3/29/2009

'Nova heading to Detroit

Get used to watching this highlight...

3/25/2009

A New Eagle Must Land



We are now entering the month of the Draft and the Eagles have yet to make an eye-opening acquisition this off-season. I can only imagine Donovan McNabb’s thoughts the past month as he has watched long-time teammates and talent depart for new teams with little to no replacements filing on to the roster. This doesn’t mean the Eagles were wrong in letting go of their locker room leader, a massive offensive tackle, and a marijuana craving running back--in fact these were the right moves. We can’t possibly be angry at the front office with these decisions simply because they have proven to let players go at exactly the right time. Remember Corey Simon? Troy Vincent? Bobby Taylor? Stallworth? Trotter? But where are the replacements? Where is the new talent that supposedly will put this team over their NFC Championship misery and on to the Superbowl? 40 million under the cap! 12 draft picks! Having this type of ammunition leaves no excuses for the front office to not make a big time move. Maybe they are waiting to get closer to the draft? Maybe there is a deal in the works right now, but what reason is there to believe Joe Banner and Andy Reid will slip into their 2004 mindset and do something smart for a change? The next step is right in front of them—Boldin, Braylon Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, LAND ONE OF THEM!

And the Race is On…


By Theo Williams

Before March, 9th 2009 fans and spectators of the NBA were involved in a heated debate about which NBA superstar would win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. Before March 9th, 2009 Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were entwined, not only in a race for the NBA’s MVP award, but also in a race for regular season supremacy and home court advantage through out the playoffs. Then came March 9th, 2009…….

“Here at the American Airlines Arena the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls are tied 127-127 in double overtime with: 11 left to go and Chicago coming out of a timeout. The Bulls inbound the ball to John Salmons, who looks like he will hold the ball for the final shot. Salmons at the top of the key….Ten seconds…..Eight seconds….Six seconds, Salmons drives toward the basket on Mario Chalmers. Salmons cuts back, and Dwayne Wade out of NOWHERE with the steal with: 03 left to go!!! : 02 left, Wade for the win, has to settle for the Three……IT’S GOOD!!!! IT’S GOOD!!!! The Miami Heat win the game off of the Dwayne Wade Three Pointer!!!! Oh man, we are watching one of the great players in the history of the NBA…”

Dwayne Wade ended up finishing that game with 48 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Not only is this when D-Wade officially placed himself squarely in the discussion for who is the NBA’s league MVP, this is when D-Wade etched himself into the frontal consciousness of the average NBA fan. No one had seemed to noticed that the former NBA Finals MVP had been ranked either 1st or 2nd in scoring (currently 1st) for the majority of the season, not to mention overall efficiency rating (currently 3rd). Or, how about the fact that he has taken a team full of journeymen and rookies, essentially, who last year struggled to accumulate 15 wins, to being the 5th seeded team currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture… So it took a dramatic double overtime, game winning steal and a buzzer beating three point shot, plus a Jordanesque stat line in order for him to even have the privilege of simply entering the discussion of League MVP.

Now, I’m not trying to deny that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both have their own legit arguments as to why they should be the NBA’s MVP. Both, Kobe and LeBron are on teams that have the NBA’s best records, both with Conference leading squads (Cleveland 2.5 gms better overall than L.A. but The Lakers hold the tie breaker if one is needed). LeBron is currently 2nd in the league for scoring (28.6), 10th in the NBA for assists (7.3 apg) and leads the league in Efficiency rating (which is used to figure out a players overall production while on the court using an assortment of stats and formulas). Not to mention the fact that he is an absolute physical anomaly, reportedly at 6’8” and 270 lbs, with an improving jump shot to the point where he can now hit three pointers from Lake Erie. There is no question he is seen as the future of the league by most of the writers and MVP voters, and you can’t be the future without MVP(s).

