Roster Breakdown: Defensive Tackle

The next important position I want to discuss is the defensive tackle position. In the final two games last season against the Cowboys, one of the main reasons the Eagles defense got burned is because the defensive line was unable to get pressure on Tony Romo. And as much as I hate to admit this, Tony Romo is a great quarterback when you give him time in the pocket and he is able to sit back there and go through all of his reads; Romo had all the time in the world in both of those games. So for the Eagles, if they are able to utilize their big boys inside, then that can relieve some of the pressure on guys like Trent Cole who is usually doubled. The Eagles are not very deep at the defensive tackle position and only have 2 main guys that they are going to rely on heavily heading into this season.

Mike Patterson: Mike Patterson really came into his own in 2007 when he recorded 49 tackles and 4 sacks. After being drafted by the Eagles in 2005, Patterson has established himself as a force in the middle and has a great ability to stop the run. Patterson is young and has the potential to be a Pro Bowler. In the season coming up, I expect Patterson to record career highs in both tackles and sacks.

Brodrick Bunkley: After a dissapointing rookie season, Brodrick has blossomed into a starter and a force to be reckoned with inside. Next to Patterson, Bunkley creates problems inside for the opposing team's run game and has the ability to rush the quarterback.

I'm not going to lie to you, behing Bunkley and Patterson, the Eagles have nobody. If Bunkley or Patterson went down, your next best option would be Trevor Laws, and that is not good. Basically the Eagles are banking on both Bunkley and Patterson staying healthy because if either of them goes down, the Eagles are screwed, plain and simple. The Eagles can't bank everything off of these 2 staying healthy. They need to find someone who can be a good backup or it will spell trouble for this Eagles defense.

Is The Offense Back?

Forget for a moment that the Phillies only won 1 out of 3 against the Twins, and look at the bigger picture and the number of runs they scored in each game. On Friday night they scored 9, on Saturday 10, and on Sunday 1. With the exception of Sunday, the Phillies bats were very much alive in the series against the Twins, and gave a very promising sense of hope that the offensive drought might just be over. The series got off to a great start for the Phils who won Friday night's affair by a score of 9-5. Blanton picked up his second win of the season and the Phillies offense did most of their damage early putting up a 3 spot in the first and a 5 spot in the second. Ryan Howard had a triple, a double and 2 solo home runs to total 11 bases in the game and Chase Utley silenced all injury concerns by having a 2 hit 4 rbi game. And if 4 rbis wasn't enough, Utley proved that he was 100 percent healthy by making some dazzling plays on defense. Friday night proves that when Utley and Howard hit the ball, the team wins, no questions asked. On Saturday the Phils sent Cole Hamels to the mound who has been pitching very well lately. Cole pitched another solid game for the Phils going 7 and only giving up 3. You would think with a strong pitching performance coupled with 10 runs the Phils would be able to win right? Unfortunately for the Phils the bullpen, which has pitched so good, gave up 5 runs in the 9th and the Twins went on to win in extras. Even though the Phils lost, it was still good to see that the Phillies offense was coming around. On Sunday I honestly don't know what happened. The Phils wasted another good outing by Halladay who went 8 giving up only 3 and lost 4-1. Maybe the Phils thought they could take the day off offensively because Halladay was pitching? The 2 losses aside, the Phils played very good this past weekend. They should have won Saturday, but the bullpen gave the game away, it happens. Heading into the next series against Cleveland, the Phils welcome back Jimmy Rollins who has been nursing an injured calf for the past 2 months almost. Jimmy Rollins, when he is healthy, makes this offense go. He can provide the spark and the jump start that this offense needs to get going. As good as Shane Victorino played in his absence, I don't see Shane Vitorino as a natural lead off hitter. I see him more as a guy who you have more in the middle of your lineup who can drive in runs. The Phils need Jimmy to come in and be the lead off hitter that he is a capable of being.

Ryan Parent Traded, Could Carter Be Next?

