The Nick Foles era?

QBs, Michael Vick & Nick Foles

    

        After the Eagles lost against the Saints, the mood was apathetic. The players, nor the fans seemed interested in whether they won or lost anymore. The 2012 season is a wash, just as the 2011 season was a wash. Eagles fans, like myself, aren't used to their season being over in early November. After the Eagles lost for the fifth straight game, this time to the also abysmal Cowboys, the fans got a glimpse of excitement. When Michael Vick went down with a concussion, rookie Nick Foles got his chance. Foles came out to a standing ovation, as the obviously frustrated Eagles fans were dying for something different, anything different than the mediocrity (at best) the Eagles have been putting on the field these past two years.

        In the offseason, Jeffrey Lurie put Andy Reid in the spotlight, and Lurie let him know that average results were not acceptable. With each embarrassing defeat, the reality becomes clearer. If Lurie, the Eagles owner, remains a man of his word, Reid will out of a job in Philadelphia. The Eagles are now 3-6, and again were sloppy, undisciplined, and underachieving. These are plenty of signs of bad coaching, and that Reid has lost his locker room. After Reid fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, which one of the team's decision-makers described the move to the paper as a "miscalculation", the unit has only gotten worse. Reid is widely-respected as a great football mind, and a great leader and coach. The past two seasons, this no longer seems to be the case. His time management, and play-calling that he and Marty Mornhinweg construct has been criticized for years. The players' commitment has never been a question until the Eagles went out and signed a bunch of marquee free-agents. These guys don't bleed Eagles green, they're here for a paycheck. The Eagles no longer work with home-grown talent. This is why Reid's messages don't seem to get though anymore.

        One of the main reasons the Eagles are having a lot of issues is their lack of depth, and lack of chemistry. This is due, in large part, to their poor drafts the past three years. In 2010, the Eagles drafted DE Brandon Graham 13th overall. Graham has been injury prone, and has showed little impact. This season he has probably been the most consistent pass rusher, especially considering his lack of snaps, however he can safely be considered a bust as of now. This is especially true, when you consider the two Pro-Bowlers that were taken with the 14th and 15th picks. I remembering being so excited that Texas safety, Earl Thomas, fell to our pick at 13. I figured they would draft him, a legitimate intimidating safety, one that we have not had since Brian Dawkins. If they were going to go with the d-line, I figured they would pick up DE Jason Pierre-Paul. Instead they drafted Graham who has 4.5 career sacks, while Pierre-Paul has 27.5. The Eagles drafted Nate Allen to fill that void at safety, but he has been injury prone, and just average during his 3-year career. The rest of the Eagles 2010 draft class has done nothing to impress. DE Daniel Te'o-Neshiem was the 3rd round pick, he was cut to the practice squad last season. The rest of the draft was OK, with guys like Trevard Lindley, Clay Harbor, Riley Cooper and Kurt Coleman at least getting playing time. The 2011 draft was again, underwhelming. Drafting the fireman-turned football player, Danny Watkins, in the first round, he has been largely inconsistent. 2nd-round pick, Jaiquawn Jarrett has already been cut. Curtis Marsh has barely been on the field, and Casey Matthews is more known for his last name and long hair than his play. The 2012 draft does look relatively good so far. DT Fletcher Cox has a boatload of potential, and has had decent results for a rookie. Mychal Kendricks has been inconsistent this season, but still is stand-out rookie so far. 2nd round pick, DE Vinny Curry, has yet to be active this season. Nick Foles is, of course, a work in progress, but he did beat out Mike Kafka for the back-up QB position. CB Brandon Boykin has impressed for a rookie so far this season, and RB Bryce Brown seems to be a 7th round steal.

       However, due to poor drafts in recent years, the Eagles have had to look elsewhere for talent. The past two years, Philadelphia went out and singed big-market guys like Nnamndi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, DeMeco Ryans, and Cullen Jenkins for their defense. These players have all been good at different times of the past two seasons, however there has been no chemistry or consistency. These guys haven't made up for the lack of talent and depth at safety, linebacker, and most importantly for this team, the offensive-line. It's tough to get an offense rolling when 4/5 of your offensive-line is injured. However, guys like Demetress Bell and King Dunlap are payed to be effective as backups, and they have looked awful and sometimes just plain embarrassing.

