What happened?
LeSean McCoy's 50 yard touchdown run on a fourth and one gave the Eagles the lead late in the fourth quarter, and Eli Manning's fumble on a slide finished things off, as the Eagles improved to 7-3 on the season and took first place in the NFC East.
The Good:
LeSean McCoy saved the game on Sunday night, rushing for 111 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 29 yards.
Michael Vick didn't have a great game, but he was solid, completing 24 of 38 passes for 258 yards while also rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Jeremy Maclin caught nine passes for 120 yards.
The rushing defense was outstanding, holding the Giants to just 61 yards on 19 carries. Ahmad Bradshaw had just 29 yards on 12 carries and fumbled the ball once.
Eli Manning was unable to get anything going for most of the night. He threw two touchdowns, but also had three interceptions and fumbled once.
Asante Samuel had two of those three interceptions, giving him four this season against the Manning brothers.
Samuel and Dimitri Patterson did a good job at shutting down the New York passing game, holing Hakeem Nicks to just 65 yards, and Mario Manningham to three catches for 24 yards.
The offensive line did a good job keeping pressure off of Michael Vick when the Giants only brought a four man rush.
David Akers kicked four field goals, but had one blocked at the end of the first half. It's actually one of his better showings against the Giants.
The Bad:
Aside from the two game saving carries in the fourth quarter, LeSean McCoy had just nine carries for 21 yards.
Brent Celek went another game without a catch. Where has he been this season?
Michael Vick got hit way too many times, and needs to figure out how to get out of play without taking a hard shot.
Ellis Hobbs got knocked out to start the second half with a hard helmet to helmet hit on the opening kickoff.
The Ugly:
The offense made it inside the New York red zone five times...and came away with one touchdown. Both DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant dropped what would have been touchdowns.
The Eagles had ten penalties called against them, costing them 119 yards. Those penalties included four personal fouls.
Vick had no answer for the New York blitz, which looked like the same play over and over again. He has to get better at reading a blitz and finding his hot read, because if he doesn't, every team from here on out is going to do what the Giants did.
The Breakdown:
It wasn't nearly as pretty as the game on Monday night, but for the second time in a week, the Eagles managed to take down a divisional opponent, and this time, it gave them control of first place in the NFC East. With their 27-17 victory on Sunday night over the New York Giants, the Eagles are now in the driver's seat in a competitive NFC that has six teams sitting with 7-3 or better records.
There was no 88 yard touchdown to start the game against the Giants. Instead, this game played out more like a typical NFC East slugfest. Both teams came out and the defenses set the tone early. Eli Manning was never able to get comfortable, and while the Eagles never managed to sack the Giant quarterback, they had pressure on him throughout the game and forced three interceptions and a fumble that I'll talk about a little later on. New York's biggest strength coming into the game was their rushing attack, but, just like they have for most of the season, the Eagles shut down the lead rusher of their opponent. Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball just 12 times for 29 yards. That's an average of 2.4 yards per carry, and 17 of those yards came on a single play. To beat the Giants, you have to make their offense one dimensional, and that's what the Eagles did. They put all the pressure on Eli Manning and used their pass rush to force him into quick throws that weren't always the best option. New York ended up with just 208 total yards of offense, which is a far cry from the over 400 they averaged coming into the game.
Of course, the Eagles didn't have the best showing on offense either, despite picking up almost 400 yards on the game. Michael Vick had a good game, passing for 258 yards, but he struggled whenever the Giants brought pressure from the left side. Vick is a left handed quarterback, and when he scrambles to the left, it opens up the entire playbook. He can run or pass, and it keeps defenders guessing. What the Giants did was force Vick to the right, eliminating the threat of the pass and holding him to short three or four yard runs that they could hit him on. I lost track of how many times Vick was hit hard in this game, and there were a couple of times where he got up a little bit slowly. Vick already got hurt once this season, and if he keeps taking hits like that, he's going to get hurt again. He has to get the ball out quicker on blitz attempts, because when an opposing defense blitzes, there should always be single coverage or at least one man open. Vick just has to read where the weak spot is and exploit it. However, it's not that easy.
The blitz of the Giants was one of the reasons why the Eagles only found the end zone once in the first half. The other reason was sloppy play by the Eagles on offense. Two times, Vick had receivers in the end zone and hit them in the hands with the football. Both times, the receivers dropped the ball, and in the case of Jason Avant, there wasn't a single New York player within five yards of him. He was literally wide open and couldn't catch the ball. You can't beat good teams with field goals, and it almost came back to bite the Eagles in the fourth quarter. The Giants forced Vick to fumble, his first turnover of the year, and scored a five yard touchdown to give them a one point lead at 17-16. Just like two weeks ago against the Colts, the failure of the offense in red zone situations was coming back to bite them.
In a game without many big plays, the biggest one that the Eagles had may have been the one that defines this season. On third and six at midfield, Vick hard counted, forcing rookie Jason Pierre-Paul offsides. Of course, the Eagles came out in the shotgun on third and one, and the play failed, leaving the Eagles with a fourth down and one to go with just four and a half minutes left in the game. The Giants had crowded the middle of the line, anticipating a sneak from Vick, but the Eagles, who had a similar situation against the Colts, had other plans. Vick bobbled the snap, and just managed to pitch it to LeSean McCoy before Osi Umenyiora knocked the ball away. McCoy ran untouched for a 50 yard touchdown, the Eagles converted the two point conversion, and that was all that was needed. The Giants had one more chance after Asante Samuel fumbled his second interception of the game back to New York, but Eli Manning slid head first on a fourth down scramble and fumbled the ball before he was touched. McCoy broke off a 40 yard run that set up a David Akers field goal for the final nail in the coffin.
As I said before, it wasn't a pretty game by any means, but a win is still a win. The defense looked great out there against one of the better offenses in the NFL, and while many people said that the Eagles couldn't have long, sustained drives, two of their scoring drives lasted for 13 plays or more, and took over 15 combined minutes off the clock. That's an entire quarter of football, for those of you keeping track at home. Sure, the Eagles are a big play offense, but their biggest plays on Sunday were the two runs in the fourth quarter by McCoy. This wasn't a typical game for the Eagles this year, but they still found a way to win. That's what good teams do, and believe it or not, the Eagles are a very, very good team right now. The Giants came into Philadelphia with a solid game plan and worked it very well, but the Eagles still had too much on offense, and with the defense creating a short field on two scoring drives, New York had their work cut out for them.
There are still some concerns, though. Vick can't be taking the hits he took against the Giants every single week, or he's going to miss some key time down the stretch. He has to get out of bounds or slide on runs, and when he facing a blitz, he needs to find the hot read to get the ball out of his hands quickly. The Giants ran the same blitz probably ten or so times during the game, as they brought Antrel Rolle from the left side, and the Eagles didn't have an answer for it. If they, and Vick, can't figure out how to stop a simple safety blitz, then expect to see that coming more and more often during the rest of the season. The run game needs to be more than just two big plays at the end of the game, but I'll take what happened against the Giants any time. That's the value that McCoy brings to the Eagles. He can be stopped for an entire game, then change everything with two carries that push the momentum right back to the Philadelphia side of the ball. Was this game as fun to watch as the one against the Redskins? Not exactly, but the Eagles have themselves in a great position now. They control their own fate in the NFC East, with three divisional games still to come. The toughest part of their schedule is almost over, with just Chicago remaining in this rough four game patch. It's 3-0 for the Eagles since the bye week, which is normally when things get turned around for this team.
With a couple more wins, things could be looking very good for the Eagles. There's still a lot of season left, and Chicago is a very good team that's had extra time to prepare for Michael Vick, so we'll see what happens this Sunday.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Roy Halladay is your Cy Young winner
Eleven months ago to the day, the Phillies completed their trade for Roy Halladay. While it cost them Cliff Lee and Kyle Drabek, the mood around Philadelphia was that Halladay would get the Phillies back to the World Series and coast to the Cy Young Award in his first year in the National League. While the first prediction unfortunately didn't come to pass, the second one did. Today, Halladay was named the winner of the National League Cy Young Award, and he was named so in a unanimous vote, making him the first pitcher since 2007 to win the award with such an honor.
While Halladay started the season 10-7, after the All Star break, he took off, going 11-3 the rest of the way. Roy ended up leading the National League in wins, innings pitched and complete games, and he finished in the top three in the league in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and winning percentage. He also pitched a pefect game against the Marlins back in May, and his first ever playoff start against the Cincinnati Reds turned out to be just the second no-hitter in playoff history. Sure, the votes for the Cy Young Award are recorded before the playoffs start, but I had to throw that in there.
Roy Halladay was the best pitcher in the National League this year, and now it's official. Yes, Adam Wainright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Johnson and Tim Hudson had great seasons, but no one had the season that Halladay did. Halladay pitched a perfect game, suffered through the offensive drought that the Phillies had during the regular season, then kicked it into overdrive when most pitchers are thinking about golf. Despite the Phillies not making it back to the World Series for the third straight year, Halladay showed more heart than any pitcher that I've ever seen when he beat the Giants on a pulled groin in his last start of the year. Even if the votes were taken before the playoffs, that would have given him the Cy Young in my opinion.
This was the best pitching performance by a Phillies pitcher in years, and it was justly awarded as such. Halladay became the fifth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in two different leagues, and was the first Phillie to win the award since 1987, when Steve Bedrosian won it as a relief pitcher. The only thing that bothers me about the voting is that Cole Hamels didn't finish in the top 12 of the votes, while Brett Myers and Bronson Arroyo did. Hamels had a better season than either of those two, and would have been in the top ten easily if it hadn't been for the lack of run production. Oh, and Roy Oswalt, the third pitcher in the Phillies' rotation? Yeah, he ended up finishing sixth in the voting. That's after a 6-12 start with the Astros. I think the Phillies are in good shape for next season on the mound.
Congrats to Roy Halladay. You deserved this more than anything else. The only thing that's missing now is a ring and another parade, but that can wait until next season. Besides, it wasn't your fault anyway. It took you just one season to become one of the most beloved Phillies of the last 20 years.
While Halladay started the season 10-7, after the All Star break, he took off, going 11-3 the rest of the way. Roy ended up leading the National League in wins, innings pitched and complete games, and he finished in the top three in the league in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP and winning percentage. He also pitched a pefect game against the Marlins back in May, and his first ever playoff start against the Cincinnati Reds turned out to be just the second no-hitter in playoff history. Sure, the votes for the Cy Young Award are recorded before the playoffs start, but I had to throw that in there.
Roy Halladay was the best pitcher in the National League this year, and now it's official. Yes, Adam Wainright, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jason Johnson and Tim Hudson had great seasons, but no one had the season that Halladay did. Halladay pitched a perfect game, suffered through the offensive drought that the Phillies had during the regular season, then kicked it into overdrive when most pitchers are thinking about golf. Despite the Phillies not making it back to the World Series for the third straight year, Halladay showed more heart than any pitcher that I've ever seen when he beat the Giants on a pulled groin in his last start of the year. Even if the votes were taken before the playoffs, that would have given him the Cy Young in my opinion.
