Fan Rankings

Espn ranks the NFL fan bases. Eagle fans come in at #4. But you have to question any analysis that places Redskin fans in any top 10.

#1 game

Fox Sports lists the Cowboys-Eagles Week 17 contest as the #1 rated “games that will decide the season.” Click here for the top 10.

Congrats Q and DJ

Congratulations for Quinton Demps on his kickoff return touchdown that not only cemented his place on the team and as the starting kick returner, but also solidified – in combination with DeSean Jackson’s punt return TD - special teams coach Rory Segrest’s increasingly shaky status on Andy Reid’s coaching staff.

No Bloom

The Steelers have cut former Eagle KR/WR Jeremy Bloom.

Cutting Clemons?

Could Chris Clemons, the Eagles’ second highest profile free agent acquisition of the off season be cut?

 

It’s looking more and more like a possibility.

 

With Jim Johnson’s  public praise of Dan Klecko it appears that he is poised to make the team as the Eagles’ fourth defensive tackle (along with Bunkley, Patterson, and rookie Laws). Assuming the Eagles keep 9 defensive linemen total, that leaves Trent Cole, Juqua Parker, Darren Howard making the team with the Abiamiri, Clemons, and McDougle left to fill out the last two spots.

 

Abiamiri, of course, won’t be cut but his injury complicates the Eagles’ roster in this area. They could keep him on the active roster and wait the 6-8 weeks till his wrist heals. They could put him on the PUP list, which would preclude them from activating till something like the 8^th or 10^th week of the season. Or they could put him on IR and lose him for the entire season.

 

Whatever the Eagles decide to do will obviously impact the final decisions on Clemons and McDougle. All indications are that McDougle had a very good camp and the coaches are favorably disposed to the former 1^st round and star crossed defensive end.

 

And it is not without precedent that the Eagles wind up cutting one of their more high profile free agents. Remember when Jabar Gaffney was brought in to help shore up the receiving corps, only to be given his walking papers during training camp?

 

Clemons would be a more expensive mistake than Gaffney, as the Eagles would have to eat his $4 million signing bonus. Indeed, at this point that may be the only thing that keeps them from letting him go.

 

My best guess is that they essentially put off any final decisions about which of the 2 out of 3 to keep by placing Abiamiri on the physical unable to perform list, with the opportunity to activate him later this season. That would allow them to keep both Clemons and McDougle to start the season and give them plenty of games to finally see what Clemons looks like during practice and more importantly game conditions.

 

Still, it would not be a total shock to see them bid adieu to Clemons on the final roster cut down, though surely Clemons will land with another team in the very near future. Perhaps the Eagles could trade Clemons – they would still eat the signing bonus but at least they would be able to get some sort of draft pick value out of him. A trade would also keep Clemons out of the NFC East and any possibility of joining the Giants, who are so desperate for defensive end help after Umeniyora was lost for the season that they are actually considering bringing back retired Michael Strahan.

Bolt and Rocca's NFL Eligibility

If this Pro Football Talk rule reference is accurate concerning the eligibility of Usain Bolt for the NFL – he just can’t be signed as a free agent but has to pass through one draft so that each team has a crack at him – it raises the question of the status of Eagles punter Sav Rocca, the former Australian Rules football star who the Eagles signed as a free agent.

Maybe at some point Rocca - all the way from Australia - had the presence of mind to declare himself for an NFL draft while he was tearing up the Australian football circuit. But it is doubtful.

Democratic Wusses

My God, what will it take for congressional dems to kick someone out of the party for disloyalty?!?! For the second straight convention, a democratic senator (Lieberman) will speak in support of the republican nominee.

I understand the 51-49 senate situation, by jeez, Harry Reid et. al basically shrugging that Lieberman can speak to whoever he wants without any retribution or consequences just make them look pathetic and weak wussies. And why is it no Republican ever speaks in support of a Dem nominee?

Would it really be so bad if Reid kicked Lieberman out of the caucus and/or stripped him of his chairmanship? He should do it on the first day back in session. The R’s would burn 2 weeks in September organizing the chamber after the surprise move.

