After announcing his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential race Sen. Joe Biden said this about an opponent and fellow Senator Barack Obama ""I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."
Can someone please tell me why the heck anyone takes offense in that? You cannot compliment a guy anymore? I watched the CNN segment and I guess the super-sensitive are taking that as some sort of slight. On camera Obama played it off, not giving Biden any slack but certainly not blasting him for it.
Later on Obama, in a written statement, said "I didn't take Sen. Biden's comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate. African-American presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton gave a voice to many important issues through their campaigns, and no one would call them inarticulate."
OK FOLKS totally agree that no one would call any of them inarticulate (might call them other things but not inarticulate)- but here the Bottom Line - it is a ticky-tack parsing of an innocent statement.
Here is WHY:
1) The word FIRST is not a modifier of the entire SENTENCE, first is used to modify MAINSTREAM...and I for one think the fact that Obama is the first mainstream candidate is painfully clear. Jesse Jackson? No not mainstream sorry, he catered to a select democrat audience....Shirley Chisholm - who the hell is that? If I cannot recognize the name, then by definition there weren't mainstream....Carol Braun - ok at least I recognize her name, but mainstream? I cannot remember her positions on the big issues, so I honestly don't know...Al Sharpton? - look, I dig Al lately, he's got the cajones to go on Howard Stern, Bill O'Rielly et al. But when he RAN for President, he did not run a MAINSTREAM campaign. Finally, I find it odd that they would leave out Alan Keyes (probably the smartest of the bunch - not the best mind you but the smartest), but I guess since he's a Republican the Democrats don't consider him good enough to cite.
2) As argued above: the statement is TRUE: Obama is the first mainstream African-American presidential candidate. Heck I'd vote the guy....I don't give a crap about the color of his skin. I want to know how he'd lead this country. I don't think any of us are real clear on that, yet.
3) Biden was making the statement as he announced his RUN for the Democrat nomination for PRESIDENT....you can't seriously believe that any person would try and surreptitiously get in a dig against former AFA candidates..that's insane. Three words: Get over it.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Genarlow Wilson's Story hits the Big-time
Remember that story I highlighted about the teenager getting railed by the assinine Georgia "justice" system. Well its hit more than just ESPN now...it on CNN, Fox, etc....good because something needs to be done to help this kid....its just a travesty that in a world so F'd up, that'd our society seemingly would go out of its way to destroy his future and contribute to the problem.
Well now you can sign an on-line petition calling for his release.
Well now you can sign an on-line petition calling for his release.
What to do in the Off-season
You know the sportsnews cycle still churns, and everything so focused on the Superbowl, but if you're like me, and you don't have a real dog in the fight (so to speak), what do you do?
Well, you wonder about how to improve your team. If injured guys (like McNabb and Kearse) will come back stronger than ever or a little suspect. If unknown quantities (like WR/KR Jeremy Bloom and DE/OLB Chris Gocong) will burst on the scene and make real contribution after a year on IR or whether all that hope will bust meaninglessly during the pre-season and training camp.
Debates will rage about how which free agents should be signed or re-signed, and whom the Eagles should target in the April draft. One thing can be guaranteed. Whatever moves the front office makes, a certain portion of the fan base will be left unsatisfied. If WR Donte Stallworth and his blazing speed goes elsewhere, many will bemoan the fact that the 1-year rental came at too high a price (a LB and perhaps looming larger - a 4th rd pick in the Draft - we can deal with the loss of a LB, that price has already been paid, the season is over, we have yet to the pay the last installment, and that's what fans will focus on).
Does QB Jeff Garcia take his back-up show on the road, and become a band-aid 1-2 year starter for another team as it grooms a youngster? What about the rest of the Eagles free agents? I've already chimed in on this page about them, so there is no need to rehash that here. I do find it funny that so many who were trashing the Eagles in late Oct/early Nov for having such a dearth of talent (creating lists that hand maybe 10-15 untouchable players) are so worried about losing players.
That is life and business in the NFL. Some players will go, others will stay, and new guys will appear. About all we can do, as fans, is trust in the fact that our team has a plan, a scheme to remain in contention for a long time to come. They've done it for most of this millenium, but they haven't grabbed that trophy (yet). I want them to be aggressive and get in some defensive help. I'd love to keep Stallworth because I think his impact transcends stats.
All we can do, however, is wait and debate.
Well, you wonder about how to improve your team. If injured guys (like McNabb and Kearse) will come back stronger than ever or a little suspect. If unknown quantities (like WR/KR Jeremy Bloom and DE/OLB Chris Gocong) will burst on the scene and make real contribution after a year on IR or whether all that hope will bust meaninglessly during the pre-season and training camp.
Debates will rage about how which free agents should be signed or re-signed, and whom the Eagles should target in the April draft. One thing can be guaranteed. Whatever moves the front office makes, a certain portion of the fan base will be left unsatisfied. If WR Donte Stallworth and his blazing speed goes elsewhere, many will bemoan the fact that the 1-year rental came at too high a price (a LB and perhaps looming larger - a 4th rd pick in the Draft - we can deal with the loss of a LB, that price has already been paid, the season is over, we have yet to the pay the last installment, and that's what fans will focus on).
Does QB Jeff Garcia take his back-up show on the road, and become a band-aid 1-2 year starter for another team as it grooms a youngster? What about the rest of the Eagles free agents? I've already chimed in on this page about them, so there is no need to rehash that here. I do find it funny that so many who were trashing the Eagles in late Oct/early Nov for having such a dearth of talent (creating lists that hand maybe 10-15 untouchable players) are so worried about losing players.
That is life and business in the NFL. Some players will go, others will stay, and new guys will appear. About all we can do, as fans, is trust in the fact that our team has a plan, a scheme to remain in contention for a long time to come. They've done it for most of this millenium, but they haven't grabbed that trophy (yet). I want them to be aggressive and get in some defensive help. I'd love to keep Stallworth because I think his impact transcends stats.
All we can do, however, is wait and debate.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Slow Day, So here's a joke
If only this were true....
Bill Gates once said a few years ago "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Bill Gates once said a few years ago "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Oh, yeah, 5 is still the man in Philly....
This bears repeating.
This is the QB of the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles:
Don't like it? Lodge your concern here:
This is the QB of the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles:
Don't like it? Lodge your concern here:
Weirdness in Big D
First a question.
Here is photo of Dallas' newest head assistant offense coordinator coach, something or other. Nobody seems particularly sure what job title owner Jerry Jones plans to anoint unto him...
but I have a question...indulge me and imagine big tassle of curly hair on top there..and doesn't it look an awful lot like the Cowboys just hired this man?
You decide....
And when you can a plethora of coaching positions to fill, including the penultimate one - HEAD COACH, why would you hire an underling first? Is he your HC or your OC, and if he's just going to be a coordinator, NOW you've got to find a head coach that doesn't mind the fact that you've already gone about and found yourself an OC that'll run the type of offense the OWNER wants...doesn't that effectively hamstring the incoming HC...honestly?
Why doesn't Jerry Jones just appoint himself Head Coach? The illusion that the HC of the Cowboys would really be calling the shots while he the owner was blown away last year...JJ wanted "his man" - MEO - and his Hall of Fame Coach be damned. He got his guy, and watched his team wallow once again...
Any incoming head coach - and my money is on Wade Phillips, San Diego's Def. Coordinator to attempt to optimize Dallas' under-achieving 3-4 - faces a tough, tough situation. They'd better push all the right buttons, cause if not, young-master Garrett can just tune him out...after all, JJ has just publicly shown everyone that JG is HIS Offensive guy...Moreover, knowing that, how is the HC supposed to handle his #1 prima donna, MEO? The dude will be walking on eggshells...Andy Reid's "handle everything with in-house" didn't work, tough-guy Bill Parcells, "I ain't dealing with your bullshit" approach didn't work...What to do you think MEO's first reaction to a Def-minded HC will be when the guy tries to assert his authority....I think it might go something like this: "Get your ass back to the defense." The worst part is MEO knows he can get away with it...he did all his antics, and JJ wanted him back, he spouted all his crap, caused distraction after distraction, but none of it was HIS fault...
I cannot believe I am about to type this, but I think I might actually feel sorry for the schmuck unto whom Jerry Jones bestows the title: Head Coach. He's going to be like a eunuch guarding the harem....finally right in the center of all the action and stripped of the balls needed to do anything about it....
Here is photo of Dallas' newest head assistant offense coordinator coach, something or other. Nobody seems particularly sure what job title owner Jerry Jones plans to anoint unto him...
but I have a question...indulge me and imagine big tassle of curly hair on top there..and doesn't it look an awful lot like the Cowboys just hired this man?
You decide....And when you can a plethora of coaching positions to fill, including the penultimate one - HEAD COACH, why would you hire an underling first? Is he your HC or your OC, and if he's just going to be a coordinator, NOW you've got to find a head coach that doesn't mind the fact that you've already gone about and found yourself an OC that'll run the type of offense the OWNER wants...doesn't that effectively hamstring the incoming HC...honestly?
Why doesn't Jerry Jones just appoint himself Head Coach? The illusion that the HC of the Cowboys would really be calling the shots while he the owner was blown away last year...JJ wanted "his man" - MEO - and his Hall of Fame Coach be damned. He got his guy, and watched his team wallow once again...
Any incoming head coach - and my money is on Wade Phillips, San Diego's Def. Coordinator to attempt to optimize Dallas' under-achieving 3-4 - faces a tough, tough situation. They'd better push all the right buttons, cause if not, young-master Garrett can just tune him out...after all, JJ has just publicly shown everyone that JG is HIS Offensive guy...Moreover, knowing that, how is the HC supposed to handle his #1 prima donna, MEO? The dude will be walking on eggshells...Andy Reid's "handle everything with in-house" didn't work, tough-guy Bill Parcells, "I ain't dealing with your bullshit" approach didn't work...What to do you think MEO's first reaction to a Def-minded HC will be when the guy tries to assert his authority....I think it might go something like this: "Get your ass back to the defense." The worst part is MEO knows he can get away with it...he did all his antics, and JJ wanted him back, he spouted all his crap, caused distraction after distraction, but none of it was HIS fault...
I cannot believe I am about to type this, but I think I might actually feel sorry for the schmuck unto whom Jerry Jones bestows the title: Head Coach. He's going to be like a eunuch guarding the harem....finally right in the center of all the action and stripped of the balls needed to do anything about it....
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
West Beats East 12-9...and no one gives a Flying F--K
Um...did anyone even know the NHL All-Star game was played tonight??? Middle of the frickin' week? What great advertising fellas....the CNN link say "West tops East in All-Star Game"...I thought they were talking about some left-over College Football game (the East-West Shrine game or the Senior Bowl or something, but I guess they have the good sense to play on the weekend).
I used to defend hockey all the time (Top 4 sport and all that...) but its really fallen off the wagon in the U.S. of A. -- I still haven't forgiven them for canking the season a few years ago, and honestly, I stopped following the sport back then....the problem for the NHL, I, like a lot of my friends, came to realize that we could get along without the NHL...so when it started back, I asked myself..."Didn't you used to complain about how the season would start in Oct and still be going on in like June?" Yup...did I really miss the long, drawn out marathon? I usually wouldn't get into it until football was over, and then it was a good way to tide myself over until football started again....but that year it was gone...I did other things...and liked them...now, if I catch the occasional hockey game, its like..mmm-kay, uh-huh, is that it?
Maybe its because the Flyers really and truly suck right now, and haven't seemed to figure out that the NHL changed the rule a few years back....I tell you what though, my days of defending the sport are long over...its been supplanted as a major sport in this country by NASCAR and (shudder) Golf and probably ranks behind no higher than 8th on any credible scale: (#1 - NFL, #2 MLB, #3 NCAAF, #4 NBA, #5 NCAAB (Men), #6 NASCAR, #7 PGA, #8 NHL....that's pathetic....I still think its better than soccer...but if they don't do something...MLS will overtake them eventually....
I used to defend hockey all the time (Top 4 sport and all that...) but its really fallen off the wagon in the U.S. of A. -- I still haven't forgiven them for canking the season a few years ago, and honestly, I stopped following the sport back then....the problem for the NHL, I, like a lot of my friends, came to realize that we could get along without the NHL...so when it started back, I asked myself..."Didn't you used to complain about how the season would start in Oct and still be going on in like June?" Yup...did I really miss the long, drawn out marathon? I usually wouldn't get into it until football was over, and then it was a good way to tide myself over until football started again....but that year it was gone...I did other things...and liked them...now, if I catch the occasional hockey game, its like..mmm-kay, uh-huh, is that it?
Maybe its because the Flyers really and truly suck right now, and haven't seemed to figure out that the NHL changed the rule a few years back....I tell you what though, my days of defending the sport are long over...its been supplanted as a major sport in this country by NASCAR and (shudder) Golf and probably ranks behind no higher than 8th on any credible scale: (#1 - NFL, #2 MLB, #3 NCAAF, #4 NBA, #5 NCAAB (Men), #6 NASCAR, #7 PGA, #8 NHL....that's pathetic....I still think its better than soccer...but if they don't do something...MLS will overtake them eventually....
Does Georgia Revolve Around the Same Sun as the Rest of Us? Are they even on Planet Earth?
After reading the story of Genarlow Wilson, a teenager in Georgia caught up in something akin to prosecutors-gone-wild case of teenage sexual escapades, I am truly doubting if I will ever understand the thinking, or lack thereof, of some of the people charged with administering justice in this country...
So let me get this straight...a 17 year old high school senior gets a hummer from a girl, a 15 year old sophomore...(there are other charges, from a different 17 year old who claimed to have been raped, but the video evidence showed willing initiation of the act....the video also caught the soph. performing oral sex on various men at the party, including Wilson)....
He gets charged with rape (dropped) but the prosecutors won't let go and drill the kid on aggravated child molestation....what the hell??? Look argue the legal particular all you want...a HS senior got a BJ from a soph...doesn't that happen about 10,000 times every Friday night in America? Moreover, the "plea deal" he gets is for 5 years in jail and to be slapped with the career/future and soul-crushing SEX OFFENDER label (I dunno, but I think those are permanent)...
The prosecutorial logic astounds me...it goes something like this: they believe Wilson should have taken the same plea agreement as the others. Maintaining innocence in the face of the crushing wheels of justice is the ultimate act of vanity. SO everyone should just plead guilty in Georgia I suppose....it gets better..."Being branded a sex offender is not good; but at the same time, if it made the difference between spending 10 years as opposed to two? Is it worth sitting in prison for eight more years, and you're still gonna be a sex offender when you get out?"
