What happened?
Down by 11 in the fourth quarter, Donovan McNabb led his second straight late game comeback, this time moving the Eagles past the Washington Redskins.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb finished the game completing 21 of 35 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown, as well as an interception.
LeSean McCoy looked good, rushing the ball 17 times for 76 yards and bringing in four catches for 25 yards.
Jason Avant was the key in the fourth quarter, and he finished the game with five catches for 94 yards.
Asante Samuel picked off Jason Campbell twice, setting up two field goals by David Akers.
Leonard Weaver only carried the ball six times, but he managed to get 44 yards on those six carries.
David Akers went four for four in field goal tries on the day, including the game winner late in the fourth quarter.
The Bad:
DeSean Jackson only caught two passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, and left the game in the third quarter with a concussion.
The Eagles committed seven penalties for 60 yards.
The Ugly:
The Eagles made it to the red zone four times during the game...and only scored one touchdown.
At one point, Washington managed to convert eight of 12 third down attempts. They finished the game with eight conversions on 17 tries.
The Breakdown:
For the second straight week in a row, the Eagles were trailing late in the fourth quarter, and for the second straight week, Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a late fourth quarter drive to push the Eagles into the win column. This week, it took not one, but two late drives, including a 90 yard drive that tied the game and a 66 yard drive that led to a game winning field goal by David Akers. For all of those people that have complained about how McNabb has played in the clutch, these last two weeks have been a breath of fresh air.
I'm not going to lie, McNabb didn't look great for most of the second half. Before the 90 yard touchdown drive, the Eagles had managed a grand total of 25 yards on four drives, and McNabb had thrown an interception on the previous drive. The defense had also been shaky in the second half, allowing the Redskins to convert third down after third down and score 14 straight points to build up an 11 point lead. However, when the chips were down, the Eagles managed to get it done again. McNabb completed three of five passes on the 90 yard drive, including two long passes to Jason Avant that put the Eagles into scoring position. He also completed the two point conversion pass to LeSean McCoy that tied the game and took the wind out of Washington's sails.
The final scoring drive of the game was a nice mix of run and pass, with McNabb only needing to throw two passes for 41 yards. The running game was solid as LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver managed to beat up the Redskins for 20 yards on the drive and helped eat up a lot of clock in the late part of the fourth quarter. It was refreshing to see back to back scoring drives in the fourth quarter, even if it was just against the Redskins. The Eagles needed this win, and while it wasn't the best played game in the world, they got it.
While the Eagles did manage to come away from today with a win, the defense wasn't as good as they could be. Jason Campbell was decent today, even with two interceptions by Asante Samuel. He was able to make plays with his legs, as well as his arm, and there were times when linebackers and the secondary looked out of place and lost on plays. The Redskins converted eight of their first 12 attempts at third down, and the defense struggled with several penalties as well. The pressure that rattled Campbell in the first game this year wasn't nearly as strong, and Trent Cole managed the only sack of the game, and that came on the last play of the first half. Just like the offense, though, the defense came up big when they needed to, stopping the Redskins on the drive following the Eagles' touchdown, and then finishing the Redskins on fourth down following the game winning field goal.
There is at least one game against Washington each year where the Eagles manage to lay an egg. I'm not sure why, but it happens every single year. That game happened today, only this year, the Eagles managed to come away with a win. It didn't look good at the start, with Andy Reid deciding to open the game with an onside kick, but the Eagles managed to save Andy from that bad decision. Yes, the Redskins were missing Albert Haynesworth, Clinton Portis, DeAngelo Hall and Chris Cooley, but the Eagles didn't have Stuart Bradley, Brian Westbrook, a solid offensive line and they lost DeSean Jackson with a concussion before they turned the game around. The bottom line is, when the chips were down today, the Eagles made the plays that they had to, and came away with a win. They've got three division wins so far, with the Giants and Cowboys still left. Right now, a 7-4 record is good enough for a spot in the playoffs, which is all I want.
Next week should be fun, as the Eagles head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Not only does the game have playoff implications, but a certain backup quarterback for the Eagles used to start for the Falcons...I wonder who that could be?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Winston Justice is Getting Paid.
Remember a few years ago, when Osi Umenyiora embarrassed Winston Justice on Sunday Night Football, terrorising the kid for six sacks? Well, that seems like another lifetime right now. Thanks to injuries to just about everyone on the offensive line, Justice has gotten a chance to start this year, and while he hasn't been Pro Bowl caliber, he's been solid, and now the Eagles have rewarded him. According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles signed Justice to a four year contract extension worth $18.15 million with a $6 million signing bonus on Tuesday.
Before this season, Justice's only start in the NFL was the aforementioned debacle against the Giants, but this season, he's been a rock on the offensive line, starting every game this season while the rest of the line has been cut down with injuries. When Shawn Andrews' season died right after liftoff, Justice was called upon to start at right tackle, and he's been good this year. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, so this was a preemptive move by the Eagles to lock him up before he hit the open market. Of course, this also means that Shawn Andrews is more or less done in Philadelphia, but at this point, I don't find that to be a bad thing. Justice is still only 25 years old and can grow more and more as a player as he continues to start. Right tackle still isn't a position of strength for the Eagles, but at least now, they can worry about the other spots on the offensive line that need work...like just about everywhere else.
ESPN.com: Philadelphia Eagles sign tackle Justice to four year extension.
Before this season, Justice's only start in the NFL was the aforementioned debacle against the Giants, but this season, he's been a rock on the offensive line, starting every game this season while the rest of the line has been cut down with injuries. When Shawn Andrews' season died right after liftoff, Justice was called upon to start at right tackle, and he's been good this year. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, so this was a preemptive move by the Eagles to lock him up before he hit the open market. Of course, this also means that Shawn Andrews is more or less done in Philadelphia, but at this point, I don't find that to be a bad thing. Justice is still only 25 years old and can grow more and more as a player as he continues to start. Right tackle still isn't a position of strength for the Eagles, but at least now, they can worry about the other spots on the offensive line that need work...like just about everywhere else.
ESPN.com: Philadelphia Eagles sign tackle Justice to four year extension.
The Top 25 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Decade: Number 24
There are several moments from the 2008 Phillies on this list, but without this first one, I doubt that any of the others would have happened.
Moment #24: Chris Coste goes 4-4 off the bench to beat the Mets in 13 innings- August 26, 2008
The Phillies had established their share of history over the New York Mets in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but as the game on August 26, 2008 started, the Phils were in a bit of a situation. Their four game lead that they had in the National League East had turned into a half game hole, thanks to the resurgent Mets. New York had started the season slowly, but after firing Willie Randolph and promoting Jerry Manuel to manager, they went on a tear right before the All Star break to close to within a half a game of the Phillies. That hot streak continued through July and into the end of August when the two teams met up again. The Phillies were at the tail end of a nine game homestand and had just finished a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but needed a win in the first game of the series against the Mets to establish that they weren't going to fade away down the stretch.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned in the first few innings. Jamie Moyer was shelled for six runs in three innings, and the Mets would add one more to give Pedro Martinez a 7-0 lead. Luckily, this was 2008 Pedro, not the guy that pitched for the Phillies down the stretch in 2009. In the fourth inning, the Phillies started to chip away at the lead. A Pedro Feliz sacrifice fly scored Shane Victorino in the fourth inning, and home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in the fifth cut the New York lead to just 7-5. With one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth inning, Chris Coste stepped to the plate, and the number 24 moment began. Coste came in to pinch hit for Greg Dobbs, and knocked a single into left. Jimmy Rollins followed with a single that scored Carlos Ruiz, making it a one run game. In the ninth inning, New York's closing problems struck again, as Eric Bruntlett tied the game with a pinch hit double, and this game was headed to extra innings.
Chris Coste would double to lead off the bottom of the tenth inning and then hit an infield single in the bottom of the 11th, but the Phillies couldn't score the game winning run in either of those frames. Then came the bottom of the 13th. Shane Victorino led off the inning with a triple, and the Mets intentionally walked Jayson Werth and Eric Bruntlett. Brett Myers pinch hit for Rudy Seanez, and in a scene that would look familiar in the postseason, ran a full count without swinging at a single pitch. It wouldn't quite end that way, as Scott Schoeneweis managed to find the strike zone and punch Myers out. Brett was instructed beforehand not to swing at a single pitch so that the Phillies would stay out of a double play, but he worked Schoeneweis over, and almost got the game winning walk. Instead, Coste stepped up to the plate for the fourth time since the eighth inning, and he had one more bit of hitting left to do. His long single over a drawn in outfield scored Victorino and gave the Phillies an 8-7, come from behind win. It also pushed the Phillies back into first place by a half a game.
Though the Phils would give first place back to the Mets with a loss the next night, they had sent a message with their 8-7 win the night before. Just as they had in 2007, the Phils would catch the Mets in September and pass them for the division title. The Phillies finished the year 92-70, while the Mets went 89-73 and missed the playoffs by a game for the second straight year. I don't need to tell you how the Phillies' season ended. If you're reading this, you already know. Chris Coste's Phillies career ended midway through the 2009 season, when he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Houston Astros. Though he's not a Phillie anymore, anyone that looks back at the 2008 and wants to know where the September magic started just has to look to this game, where a backup catcher had four hits off the bench.
Here's all four hits, thanks to MLB.com's video service: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=3374429
That's going to put a stop to the countdown for now, as I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving weekend with the family. I'll be back next week with moment number 23. It features an oft-maligned Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, who called himself "The People's Champion." For this moment, he had to thank his hands.
Moment #24: Chris Coste goes 4-4 off the bench to beat the Mets in 13 innings- August 26, 2008
The Phillies had established their share of history over the New York Mets in the 2007 and 2008 seasons, but as the game on August 26, 2008 started, the Phils were in a bit of a situation. Their four game lead that they had in the National League East had turned into a half game hole, thanks to the resurgent Mets. New York had started the season slowly, but after firing Willie Randolph and promoting Jerry Manuel to manager, they went on a tear right before the All Star break to close to within a half a game of the Phillies. That hot streak continued through July and into the end of August when the two teams met up again. The Phillies were at the tail end of a nine game homestand and had just finished a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but needed a win in the first game of the series against the Mets to establish that they weren't going to fade away down the stretch.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned in the first few innings. Jamie Moyer was shelled for six runs in three innings, and the Mets would add one more to give Pedro Martinez a 7-0 lead. Luckily, this was 2008 Pedro, not the guy that pitched for the Phillies down the stretch in 2009. In the fourth inning, the Phillies started to chip away at the lead. A Pedro Feliz sacrifice fly scored Shane Victorino in the fourth inning, and home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard in the fifth cut the New York lead to just 7-5. With one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth inning, Chris Coste stepped to the plate, and the number 24 moment began. Coste came in to pinch hit for Greg Dobbs, and knocked a single into left. Jimmy Rollins followed with a single that scored Carlos Ruiz, making it a one run game. In the ninth inning, New York's closing problems struck again, as Eric Bruntlett tied the game with a pinch hit double, and this game was headed to extra innings.
Chris Coste would double to lead off the bottom of the tenth inning and then hit an infield single in the bottom of the 11th, but the Phillies couldn't score the game winning run in either of those frames. Then came the bottom of the 13th. Shane Victorino led off the inning with a triple, and the Mets intentionally walked Jayson Werth and Eric Bruntlett. Brett Myers pinch hit for Rudy Seanez, and in a scene that would look familiar in the postseason, ran a full count without swinging at a single pitch. It wouldn't quite end that way, as Scott Schoeneweis managed to find the strike zone and punch Myers out. Brett was instructed beforehand not to swing at a single pitch so that the Phillies would stay out of a double play, but he worked Schoeneweis over, and almost got the game winning walk. Instead, Coste stepped up to the plate for the fourth time since the eighth inning, and he had one more bit of hitting left to do. His long single over a drawn in outfield scored Victorino and gave the Phillies an 8-7, come from behind win. It also pushed the Phillies back into first place by a half a game.
Though the Phils would give first place back to the Mets with a loss the next night, they had sent a message with their 8-7 win the night before. Just as they had in 2007, the Phils would catch the Mets in September and pass them for the division title. The Phillies finished the year 92-70, while the Mets went 89-73 and missed the playoffs by a game for the second straight year. I don't need to tell you how the Phillies' season ended. If you're reading this, you already know. Chris Coste's Phillies career ended midway through the 2009 season, when he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Houston Astros. Though he's not a Phillie anymore, anyone that looks back at the 2008 and wants to know where the September magic started just has to look to this game, where a backup catcher had four hits off the bench.
Here's all four hits, thanks to MLB.com's video service: http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=3374429
That's going to put a stop to the countdown for now, as I'll be enjoying Thanksgiving weekend with the family. I'll be back next week with moment number 23. It features an oft-maligned Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, who called himself "The People's Champion." For this moment, he had to thank his hands.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Top 25 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Decade: Number 25
What happens when you get two hockey teams with bad blood going against each other in a big game? Well, if you're the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators, then you get this opening moment of the Top 25.
Moment #25: Flyers fight the Senators for 419 minutes worth of penalties-March 5, 2004
Coming into the game that night, both the Flyers and Senators were locked in tight races for spots in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Flyers led the Atlantic Division over New Jersey, while the Senators were trying to get past both Boston and Toronto in the Northeast Division. The Senators had owned the Flyers over the past two seasons, with the Flyers going just 3-10-3 against Ottawa from 2002 until this night. That record also included the playoffs, where the Senators had eliminated the Flyers in both 2002 and 2003. On February 26, the Flyers and Senators had faced off in Ottawa, in a game that ended in a 1-1 tie (remember, this was before the lockout, there were still ties), but the fuse for this night was lit when Martin Havlat high sticked Mark Recchi, earning the ire of the Flyers and a two game suspension from the NHL.
Then came this night. Havlat was playing his first game following the suspension, and the Wachovia Center crowd could feel that there was going to be something big happening. There was some physical play over the first two and a half periods, but the game mostly consisted of the Flyers taking it to the Senators on the scoreboard. Claude Lapointe, Mark Recchi and Danny Markov scored within six minutes of each other in the first period to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead, which would eventually expand to 5-2 early in the third period. With just under two minutes to play in the game, Rob Ray and Donald Brashear got tangled up in front of the Philadelphia net, and that's when the number 25 moment really began.
