Tiger Woods

there are plenty of professional writers out there writing all kinds of stories about the greatness of tiger woods, so i'm not going to compete with them. i will make a statement that i've been thinking about for a few months, however. i'm sure most people will think i'm crazy, but i've concluded that tiger woods will be the president of the united states some day and that i'd vote for him if he ran today based just on his inner strength and drive for greatness. there is a purity in the way he approaches golf and life. i've never seen it before in anyone.

More Entertainment

from rich eisen on nfl.com and the nfl network:

It happened just last week when reporters told Owens that Parcells said he needed to see something from Owens on the practice field before he could play him in Week 1, which we all know Owens always took as a given even when he was riding that stationary bike for days on end. Perhaps it was the fact the question hit directly on that chord that Owens breeched Marshall's imaginary wall.

"If he wants to see something, he has 10 years of film to back and look on," Owens said, referring to Parcells. "Like I said, I'm very confident and that's not to discredit what he's saying."

If this column was filmed before a live studio audience, it would be going: "ooooooooOOOOOH!"

Poor Parcells. In the autumn of his coaching career, he's got to deal with this stuff. Most observers believe that he didn't want Owens in the first place for just these reasons. Again, he's been known to bend the rules for star players, but what about for star players who haven't built up a single whit of credit in the coach's favor bank and then immediately test his patience? No one thought Parcells would stand for that but, thus far, he has. Suddenly folks wonder if the now 65-year-old Parcells has, dare we say, gone soft? Amazing. What took two years to happen to Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia has already happened to Parcells in one single training camp: People are wondering if he's lost his ability to lead the team.

Roster Moves

eagles have made several roster moves and i think most fans will be on board with them.

birds have released pinky and koy and signed AJ feeley. i was kind of hoping they'd sign feeley, but really the best part about having AJ back on the team is that he brings his hottie girlfriend heather mitts in tow.

Receiving Corps

from big dog:

The sad part is, I think the Eagles finally realized that the receiving corp, while some potential is there, pretty much is inadequate. So is the RB situation....I wonder when they fix that problem.

at the risk of sounding like an eagles apologist, i'll put out there that i don't think they've realized anything or changed anything. they are always looking to upgrade all aspects of their team; however, they have a scheme for how much they value certain positions and they will not overpay.

the facts are that they've been trying to upgrade the WRs since big red first got here. they've spent first round picks (mitchell) and second round picks (pinky) on the position. they've made trades to upgrade the position (me-o and now stallworth, they had a deal to get walker but denver came in with a higher 2nd round pick). they've signed free agents (thrash, they tried to get jurevicius but lost out and signed gaffney instead).

this notion that they are changing is purely perception and is driven largely because andy keeps saying "we're ok with what we have". people need to realize that when he says that he doesn't mean "we think the guys we have are good enough to win the superbowl" it actually means "you're not going to get me to say something bad about my players in public". that's it. if andy actually believed what he was saying there wouldn't be 25% turnover in the roster every season.

the other factor driving the perception is that andy does give players a decent amount of time to make an impact. long after fans (yes, including myself) have given up on a player, andy will keep running that guy out there making sure that guy gets a fair chance. sometimes it has hurt the team, but other times (e.g. LJ smith, derrick burgess, lito, jermane mayberry, pinky) the players have developed into good contributors.

at linebacker, they've spent multiple second round picks to try to improve. yes, their drafting at LB has sucked, but they've also brought in free agents (emmons, barber, trotter, barber again, dhani jones).

i'm not sure what andy's plan is for running back, but i'm sure it includes giving moats a fair chance and not overpaying for any trades or free agents.

Pinky on the Block

eagles have granted pinky and his agent permission to seek a trade.

KC Joyner on Dawkins and D-Line

you'd think this guy was an eagles fan. from an espn chat:

Jeremy (nyc): Who is the best overall safety in the league? Sean Taylor? Ed Reed? Brian Dawkins? Roy Williams?? Someone else...???

SportsNation KC Joyner: Tough call with mixing FS and SS. I happen to think Dawkins is the best FS and Williams the best SS. Dawkins metrics were down a bit last year but not as much as his fellow secondary members. Williams is an absolute force against the run, which is usually more important for a SS than how he covers.

Chuck (Hershey, PA): KC,is it just me or does the Eagles D-Line look real scary?

SportsNation KC Joyner: I really like the Philly D line. Mike Patterson had tremendous metrics last year. Trent Cole has excellent pass rushing skills. Sam Rayburn is one of the best backup DTs in the NFL. Add these three to Jevon Kearse, and possibly Darren Howard if he can pick his game up, and this could be a dominant D line.

Justin Gatlin

with the white flash destined for IR or the practice squad, i wonder if the eagles will revisit their interest in justin gatlin? now that he's banned from racing, he's probably looking for something to do.

Donte' Stallworth NFL Ranks

here are where donte' ranks among NFL wideouts in conventional stats. i normalized to per game numbers so, among other things, me-o would get his proper due.

Rank	Player	Rec/G Rank	Yds/G Rank	Avg/C Rank	TDs/G Rank	20+/G Rank	40+/G Rank	Avg Rk
1	Terrell Owens	3	1	8	1	4	2	3.2
2	Steve Smith	4	3	15	3	5	3	5.5
3	Santana Moss	13	5	3	11	2	1	5.8
4	Anquan Boldin	1	2	22	14	2	7	8.0
5	Chad Johnson	6	6	16	11	14	3	9.3
6	Larry Fitzgerald	4	7	22	7	1	15	9.3
7	Joey Galloway	14	8	11	7	7	20	11.2
8	Plaxico Burress	20	11	10	17	6	8	12.0
9	Terry Glenn	33	12	1	17	8	3	12.3
10	Torry Holt	1	4	30	6	11	23	12.5
11	Marvin Harrison	8	9	21	2	21	18	13.2
12	Donald Driver	10	10	19	27	12	8	14.3
13	Chris Chambers	17	13	24	5	8	20	14.5
14	Eddie Kennison	32	15	8	27	12	8	17.0
15	Randy Moss	36	22	5	14	17	15	18.2
16	Hines Ward	22	19	20	4	32	18	19.2
17	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	7	16	40	14	14	32	20.5
18	Jimmy Smith	27	20	17	23	17	24	21.3
19	Roy Williams	39	32	13	10	22	12	21.3
20	Rod Smith	12	14	30	23	17	35	21.8
21	Donte' Stallworth	27	25	25	17	14	35	23.8
22	Antonio Bryant	30	21	17	37	17	24	24.3
23	Reggie Wayne	14	18	33	27	31	24	24.5
24	Lee Evans	43	40	11	17	34	3	24.7
25	Keenan McCardell	27	27	29	11	27	35	26.0
26	Derrick Mason	10	17	37	43	8	43	26.3
27	Jerry Porter	20	26	39	27	23	24	26.5
28	Deion Branch	18	23	32	27	25	35	26.7
29	Ashley Lelie	48	39	1	49	27	8	28.7
30	Drew Bennett	25	28	33	34	43	12	29.2

it's very quick and very dirty, but it probably is a good rough indicator of where he sits among his peers.

Eagles Trade for Donte' Stallworth

donte' stallworth is an eagle! while he likely wasn't tops on everyone's wish list, he will probably jump to the top of the depth chart as soon as he familiarizes himself with the worst coast offense.

is he a "number 1" receiver? probably, if your criteria for "number 1" is among the top 32 wideouts in the game. probably not, if your criteria is someone who can be mentioned in the same conversation as: marvin harrison, randy moss, me-o, chad johnson, steve smith, torry holt, and larry fitzgerald.

i'd say from a talent perspective, i've always thought that he can be a top 15 kind of wideout. he was the fastest wideout in his draft class and a dynamic playmaker (i recall he scored in his first game as a pro, taking a quick wideout screen 60 yards for a score).

here is what i know about stallworth:
- very fast (was a 4.3 guy coming into the league)
- decent hands
- has played all 16 games for the last two seasons, but has a chronic hamstring problem
- numbers likely inflated somewhat due to some yards gained in garbage time while NO was significantly behind
- numbers likely deflated somewhat by playing with a crappy QB (aaron brooks) and a bad head coach (jim haslett)

-----

here are what others think about stallworth:

- profootballweekly's pre-draft scouting report

Notes: High school sprinter and jumper as well as a football star. Redshirted in 1998. Caught 23 passes for 407 yards and a touchdown in ’99 despite not starting one game. Hurt his foot in the Fiesta Bowl and had postseason surgery. Foot was never fully healed in 2000, when he started 2-of-12 games and caught 35-519-2. Injured his left wrist in the ’01 opener and missed three games and five starts but still caught 41-821-10 and returned six punts for 98 yards and a score despite playing with a cast and then a brace. Declared for this year’s draft and then withdrew his name, but the NCAA refused to restore his eligibility. Decided not to appeal the decision and re-entered the draft.

