The Eagles’ Newest Weapon Could Turn The Tide In The NFC East

On Monday the Eagles filled a vital gap in their offense, acquiring 25-year-old wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth from the New Orleans Saints for backup linebacker Mark Simoneau and a conditional fourth-round draft pick. One of the most noticeable blemishes on the Eagles roster was the lack of a legitimate number one receiver. With the injury to Todd Pinkston and the hole that Terrell Owens left, the position of number one receiver left much to be desired in the Eagles offense.

Stallworth helps fill the gap of the new Eagles’ go-to guy. He was the number two receiver behind Joe Horn with the Saints but had better numbers and he is clearly going to be the most proficient receiver on the Eagles team with 70 receptions for 945 yards last season. In comparison, the Eagles top receiver Reggie Brown recorded only 43 receptions for 571 yards last year.

Donte’ Stallworth is a big play receiver with 12 of his 23 career touchdown receptions worth 20 yards or more. He was traded as a result of this being his last year under contract with the Saints, who are relying on developing younger talent at the receiver position and sought to get something in return for Stallworth whose value is at its highest point before the season officially starts.

This is a great deal for the Eagles who were alleged to be looking closely for a receiver in Denver’s Ashley Lelie, and as of late, New England’s Deion Branch. It is rumored that the exchange for 2004 Super bowl MVP Branch would require a number one draft pick to the Patriots, which is a hefty price to pay for any player regardless of how their receiving corps has been depleted.

With Stallworth changing the face of the Eagles receivers, eyes will now be placed on which current receiver will be cut from the team by Saturday, September 2nd (the NFL’s final cut day for teams to make the mandatory roster size of 53). Despite Andy Reid’s love affair with Todd Pinkston — the long time notoriously fragile Eagle is made to be the odd man out since the role of speedy number one receiver has been filled by Stallworth. It is reported by ESPN.com that Pinkston and his agent Joel Segal were given permission to seek a trade to another team. Another option is cutting third-year Eagle Greg Lewis who proved to be a capable third receiver but couldn’t make the grade last year when he was put into a larger role in the offense.

Training camp standout rookie Hank Baskett and rookie Jason Avant will either be on the bench or assigned to the Eagles’ practice squad while Darnerien McCants and Jabar Gaffney will likely become bench players and be rotated in according to the receiver sets.

If Donte’ Stallworth works out to his potential, and Donovan McNabb continues his great play into the regular season; the Eagles will again be making a run at the top of their division. With the New York Giants looking inconsistent and the Washington Redskins playing terrible football in the preseason, a fading rivalry buried deep in the skin of every Eagles fan could be renewed with vigor.

Looking excellent without Terrell Owens, the Dallas Cowboys could easily be the only factor keeping the Eagles from another division title. Either way, Eagles’ fans will be waiting with their new weapon Donte’ Stallworth and a new found confidence in their ‘sleeper’ team.

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

Photo by AP Photo/George Widman

Gagne Contract Status Still Uncertain: Should Flyers Fans Be Worried?

In the old NHL, the Flyers, specifically Bobby Clarke, would have picked up an A-list free agent to make up for the possible loss of Peter Forsberg to injury. With training camp just around the corner, this off season was a first for Flyers fans who are still getting used to the NHL’s new salary cap.

Unfortunately, the new NHL limits spending which leads to the number one question Flyers’ fans are asking coming into the new season: “Why haven’t the Flyers signed Simon Gagne? And is it time to panic?” The initial reaction is that the ownership is being cheap; not throwing out the big bucks for a legitimate star, but that is far from the truth.

In the old NHL there is no doubt that the Flyers would pay Gagne, believing that he deserves a big pay day coming off a team-leading 47-goal season. In the new NHL this problem is a little more difficult to solve. Gagne’s agent Bob Sauve is looking for a deal around 3 years/$15 million, similar to the contract one Alex Tanguay, a 30 goal scorer for the Calgary Flames (whom Suave is also an agent for) signed. This deal would provide Gagne with roughly $5 million a year, which creates some tricky arithmetic.

The NHL salary cap is at $44 million and the Flyers currently have roughly $40 million against it, leaving only 4 million maximum to spend on Gagne. This doesn’t mean the Flyers will be unable to sign Gagne, but what it does mean is that the Flyers’ roster needs some finagling and questions need to be answered to acquire the money under the cap to ink Simon.

It has been rumored that Antero Nittymaki is going to be the Flyers’ weight-bearing goalie this season, which will leave Robert Esche disgruntled since he has great distaste for sitting on the bench. Dealing Esche could be a way to relieve pressure on the salary cap but the problem with putting a goalie on the market so early on in the new season is that goalie value is extremely low. Teams want to see what they get out of their young talent and have confidence in their current situations. The value for goalies rises during the season as injuries mount and the season goes on because the team’s confidence in their net minder drops. Relieving Esche’s contract may become more likely as the season progresses but a deal early on in the season might not be out of the question if Clarke hears a good offer.

