Not The Time To Panic

I hate to admit it, but I think Ray Didinger was right.  A couple of weeks before the season began, Eagles hall of fame analyst Ray Didinger predicted that the Eagles could possibly get off to a slow start.  With the shortened off season, lack of OTA's, and overall abundance of new players and personell, Didinger predicted that "there could be a couple of games early on in the season that leave you scratching your head in confusion." After just 3 weeks, myself and many other Eagles fans are certainly scratching our heads.

The Birds came out in week 1 against the Rams and took care of business.  But after a disappointing prime time loss to the Falcons and a heart breaking home opener defeat to the Giants, the Birds are 1-2 and far from the "Dream Team" that everyone expected.  But Ray Didinger's prediction wasn't entirely bad as he went on to say that the Eagles will get better and better as the year progresses.  He also said that he thinks the Eagles are definitely capable of making the playoffs and that when post season play rolls around the Eagles will be hot and firing on all cylinders.

Basically we just have to stick with the Birds during the early going.  There may be a few more frustrating losses, but the key will be to know that they will get better in the long run.  The only thing that has me completely baffled right now is this Eagles offense.  Although they had a shortened off season, Vick came in last year as a backup with little preparation and the Eagles offense hit the ground running.  While the makeup of the offensive line is different, the Eagles didn't add too many new pieces on offense so really there are no excuses.  The only explanation I can come up with is that right now Vick may be thinking too much as opposed to just going out there and playing.  He is overly concerned about the blitz, lack of protection, and getting injured and as a result he is not playing the loose and dangerous style of play that we are accustomed to seeing from him.  I really think that this is just a slow start and Mike Vick and the Eagles are going to turn it around sooner rather than later.  

A Scrambling Quarterback, A Pocket Quarterback, A Winning Quarterback

Donovan McNabb's early years with the Eagles were highlited with flashy runs, slick juke moves, and countless rushing touchdowns,  Week after week McNabb would put up 100 yards plus in rushing and stifle opposing defenses.  The key to Donovan's early success was the "element of surprise" that accompanied his scrambling style of play.  Defenses couldn't just sit back in coverage because they had to be mindful of Super 5 tucking it in and picking up 15-20 yards on the ground.  After his first few years, Donovan was openly labeled a scrambling quarterback, and it seemed to me that he took great execpetion to being labeled as such.  It was almost as if he felt that it was a negative thing to be labled a scrambling quarterback.  After a few years McNabb eventually learned the offense better and evolved into a more traditional pocket passer.

Now flash forward to the Michael Vick era.  Before coming to Philadelphia, Vick's early career in Atlanta was filled with flashy scrambles and long rushing touchdowns.  But ever since joining the Birds, Vick like McNabb, seems to be veering away from the scrambling style of play.  I think this is largely due to the fact that there is a definite negative connotation surrounding the scrambling quarterback.  There is a sort of ideology in the NFL that to be a successful quarterback you have to be a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and sit back in the pocket and make passes.  But the game is quickly evolving into a game where the athletic Mike Vick type of quarterbacks are taking over.  A guy that can pick up 15-20 yards on the ground is being valued more than a guy that can throw the ball far down the field.  But why is there such a negative connotation surounding the scrambling quarterback?

 I personally feel that the best type of quarterback is a winning quarterback.  It doesn't matter if you're labeled a pocket passer or a running back under center, if you're winning games who cares.  If Mike Vick throws for 500 yards and the Eagles win I'm happy.  If he rushes for 300 and only completes 2 passes, if the Eagles win I'm still happy.  The point is there shouldn't be all of this pressure for guys like Vick (and young McNabb) to evolve into players they are not.  They should do whatever they need to do to win football games.  Clearly Vick is a quarterback who truly is the best of both worlds.  Throwing wise he has a quick release, can flick the ball way down field, and he throws with an unbelievable ammount of  accuracy and precison.  He also is one of the best athletes to ever play the game.  He can run lightning fast, accelerate and cut on a dime, and he can flat out make just about anyone miss in the open field.  But he shouldn't try too hard to evolve into the traditional pocket quarterback.  While some may argue that running the ball is risky because Vick can get hurt I completely disagree.  Last week he got smacked standing in the pocket and he can get hurt anywhere.  Obviously Vick shouldn't try desperately to pick up an extra yard if he can quietly go out of bounds, but he also shouldn't restrict himself in fear of getting hurt.  Vick is and always will be a running quarterback and the Eagles need to let him run. 

