Philly Sports

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December 08
The Phillies:
A Look into the Phuture
By Pete Henry

Congratulations to the World Champion Phillies; they were able to do something that had not been accomplished in this town in 25 years, and that is, win a championship. The question that is on the minds of many is: Can they win it again next year? I say, yes.

Of course some things have to happen in order for the Phillies to repeat as World Series champs. They will need to re-sign some of their own players and add a few others. Let's take a look into the crystal ball, shall we?

Number one starter Cole Hamels will be eligible for quite a raise from his $500,000 salary of last season, possibly ten times that amount. Hamels should be a much happier camper after his second foray into the arbitration process. He will now be paid more according to his worth. The Phillies have Hamels’ rights until after the 2012 season, when he can test the free-agent waters. Hamels will be approaching 29-years-of-age at that time. It would be in the Phillies and Hamels’ best interest to lock the staff ace up long before then.

Nonetheless, the Phils have their best starting pitcher in the fold for a while. I expect Hamels to be even better in 2009, as he now has plenty of seasoning and a World Series MVP award to go with it. The sky is the limit for this kid with the devastating change-up and killer instinct. - That's one reason.

Brett Myers, the team's number two starter should be better as well. He now knows that he is a starting pitcher, not a closer, and he can prepare this offseason as such, both mentally and physically. I've said it before, when Myers is on his game, there is not a better curveball in baseball. The key for Brett is to locate his fastball. I believe he will do a more efficient job of that in 2009. Myers should no longer get down on himself when things are going poorly for him on the mound. He has a World Series ring in his pocket, and he was a huge part of the team's success in the playoffs and Series. Hamels and Myers give Philadelphia two of the better starters in the majors.

The team needs to re-sign ageless Jamie Moyer. Though Moyer turned 46-years-old in November, he keeps himself in tremendous shape. There were stretches during the 2008 season when Moyer was arguably the Phillies' best starting pitcher. His record of 16-7 with an ERA of 3.71 this past season shows that just like a fine wine, Moyer is getting better with the turn of the calendar. Moyer still possesses one of the best change-ups in the game, and he will win most battles versus aggressive lineups, and we know there are still plenty of those in the National League.

Let's also not forget the tutelage that Moyer gives to the young pitchers on the team. Championship teams need people like Jamie Moyer on their rosters because their measure is not reflected in statistics alone.

Joe Blanton showed to be a capable 4th starter for Philadelphia. He has a live arm, though he does give up a lot of homeruns. Blanton's 10-2 win against the Rays in game four of the Series was a real turning point. Let us not forget the tremendous display of power Blanton put forth on the homerun he socked in the contest. He [Blanton] could be in for an interesting arbitration, as his record and numbers in 2008 were not as good as his 2007 numbers. In 2007, the right-hander from Nashville was 14-10 with an ERA under 4.00, but in 2008 he went a combined 9-12, with an ERA well over 4.00. Still, Blanton is better than most 4th starters in this league, and he really shone in the post season.

The fifth spot in the rotation is probably up for grabs as Kyle Kendrick really struggled toward the end of the 2008 season. If he isn't traded, he will get another shot to win back the spot. J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco, the Phillies top pitching prospects, should get their shots at the 5th slot as well. I would love to see Happ or Carrasco take a hold of this rotation position. I believe their upside is much higher than Kendrick's, who must be incredibly precise in order to win with his average major league stuff.

The Phillies would like to sign Ryan Howard to a long-term deal, but how much are they willing to spend for a power-hitting first baseman who, let's face it, is a defensive liability on most days? Then on the other side of the coin, however, he can carry a club with his long rushes of power. Howard, though struggling with his poor average and abundance of strike outs, led the major leagues in dingers and RBIs. It is difficult to ignore that. Howard is not eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, so he'll be here for at least awhile longer; to the displeasure of the rest of the National League.

Chase Utley took home his 3rd Silver Slugger Award in as many years. I look for Utley to be even better in 2009. I'm sure the All-Star second baseman will work hard this off-season to avoid the dry spells he experienced in mid-season. There was question as to whether Chase was completely healthy (hip), but he will never use that as an excuse. Regardless, he is still the best 4 in the game.

Jimmy Rollins had an off-year offensively and some other problems with tardiness and a lack of hustle on the field at times. Rollins did win another Gold Glove for his excellent work in the field and is capable of much better play than he displayed this season.

Pedro Feliz, when healthy, was a nice third baseman for the Phillies. The team would have liked to have seen Feliz hit more homeruns and drive in more runs than his 14 homers and 58 RBIs this season, but Feliz came up with some key hits in 2008 and was extremely smooth with his glove-work. His offense should improve in 2009 after having a year playing in Philly under his correa.

The outfield regulars should consist of Shane Victorino in centerfield and emerging talent, Jason Werth in right. There is an awfully high ceiling for both players. Victorino really came of age in Philadelphia's World Series run, coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit. Did I mention that he also won a Gold Glove for his dynamite play in the outfield this year, where he committed only two errors?

Werth is a five-tool player. I feel that Werth can get even better with a full year as a starter. He shows tremendous power at times, as some of his homeruns are just awesome. Let us not forget that the right fielder can run a little as well; Werth stole 20 bases this season. He [Werth] is also the team's best hitter with two strikes. Try and remember this season how many times Werth fouled off a plethora of pitches in important situations.

Left field is a question mark. If the team does not re-sign Pat Burrell, it will have to find a way to make up for his 33 "long drives," to quote the great Harry Kalas, as well as the 86 runs he knocked in. It won't be easy. I would like to see the Phillies make a strong push for Matt Holiday after the 2009 season when he becomes a free agent.

At catcher, the team must decide when is the time to give future prospect Lou Marson the reigns. Many in-the-know in baseball feel that Marson will one day be an All-Star at his position. He gave the fans a taste of the future when he drilled a homerun into the leftfield bleachers in September at Citizens Bank Park. Carlos Ruiz is a good catcher, calls a good game, field his position well, but the team needs more offense from their catcher, whoever it will be in 2009. Chris Coste will probably have to settle for the occasional start if he makes the opening day roster.

The bullpen was incredible this past season. I believe it was the team's heart. The bullpen core should consist of Brad Lidge, the best closer in the game, Ryan Madson, who is arbitration eligible this offseason, J.C Romero, Chad Durbin and key addition, Scott Eyre in 2009. Eyre inked a one-year deal to stay in Philly.

Does all of this equate to a World Series-caliber baseball team for the 2009 season? I think it could, but time will tell.

TOP

The Philadelphia 76ers not only have a goal of advancing past the first round of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, but they feel as if they are good enough to win the conference and advance to the NBA championship.

Last year, the Sixers' season ended against a veteran-laden Detroit Piston team. Philadelphia eventually went on to lose the series of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals to the guys from Motown 4-2. It was the Sixers’ first playoff appearance since 2005. It was a successful season considering the fact that the team was 12 games under the .500 mark as late as February.

