TO's book...

…Is out. The Inqy has some excerpts. TO is totally in the wrong and pathological. But it seems to me that there is probably a nugget of truth about McNabb in some of these anecdotes.  – Donovan getting tight or in a funk at times. Donovan missing the open receiver. Nothing terribly damning and even some stuff we’ve all thought, but surely some stuff the anti-McNabb haters will jump on to bash him even more – which is probably TO’s intent to begin with:

 

 

T.O. remembers being "surprised and disappointed," but decided to stay silent, possibly because he had nine touchdowns after the first seven games. Before the Pittsburgh game, Owens says that one of the offensive coaches asked him to be very positive and supportive toward Donovan. Told him that "Donovan can get nervous and tight in big games."

… And then, against the Giants, anger came rippling to the surface, and the split hit the fans.

On one play, Owens thought he was open and ignored. Stormed back to the huddle and squawked. Said, "I was open ... dude, you missed me."

McNabb, according to Owens, replied, "Shut the bleep up."

T.O. got his leg broken in the second Dallas game that season, on one of those cheap-shot horse-collar tackles. Says he understood when McNabb said afterward, "We've been to the NFC championship without T.O." Then revisits it several times with an increasing screech of bitterness.

T.O. circa February 2004

Q: Why do you want so badly to be with the Eagles?

A: I want to play with Donovan McNabb. With a QB like that, I think I'll have a chance to take my skills and talent to another level. During the course of the playoffs, I saw teams with average receivers and good quarterbacks make a great connection. Good QBs can make an average receiver look great. Imagine what they can do for me.

 

 

Seriously, read that a few times.  How can there not be trouble in Dallas at some point.  We were 9-0 and he started yapping in Pittsburgh.  He’s bipolar.

Extensions - Eagles Did it Again

ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli takes a look at the surge in contract extensions in the wake of the new CBA and cites the Eagles as one team that has traditionally done these type of deals (a key part of the team’s success, Len notes) – and have done it again with Shawn Andrews.

 

He’s got the details of the Andrews deal and it is worth quoting at length (below). What is most striking about the deal is that this year will be the biggest cap hit the Eagles will take on the Andrews’ contract. That is simply amazing and a potential steal given the real possibility that Andrews could be a pro bowler for the next ten years. They’ve locked up a cornerstone of their offensive line for what is essentially $4 million a year over the next 7 years. Even now it looks like a bargain and probably a Manhattan for wampum steal three years from now given Andrews’ play and the inflationary spiral of salaries.

 

 

 

“Philadelphia struck again last week in signing third-year guard Shawn Andrews, the team's first-round choice in the 2004 draft, to an extension through the 2015 season. There certainly was no urgency to do so. Even though Andrews voided the final season of his original six-year deal he signed as a rookie, he was still under contract through 2008. But the Eagles, who always seem to have $10 million-$12 million of available cap space, had money to spend, as usual. And despite his past weight problems, the Eagles regard Andrews as a cornerstone for their line in the long-term and a future Pro Bowl performer who eventually might move outside to tackle.

 

As part of the extension, the Eagles rewarded Andrews with a $5 million signing bonus and a $5 million roster bonus, meaning he'll earn $10 million more than the $600,000 in base salary that he was scheduled to bank this season. And the Eagles will carry a salary cap charge for Andrews of $7.779 million.

But consider this: That is the highest salary cap charge for any season of the contract. In 2007, the charge drops to $4.71 million, and then after that, it dips under $4 million until 2013. And the cap charge doesn't rise to over $5 million until the penultimate year of the contract, in 2014. By then, of course, the odds are that the two sides will have reworked the contract. But for a long time, the Eagles will enjoy short salary cap charges for a young player they regard highly.

The Eagles will pay Andrews base salaries of $2 million or less until 2011 and of less than $3 million until the 2013 season.”

 

 

Eagles - the movie

Just in time for football season.

 

“Invincible” the true story of Vince Papale.

 

Opens August 25.

 

Hopefully the movie will be as good as the trailer. Click on one of the two links below.

 

 

Trailer:

 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1541623623935212086

 

 

 http://movies.aol.com/movie/invincible-2006/25912/main

 

The state of the NBA

as a casual b-ball fan i was always under the assumption that fouls were
like holding in the nfl. if you wanted to, a player could be whistled
every play, but it was the refs job to cite the most egregious examples,
keep everything fair and from getting out of hand.

so how is it that Dwayne Wade can shoot as many free throws as the
entire Dallas team in game 5 and then shoot only two less than the
entire Dallas team in game 6?

Did anyone see the foul called on Nowitzki with 26 seconds left to go in
the game when Wade drove into him with his forearm? Or the final Dallas
shot where Gary Payton is seen grabbing Josh Howards jersey right in
front of the ref, a tug so blatant that it untucked his shirt?

i asked about conspiracies yesterday, but after reading the sports guy i
guess it is just a much more basic question of why the NBA doesn't grade
its refs and assign the best to the champinoship round. how can that be
in this day and age?

Only the Phillies

"Howard's seven RBIs were the most for a Phillie since pitcher Robert
Person
had seven RBIs against Montreal on June 2, 2002, at Veterans Stadium.
Person
hit a grand slam and a three-run home run in that game."

Only on the Phillies could their all-star slugger tie a hitting record
set
by their pitcher.

King Gives Eagles' 2001 Draft a C

Peter King graded the 2001 draft now that 5 years have passed and you can more accurately measure the players’ successes. He gave the Eagles a “C.”

 

I don’t think he gave enough impact to the flop Caver was. The heir apparent to Trotter, if Caver pans out than do we see Levon Kirkland as an Eagle? The disastrous play of “starter” Barry Gardner?  Probably not. If Caver is half the middle LB Trotter was do we beat the Bucs in the championship game? Maybe.

