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Kevin Kolb Only Bright Spot vs New Orleans Saints
Well yesterday Eagles QB Kevin Kolb had his first career start. I for one think he did a pretty decent job. The Saints scored first but on the very next position, Kolb made a beautiful pass to DeSean Jackson resulting in a touchdown. After the first offensive series for both teams it looked like we might be in for a shootout.
As the game progressed Kolb proved to be willing to work with the wildcat formation and more importantly he did not see to be afraid to take a hit. A few times Kevin Kolb delivered great passes just a split second before getting hit by the New Orleans defense.
As for the three interceptions, this first we probably his fault. As for the second and third, I really feel they were a result of trying to make something happen.
Overall I think Kevin Kolb is a pretty decent quarterback. In fact his performance yesterday reminded me a lot of a Brett Farve. Why? For one Kolb was will in to stand in the pock, take a hit to complete a pass. Secondly the two interceptions were a result of trying to make something happen even thought he was down by a good margin. Finally, Kevin Kolb and Brett Farve are both from Southern states, Kolb Victoria, Texas and Farve is from Gulfport, Mississippi.
I think it would be interesting, and possibly painful as an Eagles fan, to see if Kevin Kolb were to be traded as a starter, how his career could develop. If Kolb were traded do you think he would make a successful starter in the NFL? I do.
5th ranked Lions run record to 3-0
The Nittany Lions continued to dominate all opponents with a 31-6 victory over Temple today. Detractors mention the Lions have an easy schedule this year, but there is nothing Penn State can do except go out there each week and win. I said before Paterno is not the type to run it up as many college coaches do. Frankly he has little to prove, and little to protect as he recently signed a 3 year contract extension to stay in happy valley until all his fans and past players are old enough to retire !
Royster came back to his previous form today, rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown and Daryl Clark had an average (for him) afternoon, throwing for 2 touchdowns and an interception. His QB rating actually dropped from 166 to 161. Temple mounted a decent offense against the Lions, and outplayed them for the first half. Like many other games I have watched, the Lions simply out talented the competition and slowly pulled away until the game was out of reach. Statistically, the teams performed somewhat equally, but where it counts, the score, belonged to Penn State.
Next week is the first real test for this team. They play Iowa and will attempt to avenga a loss from last year that kept them out of national championship contention. They have actually lost 6 of the last 7 games against this team so it should be an interesting matchup One thing is for sure, they will have to pull out all the stops and play to win, and pour it on when they get ahead, because Iowa has a team that can come back. After that, only Ohio State looms as a serious road block for Penn State. They are 3-0 true, but just about everyone who follows college sports expected them to be here. Now if they go 4-0 the talk will start about their ranking, and their remaining schedule.
From what I have seen so far, this team has the talent and coaching to do it. now let us see if they have the will to make their dream a reality.
Mayweather to boost his ego again
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a great fighter. I have no doubt that he will beat Juan Manuel Marquez tonight and maybe do so convincingly.
Why am I so sure Mayweather will defeat Marquez? It has nothing to do with the talents of Marquez, who is a heck of a fighter (50-4-1, 37 KOs).
It has everything to do with Mayweather’s ego.
That ego took a bit of a hit this week when he had to forfeit $300,000 to Marquez, because he was overweight at the pre-fight weigh in. Mayweather was two pounds over the 144 pound limit. The fight could have been called off but Marquez made the smart decision and took the bigger paycheck.
A shy over weight or not, Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) is not going to return from a 21-month retirement to lose.
His pride won’t let him.
This is a guy who just last week said that he would be the most popular athlete in America if he was white.
The race card, Floyd, really?
Not being white has really slowed down Tiger Woods when it comes to popularity, hasn’t it? And that Michael Jordan fellow never made it to the top due to his race, did he?
The reason Mayweather isn’t a popular athlete is simple: He’s an arrogant jerk, who thinks people hang on his every word.
Wait, that’s Kanye West, my bad.
Mayweather is a cocky jerk, who thinks people hang on his every word.
People don’t care what Mayweather thinks. They do, however, care how he fights, and he fights great.
Marquez should be in the fight early, but I don’t see him scoring enough to have a serious shot of winning the fight.