Keith Primeau is also a contractual question mark. Lately Primeau has been practicing and looking like his old self. “He looks like a man ready to play,” says coach Ken Hitchcock. Regardless of a few post-concussion relapses he had, Keith seems to be playing well, though he could be one game time hit from another long injured reserve trip or possibly early retirement. If Primeau cannot recover fully and decides to retire, his $3 million dollar contract will be lifted from the Flyers salary cap, leaving enough room to sign Gagne.

If Keith does make a full recovery however, it will leave the Flyers’ roster very forward heavy even with the experimentation of Sami Kapanen playing consistent defense. The excess of forwards should force the Flyers to make a move to get rid older players with relatively big contracts such as Petr Nedved and Turner Stevenson; but finding a buyer for them would require Clarke to put on an award winning performance that would be nothing less than artful and magnificent.

The Flyers expect Gagne to be in camp on time and to not start a hold-out like Colorado Avalanche restricted star Marek Svatos has stated he would do if not signed. Holding-out hasn’t become a habit among NHL players yet, but with a salary cap, roster situations could soon go the way of the NFL and any player unhappy with their current contract will put pressure on the organization to make a deal by skipping out of training camp.

With the recent success of a similar restricted free agent in Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins signing a 5-year 23.75 million dollar contract, Gagne’s camp, along with Flyers fans, should be optimistic that a deal will be made before Simon becomes a unrestricted free agent — regardless of the trade rumors swirling about involving Gagne for Peter Forsberg’s childhood friend and Swedish teammate Markus Nasland in Vancouver.

The situation may look dire from a fans point-of-view but it’s just going to take some stalling by Bobby Clarke, the lowball offers the Flyers already put on the table, and some ironing out of salary cap issues, that in time, will paint a clear picture of how Clarke will free up Gagne’s cash.

*UPDATE – 09/06/06
Gagne and Clarke continue to be at odds over a multi year contract. Gagne’s agent Bob Sauve has made it clear Simon will holdout of camp or maybe longer if a deal is not reached. Gagne and his agent have clearly stated he would like to remain a Flyer regardless of whether he holds out or not. The more time Gagne misses out of camp the more likely it will be that he gets moved to a team with adaquit cap space — though the Flyers DO NOT want to take those actions, it is a growing possibility.

*UPDATE – 09/11/06 
On Monday both Gagne and the Flyers agreed to a five-year, $26.25M deal which averts a major problem as Gagne will now show to camp.  It still seems likely the Flyers will have to move some players to relieve money against the cap.

Photo by Getty Images

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

Phils’ New Attitude Translates Into Wins

Rarely does one see a player like Pat Burrell outstretch–putting his body on the line to make a game saving catch, or charge an opposing catcher to break up a play at the plate. On Monday, Phillies fans got to see that and more from Burrell against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. To many Phillies fans, Burrell is known for his listless play on the field and at the plate and has the most unmemorable 23 home runs and 73 RBI’s on the team.

Burrell never stood far from criticism. The University of Miami star represented the lackluster, paycheck-collecting attitude that fans in Philadelphia came to resent of the Phillies. After Bobby Abreu and David Bell were sent out of town prior to the trade deadline, a different Phillies team emerged behind players such as Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Aaron Rowand.

The new style Phillies have been producing an colossal amount of offense going 14-7 in August, outscoring opponents 143 to 97. On this gritty hot streak, Dave Dellucci and Shane Victorino have played the majority of the games in the outfield, leaving Pat Burrell the odd man out. Pat said that he was not happy with his time on the bench, but in mid-August got a chance at daily play again because of Dave Dellucci’s minor muscle injury. The Philadelphia fans relentlessly and noticeably booed every strike-out or bad swing Burrell made, for he represents the erroneous, easy going, losing Phillies of the past few years that didn’t get traded by the deadline.

After the weekend series with the Washington Nationals, the Phillies flew into Chicago to play the hapless Cubs. Pat Burrell came into the series like a man on fire, making two uncharacteristically gritty plays and having one of his best games in recent history. Not doing especially well statistically (going one for three with a walk), in the top of the fourth inning Pat barreled home on an Abe Nunez hit, forearming the Cubs catcher Henry Blanco out of the way causing the ball to hit the backstop, allowing Aaron Rowand to score easily. Burrell also made a full extension diving-grab in the seventh inning which turned out to be the first crucial out in a big comeback inning from the Cubs who cut the Phillies lead to two, making it 5 to 3.

The way Pat Burrell played on Monday carried over into the second game against the Cubs. Pat had a mediocre night at the plate going one for four with two RBI’s, but was noticeably hustling to first base after contact with much resemblance to the jolting Phils’ Chase Utley never allows himself to be an easy out.

If Pat Burrell continues his hard play and hustle on this road trip, the relentless booing should stop, and fans should applaud and respect his effort when he returns to Philly regardless of how they feel about his past. If Pat and the Phillies continue playing this “Chase Utley” style of baseball for the rest of the season, and the Phillies win the wild card, the Phillies organization could easily wash the loser mystique, along with ill effort from their reputation, showing the fans a new team attitude and a good product to sell.