The Sixers added some solid free agents in the offseason---none bigger than the addition of power forward Elton Brand. The team signed Brand to a 5 year, $79.795 million-dollar deal on July 9th after Brand opted out of a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Rodney Carney was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Calvin Booth and a future first round draft choice for its $2.8 million trade exception acquired in a deal with the Miami Heat. The team needed every nickel to sign Brand.

Shooting guard Kareem Rush was signed from the Indiana Pacers to add some much needed 3-point shooting off the bench. Theo Ratliff, a familiar face for Sixers fans, was also brought in to backup Samuel Dalembert at center. Forward Andre Iguodala, a restricted free agent, was signed to a new contract worth $80 million that spans over 6 years. Guard Louis Williams, also a restricted free agent, was re-signed to a contract of 5 years for $25 million.

Obviously, the team will revolve around Brand, who I feel is one of the top five power forwards in the NBA. The beauty of now having a post player that requires a double-team is that Brand will open up a lot of space on the floor for other players. Andre Iguodala should have much more room for back door cuts and drives to the basket. Andre Miller should also have plenty of room to drive and shoot his patented mid-range jumper. Three-point shooters should also be wide open on the perimeter more often.

For people that are not real familiar with Brand's game, he is a complete power forward. He can post-up players, he can shoot a mid-range jump shot, he is an excellent rebounder, both offensive and defensive, and he is a very good shot blocker, averaging just over 2 snuffs per game in his career. He [Brand] and Dalembert should be a difficult combo for opposing players to get shots over in the lane this season.

I still would like to see more threats from the three-point arc on this team, but that aside, this team could be dynamite defensively. Their speed on the perimeter and shot-blocking ability should trigger an abundance of fast-breaks. If the Sixers can somehow manage to be respectable with they’re outside shooting, they could indeed come out of the Eastern Conference when the playoffs roll around. I think this team could possibly win between 48 and 50 ballgames this season.

Flyers' Start Not According To Plan

Despite a long playoff-run in which the Flyers made it all the way to the conference finals before losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team [Flyers] is off to an incredibly slow start after 5 games played with an unimpressive record of 0-3-2. There is still plenty of season left, but it is always a plus to get off to a good start in the NHL.

A 5-4 overtime loss in San Jose in which Philadelphia had a 4-3 lead with under five minutes to play, only adds insult to injury, literally. The orange and black have had their share of injuries to deal with early this season. The Flyers backline, in particular, has been hit hard.

I believe this is the main reason for the Flyers' initial woes. But Flyers coach John Stevens is not making excuses. “We need more from everybody to win hockey games,” Stevens said.

Here is a look at some of the Flyers defensive injuries:
*6-2, 205lb defenseman Ryan Parent's surgery on a torn labrum in his shoulder will keep him out of action until possibly January. Parent averaged almost fifteen minutes of ice-time a game last season.
*27-year-old defenseman Randy Jones, who had surgery on his right hip, is not expected back until December. Jones averaged nearly twenty minutes a game last season.
*Derian Hatcher is out indefinitely, and there is a possibility that he will not return at all as his right knee is giving him tons of trouble. The tough veteran defenseman gave the Flyers just over twenty-one minutes a contest in the 44 games he played last season. *Jason Smith is gone to free agency. All of this translates to inexperience on the backline coupled with Kimmo Timonen averaging close to twenty-eight minutes a game. In turn, there have been costly turnovers in the Flyers zone, which have cost them dearly.

“We turned a couple pucks over and that led to penalties in our own end,” Steven said.

This leads to power plays and not enough healthy talent at present to kill them. This has equated to blown leads late in games.

There is strong reason to believe that the Flyers will turn this around. They are playing hard, and Stevens is an excellent coach. It just may take a while.

After the disheartening loss to the Sharks, Stevens had this to say.

“I certainly like the way we competed tonight and the fire we had, but we get the lead and we should be able to lock it up there,” Stevens said.

Eagles Report

The Birds have a 3-3 record after 6 games, which means they are an average football team. That is about what I see right now. I do think the addition of wide receiver Kevin Curtis will help them as it will give quarterback Donovan McNabb another legitimate threat on the outside. It will give head coach Andy Reid a chance to create more mismatches in the passing game, a feat that Reid is a master at. Once Curtis gets into "football shape," he and promising rookie receiver, DeSean Jackson, could give opposing defenses absolute fits. Jackson appears to be a real a nice draft choice [second round] for the Midnight Green. He has a robust chance of catching for 1000+ yards this season. Once this kid gets some polish, look out.

One thing that has me quite discouraged is the lack of production from the tight end position. L.J. Smith is far too inconsistent. He also drops more footballs than I would like. The Birds need an upgrade here. Another aspect of the team that concerns me is their inability to stop the run at times, in particular against the power-running attacks of the NFC East.

On To The World Series

At the time of this writing, it was determined that the Phillies would play the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series. The Rays are a young, talented team and an awfully resilient bunch. The Phillies will have their work cut out for them in this series in which the Rays boast home-field advantage, due to the American League winning the All Star game. No matter what the outcome, the Fightin' Phils have had a successful season; though, a parade down Broad Street would be nice.

It was difficult to judge the Eagles in their first game against the St. Louis Rams. The Birds demolished the Rams 38-3. The Rams look like one of the worst teams in the National Football League. St. Louis recorded only eight first downs and failed to convert on 3rd down in the game, going 0-11 in that regard. Marc Bulger was clearly rattled by the Eagles’ blitz which just kept coming and coming. If Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson smells blood in the water, he will continue to send the sharks. Translation: if an opposing offense is in disarray against the Eagles’ blitz, you can be sure that Johnson will continue to do it.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was extremely sharp with his passes all game long. McNabb finished the game 21-33, for 361 yards through the air. The Eagles signal caller had all day to throw during many offensive snaps. It reminded me of seven-on-seven drills. It seemed whatever the Eagles wanted to do on offense, they did it.

Brian Westbrook was his usual, marvelous self. Westbrook averaged nearly five yards a carry in the contest while racking up 91 yards on 19 carries. The elusive Eagles tailback also recorded 2 touchdowns, one rushing and another receiving.

The Eagles had three receivers catch for over one hundred yards in the game, Hank Baskett was one. Baskett caught a 90-yard touchdown on a busted coverage by the Rams, which seemed to be a recurring theme all game long, Greg Lewis and rookie DeSean Jackson also caught for over 100 yards. Jackson looks like the real deal. The Rams secondary had no answer for him in the game. Jackson is extremely dangerous after the catch. He has that extra giddy-up that we only see from cartoon characters. Andy Reid will definitely create some nightmare matchups for opposing defenses with Westbrook and Jackson on the field at the same time.

"All three phases played well,” Reid said, "plenty of room for improvement, but any time you win in the National Football League that's a good day. I thought the coordinators and coaches did a nice job, as did the players."