The Eagles Need To Run The Ball More!

The Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid has always been a pass happy team, but that has to change for the Eagles to be successful this year.  Not only do they have three running backs that they really like, but they also have an offensive line that loves to run block and a quarterback who they need to keep clean.  The Eagles have one of the best backs in league, LeSean McCoy who I believe is the best player on their offense besides Michael Vick.  The Eagles have DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, but I believe that McCoy is a better overall player then both of them.  In his second year last year he proved how important he is to this team and the offense needs to start revolving around him.  The Eagles need to run the ball a lot more and here are the reasons why.

The Eagles have three reliable running backs on their roster right now third year man LeSean McCoy, veteran Ronnie Brown and rookie Dion Lewis.  All three players have a lot of trust by the Eagles coaches and now its time for them to be the feature of this offense.  Last year and early on this year McCoy has proven that he is arguably the best player on the offense, the one problem is he doesn't get the ball enough.  McCoy has rushed for 217 yards on 33 carries and 3 touchdowns.  In my eyes 33 carries is not enough for a player who is averaging 6.6 yards a carry.  He has proven to be elite and the Eagles need to realize that and get him the ball a lot more.  Some may say they don't want to give him a lot of carries to keep him fresh, but if that is the case give some carries to your second and third running backs who are also capable of putting up good numbers.  Ronnie Brown has shown that he can be a factor when a touches the ball the problem is the Eagles don't run the ball enough to get their backups any carries.  These three especially McCoy who is ready for a Pro Bowl season need to get the ball more in the run game, bottom line.

We saw it last year finally and this year we have seen glimpses of this, but the Eagles offensive line loves to run block.  Not only do they love to do it, they are good at it as well.  Late in the Rams game with the box packed because everyone knew the Eagles were going to run the ball, they were able to run it successfully.  This line is very good at run blocking and we need to use their strength more often and let them go out and hit people.  We need to use the lines strength to make their weakness pass blocking a lot easier.

The Eagles running backs are good and so is the offensive line, but another reason why they need to run more is to keep Vick clean.  Vick has been taking punishing hits this year and last year already and the Eagles need to keep him as clean as possible.  One way to do that is to run the ball more.  If they run it more Vick will not be asked to pass as much, which means less hits on his body.  Vick's weakness has been against the blitz, so what do teams do; they blitz him a lot and get a lot of hits.  One way to stop the blitz is running the ball more.  If you can run the ball against the blitz, the defense will have to back off of the pressure which will allow Vick more time passing and less hits on his body.  Many have said the Eagles season relies on keeping Vick clean and if that is the case running the ball more will definitely help that.

My last reason why the Eagles need to run more is that their defense has given up a good amount of points.  part of the defense is good and the other part is awful.  The one area where the Eagles struggle is against the run and if the Eagles run the ball more it will help their defense out.  Teams are not only trying to run the ball to keep the Eagles high powered offense off the field, but they also have a huge weakness against the run.  One way to slow that down is using more time on the offensive side of the ball.  Running the ball a lot keeps drives going a lot longer and that is what they need to do.  The less amount of time the Eagles defense is on the field the better they will start to play.  In the Atlanta game they seemed to wear down in the fourth quarter because they were on the field for so much of the game.  If the Eagles run the ball more they won't have to be on the field for as long.

The bottom line is the Eagles need to start running the ball more.  As you have read my points on why it makes a lot of sense.  Not only are they good at running, it helps out other areas as well.  It is time for Andy Reid to be a lot more balanced with the play calling.