        When they let go of Donovan McNabb, and put the team in the hands of Kevin Kolb, the Eagles were in the mindset of rebuilding, and getting younger. However, after Kolb went down with a concussion in week 1, Vick lit-up the NFL in the 2010 season. The Eagles thought that they had a great chance to win right away again. They abandoned their rebuilding strategy, traded Kolb, and went out and got free-agent talent, instead of letting their young draft-picks get their experience.
  
        This put the team in Michael Vick's hands. Regardless of a terrible offensive-line, there is a plethora of talent on this team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Vick has yet to produce after his career year, and his big payday. Vick's athleticism and constant big-play potential have overshadowed the flaws in his game for most of his career. He's never been smart with pre-snap decisions and audibles, which is something you would have to expect when you openly admit that you hate to watch game film. Vick's pocket awareness is also a negative; he has an weird knack of running into pressure or running away from pressure that isn't even there. At his peak, he could outrun a lot of his mistakes, but at this stage of his career, that no longer seems to be the case. After he shocked the NFL in 2010, Vick seems to have gone back to his usual turnover-prone, underachieving self. Looking at Vick's career numbers, their mostly underwhelming. If you've never seen his highlight tapes, you would wonder why he's a starting QB. 2010 was a great season, but also a huge anomaly for Vick in his career. He's never made it to 22 touchdown passes in any season. He's played 16 games just once, and only once has he had more than eight wins in a season. In a pass-happy league, a 56.3 career completion %, and 80.7 career QB rating just doesn't cut it.

        So now, the Eagles seem to be going in the direction of the Nick Foles era. We're not sure that Foles can be an effective starter in the NFL. These last seven games will tell a glimpse of the story. It won't tell the whole story, however. It's tough to judge a quarterback when you're in your rookie season, and you're thrown in front of a swiss cheese offensive line. The Eagles will be happy to see progression, and good decision making for the rest of the season. Michael Vick's contract will likely not be picked up, and he'll be released. Vick never became the pocket quarterback that Reid was hoping he could develop him into. He's improved from his career in Atlanta, however he just hasn't been good enough. There needs to be changes made, and given the talent on this roster, that's a reflection of both the mental toughness of the players and the coaching overall.

        Andy Reid will try and keep his job in Philadelphia. He'll go to Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman and say, 'Let's go with Foles, and let me guide him through the transition of the next era.' I'm just not sure if Lurie is ready to go back on his word that mediocrity is unacceptable for Reid. Andy Reid and Michal Vick had their chance to succeed together in Philadelphia; they failed. It's time for the Nick Foles era to begin for the Eagles, and after the season, it's time for a new coach to lead him through.

Will either have a job next season? Anywhere?

       

Philadelphia Eagles - Where to go from here.

Philadelphia Eagles' QB Michael Vick, Head Coach Andy Reid

       
         Today was the day; today was the day the Philadelphia Eagles were going to show you what type of team they are. Facing Michael Vick's former team, the 6-0 Atlanta Falcons, today was the day that defined our season thus far. Either we would lose our third straight game, and then go and face the still-dangerous New Orleans Saints in the Superdome, or we would beat the NFL's only undefeated team, and ride that momentum to making a post-bye week run to the playoffs. After an embarrassing loss, I'm just not sure that this team is good enough. This team has plenty of talent scattered around, however they are not succeeding, and they are missing the heart that takes their so-called talent to that next level.

        The Philadelphia Eagles have lost three games in a row since starting the season 3-1. Andy Reid fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo and replaced him with Todd Bowles two days after Philadelphia blew its second straight fourth-quarter lead in an overtime loss to the Detroit Lions. Many people questioned the firing of Castillo, his defense allowed 18.5 points per game. Marty Mornhinweg's offense is average 17 points per game. Todd Bowles' defense allowed 21 points in the first 24 minutes of the game. The defense couldn't stand up and make a stop until the fourth quarter after the Falcons scored on their first six possessions before punting for the first time with 5:35 left. The defense got what they wanted, after questioning whether Castillo knew what he was doing as the defensive coordinator, they got their guy in Todd Bowles. Now fans are questioning if this team knows what they're doing out on the football field.