The Eagles Monday Night thriller against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium was a much different story from their opener. This game marked the last regular season game the Eagles will play in the storied arena that opened in 1971. The Cowboys will have a new stadium which they will call home starting in 2009.

Philadelphia lost a heartbreaker to the star-bearing boys, 41-37. One would have thought going into the game that 37 points would have been more than enough with the personnel the Birds have on the defensive side of the ball, but it was not. I am extremely concerned with free safety Brian Dawkins coverage ability right now. Dawkins was beaten by Dallas tight end Jason Witten several times in the contest, and by a pretty substantial margin. The former Pro Bowl safety was also beaten badly by wide receiver Terrell Owens on a quick slant rout for a touchdown. I am not saying that Dawkins should win a one-on-one matchup with Owens, but in the past he [Dawkins] would have given a much better showing than he did on that score.

The aspect of Dawkins' coverage display from the Cowboy game that I found to be most troubling was the fact that the he could not keep up with Jason Witten, who has decent speed, but he is a tight end, and in the past, there was not a tight end in this league that Brian Dawkins couldn't run with, some receivers too.

Dawkins’ teammates are defending him and Dawkins is saying that he will be just fine, and maybe he will. It's just something that the Eagles need to keep an eye on; the Birds free safety will turn 35 in mid-October.

Gang Green managed virtually no pass rush on Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. He was not sacked once in the game. At times, it seemed as if the Dallas QB had all day to observe the field. Other than a gift touchdown by linebacker Chris Gocong on an unforced fumble by Romo in the end zone, it was not a defensive game to remember for the gents in midnight green.

I thought the Eagles offense was extremely functional. Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb was particularly good in the game, especially in the first half. The ball was coming out quickly and accurately. The only real big blunder on McNabb's part came in the 4th quarter when he unintentionally faked out his running back Brian Westbrook on an attempted handoff. The ball was fumbled, and the Cowboys took possession. That was the play of the game in my opinion. The Eagles were up 37-34 at that point on the Cowboys' 33-yard line, with a 1st and 10 situation. If the Eagles had scored a touchdown there, I think they would have won the game.

DeSean Jackson had a very impressive game, as he caught balls for 110 yards. Including a 60-yard bomb reception from McNabb that should have been a 61 yard reception for a touchdown, but Jackson ridiculously threw the ball away one yard shy of the goal line. Let's hope Jackson never does anything like that again.

All and all, I think the Eagles can beat the Cowboys. They must get a better pass rush from the defense, and they need wide receiver Kevin Curtis back. This may have been a preview of the NFC Championship, folks. We'll have to wait and see.

The Eagles defeated the Pittsburg Steelers 15-6 in the 3rd week of the season to boost their record to 2-1. From an offensive standpoint, the game was not pretty. The Eagles defense was the hero of the day.

The Steelers were anemic on offense, except for two field goals in the first half. What a difference a game makes. The Eagles D, who had not registered a sack against the Dallas Cowboys in the week prior, sacked Pittsburg quarterback Ben Roethlisberger 8 times and his replacement, Byron Leftwich, another for a total of 9 in the ball game. Roethlisberger, who hurt his right hand late in the 4th quarter, was replaced by Leftwich, who didn't do much better.

Gang Green forced a safety, recorded an interception, and forced and recovered 2 fumbles. The Eagles secondary blanketed the Steeler receivers virtually all day long. Pittsburg star running back Willie Parker was shut down as well. Parker only rushed for 20 yards on 13 carries. It was a grade A performance by the Birds defensive group.

Brian Westbrook sustained an ankle injury on a play in which he jumped over a teammate early in the second quarter. He did not return. X-rays were negative, but it remains to be seen how long this injury will keep Westbrook out of action, or how it will affect him for the foreseeable future.

McNabb did not start the second half due to an injury to his chest sustained during a sack by the Steeler defense in the first half, but returned shortly after the start of the 3rd quarter. McNabb had an average performance. He finished the game 24-35, for 196 yards, 1 touchdown to Correll Buckhalter, and an interception. The touchdown came on a swing pass to Buckhalter which he took 20 yards for the score. He leaped over a defender on the way to the end zone. It was an extremely athletic-looking play.

With the touchdown pass, McNabb became the Eagles all-time leader for touchdown passes with 176.

The Eagles hope to greatly improve on the mediocre season they put forth last year. The 8-8 record from 2007 was simply not good enough based on the talent the team had. Andy Reid believes the team has enough good players in the arsenal to make a serious run at not only making the Super Bowl, but winning it. I think the first goal should be to win an extremely tough NFC East.

The Cowboys are loaded with talent, but have yet to make a serious playoff run with the group they currently have in place. The formula for stopping this team has not changed; double team Terrell Owens. He'll get frustrated. He'll yell at his coaches and Tony Romo. Romo will feel as if he has to throw the ball to Owens, no matter how well he is covered, and interceptions ensue. Sound familiar? Opposing defensive coordinators, take note.

The Redskins had a pretty solid defense last year ranking 4th in rush defense and 11th in points allowed. The key for them will be quarterback Jason Campbell. He was inconsistent at times last year and it probably cost the Skins a game or two. The Redskins added talented wide receiver Malcolm Kelly in the draft. Kelly could help when the team employs three receiver sets, as he is big enough to make plays in the slot, at 6-4, 220. Personally, I still think the Giants are the team to beat in this division. The defense had a firm grasp of defensive coordinator Steve Spaguolo's system by the latter half of last season, which is a mirror of Eagles defensive guru Jim Johnson's system. Spagnuolo spent eight seasons with the Birds, his last three were as the team's linebackers coach. Eli Manning grew up in a big way once he entered the playoffs. Manning led New York to three road playoff wins and eventually to a victory over the heavily-favored Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Pats were unable to complete their season of perfection as they went undefeated in the regular season, only to lose their first game of the year in the Super Bowl.

Let's take a look at the Eagles:
This is the biggest year of Donovan McNabb's career. He is probably playing for his future as an Eagle this season. McNabb was inconsistent at best last season. In the beginning of the year, he was trying to shake off the rust of the previous season's injury to his knee. During much of the season, McNabb seemed to have little mobility. He was being chased down by defensive linemen, players who never would have caught him in the past. His mechanics were not very good either. McNabb looked like an extremely pedestrian quarterback. He did get some of his mobility back by season's end. But let's be frank here, this team will win and lose games based on Donovan's ability to make throws from the pocket on a consistent basis. He needs to be more constant on his rhythm and timing throws. He is far too long into his career to be as erratic as he is. He is great one game and mediocre for the next two. I need to see him make tight throws on a more consistent basis.