In some ways, it would hurt McConnell wouldn’t it? he’s in a tough reelection bid and the Dems could use parliamentary maneuvers to keep him in Washington rather than on the Kentucky campaign trail.

And a 50-50 senate would require Dick Cheney to emerge and appear on the senate floor to cast the deciding votes – what more could you ask to fire up Dems nationwide and give everyone the sense of what is at stake than Cheney tipping the Senate balance back to Republicans, courtesy of sanctimonious Joe Lieberman. Pathetic. Talk about rallying the base. And so long as the D’s have the House there is a firewall so nothing bad can be enacted (not that anything was going to pass anyway).

On another note, I came across this line in today’s New York Times story about Obama in PA. “political scientists tend to paint Pennsylvania in broad swaths: there is Philadelphia and its liberal-to centrist suburbs,….”

Doesn’t that sentence perfectly capture the damage Bush has done to his party? For 50 years Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties have been the epitome of country club republicans. Now after 8 years of Bush-Cheney they are being described as “liberal to centrist” suburbs. Amazing.

In Praise of Curtis

Interesting article highlighting Curtis’ receiving accomplishments last year – given the Eagles non-emphasis on WR and also a reminder that….basically wide receiver is an after-thought in the Reid offense.

 

Writes Eric Karabell for ESPN.com, “The Eagles throw more than just about any other team in the NFL, so some might wonder how a second wide receiver can't become a key part of the offense. First of all, Brown wasn't bad in 2007. His season was strong enough to warrant No. 3 fantasy wide receiver status, with 61 catches for 780 yards. A look through team stats this decade indicates that it was the top season for a second Eagles wide receiver in the Reid-McNabb era. The last time a Philadelphia wide receiver not named Owens even topped 50 catches was 2002, when future Hall of Famers Todd Pinkston and James Thrash did it. Not only is it time for people to stop expecting a second Philly wide receiver to emerge, since it's such an unlikely event to start with, but we should look at what Curtis accomplished in 2007 as a terrific season totally out of line with this franchise for what, the past six seasons? What a year!”

Q Questions

Wait, I’m confused. Is Quintin Mikell the starter over Sean Considine at strong safety? Or is he the heir apparent to Brian Dawkins at free safety? Or is he both?

 

And where does the other “Q,” Quinton Demps fit into this safety lineup (besides kick returner)? Or does it depend on where Mikell eventually settles?

 

So many Qs, so many questions.

An Opposing View

The 5 things Patriot fans will be looking closely at during the Eagles-Patriots game.

The Final 53?

Inqy’s Bob Brookover gazes into his crystal ball to predict the Eagles’ final 53 man roster for the season.

 

The big uncertainties are at FB, offensive line, and defensive line.

 

Will Tony Hunt make the team as the fullback, since the Eagles are already full with 3 halfback slots gone (Westbrook, Bucky, and Booker)? Brookover says yes and so do I. Buh-bye Jason Davis, Jed Collins and Luke Lawton, though one of the first two might be kept on the practice squad as Hunt insurance.

 

Could Winston Justice be cut? Quite possibly. Amazing that 7^th rounder King Dunlap appears poised to make the team after an indifferent senior season at Auburn that caused his draft stock to plummet gover the third year, second round pick Justice.

 

At defensive line, Brookover has the Eagles keeping nine players but only 3 ½ tackles (Bunkley, Patterson, Laws, and the ½ Darren Howard). That leaves six defensive ends on the roster: Abiamiri, Clemons, Cole, Parker, Howard, and McDougle.

 

Brookover says the final spot will come down to between McDougle and Dan Klecko. While I would love to see the former first round pick finally redeem himself, I think the numbers suggest that the Eagles have too many ends and not enough tackles. Will that be enough to tip the scales toward Klecko and not McDougle in the final consideration? We shall see. And don’t entirely dismiss the possibility that they could keep both players and that Chris Clemons could be the odd man out.

Unlucky 13

Terrible loss for the Phils last night in not getting the sweep and adding to the league’s worst team’s 12 game losing streak.