This was the best pitching performance by a Phillies pitcher in years, and it was justly awarded as such. Halladay became the fifth pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in two different leagues, and was the first Phillie to win the award since 1987, when Steve Bedrosian won it as a relief pitcher. The only thing that bothers me about the voting is that Cole Hamels didn't finish in the top 12 of the votes, while Brett Myers and Bronson Arroyo did. Hamels had a better season than either of those two, and would have been in the top ten easily if it hadn't been for the lack of run production. Oh, and Roy Oswalt, the third pitcher in the Phillies' rotation? Yeah, he ended up finishing sixth in the voting. That's after a 6-12 start with the Astros. I think the Phillies are in good shape for next season on the mound.
Congrats to Roy Halladay. You deserved this more than anything else. The only thing that's missing now is a ring and another parade, but that can wait until next season. Besides, it wasn't your fault anyway. It took you just one season to become one of the most beloved Phillies of the last 20 years.
Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-59, Redskins-28
What Happened?
The Eagles scored 28 points in the first quarter of last night's game and never looked back, setting a team record for yardage and scoring their most points in a single game since 1934. Michael Vick passed for over 300 yards, threw four touchdowns and rushed for two more.
The Good:
Michael Vick looked like he was playing a video game. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 80 yards and two more touchdowns, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 300 yards, rush for over 50 yards, throw four touchdowns and rush for two more in a single game.
Jerome Harrison carried the ball 11 times for 109 yards and his first touchdown as an Eagle on a 50 yard run in the first quarter.
LeSean McCoy only carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards, but he also caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.
DeSean Jackson started the game off with an 88 yard touchdown catch, and while he only had one other catch for ten yards, that was all that was needed.
Jeremy Maclin caught four passes for 79 yards and had a 48 yard touchdown catch that started the second quarter. It was his seventh touchdown of the year.
Jason Avant had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles only managed to sack Donovan McNabb twice, but had him under pressure almost the entire game, and forced three interceptions.
Dimitri Patterson intercepted two of McNabb's passes, running one back for a 40 yard touchdown that capped the scoring.
The Eagles forced the Redskins to go 0-10 on third downs, and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
The Eagles only had six penalties called against them for just 35 yards.
The Bad:
Brent Celek only caught two passes for eight yards. He's been a nonfactor this entire season.
The defense did look a little soft at times, allowing 28 points on some deep throws by McNabb. Plus, some guy named Keiland Williams scored three touchdowns.
The Eagles didn't score 60 points. I wanted to see that.
The Ugly:
Nothing to see here. The Eagles just blew out a division opponent and can control first place with a win on Sunday.
The Breakdown:
All you needed to know about last night's game came on the first play. Backed up at their own 12 yard line, the Philadelphia Eagles came out and ran a play action fake to LeSean McCoy. Michael Vick had protection and ran out to the left, then launched a pass to DeSean Jackson that Jackson caught in stride at the Washington 35 yard line. LaRon Landry fell down attempting a tackle, and Jackson walked backwards into the end zone from ten yards out. Eighteen seconds into the game, the Eagles had a 7-0 lead, and it was all downhill from there for the Redskins, while the Eagles were just starting a historic night.
The first five times that the Eagles had the ball on offense, they found the end zone, and each one of the scores came either from the arm or the leg of Michael Vick. There is literally nothing else that can be said about this man right now. If you're an Eagles fan, you may hate what he did in the past, you may never like him as a person, but you have to admit that he is one hell of a football player. Last night may have been Vick's best showing ever as a professional player, and that's including his time down in Atlanta. Throughout this season, we've been able to see Vick evolve as a quarterback, and last night may have been the culmination of that evolution.
As a member of the Falcons, Vick's progression in the pocket was pretty much for him to look at his primary receiver, then Alge Crumpler, then run if both of them were covered. Last night, you could see Vick actually looking for each receiver on a play before he thought about running the football. Even when he did scramble in the pocket, he was still looking downfield, trying to find a receiver to pass to. When there wasn't anyone open, Vick tucked it and ran, which he did to the tune of 80 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season, Vick has 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, has completed 62.7% of his passes and hasn't thrown an interception. Those numbers are in just five and a half games. Could you imagine what they might be at had Vick played a full game against the Redskins in the first game, and not had to miss the games against the Falcons, Titans and 49ers? He might not just be in the talk for MVP this season, he could be leading it.
Of course, Vick is just one player on the offense, and despite his amazing night, it was a total team effort against the Washington defense. Four different players caught touchdown passes, and Jerome Harrison showed why he might be the best number two running back in the NFC with his first 100 yard game as an Eagle. LeSean McCoy had some issues running the ball, but had over 50 yards receiving and caught a touchdown on a shovel pass in that first quarter. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant all had over 70 receiving yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes on offense, setting a franchise record for yards, and most of them came before the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has to get some credit for allowing the offense to get out to that big lead. The Redskins went three and out on their opening drive, which led to the second touchdown of the game. On the next Washington drive, Donovan McNabb was intercepted by rookie Kurt Coleman, who started in place of the injured Nate Allen. The Eagles scored again to put themselves up 21-0. The next two Washington drives also ended in three and outs, and the Eagles turned them both into touchdowns. Before the Redskins got a single first down, the Eagles had scored 35 points. That's how a defense can make an impact without getting many turnovers. McNabb was under pressure for most of the night, and while the Eagles only managed two sacks against him, he still looked like the same McNabb in pressure, as passes were flying over the heads of receivers or skidding at their feet. I'm not going to talk about the extension that McNabb just signed, but if that was his response to it, the Redskins might want to get their money back quickly.
Now, the defense wasn't perfect all night long. After the Eagles went up 35-0, they allowed back to back scoring drives thanks to long passes from McNabb to Fred Davis and Anthony Armstrong. It turned out to not be an area of concern, but the Eagles did show a little bit of weakness there. At the time of the pass to Davis, there were still almost three quarters of football left to be played. The Eagles had already scored four touchdowns in a quarter, so why couldn't the Redskins? That killer instinct wasn't there at times, and while the margin of victory makes it seem like it didn't matter, against a team with a better defense, it will. The run defense was solid again, but the secondary still needs to step it up more. Dimitri Patterson had a good game with two interceptions, but he also got burned on a couple of passes as well. Patterson is better than Ellis Hobbs, but the Eagles are going to have to address the cornerback situation in the offseason. Opposing teams can pick on the corner opposite Asante Samuel all day long.
Honestly, this was one of the better games that I have ever gotten to watch as an Eagles fan during the regular season. With everything that went into the first Redskins/Eagles matchup, and the result that came out of it, I was just hoping that the Eagles would be able to split the season series with the Redskins. What happened instead was something out of a video game. I mean that literally, I have played games of Madden that looked like that game last night. Michael Vick is on another planet right now, and needs to be resigned as quickly as possible. Imagine saying that at this point last year. The offense may be the fastest in the NFL, and the defense just needs to do enough to let the offense score points.
If you look at the schedule for the Eagles, these past two games and the next two upcoming games might be the toughest stretch for the team this season. They had to play the Colts, go to Washington for a rematch with the Redskins, then take on the Giants and Bears, two first place teams. Well, so far the Eagles are 2-0 on that stretch and are looking more and more like one of the better teams in the NFC. When you couple that with the fact that they beat the Falcons with Kevin Kolb at quarterback and DeSean Jackson missing most of the game, this team could be a big factor going into the last half of the season. I'm not saying anything else yet, because this coming game against the Giants will be the measuring stick for the rest of the year. New York got embarrassed at home against the Cowboys last week, possibly because they were looking ahead to this game with the Eagles, and now the game is for first place in the NFC East with just six games to play following the game. It's as much of a must win for both teams as it can possibly be.
Now, if the Eagles can put forth even 75% of what they showed on Monday Night, they'll be in business. This season could turn out to be something else, but it's not there yet. There are still steps to be taken. Remember, last night was just one game. Sure, the Eagles scored the most points that they'd scored since 1934, but that's not going to get them to the playoffs. Winning the rest of their games is going to do that. It's one game at a time from here on out.
The Eagles scored 28 points in the first quarter of last night's game and never looked back, setting a team record for yardage and scoring their most points in a single game since 1934. Michael Vick passed for over 300 yards, threw four touchdowns and rushed for two more.
The Good:
Michael Vick looked like he was playing a video game. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for 80 yards and two more touchdowns, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for over 300 yards, rush for over 50 yards, throw four touchdowns and rush for two more in a single game.
Jerome Harrison carried the ball 11 times for 109 yards and his first touchdown as an Eagle on a 50 yard run in the first quarter.
LeSean McCoy only carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards, but he also caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown.
DeSean Jackson started the game off with an 88 yard touchdown catch, and while he only had one other catch for ten yards, that was all that was needed.
Jeremy Maclin caught four passes for 79 yards and had a 48 yard touchdown catch that started the second quarter. It was his seventh touchdown of the year.
Jason Avant had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles only managed to sack Donovan McNabb twice, but had him under pressure almost the entire game, and forced three interceptions.
Dimitri Patterson intercepted two of McNabb's passes, running one back for a 40 yard touchdown that capped the scoring.
The Eagles forced the Redskins to go 0-10 on third downs, and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
The Eagles only had six penalties called against them for just 35 yards.
The Bad:
Brent Celek only caught two passes for eight yards. He's been a nonfactor this entire season.
The defense did look a little soft at times, allowing 28 points on some deep throws by McNabb. Plus, some guy named Keiland Williams scored three touchdowns.
The Eagles didn't score 60 points. I wanted to see that.
The Ugly:
Nothing to see here. The Eagles just blew out a division opponent and can control first place with a win on Sunday.
The Breakdown:
All you needed to know about last night's game came on the first play. Backed up at their own 12 yard line, the Philadelphia Eagles came out and ran a play action fake to LeSean McCoy. Michael Vick had protection and ran out to the left, then launched a pass to DeSean Jackson that Jackson caught in stride at the Washington 35 yard line. LaRon Landry fell down attempting a tackle, and Jackson walked backwards into the end zone from ten yards out. Eighteen seconds into the game, the Eagles had a 7-0 lead, and it was all downhill from there for the Redskins, while the Eagles were just starting a historic night.
The first five times that the Eagles had the ball on offense, they found the end zone, and each one of the scores came either from the arm or the leg of Michael Vick. There is literally nothing else that can be said about this man right now. If you're an Eagles fan, you may hate what he did in the past, you may never like him as a person, but you have to admit that he is one hell of a football player. Last night may have been Vick's best showing ever as a professional player, and that's including his time down in Atlanta. Throughout this season, we've been able to see Vick evolve as a quarterback, and last night may have been the culmination of that evolution.
As a member of the Falcons, Vick's progression in the pocket was pretty much for him to look at his primary receiver, then Alge Crumpler, then run if both of them were covered. Last night, you could see Vick actually looking for each receiver on a play before he thought about running the football. Even when he did scramble in the pocket, he was still looking downfield, trying to find a receiver to pass to. When there wasn't anyone open, Vick tucked it and ran, which he did to the tune of 80 yards and two touchdowns. So far this season, Vick has 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, has completed 62.7% of his passes and hasn't thrown an interception. Those numbers are in just five and a half games. Could you imagine what they might be at had Vick played a full game against the Redskins in the first game, and not had to miss the games against the Falcons, Titans and 49ers? He might not just be in the talk for MVP this season, he could be leading it.