Receivers do not break wide open in the National Football League. Many times number 5's struggles have nothing to do with his wide receivers. Too often, he holds the ball for too lengthy a period, waiting for somebody to break wide open. In this offense, the ball needs to come out quickly. There have been times in his career, last year in particular, where McNabb's mechanics as far as throwing the football, vary from game to game, sometimes from snap to snap. Of course every quarterback has periods during the course of their career where their mechanics go awry, but with McNabb, who is one of the better QBs in the league, it happens too much. Better wide receivers can't cure those ills; he has to. McNabb did play better when he came back from the thumb injury last season. In my opinion, his best game was the game in Dallas. Even though the Birds only managed 10 points on offense, McNabb was dynamite in the game. He made precise throws and quick decisions. His mobility was also much improved from earlier in the season. McNabb is at his best when he has the ability to scramble to get people wide open. This usually spells big plays for the Eagles offense, and the team will need much of that formula in order to get where it wants to go this season.

One big question I have is whether the team will go with A.J. Feeley or Kevin Kolb should McNabb falter or get injured this year. There could be a heated competition for the number 2 quarterback position in training camp. The Eagles will need to see if Kolb has learned enough of the Pro game and the Birds' intricate version of the West Coast Offense to elevate to the second position on the depth chart. They are already well aware of Feeley's capabilities. Feeley is a solid NFL backup, fully capable of winning a few games should McNabb suffer another injury. Feeley does have his flaws, however. He isn't blessed with the strongest arm in the universe, and is prone to interceptions as he will force the football into coverage at times, but Feeley's strong points are his quick release; his strong grasp of the offense and his moxie.

Some have argued, myself included, that the team's offense runs more efficiently with Feeley at the helm than with McNabb. The ball comes out of Feeley's hand swiftly ----while McNabb has a tendency to hold the ball longer in hopes that a receiver will break wide open.

The key to the Eagles' season is always running back Brian Westbrook. Westbrook, the team's best player, must stay healthy for the Birds to go anywhere. The Eagles can win without McNabb; they cannot win without Westbrook. He is probably the best tailback in the league right now. No back in the league can match the 5-foot, nine-inch back's versatility. Westbrook had 90 catches for 771 yards in 15 games last season to go along 1333 yards rushing. Just imagine if he had played in all 16. Did I mention that he is also an exceptional blocker?

Andy Reid also appears to have big plans for running back Lorenzo Booker. Booker was acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a fourth round pick in the 2008 draft. He has legit sub-4.5/40 speed, and his shift and wiggle will remind some of a poor man's Brian Westbrook. Booker has yet to show his full potential in the NFL, but the talent is certainly there. I have a feeling that Reid will create some matchup nightmares for opposing defenses with Westbrook and Booker on the field at the same time.

Correll Buckhalter and Tony Hunt will probably duel it out for the role of short-yardage/power back. I like Hunt to win this battle. I think he (Hunt) could be a real asset around the goal line and in 3rd and 1 situations this year. The fullback position will be a battle between Luke Lawton, Jason Davis, and Jed Collins. The Eagles gave up a conditional 2009 draft choice to the Indianapolis Colts for Lawton so he probably has an edge in that respect.

L.J. Smith is back as the starting tight end, if he can stay healthy that is. When healthy, Smith is a real weapon. He is a tough cover in the red zone with his speed and 260 lb frame. Smith will drop some footballs, but he is difficult for opposing linebackers to stay with. Brent Celek should only improve on his solid rookie season of last year. He showed a knack for finding holes in zone coverage and sitting down. The third spot will go to either Matt Schobel or Kris Wilson. I can't see the team keeping 4 tight ends. Wide receiver Kevin Curtis had a very good first season with the Birds. Curtis posted some impressive numbers with 77 grabs for 1110 yards and 6 scores. Curtis has good speed and nifty moves after the catch, especially if hit in stride. I would like to see him hold onto the football a little better in traffic. The Eagles made a push for Randy Moss in the offseason, but he decided to return to New England. They say their receivers are sufficient. I'm not so sure. Curtis aside, I need to see more consistency from the other receivers. Reggie Brown will start opposite Curtis. Brown drops entirely too many footballs. He also needs to become more adroit when it comes to getting away from bump coverage. Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis, Bam Childress, and DeSean Jackson will vie for the 3rd and 4th receiver spots. The Eagles are hoping for big plays from Jackson, but he will probably be limited to making them on special teams as rookie receivers do not usually contribute very much to the Birds' offense.

The offensive line should be solid. Tackles Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan are still playing well, despite their football mileage. Runyan should have made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons, but continues to get the shaft year after year. The interior of center Jamaal Jackson, and guards Shawn Andrews and Todd Herremans needs to be more consistent. Andrews made the Pro-Bowl last year, but his season was filled with disparity. Guard Max Jean Gilles could challenge Herremans for his starting spot at left guard.

The defensive line will rotate about eight players. Juqua Parker, and Trent Cole should be the starting ends, while Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson project to be the starting tackles. Newly acquired DE Chris Clemons will be another option as a pass rusher. Clemons comes blazing off the corner in pass-rushing situations. He had eight sacks in a limited role with the Raiders last year. Bunkley was improved last season, but needs to bring it on an every play basis. When he does that, he is a real handful for opposing guards and centers. The team needs more sacks from this group.

The linebacking core of Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, and Stewart Bradley should be a strength. This group is both athletic and physical. The Eagles see much promise in Akeem Jordan as well.

The secondary received a real shot in the arm with the signing of corner back Asante Samuel. Samuel is as good a corner as there is in the league. He is a real ballhawk, and almost never gets beaten deep. If Lito Sheppard is not traded, he and Samuel could make it extremely difficult for opposing QBs to complete passes. I see Sheldon Brown playing a nickel role, should Sheppard stay. The starting safeties are projected to be Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell. Dawkins will need to stay healthy, as there is much wear and tear on his 34-year-old body. He did play well toward the end of last season. Mikell was terrific as the team's strong safety. He is outstanding against the run and more than adequate in pass defense. Mikell is awfully hardnosed. Safety Sean Considine is coming off of a shoulder injury. He (Considine) needs to get better at locating the football while it's in the air; and he also needs to become a better tackler, wrapping up in particular. As far as special team goes, David Akers would be the first to say that he had an off year last season by his standards. David made only 1 out of 6 attempts from 40-49 yards, and too often his kickoffs did not have enough length in 2007. He needs to improve in both areas this season. Punter Sav Rocca has a strong leg, but his season was loaded with inconsistencies. He needs to show vast improvement. The Birds hope that 2nd round draft pick DeSean Jackson will give a mighty boost to their kickoff and punt return games. Jackson has all the speed and elusiveness to excel in both areas. The only question I have, is whether or not he can survive in the NFL with his 169 lb. frame?

The Phillies appear to be one of the three best teams in the National League at the halfway point of the season. The pitching, both starting and the bullpen, has to be the biggest surprise thus far this season. The starters are keeping the Phillies in most games, and if the team has a lead going into the latter innings, it has been pretty safe with one of the league's best bullpens.