 

How can the Phillies put two men on with no outs in the 8^th and not managed to score a run, nor score a run in the ninth after getting a leadoff single and a stolen base to put the tying run at second, again with no out.

 

Other thoughts:

 

Why did Manuel pinch hit for Durbin in the bottom of the 7^th. There were already 2 out. Even in foresight, it would have been better to send Durbin back out to protect the lead in the 8^th rather than have Jenkins pinch hit (he got a double) but was then stranded on second.

 

In the 8^th, did Manuel even contemplate a double steal with Werth and Utley given that it would have been difficult for the third baseman to cover the bag since he was partly shifted over with Howard up?

 

Shouldn’t Victorino have tried to steal earlier in Bruntlett’s at bat? And what a terrible sacrifice bunt at bat that was for Bruntlett. Also, Victorino looked pretty out on his steal of second.

 

What a wasted opportunity.

 

d-tackle

If the eagles are looking to bolster their interior defensive line, former Bird Ian Scott is available now.

The Good and Bad

How pathetic is the Eagles WR corps?

 

Kevin Curtis has to undergo sports hernia surgery and it basically decimates position. Undrafted free agents Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis (how long will he continue to hang on with this team? Answer – for as long as the Eagles refuse to upgrade at his position) are the backup plan, along with underperforming Jason Avant (why can’t the Eagles draft wideouts from pass-happy college conferences and not from run happy leagues like the Big 10?) and DeSean Jackson – a player who EVERYONE would have been happy with by contributing on special teams during his rookie season but who now is expected to become the Eagles #2 WR by opening day. Amazing.

 

It is telling that Kevin Curtis was the Rams #3 WR, yet managed in just one year to ascend to become the Eagles #1.

 

Losing Curtis for at least a month and getting him back at probably 70% for the rest of the season is bad enough. Worse is a lineup that has Brown, Avant, Baskett and G. Lew as your veteran pass catchers. Seriously, until proven otherwise those guys just may be worse than the infamous quintet of Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, James Thrash and Todd Pinkston.

 

The good news is that history has shown the Eagles have shown a willingness and ability to make the personnel moves they need to make to shore up shaky units, a la Levon Kirkland, in August. So the good news is that the Eagles are not afraid to pull the trigger to bring another player in to upgrade a position. The bad news is that we’re talking wide receiver here which means, like linebacker, the Eagles are almost incapable of gauging talent so whoever they acquire (Anquan Boldin excepted) probably won’t be the answer and will more likely be nothing more than a # WR, just like the rest of the current stiffs on the active roster (Jackson excluded).

Upshaw, RIP

Wow. NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw has died. Who knew he was battling pancreatic cancer? I would think this throws the collective bargaining agreements – the owners’ desire to open it up early and any possible re-negotiation – into turmoil.

 

Upshaw’s legacy is mixed. His leadership made the union stronger, but it is still the weak sister to the uber-powerful baseball union. Those weaknesses are directly attributable to his cozy – some say much too cozy – relationship with then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

 

Yes, salaries are up, but that’s because league revenues have skyrocketed, not because of anything Upshaw did. And salaries of marquee NFL players still lag well below middling MLB journeymen. Moreover, salaries are skewed toward a small minority of players and there is an imbalance in the pay given to highly drafted rookies. The union also has not been strong in defending its members from league jurisprudence to say nothing of being positively impotent in the face of more teams aggressively trying to recoup signing bonuses from players (see guaranteed contracts above, and Vick, Michael, Williams, Ricky, Arrington, LaVar, etc.)

 

And it is an inexplicable crime that NFL players still don’t have guaranteed contracts. And we haven’t even mentioned the ongoing scandal surrounding the retired players’ pension fund.

 

And yet, on the positive sign, it does appear that Upshaw negotiated a pretty good CBA this last time around, even though owners still have too much latitude to siphon off ancillary revenues that for accounting purposes are not included in cap calculations. The deal is supposedly so good for the players that the owners want to terminate it early (which I think is a huge mistake on their part).

Bird Bored?

Rich Hoffman turns in a terrific article on the current attitude of Eagles fans that proves once again that the city’s best sports columnist firmly has fingers on the pulse of the fan base.