Of course, Vick is just one player on the offense, and despite his amazing night, it was a total team effort against the Washington defense. Four different players caught touchdown passes, and Jerome Harrison showed why he might be the best number two running back in the NFC with his first 100 yard game as an Eagle. LeSean McCoy had some issues running the ball, but had over 50 yards receiving and caught a touchdown on a shovel pass in that first quarter. DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant all had over 70 receiving yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes on offense, setting a franchise record for yards, and most of them came before the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has to get some credit for allowing the offense to get out to that big lead. The Redskins went three and out on their opening drive, which led to the second touchdown of the game. On the next Washington drive, Donovan McNabb was intercepted by rookie Kurt Coleman, who started in place of the injured Nate Allen. The Eagles scored again to put themselves up 21-0. The next two Washington drives also ended in three and outs, and the Eagles turned them both into touchdowns. Before the Redskins got a single first down, the Eagles had scored 35 points. That's how a defense can make an impact without getting many turnovers. McNabb was under pressure for most of the night, and while the Eagles only managed two sacks against him, he still looked like the same McNabb in pressure, as passes were flying over the heads of receivers or skidding at their feet. I'm not going to talk about the extension that McNabb just signed, but if that was his response to it, the Redskins might want to get their money back quickly.
Now, the defense wasn't perfect all night long. After the Eagles went up 35-0, they allowed back to back scoring drives thanks to long passes from McNabb to Fred Davis and Anthony Armstrong. It turned out to not be an area of concern, but the Eagles did show a little bit of weakness there. At the time of the pass to Davis, there were still almost three quarters of football left to be played. The Eagles had already scored four touchdowns in a quarter, so why couldn't the Redskins? That killer instinct wasn't there at times, and while the margin of victory makes it seem like it didn't matter, against a team with a better defense, it will. The run defense was solid again, but the secondary still needs to step it up more. Dimitri Patterson had a good game with two interceptions, but he also got burned on a couple of passes as well. Patterson is better than Ellis Hobbs, but the Eagles are going to have to address the cornerback situation in the offseason. Opposing teams can pick on the corner opposite Asante Samuel all day long.
Honestly, this was one of the better games that I have ever gotten to watch as an Eagles fan during the regular season. With everything that went into the first Redskins/Eagles matchup, and the result that came out of it, I was just hoping that the Eagles would be able to split the season series with the Redskins. What happened instead was something out of a video game. I mean that literally, I have played games of Madden that looked like that game last night. Michael Vick is on another planet right now, and needs to be resigned as quickly as possible. Imagine saying that at this point last year. The offense may be the fastest in the NFL, and the defense just needs to do enough to let the offense score points.
If you look at the schedule for the Eagles, these past two games and the next two upcoming games might be the toughest stretch for the team this season. They had to play the Colts, go to Washington for a rematch with the Redskins, then take on the Giants and Bears, two first place teams. Well, so far the Eagles are 2-0 on that stretch and are looking more and more like one of the better teams in the NFC. When you couple that with the fact that they beat the Falcons with Kevin Kolb at quarterback and DeSean Jackson missing most of the game, this team could be a big factor going into the last half of the season. I'm not saying anything else yet, because this coming game against the Giants will be the measuring stick for the rest of the year. New York got embarrassed at home against the Cowboys last week, possibly because they were looking ahead to this game with the Eagles, and now the game is for first place in the NFC East with just six games to play following the game. It's as much of a must win for both teams as it can possibly be.
Now, if the Eagles can put forth even 75% of what they showed on Monday Night, they'll be in business. This season could turn out to be something else, but it's not there yet. There are still steps to be taken. Remember, last night was just one game. Sure, the Eagles scored the most points that they'd scored since 1934, but that's not going to get them to the playoffs. Winning the rest of their games is going to do that. It's one game at a time from here on out.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Even more Phillies news
Yep, the news just keeps coming for the Phillies, who made two moves today to help ensure that the bullpen for next year is in decent shape, and to possibly find their successor to Charlie Manuel.
After a solid season last year, many people were hopeful that Jose Contreras would be brought back for at least next season. Even at age 39 (or so), Contreras was one of the best relief pitchers for the Phillies last season, going 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA. Well, today, the Phillies rewarded Contreras with a two year, $5.5 million contract, giving him two more years in the red and white pinstripes.
This is a good move for the Phillies, who are going to need to keep some of their better bullpen options for next year. Contreras was pretty much the most consistent relief pitcher that the Phillies had last season, and it's worth the money to bring him back. While deals for a hard throwing pitcher can come back to bite you, Contreras showed his worth with the Rockies back in 2009, and really earned his stripes with the Phils last year. He's worth the money, especially with the way he pitched last season. I was hopeful that the Phillies would bring him back, and they did. It may have been for a bit more money than people may have expected, but to get Contreras back for under $3 million per season? I'll take it.
With the other move today, the Phillies finally resolved 29 years of frustration. It took almost three decades, but Ryne Sandberg is back in the fold for the Phils. It's not as a player, of course but as the manager of the Triple A Leihigh Valley Iron Pigs. Sandberg left the Chicago Cubs when he wasn't chosen as the manager after Lou Piniella retired, but it's for the best that he's with the Phillies now. Sandberg has been very, very good as a minor league manager, and he was expected to take over in Chicago, but the Cubs decided to go in another direction. Now, the Phillies have him once again, and they might just have their successor to Charlie Manuel.
I'm not hoping that Charlie Manuel is going to leave any time soon, but now the Phillies have one of the best options in baseball sitting there, waiting for them to call him up. Sandberg should have been named manager of the Cubs this offseason, but he wasn't, and now the Phillies get to reap the benefits. Considering how well Chicago made out with Sandberg during his playing days, I'm ok with this. I mean, the Cubs got Larry Bowa and Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus, which was one of the worst trades in Phillies history. Now, the Phillies finally get Sandberg back, and it's about time. I don't expect Sandberg to manage the Phillies in the next few years, but he should be tabbed for the next manager job in Philadelphia. Nothing is set in stone yet, but things are in motion right now.
Honestly, Ryne Sandberg should be a manager in the major leagues right now, but the Chicago Cubs loss is the gain for the Phillies. He's going to be great managing down in Triple A, and when Manuel steps away, he'll be there waiting for his chance. This could be going any better for the Phils right now. It's been such a long time, but the Phillies may finally have Ryne Sandberg back. It's about time.
CSNPhilly.com: Phillies resign Contreras
CSNPhilly.com: Phillies tab Ryne Sandberg to coach AAA
After a solid season last year, many people were hopeful that Jose Contreras would be brought back for at least next season. Even at age 39 (or so), Contreras was one of the best relief pitchers for the Phillies last season, going 6-4 with a 3.34 ERA. Well, today, the Phillies rewarded Contreras with a two year, $5.5 million contract, giving him two more years in the red and white pinstripes.
This is a good move for the Phillies, who are going to need to keep some of their better bullpen options for next year. Contreras was pretty much the most consistent relief pitcher that the Phillies had last season, and it's worth the money to bring him back. While deals for a hard throwing pitcher can come back to bite you, Contreras showed his worth with the Rockies back in 2009, and really earned his stripes with the Phils last year. He's worth the money, especially with the way he pitched last season. I was hopeful that the Phillies would bring him back, and they did. It may have been for a bit more money than people may have expected, but to get Contreras back for under $3 million per season? I'll take it.
With the other move today, the Phillies finally resolved 29 years of frustration. It took almost three decades, but Ryne Sandberg is back in the fold for the Phils. It's not as a player, of course but as the manager of the Triple A Leihigh Valley Iron Pigs. Sandberg left the Chicago Cubs when he wasn't chosen as the manager after Lou Piniella retired, but it's for the best that he's with the Phillies now. Sandberg has been very, very good as a minor league manager, and he was expected to take over in Chicago, but the Cubs decided to go in another direction. Now, the Phillies have him once again, and they might just have their successor to Charlie Manuel.
I'm not hoping that Charlie Manuel is going to leave any time soon, but now the Phillies have one of the best options in baseball sitting there, waiting for them to call him up. Sandberg should have been named manager of the Cubs this offseason, but he wasn't, and now the Phillies get to reap the benefits. Considering how well Chicago made out with Sandberg during his playing days, I'm ok with this. I mean, the Cubs got Larry Bowa and Sandberg for Ivan DeJesus, which was one of the worst trades in Phillies history. Now, the Phillies finally get Sandberg back, and it's about time. I don't expect Sandberg to manage the Phillies in the next few years, but he should be tabbed for the next manager job in Philadelphia. Nothing is set in stone yet, but things are in motion right now.
Honestly, Ryne Sandberg should be a manager in the major leagues right now, but the Chicago Cubs loss is the gain for the Phillies. He's going to be great managing down in Triple A, and when Manuel steps away, he'll be there waiting for his chance. This could be going any better for the Phils right now. It's been such a long time, but the Phillies may finally have Ryne Sandberg back. It's about time.
CSNPhilly.com: Phillies resign Contreras
CSNPhilly.com: Phillies tab Ryne Sandberg to coach AAA
Phillies News Recap
Yeah, it's been almost a week since my last post. Sorry about that, haven't had as much computer access as I would have wanted. Either way, it may be the offseason for the Phillies, but they're still making news, even as they prepare to go for their fifth straight National League East pennant.
First and foremost, the National League Gold Gloves were announced last week, and Shane Victorino won his third straight award in centerfield. Victorino led all National League outfielders with 11 assists, and has been nothing but an asset for the Phils since he took over in center. Most people have lost track of the number of hits that Shane has turned into outs, and that's a good thing. He deserves the Gold Glove, and while Jimmy Rollins had his three season streak come to an end, the Phillies could have had both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco in consideration as well. Regardless, it's good to see Victorino getting some more recognition.
The other news that came out last week was the replacement for Davey Lopes as a first base coach. It turns out that the Phillies didn't have to look far, as they moved third base coach Sam Perlozzo across the diamond to first base, and filled his shoes with former Phillie Juan Samuel, who is going to take over as the third base coach. Personally, I would rather see Samuel, who had world class speed as a player, coaching at first base, but apparently, Perlozzo wanted to coach the base runners, and who am I to argue with Charlie Manuel at this point? Plus, Perlozzo is a very good third base coach, and while he's never been a first base coach, he should be able to pick things up very quickly. It's not going to be as fun without Lopes in the first base box, considering he turned the Phillies into one of the best base stealing teams in baseball, but the team is still the same, the only thing missing is Lopes. We won't be able to tell how much of a difference this makes until the season starts, but everything should be ok, at least on the basepaths.
Why can't next year be here already?
CSNPhilly.com: Victorino wins third Gold Glove
CSNPhilly.com: Perlozzo moves to first base with Samuel hiring
First and foremost, the National League Gold Gloves were announced last week, and Shane Victorino won his third straight award in centerfield. Victorino led all National League outfielders with 11 assists, and has been nothing but an asset for the Phils since he took over in center. Most people have lost track of the number of hits that Shane has turned into outs, and that's a good thing. He deserves the Gold Glove, and while Jimmy Rollins had his three season streak come to an end, the Phillies could have had both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco in consideration as well. Regardless, it's good to see Victorino getting some more recognition.