Not A Bad Seat In The House

As Phillies playoff baseball approaches and the inevitable struggle to gain possession of playoff tickets comes with it, many people will spend upwards of $500 to sit in the lower levels of the phenomenal stadium that is Citizen's Bank Park. But there's good news for college students like myself who can't afford to shell out that kind of money; there really isn't a bad seat in the entire stadium.

As I looked at the tickets to my two remaining games this season, I realized that one pair was for the lower level in right field, a place that I've never had the chance to sit in before. But as I thought of that, I realized that I've had the privilege of spending at least one game in every other section of the park, and have never once had a significant complaint about my seats. From the the closest seat behind home plate to the highest seat on the third baseline, and from the dead center all the way up to the scoreboard porch, I have always enjoyed my spot at the game. The way that Citizens Bank Park was built, the only seats where you lose out on any view are the upper deck in right and the scoreboard porch, but even then it is only a small segment, just larger than the warning track. This can make for some awkward, "did he hit it out?" moments, but there is always the incredible new high definition scoreboard backing our eyes up with instant replays. So in the end, a college student like myself who can't afford lower level playoff tickets is still in for a serious treat anywhere they end up.

All that being said, even though  there aren't any bad spots, some are obviously better than others, and I have to name my top five favorites:

5. Section 420/421, upper deck behind home plate: The view that you get from these seats is unreal. I was lucky enough to see a Phillies versus Diamonbacks game right around the fourth of July sitting there a few seasons back, and the full panoramic of the park combined with what you can see of the city makes these a spot to check out. My memory is admittedly a little biased because I saw a fireworks night extra inning game from there, but the view is the same every night. The only knock on these is the distance from the field itself, which is why they sit at number five.

4. Scoreboard porch, sections 241-245: Sitting in a section with its own restaurant named after the late great Harry Kalas would be enough, but the fact that doing a quick 180 puts you face to face with the beautiful monster that is the Phillies new video board makes things even better. The location is great, as it's right next to Ashburn Alley, right in front of the Majestic store, and right by an entrance. The tickets even come with a $10 voucher on them that can be used anywhere in the park. The only knock that prevents this from being higher is the loss of view of the left field warning track.

3. Luxury boxes, first base line: A little higher up, but the food that is served in the luxury boxes in the park is absolutely delicious. These are pricey and hard to get, but for those who are fans of food as well as the team and game, the investment is worth it.

2. First baseline sections 115-118: There is almost nothing better than sitting behind the team as they sprint out onto the field to start the game, looking Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay straight in the eyes as they walk back to the dugout concentrated as any person will ever be, and watching the best mascot in sports entertain the stadium from right in front of your seats. All this on top of a crystal clear unobstructed view of the entire park puts these seats firmly in second place.

1. Diamond Club, right behind home plate: Obviously being this close to the action and right behind the plate is an incredible viewpoint, but it's the added ability to access the diamond club and all of the behind the scenes places you get to look at that make this ticket worth the price tag. Also, it comes with pre-loaded cash vouchers on it that can be used for the delicious high-quality club food or merchandise. Like every other choice I made, this one is biased too because I used to spend time in this section with my Dad before he passed away, so it will always be my favorite for more than just the view.

But as I said before, no matter where you sit, the seats will never be a detriment to your game day experience. So as the season winds down and the playoffs roll in, do your best get into the park, and don't worry about the section on your stub.

Eagles Fantasy Fix: Week 2

To preface this article I would like to first state that my week 1 predictions were fairly accurate.  Desean Jackson, Mike Vick, and Shady McCoy all had big games, and Alex Henery had a solid game as well.  And as predicted, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin were non-factors and the only pick I really goofed on was the Eagles D/ST which had a huge game.  For this week I'm hoping for continued fantasy prediction success.