Ray swung at Brashear with an elbow, and Brashear answered the way that he always did with the Flyers: by swinging his fists as hard as he possibly could. Ray left the ice with a cut above his eye, and the Senators responded by jumping Brashear before he could get off the ice. All hell broke loose after that, with everyone that was still standing on the ice getting involved, including the two goalies. Robert Esche and Patrick Lalime went at it in a nice goalie fight. The refs finally got things settled down...for about three seconds. Following the next faceoff, Zdeno Chara and Mattias Timander went at it, as did Chris Neil and Radovan Somik. Again, things were settled down until the puck was dropped again. Then, Mike Fisher and Michal Handzus got into it as well. Things finally calmed down for a good 20 seconds after that, until John LeClair went at Wade Redden and Mark Recchi got his shot at Bryan Smolinski. The brawls finally ended as Patrick Sharp took down Jason Spezza. I think the only reason the fighting finally stopped was because neither team had enough players to keep going. By the time all the penalties had been sorted out, the Flyers had seven players left, and the Senators had six.
In the end, it took the referees 90 minutes after the game to sort out exactly what had happened, and Bobby Clarke had to be restrained from going into Ottawa's locker room after the game. The final two minutes of the game saw 21 fighting penalties called, along with 16 game misconduct penalties. There were 419 penalty minutes called during the game, a new NHL record that broke a 23 year old mark set by the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars back in 1981. The two teams were evenly split, with the Flyers picking up 213 minutes and Ottawa adding 206. The Flyers did hold on to win the game, 5-3, and they would eventually clinch the Atlantic Division with a 101 point regular season. Ottawa would make the playoffs as well, but they would not face the Flyers, as they went down in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Philadelphia made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in the seventh game to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
As for the man who started all of the fights with a high stick? Martin Havlat spent the last two minutes of the game in the one spot where no one else could get him...the penalty box. Had he taken his medicine like a tough guy, I doubt any of this would have happened, but his hiding led to the number 25 moment on the list.
I now present to you every minute of the fights, in all their glory.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
I'll be back with moment 24 tomorrow. The Phillies make their first appearance on this list, with a comeback win that helped set the stage for a magical run in 2008.
Moment #25: Flyers fight the Senators for 419 minutes worth of penalties-March 5, 2004
Coming into the game that night, both the Flyers and Senators were locked in tight races for spots in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Flyers led the Atlantic Division over New Jersey, while the Senators were trying to get past both Boston and Toronto in the Northeast Division. The Senators had owned the Flyers over the past two seasons, with the Flyers going just 3-10-3 against Ottawa from 2002 until this night. That record also included the playoffs, where the Senators had eliminated the Flyers in both 2002 and 2003. On February 26, the Flyers and Senators had faced off in Ottawa, in a game that ended in a 1-1 tie (remember, this was before the lockout, there were still ties), but the fuse for this night was lit when Martin Havlat high sticked Mark Recchi, earning the ire of the Flyers and a two game suspension from the NHL.
Then came this night. Havlat was playing his first game following the suspension, and the Wachovia Center crowd could feel that there was going to be something big happening. There was some physical play over the first two and a half periods, but the game mostly consisted of the Flyers taking it to the Senators on the scoreboard. Claude Lapointe, Mark Recchi and Danny Markov scored within six minutes of each other in the first period to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead, which would eventually expand to 5-2 early in the third period. With just under two minutes to play in the game, Rob Ray and Donald Brashear got tangled up in front of the Philadelphia net, and that's when the number 25 moment really began.
Ray swung at Brashear with an elbow, and Brashear answered the way that he always did with the Flyers: by swinging his fists as hard as he possibly could. Ray left the ice with a cut above his eye, and the Senators responded by jumping Brashear before he could get off the ice. All hell broke loose after that, with everyone that was still standing on the ice getting involved, including the two goalies. Robert Esche and Patrick Lalime went at it in a nice goalie fight. The refs finally got things settled down...for about three seconds. Following the next faceoff, Zdeno Chara and Mattias Timander went at it, as did Chris Neil and Radovan Somik. Again, things were settled down until the puck was dropped again. Then, Mike Fisher and Michal Handzus got into it as well. Things finally calmed down for a good 20 seconds after that, until John LeClair went at Wade Redden and Mark Recchi got his shot at Bryan Smolinski. The brawls finally ended as Patrick Sharp took down Jason Spezza. I think the only reason the fighting finally stopped was because neither team had enough players to keep going. By the time all the penalties had been sorted out, the Flyers had seven players left, and the Senators had six.
In the end, it took the referees 90 minutes after the game to sort out exactly what had happened, and Bobby Clarke had to be restrained from going into Ottawa's locker room after the game. The final two minutes of the game saw 21 fighting penalties called, along with 16 game misconduct penalties. There were 419 penalty minutes called during the game, a new NHL record that broke a 23 year old mark set by the Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars back in 1981. The two teams were evenly split, with the Flyers picking up 213 minutes and Ottawa adding 206. The Flyers did hold on to win the game, 5-3, and they would eventually clinch the Atlantic Division with a 101 point regular season. Ottawa would make the playoffs as well, but they would not face the Flyers, as they went down in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Philadelphia made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in the seventh game to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
As for the man who started all of the fights with a high stick? Martin Havlat spent the last two minutes of the game in the one spot where no one else could get him...the penalty box. Had he taken his medicine like a tough guy, I doubt any of this would have happened, but his hiding led to the number 25 moment on the list.
I now present to you every minute of the fights, in all their glory.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
I'll be back with moment 24 tomorrow. The Phillies make their first appearance on this list, with a comeback win that helped set the stage for a magical run in 2008.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Top 25 Philadelphia Sports Moments of the Decade: Opening Statements and an Honorable Mention
When I sat down to start this little project about a week and a half ago, I had only anticipated making this list the top ten moments of the decade for the "Big Four" in Philadelphia sports. What I quickly realized, however, was that there were just too many moments to condense into a ten item list. After a little thinking and research, I've decided to spread it to the top 25 moments of the decade.
The years 2000-2009 have honestly been the Golden Age of Philadelphia sports, when you look back at them. While only one team has claimed a championship, all four teams have seen success, with the Phillies, Eagles and Sixers all reaching the championship games or series of their respective leagues, and the Flyers making it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times. The 90s were not nearly as forgiving to Philadelphia sports, as only the Flyers and Phillies made championship appearances, and both were subsequently defeated. The Sixers went through a period where they traded Charles Barkley, added Shawn Bradley, and then spent four years trying to find someone to play next to Allen Iverson. The Eagles only had four losing seasons during the 90s, but went through four head coaches and about ten different quarterbacks, and always seemed to be missing just that one thing that would put them on top of the NFC East. After 1993, the Phillies were horrible again, and they wouldn't have another winning season until 2001.
This decade has been different, though. The Phillies now haven't had a losing season since the 2000 campaign and have been to back to back World Series, winning one. The Eagles found stability at head coach and at quarterback, and reached five NFC Championships and one Super Bowl. The Flyers always seem to be one of the teams to watch in the Eastern Conference, and while the Sixers haven't made much noise of late, they did have one season where everything came together, and Allen Iverson led them to the 2001 NBA Finals.
Throughout this past decade, there have been plenty of special moments that made Philadelphia fans cheer, and for once, I think there were more good moments than bad. I'll be getting started on the Top 25 tomorrow, but I wanted to start today with an Honorable Mention. It's not a moment from one of the teams, but instead was something that the city of Philadelphia had been asking for for quite some time.
Honorable Mention: Lincoln Financial Field Opens-August 3, 2003 & Citizens Bank Park Opens-April 3, 2004
From 1971 through 2002, the Phillies and Eagles shared a home field. Veterans Stadium, which was seen as state of the art when it opened in the early 1970s, had become one of the worst stadiums in both football and baseball by the start of this decade. Both teams had put in requests for new stadiums in 1998, following similar requests from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers, who played in a similar "cookie cutter" stadium in their city. The multi-purpose stadiums had gone out of style, and when you looked at the Vet, you knew that it's days were numbered. Yes, the 700 level was the stuff of legends, but there were problems everywhere, and the field was easily the worst in both leagues. How anyone could play on AstroTurf is still beyond me.
The Vet wasn't the nicest stadium in the world, but Philadelphia fans felt an attraction to it. Sure, it wasn't that nice to look at, there were leaks and the field wasn't that nice...but it was ours. It was a toilet, but it was our toilet. We were allowed to talk badly about it, but don't expect a warm welcome if you were a player or fan of an opposing team. However, even that had started to fade, and when ground was broken in 2001 for not one, but two separate stadiums, the days of Veterans Stadium were numbered.
Of course, then everyone got a look at what the new stadiums looked like, and all was right with the world. Lincoln Financial Field, the new home of the Eagles, would open up first. The Eagles didn't open it in the best way, losing 17-0 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they would turn things around rather quickly. Citizens Bank Park opened up for the 2004 season, and the Phillies quickly started making memories of their own in their new stadium as well. The Vet was demolished on March 24, 2004, ending 33 years of AstroTurf, horrible injuries and memories. Then, the two teams set about making their new parks just as memorable. The Eagles have hosted two NFC Championship Games at Lincoln Financial Field, winning one of them, and have also had countless playoff and nationally televised games played there since the 2003 season. Meanwhile, the Phillies have made the playoffs the past three seasons, and Game Five of the 2008 World Series took place in Citizens Bank Park. You might remember that one, since it was the night the Phillies won the World Championship.
Veterans Stadium was great, but the Eagles and Phillies needed their own stadiums, and what they got moved them from the outhouse to the penthouse in terms of stadiums in the NFL and Major League Baseball. The moments that have already happened have been great, and there's sure to be more to come along the way. Like I said, this isn't a great team moment, per se, but I felt it needed to be included on the list. Without the openings of these two parks, about 75% of this list doesn't happen.
Tomorrow, I'll get started for real, with Number 25. Here's a hint on what it is: Two teams doing seven hours of work in a one hour game.
The years 2000-2009 have honestly been the Golden Age of Philadelphia sports, when you look back at them. While only one team has claimed a championship, all four teams have seen success, with the Phillies, Eagles and Sixers all reaching the championship games or series of their respective leagues, and the Flyers making it to the Eastern Conference Finals three times. The 90s were not nearly as forgiving to Philadelphia sports, as only the Flyers and Phillies made championship appearances, and both were subsequently defeated. The Sixers went through a period where they traded Charles Barkley, added Shawn Bradley, and then spent four years trying to find someone to play next to Allen Iverson. The Eagles only had four losing seasons during the 90s, but went through four head coaches and about ten different quarterbacks, and always seemed to be missing just that one thing that would put them on top of the NFC East. After 1993, the Phillies were horrible again, and they wouldn't have another winning season until 2001.
This decade has been different, though. The Phillies now haven't had a losing season since the 2000 campaign and have been to back to back World Series, winning one. The Eagles found stability at head coach and at quarterback, and reached five NFC Championships and one Super Bowl. The Flyers always seem to be one of the teams to watch in the Eastern Conference, and while the Sixers haven't made much noise of late, they did have one season where everything came together, and Allen Iverson led them to the 2001 NBA Finals.
Throughout this past decade, there have been plenty of special moments that made Philadelphia fans cheer, and for once, I think there were more good moments than bad. I'll be getting started on the Top 25 tomorrow, but I wanted to start today with an Honorable Mention. It's not a moment from one of the teams, but instead was something that the city of Philadelphia had been asking for for quite some time.
Honorable Mention: Lincoln Financial Field Opens-August 3, 2003 & Citizens Bank Park Opens-April 3, 2004
From 1971 through 2002, the Phillies and Eagles shared a home field. Veterans Stadium, which was seen as state of the art when it opened in the early 1970s, had become one of the worst stadiums in both football and baseball by the start of this decade. Both teams had put in requests for new stadiums in 1998, following similar requests from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers, who played in a similar "cookie cutter" stadium in their city. The multi-purpose stadiums had gone out of style, and when you looked at the Vet, you knew that it's days were numbered. Yes, the 700 level was the stuff of legends, but there were problems everywhere, and the field was easily the worst in both leagues. How anyone could play on AstroTurf is still beyond me.
The Vet wasn't the nicest stadium in the world, but Philadelphia fans felt an attraction to it. Sure, it wasn't that nice to look at, there were leaks and the field wasn't that nice...but it was ours. It was a toilet, but it was our toilet. We were allowed to talk badly about it, but don't expect a warm welcome if you were a player or fan of an opposing team. However, even that had started to fade, and when ground was broken in 2001 for not one, but two separate stadiums, the days of Veterans Stadium were numbered.
Of course, then everyone got a look at what the new stadiums looked like, and all was right with the world. Lincoln Financial Field, the new home of the Eagles, would open up first. The Eagles didn't open it in the best way, losing 17-0 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they would turn things around rather quickly. Citizens Bank Park opened up for the 2004 season, and the Phillies quickly started making memories of their own in their new stadium as well. The Vet was demolished on March 24, 2004, ending 33 years of AstroTurf, horrible injuries and memories. Then, the two teams set about making their new parks just as memorable. The Eagles have hosted two NFC Championship Games at Lincoln Financial Field, winning one of them, and have also had countless playoff and nationally televised games played there since the 2003 season. Meanwhile, the Phillies have made the playoffs the past three seasons, and Game Five of the 2008 World Series took place in Citizens Bank Park. You might remember that one, since it was the night the Phillies won the World Championship.
Veterans Stadium was great, but the Eagles and Phillies needed their own stadiums, and what they got moved them from the outhouse to the penthouse in terms of stadiums in the NFL and Major League Baseball. The moments that have already happened have been great, and there's sure to be more to come along the way. Like I said, this isn't a great team moment, per se, but I felt it needed to be included on the list. Without the openings of these two parks, about 75% of this list doesn't happen.
Tomorrow, I'll get started for real, with Number 25. Here's a hint on what it is: Two teams doing seven hours of work in a one hour game.
Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-24, Bears-20
What happened?
A ten yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy put the Eagles on top late, and Sean Jones' interception of Jay Cutler in the final minute sealed the win for the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb was 23/32 for 244 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
LeSean McCoy carried the ball 20 times for 99 yards and had the game winning touchdown.
DeSean Jackson had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Though the defense only sacked Jay Cutler one time, they pressured him for most of the night.
The Bad:
However, that same defense also had problems in coverage at key moments, and the game wouldn't have been as close if they had played better.
The Eagles had three turnovers: an interception by McNabb, and fumbles by DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.
The Eagles also had eight penalties called against them during the game.