Positives: Top athlete with tremendous balance and body control. Very quick and fast and strong for his size. Has great explosive speed and strength. Runs through and breaks tackles like a top running back. Gamebreaker and big-play maker. Dangerous runner after the catch and return man. Runs good routes and can make the exceptional catch and run. Has unlimited potential.

Negatives: Lacks experience and has not been that durable. Lacks consistency and concentration at times. Will drop some very easy passes because he is looking where to run before he catches the ball.

Summary: A premier athlete who will develop into a special player if he can stay healthy and improve his concentration and focus.

- sports illustrated's pre-draft scouting report

Two-year starter and second team All-Conference selection last year. Played in only nine games as a redshirt junior after suffering a broken wrist in the season opener against Syracuse, but still finished the year with 41/821/20/10. Totaled 35/519/14.8/2 as a sophomore and 23/407/17.7/1 the prior year. Occasionally saw action as a return specialist through college.

Speedy wideout prospect still developing his game. Fluid releasing off the line of scrimmage, quick out of his pass routes and naturally comes back to the ball. Fast in either a straight line or laterally, stretches the defense and gets downfield behind defenders. Extends for the high throw and plucks the ball out of the air. Excellent body control, adjustment and positions himself nicely to make the catch. Displays solid eye/hand coordination, looks the ball in and catches the pass away from his body. Times and anticipates his deep receptions well showing the ability to get up vertically for the reception and make the catch in a crowd. Also reads the defense, gets open and makes himself an available target for the quarterback. Not strong and has difficulty with big, physical corners. Production numbers have never been outstanding which is more a result of his injury last season and depth the Tennessee program traditionally has at the receiver position. May need time to develop at the start of his career but a top prospect with a large amount of upside potential that should eventually grow into a solid Number 1 receiver. Mid First Round.

- espn scouts inc's current scouting report on donte'

He uses his speed and hands well when breaking the press and he has a second gear. He is very smooth in running his routes and he accelerates well out of his break to get separation. He has soft hands and excellent timing and will go up and battle you for the ball. He has great leaping ability and will make the catch in almost any position. He adjusts well to the ball when it is in the air and he is a threat to go the distance with the ball in his hands. He shows good awareness and sees the coverage's. He finds a way to get open. You would like to see him do more to set up a defensive back with a weave or change of pace but he tends to rely on his speed. He has good body control but tends to get sloppy in his route running, occasionally rounding off his cuts and showing a lapse in concentration.

- footballoutsiders has him ranked at 25 for DPAR for the 2005 season (he was 46th and 48th in 2004 and 2003)

25th best wideout in the game? i'll take him. getting him for mark simoneau and a 4th rounder (think max jean-gillies, jason avant, todd herremans, sean considine, jr reed, or trey darilek), it's a steal.

Pure Entertainment

as predicted by many people (including this site), the beginning of the end of the me-o era at dallas is starting. just sit back and enjoy eagles fans! i don't even feel bad about enjoying their upcoming misfortune.

read about me-o's first dallas fine ($9500) at dallasnews.com and dfw.com

Preseason Game 4 Thoughts

overall, i thought the first team played pretty well. the first team offense moved that ball against the steelers first team d and the first team d kept the steelers first team offense off the board.

- the receivers didn't get much separation. mcnabb had to fit the ball into some pretty tight spaces last night. also, reggie brown ran what appeared to be a lazy comeback route on the mcnabb pick that was overturned.

- i've always liked darren howard, but i think he's going to be a monster this year. he's never played on a d-line with this much talent before. he was just killing marvel smith last night. i love how howard doesn't allow the o-lineman to get into his body, and usually keeps the battle at arm's reach.

- don played pretty well and it seems to me that the real don is back. incidentally, kc joyner broke down every QB's interceptions last year into "at fault" interceptions (the QB made a bad throw or a bad decision) and "not at fault" interceptions (the receiver should have made the catch or the QB got hit as he threw the ball or hail mary passes). of don's 9 picks last season, 5 were "not at fault" interceptions. eli manning had the most "inaccurate pass" interceptions in the nfl last season with 9 (second place was a tie between drew bledsoe and kyle orton at 6).

It should come as no surprise that Eli Manning tops this list. I often get accused of bashing Manning unnecessarily, but these types of metrics make me question his upside. His inaccuracy doesn't just lead to a lower completion percentage but also leads to more turnovers.

- i know trotter keeps saying that he's going to have an MVP season because the d-line is so good this year, but he looks s-l-o-w to me. maybe he's saving himself for the regular season, but he looks slow.

- buck looked pretty good, i thought. he made some nifty cuts and his acceleration was there. still doesn't seem like he has his top gear back though. whoever has been fixing up his knees is doing a pretty good job. i wish ben smith had gone to buck's doctor instead of whoever he saw (probably art "the butcher" bartolozzi, who i think was the eagles team doctor back then).

- one thing i noticed about the eagles d is that JJ still hasn't gone back to the same defense he was playing when he had bobby and troy at the corners. with bobby and troy, i recall the birds playing predominantly "bump and run" on the corners when they were blitzing. after sheldon and lito took over, the birds started playing a lot more zone, especially if they were blitzing. JJ did that to "protect the young corners", but he hasn't gone away from that even though this is their third season as starters. i think this is part of why they haven't been able to get off the field on third down. JJ blitzes and the QB throws to the guy who has the 5 yard cushion in the zone. JJ must not have the same trust level as he did when it was bobby and troy. as good as i think sheldon is, he's still no where close to where troy was his last few seasons. you could count on him to just shut someone down (i think 2 or 3 seasons in a row, troy gave up zero TD passes), but sheldon and lito need help.

That's My Basketball Team!

mama iverson is now the owner of an aba team

Phil Hughes

from ben:

Phil Hughes update from Akron game last night:

IP: 5 (Yankees imposed limit)
H: 0
BB: 1
K: 9

Another tough night for the guy who got away.

ben, i know this is a sore point for you because you are convinced that gillick could have had him if he had just stuck to his guns, but i've been thinking about it and i'm not sure i believe that is true. i could be just rationalizing (well) after the fact, but i'm definitely leaning toward the "couldn't have gotten him" side.

here are my premises:

- pat gillick is a competent GM as evidenced by his track record in toronto and seattle

- cashman gained steinbrenner's promise that he'd have "complete control" over the yankees last offseason. i recall one of his key points was that he would not return unless he was guaranteed to be free from the pressure to trade away all of his prospects for often ineffective short term moves

- it was important to gillick to remove abreu from the clubhouse (and whose removal may or may not be a direct cause of the recent personality change in the team)

- it was important for the phillies to be free of either abreu's or burrell's salary to prepare for this offseason

- there were no other bidders for abreu's services -- at least none that didn't also require the phillies to eat a lot of abreu's salary

i'll write more when i have some time, but i wanted to get these out there to see what you think.

Eagles Links

i'll keep this post updated with various preseason articles about the birds

- 8/23/06 - profootballweekly's dan arkush also picks the eagles to win the division

- 8/22/06 - clark judge predicts the eagles will win the division

- rick gosselin of the dallas morning news thinks last year's "great" draft is setting the stage for a bright future.

- pat kirwan on nfl.com thinks the eagles will be more than competitive in the division after his camp visit

- espn's eagles training camp report by len pasquarelli. for those without espn insider, len says: 1) defensive line should be good, 2) need more production from the outside 'backers, 3) westbrook - good receiver, unknown quantity as runner, 4) lj smith looks ready to breakout, 5) shawn andrews ready to dominate, and 6) eagles might finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in division.

- here is a profile on reggie brown by the same len pasquarelli

- espn.com's preseason poll. 66% of voters believe the eagles will be in the playoffs

- peter king's usual fluff piece on his training camp visit

- clark judge says the birds couldn't run because they were always behind and were always behind because they couldn't rush the passer. also, 34% of voters believe the eagles will win the division.

- clark judge's camp visit

Westbrook Injury Update

from dave spadaro's article on philadelphiaeagles.com:

Brian Westbrook is recovering from his ankle injury.

this is the first mention of it being an ankle injury instead of a "foot sprain". westbrook's injury has seemed fishy to me all along. i know most out there aren't concerned because it's been termed a "minor" injury. if it's so minor, why no details? i smell "high-ankle sprain".

those things take forever to heal.