        Pathetic. Embarrassing. These are some of the cleaner words that fans are using to describe this team. A sellout crowd anticipating Hurricane Sandy started filtering out in the third quarter and those who stuck around booed the Eagles off the field. The only time I heard a cheer was when the Eagles recorded their first sack in 4-and-a-half games. That brings us to the main problem with this team, they are soft in the trenches. The defensive-line has been getting little pressure, and leaving their secondary high and dry. They are out there covering wide receivers for way too long, and with Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman biting on every play action and pump fake, our coveted cornerbacks have looked terrible at points in every game. The other side of the line has been embarrassingly worse. You need an offensive line that can block in order to run the type of offense that Philadelphia wants to run. There have been no big plays down the field, and Vick has been laying on his back more than a dog who wants his belly rubbed. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin need time to run their deep routes, and with an offensive-line that can't hold the defense for more than three seconds, it's near-impossible to get down the field for big passing plays.

        Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback, Asante Samuel, "That was a good, old-fashioned a**-whopping." Also saying the difference between his old team and the Falcons: coaching and Atlanta runs the ball.

        There is a small light of hope. If, and this is a big IF, the Eagles can win at New Orleans and get to 4-4, the Eagles would then face another winnable game against the Dallas Cowboys the next week. Since the Cowgirls are just about as disappointing and unpredictable as the Eagles are, it could cancel out in our favor. After that, the second half of the season gives us very beatable opponents in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati Bengals. As long as the Eagles can handle their business there, then Philadelphia would just need to hold their own against the NFC East the rest of the way.

        All this is certainly doable, but not with the effort that Philadelphia showed this week against Atlanta. This team is not a 'very talented 3-4 team', or an 'underachieving 3-4 team', they are a 3-4 football team, simple as that. I saw guys in the last 2 minutes of this game smiling, and joking around. That sickens me. I don't recognize this team, I grew up with a team that wasn't always characterized as gritty, but as one that always had heart. A blue-collared team for a blue-collared city. Last decade, guys like Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook worked their tails off, and poured their blood, sweat and tears in to this team. They worked hard for years and made this franchise a NFC powerhouse. This 2012 Philadelphia Eagles team is not one that was built by these players. This years' team is full of a lot of guys that might not even be here next year. Do they even care? It's time for these players to stand up, earn their paychecks, and care about this team as much as their fans do.

         

76ers 2012-13 Season Preview

Head Coach, Doug Collins assembling his troops.

    
        After their most successful season in nine years, the 76ers responded by shipping out five of their top nine players from a season ago and decided that they were going to be a very different type of team. Head coach Doug Collins clearly did not seem too excited about the Sixers' roster following their second-round loss  in game 7 to the Boston Celtics, as he told Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News, "We felt that team had reached its peak. We knew we were going to have to make changes."

        Collins had a right to feel that way, and here's why: Last year, the Sixers ranked 17th in the league in offensive efficiency, had eight players who averaged at least eight points per game but nobody averaged more than 15 points per game, and they also had the worst free-throw rate in the league. Collins had an everybody-take-turns offense in his first two years in Philly, which limited mistakes (the Sixers have had the lowest turnover rate in the league both years) and, with excellent team defense (No. 8 in defensive efficiency two years ago, No. 3 last year) they produced consecutive playoff appearances. However, this type of offense also produced a confusion as to who would have the ball in clutch situations at the end of games last season. Whether it was Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday or Andre Iguodala, the Sixers didn't perform well in close games and struggled at the end of those games. Their consecutive playoff appearances only amounted to being heavy first-round underdogs to established powers (the Miami Heat in '11, the Chicago Bulls in '12) who, if not for serious injuries to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, would both have likely been out-in-five type series.

        So rather than be content with their second-round run, Collins allowed sixth man Lou Williams and 3-point specialist Jodie Meeks to leave in free agency, and used the collective bargaining agreement's amnesty provision to get rid of veteran Elton Brand and his hefty contract. The Sixers then signed Nick Young and Dorell Wright, and went on to sign Kwame Brown to play center alongside your new power forward, Spencer Hawes. That was the plan until they made their big-time move of the decade when they shipped out All-Star Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic and their 2012 first-round draft pick, Moe Harkless to acquire center Andrew Bynum, and shooting guard Jason Richardson.

        The Sixers lineup looks like it will be Holiday-Richardson-Turner-Hawes-Bynum.The perceived thought is that Hawes and Bynum will play with each other a good amount, as they compliment each other well in the half-court offense. However, Thaddeus Young has bulked up, and gained 19lbs in an effort to crack the starting lineup. He'll help the team in their transition offense and defense with his mismatch in speed and quickness with other power forwards. It looked as if Young and Lavoy Allen were planned to work well together off the bench, but we'll see how far Young's dedication takes him.

