A Return to Glory?

For the newly revitalized and expanded Ches-Mont League? This was one of the premier football and high school sports leagues in the Philadelphia area back in the 1980s. Alas, it fell on hard times after some of the smaller schools – St. Pius X (always a tough opponent), Spring-Ford, etc. - pulled out in the face of a growing enrollment disparity among the Downingtown and West Chester schools, particularly Downingtown.

 

“Five of the new members - Great Valley, Kennett, Octorara, Oxford and Unionville - and former Del-Val League member Sun Valley will form the smaller schools American Division in football. Sun Valley, which will also compete this season in soccer, will join in all other sports in 2008.

 

Bayard Rustin, the newest school in the West Chester School District, will also join the American Division. Octorara will play only a junior varsity schedule the first year.

 

Avon Grove, Bishop Shanahan, Coatesville, Downingtown East, Downingtown West, West Chester East and West Chester Henderson will make up the big school National Division,” reports the Inqy. Alas, W. Chester East is not mentioned as a contender for the football title.

 

TO regrets McNabb relationship

Ten questions for Terrell Owens in Time Magazine. This one caught my eye.

 

“Do you regret how your relationship with quarterback Donovan McNabb turned sour in Philadelphia? David Sansone, PHILADELPHIA

 

You know what? I do regret some of the things that happened. Donovan is a great guy. Honestly, I do miss being around him. I learned some things from Donovan. It was a bad situation, and if there were a way I could go back and handle some things differently, I definitely would.”

Super Bowl or Bust for Eagles

So says the Sporting News. Great McNabb quote about “sealing the deal.”

Mama!

Yesterday afternoon’s thrilling bottom of the 9^th inning come-from-behind win (against Billy Wagner no less!) reminded me of another thrilling Phillies’ rally on Mother’s Day 1993.

 

On May 9, 1993, the Cardinals were winning 5-2 going into the bottom of the 8^th (Phillies starter Curt Schilling had left the inning before after giving up 4 earned runs and throwing 118 pitches). Cardinals starter Bob Tewksbury faced the heart of the Phillies order in the bottom of the 8^th: their 3-4-5 hitters.

John Kruk struckout to start the inning. Dave Hollins tapped back to the pitcher for the 2^nd out. But then Darren Daulton singled and Wes Chamberlained doubled, sending Daulton to third.

In came imposing closer Lee Smith to stop the nonsense. He walked Milt Thompson on a full count. The tying run was now on base.

 

Up came free swinging SS Mariano Duncan. He drove the first pitch into the left center field stands for a grand slam and the 6-5 lead. I can still recall all of this because my brother and I, along with several other friends, were over at our buddy Wolffie’s house and as the Phils continued to put runners on in the eighth (with two outs) our attention turned more and more to the game on TV. And when Duncan hit the grand slam I vividly remember the pandemonium in his living room with about 8-10 of us jumping up and down and high fiving each other like the Phils had just won the pennant. (Of course, it being the Phils, we had to endure a Mitch Williams 9^th. Though I can’t recall this part of the game nearly as well, the box score indicates that Willams got the first two outs of the inning (one on a deep fly to left center), and then allowed a single before getting Ozzie Smith to pop up to the hero of the game, Mariano Duncan.)

 

There was something about that game. It’s easy in retrospect to see it as a harbinger of that magical ’93 season. It was all on display that day: the clutch hitting, the contributions from every part of the lineup, the Wild Thing ninth’s, and the never say die attitude. That last part can’t be overemphasized enough: that team never felt like it was out of a game, even down by 5 runs in the 9^th  there was always a sense that they could rally. It was a feeling that became a self-fulfilling prophecy.)

 

But it wasn’t just in hindsight. There was something about that game AT THE TIME that gave every Phillies fan the feeling that there was something special about this team, something special about this season. And we all enjoyed the ride (well, right up to the 9^th inning of game 6 in Toronto).

I also think there was something about the collective experience of watching that game. A bond was formed with all of us in Wolff’s living room, with each other and that team. Call it karma or whatever you want, but there was some sort of psychic power harnessed by all of us that bore witness to the magic of that game. It’s hard to explain, but if you watched that game you’d know the feeling you had about the ’93 Phillies after May 9.