Kahlil Bell, who is someone I've literally never heard of, took his first NFL carry for 72 yards, and finished the game with 84 yards on four carries.
The Ugly:
Honestly, nothing to see here. The Eagles had a come from behind win, on the road, on national television. Nothing ugly about it.
The Breakdown:
It took eight trips to Sunday Night Football, but the Eagles finally won a game in front of a national audience that wasn't played on Monday night. The defense had some issues tonight, and the offense had a few costly turnovers, but when the chips were down, the Eagles made the plays that they had to make, and this week they were able to finish a close game that they needed to keep their playoff hopes alive.
First of all, I want to give credit to Donovan McNabb for the way he played tonight. After two average games against the Cowboys and Chargers, McNabb came out tonight and looked like the quarterback that's guided the Eagles to five NFC Championship games. He missed on just nine passes on the night, and most of his throws were crisp and on target. He did make a mistake on an interception to Zack Bowman, but other than that, he was on for most of the game. What was even more impressive was the fact that he actually led a game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. It's been a while since I've seen one of those from him, but after the defense blocked a Robbie Gould field goal, McNabb moved the Eagles 62 yards on 11 plays, completing six of seven passes on the drive. It's the kind of drive that Eagles fans have been calling for all season, and might be one that's looked back upon at the end of the year that helped turn this season around. Number Five also had two touchdown passes on the night, including a 48 yard bomb to DeSean Jackson that put the Eagles ahead in the third quarter.
Without Brian Westbrook, the youth movement took hold on offense tonight, and for the most part, it looked good. DeSean Jackson had a good game, with 107 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Jeremy Maclin had six catches for 64 yards. LeSean McCoy was solid on the ground, picking up 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. McCoy needs to show a little more patience on some of his runs, but he showed a good burst and vision tonight, and that's going to be critical as the Eagles move into the home stretch of their season now. He also fumbled the ball once tonight, but it wasn't really something you could blame on him, as Charles Tillman just made a good play and knocked the ball loose. However, the same could not be said for Jackson, who had two fumbles in the game and lost one of them. Tillman knocked the ball away from Jackson inside Chicago territory, and while it was the first fumble that Jackson had lost in his career, he's got to be careful with the football in situations like that. As a speed receiver, opponents are going to try and knock the ball away from him as much as possible, and tonight, it almost cost the Eagles.
The one area that was a problem at times tonight was the defense of the Eagles. Jay Cutler didn't have the best night, completing just 24 of 43 passes for 171 yards, but the defense let the Bears into scoring position several times tonight. Fortunately, the Bears only managed to find the end zone once during the game, but the one touchdown did show the main issue with the defense right now. The defensive line is relatively solid, but injuries have taken their toll on the linebackers and secondary more than anyone thought was possible, and teams are taking advantage. Sheldon Brown played tonight with a hamstring problem, and Asante Samuel left the game with a stinger, while Will Witherspoon, Chris Gocong and Joe Mays started in the linebacker positions tonight. The secondary depth that was there just a few weeks ago is gone, and the linebackers are having issues covering the underneath routes and the tight ends on most teams. Greg Olsen had a quiet game, but Cutler's lone touchdown pass was to Kellen Davis, who had beaten Gocong in coverage. The Bears could have had touchdowns on at least three other plays where the coverage broke down, but Cutler overthrew his receivers. This week though, when the defense needed to make a stand, they did just that, with Sean Jones intercepting Cutler and giving the Eagles the win.
Aside from the turnovers and some shaky play on defense, the Eagles played well tonight. Donovan McNabb looked confident and moved the Eagles downfield for a go ahead touchdown with just over five minutes to play in the game, and LeSean McCoy was solid in place of Brian Westbrook. The defense had its issues in coverage, but they made the big play when they needed to, and in the end, the Eagles got the close win that they had been looking for over the last three weeks. They are still right in the heart of the playoff hunt at 6-4, and with Washington coming up next week at home, they should be looking at 7-4. Rest assured, the Redskins are a better team than the one the Eagles beat just a month ago in Washington, but I've got this odd feeling that the birds can pull this one out. What's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah...confidence. It's nice to feel like that after a close game.
A ten yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy put the Eagles on top late, and Sean Jones' interception of Jay Cutler in the final minute sealed the win for the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
The Good:
Donovan McNabb was 23/32 for 244 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
LeSean McCoy carried the ball 20 times for 99 yards and had the game winning touchdown.
DeSean Jackson had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Though the defense only sacked Jay Cutler one time, they pressured him for most of the night.
The Bad:
However, that same defense also had problems in coverage at key moments, and the game wouldn't have been as close if they had played better.
The Eagles had three turnovers: an interception by McNabb, and fumbles by DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy.
The Eagles also had eight penalties called against them during the game.
Kahlil Bell, who is someone I've literally never heard of, took his first NFL carry for 72 yards, and finished the game with 84 yards on four carries.
The Ugly:
Honestly, nothing to see here. The Eagles had a come from behind win, on the road, on national television. Nothing ugly about it.
The Breakdown:
It took eight trips to Sunday Night Football, but the Eagles finally won a game in front of a national audience that wasn't played on Monday night. The defense had some issues tonight, and the offense had a few costly turnovers, but when the chips were down, the Eagles made the plays that they had to make, and this week they were able to finish a close game that they needed to keep their playoff hopes alive.
First of all, I want to give credit to Donovan McNabb for the way he played tonight. After two average games against the Cowboys and Chargers, McNabb came out tonight and looked like the quarterback that's guided the Eagles to five NFC Championship games. He missed on just nine passes on the night, and most of his throws were crisp and on target. He did make a mistake on an interception to Zack Bowman, but other than that, he was on for most of the game. What was even more impressive was the fact that he actually led a game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. It's been a while since I've seen one of those from him, but after the defense blocked a Robbie Gould field goal, McNabb moved the Eagles 62 yards on 11 plays, completing six of seven passes on the drive. It's the kind of drive that Eagles fans have been calling for all season, and might be one that's looked back upon at the end of the year that helped turn this season around. Number Five also had two touchdown passes on the night, including a 48 yard bomb to DeSean Jackson that put the Eagles ahead in the third quarter.
Without Brian Westbrook, the youth movement took hold on offense tonight, and for the most part, it looked good. DeSean Jackson had a good game, with 107 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Jeremy Maclin had six catches for 64 yards. LeSean McCoy was solid on the ground, picking up 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. McCoy needs to show a little more patience on some of his runs, but he showed a good burst and vision tonight, and that's going to be critical as the Eagles move into the home stretch of their season now. He also fumbled the ball once tonight, but it wasn't really something you could blame on him, as Charles Tillman just made a good play and knocked the ball loose. However, the same could not be said for Jackson, who had two fumbles in the game and lost one of them. Tillman knocked the ball away from Jackson inside Chicago territory, and while it was the first fumble that Jackson had lost in his career, he's got to be careful with the football in situations like that. As a speed receiver, opponents are going to try and knock the ball away from him as much as possible, and tonight, it almost cost the Eagles.
The one area that was a problem at times tonight was the defense of the Eagles. Jay Cutler didn't have the best night, completing just 24 of 43 passes for 171 yards, but the defense let the Bears into scoring position several times tonight. Fortunately, the Bears only managed to find the end zone once during the game, but the one touchdown did show the main issue with the defense right now. The defensive line is relatively solid, but injuries have taken their toll on the linebackers and secondary more than anyone thought was possible, and teams are taking advantage. Sheldon Brown played tonight with a hamstring problem, and Asante Samuel left the game with a stinger, while Will Witherspoon, Chris Gocong and Joe Mays started in the linebacker positions tonight. The secondary depth that was there just a few weeks ago is gone, and the linebackers are having issues covering the underneath routes and the tight ends on most teams. Greg Olsen had a quiet game, but Cutler's lone touchdown pass was to Kellen Davis, who had beaten Gocong in coverage. The Bears could have had touchdowns on at least three other plays where the coverage broke down, but Cutler overthrew his receivers. This week though, when the defense needed to make a stand, they did just that, with Sean Jones intercepting Cutler and giving the Eagles the win.
Aside from the turnovers and some shaky play on defense, the Eagles played well tonight. Donovan McNabb looked confident and moved the Eagles downfield for a go ahead touchdown with just over five minutes to play in the game, and LeSean McCoy was solid in place of Brian Westbrook. The defense had its issues in coverage, but they made the big play when they needed to, and in the end, the Eagles got the close win that they had been looking for over the last three weeks. They are still right in the heart of the playoff hunt at 6-4, and with Washington coming up next week at home, they should be looking at 7-4. Rest assured, the Redskins are a better team than the one the Eagles beat just a month ago in Washington, but I've got this odd feeling that the birds can pull this one out. What's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah...confidence. It's nice to feel like that after a close game.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Flyers Head Out West, Keep Their Hot Streak Alive
The Flyers' five game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres last Saturday, but since then, the Orange and Black bounced right back with a win over New Jersey and a win last night against the Los Angeles Kings as they started a five game road trip.
Brian Boucher picked up his first win in his return trip to Philadelphia, as he stopped 37 shots by the Kings, including 21 in an intense third period with the Flyers holding on to a one goal lead. He did let Jarret Stoll score on a soft goal in the first period, but after that, he was excellent between the pipes, keeping the Kings from scoring again until midway through the third period. The defense around Boucher was solid last night as well, as the Flyers managed to keep NHL points leader Anze Kopitar from recording a point for just the fifth time this season.
The offense played well last night, too. Although they only recorded 20 shots on goal, three of them found the back of the net, and last night, that was just enough. Mika Pyorala got the scoring started in the second period with his first career goal, then Mike Richards added his ninth of the year to put the Flyers ahead for the first time. James vanRiemsdyk put his sixth goal in the net early in the third period, and that proved to be enough last night for the Flyers. This offense has shown so far this year that they can score when they need to, and as long as the goaltending keeps holding up like it has this year, the Flyers could be looking at a long trip into the playoffs come April.
I can't say enough about how well James vanRiemsdyk has played this season. After having questions brought up about the pick, the Flyers have proven that they made a solid choice with this kid. In just 15 games this year, vanRiemsdyk has six goals and 11 assists. His 17 points put him in a tie for third on the team, as does his +8 rating, meaning that the Flyers do well when he is out on the ice. Not only that, but he's managing these numbers with just over 13 minutes of ice time a night on average. He's scored in three straight games now, and is looking even more comfortable out there on the ice each and every night. It's the exact thing that the Flyers needed to get from him coming into this season. He was a question mark, but so far this year, he's been nothing but a success story for this team.
It's like I said after the Flyers were beaten by the Sabres: this team is too good to let one loss get to them. In their past two games, they've beaten the New Jersey Devils for the second time this year, and now they've started their West Coast road trip with a very nice win. Ray Emery has been excellent in net, and Brian Boucher looked much better last night than he did in his first start this year. They have another four games on the road before they come back to the Wachovia Center late next week. With a quarter of the season already finished, the Flyers are going to have to keep playing at this strong level to keep up with the other good teams in the Atlantic Division. Right now, they're doing just fine, but they can't afford to slip up, even a little bit.
Brian Boucher picked up his first win in his return trip to Philadelphia, as he stopped 37 shots by the Kings, including 21 in an intense third period with the Flyers holding on to a one goal lead. He did let Jarret Stoll score on a soft goal in the first period, but after that, he was excellent between the pipes, keeping the Kings from scoring again until midway through the third period. The defense around Boucher was solid last night as well, as the Flyers managed to keep NHL points leader Anze Kopitar from recording a point for just the fifth time this season.
The offense played well last night, too. Although they only recorded 20 shots on goal, three of them found the back of the net, and last night, that was just enough. Mika Pyorala got the scoring started in the second period with his first career goal, then Mike Richards added his ninth of the year to put the Flyers ahead for the first time. James vanRiemsdyk put his sixth goal in the net early in the third period, and that proved to be enough last night for the Flyers. This offense has shown so far this year that they can score when they need to, and as long as the goaltending keeps holding up like it has this year, the Flyers could be looking at a long trip into the playoffs come April.
I can't say enough about how well James vanRiemsdyk has played this season. After having questions brought up about the pick, the Flyers have proven that they made a solid choice with this kid. In just 15 games this year, vanRiemsdyk has six goals and 11 assists. His 17 points put him in a tie for third on the team, as does his +8 rating, meaning that the Flyers do well when he is out on the ice. Not only that, but he's managing these numbers with just over 13 minutes of ice time a night on average. He's scored in three straight games now, and is looking even more comfortable out there on the ice each and every night. It's the exact thing that the Flyers needed to get from him coming into this season. He was a question mark, but so far this year, he's been nothing but a success story for this team.
It's like I said after the Flyers were beaten by the Sabres: this team is too good to let one loss get to them. In their past two games, they've beaten the New Jersey Devils for the second time this year, and now they've started their West Coast road trip with a very nice win. Ray Emery has been excellent in net, and Brian Boucher looked much better last night than he did in his first start this year. They have another four games on the road before they come back to the Wachovia Center late next week. With a quarter of the season already finished, the Flyers are going to have to keep playing at this strong level to keep up with the other good teams in the Atlantic Division. Right now, they're doing just fine, but they can't afford to slip up, even a little bit.
The Sixers Tried Something Different Last Night...Winning
After dropping five of their last seven games and losing Marreese Speights for almost two months with a knee injury, the Sixers needed something to go their way so they could get this season moving in the right direction again. Last night against the Charlotte Bobcats, they got just that with an 86-84 victory.
I said when Speights went down that Elton Brand was going to have even more pressure put on him, and last night, he didn't disappoint. The former All-Star played his best basketball of the season, scoring 19 points and bringing down 11 rebounds in 42 minutes. Honestly, that might have been the best game that Brand has played as a member of the Sixers, and that is going to have to continue for now. Without Speights, Brand saw a lot more playing time in the fourth quarter last night, and he made it count. It's nice to see the big investment for the Sixers actually working the way that they need it to, but I'm not going to get too excited yet. One game doesn't define an entire season, and Brand is really going to have to put up similar numbers for a stretch to get into my good graces. That's the just way things are.
Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams had good games as well, with Williams draining the game winning layup with just three seconds to play in the fourth quarter. The Sixers' backcourt has been playing relatively well, even in defeat, and last night they got to show what they can do in a winning effort. Iguodala led the team with 25 points and five rebounds, while Williams scored 19 and dished out six assists. That's the kind of play that will move a team in the right direction, and that's what the Sixers are going to need if they want to make an impact this year. The Bobcats aren't a very good team, but the acquisition of Stephen Jackson gives them a very good player that should start moving them in the right direction as well, despite his off the court issues.