 

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/06/19/mmqb/2.html

 

17. Philadelphia. Strange but interesting crop. Top pick Freddie Mitchell was a flop. He could have had a long career with the Eagles as a third or fourth receiver, but he gave that up to seek his fortune last year and now he's out of football. Give him credit, though -- he did catch the all-time-clutch fourth-and-26 ball against Green Bay to keep Philly's season alive in 2003. The Eagles never flop on their top two picks, but they did in this draft, picking linebacker Quinton Caver in Round 2. They guessed wrong on third-round pick Derrick Burgess before the 2005 season, allowing him to leave in free agency because they felt he was too injury-prone. Burgess had a great season with the Raiders last year. Correll Buckhalter, the Birds' fourth-round pick, is a good back who can't stay healthy. And the last pick of the day, A.J. Feeley, had one great month with the Eagles in 2002, helping them get into the playoffs with a 4-1 December when Donovan McNabb was out. As I said, strange draft, and helpful to the franchise in spurts.

20 years ago

Len Bias died.

 

http://pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=331

Making up for the 3-headed monster

Peter King has some very reassuring opinions about the ability of the Eagles to bounce back in 2006 in his Monday Morning QB column.

 

Monday Morning QB column

 

King nails it as far as offensive output with and without TO – and the utmost importance of B. Westbrook to the offense.

 

 

Still, a friend has this interesting perspective (and calculations about making up for TO’s lost yardage and TDs):

 

 

He writes: I agree with everything King says - the Andy Reid line that there isn't too much difference among the '02, '03 and '04 Eagles offenses in terms of output.

 

BUT, there is one MAJOR difference between the '03 offense and the '06 offense: no Duce Staley, no Buckhalter.

 

Remember that 3-headed monster? All 3 rb's in '03 ran for 500-plus yards. I think they combimed for almost 20 tds (including 36's returns for td).

 

In '04, they replaced Duce and Buckhalter with TO - effectively giving up ground game for high-powered passing (TO's 1,200 yds and 14 tds in '04 almost identically matched Staley and Buck's output combined in '03).

 

However, looking ahead to '06, we have a massive glaring whole offensively. I agree with No 5's assessment that we can win the division, and I think we will, but we are no longer the prohibitive favorite to win the NFC and go to the Super Bowl because we've lost 1200 yds and 14 tds on offense from '03 and '04, and I don't know how we make up those yds and points. 

Heckert Speaks on Draft

interesting to get Heckert - the silent GM -perspective on the Eagles'
picks.

http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9411240/1

Pro Bowl vs. Picks?

Here’s what I don’t get about some NFL teams. June was a restricted free agent. A team that signed him gives up their number one pick.

 

Why wouldn’t a team in the last third of the 1^st round - #21-32 be willing to give up their pick for a pro bowl LB? An unproven college player vs. a guy that is one of the best at his position? Why don’t more teams with low draft picks go after guys like this?

 

 

From ESPN.com:

Three-year veteran Cato June, the former college safety who became a Pro Bowl linebacker in 2005, has signed his one-year qualifying offer with the Indianapolis Colts. The deal is worth $1.573 million.

	June

A restricted free agent, June received the middle-level qualifying offer from the Colts in March. That all but precluded his departure in free agency. Any team signing June to an offer sheet would have owed Indianapolis a first-round draft choice as compensation. The period for teams to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets ended on Friday night.

It will be interesting to see if the Colts now pursue a long-term deal with June, who could be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring unless he signs an extension.

The Colts have a history of not overpaying at the linebacker position. In recent years, Indianapolis has allowed three starting linebackers -- Mike Peterson (2002), Marcus Washington (2004) and David Thornton (2005) -- to depart as unrestricted free agents. The Colts' personnel department, in each case, was able to locate suitable replacements.

June, 26, is a self-made player. He was a sixth-round choice in 2003 who overcame not only his low-round status but also a change of positions, and turned himself into a Pro Bowl performer. The former University of Michigan standout played primarily on special teams as a rookie in 2003, and then moved into the starting lineup in 2004, after Washington's departure.

 

Jackson would be selected in newest mock draft.

SI’s newest mock draft is out and it has the Eagles, once again, taking Florida WR Chad Jackson.

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/don_banks/04/04/mock.draft4.part2/index.html

 

Really, with the first ten players pretty much set – just the order to be decided, the Eagys’ choices are pretty much narrowed down to these four players: Jackson, Brodrick Bunkley, Ernie Sims, and Winston Justice. Who they take will be entirely dependent on which of these players remains after the Rams, Browns, and Ravens pick ahead of the Eagles.

Why the Phillies Stink

 

Paul Hagen has a great series going in the Daily News articulating and exploring why the Phillies hav sucked so bad for so long.  Here is the link from yesterday:

 

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/14266597.htm

 

and today:

 

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/14275328.htm

 

David Montgomery's own words are the best indictment.  The leadership at the top is THE problem.  Some very interesting tidbits and quotes though.  Great reading for Phillies fans, but it makes you want to jump off a freakin' bridge.  I am going this afternoon to watch us reach 0-3.  And again on Saturday as we strive for 0-5.

 

i believe it is the ownership that has run this franchise into the ground. This group – first Giles and now Montgomery – have been more focused on getting a new stadium and having someone else pay for it than anything else over the past 15 years. Now these charlatans are shocked – shocked! that more fans won’t come to games just to experience the ballpark though the team has been mediocre for a generation.

 

April is the Cruelst Month for Phillies Fans

Rich Hoffman's article today hit the nail on the head with respect to the Phillies’ disastrous start and the two week window in which the Phils have to turn it around or the season is probably lost. If anything, Hoffman understates the crisis given the Phils’ April history.

 

 

 

It is, quite simply, not possible to overstate the importance of April baseball.

 

It is, without question, the mos important month of baseball, with the possible exception of September.

 

Who you are as a  team in April almost always defines who you are as a team in August and September. Through the wonder of Google, I just found the baseball prospectus site that keeps game logs for every single season. From

1987 through 2005 -- exempting '95, since there was no April baseball that year -- the Phillies have had just five seasons in which they played above .500 baseball in April.