Moyer Trade

here is what baseball america says about the two minor leaguers sent to seattle for jamie moyer:

[Andrew] Baldwin, a 23-year-old righthander, was a fifth-round pick out of Oregon State in 2004. The nephew of John Hiller, who once held the major league single-season save record, he has gone 8-8, 4.04 at high Class A Clearwater this season. Baldwin has a 100-22 K-BB ratio in 147 innings, while opponents have hit .285 with 11 homers against him. He's inconsistent, but when he's at his best he'll show a low-90s fastball and a quality slider.

[Andrew] Barb, 21, signed as a draft-and-follow out of Kirkwood (Iowa) CC in 2004 after being selected in the 40th round out of a Washington high school the previous June. Primarily a catcher as an amateur, he became a full-time pitcher after turning pro. Barb has smoothed out his delivery and now consistently throws in the low 90s. He's still working on his command, control and secondary pitches. In 38 games at low Class A Lakewood, he has gone 6-2, 2.23 with 18 saves. He has a 71-28 K-BB ratio, .166 opponents average and no homers allowed in 61 innings.

Ongoing Simon Misconception

in his article today on jeremiah trotter, sal paolantonio writes this garbage:

Of course, this being the NFL, talk doesn't go far. Teams have to have the horses. And, in the offseason, the Eagles' brain trust -- team president Joe Banner, general manager Tom Heckert and Reid -- tried to repair two catastrophic mistakes made by management last season: allowing defensive tackle Corey Simon to marinate at home in a contract dispute and then releasing him; and deciding that defensive end Derrick Burgess was not worth a heavy financial investment.

Simon left for Indianapolis and made a significant contribution to the Colts' defense.

this misrepresentation continues to be presented by (of course) cataldi and his crew and now sal paolantonio. let's first agree on one point:

COREY SIMON SUCKED LAST SEASON!

last season, corey made this "significant contribution" to the colts' defense - 26 solo tackles and nine assists. that's it. zero sacks in a one gap defense and values penetration above gap control. corey's job was to get sacks, not stuff the run. this is why, despite his "significant contributions", corey is being benched this season and the colts are moving raheem brock inside.

dumping corey's lard ass was a good move last season for two reasons: a) HE SUCKED LAST SEASON, so he would have made no impact on the team and b) if the birds had kept him, they probably wouldn't have wanted to dump more money into that position and draft bunkley.

these football writers don't even watch the damn games.

The People's Champion

who decided that phil mickelson is the "people's champion"? certainly not "the people". every poll i've ever seen shows that people prefer tiger woods somewhere around 70%/30%. where did this notion originate? did phil declare himself the "people's champion" a la the rock of wwe fame?

actual quote today from my three year old daughter: "we don't like mickelson. he's fat."

Jamie Moyer

phils shore up their rotation by trading for local product jamie moyer. no one is more excited by this move than ben schuchardt. i'll let him tell you why.

An Open Letter to Pat Gillick

from ben schuchardt:

Dear Pat,

I know we got off on the wrong foot. I wasn’t in your shoes at the trade deadline and don’t know all the pressures you faced when you folded your cards and gave away Bobby Abreu for nothing, yet I criticized you relentlessly. I’m sorry. Let’s start over. At least I get to watch Phil Hughes at the local ball park and maybe Trenton can win a championship.

Rather than dwell on the negatives, I thought I’d turn the brain toward offering some constructive suggestions for the days ahead.

1. Fire Charlie Manuel at the end of the season, no matter what. Even if we rally and make the playoffs, it will only accentuate the need to put someone with a brain in the manager’s office. I like Charlie. He’s a goofy guy with an endearing touch. I’ve come to enjoy his post game ramblings. I still don’t understand a word he says, however, and I doubt the players do either. I realize the players like Charlie and they play hard for him, but you just can’t let this fellow represent the team or the city any longer. This isn’t Mayberry RFD, and the season isn’t a sitcom. Let him go with dignity, but let him go. Hire a real manager.

2. Explain to Jimmy Rollins that you love him, that you want him to be a cornerstone of the franchise for the next ten years, and that you will continue to have Jimmy Rollin’s Give Away Nights as long as you are GM. Also explain that the experiment is over. He can’t hit leadoff next year. Not because he is a bad hitter or that you’ve perceived some sort of flaw in his game, but because you have tried to force a round hole into a square peg for long enough to see that it is a bad idea. Jimmy Rollins is a Natural. He can field better than any other shortstop in the league, he has surprisingly good pop for a 5’ 7” guy, and he runs the bases like a cheetah. But I don’t want him thinking at the plate. I don’t want him looking at pitches he’d rather drive. I don’t want him trying to do things that people with far less talent need to learn to do. Resist the temptation of thinking “if Jose Reyas can learn to hit leadoff in two years, Jimmy can surely do it in five.” Let Jimmy be Jimmy.

3. Sign Randy Wolf to a modest, multi-year deal now while he will be grateful instead of greedy. Tommy John surgery is really scary to a young pitcher who has no ability to feed his family other than by pitching baseballs, but it is relatively benign with respect to ending careers. Roll the dice. Have you looked at how much it costs to sign left-hand pitching lately?

4. Call up Carlos Ruiz now and let him catch every day that Chris Coste gets to rest. I know, we’re in a playoff race right now and Leiberthal is better than people think he is. Still, let’s consider some facts: Leiby is gone next year no matter what. Coste is riding a tsunami right now, he is a .306 lifetime hitter (minor leagues), and we have underestimated the ability of other players to translate minor-league success at the big league level (Utley, Howard). Ruiz has hit .313 for Scranton and might be fine if we just let him settle in for a few weeks. He’ll be here next year anyway. What are we waiting for? You won’t have enough money to sign a big-time catcher, and it isn’t likely that one would be there for you even if you did. You also can’t trade for a catcher, because the only commodities you have must be husbanded for pitching.

5. Sign David Dellucci to a fair contract that tells him he’s your everyday right fielder for the near-term future. I had my doubts about this guy earlier in the year when he struggled fit the role you assigned him. But I give him huge credit for sucking it up and making things happen as a pinch hitter. When you gave him playing time he showed you why he chaffed on the bench behind Bobby. He has above average power and he seems to have courage. I wish he hit right-handed, but he doesn’t. We’ll get to that later.

6. Invite Ryan Madson to your office for a long chat. You know in your heart that the kid will never be a successful starter in this league. He’ll tease you with great outings because he has a funky delivery and good stuff. But his future is in the bullpen, and he won’t like hearing this. Soften the blow by telling him you want to groom him as a stopper. Tom Gordon is a gamer and he is giving you everything you paid for, but he will be 50 next year and his out pitch requires so much arm torque that I need an Advil after watching him pitch. My sense is that Madson really wants to start because that’s where the money is and he is still 23. Explain to him that Stoppers also make the big cheese and can last in the league forever.

7. Re-sign David Bell in the off season to a one year deal. Despite the bad rap he gets by your fans, he’s a gamer, he’s respected in the clubhouse, and he will be cheap. I’m fine with experimenting with Abraham Nunez for a few months, thinking that he’ll play up to his potential when he relaxes, but I think Bell is a better player. Besides, there isn’t anybody better coming available at 3B next year either in the minors or via free agency and you’ll need to spend your money elsewhere (discussed later).

8. Demand that Chase’s Chicks get better outfits next year or simply go away. Better yet, get better looking chicks for Chase’s fan club. While you’re thinking about Chase, talk to his agent to find out what it would take to sign him to a long term deal now. I know, I know, Ed Wade took a beating for trying this same strategy with another player (Burrell) and it backfired. But think it through. Is there any doubt in your mind that the kid will play hard after he signs his deal? Do you see fatal flaws in his swing that lead to inevitable slumps? Chase Utley is the face of the team.

9. Trade Pat Burrell for anything you can get, even if it means eating some of his salary. You’ve saved a ton of money, and there aren’t many suggestions here for spending it. Cut the cancer. I promise not to ridicule you for applying “addition by subtraction” mathematics to this problem. If you can get a player of value, great. But let’s be clear, an extra stack of bobble figurines would be enough, especially if they were schmaltzy. I’ll buy a ticket if you run a Jet Night promotion, play a lot of 80’s music (Man in the Mirror would bring back memories), and hand out Steve Jeltz trinkets. ; Assuming you get nothing in return for “The Bat,” sign the best available right-hand hitting left fielder you can find. Anyone with power will do, and he won’t even need to field better than Greg Luzinski. Even if you pick up half of Burrell’s contract, this is a revenue neutral suggestion.