Philly fans not only respect hard play and hustle from their teams, but fall in love with players who may not have all the talent or skill but consider winning a priority over everything—including health.

Just ask Aaron Rowand what’s important.

Photo by Jeff Roberson / AP

Steelers’ Duce Could Be Loose On The Market

Friday’s preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field will match up the Philadelphia Eagles against the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Philadelphia fans will likely see the last time starters for both teams will play this preseason, along with seeing an awful lot of an old friend. Former Eagles running back Duce Staley makes a return to Philadelphia—but not with the same status that he or the Pittsburgh Steelers would hope he would bring back to Philly this preseason.

With the retirement of Jerome Bettis, the Steelers have an opening for a burly back to be the thunder to running back Willie Parker’s lightning. Staley was supposed to assume that role alongside Bettis when he came to Pittsburgh in 2004, but after only recording a total of 978 rushing yards in his two seasons with the Steelers (with only 148 yards in the 2005 season because of a hamstring injury), Staley is on the hot seat in the steel city for not only a starting spot, but a roster spot.

What the Steelers organization and fans expected from Staley was the player who recorded over 1000 yards in 2002 for the Eagles, but they are getting much less. Staley has been a sideline staple, not dressing for games as a result of injury. He is healthy but has looked extremely sluggish and slow in camp this season. Many observers believe he looks overweight (rumored to have gained 15 plus pounds) and rusty from missing most of the 2005 season.

In the Steelers first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Duce rushed behind the Steelers backup squad, picking up only 14 yards on seven attempts. His poor running was noticeable to many, including Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cower who soon after said that Duce would play a more significant role running behind the starting offensive line in the second preseason game. This was clearly a move so the Steelers’ coaching staff could see more out of Staley, whose poor running of late could simply of been an anomaly caused by rust or a trend caused by aging. Unfortunately for Staley and the Steelers, it appeared to be the latter.

Five days after the first preseason game in Arizona, the Steelers played their home opener against the Minnesota Vikings, giving Duce a chance to prove that he can move like his old self. Willie Parker, the Steelers’ starting running back came out after one series leaving Duce the remaining time with the starting offensive line. Duce’s production against the Vikings was similar to his first preseason game netting only 15 yards on five carries. On the plus side, he showed that he still had excellent blocking skills, making some key blocks on pass plays.

The lack of potency shown by Staley is accentuated by the fact that there are younger backs also in line for Jerome Bettis’ spot, and they are faring much better early on than Duce. Tailback Verron Haynes is the player who is planned to challange Staley for the short yardage, second back position, but the bigger challange has been from a relative unknown, 6′, 255-pound fullback named John Kuhn. Kuhn, who was a star rusher at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, was an undrafted free agent who spent all of last year on the Steelers’ practice squad. He spent the entire third quarter against the Vikings playing as tailback and had eight rush attempts for 30 yards. On one rush, Kuhn tied Staley’s total yards for the game by rushing for 11 yards on one play. Playing Kuhn at tailback instead of his practice position at fullback enabled Steelers’ coaches to see if Kuhn had what it would take to be the short yardage goal line replacement for the retired Bettis. If they believe a younger, less expensive player like Kuhn could replace the legendary “bus,” Duce Staley could be without a job by the end of camp.

The next two preseason games for Staley are going to be important for him to show he still has what it takes to be a go-to running back in the NFL, and there is no better place for him to show it than his former home at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. If Staley continues his decline and gets cut from the Steelers’ roster, Philadelphia may wonder: could Duce return to Philly? The Eagles are in desperate need of a short yardage back and depth in the backfield, they also have been actively pursuing a running back, notably trying out former Carolina Panthers rusher, Stephen Davis. The Eagles also have the strange habit of accepting back old players on the cheap who have left the organization in pursuit of a big contract, only to return with hat in hand and something to prove.

With the right motivation and a chance to be a factor in the offense, as far fetched as it sounds, a motivated Staley could be a nice fit on this Eagles team as selective role-player. But don’t tell that to Dorsey Levens—he might be waiting for a call.

No Huddle? No Problem For The Birds

The Eagles third preseason game against the new look Baltimore Ravens was more exciting in the first two quarters than the first two preseason games. The Eagles tried the first few series using a no huddle offense to keep the Ravens defense off guard. Using the no huddle was an aggressive stance taken by Andy Reid to possibly add another dimension to the Eagles’ attack.
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Correll Buckhalter
Correll Buckhalter has not played a regular season game of football since the Eagles lost the NFC Championship game 14-3 to the Carolina Panthers. Not a particularly good taste to leave in ones’ mouth. Two destructive knee injuries caused Buckhalter to miss the 2004 and 2005 season; no one expected him to make the team this season let alone be a factor in the offense. This preseason game against the Ravens was Buckhalter’s first real game action in quite some time so getting out of it without a season-ending injury would be considered a success. It took Buckhalter a few touches before he loosened up, enough to catch a shuffle pass from Donovan McNabb and fly down the field for 48 yards and almost a score. There was excellent blocking downfield and Buckhalter made a good cut back to utilize a nice block from LJ Smith.  Correll was never considered as a factor on the Eagles team this season, but if he stays healthy, a two-headed monster could form which would keep Westbrook fresh, and give the Eagles much needed depth in the backfield.