        With that being said, the Sixers now have a definition on offense, they're going to work inside-out, dishing the ball to Bynum down low as much as possible, and see if they can't use Hawes to do his best Pau Gasol impression. Bynum will be the go-to guy in their offense, and they're going to look to take advantage of teams double-teaming Bynum, which should create openings for penetration by point guard Jrue Holiday or clean looks for shooters like Holiday (38 3PT% last year), Jason Richardson (36.8%), and new players Nick Young (36.5%) and Dorell Wright (36%). Collins has emphasized more 3 pointers in transition, and the Sixers have shown a lot of the sort in this preseason. They're also hoping the extra post attention that Bynum attracts will clear space for the new starting small forward Evan Turner to operate. Turner will be key in the offensive game and the team hopes that after two largely underwhelming seasons in the NBA, he can reclaim the play-making form that made him the National Player of the Year at Ohio State. Turner will also be counted on to take over the defensive responsibilities of the departed Andre Iguodala. Iguodala played lock-down defense on the opposing team's best wing player, and Turner will look to continue that tradition, and should have an easier time with the defensive help down-low in Bynum.

        They'll miss Williams' immediate scoring impact as the sixth man, but they should get most of that scoring production back from the combination of Dorell Wright and Nick Young. They'll miss Iguodala's great all-around game, however they should still be good defensively with Turner and Holiday locking down the perimeter and Bynum backing them up as a very legitimate defensive big man. And the offensive production their likely to have thanks to their first real low-post threat since Moses Malone, should make up for any defensive drop-off. Doug Collins is one of the best in the business, and he will do his best to coach this team of tweeners (at every single position, somehow) to their third straight playoff appearance, but this time as a legitimate threat in the East.

Projected record: 52-30

C Andrew Bynum, doing his best Dr. J impression with the 'fro.

     

Who is the fuel? Where is the fire?

Former Philadelphia Eagles' leader, Brian Dawkins with his teammates.

        The Philadelphia Eagles have a plethora of talent all across their team. The talent, and 'potential' is never really in question, the mental toughness is the thing that this team clearly does not posses. Over the past two seasons their struggles have been mental breakdowns, penalties, coaching errors, calling out other players etc. They seem to have a "me-first" attitude, and no leadership that this team can build around. Eagles fans like myself remember the recent years of success, and how great leaders like Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Brian Westbrook and Jon Runyan could inspire the team and get them out of anything. From the runs in 2002 and 2006 with A.J. Feeley and Jeff Garcia (respectively) replacing Donovan McNabb due to injury, to the improbable 2008 run to the playoffs with McNabb being benched and then reinstated, in which the Eagles overcame miraculous odds to achieve success. But these days, the best Philadelphia can do is have Jason Avant call out the team's undisciplined play, although it takes a lot more than that to get fired up - and Juan Castillo's questionable firing can not do it either.

        After the Eagles blew a certain win over the Detroit Lions on October 14th, Avant made his frustration perfectly clear. He called out Philadelphia for its lack of discipline and protection, which most of us fans have been doing for the last six weeks. But he added that there is an attitude in "certain instances" of a "me before the team" mentality. One can only guess at what and who those instances are - and we have two weeks to do so before the next game. But aside from who is causing this kind of attitude, the bigger question is who is going to get the Eagles out of it. Andy Reid should be able to stop these problems before they fester, but he is doing a rather poor job of it in recent years. When Philadelphia had all its problems last season, it just kept boiling over until it looked like Reid had lost total control. A late four-game winning streak got it back and saved Reid's job, yet letting a second straight Eagles team collapse on his watch wouldn't help him save his job again.
If Reid can't get the Eagles under control, can any of his players? Avant may have called them out, but doing it this way might have been hurt Philadelphia more than helped it. In any case, the Eagles need one of their major leaders to answer Avant's call and lift the team back up. However, one has to wonder if they have players and leaders who can do that.

