Today's News
October 31, 2006
| By Dennis Bakay
| 
Discuss
Halloween is here and the Sixers begin their season tomorrow. Ok, so how the hell do these two things relate aside from being one day apart?
The Sixers are masquerading as a team, which has a chance. We're hearing more spin coming out of this organization than a solid month's worth of spin coming out of the Eagles propaganda department.
Ok, well that might be going a bit overboard, but we're certainly hearing a lot of BS.
The Sixers are not equipped to play defense.
Allen Iverson is full of it if he thinks this team has a prayer in the Eastern Conference, or if they'll be disciplined this year. To think this team will all of a sudden become disciplined would be akin to the Bush Administration finally turning the page and deciding to become decent human beings.
It isn't going to happen.
Halloween is here and the Sixers are dressed up as a basketball team in control.
Make no mistake about it; they are a 35-win team at best. I know I predicted the Eagles to win 12 games this year, but who the hell expected them to take a dump in October like they did?
The Sixers are a bad team and hopefully someone buys them and does a full house cleaning.
I'm talking, blow the property up, repave the lot, and build a brand, spanking new office structure in it's place.
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The Eagles are back to their old ways; with a 67-33 pass/run ratio.
On a day when the winds gusted to 40 miles an hour and when when they chose
to take the wind in the first and third quarters, they defied all logic
and passed, passed, passed.
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The
Eagles are getting the rest of the week off, despite hitting bottom.
Despite reports yesterday to the contrary, Andy Reid is giving the team off the rest of the week. When he was on WIP's afternoon show with Steve and Anthony he felt it important to give them some rest. Give Andy Reid credit though, he was a little more upfront today as he all but buried specific players. It's another example of Reid being much better in one-on-one situations.
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Billy
King feeling the pressure more than ever.
In an offseason when they failed to trade Iverson and their biggest acquisition was has-been Allan Henderson the Sixers' GM is on the hot seat. Although, he may not even care because this team may be sold, which will seal his fate anyway.
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Local
star Smith makes Sixers' roster.
Former LaSalle star Steve Smith is one of 15 Sixers to make the roster.
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Lastly, the Eagles signed former Giants cornerback Will Peterson today, but that's not the biggest news in all of this. Peterson has decided to change his name to Will James; dropping his surname for his middle name. He claims this is a move to coincide with a new approach. Great, now the Eagles signed a nutcase who decided to change his name due to a new approach. What next, they sign a guy who dabbles in cannibalism because it makes him tougher on the field? Although, that might not be the worst idea if that individual happens to be a hard-hitting linebacker or run stuffer.
Alright, we're done here.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The fact of the matter is; The Eagles are on life support. They have been ejected from a car heading at 75 miles an hour and hit a tree. Now, brain surgery is necessary to give them a chance to survive.
With an offense that was devoid of much life, the defense showed even less life yesterday.
After watching yesterday's demolition I've come to the conclusion that Jim Johnson probably should resign at season's end. And, there will need to be a huge departure in the organizational philosophy for this team.
One; Andy Reid will need to committ to the run more. And, they'll need that tough, gritty running back capable of running up the middle and taking a pounding (i.e. someone like Lawrence Maroney or Stephen Jackson).
Two; the Eagles need a run stuffer in there. Their so-called system of utlizing lighter defensive ends is a joke and is played out worse than the Black Eyed Peas song "Let's get it started."
Three; they need a few hard-hitting, big linebackers. Light defensive tackles and light linebackers = a defense that gets pushed around like a bonsai tree in a hurricane.
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The Eagles brought in ex-Giants cornerback Will Peterson for a physical today.
This looks like a move in desperation since their return game has been well...anemic. Dexter Wynn has been pitiful in the return game with a season-long 22-yard punt return and 34-yard kickoff return. Added to that, Peterson can give them some depth in the defensive backfield, provided he can still play football.
Peterson hasn't played in over a year.
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The Phillies are eyeballing Soriano and Sheffield as the offseason begins.
They are even expecting their payroll to be in the low $90 million range. This is in stark contrast to earlier reports in which they were said to be cutting it down into the mid $70 million range.
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Kyle Korver will be the Sixers' 6th man at the start of the season.
I don't see the Sixers winnning a whole lot of games this year, but this is a good move. Korver played entirely too many minutes last year and was a defensive liability.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Just when you thought the Eagles were sloppy against New Orleans, they were horrific against Tampa Bay.
Just when you thought they couldn't get any worse, they were abominable
today.
They were bad for a half against New Orleans, were worse for three quarters
against Tampa Bay, and absolutely awful for four quarters today against
the Jaguars who were missing three key starters on defense, and their starting
quarterback Byron Leftwich.
This may have been their worst regular season performance since the opening
of the Linc against Tampa Bay when they fielded a real team. One could point
to their 41-0 drubbing at the hands of Seattle last year on Monday night,
but that wasn't a real team.
This is a team that should be 7-1. Say what you want about "you are
what you", but this isn't a 4-4 caliber team. They are much better
than that and clearly the coaching staff has lost control of this team.
There is no (expletive deleted) reason why this team should lay an egg against
a banged up defense at home, especially a team who was destroyed by the
likes of the Houston Texans a week ago.
The Eagles' defense allowed 209 yards on the ground, despite only yielding
13 points. It was still inexcusable as they couldn't seem to get off the
field all day long; the Jaguars held the ball for 36 1/2 minutes.
The offense was quite simply atrocious. They couldn't mount much of anything
today, except for an 11-play 63-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended
on a field goal.
The NFL's number one offense was neutralized today to the tune of 227 total
yards, 14 first downs, and zero touchdowns. The big-play passing game was
locked down by the Jaguars defensive backs, particularly cornerback Rashean
Mathis as they didn't give up a play longer than 29 yards. Donte Stallworth
returned today to catch three balls for 56 yards and his starting mate Reggie
Brown was held to one catch and 13 measly yards.
Aside from getting torched on the ground by the one-two punch of Fred Taylor
and Maurice Jones-Drew, the Eagles had just one sack today. Their once "vaunted"
pass rush, which led the NFL in sacks during the first five weeks of the
season now seems like a distant memory. It's evident now that Jevon Kearse
was much more important than the team wanted to let on. Once he went down
to injury the Eagles spin doctors made it sound like everything would be
hunky dory as "other guys would step up."
Some interesting things to take away from this game (if you want to call
it that) is that Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb were not their usual selves
at their respective press conferences. Andy Reid looked disgusted and clearly
showed some emotion today, which never happens. Reid finally indicted the
players when he said, "That was embarrasing. Everyone had a piece of
this one." He even snapped back a reporter when they asked him how
he'll turn it around by saying, "You don't have to worry about. I'm
gonna take care of it."
McNabb was very much beside himself as well. "From an offensive standpoint,"
McNabb said, "that was one of the worst games I've ever been a part
of. Not being able to get first downs, run the ball and set up play action.
For it to take 3 1/2 quarters for us to get things rolling, that's something
I never visualized happening."
He went on to say, "We're in control of the ball. We have to make the decisions to make things happen. ... It's something that I know definitely won't happen again."
And, he placed special emphasis on that statement when he said, "I'll
make sure of it."
The Eagles are now into their bye week and it couldn't come at a better
time. They'll have two weeks to regroup and get their house in order. They
are in a deep hole now as the Giants are playing great football right now
and will likely be at 6-2 heading into the second half. And, they already
faced their hard part of the schedule. The Eagles face the Colts, Panthers,
Falcons, and four division opponents in the second half, including three
straight games on the road.
Is it possible they'll go 6-2 to win the division with a 10-6 record?
It's possible, but at this point very unlikely.
Stranger things have happened. After all these are the Eagles we're talking
about. Nobody expected them to start 4-1, blow two straight games they should've
won, then lay an egg heading into the bye.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Former Celtics coaching great Red Auerbach died tonight from an apparent heart attack at his home at the age of 89.
Auerbach is arguably the greatest coach in the history of sports. He won
9 titles in 10 seasons, (1957-1966) during a coaching career that spanned
20 seasons (16 with Boston). And, many regard him as the greatest NBA executive
of all time as he built the Celtics championship teams of the 70's and 80's.
Just as he would out-maneuver coaches on the court, he would out-maneuver
them off it. Two cases in point are the drafting of Bill Russell and Larry
Bird; two cornerstones to Celtics dynasties.
In order to land Bill Russell in the 1956 draft Auerbach needed a little
luck in the form of the Ice Capades. Rochester was picking first that year,
but since they were strong up front they didn't really need Russell's services.
St. Louis was picking second and their people would arrange for Rochester
to get the Ice Capades if they'd avoid drafting Bill Russell. With that
part of the equation set, now Auerbach had to figure a way out to trade
up to the second pick. He offered St. Louis All-Star Ed Macauley and budding
star guard Cliff Hagan, who would utlimately become a Hall of Famer. But,
Auerbach already had a guard in Bob Cousy. Ben Kerner who ran the St. Louis
franchise agreed to the trade and Auerbach got his man and the cornerstone
to the greatest dynasty in sports history.
The Celtics got a little more luck when it came time to drafting Bird, but
again Auerbach rolled the dice on Bird. Those five teams passed on Bird
since he ws a junior and felt he wouldn't be available for another year,
or that he'd cost too much. Auerbach didn't hesitate. He even admitted that
he didn't know just how good he'd become as he only saw him play once. Five
teams passed on Bird in the '79 draft and he fell to them at number six.
It turned out that Bird wouldn't re-enter the draft and he'd be glad to
play for a franchise with a storied history such as the Celtics.
In Philadelphia the Celtics totured the 76ers on numerous occasions. Many
people hated Larry Bird as he would be a "Sixers-killer." They
hated him like I despise Roy Williams and Ronde Barber. I always admired
Bird as a player. He exemplified a Philly player, tough as nails, firey,
and a clutch player.
Auerbach wasn't always successful on his picks. He traded Gerald Henderson
to the Seattle SuperSonics to acquire their first round pick in 1986, which
would turn out to be the second overall pick. And, he drafted Len Bias,
who had superstar written all over him. And, as everybody knows he would
die from a cocaine overdose just hours after being drafted. This would ultimately
change the fortunes for the franchise as he could have extended the careers
of Bird and McHale, thus winning a few more titles.
Auerbach was with the Celtics for nearly 50 years. He wasn't nearly as active
later on though as he claimed you had to be on the phone all of the time
to make the deals and he just didn't have the energy any longer.
The man known for his victory cigars at the end of games and an affinity
for chinese food leaves behind the greatest coaching legacy in professional
sports.