Fast forward fourteen years. Yesterday’s win was Mother’s Day 1993 all over again. For a team that has suffered through bad bounces and the body blows of continual injuries, the series against the Mets up to yesterday was a reversal of fortune. Seemingly every bounce and break started to go the Phillies way, from Aaron Rowand’s 40 foot trickler that nestled on the foul line to Marlon Anderson being called out for interference that transformed a tie game into a game ending double play win.

 

But all of that was a prelude to yesterday’s 11-10 slugfest. Here are samples of the string of emails I sent out to friends yesterday as I listened to the game on my work computer:

·         Phils up 5-0 in the 3^rd after Burrell hit a 2 run HR (his career 40^th and 101 RBIs vs. Mets) and then a HR by Rowand! Not to overstate the obvious, but a sweep is the difference between 2 games in the standings

·         Rowand just caught a Conine drive at the top of the left center wall.

·         Inning later, Werth just climbed the out of town scoreboard wall to rob Beltran. I’m starting to get a special feeling about the Phils.

·         The relay throw that would have nailed Carlos Ruiz by 15 feet as he tried to stretch a double into a triple just hit him in the back….safe. Everything is bouncing their way.

·         Mets 4 run 8^th (so far) gives them 9-8 lead, including stolen 3^rd base and score on dropped throw. Why replace Romero with Alfonseca? Why?! Why!? Why?!

·         Burrell just hit HR to narrow lead. Met killer indeed.

·         Jimmy Rollins might just end this game right now in the bottom of the 9^th.

 

Once again, everyone contributed, including guys like Taguchi, Werth, and Ruiz, there was clutch hitting galore, a high-wire reliever (take your pick, Gordon or Alfonseca, who couldn’t get a single Met out yesterday), and that “never say die spirit.” And like the Mother’s Day come from behind win against the Cardinals, this one too completed a series sweep.

 

But here’s the eerie part. A lot of people I know were either watching or listening to yesterday’s game live. My brother had it on his car radio on a drive up to Philadelphia. I had it on my computer. Our friend Crow, who was in Wolff’s living room with us in 1993, was actually at the game. My stepfather just happened to be home, turned on the TV in the late innings and became fixated by the drama. Even my Mom for some reason was listening to it at work. My point is, that a lot of people were following this game live, a surprisingly high number (albeit from my limited perspective) for a Thursday afternoon game. My point is this: This team just got sprinkled with the collective pixie dust. August 30. Mark it down. Anything is now possible.

2007 Projection

Texas viewpoint of Eagles potential.

Mets-Phils

Jimmy Rollins might just end this game right now in the bottom of the 9^th.

Ugh

Why replace Romero with Alfonseca? Why?! Why!? Why?!

 

I am a big fan of Romero – relative to the rest of the bullpen. I would like to see him get a more prominent role and be put in later in the game.

 

Burrell just hit HR to narrow lead. Met killer indeed.

Never mind

Mets 4 run 8^th (so far) gives them 9-8 lead, including stolen 3^rd base and score on dropped throw.

 

Gotta Believe?

The relay throw that would have nailed Carlos Ruiz by 15 feet as he tried to stretch a double into a triple just him in the back….safe. Everything is bouncing their way.

Phils-Mets

Rowand just caught a Conine drive at the top of the left center wall. Inning later, Werth just climbed the out of town scoreboard wall to rob Beltran.

 

I’m starting to get a special feeling about the Phils.

Phils-Mets

Phils up 5-0 in the 3^rd after Burrell hit a 2 run HR (his career 40^th and 101 RBIs vs. Mets) and then a HR by Rowand!

 

Not to overstate the obvious, but a sweep is the difference between 2 games in the standings

jfadklsfjsd;ouaid

Listening to the game on WPHT last night, the two announcers were incomprehensible for about 30 seconds during the attempted double play in the top of the 9^th. They were only able to offer a stream of gibberish intermixed with the roars of the crowd that drown everything out and signified at least that SOMETHING big had just happened. Finally, they were able to intelligibly bleat out “it’s a double play, the game is over, the Phils win.”

Considine is No Lewis

Sure Michael Lewis’ coverage skills were a liability last year (remember the Saints regular season game?), but Lewis always hit like a truck. Sean Considine, his replacement, is better in coverage and reportedly put on 10-15 lbs – presumably of muscle – to fill the Strong Safety punch lost by Lewis’ leaving.