The other news that came out last week was the replacement for Davey Lopes as a first base coach. It turns out that the Phillies didn't have to look far, as they moved third base coach Sam Perlozzo across the diamond to first base, and filled his shoes with former Phillie Juan Samuel, who is going to take over as the third base coach. Personally, I would rather see Samuel, who had world class speed as a player, coaching at first base, but apparently, Perlozzo wanted to coach the base runners, and who am I to argue with Charlie Manuel at this point? Plus, Perlozzo is a very good third base coach, and while he's never been a first base coach, he should be able to pick things up very quickly. It's not going to be as fun without Lopes in the first base box, considering he turned the Phillies into one of the best base stealing teams in baseball, but the team is still the same, the only thing missing is Lopes. We won't be able to tell how much of a difference this makes until the season starts, but everything should be ok, at least on the basepaths.
Why can't next year be here already?
CSNPhilly.com: Victorino wins third Gold Glove
CSNPhilly.com: Perlozzo moves to first base with Samuel hiring
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Eagles Aftermath: Eagles-26, Colts-24
What Happened?
For the first time in his coaching career, Andy Reid beat the Indianapolis Colts behind a good showing from Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and some timely defense.
The Good:
Michael Vick actually outplayed Peyton Manning, completing 17 of 29 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball ten times for 74 yards and another touchdown.
DeSean Jackson played his first game since suffering a concussion and didn't look like he missed a step. He caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score, and he also ran three times for 20 yards.
LeSean McCoy started the game with a 62 yard run that led to a touchdown. He finished the day with 95 yards on 16 carries.
The defense as a unit was solid against the Colts. The Eagles sacked Peyton Manning three times and held Donald Brown and Javarris James to just 62 yards on the ground.
Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, including on the final offensive play for the Colts. He also held Pierre Garcon to just two catches for 15 yards.
In his first career start, Dimitri Patterson was matched up against Reggie Wayne for most of the day, and he played well. Wayne caught 11 passes, but only for 83 yards, and he didn't have a touchdown.
David Akers went 4/4 in field goal attempts.
The Bad:
The Eagles made it inside the Indianapolis 20 yard line five different times and only scored two touchdowns. They beat the Colts, but normally, teams can't beat Peyton Manning with field goals.
After that 62 yard run to start the game, LeSean McCoy only had 33 more yards on 15 carries.
Brent Celek didn't catch a single pass during the game, though he did have a touchdown catch called back because of a penalty.
The Ugly:
The Eagles were called for 14 penalties, costing them 125 yards. While most of them were legit calls, others weren't.
Really, that's about it.
The Breakdown:
Sure, some people were picking the Eagles to actually knock off the Colts before this game started, but do you really think anyone actually believed it? The Eagles did have some things going in their favor, mostly that Andy Reid has never lost a game after the bye week, and that Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson were both returning from injuries. However, the fact still remained: you do not bet against Peyton Manning. It just doesn't happen.
Well, this past Sunday, the Eagles came out and did something that they haven't done since the 1993 season: defeat the Indianapolis Colts. Andy Reid beat the Colts for the first time in his head coaching career, and more importantly, the Eagles moved to 5-3 on the season and actually look like one of the better teams in a very interesting NFC. Despite the close score at the end of the game, it wasn't that close, and should have been a blowout win for the Eagles. The only problem was that the offense couldn't do anything right once they got inside the 20 yard line.
The Eagles made it into the red zone five times during the course of the game, including on their first four offensive possessions. While the first drive ended with a touchdown, the next three weren't as successful, as David Akers had to come in a kick chip shot field goals. When you couple those four trips in with the one touchdown that the Colts scored in that same time frame, the Eagles could have been up 28-7 in the second quarter. Instead, thanks to missed chances, they only had a 16-7 lead, and Peyton Manning took that away with two scoring drives in the final two minutes of the half. Ten quick points by the Colts later, and Indianapolis had the lead at the half. Luckily, the Eagles came back to win the game, but it should have never come to that.
Is that nitpicking? Perhaps, but one of the biggest complaints about Kevin Kolb and hell, even Donovan McNabb was that they couldn't score touchdowns when they got into the red zone. Well, Michael Vick had five red zone trips, and only scored two touchdowns. It's not the quarterback that's necessarily the problem in this situation. It could be the play calling or the design of the offense, which falls back on Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg. They have to make sure that better calls get made once the offense gets down into the red zone. Most of the time, you can't beat Peyton Manning by kicking field goals. Had those two Indianapolis scoring drives come at the end of the fourth quarter, this would be a bigger issue this week, but it's not. It's still a problem that has been hurting the Eagles all season long, though. Something has to be done about it.
With that being said, the offense still had a good game on Sunday. LeSean McCoy started things off with a 62 yard run on the first play of the game that set the tone for the offense in the first half. McCoy only finished with 95 yards, but that run helped take the wind out of the Colts' sails early. Michael Vick returned from injury and looked no worse for wear. He did have a few throws that were almost intercepted, but close doesn't count in the NFL. Vick looked comfortable in the pocket, and when he had to run, he did. Several times in the second half, Vick turned what would have been a poor play into a good one using his legs, and it's thanks to him that the Eagles were able to kill about six and a half minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter with a nine point lead. There were times when it seemed like Vick was just toying with the Indianapolis defense, and it was fun to watch.
DeSean Jackson also made his return from a concussion and looked great, recording his third 100 yard receiving game of the season while catching Vick's touchdown pass in the first quarter. Jackson was also instrumental on the last drive for the Eagles, picking up a first down on a well timed reverse that took 40 seconds off the clock. It doesn't look like Jackson showed any ill effects from his concussion, and if he can keep playing like he did on Sunday, then the Eagles are going to have a good offense for the rest of the season.
Of course, someone had to stop Peyton Manning, and the defense was up to the task. Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, and the defensive line put a lot of pressure on Manning, sacking him three times and hurrying his throws throughout the game. During one stretch, Manning completed just three of 14 passes, showing how much of a difference the Philadelphia pass rush made. The Colts couldn't get anything going on the ground either, as Donald Brown managed just 50 yards on 12 carries, forcing the game onto Manning's shoulders. While that's something that Manning is used to, he couldn't finish things against the Eagles. He almost did, though, with some help from the officials.
I normally won't get into officiating, because I know how hard it can be to make a close call. The referees are out on the field, making snap judgments in the blink of an eye, without the benefit of replay most of the time. They can be wrong. The call on the play where Austin Collie got hurt was a bit weak, considering Collie was knocked into Kurt Coleman, who was trying to lead with his shoulder, but ended up hitting Collie helmet to helmet. Fortunately, the NFL didn't fine either Coleman or Quintin Mikell for the hits on Collie, who hopefully will be back on the field before too long. The kicker about that entire situation was that Coleman wouldn't have even been in the game had Nate Allen not gotten hurt earlier on. Allen is likely going to miss this upcoming game with a neck sprain. Allen has looked good so far this year, so I'm hoping this is only going to be a one week type injury.
The one call that I did have a problem with was the call late in the fourth quarter. With the Colts facing a fourth and 18, with the game essentially on the line, Trent Cole managed to strip Peyton Manning, and the Eagles recovered. The only problem was that, in reaching around Manning's body to knock the ball loose, Cole brushed his arm against Manning's helmet. Cole was called for a 15 yard personal foul for hitting the quarterback's helmet, and the drive continued. The Colts would score later on to make it a 26-24 game, but they wouldn't get another chance. Now, by the letter of the law, the penalty was correct. You can't hit a quarterback in the helmet. However, it was a weak call, considering that Cole was going for the ball, and wasn't even trying to hit Manning in the head. It's not like he launched himself at Manning, or hit him after the play. He brushed his arm against the back of his helmet while trying to knock the ball loose. I'm not sure how you can change that rule, but something should be done about it. The only problem is that I don't know if anything can be done. Quarterbacks do have to be protected, and if you take that rule away, they'll be getting knocked around a lot more. I'm just glad that the call didn't cost the Eagles the game.
I said during my midseason recap that a 4-3 record was where I saw the Eagles before the season started. Well, after Week 9, I had the Eagles at 4-4. I didn't think there was any way that the Eagles would beat the Colts, but they did it, and now they're sitting at 5-3, with just the Giants ahead of them in the NFC East. Things aren't going to get any easier for the Eagles the rest of the way, as five of their last eight games are against divisional opponents, and the other three are against the Bears, Texans and Vikings, three teams fighting for their seasons right now. Beating the Colts certainly gave this team more confidence, and they should continue to perform well as the season goes along. As long as they don't play down to the level of their opponents, the Eagles will be fine and might even make the playoffs. Next week, the Eagles are headed down to Washington to take on Donovan McNabb on Monday Night Football. McNabb got his in Philadelphia, and now, it's time for the Eagles to get a little payback.
For the first time in his coaching career, Andy Reid beat the Indianapolis Colts behind a good showing from Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and some timely defense.
The Good:
Michael Vick actually outplayed Peyton Manning, completing 17 of 29 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball ten times for 74 yards and another touchdown.
DeSean Jackson played his first game since suffering a concussion and didn't look like he missed a step. He caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score, and he also ran three times for 20 yards.
LeSean McCoy started the game with a 62 yard run that led to a touchdown. He finished the day with 95 yards on 16 carries.
The defense as a unit was solid against the Colts. The Eagles sacked Peyton Manning three times and held Donald Brown and Javarris James to just 62 yards on the ground.
Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, including on the final offensive play for the Colts. He also held Pierre Garcon to just two catches for 15 yards.
In his first career start, Dimitri Patterson was matched up against Reggie Wayne for most of the day, and he played well. Wayne caught 11 passes, but only for 83 yards, and he didn't have a touchdown.
David Akers went 4/4 in field goal attempts.
The Bad:
The Eagles made it inside the Indianapolis 20 yard line five different times and only scored two touchdowns. They beat the Colts, but normally, teams can't beat Peyton Manning with field goals.
After that 62 yard run to start the game, LeSean McCoy only had 33 more yards on 15 carries.
Brent Celek didn't catch a single pass during the game, though he did have a touchdown catch called back because of a penalty.
The Ugly:
The Eagles were called for 14 penalties, costing them 125 yards. While most of them were legit calls, others weren't.
Really, that's about it.
The Breakdown:
Sure, some people were picking the Eagles to actually knock off the Colts before this game started, but do you really think anyone actually believed it? The Eagles did have some things going in their favor, mostly that Andy Reid has never lost a game after the bye week, and that Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson were both returning from injuries. However, the fact still remained: you do not bet against Peyton Manning. It just doesn't happen.
Well, this past Sunday, the Eagles came out and did something that they haven't done since the 1993 season: defeat the Indianapolis Colts. Andy Reid beat the Colts for the first time in his head coaching career, and more importantly, the Eagles moved to 5-3 on the season and actually look like one of the better teams in a very interesting NFC. Despite the close score at the end of the game, it wasn't that close, and should have been a blowout win for the Eagles. The only problem was that the offense couldn't do anything right once they got inside the 20 yard line.
The Eagles made it into the red zone five times during the course of the game, including on their first four offensive possessions. While the first drive ended with a touchdown, the next three weren't as successful, as David Akers had to come in a kick chip shot field goals. When you couple those four trips in with the one touchdown that the Colts scored in that same time frame, the Eagles could have been up 28-7 in the second quarter. Instead, thanks to missed chances, they only had a 16-7 lead, and Peyton Manning took that away with two scoring drives in the final two minutes of the half. Ten quick points by the Colts later, and Indianapolis had the lead at the half. Luckily, the Eagles came back to win the game, but it should have never come to that.
