Winning?

Can a moderator "win" a debate? They can if her name is Megyn Kelly, whose awesomeness is so great that she Chris Cilliza identified her as one of last night's debate "winners" (does she even know she was a candidate?). 

Though in damning her in a faint praise kind of way, Cilliza says "She was pointed, tough and well versed on the issues.... That she performed so well with so many eyes on her speaks incredibly highly of her abilities."

Wow. A TV news anchor making millions of dollars per year, is the face of one of the premier news networks, and moderating (her second!) presidential debate was "well-versed on the issues" and performed well in front of a large TV audience. Sounds to me that she was just doing her job. But if Trump doesn't like her than she must be good.

Of course, the media's praise (defense?) of Megyn Kelly is probably the most predictable part of the debate. Nobody except for perhaps the Buffalo Bills circles the wagons to protect their own like the national mainstream media.

As Politico reports:

Kelly, showing she wasn't intimidated by Trump, was far and away praised for her tough questions and follow-ups.

 

"Megyn Kelly is throwing fastballs tonight," wrote New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.

 

"This is a brilliant part of the debate. Megyn Kelly's accountability project," wrote radio host Erick Erickson.

 

"Just gonna say it: Megyn Kelly's a badass," Time Magazine's Dan Hirschhorn wrote.

Crazy Times 2

Donald J. Trump is crazy. But lost amidst his latest gambit (feud?) with Fox News and Megyn Kelly is the fact that no legitimate news organization would issue a press statement like Fox News did in mocking a presidential candidate (Republican or Democrat), and especially a front runner.  Try to imagine the NY Times or CBS News or 60 Minutes suggesting a president would replace his cabinet with Twitter followers.

Say what you want about the Trump-Kelly spat, but statements like that out of a supposed "news organization" really do call into question its objectivity, fairness, and balance.

This is likely all part of a Trump plan to "work the refs" prior to the debate. And it will likely work to an extent as their is a nugget of truth in what Trump is saying.

Immigration in Reverse?

That is the title of yesterday's Washington Post editorial (sans the question mark) about recent trends in illegal immigration. As with many WaPo editorials these days - particularly on education and illegal immigration - this one is borderline non-sensical and is chock full of big numbers that only serve to confuse the issue and gloss over the big problems the editorials purport are solved.

To wit,only WaPo editors could think that the current level of 10.9 million illegal immigrants is an indication that "in fact the border is more tightly patrolled than ever." If that is well guarded, I'd hate to see what a porous border looks like!

Indeed, as the editorial itself notes, "some 11.7 million Mexican-born immigrants, roughly half of them undocumented, are now in this country, down from 12.8 million in 2007 . Most of those who have left have done so of their own accord; comparatively few were deported." In short,the editorial admits that the declining level of illegal immigration isn't because of robust enforcement or vigorous border patrol but of the illegal immigrants' own volition.

The editorial then cites a recent Pew study and bandies about a bunch of large numbers that seem impressive upon first blush but when even moderately scrutinized are middling at best. "Iin the five years ending in 2014, more than 1 million Mexicans (including 100,000 children born in the United States with dual citizenship) returned from the United States to live in Mexico, while 870,000 Mexicans entered the United States, many or most of them illegally," declares the editorial.

Doing some quick math, the supposedly positive sign is hardly a sign at all. Net Mexican immigration has fallen by only 130,000. But that's over the past five years. On an annual basis, the great immigration victory touted by the Post is only 26,000 less illegal Mexicans each year (over the past five years). And as the Post notes but does not highlght, "many or most of them [Mexicans] [entered] illegally." Hardly the stuff of inspiration.

But I always love the WaPo editorials that are wrapped in compassionate liberalism for illegal immigrants but come with a dash of raw capitalism. So it is with the Post's concern that "the U.S. economy, like other Western economies, cannot function without low-wage, low-skill labor, which Mexico has supplied." 

What would a concern about illegal immigration be without a not so subtle nod to the need to exploit this "low-wage, low-skill labor" for the benefit of American companies and consumers.

Return of the Empire?

With populism ascendant in both parties, a plutocrat readies a run to fix that.

Deflategate vs. Spygate

Why is it that Deflategate continues to garner so much media attention. Experiments with footballs, scientific explanations of the Ideal Gas Law, the bitterness the Patriots' organization feels at the NFL's "betrayal," Tom Brady's legal fight. New England fans can complain all they want about broken PSI gauges, etc. But nowhere have a I seen any good explanation as to why the Pats' equipment manager made a bathroom pit stop with the balls just before the game or the weird texts Brady sent the equipment guys after the investigation started. 

And yet, the Spygate incident just gets a passing mention in all of these stories without further elaboration. Why did Roger Goodell destroy all the videotapes? What was on them? His reason for destroying them made no sense. Were some of the games on those tapes the Super Bowl games? It's a curious lack of curiousity about not only what the Patriots did but what and why Goodell and the league did what it did in terms of the investigation and evidence.

Here's an easy way to resolve all this. Convene a public Senate or House hearing and get the principles to testify under oath. Problem solved. Oh right, Congress can't "waste its time" looking into an $11 billion/year industry that is the most popular in the land.

Tolerance

How inconvenient for all the admirers of SC Gov. Nikki Haley's call for "tolerance" amid "angry" voices that South Carolina is one of the 26 states suing the Obama administration about its deportation pause. But hey, as long as Darling Nikki says she's tolerant pay no attention to what her state is actually doing otherwise.

TDS NY Times' Style

Somehow the NY Times manages a Donald Trump reference in an editorial about a Supreme Court decision to hear a case brougtht by 26 states against the President's executive authority over immigration enforcement. And the Times' assertion that "No one, besides Donald Trump, believes the nation has the resources, or the will, to deport them all" is not altogether accurate. It is might have been better to write, No one on our editorial board believes the nation has the resources, or the will, to deport them all." In the Times' view, illegal immigration has just gotten to be too much of a problem to solve or even attempt to solve.

Certainly, the case could be made that the current president doesn't believe the Times' assertion as he has overseen the deportation of 400,000 illegal immigrants per year by then end of his first term according to the Washington Post.

Two for the Niners

Rich Hoffman and my brother are of the same mind that Chip Kelly is a good football coach and a very smart man who learns from his experiences and mistakes. Count me in that column too.

Vindication for #5

Different team, same opponent and the same slow, methodical clock-ignoring drive down the field.

The final, less than urgent scoring drive of Andy Reid's Chiefs (down by two scores) in Saturday's playoff game immediately brought to mind the Eagles last scoring drive in the Super Bowl vs. the same Bill Belichick coached Patriots.

Donovan McNabb got quite a bit of grief in that now infamous Super Bowl situation. In fact, that scoring drive generated quite the controversy with Terrell Owens alleging that McNabb threw up in the huddle and couldn't catch his breath (the implication being that he was out of shape) and the suggestion that McNabb was the reason the Eagles offense wasn't moving with more speed.

The Chiefs' drive - with Andy Reid calling the plays - would appear to absolve McNabb of most if not all of the blame for the molasses like offensive tempo in the waning minutes of the Super Bowl. Andy Reid was the problem, not McNabb.

More TDS

Today's example of the media's Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), is Dana Milbank's Sunday Post column. He calls Gov. Nikki Haley's State of the Union response brave and "noble" and laments that the rest of the GOP field has enabled him and his severe proposals.

Not sure that calling on Americans to avoid angry voices is that brave. Nor is Haley's call for tolerance that "noble" when she is refuses to settle Syrian refugees in her state. But hey, if she denounces Trump, subtly without mentioning his name, then all is forgiven, actual government-sponsored intolerance be damned.