Brian Dawkins
There is no doubt that Brian Dawkins brings it every night regardless of whether the game counts or not. After the Ravens offense leaned on the Eagles defense and crept down the field, Dawkins made a hard hit to tackle Jamal Lewis, waking him up. Brian recorded a team high seven tackles and it appeared that there was two of him on the field in the first half. He made a big third down play batting down a ball that was almost intercepted, and made an over the back move in the second series to jar loose a ball that would have been a crucial first down. If single handedly stopping two offensive drives wasn’t enough, once the Eagles’ Jevon Kearse finally got pressure on Baltimore quarterback Steve McNair, causing him to fumble, Dawkins was the one who jumped onto the ball, ending a successful Ravens drive. He also flashed some his bowling skills in the celebration of the turnover.

Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney has been a big disappointment so far in training camp. One of the Eagles major off season moves, Gaffney has shown none of the flare he had being the Houston Texans number one receiver. Much of Gaffney’s disappearance is thought to be because of the difficulty to learn the Eagles complex offensive system, this is the same problem thought to be what caused talented receiver Darnerien McCants’ to struggle so much last season. The plus side is after a year in the system McCants’ seems to be getting the hang of it, impressing the coaches and most likely earning a spot on the crowded Eagles receiving corp. This will most likely happen with a talented Gaffney as well and may have already started. In the past week of training camp, Gaffney has shown vast improvements and is starting to stand out among the many youngsters also learning. Though it was only against Ravens Backups, Gaffney made a team leading 4 receptions for 38 yards finally getting his name on the stat sheet. Hopefully Gaffney excels quicker than he is because it is not likely the Eagles will cut him and the Birds need as much help as they can get.

No Penalties
Last weeks game against the Cleveland Browns was extremely slow in the first half due to immense penalties. This was clearly assessed by Andy Reid who had his starting players mentally prepared for this game against the Ravens. Instead of Eagles sloppy play, Baltimore was the sloppy team helping the Eagles continue drives down the field and grinding their own drives to a halt.

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Linebackers
The Baltimore offense attempted to pick apart the Eagles linebackers by throwing short slants and running it down their throat, and for the most part they were successful. When the defensive line is having trouble filling run gaps, it is the inside linebackers’ job to step up and close them. Jeremiah Trotter is the leader out there and he was nowhere to be found when the Ravens were driving down the field. The linebackers missed tackles and seemed to be slightly out of position on both run and pass plays. Lets hope the bad play was an anomaly and not a trend or this team could have a problem with giving up first downs.

Ryan Moats
Ryan Moats is coming off a breakout year, filling in for an injured Brian Westbrook in the middle of the 2005 season. Moats was supposed to be part of a backfield system with himself taking most of the carries and Westbrook playing mostly wide out. Something has gone wrong. After a knee injury Moats suffered early in training camp, his comeback has been ugly. Suddenly a fumble problem has popped up and Moats has become a liability rather than the quick asset he was supposed to be. Not looking particularly good in camp the past few weeks Moats played most of the second half against the Ravens, carrying the ball seven times for only seven yards and one costly fumble.

Starting Wide Receivers
An obvious problem coming into the season was the lack of talent at wide receiver. If the Birds stick to the west coast short yardage catch system they should be okay with what they have as long as the receivers can hold onto the ball. What the Eagles offense tried to do in the first two series was be aggressive and go for longer passes, and what became quickly blatant was that the Eagles receivers could not get any distance between them and the Raven’s secondary. Aside from a questionable 33 yard pass interference call on Samari Rolle, the only real movement through the air was to tight end LJ Smith and big play to runningback Correll Buckhalter.

Overall the Eagles starting squads looked solid. The Baltimore Ravens are the best team the Eagles faced so far in the preseason and they did a pretty good job keeping their offense in check.  Even though the Eagles’ defense appeared leaky at times, it is still preseason and adjustments can be made. McNabb was able to drive with ease down the field on what used to be a mythical Raven defense. A good sign for fans is that the Birds are still scoring points and driving the ball without their most dangerous weapon Brian Westbrook. With his return the offense should get even better at moving the ball which should be entertaining to watch.

The next Eagles game will be Friday August 25th, against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

Photo By Chris Gardner / AP

Where In The World Is The NHL’s Next Star?

Has anyone seen Evgeni Malkin? The Russian phenom went missing from his Russian Super League team Metallurg Magnitogorsk after leaving for their training camp in Finland and never arriving at the teams’ destination. What makes this disappearing act interesting is that Malkin is under contract for one more year but desperately wants to play in the NHL, particularly with the team who drafted him in 2004; the Pittsburgh Penguins, to prove himself at the highest level of hockey.