 

Not surprisingly, in those 18 seasons, 19 if you include '95, they've had just five winning seasons of baseball.

 

Two classic examples of recent bad April baseball vintage, and how those Aprils destroyed our seasons.

 

In '02, the Phils went 71-64 for the final 5 months of the season, according to Baseball Prospectus. Not bad, not great, but decent enough that had they just gone 14-13 in the month of April they'd have won 85 games for the year

and been in the hunt for the wild card.

 

Not so. They went 9-18. Won 80 games for the year.

 

In '04, they went 76-65 in the final five months of the season. Their 10-11  start meant that they won just 86 games, rather than 90.

 

Bad starts mean bad seasons. The Phils last year had that amazing homestand where they went 12-1.

 

Do you realize what their record was after winning 12 out of 13 games?

 

36-28.

 

They were so many games below .500 that winning 12 of 13 only put them at 36-28 and they were still in 2nd place behind the Nats at the time.

 

Without further adieu -- hide your eyes or hit the delete button if you don't want to see the horror -- here are the last 18 Aprils in Phillies history:

 

'87: 7-13

'88: 7-12

'89: 11-12

'90: 10-9

'91: 9-12

'92: 10-12

'93: 17-5

'94: 9-14

'95: n/a

'96: 13-11

'97: 8-16

'98: 12-13

'99: 11-11

'00: 7-17

'01: 14-10

'02: 9-18

'03: 16-12

'04: 10-11

 

I don't have the numbers for '05, they weren't up on baseball prosepctus, but I sure know we had a sub-.500 record. I know, because we all went to that Nats-Phils game at RFK in late April and we spent the entire game bitching.

Eagles 2006 Schedule

 

Note Christmas night game is IN DALLAS not Philly as previously reported.

 

Three straight division road games in late December. Are you kidding me!??!?

 

Also note home night games vs. GB and Carolina. TO’s return to Philly is October 8.

 

Home opener vs. the GIANTS!!!

 

Home game on New Year’s Eve!

 

Late bye week this year.

 

 

Sep 10@Houston1:00pm

 

Sep 17N.Y. Giants1:00pm

 

Sep 24@San Francisco4:15pm

 

Oct 2Green Bay8:30pm

 

Oct 8Dallas4:15pm

 

Oct 15@New Orleans1:00pm

 

Oct 22@Tampa Bay1:00pm

 

Oct 29Jacksonville1:00pm

 

 Week 9BYE

 

Nov 12Washington1:00pm

 

Nov 19Tennessee1:00pm

 

Nov 26@Indianapolis1:00pm

 

Dec 4Carolina8:30pm

 

Dec 10@Washington1:00pm

 

Dec 17@N.Y. Giants1:00pm

 

Dec 25@Dallas5:00pm

 

Dec 31Atlanta1:00pm

Peter King Knows What He's Talking About

PHILADELPHIA -- Nowhere do people love pro football like they do here. Nowhere. I hugely respect the fans of Green Bay, Washington, Denver, Oakland, New England, New York/New Jersey, Cleveland and Dallas. The fans in Green Bay and Cleveland are almost as fanatical as the fans in Philly. I don't say any of this to demean the truly passionate places around this passionate league. I say it to emphasize how much this city hurts this morning.

 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/peter_king/01/19/mmqb/index.html

Peyton Manning comparison

ya know, it's become very fashionable to beat up Peyton Manning cause he hasn't won 3 SBs like Tom Brady. I'm really getting disgusted at the way alot of people, the Sports Guy in particular, are jumping on the bandwagon and picking on him. the question i have is why are they so obsessed with manning and criticizing him?

 

in some respects the analogy to marino is unfair to marino. manning at least has some great offensive weapons in harrison and james. Can you even name a starting RB on the Dolphins during Marino's career there? A TE? A WR besides the Marks brothers?

 

to a certain extent i think this infatuation with the notion that only a championship can validate a player is rather silly, especially in such a team-oriented sport such as football. it's the michael jordan effect.

 

besides it is still too early to fully judge manning's career. the conventional wisdom of john elway was he was a great QB that couldn't win the big game, at the tail end of his career he wins 2 SBs on the back of Terrell Davis and vs. the Falcons...the Falcons! and all the sudden he's locked into the the first tier pantheon (i think he was regardless).

 

Is the best analogy Tom Brady: Troy Aikman as Peyton Manning:Brett Favre.

 

remember when the Pack couldn't get past the Cowboys in the playoffs in the mid 90s and where that scheduling quirk had them playing a regular season game in dallas each year too, which they lost. Favre those years had great numbers - he and Faulk were perennial fantasy top picks, but the knock was he couldn't win the big one. couldn't get over the hump. finally did when the Boys got a little old and the Pack finally got to the play the playoff games in Lambeau instead of that damned crowned field in dallas. all manning needs to do is get over the hump once and play the jan. games in the rca dome and not in -15 weather in foxboro.

 

WRs?

A friend writes:

 

Good god, someone’s going to get  A STEAL in LenDale White. One bad workout, and he’s falling off the charts.

Reminds me of the time Warren Sapp plummeted in the draft and word spread it was because of a failed drug test. Later turned out that it was just pot. Christ, NFL drafters are the stupidest people on earth.

If we draft a wide receiver, you can rest assured of one thing: he will never amount to anything.

We have the worst, the worst wide receiver coaches in all of football. In the entire Reid Era, not a single receiver we’ve drafted has ever improved. None, no improvement at all. A guy like Thrash, who we acquired via free agency, completely lost his career in two years with us.

My advice: DO NOT DRAFT A RECEIVER.

New Mock Pick - WR Chad Jackson

Newest SI mock draft has the Eagles taking Florida WR Chad Jackson – with this explanation: Giving the Eagles USC offensive tackle Winston Justice would make sense, too, even though they re-signed veteran tackle Jon Runyan. But it's hard to see Philly's offense matching up with the likes of their NFC East rivals without a No. 1 receiver who can at least compare to Terrell Owens, Santana Moss and Plaxico Burress.