HOW ABOUT NOT CHARGING the kid with a ridiculous molestation charge? He faced a choice to become a convicted sex offender and never get to live with his little sister or go to trial....I don't know why the other defendants took a plea-deal...perhaps they weren't facing the exact same charges, perhaps they didn't fully understand what being a convicted sex offender can do to your future in this country (and rightly so)....
You want to hear the kick in the balls..."At the same time this trial was under way, a local high school teacher, a white female, was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a student -- a true case of child molestation. The teacher received 90 days. Wilson received 3,650 days." That is just F'd up.
I am doing the only thing I can...I will not step foot in that state or spend any money on anything associated with Georgia until that kid is released....
So let me get this straight...a 17 year old high school senior gets a hummer from a girl, a 15 year old sophomore...(there are other charges, from a different 17 year old who claimed to have been raped, but the video evidence showed willing initiation of the act....the video also caught the soph. performing oral sex on various men at the party, including Wilson)....
He gets charged with rape (dropped) but the prosecutors won't let go and drill the kid on aggravated child molestation....what the hell??? Look argue the legal particular all you want...a HS senior got a BJ from a soph...doesn't that happen about 10,000 times every Friday night in America? Moreover, the "plea deal" he gets is for 5 years in jail and to be slapped with the career/future and soul-crushing SEX OFFENDER label (I dunno, but I think those are permanent)...
The prosecutorial logic astounds me...it goes something like this: they believe Wilson should have taken the same plea agreement as the others. Maintaining innocence in the face of the crushing wheels of justice is the ultimate act of vanity. SO everyone should just plead guilty in Georgia I suppose....it gets better..."Being branded a sex offender is not good; but at the same time, if it made the difference between spending 10 years as opposed to two? Is it worth sitting in prison for eight more years, and you're still gonna be a sex offender when you get out?"
HOW ABOUT NOT CHARGING the kid with a ridiculous molestation charge? He faced a choice to become a convicted sex offender and never get to live with his little sister or go to trial....I don't know why the other defendants took a plea-deal...perhaps they weren't facing the exact same charges, perhaps they didn't fully understand what being a convicted sex offender can do to your future in this country (and rightly so)....
You want to hear the kick in the balls..."At the same time this trial was under way, a local high school teacher, a white female, was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a student -- a true case of child molestation. The teacher received 90 days. Wilson received 3,650 days." That is just F'd up.
I am doing the only thing I can...I will not step foot in that state or spend any money on anything associated with Georgia until that kid is released....
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Jackass Brays Again
Think MEO will miss Bill Parcells? Think it didn't factor into the Tuna's decision leave $5 million on the table to bail out on the Cowboys? Think again...
Check out this article documenting MEO's reported remarks to the DFW press.
My favorite bits: "T.O. reportedly said that Parcells created an unhealthy locker room environment, claiming the legendary coach would sometimes not talk to him for months. What more, Parcells did not offer Owens any words of encouragement following his accidental overdose." Typical not-my-fault MEO...
Then theres: "T.O. also suggested that there was a feeling of disorganization within the ranks. 'You don't know who is doing what,' Owens said. 'You don't know who is calling plays. That is why our offense was up and down. You saw that at the end of the year. It filtered off. We as a team felt the frustration. I felt the frustration. But Bill is Bill.' " Well well well, more Bill bashing...I wonder if Dallas fans are sick of this shit yet?
And finally: "I was underutilized in the offense," Owens said. Oh how rich...MEO leads the team in receiving (and the league in drops) and the fault with the O is they didn't use him enough....um, MEO, there are OTHER skill players in uniform on each play....You may not know their names (Glenn, Witten, Jones, Barber, Crayton), but they need to be given opportunities as well. I'd bet that the Dallas offense tried to feature MEO more than any other offense player on the roster and it STILL wasn't enough to satisfy Herr Ego...
Have fun Big D, you deserve every second of this misery for hiring the douchebag knowing full well he was a cancer...
Check out this article documenting MEO's reported remarks to the DFW press.
My favorite bits: "T.O. reportedly said that Parcells created an unhealthy locker room environment, claiming the legendary coach would sometimes not talk to him for months. What more, Parcells did not offer Owens any words of encouragement following his accidental overdose." Typical not-my-fault MEO...
Then theres: "T.O. also suggested that there was a feeling of disorganization within the ranks. 'You don't know who is doing what,' Owens said. 'You don't know who is calling plays. That is why our offense was up and down. You saw that at the end of the year. It filtered off. We as a team felt the frustration. I felt the frustration. But Bill is Bill.' " Well well well, more Bill bashing...I wonder if Dallas fans are sick of this shit yet?
And finally: "I was underutilized in the offense," Owens said. Oh how rich...MEO leads the team in receiving (and the league in drops) and the fault with the O is they didn't use him enough....um, MEO, there are OTHER skill players in uniform on each play....You may not know their names (Glenn, Witten, Jones, Barber, Crayton), but they need to be given opportunities as well. I'd bet that the Dallas offense tried to feature MEO more than any other offense player on the roster and it STILL wasn't enough to satisfy Herr Ego...
Have fun Big D, you deserve every second of this misery for hiring the douchebag knowing full well he was a cancer...
Monday, January 22, 2007
A Bird Leaves the Nest
So word trickled out today the long-time Eagles defensive assistant and most-recent linebackers coach, Steve Spagnuolo (no, not former Eagles TE John Spagnolo) was hired by Tom Coughlin to be the Giants Defensive Coordinator. I kind of feel sorry for the guy, honestly...TC burns through his assistants, and I fear that Steve is simply the latest of Tommy C's future scapegoats (along with newly promoted O-coordinator Kevin Gilbride).
My initial take: big, fat, hairy deal. Honestly, I just cannot get that riled up about the position coach for the absolute worst group on our defense leaving...but I guess it's a bit more than that...I've seen a couple of Giants fans trolling Eagles-related message boards, mostly asking questions about the guy, but some trying to quote New York media playing up the dude. Which is fine...they have to try and get the fans excited...but seriously if the Eagles had wanted to keep the guy all that badly, they just would've denied the Giants permission to talk to him...
I base this on the assumption that Spagnuolo was under contract with the Eagles. Contracts for coaches in the NFL seem to have some unwritten rules. They go something like this: with the exception of the top job, coaching contracts can/will be tossed aside if the coach in question receives outside offers that would effectively promote said individual. (In this manner, Position coaches can jump ship to become coordinators, while coordinators can take the big leap to head coaches). Technically the teams have to "ask permission" to do this, but in the vast majority of cases, teams will grant this permission so they don't look like they are a place that would obstruct their employees careers....Teams CAN say no, and in the cases where they do say no, it appears to often come with the (again silent) caveat that the team is "doing it" because they have their own plans for the guy (Like said guy moving up within their own organization in a year or two)....
So you know what they tells me, the Eagles were NOT planning on promoting Spagnuolo to replace current Def Coord. Jim Johnson in the next couple of seasons (as some Giants fans/media have reportedly suggested). If they were, he'd still be with the Eagles, methinks.
My initial take: big, fat, hairy deal. Honestly, I just cannot get that riled up about the position coach for the absolute worst group on our defense leaving...but I guess it's a bit more than that...I've seen a couple of Giants fans trolling Eagles-related message boards, mostly asking questions about the guy, but some trying to quote New York media playing up the dude. Which is fine...they have to try and get the fans excited...but seriously if the Eagles had wanted to keep the guy all that badly, they just would've denied the Giants permission to talk to him...
I base this on the assumption that Spagnuolo was under contract with the Eagles. Contracts for coaches in the NFL seem to have some unwritten rules. They go something like this: with the exception of the top job, coaching contracts can/will be tossed aside if the coach in question receives outside offers that would effectively promote said individual. (In this manner, Position coaches can jump ship to become coordinators, while coordinators can take the big leap to head coaches). Technically the teams have to "ask permission" to do this, but in the vast majority of cases, teams will grant this permission so they don't look like they are a place that would obstruct their employees careers....Teams CAN say no, and in the cases where they do say no, it appears to often come with the (again silent) caveat that the team is "doing it" because they have their own plans for the guy (Like said guy moving up within their own organization in a year or two)....
So you know what they tells me, the Eagles were NOT planning on promoting Spagnuolo to replace current Def Coord. Jim Johnson in the next couple of seasons (as some Giants fans/media have reportedly suggested). If they were, he'd still be with the Eagles, methinks.
A Few Thoughts following the Championship Games
Back to the Saints-Bears game....
Can someone in the media take a time-out from sniffing Sean Payton's crotch and explain to me how concocting a 50+ passing play game-plan (49 attempts, a couple of pass-plays that turned into scrambles, 3 sacks) in cold, blustery Chicago is anything but completely assinine? 12 RUNS??? The entire game and Saints ran the ball TWELVE times? The game was pretty close for a while and yet it seemed like the Saints totally abandoned the run, and I cannot figure out why.
I don't blame the gameplan for the Saints lax ball security, two of their first three fumbles were their fault (Brees got drilled on that big sack that the Saints recovered), and the 3rd fumble on the Ogunleye sacks certainly isn't anyone's fault in particular (other than whichever O-lineman decided to imitate a turnstile for that play)....however, the early turnovers should NOT have made the Saints so one-dimensional...maybe that's just me...
Can someone in the media take a time-out from sniffing Sean Payton's crotch and explain to me how concocting a 50+ passing play game-plan (49 attempts, a couple of pass-plays that turned into scrambles, 3 sacks) in cold, blustery Chicago is anything but completely assinine? 12 RUNS??? The entire game and Saints ran the ball TWELVE times? The game was pretty close for a while and yet it seemed like the Saints totally abandoned the run, and I cannot figure out why.
I don't blame the gameplan for the Saints lax ball security, two of their first three fumbles were their fault (Brees got drilled on that big sack that the Saints recovered), and the 3rd fumble on the Ogunleye sacks certainly isn't anyone's fault in particular (other than whichever O-lineman decided to imitate a turnstile for that play)....however, the early turnovers should NOT have made the Saints so one-dimensional...maybe that's just me...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
What a GAME! Colts Topple Pats 38-34
Wow, talk about a barn-burner....The Colts and Peyton Manning finally make it to the Superbowl in one of the most exciting playoff games in memory.
This one had everything. Great passes, hard runs, turnovers, drops, bombs...everything, including:
2 Offensive lineman scoring TDs after recovering fumbles by their running back on their way into the end-zone
1 Defensive lineman scoring a TD (Colts DT Dan Klecko on a flare pass from Manning)
HUGE special teams plays (mostly by the Patriots, who replied with a big return after almost every Colts score, EXCEPT for the final one)
The Colts blowing their chance to drive for lead with under 4 minutes left, then holding the Patriots, getting the ball back, and quickly marching down for the go-ahead TD with just 1:00 left in the game. First and 10 from the Patriots 11 and the Colts blast away with 3 straight runs into the endzone! Talk about calling plays against tendency....
And finally a smart defensive play...guess the Colts watched film, because when the Colts S Jackson made the INT at the end of the game, he almost immediately slide to the ground to protect the ball....NO CHANCE for the another INT-stripped-t0-regain-possession miracle for the Pats...
This ought to be a great Superbowl, strength on strength....
This one had everything. Great passes, hard runs, turnovers, drops, bombs...everything, including:
2 Offensive lineman scoring TDs after recovering fumbles by their running back on their way into the end-zone
1 Defensive lineman scoring a TD (Colts DT Dan Klecko on a flare pass from Manning)
HUGE special teams plays (mostly by the Patriots, who replied with a big return after almost every Colts score, EXCEPT for the final one)
The Colts blowing their chance to drive for lead with under 4 minutes left, then holding the Patriots, getting the ball back, and quickly marching down for the go-ahead TD with just 1:00 left in the game. First and 10 from the Patriots 11 and the Colts blast away with 3 straight runs into the endzone! Talk about calling plays against tendency....
And finally a smart defensive play...guess the Colts watched film, because when the Colts S Jackson made the INT at the end of the game, he almost immediately slide to the ground to protect the ball....NO CHANCE for the another INT-stripped-t0-regain-possession miracle for the Pats...
This ought to be a great Superbowl, strength on strength....
DA Bears!
HA HA...Well the Bears did the job the Eagles couldn't and sent the Saints packin'. Good, I was sick of the New Orleans sob-story...send that former Bears-scab Sean Payton back to the Superdome...
I think we just witnessed the importance of not just the bye-week, but also of getting the home field for the DIVISIONAL ROUND...The way the crowd got behind the Bears, and way the pressure of playing in someone else's house seemed to affect the Saints younger players early on, and then late...Too bad the Birds couldn't have pulled off one more win...cause 11-5 would've let the Eagles play in the Linc during the second round....
The way the Bears D played, I dunno if the Eagles would've been able to win, but I would've liked to have seen us try...
I think we just witnessed the importance of not just the bye-week, but also of getting the home field for the DIVISIONAL ROUND...The way the crowd got behind the Bears, and way the pressure of playing in someone else's house seemed to affect the Saints younger players early on, and then late...Too bad the Birds couldn't have pulled off one more win...cause 11-5 would've let the Eagles play in the Linc during the second round....
The way the Bears D played, I dunno if the Eagles would've been able to win, but I would've liked to have seen us try...
Friday, January 19, 2007
Michael Vick Models his newly redesigned helmet for next season
Even Atlanta fans must be getting tired of Vick...The beat-writers sure are...this is the first Vick must go article I've come across, but its pretty good...
Look I can overlook a bit of "stonerism" if doesn't harm anyone and what a person does in the privacy of their own home is their business as far as I'm concerned...but to have the so-called "Leader" of the franchise be running around trying to bring his stash-hide-water-bottle through airport security??? UM HELLO, Earth-to-Vick, didn't we recently just have a HUGE airline terrorism scare in 2006; after which almost any liquid item was BANNED from airplanes??? You remember, training camp, (oops well maybe you can't remember that far back), no water, no soda, no hair gel, no baby forumla!!! So how smart is it to try and bring a water-bottle with a contraband compartment onto a plane...and we wonder why this guy hasn't been able to grasp a offense in 6 years?
Are these the actions either Arthur Blank or the NFL wants associated with one its highest-paid, highest-profile athletes (pun intended)??? This Atlanta writer questions whether Vick's image has been indelibly tarnished. Now for my part, he didn't have much of an image to tarnish, but if I was a Falcons fan (and thankfully, I'm not) I'd be hoping new head coach Bobby Petrino made the Atlanta QB job and open competition this August between Vick and Schaub...he might just find that he's a good QB and decent RB in those two players...
Crikey! Look at the Size of this One
Found this courtesy PhilaFlyer85 on the Eagles Forum...Thanks man, it made me laugh and I wanted to share this classic Croc-hunter moment
Thursday, January 18, 2007
How I would Fix the Eagles Defense
There are many question floating around about what needs to be done to address the defensive deficiencies that cropped up this year with the Birds...was it our D-Line? or LB, and over-rated secondary? Well, I honestly don't know. Every area showed flashes of promise and big splashes of incompetence, so figuring out the right formula is not easy.