Is that nitpicking? Perhaps, but one of the biggest complaints about Kevin Kolb and hell, even Donovan McNabb was that they couldn't score touchdowns when they got into the red zone. Well, Michael Vick had five red zone trips, and only scored two touchdowns. It's not the quarterback that's necessarily the problem in this situation. It could be the play calling or the design of the offense, which falls back on Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg. They have to make sure that better calls get made once the offense gets down into the red zone. Most of the time, you can't beat Peyton Manning by kicking field goals. Had those two Indianapolis scoring drives come at the end of the fourth quarter, this would be a bigger issue this week, but it's not. It's still a problem that has been hurting the Eagles all season long, though. Something has to be done about it.
With that being said, the offense still had a good game on Sunday. LeSean McCoy started things off with a 62 yard run on the first play of the game that set the tone for the offense in the first half. McCoy only finished with 95 yards, but that run helped take the wind out of the Colts' sails early. Michael Vick returned from injury and looked no worse for wear. He did have a few throws that were almost intercepted, but close doesn't count in the NFL. Vick looked comfortable in the pocket, and when he had to run, he did. Several times in the second half, Vick turned what would have been a poor play into a good one using his legs, and it's thanks to him that the Eagles were able to kill about six and a half minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter with a nine point lead. There were times when it seemed like Vick was just toying with the Indianapolis defense, and it was fun to watch.
DeSean Jackson also made his return from a concussion and looked great, recording his third 100 yard receiving game of the season while catching Vick's touchdown pass in the first quarter. Jackson was also instrumental on the last drive for the Eagles, picking up a first down on a well timed reverse that took 40 seconds off the clock. It doesn't look like Jackson showed any ill effects from his concussion, and if he can keep playing like he did on Sunday, then the Eagles are going to have a good offense for the rest of the season.
Of course, someone had to stop Peyton Manning, and the defense was up to the task. Asante Samuel intercepted Manning twice, and the defensive line put a lot of pressure on Manning, sacking him three times and hurrying his throws throughout the game. During one stretch, Manning completed just three of 14 passes, showing how much of a difference the Philadelphia pass rush made. The Colts couldn't get anything going on the ground either, as Donald Brown managed just 50 yards on 12 carries, forcing the game onto Manning's shoulders. While that's something that Manning is used to, he couldn't finish things against the Eagles. He almost did, though, with some help from the officials.
I normally won't get into officiating, because I know how hard it can be to make a close call. The referees are out on the field, making snap judgments in the blink of an eye, without the benefit of replay most of the time. They can be wrong. The call on the play where Austin Collie got hurt was a bit weak, considering Collie was knocked into Kurt Coleman, who was trying to lead with his shoulder, but ended up hitting Collie helmet to helmet. Fortunately, the NFL didn't fine either Coleman or Quintin Mikell for the hits on Collie, who hopefully will be back on the field before too long. The kicker about that entire situation was that Coleman wouldn't have even been in the game had Nate Allen not gotten hurt earlier on. Allen is likely going to miss this upcoming game with a neck sprain. Allen has looked good so far this year, so I'm hoping this is only going to be a one week type injury.
The one call that I did have a problem with was the call late in the fourth quarter. With the Colts facing a fourth and 18, with the game essentially on the line, Trent Cole managed to strip Peyton Manning, and the Eagles recovered. The only problem was that, in reaching around Manning's body to knock the ball loose, Cole brushed his arm against Manning's helmet. Cole was called for a 15 yard personal foul for hitting the quarterback's helmet, and the drive continued. The Colts would score later on to make it a 26-24 game, but they wouldn't get another chance. Now, by the letter of the law, the penalty was correct. You can't hit a quarterback in the helmet. However, it was a weak call, considering that Cole was going for the ball, and wasn't even trying to hit Manning in the head. It's not like he launched himself at Manning, or hit him after the play. He brushed his arm against the back of his helmet while trying to knock the ball loose. I'm not sure how you can change that rule, but something should be done about it. The only problem is that I don't know if anything can be done. Quarterbacks do have to be protected, and if you take that rule away, they'll be getting knocked around a lot more. I'm just glad that the call didn't cost the Eagles the game.
I said during my midseason recap that a 4-3 record was where I saw the Eagles before the season started. Well, after Week 9, I had the Eagles at 4-4. I didn't think there was any way that the Eagles would beat the Colts, but they did it, and now they're sitting at 5-3, with just the Giants ahead of them in the NFC East. Things aren't going to get any easier for the Eagles the rest of the way, as five of their last eight games are against divisional opponents, and the other three are against the Bears, Texans and Vikings, three teams fighting for their seasons right now. Beating the Colts certainly gave this team more confidence, and they should continue to perform well as the season goes along. As long as they don't play down to the level of their opponents, the Eagles will be fine and might even make the playoffs. Next week, the Eagles are headed down to Washington to take on Donovan McNabb on Monday Night Football. McNabb got his in Philadelphia, and now, it's time for the Eagles to get a little payback.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Philadelphia Eagles at the halfway point: Looking for good news in a bad NFC
The first eight weeks of the NFL season are over, and now that the Eagles have had their bye week, it's time to look back and see exactly what's gone down so far. Honestly, halfway through the season, I had the Eagles with a 4-3 record, so they're exactly where I thought they would be so far this season. However, what I didn't expect was the NFC as a whole to be as mediocre as it has been so far. You have the Cowboys at 1-6, the NFC North being led by the injury laden Green Bay Packers at 5-3 and the Chicago Bears, who have no offensive line, the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having a 5-2 record, despite being outscored by almost 30 points on the season and the NFC West, where no team is any good. Right now, it is a picture of mediocrity, and if the Eagles can win a few close games, they'll be right in the thick of things over the next nine weeks.
This isn't about what's coming up, though. This is about what's already happened. So, let's look back on the first eight weeks of the season.
Quarterback:
Boy, things have changed since the season started, haven't they? Donovan McNabb got benched, and all kinds of things are being stirred up...no, that's in Washington. However, things haven't been that easy with the Eagles, where Kevin Kolb got knocked out of the first game of the season with a concussion, then lost his starting job to Michael Vick. Vick looked very good in wins against Detroit and Jacksonville, but then got hurt against the Redskins, giving the job back to Kolb once again. Kolb had two good games against San Francisco and Atlanta, but didn't look as good against the Titans. So far this year, Kolb has passed for over 1,000 yards in about five games, with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Meanwhile, Michael Vick, who is getting the starting job back this week against the Colts, has passed for 799 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions and has rushed for 187 yards on the ground. If you're going to make me pick a quarterback for the rest of the season, I would go with Vick, only because of the offensive line situation.
Kevin Kolb still looks like he can start in the NFL, but Michael Vick is the better man for the job at the moment. People might not agree with his past, but the fact is that the man had done a good job as quarterback of this team before he got hurt, and he should be good again. You can argue that he played against a Green Bay team that wasn't ready for him, and against Detroit and Jacksonville, two questionable teams at best this year, but Detroit beat the Redskins, while the Jaguars just took out the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. Vick's performances are starting to look better as the season goes along. For now, I'm siding with Vick, but the grade at the quarterback position right now is yet to be seen.
Grade: Incomplete. Injuries to both quarterbacks have gotten us little time to see how each can perform over a full season. Taking three or four games is not a large enough sample size. If Vick can play well over the next few weeks, then this will start to look better.
Running Backs:
Believe it or not, but the Eagles have more rushes this year than passes. While some of those plays were quarterback scrambles, others have been to LeSean McCoy, who is starting to establish himself as a good running back in the NFL. McCoy doesn't always get a lot of carries, but when he does, he's made them count, picking up 4.5 yards per rush and scoring five touchdowns in seven games. McCoy is also a threat through the air, leading the team with 38 catches, despite not having a touchdown.
The rest of the running game hasn't had good news this year. Leonard Weaver had one carry, and promptly blew out his knee, while Mike Bell was shipped off to Cleveland for Jerome Harrison. Harrison hasn't even touched the ball for the Eagles yet. Weaver's replacement, Owen Schmitt, has been a decent receiving option, but isn't the same presence that Weaver was last year. Without Weaver back there to pick up an extra rusher, the opposing defense has been able to get through at a decent rate, and with the offensive line struggles, that's not a good thing. However, McCoy looks more and more like the running back of the future for the Eagles.
Grade: B. McCoy has been solid, but the rest of the running game has failed to due much. Injuries have hurt, but when Michael Vick is the second leading rusher on the team, and he's only played in two full games, something isn't right.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
So far this year, Jeremy Maclin has shown why the Eagles traded up for him in the 2009 Draft. Maclin has been the go to receiver this season, catching 30 passes for over 450 yards with six touchdowns, putting him well on pace to get past all the marks he had last year as a rookie. Maclin isn't completely there yet, but he's getting close, and it's looking better and better for the young man out of Missouri. DeSean Jackson is still one of the best deep threats in the NFL, and despite suffering his second concussion in two years against the Falcons, he'll be ready to go against the Colts. Jackson was a favorite target for Kolb and Vick, as he's averaged over 20 yards a catch and scored three times. Jason Avant is still a very, very good third receiver in the slot, and he's not afraid to go across the middle to make a big catch when he needs to.
After last year's excellent season, Brent Celek has been a disappointment so far this year. Part of it can be linked to the quarterback issues, but the rest of it still can come back to him. Celek was one of the best tight ends in the NFC last season, but this year, he's just in the middle of the pack, going through half a season with just 21 catches and only two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came when Kevin Kolb was in at quarterback, showing the good bond that the two players have, but Michael Vick did have Alge Crumpler as his tight end in Atlanta, so he knows how to throw to a tight end in the middle of the field. Celek hasn't even broken 50 yards in a single game so far this season, and he needs to re-establish himself as one of the top tight ends in the NFC if the Eagles want to have a better shot at making the playoffs. If he doesn't, then the offense might find themselves in a big jam. DeSean Jackson isn't a big red zone target, and Riley Cooper, while talented, is just a rookie. Celek needs to get himself back into the offense, and that has to start this week against the Colts.
Grade: B+ for the receivers, C for the tight ends. Maclin has been very good this year, and Jackson is still a great deep threat, even with the concussion issues. When you throw in Jason Avant and Riley Cooper, it's hard to believe that this team was thinking about signing Randy Moss a few years ago. Brent Celek has been a disappointment this year, though. He needs to step up as the season goes along.
Offensive Line:
Where should I start? The offensive line has been bad this season from the first game up until the last one against the Titans. While they've improved a bit as the season has gone on, they still don't look like much of a line, and with Winston Justice, Jason Peters, Nick Cole and Mike McGlynn out there, things aren't going to get much better, either. Even when you have Peters coming out of the lineup because of injury, King Dunlap is coming in to play for him. It's not an improvement at all. I wasn't sure how Peters made the Pro Bowl last season, and this year, he's been even worse. When you throw that in with a second season ending injury in two years to Jammal Jackson, things couldn't be any worse for this offensive line at the moment.