2 Oldies But Goodies

Legendary Philly sportswriter Bill Lyon pens a mash note to basketball's Mecca, the Palestra.

70/30

So Jeff Lurie is trying to recreate the Andy Reid magic by hiring one of his proteges. Not much to say. Pederson appears to have been the coach targeted by the Eagles all along (sorry for the charade of courtesy interviews Pat and Duce). Pederson is definitely not the "sexy" pick like Gase - which is not necessarily a bad thing. But here's hoping we won't be seeing 70/30 pass/run ratios again at the Linc. Or empty backfield 3rd and 1s. Or timeouts coming out of commercial breaks. Or phlegmatic press conferences. 

A Fine NFL

My initial reaction to the news about the fines handed out for last Saturday's Stealers-Bengals game (sic) was that the fine, at least for Porter, is a tacit admission by the league that its refs screwed up by either not calling a penalty on Porter for being on the field at the time or for not providing an offsetting penalty for the flag they threw on Jones (that Porter instigated).

But now comes word that Pacman Jones is being fined $29,000 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of the contact he made with a ref. In that context, it's hard to see what the league's rationale was for such a heavy fine for Jones as compared to Porter, or that the Porter fine is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. To add insult to injury, Pacman's penalty was game-deciding call and Porter and the Steelers are happy to pay $10,000 for the privilege of advancing to the next playoff round.

Pacman's actions were adjudicated on the field and to the extent he made "contact" with a ref it was because Porter instigated it and for which he wasn't penalized at the time. But Porter's field presence only merits $10k and sideline hair pulling by a coach also only gets $10k. That to me is the egregious foul - the hair pulling - that should have been a lot more and certainly more relative to what Jones got hit for.

Just another reminder that the league office is more interested in protecting its officials than it is about its players.

Trump Derangement Syndrome

Obama Derangement Syndrome is a well-known malady afflicting many in the GOP, and especially its conservative Tea Party wing. Whatever Obama does can never be viewed in a positive light, no matter how ill-considered or irrational the result.

It appears that the media has a similar Trump Derangement Syndrome where whatever comes out of the bombastic candidate's mouth is reflexively mocked no matter the underlying substance of the issue or point. And it's been funny to see the media tie itself up in knots to razz the Republican front runner while taking pains to excuse like-minded actions by actual high-ranking government officials.

So it is with the Washington Post's laudatory editorial praising SC Gov. Nikki Haley's Republican response to the President's State of the Union address as a counterweight to Trump's "noxious brand of nativism." 

With little embarrassment and no sense of irony, the editorial notes Haley's well-documented history in signing Arizona-style "papers, please" immigration laws, joined a lawsuit to stop the administration from pausing deportations, and opposed Syrian refugees from settling in South Carolina. 

But in the Post's eyes, so long as she makes a speech against Trump's immigration stance she's a paragon of "tolerance."

Again, it's comical for the Post to denounce Trump's temporary ban on Muslims form entering the country while at the very same time excusing Haley's attempts to prevent Syrians refugees from entering her state. The only difference being Trump isn't an elected official (yet) and so his call plan is only a proposal, while Haley is a state governor and is actually enforcing a ban on immigrants/refugees that runs directly and so obviously counter to her claim of country/state that welcomes legal migrants. But hey, as long as she is taking aim at Trump, all is forgiven in the eye of the Post editorial board.

RIP L. Phillips

A very sad end for a troubled player.

Stoogery

A delicious Deadspin takedown of Peter King's ludicrous open letter to NFL players in the wake of Saturday night's Stealers-Bengals (sic) game. Both pieces highlight the Stockholm Syndrome nature of NFL reporting as well as the access (crony?) journalism that is so much a part of covering professional sports - especially football.

Now They Tell Us?

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the NFL's suspension and fine of Vontaze Burfict for his hit on Antonio Brown in Saturday's Steelers-Bengals game is the odd news released at the same time that Burfict was also being fined $50,000 for a hit on Ravens' TE Maxx Williams in week 17.

A fine being issued two weeks after the fact for an on-field violation is unusual itself, but doubly so given that it comes amid the announcement of a 3 game suspension for a hit in a subsequent game.Iindeed, the speed with which the NFL issued its discipline and fine after the playoff game is in sharp contrast to the laggardly way they handled the punishment for the end of regular season contest.

Burfict's double secret probation after the Williams hit is sure to re-inflame Cincinatti ' fans who think the league and its refs have it out for the Bengals.

Fine or Delusional?

Steelers' beat writer is reporting that Big Ben and Brown are "fine" and both are expected to play on Sunday.

Either the NFL concussion protocol is meaningless or maybe Pacman Jones was right that Brown was faking it on Saturday. It's hard to believe that 36 hours after being knocked unconscious that he is ready to practice this week.

Which Team Out of Control

Somehow I missed Steelers' assistant coach Mike Munchak yanking Bengals' Reggie Nelson's hair on the sidelines during yesterday's chippy playoff game. It gives lie to the now dominant story line that it was the Bengals who were "out of control."

Yes, Munchak was called for a penalty. But how was he not ejected from the game? And with the Munchak penalty already on the books, why/how were the refs not more attuned to and vigilant about other Steelers coaches committing similar fouls. You know, like Joey Porter illegally coming onto the field and into the Bengals defensive huddle to "cuss out" the Bengals players?

It's funny to read how the same referee crew that worked the last Steelers-Bengals regular season game was somehow extra ready not to let the rematch playoff game get out of control (they stood at the 50 during warmups! woo hoo), let the game get out of control. If this is the NFL's idea of strict enforcement of the rules and player - and coach - conduct then they failed miserably.

The Refs Did It

The media narrative out of last night's Steelers-Bengals game is that the Bengals lost their cool and blew the game because they're undisciplined. As exhibit A, these journalists note the hit Vontaze Burfict laid on Antonio Brown and then the subsequent personal foul that Adam Jones was called for for jawing with Steelers LB Coach Joey Porter. 

Let's stipulate at the outset that Burfict's hit on Brown was vicious. It was appropriately called a penalty and he is expected to be fined and suspended to start next season. Interestingly, Deion Sanders on the NFL Network last night was vehemently defending Burfict's hit and contending that Burfict actually shied a away from contact and only caught Brown with his shoulder pad (yes, it was a shoulder pad to the head but...).

Was the hit made worse by the fact that Brown appeared to be knocked unconscious? Perhaps. Or that it was delivered to a NFL star? Maybe.

The decisive penalty, however, was the 15 yards assessed Jones while Brown was being attended to. Why in the world was a Steelers defensive coach on the field (the Steelers were on offense) and why was he allowed to be insert himself into the Bengals defensive huddle (i.e., no where near Antonio Brown, the injured player he should have been attending to and, indeed, the only reason assistant coaches are allowed on the field).

Interestingly, it is still unclear a day later as to what exactly Jones did to earn the penalty. Abusive language toward Porter? Did he make contact with an official? It's still a mystery and an inexplicable one since the 15 yards assessed turned a dicey field goal attempt from the edge of the kicker's range - in rain to boot- into a chip shot 3 pointer. For what it's worth, the Bengals defensive players contend that Porter was "cussing" them, so it is entirely possible that Porter instigated the situation. It's also unclear as to why the officials didn't call an offsetting Porter for his words (if any, again neither the refs nor league have commented) or penalizing him for coming onto the field.

Finally, amid all the coverage about the game and late game penalties last night - including multiple concerns about Brown's health - is the complete omission of any mention or discussion about the health of Giovanni Bernard who was knocked out of the game by Ryan Shazier on an equally vicious helmet to helmet hit. To the media, it's like Bernard doesn't exist.