If the Steelers game is any indication, Considine’s offseason workout results are disappointing at best.

Which of the two Considine plays stands out more?

The one where he tried to bring the wood to an exposed TE Heath Miller on a floating pass down the middle? Considine not only failed to jar Miller enough to prevent him from catching it, he literally bounced off Miller as the big TE rumbled down to the goal line.

But the more bizarre play was later in the game also down near the goal line. The Steelers RB was being tackled inside the ten and Considine came up to add another punishing lick to the runner. With the runner’s momentum nearly dead stopped (he was practically on the ground at that point), Considine lowered his head hit the runner and the Eagle tackler….AND CONSIDINE BOUNCED BACKWARD LANDING ON HIS CAN.

The two plays could be chalked up to fluke plays except for the physical manhandling the Eagles’ defense experienced, and which makes Considine “physicality” a looming problem. With Omar Gaither being manhandled in the middle, Considine’S less than imposing presence could compound a small and weak defense.

Simon Sighting

Maybe with Corey Simon still in the league, we can finally find out what his non-football related malady was.

Ole Gaither

Ok, anyone else more mystified by the release of Trotter and more concerned about middle LB after watching Omar Gaither – whose size made him look more like a D-back than a LB last night (no surprise, he’s only 13 lbs heavier than Michael Lewis) – get manhandled at the point of attack on numerous occasions last night?

 

If the Eagles coaches were so concerned about Trotter’s second half performance last year, why didn’t they make middle LB a draft priority in April? It would appear that LB should have been a higher priority than QB for the Eagles this year. Paul Posluszny and David Harris would have been a better pick – would certainly play more – than Kevin Kolb this season.

 

I don’t necessarily blame Gaither. He’s a weakside LB being put in a bad position for which he simply doesn’t have the size. I do blame Reid and Heckert for drafting Matt McCoy instead of Kirk Morrison, the repercussions of that highly questionable pick will be felt all season.

 

Spikes will be the middle LB by the 4^th game of the season.

 

Super 5

A friend writes:

Funny thing about Eags fans, those of us that live away from Philly - away from the caldron, away from WIP, away from Angelo Cataldi's morning show - we know that the only way this team wins a Super Bowl is on No 5's shoulders.
A great defense and a great Westbrook season gets us to the NFC championship, but McNabb's the one who can carry us across the finish line.

Sadly, too many inside the 215 area don't see it as clearly as those of us who get the extra vision of looking at it from a distance.

 

My Take on Trotter

Having time to process it, I think the Eagles were penny-wise and pound foolish…again. Please excuse the following lengthy rant.

 

I agree with all of Besty’s points – the most obvious that apparently NO ONE else is talking about is that for a defense that everyone was so concerned was undersized, you’ve now got a middle LB at 235 lbs. Even given Trotter’s lost 9 lbs, Gaither is 20 lbs.!! lighter than Trotter.

 

My only question would be regarding Trotter’s pride? Did he not want to be a backup? Did he not want to restructure? Was there an issue with him playing special teams? Did the Eagles even offer either of those possibilities to him before cutting him loose?.

 

I find it interesting that among all that talk last year about our defensive line being inadequate at stopping the run, there was not much talk about Trotter’s performance. Now that the decision is made we get Rich Hoffman and Les Bowen telling us that “Rumors started last winter that when the coaching staff reviewed film of the 2006 season, the biggest surprise was how slow Trotter looked, and how much teams had really targeted him in their game-planning. Officially, the word was that Trotter needed to lose weight, and that if he did, he would more or less split the job this season with smaller, quicker second-year linebacker Omar Gaither, who probably wouldn't start, but would play most passing downs.” (Bowen) Really? This a question for reporters. Bowen’s article suggests that he heard these “rumors” 6 months ago. Then again, it could read that Bowen is now merely publishing the Eagles’ coaching staff’s revisionist interpretation of Trotter’s play to justify the decision. Which do you think it is? And if Bowen heard the rumors last winter, doesn’t he have some sort of obligation to report it? It’d be interesting if his articles back then focused solely on Dhani Jones and Darwin Walker and the d- line and if they make any mention, even subtly to Trotter or the interior linebacker play.

 

And we get Rich Hoffman and the numbers don’t lie. “In 2005, teams threw at the Eagles on first down 38 percent of the time. In 2006, that went up to 47 percent of the time - a very big leap. The result was first down last year became the

Eagles' worst down, by far, when you look at the yards they allowed.”