         Vick has been more of the problem than the solution, so he can't be counted on to save the Eagles until he can save himself from getting benched. DeSean Jackson has been criticized as being a "me before the team" guy before, so he might not be an option either. And while Philadelphia has other stars like LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Babin and Nnamdi Asomugha, we don't tend to think of them as the reincarnation of leaders like Dawkins. Someone such as Dawkins would have squashed this attitude before it started, or at least kept it from being this toxic - or so we would think. But there hasn't been that kind of leader in the Eagles locker room for some time. If there is one now, he is either keeping pretty quiet or hasn't been listened to - which wouldn't make him much of a leader to start with. Having someone like Avant call people out, publicly, doesn't do much for the team, especially considering he's the #3 wide-receiver. Granted, he is likely well respected based off his gutsy play, we need an established star veteran to take control and become a leader. The obvious problem there is that there are no real long-time Eagles on this roster. Trent Cole and Todd Herramans have been here the longest (excluding LS Jon Dorenbos for obvious reasons), but they seem to be the more "lead-by-example" type guys. Dawkins was that type of player as well, but he had that vocal instinct that leaders posses. It's tough to ask a new guy like DeMeco Ryans to take control, but he is the best option in my opinion. He is the unofficial captain of the defense as the middle-linebacker, and one of the more productive players so far this season.

        We don't know just how accurate Avant was in diagnosing the Eagles' mindset. If he was close enough, then Philadelphia and especially Andy Reid are in trouble, since it does not seem like players are jumping all at once to be a leader for this team. Reid knows this is a make-or-break year for him, and his time will be all to himself if he does not find someone to emerge or show up very soon.

Domonic Brown: the Phillies baseball drama.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, Domonic Brown.

        Well it's that time again, the Phillies are giving Domonic Brown another shot at the big leagues. The player deemed untouchable by Ruben Amaro Jr. in the Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Hunter Pence trades, is looking to play his way in to a starting role for the 2013 Phillies. Philadelphia fans have seen this drama before, this is Brown's third trip the the Major Leagues, and he hasn't had much success. However, so far in 2012, he's had his most productive year. Domonic Brown was selected in the 20th round of the 2006 MLB draft out of high school. The only reason he fell so low was because Brown had planned to attend the University of Miami to play wide receiver, but the Phillies offered him a $200,000 signing bonus to choose baseball instead. That right there shows you a hint of the type of athleticism Brown has. Brown has been described as a 5-tool player, meaning he excels at hitting for average, hitting for power, baserunning skills and speed, throwing ability, and fielding abilities. Brown was #15 on the 2010 Baseball America top prospects list.

        The 25-year-old Brown has fought his way through a variety of injuries. After recovering from a broken bone last season, he was affected by a knee injury this year while playing for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He's shown a slight limp, but seems to be okay. Standing tall and lanky at 6'5" and 200lbs, let's hope he isn't fragile. People should make note that Brown is a Scott Boras' client, however he isn't arbitration eligible until 2014 and can't become a free agent until 2017. The Phillies need to see development out of Brown this season to build more trust in him. As far as next season, he simply needs to put up steady offensive numbers, while playing in at least 140 games, to meet reasonable expectations. Doing so would fill one of the team's positional holes and likely answer the six spot in the lineup. I believe that the minor league experience Brown gained working under Iron Pigs' manager Ryne Sandberg has helped to advance his development. He isn't flailing at every pitch and is visibly thinking through his at bats as they occur. In other words, he's carrying out a plan when he's standing at the plate. The numbers show, he has only 9 strikeouts to go along with his 9 walks in 78 at-bats this season. Maintaining a 1/1 K-BB ratio would be huge for this team. He still has some work to do on the bases, but also looks much calmer in that area of his game as well. The organizational decision that allowed Brown to spend time at all three outfield positions in the minor leagues this season forced him to see the ball from three different fielding angles. If he proves that he can handle right field, which has been his primary position, I would let him stay there. Otherwise, a move to left field shouldn't be a problem.

        So far this season, Brown has been exceptionally good. He's maintained an average batting average, and has been OK in the field. However, after collecting just three extra-base hits and no home runs in his first 18 games this season, Brown is batting .467 (7-for-15) with a home run, three doubles and seven RBIs in his last four games. Speaking of recent games, Brown also showed off his talent in right field. In last night's game against the Reds, he laid out for a full-extension, diving, inning-ending catch in the second inning. Two innings later, with Jay Bruce standing on third base ready to tag up on a fly ball with one out, Brown tracked down a fly ball and unleashed a frozen rope to catcher Brian Schneider at home plate to complete a highlight reel-worthy double play. (Highlights: HERE) Brown's biggest strength as a prospect was his arm strength and accuracy. If he can round-out and make his reaction time better, as well as his fundamentals, he should develop in to a heck of an outfielder. So far this season he has six outfield assists, and his first career double play, and has yet to make an error. One of Brown's biggest struggles is hitting against left-handed pitching. He's hitting .167 (3-18) against lefties in 2012, and .206 (13-63) in his short MLB career. Charlie Manuel needs to let him play this season out, every game. That's including tough left-handed pitchers, Brown will never get better against them on the bench. The other thing that bothers me is his timing on hitting fastballs. He's hitting .237 on fastballs, and .276 on changeups (.500 against lefties), which shows that he's having trouble catching up the the fastballs. I do like that he's hitting .316 against curveballs from right-handing pitchers. That's all things that batting coach Greg Gross and 'hitting guru' Manager Charlie Manuel need to work with Domonic Brown.