Incredibly, no penalty was called and the dynamic dunces of Jim Nance and Phil Simms - aided and abetted by former ref Mike Carey - focused solely on whether Bernard was a "defenseless receiver" or was a "runner" when Shazier lowered his head and launched himself and the crown of his helmet into Bernard's face.

If the NFL rules and concussion prevention mandates mean anything, it is inexplicable how Shazier's hit wasn't a penalty in some way: unnecessary roughness? Spearing? To add insult to injury, Bernard fumbled on the hit as he was concussed and possession of the ball was awarded to the Steelers.

Make no mistake, the lack of any call enraged the Bengals and the home team fans, deservedly so. It's telling that no one is talking about a fine or suspension for Shazier. But you simply can't talk or consider the Burfict hit without acknowledging the connection with the Shazier hit.

in coaches are only alloe

Gang of 500

You know you are the media elite and a charter member of Mike Allen's "Gang of 500" when you can dash off a line like the one in his column today about whether Ted Cruz meets constitutional qualifications to be president with the assertion, in effect, of "My buddy Neal Katyal says it's ok, so it's toally cool."

Of course, this inside-the-beltway groupthink is nothing new. Many of the same journalists somehow thougth a non-binding Senate resolution was the defining word on John McCain's birth questions.

For the record, the Congressional Research Service suggests that Cruz "most likely" meets the requirements, but the decision is clearly not a slam dunk and potetnially still up for consideration.

Jeff Lurie's Management Style

We all know that the pashas that own NFL teams fancy themselves as brilliant businessmen and organizational management experts. After all, how did they get rich enough to buy a NFL team in the first place. (Let's ignore for now the reality that buying a team is guaranteed way to make millions - literally millions - of dollars that requires absolutely no business acumen (I'm looking at you Jim Irsay).

So it is too with Eagles owner Jeff Lurie who, notwithstanding producing a few movies, more inherited his fortune than making it.

So it was funny to see Lurie's press conference trying to explain why he fired Chip Kelly and what he was looking for in a new head coach (someone with an "open heart" and is liked by Howie Roseman, apparently).

Lurie explained that Kelly was being judged on the totality of his three years as head coach. Left unexplained in Lurie's monologue was why after two years of watching Chip Kelly up close and personal he was so impressed by the Chipper that he promoted him to Head Coach AND GM. And yet, less than a year later from that promotion, Lurie sacked him. 

Contrary to the widely held belief, this is not how things are done in business and certainly not in high function organizations. So Lurie never counseled Chip over the course of the year about his aloofness? Never suggested he work on his interpersonal skills? You simply don't promote a high-ranking executive and then summarily fire him. I'm not sure Lurie is self-aware enough to understand how poorly this reflects on him and not Chipper. If he had issues with Kelly, and with two years left on his contract, why not require him to take some proactive steps (sensitivity training?) to address his deficiencies rather than severing him completely?

Coincidentally, Harvard Business Review has a new article out about "Letting Good People Go When It's Time." It's something Jeff Lurie should look at.

Piazza's Telling Omission

It seems to be a conspicuous absence that Tom Boswell's column praising "clean" Ken Griffey, Jr's election to the Baseball Hall of Fame makes absolutely no mention of the other player elected along with Griffey, Mike Piazza.

Piazza has long been suspected but never been proven of taking PEDs. I guess we know what Boswell thinks of the rumors since he appears to have gone out of his way to exclude any mention of Piazza in the piece.

Little Outrage

Little to no outrage about the NYPD spying on mosques, or, incredible designating them terrorism enterprises. (which police and city leaders still don't see anything wrong with). Is that because Donald Trump didn't first propose it?

Deja Vu?

David Murphy writes a great column (notwithstanding his attempt to popularize a surely pending trademark for "OPDJ" or Offensive Playcaller Du Jour) by the sheer fact of directing readers to this awesome time capsule story by Jason La Canfora about the last Eagles' head coaching job search.

Murphy calls the look back in time tragedy plus time not equaling humor.

I call it horrifying, especially because of all the bizarre circumstances and names - Doug Marrone?! - that are popping up again like a bad Groundhog Day.

What's the common thread? Howie Roseman, of course.

I've highlighted bits from La Canfora's 2013 account, and tell me if most (all?) of this doesn't sound eerily familiar. 

The last two seasons, culminating with Roseman's rise to power in Philadelphia, have been marred with horror signings like Nnamdi Asomugha, the firing of coordinators and assistants in-season, some pretty obvious situations where the personnel didn't fit the scheme, the demise of Reid. Jason Babin being waived in-season a year after challenging the single-season sack record pretty much sums up the Roseman Era. Some strange front office firings mixed in there too.

Wait, are we sure it was Kelly's idea to trade McCoy and Foles for Alonso and Bradford - and to sign Demarco Murray?

 And, no longer are there out-sized characters around, like Reid and Banner, to take all the bullets when things fail. It's all on Roseman now. No more whispers about, oh, that wasn't Howie's guy, that wasn't Howie's signing, he never wanted him here in the first place.

You could rewrite that sentence to make it current with "And, no longer are there out-sized characters around, like Kelly, to take all the bullets when things fail."

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me one esteemed coach or another advised one of the Eagles' top candidates not to take the job precisely because of Roseman's presence there. Roseman isn't the general manager they should tie their wagon to. It's clear Chip Kelly wasn't leaving Oregon for anywhere unless he had a large measure of control over the organization, and owner Jeffrey Lurie has already entrusted that to Roseman. There has been trepidation by some candidates to go all-in given the questions about this existing power structure.

The last Eagles search lasted more than 3 weeks. I'll give Lurie and Roseman a break because the regular season just ended four days ago. But technically, they've been looking for a coach since they fired Kelly a week and a half ago. Time does fly.

The rumblings about Roseman lacking nuance and foresight, about him turning people off with how drunk with power he's become, only grow louder as his coaching search grows stranger.

So when Kelly isn't drunk with power, Roseman is?

All of this adds up to a strange sense of deja vu. We'll see what the coaching interviews bring and who the Eagles settle on. But perhaps the bigger more important question is who the Eagles will hire as a GM/Player Personnel Director.

Trump, Cruz, McCain and Birthplace

The media just loves to hype "controversies" about "outlandish" Trump statements, even if the comments contain more than a nugget of truth.

So it is now with Donald Trump's questions about whether Ted Cruz meets the constitutional requirements for a natural born citizen to be president.

Of course, this is catnip to journalists, especially with Trump's previous "birther" claims about President Obama's birth certificate.

Unfortunately- and this is a recurring theme with the media coverage of Trump - the effort to portray him and his statements as outlandish overlooks the legitimate issues it raises.

Take, for instance, this Robert Costa article in today's Washington Post. All the elements are there: Trump's claim, the Obama birther issue, and a quick dismissal of the point. There's a quick mention former GOP presidential candidate John McCain being in a similar situation since he was born in the Panama Canal zone.

Reading this article, you would never know that there was a significant debate about whether John McCain met the same Cruz-related constitutional requirement.

Articles in the Washington Post and New York Times (here, here and here) at the time make it clear that the issue, at least for McCain, was not so clear cut. So, in short, if the WaPo and the NYTimes explore in issue it is worthy of debate and inspection. If Donald Trump says it should be dismissed or mocked out of hand.

Rooney Candidate

So is Teryl Austin the Eagles' Rooney Rule candidate? Or are we not supposed to speculate or talk about this league mandate until after the search is over?

Looking Forward

Clearly, Lurie didn't see a bounce back next year with Chip at the helm. Cites Andy Reid's ability to return to "double digit wins" after down years (except for the end). 

