The Sixers are riding high; they're 9-2 in their last 11 games and fresh off a come from behind victory over the Rockets. Sure a .500 record isn't anything to write home about, but considering they started 13-20 and the play in the Eastern Conference - its not too shabby.
The Sixers are currently in 7th place in the east, but just 3 1/2 games out of 4th. If you're into the whole Power Rankings kind of thing: John Hollinger (who actually uses legitimate stats to calculate his rankings, unlike other writers) has the Sixers at # 8 . . .in the NBA. That's right. He has them ranked ahead of Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix, Atlanta, Utah etc.
The best part of this recent Sixers surge has been the emergence of Andre Iguodala as a go-to scorer. He has been hitting clutch shots with some consistency, something he failed miserably at accomplishing early in the year. Andre is averaging 24.4 points over the last 11 games. Elton Brand chipped in 14, 7 and 6 BLOCKS last night off the bench. He also ran the floor well. It was by far his best game since coming back from that ugly shoulder injury.
Now the Sixers return to Philly for a 7 game home stand. Things are looking good for these Sixers. Just don't tell anyone.
One more note: the Sixers announced this week that they will be returning to their roots next season. They will sport a variation of the 1983 uni's. I like to think I had something to do with this.
Good thing Donovan doesn't have to worry about finding time to play a game this weekend, 'cause he has a pretty packed schedule. You'll be seeing plenty of #5's mug around Tampa, starting tonight (and continuing the rest of the week) on SportsCenter.
Keep an eye out for McNabb all weekend long. The speculation on his intentions in Philly has already begun - despite Joe Banner (again) stating McNabb and Andy will be back for 2009.
Last year, I started putting together some of my favorite Philly Sports moments as a way to help me through the depressing moments that dominate a Philly fan's existence. Now that we're about to start another Super Bowl week sanz Philly, I think now is a good time to re-live some of the good memories. Nostalgia can be a powerful thing.
In a roundabout way, this trip down memory lane was inspired by a conversation I overheard at work following the Birds' heartbreaking playoff exit. A group of ignorant middle aged women (my favorite type of sports fan) were debating just how much McNabb sucks (is he the worst player ever or just really really bad?). Now, I'd rather have bamboo shoots jammed under my fingernails then get into a sports debate with someone who has no idea what they're talking about, so I saved my arguments for a place where they could truly be appreciated - the bar. It only took a few minutes for someone to make the extreme claim that Donovan McNabb is the greatest modern Philly athlete (who says Philly hates their star QB??). That is where today's post was born. Personally I think its a little far fetched to think that Donovan is the greatest Philly athlete of the last 25 years, but if he's not, then who is? Here's my top 5 (in no particular order) since '83: Brian Dawkins. I've made my love for Brian Dawkins known recently. The bottom line is that he's been one of the best safeties in the NFL for over a decade - all while wearing midnight green. Mike Schmidt. Michael Jack is a no brainer. He earned 3 NL MVP's and 12 All Star appearances during his Hall of Fame career. Schmidt is widely considered the greatest third baseman to ever play the game. He played his entire career for the Phightins and even started a chain of sub par hoagie shops. Charles Barkley. Chuck is easily one of the greatest personalities ever to play in Philly, but he was also a damn good player too. Barkley went to 6 All Star games as a Sixer and was voted to the All NBA Team 7 times. Plus he dunked on Godzilla, which is pretty tough to do (Godzilla is known for his impenetrable low post defense). Allen Iverson. What can you say about AI? He is the one player that I feel lucky to have gotten to see play. He was (and still is) worth the price of admission. Iverson nearly carried the Sixers all the way to the championship with very little support from his teammates. Reggie White. Reggie is probably the most physically dominant Philly athlete I've ever seen play. You just knew watching him that no one could stop him. The Minister of Defense racked up 124 sacks as an Eagle.
I debated names like Utley, Rollins, Erving, McNabb and Cunningham, but I just don't think they're any more deserving than these 5 guys. Also, I couldn't make a strong argument for any Flyer despite the fact that they've probably been the most consistent Philadelphia team over the last 25 years.
I'd love to hear some input from other Philly fans. Anything to distract me from Kurt Warner thanking God for allowing him to appear in another Super Bowl . . .
One last thing to help you through these Eagles-less winter months: a Giants fan CRYING over what could have been. This makes me happy somewhere deep in my soul. (video courtesy of KSK).
Now that we've had a day for the NFC Championship loss to sink in, I thought it was time to take a look back at 2008 and a look ahead at 2009.