He wasn't just a great coach for assembling teams comprised of superior
talent, but he would get the players to believe in him to feel as though
they were part of his family.
From his humble beginnings in a Brooklyn neighborhood, to a coaching gig
with the Washington Capitols and Tri Cities Blackhawks of Iowa, to coaching
the greatest dynasty of all-time Auerbach will be remembered for not just
being a winner, a legend, and a mastermind, but as a great American.
One of the true treasures of our nation is gone, but will live on forever
as he left an imprint on basketball like no other individual has in any
other sport.
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Ok, I was bad last week. In fact, since I bragged about my early winning
streak this year, one which saw me start the year 10-0 (and going 11-1)
I've been quite mediocre since starting my picks of the week segment on
Saturdays. That's ok though; you can only be kept down for so long before
you rise up I say. I went 1-2 last week to bring my record to 5-5-2 in four
weeks.
+3 Indianapolis at Denver
The Broncos are a team that really has me scratching my head. As bad as
Jake Plummer has been this year they are among the elite teams in the league.
And, that's due to a defense which has yielded an average of under 8 points
and a shade under 300 yards allowed per game. They key is they give up just
90 yards rushing per game and run the ball for over 140 yards per game.
Now, let's look at the Denver defense. In week one they faced a St. Louis
team who was in preseason mode and still lost 18-10. Since then they won
five in a row against three quality teams in the Chiefs, Patriots, and Ravens.
One could argue their defense was that good or that they caught them on
bad weeks. I'd say they caught the Patriots on a bad week at home, because
since then the Patriots have been on fire. And, Oakland and the Cleveland
Browns don't even count, so really the Broncos have two quality wins in
my opinion against the Chiefs and Ravens.
The Colts are heading into a hostile environment s system Manning is becoming
more like well...Manning. And, he is forgetting about that guy Edge who
flew to Arizona. The key to this game is the Colts running game versus the
Broncos' running game. This game will be low-scoring as evidenced by the
over/under of 40. I wouldn't touch that number either way with a finger-cicle
from Jeffrey Dahmer's freezer. Your safe bet on this game is to take the
Colts who will win this game outright, but it will be close.
Prediction: Colts 23-21
+4 Seattle at Kansas City
Normally games like this seem like a stone cold lock on paper. You have
a team being decimated by injuries in Seattle, who has lost their starting
running back and last year's MVP in Shaun Alexander, and their starting
quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. And, the Chiefs are coming off a big win over
the Chargers, despite nearly blowing a two-touchdown lead. The Chiefs have
injury problems of their own with Damon Huard injuring his hamstring in
practice this week. Thus, they'll hand it over to rookie Brodie Croyle who
goes up against Seneca Wallace. It's hardly a marquee matchup as both quarterbacks
are starting for the first time in the NFL. And, here goes the proverbial
"but." But, how many times have we come across games like this
and have seen quarterbacks like Seneca Wallace in their first starts surprise
us with dazzling performances? And, it boils down to the fact that teams
don't know how to game plan against somebody who has never really seen live
action before. I won't be scared and stay away from this game for that reason.
The Seahawks rushing defense has allowed just 92 yards per game, but that
won't stop the Chiefs from giving the Hawks plenty of doses of LJ. This
is one of those weeks where if you own Larry Johnson on your fantasy team
you should be drooling. The Chiefs will run the ball 40 times. The Seahawks
are simply too banged up right now and the Chiefs will build on that big
win last week to make it tow in a row to keep pace in the wild, wild AFC
West.
Prediction: Chiefs 28-10
+7 1/2 Jacksonville at Philadelphia
There's an old saying we've heard about 288,974 times which goes like this;
"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Just
how can you trust the Eagles? They're like that guy in college who sells
pot that everyone knows about that says, "don't buy from him, because
he's been known to sell bags full of shake and seeds." Or, even worse,
they're like the guy on South street who claims to be selling thai sticks,
but really it's just oregano glued to twigs. In a round about sort of way
you get the point, how the hell can you trust the Birds? They've resembled
The Turds the past two weeks with the way they've ripped your heart out
of your chest cavity. Not only that, but they took a dump on your heart
after ripping it out of your chest like the guy from Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom.
Well, that's why I'm here to make you feel safe on this game. Jack Del Rio
knows that Jim Johnson's defense is susceptible to quarterbacks who are
mobile, or who move around in the pocket. This is the main reason why he's
benching a banged-up Byron Leftwich this week in favor of the mobile David
Garrard. This may be true. However, the Eagles have also lost games on hideous
mental breakdowns. Certainly, they've had little success getting to quarterbacks
when they take 3 to 5 step drops, as they recorded zero sacks against Favre
and Brees, and just two sacks against Gradkowski last week. And, yes the
Jaguars have a plethora of big receivers in Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams,
and Matt Jones-who range from 6 foot 4 to 6 foot 6.
Getting scared? One should be a little scared since the Eagles have shown a vulnerability to bigger receivers like Joe Jurevicious and Plaxico Burress. Make no mistake about it; the Jags will have some success against the Eagles in the passing game and in the rushing game with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones Drew. However...you've been waiting for that "however" I'm sure. However, the Eagles offense is simply too much for a banged up Jaguars defense that is missing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Marcus Stroud, defensive end Marcus Wiley, and safety Donovin Darius. The Eagles will give them plenty of Brian Westbrook, who like McNabb is making his own case for MVP this season. With Donte Stallworth back in the fold, the duo of Stallworth and Brown will brutalize the Jaguars' banged up defense all day long. And, remember Jim Johnson has had success against mobile quarterbacks before. You might remember that guy Michael Vick who they are undefeated against. The Jags will put some points up, but the Eagles will get their sacks put up plenty of points to make this one an easy win.
Prediction: Eagles 34-17
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Bernard Hopkins has gone off again about Donovan McNabb today. And, it's clear as a Caribbean ocean that he's two things; brain dead and one of Terrell Owens' cronies.
Hopkins was on the afternoon show on WIP today and basically used it as a forum for bashing McNabb and putting T.O. up on a pedestal.
The legendary boxer criticized McNabb for getting sick. Hopkins said, "I think he exposed himself. And, I'm not the only one saying it."
To show how ignorant he is, he said that Owens "held out" and ended up getting $25 million from the Cowboys, which more than he would've gotten from the Eagles. The fact is Owens only got $10 million guaranteed and he'll most likely be gone after this season if Parcells chooses to return. He would've received $8 million this season, plus he lost out on the salary lost from his suspension.
The interview reached ridiculous proportions when he spoke of the "team concept" and all but said T.O. is a great team player and McNabb is a bad team player.
There is rumor that Hopkins felt like he was dissed by McNabb thus causing this allegiance to Terrible Owens.
Whatever the cause is, Hopkins has some serious brain damage and should stick to one thing; trash talking his next opponent. And, this is really what it's coming down to. There are major rumblings floating about that Hopkins will fight a heavyweight bout and that he's just doing this to get his name out there in the press.
He could do that without looking like a complete jackass though.
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The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series tonight and it further proves that the Phillies are the worst run team in professional sports.
I won't get too critical of Pat Gillick though. Dave Montgomery deserves all of the blame here. He told Gillick to keep Manuel in place.
Montgomery ultimately calls the shots on this team and it's no wonder that they have the biggest dog (expletive deleted) record as far as playoff appearances for any organization in professional sports. They have one playoff appearance in the past 20 years. Just ONE.
Apparently some of his fellow owners are grumbling now. The word around the grapevine is that the fellow owners aren't concerned with making money at this point; they want to win. And, Montgomery is clearly acting against their best interests. For one, he has not done close to everything it takes for this team to win. Obviously since he left an incompetent manager in there that easily blew 10 games for this team. And, this team has lost money due to a drop in attendance. The attendance went back up during the second half of the season, but they lost a lot of revenue during the first half of the season when the team was playing poorly, particularly during their June swoon.
The Cardinals damn near pulled a "1964 Phillies collapse" in the final weeks of the year and barely edged the Astros. In fact, their record was worse than the Phillies' record in the regular season. The Cardinals went 83-78 and the Phillies went 85-77. Not to mention, the Phillies were 4th overall in team batting in the entire major leagues, while St. Louis was 14th. Added to that, the Phillies were 8th overall in team pitching, while the Cardinals were 21st.
How the hell does a team like this fail to make the playoffs?
How the hell does a team fail to make the playoffs in the weak National League when they have cupcake matchups against the likes of the Nationals in the final week?
Thanks to Dave Montgomery a brain dead manager in Charlie Manuel was left in place to cost your team that wild card birth.
Thanks to Dave Montgomery your Phillies were beaten out by a pubic hair by the St. Louis Cardinals.
And, thanks to Dave Montgomery the Phillies have now made it 90 consecutive seasons without a championship for Philadelphia teams.
And, that makes it 13 straight years without a playoff appearance for the Phillies, and all because Montgomery wants a flunky in there for his manager.
It's not just a travesty or embarrassing, but a disgrace.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
John Stevens officially has a 1.000 winning percentage as an NHL head coach.
The Flyers won 3-2 in a shootout tonight to give the Flyers' new coach a victory in his debut game.
One could see this team playing with a new vigor and intensity tonight as they played tougher defense and looked inspired. Hitchcock is one of the best coaches in the league, but it looks as the though the team stopped responding to him. I still maintain that he wasn't given a fair shot this year. At any rate, what's done is done and the players looked revived tonight.
Peter Forsberg returned to the lineup from his sore wrist to give the Flyers a powerplay goal, something they've been horrible at this year as they scored on just 7 percent (4-for-55) of their power plays before that point. Randy Robitaille scored the other goal for the Flyers in regulation.
Forsberg and Gagne each had goals in the shootout to clinch the game.
Antero Nittymaki and John Hedberg essentially had identical numbers as they recorded 27 and 29 saves respectively. The only difference is that Nittymaki only allowed one shot during the shootout.
It's only the first game under the new coaching staff, but Stevens may be the right coach for this team comprised of many younger players, many of whom he coached two years ago on the Phantoms. It certainly helps that the team had five days to prepare once he was installed as the new coach.
The Flyers face Pittsburgh Saturday night, same time, same place-7:00 in South Philly.
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This just might be the slowest news week ever in Philly sports. The week started off with a bang as the Flyers had a major shakeup. Then, the Eagles had one of their most heart breaking defeats in history.
And, since then it's been well...nothing.