Start Em'

Mike Vick

Projected Stats: 20/27, 275 passing yards, 3 passing tds, 100 rushing yards

Projected Points: 29

Vick threw for just 187 yards in week 1, and this week I think that he will bounce back and have a big game through the air.  I think Maclin is going to be more of a factor and I see the Eagles chucking the ball up and scoring left and right.  The Falcons are currently 22nd in the league against QB's as they surrendered 18 points to Jay Cutler last week.  While 18 points isn't awful, I'm just not overally impressed with the Falcons defense.  And when you add in the fact that Vick will be making his grand homecoming under the prime time lights, I think Vick puts it all together in a big way.  

Lesean McCoy

Projected Stats: 150 rushing yards, 1 rushing td, 67 receiving yards

Projected Points: 27

I know that 150 rushing yards is a bold prediction.  But I think Andy and Marty have to realize that the Eagles had a ton of success on Sunday in the second half when they ran the ball.  I expect more carries for McCoy and given the fact that Atlanta surrendered 23 points to the Bears RB's on Sunday leads me to believe that McCoy is in for another big game.

Desean Jackson
Projected Stats: 80 yards recieving
Projected Points: 8
I'm basing my Desean prediction mainly on a gut feeling.  I just don't see him being a huge factor in this game.  I think the Falcons are going to take him out of this game, and while he may catch a ball here and there, I think other guys like Maclin and Avant are going to step up.  He still has that homerun potential so I say start em.

Jeremy Maclin
Projected Stats: 60 yards receiving, 1 td
Projected Points: 11
I went back and forth on whether it was a good idea to start Maclin.  Ultimately I think he will be one of the guys to step up as a result of more attention going towards Desean Jackson.

Eagles D/ST
Projected Stats: Allow 17 points, 2 interceptions, 6 sacks
Projected Points: 11
This Eagles defense is going to force turnovers.  The secondary is so good, and they almost had a few last week.  The defensive line is also so talented and I expect another big performance this Sunday.

Alex Henery
Projected Stats: 4 extra points, 2 field goals
Projected Points: 12
Just start em.  This Eagles offense is too good for you to let Henery sit on your bench.

Bench Em'


Brent Celek
Projected Stats: 30 yards recieving
Projected Points: 3
Celek is the lone rider on the bench this week.  I actually dropped Celek from my fantasy team this past week and as long as the offensive line is unstable, I say bench Celek who will be utilized mostly as a blocker.  

Eagles Fantasy Fix: Week 2

To preface this article I would like to first state that my week 1 predictions were fairly accurate.  Desean Jackson, Mike Vick, and Shady McCoy all had big games, and Alex Henery had a solid game as well.  And as predicted, Brent Celek and Jeremy Maclin were non-factors and the only pick I really goofed on was the Eagles D/ST which had a huge game.  For this week I'm hoping for continued fantasy prediction success.

Start Em'

Mike Vick

Projected Stats: 20/27, 275 passing yards, 3 passing tds, 100 rushing yards

Projected Points: 29

Vick threw for just 187 yards in week 1, and this week I think that he will bounce back and have a big game through the air.  I think Maclin is going to be more of a factor and I see the Eagles chucking the ball up and scoring left and right.  The Falcons are currently 22nd in the league against QB's as they surrendered 18 points to Jay Cutler last week.  While 18 points isn't awful, I'm just not overally impressed with the Falcons defense.  And when you add in the fact that Vick will be making his grand homecoming under the prime time lights, I think Vick puts it all together in a big way.  

Lesean McCoy

Projected Stats: 150 rushing yards, 1 rushing td, 67 receiving yards

Projected Points: 27

I know that 150 rushing yards is a bold prediction.  But I think Andy and Marty have to realize that the Eagles had a ton of success on Sunday in the second half when they ran the ball.  I expect more carries for McCoy and given the fact that Atlanta surrendered 23 points to the Bears RB's on Sunday leads me to believe that McCoy is in for another big game.

Desean Jackson
Projected Stats: 80 yards recieving
Projected Points: 8
I'm basing my Desean prediction mainly on a gut feeling.  I just don't see him being a huge factor in this game.  I think the Falcons are going to take him out of this game, and while he may catch a ball here and there, I think other guys like Maclin and Avant are going to step up.  He still has that homerun potential so I say start em.