Contracts in Russia can be voided at a simple two weeks given notice, so the real reason the Russian Ice Hockey Federation won’t let go of the young talent is money, in particular a transfer payment. In June of 2006, Russian hockey refused to sign a transfer deal with the NHL that was approved in 2005 by the International Ice Hockey Federation. The deal was for hockey teams to have to pay a flat transfer fee agreed upon in the deal to the team of the player sought after internationally. Much like the way international soccer works, teams can not trade player for player, but rather they can trade a player for a hefty transfer fee.

The difference between hockey transfer fees and the way international soccer works, is that the transfer fee for Malkin or any international player was at a measly $200,000. Transfer fees in soccer are made on a player to player basis, so the transfer fee will be more expensive according to the level of athlete pursued and this is what is causing the problem in Malkin’s case.

Russian hockey believes they should be getting a lot more for Malkin than what they are being offered, since he is a potential superstar. By not signing the transfer agreement, they are disallowing Russian hockey players to leave to play for the NHL. This is where the story gets interesting.

Russian news sources said that Malkin disappeared with his passport and Canadian visa and they speculate that the Pittsburgh Penguins may have been in cahoots with Malkin in leaving for North America. Since there is no transfer agreement in place, Russian hockey is suing the NHL for what they believe is stealing a player. This lawsuit is almost identical to the one over Alexander Ovechkin which was decided by a U.S. court in favor of the NHL.

Regardless of these international theatrics, the 20-year-old Malkin is worth the trouble the NHL and Pittsburgh Penguins are going through to acquire him. He was drafted second overall behind Alexander Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL draft and is the highest rated prospect outside of the NHL currently. He was ranked the fourth best prospect in the world in 2005 behind Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Dion Phaneuf who were all Calder Trophy nominees for the NHL’s best rookie. Malkin is 6′3, 186 lbs and has incredibly good vision and passing ability, he plays both ends of the ice and has a great locker room personality. Assuming he joins the NHL for the 2006-2007 season, he will be highly regarded as the frontrunner to win the Calder Trophy.

Former NHL and current Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s coach Dave King coached the young French Canadian Mario Lemieux as a prospect at the 1983 World Junior Championships, and is the current coach for Evgeni Malkin. King compared Malkin’s talents with a young Lemieux “Both Malkin and Lemieux, when he was young, had the ability to steal the puck at any time and be gone. It’s something you don’t teach.” King also compares Malkin’s physical 6 foot 3 frame with Lemieux’s 6 foot 4, and says Malkin has the ability to take over a game completely, much like Mario could when he was young.

In the upcoming seasons, the influx of young talent like Malkin’s will continue to pour into the NHL, and with the news of the Carolina Hurricanes ticket sales surging after a Stanley cup win, more teams will try harder to acquire the talent needed to make a winner, and the Penguins are almost there.

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

Photo by Jeff Gross / Getty Images

A Winning Culture Could Plant The Seed Of Change for the Phillies

Another August for Philadelphia sports, and for the Phillies the routine is much the same. It seems as if this time every year the Phils are making an interesting run at a playoff spot. Since the Phillies never distance themselves too far from a .500 average record and the National League is mediocre at best, they are always in the race for the wildcard, but what puts them in contention for the final playoff spot is the same reason they haven’t made the playoffs in 13 years.

A reoccurring theme in the final two months of baseball in Philadelphia seems to be a crucial series against a wildcard rival. The Phillies manage to pull within an arms’ reach of actually being an above average team but when the wins are most important, players don’t seem to show up to the ballpark. Whether it’s the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves, or Houston Astros, the Phils just can’t seem play well against successful teams when it counts. The difference between a winning and losing team is determined by who can win important games, and who can win in close games. In the past few seasons, the Phillies have not been able to add either of those key ingredients to win, but this year may be different from the previous.

The wildcard-leading Cincinnati Reds came to Citizens Bank Park this weekend only 3 games ahead of the Phillies for the final playoff spot. This was the most important series for the Phils playoff hopes since the All-Star break against someone other than the New York Mets. Much like other seasons’ big games, the Phils’ pitching was less than superb and leads by the home team were not preserved. But what makes this series different from the others is that the Phillies just kept coming back. After Tom Gordon, the Phillies’ closer, blew the lead or tie in two straight games, the Phils didn’t quit like they did in years passed when Billy Wagner did the same against the Houston Astros. They came back at the bottom of the inning and made things interesting by making clutch offensive plays.

Regardless of the losses in the Reds series and the clear problems they continue to have with pitching and leaving men on base, the Phillies players kept up a winning persona and that may be the most important ingredient that has lacked in the Phillies organization.

On the field problems are relatively easy to fix. For example, the bullpen gave up runs too easily after the Phillies managed to scrap together a lead, and too many costly strikeouts in key situations left men on base that would have put away a team like the Reds. A General Manager can always improve the teams statistics by transactions: picking up bullpen help or replacing high strike out players, but a winning attitude and hard playing need to be created by the entire team.