The Fightin' Phils have one of the most elite offenses in the majors as well. I am sure opposing pitchers are not getting much slumber the night before a matchup with the team in red pinstripes.

Let's take a look at the Phillies and the sum of its parts:

First baseman Ryan Howard is producing power numbers, RBIs and homeruns, but he must cut down on the strike outs and bring his average up to the respectable range, I could live with .265. He has been a second half player in his abbreviated past, so I guess we can give him the benefit of the doubt, though he is being paid $10 million for the whole of the season, not just the second half.

Chase Utley has been nothing shy of marvelous in the first half. I think he is clearly the best player in MLB through the midway point. Utley is on a pace to hit over 50 dingers this season. He is using all fields to spray the baseball, and his plate coverage has been unbelievable. I don't think there is a quicker bat in the sport. He appears to be a shoe-in to start in the All Star game for the National League. In order to be the home team's third MVP in as many years, Chase must simply keep doing what he is doing.

Jimmy Rollins has yet to find his stride at the dish since missing some time with a high ankle sprain, but I'll give Jimmy some leeway, for his .275 average is respectable, and he is one hot streak away from .300. His defense at short stop has been stellar as usual.

Pedro Feliz has been a very nice addition at third base. He started off slow, both offensively and defensively, but has really pulled things together. Feliz has a rocket for an arm and covers a descent amount of space at the hot corner and has a fair chance of hitting 25 home runs this season. How long has it been since a Phillies third baseman has accomplished that feat? How about 2001, when Scott Rolen hit 25 round-trippers?!

Pat Burrell has had a terrific first half in the batter's box. He is much more aggressive, which is what Pat needs to do to be successful. He is not shuffling, nor seeing as many ghosts as he has done in the past while facing opposing pitchers. He is seeing the ball extremely well.

Shane Victorino is just starting to scratch the surface of his talent as an all-around baseball player. He runs down just about everything in centerfield. He has been getting key hits as of late, and is on a pace to steal about thirty bags. I would still like to see him walk a bit more.

Geoff Jenkins and Jason Werth have been interchangeable parts in right field, though Werth does play some center field as well. The manager seems to go with the player who is hotter at the time. Both have gotten clutch hits at different parts of this first half.

Catchers, Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz, have done a solid job. Coste is clearly the better offensive player, sporting an average over .300. He has even been throwing out an occasional runner or two. Ruiz needs to bring his average at the plate up some. His defense has been robust. Ruiz is not easy for opposing players to steal on. Both catchers have done a quality job handling the staff.

In the starting rotation, Cole Hamels has been as good as any left-hander in baseball in the first half.

Brett Myers, on the other hand, is a different story - he is still having trouble locating his fastball. When that happens, his devastating deuce is not as effective. I understand that Myers has gone from the bullpen last year to the starting rotation this year, but he is struggling from inning one. If he were not having troubles, he should be solid from the start of games. It is reminiscent of when John Smoltz of the Braves went from the closing role back to a starter. He would be wonderful for about the first five innings and then start to wear down after that, until he built his arm up. Myers is really having his struggles on the road this season as his ERA is over 7.00, while his home ERA is around 3.70. Brett needs to pick it up if this team is going to make a post season run.

Jamie Moyer has been the constant he always is in the middle of the rotation. I really get a kick out of watching him frustrate those aggressive Marlins hitters.

Kyle Kendrick has been keeping the Phillies in games. He is starting to summon a lot more ground balls with his casts, which is the whole key to Kendrick's success. I would like to see him improve his strike/walk ratio, however.

Adam Eaton has been much better this year, at least, so far. The key to Eaton's game is avoiding the big inning for the opposition. It seems as if one bad inning, in some of his starts this year, has been the root of all evil for him. Eaton needs to keep the ball down and utilize both sides of the plate with his pitches. When he does that, he is a more efficient hurler.

In the bullpen, Brad Lidge has probably been the best closer in the game. His slider is just plain nasty and his ERA has been under 1.00 for much of the season's first stanza. J.C. Romero was just beginning to find his form of the second half of last season. He should be the team's setup man from this point forth.

Tom Gordon should, very simply, retire as the game has passed him by. His ERA is over 5.00 and climbing, which is far too lofty for a so-called "key piece" in a bullpen of a team with championship on its mind. I believe Gordon from Sesame Street would have done a better job of catching that ball thrown to him in the last game of the series in St. Louis. Too often, this guy looks like a deer in the headlights.

Charlie Manuel has done a sound job of managing the team in the first half of this season. The squad has managed to avoid its early season woes of years past, and much of that is due to the even keel of Manuel. Honorable mention has to go to first base coach Davey Lopes. When he was gone, Shane Victorino couldn't buy a stolen base. Since Lopes has come back from his battle with prostate cancer, it seems as if Victorino can't be caught. Lopes is a real key to this team's running game. If you watch closely, you will actually see Lopes tell a guy when to run; it's a game within a game for Davey.

EAGLES DRAFT REVIEW: GRADE C

I would have liked to see the home team draft Kenny Phillips, FS from Miami, in the first round. Instead, the Birds elected to trade out of the round. The Eagles could have traded down a few spots and still gotten the playmaking safety, but ironically, a division rival snatched him up with pick number 31 at the end of the first round. That would be the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, who have a history of getting their draft picks on the field in their first seasons in the National Football League.

In the second round with pick number 49, I would have grabbed Malcolm Kelly, WR from Oklahoma, the 6-4 220 lb wideout would have been a nice target for McNabb, but another division rival saw fit to draft him two picks later, the Washington Redskins. I know that Desean Jackson is explosive, with his 4.3 speed in the 40, but he is 169 lbs, and wasn't small stature the reason why the Eagles cut WR/PR Jeremy Bloom last preseason? I am trying to remember the last 169 lb. player who had a big impact in the NFL and I cannot think of one at present. Jackson will need to do a lot more than just return punts and kicks. He will need to play on the kickoff and punt coverage units without being pushed around. That could be an interesting prospect at his smurf-like size. I know he claims that he is up to 175, but that will all change come training camp. He could lose five pounds of sweat in one session of two-a-days in the smoldering July sun.

Trevor Laws, the DE out of Notre Dame, should add depth to a talented defensive line. Laws is a bit short in stature, but he has a high motor and could play either end or defensive tackle. Bryan Smith, the Eagles 3rd round selection, played defensive end in college, but his playing weight was about 210 lbs. at McNeese St. Even if he plays linebacker in the NFL, he will need to pack on some muscle. I know the Eagles might compare him to Trent Cole, but I saw much of Cole in college at Cincinnati and he played at around 240 as a defensive end, and against much stiffer competition.