Sadly, by the end of the night Maweather’s ego will have climbed another notch.
I only hope he chooses to go away for another 21 months.
In his case, silence really is golden.
209 Home Runs for 2009 and counting
The Phillies won again. Hit 4 homeruns. Ho hum. We Phanatics are getting spoiled. This is a really good team, with a lot of depth.
Example 1. Pitching : Happ left in the third with a mystery injury, probably reinjured his oblique muscle, and with all the talk about the bullpen, Kendrick comes in and pitches 4 innings of shut out 2 hit relief. The Phillies bullpen for all it’s late inning woes has been notorious this year for clutch long middle inning relief, between Happ early in the year, Madsen all year long, Moyer late in the year and Kendrick tonight, all 4 pitched 4 innings or longer in relief of starters for various reasons.
And these starters are pretty dang good ! Lee, Hamels, Blanton, Martinez, Happ. put those five on any other ball club and at least three would make the starting rotation. Two of the three could be staff aces just about anywhere in the league as well.
Example 2. Fielding : Jimmy Rollins is playing spectacular at shortstop, turning difficult plays into routine, fielding the short hop like the ball is on a string, throwing with incredible accuracy. But Rollins is a horrible offensive weapon right? 1st in at bats, 4th in stolen bases, 7th in doubles, 13th in hits, 13th in runs scored, Hmmmm, low average around .250 for Jimmy, but overall, not really too bad. He just appears to be worse than he is because the rest of the team is batting so well. His 3 run jack in the ninth inning to stretch a 2 run lead into a rout didn’t hurt his playing stock.
Example 3. Power : Ryan Howard hit his 40th home run for the 4th straight year. And he did it naturally. Another day at the ball park.
I mentioned before it is hard to pick out a Phillies as MVP because they are so well balanced and they all contribute. Much has been made of Albert Puhols numbers, Howard is 7 home runs behind him, 6 RBI’s behind him, and raised his average to a quite respectable .272 in tonights game. If he can eliminate 70 or 80 strikeouts he can potentially threaten for the elusive triple crown. He tied Chuck Klein for the second place spot for most multi homerun games as a Phillie in team history.
Example 4. Confidence : The Phillies actually have a better road record than home record, and in the last 7 years they have won 44 games on the road four times. Only a team with a lot of depth can manage to win away from home consistently. It takes a team dynamic, and a real focus to getting the little things done to overcome the inherent home field advantage that frequently.
Example 5. Scoring : The Phillies very well could have 4 30 home run 100 RBI guys on the squad by the end of the year. And 6 players scoring 100 runs. I don’t think that has ever been done. If it has, I couldn’t find an example of it.
Bottom line, on any given day, any given player might display his talents and assist the team to a victory. As they head to the playoffs to defend the championship, on a night when the starting pitcher and starting catcher both left the game early, no one on the Phillies bench looked especially worried, after all, they have depth, and plenty of backup and role players just waiting to come out and show what they can do.
By the way, Howard hit 2, Rollins hit 1, Fransisco hit 1, and the Phillies won going away again 9-4 over the “better luck next year Braves”
We Phillies fans are getting spoiled, and I for one, love it!
Hamels dominates in sure win.
After a rough couple of weeks at the end of August, where the Phillies starting pitchers were roughed up in several games, the staff has reverted back to their mid season form. They are looking like the powerful, indomitable rotation we expected to have after several key midseason trades. Cliff Lee lost back to back starts, as Pedro struggled without losing a game but the staff endured. The starters posted 28 consecutive scoreless innings before Hamels gave up a lone run on two freak bloop singles. Lee looks like last years Cy Young winner, Pedro looks like Pedro of old, throwing 130 pitches of shut out ball in his last start, and after tonights performance by Cole Hamels, JA Happ has got to be wondering if he will be Rookie of the year, and odd man out of the pitching rotation for the postseason. In the last 5 starts Phillies starters have gone 39 1/3 innings and allowed 3 runs. That is an ERA of .70 by the starters this week.
I know it was the lowly Nationals, with the worst record in MLB, but Hamels followed his fellow pitchers and their recent resurgance by flirting with a no hitter through the first 5 innings. The Phillies starters seem to be trying to ensure they won’t need to rely on the bullpen, as they are methodically pitching into the 7th and 8th inning without allowing any runs.