 

Fine. I get it. Trotter was becoming a liability. But he would have been a nice security blanket if all these new LBs – and I include Spikes in that group – can’t play. Plus, AT THE VERY LEAST TROTTER COULD HAVE PLAYED IN GOAL LINE SITUATIONS.

 

And really, was a slow Trotter any worse than Kirkland or Barry Gardner? I would think Trotter’s presence in the locker room would be enough to justify $2.6 million this year. This is a team that in theory is a super bowl contender. I understand the move a lot more if this team were rebuilding and you were just cutting dead wood. God forbid Gaither or Spikes go down, or Gocong can’t play. Then we’ll see the likes of Tank Daniels and Matt McCoy in there. And Daniels is a perennial practice squader who the coaches “like” just as they did with Mike Labinjo and Greg Richmond, two other Trotter heirs apparent that never panned out.

 

(for this same super bowl contender reasoning, I think it would insane to get rid of Kelly Holcomb and keep Kolb as the #3 starter. Your “injury-prone” starter is coming of a torn ACL. If he goes down, you have AJ Feeley, which is as capable a back up as you get these days in the NFL, but then Kolb, an untested rookie is the backup and the Eagles are then scrambling to pull someone off the waiver wire – remember Omar Jacobs? On the positive sign, maybe they could re-sign Detmer, who could also hold for Akers. And why Feeley isn’t holding for Akers is a whole other email exchange for another day). Why not put Kolb on the practice squad and keep Holcomb as insurance? The man has played in playoff games, while Kolb hasn’t even played in a real game yet.

 

The fact is that since they drafted Trotter, middle LB has been a disaster when he wasn’t starting. Would the Tampa championship game have turned out different if he were playing instead of Gardner and Kirkland? Perhaps. Gardner, Kirkland, Caver, McCoy, Simoneaux, Jones, Wayne, #57 whose name escapes me – it’s the one position the Eagles do not evaluate well

 

Plus, Trotter’s relationship with the Eagles has been star-crossed for years now. Yes, Trotter was unrealistic to seek Urlacher and Ray Lewis type money after his first contract, but let’s face it, Reid really screwed him by franchising him and then removing the tag in early summer after most teams had filled their LB needs. There is a fine line between making hard personnel choices among aging veterans, and completely undermining them. Trotter’s return was a feel good story capped off by his pro bowl selection. Why put a damper on that feeling among the other players and the fans? (don’t discount the fans’ affection for Trotter, which I think Reid should have at least taken slightly into account. Sure, it’s a business, but it’s also a sport played on emotion, keeping Trotter – particularly if he could make a couple of plays a game – would have helped with that, certainly at the Linc).

 

Finally, sadly, his waiver is the continuation of Reid’s MO. One that I think is too often short-sighted. For instance, why cut Hugh Douglas, a clubhouse leader and McNabb booster, when you knew you were going to have trouble with TO in year 2? His worth in maintaining some order in the locker room would have been more valuable than the contributions he could have made on the field. And as an active player, his credibility would have been more enhanced than the “ambassador” role he played when he punched out TO mid way through the season.

 

Same thing with Ike Reese. A special teams leader, fan favorite, and Reid-disciple. Why not throw him an extra million or use the veteran exemption on him to keep him in Philly? Maybe he really wanted to try to be a starting LB, but I think if the Eagles had made even a halfway fair offer, he would have stayed. Sure the Eagles have a reputation for not overpaying old players, but giving each of these guys something would have gone a long way to blunting some of those criticisms and showing the locker room that the Eagles reward loyalty and leadership on occasion.

 

 Same thing with Trotter now.

 

All I know is that Tiki Barber said that Jeremiah Trotter was the guy that always hit him the hardest and left him most sore after games.

Axing the Ax Man

Comments and reactions from friends on the stunning departure of Jeremiah Trotter:

 

JG: Can't really go against Reid and personnel decisions too much.  I thought Trotter looked bad against Ravens.  Still slow.

I can't believe he's not better than Tank Daniels, but maybe the "emotional talk" they had dealt w/ backup role and Trotter still wants to start.  I've been going with that in my head.  That's why they cut him now so he can catch on w/ another team.  I hope that's not it because if it is then I say screw him - make him backup and give us depth.  I hope he really is done.