The Sixers are in preseason mode and honestly who the hell cares about basketball? If they make the playoffs as an eighth seed (which is all they're capable of) they'll lose their first round draft pick, in a draft which will arguably be the best in a decade. Thus, we're looking at another season of lowrent basketball. Allen Iverson will hog the ball for 60% of the game while the team gives up uncontested shots like call girls give up hummers.
The Eagles are in practice mode and there isn't much to report on them. Donte Stallworth and Rod Hood are set to return this weekend. Donovan McNabb defended himself on Wednesday and Andy Reid said nothing in his press conferences. Again, no news.
The Phillies signed 43 year old pitcher Jamie Moyer to a contract extension. They can't begin to sign free agents because the World Series is still carrying on. It now appears that another ex-Phillie in Scott Rolen will win a championship as the Cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the series tonight. Absolutely amazing. The Phillies had a better team than the Cardinals, but they got the right matchups in the playoffs and are facing a Detroit team who suddenly forgot how to hit or pitch. That might be the biggest news this week that the Phillies aren't in a position to win the World Series. Quite a story.
And, the Flyers haven't played all week until tonight when they opened up the John Stevens-era with a win. They had five full days off since their loss on Friday night.
There has been plenty of news abound in the nationals sports world with Kenny Rogers being accused of doctoring the ball; Shawn Merriman getting caught for cheating; Tony Romo taking over for Drew Bledsoe in Dallas; Tiki Barber announcing that he'll most likely retire; and now the Cardinals on the verge of winning the World Series.
I just said more about the week in sports for our four majors without there even being anything to talk about.
Like a Seinfeld episode I just wrote about nothing.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Sixers got back on track this preseason with a lopsided win over the New Jersey Nets 110-88.
Kyle Korver led the way as he scored 22 points with four 3-pointers.
News flash here: ALLEN IVERSON DIDN'T PLAY 45 MINUTES.
Even in the preseason Iverson was logging heavy minutes. He only played 34 minutes tonight, perhaps due to his sore wrist. He scored 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting, with 12 assists and 5 boards.
Samuel Dalembert was weak tonight and played just 13 minutes and racked up 4 fouls. He has had a good preseason, but looked lost out there tonight.
Following the game former Temple star Rick Brunson was waived.
This was the Sixers' final preseason game. They'll open up Wednesday against the Hawks at 7:00 in South Philly.
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A look around the NFC:
Here is a look at the Eagles' NFC counterparts and who they face in the next three weeks.
Giants 4-2---upcoming opponents Bucs, Texans, and Bears
Bears 6-0---upcoming opponents 49ers, Dolphins, and Giants
Vikings 4-2---upcoming opponents Patriots, 49ers, and Packers
Saints 5-1---upcoming opponents Ravens, Bucs, and Steelers
Falcons 4-2---upcoming opponents Bengals, Lions, and Browns
Rams 4-2---upcoming opponents Chargers, Chiefs, and Seahawks
Seahawks 4-2---upcoming opponents Chiefs, Raiders, and Rams
The Eagles face the Jaguars next, then have a bye, and the Redskins.
As you can see the race is still relatively close for top conference record, but the Bears clearly have an edge in record and schedule. However, with Mike Brown gone from their secondary they wil be affected. And, they did struggle against the Cardinals mightily last Monday night.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Now that I've dissected the meltdown in Tampa it's time to move on to next week's game. Not before I point out this fun fact. In McNabb's last three visits to Florida (Jacksonville 2002 and 2005, Tampa on Sunday) he has puked in each game. And, he threw a touchdown after each vomiting session. Ultimately, the Eagles lost each game though.
Thought I'd point that fun fact out.
Moving along.
Donte Stallworth and Roderick Hood are now nearly ready to return on Sunday. Andy Reid said, "There's a pretty good chance. We'll see. They're both working out today, so we'll see how they do."
Ok, he's been saying that every week, but the key here is "good chance." Usually he just says, "we'll take a look at that" or "we'll see how they do." When the big man puts out a "good chance" that's some cause for optimism.
Shawn Andrews is nursing a lower back injury, but it's not too serious since he finished up the game Sunday. And, Darren Howard and Thomas Tapeh have groin injuries.
Other than that, everybody is pretty much fine and ready to go on Sunday.
Brian Westbrook is clearly in better shape now that he became just the second active player to record a 100-100 game on Sunday, when he rushed for 101 yards and had 113 yards receiving. He looked quite mobile last week and didn't appear to show any signs of the knee injury. And, if he did have any pain; he's a damn good actor. This week he'll go up against a stout defense in the Jaguars so he'll be hard pressed to have the openings he had against Tampa.
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Today the MLB players association and the owners agreed to a five-year collective bargaining agreement.
It's unprecented in recent memory for both sides to come to an agreement before the end of a labor contract. In fact, there have been eight work stoppages between 1972 and 1995, with the latest round of bickering occurring in 2002.
Bud Selig proclaimed that they are "in the midst of baseball's golden age." I think anyone with any level of objectivity would disagree with that statement.
In fact, these are dark times for baseball with the spectre of steroids and HGH. The one positive thing about baseball is the recent parity. Teams such as Florida, Anaheim, and the White Sox have won the World Series while having miniscule payrolls compared to such big-market teams as New York, L.A., and Boston.
The deal will continue with existing luxury tax and revenue-sharing rules. The payroll threshold for the luxury tax threshold increases from $136.5 million to $148 million next season. The number will then increase 5 percent annually.
And, the minimum salary will increase from $327,000 to $380,000 next year.
Baseball's drug testing rules will be extended through the 2001 season, which is when this latest contract will expire.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
As the smoke clears today from one of the ugliest losses in Eagles history, Andy Reid called the team in for a rare team meeting.
"I want them to have a chance to look at the film today and get rid
of it and move on," he said.
The Eagles are at a crossroads right now. This game coming up will decide
the season. Make no mistake about it. If they lose this game, they will
very likely fall into a tailspin and miss the playoffs. Should they win
it however, they'll head into a bye week coming off a win and have ample
time to sort out their problems.
This team should be 7-0, but instead they are 4-3 and are now second place
in the division to the Giants who won against the Cowboys tonight.
It seemed like this team had learned their lesson when they blew a 17-point
lead to the Giants in the fourth quarter in the second week, when they went
on to win three games in a row, including a huge win over Dallas. And, then
they hit the road in the Big Easy and made foolish mistake after foolish
mistake. And, the hangover continued on their road trip yesterday. On offense,
defense, and special teams this team appears to have lost their focus. A
focused team and one who is well coached doesn't succumb to these miscues
at the level this team has.
Reid hopefully took the time today to not just instill some confidence in
this team (that they can get back on track) but to get them to regain their
focus. Only the players and coaches will know what went on in that meeting.
Let's hope it's the fire they need lit under their posteriors, since they
don't seem to get it after giving away three games.
They appear lost and can't afford any more losses like this. Yesterday marks
the third time they've lost a game on a game-winning field goal.
Florida isn't a kind place to the Eagles or McNabb. Now, a Florida team
will visit the Eagles on Sunday, and it's a tough spot for the Eagles. The
Jaguars are coming off a humiliating loss to the Texans.
They are most certainly at a crossroads. This team will either move up or
go south.
------------------------------------
The Phillies signed starting pitcher Jamie Moyer to a two-year extension
worth $10.5 million.
Anytime a pitcher reaches their mid-40's I become concerned about the age
factor. Heck, if a pitcher reaches their late 30's I worry.
However, Moyer's pitching style isn't stressful on his arm. Like Greg Maddux,
he has maximized his career with mechanics and ball control rather than
power. Pitchers like that can pitch into their mid-40's.
Even still a two-year deal is a little risky.
It's a good signing though if the Phillies intend on using him as a number
four or five starter. It's a bad proposition if they use this as an excuse
to not put money into another pitcher.
Moyer came up big for the Phillies in many games down the stretch and gives
them a veteran, battle-tested arm they need in the rotation.
It becomes a great move if they trade Jon Lieber and bring in a pitcher
like Jason Schmidt to bolster their rotation. It's another "move on
the cheap" if the Phillies just resign Randy Wolf and keep their rotation
at the status quo.
It would behoove Gillick to move Lieber for some bullpen help and replace
him with someone like Jason Schmidt, Mark Mulder, or Andy Pettitte.
------------------------------------
A little cheating?
Shawn Merriman and Kenny Rogers were implicated in what may be two cases of cheating.
In Merriman's case it's cut and dry. He tested positive for steroids and will be supspended for four games. Even though he'll appeal the suspension, he's guilty as sin.
And, it's sad because he's one of the bright, young stars of the league and a defensive player who many compare to Lawrence Taylor. The guy was a freakish athlete coming out of college. Despite the tougher testing policy in the NFL player like Merriman continue to cheat and hopefully he's not a fraud. That really would be a shame, because players like him come along every generation. Once he returns from the test we'll see what type of player he is.
Now, in Kenny Rogers' case there was a brown substance spotted on his thumb. The photo was compared to an earlier photo of him during the playoffs, and he had the same brown substance on his thumb. The umpires determined during the game last night that it was dirt. Like lightning though, does dirt strike twice? In my humble opinion I'd say no. He probably did doctor the ball a little...just a tad and it's a sad case really. He was one of the great stories of the postseason and now it appears likely he cheated his way to his postseason scoreless innings streak of 23 innings.
It's impossible to prove whether he put pine tar on his hand. It could be dirt. He could just have sweaty hands. And, in all seriousness, that's possible. As someone whose hands sweat like crazy when I drive, that's not out of the realm of possibility. The thing is, Rogers did wipe this "smudge" off his hand and he went on to a pitch a gem of a game.
Players reportedly saw the ball doing some strange things though.
Merriman has already appealed his suspension. Rogers doesn't face such a penalty. The smudge heard around the world was removed.
But, the doubt remains.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Stupid. Hideous. Atrocious. Abominable. Sloppy. Terrible. Horrendous. Horrific. Embarrassing.
I could come up with several dozen more adjectives to describe this loss
today.
It all boils down to one common theme, stupidity.
McNabb, for all of his heroics blew this game on two stupid plays.
The special teams coverage on that kick return with just 30 some seconds
left was shoddy.
And, who could forget Jerome McDougale's foolish "kicking the flag" penalty which cost the team 30 yards? Doesn't get much worse than that, no matter how bad the penalty.
And, McNabb made another foolish mistake when he threw a pass to L.J. Smith that wasn't in the endzone, with just 9 seconds remaining in the first half. The clock ran out and the Eagles left 3 points on the board.
And, the defense played stupid when they let Bruce Gradkowski run to the
midfield point, and he wasn't even tackled; he fell down!