Diving right in:
1. At its most basic, I believe Coordinator Jim Johnson needs to adapt his defensive philosophy a bit. For too long the Eagles have coveted speed above all else. The result is a smallish defensive that relies completely on technique and leverage but one that routinely gets pushed around and out of position too easily...Moreover, a defense that was grossly deficient against the run, and as a result consistently had trouble getting off the field in some of our most critical games. As for the adaptation....please stop making your DTs weigh-in...I don't like to believe it, but part of the reason our First Round Draft Pick Broderick Bunkley got in the dog-house was his weight....Look JJ, some beef in the middle IS NOT A BAD THING...consider what happened to your quick, light (290-range) DTs this year - THEY GOT THROWN ABOUT...perhaps if someone weighed as much as the OG they went against we wouldn't have our D-Line getting pushed around so much. Solution: Come to realize that it is the combination of speed AND size AND talent that creates great Defenses (see Baltimore, Chicago and San Diego for assistance), not just adequate ones (see Philly and Indy for details).
2. We need to add another play-maker at the LB position. The Eagles got diddly-squat from its LB corps all year. It was pathetic. OG (Omar Gaither) emerged as a real "baller" but other than that lone bright spot....very little contribution from the linebackers this year. That includes one of my favorite Eagles leaders, Jeremiah Trotter...Trot lost a step this year...I thought during the 6-10 season that Trot and Dawk were trying to do too much and that hurt the D...This year, its clear that Trotter's game is severely limited. He is a downhill MLB, who can flow to one side of the field and that's about it....He is not a sideline to sideline guy, he ain't chasing anyone down on the backside anymore, and he is a dreadful liability in pass coverage (witness the fact that when Shawn Barber went out with an ankle injury in the N.O. Playoff game, Trot was forced to stay in on passing down and Payton whipped him like a rented mule with a 3rd string TE Billy Miller). Solution: Go get a FA Linebacker. I don't care what one (Briggs, Thomas, Edwards, London Fletcher, somebody) but there are some good ones available and this groups needs a proven commodity. We do not need to hear that last year's third-round pick, Chris Gocong, a college DE who JJ is converting to OLB is the answer to our play-maker needs...
3. Resign S Quintin Mikell and CB William James and DRAFT the heir apparent to Brian Dawkins. The Eagles have a LOT of free agent DBs this year. Rod Hood and Michael Lewis are goners, they believe they are starters and they are not likely to get that chance in Philly. 'nuff said. As for the two others, I believe that both can be contributors to the D. Mikell has already proven his worth, but I don't think he labors under any illusion about being a starter...Mikell was a valuable role-player and special teams captain, it'd be nice for the ST to have some continuity, plus if both Mikell and Lewis depart, we get real thin at safety real fast...as for Will James, my jury is out on him, didn't really see a whole lot from him, but he's got decent size and he was a starter in this league. I think he could be a reasonable insurance policy, and think about it: he was a mid-season pick-up and then injured...If he stays healthy, we would benefit from having a decent nickel-CB who is already well-versed in the system. As for the safety position, we need to realize that despite having a Pro-Bowl and All-Pro caliber season our Hall-of-Fame-caliber safety Brian Dawkins is 33. We've got him for two more seasons, but with only Brian and Sean Considine on the roster for next year, NOW is THE TIME to go out and draft Dawk's heir apparent...According to Mel Kiper, this year is an exceptionally deep draft for safeties....so lets go get ourselves one...My strategy: if it looks like the safety you want won't be there when the Birds first round # will be called, see about dangling a player to move up...We used OG Artis Hicks and Hollis Thomas in that capacity last year, draft day moves....could Sam Rayburn be in that position this year?
4. Cut Dhani Jones, Matt McCoy, Jerome McDougle. Those are easy calls. None of them deserve a spot on the roster...some folks would argue to keep Matt for special teams, I guess I could live with that, but truthfully I am of a mind to cut our losses, admit failure on the 2nd rounder and move on....if we need a suicide-squad guy how about Tank Daniels or Roper...
5. Shift some the D-Linemen. In addition to adding some bulk, I would do the following, use Rayburn to move up somewhere on draft day or to acquire an additional second day pick. We already have his replacement with the team: Lajuan Ramsey. Let Darwin Walker move outside some (not all the time but give him some reps there)....I am tired of having every DE on the team weigh less than 275 lbs....Whatever happened to having a DE with some size??
What about Free Agent Juqua Thomas? I think JT played himself onto another team, but in the good way. I just don't see how, with all the hefty contracts we already have on the D-Line that the Birds will be able to keep Juqua...people took notice this year (if we did, they did) and he will get offers. Perhaps we could restructure Jevon's contract to keep his buddy Juqua around...perhaps....Either way - my starting D-Line next September goes like this: Darren Howard, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley, Jevon Kearse...Trent Cole is my next guy in, but I think using him primarily on passing down would really help keep him fresh...He will be our fastball guy if Juqua finds greener pastures. My depth guys: Walker, Ramsey and a new guy, dunno who (maybe a FA find like we had with JT a couple of years ago, maybe Juqua, who knows)
Well there you have it, five things I would do to improve the Eagles Defense....
Diving right in:
1. At its most basic, I believe Coordinator Jim Johnson needs to adapt his defensive philosophy a bit. For too long the Eagles have coveted speed above all else. The result is a smallish defensive that relies completely on technique and leverage but one that routinely gets pushed around and out of position too easily...Moreover, a defense that was grossly deficient against the run, and as a result consistently had trouble getting off the field in some of our most critical games. As for the adaptation....please stop making your DTs weigh-in...I don't like to believe it, but part of the reason our First Round Draft Pick Broderick Bunkley got in the dog-house was his weight....Look JJ, some beef in the middle IS NOT A BAD THING...consider what happened to your quick, light (290-range) DTs this year - THEY GOT THROWN ABOUT...perhaps if someone weighed as much as the OG they went against we wouldn't have our D-Line getting pushed around so much. Solution: Come to realize that it is the combination of speed AND size AND talent that creates great Defenses (see Baltimore, Chicago and San Diego for assistance), not just adequate ones (see Philly and Indy for details).
2. We need to add another play-maker at the LB position. The Eagles got diddly-squat from its LB corps all year. It was pathetic. OG (Omar Gaither) emerged as a real "baller" but other than that lone bright spot....very little contribution from the linebackers this year. That includes one of my favorite Eagles leaders, Jeremiah Trotter...Trot lost a step this year...I thought during the 6-10 season that Trot and Dawk were trying to do too much and that hurt the D...This year, its clear that Trotter's game is severely limited. He is a downhill MLB, who can flow to one side of the field and that's about it....He is not a sideline to sideline guy, he ain't chasing anyone down on the backside anymore, and he is a dreadful liability in pass coverage (witness the fact that when Shawn Barber went out with an ankle injury in the N.O. Playoff game, Trot was forced to stay in on passing down and Payton whipped him like a rented mule with a 3rd string TE Billy Miller). Solution: Go get a FA Linebacker. I don't care what one (Briggs, Thomas, Edwards, London Fletcher, somebody) but there are some good ones available and this groups needs a proven commodity. We do not need to hear that last year's third-round pick, Chris Gocong, a college DE who JJ is converting to OLB is the answer to our play-maker needs...
3. Resign S Quintin Mikell and CB William James and DRAFT the heir apparent to Brian Dawkins. The Eagles have a LOT of free agent DBs this year. Rod Hood and Michael Lewis are goners, they believe they are starters and they are not likely to get that chance in Philly. 'nuff said. As for the two others, I believe that both can be contributors to the D. Mikell has already proven his worth, but I don't think he labors under any illusion about being a starter...Mikell was a valuable role-player and special teams captain, it'd be nice for the ST to have some continuity, plus if both Mikell and Lewis depart, we get real thin at safety real fast...as for Will James, my jury is out on him, didn't really see a whole lot from him, but he's got decent size and he was a starter in this league. I think he could be a reasonable insurance policy, and think about it: he was a mid-season pick-up and then injured...If he stays healthy, we would benefit from having a decent nickel-CB who is already well-versed in the system. As for the safety position, we need to realize that despite having a Pro-Bowl and All-Pro caliber season our Hall-of-Fame-caliber safety Brian Dawkins is 33. We've got him for two more seasons, but with only Brian and Sean Considine on the roster for next year, NOW is THE TIME to go out and draft Dawk's heir apparent...According to Mel Kiper, this year is an exceptionally deep draft for safeties....so lets go get ourselves one...My strategy: if it looks like the safety you want won't be there when the Birds first round # will be called, see about dangling a player to move up...We used OG Artis Hicks and Hollis Thomas in that capacity last year, draft day moves....could Sam Rayburn be in that position this year?
4. Cut Dhani Jones, Matt McCoy, Jerome McDougle. Those are easy calls. None of them deserve a spot on the roster...some folks would argue to keep Matt for special teams, I guess I could live with that, but truthfully I am of a mind to cut our losses, admit failure on the 2nd rounder and move on....if we need a suicide-squad guy how about Tank Daniels or Roper...
5. Shift some the D-Linemen. In addition to adding some bulk, I would do the following, use Rayburn to move up somewhere on draft day or to acquire an additional second day pick. We already have his replacement with the team: Lajuan Ramsey. Let Darwin Walker move outside some (not all the time but give him some reps there)....I am tired of having every DE on the team weigh less than 275 lbs....Whatever happened to having a DE with some size??
What about Free Agent Juqua Thomas? I think JT played himself onto another team, but in the good way. I just don't see how, with all the hefty contracts we already have on the D-Line that the Birds will be able to keep Juqua...people took notice this year (if we did, they did) and he will get offers. Perhaps we could restructure Jevon's contract to keep his buddy Juqua around...perhaps....Either way - my starting D-Line next September goes like this: Darren Howard, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley, Jevon Kearse...Trent Cole is my next guy in, but I think using him primarily on passing down would really help keep him fresh...He will be our fastball guy if Juqua finds greener pastures. My depth guys: Walker, Ramsey and a new guy, dunno who (maybe a FA find like we had with JT a couple of years ago, maybe Juqua, who knows)
Well there you have it, five things I would do to improve the Eagles Defense....
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Who I Like this weekend...
Saints - Bears...ok folks this is an easy one for me...It is generally impossible for me to root for a team that beat my Birds, so that already tilted the feeling in favor of Chicago....To top it off, the wife is a big Bears fan (who believes she jinxes them if she watches too much of the game believe it or not), so guess what, with the Eagles eliminated, I am now a de-facto Bears fan!
Go Bears....and finally, I am sick of the NFL little sweetheart story this year, the Saints...screw 'em, I don't think they'll go down in flames, but little would make me smile wider that seeing them pout off the field on Sunday....
As for the Pats-Colts game...isn't it somehow appropriate that in order to get to his first Superbowl Peyton has to go through the Patriots??? I really don't know how they managed get squeeze past the Chargers, but I don't think the Colts are going to be as generous as San Diego was last weekend. I don't know if Peyton can shake the Patriot bug-a-boo hex that Belichick put on him a few years ago, but if sure will be fun to watch! Bring on the games!
Go Bears....and finally, I am sick of the NFL little sweetheart story this year, the Saints...screw 'em, I don't think they'll go down in flames, but little would make me smile wider that seeing them pout off the field on Sunday....
As for the Pats-Colts game...isn't it somehow appropriate that in order to get to his first Superbowl Peyton has to go through the Patriots??? I really don't know how they managed get squeeze past the Chargers, but I don't think the Colts are going to be as generous as San Diego was last weekend. I don't know if Peyton can shake the Patriot bug-a-boo hex that Belichick put on him a few years ago, but if sure will be fun to watch! Bring on the games!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Michelle Manhart, Time to Go into the Blue!
You know, I've seen a lot of stuff posted about the Air Force Staff Sergeant, Michelle Manhart, who posed nude for Playboy magazine...
A lot of it is generally wrong, as a Staff Sergeant, she is not an "officer" but rather a non-commissioned officer, and the lowest ranked one you can be in the Air Force...she is an E-5....the first four E-ranks (1-4) are called "Airman" (no Airperson, it is a general term intended to be gender neutral), so she's been in 13 years and has only gotten as far as Staff Sergeant...there's nothing particularly wrong with that mind you, but an E-5 isn't exactly rolling in dough, (yes, being an instructor at Lackland probably got her some sort of bonus stipend, but its nothing special)....
If you want to make a case from the "people who've seen her naked" won't respect her angle...well I got news for you...if men don't respect her, it would probably stem from something a little more misogynistic than having seen her naked...we've all seen our wives and girlfriends naked (I hope), does that mean we've lost all respect for them?? In my experience, there is one overriding equation in the military: RANK...HECK, she teaches at BOOT CAMP people...ever been there? I have, and I can tell you most of the folks in boot camp are just trying to survive their 6, 8, or 12 weeks....and nobody, and I mean NO ONE wants to piss off anyone (an E-5 might be a dime-a-dozen in the real Air Force, but at Lackland AFB, an E-5 drill instructor is like a little miniature deity wandering the premises. Finally, are we all still that narrow-minded? If someone does dare to give her guff about it, isn't it on her shoulders (smooth and well-defined as they are, see below) to correct that behavioral deficiency? For those interested in investigating what got the Air Force all riled up, check out this blog, links are provided there...I know its a tease, but this is about all I can show here since I like to keep this a respectable blog, but I did compliment her shoulders just now, so I wanted y'all to know I wasn't kidding....
I don't have any problem with what she did, the folks that do probably need to take the cork outta their butts and relax a little bit, there are more important things to worry about in this world, like, oh, IRAN, North Korea, our broken borders, the continued exportation of US jobs overseas, etc, etc....
A lot of it is generally wrong, as a Staff Sergeant, she is not an "officer" but rather a non-commissioned officer, and the lowest ranked one you can be in the Air Force...she is an E-5....the first four E-ranks (1-4) are called "Airman" (no Airperson, it is a general term intended to be gender neutral), so she's been in 13 years and has only gotten as far as Staff Sergeant...there's nothing particularly wrong with that mind you, but an E-5 isn't exactly rolling in dough, (yes, being an instructor at Lackland probably got her some sort of bonus stipend, but its nothing special)....