Have we seen the last of Brian Dawkins in midnight green?
First things first: 2008 was a great season for the birds. That's not an opinion, its a fact; you're wrong if you think this season was a failure. That being said, yesterday's loss was probably the most painful of the 4 championship losses. Sure, the Bucs and Panthers losses both stung, but the window is clearly closing for this Eagles team. The key players are all getting older. This loss also hurt because it was right in the birds' hands. In the other losses, the Eagles got their asses handed to them. Yesterday was a different story. They played fairly well and had a shot to win - had a few plays gone differently.
Nevertheless, its all over now. The Cards played great and deserve to be playing for the Lombardi trophy in two weeks. The Eagles had a solid year and exceeded many expectations. Now they're left with a lot of questions to answer before 2009.
The biggest questions revolve around some of the franchise's greatest players. Its not impossible that the 2009 Eagles could be without Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, John Runyan, Tra Thomas and David Akers. Its not very likely that they ALL would be gone, but its possible. Here's the biggest questions facing this team going into the off-season:
Brian Dawkins is a free agent. He'll turn 36 early in the 2009 season, but is still playing at a pro bowl level. Clearly the Eagles have some young talent at safety in the Quentin's, but how can you let Dawkins walk? Andy Reid has had a history of making the right personnel decisions by letting aging players go (see Trotter, Simon, Staley, Kearse etc). I just don't think Dawkins falls into that same category. Does anyone really think it will be a detriment to have Brian Dawkins on this team? He's already told the media that he isn't looking for a big payday. I'd be surprised if he wasn't crawling out of the tunnel next September. The aging tackles: John Runyan and Tra Thomas. I don't expect either of these guys to be back in 2009. Both have had excellent careers in Philadelphia, but its time to move on. Neither are under contract for 2009. After the game Sunday, Runyan didn't sound too optimistic about being back in Philly for another go around. We've heard for over a year now that Todd Herremans will play tackle at some point. I imagine that he'll get his chance next year. With the emergence of Nick Cole and the expected return of the Big Kid, that move would make sense. The birds may pick up a young tackle via the draft, unless they're set with (gasp) Winston Justice or King Dunlap. What to do with Reggie Brown and Lito Sheppard? What the Eagles decide to do with these two players could have probably the biggest impact on the team next year. Both players are still young and capable, but for whatever reason they can't seem to find the field. Its kind of a shame, really, these guys were such a big part of this team for some time. How much they will command as trade bait has yet to be seen, but I'd expect at least one of them to be gone by draft day.
Other unrestricted free agents: Correll Buckhalter, Joselio Hanson, L.J. Smith. In the case of Buckhalter and Hanson, its easy. If they want to be in Philly there's a place for them. Both may look to leave for starting jobs elsewhere. L.J.'s situation is just as simple: he's gone. There is a 0% chance that he is wearing Eagles green next season. Brent Celek made sure of that on Sunday.
Fullback. Please Andy, sign or draft a real fullback. I promise its not that hard and it will help the offense tremendously.
Kicker. David Akers had an interesting season. He got off to a slow start, then quietly had one of his best seasons ever, then missed a FG and and extra point in the NFC Championship. I think there is a good chance that the Eagles look for some youth at the position next season. Donovan McNabb. After the way he finished the season I would be shocked if Donovan wasn't the opening day starter next season. Never say never though. For some reason, the rumors that he wants out of Philly just won't die. The Eagles did draft Kolb to be a starter at some point, that clearly can't be ignored. Get ready to hear a lot about this situation in the off season. The controversy is bound to get worse before it gets any better. For once, I don't think WR is going to be an issue going into 2009. Freesedogg still may disagree with me, but I'd be very happy with Curtis, Jackson, Avant and Baskett at WR next season. I wouldn't be too upset if the birds made a play for Boldin or Chad Johnson before '09, but I don't think its necessary.
So there you have it. There are a lot of decisions to be made for the Eagles play any football again(probably many more than I could even mention). A lot of guys that we've come accustomed to seeing on Sundays may be playing elsewhere next season. That's probably why this loss hurt a little more than some of the playoff exits of past years. Either way, it was a good season - although it could have been special.
Remember back in 2008 when people used to hate Philadelphia for having bitter, angry fans?
Well apparently those days are a thing of the past. People now hate our city for being GOOD AT SPORTS! Nothing makes me happier than having New Yorkers hate us. Plus, we can all agree that we hate New Jersey.