Before this season began I pegged this team as a 12-win team. Now, I am
second-guessing whether they are a 10 win team. It doesn't have to do with
lack of talent. They certainly have an abundance of that. It comes down
to the coaching.
Jim Johnson's defensive schemes have been futile. And, his propensity for
light defensive tackles and linebackers is beginning to cost this team.
There are plenty of teams in the NFL who stop the run and blitz. And, they
do it with one run stuffer or two run stuffers and pass rushers in the middle.
And, they also have big linebackers who don't get pushed around, thus Jeremiah
Trotter isn't killing himself to save this team.
His style is getting old.
Special teams coach Jim Harbaugh's coaching has been abominable. Just what
coverage might I ask?
And, Andy Reid has lost control of the team in the past two weeks, and he
lost control in the Giants game. This ultimately falls on his shoulders,
and his quarterbacks shoulders.
62-yard field goals certainly don't happen every day, but when you play
like a bunch of brain dead zombies things like that will bite you.
What will the Eagles do against Jacksonville? I don't even know anymore.
It's hard to gauge what this team will do.
They might make the big plays, but they can also screw it up with defensive
miscues.
Or, they'll come back from an early deficit then have the worst kicker in
the NFL beat them on a miracle play.
It's one of those years. Just what team are the Eagles?
Next week we'll see. They'll either come back from this game pissed off
like a pack of ferocious lions who just had their food stolen. Or, they'll
crash and burn much like the team last year after getting blown out by Denver.
------------------------------------
Today Bobby Clarke and Ken Hitchcock are both no longer with the Flyers.
First Ken Hitchock was fired by chairman Ed Snider. And, then Bobby Clarke
resigned. I have my suspicions, but I'd be willing to bet Clarke was forced
out. Despite the loyalty Snider has to him.
Either way, this is the biggest shakeup for this team in a generation.
I've heard both perspectives on Hitchcock. Some say he's one of the top
five coaches in the game. Others say his style has worn thin and the players
are not responding.
Now, Paul Holmgren assumes the controls at GM and John Stevens (who coached
the Phantoms to a title in 2005) takes over as coach.
It's obvious that Clarke tried everything he could to make this team into
a winner, but it just didn't work. His penchant for not getting an elite
goal tender probably cost this team several trips to the Cup. And, the fact
that he didn't reload and go for free agents like Chris Pronger was foolish.
When this team needed defense the most an elite defensive player was out
there for the taking.
Now, this team will start over at square one. They do have a lot of young
talent and two veterans in Forsberg and Gagne. Teams have been in far worse
positions who began reclamation efforts.
One thing is certain, with this shakeup the team won't have a winning percentage
under .200 by year's end.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Even though I'm off to the Jersey shore this weekend for some gambling
in Atlantic City, that doesn't mean I won't get in my weekly picks.
Rain, snow, shine, or travel I'm getting my picks in. Last week if
you went by my recommendation on the Eagles game you are probably still
cursing my name and made a voodoo doll of me and are probably bashing it's
brains out with a hammer. Perhaps, that explains my headache I've
had all week. Well, if it makes you feel better I lost on the game
too. I'll be a man and admit when I lose. Now, if you picked
the Rams to cover against the Seahawks you got in the money by a hair, despite
the Hawks' last-minute field goal. And, you won big if you took the
Steelers to beat the Chiefs. I had them whooping them 28-7...well
the game was an even bigger runaway than that with the Steelers demolishing
them 45-7.
Last week's record against the spread: 2-1
On the season 4-3-2
For my first pick let's look at the Steelers-Falcons game.
+3 Falcons-Steelers
The Steelers head into Atlanta, who is coming off a home loss against the
Giants. And, the Steelers are coming off a huge win over the Kansas
City Chiefs. Atlanta's defensive line is banged up with John Abraham nursing
yet another injury (groin); Rod Coleman hurting as well (turf toe), and
the starting end on the other side Patrick Kerney is fighting a hamstring
injury. The Steelers boast the best offensive line in the business.
That alone will be where this game is won. It doesn't matter if Pittsburgh
is home or on the road, they will find a way to beat you when they're on
their game and with a depleted Falcons defensive line matching up against
that line, I'll take the line (no pun intended). The Steelers will
keep the Falcons running game in check and have Vick running all over the
field. And, they will run the ball at least 40 times allowing Big
Ben to do what he does best, manage the game.
Prediction: Steelers 23-13
- 3 1/2 Bengals-Panthers
This game is a no-brainer to me. Sure, the Bengals are coming off
a disappointing loss the Buccaneers. Sure, Carlson Palmer and Chad
Johnson have yet to really get it going this year. But, I see the
Panthers winning this game. They have won four in a row and are starting
to come into their own. Not to mention, the Bengals' offensive line
is banged up, and this will be the x-factor much like in the Falcons-Steelers
game. Bengals starting center Rich Braham and left tackle Levi Jones
are both out for Sunday's game. This is a lethal blow to their offense.
Julius Peppers will go buck-wild in this game and make Carson Palmer look
like Laura Palmer on Twin Peaks. Not only will the Panthers win this one
outright, but they also get 3 1/2 to boot. They should be the favored
team here. Look for the Panthers to blitz, blitz, and blitz.
They'll get out to an early lead and run the ball in the second half.
Prediction: Panthers 28-20
And, finally what would the weekly picks be without me taking a stand on
the Eagles game. They are coming off an ugly loss against the team
formerly known as the "Aints"; the New Orleans Saints. The
Eagles continue their mini-road trip and roll into Tampa Bay, which will
be the first meeting between the two teams since the game I refer to as
"The Debacle II" when the Eagles laid an egg in their first game
at the Linc on Monday Night Football.
This Bucs team is far different from that one though. Their remaining
defensive stars Simeon Rice, Derrick Brooks, and Ronde Barber are older.
Not to mention, Brian Kelly is battling some turf toe. Gone are Warren
Sapp, Anthony McFarland (just traded to the Colts), John Lynch, and many
others. On offense it's Cadillac Williams, a rookie quarterback, and
an aging Joey Galloway. And, as we all know Jim Johnson loves to send
the dogs after the rooks.
And, the Eagles as you know have the number one offense and a hit or miss
defense that in one game has a pass rush which resembles the 2002 Bucs,
and in another the 2006 Raiders. However, the Eagles severely overmatch
this team. Darren Howard is a little banged up, but fear not.
They can load some other guys in there such as rookie Juqua Thomas or Trent
Cole. Forget about Jerome McDougale; he's done, put a fork in him.
The rest of the line will pick up the slack though and do fine against the
Bucs' mediocre line.
On the offensive side, McNabb and company will get back to what they do
best; the dink and dunk. Look for them to exploit this against the
Bucs early on, setting themselves up for the big plays down the field.
In other words, they'll play the way they should play and do the opposite
thing of last week when they kept taking shots down the field before establishing
a rhythm.
I see the Eagles winning this one by a few touchdowns in a rout. It
doesn't have the revenge factor since most of the Bucs from that era are
gone, but it's always fun to see the Eagles winning in a rout.
Prediction: Eagles 38-21
-------------------------------
Some more fact heading into Week 7...
The Eagles lead the league in total offense with 2,414 yard, but are giving up 341.2 yards a game, the seventh-most in the league and the most by a team with a winning record.
Rookie Bruce Gradkowski was 25 of 44 for 184 yards, two touchdowns and one interception last week in his first start in place of the injured Chris Simms- a dramatic 14-13 win over the Bengals.
Tampa Bay is averaging 193 yards per game in the air but the Eagles are allowing a dismal 237.7.
The Eagles had won 3 straight vs. Tampa Bay until the last two games which the Bucs won by a combined score of 44-10.
-------------------------------
Injury Report
EAGLES
| DOUBTFUL | CB Roderick Hood (Heel) |
| QUESTIONABLE | DE Darren Howard (Groin) WR Donte' Stallworth (Hamstring) RB Brian Westbrook (Knee) |
| PROBABLE | OLB Shawn Barber (Neck) WR Reggie Brown (Quadricep) SS Sean Considine (Shoulder) FS Brian Dawkins (Wrist) G Todd Herremans (Knee) RB Reno Mahe (Ankle) OLB Matt McCoy (Hip) CB Lito Sheppard (Hand) TE L.J. Smith (Shoulder) T Tra Thomas (Back) |
TAMPA BAY
OUT |
QB Chris Simms (Splenectomy) |
| QUESTIONABLE | TE Anthony Becht (Foot) CB Juran Bolden (Hip) WR Mark Jones (Hamstring) CB Brian Kelly (Foot) MLB Shelton Quarles (Knee) DE Simeon Rice (Shoulder) WR Maurice Stovall (Back) |
-------------------------------
BETTING LINES
|
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Contact Ben Whitman at bwhitman@phillypurge.com
Today's News
After watching the Flyers lose to a team who they haven't lost to in 10 meetings I'm convinced they cannot beat anybody. Hell, they couldn't win if the game was fixed and they were supposed to win the game on a cheap goal. They couldn't even score on an empty net.
They are bad. No not just bad, brutally bad.
If Ed Snider was pissed the other day about the Flyers' horrific play, then he'll be twice as irate tonight.
Since the year 2000, the Flyers were 9-0-1 against the Florida Panthers. That ended tonight when they lost to them 3-2 in Florida, thus dropping their fifth consecutive loss.
The one positive out of this game is that Simon Gagne scored both of the Flyers' goals. Antero Nittymaki also had a nice game, stopping 23 of 26 shots. Other than that, the team failed to show up on offense. Their defense didn't play poorly, but consider the competition. Fortunately, the Flyers will not lose in the next five days. The reason is, they don't play again until Thursday!
They have off for five days and can hopefully figure out how to right this sinking ship. They'll return to Philly to face Atlanta after their mini-hiatus.
-------------------------------
Doctor J is looking to possibly make a return to the 76ers. No, not as a coach or a Gm, but as a possible owner.
The cat is out of the bag about the latest interested buyer of the Sixers. Doctor J, the legendary 76er has put together a group of investors with the goal of purchasing the 76ers from Comcast-Spectacor.
The group is said to have ties to the city. And, they will hopefully meet with the brain trust of the team in the very near future.
It has been said the price of the 76ers could be as high as $450 million, which would be the largest price in the history of the NBA.
-------------------------------
Today Darren Howard was held out of practice due to a hamstring injury. He is currently listed as questionable for the game in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Donte Stallworth and Brian Westbrook both returned to practice today and are also listed as questionable for Sunday.