If you want to make a case from the "people who've seen her naked" won't respect her angle...well I got news for you...if men don't respect her, it would probably stem from something a little more misogynistic than having seen her naked...we've all seen our wives and girlfriends naked (I hope), does that mean we've lost all respect for them?? In my experience, there is one overriding equation in the military: RANK...HECK, she teaches at BOOT CAMP people...ever been there? I have, and I can tell you most of the folks in boot camp are just trying to survive their 6, 8, or 12 weeks....and nobody, and I mean NO ONE wants to piss off anyone (an E-5 might be a dime-a-dozen in the real Air Force, but at Lackland AFB, an E-5 drill instructor is like a little miniature deity wandering the premises. Finally, are we all still that narrow-minded? If someone does dare to give her guff about it, isn't it on her shoulders (smooth and well-defined as they are, see below) to correct that behavioral deficiency? For those interested in investigating what got the Air Force all riled up, check out this blog, links are provided there...I know its a tease, but this is about all I can show here since I like to keep this a respectable blog, but I did compliment her shoulders just now, so I wanted y'all to know I wasn't kidding....
I don't have any problem with what she did, the folks that do probably need to take the cork outta their butts and relax a little bit, there are more important things to worry about in this world, like, oh, IRAN, North Korea, our broken borders, the continued exportation of US jobs overseas, etc, etc....
Monday, January 15, 2007
Judging the Eagles Unrestricted Free Agents
AR didn't go gushing about his list of Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs) but he did say:this yesterday: "You're going to keep most of your guys. Most of them are going to be here," Reid said. "There is probably an average between 5-10 guys that won't be here, so you have to bring in the right people, draft the right people, and so on, and re-sign the right people."
Over the next few weeks the Eagles front office will comb over the UFA crop, the draft, evaluate the team, etc etc etc....I don't think Andy wants a LOT of turnover...so I don't think the Eagles are just going to let all their UFAs walk (for the record, we're talking about QBs Jeff Garcia and oy Detmer, WR Donte' Stallworth, RBs Correll Buckhalter and Reno Mahe, DE Juqua Thomas, LB Shawn Barber, DBs Rod Hood, Michael Lewis, Will James and Quintin Mikell)
To me, besides the two most obvious keepers, Garcia and Stallworth, there isn't anyone who is absolutely critical, just folks I would like to see stay. In that vein I think losing Juqua Thomas (who stepped up for us at DE) and Buckhalter (who came back strong from missing two straight seasons) would hurt...its just that I don't see them as irreplaceable.
Everyone will groan, but I think one player who is going to resign is Reno Mahe. Let's be honest, Philly is his only shot to make an NFL team. I think he comes relatively cheap for 1 year and provides the Eagles some insurance in case Jeremy Bloom proves he can't cut in the NFL. I don't think him signing in the off-season will guarantee he makes the team mind you, but I don't see him getting any other offers.
The same cannot be said for Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth...I think both players will receive attractive offer sheets from other teams across the NFL...but I also believe its very possible that both will re-up with the Birds if they get anything comparable...For Jeff, I believe he knows this is the perfect situation for him to succeed. I'm not saying he'll take chump change to do it, but that he would almost certainly take less money (so long as its not insulting) to remain here and be on a winner (realizing that the teams that would want to make him a starter would see him as a care-taker for a couple of seasons while they drafted and developed the QB of the future....
Stallworth's position is a bit different. This is his first, and possibly only, chance to cash-in on the free agent market, and it comes at a particularly good year with the salary cap rising so much this off-season. So hard-up team could easily break the bank for him, and then its probably ciao Donte, because I don't see the Eagles matching a mega-offer...matching a good offer, probably, but the Eagles don't have the cap space to fend off a big-time deal, and still address some more pressing defensive needs...We'll see though, if the Eagles can get creative enough to lure him back without breaking the bank...Donte wants to be here, and we want him here...all the elements are in place for a happy reunion and much joyous production next year. Cross you fingers...
Over the next few weeks the Eagles front office will comb over the UFA crop, the draft, evaluate the team, etc etc etc....I don't think Andy wants a LOT of turnover...so I don't think the Eagles are just going to let all their UFAs walk (for the record, we're talking about QBs Jeff Garcia and oy Detmer, WR Donte' Stallworth, RBs Correll Buckhalter and Reno Mahe, DE Juqua Thomas, LB Shawn Barber, DBs Rod Hood, Michael Lewis, Will James and Quintin Mikell)
To me, besides the two most obvious keepers, Garcia and Stallworth, there isn't anyone who is absolutely critical, just folks I would like to see stay. In that vein I think losing Juqua Thomas (who stepped up for us at DE) and Buckhalter (who came back strong from missing two straight seasons) would hurt...its just that I don't see them as irreplaceable.
Everyone will groan, but I think one player who is going to resign is Reno Mahe. Let's be honest, Philly is his only shot to make an NFL team. I think he comes relatively cheap for 1 year and provides the Eagles some insurance in case Jeremy Bloom proves he can't cut in the NFL. I don't think him signing in the off-season will guarantee he makes the team mind you, but I don't see him getting any other offers.
The same cannot be said for Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth...I think both players will receive attractive offer sheets from other teams across the NFL...but I also believe its very possible that both will re-up with the Birds if they get anything comparable...For Jeff, I believe he knows this is the perfect situation for him to succeed. I'm not saying he'll take chump change to do it, but that he would almost certainly take less money (so long as its not insulting) to remain here and be on a winner (realizing that the teams that would want to make him a starter would see him as a care-taker for a couple of seasons while they drafted and developed the QB of the future....
Stallworth's position is a bit different. This is his first, and possibly only, chance to cash-in on the free agent market, and it comes at a particularly good year with the salary cap rising so much this off-season. So hard-up team could easily break the bank for him, and then its probably ciao Donte, because I don't see the Eagles matching a mega-offer...matching a good offer, probably, but the Eagles don't have the cap space to fend off a big-time deal, and still address some more pressing defensive needs...We'll see though, if the Eagles can get creative enough to lure him back without breaking the bank...Donte wants to be here, and we want him here...all the elements are in place for a happy reunion and much joyous production next year. Cross you fingers...
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Was it the O or the D
Our offense did not execute as well as it needed to....
A quick glance at a series of critical, point-depriving errors:
WB dropping that crossing pass inside the 40...(he probably would've taken in down inside the 30...and into FG range)
Having to settle for a FG to tighten the game to 27-24 instead of taking a 28-24 lead (not going to trash the specific play-calling...trying to catch the Saints D off guard with a flare to Tapeh in the flat would've been cheered had the LB not made a great play, but the overall play-calling in that situation MUST get us into the end zone)
Finally, our O had TWO possessions in the mid- to late-fourth qtr needing a FG to tie or TD to win, and we came up empty both times...
On defense...well, lets just be generous and say that they did not play PLAYOFF-caliber defense. I don't want to lay it completely on their doorstep, because loses are team loses, and to be fair - the Saints came in with a powerful offense...we KNEW that it was going to take a offensive reply to win this game...There were few people, that I know of, who felt we were going to shut down the Saints O....Our fellas just didn't make enough plays to win...mores the pity
A quick glance at a series of critical, point-depriving errors:
WB dropping that crossing pass inside the 40...(he probably would've taken in down inside the 30...and into FG range)
Having to settle for a FG to tighten the game to 27-24 instead of taking a 28-24 lead (not going to trash the specific play-calling...trying to catch the Saints D off guard with a flare to Tapeh in the flat would've been cheered had the LB not made a great play, but the overall play-calling in that situation MUST get us into the end zone)
Finally, our O had TWO possessions in the mid- to late-fourth qtr needing a FG to tie or TD to win, and we came up empty both times...
On defense...well, lets just be generous and say that they did not play PLAYOFF-caliber defense. I don't want to lay it completely on their doorstep, because loses are team loses, and to be fair - the Saints came in with a powerful offense...we KNEW that it was going to take a offensive reply to win this game...There were few people, that I know of, who felt we were going to shut down the Saints O....Our fellas just didn't make enough plays to win...mores the pity
Eagles Had their Shot - Didn't Come Through...
There isn't much to say...
Its tough to see our team, which came through consistently down the stretch, have not one but TWO possessions in the mid- to late-fourth quarter and not be able to bring it home...
Especially, when the Saints finally make the critical mistake that SHOULD have cost them the game (a backward quick-pitch to Reggie Bush that squirted away and was recovered by the Eagles)...but instead of seeing the Eagles offense rear up and move down the field they sputtered, and before we know it...its 4th and 10...season on the line....
And what to do we see: HUGE PLAY downfield to Hank Baskett across the middle, 1st down, two minutes to go, Eagles driving...uh-oh...what's that??? a late flag...for a False Start on the Eagles? WHAT??? I'm telling you....I don't know how you call a shoulder flinch in Divisional Playoffs on 4th and 10 in the 4th qtr....I really don't...We say the refs ALL frickin' day...they were WAY too many calls against BOTH teams...
So then what is the situation: ok 4th and 15 instead of 1st and 10 inside Saints territory. AND WE PUNT??? WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF CALL IS THAT???? Why did we give up? Punting, when your D is getting moved on all afternoon, punting when you know your only shot lies with the Offense??? Punting when you just converted an improbably 4th down? WHY TAKE THE BALL away from your team in that situation...I know its unlikely, even improbable...but this is the team that converted the 4th and 26...Its just mind-boggling....I don't understand it...
Its tough to see our team, which came through consistently down the stretch, have not one but TWO possessions in the mid- to late-fourth quarter and not be able to bring it home...
Especially, when the Saints finally make the critical mistake that SHOULD have cost them the game (a backward quick-pitch to Reggie Bush that squirted away and was recovered by the Eagles)...but instead of seeing the Eagles offense rear up and move down the field they sputtered, and before we know it...its 4th and 10...season on the line....
And what to do we see: HUGE PLAY downfield to Hank Baskett across the middle, 1st down, two minutes to go, Eagles driving...uh-oh...what's that??? a late flag...for a False Start on the Eagles? WHAT??? I'm telling you....I don't know how you call a shoulder flinch in Divisional Playoffs on 4th and 10 in the 4th qtr....I really don't...We say the refs ALL frickin' day...they were WAY too many calls against BOTH teams...
So then what is the situation: ok 4th and 15 instead of 1st and 10 inside Saints territory. AND WE PUNT??? WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF CALL IS THAT???? Why did we give up? Punting, when your D is getting moved on all afternoon, punting when you know your only shot lies with the Offense??? Punting when you just converted an improbably 4th down? WHY TAKE THE BALL away from your team in that situation...I know its unlikely, even improbable...but this is the team that converted the 4th and 26...Its just mind-boggling....I don't understand it...
Well That was a Big-ass Quake
Holy crap folks...want to feel (as the lyrics go) "the Earth move under your feet"...come to northern Japan! The quakes almost always hit offshore, but I tell you what, when your wheeled chair rolls back from the desk as your type and you get this up-n-down swaying motion, it can be pretty exciting..It wasn't frightening, cause nothing was comin' a tumblin' down, but it is the first earthquake that I truly felt...Christina has talked about feeling them, but I never have...until this afternoon that is.
Check out the details here. I reported it a few minutes after it hit on the USGS site.
We had a tsunami watch here and the local base radio station guys had to come in and break into the weekend satellite feed and make a bunch of announcements...Christina slept through it, and then when she got up we had to go the Emergency Room cause she was feeling really bad...evidently there is a pretty wicked stomach flu going through Japan right now...(that reminds me, I gotta go wash my hands)....
Finally, just trying to figure out how the heck I am supposed to get some sleep before the big game...its about 12 hours away and I'm STOKED...I need to some kind of rest...
Check out the details here. I reported it a few minutes after it hit on the USGS site.
We had a tsunami watch here and the local base radio station guys had to come in and break into the weekend satellite feed and make a bunch of announcements...Christina slept through it, and then when she got up we had to go the Emergency Room cause she was feeling really bad...evidently there is a pretty wicked stomach flu going through Japan right now...(that reminds me, I gotta go wash my hands)....
Finally, just trying to figure out how the heck I am supposed to get some sleep before the big game...its about 12 hours away and I'm STOKED...I need to some kind of rest...
Friday, January 12, 2007
FOUND!
That was awesome news to wake-up to today...the little 13-year-old Ownby kid, missing since Monday after getting off the school bus, was found. ALIVE and well hopefully unharmed...they haven't released too many details.
When I saw that the other day, I, probably like a lot of you, just shook my head in disgust and figured the next time we saw anything about the story would be when the police dogs found the body...Its sad to think that way, but there seem to be so many sickos running around out there, and it happened so many other times it seems foolish to get ones hope up....
But you know what? That not the real kicker...when the police arrested Michael Delvin, the alleged fucko that kidnapped Ownby, they discovered another boy who had been missing since 2002!! Imagine that....those families must be orbiting the moon....Good for them.
When I saw that the other day, I, probably like a lot of you, just shook my head in disgust and figured the next time we saw anything about the story would be when the police dogs found the body...Its sad to think that way, but there seem to be so many sickos running around out there, and it happened so many other times it seems foolish to get ones hope up....
But you know what? That not the real kicker...when the police arrested Michael Delvin, the alleged fucko that kidnapped Ownby, they discovered another boy who had been missing since 2002!! Imagine that....those families must be orbiting the moon....Good for them.
The Inconvenient Truth
I dunno about the science behind global warming and I haven't seen a bloated Al Gore show me all the melting polar ice photos yet...but I tell you what...this is pretty convincing right here...
Hey, There's A Game Saturday Right?
Been over at the Eagles message board a bit this week...lots of stuff going on there...its a cool board, and I love posting snarky pics at all the goofballs and trolls lurking there....and I've managed to build-up my post count to something like training camp body...of course, I'd spent a ton of time in the rant-n-rave section (where else ;) before learning that your post count only goes up by 1 for every 10 posts you make in there...AUGH! So I moved over to the TATE and Around the NFL sections and viola, no more noob....
Well, this week is sort of like last week. There is just a slew of Eagles coverage and stories all over the place...from Andrews losing weight to Andy cracking a smile....
Is there some special about the Eagles this year? Well they're sure on a roll, I'll give them that...and they're doing it without two of their best players (Donovan McNabb and Jevon Kearse) and will have to continue without another stalwart (Lito Sheppard, he of the late-game-saving heroics fame)...
Most national pundits/prognosticators aren't giving them a chance with Lito gone...because the Saints have a very good passing attacks, and any team down its top DB is in trouble right? (You know, I told a Cowboys fan on the Philly.com forum that I just couldn't see them losing to the Seahawks because there was no way that Seattle was going to be able to contain the Dallas passing attack (Witten, Glenn, MEO, Crayton) with a secondary that had lost its top 3 corners...and we all know what happened...Dallas didn't do shit against that beat up secondary...so what with all the Eagles are screwed because Lito is gone? Both Hood and Will James are healthy and capable of being starting CBs in the NFL...time for them to remind everyone of that...