Then there is the reigning league MVP Kobe Bean Bryant. At the start of the season, and even immediately following the All Star break, Kobe and the Lake Show had looked to be the premier team in the NBA, vanquishing both teams, at home, that presumptuously stood in their way of an NBA title. Those teams naturally included the team that had defeated them in the NBA Finals the year before, the Boston Celtics and the then undefeated at home Cleveland Cavaliers. But statistically speaking, in my opinion, Kobe isn’t in the conversation. He’s behind both Wade and LeBron, in scoring (27.7 ppg), assist (1.83 apg), and efficiency (24.8). And, in the case of assist, Kobe “Ballhog” Bryant doesn’t even rank in the top 30; meanwhile both Wade and LeBron are in the top 10, respectively.

So where does that leave us? It leaves us with the two shining stars from the talent draped ’03 draft class, LBJ & D-Wade, The King & The Flash, Lebron James & Dwayne Wade… With a little over 10 games left to play in the season its anybody's guess as to which of the two will walk away with the coveted MVP award. My guess is it's going to end up being presented to LeBron James, considering the fact that Cleveland is in prime position to have the best record overall in the NBA and home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and that’s fine and well. But, when I consider the fact that the Miami Heat are a far less talented team (journeymen and rookies), that barely scrapped together 15 wins last season, plus a rookie head coach, minus an inside presence, until Jermaine “The Big Slouch” O’Neal showed up by way of a trade for their no. 2 scorer in Shawn Marion, and they are currently sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference standings??? Please, given Dwayne Wade being in the top 10 in practically every meaningful statistical category, I personally think it would be absolutely ludicrous for this years NBA MVP award to be anywhere else, than in Wade County.

3/10/2009

Don't write bad things about the Eagles on Facebook

Especially if you work for the team, it cost this man his job.

Here's a spot he did for Fox in Philadelphia.

3/07/2009

Geoff Geary reflects on the Phillies in a positive light, but the fans are a different story

Brian McTaggert of the Houston Chronicle wrote a story on Geoff Geary and his thoughts on the Phillies. The former Phillie reliever talked about what it was like watching them make their World Series run last year, but also discusses the fan base.

Here's an excerpt.

“My last year before I got traded, there were fans who were threatening my life and threatening other people, saying they were going to follow me home and beat up my fiancĂ©e at the time,” he said. “Most of the fans are supportive, but the drunks and the people that are obnoxious, those are the ones that are like rabid dogs.”

3/02/2009

Are we witness to a rebuild?


By Tim McManus

The news has been fast and furious, and your head is probably spinning much like mine is (how could it not after being blindsided by the Dawkins news, right?).

But let's take a step back and evaluate what's going on around us.

We headed into free agency under the impression that at least one of the tackles and certainly Brian Dawkins would be retained; that Donovan McNabb had a good shot at getting an extension; and that, aided by McNabb's strong stance, the Eagles would finally cave and bring in some playmakers.

Headlines read: Expect Thomas/Dawkins to be signed soon, and Eagles front-runners for Boldin.

To this point, everything that we've been told is dead wrong.

Jon Runyan is as good as gone, and according to Derrick Gunn's report, Tra Thomas might soon be a Jaguar. Buckhalter gone. The big one - Brian Dawkins gone. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is heading West. Anquan Boldin remains in Arizona. McNabb and the Eagles appear to be as far as ever from seeing eye to eye, and according to Michael Smith, No. 5 may be ready to pull the trigger on a trade demand.

Nearly every piece to the puzzle so far fits in the category of rebuild mode, no?

Younger along the offensive line. Younger in the secondary. Disposal of the man representative of the old guard in B-Dawk.

It's been at a frenetic pace since the clock struck midnight on free-agent Friday. Slow it down, and all this activity looks a lot like a youth movement.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh won't be an Eagle

It was just reported on SportsCenter that free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed a five year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Mike Greenberg was able to interview him live on air, and here's a little bit on what he said.

Why the Seahawks?

"I just felt like it was the best destination, the best team and the best choice for me. It just felt right. I like Coach Moore, I like Matt Hasselbeck, and I look forward to it. I'm fortunate because I played with a good quarterback in Carson Palmer, and I get to play with another good quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck. They've been successful year in and year out. They had a down year last year, but in the last five or six years they've been in first."

Thoughts on Matt Hasselbeck?

"When you mention the best QBs in the NFL, when he's healthy, you're going to mention him."

So there's already one WR off the market, let's now see how the Eagles approach Boldin.