Kelly didn't get the luxury of a bounce back opportunity after first two double digit win seasons.

Final Straw

Watching Lurie press conference.

Why now?

1 - get a jump on coaching hire

2 - give Chip an opportunity to look for jobs

3 - an opportunity to speak with players before the end of the season.

Chip was not asked to give up GM responsibilities. Chip did not offer.

It looks like a players' revolt that did Chip in.

Kelly's Tenure

A friend notes:

It's hard to really understand this demise. 
On thanksgiving day 2014, just 13 months ago, we destroyed the Cowboys with Mark Frickin' Sanchez as QB! We moved to 9-3 and had complete control over the division and really were just trying to fight to get a bye with the 1 or 2 seed. 
We've gone 7-12 since. 
Chip's fall has been unlike any I can recall. 
It is the shortest coaching stint in franchise history since Marion Campbell, who I think had just 2-3 years. Even Kotite and Ray Rhodes had for 4 seasons!

Chipper fired?!

Here's full statement in case you've not read:

http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Letter-From-Chairman-And-CEO-Jeffrey-Lurie/80d1ca75-0fcb-48e9-bc62-936e0ab02065

WR the Key?

A friend asserts:

The new NFL is all about wide receivers. Carson Palmer was left for dead 3-4 years ago. Just like Kurt Warner was after his disastrous stint. 
Then they got to throw to Fitzgerald and Boldin/Michael Floyd and others. That makes any QB an All Pro. And it makes defending against the run impossible because you're always going to respect the deep threat. (See Jeff's earlier email about how often the Cards throw deep.)
Go look at Eli's numbers. He's already set a career high in TD passes. Why? Beckham. 
Nick Foles made a Pro Bowl and was a Top 5 MVP candidate in 2013. Why? DeSean Jackson. Where's Foles without DeSean? Benched. 
It's entirely about receivers now. Plain. Simple. 

Eagles Out

Another friend writes:

every single offseason move by Chip so far stinks. 
This guy took Andy Reid's offense and instantly made it the best in the NFL in 2013. He is a genius. 
He is quite simply a horrible evaluator of talent and doesn't understand how the rest of the NFL evaluates talent. 
If he wanted Bradford so badly, he could've gotten him for a couple of late round draft picks. Instead chip mortgaged the future for it. If he wanted Alonzo as his inside LB, he could've gotten him for practically nothing because he has no knees left. 
We turned over football operations to a guy who not long ago was the coach for University of New Hampshire. 
His knowledge base is of organizations where every team turns over their rosters year in and year out - college football. 
He now has the offensive personnel that he personally recruited and wanted. 
He will be back in the PAC 10/12/whatever it's called next season. 
And before you ask, I had 1 beer watching that game. 
The rest of the NFL is laughing now at us. 
We've given away our future for players who can't perform in the present. 

Redskins Eagles

A friend writes:

Receivers need upgrading, line needs upgrading and D needs a new coordinator.
I think what gets lost in chip gm getting blasted is e's the coach who did not fix the mistakes.   Last night we continued to make bad penalties, mistakes at the wrong time, etc.   the coach at some point has to have the players improve in the mental part.  Just too many mistakes.  Did we set a record for most illegal shifts/procedures in a season???
Now the question is what do you pay Bradford.  Despite pk's 9/14 email it is clear he is an nfl QB (and that Sanchez is clearly not) and is going to make big bucks this offseason.
And is Kirk cousins good?   Did he grow as a QB and is now good?   I am confused because he looks really good but I still don't believe.
I still believe chip is an offensive genius.   So he should be able out how to make Murray work.   I think Murray's 400-500 touches last year played a part (history in the league said it does).  So does our shitty line (which is chippers fault).

Clueless Coughlin

I love how awkward Collinsworth and Michaels are each week having to talk about a non-football related football story. First it was Greg Hardy a couple weeks ago. Tonight it's Beckham (with several oblique references to Peterson's lengthy nearly season long suspension last year - but they don't ever mention why he was disciplined). Their ramblings made no sense - do they think Beckham's behavior was inappropriate? The suspension too harsh?

The shocker for me was them explaining that Tom Coughlin did not understand what the uproar was about and the Giants PR director having to put together a video montage of Beckam's plays vs. Norman the next day.

Coughlin is the NFL version of Matt "I didn't see my closer choking my MVP rightfielder at the other end of the dugout" Williams. Coughlin didn't know his WR was out of control after the 1st, 2nd or 3rd personal fouls of the game? I'm pretty sure Coughlin has never had another player get more than 2 personal fouls in one game. Does Coughlin not care how many 15 yard penalties any of his players gets?

Home Field Disadvantage

Per Tom Boswell:

Since the Eagles got their new stadium, they are the only team in the NFL has MORE wins on the road than at home. (It's only ONE more win on the road, but that goes against a major NFL trend.) So, I wouldn't count on the Philly home crowd being a huge plus. (Gee, I don't know why.)

the ski cap debate

Really? It's come to this? Scrutiny of Demarco Murray wearing a knit cap on the sidelines and whether he was ready and able to be put in the game? Please.

is this what passes for "journalism" now in Philadelphia?

yes, Murray didn't play. yes, he clearly is 3rd on the RB depth chart. Yes, he probably should have been in the game on the Eagles fourth down play at the end of the first half. Yes, he hasn't lived up to expectations. Yes, he's got a big contract. No, the size of the contract shouldn't determine your playing time. Yes, he touched the ball 400+ times last year and that has usually meant a decline in production the following year. No, no one ever brings this up, preferring to ignore the physical toll it takes on RBs and preferring instead to suggest Murray isn't a "good fit" for the Eagles. 

Will Murray return to form next year after having a less taxing 2015 season? We don't know. But maybe somebody could at least start asking the question.

Beckham, the NFL and Concussions

Odell Beckham Jr.'s helmet to helmet hit on Josh Norman is one of the most vicious hits of the year.

Beckham dove at Norman. Helmet to helmet. Intent to injure. Incredibly, Beckham was not ejected from the game. In fact, the end result of that play was offsetting personal fouls on Beckham and Norman. It is utterly inexplicable that there was essentially no consequence for what Beckham did.

If the roles were reversed, and it was the defensive player who did what Beckham did to a WR, the DB would have been ejected. An interesting NFL double standard. They're so concerned about protecting the WRs they're gutless when it's the offensive player who is delivering the blow.

I also find it really interesting that having taken a huge helmet to helmet shot to the side of the head - that staggers him (take a look at the replay) - that the NFL's vaunted "concussion spotter" didn't buzz down and require an examination of Norman.

Once again, we see so clearly how unseriously the NFL takes head trauma. The response today will be telling. Will Beckham merely be fined or will he be suspended? Given the NFL track record on this, most likely fined.

Sam Bradford - A Tale of Two Halves

How bad is Sam Bradford in the first half of games this season? And how much better is he in the 2nd half?

My friend delves into Bradford's 2015 splits (courtesy of Pro Football Reference):

Everything is dramatically different in the 2nd half, when he is good, or slightly above average, not great, but ridiculously better than in the 1st half, when he is the worst QB in all of football.

Scroll down quite far and you'll see his 1st/2nd half splits. The most important stats:

1st half completion % - 55.4        2nd half completion % -- 69.9

1st half yards per attempt - 5.2    2nd hafl yards per attempt - 8.1

1st half TD passes -- 3                2nd half TD passes -- 6

1st half INTs -- 5                         2nd half INTs -- 5

1st half QB rating -- 62.9             2nd half QB rating -- 93.4

Look deeper at those stats, and it's really troubling. He's a horrific QB in the red zone -- 40.6% completion percentage, a QB rating of 49, 3 INTs, and worst of all, his yards per pass attempt: 1 yard.