Moreover, each team will be sporting a different than the last time the Eagles went to the Superdome...the Saints are using Reggie Bush more, and he is producing...but Joe Horn (who killed us in game 1) will not be 100%....defensively the Saints are the same team...average, capable of really good games, but seem to have a propensity to give up points....
I think the Eagles will present a much different look for the Saints...For starters...Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth are now in the line-up, and I know Donte' is itching to play well because he missed his chance in Oct to show the Saints they made a mistake...Moreover, with Garcia's presence has come the running game...the Eagles are not the bombs-away quick strike Offense that rolled up 21 quick points against the Saints after sleep-walking through the first half that showed up in Oct...Defensively the Eagles are not THAT much different, at least statistically...but there are some different players filling key roles for the Eagles...the aforementioned Rod Hood as CB, Sean Considine as the starting safety (expect to see Michael Lewis quite a bit though), and Omar Gaither at OLB...
I dunno if that will mean anything once the game starts, and I don't think that just having different players necessarily makes a huge impact on the game-planning and scheming each side is doing...what I do think is that this game is going to play out much differently...
The Eagles aren't going to have a big first half let-down following an emotional victory over a division opponent (remember in Oct the Eagles had just won that huge MEO-returns-to-the-Linc game). The Eagles seem to be much more focused offensively, so I hope not to repeat the numerous drops that plagued us in the first meetings.
Finally, my biggest reason for optimism is the biggest thing on the Eagles team...that massive O-line...the big fellas up front are just mauling the opposition right now, and there isn't anyone of the Saints D-line they can't pancake...sure Hollis Thomas is back from his steroids suspension, but he's not going to have the same gang-busters game like he had the first go-round...NO, this game will be won or lost where NFL games are ALWAYS won or lost...IN THE TRENCHES, and I think our lines are deep and playing the best they've played all year...and that gives the Eagles a fightin' shot to beat anyone...
Just get out there and play and have fun fellas, and we'll all become Seattle fans on Sunday afternoon in hopes of hosting yet another NFC Championship game...
Well, this week is sort of like last week. There is just a slew of Eagles coverage and stories all over the place...from Andrews losing weight to Andy cracking a smile....
Is there some special about the Eagles this year? Well they're sure on a roll, I'll give them that...and they're doing it without two of their best players (Donovan McNabb and Jevon Kearse) and will have to continue without another stalwart (Lito Sheppard, he of the late-game-saving heroics fame)...
Most national pundits/prognosticators aren't giving them a chance with Lito gone...because the Saints have a very good passing attacks, and any team down its top DB is in trouble right? (You know, I told a Cowboys fan on the Philly.com forum that I just couldn't see them losing to the Seahawks because there was no way that Seattle was going to be able to contain the Dallas passing attack (Witten, Glenn, MEO, Crayton) with a secondary that had lost its top 3 corners...and we all know what happened...Dallas didn't do shit against that beat up secondary...so what with all the Eagles are screwed because Lito is gone? Both Hood and Will James are healthy and capable of being starting CBs in the NFL...time for them to remind everyone of that...
Moreover, each team will be sporting a different than the last time the Eagles went to the Superdome...the Saints are using Reggie Bush more, and he is producing...but Joe Horn (who killed us in game 1) will not be 100%....defensively the Saints are the same team...average, capable of really good games, but seem to have a propensity to give up points....
I think the Eagles will present a much different look for the Saints...For starters...Jeff Garcia and Donte Stallworth are now in the line-up, and I know Donte' is itching to play well because he missed his chance in Oct to show the Saints they made a mistake...Moreover, with Garcia's presence has come the running game...the Eagles are not the bombs-away quick strike Offense that rolled up 21 quick points against the Saints after sleep-walking through the first half that showed up in Oct...Defensively the Eagles are not THAT much different, at least statistically...but there are some different players filling key roles for the Eagles...the aforementioned Rod Hood as CB, Sean Considine as the starting safety (expect to see Michael Lewis quite a bit though), and Omar Gaither at OLB...
I dunno if that will mean anything once the game starts, and I don't think that just having different players necessarily makes a huge impact on the game-planning and scheming each side is doing...what I do think is that this game is going to play out much differently...
The Eagles aren't going to have a big first half let-down following an emotional victory over a division opponent (remember in Oct the Eagles had just won that huge MEO-returns-to-the-Linc game). The Eagles seem to be much more focused offensively, so I hope not to repeat the numerous drops that plagued us in the first meetings.
Finally, my biggest reason for optimism is the biggest thing on the Eagles team...that massive O-line...the big fellas up front are just mauling the opposition right now, and there isn't anyone of the Saints D-line they can't pancake...sure Hollis Thomas is back from his steroids suspension, but he's not going to have the same gang-busters game like he had the first go-round...NO, this game will be won or lost where NFL games are ALWAYS won or lost...IN THE TRENCHES, and I think our lines are deep and playing the best they've played all year...and that gives the Eagles a fightin' shot to beat anyone...
Just get out there and play and have fun fellas, and we'll all become Seattle fans on Sunday afternoon in hopes of hosting yet another NFC Championship game...
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
More than "the Kid"
Shawn Andrews has become an absolute BEAST!
I just watched the highlights from Eagles-Cowboys day on Christmas Day...bought them off iTunes...WOW...Andrews delivers some of the most punishing blocks ....
On the drive for the final TD...Andrews annihilates a Cowboys linebacker (#56) on Garcia scramble down to the 17, and then on Buckhalter's TD dive...the same LB comes flying in over the top and Andrews doesn't even leave his feet, he just swats the guy outta the air...its HILARIOUS
I just watched the highlights from Eagles-Cowboys day on Christmas Day...bought them off iTunes...WOW...Andrews delivers some of the most punishing blocks ....On the drive for the final TD...Andrews annihilates a Cowboys linebacker (#56) on Garcia scramble down to the 17, and then on Buckhalter's TD dive...the same LB comes flying in over the top and Andrews doesn't even leave his feet, he just swats the guy outta the air...its HILARIOUS
Coughlin is Still Employed....Why?
So, the Giants not only didn't FIRE Coach Tom Coughlin, but they gave me another year extension??? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Good, because the Giants do nothing will TC but fade every year anyway, so his presence in the NFC East is good news for Eagles fans...
I'm actually kind of stunned though....what did Coughlin do to earn the confidence of the Giants leadership...NOT get blown out on Sunday against the Birds? Wasn't two consecutive late-season fades followed by quick exits from the playoffs enough for NY....with a team with that much talent to play THAT undisciplined down the stretch?
Isn't this year the optimum time for a change...GM Ernie Acorsi is leaving, Tiki is leaving, and Coughlin has done NOTHING to help development the franchise QB that the Giants paid oh-so-dearly for three years ago? And don't be fooled by the extra-year the Mara-Tisch families gave him...he's still got one foot out the door now, as surely as he would if he was entering the final year of his contract....
Why extend him for one year?? Does anyone really think that nominal gesture will change the players perspective of the coach? I mean, look, I know general opinion of the jock I.Q. is pretty low, but come on, these guys have some common sense.
Finally, why not have a coach in a "contract year?" We have players in contract years all the time and never flinch...Heck, most times its referred to reverently as extra-motivation for the player to show his/her worth to prospective employers and not some sword of damacles hovering menacingly over the player....Could not the same mantra be applied to a coach...wouldn't it be worth it to see what Coughlin REALLY has "under the hood" as a coach. As it stands, why lessen your leverage over the coach if you're the owners...all having another year on the contract does is mean that you're going to have to buy him out of the final year next Dec/Jan when the Giants have squandered away yet another season....
I'm actually kind of stunned though....what did Coughlin do to earn the confidence of the Giants leadership...NOT get blown out on Sunday against the Birds? Wasn't two consecutive late-season fades followed by quick exits from the playoffs enough for NY....with a team with that much talent to play THAT undisciplined down the stretch?
Isn't this year the optimum time for a change...GM Ernie Acorsi is leaving, Tiki is leaving, and Coughlin has done NOTHING to help development the franchise QB that the Giants paid oh-so-dearly for three years ago? And don't be fooled by the extra-year the Mara-Tisch families gave him...he's still got one foot out the door now, as surely as he would if he was entering the final year of his contract....
Why extend him for one year?? Does anyone really think that nominal gesture will change the players perspective of the coach? I mean, look, I know general opinion of the jock I.Q. is pretty low, but come on, these guys have some common sense.
Finally, why not have a coach in a "contract year?" We have players in contract years all the time and never flinch...Heck, most times its referred to reverently as extra-motivation for the player to show his/her worth to prospective employers and not some sword of damacles hovering menacingly over the player....Could not the same mantra be applied to a coach...wouldn't it be worth it to see what Coughlin REALLY has "under the hood" as a coach. As it stands, why lessen your leverage over the coach if you're the owners...all having another year on the contract does is mean that you're going to have to buy him out of the final year next Dec/Jan when the Giants have squandered away yet another season....
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
BCS Rant
Man, trying to recover from all that typing yesterday...
Right now I'm trying to clean out the Tivo a little bit, burning some the late Eagles games to DVD so I can delete them...we've shifted to a mid-shift schedule, so that's mucking with the routine.
Wow, that was some BCS National Championship Game, eh? Anyone else get a chuckle from the fact the Florida Gators are now the Bowl Championship Series National Champion? or that they technically played in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game....one too many championships in there for me...
And is anyone else disturbed by the needless extension of "Bowl season" these days...Call me old school, but when I grew up Bowl games were on New Years Eve/Day and by Jan 2nd you usually knew who the NCAA Champ was...now we've got Bowl games before Christmas for chrissakes...I mean they televised the goddamn San Diego County Credit Union Pointsetta Bowl out here....WTF?? a local credit union??? If I was an account holder at that bank, I'd be like "uh, fuckos, how about giving me an extra 1% on my savings account instead of concocting some stupid sponsorship for an irrelevant Bowl game....
Moreover, its January 9th (at least it is here in Japan), so that's like at least a week after the college games should ALL BE OVER...I don't need to see all the BCS games get their "day" after New Years...hold two of the big bowls (thats Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange) on New Years Eve and two on New Years Day, and the championship on Jan 2nd....that is IT...it would be a treat for college football fans to have so much great football packed into such a short period of time...let the friggin Outback Bowl and the GMAC Bowl and the Home Depot Toilet Bowl fill in the dead space between Christmas and New Years...or let them play earlier...but quite cluttering the Bowl-scape with 6-6 programs that no more deserve a post-season berth than the choke artist Bungles of the NFL....
Right now I'm trying to clean out the Tivo a little bit, burning some the late Eagles games to DVD so I can delete them...we've shifted to a mid-shift schedule, so that's mucking with the routine.
Wow, that was some BCS National Championship Game, eh? Anyone else get a chuckle from the fact the Florida Gators are now the Bowl Championship Series National Champion? or that they technically played in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game....one too many championships in there for me...
And is anyone else disturbed by the needless extension of "Bowl season" these days...Call me old school, but when I grew up Bowl games were on New Years Eve/Day and by Jan 2nd you usually knew who the NCAA Champ was...now we've got Bowl games before Christmas for chrissakes...I mean they televised the goddamn San Diego County Credit Union Pointsetta Bowl out here....WTF?? a local credit union??? If I was an account holder at that bank, I'd be like "uh, fuckos, how about giving me an extra 1% on my savings account instead of concocting some stupid sponsorship for an irrelevant Bowl game....
Moreover, its January 9th (at least it is here in Japan), so that's like at least a week after the college games should ALL BE OVER...I don't need to see all the BCS games get their "day" after New Years...hold two of the big bowls (thats Rose, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange) on New Years Eve and two on New Years Day, and the championship on Jan 2nd....that is IT...it would be a treat for college football fans to have so much great football packed into such a short period of time...let the friggin Outback Bowl and the GMAC Bowl and the Home Depot Toilet Bowl fill in the dead space between Christmas and New Years...or let them play earlier...but quite cluttering the Bowl-scape with 6-6 programs that no more deserve a post-season berth than the choke artist Bungles of the NFL....
Monday, January 08, 2007
Links to Eagles coverage
Some Giants commiseration...
Making a Quick Out...and what was up with FOX's gay post-game Tostitos BCS butt-fest...last second FG to win the game and the Eagles barely get a blurb before its Ohio State this and Florida that....
while the Eli-doubting gets into full swing...heck even Canucks wonder about she-li....while the same sad Giants story continues....for the Eagles there wasn't much flash, just a churning W....
Making a Quick Out...and what was up with FOX's gay post-game Tostitos BCS butt-fest...last second FG to win the game and the Eagles barely get a blurb before its Ohio State this and Florida that....
while the Eli-doubting gets into full swing...heck even Canucks wonder about she-li....while the same sad Giants story continues....for the Eagles there wasn't much flash, just a churning W....
That is how its DONE, Cowpatties
SNAPPED, SPOTTED, KICKED, UP....GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!
That the way the weekend ended the NFC East Champs...
Hmmm, one team advances (photo credit AP):
While the choking NFC Chump-boys stumble into another dismal, dreary off-season of woulda, coulda, shoulda:
First we get a great Christmas by whipping the Cowboys in front of a national audience on Christmas Day and now we get a wonderful New Year's send off courtesy the supposed wunderkind....so much for all you Romosexuals...
That the way the weekend ended the NFC East Champs...
Hmmm, one team advances (photo credit AP):
While the choking NFC Chump-boys stumble into another dismal, dreary off-season of woulda, coulda, shoulda:
First we get a great Christmas by whipping the Cowboys in front of a national audience on Christmas Day and now we get a wonderful New Year's send off courtesy the supposed wunderkind....so much for all you Romosexuals...
Hustle Play of the Game
You know what stuck out to me as I review my Tivo recording of the first half? This hidden gem on what was a broken play for the Eagles D: the run blitz that back-fired into Tiki Barber's longest run of the game, putting the ball deep into Eagles territory.
Let me set the stage: Eagles winning 10-7 and have taken the momentum from the Giants. Eli & Co muster up a reply...Shockey has his signature play of the year (getting belted by OG after making a catch, losing his helmet and still flailing forward for the first down)...and the Giants are moving the ball effectively, ball on the Eagles side of mid-field...