All is not lost for this season. The rest of the schedule is highly in favor of the Phils who play the majority of their games away, but against inferior sub .500 teams. Besides the 11 games against the surging Mets, the Phils play seven against the hapless Chicago Cubs and nine against the young Florida Marlins, but for anyone still with hope in the Phillies making it to the playoffs, they play an important six games in September against the Houston Astros who have been quietly creeping up into the wildcard race.

Should the Astros hit a hot streak, they could easily be atop the wildcard standings when its time to face the Phillies. The Phils might not have enough to win a playoff spot, but if they achieve a consistent winning attitude, the decisive games down the stretch will be fun to watch and next season will be optimistic.

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

The Eagles Show Depth In First Pre-Season Win

The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Cleveland Browns and Kellen Winslow in the first National Football League game of the 2006 season at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philly. After the first pre-season game where the Eagles starters looked sharp on both sides of the ball the question of the off-season are being answered while panic and prayer are setting in over injuries. For most of the teams in the NFL this weekend is the start of their pre-season, but for the Eagles this is their second game in only five days.

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The Receivers
Hank Baskett won the hearts, minds, and hopes of all fans in Philadelphia who considered the trade featuring him for Billy McMullen, a nothing for nothing deal. Baskett is the biggest surprise in training camp so far, showing that not only can he make the team but also get substantial playing time. On the first drive Baskett caught two passes from Donovan McNabb, one of which was a 33 yard pass that couldn’t have been better received by the rookie from New Mexico. Along with Darnerien McCants’ wide open 32 yard touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia, the receivers had quite a nice night. A large worry coming into the season is the receivers and if they have enough talent and quickness for an effective offense. What the pre-season has proved thus far is that under Andy Reid’s system an these receivers can be extremely effective if they continue to catch and hold on to the ball and if McNabb continues to hit them with short accurate passes.

Jeff Garcia
Jeff Garcia has been relatively disappointing since being acquired in the off season. He is not having a particularly good camp and suffered horribly in the Hall of Fame game going five for 10 for only 43 yards and an interception. He was off target with his passes and jittery in the backfield. Garcia is a better quarterback than he has shown as of yet. An upgrade over any previous backup the Eagles have had in the past few years, regardless of his early numbers, he proved just that Thursday night. Garcia seemed to have started where he left off against the Raiders, his feet were jittery and he was sacked twice in his first series. After a few plays he seemed to relax and drove the offense on two successful scoring drives, one for a 32 yard touchdown pass to a streaking Darnerien McCants and the other a four yard touchdown run by Thomas Tapah. Garcia ended his night 8 for 11 with 125 yards and one touchdown. Overall Garcia showed much improvement and proved he can still orchestrate an offense effectively.

Andy Reid
During the telecast for the game color analyst, Ron Jaworski said that the Eagles coaching staff prepared for the upcoming season by looking at tapes of how and why they were successful, dating back to five seasons ago. They compared those tapes to ones of the 2005 season to find out exactly what they did wrong to contribute to the “lost” year. Apparently what the coaches saw was that they forgot how to run the ball, because in the past two games, Reid has run the ball excessively and it has worked. Jamming the ball down the throat of opposing defenses was successful on both opening drives of each game and looked smooth and dominating. They kept the steady flow of run plays with a mix of short passes for first downs to march down the field. Any good Army generals consider their battle strategy around their strongest attributes and eliminate their weakest. Using this system of a solid running game mixed with short passes, Reid’s plan will eliminate the need for a “star” receiver and put the effectiveness of the offense in the Eagles strongest points, quick fast backs, a mobile quarterback, a savvy tight end, and a mean offensive line.

Defense
Again the Eagles starting defense looked rugged not giving up any points in their short time playing. Coming into the latter of two games in five days, the defense looked a little out of sorts, getting pushed off the ball by a fresh Cleveland Browns offense in the first series. They eventually stiffened up when it mattered and forced a punt. Darren Howard recorded his first sack of the preseason, making a nice play keeping a grip on a spinning Charlie Frye. Also with a nice play was the almost forgotten Jerome McDougle, who is having a surprisingly good camp, recording his first sack of the pre-season, giving optimism and even more depth to the defensive line. Broderick Bunkley, the Eagles first round pick, played his first pro minutes and was seen smiley and laughing on the sideline as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Bunkley almost recorded a vicious sack when he blew past his blocker and crushed the quarterback a split second after the release. If this show of quickness is Bunkley out of game shape, the Eagles should be secure that the future defense of this team is going to be successful.

Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski may be a better football analyst then he was a player, and he was a pretty good player. A major network may want to consider jaws in the booth, he knows football in and out and studies players and teams obsessively before games. A possible replacement for the John Madden? He should at least get a shot.