Today it was anounced that the Flyers had dealt defenseman Ryan Parent to the Predators for the rights to defenseman Dan Hamhuis and a draft pick in 2011. I think this move is great for Flyers who needed to get rid of Parent. The Flyers will look to sign Hamhuis now. Looking at the bigger picture, I think that this is the first of many trades the Flyers will make during the off season. With limited draft picks and highly priced free agents, the Flyers need to do focus on acquiring players via trades. With so much emphasis being put on getting players from trades it raises the question, will the Flyers deal Jeff Carter? With just a year left on his contract, Carter could be traded for a goalie or another defenseman. Another reason why the Flyers may look to deal Carter is there is no room for him at the center position. The Flyers already have Richards and Giroux, and during the post season Brierre proved that he deserves to play center. I think that the question is not whether or not Carter will be traded, it is more a matter of where and when. The Flyers can really get a lot of value for Carter, and I won't be surprised if Carter is not in a Flyers uniform next fall.

Roster Breakdown: Defensive Ends

With the start of Eagles Training Camp scheduled for July 26th, football will be back and in full swing before you know it. July 26th, that gives me just about a month to break down this Eagles roster for you, position by position. In the weeks leading up to Training Camp, I want to go through every position and see who's good, who's not and who could surprise some people. First let's start on defense and the all important defensive end position and all of the players that the Eagles have at this position.

Trent Cole: He has proven over the last few years that he is a pro bowler and has the ability to wreak havoc on the quarterback. Trent Cole will be a starter again next season and he will also get some time off as the Eagles have guys who can come in if he needs a breather.

Darryl Tapp: Tapp is listed as second on the Eagles depth chart behind Trent Cole at Right Defensive End. Tapp was acquired in a trade during the off season that sent Chris Clemons and a draft pick to Seattle. In return the Eagles got a very good pass rusher who has great talent. In his years with Seattle he had some very decent years including 2007 when he had 7 sacks and 41 tackles. The important stat for me is that in all 4 of his years with Seattle, Tapp started in all 16 games which proves that he is durable and gives you a lot of depth.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: A third round pick out of Washington, he will come into camp and look to compete. He had a strong senior season in which he racked up 11 sacks and a strong combine. He has some real talent and will create competition which is always good for a football team.

Juqua Parker: Parker will return for his 6th season with the Eagles. He is listed as starter on the left end and rightfully so. In his 5 years with the Eagles he has proven that he is strong pass rusher and very durable. He has new draft pick Brandon Graham behind him and they will both be competing for the starting spot.

Brandon Graham: Graham was the Eagles number one draft choice in the past draft. In his past two seasons with Michigan, Graham recorded 10 sacks in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Graham is a very explosive pass rusher and will look to compete for the starting spot.

Victor Abiamiri: There is not too much to say about Abiamiri really. He has been plagued by injuries during his time with the Eagles and will look to have a strong training camp this year.

Overall the Eagles have a lot of depth at this all important position. When you can get pressure on the quarterback, it changes everything. It forces the offense to get the ball out more quickly and lightens the load for the rest of your defense. The Eagles have a lot of depth on the ends, and the key is subsituting guys in and making sure that you always have fresh legs in. I really like the defensive ends the Eagles have, and I think the depth that the Eagles have will really help them down the road.