Mike McGlynn, the Birds 4th round choice, will add depth to the O-line. The offensive tackle from Pitt will likely play guard for the Eagles. He is a strong run-blocker, but his feet are a bit slow to play tackle in the NFL. The Eagles hope they made a solid choice with the second of their 4th round selections in Quintin Demps, a safety out of UTEP. Demps has good size at 6-1, 215, and can cover wide receivers much like Brian Dawkins. The Eagles believe he will one day take Dawkins’ spot at free safety. The Birds third 4th round choice, Jack Ikegwuonu, is a 6-1, 200 lb corner from Wisconsin. Ikegwuonu suffered a torn ACL in January during a workout. Before he was injured, Ikegwuonu was considered to be one of the more talented corners in the draft. It will be interesting to see how he recovers from this injury. The rest of the picks will be lucky to make the roster.

I know a C is kind of a harsh grade, but that is how I see it. Though we must give the Birds the benefit of the doubt, because they have had 45 Pro Bowl selections since the year 2000; which just happens to be the most in the NFL for that period.

FLYERS AND 76ERS

I'd like to congratulate the Flyers and Sixers on fine seasons. They both far exceeded the expectations of most this year. I see extremely bright futures for both of these young, talented teams. The Flyers will need to add some speed on the back line and decide which of their free agents they wish to keep, as well as which ones to bring in from elsewhere.

The Sixers will need to decide what to do with the two Andres (Miller and Iguodala), and also what avenues they want to explore to improve the team. Should they go the route of trade or free agency? Maybe both are options. It would be nice to get a serviceable player in the draft as well.

The Greatest Phillie of all-time, and personally, the greatest baseball player that I ever had the pleasure of watching, Mike Schmidt, is strongly devoted to the battle against cystic fibrosis. Mike has given his support to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in many ways. The Baseball Hall of Famer has bestowed his personal financial support to the Foundation as well as hosting the Florida Chapter Palm Beach Office's celebrated annual fishing tournament. His latest effort bears a different flavor, however, in the sapor of a red zinfandel.

"I believe the term we are using for this wine is versatile," Schmidt said. "Because you can drink it anytime."
The legendary third baseman's new wine, Mike Schmidt 548 Zinfandel, which is named after the 548 home runs he belted in his career, is Schmidt's most recent contribution to the benefit of cystic fibrosis research. Each bottle costs about $19.00. Beginning at the end of May, Mike began donating 100 percent of his proceeds, which equates to $1.25 for each bottle sold, to this wonderful cause. The wine is available in Pennsylvania, and you can find out more online at www.charitywines.com.

"Mike has been a wonderful friend to the Foundation over the years," says C. Richard Mattingly, executive vice president and chief operating officer. "He is obviously a legendary athlete, but what we also know is that he a very caring and committed man. This most recent act of kindness further demonstrates his dedication to helping the CF Foundation team win our battle to cure CF."

Mike's partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation began in 1999, when Brett Weinstein, a son of a close friend, passed away after a valiant 20-year struggle with cystic fibrosis. Schmidt, then-retired, and living in South Florida, established the Mike Schmidt Winner's Circle Invitational fishing tournament in memory of Brett and in support of the quest for a cure. The tournament celebrated its eighth year in May and has raised nearly $2 million for cystic fibrosis.

"I just believe in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and in this cause," says Schmidt. "Thousands of families with young children fight this disease every single day. And I believe it is our challenge and our duty to contribute as much as possible to the ongoing fight to find a cure for cystic fibrosis." The limited edition 548 Zinfandel is the latest wine to be named for a member of "The 500 Home Run Club," an elite group subsumed of the greatest home run hitters in baseball history, with wine proceeds going to the charity of the player's choice. The wine was produced by Eos Estate Winery of Paso Robles, California.

For more information on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, visit: www.cff.org. Charity Wines pairs fine wine to charity. It has donated $450,000 to charity at present, and will hit $1 million this year. More than 30 professional athletes across baseball, football, and hockey will have charity wines after Spring 2008, including Dan Marino "Vintage 13" (Miami) - Dan Marino Foundation, Chipper Jones "Chipper Chardonnay" (Atlanta) - Miracle League, and Ernie Banks "512 Chardonnay" (Chicago) - Live Above & Beyond Foundation to name a few.

Mike was also gracious enough to answer some questions about baseball as well, but before he did, there was a funny moment. A member of the media sneezed. Mike retorted with a swift, "God bless, you." Then, sporting a grin, Schmitty remarked, "I don't believe I've ever said that to a member of the media before." The room filled with laughter.

When asked why he felt Pat Burrell was having some success at the plate this season. "Pat is smooth and confident at the plate," Schmidt said. "He's seeing the ball well right now." When asked about Ryan Howard and some of his early struggles this season. "Well, they tell me he's a bit of a slow starter," Mike answered. "But he looks like he's ready to get hot." But the greatest third baseman of all-time was never more eager than when the subject turned to Chase Utley.

"Chase Utley is a throw-back guy," the Hall of Famer stated. "He's what I call a "baseball rat." You've heard of a "gym rat" in basketball; I consider Chase Utley to be a baseball rat. He's an offensive machine. He's probably the best player in the league right now. He just loves being at the ball park. This town loves him; he's gritty, he's tough, a Philly-kind of guy. He's a self-made player. I'm so glad he's with the Phillies. I consider him a friend."

Eagles Draft Review: Grade C I would have liked to see the home team draft Kenny Phillips FS from Miami in the first round. Instead, the Birds elected to trade out of the round. The Eagles could have traded down a few spots and still gotten the playmaking safety, but ironically, a division rival snatched him up with pick number 31 at the end of the first round. That would be the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, who have a history of getting their draft picks on the field in their first seasons in the National Football League.

In the second round with pick number 49, I would have grabbed Malcolm Kelly WR, from Oklahoma, the 6-4 220 lb wideout would have been a nice target for McNabb, but another division rival saw fit to draft him two picks later, the Washington Redskins. I know that Desean Jackson is explosive, with his 4.3 speed in the 40, but he is 169 lbs, and wasn't small stature the reason why the Eagles cut WR/PR Jeremy Bloom last preseason? I am trying to remember the last 169 lb player who had a big impact in the NFL and I cannot think of one at present. Jackson will need to do a lot more than just return punts and kicks. He will need to play on the kickoff and punt coverage units without being pushed around. That could be an interesting prospect at his smurf-like size. I know he claims that he is up to 175, but that will all change come training camp. He could lose five pounds of sweat in one session of two-a-days in the smoldering July sun.