Last night's game wasn't perfect, but the Sixers needed a win, and that's what they got. Elton Brand showed that he might have a little bit of that All Star talent left in him, and even with the defense losing a 52-43 halftime lead, the Sixers were able to claw back into the game and get the W. That defense is still a pressing issue for this team, and I hope they can find a way to work it out. Luckily, the Memphis Grizzlies are next on the horizon, so the Sixers could find their way back to a .500 record as long as they can keep getting production from some of their big names. It's the only way they can get this team going to where they need to go.
I said when Speights went down that Elton Brand was going to have even more pressure put on him, and last night, he didn't disappoint. The former All-Star played his best basketball of the season, scoring 19 points and bringing down 11 rebounds in 42 minutes. Honestly, that might have been the best game that Brand has played as a member of the Sixers, and that is going to have to continue for now. Without Speights, Brand saw a lot more playing time in the fourth quarter last night, and he made it count. It's nice to see the big investment for the Sixers actually working the way that they need it to, but I'm not going to get too excited yet. One game doesn't define an entire season, and Brand is really going to have to put up similar numbers for a stretch to get into my good graces. That's the just way things are.
Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams had good games as well, with Williams draining the game winning layup with just three seconds to play in the fourth quarter. The Sixers' backcourt has been playing relatively well, even in defeat, and last night they got to show what they can do in a winning effort. Iguodala led the team with 25 points and five rebounds, while Williams scored 19 and dished out six assists. That's the kind of play that will move a team in the right direction, and that's what the Sixers are going to need if they want to make an impact this year. The Bobcats aren't a very good team, but the acquisition of Stephen Jackson gives them a very good player that should start moving them in the right direction as well, despite his off the court issues.
Last night's game wasn't perfect, but the Sixers needed a win, and that's what they got. Elton Brand showed that he might have a little bit of that All Star talent left in him, and even with the defense losing a 52-43 halftime lead, the Sixers were able to claw back into the game and get the W. That defense is still a pressing issue for this team, and I hope they can find a way to work it out. Luckily, the Memphis Grizzlies are next on the horizon, so the Sixers could find their way back to a .500 record as long as they can keep getting production from some of their big names. It's the only way they can get this team going to where they need to go.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Eagles Aftermath: Chargers-31, Eagles-23
What happened?
The Eagles didn't have enough time to climb back out of a 28-9 hole in the fourth quarter, as they dropped their second straight game, this one to the San Diego Chargers.
The Good:
Even though he threw the ball way too much, Donovan McNabb was 35/55 for 450 yards and two touchdowns.
Jason Avant had a career day, catching eight passes for 156 yards.
The Bad:
Brian Westbrook had just six carries for 28 yards before leaving the game with another concussion.
The Ugly:
The rest of the Eagles managed just one more rushing yard on seven other carries.
The defense was just awful, allowing 31 points and letting Philip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson pick them apart. I'm not going to break it all down here, because I'd be typing this out all night.
How's this for balance? The Eagles passed the ball 56 times...and rushed it just 13.
The Breakdown:
This makes two weeks in a row now that the Eagles have come out and laid an egg against a team that they could have beaten. This week, the San Diego Chargers jumped out to a big lead early in the fourth quarter and despite the best efforts from Donovan McNabb, there just wasn't enough time to get back into this game.
Yes, Donovan passed the ball far too much during this game, but that's not on him. He doesn't call the plays. Today, the blame for this loss rests on the shoulders of Andy Reid and the defense. Andy has to call a more balanced game than what he called today. I know the run game wasn't working that well, but to only call 13 running plays is absurd. Brian Westbrook was back in the starting lineup for a little while today, and when he got to touch the ball, he didn't look bad. Of course, once the Eagles were down at the half, Andy basically threw the running plays out the window, calling just five more for the rest of the game, just as the Eagles had started to move on the ground. In the first half, the Eagles had just nine yards on eight carries. As the second half started, the Eagles managed to pick up 20 yards on just five carries. It was starting to turn around, and Andy moved away from it. It's the same thing he's done in his entire time in Philadelphia. If the Eagles are down going into the second half, he is going to have Donovan air the ball out for the rest of the game. It's just how it is.
Of course, that strategy almost worked today, had it not been for the lackluster defensive play. LaDanian Tomlinson hadn't cracked 90 yards rushing in a game this entire season, but the Philadelphia defense let him hop in the WayBack machine, and he finished the game with 96 yards and two touchdowns. Philip Rivers was able to pick apart a wounded secondary, completing 20 of 25 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. When the game was on the line late in the fourth quarter, Rivers completed several key throws that allowed the Chargers to take tons of time off the clock and leave the Eagles with next to nothing when it came time to mount a last stand. There is no excuse for how the defense played today. They couldn't get pressure when they needed to, they couldn't stop anyone when they had to and they just looked slow out there. I know the linebackers and secondary are patchwork, to say the best, right now, but they still have to play better than how they did today.
When you look at the stats of this game, the Eagles should have won. They outgained the Chargers by 130 yards, had more first downs and more trips to the red zone. However, the lack of a running game, stupid penalties, and lack of success inside the red zone counteracted all the positives. When you are playing a team like the Chargers, you can not trade field goals for touchdowns when you get into the red zone, and that's what the Eagles did today. Brian Westbrook is likely out for the year now with another concussion, which means the offense is going to become even more pass oriented, especially with the lack of success this team has had in short yardage situations the last two weeks. With a patchwork offensive line and back seven of the defense, the rest of the Eagles' season might be a very bumpy ride. They can still pull it together, though, and that quest starts next week in Chicago.
The Eagles didn't have enough time to climb back out of a 28-9 hole in the fourth quarter, as they dropped their second straight game, this one to the San Diego Chargers.
The Good:
Even though he threw the ball way too much, Donovan McNabb was 35/55 for 450 yards and two touchdowns.
Jason Avant had a career day, catching eight passes for 156 yards.
The Bad:
Brian Westbrook had just six carries for 28 yards before leaving the game with another concussion.
The Ugly:
The rest of the Eagles managed just one more rushing yard on seven other carries.
The defense was just awful, allowing 31 points and letting Philip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson pick them apart. I'm not going to break it all down here, because I'd be typing this out all night.
How's this for balance? The Eagles passed the ball 56 times...and rushed it just 13.
The Breakdown:
This makes two weeks in a row now that the Eagles have come out and laid an egg against a team that they could have beaten. This week, the San Diego Chargers jumped out to a big lead early in the fourth quarter and despite the best efforts from Donovan McNabb, there just wasn't enough time to get back into this game.
Yes, Donovan passed the ball far too much during this game, but that's not on him. He doesn't call the plays. Today, the blame for this loss rests on the shoulders of Andy Reid and the defense. Andy has to call a more balanced game than what he called today. I know the run game wasn't working that well, but to only call 13 running plays is absurd. Brian Westbrook was back in the starting lineup for a little while today, and when he got to touch the ball, he didn't look bad. Of course, once the Eagles were down at the half, Andy basically threw the running plays out the window, calling just five more for the rest of the game, just as the Eagles had started to move on the ground. In the first half, the Eagles had just nine yards on eight carries. As the second half started, the Eagles managed to pick up 20 yards on just five carries. It was starting to turn around, and Andy moved away from it. It's the same thing he's done in his entire time in Philadelphia. If the Eagles are down going into the second half, he is going to have Donovan air the ball out for the rest of the game. It's just how it is.
Of course, that strategy almost worked today, had it not been for the lackluster defensive play. LaDanian Tomlinson hadn't cracked 90 yards rushing in a game this entire season, but the Philadelphia defense let him hop in the WayBack machine, and he finished the game with 96 yards and two touchdowns. Philip Rivers was able to pick apart a wounded secondary, completing 20 of 25 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. When the game was on the line late in the fourth quarter, Rivers completed several key throws that allowed the Chargers to take tons of time off the clock and leave the Eagles with next to nothing when it came time to mount a last stand. There is no excuse for how the defense played today. They couldn't get pressure when they needed to, they couldn't stop anyone when they had to and they just looked slow out there. I know the linebackers and secondary are patchwork, to say the best, right now, but they still have to play better than how they did today.
When you look at the stats of this game, the Eagles should have won. They outgained the Chargers by 130 yards, had more first downs and more trips to the red zone. However, the lack of a running game, stupid penalties, and lack of success inside the red zone counteracted all the positives. When you are playing a team like the Chargers, you can not trade field goals for touchdowns when you get into the red zone, and that's what the Eagles did today. Brian Westbrook is likely out for the year now with another concussion, which means the offense is going to become even more pass oriented, especially with the lack of success this team has had in short yardage situations the last two weeks. With a patchwork offensive line and back seven of the defense, the rest of the Eagles' season might be a very bumpy ride. They can still pull it together, though, and that quest starts next week in Chicago.
The Hits Keeping Coming For the Sixers: Marreese Speights Out
Just one day after their fifth loss in seven games, the Philadelphia 76ers got some more bad news today, as an MRI on Marreese Speights' knee revealed a tear of the MCL, and he will miss the next six to eight weeks. Speights hadn't started a game this season, but averaged 23 minutes and 13 points in the first ten games of the year.
What this does now is put even more pressure on Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. To be honest, Speights had been outplaying both Brand and Dalembert so far this season, and was probably going to be looking at some more playing time as the season went along. Now, he's not going to be back until January, at the earliest, and it's going to take some time to get back into game form once he does get back. So far this year, Brand is averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. That has to change, and fast now that Speights is out.
There have only been a few bright spots this season for the Sixers, and Speights had been one of them. Now, the rest of the team is going to have step up and work together to replace what he has done. I'm not saying it's going to be possible, and if the Sixers don't come close, it's going to be really ugly, but there's a chance. All any Sixer fan can do is just hope that Speights gets back as quickly as possible.
ESPN.com: Marreese Speights out with ligament tear
What this does now is put even more pressure on Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. To be honest, Speights had been outplaying both Brand and Dalembert so far this season, and was probably going to be looking at some more playing time as the season went along. Now, he's not going to be back until January, at the earliest, and it's going to take some time to get back into game form once he does get back. So far this year, Brand is averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. That has to change, and fast now that Speights is out.
There have only been a few bright spots this season for the Sixers, and Speights had been one of them. Now, the rest of the team is going to have step up and work together to replace what he has done. I'm not saying it's going to be possible, and if the Sixers don't come close, it's going to be really ugly, but there's a chance. All any Sixer fan can do is just hope that Speights gets back as quickly as possible.
ESPN.com: Marreese Speights out with ligament tear
New Day, Same Problems for the Sixers: They've Dropped Five of Seven
Eddie Jordan was brought into Philadelphia to help jumpstart an offense that was one of the worst in the NBA last season, averaging just over 97 points a game. So far this year, the Sixers are averaging...just over 97 points a game, and their defense is now allowing over 102 points per game. The offensive problems came into play again tonight, as the Sixers dropped their fifth game in their last seven contests in a 94-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
As the case has been with most of these losses, the Sixers played the Bulls tight throughout, but had a lapse in defense at an important part of the game. Tonight, it came at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Bulls went on a 14-4 run to effectively put the game out of reach. Chicago didn't have the best night offensively, either, but their 45% shooting was better than the 42% that the Sixers threw up, and that came with the Bulls using just three men on their bench the entire night.
I don't know what the problems are for the Sixers right now, but it's obvious that something has to change. Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams each scored over 20 points tonight, but the bench managed just nine points for the night, and that's not going to get it done against any team in the NBA, I don't care how bad they are. Eddie Jordan let the starters play a little bit more than the bench tonight, but it didn't seem to matter. The Princeton offense that he brought with him still isn't taking hold, and now it's effecting the defense in a negative way. Last year, the Sixers held opponents to 97 points a game, and this year, they're letting teams score over 100 on them with regularity.
In half the games so far this year, the Sixers have allowed 100 or more points, and they've less than 80 just once...and that was against the New Jersey Nets, so it doesn't really count. I know the defense wasn't that great last year, but it was better than this, and the offense at least showed a little bit of life. The Bulls had 18 turnovers tonight, and the Sixers scored just 14 points off of them. The Bulls had eight players come into the game, and outrebounded the Sixers by five. These are problems that have been coming up in almost every loss so far this year, and something has to change. Yes, it's only been ten games, and I might be jumping the gun a little bit, but right now, this team is playing sloppy basketball, and it's not even fun to watch. Something has got to click with this team, and soon, or the 2009-2010 season could turn into a very long and painful 82 games.
As the case has been with most of these losses, the Sixers played the Bulls tight throughout, but had a lapse in defense at an important part of the game. Tonight, it came at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Bulls went on a 14-4 run to effectively put the game out of reach. Chicago didn't have the best night offensively, either, but their 45% shooting was better than the 42% that the Sixers threw up, and that came with the Bulls using just three men on their bench the entire night.
I don't know what the problems are for the Sixers right now, but it's obvious that something has to change. Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams each scored over 20 points tonight, but the bench managed just nine points for the night, and that's not going to get it done against any team in the NBA, I don't care how bad they are. Eddie Jordan let the starters play a little bit more than the bench tonight, but it didn't seem to matter. The Princeton offense that he brought with him still isn't taking hold, and now it's effecting the defense in a negative way. Last year, the Sixers held opponents to 97 points a game, and this year, they're letting teams score over 100 on them with regularity.
In half the games so far this year, the Sixers have allowed 100 or more points, and they've less than 80 just once...and that was against the New Jersey Nets, so it doesn't really count. I know the defense wasn't that great last year, but it was better than this, and the offense at least showed a little bit of life. The Bulls had 18 turnovers tonight, and the Sixers scored just 14 points off of them. The Bulls had eight players come into the game, and outrebounded the Sixers by five. These are problems that have been coming up in almost every loss so far this year, and something has to change. Yes, it's only been ten games, and I might be jumping the gun a little bit, but right now, this team is playing sloppy basketball, and it's not even fun to watch. Something has got to click with this team, and soon, or the 2009-2010 season could turn into a very long and painful 82 games.
Flyers' Winning Streak Stopped at Five by Sabres
For the first time in November, the Flyers tasted defeat tonight, dropping a 3-2 game to the Buffalo Sabres at home. Despite solid play from Jeff Carter, the Flyers were playing from behind the entire night, and couldn't get past a solid Buffalo defense to attack Ryan Miller the same way they did a little over a week ago in Buffalo.