10. Swallow hard and trade Aaron Rowand while you can. I’m a Philly guy and I love the kid to death, but he can’t hit and we need right-handed protection for Ryan Howard. Because the old-boy network loves Caucasians who hustle and say all the right things (and consequentially overvalues them), it should be easy for you to swing a great trade (front-line GM that you are). Feel free to package Michael Bourne (a great prospect) if you need to, but let’s not settle for anything less than a pitcher who can give you 200 innings, win 12-15 games, and keep the ERA under 3.8. Think Cory Lidle only better. You need to build the pitching staff NOW.

11. Take a chance on Shane Victorino. He roams the outfield nearly as well as Rowand and has a much better arm. He’s also a switch hitter with decent power. Most important, he can be the new leadoff man. Unfortunately, you gave away Abreu, so we need someone else to replace Rollins at the top of the order. Explain to Shane that part of the deal is that he heads down to Venezuela, Mexico, or the Dominican Republic this winter to learn how to steal bases. The kid is WAY too fast to be an anchor on first base. He should be stealing 30 bases in a typical year. Please send Rueben Amaro as Victorino’s chaperon. Let’s start scouting Latin American players with an eye toward signing them. Okay?

12. Meet with Scott Mattieson today. Hand him a ticket to Scranton and explain to him that you love his arm and potential, but you realize he isn’t ready to face Major League hitters right now. There is no shame in this, but you have to handle the conversation well. Let him hone his craft against AAA players for at least half a season. Build his confidence. Tell him you don’t want him to become the next Kevin Duckworth, but reassure him that you don’t think he will. Bring up Brito or some equivalent that can get the job done for the rest of the year.

13. Meet with Jon Leiber at the end of the season and tell him that he’s disappointed you tremendously. Tell him that it’s bullsh$t that a veteran like him is still fooling around with “arm slots” and other excuses. He needs to get in shape over the winter and play like a guy who is on the last year of a contract and the edge of baseball oblivion. That ought to get his attention. While you’re at it, tell him that he isn’t your ace and you don’t want him even mentioning that word when talking to the press. He pitches in the 4th game next year, maybe.

14. Make sure Brett Myers continues to see a good psychologist this off-season (and perhaps a good nutrition expert as well). Hate the sin, but forgive the sinner. You’re in a corner here. He’s 26 and God blessed his right arm. You can’t possibly receive enough value for him if you feel the urge to dump him to satisfy your fan base, and you aren’t in position to give away pitching.

15. Talk with Ryan Howard when the time is right. Suggest to him that he’s too young to watch him majestic homers from the batter’s box or nonchalant routine ground balls. Imply that he will be in line for the Chase Utley treatment outlined above if he shows you he can play the game “the right way” for a solid season. Do this VERY carefully, and DON’T do it at all if you think it will upset this monster talent. It would be better if the Jimmy Rollins or Chase Utley had this talk with Ryan, but I know that peer pressure is an obsolete concept.

16. Start taking Geoff Geary seriously. He should replace Arthur Rhodes as your primary setup man right now to see if he can handle the task. I think he’s up to it. While we’re thinking about the bullpen, how about letting young Castro pitch in some meaningful spots also?

I know this is only a start, and I’ve left some blanks for you to fill in, but I have a lot of confidence in you, Pat. You can handle the job of finding some fill-in players for the bench and the pen.

Let me know what you think,

Ben

Joyner on Lito

from kc joyner during an espn chat:

Drew(NY): How can you say that Lito is not good in coverage? In 2004, he was an All-Pro in his first season as a starter. In 2005 he allowed some catches, but which CB wouldn't with no pass rush? I feel your statement is a little too short sighted.

SportsNation KC Joyner: Drew, I would give you the benefit of the doubt in most cases but Lito's metrics have been awful for multiple years. His 2004 Pro Bowl campaign was based solely on ints and not his coverage ability. He was in the bottom 10 among CBs again last year in YPA and success percentage. Teams target him in the passing game every week and Philly has to adjust their coverage to make up for it. Add to that the fact that Sheppard is being moved to the less demanding RCB side and it all points to his being a mediocre CB at best.

Preseason Game 3 Thoughts

the first real test of the preseason tonight against a tough, rebuilt ravens team.

- ravens are going to be for real this season i think. having mcnair is a huge upgrade over boller and it looks like their o-line is going to be good enough to keep him healthy. eagles first team d-line was getting little penetration tonight and that impacted their ability to both stop the run and stop the pass. jamal lewis was hammering out 4-6 yard runs and 3 step drops were enabling mcnair to get the ball out before the pass rush could get to him. the ravens offense dinked and dunked and just controlled the ball in the first half. time of possession was sick as the birds d couldn't get off the field. not a great night for the first team d.

- mcnair to derrick mason was a terrific combo at tennessee and it looks like they haven't missed a beat. ravens fans are going to like watching them operate.

- big red rolls out a a no-huddle offense! love it, love it, love it. he's trusting someone else with the keys to the offense, which is an interesting shift, and the focus on the no huddle is going to help the birds two minute drill.

- on the second play of the game, the franchise scrambled out of the pocket for a short gain and the season flashed before my eyes as he got caught in a horsecollar tackle. i literally jumped out of my seat. it could have been disastrous. yikes!

- overall, i thought mcnabb played just ok. the first team receivers didn't seem like they were getting open, so don had to float some deep balls, but he wasn't overly accurate early in the game. still, the first team scored 10 points offense against the ravens d and didn't even look in sync.

- it was nice to see buck back in the lineup. he ran pretty hard tonight, but i didn't see him try to make any hard cuts. it also didn't look like he was at full speed yet either. the old buck would have taken that shovel pass all the way in for a TD.

- jr reed running first team at both kr and pr. is he a lock to make the team at this point? especially with bloom likely to end up on IR/PUP and dexter wynn playing himself off the team?

- at the risk of offending the josh parry fan club. i'd like to note that he completely blew the block on mcnabb's touchdown pass to mahe. had it not been for mcnabb's athleticism, that play would have been a sack or a throw away.

- detmer played himself off the roster tonight and tim chang actually looked ok. a thought occurred to me tonight as i was watching detmer's horrible performance. he hasn't been the same player since his ulgy elbow dislocation against the niners. prior to that injury, detmer actually had some moxie and could play just a little (e.g. remember the groin slapping battle he got into with brett favre). he was also able to stand in against a rush and make the pass. he can't/won't do that any more. he's too afraid to get hit and that's making him completely ineffective anymore. i'll miss having the world's largest neck beard on the team.

- eagles second team o-line sucks right now. big time. they were absolutely pathetic tonight. not a single guy on that line was blocking anybody. sieve doesn't begin to describe them.

- preseason is another opportunity to see what a difference maker brian dawkins is. on the musa smith touchdown run, considine had the last shot at him and whiffed on the tackle. considine is a good young player, but there is no way he would have scored if that was dawkins.

- gaffney made several catches. maybe he's going to make the team.

- matt ware made a nice play on a throw to the goal line and just as i was thinking maybe the birds might consider keeping him over quentin mikell, ware horribly misplayed a long TD pass.

Why I'm Not a Mahe Fan

i've been thinking about this a lot lately. reno mahe is another one of those classic overachiever cases that everyone should love. he's an underdog, who through grit and determination, has gotten himself onto and stayed on an nfl roster. what's not to like? he's a decent blocker, he catches the ball well, he's smart, he's likeable. why don't people like him?

i've decided that it's big red's fault. if mahe was a 5th running back on a team who rarely played, people would love him. i would love him. the problem is that he's the 2nd or 3rd running back on this team (completely big red's call), and everyone and their brother can see that he's not 2nd or 3rd running back quality.

he has no difference making skills. so with his baseline marginally above zero, *any* negative play that he makes pushes his performance into the negative. take tonight's game for instance. mahe does basically nothing while he is in there and then fumbles. with someone like westbrook, you can forgive the occasional fumble because he's going to make up for it with more than his share of dynamic plays. mahe cannot afford to make those mistakes because he doesn't make up for them in other ways. this is why every mistake he makes is amplified, and ultimately, why i find it difficult to root for him.

it's not reno's fault though. andy's the one who's set the situation up. reno is not skilled enough to play as much as he does and that's not reno's fault, but unfortunately, reno's the one who deals with the ramifications. sorry reno.

Joyner on Eagles D-Line

kc joyner during an espn chat:

E (Philly): Hey KC, the D-line rotation for the Eagles will be 8 strong (provided they stay healthy). With this and the caliber players that they have, I feel as though the line can be as Dominant as the Panthers or Falcons if not the most Dominant line in the league...What do you think?