-- This sets up my hidden hustle play of the game....those few plays that will often be forgotten but which have an undeniable impact on the outcome...so get to it already, why is a broken run-blitz that resulted in a huge gain for the Giants one of the plays of the game: because it is not the Giants who were ultimately the most affected by the play. In my humble opinion, the Eagles were, and it was made possible by the hustle of cornerbacks Rod Hood and Lito Sheppard, who would eventually knock Tiki out of bounds. You see, Tiki looked like he was on his way to matching an earlier game-breaking run by Westbrook--that is taking one "to the house" from mid-field. The Eagles run blitzed SS Sean Considine from the corner, but Giants FB Jim Finn picked it up, turned SS Sean Considine to the outside, and the footrace was on. Tiki put a good juke on FS Brian Dawkins and the only folks between a 14-10 Giants lead were CBs Rod Hood and Lito Sheppard. The problem, Hood was on the far-sideline and had gotten blocked by the WR. He was beat on the play--Tiki raced past him, but Hood kept hustling, and by doing so, drew the attention of the only other Giants player downfield -- WR Plaxico Burress. Burress moved to cut off Hood -- he did knock Rod out of bounds behind the play -- but Burress left his man Sheppard to get that block....turns out if Burress had stayed with Lito, Tiki probably would've out-raced Hood to the endzone...instead, Burress got a relatively meaningless block on Hood, freeing Lito to shoulder Tiki out at the 4 yard line...
SO WHY IS THAT HUGE? The Eagles D held, forcing a Jay Feely FG to knot the game at 10-10 with about 4 minutes or so left in the first half...The Eagles promptly responded and marched down to score a TD before the half. However, IF the Giants had 4 more points, the game very well could have played out a whole lot differently than it did.
Let me set the stage: Eagles winning 10-7 and have taken the momentum from the Giants. Eli & Co muster up a reply...Shockey has his signature play of the year (getting belted by OG after making a catch, losing his helmet and still flailing forward for the first down)...and the Giants are moving the ball effectively, ball on the Eagles side of mid-field...
-- This sets up my hidden hustle play of the game....those few plays that will often be forgotten but which have an undeniable impact on the outcome...so get to it already, why is a broken run-blitz that resulted in a huge gain for the Giants one of the plays of the game: because it is not the Giants who were ultimately the most affected by the play. In my humble opinion, the Eagles were, and it was made possible by the hustle of cornerbacks Rod Hood and Lito Sheppard, who would eventually knock Tiki out of bounds. You see, Tiki looked like he was on his way to matching an earlier game-breaking run by Westbrook--that is taking one "to the house" from mid-field. The Eagles run blitzed SS Sean Considine from the corner, but Giants FB Jim Finn picked it up, turned SS Sean Considine to the outside, and the footrace was on. Tiki put a good juke on FS Brian Dawkins and the only folks between a 14-10 Giants lead were CBs Rod Hood and Lito Sheppard. The problem, Hood was on the far-sideline and had gotten blocked by the WR. He was beat on the play--Tiki raced past him, but Hood kept hustling, and by doing so, drew the attention of the only other Giants player downfield -- WR Plaxico Burress. Burress moved to cut off Hood -- he did knock Rod out of bounds behind the play -- but Burress left his man Sheppard to get that block....turns out if Burress had stayed with Lito, Tiki probably would've out-raced Hood to the endzone...instead, Burress got a relatively meaningless block on Hood, freeing Lito to shoulder Tiki out at the 4 yard line...
SO WHY IS THAT HUGE? The Eagles D held, forcing a Jay Feely FG to knot the game at 10-10 with about 4 minutes or so left in the first half...The Eagles promptly responded and marched down to score a TD before the half. However, IF the Giants had 4 more points, the game very well could have played out a whole lot differently than it did.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Life of Brian
Absolutely no question about it, my Brian Dawkins Player of the Game award goes to the other Brian... RB Brian Westbrook. On a day when a lot of national writers were poised to talk about another great game by Tiki Barber improbably extending the Giants season, Brian said oh no-no....
He outdueled Tiki, rushing for 141 yards and a TD, (Tiki turned in his best performance against the Eagles in a while, gaining 137 yards) and just kicked much ass in general. Oh by the way, his 49 yard touchdown scamper (pictured courtesy AP) set an Eagles post-season record. Finally, when the Eagles need to move the ball into field goal range to attempt the game-winner, who did they turn to? ...um...no guesses are necessary...Marty dialed up a great run/pass mix but the off-right-tackle runs by Westbrook totally demoralized the Giants defenders...
My other stars:
**** Jon Dorenbos, Koy Detmer and David Akers....provided a sterling example to Romo and the Cowboys about HOW ITS DONE...snap, hold, kick - GOOOOOOOOOOOOD! After watching the Cowgirls dork up the win Saturday night, Head Coach Andy Reid's decision to re-sign our long-time holder looks better and better...Akers appeared comfortable all night long...I said early that if Koy helps us makes 1 FG this post-season it'd be worth it...hell, he not only did that, he helped WIN THE FRIGGIN' GAME?
*** Sheldon Brown - Sheldon has been maligned by a lot of folks lately...but I tell you what, homey came to play on Sunday. He scooped up the first and only turnover of the day (Garcia and O got a FG out of it), snagging an INT over the middle in the 2nd qtr. It was a great momentum changer for the Eagles as we finally shifted field position after the Giants played nearly the entire first quarter in our territory (though they only scored 7 pts)....Moreover on a day in which we lost our Pro Bowl CB Lito Sheppard to injury (later in the game), SB stepped up and helped lead the secondary....is he perfect...maybe not, but we need him more than ever now.
** Jeff Garcia - ok, so 17/31 for 151 and 1 TD is fairly pedestrian statistic-wise...but I tell ya what. He made the key plays when he had to, and he didn't turn the ball over. That bears repeating...the Eagles played secure football today, and didn't give the Giants any cheapo scores.
* The Coaches - I don't usually take this space to acknowledge the coaches, and some might disagree because the passing game wasn't exactly sparkling yesterday...but you know what that was a problem of EXECUTION, not necessarily play-calling. The reason I put the coaches here: the way they maintained an even keel when the game started out tilted in the Giants favor (field position-wise)...I mean the Giants played almost the entire first quarter on the Eagles side of the 50, but Jim Johnson kept dialing up just the right calls to stymie Manning and a Giants offense that opened up the game like gang-busters...The team weathered the early storm (something I think the coaches assisted with) and made the adjustments necessary to take advantage of what opportunities the Giants WERE giving us....
He outdueled Tiki, rushing for 141 yards and a TD, (Tiki turned in his best performance against the Eagles in a while, gaining 137 yards) and just kicked much ass in general. Oh by the way, his 49 yard touchdown scamper (pictured courtesy AP) set an Eagles post-season record. Finally, when the Eagles need to move the ball into field goal range to attempt the game-winner, who did they turn to? ...um...no guesses are necessary...Marty dialed up a great run/pass mix but the off-right-tackle runs by Westbrook totally demoralized the Giants defenders...My other stars:
**** Jon Dorenbos, Koy Detmer and David Akers....provided a sterling example to Romo and the Cowboys about HOW ITS DONE...snap, hold, kick - GOOOOOOOOOOOOD! After watching the Cowgirls dork up the win Saturday night, Head Coach Andy Reid's decision to re-sign our long-time holder looks better and better...Akers appeared comfortable all night long...I said early that if Koy helps us makes 1 FG this post-season it'd be worth it...hell, he not only did that, he helped WIN THE FRIGGIN' GAME?
*** Sheldon Brown - Sheldon has been maligned by a lot of folks lately...but I tell you what, homey came to play on Sunday. He scooped up the first and only turnover of the day (Garcia and O got a FG out of it), snagging an INT over the middle in the 2nd qtr. It was a great momentum changer for the Eagles as we finally shifted field position after the Giants played nearly the entire first quarter in our territory (though they only scored 7 pts)....Moreover on a day in which we lost our Pro Bowl CB Lito Sheppard to injury (later in the game), SB stepped up and helped lead the secondary....is he perfect...maybe not, but we need him more than ever now.
** Jeff Garcia - ok, so 17/31 for 151 and 1 TD is fairly pedestrian statistic-wise...but I tell ya what. He made the key plays when he had to, and he didn't turn the ball over. That bears repeating...the Eagles played secure football today, and didn't give the Giants any cheapo scores.
* The Coaches - I don't usually take this space to acknowledge the coaches, and some might disagree because the passing game wasn't exactly sparkling yesterday...but you know what that was a problem of EXECUTION, not necessarily play-calling. The reason I put the coaches here: the way they maintained an even keel when the game started out tilted in the Giants favor (field position-wise)...I mean the Giants played almost the entire first quarter on the Eagles side of the 50, but Jim Johnson kept dialing up just the right calls to stymie Manning and a Giants offense that opened up the game like gang-busters...The team weathered the early storm (something I think the coaches assisted with) and made the adjustments necessary to take advantage of what opportunities the Giants WERE giving us....
WOOHOO! - Impressions from a Great Win!
Some random observations about today's 23-20 win at the final gun over the NY Giants....
-- isn't every almost Eagles-Giants gray-inducing? Whew...the fellas just HAD to do it the hard way, letting the Giants score 10 straight to tie the game 20-20 with 5 minutes left....
-- BTW, AWESOME FINAL DRIVE!!! What a way to close out the G-nots!
-- If it weren't for LT in San Diego, Brian Westbrook would be the top playmaker in the league, plain and simple.
-- On a day that the passing game didn't really get clickin' except for Garcia to Brown all the fellas hung tough and REALLY BLOCKED DOWNFIELD...tip of the cap to Donte, L.J., Hank and Reggie for an awesome job assisting on some of WB's long runs...with those dudes hustlin' downfield, we may not win the ball game.
-- Whew, we caught a real break when vaGiants DT Cofield retaliated against RT Jon Runyan (who had seconds earlier cleared him off the pile after LJ had fought for a first down)...Runyan also blasted the miniature Sam Madison, but the Giants "punched" back and it became off-setting penalties...OK JR, that is IT, cannot afford to do that vs the Saints...you know the refs are going to be watching you....
- Another nice, error-free game from Garcia...nope, didn't set the world on fire, but you know what, didn't HAVE to.....keep it up Jeff, 3 more to go....
-- isn't every almost Eagles-Giants gray-inducing? Whew...the fellas just HAD to do it the hard way, letting the Giants score 10 straight to tie the game 20-20 with 5 minutes left....
-- BTW, AWESOME FINAL DRIVE!!! What a way to close out the G-nots!
-- If it weren't for LT in San Diego, Brian Westbrook would be the top playmaker in the league, plain and simple.
-- On a day that the passing game didn't really get clickin' except for Garcia to Brown all the fellas hung tough and REALLY BLOCKED DOWNFIELD...tip of the cap to Donte, L.J., Hank and Reggie for an awesome job assisting on some of WB's long runs...with those dudes hustlin' downfield, we may not win the ball game.
-- Whew, we caught a real break when vaGiants DT Cofield retaliated against RT Jon Runyan (who had seconds earlier cleared him off the pile after LJ had fought for a first down)...Runyan also blasted the miniature Sam Madison, but the Giants "punched" back and it became off-setting penalties...OK JR, that is IT, cannot afford to do that vs the Saints...you know the refs are going to be watching you....
- Another nice, error-free game from Garcia...nope, didn't set the world on fire, but you know what, didn't HAVE to.....keep it up Jeff, 3 more to go....
Eagles Chances - All Comes Down to What I.F.
I was going to post a "no-matter-what-happens-its-been-a-good-ride" themed post, and I thought, nah, screw that...that too downbeat, too gloomy...I have faith that the Eagles are going to take of business today against the NY Giants for one simple reason: their WHAT I.F.? is tilted more towards the team that went 9-1 and less towards the impostors that floundered about at 1-5....
Perhaps I need to explain my I.F. of the equation:
The I stands for Intensity. By intensity I am referring to the heart, effort, and passion that typified the Eagles' play during their early and late win streaks. The Eagles were a team fired-up (especially late), one that didn't quit, played each down hard, and good things happened. The D turned up the intensity later in the season, and we witnessed improved tackling, in instances the gang-green tackling of old, and a bit of the spit-fire and swagger that carried prior Eagles teams to NFC Championship games.....
The F stands for Focus. And focus for this team means execution, each man doing his job secure in knowing that his teammates will do theirs. For the offense, its wide receivers and tight ends making catches -- no more easy drops because they were looking to run after making the catch, etc...for Garcia, it means quick reads, taking the Defense gives him and doing a generally excellent job protecting the ball, for the coaches it means realizing that we've got a damn good running back in Westbrook, a hidden force with Buck and an offensive line that will maul other teams in the run game if you give them half a chance. For the defense, focus means linemen getting off the ball, maintaining gap control, shedding blocks instead of getting velcro'd to opposition players; its linebackers not over-pursuing and Trot not having to worry about making up for OLBs; and for the DBs its become about play-making...with the front seven doing its job a whole helluva lot better down the stretch, we've seen guys like Lito and Dawk ball-hawkin' it....interceptions, fumbles, sacks....the boys in the secondary been doing it ALL....
So that's why I like the Eagles chances today...winning has become not only a matter of when, but I.F. as well.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Pic of the Day
Hee hee...Romo's botched snap cost them the game today...what a maroon...and this guy in going to the ProBowl...all that does is indict the already-tainted reputation of the game...
The KC Frauds
Wow, did Kansas City look out-classed today or what? The hell was Herm Edwards thinking letting the team wander and bobble along for so long with Trent Green? HE DID NOTHING, and the offense followed suit throughout a first half in which the Chiefs D was doing everything is could to score the upset...
Herm Edwards is on TV crediting the Colts for playing good D....dude, how about looking into the mirror a little bit....you failed to prepare your team to play well and IT SHOWED....that was crap-tastic...I wonder my buddy Nate Alexander feels about that putrid game?
Herm Edwards is on TV crediting the Colts for playing good D....dude, how about looking into the mirror a little bit....you failed to prepare your team to play well and IT SHOWED....that was crap-tastic...I wonder my buddy Nate Alexander feels about that putrid game?
Why am I not writing about the Eagles?
Ok, so visitors might wonder...hey dude...you're an Eagles fans...what with the NFL-based articles...where is the Wildcard trash talk, the Giants-bashing pieces, etc???
NO, I have not given up on the Eagles...The answer:I just wanted to provide my visitors with a little something that maybe couldn't already get from a plethora of sources...I am just one dude...I cannot hope to cover the Eagles as well as Philly.com or www.philadelphiaeagles.com or anything like that..and there are a TON of great stories about the Birds out there right now, like:
No Lost Weekend, Barber likes the Hostile Linc, The Garcia-Philly Luv-Fest, The Underdog Mentality, The Little Engine that Could: Westbrook, and so on and so on
I'm cannot compete...I'm in Japan fellas, I don't to see Giants press conferences, or access to what player said what, etc, etc and so forth, and so on...I just react to things as I see 'em...
And here's another thing: I ain't big on predictions...so don't expect a Eagles XX Giants xx post from me either...I refuse to jinx them...And no real stupid trash-talking either...I know what the Eagles need to do to win the game, we all do...execute, no stupid penalties, RUN THE BALL, pound 'em in the trenches....