The Eagles have given up 21 sacks so far this season, and more of them have been to Michael Vick than Kevin Kolb. Part of that has to do with Vick's ability to scramble, but the rest of it can be linked back to the fact that this line just isn't that good this year. It's hard to believe that a couple of years ago, Tra Thomas and U.S. Congressman Jon Runyan were the bookends on one of the better lines in the NFL. Now, the Eagles have Jason Peters and Winston Justice out there. It's not a good switch. This line is going to have to keep getting better, and fast, as the season continues, because the Eagles are going to be facing a lot of good rushing defenses in the second half of the season.
Grade: D. Only because they haven't looked as bad in recent weeks.
Defense:
I'm going to look at the defense as a whole, just because that's how it should be looked at. Just like the offense this year, the defense has had good games (against Jacksonville and Atlanta) and bad days (Tennessee comes to mind). While the Eagles have given up 157 points on defense so far this year, they rank closer to the top third of the league in yards allowed, still sticking to that bend, but don't break policy that Jim Johnson brought in so long ago. The defensive line has been very good at shutting down running backs this season, from Ryan Grant to Frank Gore and Michael Turner and Chris Johnson. The Eagles have faced some of the best backs in football, and none of them have reached 100 yards against the defense. That's a very, very good thing.
The defensive line has also created a solid pass rush, picking up 21 sacks in seven games this year. Of course, Trent Cole is leading the way with six sacks, but Juqua Parker has been a solid contributor as well with 4.5 sacks of his own. Brandon Graham, who was on a lot of short lists for the Rookie of the Year on defense, has been a bit of a disappointment, playing in just five games due to ankle and what's being described on ESPN as a "painful prostate infection..." has just two sacks and seven tackles this year. Broderick Bunkley is more than likely out for the season, but Mike Patterson has been holding down the middle of the line and Atonio Dixon has looked good in place of Bunkley.
In the middle of the field, the linebackers have had an ok season so far. Aside from a $50,000 fine, Ernie Sims has been just about what people expected after coming over from Detroit. He's not going to cover many people, but he will make tackles and hit people hard. That's what he does. Stewart Bradley came back from a concussion against the Packers and while he hasn't been quite the force that he was in 2008, he's getting his form back. It usually takes a year to come back from a knee injury like he had, anyway. The strongside linebacker position has been an issue, where Moise Fokou, a seventh round pick from last year's draft, took over for Akeem Jordan. That's a clear weak spot in the defense, and it's going to need to be addressed during the offseason. There's not much that can be done for it now, save for hoping that Fokou continues to improve as the season goes on.
The secondary is another issue. While Nate Allen had a great first month of the season, picking off three passes, he's started to come down a little bit as the season goes along. It'll be interesting to see how he handles the rest of his rookie year. Asante Samuel is still Asante Samuel. He's going to jump routes, make big interceptions at times and then make you scratch your head at others. He'll miss tackles, then bring down a man in the open field. Is he overrated as a cornerback? Yes, a little bit. He's still a good player, though, and most teams in the NFL would want to have him. Quintin Mikell leads the team in tackles and while he still needs some work at reading routes, he's a solid safety that just needs a little more work. I'm still wondering how he ended up as a second team All Pro a few years ago, though. Then, there's Ellis Hobbs, who is still trying to find a way to cover Kenny Britt. He's looking so much, that Dimitri Patterson just came in and took his starting job away. All I can say is it's about time. Hobbs has had good games and bad games, but the only problem is that his bad games tend to cost the Eagles a win. Look at his showing against the Titans and Kenny Britt. Seven catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns later, Tennessee is finishing off what looks like a blowout against the Eagles. That can't happen. That's why Hobbs isn't starting any more. It needed to be done, probably a few weeks before it happened.
Grade: B. The defense has looked good at times, and then laid eggs at others. While they've been able to shut down most of the high powered running backs this year, it's been the lesser known ones, like Ryan Torain and rookie Javhid Best, that have gashed the Eagles. Plus, as the game goes along, the defense has shown a bit of a lack of killer instinct. They almost lost to the Lions at the end, and the Titans came back and blew them out in the fourth quarter. The potential is there for a good defense, but they need to take that next step.
Special Teams:
It turns out the one decent thing that Ellis Hobbs has is returning kicks. While he hasn't been great, Hobbs is averaging almost 24 yards per return. It's nothing special, but at least he's not Reno Mahe. DeSean Jackson has struggled on punt returns this year, and in his place, Jorrick Calvin has stepped in and done a decent job. The punt return position could be a bit better, but if that's one of the biggest worries on special teams, it's ok.
Meanwhile, Sav Rocca is actually punting the ball well this year, averaging over 47 yards per punt. That's almost five yards more per punt than his average last year, and while that doesn't seem like much, five yards in a big situation can make a big difference. It's about time Rocca started booting the ball like that. Right now, he's third in the league in yards per punt, behind just Mike Scifres of the Chargers and Shane Lechler of the Raiders. That's not bad company to be in. David Akers is still just as solid as ever, despite missing three field goals in a single game this year. Other than that one game against the Falcons, Akers has missed just one kick this year, and he still has the power in his leg that got him to this point. Akers hasn't missed an extra point this season, and is still getting good length on his kickoffs. He's getting older, but he's still David Akers.
Special Teams: B+. The return game hasn't been great, but the kicking and punting aspect has been very, very good this year. Akers and Rocca move the grade up a notch or two.
Overall, this team is right where I thought they would be, even without all the drama at the quarterback position. These next few games are going to be the big test, as the Eagles face the Colts, then the Redskins on Monday Night Football and then the New York Giants. Those three games are going to set the stage for the rest of the season, with three more divisional games coming up at the end of the year. These last nine games aren't going to be easy for the Eagles, but if they can make the playoffs in the NFC, then anything can happen.
This isn't about what's coming up, though. This is about what's already happened. So, let's look back on the first eight weeks of the season.
Quarterback:
Boy, things have changed since the season started, haven't they? Donovan McNabb got benched, and all kinds of things are being stirred up...no, that's in Washington. However, things haven't been that easy with the Eagles, where Kevin Kolb got knocked out of the first game of the season with a concussion, then lost his starting job to Michael Vick. Vick looked very good in wins against Detroit and Jacksonville, but then got hurt against the Redskins, giving the job back to Kolb once again. Kolb had two good games against San Francisco and Atlanta, but didn't look as good against the Titans. So far this year, Kolb has passed for over 1,000 yards in about five games, with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Meanwhile, Michael Vick, who is getting the starting job back this week against the Colts, has passed for 799 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions and has rushed for 187 yards on the ground. If you're going to make me pick a quarterback for the rest of the season, I would go with Vick, only because of the offensive line situation.
Kevin Kolb still looks like he can start in the NFL, but Michael Vick is the better man for the job at the moment. People might not agree with his past, but the fact is that the man had done a good job as quarterback of this team before he got hurt, and he should be good again. You can argue that he played against a Green Bay team that wasn't ready for him, and against Detroit and Jacksonville, two questionable teams at best this year, but Detroit beat the Redskins, while the Jaguars just took out the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas. Vick's performances are starting to look better as the season goes along. For now, I'm siding with Vick, but the grade at the quarterback position right now is yet to be seen.
Grade: Incomplete. Injuries to both quarterbacks have gotten us little time to see how each can perform over a full season. Taking three or four games is not a large enough sample size. If Vick can play well over the next few weeks, then this will start to look better.
Running Backs:
Believe it or not, but the Eagles have more rushes this year than passes. While some of those plays were quarterback scrambles, others have been to LeSean McCoy, who is starting to establish himself as a good running back in the NFL. McCoy doesn't always get a lot of carries, but when he does, he's made them count, picking up 4.5 yards per rush and scoring five touchdowns in seven games. McCoy is also a threat through the air, leading the team with 38 catches, despite not having a touchdown.
The rest of the running game hasn't had good news this year. Leonard Weaver had one carry, and promptly blew out his knee, while Mike Bell was shipped off to Cleveland for Jerome Harrison. Harrison hasn't even touched the ball for the Eagles yet. Weaver's replacement, Owen Schmitt, has been a decent receiving option, but isn't the same presence that Weaver was last year. Without Weaver back there to pick up an extra rusher, the opposing defense has been able to get through at a decent rate, and with the offensive line struggles, that's not a good thing. However, McCoy looks more and more like the running back of the future for the Eagles.
Grade: B. McCoy has been solid, but the rest of the running game has failed to due much. Injuries have hurt, but when Michael Vick is the second leading rusher on the team, and he's only played in two full games, something isn't right.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
So far this year, Jeremy Maclin has shown why the Eagles traded up for him in the 2009 Draft. Maclin has been the go to receiver this season, catching 30 passes for over 450 yards with six touchdowns, putting him well on pace to get past all the marks he had last year as a rookie. Maclin isn't completely there yet, but he's getting close, and it's looking better and better for the young man out of Missouri. DeSean Jackson is still one of the best deep threats in the NFL, and despite suffering his second concussion in two years against the Falcons, he'll be ready to go against the Colts. Jackson was a favorite target for Kolb and Vick, as he's averaged over 20 yards a catch and scored three times. Jason Avant is still a very, very good third receiver in the slot, and he's not afraid to go across the middle to make a big catch when he needs to.
After last year's excellent season, Brent Celek has been a disappointment so far this year. Part of it can be linked to the quarterback issues, but the rest of it still can come back to him. Celek was one of the best tight ends in the NFC last season, but this year, he's just in the middle of the pack, going through half a season with just 21 catches and only two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came when Kevin Kolb was in at quarterback, showing the good bond that the two players have, but Michael Vick did have Alge Crumpler as his tight end in Atlanta, so he knows how to throw to a tight end in the middle of the field. Celek hasn't even broken 50 yards in a single game so far this season, and he needs to re-establish himself as one of the top tight ends in the NFC if the Eagles want to have a better shot at making the playoffs. If he doesn't, then the offense might find themselves in a big jam. DeSean Jackson isn't a big red zone target, and Riley Cooper, while talented, is just a rookie. Celek needs to get himself back into the offense, and that has to start this week against the Colts.
Grade: B+ for the receivers, C for the tight ends. Maclin has been very good this year, and Jackson is still a great deep threat, even with the concussion issues. When you throw in Jason Avant and Riley Cooper, it's hard to believe that this team was thinking about signing Randy Moss a few years ago. Brent Celek has been a disappointment this year, though. He needs to step up as the season goes along.
Offensive Line:
Where should I start? The offensive line has been bad this season from the first game up until the last one against the Titans. While they've improved a bit as the season has gone on, they still don't look like much of a line, and with Winston Justice, Jason Peters, Nick Cole and Mike McGlynn out there, things aren't going to get much better, either. Even when you have Peters coming out of the lineup because of injury, King Dunlap is coming in to play for him. It's not an improvement at all. I wasn't sure how Peters made the Pro Bowl last season, and this year, he's been even worse. When you throw that in with a second season ending injury in two years to Jammal Jackson, things couldn't be any worse for this offensive line at the moment.