 

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/don_banks/04/04/mock.draft4.part2/index.html

 

Previous projected pick Ernie Sims moves up 2 places to #12 – taken by the Browns and the earliest projected Eagles pick, SC RB LenDale White has fallen to 29 after a disastrous workout on the USC campus.

Sleeper Sims?

Riffing off an earlier post tied to a Paul Zimmerman article that says Ernie Sims could be a sleeper first round LB pick, it is fair to ask “how much of a sleeper?” and “does Dr. Z read his own publication’s mock draft board?”

 

According to the most current SI mock draft, Ernie Sims would be the 2nd LB taken (by the Eagles). AJ Hawk would be the first LB taken. How much of a "sleeper" is that? Other LBs taken in mock 1st round are Greenway (Iowa, 23, bucs), Bobby Carpenter (Ohio st., 25, giants), and DeMeco Ryans (Alabama, 28, Jax).

 

So according to SI, Sims is such a sleeper that he is the 2^nd LB taken, well ahead of three other prospects who supposedly are in front of Sims in some personnel evaluations.

 

Perhaps Sims is the kind of talent – small but quick – the Eagles prefer at LB over these other names? No one says. (And then there is the terrible thought of Eagles fans that Sims is this year’s Matt McCoy, an undersized but speedy LB project who can develop, eventually, into a starter.)

Ernie Sims

 

NFL personnel quote on possible eagles pick

 

OK, Mr. A, could you please give me one sleeper, a guy who's not projected near the top of the board but might slip in?

"Ernie Sims, outside linebacker from Florida State. I see him listed as the fourth- or fifth-best linebacker on some charts. He's a lot better than that. An undersized guy with tremendous athletic ability."

Eagles - Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Thank you Mr. Hofmann for perfectly capturing the fans’ current frustration. You could have added the bizarre Jon Runyan situation to your list of examples.

 

After losing out on LeCharles Bentley, fans thought re-signing Runyan would be a priority. Given the Eagles’ current surplus cap status, you would think that structuring the deal with added bonus money or an extra million in base salary (what’s it matter, they’re so far under the cap they won’t be able to spend it all) just to ensure the continuity on the line and send a message that the Eagles don’t discard team leaders over pennies would be a no brainer.

 

Yet the Eagles let Runyan visit the Jets. Why? Were they letting him test the market so he could see for himself his true value? Did the Eagles not think he was worth what he was seeking? Had the Eagles determined that his skills had deteriorated and he was part of the offensive line’s problems last year? The point is, as you pointed out today, we don’t know. Heck, we still don’t know the answers to some of these questions even after he’s now re-signed.

 

The Eagles have been masterful in managing their salary cap, but sometimes – in cases like Jon Runyan – the Eagles front office gives the impression that they are hardball negotiators whose bottomline is the bottomline. What else are we to think? The Eagles won’t tell us.

 

How 'bout them 'Boys

Just another reason to hate the Cowboys and their fans.

They're such Bandwagoners!

Look Beyond Reggie Wayne

With soon to be free agent Colts WR Reggie Wayne on the tip of every Eagles fan tongue as the cure for what ails the Eagles receiving corps, perhaps everyone should look a little deeper at other soon to be Colts free agents that could improve Eagle deficiencies in other areas - specifically defense.

To wit, LB David Thornton and DE Raheem Brock (who the Eagles drafted in the 7th round 4 years ago and then let walk after using up all their draft cap money) both of whom are free agents this off season.

and while we're at it, why not add pro bowl RB Edgerrin James to the wish list - he too is a free agent.

Golden Boy

interesting that on the NFL website's play-by-play recount of the Pats-Broncos game that the ONLY play not listed in the log is NFL golden boy Tom Brady's backbreaking, game changing INT to Champ Bailey. See for yourself here.

Now why is that the ONLY play missing?

TO Trade?

Bob Brookover breaks the story today that the Eagles might not release Terrell Owens outright, but might trade him, with the two teams expressing interest as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NY Jets.

The turn of events isn't as outlandish or far-fetched as it might seem, save for the weeks of reporting that concluded the Eagles were (had?) to cut TO after the season, but before the March 1 $5 million roster bonus is due.

The move obviously makes sense for the Eagles - they can salvage something - anything even a single late round draft pick for a player they were going to release anyway. (the salary cap hit to the Eagles is going to be the same either way).

From the Jets or Bucs perspective, a trade gets them an impact (though certifiable) player without a bidding war for his services (if there is a market). More overlooked is the fact that Owens' contract for a new team is somewhat cap friendly, especially for a team trying to minimize their downside on Owens. An $8 million one-year deal ($5 million roster bonus + $2.5 million signing bonus + $770,000 base salary) isn't a bad deal for a player of Owens' talent and volatility.

One of the remaining questions, though, is why sports reporters failed to grasp the trade possibilities. Chalk it up to sports reporters not comprehending one of the most important, but overlooked aspects of pro sports - but especially the nfl - the salary cap and financial implications and permutations of player salaries and signing bonues.

Helix High

Only one college team has ever had players selected #1 overall in back to back years (USC's Ron Yary and OJ Simpson). If Reggie Bush is the first pick in 2006 I think it would mean that Helix High School (San Diego) is the only other school to ever have alums selected #1 overall in consecutive years (Alex Smith). Can you think of any other high school that might have accomplished this feat?

I mean, what are the odds of a high school laying claim to this when only one college has ever done it?

Hello 2006

Rich Hoffman proves once again why he and Phil Sheridan are the best two sports columnists in the Philly with an insightful and succinct summary of the Eagles' 2006 need -- making sure McNabb does not fail. Between the lines is the root of this year's trouble, and an ominous warning for the team if next year McNabb stumbles. Great stuff.