Realistically, the Eagles could win this game with just Donovan McNabb and second-stringers. Tampa Bay has officially called it in this season after they dealt starting defensive tackle Anthony McFarland to the Colts for a second round draft choice. The word is they put everybody on the trading block for draft picks. When a team begins a fire sale in week 7 that doesn't bode well for their chances.
Sure, Jon Gruden is an Eagles killer, having beaten them in 3 out of the past 4 meetings, including "The Debacle I" and "The Debacle II." In case you forgot The Debacle I and II are Alpha and Omega of brutal losses-the closing of the Vet and opening game at the Linc. And, oh yeah, that closing game was quite possibly the worst loss in the history of Philadelphia sports, holding equal footing with the 1964 collapse of the Phillies.
Gruden's team is different this go-around, much different. Aside from Cadillac Williams there isn't much on offense. Joey Galloway is long in the tooth and the offensive line rivals that of Green Bay's in terms of futility. Gone is that swagger on defense as they are aging and just a shell of their former selves.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my prediction on the Eagles game and my other two picks of the week. I'll look to continue my winning ways as I went 2-1 against the spread last week.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The World Series is just two days away and the Detroit Tigers led by Jim Leyland will face off against the Cardinals who defeated the Mets 3-1 tonight.
The Phillies refused to sign Jim Leyland as their manager. Dave Montgomery can spin it anyway he wants by saying, "they felt that Charlie was the better choice", but he's either senile, stupid, or lying. And, I highly doubt a man of his stature remains in that position by being stupid, so that's out of the question. And, at age 60 he seems like he's very mentally sound. Thus, he can only be...you guessed it lying.
Just who would possibly believe that Charlie Manuel is the right manager for this team? And, who would say he's a better choice than a manager that won a World Series and turned also-rans like the Pittsburgh Pirates into winners?
Added to that, Leyland was only brought in for an interview after Howard Eskin broke the news of Leyland's interest in the Phillies job. After a day of refusing to give him an interview the public outcry was so much that the Phillies "granted" him an interview. Of course it was all for naught. The Phillies knew all along they would hire Manuel because they had already assembled a coaching staff! No self-respecting manager would agree to coach a team under such terms.
The fact is the Phillies wanted a yes man in there. They wanted a "player's coach" in there and one who wouldn't rock the boat or talk about the short-comings of the organization, or one who would go to the organization and ask for help like Larry Bowa. They wanted an anti-Bowa, somebody to keep his mouth shut and just be happy that he has a job.
And, now the Phillies have a 13th straight season without a playoff appearance to show for, while the Tigers are on their way to winning their first championship since 1985, which was also their last playoff appearance.
-------------------------------
Donte Stallworth finally practiced today, even if for a brief period. But, it's a step in the right direction for the electrifying wideout. He has missed the past two games due to a strained hamstring, and three of the past four games overall.
Sean Considine appears to be the starting safety this Sunday in Tampa. He worked out with the first team in place of Michael Lewis on Wednesday. Lewis acknowledged that "It's [Reid's] decision, and I'm not happy with it, but I have to deal with it, and whatever I can do to help the team, I'll do it." Considine will step in and assume the duties in passing situations, while Lewis will be called upon during running downs. Reid conceded this when he said, "They're both going to play. There are times [Lewis] will be out there, and there are times Sean will be out there. We'll mix and match.”
It's a foregone conclusion that Lewis won't be back with the team when his contract is up after the season, since the Eagles have a propensity for extending impending free agents usually a year before their contract comes up, or in the case of players like Shelden Brown and Lito Shephard, a few years prior.
And, you can close a book on the stadium ramp issues at the Linc. When the Eagles return there next Sunday for their game against the Jaguars. In separate reports, engineers from Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates and Thornton Tomasetti, who were both hired by the Eagles, said that the exit ramp at Lincoln Financial Field is safe.
However, it could use some shoring up to prevent a repeat of the scary episode that took place two weeks ago after the Cowboys game.
One measure to be taken will be to better control the flow of pedestrians who exit the ramp after the game so as not to put too much stress on the ramp. Added to that, some form of structural bracing or buffering can be added to tone down the sensation of movement felt by fans who exit the ramp.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Eagles' next game pales in comparison to the previous two matchups; one against their biggest rival Dallas-a game which was their biggest regular season match in 4 years, and the other against division-leading New Orleans. They head to Tampa Bay who just won their first game of the season against a struggling Bengals team.
While the game lacks the luster of the previous two matchups, it's still foolish to just write this one off as an easy win. On paper it looks easy. In terms of the odds it looks easy. And, in terms of simple head-to-head matchups it looks easy, but look around the league and you'll see plenty of bad teams upsetting their opponents, or in the case of the Titans-Colts game; a near upset.
There aren't many interesting subplots with this game. It's just what it is, a regular season game. It's been beaten to death why the Dallas game was so huge. And, when they faced New Orleans, former Saint Darren Howard went up against his old team and Donte Stallworth had a "possibility" to face his former team and get revenge against Sean Payton, but it was for naught as he sat on the sidelines for the second consecutive week.
The interesting story this week will be that of Sean Considine, yes the second year safety who was drafted in the fourth round in 2005. Michael Lewis has been quite simply horrendous.
He will at the very least surrender playing time particularly in passing situations to his counterpart. And, Lewis will stay in on running situations. It's important that the Eagles make this move to put Lewis on notice. In fact, I think they should just bench Lewis all together and start Considine. They can put Lewis in on special teams to earn his way back into the fold.
Another interesting thing to note is Stallworth's condition. He participated in conditioning drills during practice today. He has missed three of the past four games with a nagging hamstring injury.
-------------------------------
Say it isn't so. There was some truth to the rumors afterall.
Fantasy football players in keeper leagues who own Tiki Barber; you might want to try and dump Tiki Barber ASAP.
I happen to own him in a keeper league of mine and can't seem to find anybody to take him. Perhaps, they were all privy to the rumors of his possible retirement after this season.
Barber confirmed this rumor today during a conference call when he stated he is "leaning toward" retiring after the season.
He is at a point in his life where he is ready to pursue other interests such as acting and television, particularly broadcasting. He already has a foot in the pool with a co-hosting gig Tuesday morning on "Fox and Friends", which is a general news program on Fox News.
Barber has arguably been the most successful Giants running back in their storied history with 15,955 total yards, which is good for 14th all-time. And, he is 21st on the all-time rushing list.
This would be good news for the Eagles who have been burned by Barber on a number of occasions. He along with players like Roy Williams and Jake Plummer has earned the label, "Eagles killer."
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Flyers were at the receiving end of a major whooping. The game was an atrocity, an abomination.
They were blown out by Buffalo 9-1 in a "rematch" against the team who jettisoned them from the playoffs last year.
One has to wonder just why was Robert Esche left in there for the entire game. Well, one needn't look very far. When he was asked what was going on inside coach Ken Hitchcock's head (in regards to his playing time) he said, he wouldn't want to guess, but it's "empty up there."
Hitchcock was asked about his comment on the WIP Morning Show and seemed to find it amusing. It's apparent that it wasn't the case. Esche was clearly punished by being left in the game for the entire duration of this calamity.
The Flyers looked like they were lightyears behind the Sabres and the gap couldn't be wider between the two teams in terms of speed and talent.
And, we're only in the third week of hockey.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Phillies made their first major move of the offseason today by hiring three former managers to fill the vacant coaching positions.
Former Red Sox manager Jimmy Williams was hired as Charlie Manuel's bench coach. Former A's and Mets manager Art Howe was hired as his third-base coach. And, Davey Lopes was hired as his first-base coach. Williams previously managed Atlanta, Boston, and Houston; Art Howe managed Houston, Oakland, and the Mets; and Lopes was a former manager of the Brewers.
Williams will serve as Manuel's top assistant and coordinate spring training.
All three managers are signed to one-year contracts, which coincide with Manuel's one-year deal. This could mean one of two things. If Manuel fails to reach the postseason, he and the staff will be let go after this year. Or, one of the managers will take over for Manuel at the end of this season.
For the Phillies to hire three managers outside of the organization with experience is a departure from their philosophy and leaves me to believe that Gillick is getting plenty of say, despite the presence of Dave Montgomery who has hovered above GM's like a gargoyle on a building front.
Most importantly, they can make a lot of the decisions for Manuel and he can focus on holding the clubhouse together and keeping the players' chemistry together, much like Terry Francona's role in Boston, which worked to perfection in 2004 when they won it all. This doesn't change the fact that had the Phillies hired Jim Leyland they would be representing the NL in the World Series.
The past is the past and now it's up to this newly assembled group of managers to make a lot of the decisions for Manuel. It's playoffs or bust next year. The organization is already on the hot seat by basically slapping the fans in the face with the retention of Manuel. They had better hope this formula works.
-------------------------------
One day after the Eagles' bad loss to the Saints they are left answering a lot of questions.
Why did the offense come out flat in the first half?
Will Michael Lewis be benched in favor of Sean Considine this week?
Why did a defensive line, which led the NFL in sacks heading into the game go without a sack for the second time in three weeks?
Why did the coaching staff make blunder after blunder?
I place the majority of the blame on coach Andy Reid's shoulders yesterday. The team looked unprepared, played poorly throughout the game, and he himself made many blunders.
The play calling was inept and quite horrific at times. Just why did they try and go deep so many times on the first two downs? This just left the team in many third and long situations. Not to mention, they looked predictable as they were trying to emulate the same gameplan they used against Dallas the week prior.
And, of course everyone knows about the "12 men on the field" penalty, which was laughable as an over-the-head shot showed all 12 men in a defensive alignment. That's a piss poor oversight by a coaching staff in an opening game of the season, or a preseason game. But, to miss something like that in a critical situation of a game in the mid-point of the season is about as big of a (expletive deleted)-up you can get. Reid and Jim Johnson should never allow something like that to happen; that's a rookie head coach mistake. And, speakng of rookies...
Reid was completely out-coached by Sean Payton. Payton went at the Eagles with a pass rush and countered their pass rush with three-step drops and quick releases and dump-offs by Brees. It's quite remarkable that the Eagles never really used their "dink-and-dunk" offense to counter the pass rush. Instead they went for the lousy off-tackle running plays, which went nowhere. And, they kept throwing deep or throwing to the middle of the field, forcing the ball into coverage. I can't recall a single screen play being run to counter that pass rush. Not one.