Jeremy Maclin
Projected Stats: 60 yards receiving, 1 td
Projected Points: 11
I went back and forth on whether it was a good idea to start Maclin.  Ultimately I think he will be one of the guys to step up as a result of more attention going towards Desean Jackson.

Eagles D/ST
Projected Stats: Allow 17 points, 2 interceptions, 6 sacks
Projected Points: 11
This Eagles defense is going to force turnovers.  The secondary is so good, and they almost had a few last week.  The defensive line is also so talented and I expect another big performance this Sunday.

Alex Henery
Projected Stats: 4 extra points, 2 field goals
Projected Points: 12
Just start em.  This Eagles offense is too good for you to let Henery sit on your bench.

Bench Em'


Brent Celek
Projected Stats: 30 yards recieving
Projected Points: 3
Celek is the lone rider on the bench this week.  I actually dropped Celek from my fantasy team this past week and as long as the offensive line is unstable, I say bench Celek who will be utilized mostly as a blocker.  

Sixers News And Notes

Although in the midst of a lockout which does not seem likely to end, a couple of Philadelphia 76ers players have made some news over the past couple of days. Thaddeus Young put to rest the rumors that he will be going overseas to play in China, at least for now. According to Young there are a lot of opportuinties for him to play in China but he plans on staying here. In the same inteview Young told something that is very interesting and exciting for Sixers fans. This past offsesason Thad has worked with former NBA player and coach John Lucas on his jump shot. He said that he has been in the gym almost every day working on his game and jumper for next season. He admitted that his mid-range game needs work and according to many coaches if he gets his mid-range jump shot down, "Thad has the chance to be unstoppable."

In other Sixers news, Marreese Speights has had a very productive offseason just like teammate Thaddeus Young. Impact Basketball, which is a training facility just outside of Las Vegas, has been hosting a "Lockout League" this offseason. The games involve NBA players only and while the games don't include the biggest stars in the game, some notable players who have shown up are John Wall, Javale McGee, Rashard Lewis, Kyle Lowrey, and Corey Maggette. Since these games are pickup games the defense as you would imagine is not the greatest in the world but games are games and playing a lot can improve your game and get you in better shape. The games consist of four eight minute quarters and are played pretty much every day. On any given day you can see up to 4 pickup games at the Impact Basketball facility. The good news out of this for the Sixers is that forward Marreese Speights has been playing in these games and is tearing it up. In the three games that Speights played he has averaged 28 points and 9 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an outstanding 70 % from the field. The fact that Marreese Speights has been performing well is great news for the Sixers, as he has always seemed to have the potential to be a good big man, but can never put it together during the season. He has the ability to help the Sixers off the bench this year if there is a season, and provide a good defensive presence and score some points off the bench. That would make the Sixers bench even more scarier than last year.

Doug Collins, Chomping At The Bit

You really have to feel for this young Sixers team as the lockout continues to take it's chokehold on the NBA.  The Sixers are a young and upcoming team with a ton of potential and a very bright future.  The lockout could halt the progress of some of the young guys on this team and one guy in particular that I feel especially bad for is Sixers head coach Doug Collins.

Collins is a very enthusiastic and passionate coach and he wears his emotions on his sleeve.  In a recent interview with csn's Dei Lynam, Collins expressed his optimism about the two sides reaching a deal sometime in the near future.

In reality, the two sides are still oceans apart from reaching a deal and it's a shame for Collins who you can just tell absolutely loves coaching.  He came in last year and completely changed the entire culture of this team and took them from a pathetic franchise in a complete downward spiral to a team with an extremely bright future.

The most detrimental part about the lockout for Collins is that he is extremely limited in what he can do and say.  He can't host any workouts and he has to be very careful about what he says about current players and the new Sixers ownership.

Even though he is extremely restricted in what he can do, Collins is probably still locked in his office pouring over film and designing plays and defensive schemes.  He remains optimistic about a deal getting done and he is chomping at the bit for the start of the season, when ever that may be.  If the lockout were to end tomorrow, the Sixers would easily be the most prepared team in the entire league thanks in large part to the passion and dedication of head coach Doug Collins.    