SportsNation KC Joyner: (5:01 PM ET ) I couldn't agree more. The Eagles are very good at rotating their D linemen in and out. Trent Cole and Mike Patterson could be Pro Bowlers this year. Sam Rayburn may be one of the best backup DTs in the NFL.

hope he's right because our d-line got pretty well handled by the ravens o-line tonight.

Mike Patterson

here's what the "football scientist" had to say about our mini-fat guy, mike patterson

Mike Patterson, DT, Eagles: Patterson could easily make a case that he was the best rookie defensive lineman in the NFL last year. He defeated over 27 percent of his blocks (the 15th best percentage among defensive tackles) and he also allowed only 3.5 yards per attempt. If Patterson did this well last year when the Eagles were very thin on the defensive line due to injuries, he could be positively dominant if that unit stays healthy this year.

the guy is going to be a great player, especially with bunkley on board. it's going to be fun watching those two guy playing on the other side of the line for the next 10 years. hope they don't get extraordinarily fat like little dumplin' got.

Stab at 53 Man Roster

i'm probably way off on this, but what the heck, here's my mid-preseason stab at the 53 man roster:

QB
mcnabb, garcia, detmer

it's possible that big red will keep chang if he shows that he can someday play in the league, but right now, detmer probably has the edge.

RB
westbrook, moats, perry, mahe, and either buckhalter or tapeh.

tapeh is not a fullback. from what i've seen in the preseason, he's a worse blocker than parry. coming into camp, i figured the birds would keep 4 RBs, but with the injury situation there i can see them carrying 5 RBs into the season.

FB
parry

my buddy seems to be on track to make the team again.

TE
smith, schobel, bartrum

slight possibility that thorn makes the roster ahead of schobel, but i doubt it.

WR
brown, baskett, pinkston, avant, mccants

supposedly, gaffney has no work ethic and is not picking up the offense. not good characteristics when you're trying to make a team. mccants is going to make the team because of his ability to cover kicks. bloom hasn't had a chance to play. if he's impressive in the last 3 preseason games, i think it's possible that he can push mccants out. if not, i can see them putting him on IR for the rest of the season. practice squad is also a possibility for him, but then you face the risk of losing him to another team. i see no reason to keep greg lewis on the team.

OT
runyan, thomas, justice

no surprises here

OG
andrews, herremans, gillies, clarke

i think one of young and clarke will be put on the practice squad, probably young because of clarke's versatility

C
jackson

does fraley stay or go? he's not going to get cut, but a trade seems likely.

DE
kearse, howard, mcdougle, cole, thomas

birds will be forced to carry 5 DE due to the latest injury to mr. glass.

DT
patterson, bunkley, walker, rayburn, ramsey

i think ramsey has a good shot at beating out both keyonta marshall and ed jasper. ramsey has youth over jasper and quickness over marshall.

LB
trotter, simoneau, mccoy, barber, gocong, gaither, jones

only surprise for me is jones getting to keep his job.

CB
sheppard, brown, hood, strickland

with considine playing as the extra d-back in the new nickel package, i'm not sure they see the need to carry 5 CB. hood's injury may change that.

S
dawkins, lewis, considine, mikell, jr reed

matt ware was moved to safety, but i can't see him making the team over any of these guys. having someone who can play both corner and safety is valuable, but ware hasn't done much in his time here.

KR/PR
some combination of mahe/reed/perry

K
akers, johnson

Poor Phil Mickelson

the guy can't catch a break. he's still trying to recover from his van de velde-ian collapse at the us open and now his idiot coach is calling tiger out.

"When Phil's at his best, I'm thinking nobody can beat him," Pelz told the Chicago Tribune in an article on Tuesday that stirred comment at Medinah Country Club, site of this week's PGA Championship.

"If Phil's long swing is good, his short game, I believe, is the best in the world. He doesn't have a serious weakness inside 150 yards.

"I'm not saying Tiger's short game is bad. He has a great short game. But I think Phil putts more consistently than Tiger does. He has more imagination and a few more shots around the green."

dude. what is wrong with you? have you learned nothing from watching tiger rewrite golf history during his first 10 years on tour? don't you know tiger will use this as motivation to play even better than he has? what possible good is going to come of this for your man?

sheesh. i don't even like mickelson and i'm starting to feel sorry for the guy. not only is he an idiot, he's surrounded himself with idiots too.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass...

tee hee hee. from profootballtalk.com

PARCELLS RUNNING OUT OF PATIENCE

As receiver Terrell Owens continues to nurse his hamstring like a doting mother coddling a 16-year-old with a raging case of the sniffles, it's becoming clearer and clearer that coach Bill Parcells is getting closer and closer to the boiling point.

"I don't know the player very well. I just have to give him the benefit of the doubt right now," Parcells said Monday, before Owens missed yet another practice due to a hamstring injury that showed no damage in an MRI. "I don't want to jeopardize him for the season. So right now I am erring on the side of caution."

Parcells isn't erring on the side of caution with receiver Terry Glenn, to whom the Tuna referred a decade ago as "she" when Glenn was missing practice time for a similar condition. This time around, Glenn is out due to blisters on his feet. When Glenn came to the practice field without pads on Monday, Parcells and Glenn reportedly engaged in an "animated" conversation.

Meanwhile, Parcells is giving Owens plenty of room. For now.

"We need to see something here pretty soon. That is the truth," Parcells said. "We need to get him into the offense. Right now, he has missed a lot of work."

Sounding less like the "player" in the player-coach relationship and more like an equal, Owens addressed the situation on Monday. "I know he wants me out there on the football field," Owens said. "And I told him, 'Bill, I want to be out there just as bad as you want me out there. It's just a situation where we all have to be patient with one another."

The problem, as we see it, is that Parcells' decision not to jump all over Owens is sending a strong message to the other guys in camp that there are two sets of rules, possibly for the first time in the Tuna's long-term coaching career. Sure, Lawrence Taylor probably got some special consideration from Parcells during his days with the Giants, but there never was an issue (that we can recall) regarding Taylor not practicing due to a seemingly mild injury that didn't affect his mobility.

And now that we've been to a couple of training camp practices, it's obvious to us that the sessions aren't always strenuous and/or demanding. At times, it seems to be more about learning the systems, not demonstrating physical superiority. Based on some of the things we've seen at camp, we're convinced that, if Owens (as he did on Monday) can run routes at full speed after practice, he can participate in the stuff that goes on during the session, too.

So what's happening here? It might just be an effort by Owens to show that he's in charge of the situation -- and we suspect that he's fully enjoying the fact that his past actions in San Fran and Philly have this era's Vince Lombardi walking on eggshells for the first time since . . . since . . . well, ever.


WHISPERS CIRCULATE REGARDING WHETHER TUNA HAS GONE SOFT

As Cowboys coach Bill Parcells apparently tries his damnedest not to create headlines by subjecting receiver Terrell Owens to the same treatment that any other player on one of his teams would experience if they missed 13 straight practices with a hamstring injury that showed up on an MRI as a bruised vagina, Parcells is the target of scuttlebutt in league circles that the Tuna has lost his teeth.

Parcells' strategy, it seems, is to give Owens plenty of room to recover from the hamstring "injury," if for no reason other than to avoid giving 99 percent of the media and all non-Cowboys fans the satisfaction of seeing the T.O. era end even before it begins.

The consequences? League insiders can't believe what they're seeing and hearing.

Here's a prime example. On Monday, Owens said, "It's just a situation where we all have to be patient with one another."

Said one league source in response: "That is a f--king joke. The coach has the final word."

On Tuesday, Owens missed practice again. And Parcells seems to be sick of talking about it. "I really don't have much to say," Parcells said. "This subject's getting a little redundant."

It is getting a little redundant, Coach. And though we freely admit that we're one of the many who'd love to see this thing blow sky high, there are only two men who push the calendar beyond February 2nd -- Owens, and you.

With each passing day in which Owens gets his way and the head coach doesn't, Parcells' authority within the locker room is undermined, and his stature around the league is diminished.

McDougle Hurt... Again

this guy is the freaking chris chandler of defensive ends. mcdougle broke two ribs and will be out at least 3 weeks.

The Me-O Effect

don't look now, but it's starting...

- you have owners starting to snipe at his lack of practice time (we talkin' 'bout practice, man). found on profootballtalk.com

- you have wierd things going on at the QB position.

- you have this opinion from mike florio of profootballtalk.com

Per Mac Engel, Cowboys owner/G.M. Jerry Jones says that he has sent a message to receiver Terrell Owens that the star receiver needs to get used to practicing at "75 percent."