The last time the Flyers took on the Sabres, the Philadelphia offense was able to score early and often, putting the Sabres into come from behind mode. Tonight, Buffalo was able to turn the tables on the Flyers, scoring the first two goals of the game and keeping the Flyers off the scoreboard until the third period. Ryan Miller was rock solid in net tonight for the Sabres, and Ray Emery, while decent, allowed three shots past him, and that was all it took tonight.
When a team like Buffalo comes in to play, you have to realize that you're going to need to score as quickly as possible. The Flyers did that the last time they played the Sabres, but tonight, they couldn't get anything going on offense until the third period. The defense in front of Ryan Miller was great. They kept the garbage away from the front of the net, and had the Flyers frustrated for most of the night. The power play defense, which has been one of the best in the NHL so far this season, allowed two goals tonight with Buffalo on the man advantage. That right there spelled the difference in the game, even with Jeff Carter's shorthanded goal midway through the third period. Tonight, the special teams let the Flyers down, and when that happens against a defensive minded team like Buffao, there's very little chance of anything good happening.
That being said, it's always nice to get a winning streak going early in the season, and that's what the Flyers had going before the game tonight. Five straight wins this early in the year can help set the tone for the entire season, and the way the Flyers had been playing, it looks like it could be a good year. The offense was great throughout the short winning streak, scoring five goals or more in four of the five games, and the defense was just as good as only seven goals were scored against the Flyers in that span. Hopefully, tonight was just a setback, and the Flyers can get back to their winning ways on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.
The last time the Flyers took on the Sabres, the Philadelphia offense was able to score early and often, putting the Sabres into come from behind mode. Tonight, Buffalo was able to turn the tables on the Flyers, scoring the first two goals of the game and keeping the Flyers off the scoreboard until the third period. Ryan Miller was rock solid in net tonight for the Sabres, and Ray Emery, while decent, allowed three shots past him, and that was all it took tonight.
When a team like Buffalo comes in to play, you have to realize that you're going to need to score as quickly as possible. The Flyers did that the last time they played the Sabres, but tonight, they couldn't get anything going on offense until the third period. The defense in front of Ryan Miller was great. They kept the garbage away from the front of the net, and had the Flyers frustrated for most of the night. The power play defense, which has been one of the best in the NHL so far this season, allowed two goals tonight with Buffalo on the man advantage. That right there spelled the difference in the game, even with Jeff Carter's shorthanded goal midway through the third period. Tonight, the special teams let the Flyers down, and when that happens against a defensive minded team like Buffao, there's very little chance of anything good happening.
That being said, it's always nice to get a winning streak going early in the season, and that's what the Flyers had going before the game tonight. Five straight wins this early in the year can help set the tone for the entire season, and the way the Flyers had been playing, it looks like it could be a good year. The offense was great throughout the short winning streak, scoring five goals or more in four of the five games, and the defense was just as good as only seven goals were scored against the Flyers in that span. Hopefully, tonight was just a setback, and the Flyers can get back to their winning ways on Monday night against the New Jersey Devils.
Friday, November 13, 2009
No Deron Williams? Big Problems for the Sixers.
Coming into tonight's game with the Utah Jazz, the Sixers had to at least be feeling good about their chances. Deron Williams, one of the best young point guards in the NBA, was going to miss the game because of a family issue, and the Jazz only had nine players available. Rookies Eric Maynor and Wes Mathews were starting for Utah, but the Jazz worked their gameplan to perfection, utilizing Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, as well as an excellent game by Maynor to coast to a 110-92 win over Philadelphia.
After taking a 32-30 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Sixers never really threatened again. Utah rolled in the second quarter, going on a 17-4 run before making the score 64-50 at the half. It didn't get any better for the Sixers in the second half, as the Jazz continued to dominate. Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and brought down 12 rebounds, while Eric Maynor took advantage of his first career start, scoring 13 points and dishing out 11 assists. Even without Deron Williams playing tonight, the Jazz did exactly what they wanted to, and the Sixers were never able to get back into a groove.
The only player for Philadelphia that played worth anything tonight was Thaddeus Young. Young scored in double figures for the fourth straight game, putting in 17 points on 8-10 shooting. Adnre Iguodala scored 11 and had 10 assists, but 4-13 shooting isn't going to get it done against any team, let alone a team that was shooting as well as Utah tonight. The Sixers shot almost 48% from the floor for the game, but Utah shot 51.2%, and that was with attempting just 11 three pointers. Basically, the weak defense of the Sixers came into play again tonight, and when they needed stops, they couldn't get it done.
The bench provided very little in terms of performance tonight as well. Jason Kapono had a decent game, scoring 12 points, but other than that, there was nothing. Marreese Speights only scored four points in 24 minutes, while Jrue Holiday went 0-2 in two minutes. Meanwhile, Paul Milsap and Andrei Kirilenko each scored in double figures off the bench for the Jazz, who only actually had seven players log major minutes for them tonight.
Overall, this was just another example of how much this team swings in the middle of the NBA pendulum. Like I've said time and time again this year, one night, they can look like one of the top ten teams in the league, and the next, they look like they did tonight. Once again, they somehow have to find that balance that lets them play at the same level each and every night. They can't have one of their starters playing well one night, and then go cold the next. Without a consistent scorer on this team, unfortunately, this looks like the way things are going to go for a while. Games like this should be won by the Sixers, and when they're not, it just makes things look even worse for this team. They're nine games into the season, and I'm still not sure where this team really stands right now.
After taking a 32-30 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Sixers never really threatened again. Utah rolled in the second quarter, going on a 17-4 run before making the score 64-50 at the half. It didn't get any better for the Sixers in the second half, as the Jazz continued to dominate. Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and brought down 12 rebounds, while Eric Maynor took advantage of his first career start, scoring 13 points and dishing out 11 assists. Even without Deron Williams playing tonight, the Jazz did exactly what they wanted to, and the Sixers were never able to get back into a groove.
The only player for Philadelphia that played worth anything tonight was Thaddeus Young. Young scored in double figures for the fourth straight game, putting in 17 points on 8-10 shooting. Adnre Iguodala scored 11 and had 10 assists, but 4-13 shooting isn't going to get it done against any team, let alone a team that was shooting as well as Utah tonight. The Sixers shot almost 48% from the floor for the game, but Utah shot 51.2%, and that was with attempting just 11 three pointers. Basically, the weak defense of the Sixers came into play again tonight, and when they needed stops, they couldn't get it done.
The bench provided very little in terms of performance tonight as well. Jason Kapono had a decent game, scoring 12 points, but other than that, there was nothing. Marreese Speights only scored four points in 24 minutes, while Jrue Holiday went 0-2 in two minutes. Meanwhile, Paul Milsap and Andrei Kirilenko each scored in double figures off the bench for the Jazz, who only actually had seven players log major minutes for them tonight.
Overall, this was just another example of how much this team swings in the middle of the NBA pendulum. Like I've said time and time again this year, one night, they can look like one of the top ten teams in the league, and the next, they look like they did tonight. Once again, they somehow have to find that balance that lets them play at the same level each and every night. They can't have one of their starters playing well one night, and then go cold the next. Without a consistent scorer on this team, unfortunately, this looks like the way things are going to go for a while. Games like this should be won by the Sixers, and when they're not, it just makes things look even worse for this team. They're nine games into the season, and I'm still not sure where this team really stands right now.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Sixers Come Close to Losing to the Nets...Again
For the second time in a week, the Sixers took on an undermanned New Jersey Nets team, and almost lost. This time, it took a botched play by the Nets on the final play of the game to seal an 82-79 win for the Sixers that put them back at the .500 mark. After losing a tight game against the Phoenix Suns on Mondy night, one would think that the Sixers would at least look better against a New Jersey team that only played seven men. Well, those people were wrong. If not for the efforts of Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights, the Sixers would have handed the Nets their first win of the year last night.
Luckily, both Young and Speights looked every bit like the head of the youth movement that they are. Young put in 20 points with five rebounds, and Speights dropped 19 with nine rebounds off the bench. Aside from Lou Williams with ten points, those were the only Sixers that reached double figures last night. Andre Iguodala had nine rebounds and a nice reverse dunk, but only scored nine points on 4 of 14 shooting. Samuel Dalmbert was...Samuel Dalembert, scoring four points and pulling down eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Elton Brand continued to disappoint, scoring just five points, all from the free throw line, in 23 minutes.
I don't know what can be done with Elton Brand right now, but something has to change. He's not getting the minutes that he had with the Clippers, but he doesn't deserve to play any longer than he has been. Apparently, he's getting frustrated with the lack of playing time he's been getting, but honestly, I'd want Marreese Speights in at the end of games over Brand right now, too. Brand is averaging 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game so far this year. Meanwhile, Speights is averaging 15 points and 7.1 boards. Tell me who you would want in there to finish off games. Right now, the Elton Brand signing may be one of the worst the Sixers have ever made, but the season is still young, and hopefully, he can find a way to fit into the system a little bit better. If not, it's going to be a long, long year for Brand.
The Sixers again showed why they are simply a middle of the road team last night. After they played the Phoenix Suns to the wire, they could only score 82 points against a New Jersey Nets team that doesn't have a win yet this season. The Nets missed three baskets at the end of the game that could have tied the score, and a botched inbounds play by Rafer Alston and Bobby Simmons was needed for the Sixers to hold on. In order for this team to even make an effort in the playoffs, they are going to have to get their act together and be more consistent. This is the same problem that they had last year, as they would play like one of the best teams in the NBA one night, and then get blown out by 35 the next. Without any sort of balance or consistency, this team isn't going to go very far. The pieces seem to be in place for a good youth movement, but it also looks like they're missing that one final piece to bring everything together. It certainly isn't Elton Brand, but maybe the Sixers can gel as the season goes along and become one of the better middle of the road teams. Who knows? It's a long year.
Luckily, both Young and Speights looked every bit like the head of the youth movement that they are. Young put in 20 points with five rebounds, and Speights dropped 19 with nine rebounds off the bench. Aside from Lou Williams with ten points, those were the only Sixers that reached double figures last night. Andre Iguodala had nine rebounds and a nice reverse dunk, but only scored nine points on 4 of 14 shooting. Samuel Dalmbert was...Samuel Dalembert, scoring four points and pulling down eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Elton Brand continued to disappoint, scoring just five points, all from the free throw line, in 23 minutes.
I don't know what can be done with Elton Brand right now, but something has to change. He's not getting the minutes that he had with the Clippers, but he doesn't deserve to play any longer than he has been. Apparently, he's getting frustrated with the lack of playing time he's been getting, but honestly, I'd want Marreese Speights in at the end of games over Brand right now, too. Brand is averaging 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game so far this year. Meanwhile, Speights is averaging 15 points and 7.1 boards. Tell me who you would want in there to finish off games. Right now, the Elton Brand signing may be one of the worst the Sixers have ever made, but the season is still young, and hopefully, he can find a way to fit into the system a little bit better. If not, it's going to be a long, long year for Brand.
The Sixers again showed why they are simply a middle of the road team last night. After they played the Phoenix Suns to the wire, they could only score 82 points against a New Jersey Nets team that doesn't have a win yet this season. The Nets missed three baskets at the end of the game that could have tied the score, and a botched inbounds play by Rafer Alston and Bobby Simmons was needed for the Sixers to hold on. In order for this team to even make an effort in the playoffs, they are going to have to get their act together and be more consistent. This is the same problem that they had last year, as they would play like one of the best teams in the NBA one night, and then get blown out by 35 the next. Without any sort of balance or consistency, this team isn't going to go very far. The pieces seem to be in place for a good youth movement, but it also looks like they're missing that one final piece to bring everything together. It certainly isn't Elton Brand, but maybe the Sixers can gel as the season goes along and become one of the better middle of the road teams. Who knows? It's a long year.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Remember That Deep Eagles Secondary? Yeah...Not So Much Anymore.
The Eagles have been bitten by the injury bug for almost this entire season, and it struck again today. Ellis Hobbs was put on IR for the rest of the season with a neck injury, and Joselio Hanson has been suspended for four games for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
Hobbs wasn't having a stellar season, but he was a decent kick returner and was playing well in some of the more spread defensive formations. He's certainly replaceable, but I think the Eagles are going to miss him more on special teams than anyone thinks right now. His presence on kick returns allowed DeSean Jackson to focus more on becoming a dangerous weapon as a wideout and punt returner, and now the Eagles are going to have to put him or someone less experienced back there.
As for Hanson, I'm actually upset about that. It's not that he tested positive for any type of steroid or anything like that, but his loss for a month is going to thin the depth of the Eagles' secondary even more. With Hobbs out for the year, Hanson was going to have to step up even more than he already had this year, but now he's going to be on the shelf for the next four games. Again, it's not a team shaking suspension, but with the injuries this team has already had to the linebacking corps, the back seven of the defense is starting to look a little bit thin.
The Eagles made some changes today to replace Hobbs and Hanson by signing Ramzee Robinson and calling up Jack Ikegwuonu from the practice squad. At least one of them is going to see some time this weekend against San Diego, and if Asante Samuel's neck injury is a problem, they could both see significant time. These injuries to the defense and offensive line are starting to get ridiculous this year.
ESPN.com: Philadelphia Eagles lose cornerbacks Hanson, Hobbs.
Hobbs wasn't having a stellar season, but he was a decent kick returner and was playing well in some of the more spread defensive formations. He's certainly replaceable, but I think the Eagles are going to miss him more on special teams than anyone thinks right now. His presence on kick returns allowed DeSean Jackson to focus more on becoming a dangerous weapon as a wideout and punt returner, and now the Eagles are going to have to put him or someone less experienced back there.
As for Hanson, I'm actually upset about that. It's not that he tested positive for any type of steroid or anything like that, but his loss for a month is going to thin the depth of the Eagles' secondary even more. With Hobbs out for the year, Hanson was going to have to step up even more than he already had this year, but now he's going to be on the shelf for the next four games. Again, it's not a team shaking suspension, but with the injuries this team has already had to the linebacking corps, the back seven of the defense is starting to look a little bit thin.
The Eagles made some changes today to replace Hobbs and Hanson by signing Ramzee Robinson and calling up Jack Ikegwuonu from the practice squad. At least one of them is going to see some time this weekend against San Diego, and if Asante Samuel's neck injury is a problem, they could both see significant time. These injuries to the defense and offensive line are starting to get ridiculous this year.