He's also a horrific QB on 3rd down, with an overall rating of 54.0 on 3rd downs, but look deeper, and it doesn't even matter the distance -- 3rd and short, 3rd and long, he stinks.

So, this is the issue, the guy simply cannot perform in the 1st half of these games. He's wretched, beyond bad, horrible, downright putrid.

But in the 2nd half, he becomes a pretty decent QB. Why the hell is that? Why isn't anyone talking about this? Why can't Chip address this issue? Even when they had a bye week, Bradford came out and pitched a disastrous first half against Dallas, in a game when the O-line actually gave him time to throw the entire game.

Headers

Big move by youth soccer to eliminate headers for kids under 10. The ban should probably apply to kids older than 10- to like 12 or 13, but at least it's a start. And an admission by a youth sports league that the play and rules for young kids can and should be different than adolescents and adults.

Next Four Games

A friend writes about the Eagles' November schedule:

Dallas (2-5), Miami (3-4), Tampa (3-4), Detroit (1-7) -- those are the next 4 opponents.

In the previous 2 seasons, I'd expect us to go 4-0 over that stretch. I'll settle for 3-1, which would get us to 6-5 heading into Foxboro. Which leaves us 6-6 afterward, and needing to go 3-1 in the final 4 games after that to win the division.

But, this is a big but, if we go 2-2 over this next stretch of games, leaving us 5-6 heading into Foxboro, the season's probably over.

If in a parallel universe we actually win all 4 of those games, 7-4 heading into Foxboro, we should be in really good shape, as the Giants, now 4-4, play their next 3 on the road, including one in Foxboro.

I would add that we really need the Cowboys game to be one of the wins.  To bury them at 2-6 rather than tied with us at 3-5 (and they get the tiebreaker).  When they get Romo back they will be good again.

We have lost our opportunity to "blow" a game.   We have done that 2-3 times already this year (Washington, ugh.) already.  You just can't do it too many times in a season.  With parity you can lose a few you should win. We have hit our limit.

You need to get to 9-7 at minimum and 10-6 probably avoids tiebreaker.  We are 3-4.   7-2 is a stretch considering at Foxborough and the aforementioned parity.  So if you are going to go 6-3 (which .667 football) then you can't lose tiebreaker and this need cowboys game.    That said - if we lose then we must have Cowboys fall big time so only tiebreaker is Giants and we beat them to end season.

Cheers

Eagles fans the third drunkest in the NFL, new study finds.

Blue Hens vs. Wildcats

Good article on the rivalry. I'm glad there's no more Villanova talk about being a 'national program."

I'm somewhat amazed to realize that Andy Talley is STILL 'Nova's head coach.

BTW, I did not realize Dave Brock was the head coach of the Blue Hens. He was the best friend of mycousin growing up in Moorestown, NJ.

Small world.

Deflate-gate

I gotta say, I'm surprised that the NFL investigation actually came to the common sense conclusions about Pats' deliberate attempts to deflate their game balls and Brady's awareness (and likely encouragement) of it, notwithstanding the absence of a smoking gun video of McNally actually letting air out of the balls.

I just finished reading the report. Reading between the lines, it looks like the Pats equipment guy routinely let air out of the balls while in the officials locker room after the balls were checked and while the refs were out of the room, but that w/ the championship game there were so many people around he had to do it in the private bathroom just inside the tunnel.

I'm still struck by the brazeness of it all. The Pats knew they were under the microscope about the air pressure based on Colts regular season game and the complaints by the Ravens following their playoff loss the week before the AFC championship. And yet they still deflated all their balls - in the conference championship game!

What do you all make of this? Is it a big deal or much ado about nothing? Given the Pats history with spy-gate, it seems like another deliberate attempt to circumvent the rules requires a pretty stern punishment. I'm also pleased//hopeful that Brady will finally have to answer some hard questions.

Hey, at least Goodell didn't classify the report and destroy all the footballs and pressure gauges. So that's progress.

NFL Draft 25 years Later

A devastating look at the toll professional football wreaks on players by the NY Times. But perhaps the most surprising thing in the entire article is to learn that Cortez Kennedy is in the Hall of Fame?

Decline of LL baseball

this story recounting the decline of little league participation was on the front page of today's Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/baseballs-trouble-with-the-youth-curve--and-what-that-means-for-the-game/2015/04/05/2da36dca-d7e8-11e4-8103-fa84725dbf9d_story.html

I have a couple thoughts on this very topic having seen it up close and personal. A lot of my son's friends bailed on baseball after the 9 year old season.

1. The growth in youth lacrosse is hurting baseball because of the scheduling conflicts - spring sports. But i think the growth in lacrosse hurts football more in the long-term.

2. As bad as it is for little league baseball, the decline in youth football is even worse and likely to get worse.

3. Again from personal experience it's not just that single parents can't/don't play catch with their kids. It's that two-parent families don't do it/don't have the time either. When I was coaching I could only work with the kids so much and told the families you've got to throw/catch with your kids on days we don't have practice (which was most days).

4. Baseball is one of those sports very hard to just pick up and you have to have some skill development to be an active participant. Kids don't play pick up games like we used to.

5. I absolutely think the super specialization and how the best baseball kids get creamed off into better teams/leagues is a big impact. The converse is also true. The mediocre kids get shunted aside and aren't given the time to develop or play in a skill-appropriate level. They wind up quitting rather than keeping with it.

It's a shame cause I loved playing baseball as a kid, my kids love playing it, and there is nothing more american than little league.

Huh?

While the McCoy - Kiko trade makes sense upon closer examination (overpaid, overworked RB for an emerging stud LB (albeit with a repaired ACL)), this Foles for Bradford trade is inexplicable - especially now that it comes out that the Eagles are also sending 2nd and 4th rounders to the Rams for a 5th rounder.

A second straight trade where the Eagles trade a skill position starter for a player who missed all of last season with a reconstructive knee injury.

This trade has to have some sort of secret agreement where the Eagles and Rams swap 1st round picks, right? Isn't that the only way it makes sense?

Please someone help me out here!  In 5 days we've gone from a starting trio of Foles, McCoy and Maclin to Bradford, Sproles, and Cooper.

And if the rumors really are true, and Chip Kelly covets Mariota...why not cut out the middleman and just trade Foles and McCoy to the Titans, Jags or Raiders for their #1 pick. They could even sweeten the deal by throwing in the Eagles #1 pick too. Sure you don't get Kiko in this alternate transaction, but you also don't wind up with Sam Bradford's $12 million contract and you get to keep your 2nd and 4th round picks.

This free agent period - Gore backing out of his deal, Jake Locker retiring, Chip Kelly's every transaction -  has taken a turn to the bizarre.

Old School

I'm watching the Ravens-Steelers game and am just amazed that with all the concussion attention, premier announcers like Collinsowrth and Al Michaels continue to show themselves as old school believers of a tougher, former NFL.

On consecutive plays in which Roethlisberger and then TE Heath Miller are taken to the sidelines with possible concussions, Collinsworth is incredulous that the players might be taken out of a PLAYOFF game over concussion concerns. He seems to say that the league is serious about concussions and player safety during the regular season, but will a groggy Ben Roethlisberger really be held out in a Wild Card game?

The answer, apparently, is no as Roethlisberger soon returns after Michele Tafoyar reports that Steelers sideline personnel have treated Big Ben for neck and spine issues. #7 then immediately throws an interception in the endzone and Al Michaels says, with no sense of awareness or outrage, that he thinks Roethlisberger was still a little "groggy" when he came back into the game.