        As long as Brown is healthy, he will be in the Phillies' starting lineup on opening day next spring.
I don't know if he will ever become an impact player, or if he will be able to maintain his full-time role. But, it's obvious that a lot of time has been spent helping him to renew his mental approach. He's hitting .282, with a .761 OPS (on base plus slugging percentage), and I think that he will do better over a longer stretch of time as a result of good coaching. Those who thought that his major league career would never take off haven't been proven wrong yet. Those who support him haven't rushed out to buy Brown's jersey yet either. Unless he's traded in the offseason, every Phillies' fan should have plenty of time to see how this baseball drama plays out.

Johnny Drama, from the HBO show Entourage.

Eagles pre-season, Vick's man hands.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick.

        In the Philadelphia Eagles first action of 2012, they went out and got a win. In the aftermath of Garrett Reid's death, several Eagles have dedicated this season to Andy Reid and his family. With that being said, the Eagles' starters struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Now most people will tell you that you really can't judge the pre-season, you have to take it for what it's worth. It's a tune-up, it's made for getting everyone in football mode. However, Eagles fans were hoping that the starters would really look good in their small appearance of game one, at least better than last year against Pittsburgh in the pre-season. Their poor performance in game three last season was the first sign that the 'Dream Team' hype would possibly crash and burn - which it obviously did. As such, the hope is that this year's preseason effort against the Steelers won't be another bad sign for the 2012 Eagles. Even though the Eagles came back and rallied for a last-second 24-23 win over Pittsburgh, the back-ups did all the damage while the big stars were shut down again.

        The big story of the season is already the health of Michael Vick. Not many Eagles fans believe that Vick can stay healthy, at least not for a full 16 games. He has only played a full season once in his career; his last season in Atlanta in 2006. However the bittersweet feeling is that this injury wasn't him being knocked out on a hard hit; this, similar to Vick's concussion last season, was a freak injury. Vick got banged up by hurting his left thumb on the helmet of the bearded barbarian, Jason Kelce. (Link: HERE) Vick probably had no business being on the field, since this injury took place in the second quarter. However, the Eagles defense struggled a bit and Vick only had one three-and-out in the first quarter and needed more playing time. Since x-rays returned negative, Vick's thumb should be fine. However, if he can't get through the first preseason game without a new bruise, how can he escape 16 regular season games - and hopefully up to three or four playoff games - unscathed? If the Eagles have to answer that question, their season may be over right then and there. With that being said, being the backup to Vick is the best gig in the NFL, you're almost guaranteed playing time and it's nice to see the other QB's step up. If Vick does go down hard this season, I wouldn't doubt if Donovan McNabb received a call to attempt to salvage this season, as this is a Super Bowl or bust team. The backup quarterbacks all looked exceptionally good in game one, but this is Vick's team and the likes of Mike Kafka, Trent Edwards and Nick Foles are not going to take the Eagles to the Super Bowl.

        In addition to the Vick concerns, the improved and revamped Philadelphia defense couldn't get off the field early on. Ben Roethlisberger was only on the field one drive, however it lasted 16 plays and contained two third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion. The Eagles ultimately held the Steelers to just a field goal, but the defense staying on the field for that long will drain them out and during the season will only doom them. After that long opening drive, the Eagles went three-and-out and the Steelers did get that touchdown on their next drive. Then when the Eagles finally got a drive going under Mike Kafka, an interception halted that momentum and led to another three points for the Steelers. Rookie quarterback Nick Foles was impressive, and completed 6 of 10 passes for 144 yards, including TD passes of 70 and 44 yards. Rookie Damaris Johnson caught four passes for 85 yards, including the huge 70-yard TD. The backups put together 24 second-half points and got the win, which was capped off by a 51-yard field goal by Alex Henery (who is absolute money by the way), with 11 seconds to go. Yet no one will remember that in Philadelphia; what we will remember is Vick's latest bruises, a stalled starting offense and a starting defense that couldn't get a rest. Will we have to see more of the same during the regular season, or can the Eagles' regulars learn from their preseason problems with the Steelers this time?