 

He very accurately captured the feelings of many Eagles’ fans, myself included. I am excited about the upcoming season, but not to the extent I have been in the recent past.

 

I think the Eagles will do well this year and should make the playoffs But that extra thrill that was there in the pre-season, especially from 2002-04, just isn’t there now. Heck, I can still recall how pumped I was for the 2001 season confident that the Eagles were a team on the rise, the Cowboys a decaying dynasty, and how they were going to surprise a lot of people over the course of the season. And it sure was fun being proved right.

 

I’m not sure I would call it a malaise. Maybe spoiled would be a better description for the fans’ attitude now.

 

You know what you are getting with this team. Barring disastrous injuries, the Eagles will be an above average team and very competitive. As fans, we’ve been down this road before. At this point, I think it is really about the super bowl. This coach, this quarterback, and this team have accomplished everything but that. The real excitement will come when the playoff push starts in earnest come October/November. At least, I think so.

 

More interesting, I think, is the impact this lack of excitement has on the Lurie/Banner “plan,” the notorious blueprint for remaining a top tier team. Though it is still too early to judge based on one season’s TV ratings and training camp attendance, they should probably be getting concerned that their strategy may inadvertently impede further fan interest/excitement and opportunities to grow their business.

 

I wonder if the consistently excellent teams of this Eagles’ era – the Patriots, Steelers, Seahawks and Packers – are facing similar issues with their fan bases?

 

 

Spikes Sighting

I’m not sure which was a bigger surprise: that Byron Leftwich is just now signing with a team or Takeo Spikes hadn’t been grabbed till now. Even more remarkable, the Steelers only got Leftwich cause backup Charlie Batch got hurt. I can’t believe all 32 teams thought their existing backups were better than Byron Leftwich. It’s stuff like this that gives lie to the NFL as the “most competitive” industry in America.

 

On Spikes - I remain mystified at the Eagles decision to cut Spikes loose. Yes, he made $5 million, but that is small change when you are talking about a championship contending team and a veteran player that gives you experience and flexibility to play all three of the linebacking positions – one of the perennial problem areas on this team under Reid. It just strikes me as penny-wise and pound foolish in the bigger scheme of things. Especially when you consider that the Eagles will likely, again, be well under the salary cap when everything is said and done on the 2008 season.

All 80

Who’s having the best Eagles’ training camp. Here’s one complete 1-80 ranking of all the players to this point.

 

A couple notable things:

 

·         Jerome McDougle at 12?! Is it possible that this till-now first round bust could actually make the team, or is this the typical McDougle tease of promise that got him that made him a first round pick to begin with?

 

·         Hank Baskett has had the best camp of anybody? Maybe so, when you are the guy tapped to practice red zone fade routes with the franchise QB.

 

·         Correll Buckhalter #4. My gosh, Bucky is a survivor. But he’s always looked good in camp. Let’s see if he blows out a knee (again) in a meaningless preseason game.

 

·         Speaking of which, Tony Hunt at 70? Yikes. Good thing for the big back that Ryan Moats still appears to be the odd man out in the backfield.

 

·         Hey, look. The $57 million man Asante Samuel is ranked 76, just in front of three players who haven’t played in camp yet (not counting Abiamiri’s two days before breaking his wrist). Not what you want to see from your main free agent acquisition. I wonder if Jeff Lurie has any comment on Samuel’s training stats? You know, like yards per attempt? Or hamstrings strained.

 

·         Familiar names that probably aren’t making the team: Montae Reagor (70), Michael Gasperson (71) (can someone put this perennial practice squader out of his misery?), Matt Schobel (69).

 

Also, note to the author of these rankings. Fans weren't making fun of the Feeley/Tatupu connection (#45) because of a Monday night blowout several years ago, but because Tatupu picked off Feeley in the red zone with less than 2:00 to go last year to seal the win for the Seahawks.

A 4 D-End Front?

This unusual defensive alignment…or is it personnel package…”grouping” (?) is news to me.

 

Where have I been this pre-season. Of course, when you’re defensive line is loaded with D-Ends, having them serve as d-tackles on occasion kind of makes sense if for no other reason than from a numbers issue.