Also, here's hoping Brad Childress gets the Minnesota head coaching job..or one of the others now available. It will allow the Eagles to promote offensive genius Marty Mohrninweg to the post of offensive coordinator. Mohrninweg was the brains behind the high-powered Niners' offense with Young and Rice ( and a young TO). Giving him more input into the game plan and play calling, without the layer of Childress, can only be a good thing.

Also, check out the Kalu stories about the disruption TO was. Pulling the curtain back, it is now becoming clear exactly HOW Owens was a distraction (at best) and a cancer at worst.

Are you kidding?

Bob Brookover can't be serious when he suggests that Josh McCown, Kurt Warner, or Jeff Garcia would be better backup QBs for the Eagles than the current players.

Is that a joke?

He points out that McCown is a free agent at the end of the season. True enough, but he's a starter now. Is he going to sign with Eagles to be the backup? Please.

As for Warner and Garcia, Brookover must not have seen them recently. Garcia's been terrible and has been benched in Detroit. I'll say that again. Garcia can't even start for Detroit. And Warner, like Garcia, has nothing left in the tank.

Give me Koy Detmer any day over the last two guys.

Wish List

Bob Ford takes his crack at the positions in which the Eagles need to improve and puts a little holiday spin on it with a "wish list" title.

The usual suspects are all here-- better backup QB, yardage eating RB (and not Buckhalter), an upgrade at LB, and an impact player at WR.

Two of his positions though caught my eye. Punter - maybe the beat writers know more about Dirk Johnson's injury then they are reporting, otherwise I don't understand why this is on there. Johnson had complications from his sports hernia surgery and was lost for the remainder of the season. He's a good punter when healthy. But why is there an assumption that he either might not be healthy or reliable next year? Is this a cause for concern about McNabb's hernia surgery?

The other position Ford lists, actually leads with, is defensive end. He's not the first to urge an upgrade at D-end. But here's my question about that. You're stuck with Kearse for the foreseeable future given his contract and the salary cap hit the Eagles would take in unloading him. On the other side is rising player Trent Cole.

So where and who would you get at defensive end? Are you going to platoon 3 ends? Is Kearse not going to play every down? Is someone new going to start over Cole? How much more can you afford to invest in defensive end given how much you've already got wrapped up in Kearse?

I understand Kearse has been a disappointment, and part of the reason why people want an upgrade at this position, but it seems to me that the financial reality - and Cole's encouraging play - is such that this is probably one of thee last areas the Eagles will significantly upgrade. I've seen John Abraham's name floated out there, but are the Eags really going to pony up the cash to land him, a premier free agent, when they have other pressing needs (ie, LB).

It's also why I've been arguing for an upgrade at defensive tackle more than end. My opinion is that Kearse will be better if the Eagles could get more interior pressure or push.

Also, if you want to take the long view, the Eagles really screwed up by not going after Ogunlye when Miami wanted to get rid of him. But that horse has left the barn, and now plays in Chicago.

Backup Quarterback, not being Koy

I don't understand the many Philly writers who insist that the Eagles have to upgrade the backup QB position - with the implicit understanding that the Eagles jettison Koy Detmer. And I would not be so quick to dismiss Akers' preference for Detmer as his holder as several writers have done.

First off, what kind of upgrade does anybody think we can get at QB? Here's a quick list of current backups off the top of my head: Sorgi, Davey, Tuiasosoppo, McCown, Romo, Ramsay, Rodgers, Dorsey.

Are any of those guys a significant upgrade from McMahon and Detmer?

But my bigger question is why everyone wants to cut Detmer, elevate McMahon to #2 and bring in a younger, better QB as #3.

Why?

Why doesn't the current arrangement work? Detmer holds for Akers and is the QB "on call" so to speak during the game in case McNabb gets hurt and can't play during a game. As we've repeatedly seen, Detmer can play and has the ability to move the offense.

should a McNabb injury require him to miss actual games from start to finish then McMahon gets the start and Detmer remains at #2 on the depth chart - still holding for Akers and ready to play in an emergency should McMahon get hurt. What is the problem?

The Eagles have a pro-bowl kicker. Given the Eagles' long history of futility at that position, it would make a lot of sense to keep that player happy and maximizing his potential to score. If that means keeping Detmer as the holder so be it.

Panic Example

Daily News columnist Paul Domowitch's 8-step plan for "turning around" the Eagles is typical of the knee jerk overreaction now consuming Eagleland. It's also a questionable analysis of the Eagles' needs.

Here's a summary of his 8 points.

1 -- Find an edge-rushing friend for Jevon

2 -- Get faster at linebacker

3 -- Add a wideout not named Reggie Wayne

4 -- Re-sign the right tackle

5 -- Sign/draft a big back

6 -- Find a blocking tight end

7 -- A better Plan B at quarterback

8 -- Get bigger at cornerback

I'll elaborate on this in later posts. But anyone can see the Eagles need a better pass rush. But is a complementary end to Kearse the answer? I say no. It would be better to get a stud d-lineman. The Eagles have absolutely no push from the middle of the pocket. Interior line also helps the running defense more than an end.

A faster LB? How about a better LB. Adams is a backup and stud special teamer, but not a starter for the Eagles. We need an upgrade there. A lot of friends are clamoring for an upgrade over Dhani Jones. Jones has a bigger, longer contract and is at leas serviceable although deserving of some blame for subpar play at times this year.

#2, #3 - we need a receiver. A professional receiver. Koren Robinson?

Runyan needs to be extended. i was surprised to learn that in the whole TO turmoil Runyan is a team leader that Reid solicits input from. With Thomas' back surgery, Runyan has to be kept to solidify the line.

Skipping to #7 and #8. These are the most questionable assertions. A better backup QB? Who does Domo think the Eagles can land? Has he seen who the backup are around the league? Aside from Brad Johnson in Minnesota, there are slim pickin's. In the modern day NFL, a team will go only as far as the starter can take them. Look at the backups in the NFC and tell who you'd want over Detmer (who, by the way, is eminently serviceable. Knows the offense, his place on the team, and always seems to move the team down the field when he comes into game. A weak arm, but somehow he gets it done.