 

 

PK: Personally, I know it's tough to see a beloved vet go but this is part of the reason we're considered such a top notch organization, making those calls correctly. If Trotter was too old to play on anything other than 1st down or really short yardage situations, we couldn't afford to pay him the big $$$$. And also, this defense has been led physically and emotionally for 3 or 4 yrs by BDawk, clearly. Trotter was a leader on D, but Dawkins is The Leader.
That said, what's our plan to stuff the run this year? Do we have one? Crossing our fingers and hoping we're better? It's been the Achilles of Johnson's D since '04 (when Trotter got reinserted as a starter solely to stuff the run in the final 8 games). The Saints exploited this in reg season and in NFC playoffs last year - ending our season with clock killing precision against our helpless defense. (Only a Brees miscue gave us the ball back late in the 4th in playoffs.)
Is Omar Gaither ready to become the Trotter of '99-'00-'01?  Not sure.

 

MB: It was totally to save money.  Why else do you cut Trot and keep McCoy?   Trot's already been contacted by NYG.  So, up the middle on defense we have, Bunkley(essentially a rookie who's been a bum to date), Patterson(undersized), Gaither (never played the middle before, undersized), Dawkins (aging, has hardly practiced or played in preseason due to injury) and Considine(white guy, undersized). Our linebackers are Spikes (15 games in last 2 years), Gaither (see above), Gocong (never played linebacker in his life, NFL rookie).  They generally do make good decisions regarding older players (Vincent, Taylor), but they better be right, because their judgment on linebackers has been horrendous.  Outside of Trot, our other MLB's have been Gardner, Kirkland and Simoneaux.  They were only paying Trot $2.6 this year.  Not a ton, but a lot for a backup.  Why not ask him to restructure and see if he takes the offer?   Seems like quite a gamble for a team in the hunt in a WIDE open NFC.  In the interviews with Dawkins, he said all the right things about letting Trot go, but his attitude was, "I hope they're right." 

Andrews Watch

Getting a lot more concerned about Shawn Andrews' ankle injury. Les Bowen has a great, short story on the possibly much more severe condition Andrews could have, osteonecrosis.

www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20070818_Sources__Andrews_injury_could_be_serious.html

It's all very conspiratorial. Reid says Andrews will be fine. Andrews is in tears talking about what could be a much more significant injury. Interestingly, as Bowen notes, Reid flatly denied the more serious possibilities of Andrews' injury. Would he do that if he had any inkling it could be much more serious. Doubtful, even for Reid. Stay tuned, and keep an eye on Max Jean-Gilles.

War Without Death

The Washington Post’s Mark Maske, the former beat reporter for the Redskins till owner Danny Snyder got him reassigned after threatening to pull his advertising cause he didn’t like the negative stories about mediocre on-field performance and dysfuncational team office leadership, has a new book out. It chronicles last season in the NFC East, called War Without Death.

Asking for Permission

Sorry, I just can’t help but wonder about such things…so how do you think Jenna’s suitor goes about getting an appointment with the President of the United States to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage?

Rocket Tocchet

With the national attention on crooked NBA ref and O’Hara grad Tim Donaghy, how has this NHL gambling- involving former Flyer Rick Tocchet- been able to fly under the radar screen?

G'day Mate

Sal Rocca is built like a LB and can take a hit like an LB. Here’s a link to the vicious shot he took Monday night vs. the Ravens. Aside from it being a very cheap shot, the Raven should have been kicked out of the game for leading with the crown of his helmet in a helmet-to-helmet hit. Also, I’ll echo the announcers’ kudos for Gasperson for standing up for his punter.

Bunkley a Junkyard Dog

Les Bowen tackles the hound that didn’t bark concept with B. Bunkley’s play.

Tiger Take

After Tiger Woods won his 13th major yesterday without being seriously challenged, we’re left wondering if there is any contemporary competition for him. The answer may go a long way toward defining his legacy. It hasn’t gotten a lot of attention yet, but in his ongoing quest to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships surely questions will begin to emerge about the quality of Tiger’s competition.