Did anyone ever see that episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? where some gargoyle like creature could read your biggest fears? Well if you put Jim Johnson in front of that thing right now I guarantee this guy would show up:
. . .for good reason, too. Larry Fitz is easily the scariest player on Arizona’s roster (that’s including Anquan Boldin). He’s 6’3” 220 lbs and catches anything and everything. Carolina thought they were catching a break when they only had to worry about ONE pro bowl receiver last week. Arizona came out with a creative game that included a lot of Fitzgerald in motion – something he doesn't normally do:
"I was in motion a lot more than I have been in any other game," Fitzgerald said. "Usually I'm pretty stationary and to move me around, that gave the defense something else to think about." (The Arizona Republic)
Fitz is getting nothing but praise for his attitude from the media during the lately as well. Check out the comments from ESPN's DJ Gallo and Bill Simmons. Not only does he have a great attitude, the guy is putting up big numbers as well.
In two playoff games this year, Fitz has 14 catches for 267 yards and 2 TDs. Those are scary numbers. The Eagles are going to have to do a better job containing him on Sunday than they did on Thanksgiving. Fitz had only 5 catches for 65 yards - but hauled in 2 Kurt Warner TD passes. Those numbers are skewed a bit because the Eagles had already built up a sizable lead in that game. With the Cardinals defense seemingly hitting their stride, a big lead may not be in the cards for the Eagles on Sunday (I just couldn't help it, sorry).
The good news is that the Cardinals are a pass heavy offense, which should play into the hands of the Jim Johnson. I expect the Eagles D to try to put the pressure on the fumble-prone, immobile Kurt Warner. Its just a matter of whether or not they can get to him, because if they can't he's likely to have both of his pro bowl targets running free in the secondary.
McNabb said in his blog recently that he sees a lot of similarities between the 2008 Eagles playoff run and the 2001 Eagles run. The 2001 Eagles season ended with a road loss to a Kurt Warner led team. I see things going a little differently this time around.
That's right, the Eagles are back in the NFC Championship game for the 5th time in the last 8 years. They'll travel to Arizona to play to the surprising Cardinals next Sunday at 3PM. Not only did yesterday's win propel the Eagles to the next round but it buried the defending champion Giants in the process(and silenced their notoriously obnoxious fans).
Who would have thought that the Thanksgiving night matchup would have been a preview of the NFC Championship? Who would have thought that this Eagles team would have still been alive at this point after A)tying the Bengals B)losing to the Ravens C) losing to the 'Skins? The most frustrating part about this team all year was the fact that we knew they were good. They seemed to beat themselves so many times. Now that they seem to have figured out those issues, the Eagles are playing like the team we knew they were. As my colleague Freesedogg said, "They shouldn't have let us in the door." Its on now.
Before we start looking too far ahead, try to savor some of the highlights of yesterday's win: Did I mention that the #1 seed, defending champion, division rival New York Giants are now sitting at home for the winter? Does it get any better?
Speaking of #1 seeds: Both were eliminated this weekend. A #6 seed had only beaten a #1 seed once since 1990 coming into the weekend. That just shows how great the parity in the NFL is right now. Asante Samuel is earning that chunk of change he was paid in the offseason. His INT yesterday gave him 7 playoff INT's in his career, which ties him for the all time lead.
Philly may hate McNabb and Reid, but their playoff record together is now 9-5. Sure, they're no Belichick and Timmy Brady, but that's not too shabby. (Note: its no accident that we've left our McNabb/Reid poll up for so long.)
So the Eagles are now in the NFC Champinship, the Sixers have won 4 in a row and are climbing back towards a playoff spot, the Flyers are in first place and the Phillies are still World Fucking Champions. That should help keep this city happy as the temperatures dip into the teens this week.
The ever-pretentious Greg Easterbrook has been complaining about Pro Bowl selections for years now. He brought up the argument again this week. He specifically points out the Eagles as a team that was probably short changed in the Pro Bowl voting:
The NFC Pro Bowl roster includes 16 players from teams that did not reach the playoffs, and only two Philadelphia Eagles. Yet the Eagles were the NFC's hottest team down the stretch and on Sunday played tremendous defense.
Greg's argument, as most of his arguments are, is flawed (Has any else actually read The Progress Paradox?). Pointing out that a team is hot down the stretch also only looks at part of the season, Greg. Picking players from a team that's hot down the stretch is equally as moronic as picking players from team's that get off to fast starts (i.e. Cowboys and Jets). Still, the current voting system is inaccurate. The NFL needs to focus on the WHOLE SEASON. Isn't that the point of having the Pro Bowl after the season is over? Why announce the selections after 14 games? You're so close to being done with the whole season, why not just wait 2 more weeks? Selecting the rosters at that point in the season will inevitably lead to poor selections (see Tony Romo 2 years ago).