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Penalties
Pre-season is made for penalties. Between the young, nervous players fighting for a job, and the working out of kinks in certain areas, what adds to the pre-season being so terribly not watch able are the numerous penalty calls. In the Eagles’ second offensive series they were stopped cold around their own 10 yard line because of flags, and a nice dish pass to LJ Smith for a big gain was called back. This is a cause for concern because discipline is something last years team lacked. But one thing is for sure; if Andy Reid watched the same game everyone else did, those penalties will be gone by the Houston game.

Red Zone Offense
Capping off the first successful drive by the Eagles was a stagnant and gut wrenching failure to get into the end zone from the one yard line A few unsuccessful run attempts by Reno Mahe proved even more that the Eagles need a legitimate short yardage red zone back who can blow a hole open for himself if there isn’t one available.
The Eagles should be able to pick up a big, short yardage back who can hold onto the ball once NFL rosters are cut down. Teams like Tampa Bay, who are already well equipped in that area, should be letting go of some talent.

Overall it was a pretty good showing from the Eagles on both sides of the ball. The special teams continued to look solid and the defense posted more sacks. Luckily the Eagles have been able, so far, to avoid severe injuries in training camp but have suffered a lot of small ones that could come back to haunt the team if the injuries linger. Because of a Brian Westbrook’s foot injury and Bruce Perry’s scary concussion versus the Raiders, Reno Mahe was the starter for this game. He was forced out in the second series due to a concussion which leaves the Eagles and fans wondering; who else do we have? The next Eagles pre-season game is Thursday, August 17th, at 8 p.m. against Steve McNair and the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Eagles’ Starters Put On a Hall Of Fame Performance

The Hall Of Fame game is a celebration of 5 players whose football careers changed the way the game is played and who are bronzed into eternity. The party caps off with the first NFL game of the year which is the watermark that football is officially back for millions of fans around the world, especially Eagles’ fans who were desperately looking for a fresh start to clean the palette from last season’s sour milk. Many questions came into the first preseason game on what to expect from the Birds. Would Donovan McNabb be healthy and back to his Super bowl form? Would the Eagles’ receivers be able to fill the Grand Canyon-sized hole Terrell Owens left? Would Andy Reid run the ball more than once or twice in the game? This long awaited game would hopefully answer these questions and show some promise for the upcoming season.

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The Eagles Front Office
Fittingly at the steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Eagles formally announced they had extended Brian Dawkins‘ contract 2 more years and insinuated that everyone will be seeing Brian at the Hall of Fame again in the future but next time as an inductee. This was a class act by an organization that doesn’t usually extend 30-plus year olds’ contracts or make Hall of Fame predictions. Brian Dawkins’ extension was much deserved and shows the appreciation everyone has for the man as well as the player. Congratulations to Brian, his family and the Eagles organization for going beyond the text book for this one.

Offensive and Defensive line
The Offensive line looked extremely fit and much like they had been practicing blocking for the run, they were blowing the Raiders’ somewhat potent defensive line off the ball and moving them back giving Brian Westbrook more then enough room make plays from the backfield. Also in pass protection, they gave Donovan more than adequate time to make 3 quick completions including one big play pass to Westbrook. On the other side of the ball the defensive line may have been the shining star of the night. They stuffed everything Art Shell ran at them and made the Raiders’ offense look anemic—pushing them backwards for -8 yards in the two series the Oakland starters were in.

Trent Cole continued his impressive preseason recording a sack in the short time the starters played. This is especially relieving because last season the Eagles’ defense had extreme trouble getting to the Quarterback and breaking plays up for a loss. The entire Eagles’ defense only recorded 29 sacks all season, while former Eagle Derrick Burgess of the Oakland Raiders had 16 sacks individually. A day after the game, Raiders running back Lamont Jordan said, “The bright side is that this is our first preseason game, but we’ve got a lot of work to do if we are going to get back to form.” And though the Raiders looked slow off the ball, the Eagles defensive line looked downright explosive making what probably is a average at best Raiders’ offense look even more out of form.

J.R Reed
J.R Reed is coming off a possible career ending injury, in which he tore open the back of his knee climbing over a fence near his Tampa home. The laceration damaged his peroneal nerve which affects use in the feet and legs. This injury caused him to miss the entire 2005 season and some questioned whether he would ever make a return to walking normally let alone playing in game-speed football. Obviously all his hard work to come back has paid off because he was simply flying in the secondary and on special teams. Reed was in perfect position to make a clean snotbubble hit on Kevin McMahan in the third quarter that made onlookers feel woozy and fellow safety Brian Dawkins come onto the field to be the first to tell Reed that’s how to play in the secondary. Reed runs seemingly unphased by his injury but noticeably walks with a limp in the bad leg. This should be watched with caution by team trainers.