Hamels helped himself in a close game by driving in a run in the 6th to give himself a 3-0 lead. Hamels has 31 strike outs and 7 walks in his 4 September starts, with an average of only 12 pitches per inning. In tonights game he had 10K’s and 1 walk, only running the count to three balls twice all night. This was Hamels 12th double digit strikeout performance in his young career. These are similar numbers to the ones he posted in the postseason last year while on his MVP tear.
The Phillies had their 66th sellout of the year, and 200th in a row at Citizens Bank park as the fans have been great at showing their support for this team, even pulling out white towels with the bases loaded in the sixth inning. Overall the Phillies have been playing like a veteran team in all aspects of the game. From Chase Utleys heads-up baserunning that led to a run wthout a Phillies hit, to Jimmy Rollins heads-up fielding in the 8th when grabbing a bouncing ball as a baserunner passed in front of him and getting the sure out at 1st. We also saw fielding gems by Zimerman in his catch as he rolled over the tarp on the third base foul line and Ibanez who came in to pinch hit and made a spectacular catch in fair territory deep in left field as he jumped up against the wall in the corner.
With Park out with a bad groin, and Lidge having struggled the past few months, the starting pitchers ability to go deep in games at this stage of the game is crucial. Madsen and Myers got a little work this week, and Lidge did come in tonight to secure the save, but overall the bullpen is well rested heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The Phillies ran their record to 15-3 against the Nationals and extended their lead on the Marlins and Braves with the 4-2 victory.
At 25 games over .500, the Phillies have the best winning percentage as a team since 10/3/93, nearly 16 years.
How will postseason shape up for Phillies
The Phillies have won 4 in a row and currently trail the LA Dodgers by 2 1/2 games for best record in the National League, but also have 4 games in hand. This last month of the season, when naysayers speculated they would have so many problems because of the questions regarding the closing pitching appears to be a success.
The Phillies have won 8 of their last 10 series, with three sweeps. If you ignore the horrible showing against the Houston Astros and the four game sweep Houston put on our Phllies, they went 20-7 against the other 9 opponents faced since August 15th. Even with the dismal showing against Houston, they played last month 8 games over.500.
One month ago the Phillies were 16 games over .500 with a 4 game lead on Florida and 5 game lead on Atlanta. now they are 24 games over .500 with 7 games on the Marlins and 7 1/2 games on the Braves.
They appear to have worked out the pitching kinks and are coming close to hitting full stride with perfect timing to enter the postseason. I predicted before the season the Phillies would match last years win total with 92. If they play any better than .500 ball to close out the year, they will better last year’s record by a game or two.
More importantly, if the closing by committee works and the team finishes oh, say 10-8 from here on out, they close at 94-68 and have a winning September with momentum on their side. We all know baseball is a game of trends and momentum. that is why those Rockies are the ones I would be checking out in my rearview mirror the most. They are one of the few teams in contention that play the majority of thier remaining games at home, plus they had that unbelievable tear in late August and early September to get themselves into wild card contention in the first place.
We have a better pitching matchup against them then the Dodgers or Cardinals and a better season split then we do with the Dodgers going 4-2 against Colorado, 4-1 against St Louis and 3-4 against Los Angeles. I believe this late in the year, the momentum and intangibles would favor the Rockies if they are matched against the Phillies.
It is most likely this will be the pairing. If the season finished the way they stand now, LA would be #1 and Colorado #4 but MLB does not put teams from the same division against each other in the wldcard. Based on losses, Philadelphia would be #2 and would get paired with Colorado. If the Phillies outplay the Dodgers and Cardinals to the finish, then the Phillies are #1 and the Rockies #4 and the wildcard game will remain in Philadelphia. The chances are statistically small that the Phillies will finish in 3rd place in the NL, which is the only way they will be paired with St Louis. This will bear watching as the final weeks of the season play out, and Manuel will have to keep this in mind when he figures out his pitching rotation if the Phillies do indeed have to play the Rockies to get back to the Divisional Championship Series. Should be a lot of fun !