Trevor Laws, the DE out of Notre Dame should add depth to a talented defensive line. Laws is a bit short in stature, but he has a high motor and could play either end or defensive tackle. Bryan Smith, the Eagles 3rd round selection, played defensive end in college, but his playing weight was about 210 lbs at McNeese St. Even if he plays linebacker in the NFL, he will need to pack on some muscle. I know the Eagles might compare him to Trent Cole, but I saw much of Cole in college at Cincinnati and he played at around 240 as a defensive end, and against much stiffer competition. Mike McGlynn, the Birds 4th round choice, will add depth to the O-line. The offensive tackle from Pitt., will likely play guard for the Eagles. He is a strong run-blocker, but his feet are a bit slow to play tackle in the NFL. The Eagles hope they made a solid choice with the second of their 4th round selections in Quintin Demps, a safety out of UTEP. Demps has good size at 6-1, 215, and can cover wide receivers much like Brian Dawkins. The Eagles believe he will one day take Dawkins spot at free safety. The Birds third 4th round choice, Jack Ikegwuonu, is a 6-1, 200 lb corner from Wisconsin. Ikegwuonu suffered a torn ACL in January during a workout. Before he was injured, Ikegwuonu was considered to be one of the more talented corners in the draft. It will be interesting to see how he recovers from this injury. The rest of the picks will be lucky to make the roster.

I know a C is kind of a harsh grade, but that is how I see it. Though, we must give the Birds the benefit of the doubt because they have had 45 Pro Bowl selections since the year 2000, which just happens to be the most in the NFL for that period.

Flyers and 76ers

I'd like to congratulate the Flyers and Sixers on fine seasons. They both far exceeded the expectations of most this year. I see extremely bright futures for both of these young, talented teams.

This article was written after game one, two, and three of the Flyers' playoff series with the Washington Capitals.


The Flyers seemed to be in business going into the second intermission with a 4 - 2 lead in game one of their Eastern Conference first round matchup with the Washington Capitals. The tandem of Daniel Briere and Vaclav Prospal were dazzling, with each scoring two goals apiece for the boys in orange and black. The Flyers were cruising.

Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau implored his team not to give up and keep plugging in the midst of the second abeyance. Washington came out like gangbusters in the third period. Just 1:50 into the period, defenseman Mike Green made good on a nifty pass from Capitals center Sergei Federov, cutting the lead to 4 - 3. Later, Green would tie the game at four on a controversial power play goal in which Philadelphia's Patrick Thoresen went down to the ice after blocking a shot and being struck in the groin. Many times the referees will stop play in situations like this, but play continued. Green's blast from the blue-line area found the net, and he was corralled by his teammates at center ice. Green led NHL defensemen with 18 goals this past season.

The Flyers did a great job of crowding Russian star Alex Ovechkin for much of the game, but with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the third period, Ovechkin swiped the puck from Flyers' defenseman Lasse Kukkonen and glided it past Martin Biron for the would-be game winner. Roars of "MVP" echoed throughout the Verizon Center. The 22-year-old Russian set a NHL record for goals by a left winger this season with 65.

The Flyers evened the series at one each in winning game two by a score of 2 - 0. Martin Biron recorded a shutout, stopping all 24 shots he faced. Biron was fantastic between the pipes. He was aggressive, challenging shooters, and his reactions were cat-like at times. Biron appeared to have completely moved on from game one's devastating loss to the Capitals in which he surrendered 3 third period goals.

There was a key sequence in which Flyers center Mike Richards won three consecutive faceoffs in the Flyers zone with about 6 minutes left to go, eliminating any chance for a Caps' rally. The Broad Street Bullies were as physical as they could be within the rules throughout the game. Washington, which seemed a bit complacent for much of the game, was clearly outworked by the team sporting orange and black.

Both of the Flyers' goals came in the first stanza. At 5:53 into the period, a long pass from defenseman Braydon Coburn was received by center R.J. Umberger and flipped past Capitals goalie Cristobal Huet. Philadelphia's second goal came with a little more than 4 1/2 minutes to go in the first period. A blazing shot by Mike Knuble was stopped by Huet and an opportunistic Jeff Carter knocked the puck past the Caps goaltender.

The Flyers won game 3 in Philadelphia by a score of 6 - 3. Danny Briere scored two goals and Mike Richards added a score on a penalty shot that came via a fake and subtle backhand through the five hole. Philadelphia is hoping that a balanced attack that includes 7 twenty goal scorers from this past season can offset the magic of Alexander Ovechkin to yield 2 more victories in the series.

A Tail-End Filled With Blunder

This article was written after the game between the Phillies and Cubs on April 13.


The Phils were trying to sweep the Chicago Cubs in a weekend home series, and came pretty close to making that come to fruition, but unfortuitous fate got the better of them. The Fightin' Phils took the first two games of the series.

In the sixth-inning of the finale of the series, former Penn product Mark DeRosa hit a ball delivered by Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer to leftfield that had homerun distance, but was clearly foul.

Third-base umpire Adrian Johnson claimed that the ball went over the foul pole.

"I saw the ball go over the pole," third-base umpire Adrian Johnson stated.

I'm not sure if Johnson was referring to a dream he had the night before or what. He was in excellent position to make the call, as he was right by the third-base line, and he still missed it. The kicker is that the umpiring crew huddled together to confer on whether the ball was fair or foul, and the entire crew agreed that the mistaken call of fair was still correct. Absolutely amazing!

Crew chief Tim Welke gave an explanation for the call that I am still trying to figure out. He too claimed that the ball had gone over the foul pole and that the view that we saw on instant replay was after the fact, showing only the view of the ball passing on the foul side of the pole, or something along those lines. Each view that I saw told me that the ball was foul, but such is life.

The Phillies did not help themselves much either. They were 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Chase Utley made a throwing error on a pivot throw that would have resulted in a huge double play in the tenth inning, but he threw the ball wide of Ryan Howard, who failed to scoop the short throw, and it bounced past him. Ronny Cedeno scored the final run of the game.

Howard could never be confused with Pete Rose over at first base, for he is luminously paid for what he does with the bat. Utley needs to pick it up on defense as well. He has committed 4 errors already, while being the perpetrator of only 10 errors in all of last season.

The Phillies, as a whole, have committed far too many blunders in the field, perhaps it's a lack of concentration. They are currently near the bottom in the National League in fielding. It's time to cut out all of the mistakes because this division is there to be had.

The Phillies had a 5-4 lead going into the eighth inning, but acting-manager Jimy Williams chose to go with Tom Gordon, who came into the game with a 10.13 ERA. I felt this was a major managerial mistake. J.C. Romero should have received the initial call. After all, isn't that what Romero is here for? I thought his role was to set up for Brad Lidge. He had not pitched the day before in the Phillies 7-1 victory. And he has the far better ERA of he and Gordon. Well, Gordon walked a batter and gave up a single. He was then replaced by Romero. Ronny Cedeno stole third base and Geovany Soto singled to rightfield to pull the game even at 5-5 on the Cedeno scrore. Later, Utley made the delinquent throw, foiling the double-play that would have ended the inning with no damage. Instead, Cedeno scored the would-be-game-winner.

On To The Motor City


This article was written after the 76ers' game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, April 14.


