Rollin With Vick

Coming off Sunday's 28-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Eagles are now gearing up for a division game against Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins. The offense is really clicking on all cylinders, and the defense is coming off an outstanding performance in which they only gave up 3 points. So what does this mean for our good friend Donovan? It means that you are going to lose, and you are going to lose big. I really don't care if you get cheered for, or if you get booed, it really doesn't matter that much to me. All I care about is the outcome of the game and I expect the Eagles to not only come out and win, but also win in a big way and make a statement to the rest of the NFC East. By obliterating McNabb and the Redskins this weekend, the Eagles can say that they are over and done with the McNabb era and they are looking forward to the bright future of the Michael Vick era. Michael Vick has jumped into the role of starting quarterback, and after throwing 3 TDs and running for 1 against Jacksonville, I only expect him and the rest of the offense to get better as the season progresses. Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson are developing right in front of our eyes and this offense can take this team far, very very far. On Sunday, there will no doubt be a lot of emotions and feelings surrounding the game. The Eagles need to forget that they are playing Donovan, and focus on winning the game. They need to rally behind Michael Vick, and show Donovan that they have moved on.

Bring On October

After all the ups and downs, the inconsistent offense, and the at times streaky pitching, the Phillies clinched the N.L. East Division title for the 4th consecutive season on Monday night with 8-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. After dropping 2 out of 3 to the Mets, the Phils entered the Washington series with their magic number at 1. The stars aligned on Monday night for a magical division clinching game. Roy Halladay would be pitching and with the Braves game delayed due to rain, all the Phils had to do was win and the division title would be theirs once again. Roy Halladay didn't mess around. He pitched a 9 inning, 2 hit, complete game shutout. The offense didn't mess around either as they exploded for 8 runs, 4 of which came in the top of the 9th. When Halladay threw the final strike to secure the victory, it really occurred to me just how good this team truly is. This team has been able to win 4 consecutive division titles, 2 consecutive pennants and 1 world series title. They have been able to accomplish all of this through their offense and the scary thing this year is that not only do they have offense, but they also have the best pitching staff in the MLB. When you look at the past post-season pitching staffs, they look like this. In 2007, when the Phillies got swept in the NLDS by the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies started Hamels, Kendrick, and Moyer. Not the best staff in the world. In 2008, the Phillies were able to win it all behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton. Even though Cole Hamels was unreal during the entire post season, the Phils once again did not have that great of a staff. They won by their offense, plain and simple. Last year the Phils starting staff was Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Pedro Martinez, and Joe Blanton. Cliff Lee was outstanding, Pedro and Blanton were ok, and Hamels was non-existent, once again not the greatest staff. Now flash forward to post-seson 2010. The Phils will send Roy Halladay, a hot Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Blanton as your fourth to the mound. The Phils have a great pitching staff during the regular season, but in the post-season they have an unreal pitching staff. Every night in a series your either going to be facing Oswalt, Halladay or Hamels, an ace every night. The playoffs are set up so that you can get by with only 3 starters, something the Phils definitely plan on doing. This post season, the Phils finally have the offense combined with the pitching. If the Phils were able to win the world series in 2008 with Moyer, Myers, Blanton and Hamels, there is no doubt in my mind that the 2010 Phils with the killer 3 will be able to bring us a parade down Broad Street. Get ready Philadelphia, it's going to be another exciting October.