ESPN.com: Philadelphia Eagles lose cornerbacks Hanson, Hobbs.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Eagles Aftermath: Cowboys-20, Eagles-16
What happened?
A late touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin pushed the Dallas Cowboys past the Eagles and into first place in the NFC East in a very ugly game.
The Good:
LeSean McCoy looked solid, rushing for 54 yards on 13 carries and catching five passes for 61 yards.
The run defense was good for most of the night, allowing just 76 yards on 23 carries for the game.
The Bad:
DeSean Jackson was held to two catches for 29 yards.
Jeremy Maclin wasn't much better, catching three passes for 44 yards, and having a pass bounce off his helmet that ended up being an interception for Dallas.
Sheldon Brown had an interception in the game, but was burned badly by Miles Austin on the game winning 49 yard touchdown pass.
The Ugly:
Donovan McNabb had his worst game of the year, completing just 16 of 30 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. However, most of his incomplete passes were either in the dirt or overthrown.
Moise Fokou nullified two big plays: a kickoff return by Ellis Hobbs and an interception return by Sheldon Brown, with penalties.
Andy Reid wasted two timeouts in the second half on bad challenges. Time management, anyone?
The Breakdown:
After looking like one of the top teams in the NFC a week ago with a beatdown of the Giants, the Eagles came out last night and laid an egg against the Dallas Cowboys. With the loss, the Eagles move into second place, a game behind Dallas, while the Giants have slid into third place and the Redskins are...the Redskins. That's not the point right now, though. The point is that the Eagles lost an ugly, ugly game by both teams, and while it's not time to overreact yet, it always sucks to lose to the Cowboys.
Last week, the offense looked like it couldn't be stopped. This week, the Eagles showed how much they actually miss Brian Westbrook, as the Cowboys were able to take advantage of LeSean McCoy in a few situations. McCoy had a good game, but he couldn't pick up the blitz like Westbrook can, and the threat of the big play wasn't there as much as it is when Westbrook is in the backfield. Without that threat back there, the Cowboys could focus more on the passing game, and when they were able to shut down DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, they stopped Donovan McNabb.
Of course, McNabb did all he could to help the Cowboys out, too. Early in the first quarter, McNabb was 0-4 with an interception, meaning he had completed more passes to the Cowboys than he had to his own receivers. Many of his passes were either in the dirt or simply uncatchable, and the play of the wideouts suffered in kind. I'm not blaming him for the first interception: that was Maclin's fault for having the ball bounce off his helmet. However, there were other times in the game where he had players open and just simply missed them. It wasn't always a case of the pass rush, but it was vintage Donovan. After he gets hit a few times, he gets happy feet, and he keeps them for the rest of the game. If he doesn't have confidence in his offensive line, he's going to throw the ball quickly, and that's what happened last night. McNabb was sacked four times, and he wasn't comfortable for most of the night. The Dallas defense did a good job of getting to him and making him like that, and it ended up with two interceptions.
Despite the way McNabb played, the Eagles still had a chance late in the game. However, thanks to some poor clock management, Philadelphia was out of time outs. Andy Reid has never had a good record when it comes to challenging plays, and last night was a perfect example of that. The first challenge, when LeSean McCoy was called down short of the first down line, was a good call by the officials. I'm not sure why Andy challenged that one. McCoy clearly came back to catch the ball, and wasn't touched beyond the first down marker, meaning he was short of the first down. The second challenge, on the other hand, was a bit more interesting. It looked like Donovan McNabb had gotten the first down on the quarterback sneak, but it was called short. Before you jump on the refs for blowing that call, you need to look at the situation. The Eagles had second and third down with just one yard needed to convert, and couldn't get it. It was the same problem as last year, and it had the same result. I don't fault Reid for going for it on fourth down, but I fault him for challenging the play and leaving the Eagles with no timeouts left early in the fourth quarter. Five plays later, the Cowboys scored the winning touchdown, and that was all she wrote.
I'm not going to get on Andy Reid for kicking a field goal on the next Eagle drive. If he went for it in that situation and missed, Dallas would have won regardless. With a field goal, at least the Eagles had a chance with a defensive stop. Of course, the defense couldn't stop Dallas, and they won the game, but that happens in the NFL. The issue I have is with his clock management in the third and early part of the fourth quarter. This was an ugly game that was probably going to be won by the last team that had the ball, and had the Eagles had any timeouts left with ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter, they may have been that team. Instead, they dropped the game to Dallas, who had just enough to get past the birds.
I wouldn't go overboard with this loss, at least not yet. The reason it stings so much is because it was against Dallas. Had it been just against any random team, it would have hurt, but not nearly as much. The Eagles lost a close game to a team that has usually played them close over the last decade. It's bound to happen that they lose a game like this. The most important thing is not to overreact and get ready for the Chargers next week. San Diego is a good team, and any mistakes against them will lead to problems. Donovan is going to have to get himself together, and Brian Westbrook needs to play for the Eagles to do well on Sunday.
A late touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin pushed the Dallas Cowboys past the Eagles and into first place in the NFC East in a very ugly game.
The Good:
LeSean McCoy looked solid, rushing for 54 yards on 13 carries and catching five passes for 61 yards.
The run defense was good for most of the night, allowing just 76 yards on 23 carries for the game.
The Bad:
DeSean Jackson was held to two catches for 29 yards.
Jeremy Maclin wasn't much better, catching three passes for 44 yards, and having a pass bounce off his helmet that ended up being an interception for Dallas.
Sheldon Brown had an interception in the game, but was burned badly by Miles Austin on the game winning 49 yard touchdown pass.
The Ugly:
Donovan McNabb had his worst game of the year, completing just 16 of 30 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions. However, most of his incomplete passes were either in the dirt or overthrown.
Moise Fokou nullified two big plays: a kickoff return by Ellis Hobbs and an interception return by Sheldon Brown, with penalties.
Andy Reid wasted two timeouts in the second half on bad challenges. Time management, anyone?
The Breakdown:
After looking like one of the top teams in the NFC a week ago with a beatdown of the Giants, the Eagles came out last night and laid an egg against the Dallas Cowboys. With the loss, the Eagles move into second place, a game behind Dallas, while the Giants have slid into third place and the Redskins are...the Redskins. That's not the point right now, though. The point is that the Eagles lost an ugly, ugly game by both teams, and while it's not time to overreact yet, it always sucks to lose to the Cowboys.
Last week, the offense looked like it couldn't be stopped. This week, the Eagles showed how much they actually miss Brian Westbrook, as the Cowboys were able to take advantage of LeSean McCoy in a few situations. McCoy had a good game, but he couldn't pick up the blitz like Westbrook can, and the threat of the big play wasn't there as much as it is when Westbrook is in the backfield. Without that threat back there, the Cowboys could focus more on the passing game, and when they were able to shut down DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, they stopped Donovan McNabb.
Of course, McNabb did all he could to help the Cowboys out, too. Early in the first quarter, McNabb was 0-4 with an interception, meaning he had completed more passes to the Cowboys than he had to his own receivers. Many of his passes were either in the dirt or simply uncatchable, and the play of the wideouts suffered in kind. I'm not blaming him for the first interception: that was Maclin's fault for having the ball bounce off his helmet. However, there were other times in the game where he had players open and just simply missed them. It wasn't always a case of the pass rush, but it was vintage Donovan. After he gets hit a few times, he gets happy feet, and he keeps them for the rest of the game. If he doesn't have confidence in his offensive line, he's going to throw the ball quickly, and that's what happened last night. McNabb was sacked four times, and he wasn't comfortable for most of the night. The Dallas defense did a good job of getting to him and making him like that, and it ended up with two interceptions.
Despite the way McNabb played, the Eagles still had a chance late in the game. However, thanks to some poor clock management, Philadelphia was out of time outs. Andy Reid has never had a good record when it comes to challenging plays, and last night was a perfect example of that. The first challenge, when LeSean McCoy was called down short of the first down line, was a good call by the officials. I'm not sure why Andy challenged that one. McCoy clearly came back to catch the ball, and wasn't touched beyond the first down marker, meaning he was short of the first down. The second challenge, on the other hand, was a bit more interesting. It looked like Donovan McNabb had gotten the first down on the quarterback sneak, but it was called short. Before you jump on the refs for blowing that call, you need to look at the situation. The Eagles had second and third down with just one yard needed to convert, and couldn't get it. It was the same problem as last year, and it had the same result. I don't fault Reid for going for it on fourth down, but I fault him for challenging the play and leaving the Eagles with no timeouts left early in the fourth quarter. Five plays later, the Cowboys scored the winning touchdown, and that was all she wrote.
I'm not going to get on Andy Reid for kicking a field goal on the next Eagle drive. If he went for it in that situation and missed, Dallas would have won regardless. With a field goal, at least the Eagles had a chance with a defensive stop. Of course, the defense couldn't stop Dallas, and they won the game, but that happens in the NFL. The issue I have is with his clock management in the third and early part of the fourth quarter. This was an ugly game that was probably going to be won by the last team that had the ball, and had the Eagles had any timeouts left with ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter, they may have been that team. Instead, they dropped the game to Dallas, who had just enough to get past the birds.
I wouldn't go overboard with this loss, at least not yet. The reason it stings so much is because it was against Dallas. Had it been just against any random team, it would have hurt, but not nearly as much. The Eagles lost a close game to a team that has usually played them close over the last decade. It's bound to happen that they lose a game like this. The most important thing is not to overreact and get ready for the Chargers next week. San Diego is a good team, and any mistakes against them will lead to problems. Donovan is going to have to get himself together, and Brian Westbrook needs to play for the Eagles to do well on Sunday.
Adios, Pete Happy
Sorry I didn't post this any sooner, but I've been away from the internet for the last two days, so I'm sure you've all heard the news by now. The Phillies decided to decline Pedro Feliz's option for the 2010 season, making him a free agent and leaving them with a hole at third base heading into the free agent season.
In his two years in Philadelphia, Pedro never reached the same level of offensive prowess that he had in San Francisco, but he did have a knack for the clutch hits whenever he seemed to come up in a big situation. Who can forget Game Five of the World Series against Tampa last season, or Game Four this year? Of course, in most games, he was the prototypical free swinger, with a .305 on base percentage over the last two seasons.
The Phillies haven't ruled out bringing him back if they can't work any of the other options that are out there for third basemen this offseason, however. Luckily, there are some decent options in place. Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa would be upgrades at the position, and I've heard that the Phils are looking hard at Beltre, who is similar to Feliz in many ways, but does seem to have more power at the plate, and a better range at third base. No matter what happens now, the Phils obviously have to take care of this, and they believe they can go grab one of the bigger names out there at third base. They're going to have to at this point, since I don't think anyone wants Greg Dobbs to start there all season.
If you don't come back for less money, take care Pedro. You weren't the flashiest player, but I always enjoyed watching you as a Phillie. You'll always be loved for the game winning hit of the 2008 World Series in my mind, at least.
Philly.com: Phillies decline option on Feliz
In his two years in Philadelphia, Pedro never reached the same level of offensive prowess that he had in San Francisco, but he did have a knack for the clutch hits whenever he seemed to come up in a big situation. Who can forget Game Five of the World Series against Tampa last season, or Game Four this year? Of course, in most games, he was the prototypical free swinger, with a .305 on base percentage over the last two seasons.
The Phillies haven't ruled out bringing him back if they can't work any of the other options that are out there for third basemen this offseason, however. Luckily, there are some decent options in place. Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa would be upgrades at the position, and I've heard that the Phils are looking hard at Beltre, who is similar to Feliz in many ways, but does seem to have more power at the plate, and a better range at third base. No matter what happens now, the Phils obviously have to take care of this, and they believe they can go grab one of the bigger names out there at third base. They're going to have to at this point, since I don't think anyone wants Greg Dobbs to start there all season.
If you don't come back for less money, take care Pedro. You weren't the flashiest player, but I always enjoyed watching you as a Phillie. You'll always be loved for the game winning hit of the 2008 World Series in my mind, at least.
Philly.com: Phillies decline option on Feliz
Friday, November 6, 2009
Hey, There's Hockey, Too! The Flyers Have a Little Winning Streak Going On.
I'm still getting used to this whole "not having baseball on every night" idea, but I'm getting there. Luckily, there's still hockey to watch at least a couple of nights a week, and right now, the Flyers are putting on a pretty good show. Tonight, they went into Buffalo to play the Sabres, who have been one of the best teams at the start of the NHL season. On this night, the Flyers looked like the much better team, dropping the Sabres 5-2 and handing Buffalo just their third loss of the season.
It took a little while for the Flyers to get started tonight, but once they did, they didn't stop. Daniel Carcillo got things started late in the first period with his first goal of the year, and Chris Pronger started the second period with a goal of his own. James vanRiemsdyk put in his third goal of the season later in the second, and the Flyers closed out the scoring in the third period with goals from Darroll Powe and Carcillo, giving him two goals on the night, and leaving him one short of his total from all of last season. Ever since their back to back losses to San Jose and Washington, the Flyers have been on fire on offense, scoring 16 goals in their last three games, and looking pretty impressive in all three.
Ray Emery also looked good tonight, stopping 28 of 30 shots on net by the Sabres. The only thing that the Flyers did wrong tonight was allow Buffalo to score two goals on the power play, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't look that bad, especially since those were the only goals that the Flyers allowed. Emery has been solid for most of the season, and has won five out of his last six starts, which is exactly what the Flyers want out of him, considering Brian Boucher is not that good of an option off the bench. As long as he keeps playing the way he has, there shouldn't be much of a worry there.
The best part about tonight has to be the continued success of James vanRiemsdyk. So far this year, the kid has three goals and 11 assists in just 11 games. Not only that, but he's also at plus-seven for the season, and has looked excellent out there on the ice. It took him a year or two to get up to the big club, but now that he's here, I know I couldn't be any happier. His play so far has been an nice little surprise, and the Flyers look like they made the right pick when they took him in the NHL draft a few years back.
This may have been the most impressive win of the season so far for the Flyers. After getting fat on two weaker teams, they took it to Buffalo on the road, while sick with the flu. The Sabres had only allowed four or more goals twice coming into this game, and the Flyers ran them up for five on the night, including two from Daniel Carcillo, probably the least likely guy on the team to score more than one goal in a game, and I'm including Ray Emery in that discussion. It was a very good night tonight, and now that the Phillies are done playing, it's time for hockey season to officially get into full gear. I'll need something to watch in between Eagles games, and this will do the job nicely, especially if the Flyers keep playing like this.
