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.