Think about it. Nicklaus won 18 majors playing against some of golf’s all-time greats: Arnie Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino. Who, if anybody, is in that class among Tiger’s colleagues? Sergio Garcia? Please. Still hasn’t won a major. Justin Leonard? Remember him? Vijay Singh? Phil Mickelson, he of the man boobs? Be serious. Woody Austin and Bob May – journeymen he has beaten for previous championships? Maybe his most formidable rival will be Ernie Els. But revelations in yesterday’s broadcast make me skeptical. Tiger is playing for history and destiny. Els is playing, so said the CBS announcers, to win the “career grand slam.” (he’s got 2 of the 4 legs: the US and British Opens). It hardly seems a fair fight, they’re playing for two radically different goals.

It is worth noting that Tiger has more major championships than the rest of the top 10 players combined.

It sort of reminds me of the Larry Holmes era in boxing. Ali was champion in an era with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton and Ernie Shavers. Holmes (the Easton Assassin) was the subsequent champ who reigned over a mediocre (at best) heavyweight division in which Leon Spinks and Jerry Quarry were considered top contenders. Indeed, Spinks was briefly champion. It was so bad that Randall “Tex” Cobb and Ed Too Tall Jones took up boxing and were considered serious fighters.

Without a doubt, Tiger - along with Nicklaus – is of the two greatest golfers of all time. But in another major or two, hard questions are going to have to be asked about his reign. Is he pummeling the field into submission? Or is the field so bereft of talent – certainly less talent then when Nicklaus played – capable of making it a competitive contest.

Down the Crapper

What’s that noise in the bathroom? Just Will Heaton flushing his career down the toilet.

Game Preview

A Baltimoron view of the Eagles preseason game tonight in Charm City vs. the Ravens. “I love it when the Eagles come to town. It's the only time all year you're allowed to tailgate outside Central Booking.”

Incredible but true

My brother and friend are in Saratoga for the horse races. They have been betting on the local action, but also simulcasts from tracks across the country. They put a$1 on the superfecta on the 3^rd race at Louisiana Downs…and won! $8,000 schemolas. They got their picture taken when they cashed the ticket, but the OTB withheld two grand for taxes (they’re going to be getting 1099 forms.). So if you see two stumbling, drunken bums up in Saratoga today, they’ve got $6,000 in cash burning a hole in their pockets.

Incredible.

State of the Team - in Dog Terms

The NFL is, beyond doubt, the premier sports league in the United States. Because of the sport’s popularity, the teams’ owners are treated to ridiculous obsequiesness. The pompastic use of “Mr. Lurie” or “Mr. Rooney” in reference to the owner is the biggest case in point. And so, too is the presumptuousness of a “State of the Team” address. Please.

Worse is Lurie’s revisionist history during his address the other day. In regards to Michael Vick’s dog fighting charges, Lurie noted how in recent years Thomas Hamner and Damon Moore were found guilty of animal abuse and quickly discharged from the team. If that it were so.

Damon Moore was the starting strong safety in the 2001 NFC Championship game vs. the Rams. The only reason the team released him was cause he blew out his knee late in that game and was never the same. Message? Not that the Eagles abhor animal cruelty, but that if you can play, they will look the other way….until you can’t play anymore.

Afford to Lose

A friend is non-plussed by the Westbrook camp departure and suggests that “bigger concern is the B-Dawk achilles tendinitis.  That is said to be a precursor to Achilles tear.  They oughtta shut him down now.”

Vote in the poll to the right about the Eagle player the team can least afford to lose.

36 Emergency

Brian Westbrook has left camp for “personal reasons” and may not be back. Usually losing your star running back with such bizarre and ambiguous news would prompt some sort of investigative reporting or comprehensive coverage. Alas, all we get from the Inqy is a strange video of Eagles beat writer Bob Brookover’s reaction. Who cares about his reaction? Let’s get some info please!

But We're the Phillies

A good friend writes:

 

If I had any faith in the Phillies as a team -- as an organization, as a franchise, as a values system -- I'd think that Sunday’s 5-run rally in the 9th, capped off by winning in the 11th, is the spark that sends them marching into the playoffs. With other teams, that's what would happen. Think Red Sox-Yankees, late July '04, Varitek beats up ARod, no one on the New York bench defends their star, the Sox pound Rivera in the 9th, capped off by Mueller's homer to win it (or did he tie it and they win in extras?), sending the Sox on to a great August, September and October.