Sixers Are Closer Than People Think

As I watched Kobe Bryant and the Lakers hoist the NBA Finals trophy on Thursday night, I couldn’t help but think that the Sixers aren’t that far away from winning a championship. I’m not saying that this team is going to win it next year or even the year after that, I realize this team is far from where they need to be. There are a lot of problems that need to be addressed but I feel that their poor record from last year does not tell the whole story. Its almost as if their record from last year is a false indication of what is to come. Look at it this way, a coach’s job is to utilize his players in the most effective way he possibly can, and always get the most out of his players. Last year, Eddie Jordan was brought in as head coach and he did not do the things a coach is supposed todo. He came in with a reputation of not getting it done in Washington even with super star Gilbert Arenas, and he was known for his complex Princeton style offense. In my mind Eddie Jordan did a terrible job last year mainly because he didn’t utilize the talent that he had, and he tried to force a stupid mid court offense down this team’s throat when their best threat is getting the ball out into the open floor and scoring in transition. Talent wise, there is no question that the Sixers have the talent and especially athleticism to win games in the NBA. Athletes like Andre Igudola, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams all have tremendous athletic ability and when you use them the right way, they can go out there and win ball games for you. One thing that guys like Young, Igudola and Williams are not effective in is a mid court offense. Think back to when Mo Cheeks was coach. The Sixers won games when they pushed the ball and scored in transition. When the Sixers run, there are very few teams that will be able to play at that pace. The Sixers are one of the youngest most athletic teams in the NBA, and when they are out in the open floor they are very dangerous. Eddie Jordan tried to hard to instill his complex offense and the Sixers struggled greatly as a result. Another thing that Eddie Jordan did a very poor job with was utilizing the talent that he had. I realize that the Sixers do not have any big super stars, but at the same time, they do have many young skilled players who can be good when used correctly. Jordan did not use his guys in the right way. He put young fast players who want to score on the run and forced them to play a style of offense that they are not accustomed to playing. Basically the point of this article is not to rip apart Eddie Jordan. I still think that he is a good coach, he just wasn’t the right fit for this team. I think Eddie Jordan may be more successful if he were to go to a veteran team that is willing to learn his offense. The point of this article was to highlight that contrary to prior belief, the Sixers as a team are not that bad, they just got screwed over by the wrong coach. I really like what I’m hearing from Doug Collins so far in this off season, you can tell that he is already plotting and thinking of the best ways to use the guys that he has. And on Thursday night when the Sixers draft Evan Turner, Doug Collins will have his team and it is up to him to utilize them effectively.

Flyers Need To Have A Strong Offseason

Even though the Flyers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup and came so close to winning a championship, going into the offseason there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. The Flyers did not achieve their ultimate goal so obviously they need to make some adjustments. The biggest question is the who will be the starting goalie next season. From what I'm hearing, the Flyers are considering all of their options. Michael Leighton who showed he had No. 1 goalie is being considered for the starting spot. The Flyers are also considering acquiring a goalie in free agency or trying to draft one. The problem with both of these options is the free agent goalies are old and are going to be asking for way too much money. The draft is not that a great of a solution either as the Flyers do not have a first or second round pick and the picks they do have all come the tail end of the rounds. So for the Flyers they have to look to trade some players and try to acquire a goalie. They can package players together and either try to get a goalie or a top notch defenseman. I think that if the Flyers do decide to go with Michael Leighton they need to add help in front of him. Defense is key for the Flyers this offseason, and they need to make the right moves to get this franchise back to the Stanley Cup.

Bye Bye Slammin Sammy

In my opinion Samuel Dalembert was not a bad player for the Sixers, he just wasn't the right fit. In his years with the Sixers his numbers were good, but it was frustrating for everyone because Sammy had so much potential but he just never developed into the dominant player everyone had hoped for. So on Thursday when it was announced that the Sixers had traded center Samuel Dalambert to the Kings in exchange for Andres Noiconi and Spencer Hawes, I was extremely happy because I think that it is best for both sides. As athletic and explosive as Sammy could be at times, he never found his place here in Philadelphia. He would score 20 and rip down 15 boards one night, and then the next night get into foul trouble and be a non-factor. Im also happy with the players the Sixers are bringing in. Andres Nocioni is a guy who can come off the bench for you and really contribute with both scoring and on defense. I also like the 7-footer Spencer Hawes who is young and has a a lot of potential. Going by his numbers, he is definitely going to bring more of an offensive presence to this team. I really like what the Sixers are doing this off season, they are young and have a lot of potential. Im very excited to see how Doug Collins will put it all together.