The fact that there were no timeouts left in the waning moments of the game falls on Reid's shoulders. And, that was the nail in the coffin. Why he allowed the clock to run out before using that final timeout is anybody's guess. Reid will never admit why it happened. We'll hear the same old, "it's my responsibility" line.
Yesterday might have been the biggest screwup of Reid's career during the regular season. It certainly ranked up there with such blunders as the "Linc Opener" in 2003 against Tampa Bay on Monday Night; their blowout to the Steelers during the 2004 season; or countless other games last season.
Reid has been remarkable during his tenure here, but he's had some boneheaded games and yesterday was atrocious by his standards. A lot of his ardent critics say he's "not a game day coach", which is ridiculous. What the hell does that mean?
If he's not a game day coach then what is he doing coaching on game days? Added to that, why does he have the best winning percentage of any Eagles coach and one of the best winning percentages in NFL history?
The critics will criticize him no matter what. He deserves about 80% of the blame yesterday. Michael Lewis and Ryan Moats deserve the rest.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
For today's news it will be a collaborative effort. I'm covering the Eagles game and Ben has done the second and third parts.
The Eagles couldn't overcome a horrendous first quarter and a litany of miscues and fell 27-24 to the Saints today.
Some numbers to note from today with regards to the game:
The Eagles:
3-10 third downs vs. the Saints who were 8-16 on third downs
25:57 time of possession
Zero sacks
Three sacks allowed along with numerous hurries and knockdowns allowed on McNabb
Drew Brees was 11 of 12 in the fourth quarter
Saints had a 16-play 72 yard game-winning drive, which lasted 8:26.
Another number which killed the Eagles' chances of winning the number three; that's the number of bone-headed plays which ultimately costed them this game.
Exhibit A: Ryan Moats seemed to forget how to play on special teams towards the end of the first half when he got in the way of Dexter Wynn who was trying to catch the punt. He was knocked into Wynn and the ball went off Wynn's foot and a Saints defender promptly landed on it. This led to a touchdown at the end of the first half, which set the Eagles back 17-3.
Exhibit B: In the fourth quarter the Saints tied the game up when Michael Lewis was burned by Joe Horn for a 48-yard touchdown. Big surprise there. What was surprising is that they finally cut the cord on Lewis and benched him in favor of second-year safety Sean Considine, who Ray Didinger hailed as a big-time sleeper pick after their draft last year, when was chosen in the fourth round out of Iowa. Well now Considine will probably get a chance to shine now that Lewis is probably being benched.
Exhibit C: Trent Cole sacked Drew Brees in the fourth quarter on the never-ending drive. It was a third and 10 from the Eagles' 35 yard line and would have turned the ball back over to the Eagles. The sack was negated when the officials threw out flags like the Four Seasons in Philly throws out riff raff. There were 12 men on the field. And, it wasn't like there was one guy on the sideline who failed to get off the field in time. There were 12 men clearly set in a defensive alignment. For Jim Johnson to fail to see this is absolutely unacceptable. That killed the Eagles' chances of stopping New Orleans as they just kept hammering and ate up the rest of the clock before kicking a GW field goal.
And, who can forget about the dropped passes on deep balls. Baskett and Greg Lewis should have hauled two of those balls in. . And, one deep ball was taken away on a challenge. It clearly looked like Reggie Brown hauled the ball in and got both feet in bounds. The officials thought otherwise.
So, did the Eagles suffer a letdown? They were flat in the first-half, but they fought back in the third quarter. And, then they gave the game away on blunders.
Every year teams in the NFL have games like these, even the 2003 New England Patriots who ran the table with 15 straight victories; they did start 0-2.
When a team buries themselves in a deep hole in the first quarter they can ill-afford to have mistakes, and the Eagles couldn't avoid that. Not to mention, their vaunted pass rush was shut out today. It's hard to win when your defense allows the quarterback to pick you apart. Some of that could be attributed to Sean Payton's play calling. After all, he did torch the Eagles on numerous occasions when he was O-coordinator for the Giants.
What's maddening is this is a team that should be 6-0. Now, they have a thin margin of error if they expect to contend for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
I may be getting ahead of myself though; they just have to win some games now...a string of wins.
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Eight University of Miami football players will be suspended in the
wake of a horrible on field melee on Saturday in which players were kicking
and swinging their helmets at rival Florida International University players.
This is just another ugly example of athletes acting like idiots. It's no
secret that Miami is nothing more than a football factory, a minor league
for the NFL. While I have no evidence to support a claim that these kids
are not getting a quality education, it takes little more than a glance
at the rap sheets of current and former U of M players to see that they
aren't doing a very good job of developing them into quality people. Pro
athletes are not entitled to be anarchists, but unfortunately, people like
Chris Henry and Stephen Jackson are showing the college kids how to live
the "thug life" just because they can shoot a jumper or catch
a football. Every single one of the kids that threw a kick or swung a helmet
should be dismissed from the football team. I can remember when coaches
used to teach lessons in life as well as creating a bridge to professional
sports.
________________________________
The Sixers lost their first preseason game in the U.S. Saturday 102-100.
Chris Webber and Samuel Dalembert didn't play, but a loss to the Knicks,
even in the pre-season is not a good sign for the Sixers. The Knicks are
easily the worst franchise in the NBA over the last 5 years and with new
Coach Isiah Thomas, are going nowhere fast. Former Simon Gratz and Temple
star Mardy Collins returned to Philly for the first time as an NBA player
and was used quite a bit in the 2nd half by the Knicks scoring 2 points
and grabbing 5 rebounds. Sadly, Collins may not even make the Knicks even
though he was a 1st round draft choice unless a trade is on the horizon.
New York already has a crowded back court of Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford,
Steve Francis and Nate Robinson.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Contact Ben Whitman at bwhitman@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Here is the injury report for the Eagles-Saints game set to kick off at 1:00 PM EST.
Eagles
Probable:
CB Lito Sheppard (sickness)
Questionable:
RB Brian Westbrook (knee)
Doubtful:
CB Roderick Hood (heel)
WR Donte Stallworth (hamstring)
Saints
Probable:
CB Curtis Deloatch (thigh)
S Bryan Scott (thigh)
WR Devery Henderson (shoulder)
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Here are my weekly picks.
Last week's record against the spread: 1-1-1
On the season 2-2-2
Ok, so last week I was .500 again. In all fairness, I can't count my torrid run of going 11-1, or the fact that I bet the under on the Monday Night game, which might have been the easiest money I ever made. Facts are facts, and I'm 2-2-2 in the first two weeks of doing my picks. So, with that said here goes my picks this week:
-7 Steelers-Chiefs
The Steelers are off to a woeful start this season and face a Chiefs team, which has been smoke and mirrors. They are 0-2 against two good teams in the Bengals and Broncos, while 2-0 against a pair of ham and eggers in the 49ers and Cardinals. They barely beat the Cardinals last week mind you; who are in disarray with an offensive line that is quite frankly offensive. The Steelers aren't as bad as their record is. Sure, Ben Roethlisberger is playing more like Ben "Furburger", but I don't see them laying down here. The Steelers D will go after Damon Huard all day long and he'll feel like he was just inside a holding cell in a South Central LA prison all weekend long.
Prediction: Steelers 28-7
+3 Rams-Seahawks
I could see a route here. Call me crazy, but the Seahawks are showing signs of suffering the Super Bowl loser jinx. First sign-their quarterback is playing awful football giving the ball up an alarming rate. Second sign-their star player suffered the Madden curse (like Marshall Faulk and McNabb did who were also SB losers). Third sign-they just seem to lack that urgency to win this year. They seem deflated. The Rams are an upstart team and Marc Bulger is playing at a very high level. This one will be a shootout, with the Rams prevailing at the end.
Prediction: Rams 30-24
+3 Saints-Eagles
A lot of people see the Eagles taking the Saints lightly this week, coming off an emotional victory. Yeah, yeah, yeah we've heard this a billion times when a team wins a huge game and then goes on the road. The reason why I'm picking the Eagles here is simple. They already suffered a letdown against the Giants. Added to that, they are simply a better team and I'm going back to my "team on a mission" statement. The Eagles offense will be too much for the upstart Saints to handle.
Prediction: Eagles 28-17
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Nationals have denied the rumor that free-agent-to-be Alfonso Soriano rejected a contract worth $70 million over 5 years.
Nationals special assistant to the GM Jose Rijo denied a published report,
which claims he told the San Cristobal radio station 91.9 FM that they would
be unable to sign Soriano due to economic reasons.
Ramon Gonzalez, who is a reporter 91.9 FM insists that Rijo did in fact
make those comments when he interviewed him. Rijo denies speaking
with the radio station on Wednesday.
It's easy to see who's telling the truth; get a copy of the broadcast.
Gonzalez insists Rijo spoke to the station and said, "It's almost impossible
this great player will stay on our payroll."
In my opinion it seems unrealistic that Soriano would turn down $14 million
a year from a team he enjoys playing for. He likes playing in Washington,
or so he says.
If this is in fact the case, then it jeopardizes the chances of the Phillies
acquiring him. They'd be hard pressed to offer more than $14 or $15
million a season. They are said to be interested in acquiring one
of the big-name free agents, and Soriano is on their radar. But, with
Dave Montgomery holding the purse strings, I certainly don't see them going
much above that offer.
Nationals president Stan Kasten declined to comment on the status of the
contract situation with Soriano.
-------------------------------
The Eagles held Brian Westbrook out of practice today, since the Eagles
practiced indoors on turf. "Brian Westbrook, I held out today,"
Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "We went on the turf and I just wanted
to make sure we gave his knee an opportunity to make sure it didn't swell
up."
Westbrook is listed as questionable for this weekend's game.
Donte Stallworth and Rod Hood will probably not play though. Both
have sat out all week. And, even though Stallworth would like to torch his
former team, he won't jeopardize the future of his season. It's well
documented that he and coach Sean Payton didn't get along, and Payton ran
him out of there after he was late for a meeting and the two had a heated
exchange. So, they'll be without their number one receiver again this week.
This is a moot point though, because the number one player in football and
fantasy football Donovan McNabb is taking the field. And, that's really
the bottom line. He's a menace right now and is enjoying the greatest
start to a season any QB has ever had. 5 games, 1600 yards, 11 TD's,
1 INT, and a 107.2 QB rating.
With the way McNabb is playing they get rest their key skill position players
through the first stanza of the season and still open up at 7-1.
What a wonder a great QB and improved line play can do for a team.
-------------------------------
Who saw this one coming? T.O. has had not just one, but two blow-ups on an assistant coach this week. On his weekly radio show he said he's done talking to his position coach Todd Haley. T.O. said, from now on, "there will be nothing else, no other dialogue" between he and Haley.