A suspect foul call by referee Greg Willard led to a heart-breaking loss for the 76ers in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Wachovia Center in the next to last game of the regular season. A foul was called on Samuel Dalembert, who appeared to block Devin Brown's shot cleanly. The foul call resulted in Brown going to the foul line for two free throws. He sank them both. And with the swish of the second free throw, the Sixers' playoff opponent was decided. Toronto had already won their game against the Miami Heat, who seemed to be most interested in accumulating ping-pong balls for the NBA lottery in May. Toronto held the tie-breaker with the home team, even though Philadelphia still could have finished with the same record as the Raptors.

The moral to this story is that the Sixers will play the second-seeded Detroit Pistons in an Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup, as they (76ers) finished with the seventh seed.

The Pistons pose an interesting coupling for the Sixers. It will be a series of a wily, older team of veterans versus a young, athletic team of hopefuls. The core group of these Pistons won an NBA championship in 2004. They are expecting nothing less this season as well, while the 76ers present goals are probably a bit more watered down I know they would love to win a championship this season, but winning a round in the playoffs for this group of gifted, but youthful, players would be an outstanding accomplishment considering that they were left for dead by many early in the season.

The keys to success are simple. The Pistons would love a bunch of methodical half-court games in the 80s. The Sixers can keep them out of this type of comfort zone by playing harassing defense and turning Detroit over for points the other way. Philadelphia must make this an up-tempo series in order to win it. Their trademark is not playing half-court basketball for a full game. As usual in the playoffs, it will be a matter of which team can impose its will on the other. And this series is certainly no different.

Flyers Looking To Extend Coach John Stevens' Contract This article is being written on Saturday November 24th, so we don't have news of the Flyers current standings at this presstime, but it's always interesting in the Phlly sports world...

Before the start of this season, when Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren mentioned to Ed Snider he wanted to add time to coach John Stevens' contract, the Flyers' chairman offered the following advice.

"Do what you think is right," Snider told Holmgren.

Monday, Holmgren acknowledged he is working on a contract extension for Stevens that will keep him with the Flyers through at least the 2008-09 season, possibly longer.

"It's time to get some extra time on his contract," Holmgren said. "He's a tremendous young coach who continues to get better. He's a very strong communicator and I like what he's doing with the team."

The sticking point, apparently, is the length of Stevens' contract extension. Since Holmgren's contract as general manager is only through the end of next season, it would be difficult for him to give Stevens an extension beyond next season.

Unless, of course, Holmgren is also extended beyond 2009.

"Paul has nothing to worry about," Snider said. "They've both done a great job turning this team around. It's his call and I trust him to make the right one."

Snider said he sees Stevens as a "calm, cool, collected guy" the players respect.

Holmgren said a contract extension for Stevens should not impact the way the team plays, but several players said it would validate the progress Stevens has made with a team that is 11-7-1 after finishing 22-48-12 last season.

"It means upper management likes the direction the team is going," said left wing R.J. Umberger, who won a Calder Cup with Stevens in 2005. "With the young guys here it gives us a base to start from and keep building. It gives him the confidence to keep going with the system he has and knowing people are backing him."

Last season, Stevens was criticized by some veterans for being overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a head coach in the NHL after six years in the AHL. Stevens acknowledged he underestimated the travel demands and importance of matching strong checking lines against opposing teams' top forward forwards.

With the additions of assistant coaches Jack McIlhargey and Joe Mullen, Stevens seems more at ease in his second season behind the bench.

"He's probably a little more confident and sure of what's going on," right wing Sami Kapanen said. "Coming in early last season was not easy for him. Things are falling into place now."

Flyers captain Jason Smith said Stevens' work ethic and success at the AHL level, where he won a Calder Cup as a player and a coach, has helped stabilize a team that added eight new faces in the offseason.

"As a player it's nice to get that stability," Smith said. "John's got a good relationship with all the players in here. He believes in what he's coaching the players."

The Flyers' play has leveled off recently. Since starting the season 6-1 they've gone 13-10-1 and have lost their grip on the Atlantic Division lead.

Stevens said anyone thinking the Flyers would cruise through the season after changing a third of their roster in the offseason were mistaken.

"We still are a new team," he said. "I think when we got off to a 6-1 start the perception was, "Wow, we're over the hurdle and we totally bypassed the state of struggling.' There's always parts of the game you're trying to get better at."

Eagles Season Over??? This article is being written at presstime on November 24th, right before the game between the Eagles and the Patriots... After stringing together back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the Eagles have the unenviable task of facing the 10-0 New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass. If the 5-5 Eagles, who have been made three-touchdown underdogs by the Las Vegas oddsmakers, are to have any hope of pulling off an upset, they must find a way to slow down the Patriots' prolific passing game. They've got to find a way to get pressure on quarterback Tom Brady, who has thrown 38 touchdown passes already and just 88 incompletions. And they've got to find a way neutralize his favorite receiver, Randy Moss, who has caught 16 of those TD passes and already has 1,052 receiving yards. This game hasn't come at a good time for the Eagles defense. The unit has been having trouble getting to opposing quarterbacks, registering just one sack in the past three games. And the banged-up secondary has given up six touchdown passes in the last three games. The Eagles lost their starting strong safety, Sean Considine, for the season three weeks ago with a shoulder injury. His replacement, Quintin Mikell, sprained the MCL in his knee last week and probably won't play. J.R. Reed, who was cut by the Eagles earlier this season and then re-signed, will replace Mikell. Things aren't much better at cornerback. Their best cover man, Lito Sheppard, missed four games earlier this season with an MCL sprain and still is nowhere close to 100 percent. Nickel back Will James, the only corner on the roster taller than 5-foot-10, has plantar fasciitis in his foot and was benched two weeks ago after giving up back-to-back 31-yard completions to Redskins wide receiver James Thrash, who never will be confused with Moss. "This is a big challenge for us," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said. "Right now, they're the best team in the National Football League. And it's well-deserved. "They're throwing the ball around a little bit. They spread you out and they're throwing it. They're doing a nice job with it. They're doing it as well as anybody I've seen." Brady has thrown just four interceptions in 338 pass attempts this season. The Eagles, meanwhile, have picked off just six passes, only one in the past five games. "I think everybody's beatable," Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "This is what's funny to me, and this is why I wouldn't gamble. Say Tom Brady takes a blow to the head in the first quarter and gets a concussion. Are they beatable? "Say Randy Moss runs a go route and pulls a hamstring. Are they beatable? It always takes a total team effort. Everybody seems to forget that. The game we play, it's such a violent sport, you never know when a guy is going to go down." The Eagles always have struggled against taller wideouts like Moss, the Giants' Plaxico Burress and the Cowboys' Terrell Owens. Brown, Sheppard and Joselio Hanson, who has replaced James as the nickel back, all are undersized. "I've never seen a guy with a stride like Randy's," Brown said. "It's like he's running 2 yards to your 1. "He's just an explosive guy. If you're too close to him and he takes off deep, he has a height advantage, and you're going to look crazy going for the ball. I don't care if you're 6-2. He's 6-5, and he can jump."