Seriously, want AZ's Josh McCown? Aaron Rodgers in GB? Phil Shaky Simms? Jamie Martin in St.L? Please.

Finally, "get bigger at CB"

We had 3 pro bowlers last year and all the sudden they're not big enough to play. There is nothing so wrong with this secondary that a better pass rush won't significantly help.

I would be much more worried about the safety position. Dawkins has clearly lost a step. Fortunately, this means that while he's no longer an all-pro, he's still a legit starter and one of the best safeties in the game.

What the heck has happened to Michael Lewis???? Hopefully after the season they'll announce he's been suffering from some undisclosed injury or personal problem that could explain his plummeting level of play. Lack of pass rush, Lito's injury, Dawkins' lost step has all magnified Lewis' ineffectiveness.

Perhaps the Eagles should start grooming Dawkins' eventual successor (Sean Considine?) immediately and begin thinking about shifting B.Dawk over to SS.

Embarrassing

Tuesday was a day of embarrassment for Eagles' fans. I'm not talking about the blowout loss on national television the night before (although that certainly qualifies), but to the incredible sense of panic that fans and seemingly the entire region are in over the Eagles.

Their is a collective, and in my opinion wholely unwarranted, gnashing of teeth. A deep-seated fear that far from being a mulligan of a season that the Eagles are somehow on a long, inexorable slide back to mediocrity.

People! Snap out of it!

This is a one year aberration.

This season was lost the moment Donovan McNabb was not going to play the duration of the season without injury. At that point, the Super Bowl wasn't really a realistic possibility. Indeed, the playoffs were the best case scenario. It's rather remarkable that the Eagles were even in plausible contention for the playoffs untilthe Seattle loss.

What Eagles' fans should rejoice about is that given this was a lost year when McNabb got the hernia the Eagles have had an unvarnished look at all the positions (surprisingly many!) that they need to upgrade in the offseason.

If Reid and Company objectively analyze the play when the season is over and work to fill the holes and return to championship form in 2006 than this season - while lost - won't have been in vain.

Root for Dallas?

Conventional Wisdom says that Eagle fans have to root for the Cowboys to win out cause we'll never catch them for the division since they have a 3 game lead with 5 to play. In that thinking, we need the 'Boys to hand out losses to conference rivals so the Eagles can snare a wild card berth.

Here's my question/contention, though. Have you seen the Cowboys' schedule? The next 5 games are pretty hard. at Giants, at Redskins, at Carolina, home vs. KC and finish at home vs. St. Louis. They could easily lose 4 of those 5. Particularly the Giants and Carolina. Give them the benefit of the doubt with the 'Skins - Parcells owns Gibbs notwithstanding the last minute breakdown in game 2. The only "easy" game left for them is the Rams.

Giants also have a tough remaining schedule: Eagles, Skins, Cowboys, KC, and at Oakland.

Skins may have the easiest of the bunch: at Arizona, at St. Louis and 2 of the 3 division games at home. Fortunately, the Skins are tied with the Eagles.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, their crappy conference record (currently 2-5) puts them at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to tie-breakers.

With losses to, and games remaining with, the Giants and Skins who do we want to win? Probably the Skins cause they have the same record right now, right?

At some point after this week, we might have to switch who our division favorite is going to be.

All of which is to say that if the Eagles can just beat the Seahawks monday night and they would probably help themselves tremendously toward a playoff march. Certainly, at least, putting a little more destiny into their own hands.

Nutty Optimist Continued

Here's my response to my friend's comments about the Eagles' prospects for the rest of the year.

All I'm saying is that the Eagles
aren't eliminated from the playoff hunt just yet. That Monday's game is
huge in so many ways. I think if they win, their chances improve
disproportionately more than just getting the single W. If they manage
to get into the playoffs that it is a crapshoot as to how far they can
go because of the parity/mediocrity of the emerging nfc playoff teams.

I would be very happy making the divisional round. Ecstatic to GET to the
championship game. It is beyond expectations to go to the Super Bowl,
but even if they did I would fully expect them to be absolutely smoked
by the Colts. Like Denver smoked. 55-10.

This season was lost when McNabb got the hernia. End of story. It's a
letdown in the sense that there were high expectations coming off the
super bowl and given the mediocrity of the conference, but can you
really be disappointed with the season given the losses to injury? It's
a missed opportunity only if McNabb was healthy. In some weird way, it
may have been a blessing in disguise. They now see the deficiencies in
the team: d-line, LB, WR and can move to fix them in the offseason and
gear up for next year. All while getting some quality looks at young
guys now: Herremans, Hood, Moats, Brown.

Still. They've got a punchers chance to make the playoffs, which given
the season so far would be a terrific accomplishment in and of itself.

Also, my point wasn't they could get "hot." If they finish strong they
will have a 10-6 record. No matter what you say or how they got there,
that is a legitimate playoff record. Of the super bowl teams you cite,
the 2001 Pats had an 11-5 record. I think they did get "hot" when Brady
took over at QB and got some games under his belt. They only had #2 seed
cause they won tiebreaker vs. 11-5 Dolphins.

In 2002, the Raiders had an 11-5 record in a year where the AFC had a
lot of parity. They also started the season 4-4.

The 2003 Panthers were 11-5 but played in the wildcard round. They beat
dallas at home (an overrated dallas team) and then beat the Rams and
Eagles on the road!

I just don't see a dominant team in the nfc that would be a prohibitive
favorite in all of their playoff games. Favored yes. Likely winners,
yes. But not like 14-2 or 13-3 dominant.

IF - a big if - they could get into the playoffs I would probably equate
it to the year they beat Tampa and then beat a wildly overrated 13-3
Bears team. They lost the following week to St.L, but it was a fun and
somewhat unexpected ride. Do you remember the surprise at leading at
halftime?

Of course, this is all moot if they can't beat Seattle Monday. And the
Dallas game will continue to haunt them no matter what.