It took a little while for the Flyers to get started tonight, but once they did, they didn't stop. Daniel Carcillo got things started late in the first period with his first goal of the year, and Chris Pronger started the second period with a goal of his own. James vanRiemsdyk put in his third goal of the season later in the second, and the Flyers closed out the scoring in the third period with goals from Darroll Powe and Carcillo, giving him two goals on the night, and leaving him one short of his total from all of last season. Ever since their back to back losses to San Jose and Washington, the Flyers have been on fire on offense, scoring 16 goals in their last three games, and looking pretty impressive in all three.
Ray Emery also looked good tonight, stopping 28 of 30 shots on net by the Sabres. The only thing that the Flyers did wrong tonight was allow Buffalo to score two goals on the power play, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't look that bad, especially since those were the only goals that the Flyers allowed. Emery has been solid for most of the season, and has won five out of his last six starts, which is exactly what the Flyers want out of him, considering Brian Boucher is not that good of an option off the bench. As long as he keeps playing the way he has, there shouldn't be much of a worry there.
The best part about tonight has to be the continued success of James vanRiemsdyk. So far this year, the kid has three goals and 11 assists in just 11 games. Not only that, but he's also at plus-seven for the season, and has looked excellent out there on the ice. It took him a year or two to get up to the big club, but now that he's here, I know I couldn't be any happier. His play so far has been an nice little surprise, and the Flyers look like they made the right pick when they took him in the NHL draft a few years back.
This may have been the most impressive win of the season so far for the Flyers. After getting fat on two weaker teams, they took it to Buffalo on the road, while sick with the flu. The Sabres had only allowed four or more goals twice coming into this game, and the Flyers ran them up for five on the night, including two from Daniel Carcillo, probably the least likely guy on the team to score more than one goal in a game, and I'm including Ray Emery in that discussion. It was a very good night tonight, and now that the Phillies are done playing, it's time for hockey season to officially get into full gear. I'll need something to watch in between Eagles games, and this will do the job nicely, especially if the Flyers keep playing like this.
Hey Look...the Sixers Beat Another Bad Team!
For the third time in their first five games, the Sixers took on a team pretty much at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, and for the third time this year, they managed to pull out a victory. After being embarrassed against the Celtics on Tuesday night, the Sixers came out tonight and at least played better, as they held on for a 97-94 win against the New Jersey Nets.
Much like the other Sixer wins this year, it wasn't necessarily the prettiest thing in the world, but it still counts as a win. The Nets could only field eight players today, which certainly helped the Sixers, especially when Eduardo Najera ended up in foul trouble in the first quarter. Despite that, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Samuel Dalembert were all pretty much held in check by New Jersey, as the backcourt of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams carried the starters. I have to say, I'm impressed with the way Williams has played so far this season, and he showed his athletic ability again tonight, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists, with no turnovers. This is the kind of play from the point that the Sixers are going to need. Again, he also has to show it against the better teams in the NBA, but at least he's showing that he can in fact start in this league.
Andre Iguodala had another good game as well, dropping in 16 with four rebounds and four assists. While he hasn't had that game where he's carried the Sixers on his back yet, he's been consistent in the young season, and his abilities helped get Philadelphia a win tonight. The Sixers also got some help off their bench, as Jason Kapono did exactly what he was brought to Philadelphia to do, dropping four of six three point attempts and scoring 14 points, while Marreese Speights had ten points and three boards in 18 minutes. Speights and Kapono have been nice players off the bench, while Jason Smith is starting to come into his own as well, scoring nine points and pulling in three rebounds tonight.
Overall, it wasn't a great game by either side, but the Sixers managed to pull out the win and drop the Nets to 0-6 on the season. The defense for Philadelphia still wasn't great, as New Jersey shot 47% from the field, but the offense did well, trumping New Jersey with a 50% success rate on their shots tonight. I'm still not going to be convinced how solid this team is until they actually manage to beat a few good teams, but for now, I'll take beating up on the weaker teams to make themselves look good. It's something, at least.
Much like the other Sixer wins this year, it wasn't necessarily the prettiest thing in the world, but it still counts as a win. The Nets could only field eight players today, which certainly helped the Sixers, especially when Eduardo Najera ended up in foul trouble in the first quarter. Despite that, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and Samuel Dalembert were all pretty much held in check by New Jersey, as the backcourt of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams carried the starters. I have to say, I'm impressed with the way Williams has played so far this season, and he showed his athletic ability again tonight, scoring 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out six assists, with no turnovers. This is the kind of play from the point that the Sixers are going to need. Again, he also has to show it against the better teams in the NBA, but at least he's showing that he can in fact start in this league.
Andre Iguodala had another good game as well, dropping in 16 with four rebounds and four assists. While he hasn't had that game where he's carried the Sixers on his back yet, he's been consistent in the young season, and his abilities helped get Philadelphia a win tonight. The Sixers also got some help off their bench, as Jason Kapono did exactly what he was brought to Philadelphia to do, dropping four of six three point attempts and scoring 14 points, while Marreese Speights had ten points and three boards in 18 minutes. Speights and Kapono have been nice players off the bench, while Jason Smith is starting to come into his own as well, scoring nine points and pulling in three rebounds tonight.
Overall, it wasn't a great game by either side, but the Sixers managed to pull out the win and drop the Nets to 0-6 on the season. The defense for Philadelphia still wasn't great, as New Jersey shot 47% from the field, but the offense did well, trumping New Jersey with a 50% success rate on their shots tonight. I'm still not going to be convinced how solid this team is until they actually manage to beat a few good teams, but for now, I'll take beating up on the weaker teams to make themselves look good. It's something, at least.
Brett Myers Will Not Be Resigned
I'm sure you've heard by now, but just two days after the Phillies lost the World Series, the blocks are already starting to fall on some of the players. According to Jim Salisbury, Myers was told today by Ruben Amaro Jr. that the Phillies will not be offering him a contract when the right hander enters free agency. Myers had been with the team since the Phils drafted him in the first round back in 1999, if you can believe that, and the 29 year old will be playing for someone else next season.
Myers never reached the levels of success that the Phillies front office thought he could achieve, but I still remember having a lot of hope for him after his 14 win season in 2003. He finishes his Phillies career with a record of 73-63, with 21 saves. I'm always one to believe that every team needs at least one drunken redneck around, and without Brett Myers, the Phillies need to at least attempt to fill that void. He wasn't the best pitcher, or the most likable for some of the things that he did, but I always enjoyed watching him pitch, just because you could never know if he was going to have one of those amazing games.
As he told Ruben Amaro today: "OK, thanks for putting up with my shit." That pretty much sums him up in a nutshell. I know I'll miss you, Brett. For four years, you were the only pitcher I saw when I went to Phillies games. I don't know what I'm going to do now. Best of luck to you, wherever you end up...unless it's Atlanta.
Phillies Zone: Myers will not return to Phillies
Myers never reached the levels of success that the Phillies front office thought he could achieve, but I still remember having a lot of hope for him after his 14 win season in 2003. He finishes his Phillies career with a record of 73-63, with 21 saves. I'm always one to believe that every team needs at least one drunken redneck around, and without Brett Myers, the Phillies need to at least attempt to fill that void. He wasn't the best pitcher, or the most likable for some of the things that he did, but I always enjoyed watching him pitch, just because you could never know if he was going to have one of those amazing games.
As he told Ruben Amaro today: "OK, thanks for putting up with my shit." That pretty much sums him up in a nutshell. I know I'll miss you, Brett. For four years, you were the only pitcher I saw when I went to Phillies games. I don't know what I'm going to do now. Best of luck to you, wherever you end up...unless it's Atlanta.
Phillies Zone: Myers will not return to Phillies
Thursday, November 5, 2009
World Series Game Six Recap: Yankees-7, Phillies-3
Game Recap:
The Yankees jumped on Pedro Martinez for four runs in the first three innings, and cruised to a 7-3 victory last night to claim the World Series over the Phillies.
What went right?
Not much I can say here, really. The Phillies lost the World Series. I mean, Ryan Howard hit a home run, but that's about it.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley went 0-3 with a walk.
Pedro Feliz was 0-4.
Pedro Martinez didn't make it through five innings, allowing four runs on three hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Chad Durbin was horrible, allowing three more runs to score in just one third of an inning. He allowed two hits and walked a batter.
Oh, and the Phillies lost the World Series. Did I mention that yet?
Game Analysis:
Just like that, it's over. The 2009 baseball season has come to a close, and this year, the Philadelphia Phillies had to watch as the New York Yankees claimed another championship to add to their collection. I'm not going to take anything away from the way the Yankees played during this series. They were the better team through these six games, and their starting pitching and bullpen held up much better than the Phillies' did. So, congrats to them. Us Philadelphia fans wanted the Yankees, and we got the Yankees. Sometimes, you need to be careful what you wish for.
The game never really started out well yesterday. Pedro Martinez struggled from the first inning, as he never really seemed to be able to get his velocity above 86 miles an hour. He just didn't have his best stuff last night, and he was leaving pitches over the plate during all four innings he was in the game. To be honest, the score could have been much, much worse last night if the Yankees had come out swinging better in the first inning. That's how badly I thought he pitched last night. He couldn't get Hideki Matsui out...hell, no one could last night. Matsui killed the Phillies during the games that he played, and his .615 batting average, three home runs and eight RBI were more than deserving of the MVP award for the series.
The offense didn't help Pedro out last night with run support, either. Andy Pettitte didn't have his best stuff yesterday, but when the Phils did get runners on base, the batters at the plate became impatient and swung at bad pitches, which set Pettitte up to be able to get them out. Pettitte walked five batters in 5.2 innings last night and allowed four hits, but only gave up three runs. The Phillies left eight men on base, and just couldn't get anything going when they needed to. Once the Yankees went up 7-1 in the fifth inning, you just had the feeling that this game was not going to end the way that Phillies fans wanted it to.
This team does have some questions going into next year, but I'm not going to dive into those quite yet. For now, I just want to reflect on this team. Yes, they didn't win the World Series this year, but to even get back to back National League Championships is a rare feat. The Phillies were the first team to do it since the Atlanta Braves did it twice back in the 1990s, and before that, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1977 and 78, so it doesn't happen that often. If you look at the number of setbacks this team had to go through to even get back to the World Series, it's amazing. Three of the five starters in their opening day rotation didn't finish the year there. J.C. Romero, the key left-handed setup man last season, missed 90% of the year. Brad Lidge fell apart, blowing 11 saves. Cole Hamels never got on track. Jimmy Rollins was horrible for almost two-thirds of the season. Raul Ibanez couldn't hit anything after his injury...and yet they still won 93 games and a second straight National League pennant. For that, I can't be any prouder of this group of players.
The silver lining in all of this is that the Phillies are going to compete again next year. The core group of players on this team is locked up for the next two to three seasons, and most of them should be here longer than that. This is not a Florida Marlins type team that has to sell off all of its talent now that they've made it this far. This team isn't that old yet, and they should be back into the playoffs for years to come. For all the crap that I've said about this team this year on this blog when they lost, I'm still more proud of them than I even was last year. The 2008 Phillies let us know what it's like to be a winner, and that is a damn good feeling. This year, save for four games in late October and early November, we got to feel that way again. It's not very often that a team comes around that has the chance to be this good for this long. They've already won three straight National League East pennants, and they're going to add more to that, let me tell you.
So...that's it for baseball this year, which means this blog is more than likely going to slow down a little bit more, since I don't have something to write about every night. I'm not going anywhere, though. I'll be here from now until the end of sports in Philadelphia, as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, and one more thing: this team did Harry Kalas proud. I'm sure he loved watching these guys play and honor his memory like they did this year. They may have come up a bit short, but Harry wouldn't have cared. This year was for him.
See all you baseball fans in 2010. We've only got 97 days until spring training.
The Yankees jumped on Pedro Martinez for four runs in the first three innings, and cruised to a 7-3 victory last night to claim the World Series over the Phillies.
What went right?
Not much I can say here, really. The Phillies lost the World Series. I mean, Ryan Howard hit a home run, but that's about it.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley went 0-3 with a walk.
Pedro Feliz was 0-4.
Pedro Martinez didn't make it through five innings, allowing four runs on three hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out five.
Chad Durbin was horrible, allowing three more runs to score in just one third of an inning. He allowed two hits and walked a batter.
Oh, and the Phillies lost the World Series. Did I mention that yet?
Game Analysis:
Just like that, it's over. The 2009 baseball season has come to a close, and this year, the Philadelphia Phillies had to watch as the New York Yankees claimed another championship to add to their collection. I'm not going to take anything away from the way the Yankees played during this series. They were the better team through these six games, and their starting pitching and bullpen held up much better than the Phillies' did. So, congrats to them. Us Philadelphia fans wanted the Yankees, and we got the Yankees. Sometimes, you need to be careful what you wish for.
The game never really started out well yesterday. Pedro Martinez struggled from the first inning, as he never really seemed to be able to get his velocity above 86 miles an hour. He just didn't have his best stuff last night, and he was leaving pitches over the plate during all four innings he was in the game. To be honest, the score could have been much, much worse last night if the Yankees had come out swinging better in the first inning. That's how badly I thought he pitched last night. He couldn't get Hideki Matsui out...hell, no one could last night. Matsui killed the Phillies during the games that he played, and his .615 batting average, three home runs and eight RBI were more than deserving of the MVP award for the series.
The offense didn't help Pedro out last night with run support, either. Andy Pettitte didn't have his best stuff yesterday, but when the Phils did get runners on base, the batters at the plate became impatient and swung at bad pitches, which set Pettitte up to be able to get them out. Pettitte walked five batters in 5.2 innings last night and allowed four hits, but only gave up three runs. The Phillies left eight men on base, and just couldn't get anything going when they needed to. Once the Yankees went up 7-1 in the fifth inning, you just had the feeling that this game was not going to end the way that Phillies fans wanted it to.
This team does have some questions going into next year, but I'm not going to dive into those quite yet. For now, I just want to reflect on this team. Yes, they didn't win the World Series this year, but to even get back to back National League Championships is a rare feat. The Phillies were the first team to do it since the Atlanta Braves did it twice back in the 1990s, and before that, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 1977 and 78, so it doesn't happen that often. If you look at the number of setbacks this team had to go through to even get back to the World Series, it's amazing. Three of the five starters in their opening day rotation didn't finish the year there. J.C. Romero, the key left-handed setup man last season, missed 90% of the year. Brad Lidge fell apart, blowing 11 saves. Cole Hamels never got on track. Jimmy Rollins was horrible for almost two-thirds of the season. Raul Ibanez couldn't hit anything after his injury...and yet they still won 93 games and a second straight National League pennant. For that, I can't be any prouder of this group of players.