Let's take a look at one of my favorite arguments as an example from this season. I never miss a chance to tell anyone that will listen that Eli Manning is a bad QB. Despite my opinions, he was selected to the Pro Bowl this year. McNabb was not, even though he set the Eagles franchise record for passing yards in a season in '08. I'm not sure that McNabb deserved to be named to the Pro Bowl this year. I think he was more deserving than Eli, but there were still better options out there.
Kurt Warner and Drew Brees were locks to go to the Pro Bowl this year. Both had outstanding seasons. The third QB spot is where it gets tricky. Guys like Rodgers, Romo, Ryan and McNabb all had better seasons than Eli. Not to mention all these other QB's are generally less feminine than Elisha. That has to be taken into consideration. The selections are based off of votes from three different parties: the fans, players and coaches. Through 14 games, the voters saw Eli as a QB of the #1 seeded team in the NFC. An eighth of the season still remained to be played, however. Statistically, Eli finished the season in the middle of the pack amongst NFC QB's. Sure, he is the starting QB of a good team, but this is a power running, they shouldn't be featuring a Pro Bowl QB.
If you want further proof that the system is flawed, check out the AFC QB voting. Tell me how Brett Favre made the team over the NFL's top rated passer Phillip Rivers. Check out Favre. He finished as the 21st rated passer. He was behind names like Gerrard, Edwards, Hill and Campbell. Luckily for Rivers, there is a good chance Brett will miss the Pro Bowl due to injury.
Hopefully once we get this whole college football championship thing worked out, we can concentrate on getting some kind of legit Pro Bowl voting system. Its very important to me that we get the most deserving players into a game that I have a 0% chance of watching anyway. Unless somehow we can get Sean Taylor to play again.
There were times during today's game that I got that same old feeling again. The blown opportunities were beginning to pile up throughout the second and third quarters. Then, with a brilliant play call (for real), the Eagles ran a perfectly executed screen to Westbrook and 71 yards later we were talking about facing the Giants next week. Funny how things work out. I couldn't be happier to see Jared Allen and his mullet heading home for season.
McNabb followed a glowing endorsement from Jeffery Lurie with a solid outing (23-34 300 yds 1TD 1INT). Most impressive was McNabb's ability to lead the birds out from the shadow of their own goal posts twice in the 2nd half. Many other playoff tested veterans turned in great efforts as well; Dawkins, Akers, Samuel and Trent Cole all played key roles in the victory.
This win has to go to Jim Johnson and the Eagles' D. They kept the birds in this game and, aside from one long TD run, were able to keep AP in check.
There were many great plays turned in by the birds' defense today but my favorite was this block by Chris Clemons on the Asante pick-six:
Due to the fact that I will be moving over the weekend, beginning with a marathon packing session tonight (bring on the jokes), I have exactly one thing to look forward to—the Eagles enjoying their most improbable Christmas gift: a trip to Minnesota for a classic NFC matchup.
I get a sense that there’s a strange brew of excitement simmering here in Philadelphia. Of course, there’s passion—there always will be—along with some other recognizable notes: the malty sweetness of hope and the bitterness of doubt. But it’s definitely not the usual; this is no throw-your-head-back-and-chug-until-you’re-drunk excitement (see 2008 Phillies). It’s the kind you sip slowly, but eagerly.
I guess I just can’t remember being this curious about a Philadelphia team’s playoff chances. This team is schizophrenic; they have no consistent identity. You couldn’t characterize them in a college-length essay.
There is some reason to show the usual amount of go-for-broke fanaticism. It could be Brian Dawkins’ last shot at glory as an Eagle. His passion and relentless drive has captivated Philly for over a decade. No one deserves a title more.
But then there’s Andy’s aloofness. And Donovan’s increasing standoffishness. And second and long; third and short. A month ago, this was a team ready to implode. That’s too recent to believe that a serious championship run is possible.
After spending our entire lives rooting for Philadelphia sports teams, 4 friends decided to bring their bitching to the internet. We'll weigh-in on pretty much all things sports, with a focus on Philly teams and a dash of pop culture.
Not sure why you should bookmark this blog? Not really seeing what we have to offer? Allow me to clear some things up for you: we may not be the most updated, funny, news-breaking, or politically correct sports blog out there, but we've got the most important thing of all: all the right opinions. If you disagree, you're probably wrong. Wanna fight?