Call Me Super Vick

Throughout Andy Reid's career as Eagles head coach, he has always been loyal to his quarterback. He stuck by McNabb during his 11 years here, and through out all of the criticism and tough playoff losses, McNabb was still his starting quarterback at the end of the day. When the Eagles decided to trade McNabb during this past off season, it wasn't a shock to anyone. Although McNabb gave the Eagles 11 great seasons, he never won a Super Bowl, and it was definitely time for the Eagles and Donovan McNabb to go their separate ways. With McNabb gone, Kevin Kolb was named the starter by Andy Reid. This is where Big Red really screwed up. With both Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick as quarterbacks on your roster, Andy should have gone into the offseason with the quarterback position up for grabs. If he had done this, there would be no quarterback controversy right now and the Eagles for all we know might be 2-0. But he didn't, he simply named Kolb the starter and didn't open up the position for competition because Kolb was a guy that he drafted, and he wanted him to succeed so he didn't look like an idiot. Sometime during the past week Andy finally woke up and realized that he has an incredible talent in Michael Vick and he named him the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Now, Andy looks like the bad guy because he ripped the starting spot away from Kolb and now Kolb's feelings are hurt. But this is football, and feelings don't matter. The only thing that matters is winning, and Michael Vick at quarterback gives you the best chance to win football games. With a shaky offensive line, Vick can get out of the pocket and make plays on the run. He can break off a 30 yard run, and he can rocket a pass way down field for a 50 yard play. Michael Vick is the better player, plain and simple. Looking ahead to the future, it will be interesting to see what the Eagles do. Do you let Vick play the remainder of the season and then go with Kolb next season? Do you resign Vick, who is in the last year of his contract, to a big deal and make him your quarterback of the future? These questions will be answered in time, but I expect big things from Vick and the Eagles this season. Coming into this year, people saw this season as a rebuilding year with Kolb and expected an 8-8 season. Now, with Vick under center, this offense is extremely dangerous and will put up enormous amounts of points week in and week out. This Sunday, I expect the Eagles to run all over the Jaguars and put up another 35 points. As a sort of closing statement to my post I will leave you with this thought to ponder. When Michael Vick was in Atlanta, he had no weapons to throw to on offense. He had no Desean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin or Lesean McCoy, and yet the Falcons still managed to contend. How did he do this? Because Michael Vick is Super Vick, and he is a freak of nature. He can make other defenses look silly, and with weapons on offense, and a solid defense behind him, the sky is the limit for this Eagles team.

Phillies Sweep Braves

There is a pattern developing in the titles of my recent posts. The titles have read like this: Phillies Sweep Marlins, Phillies Sweep Nationals, and Phillies Sweep Braves. Quite frankly, these titles are starting to get a little boring, but I don't mind. I don't mind titling my posts, "Phillies Sweep (insert team name here). I don't mind going to my closet to get out the broom every 3 days, which is quickly becoming a habit. And I certainly don't mind the fact that the Phillies who have had a season of ups and downs now find themselves with a 6 game lead over the Braves with just 9 games left to play. The Phillies are currently playing scalding hot baseball. They are 18-3 in the month of September and in the midst of their current 10 game winning streak, have propelled themselves to one of the best teams record wise in baseball. Coming into this week's series against the Braves, the Phils were riding a 7 game winning streak coming off of sweeps of both the Marlins and Nationals. The Phils treated this series like a playoff series and sent Hamels, Halladay, and Oswalt to the mound. On Monday, the series started off as planned as Hamels pitched a gem going 8 innings and giving up just 1 run. Although there wasn't a ton of offense in the game, the Phillies managed to manufacture 3 runs and gave Brad Lidge a 2 run lead to work with as he closed out the game and gave the Phillies the all important first game of the series. On Tuesday, the Phils dealt their second ace of the series and sent Roy Halladay to the mound. Halladay pitched a solid game going 7 innings and giving up 3 runs. The Phils brought their bats on Tuesday and managed to score 5 thanks in part to a 3 run bomb from Jayson Werth, and a 2 run double from Raul Ibanez. Madson pitched a scoreless 8th, and once again Lidge was phenomenal as he picked up his 25th save and secured the win for the Phils. On Wednesday, the Phillies could smell the sweep. They could almost taste a monumental 6 game lead that a win would bring them. To secure the sweep the Phils sent Roy Oswalt to the mound. He pitched 7 innings and gave up 0 runs in a game that saw very few hits, and very few runs. Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless 8th, and finally after a Jayson Werth walk, Raul Ibanez hit a double into the left field corner that broke the scoreless tie. With a 1-0 lead, Brad Lidge was called upon to get the save. After getting the first 2 batters out, you could really feel the tension in the stadium building. Lidge then walked Heyward and got the next batter Martin Prado to fly out to right field and secure the win, the sweep, and the 6 game lead for the Phils. Right now the Phils are in a very good position to win the divison. With just 9 games left, the Phils can see the finish line and now have to gear up for an all important post season run. The Phillies showed in this past series that they are next to unbeatable in a playoff series by sending the big three to the mound. This weekend, the Phils will finish up their homestand against the Mets and if things go the Phillies way, the Phils could have the division wrapped up by the end of the weekend.