The Eagles have given up 21 sacks so far this season, and more of them have been to Michael Vick than Kevin Kolb. Part of that has to do with Vick's ability to scramble, but the rest of it can be linked back to the fact that this line just isn't that good this year. It's hard to believe that a couple of years ago, Tra Thomas and U.S. Congressman Jon Runyan were the bookends on one of the better lines in the NFL. Now, the Eagles have Jason Peters and Winston Justice out there. It's not a good switch. This line is going to have to keep getting better, and fast, as the season continues, because the Eagles are going to be facing a lot of good rushing defenses in the second half of the season.
Grade: D. Only because they haven't looked as bad in recent weeks.
Defense:
I'm going to look at the defense as a whole, just because that's how it should be looked at. Just like the offense this year, the defense has had good games (against Jacksonville and Atlanta) and bad days (Tennessee comes to mind). While the Eagles have given up 157 points on defense so far this year, they rank closer to the top third of the league in yards allowed, still sticking to that bend, but don't break policy that Jim Johnson brought in so long ago. The defensive line has been very good at shutting down running backs this season, from Ryan Grant to Frank Gore and Michael Turner and Chris Johnson. The Eagles have faced some of the best backs in football, and none of them have reached 100 yards against the defense. That's a very, very good thing.
The defensive line has also created a solid pass rush, picking up 21 sacks in seven games this year. Of course, Trent Cole is leading the way with six sacks, but Juqua Parker has been a solid contributor as well with 4.5 sacks of his own. Brandon Graham, who was on a lot of short lists for the Rookie of the Year on defense, has been a bit of a disappointment, playing in just five games due to ankle and what's being described on ESPN as a "painful prostate infection..." has just two sacks and seven tackles this year. Broderick Bunkley is more than likely out for the season, but Mike Patterson has been holding down the middle of the line and Atonio Dixon has looked good in place of Bunkley.
In the middle of the field, the linebackers have had an ok season so far. Aside from a $50,000 fine, Ernie Sims has been just about what people expected after coming over from Detroit. He's not going to cover many people, but he will make tackles and hit people hard. That's what he does. Stewart Bradley came back from a concussion against the Packers and while he hasn't been quite the force that he was in 2008, he's getting his form back. It usually takes a year to come back from a knee injury like he had, anyway. The strongside linebacker position has been an issue, where Moise Fokou, a seventh round pick from last year's draft, took over for Akeem Jordan. That's a clear weak spot in the defense, and it's going to need to be addressed during the offseason. There's not much that can be done for it now, save for hoping that Fokou continues to improve as the season goes on.
The secondary is another issue. While Nate Allen had a great first month of the season, picking off three passes, he's started to come down a little bit as the season goes along. It'll be interesting to see how he handles the rest of his rookie year. Asante Samuel is still Asante Samuel. He's going to jump routes, make big interceptions at times and then make you scratch your head at others. He'll miss tackles, then bring down a man in the open field. Is he overrated as a cornerback? Yes, a little bit. He's still a good player, though, and most teams in the NFL would want to have him. Quintin Mikell leads the team in tackles and while he still needs some work at reading routes, he's a solid safety that just needs a little more work. I'm still wondering how he ended up as a second team All Pro a few years ago, though. Then, there's Ellis Hobbs, who is still trying to find a way to cover Kenny Britt. He's looking so much, that Dimitri Patterson just came in and took his starting job away. All I can say is it's about time. Hobbs has had good games and bad games, but the only problem is that his bad games tend to cost the Eagles a win. Look at his showing against the Titans and Kenny Britt. Seven catches, 225 yards and three touchdowns later, Tennessee is finishing off what looks like a blowout against the Eagles. That can't happen. That's why Hobbs isn't starting any more. It needed to be done, probably a few weeks before it happened.
Grade: B. The defense has looked good at times, and then laid eggs at others. While they've been able to shut down most of the high powered running backs this year, it's been the lesser known ones, like Ryan Torain and rookie Javhid Best, that have gashed the Eagles. Plus, as the game goes along, the defense has shown a bit of a lack of killer instinct. They almost lost to the Lions at the end, and the Titans came back and blew them out in the fourth quarter. The potential is there for a good defense, but they need to take that next step.
Special Teams:
It turns out the one decent thing that Ellis Hobbs has is returning kicks. While he hasn't been great, Hobbs is averaging almost 24 yards per return. It's nothing special, but at least he's not Reno Mahe. DeSean Jackson has struggled on punt returns this year, and in his place, Jorrick Calvin has stepped in and done a decent job. The punt return position could be a bit better, but if that's one of the biggest worries on special teams, it's ok.
Meanwhile, Sav Rocca is actually punting the ball well this year, averaging over 47 yards per punt. That's almost five yards more per punt than his average last year, and while that doesn't seem like much, five yards in a big situation can make a big difference. It's about time Rocca started booting the ball like that. Right now, he's third in the league in yards per punt, behind just Mike Scifres of the Chargers and Shane Lechler of the Raiders. That's not bad company to be in. David Akers is still just as solid as ever, despite missing three field goals in a single game this year. Other than that one game against the Falcons, Akers has missed just one kick this year, and he still has the power in his leg that got him to this point. Akers hasn't missed an extra point this season, and is still getting good length on his kickoffs. He's getting older, but he's still David Akers.
Special Teams: B+. The return game hasn't been great, but the kicking and punting aspect has been very, very good this year. Akers and Rocca move the grade up a notch or two.
Overall, this team is right where I thought they would be, even without all the drama at the quarterback position. These next few games are going to be the big test, as the Eagles face the Colts, then the Redskins on Monday Night Football and then the New York Giants. Those three games are going to set the stage for the rest of the season, with three more divisional games coming up at the end of the year. These last nine games aren't going to be easy for the Eagles, but if they can make the playoffs in the NFC, then anything can happen.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The 2010 Phillies: So close, but so far away
The champagne still hasn't dried in the visiting locker room, and apparently, there might still be a few fires burning out in San Francisco, but the 2010 baseball season is over. For the first time since 1954, the San Francisco Giants are World Series champions, and to get there, they had to get past the Philadelphia Phillies, who had won the last two National League pennants, and looked like they were on their way to a third before the Giants took them out.
Hats off to the Giants. They were the better team this year. Regardless of record, as far as I'm concerned, the better team is the one that wins when it matters the most. The Phillies couldn't do it, and they had to watch someone else celebrate for the second year in a row. For a team that's made so many big moves over the last 12 months, it can't be sitting well with them, and it shouldn't be. The only problem is now there's even more questions going into the 2011 season than there were at this same point last year. CSNPhilly.com has reported that Davey Lopes will not be back next year, so he joins the likes of J.C. Romero and apparently Greg Dobbs and Jamie Moyer as Phillies who will not be with the team next season.
Pitching is key for next year.
There are still some good things to look at coming out of this season. The Phillies will still have Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt as their top three pitchers next season, with Joe Blanton a likely fourth, making for a solid starting rotation. Blanton was horrible in the first half of the year, but settled down at the end and was looking more like the pitcher he'd been in his first two seasons with the Phils. Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt could all be number one pitchers on another team, but the Phillies have all three of them. It's a good feeling there, considering two years ago, the Phils were hanging their hopes on Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers.
The back of the bullpen will still be there as well. Brad Lidge showed at the end of the season that he can still turn the clock back to the 2008 season, and Ryan Madson has become one of the best setup men in baseball. Without Romero, the Phillies will need to find a left handed setup man, and those can be few and far between. The Phils will likely look inward, towards Antonio Bastardo or Mike Zagurski to take Romero's role, but neither has been tested in a big game situation yet. However, sometimes the best cure for that is a trial by fire. Chad Durbin is also a free agent, as is Jose Contreras. Contreras might be brought back for another one year deal after a solid season with the Phillies, but I'm not sure about Durbin right now. With Durbin, you either had good days or bad days, and near the end, the bad days were becoming more common than the good ones. There's some work that needs to be done with the bullpen.
Then, there's the big question:
What about Jayson Werth?
Werth's power numbers may have been down this year, but he was still a productive member of the offense, and one of two position players not to spend any time on the disabled list this season. After two and a half seasons of starting with the Phils, Werth has earned his way to one big payday in his career, and while the Phillies might get a little bit of a discount, Werth is likely going to get offered a Jason Bay type contract from last season, meaning he might fall out of the price range for the Phillies. Would I like the Phillies to bring Werth back? Of course I would. He fits this team well, and plays well at the plate and in the field. He had major issues this year with runners in scoring position, and he does strike out a lot, but he's been a great right handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the past two and a half seasons.
That right there is the biggest key. Jayson Werth is a right handed bat in a heavy left handed offense. The Giants picked apart Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez during the NLCS, and while Werth struggled as well, he was still able to make pitchers think twice about pitching around him or making a bad pitch. The first option that the Phillies would likely look at would be to resign Werth. If that can't happen, then they would move to Plan B, which would be to put Domonic Brown out in right field. Brown was great in the minor leagues this year, but in his limited playing time with the Phils, he struggled, hitting just .210 and striking out 24 times in 62 at bats. He's still got a hole in his swing that big league pitchers can get at and exploit, and it might actually be better to have him go back to Triple A for a little bit to start the 2011 season and use Ben Francisco in right field if they have to. Francisco isn't a great option out in right, but he's a solid player and can be good at times. He's not Jayson Werth, but not many people are right now. Werth is likely the third best free agent on the market this offseason, behind Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford.
Will Werth be back? It would be great if he is, but I doubt it. The Phillies will likely make him an offer, but it's not going to be enough to bring him back with open arms. The Red Sox, Yankees and Angels will probably outbid the Phillies, who are still trying to claim a self enforced salary cap for next season. Werth has been a great member of this team, and I hate to see him go, especially after what he's done in the last three years, but I just don't see him coming back. Whichever team misses out on Crawford is going to jump at Werth, and they'll give him more money than the Phillies want to pay out. It's going to suck, but that's the most likely outcome of this situation. It's nothing that the Phillies did, but they still want to claim that they don't have the deep pockets of the big boys in baseball, and this time, it's going to bite them in the ass.
Answer: Werth will be a Yankee/Red Sox/Angel next season.
Aside from Werth, the offense will be back, and in some cases that's a good thing. Placido Polanco just had surgery on his elbow, but he should be ready to go by Spring Training, and Carlos Ruiz might be the most underrated catcher in all of baseball. Even with his playoff struggles, Ryan Howard is the big bat in the middle of the lineup. Shane Victorino shouldn't be going anywhere in center field, either. That leaves a few questions at the other positions.
Questions on offense.
The biggest question mark is probably Jimmy Rollins, who, despite being the face of the Phillies for the last half decade, looks like he's already peaked. Rollins will turn 32 at the end of November, and ever since his MVP season in 2007, he's gone downhill each and ever year. This year, Rollins dealt with injuries almost all season and never got on track. There's a chance that he could improve again next year, but his contract is up at the end of next season, and 2011 might be his last as a Phillie. Ruben Amaro might even try and see what the trade market is for Rollins, just due to how Wilson Valdez played in his place this year. Is Valdez a valid replacement for Rollins? Of course not, but after two seasons of hitting .250 or below with an on base percentage of less than .330, it might be time to start looking for another shortstop.