Phillies have options with playoff pitching rotation
Joe Blanton again made a case to be in the Phillies’ rotation, pitching six scoreless innings in the Phillies 6-1 win over the Nationals.
Of course that comes after Pedro strengthened his case and Cliff Lee assured his. Then there is J.A. Happ who has made a season-long case to pitch come time for the postseason.
Never before has a Phillies team had such a great problem.
At this point there are only two things assured: First, Cole Hamels will be in or near the front of that rotation. Second, Lee will be right there with him.
From there, things get cloudy. For how well he has pitched this season and the fact that he is right-handed points to the notion that Blanton will take the No. 3 or No. 4 spot, but that is not a given. The emergence of the old Pedro Martinez has given manager Charlie Manuel a new option. Pedro threw over 130 pitches on Sunday for the first time since he was a member of the Red Sox. How well he responds to it may determine his fate. If he continues to pitch the way he has (5-0 with an ERA under 4.00) Pedro will be in the postseason rotation.
That would give the Phillies two lefties, two righties and an unhappy Happ. Happ has pitched extremely well this season, to the point he may win the NL Rookie of the Year award. Happ has a 10-4 record with a team-low 2.77 ERA (Lee’s is 2.67, but that is not including his time in Cleveland). Managers like experience in the playoffs though, and Happ is likely the odd man out.
Another reason Happ may be relegated to the bullpen is the uncertainty surrounding left-handers J.C. Romero and Scott Eyre. Each has health concerns and their status for the playoffs is not certain. Jamie Moyer (who by the way has a team-high 12 wins) is not a realistic option as a left-handed specialist, so Happ may be the guy they turn to. Left-handers are hitting jus .206 against Happ making him a good choice for the spot is Eyre or Romero can’t go.
Personally, this would be my postseason rotation:
With home field advantage: Hamels, Martinez, Lee, Blanton
Without home field advantage: Hamels, Lee, Martinez, Blanton
My reasoning is simple: Pedro needs to pitch at home. He feeds off the crowd and they feed off him. Adrenalin is what fuels Pedro these days and pitching in front of a sold-out and raucous Citizens Bank Park will give him his best chance for success. Also, in case of a seven game series, Lee would be set for Game Seven. The Phillies rotation without home field advantage has the plus of having aces Hamels and Lee go back-to-back, but does not have the right-left, right-left flow that managers love to send out.
The job of figuring out the rotation over the next couple of weeks belongs to Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee. In the meantime, it sure is fun to guess.
How would you set up a Phillies rotation with so many options?
Flyers picked to win Stanley Cup
Are you ready for some … hockey?
There isn’t a more awkward arrival to the sports calendar than the start of the NHL preseason. Most sports fans are in “full football” mode with Week 1 just completed or in “baseball fever” mode with the playoffs right around the corner.
The last thing we want to think about is cold and ice.
Yet the NHL preseason is indeed upon us and it is time to get ready for what could be a great season for the Philadelphia Flyers.
How good? Well according to The Hockey News, the Flyers will hoist the Stanley Cup by season’s end.
Suddenly, thinking about hockey season is a lot more exciting.
The magazine predicted the Flyers to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference, but catch fire in the playoffs. Sorry penguins fans, you had your time.
The magazine says the Flyers (who open preseason play tonight against the Red Wings) have one of the deepest bluelines in the NHL and have a group of forwards that are “the envy of the league.” Kind words, indeed.
It does mention possible pitfalls for the Flyers, including Ray Emery, who is a bit of a wild card due to his time out of the NHL. But those are debates for another day.
We all know that predictions are meaningless and that anything can happen in an NHL season, but it is comforting to know that we should be filled with plenty of good hockey when the season gets started for real in two weeks.
So enjoy the Phillies quest for another World Series and the Eagles battles in the NFC. Just keep in mind, that the NHL season is closing in – and with it maybe a Stanley Cup.
Kimbo Slice gets his shot at the UFC, respect
Kimbo Slice here is your chance to prove yourself.