It's not clear whether Owens actually got the message, since Jones communicated it to "some of Owens' trainers," an apparent reference to T.O.'s personal rehab crew that has been brought to camp to help him recover from a hamstring problem so severe that an MRI showed, well, no damage at all.

"Terrell only knows one way: that's at 100 percent," Jones said. "As he goes on into his career, if he can consistently practice at that 75 to 80 percent [level], that will help. It's not a criticism."

If it's not a criticism, what is it? It's not like Owens is a rookie who's trying to find his way in the mystical world of the NFL. He has shown in the past that, whatever happens in the preseason, he's ready to roll come September.

So why wouldn't Jones have the discussion directly with Owens? Does Jerry fear that, given T.O.'s reputation, there's no way to speak to him about the situation on a face-to-face basis without Owens presuming that he's being attacked or challenged?

And would Owens be wrong to view the "message" in such terms? The root of the situation is that Owens genuinely believes that he can't practice, and the team genuinely disagrees. Thus, the team essentially is challenging the player's assessment of his own health and condition.

Regardless, we think that the message here didn't originate with Jones, but with coach Bill Parcells. As we've recently explained, Parcells is privately telling folks "I told you so" about the decision to sign Owens, and that Parcells hates guys who won't practice or play in pain. Given, however, the intense media scrutiny of the Owens situation, and the consequences of a premature eruption of Mount Receiver-ass, the Tuna realizes that he can't handle the situation in the way that he has handled similar circumstances in the past.

In that regard, Owens already has won, by forcing Parcells to alter his nature. We assumed that Parcells would be knee-deep into T.O.'s rear end come training camp, in an effort to force him to snap, if at all, before the regular season starts.

Instead, Parcells is tiptoeing around Prince Terrell, likely because the veteran coach knows in his heart that, if he unloads on Owens, the Cowboys will be right in the middle of the same problem that the Eagles experienced a year ago.

Regardless of whether the ultimate motivation is to enhance the environment for winning or to avoid giving the media and/or the Eagles the satisfaction of seeing the situation in Dallas explode, our guess in light of Jones' remarks is that Parcells is getting closer to the end of his rope, and that he's giving the guy who writes the checks one chance to get Owens onto the practice field before the Tuna takes matters into his own hands.

Thus, with the first real game only four weeks away, we stand by our belief that there's a distinct chance that, come September 10, either Owens or Parcells will not be with the team.

In this regard, keep in mind that the Cowboys will avoid any responsibility for Owens' $5 million salary if he is not on the roster when the season opens. Because the move would be happening after June 1, the net hit would actually be a gain of $5 million in 2006 space, if Parcells ultimately insists that Owens be released -- and if Jones agrees. The remaining $3.33 million would then hit the cap in 2007.

We're not suggesting that such an outcome is likely or even probable at this point. But it's definitely possible, and it's significantly more possible than it was when camp in Dallas opened.

- howard eskin (who is an idiot, but everyone will agree is very well connected) is reporting that there is a decent chance that me-o will not last with the cowboys until their first game with the birds. that parcells is already fed up with the me-o circus and his constant craving for attention.

Didinger and Jaws on Baskett

caught some of the didinger and macnow show on wip on the way up to sesame place this morning and heard a few interesting tidbits.

- both ray and jaws think baskett is the real deal. jaws said he noted a few things that baskett did in running his routes that were surprising for a rookie. if jaws and ray think so, that's good enough for me. i'm officially on the hank baskett bandwagon.

- ray says that bill parcells thinks jaws is the best and smartest analyst going, and not just for football, but "for any sport at any time". that's pretty high praise.

- jaws noted the same difference that i saw in the running plays the birds are using now vs the ones in the past two seasons. jaws says they are running "attitude" plays now and that juan castillo is emphasizing that in training camp. "prove to andy that he should believe we can run the ball"

- ray thinks max jean-gillies is the real deal as well and that herremans is just a stop gap until jean-gillies gets up to speed

Apparently, Now I'm a Garbage Man

not that there's anything wrong with that. i wear my "proud to be a trash man's son" shirt at least once a week.

got back from sesame place just in time to see this from our friendly neighborhood josh parry advocate (posted 3 times, not sure why):

'FULLBACK' position debate...
For those of you wanting a lorenzo neal or tony richardson why stop there why don't we just fill every position with the top fo the line stars? Be realistic, you cannot have a superstar in every position, you need role players much like hockey.

i'm not asking for a superstar, never have. just someone who can catch the ball and win his share of battles at the line. i have mentioned some of the better fullbacks in the league to counter someone's contention (was it you?) that JP is "one of the best fullbacks".

josh is probably a very nice guy, and i agree that he busts his butt, but his play in the past has very simply not been very good. role player or not, you have to produce, and he has made some bad plays that were very visible to me.

you should also note that since preseason started, i have mentioned JP exactly once: "i must give credit where credit is due, josh parry made a good block on first offensive play, springing westbrook for a good gain."

As for who is available...please spare me, if there were star fullbacks available why would they be available? Now for the fullback position battle with the eagles...
Thomas Tapeh simply cannot block..have you actually watched the film on him, he had a few...and I emphasize FEW decent runs against a 2nd and 3rd team 'D'. However his blocking is horrendeous even by rookie standards. Yeah they may be able to have him run occasionally but what happens when they need decent blocking and his glass jaw and week stance allow a blind sided sack. You really want a guy coming off a serious hip injury covering Mcnabb's ass? Simply stupid. As for whether or not Josh Parry can run the ball...who has seen him run the ball in a game...raise your hands...(crickets) well then how can we comment on how he would do. During training camp he ran the ball a few times and broke the line more than once...more like a goal line smash mouth runner. Now I am not saying he is ready for the pro bowl...don't get me wrong. However if you truly break down the game you will see several very solid blocks from Parry. Will a fullback win every battle..of course not, your dreaming if you think that is the case. However Parry has many more solid plays than bad ones. He is a smarter player than Tapeh as well, when plays break down tapeh becomes a deer in headlights whereas Parry looks to make up ground, does he always manage to execute perfectly..of course not but if he did I am sure the haters would continue to bitch. Understand the game before you comment on the details. The You seem to focus on one play where Parry got knocked backward but seem to overlook several plays where he blew his assignment off the line. Parry is a solid role player who knows the offense and opens up holes more often than not. Fullback is an overlooked and under appreciated position but its seems ironic how high some of you are on Tapeh when he has proven what exactly? that he is not durable, that apparently the coaches do not consider him a first teamer...they must be not paying attention.

first, let me state that i couldn't care less what the ball carrying skills of a fullback are. i believe it is a luxury when it comes to what you want to see in a fullback. unfortunately, the situation with the eagles' halfbacks (lack of size, etc.) sort of pushes that "nice to have" skill more toward the "need to have" category, but still not critical. far and away the most important ability is to block well. (incidentally, one of my favorite sports quotes was from a "running" fullback, leroy hoard, who once said "if you need a yard, i'll get you three. if you need five yards, i'll get you three.)

next, i defy you to show me where i have written anything positive about tapeh's skills. tapeh is an unknown quantity and i have always written about him as such. parry is a known quantity. that is all.

when training camp started, i did write this: "what they did - count on tapeh getting healthy and winning the job from parry. thomas, please win the job!", but you should note that says "win the job", not "be given the job". if tapeh won the job, then it would have meant that he played better than JP. as a fan, i was rooting for that because that meant he played better than JP. hoping he plays better than JP doesn't mean i am rooting against JP necessarily. if JP is the best fullback on the roster (and at this point it seems like he is), then he should be the one to make the team. however, i will continue to hope that he plays better than he has in the past, meaning fewer ole blocks and fewer blocks where he ends up going backwards.

Now for my personal opinion...
You have a player who seems to work his ass off and stays completely devoted to the fans whi in turn berate him because he is not one of the few star fullbacks in the game. Nice...Parry fulfills his assignments and players like Mahe run into his back instead of using the lane Parry has created...i.e. the browns game goal line play.

come on. parry fulfills his assignments? maybe he knows the offense, and maybe he's a smart guy, but he's not a great blocker. we'll have to agree to disagree about that, i guess. i watch him pretty closely when he's on the field and he's just not a good blocker. blocking is a skill where you take heat for the few plays you don't do your job. look how much heat runyan takes every time michael strahan gets a sack -- and that's michael strahan. parry misses more than just one or two assignments every game. maybe not mentally, but the bottom line is that he has not gotten his job done.