Incredible.

Rivalry

With apologies to San Fran and Seattle, the raven-steelers rivalry is still the most physical in football.

Sam Now?

With the new word that Trent Cole has suffered a broken hand and is doubtful at best for the Skins game on Saturday, it would seem to make even more sense for the Eagles to at the very least take a look at last year's SEC co-defensive player of the year, Michael Sam, as a backup DE/LB to help bolster the Eagles increasingly depleted front seven.

Sam I Am

Speaking of Matthews, I thought it was telling that even when he went out Marcus Smith our 1st rounder still didn't get into the game. 

Whether Matthews can play the rest of the season or not why haven't/why shouldn't the Eagles taken a look at Michael Sam for LB? He played DE in college but i thought the understanding was he would probably have to play LB in a 3-4 in the pros. 

Matthews is 6',1" 245 lbs. Sam is 6',2" and 260 lbs. Maybe Sam was pegged as an OLB but couldn't he help as ILB with the Eagles given his size? Again, at the very least wouldn't you want to take a look especially since your #1 pick looks like a bust. 

Coincidentally, Smith is very similar to Sam: listed as a college DE and 6',3" 251 lbs.

Breaking Right Till Wrong

Things were breaking the Eagles way most of the afternoon - Packers loss and the Seahawks losing to the Niners at the half. Then it all came undone. Seattle winning and the opening kickoff and then blowing the lead late.

They basically would have won the division with a win and now are likely to miss the playoffs. And to add insult to injury, they could easily be 11-5 at the end of the season and miss out.

Ugh.

Matthews Bell Ringer

Since the new emphasis on concussions, I don't think I've ever seen a case like Casey Matthews where the player gets taken into the locker room to be evaluated and actually comes back out and plays! That was shocking.

Fare thee Well

Adieu to the best shortstop in Phillies' history. Jimmy Rollins was a leader and a winner and the straw that stirred the drink of a team that won two pennants and a World Series title. From the moment he uttered the now famous observation "we're the team to beat," the Phillies actually were the team to beat for five glorious seasons.

Finding their religion

Playoff committee excludes both christian schools - TCU and Baylor - from football playoff. Bias? College football worships money over all else.

Why the Wait?

The Washington Post h has a funny piece about the scene at FedEx Field yesterday as the skins went  on to defeat.

What really got my attention was both his report and several of the pictures about the crush of fans trying to clear "security" and get into the game. The Post reporter didn't get in till 1:20 pm.

This seems to be a recurring theme in Philly and Dc (other cities?) about the choke points that needlessly delay fans from entering a stadium.

Good Deal

Les Bowen and the Daily News offer great insight and clarification about the lack of a fine and even whether Baker should have been penalized for his hit on Nick Foles.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sports/eagles/Chip-will-ask-NFL-to-clarify-why-Baker-hit-was-legal.html

It seems as if the arrogant Troy Vincent, who said that people who "know" the rule, understood his ruling (or lack thereof), doesn't actually know the rule and, for some inexplicable reason, chose a microscopic interpretation.

All of this highlights the fact that the NFL rulebook is not publicly available and begs the question why it isn't.

Huh? Baker hit "legal"

The Post reporters need to do a better job of clarifying the issue. Baker is not being fined for his hit on Nick Foles after the INT (subsequently overturned on a challenge), but as I read the Post article it appears as if Baker shouldn't have even been penalized.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/wp/2014/09/23/baker-wont-be-suspended-nfl-rules-his-hit-on-foles-was-legal/

It's a whole other issue of how stupid the rule loophole is about hitting QBs after INTs. The genesis of the rule/penalty was the Hugh Douglas playoff hit that knocked Jim Miller out of the game in the divisional game vs. the Bears. But that was a hit on his shoulder not his head or neck. I can't believe the NFL still allows defenders to cream QBs after INTs so long as they don't hit them in the head or neck.

You could make the case that the penalty should have been unnecessary roughness since the ball carrier was in the process of being tackled and Foles was away from the play.

Crazy, stupid.

Letting Kids Play Football

Former NFL LB and NFLPA rep Scott Fujita has a column where he admits he used to counsel families to not let their kids play football but has since had a change of heart where he now declares that the answer isn't no, but it isn't yes either. Merely that since he doesn't have boys, thank gosh he doesn't have to make that decision.

Confused? So am I.

Football Tragedy

Football, especially for younger players, can kill you.

Toyota

I guess it's impolitic for the Washington Post to even mention what Eiji Toyoda did during WWII in his obituary.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/eiji-toyoda-former-toyota-president-and-founders-cousin-who-helped-make-toyota-way-dies/2013/09/17/fdbc46fa-1f5a-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html

Awesome Eagles video

City of Brotherly Love indeed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuJ_8_bSvsQ&feature=youtu.be

Run/Pass

So I did a quick count of the plays the Eagles ran in the first half on Monday night and a couple of things jumped out.

They actually ran 55 plays but because of penalties 2 didn't count. Still, I counted them for purposes of looking at Kelly's playcalling.

In total, there were 25 passes, 29 runs, and 1 scramble (not sure if this was a designed run or aborted pass).

Early in the game, there were more passes. As I was going through I was surprised at the number. But then the ratio evens out.

Later in the half, more runs are called.

And as the game progresses, what really caught my eye was the number of consecutive plays. There are periods where he calls 3-4 straight running or passing plays. Interestingly, it looks like the passes got called consecutively early and the runs a little later.

Amazingly, - I didn't recall this – Kelly ends the Eagles last 1st half possession with 7(!) straight running plays – culminating in a touchdown – Vick's 3 yard dive. Note, I realize some of these calls are Vick's reads but still.

In the 2nd half, the Eagles passed very little. In fact, they only passed twice in the 3rd quarter! A sack and an incomplete.

For the game, the Eagles ran 49 times and passed 25 times. We're a long, long way from Andy Reid's 70% passing/30% running.

Here's the list of Eagles first half plays:

pass

pass

pass

run

pass

run

run

pass

run

Pass

pass                 

run

run     

run                   

run

pass

pass

pass

pass 

run

pass      

run                   

Pass

Run

Run

pass     

scramble

pass     

run        

pass                 

pass     

run

run

pass      

run 

pass     

pass      

run

run       

Pass

Run

run

pass                 

pass      

run        

pass 

run        

Pass 

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

Run

55 

25 passes, 29 runs, 1 scramble

Opening Night Reviews

It's still hard to process what we saw on Monday night from the Eagles. The speed, the pace, the imagination, the daring (going for it on 4th and 1 without hesitation).

A lot has already been written this week on the after-effects. To wit,

* What happened in the 2nd half?

* Can the Eagles sustain that pace for an entire game?

* Can the Eagles sustain this pace for an entire season?

* Can the Eagles go even faster? (Chip Kelly seems to think so)

* Can and how quickly will defenses adjust enough to stop things?

What follows are snippets of conversation between my brother and friends during and immediately after the game.

Loved Jackson's emotion.  He had to let the d hall thing go but he played like he was happy and invested.  It was like back when he was chest bumping big red    Good sign!!

the most important -- emotionally anyway -- regular season win since TO's return to the Linc as a Cowboy?

odd moments where they had the play called but didn't get the play off/barely got it off, well, that felt oddly familiar. I'm fearful Vick pulled something and will have a nagging injury. Regardless, any win in the division is great, and on the road, even more amazing.

Hall should have been flagged for the horse collar tackle AND late hit out of bounds. Would like to see Foles in too. For ball security and to reduce# hits on Vick in In garbage time.