I have never been a fan of Kimbo Slice. Maybe it’s just jealousy. In a time where hard-working people are getting laid off of work, Kimbo has made it big by relentlessly punching guys in his backyard. Something about it just doesn’t seem right. Then there is the fact that he simply has no place in serious MMA promotions like the UFC. Sure the guy can punch, but after that he has nothing. No real martial arts skills, no ground game, and no submissions. A street fighter? Yes. A professional? No way.
Sincerely, one half of the MMA fan base.
I love Kimbo Slice. He’s a real fighter, someone who has lived the hard life and is making something of himself. Kimbo is a great example of an American Dream. One day he is homeless, and living on the street, the next he is getting paid to punch someone’s face in. Who cares about his martial arts skills or his ground defense? When this guy hits something, it goes down. MMA is all about being a fighter and Kimbo is certainly that.
Sincerely, the other half of the MMA fan base.
When it comes to one of MMA’s most controversial fighters there seems to be no middle ground. Fans love Kimbo or they hate him and they are not going to change their ways. That is why the “The Ultimate Fighter” series struck gold when Slice signed on to fight on “The Ultimate Fighter 10” which starts Wednesday night at 10 on SPIKE. People will watch to see Kimbo dominate. People will watch to see him fall. Most importantly, people will watch.
Those of you unfamiliar with Kimbo Slice have probably moved on to another section of phillysportsblogs by now, but just in case there are a few of you left, let me briefly explain how it is Kimbo became a contestant on “The Ultimate Fighter 10”
Kimbo has long wanted to be a fighter for the UFC. However UFC President Dana White refused to offer him a contract and said the only way Kimbo would get one was if he won an entry from their show (Doing it all with a mocking tone). Kimbo took White up on the deal and will compete against 15 other heavyweights for a UFC contract.
In his brief MMA career, Slice has a 3-1 record with to KOs. He is also 35 and will be competing against fighters much younger and more polished. It is doubtful he will fight anyone much stronger.
Every fight will become “Must See TV” for fighting fans. Every guy Kimbo fights will want to be known as the guy who took down Kimbo, and thus will be putting everything he has into the fight.
Of course, the longer Kimbo lasts, the more skeptics there will be about how real the show is and if the fights are being staged to keep Kimbo on for ratings. White will be fine with that, because the more talk about his company the more it gets in the spotlight.
As an avid sports fan and a casual MMA fan, I can already say that I have more interest in this edition of “The Ultimate Fighter” than any of the previous nine installments.
And that’s the point. Love or hate Kimbo, people want to see what happens to him.
Before Kimbo – whose real name is Kevin Ferguson – signed on for the show, White scoffed at the notion of Slice joining his promotion. White said Slice “would get murdered in the UFC.” In an interview for Yahoo Sports, White later called Slice a “joke” and a “bum.”
Even if those words prove to be true by the end of the series White will have something new to call Slice. A gold mine.
Eagles cut Hank Baskett
No longer will Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb or whoever else handles the Eagles quarterbacking position be able to “put the biscuit in the Baskett.”
In a move that is a bit of a head-scratcher, the Eagles cut wide receiver Hank Baskett to make room for Michael Vick on the active roster. The move comes on the heals of the Eagles signing Jeff Garcia and placing Shaw Andrews on IR.
Someone had to go, but Baskett?
The Eagles had carried seven receivers on their 53-man roster through Week 1. Apparently Baskett became expendable after Philadelphia selected Jeremy Maclin in the first round of April’s draft and added Brandon Gibson in the sixth round.
For his career as an Eagle, Baskett finished with 72 catches for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in 48 games. Nothing spectacular, but Baskett was never given much of an opportunity to shine.
I don’t have a problem with the Eagles cutting a receiver, but I question the decision to cut Baskett and keep a career underachiever Reggie Brown. A first round pick, Brown had fallen far enough down the depth chart to be inactive in Week 1. I guess the Eagles still hold him in higher regard than Baskett.
In the end, this move may be a trivial one. With Jackson, Maclin, Jason Avant and Kevin Curtis on the field, it was unlikely Baskett or Brown would have much of an impact.
Still, I am not sure the Eagles cut the right receiver.