Owens contends that a sore tummy is what made him late for Wednesday's practice. Haley then berated him for the lateness, but in a shocking turn of events T.O. just took it and kept his mouth shut.
But, in a predictable turn of events, they argued later during a meeting and he said, "Don't direspect me."
Owens later contradicted himself when he said he would communicate with the coach. "There will be no more friendly nothing because I don't trust anybody like that," Owens said. "I will go out and practice hard. I will respect him as a coach, and he should respect me as a player. Anything outside of that I am not going to be able to deal with."
He added that, "Right now, we are merely coworkers, and that's it."
On Sunday Owens was seen screaming at Haley on the sidelines.
Owens was angered by the situation getting out into the public. Wouldn't you want to keep your antics behind closed doors too? Can't really blame the guy.
Parcells isn't too fond of the goings-on either. He said he will not talk about Owens and his reason is, "I'm tired of it."
This team is already starting to implode. Owens is ahead of the pace here by 3 games. It took him 7 games last year to destroy the Eagles' season. The Cowboys have just finished the first quarter of the season.
And, it will be a long way to the bottom, and they'll hit the bottom with the likes of T.O. disrupting things.
-------------------------------
On a sad note, former Phillies outfielder Johnny Callison died at the age of 67 from an illness.
Callison is a throwback to the old-school players who lived amongst their working class brethren and who actually had to work a winter job to survive.
He was a rocket-armed right fielder and was a three-time All-Star during a 16-year career.
He is best known for hitting a game-winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning of the 1964 All-Star game to take MVP honors.
What people liked about Callison the most was his grit and work ethic. He was much like the Aaron Rowand of his time. And, being a working class guy he fit into Philly. He exemplified what it means to be a Philly player.
He is survived by his wife Dianne, three daughters, eight grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Former Eagles great Troy Vincent was released by the Buffalo Bills today after they terminated him from their injured reserve list.
Vincent told the AP that he feels he can play for somebody this season.
Already there is a growing contingent of fans hoping that the Eagles try him out. And, there's a chance the Eagles will probably give the former cornerback (now turned safety) a look. But, don't be let down if he isn't signed. He's 35 years old, and an old 35 years old. Sure, he's just 3 years removed from his last season with the Eagles, but he switched positions to free safety to stay on with the Bills. And, he's lost several steps in his two years with the Bills.
Vincent was placed on a list known as "IR-minor", where he is guaranteed his $2.6 million salary for the season. He is still miffed with the way the situation was handled. "That was a front-office decision and you live with it," Vincent said. "When they put me on IR-minor, it's clear that's a decision they made that tells me they don't want you around. ... You don't want to be in a place where you're not wanted."
If he were to be signed by the Eagles, all that could be expected would be for him to play in dime situations or to spell Considine or Michael Lewis. Make no mistake about it; he won't be used as a reserve cornerback. His speed is gone. He is a very intelligent player and would provide some veteran leadership, but in all seriousness this move is akin to the Flyers picking up Brian Leetch. They are aging veterans who can only be counted on for limited duty.
With that said, it would be nice to see Vincent finish out his career and do his swan song in Philly, and god forbid be part of a championship team.
I'm getting ahead of myself of course...we're only in week six. And, we are talking about a sports team, which resides in a city void of any four-sport title since 1983.
-------------------------------
The Eagles will look to follow up their thrilling defeat of the Cowboys against the Saints in New Orleans in just three days.
The first thing one thinks about when looking at this game is the "emotional letdown", since the Eagles played their most important regular season game since the opening of the Linc against the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Being that they played a hard-fought game and won such a huge game, the fact that they are traveling on the road certainly plays into this. However, I feel that this team won't suffer such a letdown due to the fact that they are a team on a mission now.
Not only has the Giants-game debacle lit a fire under them, but they simply a better team. And, I maintain they are the best team in the conference. They have the best quarterback, their offensive line is having their best season since 2002, the defensive line is playing like a pack of rabid wolves, their running game (say what you will) is ranked eighth in the NFL with 114 yards a game, and they don't turn over the ball much; just 7 turnovers to 11 takeaways, which is good for 4th in the NFC.
New Orleans features a very good passing attack led by free-agent acquisition Drew Brees, who has all but dispelled any doubts about his surgically repaired shoulder. Rookies Marques Colston (leader among rookies with 374 yards on 23 receptions) and Reggie Bush (the NFL leader in receptions with 34) who you may have heard of, head the passing attack. Joe Horn is the number two receiver with 19 catches for 271. And, oh yeah Deuce McAllister is back and badder than ever as he is 8th in the NFL in rushing with 380 yards at a 4.8 yard/carry clip.
The Saints are currently 7th in the NFL averaging just over 23 points per game. However, the Eagles are 1st in the NFL averaging 31 points per game. New Orleans has the edge on defense as they ranked 13 yielding just 17 points a game, and the Eagles are ranked 23rd, yielding 19 per game. It's a little skewed though due to their collapse in the Giants game. One thing to note is that the Eagles are leading the NFL in sacks with 23 after 5 games.
A couple matchups to look at are Dhani Jones and Reggie Bush. If they isolate Bush against Jones, look out; he could have a multiple touchdown game. That will be one of the key factors to this game. Jones is a slightly below-average linebacker and Bush will abuse him if isolated one-on-one.
The bottom line is the Eagles have the edge in several key areas-quarterback, offensive line, and the defensive line. And, lets face it; they are the three main areas which help teams win football games.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
As you have certainly heard, former Phillies pitcher Cory Lidle was killed today when his plane crashed into a 50-story apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Reports say two people were killed on the plane (including Lidle), with one person killed inside the apartment.
There were conflicting reports as to just who was on the plane with Lidle, or who was piloting, but it's clear that he did in fact die. His passport was found at the scene. There were reports that only one person was piloting the plane and another report said a student pilot and instructor were on it.
The type of plane he was flying was a single-engine, four-passenger Cirrus SR20, which is equipped with a parachute so it can float to the ground in the event of a problem arising. Lidle purchased the plane for $187,000. He recently told the New York Times that the "whole plane" is equipped with a parachute and that 99% of the people who fly never have engine trouble, and the 1% who do can engage the parachute and float safely to the ground.
The pilot never had a chance to engage the parachute. Many eyewitnesses said the plane was flying very erratically before crashing into the Belaire Condo apartments.
Lidle had just received his pilot's license 8 months ago and accumulated 95 solo flying hours into the month of September.
One really sad thing to come of this is that Lidle's wife Melanie Varela was on a plane enroute to California while this whole thing went down and didn't learn of anything for hours later.
This is the second situation to happen to a major leaguer and sadly the second to happen to the Yankees organization. Thurman Munson was killed in 1979 when his plane struggled to land, while he was practicing landings at the Akron-Canton Regional airport.
Lidle is survived by his wife Melanie Varela and their 6-year-old son Christopher. He was 34 years old.
-------------------------------
So would he fire him or not?
Well, it turns out "The Boss" has retained Joe Torre for another year.
And, my question is why?
Just how can you continue being allowed to manage a team with a payroll of that size, while failing to win a title since 2000?
Sure, their starting pitching may not match up to the Tigers. Sure, their starting pitching probably wouldn't even match up to the Phillies.
However, this has been going on for the past six years, where the Yankees strolled into the playoffs and failed.
My simple argument here is that you can't fire a $190 million payroll, so you must fire the manager. And, Torre is very much overrated as a manger. He might be the most overrated manager in the business.
Give Jim Leyland, Lou Pinella, Dusty Baker, Frank Robinson, or Joe Girardi that team and they will hit paydirt.
Torre, who has been managing the Yankees since 1995 has worn out his time. Is he a good manager? He's ok, but he's certainly not this great manager that many pundits in the media would have you believe. My JV highschool coach could get the team into the playoffs with that lineup. Advancing is another thing. And, this is not taking anything away from Detroit, who I am picking to win it all. This team should have won at least one title since 2000.
Not that I'm crying for them, because like any other non-Yankees fan, I love to see them lose.
The fact remains that Torre's time is up and I haven't the foggiest idea why Steinbrenner decide to retain him.
Maybe he has photos.
That's what we said about Ed Wade for those last three miserable years.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Fans exiting Sunday's Eagles/Cowboys game claim that a ramp near Section 231 of The Linc swayed "4 feet in either direction" (I will assume the building actually did sway and it wasn't just from the beverages that were served up there) as they made their way down. Apparently the ramp is designed to have some give. That's great and all, but when you have fans saying that they almost fell down due to this, something isn't right. The article in today's Inquirer made it sound like the team was saying, "yeah, yeah, we know" rather than seriously investigating it. Now, assuming this is the proper design and the whole damn thing isn't going to collapse, when you have a situation where fans could fall while filing out by the thousands, you have potential for a trampling disaster. Straighten this out fast.
-------------------------------
The Flyers are said to be interested in 85-year-old defenseman Brian Leetch to improve a horrendous power play. Leetch is certainly well past his prime, but would obviously add veteran leadership and some Stanley Cup experience. The question remains does Leetch even want to play at all? Reports say he's had interest from numerous teams over the summer yet he's supposedly nowhere near game shape.
-------------------------------
The Sixers beat the Suns in the wee hours of the morning today to advance to the "finals" of a four team "Euro Mini Tournament." I think event the European fans in attendance were pretty certain that this game – and tournament- means absolutely nothing. Need evidence? Allen Iverson and Chris Webber sat out the 4th quarter of the "dramatic comeback" from a 22-point deficit as the team was led by Rick Brunson and Rodney Carney. I actually got an e-mail from a reader trumpeting this victory… I hope they were being sarcastic.Contact Ben Whitman at bwhitman@phillypurge.com
Today's News
Every year there seems to be a most talked about injured body part in town. In 2004 it was Terrell Owens' ankle. Last season it was McNabb's stomach (sports hernia). This year the most famous body part in town is the left knee of Brian Westbrook.
Yesterday during the press conference Brian Westbrook downplayed any rumors of of microfracture surgery. "Really, the only people that know what's going on are me and some of the doctors I've seen", said Westbrook. "Any report from anybody outside of that circle, you've got to question the source."
The consensus seems to be coming out of the Eagles' organization that Westbrook won't need surgery and they'll just have to continue holding him out of practice throughout the weeks. Reid, et al. remain mum on what course of action they will take. The answer you get is, "we'll see how he does", which is akin to saying "you'll know when we're ready to tell you."