Phillies Sweep Nationals

I'm getting a little tired of having to make the trip to my closet. For the second consecutive series, I had to go to my closet and get out the broom because the Phillies just keep on winning. The Phils cruised through the first 2 games of the weekend series against the Nationals. On Friday night the Phils got a gem from Roy Oswalt and the offense exploded for 9 runs as the Phils won 9-1. On Saturday the offense just kept coming, especially from the long ball as they posted 5 runs. Kendrick gave the Phils a strong outing and the Phils won on Saturday by a final of 5-2. On Sunday Joe Blanton got roughed up a little and the Phillies found themselves down 6-3 in the bottom of the 9th. Polanco got the inning started with a single and Chase Utley followed with a double. Ryan Howard followed with a single that scored Utley and Polanco and Werth stepped to the plate trailing by just a run. Werth hit a shot to dead center and the Phils walked off in victory and swept their second consecutive series. Right now the Phils are scalding hot. They are on a 7 game winning streak and they are locked and loaded for this crucial series against the Braves. The Phils have Hamels, Halladay and Oswalt scheduled to pitch in this series and I think the Phils can sweep their third consecutive series. The offense is also revved up and come Wednesday night, I hope I will be getting out my broom once again.

A Win Is A Win

A win is a win, it's as simple as that. Sometimes a win is not pretty or flashy, but in the end if you score more points than the other team than you did something right. On Sunday the Eagles escaped with a narrow 35-32 victory over the Detroit Lions. The Eagles fell behind early but their offense kept them in the game and the Birds went into halftime with a 24-17 lead. In the second half the Eagles scored 14 unanswered points, and when I saw Shady McCoy running into the end-zone to give the Eagles a 35-17 lead, I thought for sure that the game was over. Boy was I wrong. The Eagles defense fell asleep from that point on and after a two touchdowns and a 2 point conversion, the Lions were ready attempt an onsides kick down by just 3. On occasion, when I am sitting at home and I see a dropped pass or a botched play I tend to yell at the T.V. I could have caught that, or I could have made that play. The botched reception that rookie Riley Cooper made on the onsides kick is definitely a play that I could have made. The ball was kicked and it popped up right into the hands of Riley Cooper, and as we all know, the hands is the worst place for the ball to hit you when your trying to make a catch. Sarcasm aside, Riley Cooper did not make the play and the Lions recovered and had the ball at around their own 40 with just under 2 minutes to go. Thankfully, the Eagles defense clamped down, the Lions went 4 and out, and the Eagles were able to escape with a victory. Like I said it wasn't pretty but a win is a win. Overall, the offense played very well behind Michael Vick who went 21 of 34 passing with 284 yards and 2 touchdowns and made Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson two of his favorite targets as they both got touchdowns. LeSean McCoy also had a big day as the Eagles finally decided to run the football. He rushed 16 times for 120 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense gave up some big plays early but they looked pretty good at the end of the first half and into the third quarter. At the end when they went into a prevent defense is where they really got burned. Looking ahead to next week, the Eagles will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Stay tuned to the blog for a preview to the game which will include info on the QB controversy and the status of Stewart Bradley for next week.

Eagles - Lions Preview

The big question all week has been who will get the start? Will it be young Kevin Kolb who has a concussion and barely through for 20 yards last week? Or will it be explosive Michael Vick who has the ability to make plays with his arm and legs, and can make this offense one of the most dangerous in the NFL? To me the decision is easy, start Vick and watch him do work. He showed last Sunday why he was a 3 time pro bowler as he confused the Packers defense throughout the second half. As much as I want Vick to start, I am in no way shape or form jumping off the Kevin Kolb band wagon. You saw what he did last year in his 2 starts, and having to face one of the best teams in the NFL in your first official start as new quarterback is by no means an easy task. But this weekend, this Sunday, you have to give the start to Vick, I am pleading with you Andy. Let Kolb sit out a week and get healthy, and watch one of the most dangerous players in the NFL run all over the Lions defense. And for all you Vick-haters out there, please grow up. I'm not saying that what Vick did to dogs is ok, I am simply saying that he went to jail, paid the price, and sincerely apologized for his horrific actions. If you still can't forgive him then you have issues. This Sunday is going to be so exciting because Vick is going to put his past behind him, and show the nation and the whole world, that he is still one of the best players in the league. I can't wait to see what he does, and I just hope that Andy makes the right decision.