No second chance as starter for now
Donovan McNabb is a trooper. He has played ten years in Philadelphia since being drafted in the first round, and he has yet to get any real respect. In the preseason, his team signed Michael Vick and Donovan did the right thing, he claimed to have lobbied to get him here. Any normal person would realize that to do so simply wouldn’t make sense for you and me. Do YOU want someone younger than you standing behind you but getting all the spotlight, waiting for you to mess up or get hurt so he can take over YOUR job ? I think McNabb said what he did to make sure there would be no quarterback controversy. Just another sign of him being a class act.
With his latest move, Andy Reid shows he has his star quarterback’s back. In the day after McNabb’s injury, the blogging world has been full of McNabb leaving, retiring, optioning out his contract, demanding to be traded or being replaced by the “better younger” Vick when he comes off his suspension. The types that relish controversy and drama have been drooling at the news that McNabb will probably miss some time
Reid however, maintains Kolb is the backup, and Vick will never be the starter here. I believe Eagles management reinforced that assertion by signing Jeff Garcia.
The pundits now proclaim, “Vick simply isn’t ready, so Reid is getting an insurance QB.” Why is it that prior to the season you were trying to convince us of how well Vick could play, when you knew he would not start, and now you are proclaiming the Garcia pickup is to protect Vick because he is not ready to start ? These fans, like Michael Vick, seem to want to have it both ways. I am tired of hearing this felon’s name. Do a Google search on the Philadelphia Eagles and you get more “Vick” hits, then sports news. Do we still HAVE a football team ?
Jimmy Johnson posted on Fox Sports that McNabb had a so-so day before getting hurt. How about, McNabb threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another, and was injured on the play by an illegal tackle after he was down in the end zone? He is now one of only 6 QB’s in history to accomplish this feat in over a dozen games. How come every other QB in the league gets protected, and McNabb is left hanging out there exposed ? How come the Panther who hit McNabb and stirred this pot didn’t get flagged or sanctioned ? Do you think our defensive tackles or ends could hit an opposing team’s QB when he was down on the ground stretched out with the ball and the TD call had already been made ? NOT !! In tonight’s Monday Night Football a legal hit on Brady by the Buffalo defense drew an immediate flag. Why ? They were protecting the QB. That is what they do in this league, unless the QB happens to be McNabb. So is he really injury prone ? Or prone to getting unfairly hit? Am I the only one who feels this is nuts ?
McNabb has the best career stats of any Philadelphia QB, ever. I had a “fan” rebuke me by saying McNabb played longer than the other Philly QB’s against lesser teams. Actually both Jaworski and Cunningham had more starts for the Eagles, but they had fewer yards passing, a lower QB rating, fewer touchdowns, fewer wins, fewer quality wins, appeared in fewer championship games, and had better players surrounding them during their tenure and the Cardinals were in their division giving them 2 games a year of easier division play than Donovan ever had.
I for one am glad Reid picked up Garcia, he is a class act and I don’t believe Kolb is ready to start even for two or three games if that is necessary. More importantly than that, I don’t think Reid or Lurie or anyone who knows anything about football every seriously considered Vick a starter. He is a publicity stunt, nothing more. He is a player who has made bad judgment calls his entire career and never been reprimanded until now and now that he has paid his price, he wants it all back just because he is remorseful. The question is is he remorseful because he feels bad about what he did, or is he remorseful because he got caught ?
And it is obvious with the Eagles playing two relatively easy games and then having a bye, that McNabb can heal in that time, and if anyone had any faith in Vick, they would not have gone out and gotten Garcia. Garcia is 39 years old, played one season with the Eagles and has not taken a meaningful snap with the team in over two years. Yes he played in Tampa Bay while Vick was in jail, but didn’t all you Vick supporters exclaim he was in football shape upon his release ? So if it is a matter of conditioning, timing, and knowledge of the play book, shouldn’t Vick have the edge over, 39 year old, hasn’t practiced with the team in two years, Garcia?
For Garcia to be picked up at his age to run this offense in McNabb’s absence is a lot more difficult than it would be for Vick to do the same thing, if these QBs were equal. Obviously they are not. Garcia is head and shoulders above Vick, and that is why he is here, and Vick will continue to sit the bench until they want to trot him out to spark the crowd, or the team.