Mully's Big Head

Here's a shout out to local homeboy and fellow Villanova grad Jeff Mullin, who managed to score tickets to today's Oklahoma-Villanova game that put his big fat head right next to Dickie V's in TV shots of the announcers.

Well done, Mully. You're a world-class schemer so I would expect no less. Bonus points for making it to the Pavilion a week after your wife had her third baby.

Nutty Optimist

A friend responds to my recent delusions of playoff possibilities (Sleepless over Seattle):

Listen, you've got to get back to reality here. It would really be neat if for some crazy reason this team came together and rallied to win the final six games, went 10-6 and snuck into the playoffs and even won a game in the playoffs.

But, this is the National Football League. Teams that play bad all year and then catch a few lucky breaks and get "hot" at the end of the season, those teams don't ride that "momentum" to the Super Bowl.

This isn't the NHL, where it only takes a hot goalie to get to the Stanley Cup finals.
Remember how "hot" the Giants were at the end of the '02 season? Having beaten the Eagles on the final game of the year in OT to get to the playoffs, with Collins and Shockey in high gear. They couldn't even hold a three-touchdown lead against Jeff Garcia.

Motivationally, as a character building exercise, it would be wonderful to see this team win even five of the last six, go 9-7, having lost their two biggest offensive studs and seen a season in turmoil come to a nice conclusion.

but it will still be a MAJOR disappointment, a massive letdown and the biggest missed opportunity in Philly sports (considering how weak the NFC is and how easy it would have been to coast to a 12-4, 13-3 record if this team had been 90% of what it was last year) since the Sixers and their "We Owe You One" campaign in the '77-78 season.

Across the board, in every facet of the game, this team is demonstrably worse than they were last year. Although, their run defense is probably more solid and dependible. (not sure if that's the case statistically or not, but they have shut down some of the game's biggest stud running backs in impressive fashion).

but everywhere else -- the running game, the passing game, the defensive (non)pressure on the QBs, the defensive backfield, special teams -- we are far worse off than we were last year.

Because of that, there's just no way we can talk about the "potential" if we "just make the playoffs." This doesn't happen in the NFL. yes, sometimes a No 2 or a No 3 seed upsets a No 1 and advances to the Super Bowl, but go through the past 10 Super Bowls. Find me an example of a team that wasn't in the top of the league standings most of the year and got "hot" at the right time and rode that wave to the Super Bowl.

'04 season: Eagles v. Pats
'03: Pats v. Panthers
'02: Bucs v. Raiders
'01: Pats v. Rams
'00: Ravens v. Giants
'99: Rams v. Titans
'98: Broncos v. Falcons
'97: Broncos v. Packers
'96: Packers v. Pats
'95: Cowboys v. Steelers

Sleepless Over Seattle

huge game this week vs. Seattle. haven't given up on season yet. if anything, the mediocrity of the nfc has me salivating at the potential if the Eagles can just make the playoffs. The Bears scare you? their offense is terrible!

They beat the Seahawks and they will be on a roll going into the Giants game. those are the two hardest games left on the schedule.

Granted, the Dallas home loss will likely haunt them for the rest of
the season (imagine being 6-5, with a one game margin of error to get
to 10-6 - that should be good enough for the playoffs), but all is not
entirely lost. heck, even Troy Aikman yesterday was coming around to
the Eagles' possibilities by the end of the game.

Gotta root for Dallas, Carolina, Chicago and Seattle (monday night notwithstanding) to win every week.

Heck, even Troy Aikman wrote the Eagles off for dead at the beginning of the Packers game, but by the end had come around and was saying things like, "never underestimate the heart of a champion."

Heck

1-9?

One other thought about yesterday's game. How did the Rutgers Scarlet Knights go 1-9 with an offense that included at least three future pro football starters? McMahon, LJ Smith, and Giants o-lineman Shaun O'Hara.

8-8 Skinnies?

My washington friends are sullenly thining that 8-8 is now the likely final record for Gibbs' second year of Part II.

Which raised the point is 8-8 a good record for this team.

Relative to the mediocrity of past teams, 8-8 would be a good for this team. BUT

It would be very disappointing given how this season started for them and their record in the beginning. It would also be disappointing given the quality of competition in the NFC this year. The best the Skinnies could do is 8-8? That’s not very encouraging.

But worst, do you really expect the Skins to be more improved next year? With Brunnel at QB and perhaps Gregg Williams head coaching somewhere else?

Still a lot of football to be played and games to be won, but they are probably an underdog this week notwithstanding the cross-continent plane ride for the Chargers. And close with three straight division games. Since Parcells owns Gibbs, notwithstanding stealing that last game in Dallas, that would put them at 7 losses. Which means they beat the Rams, Cards, Giants, and Eagles to get a winning record.

We’ll see.

Farewell Bill Lyon

Great last column by the great Bill Lyon in Sunday's paper.

The nut graph that sum it all up for Philadelphia sports fans.

Our capacity for hurt is matched only by our capacity for loyalty.

another tough loss

Though Mike McMahon acquitted himself well. so too did rookie reggie brown.

Terrible pass interference call on Michael Lewis. It doesn't seem fair that the offense should benefit in a case like that where the ball is underthrown and the WR fights through the dback to get the ball cause the d has position, but somehow it is interference.

the mcmahon scramble was McNabb-esque.

with all the games that broke the right way yesterday that Cowboys game is just more and more of a killer. not to get too polyannish, but the Eagles would still be in the hunt at 5-5 if they had won last week.

which raises an interesting question. did Reid stick with a near-disabled Donovan too long? what would the offense have been like and the record be if #4 had been in there a couple of games earlier. Not a QB controversy in the slightest, just asking at what point a healthy backup is better than a hobbled star.

this team has problems at LB, d-line, o-line that need to be addressed in the offseason.

My former roommate Giant fans were none too impressed with their team's win. So unimpressive was the game that they declined to gloat.