The silver lining in all of this is that the Phillies are going to compete again next year. The core group of players on this team is locked up for the next two to three seasons, and most of them should be here longer than that. This is not a Florida Marlins type team that has to sell off all of its talent now that they've made it this far. This team isn't that old yet, and they should be back into the playoffs for years to come. For all the crap that I've said about this team this year on this blog when they lost, I'm still more proud of them than I even was last year. The 2008 Phillies let us know what it's like to be a winner, and that is a damn good feeling. This year, save for four games in late October and early November, we got to feel that way again. It's not very often that a team comes around that has the chance to be this good for this long. They've already won three straight National League East pennants, and they're going to add more to that, let me tell you.
So...that's it for baseball this year, which means this blog is more than likely going to slow down a little bit more, since I don't have something to write about every night. I'm not going anywhere, though. I'll be here from now until the end of sports in Philadelphia, as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, and one more thing: this team did Harry Kalas proud. I'm sure he loved watching these guys play and honor his memory like they did this year. They may have come up a bit short, but Harry wouldn't have cared. This year was for him.
See all you baseball fans in 2010. We've only got 97 days until spring training.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
One Word for how the Sixers Played Last Night: Ouch
Lost in all the commotion about the Phillies trying to make a miracle World Series comeback is the fact that the Flyers and Sixers are still playing. While I'm not going to get into the Flyers game from Monday, save for the notion that they played very well against a poor Tampa Bay team, the Sixers took on the Boston Celtics last night. After taking out the Knicks and dropping 141 points in four and a half quarters, the Sixers went up against the best defensive team in the NBA...and put up a little more than half of that amount. Basically, the Celtics came out and did what they have done to the other four teams they've played this season and dismantled the Sixers in a 105-74 beatdown.
Basically, the Celtics took away the inside game of the Sixers, and Philadelphia responded by shooting a robust 36.3% for the game with just one three pointer. In comparison, Rasheed Wallace made six threes by himself off the Boston bench, as the Celtics nailed 14 three pointers to make this game an embarrassing runaway. The Sixers aren't going to be able to beat many NBA teams with that output, let alone the Boston Celtics, who are on everyone's short list this year to make it to the NBA Finals.
To make things even worse, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett didn't even play that well. Allen finished with just five points on 2 of 8 shooting, thanks to solid defense by Andre Iguodala, and Garnett had just three points in 23 minutes. However, when the Sixers respond by shooting as poorly as they did, those two can have an off night and the Celtics can still win by 31 points. That's how badly the Sixers played last night. This team couldn't do anything right last night, as the bench only managed 24 points. Again, Rasheed Wallace scored 20 points off the bench by himself for Boston. If you add that to Eddie House's 12 points, and Shelden Williams' 11, the Celtics' bench almost doubled up Philadelphia's with just those three players.
Not everything was horrible last night, though. Andre Iguodala had a solid, if unspectacular, game, scoring 17 points and keeping Ray Allen from nailing anything at all. He seemed to be the only one that could even think about getting through Boston's defense, and when he did, he set up his teammates for baskets, only to have them miss. That's what kind of a night it was for the Sixers. It certainly wasn't anything to write home about or remember in any way, shape or form.
Fortunately, the Sixers don't play the Celtics every night of the year. If they did, there might be some trouble. So far this season, the guys have shown that they're right smack dab in the middle when it comes to talent in the Eastern Conference. Against teams like the Bucks and Knicks, they can play well, but against top level teams, like the Magic and Celtics, they're quickly knocked back down to earth. It's that balance that they're going to have to find as the season goes along to move slightly up the talent ladder in the East to the point where maybe they can put a scare into a Boston, Cleveland or Orlando come April. There's still a long way to go, though.
Basically, the Celtics took away the inside game of the Sixers, and Philadelphia responded by shooting a robust 36.3% for the game with just one three pointer. In comparison, Rasheed Wallace made six threes by himself off the Boston bench, as the Celtics nailed 14 three pointers to make this game an embarrassing runaway. The Sixers aren't going to be able to beat many NBA teams with that output, let alone the Boston Celtics, who are on everyone's short list this year to make it to the NBA Finals.
To make things even worse, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett didn't even play that well. Allen finished with just five points on 2 of 8 shooting, thanks to solid defense by Andre Iguodala, and Garnett had just three points in 23 minutes. However, when the Sixers respond by shooting as poorly as they did, those two can have an off night and the Celtics can still win by 31 points. That's how badly the Sixers played last night. This team couldn't do anything right last night, as the bench only managed 24 points. Again, Rasheed Wallace scored 20 points off the bench by himself for Boston. If you add that to Eddie House's 12 points, and Shelden Williams' 11, the Celtics' bench almost doubled up Philadelphia's with just those three players.
Not everything was horrible last night, though. Andre Iguodala had a solid, if unspectacular, game, scoring 17 points and keeping Ray Allen from nailing anything at all. He seemed to be the only one that could even think about getting through Boston's defense, and when he did, he set up his teammates for baskets, only to have them miss. That's what kind of a night it was for the Sixers. It certainly wasn't anything to write home about or remember in any way, shape or form.
Fortunately, the Sixers don't play the Celtics every night of the year. If they did, there might be some trouble. So far this season, the guys have shown that they're right smack dab in the middle when it comes to talent in the Eastern Conference. Against teams like the Bucks and Knicks, they can play well, but against top level teams, like the Magic and Celtics, they're quickly knocked back down to earth. It's that balance that they're going to have to find as the season goes along to move slightly up the talent ladder in the East to the point where maybe they can put a scare into a Boston, Cleveland or Orlando come April. There's still a long way to go, though.
Monday, November 2, 2009
World Series Game Five Recap: Phillies-8, Yankees-6
Game Recap:
The Yankees made it interesting in the late innings, but the Phillies held on for a win in Game Five that sends the World Series back to New York for hopefully two more games.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 with a run scored.
Chase Utley went 2-3 with a three run home run and a solo home run. He tied Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a single World Series, with five.
Jayson Werth was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with a home run.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4 with an RBI.
Cliff Lee pitched well, but was probably left in for one inning too long. He allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out three, and also went 1-3 at the plate.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts, which tied Willie Wilson for the most strikeouts in a single World Series.
Pedro Feliz went 0-4.
Ryan Madson gave everyone in the Philadelphia area a heart attack, allowing a run on three hits in the ninth inning. He didn't walk a batter, and struck out one.
Game Analysis:
Boy, that was a fun one, wasn't it? After having their hearts ripped out last night, the Phillies came out tonight and at least looked like they would be able to take the World Series back to New York, as they jumped on A.J. Burnett for six runs in three innings. After that, some questionable choices by Charlie Manuel and some timely hitting by the Yankees brought New York back into the game, but the Phils had just enough to push this series to a sixth game on Wednesday night.
I honestly can't say enough about Chase Utley right now. The man is playing lights out at the best time of the year, and his three run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave the Phillies the jolt that they needed after the Yankees scored in the top of the first. Utley would strike again in the seventh inning, providing an insurance run that the Phils would eventually need. The offense in general seemed to be more in tune tonight, and A.J. Burnett didn't make it out of the third inning. The command that Burnett had in Game Two wasn't there tonight, and the Phillies took advantage of that while he was in the game. The Yankee bullpen did a solid job after he left, holding the Phils to two more runs, but the damage was done in the early innings. The Phillies showed it against Vicente Padilla in the NLCS: regular power pitchers don't do well the second time around against this team.
Cliff Lee was shaky tonight, but he still pitched well through seven innings. I'm not going to fault him for the three runs in the eighth, because Charlie Manuel should have taken him out at that point. He had already thrown seven innings, and was over 100 pitches. Does Charlie really not trust the bullpen to get six more outs? In the end, they had to anyway, and the Yankees tagged Lee for three more runs. I hope he's available to pitch out of the bullpen if this goes to a Game Seven, but at this point, I just want to win one game at a time. Lee didn't have his best stuff, and his command was off tonight, but he was still able to work through it, as he got the Yankees to ground out and pop up most of the night. It wasn't the prettiest job in the world, but right now, he's the only Phillies starter in the World Series with a win, so he's doing something right.
Then the bullpen came into the game, and things got interesting. Chan Ho Park set the Yankees down with relative ease in the top of the eighth inning, but was lifted for Matt Stairs in the bottom of the eighth. For what reason, I'm not sure, but Charlie was dead set on having one of his back of the bullpen guys come in for the ninth, despite the fact that Park was pitching very well, and easily could have gone a second inning. To be fair, Matt Stairs hit one of the most monumental home runs in Phillies history, but he doesn't seem to have the same swing this year, and he showed that tonight by grounding into a double play. Luckily, the Phils won this game, but that was a choice that could have come back to bite Charlie in the ass in a big, big way.
I don't know what has to be done about the closer situation by the time Game Six comes around, but something has to happen. Brad Lidge fell apart last night in the ninth inning, and Ryan Madson almost did the same tonight, allowing a run to cross the plate, and then allowing the tying run to get on for Mark Teixeira. Madson worked out of the inning with a strikeout, but it could have been the end of the series right there. The last two nights, the back end of the Phillies' bullpen has been anything but solid, and that has to be fixed, somehow, in the next 36 hours.
The offense tried to make it easy tonight, but the bullpen certainly made this game more interesting than it had any right to be. Either way, the Phillies have sent the World Series back to New York for at least one game. The one thing the Phils have going for them right now is that the Yankees are going to send Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia (if necessary) out to start on three days rest. Tonight, A.J. Burnett was shelled on three days rest. I can't say that's going to happen two more times, but it's something to think about. Either way, at least there's still another game to be played.
Game Six will be Wednesday night in New York. All signs are pointing towards Pedro Martinez (0-1, 2.08 ERA) going for the Phillies, while Andy Pettitte (3-0, 3.24 ERA) is going for New York. For the Phils, it's just a matter of taking it one game at a time now.
The Yankees made it interesting in the late innings, but the Phillies held on for a win in Game Five that sends the World Series back to New York for hopefully two more games.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 with a run scored.
Chase Utley went 2-3 with a three run home run and a solo home run. He tied Reggie Jackson for the most home runs in a single World Series, with five.
Jayson Werth was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with a home run.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4 with an RBI.
Cliff Lee pitched well, but was probably left in for one inning too long. He allowed five runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out three, and also went 1-3 at the plate.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-2 with two walks and two strikeouts, which tied Willie Wilson for the most strikeouts in a single World Series.
Pedro Feliz went 0-4.
Ryan Madson gave everyone in the Philadelphia area a heart attack, allowing a run on three hits in the ninth inning. He didn't walk a batter, and struck out one.
Game Analysis:
Boy, that was a fun one, wasn't it? After having their hearts ripped out last night, the Phillies came out tonight and at least looked like they would be able to take the World Series back to New York, as they jumped on A.J. Burnett for six runs in three innings. After that, some questionable choices by Charlie Manuel and some timely hitting by the Yankees brought New York back into the game, but the Phils had just enough to push this series to a sixth game on Wednesday night.
I honestly can't say enough about Chase Utley right now. The man is playing lights out at the best time of the year, and his three run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave the Phillies the jolt that they needed after the Yankees scored in the top of the first. Utley would strike again in the seventh inning, providing an insurance run that the Phils would eventually need. The offense in general seemed to be more in tune tonight, and A.J. Burnett didn't make it out of the third inning. The command that Burnett had in Game Two wasn't there tonight, and the Phillies took advantage of that while he was in the game. The Yankee bullpen did a solid job after he left, holding the Phils to two more runs, but the damage was done in the early innings. The Phillies showed it against Vicente Padilla in the NLCS: regular power pitchers don't do well the second time around against this team.
Cliff Lee was shaky tonight, but he still pitched well through seven innings. I'm not going to fault him for the three runs in the eighth, because Charlie Manuel should have taken him out at that point. He had already thrown seven innings, and was over 100 pitches. Does Charlie really not trust the bullpen to get six more outs? In the end, they had to anyway, and the Yankees tagged Lee for three more runs. I hope he's available to pitch out of the bullpen if this goes to a Game Seven, but at this point, I just want to win one game at a time. Lee didn't have his best stuff, and his command was off tonight, but he was still able to work through it, as he got the Yankees to ground out and pop up most of the night. It wasn't the prettiest job in the world, but right now, he's the only Phillies starter in the World Series with a win, so he's doing something right.
Then the bullpen came into the game, and things got interesting. Chan Ho Park set the Yankees down with relative ease in the top of the eighth inning, but was lifted for Matt Stairs in the bottom of the eighth. For what reason, I'm not sure, but Charlie was dead set on having one of his back of the bullpen guys come in for the ninth, despite the fact that Park was pitching very well, and easily could have gone a second inning. To be fair, Matt Stairs hit one of the most monumental home runs in Phillies history, but he doesn't seem to have the same swing this year, and he showed that tonight by grounding into a double play. Luckily, the Phils won this game, but that was a choice that could have come back to bite Charlie in the ass in a big, big way.
I don't know what has to be done about the closer situation by the time Game Six comes around, but something has to happen. Brad Lidge fell apart last night in the ninth inning, and Ryan Madson almost did the same tonight, allowing a run to cross the plate, and then allowing the tying run to get on for Mark Teixeira. Madson worked out of the inning with a strikeout, but it could have been the end of the series right there. The last two nights, the back end of the Phillies' bullpen has been anything but solid, and that has to be fixed, somehow, in the next 36 hours.
The offense tried to make it easy tonight, but the bullpen certainly made this game more interesting than it had any right to be. Either way, the Phillies have sent the World Series back to New York for at least one game. The one thing the Phils have going for them right now is that the Yankees are going to send Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia (if necessary) out to start on three days rest. Tonight, A.J. Burnett was shelled on three days rest. I can't say that's going to happen two more times, but it's something to think about. Either way, at least there's still another game to be played.
Game Six will be Wednesday night in New York. All signs are pointing towards Pedro Martinez (0-1, 2.08 ERA) going for the Phillies, while Andy Pettitte (3-0, 3.24 ERA) is going for New York. For the Phils, it's just a matter of taking it one game at a time now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)