I for one don’t rule out Donovan returning to the field before Vick’s suspension is over. He already stated he intends to practice Wednesday and see how he feels. I hope he comes back and shows all you Vick lovers what a real QB is capable of and finally gets some of the respect he deserves.
If he doesn’t or can’t, we have Garcia, a class veteran QB and Kolb, who will one day be a class younger QB and WE DONT NEED VICK. And Donovan deserves and has earned our respect. I have been saying this for a month, maybe now somebody will listen.
Great win for Eagles until Donovan McNabb breaks rib
It was all going so well for the Eagles.
The defense was amazing, special teams outstanding, and the offense rolling. Then came the injury to quarterback Donovan McNabb — the one black spot on a glorious Sunday for Eagles fans. As it turns out the injury to McNabb’s ribs is something that should not keep him out for long, but the site of him grimacing in pain on the ground is all-to familiar.
Entering the season, I posted “Five keys to the Eagles season ending in a title.” Today, we will look back and see how the Eagles did in those five areas in their opener.
Sean McDermott replacing Jim Johnson: You have to believe Johnson would have been proud of McDermott for his performance on Sunday. The Eagles defense looked, well, like the Eagles defenses. Panther quarterbacks were under pressure all day and turnovers were the result. McDermott dialed up some great blitz calls and didn’t look any bit nervous in his debut.
Donovan McNabb overcoming pressure: We will have to stay tuned for this on. Thanks to the Eagles defense, the Philadelphia offense didn’t have a bit of pressure on it the entire game.
Eagles defense must remain stellar: Did anyone miss Brian Dawkins or Stewart Bradley on Sunday? The Eagles defense had a monster of a game, giving Jake Delhomme and the rest of the Panthers quarterbacks’ nightmares. The defense totaled five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and five sacks. After the Panthers first drive Pro Bowl running back DeAngelo Williams was a complete non-factor. It was an all-around great game for the Eagles defense.
Offensive line jelling: Midway through the first quarter I thought this one was heading for failure. Left tackle Jason Peters had been whistled for two false start penalties and Brian Westbrook hadn’t been given much in the way of running lanes. However, that was the last time the Eagles line looked jumbled.
McNabb had all kinds of time on his throws and eventually things opened up for the ground game. Aside from allowing one Julius Pepper sack and fumble, even Winston Justice held his own. It was a very strong start for the unit.
McNabb and Westbrook staying healthy: W made it so far down the list with everything going right and then the big one. McNabb suffered a broken rib after being hit after scoring a touchdown. Different people have different takes on how much – if any – time McNabb will miss. It could be two weeks, four weeks, or no weeks. With so much on the line this season I think the Eagles should be cautious with McNabb. They have an early bye week and they should take advantage of it.
While a McNabb-Brees matchup would be fun, it may not be worth sending an injured McNabb out there. Playing with a broken rib is all about playing with pain. While it can be done, it’s not always smart. This isn’t the playoffs, it’s Week 2. The Eagles face Kansas City the following week and then have a bye. McNabb would be fully healed by week five, so the safe bet is to leave him out until then. I am not a coach or a trainer, so the decision is hardly mine. I just think the safe way is the smart way this early in the season.
A great win for the Eagles. Hopefully it didn’t come with a bigger loss.
Save committee may work in Philly
In the first game of a rainout makeup double header with an odd 4 hour delay between games, Kyle Kendrick got his first win of the year and Manuel did as promised and sent Brad Lidge out to get the save, albeit a shaky, scary one.
Lidge gave up two runs, keeping his ERA above 7 but finished the game without losing it. Barely. Manuel is now switching back and forth between Lidge and Madsen, with neither selection appearing to be that good a choice, but no other immediate solution at hand.
The Phillies hit two more homeruns, now having 332 of their 714 runs scored via the round tripper, or 46%. The Phillies ran their season matchup against the once worrysome Mets to 11-6 with the night cap game in hand.
Kendrick looked glad to be back in winning form, and Lidge looked grateful to record his 29th save. With the win, the Phillies guaranteed at least a .500 season. The Phillies have 4 players with 30 home runs, 84 or more RBI’s, and 88 runs scored. Chase Utley got his 100th run scored for the third straight year.