The Rest of the Eagles Offense
Many questioned whether Andy Reid would change his game plan and if McNabb would bounce back from insult and injury. Both looked good and positive in the first series. Reid clearly had been working with the offensive line in running the ball, they seemed ready and knew what they were doing. Westbrook ran through truck-stop- sized holes and was the backbone of getting down the field. McNabb went 3/3 for 29 yards. He made two excellent short passes West Coast offense style, and more importantly the two well placed passes were received well by the training camp surprise Hank Baskett and the Eagles new number one receiver Reggie Brown.

David Akers
He’s back. David Akers kicked a Hall of Fame game record 55 yard field goal in the second quarter which was held by Dirk Johnson the punter and straighter than most extra points. Practicing a new holder for Akers most likely means Koy Detmer may be out as a dressed Eagle.

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Bruce Perry
Bruce Perry is supposed to assume a depth role behind Brian Westbrook and Ryan Moats. Because Moats had suffered a minor injury in camp, Perry and Reno Mahe played most of second half. Mahe looked like his normal wiry-self playing well on special teams and making tacklers miss with his agility. Perry on the other hand ran relatively well but couldn’t hold onto the ball. Losing two fumbles though one was a result from a poor handoff from third string Quarterback Timmy Chang. Perry unfortunately suffered what appeared to be serious neck injury and was taken off on a stretcher and fitted with a neck brace in the fourth quarter. He was x-rayed at Aultman Hospital and the results on his neck came back negative, he escaped with only a minor concussion and is back at Lehigh recovering.

The Eagles Depth
Once the starters showed that they can function properly as a unit, they were removed and replaced. Jeff Garcia had a dreadful time which could have been a result of poorly run routes by the receivers or confusion by the offensive line. Koy Detmer had little-to-no protection and the defense was having major trouble as a group stopping the run. If the Eagles can stay healthy they will be in good shape this upcoming season, but staying healthy isn’t exactly their strong suit.

The Referees New Uniforms
In case you were wondering if the NFL was making money, they are. Enough extra money to redesign uniforms to make the referees look like XFL castaways.

Overall the Eagles starting squads were very impressive. The Offense rolled like tanks and the Defense swarmed like lions, and besides Akers, the special teams may need a few more tests to make a final judgment. The next preseason game is a Thursday, August 10th, homecoming against the Cleveland Browns.

Photo by Getty Images

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti

Flyers Swap Defensive Play For Speed

This off season has been unusually slow for the Philadelphia Flyers, without the habitual wheeling and dealing of previous years. Between Peter Forsberg’s chronic ankle problems and the inability to ink Simon Gagne to a major deal, Flyers fans have a collective nervous feeling of turbulence, not much improvement after a disappointing season.

But as they say, it is always darkest before the sun rises, and for Bob Clarke and fans, it has gotten a lot brighter because the Flyers suddenly got active and much quicker. Bobby Clarke’s love affair which the Chicago Blackhawks organization continues, as he made his first major offensive upgrade of the off season, acquiring speedy left-wing Kyle Calder for hardworking stalwart center Michal Handzus.

No fan or member of the flyers organization should be happy to see Handzus go. He is the kind of player that would be immortalized in Philadelphia lore if he was here as long as John LeClair or Rod Brind’Amour. A quiet person with a leather face, Handzus left his last ounce of effort on the ice every game, frequently diving to knock pucks out of the zone and absorbing punishing shots from the point. Handzus’ playing style befitts the “Zeus” chant he received from the fans when he came up huge in a game.

Kyle Calder, a 27 year old left wing, is two years younger then Handzus. A small, quick forward, his skill led an offensively deficient Black Hawks team with 26 goals and 33 assists, and earned him a silver medal for Team Canada in the Olympics. His playmaking ability and penalty kill effort will fit well with the Flyers young players who lacked finishing power at the end of the season and into the playoffs. This move, along with the acquiring of quick veteran Geoff Sanderson, whom the Flyers picked up from the Phoenix Coyotes on July 19th, is part of Clarke’s attempt to arm this team with quicker more offensive minded players.
By the numbers, the Flyers got the better of the deal, but Chicago needed a position filled and Handzus is the perfect piece to their Martin Havlat puzzle. Calder also won an arbitration case earlier in the off season, winning a one-year, $2.95 million contract. This apparently didn’t sit well with the Black Hawks front office who immediately put Calder on the trading block, and it was this arbitration case lost that helped the Flyers make out extremely well.

The Blackhawks needed a defensive minded center who could control the puck and could defend against the larger forwards in the west, like Joe Thornton and Joe Sakic. Handzus’ size could win battles in the corners and free up loose pucks for the goal scorer Martin Havlat. His passing ability would create the chances needed for Chicago to become respectable in the league again. Both Havlat and Handzus were born in Czechoslovakia, matching up lines with players who speak the same language and style of play has been a successful strategy for coaches in the NHL, but because of the Czechoslovakia split, both players played for different teams in the Olympics, Handzus played for Slovakia and Havlat, Czech Republic.

Flyers fans should cheer on all that Handzus did for the team. They should also cheer on Bob Clarke for making the Flyers faster and for creating a more exciting off season.

Photo by the AP

Edited by L. Olivia Piotti