Skins Game

My brother writes:

great article in philly.com today on eagles various formations Monday.
What amazed me was the down and distance of some of the plays.  2nd and 10 – run, 2nd 14 – run, etc.  all these runs, but they were on 2nd a long.  We ran it I think twice (at least ) to pick up a 3rd and 3 or 4.  Of course he went for it on his first 4th down of the game.  And ran it on 4th and a short 2.  I think mccoy had 20 carries at halftime.
Great run game, but not exactly our parents smashmouth run game.

Unbelievable

On the anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson gets all retrospective and offers this nugget about whose fault the near financial meltdown was. Hint: not Wall Street, Countrywide, WaMu or any other private sector company or person.

No, the financial crisis was the... government's fault?!

From the NYTimes' story:

"I believe that the root cause of every financial crisis, the root cause, is flawed government policies," he said. 

NFL draft

Andy Reid's draft strategy lives.

Gotta love Reid stretching on the #1 overall pick.

Luke Joekel was the #1 rated lineman for 18 months, dominating the most competiive conference in the country.

Reid decides to take Eric Fisher, a late bloomer with a potentially higher upside but from a mid major program that played the likes of SE Missouri state this past year (though they did upset Iowa).

Well done, Andy. I wonder if Fisher will be the Matt McCoy to Joeckel's Kirk Morrison. 

Contagious?

3 fumbles in four plays? Bryce Brown's case of the droppsies is contagious.

Simply Unbearable

The key point from Phil Sheridan's column today that will resonate throughout Birdland.

But this smaller stuff - outsmarting themselves with unnecessary gimmickry - was irritating even when the Eagles were winning. Now it's just unbearable.

Rank Incompetence

Reid should probably be fired for rank incompetence for having McCoy carrying the ball with less than 2 minutes to go in a game they had lost, but he should be fired immediately if he tries to bring McCoy back at any point for the remainder of this lost season.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-eagles/VickMcCoy-stuck-at-Phase-4-Patterson-has-pneumonia.html

Another Take

My brother writes:

I think we learned well before last night and this past Monday that fumbles are really bad. Brown wiped out all his good with this fumbles.  Possibly losing us 2 games.  Vick cost us one.   Flacco fumble coat the ravens last night - although those types of fumbles are more reasonable than brown's or Vicks. Collinsworth basically predicted it early on about brown.

Play of the Year

Criticize Castillo all you want, but it was kind of half assed (and unfair) to install him as your D-coordinator but force him to operate a defensive front scheme he didn't necessarily agree with.

I'm ok with letting Washburn go.

The defense has been a disaster since Castillo was fired. If he were still running the D they probably win the Carolina and last night's game which means they are right in the playoff hunt (as crazy as that may seem).

The play of the year was Vick's fumble into the endzone on their opening drive vs. the Steelers. they score there and don't turn the ball over and they likely win the game. With that win, Castillo doesn't get fired after the Lions game. and the rest of the season doesn't implode like it has. Not saying that we'd be leading the division but we would be in playoff contention (again, as crazy as that may seem).

Cowboys Post-Mortem

So Washburn has been fired and Foles looked legit last night.

 

The key graph from Bob Ford's article today.

 

'Using a well-balanced combination of solid running plays and high-percentage pass plays, the Eagles marched up and down the field against the Cowboys despite doing the marching without their starting quarterback, starting running back and best wide receiver."

 

26 rushes, 35 passes.

 

Ford asks the question - why not have similar balance all the time, not just when you're playing rookies at QB, RB, and have a patchwork offensive line. BTW, was it the playcalling or Foles' quick decisions - but either way the line didn't look nearly as porous as it has in previous games with Vick getting knocked around - and that was against DeMarcus Ware last night.

Where 3-5 Is

I will give Reid a pass on the line. Any team that is playing 4 of 5 second string linemen can't be good and the depth only goes so far (historically, Reid has been good with linemen line Jamaal Jackson stepping right in for Fraley, etc.).

I thought Gruden's most telling observation was "everytime the Eagles go empty backfield, the Saints blitz and the line can't block them all." Uh, maybe the Eagles shouldn't go empty backfield.

I think the red zone problems aren't that that hey aren't running the ball, but that they can't run the ball in such close confines with the lousy line they have.

The Castillo firing just becomes more terrible by the day. BTW, the knock against Castillo was that he had never "called" the defense on game day before last season (overlooking that he did it for 16 games last season and 5 this season). Only to be replaced by Todd Bowles who was never a defensive coordinator himself before getting the promotion and thus also never having "called" the defense.

Let's not forget that Andy Reid's son died of a heroine overdose in August. Can a coach be so singleminded that he can compartmentalized that unspeakable tragedy.

I was struck by Reid's appearance in the presser after the Saints game. He's always been phlegmatic, but he looked incredibly worn and exhausted. Maybe some of it is that unadvised growing out of his Wilford Brimley mustache, but judging by the look of him i wonder if Reid is close to physical and emotional collapse.

Also, Mike Vick is a tough son of a bitch. Maybe too tough. I worry that Vick brain is getting beaten to a pulp.  Is it me and my fixation on concussions or are there multiple times per game where Vick takes a hit and he looks a little foggy getting up and getting back to the huddle?

More Post-Saints

My brother's take:

The fact that we have no depth is appalling.  We NEVER have had depth.  Our line simply can't block.  How about Gruden at one point saying – "well that guy there just didn't block anyone on that play".  then he just killed Bell for being lousy.
 
I believe the red zone problem is just a fundamental problem with the offense.  We could run, but partly because of our deep threats.  Inside the 10 there is no longer a deep threat.  Vick can run and extend plays to go deep – not inside the 10 because there is just too much congestion.  This problem will never go away as we are currently designed. 
 
Have we ever tried a fade to a wideout?  I mean it's been 14 years!!
 
Wasn't Maclin good at one point?  Is he still on the team??
 
Doesn't the kick return embody everything you need to know about this team.  It was carefully constructed, it was unique, it was fantastic and pretty much worked, but didn't and we began our drive on the 3 yard line.
We are a team of bobby abreu's.  For you non-philly guys – that's not a compliment.
 
We have one of the best running backs in the league.  At a time when running backs could be one of the least valuable things on a team.  That's just unfortunate.
 
I think we were inside the 25 6 times.  6 times!!! And that got us 6 points.
 
We actually held drew brees to 21 points.  Despite looking terrible on D we held them to 21 points.  That should beat the saints every time with their D.
 
Outside the falcons game our d hasn't been terrible (and maybe saints because they were dreadful at times last night).  Yes – 5 minutes against the lions and the final Steelers drives, but that's it.  Just no one ver makes a play.
 
Lastly – raise your hand if you knew the eagles were going deep on first play.  I looked at my son and said.  They have 2 TE's in to block they are going deep to Jackson here.    I said "he always does this on Monday night".

Post-Saints

My friend PK writes:

Final thought: the great football-ism of the last 15 years is, we are what we are. 
After the NYG last-second FG attempt, we were 3-1 in complete control of our destiny. As good a start as realistically possible. But we all noted we were 3 plays away from being 0-4. The assumption then was, we are what we are - a 3-1 team because good teams win close games. Now we've lost 4 straight games and we are what we are. 
We're 1 or 2 plays against Pitt and Det from being 5-3. We're also just a couple plays from being 1-7/0-8. Instead, we pretty much are what we are: a team playing good enough to only win 6 or 7 games.

Saints game in review

Just an endless loop of nightmares: 2 timeouts burned early in each half. Had 1st and goal 3 times, they have 6 points to show for it, but also gave 7 to the other team in a pick six, so we're a -1 from our 1st and goal situations, in which for some reason we just can't run the ball. 