 

Big Fake?

Here’s one guy that is very skeptical of Shawn Andrews’ depression.

 

Andrews may or may not be suffering from depression. But doesn’t his strange behavior (going back several years but most notably about the extent of his ankle injury last year) suggest some sort of mental instability – above, beyond, and more severe than just some “immaturity?”

But What about the Bears?

The Packers trade of Brett Favre to the Jets has an usual condition. If the Jets re-trade him to the Vikings, the Jets owe the Packers 3 first round draft picks. I appreciate the Pack’s desire to keep Favre away from a division rival. But, um, there is another team in the NFC North with a ferocious defense and desperately in need of a QB upgrade besides the Norsemen. Curiously, no reporting (yet, though you would think it would tie in with the Viking news) about a similar condition on the Jets if they re-trade Favre to the Bears.

Three Weeks of Damage

Is the Phillies season on the line in the next three weeks? Maybe, maybe not but we will find out a lot about the post-season prospects for this team. My friend PK writes:

 

There are the links to the current standings and the Phillies schedule for the rest of August.

Last time I wrote an analysis like this, it was 2 months ago and the Phillies were on the verge of a series with the Marlins and what followed after that was a 12-game stretch against really good baseball teams (including the Cards, Red Sox and Angels). I said we'd find out how good a team we were in that stretch, and we proceeded to go 4-12 overall. That set the tone for a bad July.

Now, once again we're on the verge of another critical series with the Marlins -- but what follows after that are 17 games against teams that collectively are 62 games below .500: Pittsburgh, Dodgers, Padres, Nats, Dodgers.

We head into this series against the Marlins with our pitching lineups set up about as nice we could ask, with Moyer getting the ball tomorrow night. After that Kyle "Lieutentant, did you order the Code Red" Kendrick is next, followed by Hamels.

We probably just need to take 1 of the 3 games, 2 of 3 would be incredible; 3 of 3, out of this world. But those next 17 games are against bad teams, with only 1 of those bad teams getting any better these days (the Dodgers with Manny). Over this 20-game stretch, 12-8 is minimum what we should hope for; 13-7 would be nice. This is the stretch of a season where you can build a little cushion for the final month and the vicious part of your schedule.

Because, once we get through these 20 games, we get 6 straight games with the Mets and Cubs.

We need to do some damage the next 3 weeks.

Celek Catching On

Good news for McNabb and the Eagles offense if TE Brent Celek can continue to build on and improve from his rookie season. As this story correctly notes, McNabb loves hooking up with his tight ends. Chad Lewis was McNabb’s sure handed, security blanket check down for years.

 

And a reliable Celek combined with LJ Smith would give the Eagles another offensive wrinkle (passing from double tight end formations, anyone?) to go with the matchup problems that Brian Westbrook creates.

 

As my friend Scott noted last year, what kind of gets lost in the focus on McNabb’s recovery from knee surgery was the absence of LJ Smith for extended stretches last year and the sports hernia that did impact his play when he was on the field. Like him or loathe him - and most fans loathe him when he fumbles one away – a healthy Smith was a significant factor in the Eagles offense. It’s the main reason the Eagles franchise tagged him even after his injury-filled and ultimately disappointing 2007 season. The fact that the Eagles weren’t willing to risk letting him leave when even when it appeared there would be few suitors for his services should tell you something. LJ simply makes the offense better.

 

A fully recovered McNabb, a healthy Smith looking to put up big numbers in a contract year, and a rising Brent Celek. All encouraging signs. Especially if Celek can become the tight end Matt Schobel should have been.

Get Well Shawn Andrews

Get well, Shawn. You’re in our thoughts and prayers.  

I like these odds

The Eagles are 20-1 and in some touts 25-1 to win the Super Bowl. No word on the odds to win the NFC Championship, but obviously must be less than that. I like those odds.

 

Sports books also put the over/under total number of Eagles’ wins this season at 8.5, though apparently, the oddsmakers can’t bring themselves to raise that total to 9 since the +8.5 pays out at -165 and under 8.5 is +135.