Another week, another reminder of how close NFL games are. A blocked punt, a 4th and goal 1 yard pass, and a crappy 3rd and long hitch and go on a blitz were the difference makers.

Taking a Little Out of You

The great Inquirer columnist Bill Lyon is retiring after Sunday's column. In tribute, the paper is posting some of his old, classic columns online.

In reading the one the day after the Sixers 1983 championship, I came across a very interesting quote from Pat Riley about losing in the finals. Something the Eagles and Eagles fans should contemplate as far as the team's psyche and off-season moves.

But what Malone brought to the Sixers was a new attitude, best explained by Pat Riley, who watched his defending champions brutalized in four straight.

"When you keep losing in the finals," Riley said of the Sixers, "it takes a tremendous toll. You lose a little bit of your basketball life. They had a lot of guys who had tasted nothing but the pain, and that's bad.

"Getting Moses was the best move they could have made. It rejuvenated them. You could look at them and see they were more committed."

Uh-oh

Maybe the Eagles better reevaluate their options with TO after the 4-game suspension.

With McNabb likely out for the season, is it possible that there might be a groundswell of support in the locker room to bring #81 back to help the offense? That's the inkling I get from this article in today's paper by Bob Brookover, Time for Decisions and Revisions.

This would be an absolute disaster from a team chemistry perspective. this team in the long run will rise or fall with McNabb. Not TO. so why even take the chance or let this fester.

Cut TO. NOW.

Turn Out the Lights

Not to state the obvious, but the season is over.

Hard to believe that over the course of a 16 game season, or 60 minutes of a game, that three plays can define and impact an entire season the way the Terry Glenn TD, Roy Williams' INT TD, and Reggie Brown's drop at the end of the Dallas game did.

A spectacular crash

Has an athlete, not just a Philly player, been so high and crashed so spectacularly as Owens in the 18 months he's been here?

He was the long-awaited stud WR that turbo-charged last year's offense.

He was the faith healing ankle mender who made it back onto the field in six weeks and played against doctors orders.

He was a freakin' warrior in the Super Bowl, definitely coming to play, even if it was on one good leg/ankle.

If the Eagles had won the Super Bowl, Owens would have owned Philadelphia for longer than Dick Vermeil.

Alas, they didn't, and he won't.

soon after came the contract complaints and the incredible reserve of regional goodwill evaporated very, very quickly.

He's been digging himself a bigger hole every month, or every time he opened his mouth.

The wonder is why he didn't shut up and just play. If he had been a loyal teammate and produced even half of what he is capable of he would have put the Eagles into a corner by facing the public wrath of waiving him or paying him the $5 million signing bonus due in March. Owens, but more inexplicably the savvy and shrewd Drew Rosenhaus, should have realized that once the $5 million was paid the Eagles were committed to him for the long term lest they take the salary cap hit. and that would have meant some balloon-payment type base salaries in the out years. Shut up and play and he would have gotten his money. But they decided that was too long term and wanted an immediate renegotiation. Bad move. And it's now going to have longer term financial consequences for TO. He's now a bad teammate on two different teams. Who's going to risk a big investment in him now?

Such a shame, such a pity.

TOo Late

If only only Owens' contrite and somewhat sincere sounding apology had been issued Friday or Saturday, instead of Tuesday.

Too little, too late.

What a shame. TO is an awesome, AWESOME, wide receiver. But, alas, he is a world class jerk as a teammate. I actually feel bad for TO. Of course, I feel worse for the Eagles who have lost a gamebreaking playmaker whom they desperately could use as they try to stagger into the playoffs.

So many questions, and still so much speculation.

Where the hell has Rosenhaus been? It took him till today to get up to Philly and try to put out the conflagration that was TO's flameout with the Eagles? Where was he three days ago when this might have been salvageable. And by salvageable, i mean salvageable from TO's perspective. Had he apologized on Friday like he did today he would likely still be on the team. Maybe the team wouldn't have been happy, but he would be getting paid.

I guess the turmoil TO caused in the locker room was much, much greater than anyone realized. Not even the obvious stuff, like the Hugh Douglas altercation, but the slow, steady, and subtle undermining of the franchise QB and team leader, #5, and the divisiveness and egg shells players must have been walking on to avoid provoking the petulant Owens.

What the hell was Stephen Smith thinking when he wrote the ridiculous and nonsensical column on Sunday, "This Time, Owens' Isn't the Bad Guy," in which he absolved Owens, McNabb and everybody else but the Eagles management (aka whitey) for the latest Owens debacle.

How in the world did Team TO decide that giving anymore interviews on ESPN was going to be in any way helpful to TO's cause? Again, where was Rosenhaus? Did TO reject or ignore advice in this matter?

TO cost himself a lot of money. not just the fine and perhaps the recouping of the signing bonus, but what team in their right mind is going to commit big bucks to a ticking time bomb. He's going to be paid year to year. No big signing bonuses that can be amortized over several years. It means that in addition to a team willing to take the risk on him, it must also be a team that has enough cap room to sign him to a $5 million 2006 salary.

TO is not going to the Falcons. After torching Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb, what team in their right mind would allow him anywhere near a) a young, developing QB or b) a franchise QB in which you've invested your future? Mike Vick is both of those things. Plus, remember, the head coach is Jim Mora, Jr - San Fran's D coordinator when TO ripped that team apart.

What did Andy Reid see in the Redskins game that made him feel comfortable enough to sever ties with TO in mid-season. As Peter King reported on his site Monday,

"At 12:11 a.m. on Monday, Reid ducked out of his office and into the Eagles' somber locker room after their 17-10 loss to the Redskins. He went over to McNabb and said, "Come on and see me.'' He led McNabb, who played quite well on Sunday night (except for the blown spike play at the end of the first half and the interception on fourth down in the final minute of the game) to his office and closed the door. They stayed in the inner-sanctum for four minutes and McNabb came out smiling."

What did Reid see that gave him the impetus to jettison Owens? Reggie Brown's play? G. Lew? Just a more smoothly functioning offense? What

So many questions.