If you go back and look at the tape Parry and Ritchie are very similar, Parry does not have the experience built up yet but he is becoming more and more solid, so for those of you who seem to think Parry should be cut for Tapeh or whatever other superstar fullback is sitting at home waiting for a phone call, this is not an allstar team.

i agree that parry and ritchie are similar. they are both fullbacks who play for the eagles and they are both white. on the field, it's like night and day. ritchie was much better receiver and blocker. i can state that with some certainty because i watched ritchie pretty closely after he signed with the birds. i was excited by his signing because i felt about cecil martin (another nice guy and one who i lived around the corner from me in old city) much the same way i do about JP, he just wasn't good enough as a blocker. i don't have to go back and watch the tape. i watched it live and in person.

We have some stars and then we have role players and sometimes you have to look past your own self righteous and obviously ignorant critique of details you have somehow overlooked.

tsk tsk tsk.

Pull up stats and you'll see that McNabb is far below many QBs who you wouldn't trade for even for a waterboy.

educate me then. which QB's exactly? and what stats are you referring to?

Watch the tape not the numbers. watch how many yards westbrook gets behind parry as opposed to Tapeh. I would rather have a full time fullback than a half ass fullback who can carry for a yard or two against first team defenses. I think when the wind blows Tapeh sprains a muscle. Now I am not a Parry Fan club member but ui am an eagles fan and I am sick of toll booth / grocery clerk / doormen spitting on the players who make no demands and just bust their ass for the team and city.

being better than tapeh isn't the goal. being a good NFL fullback is the goal. if JP has improved to the point where he is a good NFL fullback, then i will embrace him. his willingness to "bust his ass" is a good thing. i love that he is willing to do that... but then again there are thousands of guys out there who are willing to do the same thing. you have to combine that with production on the field and to this point parry has not done that.

a month ago, i had to let a guy go at work because he wasn't good enough at his job. his attitude was great, but he just wasn't smart enough to do his job well. i hated doing it because he worked a ton of hours, tried really hard, and was a nice guy. because he had all of those positives, i've been letting him stay on and giving more chances than most. maybe JP won't end up like that guy. maybe he will improve to the point where we can count on him, but "busting his ass" and "busting his ass" alone is irrelevant if he doesn't play better than he has.

Maybe you should give us your work address so we can come and critique your skills lifting the garbage bags into the truck and make comments that there must be a better guy for th job.

Show some pride for the role players who bust their ass and receive no praise for it.

Josh Parry is solid and of course needs to continue to improve but he will and shows durability, toughness, and heart. Eagles fans wanted a superstar wide receiver and so we got owens who in turn shit on the city and fans and you were the ones who praised him. I want a championship the same as the next eagle fan..trust me... but bashing the players who leave their heart on the field for minimun pay and maximum sacrifice is not just classless, it shows a shallow faith in your team.

i'll be glad to have you come and critique my performance as long as you pay admission. JP is an entertainer. i'm sure he understands that (if he doesn't he should). critique comes with the territory.

JP made $305,000 last season. i'd hardly call that "no praise". i'm sure there are thousands of garbage men out there who'd be lining up for mistreatment like that. no one is asking for superstar play (as if there are any actual superstar fullbacks out there) from the fullback position. just someone who makes good blocks. that's not asking a lot.

So for your responses on my post here...lets address the superbowl play where Josh was knocked back or (blown up as you say) You seem to dismiss the fact that Fraley missed his assignment on that particular play. hmmm...But your right Parry should be held accountable for blunders by the O lone.

Sometimes looking beyond the horse blinders actually acentuates the game.

By the way for the wife/mother comment...I am not either nor do I have anything invested in Parry.

fraley's taken plenty of heat from me, yet i don't see you rushing to defend him. honeybuns is another guy who "busts his butt" and makes the most of his abilities. his abilities happen to not be good enough, but for some reason you don't have any problem b*tching about honeybuns' mistakes. in your response, you threw reno mahe and honeybuns under the bus. both of those guys display the same "bust his butt and asks for nothing" attitude as JP, what makes JP so special?

btw - if this is JP's brother, i'm sorry about your foot. your ability to come back from that was an impressive feat.

Preseason Game 2 Thoughts

missed the game due to the travel craziness yesterday. my 5:50 flight out of RDU was delayed in 15 minute increments for 3 hours and then cancelled (f-ing airlines).

Westbrook Hurt Again

farrrrgh!


best part is, this leaves reno mahe as the only healthy back in camp.

Running the Ball

thinking more about the game the other night. another thing that i liked about the running was not only that they ran the ball more, but they were also doing more power running. last season the majority of their runs seemed to be more of the gimmick variety. traps, delays, reverse action flips, etc. sunday night's game was all about power football (at least for the ones) -- line up and blow 'em off the line of scrimmage. it was a beautiful thing.

Me-O Sitting Out

don't look now, but me-o is going to sit out of the first dallas preseason game even after the MRI that the team made him take showed that nothing was wrong. i'm not saying that this is a definitely a sign of trouble brewing, but i'm just saying (shrug)...

here is what the cowboys' beat writer for the dallas morning news thinks about the "injury" and what one of their sports columnists had to say.

in other news, the cowboys are looking at our friend fred-ex.

Thoughts on Rowand and Wheeler

from ben schuchardt:

The things we think but do not say

As you know, I've followed the Phillies with particular interest, and as such feel justified in making a couple of points that most will not agree with.

Aaron Rowand can't hit, and we shouldn't count on him as a part of the new nucleus as this team turns the corner. Wow. It hurts me to say that. You know how much I value "up the middle defense," and I rate Rowand near the top in the National League in this category. But it has become painfully obvious that he is an automatic out against competent pitching. Anyone willing to throw two pitches on the inside corner gets the automatic flail on the low, outside slider on the payoff. Aaron Rowand has no shot at anything other than the blooper he hit to right field tonight on the middle-in hard one. Too bad. Most big leaguers kill for pitches middle/in. We need to save the 8-hole for next year's catcher. You can sacrifice (this much) for a catcher or a shortstop, but not for a center fielder.

Now the big one...

Chris Wheeler is by far the best announcer the Phillies employ, and they were right in trying to get him more involved in their telecasts as they ease out Harry Kalas.

Since I've bagged on Wheeler longer and louder than anyone, I'll elaborate on how I think he has taken fan criticism to heart and improved his performance.

He no longer giggles like a schoolgirl. I've been listening critically all year and it just doesn't happen anymore.

He has stopped with the knee-jerk homerisms, generally opting (within reason for a Philles' employee) for honest and impartial evaluations of umpire calls, managerial decisions, and player performances. Larry Anderson ("takes one right down the middle for a ball") has assumed the homer role.

He has curtailed over-analyzing the behavior of uneducated, simple 25 year-olds. I haven't heard him trying to get into what a pitcher was thinking when he scratched his balls (McCarver) in months.

He has lowered his voice measurable, both with respect to octaves and decibels. He simply isn't that annoying anymore.

He has given up the dream that Harry Kalas will ever like him. He treats Harry professionally and with proper respect, but Wheeler has stopped trying to kiss Harry's a$$ and given up the dream that Harry will forgive him for trying to steal his best friend's job. It's really helped the pre-game dynamic, in particular.

He isn't Scott Graham. Has it occured to anyone besides me that Scott Graham has a crush on Larry Anderson? I have no problem with this other than it interferes with my enjoyment of the game.

He isn't senile. Egad, I've loved Harry the K my entire adult life. My college roommate once won the "Phanatic Fan Contest" (or something like that) and got to sit in the booth for an inning during the mid-eighties. He had a blast with Kalas and Ashburn (who each had multiple, empty plastic beer glasses by their sides during the game). I wasn't there, but I've always felt like I was because my friend tells the story so well.

But right now, Harry has no clue what he's talking about half the time. He forgets the count, the number of outs, who is pitching, and all sorts of other things that are somewhat important to the game. He really doesn't have a good feel about the other team's players, who throws what, who hits what, etc. I still love Harry, but he doesn't give me insight into the game anymore.

On several occasions this year, Chris Wheeler has told me something I didn't know, but cared about.

In this land of redemption and second chances, I'd like to say that Chris Wheeler has won me over this year. He's having a hell of a season.

just a couple of questions from me, ben.

- does the fact that roward was a contributor toward the white sox series win impact your conclusion? is it possible that he's just in a prolonged slump rather than showing his actual baseline? i ask, having factored into the equation that someone can be a very successful hitter while having serious deficiencies at the plate -- e.g. scott rolen, who hasn't seen a 90 mph fastball that he can't swing at and miss (before any rolen fans lurking out there start killing me, i can explain some of it by my observation that rolen sits on breaking pitches more often than most hitters, but really he does swing and miss at an inordinate number of belt high fastballs not going anywhere near 95 mph).