Chase Utley isn't in the same boat as Rollins, but he might be right next to it. Utley is probably the greatest second baseman in Phillies history, but this past season was his worst since 2004. Like Rollins, Utley will be 32 before next season starts, and his defense in the playoffs over the past two seasons has just been horrible. People will give Utley a pass this season because of the injury that he suffered, and they should, but they also need to keep in mind that he's played hurt the last couple of seasons and still hit 30 home runs. His peak may not have come and gone yet, but there's a part of me that thinks his best years might be behind him. There's no way that the Phillies will ship Utley out any time soon, but after this last season and his showing in the playoffs, the spotlight is going to be even brighter in 2011. Utley is going to have to perform at his best, but hopefully he can do that. I hate knocking Chase, I really do.
Then, there's Raul Ibanez, who is 38 going on 39 in the middle of 2011. Ibanez was the other Phillie position player to stay healthy this season, and he had a decent year, but his numbers were down from 2009, and his defense is becoming more and more of a factor. The Phillies might like to move Ibanez, but he's owed big money in the final year of his contract, so he's not going anywhere. At 38, Ibanez still played well, hitting 16 home runs and driving in over 80 runs, but he wasn't the same player that he was last year. He looked slower at the plate and in the field at times, and struck out over 100 times, which isn't uncommon for him, but hurt his power numbers even more. His 16 home runs were less than half of what he hit back in 2009, and it might mean that the power is leaving him after a good part of his career. He's still going to be productive in 2011, but how much the Phillies get out of him is another story.
In case you didn't notice, I'm really not that worried about the pitching staff. They did fine through the second half of the season and the playoffs. It's the offense that worries me. When the chips were down this year, they couldn't get it done at the plate. In 2008 and 2009, they did what they had to do, and they could even say the same for the later part of the 2007 season. This year, the San Francisco Giants shut down the Philadelphia offense and made them look silly in clutch situations. All you have to do is look at the last pitch of the season. Ryan Howard struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch. That's all you need to know right there. If the offense doesn't improve next season, and with the age increases and the potential loss of Jayson Werth, it likely won't, things could be the same next year.
Plus, the rest of the National League East is starting to catch up to the Phillies. The Atlanta Braves were in first place for most of the year before fading in September and clinching the Wild Card. They aren't a fluke, and they'll be back next season as well. Throw in the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets, who aren't going to take back to back losing seasons lying down, and the Phillies have some competition going into 2011 that hasn't been there in recent years. Remember, that lead that the Phils had at the end of this season was due to not only a great September by the Phillies, but a poor end of the season by the Braves. When you look at all the numbers, the two teams should have been much, much closer than they ended up.
Is the run for the Phillies done?
Is the window closed for the Phillies? Not yet, but it looks like it's starting to shut on this current generation. In the last three years, the Phillies have won the World Series, lost the World Series and then lost the NLCS. While it's the best run in Phillies history, it also shows that the rest of the National League is catching back up with them. Two years ago, this lineup was compared to one in the American League: that is, they had no weaknesses. Now, you can pick and choose your battles, and with Jayson Werth being a free agent, there is no right handed bat for this team. Can they still make another run or two with what they have? Of course they can. It just won't be as easy.
CSNPhilly.com: Lopes will not return next year.
Hats off to the Giants. They were the better team this year. Regardless of record, as far as I'm concerned, the better team is the one that wins when it matters the most. The Phillies couldn't do it, and they had to watch someone else celebrate for the second year in a row. For a team that's made so many big moves over the last 12 months, it can't be sitting well with them, and it shouldn't be. The only problem is now there's even more questions going into the 2011 season than there were at this same point last year. CSNPhilly.com has reported that Davey Lopes will not be back next year, so he joins the likes of J.C. Romero and apparently Greg Dobbs and Jamie Moyer as Phillies who will not be with the team next season.
Pitching is key for next year.
There are still some good things to look at coming out of this season. The Phillies will still have Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt as their top three pitchers next season, with Joe Blanton a likely fourth, making for a solid starting rotation. Blanton was horrible in the first half of the year, but settled down at the end and was looking more like the pitcher he'd been in his first two seasons with the Phils. Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt could all be number one pitchers on another team, but the Phillies have all three of them. It's a good feeling there, considering two years ago, the Phils were hanging their hopes on Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers.
The back of the bullpen will still be there as well. Brad Lidge showed at the end of the season that he can still turn the clock back to the 2008 season, and Ryan Madson has become one of the best setup men in baseball. Without Romero, the Phillies will need to find a left handed setup man, and those can be few and far between. The Phils will likely look inward, towards Antonio Bastardo or Mike Zagurski to take Romero's role, but neither has been tested in a big game situation yet. However, sometimes the best cure for that is a trial by fire. Chad Durbin is also a free agent, as is Jose Contreras. Contreras might be brought back for another one year deal after a solid season with the Phillies, but I'm not sure about Durbin right now. With Durbin, you either had good days or bad days, and near the end, the bad days were becoming more common than the good ones. There's some work that needs to be done with the bullpen.
Then, there's the big question:
What about Jayson Werth?
Werth's power numbers may have been down this year, but he was still a productive member of the offense, and one of two position players not to spend any time on the disabled list this season. After two and a half seasons of starting with the Phils, Werth has earned his way to one big payday in his career, and while the Phillies might get a little bit of a discount, Werth is likely going to get offered a Jason Bay type contract from last season, meaning he might fall out of the price range for the Phillies. Would I like the Phillies to bring Werth back? Of course I would. He fits this team well, and plays well at the plate and in the field. He had major issues this year with runners in scoring position, and he does strike out a lot, but he's been a great right handed bat in the middle of the lineup for the past two and a half seasons.
That right there is the biggest key. Jayson Werth is a right handed bat in a heavy left handed offense. The Giants picked apart Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez during the NLCS, and while Werth struggled as well, he was still able to make pitchers think twice about pitching around him or making a bad pitch. The first option that the Phillies would likely look at would be to resign Werth. If that can't happen, then they would move to Plan B, which would be to put Domonic Brown out in right field. Brown was great in the minor leagues this year, but in his limited playing time with the Phils, he struggled, hitting just .210 and striking out 24 times in 62 at bats. He's still got a hole in his swing that big league pitchers can get at and exploit, and it might actually be better to have him go back to Triple A for a little bit to start the 2011 season and use Ben Francisco in right field if they have to. Francisco isn't a great option out in right, but he's a solid player and can be good at times. He's not Jayson Werth, but not many people are right now. Werth is likely the third best free agent on the market this offseason, behind Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford.
Will Werth be back? It would be great if he is, but I doubt it. The Phillies will likely make him an offer, but it's not going to be enough to bring him back with open arms. The Red Sox, Yankees and Angels will probably outbid the Phillies, who are still trying to claim a self enforced salary cap for next season. Werth has been a great member of this team, and I hate to see him go, especially after what he's done in the last three years, but I just don't see him coming back. Whichever team misses out on Crawford is going to jump at Werth, and they'll give him more money than the Phillies want to pay out. It's going to suck, but that's the most likely outcome of this situation. It's nothing that the Phillies did, but they still want to claim that they don't have the deep pockets of the big boys in baseball, and this time, it's going to bite them in the ass.
Answer: Werth will be a Yankee/Red Sox/Angel next season.
Aside from Werth, the offense will be back, and in some cases that's a good thing. Placido Polanco just had surgery on his elbow, but he should be ready to go by Spring Training, and Carlos Ruiz might be the most underrated catcher in all of baseball. Even with his playoff struggles, Ryan Howard is the big bat in the middle of the lineup. Shane Victorino shouldn't be going anywhere in center field, either. That leaves a few questions at the other positions.
Questions on offense.
The biggest question mark is probably Jimmy Rollins, who, despite being the face of the Phillies for the last half decade, looks like he's already peaked. Rollins will turn 32 at the end of November, and ever since his MVP season in 2007, he's gone downhill each and ever year. This year, Rollins dealt with injuries almost all season and never got on track. There's a chance that he could improve again next year, but his contract is up at the end of next season, and 2011 might be his last as a Phillie. Ruben Amaro might even try and see what the trade market is for Rollins, just due to how Wilson Valdez played in his place this year. Is Valdez a valid replacement for Rollins? Of course not, but after two seasons of hitting .250 or below with an on base percentage of less than .330, it might be time to start looking for another shortstop.
Chase Utley isn't in the same boat as Rollins, but he might be right next to it. Utley is probably the greatest second baseman in Phillies history, but this past season was his worst since 2004. Like Rollins, Utley will be 32 before next season starts, and his defense in the playoffs over the past two seasons has just been horrible. People will give Utley a pass this season because of the injury that he suffered, and they should, but they also need to keep in mind that he's played hurt the last couple of seasons and still hit 30 home runs. His peak may not have come and gone yet, but there's a part of me that thinks his best years might be behind him. There's no way that the Phillies will ship Utley out any time soon, but after this last season and his showing in the playoffs, the spotlight is going to be even brighter in 2011. Utley is going to have to perform at his best, but hopefully he can do that. I hate knocking Chase, I really do.
Then, there's Raul Ibanez, who is 38 going on 39 in the middle of 2011. Ibanez was the other Phillie position player to stay healthy this season, and he had a decent year, but his numbers were down from 2009, and his defense is becoming more and more of a factor. The Phillies might like to move Ibanez, but he's owed big money in the final year of his contract, so he's not going anywhere. At 38, Ibanez still played well, hitting 16 home runs and driving in over 80 runs, but he wasn't the same player that he was last year. He looked slower at the plate and in the field at times, and struck out over 100 times, which isn't uncommon for him, but hurt his power numbers even more. His 16 home runs were less than half of what he hit back in 2009, and it might mean that the power is leaving him after a good part of his career. He's still going to be productive in 2011, but how much the Phillies get out of him is another story.
In case you didn't notice, I'm really not that worried about the pitching staff. They did fine through the second half of the season and the playoffs. It's the offense that worries me. When the chips were down this year, they couldn't get it done at the plate. In 2008 and 2009, they did what they had to do, and they could even say the same for the later part of the 2007 season. This year, the San Francisco Giants shut down the Philadelphia offense and made them look silly in clutch situations. All you have to do is look at the last pitch of the season. Ryan Howard struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch. That's all you need to know right there. If the offense doesn't improve next season, and with the age increases and the potential loss of Jayson Werth, it likely won't, things could be the same next year.
Plus, the rest of the National League East is starting to catch up to the Phillies. The Atlanta Braves were in first place for most of the year before fading in September and clinching the Wild Card. They aren't a fluke, and they'll be back next season as well. Throw in the Florida Marlins and the New York Mets, who aren't going to take back to back losing seasons lying down, and the Phillies have some competition going into 2011 that hasn't been there in recent years. Remember, that lead that the Phils had at the end of this season was due to not only a great September by the Phillies, but a poor end of the season by the Braves. When you look at all the numbers, the two teams should have been much, much closer than they ended up.
Is the run for the Phillies done?
Is the window closed for the Phillies? Not yet, but it looks like it's starting to shut on this current generation. In the last three years, the Phillies have won the World Series, lost the World Series and then lost the NLCS. While it's the best run in Phillies history, it also shows that the rest of the National League is catching back up with them. Two years ago, this lineup was compared to one in the American League: that is, they had no weaknesses. Now, you can pick and choose your battles, and with Jayson Werth being a free agent, there is no right handed bat for this team. Can they still make another run or two with what they have? Of course they can. It just won't be as easy.
CSNPhilly.com: Lopes will not return next year.
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