Phillies Sweep Marlins

As we head into the final few weeks of the season, the Phillies remain red hot. They are hitting the ball, getting good pitching, and they are winning games while the Braves continue to lose. After completing the sweep against the Marlins, the Phils currently have a 3 game lead over the Atlanta Braves, who seem to be folding under the pressure of the division race. It was so important for the Phils to sweep the Marlins and finish the road trip strong because now they have a crucial home stand where they will face the Nationals, Braves, and Mets. With just 15 games remaining, the Phils can finally see the finish line. After a frustrating and inconsistent season, the Phils have really put it together during the month of September, and have put themselves in a very good position to not only make the playoffs, but also go deep into October. Roy Oswalt will get the start tomorrow night in the first game of a very important stretch of games. Now is the time for the Phillies to really put some pressure on the Braves, and increase their lead in the N.L. East race. The Phillies have battled hard all season, and now they need to buckle down and get ready for another exciting October.

Sizzlin September

It has been 10 games since my last posting, and the Phillies have put together a sparkling 7-3 record during that span, and a 10-3 record overall in the month of September. After taking 2 out of 3 from Milwaukee behind brilliant pitching performances from Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels, the Phillies capped off their homestand by taking 3 out of 4 from the always dangerous Florida Marlins. The series began last Monday with the Phillies splitting the double header. The offense was non existent in the first game, but the Phils really came out swinging in the second game as they won by a final of 7-4. The last 2 games of the series were highlighted with alot of offensive power, from both teams. The Phils won on Tuesday by a final of 8-7. Not only did the win provide the Phils with yet another high scoring win, it also put them in first place because the Braves lost to the Pirates. The Phils stood their ground in first place by winning on Wednesday by a final of 10-6, and finally provided Cole Hamels with run support. After a very successful homestand, the Phils headed up to Queens to take on the Mets. The Phils continued to roll as they took 2 out of 3 behind fabulous starts by Halladay on Friday, and Oswalt on Sunday. Last night the offense exploded for 11 runs. Blanton was solid and the Phils eventually won by a final of 11-4. Right now the Phils are hot and the Braves know that the Phils mean business. The Phils currently have a 1 game lead in the N.L. East and after the series in Florida, the Phils will host the Nationals, Braves, and Mets in a pivotal 9 game homestand. The Phils need to take care of business in Florida, and then come home, focused and ready to secure their spot at the top of this divison.

Eagles Rally, But Fall To The Packers

After Sunday's dissapointing 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, there are alot of questions surrounding this team. First, let's start with the big question at quarterback, Kolb or Vick? After an awful first half in which Kolb went 5 for 10 passing with just 24 yds and no touchdowns, the Eagles offense only managed 3 points. The offense could not put together a solid drive, there was no rhythm, and it seemed like Kolb was trying to force way too many throws. You can blame the poor play on Kolb, but I fault the coaching staff. Instead of running short routes and letting Kolb throw little screen passes and slant routes, they tried to force the issue and make big plays down the field, not one of Kolb's strengths. The Eagles should have called more short pass plays to get Kolb some confidence, and then try to go for some big throws. Another thing the Eagles failed to do offensively in the first half was establish the run game, something that is going to be so important this year especially with Kolb at quarterback. Aside from a few running plays from Vick, the Eagles did very little to really establish the run. So you had new starter Kevin Kolb trying to force the ball down field with no run game, it was a recipe for disaster. The Eagles went into the half trailing 13-3. Kevin Kolb did not return to the game due to a concussion and Vick was called upon to play quarterback. Vick performed brilliantly with his arm and legs. He kept the defense on their heels and led the Eagles to 2 touchdown drives and a field goal. The Eagles were really pushing the issue late in the 4th trailing 27-20 with just about 2 minutes remaining. It was 4th and 1 and the Eagles called a designed Vick run who fell short of the first down. The Packers then knelt the ball and sealed the victory. Defensively, the Eagles looked solid. Although they gave up 27 points, they got good pressure on Rodgers and you really can't look to the points to tell the whole story. The special teams gave up 3 big kick returns and it gave the Packers great field position on 3 seperate occasions. The big concern coming away from this game is the offense. The offense lost pro-bowler Leonard Weaver to an ACL injury and Jamaal Jackson to a torn bicep, both look to be out for the rest of the season. With a roughed up offense, can the Eagles afford to give Kolb another start? Providing that Kolb is healthy enough to go on Sunday against the Lions, my answer is yes. Although Vick look awesome and Kolb not so great, you can't just give a guy 1 half and then call it quits. If however say after week 3 or 4 Kolb is still not performing, then I think you give the job to Vick. But let's not jump the gun too quick. Right now we have to be patient with Kolb. He is young, and like any young quarterback he needs time. Having Vick as a backup option is definitely a positive for the team right now. The Eagles need to forget about Sunday's loss to the Packers and focus on the Lions. They have to look at the film from the loss and figure out what went wrong, and they need to figure out how to get better for next week.