Let's just hope Vick has his man hands ready to carry this football team, and this football city.

Bynum in, Iguoadala out. What next?

Newly acquired Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

        Philadelphia 76ers fans have to be excited for what has transpired over the last couple days in Philly. The Sixers have a new face of their franchise, and while he might not have the biggest shoes to fill for our team per se, he does have the size to fill them. At a towering 7ft tall, and weighing in at 285 glorious pounds, I give you Andrew Bynum. He fills a void that the Sixers desperately needed filling. Not only a big body to clog the paint, but a legitimate scoring presence down low that can not only control, but dominate the game. After years of heartache and frustratingly watching our big men be too weak, too small, or too out of shape, we finally have a big man to root for. I've tried my best with Elton Brand and Chris Webber, but they didn't pan out as expected. While you can try and compare Bynum to Brand and Webber, there's not much in common. For one thing, both of those guys were exceptional power forwards, while Bynum is the 2nd best Center in the NBA. The biggest negative people might point to is Bynum's injury problems. Brand and Webber had their problems with injuries but this situation is different. They were established veterans when they came to Philly, not much upside and you knew what kind of player we were going to get. Brand was 29, Webber 31; Andrew Bynum will turn 25 in late October. He's young and just tapping in to his prime capabilities, and I truly believe that he has finally grown in to his massive body.
        
        Many are wondering how the Sixers got Bynum and not Orlando. Fans and journalists alike need to realize exactly what we gave up. We shipped out 3 first-round picks in Nikola Vucevic (2011), Moe Harkless (2012) and a future pick, as well as the centerpiece from our team, our best player; Andre Iguodala. A 2011-12 All-Star and 2012 Olympic team member, Iguodala is not only a great all-around ball player, but is one of the best perimeter defenders in the world. People have loved to try and compare this Olympic team to the '92 Dream Team, well on his best day Iguodala is the Scottie Pippen of this year's team. Mind you, Pippen is a hall of famer, and if Iguodala had a talent like Michael Jordan on his team, i.e. Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durant; let's just say he would have much more than 1 All-Star nod under his belt. Iguodala stuffs the staff sheet, and is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. I am obviously a fan of Iguodala, and I wish him well in Denver. However, I am extremely happy that we got rid of him. Kind of an oxymoron there right? Let me explain. Obviously I'm happy they received a stud center to roam the paint, but they also rid themselves of Iggy's contract for this season, and actually will save some money under the cap by acquiring Bynum. It's a no brainier for the Sixers to get rid of Iguodala and more to acquire Bynum and Jason Richardson by the way. Philadelphia has a plethora of talent at the wing, and not much at all down low. 2010 2nd overall pick Evan Turner, and the highly talented Thaddeus Young will receive more minutes and are going to be expected to produce, Turner especially. Evan Turner has been frustrating to say the least, however he has shown flashes of brilliance. Now that Iguodala is gone, he has no more excuses. If he starts to falter, newly acquired Jason Richardson, Nick Young, and Dorrell Wright will be more than happy to step up.

        The 76ers only have Bynum for one year as of now, as he an unrestricted free agent after 2012-13. The team as a whole needs to step up to make the New Jersey native Bynum a believer in Philly for the future. The 2013 free agent class is mighty enticing, and the best case scenario is Doug Collins and Philadelphia convince Bynum to stick around for the near and far future and he dominates as the best big man in the Eastern Conference, and helps us get more talent to build around him, Jrue Holiday and company. Worst case scenario is that Bynum gets hurt and/or walks after the season and we have a lot of money to play with. As far as I can tell, as of now our deeply talented but complicated depth chart looks like this:

Starting lineup

 

PG: Jrue Holiday

SG: Jason Richardson

SF: Evan Turner

PF: Lavoy Allen

C: Andrew Bynum

Bench

PG: Maalik Wayns*/Xavier Silas* (Evan Turner)

SG: Nick Young, Royal Ivey*

SF:  Dorrell Wright, Sam Young*

PF: Thaddeus Young, Arnett Moultrie, Craig Brackins*

C: Spencer Hawes, Kwame Brown 

* Indicate players who our questionable to make the team.

Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguoadala in their new uniforms. *Note. Andrew Bynum will wear #33.