The Phitens trotted out Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez for the nightcap. Pedro displayed command of 4 different pitches with good speed and control, pitching 130 pitches over 8 shutout innings as the Phillies clung to a 1-0 lead. Pedro dropped his ERA under 3 and ran his record this year to 5-0. Pedro is one of the few pitchers to play in both leagues and record 100+ wins on both American and National League teams.
Game two was a pitching dual, with Redding leaving the game in the 7th after giving up one run on three hits and carrying the loss. The only thing left to see was if the Phillies could hold on and win the game with their closing pitching.
Green hit the first batter he faced then recorded three outs on his next two pitches to get out of the 7th inning with the one run lead unchanged. The Phillies arrived at the 9th still holding a one run lead, and 6-0 record in Pedro’s starts. Madsen came in, finished off the largely ineffective Mets and earned the save to secure Pedro’s win. The Phillies took a largely needed doubleheader sweep with two saves on a night when the bullpen sorely needed to prove itself.
The closing issues aren’t resolved, but at least for one night at least, a closer didn’t cost the team a sure victory and we can all sleep well tonight knowing the Phillies have all but clinched the National League East.
Play Eagles Gameday
So you think you know more about Eagles football than us. Well here is your opportunity to prove it.
Each week the Philly Sports Blogs staff will pick the winner and score of the Eagles game. Our Eagles Gameday picks will be submitted by 12 noon on Thursdays and displayed on this page.
You will then have until 12 noon on Saturday to post your picks. If you pick the winner of the Eagles game and are closer to the score then any of the PSB staff you win. That’s it. There is no cost all you have to do is post your pick in the comments section of this page. Our picks and your comments will remain on this page until Wednesday when they will be deleted for the next weeks game.
Rules
- To have your comment count as a pick it must start out My pick for Eagles vs. Eagles Opponent followed by your pick Otherwise your comment will not count. You can add anything else you like in your comment but only the first line will represent your Eagles Gameday Pick.
- You can not have more than one pick in any way shape or form.
- Your pick must include the game winner and the score. Comments which do not include all of the above information will not count as a pick.
- Your pick must be posted before 12 noon on the Sunday on a Sunday game or 6 PM on Monday for a Monday Night game.
Please be sure you include a valid email address when making your picks. The winner for each week will be added to the list of winners.
Weekly winners will receive bragging rights and have their name in the picture on this page for the week. Winners will also be entered into a drawing at the end of the eagles regular season. The drawing will be for a Donovan McNabb Home Jersey courtesy of OnlineSports.com where you can shop for all your Eagles Fan Gear OnlineSports features over 130k products.
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Week1 Winner - Eric: Eagles 27, Panthers 20
Week2 Winner - BigGreek24: Eagles 22, Saints30
Week3 Winner - Joseph: Eagles 35, Chiefs 13
Week4 Bye
Week5 Winner - Eric: Eagles 30, Buccaneers 13
Week6 Winner – Let’s just try to for get that shall we no winner
Week6 Winner – Doug Eagles 35, Redskins
Ok folks, here are the picks for week #7.
Eric: Giants 23, Eagles 20
Joseph: Eagles 30, Giants 29
Victor: Giants 24 Eagles 20
Doug: Eagles 14, Giants 10
Now remember, to participate your comment(s) must start out with: My Pick for Eagles vs. Giants is….
Donovan McNabb Broken Rib Injury
If you watched the Eagles beat up on the Panthers today you may have seen Donovan McNabb take one in for a touch down. A touch down which may prove to very costly. Early reports during the game indicated McNabb had injured his ribs. While watching the Giants vs Redskins, game break again indicated Donovan McNabb had broken his ribs. No other information was give so at this point no one knows if he will miss and time.
Lets hope McNabb is able to play with a flack jacket because when Kolb came into the game he was basically ineffective. I forget the exact stats but I know it was not pretty. Last week the Eagles released A.J. Feely who at this point should know more about how to run the eagles offense than bout Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb. I guess we have to wait to see the severity of McNabb’s rib injury.
On a positive note the Eagles defense looked great. They looked so good that one must wonder if the Eagles defense is really good or the Panthers just really suck.
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