This game will be played between the white lines at the Linc on Sunday afternoon, and I can't WAIT boys! I gettin' hopped up, trust me. When the clock says 0:00 and the Eagles have more points...THEN I will safe to whoop it up, and start thinking about our rematch with 'Nawlins....
NO, I have not given up on the Eagles...The answer:I just wanted to provide my visitors with a little something that maybe couldn't already get from a plethora of sources...I am just one dude...I cannot hope to cover the Eagles as well as Philly.com or www.philadelphiaeagles.com or anything like that..and there are a TON of great stories about the Birds out there right now, like:
No Lost Weekend, Barber likes the Hostile Linc, The Garcia-Philly Luv-Fest, The Underdog Mentality, The Little Engine that Could: Westbrook, and so on and so on
I'm cannot compete...I'm in Japan fellas, I don't to see Giants press conferences, or access to what player said what, etc, etc and so forth, and so on...I just react to things as I see 'em...
And here's another thing: I ain't big on predictions...so don't expect a Eagles XX Giants xx post from me either...I refuse to jinx them...And no real stupid trash-talking either...I know what the Eagles need to do to win the game, we all do...execute, no stupid penalties, RUN THE BALL, pound 'em in the trenches....
This game will be played between the white lines at the Linc on Sunday afternoon, and I can't WAIT boys! I gettin' hopped up, trust me. When the clock says 0:00 and the Eagles have more points...THEN I will safe to whoop it up, and start thinking about our rematch with 'Nawlins....
And Art Makes Five
Well, well, well, what the first thing I see when I cruise over to ESPN.com today...Art Shell getting shit-canned from the 2-14 Oakland Raiders....I knew I shoulda added in Oaktown to my coaching vacancy article...
Ok, so here's a quickee on the Raiders
The Challenge: How to motivate a team who motto has degenerated from a commitment to excellence to a commitment to self-serving mediocrity...(poster boy: Randy Moss)...there is no easy-fix in Oakland...the O-line sucks, the WR are unmotivated, and the current stable of QBs is HOPELESS....
the pluses: Defense is NOT your main problem. Rob Ryan, one of Buddy's two def. coordinator sons, turned around an awful defense. The final score of many game might not provide much in the way of hope, but the Raiders D would've been a bigger story had their offense done ANYTHING this season (12 TD in 16 games...gimme a break...Ohio State would've done better)...Lamont Jordan can be a productive centerpiece in the right offense...oh by the way, you have the first pick in the 2007 draft in April, and desperately need a franchise QB - no pressure, just don't fuck this up
the minuses: everything else about the team sucks...
Conclusion: There is a ray of light at the end of the Raiders long slow tunnel to hell - the #1 pick overall...the new coach will be faced with a gigantic decision right out of the chute, and one that will determine the Raiders fate for the oh, say the next 5 years....and whether or not said coach will still be around by then...This is the quintessential Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade choice: and you don't want the fans in the black hole chanting "You Chose Poorly" by the end of Dec....(actually, they'd chant something more like "You Chose the wrong guy fuckhead" but I wanted to maintain the integrity of the metaphor). Think about it...Who was the coach that chose Tim Couch first overall? Can't remember can you? (don't worry neither can I, but I think it was Butch Davis)....Who was Andy Reid (head coach, Philadelphia Eagles) first selection? Donovan McNabb and guess what, Big Red is still prowling the sidelines at the Linc because he stab at the draft wound up scoring the best QB on the '99 board...(what to guess what happened to the coaches who selected Akili Smith, or Cade McNown....gone, yup, bye bye....) So hello, Mr. X, head coach of the Raiders, prepare to make the important decision of the coaching career with the first 3 months of your tenure....JaMarcus Russell (Culpepper clone) or Brady Quinn (already deemed Mr. Can't Miss and the second coming of Tom Brady)....hmmmm..the choice is yours.
Ok, so here's a quickee on the Raiders
The Challenge: How to motivate a team who motto has degenerated from a commitment to excellence to a commitment to self-serving mediocrity...(poster boy: Randy Moss)...there is no easy-fix in Oakland...the O-line sucks, the WR are unmotivated, and the current stable of QBs is HOPELESS....
the pluses: Defense is NOT your main problem. Rob Ryan, one of Buddy's two def. coordinator sons, turned around an awful defense. The final score of many game might not provide much in the way of hope, but the Raiders D would've been a bigger story had their offense done ANYTHING this season (12 TD in 16 games...gimme a break...Ohio State would've done better)...Lamont Jordan can be a productive centerpiece in the right offense...oh by the way, you have the first pick in the 2007 draft in April, and desperately need a franchise QB - no pressure, just don't fuck this up
the minuses: everything else about the team sucks...
Conclusion: There is a ray of light at the end of the Raiders long slow tunnel to hell - the #1 pick overall...the new coach will be faced with a gigantic decision right out of the chute, and one that will determine the Raiders fate for the oh, say the next 5 years....and whether or not said coach will still be around by then...This is the quintessential Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade choice: and you don't want the fans in the black hole chanting "You Chose Poorly" by the end of Dec....(actually, they'd chant something more like "You Chose the wrong guy fuckhead" but I wanted to maintain the integrity of the metaphor). Think about it...Who was the coach that chose Tim Couch first overall? Can't remember can you? (don't worry neither can I, but I think it was Butch Davis)....Who was Andy Reid (head coach, Philadelphia Eagles) first selection? Donovan McNabb and guess what, Big Red is still prowling the sidelines at the Linc because he stab at the draft wound up scoring the best QB on the '99 board...(what to guess what happened to the coaches who selected Akili Smith, or Cade McNown....gone, yup, bye bye....) So hello, Mr. X, head coach of the Raiders, prepare to make the important decision of the coaching career with the first 3 months of your tenure....JaMarcus Russell (Culpepper clone) or Brady Quinn (already deemed Mr. Can't Miss and the second coming of Tom Brady)....hmmmm..the choice is yours.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Where would you rather coach?
Ok, there are now 4 official job openings in the NFL (there could be more if Al Davis regains consciousness long enough to realize Art Shell actually managed to make the dreadful Raiders even worse...but hey at least they have the top pick in the draft! Right?)
Lets look at the 4:
Atlanta: Jim Mora jr. is OUT after talking about coveting the UW job....
The challenge: Michael Vick is still around, still in love with running the ball and he's got the ear/adoration of owner Arthur Blank; have fun playing third fiddle in the organization, and please harbor no illusions about who is really in charge, it won't be you.
pluses: Blank will pay a LOT, and isn't shy about spending big, the selfless Warrick Dunn is still under contract and Jerious Norwood is an excellent complement. DeAngelo Hall is fast as any DB in the league.
minuses: uh....hmm a tiny offensive line, so you better hope that you run the Denver stretch O...try and see what installing a different offense will get you....you blew your #1 on the Jets John Abraham - a hypochondriac DE who will never play a full season for your team....your other big FA, Edge Hartwell talks a big game at LB but hardly ever shows up when it counts...oh...did I forget to mention, you still have the coach-killa QB Michael Vick...have fun trying to figure out how to a) keep him happy and b) make him the sort of productive QB you can win with....
Conclusion: UGH - Who the hell wants to be the next coach Vick-tim for Atlanta??? Oh, sure they'll find someone, its the NFL for cripes-sake...but Atlanta will never win it all with Vick...it is that simple folks
Arizona: Denny Green is out after failing to take a very talented team to the next level.
The Challenge: Green was a winning coach who could not break the Cards out of the under-achieving way...coming up short seems is as much a part of this club as apples are to Washington, potatoes to Idaho, oranges to Florida...well you get the idea....
pluses: Leinart, Edgerrin, Boldin, Fitzgerald...this team is STACKED at the offensive skill positions....the D is underrated, they have some solid players, but lack something....you've a got a brand new stadium, plenty of revenue, but the Front office lacks something as well....
minuses: Maybe the worst O-line in football...that might be a tad harsh, but they guys sucked ass, dick and whatever else you can think of....they can't run block for shit, and their pass blocking is merely adequate....the something you D lacks: leadership...when it comes to crunch-time they tumble like house of, uh, Cards....that something your Front Office lacks: Brains and passion for football - I believe the Bill Bidwell may be the worst owner in all of football...he's like the consortium that owns the Phillies...satisfied with mediocrity, has been for years...their only concern is the bottom line....
Conclusion: Think about it - The fixes on this team are not as far-fetched as you might believe...if you can navigate/survive one of the least-funded scouting/player personnel departments in the league. Expectation are sky-high....for Arizona....let's be honest...coach this squad to 8-8 and you'll have the locals singing your praises, secure a winning record and Mayor of Phoenix is not out of the question...but will the Bidwell's tolerate you mucking with their license to print money??? Better do that on a budget fella
Miami: Saban fled to Alabama...owner Wayne Huizenga, clearly perturbed, began taking suggestions from the assembled media at the press conference
The Challenge: How to restore the Fins to the playoffs with both Belichick and the Man-genius in your division...
pluses: DE Jason Taylor and LB Zach Thomas appear to have found the fountain of youth in the off-season....um, there are some decent players to build around: Chris Chambers and Ronnie Brown...plus some dude who likes to toke up a lot...Ricky whats-his-name?
minuses: before he left all Saban did was muddy the QB waters in South Florida...Joey Harrington? Daunte Culpepper? jeez-louise....you're screwed....plus your defense is ancient...Nick had a couple of year to put together a run before the warranty expired on the Miami D...that isn't ticking you hear, its the bones of your D-Line clicking as they get dressed for the game...you have to find Ronnie Brown again, he disappeared this season like a cast-member from Invasion...
Conclusion: Could be worse - Wayne H will pay you royally, but may require a pre-nup....finding a QB won't be easy because you pick too high to hope JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn will still be on the board...don't even think about Jeff Garcia unless your name is Marty Mornhinweg...still this team is behind the eight ball...Belichick is well...Belichick and Mangini is building a solid team in NY...Buffalo caught fire too (though I think Jauron is a fraud)...I hear winters are nice in South Florida..
Pittsburgh: Cowher is out at age 49 after 15 years and a SuperBowl victory in 2006...
The Challenge: succeeding the second "legend-enhancing" coach in the storied Steelers history...first Cowher replaced Chuck Noll and did something no one thought he could do...survive...there so some SHOES TO FILL in Pittsburgh...not to mention chins to emulate...
pluses: Great owners who favor stability and back their coach...a good roster...the Steelers stumbled early this year in the post-SB hangover, but rebounded to go 6-2 in the second half...it won't take much to guide this team back to the playoffs
minuses: the pressure..the city and owners expect that the talent on this rosters will be making repeated deep runs into the playoffs, including not just SB appearances but maybe another win...there is no grace period here fella...failing to take this team forward in the first year will have folks questioning your hiring..
Conclusion: Unless your name is Wisenhunt or Grimm, I would imagine that you need not apply...oh, I know the NFL has rules about that sort of thing, so the Rooneys will do their due diligence and have some minority interviews etc....but this team does not need an overhaul at this point, they need (yet another) steady hand...promoting someone from within makes sense for Pittsburgh.
Lets look at the 4:
Atlanta: Jim Mora jr. is OUT after talking about coveting the UW job....
The challenge: Michael Vick is still around, still in love with running the ball and he's got the ear/adoration of owner Arthur Blank; have fun playing third fiddle in the organization, and please harbor no illusions about who is really in charge, it won't be you.
pluses: Blank will pay a LOT, and isn't shy about spending big, the selfless Warrick Dunn is still under contract and Jerious Norwood is an excellent complement. DeAngelo Hall is fast as any DB in the league.
minuses: uh....hmm a tiny offensive line, so you better hope that you run the Denver stretch O...try and see what installing a different offense will get you....you blew your #1 on the Jets John Abraham - a hypochondriac DE who will never play a full season for your team....your other big FA, Edge Hartwell talks a big game at LB but hardly ever shows up when it counts...oh...did I forget to mention, you still have the coach-killa QB Michael Vick...have fun trying to figure out how to a) keep him happy and b) make him the sort of productive QB you can win with....
Conclusion: UGH - Who the hell wants to be the next coach Vick-tim for Atlanta??? Oh, sure they'll find someone, its the NFL for cripes-sake...but Atlanta will never win it all with Vick...it is that simple folks
Arizona: Denny Green is out after failing to take a very talented team to the next level.
The Challenge: Green was a winning coach who could not break the Cards out of the under-achieving way...coming up short seems is as much a part of this club as apples are to Washington, potatoes to Idaho, oranges to Florida...well you get the idea....
pluses: Leinart, Edgerrin, Boldin, Fitzgerald...this team is STACKED at the offensive skill positions....the D is underrated, they have some solid players, but lack something....you've a got a brand new stadium, plenty of revenue, but the Front office lacks something as well....
minuses: Maybe the worst O-line in football...that might be a tad harsh, but they guys sucked ass, dick and whatever else you can think of....they can't run block for shit, and their pass blocking is merely adequate....the something you D lacks: leadership...when it comes to crunch-time they tumble like house of, uh, Cards....that something your Front Office lacks: Brains and passion for football - I believe the Bill Bidwell may be the worst owner in all of football...he's like the consortium that owns the Phillies...satisfied with mediocrity, has been for years...their only concern is the bottom line....
Conclusion: Think about it - The fixes on this team are not as far-fetched as you might believe...if you can navigate/survive one of the least-funded scouting/player personnel departments in the league. Expectation are sky-high....for Arizona....let's be honest...coach this squad to 8-8 and you'll have the locals singing your praises, secure a winning record and Mayor of Phoenix is not out of the question...but will the Bidwell's tolerate you mucking with their license to print money??? Better do that on a budget fella
Miami: Saban fled to Alabama...owner Wayne Huizenga, clearly perturbed, began taking suggestions from the assembled media at the press conference
The Challenge: How to restore the Fins to the playoffs with both Belichick and the Man-genius in your division...
pluses: DE Jason Taylor and LB Zach Thomas appear to have found the fountain of youth in the off-season....um, there are some decent players to build around: Chris Chambers and Ronnie Brown...plus some dude who likes to toke up a lot...Ricky whats-his-name?
minuses: before he left all Saban did was muddy the QB waters in South Florida...Joey Harrington? Daunte Culpepper? jeez-louise....you're screwed....plus your defense is ancient...Nick had a couple of year to put together a run before the warranty expired on the Miami D...that isn't ticking you hear, its the bones of your D-Line clicking as they get dressed for the game...you have to find Ronnie Brown again, he disappeared this season like a cast-member from Invasion...