 

But we're the Phillies. Incredible wins like yesterday's do nothing to spur momentum to the very next day, it's amazing. Seriously, amazing. I sat through those 14 innings late last September, watching the Phils eek out a huge win over the Nats in RFK on a Wed night, with all momentum seemingly all on their side, then saw them come out and play one of their most listless games of the year the very next night when the game started at 11:35 pm and the only people in the stadium were 500 of the most insanely rabid sports fans ever assembled, just pure raw drunken lunatics, not a single one of them belonging on the public streets.

 

It's amazing how this team can sometimes play with all the fire in the world and then just sleep walk through games the very next night.

 

4th Most Starts

Hopeful sign for the future success of Kevin Kolb, courtesy of the Tuesday Morning QB.

“Gil Brandt of NFL.com showed a statistical relationship between college games started and NFL success for quarterbacks. On this basis he predicted Brady Quinn, with 46 college starts, has a strong chance of NFL success while JaMarcus Russell, with 29 starts, could be a star but might be a bust. Brandt also noted Kevin Kolb's 50 college starts at Houston are fourth-most ever, predicting success for this little-heralded player, while showing the high-drafted bust quarterbacks tended to be ones who did not start many college games. Akili Smith started 19 times in college, for example. Quarterbacking depends on "reading" the field situation, and it makes sense that the more experience a quarterback had at the college level, the more likely he is to handle the pros. Philip Rivers started 51 college games, and when he took the field for the Chargers, knew what he was doing. Brandt's theory here seems so simple and so well-backed with stats that it is a wonder the megabucks scouting departments of NFL teams did not figure this out long ago.”

Memo to McNabb

Memo

 

To: Donovan McNabb

Fr: Rich Burg

Re: Mike Vick

 

Shut up.

Clarify remarks on blog.

Shut up.

I See Lots of 5 Yard Penalties

I can see wide receivers, especially those from Florida St., Florida, and particularly Miami, taking a while to adjust to this new NFL rule change: “no longer will players be allowed to spike or throw the football in the field of play after a down has ended - except after a touchdown - without being called for a delay of game resulting in a five-yard penalty. The reasoning behind the change is to improve sportsmanship, and to decrease the amount of time wasted it takes in retrieving the ball.”

Training Camp Coverage

The AC Press is providing good reviews of the day’s activities.  

Darwin's Deal

Darwin Walker got the pay raise and contract extension he was looking for. Good for Darwin, a good guy. But call me skeptical about some of the numbers in the contract. Talk about funny money. The 5-year, $25 million deal includes $12.5 million in bonus and incentive money. That’s half the value of the contract. Say a $2 million signing bonus and I’m guessing the rest of those “bonuses” are roster bonuses in years 3, 4 or 5. His base salary this year is $2 million. So he’s guaranteed $4 million (this year’s salary + bonus). And he’ll probably get the $2 million in base next year (assuming no career ending injury in 2007). That brings him to $6 million in cash received. But he’ll be lucky to get the other $6 million to bring him to just HALF of the actual contract “value.” That’s the reality in the NFL today.

Running a College Program

The always insightful Rick Gosselin says “Andy Reid runs the Philadelphia Eagles like an elite college football program. He's willing to redshirt a good player in an effort to make him a great one.” It’s a great analogy.

A hallmark of Reid’s tenure has been to draft not for immediate needs, but for needs two or three years down the road. The result is that Reid is able to replace aging stars not with untested rookies (for the most part) but with 2 or 3-year veterans – think Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown for Bobbie Taylor and Troy Vincent. (Or, next year Winston Justice for William Thomas II, or gulp, Kevin Kolb for Donovan McNabb?)

Thus, Gosselin suggests, “the Eagles figure to be better in 2007 than the team that won a division title and reached the semifinal round of the NFC playoffs in 2006” because of the more prominent roles some of the 2006 rookies will be making.

Specifically, Gosselin cites Jeremy Bloom and Chris Gocong. Interestingly, he doesn’t mention at all Brodrick Bunkley. Considering only Bunkley saw the field and then only provided very limited contributions, taking into account how poorly Dhani Jones was playing, and the middling skills of Reno Mahe – anything these three can add is 1) a bonus and 2) performance above the 2006 baseline -  suggesting that the team’s play in their areas of responsibility will be net improvements this year. Improvements to a divisional round playoff team. Not bad.