Swagger

Placido Polanco just saved the Phillies season. Last night, as he laid out on the tarp and made an absolutely amazing catch to help pitcher Kyle Kendrick get out of a jam in the third, he saved this struggling ball club. When a player lays out like that, it can change everything. It can become a spring board for this team to rally around and use as momentum as they head into yet another inter-league series this weekend against the Minnesota Twins. Plays like that can get you out of slumps and and really change the whole dynamics of a season. Think of it this way, all throughout this past tough month, the media, the players, and the fans have all been talking about the offense and how they need their key guys to start hitting the ball. Hitting is extremely important but one thing nobody is suggesting this team do is play hard. Play hard like Chase Utley does night in and night out. Play hard like Aaron Rowand and run into walls if you have to. Good things happen when you play hard, and at this point in the season that is exactly what the Phillies need todo. Before this series started, I talked about the importance of this sereis and what it could mean for the Phils down the road. After dropping the first game behind a poor pitching performance from Roy Halladay, the Phillies rallied on Wednesday night behind Jamie Moyer to earn a 6-3 win. Shane Victorino led the offensive attack with a key bases clearing triple against Burnette. Howard and Werth followed later in the game with back to back homers. The man of the night for the Phillies however was Jamie Moyer who came back after he got absolutely slaughtered in Boston. For him to come back and pitch the way he did speaks volumes about his character, talent, and overall ability. Last night the Phils got a gem from Kyle Kendrick who pitched 7 innings only giving up 1. He had great defense behind him, and the offense supported him beautifully. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard both had 2 RBI's on the night and everyone got a hit except for Chase Utley who continues to find his stroke. So what does this all mean for the Phils? Well first off it means that they just took 2 out of 3 from one of the best teams in baseball. The Yanks were red hot coming into this series and the Phils found a way to win. It also means that the Phils now have some confidence and a little pop in their step as they head into this weekend's series. If the Phillies can continue playing like this, they will find themselves back in first place in no time.

Cole Hamels Offers Ray Of Hope

Cole Hamels was the only bright spot in a terrible series this weekend against the Boston Red Sox. After getting blown out of the water in the first 2 games of the series, the Phils got an extremely strong pitching performance from Cole on Sunday who pitched 7 strong innings only giving up 1. Placido Polanco had a strong day at the plate with 2 hits and Raul Ibanez had a key 2 run shot in the 4th inning. Jayson Werth even got in on the action as he knocked in a run. The final was 5-3 in favor of the Phillies and they were able to salvage what looked like a definite sweep. Unfortunately for the Phils the schedule does not get any easier as they head to New York on Tuesday to take on the Yankees. The pitching matchup on Tuesday night will be a good one as the Phils send ace Roy Halladay to the mound and the Yanks counter with C.C. Sabathia. This upcoming series is vital for this Phillies team and their confidence. If they go into New York and get swept or only come away with 1 win, it is definitely going to hurt their confidence and they are going to struggle greatly through the rest of this extremely tough stretch in the schedule. If however the Phils can go in there and take care of business and play the way they are capable of playing, they can maybe get some swagger and start playing better overall. If the Phils can sweep or even take 2 out of 3, they can say hey we just beat one of the best teams in baseball so let's go; let's stop messing around and play the way we know we can play. More than anything I hope that this series against New York is a wake up call, because if they keep playing like this, they are going to fall further and further out of first place.

It's All About DeSean

As training camp quickly approaches, the X-factor and secret weapon for this team is undoubtedly DeSean Jackson. In his years with Donovan, Desean had 62 and 63 receptions in 2008 and 2009 respectivly. Last year was his best as he caught 9 TD passes, but I think DeSean's best days as an Eagle are yet to come. DeSean is young and explosive he has lightning quick speed, and when he has the ball in the open field and after catches he is extremely dangerous. While Jackson had very good numbers during his time with Donovan, I don't feel that he ever truly reached his true potential. In other words, I think the Eagles and Donovan were using DeSean in all the wrong ways. This year is going to be different. This year the Eagles are going to start getting the ball to Jackson way more and letting him make plays. Desean is going to run a lot of quick slant routes and Kolb is going to feed the ball to him in a hurry. The most dangerous aspect of DeSean Jackson is his ability to make plays after he catches the football. He's got the speed, the moves, and the jukes to make guys miss in the open field. When you have someone as dangerous and as explosive as Jackson it opens up many things for the rest of the offense. Defenses will be forced to double cover DeSean and this opens up things for not only other wide recievers but also the run game. The run game is something the Eagles have to focus on in this upcoming season. DeSean does so much for this team, and he is an extremely exciting player to watch week after week. With the talent and natural raw ability that DeSean has, the sky is the limit not only for him but also for the Eagles.