- i thought the conflict between harry k and wheeler started when harry refused to continue pimping for wheeler on the road so chris could get laid. was wheeler's attempt at stealing whitey's job a precursor to that?

Eagles Extend Dawkins

from phil perkins:

Nothing about extending Dawkins for 2 more years? Well done, Banner. Well done.

mea culpa. i meant to give some props to both sides for getting this thing done. b-dawk for leaving some "money" on the table -- i use money in quotations because the money he got was probably close to the real money he would have received upon signing a huge contract elsewhere with phantom dollars tacked onto the end of the deal -- and the birds for not letting the heart of the defense walk.

Jerome McDougle

from dave barr:

No pass rush out of the backup DE-did McDougle even play?

thanks for reminding me. i watched jerome mcdougle a lot during the game, and he really doesn't look much different than past seasons. disappointingly so, unfortunately.

based on the tremendous positive news i've been reading about his camp performances where he was dominating runyan and getting 2-3 "sacks" a day, i was eager to see the mcdougle who warranted moving up to take.

what i saw was a guy who did a lot of handfighting, but didn't make much progress to the QB... especially after the shovel pass from andrew walter to justin fargas that went for (something like) 30 yards. on that play, mcdougle took a wide speed rush and ran himself out of the play, allowing walter to dip underneath him and outside the pocket. after that play, mcdougle payed a lot of attention to containing the QB.

he did try a couple of bullrushes later in the same drive, but a 260 lb guy isn't going to make a lot of money bullrushing a 300+ lb guy.

Al Michaels

what was with al michaels last night? it was almost like he had some sort of agenda. from the start of the game, michaels kept repeating that mcnabb's season ended because of the sternum bruise he got in the atlanta game. he never mentioned the sports hernia. even when madded referred to the hernia later in the game, michaels insisted that mcnabb's season was ruined (paraphrasing here) "because of the injury he got in the opener at atlanta". everyone and their brother knows that don went into last season with the sports hernia and aggravated it as the season progressed.

what gives? was he misinformed, mistaken, senile, or pushing some sort of agenda?

Preseason Game 1 Thoughts

it's the most won-der-ful time of the year! football is back!

birds lost the game last night, but overall i was impressed with what i saw (at least at the start of the game). the first team on both sides of the ball looked terrific.

- the d-line dominated early. they were playing in the raiders backfield on both of the first two possessions. darren howard and kearse look quick, and mike patterson and darwin walker were getting good penetration. second series, d-line maintained the pressure, and trent cole sacked aaron brooks like robert gallery was not even there.

- similarly the first team o-line was pushing oakland 3 yards off line on every play. it was ridiculous. even when oakland blitzed, don got plenty of time to run through his progressions -- e.g. on the play where he hit westbrook in stride crossing left. i was focusing on herremans because he's supposed to be struggling a little with the transition to guard, but he played pretty well. he was holding his own on pass blocking and getting decent leverage on running plays.

- wow is it nice to have the real donovan mcnabb back on the field. he looked terrific. you can see that he lost 20-25 lbs from the previous two seasons. he has that cat quickness back and it shows even in his drop backs. he only threw 3 balls, but all three of them were perfect throws -- exactly on the mark with good timing. i wonder what complaints that moron cataldi has about don's performance. mcnabb looked incredibly sharp for the first preseason game.

- i must give credit where credit is due, josh parry made a good block on first offensive play, springing westbrook for a good gain.

- first team receivers looked ok, but who can tell considering they only threw the ball 3 times. baskett ran a nice slant route and got more separation than most recent birds receivers have been getting. on the field, he looks almost exactly like billy mcmullen to me. same height and build.

- reno mahe made some plays and looked pretty good early, but spent most of the game dancing and not making yards. a lot of that was due to the poor performance by the 2nd and 3rd team o-line, but he's like gizmo williams back there. dance, dance, dance, pow!

- the fat f*ck actually ran the ball!

- garcia looked awful. he got a lot of pressure and i couldn't tell whether his passes were off the mark or the receivers weren't getting open, but he looked awful. i wonder why big red didn't leave brown and baskett on the field with the second team? i know they were the "ones" last night, but they could probably use the work since they are young players.

- it was nice seeing jr reed back on the field. he looked pretty fast considering. he wasn't on screen that much so i didn't get a terrific look at him, but it seems like he's mostly back. he absolutely killed some raiders scrub wideout late in the game.

- why is stephen spach on the field? he cannot play! now they're trying him out at fullback! he cannot play! he directly caused a bruce perry fumble by making an ole block on a third quarter running play.

- speaking of perry. i know people who've watched him at training camp are impressed, but i don't think you can count on a guy who is that injury prone. he runs tough, but he's too small to take the pounding. witness the scary hit he took last night.

- i didn't see much out of scott young or max jean-gilles. i think herremans job is pretty safe.

- honeybuns is as good as gone.

- did jabar gaffney play? wow, was he invisible.

Bunkley Signs!

hear, hear!

bunkley is expected to sign a six-year 17.5 million dollar contract with a 9.775 million dollar signing bonus this weekend. the deal can increase in value to 30 million based on incentives.

Reggie White

reggie white was the best defensive player i've ever watched on my philadelphia eagles. with this being his hall of fame induction weekend, expect lots of reggie tributes that will bring up some very good and some very bad memories. those late 80's/early 90's teams are almost tragic. not only did they never come even close to their potential due to poor coaching and untimely injuries, two of the most beloved players on that team -- reggie and jerome -- were taken far too early.

some of the ones out already:

- phil sheridan (who's getting better all the time, imo) writes a great reggie retrospective and accurately says that reggie played for other teams but he'll always be an eagle

- marc narducci says everyone loved reggie

- dana pennett o'neil says his induction is bittersweet

- ex-cowboy exec gil brandt tells us about his reggie memories

Grumpiest Guy Ever

sayeth "concrete charlie" bednarik:

Speaking with reporters after practice at Lehigh, Bednarik was asked if Reggie White was his type of player.

"No," the 81-year-old Bednarik said. "I don't know why. There was something about him that distracted me from him."

Asked a few minutes later if he was a Reggie White fan, Bednarik reiterated the same thought. "No, not really," he said. "I don't know. At the time there was something about him that I just despised."

Then Bednarik added: "My memory is pretty bad, so I don't remember those things."

has there ever been a grumpier guy than this? how in blazes could you "despise" reggie white? besides, it's not like he played for the cowboys or giants... he was an EAGLE! how the heck do you take shots at a guy during his hall of fame induction week?

they gotta stop rolling this guy out. leave him in the closet where he belongs.

Bunkley Update

found this on eagle scout (nj.com's eagles blog):

Howard Eskin of 610 WIP just reported the following new information on the Brodrick Bunkley contract negotiations.

Paraphrasing:

Brodrick Bunkley at the direction of his agent is not talking to anyone from the Eagles organization. Bunkley has not returned any phone calls from coaches and/or teammates.

Andy Reid and Joe Banner alone have called Bunkley in upwards of 15 times. None of their calls have been returned.

Bunkley's agent, Gary Wichard presented a 6-yeal deal to the Eagles. The Eagles were amenable to the deal, with minor tweaks. The Eagles were ready to move forward with Wichard's proposal, but suddenly the agent declared the deal off the table.

The Eagles have offered Bunkley more than the player selected ahead of him in the 2006 draft, Kamerion Wimbley.

The Eagles called Wichard yesterday to reopen negotiations, but as of 4:00 today, Wichard has not returned their phone call.

i am officially concerned.

Follow Up on Trades

thankfully, i've been too busy the past couple of days to dwell on the trades because i think i'd have been as bothered by them as ben seems to be. bottom line, i think ben is right that gillick folded here. however, i'd really like to know why he folded.

- is it because gillick is a p*ssy? i doubt that's a reason. gillick has nothing to lose in this gig with the phils. he knows it's a short term role and his legacy is already established. with nothing to lose, i can't believe that gillick would make a panic move and fold without a reason.

- is it because management mandated a salary dump? was gillick given a mandate by montgomery to cut costs at all costs? playing chicken with cashman would have maintained some risk of having to keep abreau and his contract.

- is it because gillick felt that from a team chemistry standpoint dumping abreau was more important that getting max value in return -- an addition by subtraction situation?

not sure what the reasons are, but it seems pretty clear that cashman (my preferred choice for GM) played gillick here.