Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, Ahmad Bradshaw - that all average over 5 yards a carry. New York will try to run it right into Philly’s smallish line behind guards Rich Seubert and Chrs Snee, both excellent run blockers. With star receiver, and Eagle-killer, Plaxico Burress seemingly disconnected with Eli Manning, shutting down Jacobs and company will be priority one.

Offensively the Eagles need to protect Donovan McNabb. I’m not going to predict that Andy Reid is going to finally establish the run game anymore, because I’ve learned at this point it just ain’t gonna happen. Reid is going to continue putting the ball in the air over and over again. Last season that didn’t work out to well against this Giants bunch. Winston Justice still gets night sweats over that 12-sack game Reid subjected him to in 2007. This year there’s no Osi Umenyiora, and no Justice at LT, but the Giants still have Justin Tuck (8.5 sacks), Mathias Kiwanuka (6.0), Fred Robbins (5.5), and Dave Tollefson (3.5) to terrorize McNabb. The Giants secondary is good but no infallible. Give McNabb time and it can be had. Good luck with that. The Birds’ best bet to slow the rush down is to A) run the ball B) screens…lots of screens. Put a little hesitation into their heads and give McNabb that extra half-second to get rid of the ball.

Prediction

The Birds and Giants always play close games. A fumble here, a punt return there, are usually the difference in these contests. I see no reason that changes this week. Both teams are solid, and will come out swinging. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win though, and because of that I have to give the edge to the Giants, who are just playing better ball right now.

Eagles 16 New York 20

Published

on November 8, 2008

in Eagles

. 0 Comments

Are the Sixers Still Relevant in Philadelphia?

I was a child of the 80’s. I hated Ricky Schroder because he had that train in this living room and that awesome race car bed on Silver Spoons. I rode my Huffy Wrangler around Wyncote and Glenside. And I still actually cared about the 76ers.

I went to a lot of Sixers games back in the early 80’s, and man was it great. The Spectrum was electric, and you felt like you were seeing something special every night. Erving, Cheeks, Dawkins, Malone, and Toney were all special players. No tattoos. No thug-life. No piped in hip-hop music trying to make you feel like the game was more exciting than it was. It was just hard-nosed basketball, Dave Zinkoff, high socks, and most importantly, winning. The Sixers were a part of the Philadelphia fabric.

But what happened? How did it all slip away? Was it a cultural shift? Did the street culture of basketball that began creeping into NBA arenas in the late 80’s turn away the blue collar Sixers fan? Was it those horrific starred unis the introduced in 1991? Or was it just all the losing they did for almost a decade between Barkley and Iverson? Probably a nice mixture of all three.

The Sixers never had the hard core fan base the Flyers enjoy, and who show up regardless of how putrid the product is on the ice. From their inception, the Flyers had been woven into the city’s DNA with their guts and knuckles style of play. And regardless of how the team was doing fans could relate to guys like Kevin Dineen, Rick Tocchet, and Mike Ricci. Not to guys like Shawn Bradley, Sharone Wright, and Andrew Lang.

For one improbable season, AI and a bunch of role players got the city to recognize that pro basketball still existed in this town. They played hard, and the city ate it up. But even that was a mirage. The true fan base was still minimal, and the bandwagoneers that crept into the First Union Center that season would soon slither back out.

The Sixers ticket office doesn’t market the Sixers themselves to fans, they market players on other teams. Come see Kobe, LeBron, Howard, and Duncan!. This is the one of the fundamental differences between the NBA and NHL, and maybe a reason Philly doesn’t embrace this team like the others. The difference between the NBA and NHL is that basketball markets players and not teams. Hockey is the opposite way. For sports fans I think the NHL way is better, for casual fans, the NBA way seems to work. A couple of years ago Paul Holmgren said Flyers fans don’t come to the Wachovia Center to see the other team. They always come to see THEIR Flyers, regardless of who they are playing.That’s why on a Tuesday night the Flyers will sell out a game against the Phoenix Coyotes, while on the same night a Sixers-Thunder game will draw 6,000.

I guess this just isn’t a pro basketball town. And it’s not because Philadelphians don’t like the sport. College basketball is still alive and well. You’d be hard pressed to find a Sixers game that can out draw a Villanova-Georgetown match up.

It’s sad really. The Sixers were once a point of pride in the city - every game an event. These days spectators (can you really refer to them as fans anymore?) treat the Sixers like the Washington Generals. They’re just the team that happens to be playing Allen Iverson that night.

Published