TO in DC

TO made an appearance on the John Thompson show last week to promote his book. Thompson’s sidekick, Doc Walker, also joined in the TO “interview.” (For the uninitiated, Doc Walker was a role player on the Gibbs’ Super Bowl teams and has managed to parlay that “fame” into a somewhat successful media career in DC.)

Anyway, Thompson and Walker lobbed softballs at TO for the entire interview. You would hardly have thought there was ever a controversy in Philadelphia or that TO got suspended from the team for the duration of the 2005 season. No mention of McNabb’s “black on black crime” comments, which is kind of extraordinary when you think about it given Thompson’s strong support/defense of African-american athletes. (One of my favorite Thompson radio moments was his musing about the NHL and the dearth of minority players.)

Note to Thompson and Walker: ask TO why none of the offensive players were his allies, spoke up in his defense or attended his birthday party. Why was it only defensive players that said anything positive about him? And putting aside the McNabb angle, why didn't TO get along with his offensive coordinator? Or if TO is such a stupendous talent, and he is, is he playing for his third team in four years?

)

Note

Burrell to Cards?

Joe Morgan and Jon Miller said it last night during the Braves-Phillies game. Said the Cardinals had a lot of interest in Burrell and that the assistant to the GM was at the ballpark last night to look at Burrell. (this was several innings after Miller pondered the hometown reaction to Brett Myers, making his first start at home since being arrested for beating his wife. He suggested that Phillies fans, “like fans in all other big league cities, will be cheering him if he wins.” Which, if you step back for a moment, is an incredibly inflammatory and insensitive thing to say about fans and domestic violence (and I also think somewhat erroneous. Philly fans are many things, but one of their positive attributes is a high moral standard. They don’t tolerate hitting women, which is why the whole Myers thing has become the highly publicized and controversial incident it is.)

 

If A-rod had pressure in NY, imagine the pressure in Philly the first time he goes 0-fer with that $25 million contract.

 

Gordon is a nice player, but not a must-keep. They can get someone of his caliber this offseason.

 

The importance is to unload Abreu and Burrell’s contracts (unfortunately, there is no hope of foisting Lieberthal’s $10 million contract onto some sap of a team). That would free up $30 million of salary to go out and remake the roster for next year. They can’t afford to carry Bobby too far into the future cause at some point Howard and Utley will be making far more than their current $500,000/year rookie contracts.

 

Here’s a link to a story in the St. Louis paper about how the Cards may be looking for hitting before pitching and lists potential Phillies trades

.

 

“Poker playing becomes an art form at this time. The Cardinals have closely followed the Phillies, believed by many to be the catalyst for next week's madness. Outfielders Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and David Dellucci are intriguing. However, their pitching stable includes Cory Lidle, John Lieber and lefthanded relievers Arthur Rhodes and Rheal Cormier.”

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/BEC55CF73FC7B82D862571B40014CDFE?OpenDocument

 

Abreu "for" Lieber?

Who on the Phillies do you think gets traded this week? Seems like there's a lot of interest in Burrell. Will anyone eat Abreu's contract?

 

How about Abreu and Lieber to the Yanks. For nothing. They get pitching help in Lieber and in return have to take on Abreu's contract as well.

2005 or 2006 for Rollins?

When I saw that Utley had extended his hitting streak on Sunday night it got me to thinking about Rollins. How is his 36? Game hit streak that came to an end on the 2nd or 3rd game of the season handled? Is it considered the longest hitting streak of the 2005 season or the longest hitting streak of the 2006 season?

2nd best?

Bill Conlin calls Abreu the 2^nd best OF in Phillies history.

 

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/15115340.htm

 

3-3?

Andy is going to earn his paycheck this year.  Giving East teams 3-3 records I have a lot of 9-7.  Skins/Cowboys/Eagles (didn’t do Giants).

 

On the positive side – Cowboys play their presumed “easy” games at home – Texans/Titans/Lions  while the Eagles play their “easy” games on road – Niners/Texans/Saints.  That’s a huge advantage because we play Carolina and Jags at home instead of the road.  I figure thetough games on road are automatic L’s, but at home you can win (in my Eags 9-7 I gave them L’s at home vs. Carolina and Jags)

 

Falcons added John Abraham – if we’re excited about Howard then they should be equally, if not more, excited about Abraham (and his 20 sacks over the past 2 years).

 

The Offense will be the offense – they’ll put up some points in some games when it’s all clicking, they’ll struggle sometimes and more times than not it’ll get you 20-23.

 

The Defense will decide the season.  We were 27^th in the NFL in points allowed last year (2^nd in 2004).  When was the last time before last year that we got torched??  I say Colts at home (at Vet) when Vincent couldn’t stay w/ Harrison and we lost something like 35-7.  Also, Pats game in ’03 to start season 0-2.

 

Last year we got torched by Cowboys, Chiefs and Broncos – all of those were with T.O. and McNabb still playing.  I think we gave up about 130 points in those 3 games. 

 

D back to form and we win East.

 

Burrell at 3B?

Here’s a question. Since Burrell was a 3B in college and only moved him to left cause Rolen was there, why didn’t the Phils move him back when the position opened up? Even now, Burrell is a better option than the no hit David Bell. Put Victorino in left. Why didn’t they try this in spring training?

4-3

I was watching an NFL network profile of Vince Lombardi that I had Tivo’d from last fall. It was a great show on the HOF coach. But watching it was kind of weird cause the NFL network ran a crawl that provided news about the injury report and other items about that week’s upcoming matchups.

 

Well, I must have recorded this show during the week of the Eagles-Skins game at DC. They ran a “breaking news” segment about TO being “suspended” for the game. That was interesting itself given our recent conversations about TO, Dallas, the Eagles’ 2006 season, etc.

 

But the thing that really caught my eye on the crawl was the info on the Eagles-Skins matchup. I simply did not realize, or had forgotten, that going into that game both teams were 4-3. Even with all the turmoil, McNabb’s injury, no pass rush, a billion passing plays, the Eagles were still a contending team. Incredible to also think that given all that, and what we know now about how the Skins were a playoff team – that the Eagles were in a position to tie the game with a minute to go (till McNabb threw the INT on 4th down.).

 

Anyway, I guess my point – if I have one – is that the nfl season is a tricky thing that can take lots of twists and turns. And two teams with identical records at just before the halfway point can have dramatically divergent fates. That, and even with all the stuff the Eagles went through last year – they were still in it – contending with a playoff-caliber team as it turns out – on the road right down to the last minute --- WITHOUT TO.

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.