Doug Collins, Chomping At The Bit

You really have to feel for this young Sixers team as the lockout continues to take it's chokehold on the NBA.  The Sixers are a young and upcoming team with a ton of potential and a very bright future.  The lockout could halt the progress of some of the young guys on this team and one guy in particular that I feel especially bad for is Sixers head coach Doug Collins.

Collins is a very enthusiastic and passionate coach and he wears his emotions on his sleeve.  In a recent interview with csn's Dei Lynam, Collins expressed his optimism about the two sides reaching a deal sometime in the near future.

In reality, the two sides are still oceans apart from reaching a deal and it's a shame for Collins who you can just tell absolutely loves coaching.  He came in last year and completely changed the entire culture of this team and took them from a pathetic franchise in a complete downward spiral to a team with an extremely bright future.

The most detrimental part about the lockout for Collins is that he is extremely limited in what he can do and say.  He can't host any workouts and he has to be very careful about what he says about current players and the new Sixers ownership.

Even though he is extremely restricted in what he can do, Collins is probably still locked in his office pouring over film and designing plays and defensive schemes.  He remains optimistic about a deal getting done and he is chomping at the bit for the start of the season, when ever that may be.  If the lockout were to end tomorrow, the Sixers would easily be the most prepared team in the entire league thanks in large part to the passion and dedication of head coach Doug Collins.    

Rest Will Be The Key For The Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are very close to clinching a playoff before, which is very early.  Some people look at clinching early as a bad thing others look at it as a good thing.  This year for the Phillies I believe it will be a very good for them.  The Phillies magic number now sits at 5 games before they clinch a division title and the faster they win the NL East the better it will be for them.  People look at clinching early in different ways; some say it is in advantage because you rest your players, and others say it is a disadvantage because you are not playing meaningful baseball for a good amount of time.  Both points have good arguments, but the better one for the Phillies this year is clinching early.

The Phillies have been banged up all year as one player after another have been sent to the DL.  The Phillies were able to fight through all those injuries and still poses the best record in baseball.  Even this month the Phillies have suffered injuries which have made their potent lineup look like a Triple-A team at times.  There is no question this old team needs some rest before they begin their run for a second World Series title in 4 years.

As of now the Phillies still have a lot of injured guys, whether they are fighting through it or having to rest.  Right now their injury list of guys who aren't able to play right now are Wilson Valdez with a hamstring strain and Chase Utley with a possible concussion; although it looks like Utley has been cleared to play.  Guys who are fighting through injuries right now consist of Ryan Howard with an ankle issue (nothing serious), Placido Polanco with a hernia, Cole Hamels fighting with a dead arm, Antonio Bastardo fighting a dead arm, Joe Blanton coming back from arm problems and Jimmy Rollins just coming back from a strained right groin.  Also include just the wear and tear that the season brings along to all the other players as well.

Now take a second to soak it all in.

The list may be long, but nothing seems to be very serious.  All of these guys are expected to be ready for the playoffs so don't panic to much.  With such a long list though you can see why the Phillies would like to clinch the NL East as early as possible.  These guys need to start resting for more games, so they can fully heal and ready for the playoffs.  Winning the NL East will put less pressure on the Phillies to win games so they can allow some of their bench players and prospects to get some playing time.  These guys could use a few days off during the week when games will not really mean to much.

Another thing is that the Phillies starting pitchers have logged a lot of innings this year.  Each pitcher has taken the Phillies deep into baseball games which is good, but that means their workload has been pretty heavy.  The Phillies would be able to let other pitchers get chances to start in games so that their big four will be able to get some rest.  A couple extra days between starts could be big for them being a full go when it is time for the playoffs.

There is no doubt that clinching early will be big for the Phillies.  They might not be involved in meaningful baseball games for sometime, but right now rest seems like the most important thing for the Phillies.