Are They Ready?

After an Ok pre-season in which the Eagles went 2-2, the Eagles are scheduled to open their season on September 12th at home vs the Green Bay Packers. The only question is, are they ready? The offense has been mediocre at best and although the defense has looked pretty good, the Eagles don't seem like they are ready for the start of the season, especially a home opener against the Packers. I think the biggest thing that this offense needs is chemistry. They have to get used to playing together, and get used to how Kolb plays. Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb are two completely different quarterbacks. They have different styles of play-calling, different styles of throwing, and they are different leaders as well. It's gonna take some time for Maclin, Jackson, Celek, and especially the offesnive line to get used to how Kolb plays. In terms of the defense, I think that they are so deep that they are going to wreak havoc for opposing offenses all season long. They will constantly be throwing fresh defensive lineman into the mix, and linebackers Ernie Sims and Stewart Bradley are going to swarm to the ball. The secondary has looked OK, and I will trust that Sean McDermott knows what he is doing. For the first game, I think it's going to be a high scoring affair but in the end I think the Eagles are going to put more points on the scoreboard than the Packers. My prediction: Eagles win 37-23. I think the offense will come out with alot to prove and take care of business in week 1.

Closing In On The Braves

Last night was a big night for the Phillies. Not only did they win, but the Braves and Giants lost as well. So with the 1-0 victory last night thanks in large part to the brilliant pitching of Cole Hamels, the Phils moved to within 1 game of the Braves in the divison race and increased their lead in the wild card to 3 games over the Giants. After taking 2 out of 3 from the Dodgers, and winning a wild one in Colorado, the Phillies have put together a 4 game winning streak, and have really put the pressure on the Braves and especially the Giants. The week begin in Los Angeles where the Phillies dropped the first game of the series. Halladay gave up some early runs and the Phillies got shutout and lost by a final of 3-0. The week would only get better. On Tuesday, the Phils bounced back behind the offense. Ryan Howard had a homerun and so did Brian Schneider. Chase Utley also came around with 2 hits of his own. In the end the Phils won by a final of 8-4 and set up a rubber match for Wednesday. Roy Oswalt got the start on Wednesday and he had a very strong outing. He pitched 6.1 innings and only gave up 0 runs and the Phils went on to win by a final of 5-1 behind 3 doubles from Chase Utley, and homeruns from Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins. The Phils took the series and then headed out to Colorado for a make up game. In Colorado, it looked the Phillies were tired and that they were just going to take the loss and head back to Philly. Joe Blanton got roughed up early, and the offense looked like they were asleep. They were trailing 7-3 heading into the top of the 7th when the offense exploded for 9 runs. Placido Polanco hit a double and Chase Utley hit him in with a single. Ryan Howard then hit a 2 run shot scoring him and Utley, and Jayson Werth followed with a homerun of his own. After Raul Ibanez flied out, Shane Victorino and Brian Schneider hit singles and Ben Francisco singled home Victorino. With 2 runners on Rollins singled and that loaded the bases for Polanco. After Polanco struck out, Chase Utley came to the plate with bases loaded and 2 outs and he took care of business and hit a grand slam. At the end of the inning the Phils finished with 9 runs, and Utley finished with 5 rbis. Although the Rockies scored 3 more runs, the Phils were able to hold on and win by a final of 12-11. On Friday, the Phils once again did not provide any run support for Cole Hamels. He pitched 7 innings and gave up 0 runs, and when he left the game the Phils clung to a 1-0 lead thanks to an rbi by Carlos Ruiz. Jose Contreras pitched a scoreless 8th, and Ryan Madson closed out the game for the Phils who won by a final of 1-0. Not pretty, but we'll take it. Aside form last night, the Phils are really clicking. They are getting great pitching from their starters and bullpen, and Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are finally coming around. Right now, the Phils know it's crunch time and they are doing everything they need todo to get to October.