The positive news is that Westbrook's knee didn't swell up after the game yesterday. So, perhaps the nearly two weeks off have helped to alleviate the irritation.
-------------------------------
The word from Howard Eskin is that Terrell Owens was flipping out inside the locker room at halftime and after the game yesterday. He reportedly said, "what the (expletive deleted) am I doing here?"
Anyone could see that Owens was taken out of his game yesterday and was visibly upset by his lack of production. He was thrown to 11 times, but caught just 3 balls for 45 yards. And, this could be attributed to pressure and Owens' passing lanes being cut off.
My, my, my what a difference seven months make. Owens was oh so happy about being in Big D upon the signing and now things don't seem so rosy. After all, McNabb outplayed Bledsoe by light years.
Owens had the dream situation in Philly with a quarterback in his prime. And, now he's on a team, which is on the verge of a meltdown. And, he's not even the best receiver on the team; Terry Glenn is.
I give this situation another few weeks before it erupts like Mt. Saint Helens. The writing is on the wall already. Bledsoe is timid and trying to not screw up when throwing to Owens, which results in more mistakes. And, the coach has been visibly annoyed with Owens since training camp.
We're just one-third of the way through the season and things are getting very tense for the Cowboys, much like the Eagles last year. It took Owens seven weeks to blow up his season following the Denver game. Something tells me this situation is headed down the same path. Owens can only take so much of Bledsoe's ducks.
-------------------------------
In the who the hell cares department, I turn to the Sixers.
Does anybody really care they are holding training camp in Barcelona?
Does anybody really believe Allen Iverson when he says he wants to focus on defense and try to win a championship?
And, does anybody care that Chris Webber is happy?
And, does anybody care that they lost last week to a no-name team from Europe in one of the only international scrimmages in history?
This team is stuck in mud and staring at 32-35 wins at best. I happen to think this team will completely implode this year and be forced to trade Iverson. He can't be none too happy with being shopped around throughout the offseason. He can say all he wants that "it's part of the business", but when he purchased a house in Atlanta it was quite telling he was prepared to leave.
And, now the organization is going to go on as if it's business as usual and try to carry out Billy King's decree of a "culture change." Right. And, the Bush Administration is going to suddenly start making moves in the interests of the American people.
This is an organization marred by wanton behavior, and it all stems from number three. Iverson pulls the strings in the organization and they will continue to fall down the rabbit hole of oblivion and be down at the bottom of the standings among the likes of the bottom feeders until he is traded.
Perhaps, it isn't a bad thing that he hasn't been traded. Like I said, this team will be in disarray this season and be left with no other option than to trade him when he demands a trade.
That's about the only hope for this team to finally turn the corner. Otherwise, they are stuck in quicksand.
Who the hell cares about mediocrity and status quo? Some fan bases may allow that to fly, but not the Philadelphia fan base.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The most hyped game in Philadelphia probably since the 2003 NFC Championship ended in the Eagles' favor this time, but this is not to say there wasn't plenty of angst along the way. The Eagles won a very difficult game against the Cowboys 38-24 to reclaim their dominance in the NFC East and possibly the conference.
McNabb got the better by Owens ten fold literally. Here are the stat lines:
Terrell Owens: 3 catches for 45 yards, including zero in the first half
Donovan McNabb: 18-33 354 yards, 2 TD's, and 1 rushing TD
Suffice it to say McNabb got the better of this grudge match. According to McNabb it was business as usual though and it wasn't a duel between he and his former receiver. "The pleasure I get out of it is that it was a big win for us in the division. It wasn't Donovan McNabb against Terrell Owens, it was the Philadelphia Eagles against the Dallas Cowboys."
You could say that again. From the opening moments of the game, the Eagles attacked, and despite an early fumble by Brian Westbrook they continued to mount the charge. There were points left on the field in the first half and two costly mistakes, which included the early fumble by Westbrook, and a fumble by McNabb resulting in a touchdown by DeMarcus Ware, but the Eagles were unwavering though.
Their defense was thought to be losing some momentum (after great performances in their first three games) due to a sackless performance against the Packers, but came up huge. They sacked Bledsoe seven times and hurried him countless other times, forcing three interceptions. Darwin Walker and Darren Howard led the way by combining for five sacks. As I stated yesterday, Bledsoe is a poor quarterback when pressured and he certainly proved that today. I couldn't have been more off the mark though by stating it would be a defensive battle. The game was high scoring, just as many experts and fans said it would be.
One of the keys to the game occured just an hour and a half before kickoff when it was announced Brian Westbrook would start. Even though his numbers were not great, just his mere presence alone opened things up for his teammates as always. He ended up with just 33 yards on 11 carries with 1 TD, but he had 5 catches for 53 yards.
Another player coming off injury today was Lito Sheppard, and he came up huge. He along with backfield-mate Sheldon Brown played magnificently, by limiting Terry Glenn and Terrell Owens to just 106 yards on 8 catches (Glenn-5 catches for 61 yards and Owens 3 catches for 45 yards) between both of them. And, neither of them found the endzone. Owens was cleary frustrated as evidenced by his pissing and moaning on the sideline throughout the game, when he was held without a catch for the first half. He finally got in the boxscore towards the end of their first drive of the second half.
Sheppard finished up with 7 tackles and 2 interceptions, including a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the game. And, things really got scary at the end when Michael Lewis was called for pass interference on Terry Glenn with just 45 seconds to go in the fourth period. And, the entire region thought "here we go again" as this had the makings of a Giants-like debacle. Bledsoe fired the ball into the endzone, but it was caught by Lito, and he did his best Chris McAllister impression (NFL record for a TD) by gallavanting 102 yards for pay dirt.
There were plenty of stars for the Eagles today. It all starts with number five and then works down to the play of both lines. The Eagles won the turnover battle 5-2, which nullified their loss in the time of possession battle (Cowboys won that 36.5 to 23.5). McNabb was only sacked 3 times, whereas Bledsoe met the carpet 7 times. And, probably the most important thing is the Cowboys' offense was held to just 17 points (remember one was on a defense TD), and just 3 points in the second half. And, of course Westbrook played his role. But, Hank Baskett was a nice surprise; he had a highlight-reel catch when he finger tipped a perfect pass by McNabb, and took it to the house for an 87-yard TD.
It's really remarkable that many people felt the Eagles were a 7 to 9 win team, and many of these people are people I respect ranging from Ray Didinger to our very own Chris White. And, really they had a valid argument; the Eagles lost all six of their division games last year and were returning this year to play in a division with three very competitive teams. Now, it's clear as a Caribbean ocean that they are the team to beat now in not only the east, but maybe the conference. Yes, the Bears are 5-0, but they played cupcakes, and yes I mean the Seahawks as well...who didn't bother showing up last Sunday night.
It's important that the Eagles keep their emotional edge as they head to the big easy next week for a game against a much improved Saints team, who like the Eagles are sitting at 4-1 and tied for second in the NFC. Teams coming off emotional victories like this often fall victim to the proverbial "emotional hangover." Something tells me that this team won't allow that to happen. They are a team on a mission and learned a valuable lesson after their historic collapse against the Giants last month.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
Today's News
The Flyers lost a gut wrenching game to the Rangers tonight 5-4 in a marahon shootout, which lasted 25 shots.
Whereas they had trouble putting the puck between the pipes on Thursday night, the opposite was the case tonight as the Flyers held a 4-3 lead deep into the 3rd period before Nittymaki surrendered a goal to the Rangers' Adam Hall.
The story tonight was the shootout. The Flyers missed 13 shots and couldn't get one past Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
After the game coach Ken Hitchock was asked why it took the Flyers so long to put Forsberg out there for a penalty shot, and before the reporter could even get Forsberg's name out, he abruptly cutt off the reporter and said, "because he didn't want to." My impression of this is that this was weighing on Hitchcock, he expected the question, and was very aggravated over it. The word around the grapevine is that Forsberg doesn't like shootouts and was probably begged to go out there tonight, due to the fact that nobody else could muster much of anything in the way of a quality shot during the sudden death session.
Being that Forsberg is the captain of the team, he should step up and put aside his druthers with the new system of the NHL and try and win for the team. It's very disappointing that he had to obviously be begged to come in. He was the sixth person to come in for the shootout. Just imagine how Hitch feels about that.
The Flyers fell to 0-2 following the loss, but they recorded a point for the overtime loss, which is one of the worst rules in professional sports. It's a travesty that a losing team wins for losing in overtime. A loss should mean zilch as the objective was failed. This doesn't seem to faze the NHL though.
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Last week my winning streak was snapped as I went 1-1-1 on my picks of the Eagles (win), Saints (loss), and Browns (wash).
For my first pick this week I'm going with the Eagles over the Cowboys, who are getting 2 points from the birds. I say go with the Eagles.
The game is just 15 1/2 hours away and I've said just about everything I can about this game. It will be a slugfest and a very tough win for the Eagles.
Now, if Brian Westbrook is held out, this changes everything, but assuming is he playing tomorrow I am going to say take the under and look for the Cowboys to be leading 13-10 until late in the fourth quarter. And, in the final few minutes McNabb will come up with a huge touchdown pass, leading the Eagles to a 17-13 victory.
Most people have this game going into the mid 20's for each team, with either team winning 27-24. I don't see that at all. Defense will prevail here, and the Eagles will be forced into that as their offense will struggle all afternoon with a banged up Reggie Brown, Brian Westbrook (if he even plays), and no Donte Stallworth.
My next pick is the St. Louis Rams, who are laying 3 points on the road to the Packers. The Rams are one of the early surprises this year and are playing much better defense under new head coach Scott Linehan.
The greatest show on turf takes it's show to Lambeau Field against a dreadful Packers team. I see the Rams winning big against a pourous Packers' defense 31-10. The Aaron Rodgers countdown will begin and Favre's consecutive games started streak will finally end soon.
And, for my third game I'm going with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road against San Diego. They have started off extremely slow this year and are getting 3 1/2 points tomorrow night againt a very strong Chargers squad. I see the Steelers getting to .500 with a tough win tomorrow night 20-17. Take them with the points and feel safe and secure knowing that even a late field goal swinging to the other side still keeps you in the money. That 1/2 point makes all the difference.
I would of course recommend the Colts game, but as a rule of thumb I don't like to give any team that many points, no matter how lopsided the game may seem. The Titans could get garbage points, so that's a game I'd avoid like the plague.
So there you have it for this week, go with the Eagles -2, Rams - 3, and the Steelers + 3 1/2.
Contact Dennis Bakay at dennisbakay@phillypurge.com
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