And just a defensive meltdown that continues.

A Keystone Weekend

My brother, two friends, and I went to the Eagles Steelers game this past weekend.

We got to Pittsburgh around 830 Saturday night, checked into our hotel downtown, the Westin, and then hit the city. We heard fatheads was great, and it was, unfortunately too packed for us to get in or at least to be seated for dinner in a reasonable time. We wound up at the Pittsburgh steak company restaurant where we polished off some 24 oz ribeyes and four bottles of wine. We hit a couple other bars, watched North Carolina State upset Florida State and called it a night at some point.

 

Woke up the next morning and started walking to the stadium around 9 AM. Downtown Pittsburgh was kind of deserted on a Sunday morning except for the occasional SUV that was parked on the street and had guys tailgating out of - which was kind of an odd sight. Weather was overcast in the low 50s.

Both the baseball and football stadiums are across the river from downtown and have a whole bunch of bars around them. We stopped at one for breakfast, beers, and bloody's. As we were leaving they put our last order of beers into plastic cups so that we could take them out of the pub. On the street they had some vendors just selling beers out of coolers and we were told it was okay to walk around in this area with open beer bottles on game day. It still felt a little weird, especially as we walked by some police, and we were wondering if the Pittsburgh waitresses were messing with us Eagles fans but we didn't have any problems.

Stopped at another bar, the tilted kilt, great place where the chicks are in push-up bras, tiny blouses and plaid skirts for the slutty Catholic girl look. The whole area was bustling but not particularly crowded. We got into every bar with no wait. To me it seemeds like every Steelers fans down there was wearing a jersey – like nearly EVERYONE, the overwhelming number of which were Polamalu's 43. I'd say for every 10 jersey seven were Polamalu's, one was either Hines Ward or Roethlisberger, one was Lambert, and one was a random player.

Eventually we headed over to the stadium where almost by accident ran into the official Steelers tailgate party 300 feet from the stadium's gates, which was rocking with this great band,  Tokyo Radio. Weirdly, it was only about 10% full even though they had cheap beer, no lines and plenty of bathrooms.

Heading into the stadium it was interesting there was no security perimeter, several vendors were right on the curb next to the stadium selling fairground food. We got some good natured ribbing from Steelers fans we were mingling with all of whom were incredibly nice and gracious wanted to know where we were from in Philadelphia and were making connections with the cities and neighborhoods we mentioned. Interestingly, the Steelers tickets didn't have a picture of any player on them but featured pictures of fans taken by fans with their name and hometown wearing their Steelers gear. For the Eagles game, the Steelers fans on the ticket were a father and son from Cinnaminson New Jersey of all places.

 

Our seats were great. We were under an overhang so when it started raining late game we didn't get wet. Even though we were rows up it felt like we were really close to the field had a great view of the entire action. The stadium seats I guess about 65,000 but it felt a lot more open and smaller than the Linc. A surprising number of empty seats midway through the game (but before the rain). I'm not sure if the weather chased people away or what even though it didn't start raining until their fourth quarter that was consistent with the entire day not feeling very crowded. Heinz Field has only one Jumbotron which is at the open ended end of the stadium which is really all you needed. We also noticed that the stadium and Jumbotron didn't bombard you with advertising and solicitations like they do at the Linc during every stoppage of play. Over the scoreboards are two ketchup bottles, and when the Steelers get inside the 20-the red zone-the ketchup bottles tilt over slightly and their caps open and the score board "fills" with red ketchup.

 

After the game we walked back to downtown, stopped at a restaurant to eat some gyros, headed back to the hotel picked up her car and headed out. It was about two hours after game time and even with a smaller crowd we were shocked at how bad traffic was at that time leaving the city. Once we finally broke free from the traffic it was two hours to Breezewood and then another hour and a half home from there.

 

Pittsburgh's a great city for a weekend sports visit, compact downtown within walking distance to the games, good nightlife neighborhoods, great stadium area, and a relatively short drive away. The Steelers fans couldn't have been nicer and the Rooney family clearly goes out of their way to make a fan and family-friendly environment without all of the commercialization and hostility we've become accustomed to in Philadelphia.

"simultaneous catch"

What I found really interesting in watching the replay was Mike Tirico saying - in real time - that they "simultaneously" caught the ball - which, of course, was the call that the refs made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0HiBEzPVP8

A final word on the replacement refs

Regarding Monday night's controversial call, the thing that really struck me was the criticism that the two referees were making two different signals. I think that is a function of them not working together for a long time. The real refs would never make such a mistake, not because the two saw the play differently but one of them would copy the other's  signal just for consistency's sake and to avoid just such criticism.

And let's face it, these replacement refs are under a microscope in which the real refs never are, which is kind of unfair. For instance, I think that simultaneous catch is actually closer than it appears. And some pundits are killing the refs for not calling Golde Tate for a pass interference shove on that final play, but that is a call that is never made in that situation

The referees really are damned if they do, damned if they don't.

Friedman

The nut graph of Tom Friedman's column today.

"That world is gone. It is now a more open system. Technology and globalization are wiping out lower-skilled jobs faster, while steadily raising the skill level required for new jobs. More than ever now, lifelong learning is the key to getting into, and staying in, the middle class."

Strip away Friedman's flat earth mumbo jumbo and what it really means is that you have to work harder and spend more ("lifelong learning") just to maintain the wages you currently have. Indeed, he recites all of the additional responsibilities of a NY Times reporter, presumably with no corresponding increase in salary.

Castro Brothers

Julia Castro and his brother look like those Chinese acrobatic twins. 

My brother's take

I don't see 7 losses. Thats for sure.

Mid season tough schedule. Giants to end september and then falcon lions steelers saints in some order.  Brutal.  That'why gotta win the first 2 of 3 aagainst the weak teams and maybe start 3-0 before hosting giants Sunday night sept 30.   2nd half Andy should be able to work his magic.  2 skins panthers, Bengals, bucs, cowboys.  Before ending in the meadowlands.  11-5 is where I am at.  The d line is impressive.  Nnamdi will be better

Time for some football!!   I expect eagles to be good. Ravena game huge litmus test.  Can start 3-0 if beat ravens. And get some mo.  In the words of e calvin lalouche we'll " announce our presence with authority'

Predictions

My friend PK writes:

I have a slightly different take on the season. I think the most important games are the Cardinals and the Lions, among the 1st 6 weeks. I have us coming outta that stretch going just 4-2, with losses to Steelers and Ravens. The worst-case scenario is 3-3 with those losses plus a loss to NYG.

So long as we come outta that stretch at 3-3, and so long as we haven't suffered some ridiculous season-ending injury to a key player like Vick or McCoy, I'm OK with where we go for the season. That's why I think the Cards/Lions games are soooooo important. Those are NFC games. We absolutely have to take care of business and beat them. Because those are NFC games. If we come outta the 1st 6 games 4-2, with only losses coming to the AFC teams, so be it.

Then we hit a bye week and, doubling down on Andy's good vibes, not only do we have a bye but we come out of it with a home game against a QB we usually beat, Matt Ryan. Then we go to NoLa for Mon night, at which point I firmly believe they will be a team in a downward spiral. We take them on Election Eve.

At that point we're rolling, and we take 3 of the next 4: Dallas, Skins, Panthers, Dallas.
So, frankly, I say we're either 8-4 or 9-3 at that point.

Of those final 4 games, I think splitting them is pretty easy.

I can make a case for a 12-4 season, but I'm standing down with a 11-5 prediction.

I don't quite understand why people like Peter King are so negative on the Eagles.