Conclusion: Could be worse - Wayne H will pay you royally, but may require a pre-nup....finding a QB won't be easy because you pick too high to hope JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn will still be on the board...don't even think about Jeff Garcia unless your name is Marty Mornhinweg...still this team is behind the eight ball...Belichick is well...Belichick and Mangini is building a solid team in NY...Buffalo caught fire too (though I think Jauron is a fraud)...I hear winters are nice in South Florida..
Pittsburgh: Cowher is out at age 49 after 15 years and a SuperBowl victory in 2006...
The Challenge: succeeding the second "legend-enhancing" coach in the storied Steelers history...first Cowher replaced Chuck Noll and did something no one thought he could do...survive...there so some SHOES TO FILL in Pittsburgh...not to mention chins to emulate...
pluses: Great owners who favor stability and back their coach...a good roster...the Steelers stumbled early this year in the post-SB hangover, but rebounded to go 6-2 in the second half...it won't take much to guide this team back to the playoffs
minuses: the pressure..the city and owners expect that the talent on this rosters will be making repeated deep runs into the playoffs, including not just SB appearances but maybe another win...there is no grace period here fella...failing to take this team forward in the first year will have folks questioning your hiring..
Conclusion: Unless your name is Wisenhunt or Grimm, I would imagine that you need not apply...oh, I know the NFL has rules about that sort of thing, so the Rooneys will do their due diligence and have some minority interviews etc....but this team does not need an overhaul at this point, they need (yet another) steady hand...promoting someone from within makes sense for Pittsburgh.
Blogger Slow and a Key to Victory on Sunday
Its been hard to post today, blogger keeps going in and out.
But as the week moves on and the Eagles preparations for Sunday's game vs the Giants pick up steam, I'd like to take a moment to calm everyone down with a simple reminder: playing a third divisional game is always a dicey proposition...there are no tricks, no surprises...these teams are what they are....I agree with Eagles OT Jon Runyan when he says, "If you control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you're probably going to win that game."
The Eagles have a massive advantage with O-line....I watched the second game vs the Giants on NFL Replay and via Game of the Week on iTunes, and the one thing that became painfully obvious: the Giants cannot handle our big boys up front. We just wore 'em out. Buck and Westbrook ran hard and by the 3rd quarter, our guards were routinely putting a hat on Antonio Pierce and the other Giants LBs...they were plum tired when we came onto the field in the 4th qtr and seized control of the game...and who can blame them? I'd be tired too having a fight off 330-340 lbs dudes for 3 hours...
If we can maintain that same intensity and play smart football, we can make the Giants start counting the clock by the time the final 15:00 starts counting down.
But as the week moves on and the Eagles preparations for Sunday's game vs the Giants pick up steam, I'd like to take a moment to calm everyone down with a simple reminder: playing a third divisional game is always a dicey proposition...there are no tricks, no surprises...these teams are what they are....I agree with Eagles OT Jon Runyan when he says, "If you control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, you're probably going to win that game."
The Eagles have a massive advantage with O-line....I watched the second game vs the Giants on NFL Replay and via Game of the Week on iTunes, and the one thing that became painfully obvious: the Giants cannot handle our big boys up front. We just wore 'em out. Buck and Westbrook ran hard and by the 3rd quarter, our guards were routinely putting a hat on Antonio Pierce and the other Giants LBs...they were plum tired when we came onto the field in the 4th qtr and seized control of the game...and who can blame them? I'd be tired too having a fight off 330-340 lbs dudes for 3 hours...
If we can maintain that same intensity and play smart football, we can make the Giants start counting the clock by the time the final 15:00 starts counting down.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
The Face of a Hero
This is the face of a hero (even if he disagrees, and perhaps more so because he does):Wesley Autrey, 50, of Manhattan, was waiting for a train with his two young daughters when he saw a teenager fall off the station platform onto the subway tracks in front of an oncoming train.
He jumped down, but realized he couldn't get the young man up the platform in time, so he got on top of him and pinned in the drainage trough between the rails Tuesday as a southbound No. 1 train entered the 137th Street/City College station.
The engineer spotted the two and applied the emergency brake, but two cars actually passed over the two men....evidently there was about two-inches between Autrey and sure death...
WOW, folks...the world needs more people like Wesley Autrey....
Koy's Back
Ok, so its old news and you probably already heard it elsewhere....look I never professed to be your first stop on all the latest Philly news....
The question is why bring Koy Detmer back? Just for holding on place-kicks? Is it really that important? In a word...YES...Money, or as he's listed on the roster - David Akers - has been short changed this year...When A.J. Feeley became available at a 3rd string QB, the Eagles decided it was time to part ways with long-time holder Koy Detmer...his duties were handed to punter Dirk Johnson late in the pre-season and the timing of our FG attempts has never quite been as smooth. Then when our quietly superb long-snapper, Mike Bartrum, went down with a neck injury...2/3 of the troika that provided steady excellence on special teams had changed....This is not an indictment of either Bartrum replacement, Jon Dorenbos or Dirk....I think they've been adequate...but it makes you realize just how seamless and good the Bartrum-Detmer-Akers combo was, when you see little snafus occur: like the holder putting the laces facing Akers and chip-shot 23-yd FG going awry...
That kinda shit simply CANNOT happen in the post-season...every chance to score is critical...the Eagles are playing strong but they can't go leaving points on the field like they did vs Atlanta...playoff opponents will almost always make you pay for those sorts of mistakes.
If this move helps settle Akers, and contributes to just one smooth, made FG...then its worth it, cause this team was never going to dress Bruce Perry in the post-season (the man who's spot Koy assumed yesterday)
The question is why bring Koy Detmer back? Just for holding on place-kicks? Is it really that important? In a word...YES...Money, or as he's listed on the roster - David Akers - has been short changed this year...When A.J. Feeley became available at a 3rd string QB, the Eagles decided it was time to part ways with long-time holder Koy Detmer...his duties were handed to punter Dirk Johnson late in the pre-season and the timing of our FG attempts has never quite been as smooth. Then when our quietly superb long-snapper, Mike Bartrum, went down with a neck injury...2/3 of the troika that provided steady excellence on special teams had changed....This is not an indictment of either Bartrum replacement, Jon Dorenbos or Dirk....I think they've been adequate...but it makes you realize just how seamless and good the Bartrum-Detmer-Akers combo was, when you see little snafus occur: like the holder putting the laces facing Akers and chip-shot 23-yd FG going awry...
That kinda shit simply CANNOT happen in the post-season...every chance to score is critical...the Eagles are playing strong but they can't go leaving points on the field like they did vs Atlanta...playoff opponents will almost always make you pay for those sorts of mistakes.
If this move helps settle Akers, and contributes to just one smooth, made FG...then its worth it, cause this team was never going to dress Bruce Perry in the post-season (the man who's spot Koy assumed yesterday)
NFL Live Goes a Bit Overboard on the Conference Domination Thing
The AFC beat the NFC handily by way of head-to-head match-ups, but I think Mark Schlereth and Sean Salisbury's diarrhea of the mouth got a little out of hand today. I just watched the little ESPN Motion vid-capture of the show and they said: "ALL SIX AFC playoffs teams could dominate any of the NFC teams...." What....the Jets? The Chiefs...no offense fellas, but I don't think those teams would just naturally dominate the Bears, Saints or Eagles....Can one envision scenarios in which any of the AFC teams beat the NFC more easily than one can see NFC teams like the Seahawks or Giants beating any AFC team? YES....
I, for one, hope the NFC kicks the shit out of the AFC this year....
I, for one, hope the NFC kicks the shit out of the AFC this year....
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
How Can Matt Millen still be employed?
This is baffling me...preparations for the Giants are still a day away, and as expected the first guillotines have already dropped on a few head coaches this year...
Arizona's Denny Green was the first, who "coached" his team consistently enough...constant poor starts and miserable 5-6 win seasons...followed shortly by Jim I-was-just-kidding-about-wanting-to-be-UW's-head-coach Mora Jr. (more on him later)....
And then came the announcement from the Lions....Def Coordinator Henderson - FIRED...O-line Coach Beightol - FIRED...special teams coach GONE....Man ultimately responsible for all football decisions (coaching changes, draft picks, etc), GM Matt Millen, uh...retained??? What the hell? Millen, the utter buffoon who in the past six seasons has managed to accrue an astoundingly poor 24-72 record, a record that may be as permanent a stain as there is in football because it seems very improbably any franchise in the future will tolerate such a prolonged string of ineptitude without ridding itself of the clowns responsible.
I will "never quit" he said as the pink-slips (and not enough of them) got doled around the Ford Center...who gives a shit if your a fighter Matt? We all knew and respected you as a hard-nosed player...we have been equally convinced of your complete and utter inability to manage a football team. Isn't six years of horrid football enough for the Ford family?
When your team "peaks" at 6-10 (enough to secure a third place finish in the four team NFC North in 2004), as the Lions did in year 4 of Millen's ongoing reign of terror against football fans in Detroit then its well past time for a re-assessment...It was time for a wrecking ball to swing through the organizations about two years ago...instead excuses are foisted on the Detroit fans as to why the Lions continue to suck....The best one: 1st year head coach Rod Marinelli firing his Defensive Coordinator Donnie Henderson, reputedly a close friend, because poor Donnie had NO clue how to run the much-ballyhooed Tampa Cover 2 that Rod brought with him from Tampon Bray...
um excuse me, doesn't such a revelation at the end of the season strike anyone else as a little frickin' ODD??? Doesn't it concern anyone in the Detroit Lions organization that their new head coach either kept around or hired a defensive coordinator with NO EXPERIENCE running the type of defense he wanted installed on his team??? We have a word for that, evidently unknown in the environs of Detroit, it is known as NEGLIGENCE....
Finally a word for the Detroit fans, I feel sorry for you. I really do. No team deserves such incompetence. The only silver-lining...the bitingly funny FireMillen.com get to be around for another season...I laughed my ass off at Devil Dog's response to the news that Millen was staying, he wrote:
Arizona's Denny Green was the first, who "coached" his team consistently enough...constant poor starts and miserable 5-6 win seasons...followed shortly by Jim I-was-just-kidding-about-wanting-to-be-UW's-head-coach Mora Jr. (more on him later)....
And then came the announcement from the Lions....Def Coordinator Henderson - FIRED...O-line Coach Beightol - FIRED...special teams coach GONE....Man ultimately responsible for all football decisions (coaching changes, draft picks, etc), GM Matt Millen, uh...retained??? What the hell? Millen, the utter buffoon who in the past six seasons has managed to accrue an astoundingly poor 24-72 record, a record that may be as permanent a stain as there is in football because it seems very improbably any franchise in the future will tolerate such a prolonged string of ineptitude without ridding itself of the clowns responsible.
I will "never quit" he said as the pink-slips (and not enough of them) got doled around the Ford Center...who gives a shit if your a fighter Matt? We all knew and respected you as a hard-nosed player...we have been equally convinced of your complete and utter inability to manage a football team. Isn't six years of horrid football enough for the Ford family?
When your team "peaks" at 6-10 (enough to secure a third place finish in the four team NFC North in 2004), as the Lions did in year 4 of Millen's ongoing reign of terror against football fans in Detroit then its well past time for a re-assessment...It was time for a wrecking ball to swing through the organizations about two years ago...instead excuses are foisted on the Detroit fans as to why the Lions continue to suck....The best one: 1st year head coach Rod Marinelli firing his Defensive Coordinator Donnie Henderson, reputedly a close friend, because poor Donnie had NO clue how to run the much-ballyhooed Tampa Cover 2 that Rod brought with him from Tampon Bray...
um excuse me, doesn't such a revelation at the end of the season strike anyone else as a little frickin' ODD??? Doesn't it concern anyone in the Detroit Lions organization that their new head coach either kept around or hired a defensive coordinator with NO EXPERIENCE running the type of defense he wanted installed on his team??? We have a word for that, evidently unknown in the environs of Detroit, it is known as NEGLIGENCE....
Finally a word for the Detroit fans, I feel sorry for you. I really do. No team deserves such incompetence. The only silver-lining...the bitingly funny FireMillen.com get to be around for another season...I laughed my ass off at Devil Dog's response to the news that Millen was staying, he wrote:
"We’re all cursed.
It’s like Pirates of the Caribbean where we are the pirates looking for the gold pieces to lift our curse, except Millen ate the last gold piece and won't shit it out - now were stuck forever.
Millen sounded off today saying he "will never quit." It is apparent he will never be fired either. I'm so at a loss for words its sickening."
Monday, January 01, 2007
"We Basically Got Beat by Their Back-ups..."
Hee hee, Falcons beat writers are discussing the merciful end to their miserable season at the hands of the Eagles second-string...HA HA HA HA
Read all about it here.
Jim Mora Jr is as good as GONE as Falcons head coach...here's the ringing endorsement Mike Vick gave him: "If something like that were to happen, it wouldn't be tough for me to learn a new system," he said. "If it didn't happen, it's all good."
WOW...can you just feel the love from the Coach-Killa to the wannabe U-Dub sideline prowler???
Donte's revenge:
Wide receiver Donté Stallworth didn't spit in the face of cornerback DeAngelo Hall, as Terrell Owens did a couple weeks back. Stallworth got sweeter revenge on the trash-talking Falcon. "I'm wearing a division-title cap and DeAngelo Hall isn't," Stallworth said. According to Stallworth, Hall talked a lot of smack during the game. "He called me a bum," Stallworth said. "He kept saying he's been to two Pro Bowls and I haven't been to any. Well, this bum is going to be in the playoffs next week while that two-time Pro Bowler is out on the golf course or somewhere."
You tell him Donte' and here to hopin' we resign ya...Stallworth is one hard-workin' dude. And you know what else...he's QUIET too, doesn't yap, just hustles his ass off and does his job.
Read all about it here.
Jim Mora Jr is as good as GONE as Falcons head coach...here's the ringing endorsement Mike Vick gave him: "If something like that were to happen, it wouldn't be tough for me to learn a new system," he said. "If it didn't happen, it's all good."
WOW...can you just feel the love from the Coach-Killa to the wannabe U-Dub sideline prowler???
Donte's revenge:
Wide receiver Donté Stallworth didn't spit in the face of cornerback DeAngelo Hall, as Terrell Owens did a couple weeks back. Stallworth got sweeter revenge on the trash-talking Falcon. "I'm wearing a division-title cap and DeAngelo Hall isn't," Stallworth said. According to Stallworth, Hall talked a lot of smack during the game. "He called me a bum," Stallworth said. "He kept saying he's been to two Pro Bowls and I haven't been to any. Well, this bum is going to be in the playoffs next week while that two-time Pro Bowler is out on the golf course or somewhere."
You tell him Donte' and here to hopin' we resign ya...Stallworth is one hard-workin' dude. And you know what else...he's QUIET too, doesn't yap, just hustles his ass off and does his job.
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