How 'Bout Them Hens!

Per karin:

I know Delaware isn't big time in football (unlike greats like I-A Temple, Rutgers, and UConn), but they are fun to watch AND they just keep on winning. This UD team is now 12-1 and making believers out of the biggest skeptics, myself included. Today they beat up Southern Illinois (ranked #4 nationally in I-AA) with a score of 48-7. Just think, the Blue Hens can actually win a national championship outright - none of this BCS garbage. Come on, start routing for the other birds in town - GO HENS!

Editorial Note: While Karin rightly knows that the Hens best represent Philly area college sports, she unfortunately doesn't realize that Eagles football is far more important than the Hens.

Eagles, the "expert" consensus

Joe Theismann	Merril Hoge	Sean Salisbury	Mark Schlereth
Eagles	Panthers	Panthers	Eagles
Mike Golic	Eric Allen	Ron Jaworski	C. Mortensen
Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	Panthers

All week 13 picks here.

Brown in town

Larry Brown says of tonight's game:

"Knowing the fans here, I'm sure the ones that cheered real loudly for us for 6 years are going to probably cheer loudly in the other direction. But that's OK. The reason I loved it so much here was because of those people and their passion for the game and the fact that they cared about the Sixers. So whatever reception I get, I'm sure is going to be deserved."

Yeah, I bet, punk.

per SGW

A Time For Thanks

While this weekend will involve grateful reflection first on family and friends (and maybe even God), in a sports town and era of skepticism and negativity it is time for even those Philly fans at willweeverwin to give their thanks this holiday weekend. Not only is there a weekend full of meaningful football ahead (and an exciting return of Larry Brown to the Wach), but Philly isn't all that bad, is it?

Just because the city hasn't seen hardware since 1983, does not mean we have to remember only moments like last January's debacle at the Vet, 1997's Red Sweep of the Black and Orange, or 1993's Mitch Williams special. Heck, there have even been some acceptable losses, like the Eagles' fifty yards short of an upset of the "Greatest Show on Turf," the Sixers' hard fought 2001 battle against the Lakers, and the 1987 injury laden and nearly won seven game series against Edmonton. None can deny the fun and entertainment value of pulling for our local teams whether they win or lose: AI's "Practice. We talkin' 'bout practice." Booing Santa at the Vet! Haxtall swinging his stick at Kevin Neilson in the Stanely Cup Finals! Charles Barkley spitting on a little girl in the stands (I said "entertaining," not necessarily positive)! In what other town do fans get this level of excitement? Look also at the great athletes we have been able to watch play in this town in the last twenty years: in addition to those already mentioned above, Barkley, Erving, Rose, Schmidt, Schilling, Lindberg, Kerr, Propp, Poulin, Howe, Lindros, Cunningham, White, Dawkins, and McNabb come to mind. And, there were some good winning times in the last 30 years: the Sixers in 1983 (and some good runs against Bird/Johnson in that time frame), the Phils in 1980, and the Flyers in 73-74 and 74-75.

No, I'm not about to settle for all four of our coaches winning the "Coach of the Year" a couple of years ago. But, the Eagles seem to have a quality organization for the first time in my lifetime (remember Braman?), the Flyers at least have an unquestionable commitment to winning, and Ed Wade and the Phils are even putting a better team on the field. Heck, at the very least this weekend be thankful that you have teams that have given you the chance to whine and complain. We all need to do that every now and again. And, this region would not be the same without it... nor would we be able to look forward to the "blog" on a daily basis.

Big Daddy B

"Editor's" addition: This column by Bill Lyon in yesterday's Inquirer is a good read and touches on why we should be thankful for where Philly's sports teams stand today with one caveat - championship's aren't won in November. It nicely sums up the Philadelphia sportsfan's mentality.

Panthers favored

11/30 1:00 PM ET BetWWTS Bet365 Intertops Skybook WSEX Philadelphia Carolina 36 -1.5 36 -1.5 OFF -1.5 36 -1.5 36 -1.5

•Matchup

Reid's Eagles Force Sixth Straight

The Eagles remain the hottest team in the NFL after sending the Saints home 33-20. While the Saints put up comparable (slightly better) numbers on the ground and in the air, the Eagles again won the battle of the turnovers (+3), which has given the home team wins in more than 90% of this year's NFL games. For a team that started out in the bottom of the league in turnover ratio, the Eagles are now winning games due to: 1) the offense not making mistakes; and, 2) the defense forcing turnovers. The Eagles scored 17 points off of turnovers with drives of 80 and 50 yards for touchdowns (the one recovered fumble on the NO 22 ironically converted for only a FG).

Here are Big Daddy's other takeaways from the game:

Eagles' Positives:

1. Eagles' offense looked great for two straight weeks, putting up 448 yds today. There is something to be said for this team's chemistry: when the defense is down, the offense is stepping up. We all know the converse has been demonstrated before.
2. Andy Reid might really be a multi-faceted genius. I've already given him genius status in judging talent (again, Westbrook impressed today), but the fact that the Eagles have no single "weapon" at the "skilled" positions of WR and RB may be what makes it hardest for teams to defend against the Eagles. No less than ten receivers touched the ball today and three individuals rushed for more than 50 yds. And, despite the noticeable bitterness of Staley at times this year, the lack of a single standout has prevented Keyshawn-like bickering - that just doesn't exist on this team.
3. Eagles' (non punting) special teams continue to contribute positively: blocking a field goal, converting 4 of 4 field goals, and putting four of eight kickoffs in the end zone (two for touchbacks). In fact, the NO average starting position on the field was their own 23 (vs. the Eagles' starting on their own 35).

Eagles' Concerns:

1. The Eagles' run defense has continued to cause broad concern in the last six games. Credit has to be given to the defense for forcing some key turnovers, but in future games where the Eagles' offense doesn't protect the ball, Eagles' fans may be swallowing some more losses.
   
2. Unacceptable penalties (a whopping 14 for 171 yds). Freddie Mitchell's clip in the third quarter stalled the offense in the 3rd quarter and almost tilted the game's momentum in favor of the Saints.
   
3. Dirk Johnson's punting remains weak at 34.7 ypp and none dropped inside the 19 that counted. To his credit, the only good one covered at the NO 2 was negated by an Ena inelligible man downfield penalty.

Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Big Daddy B

Minnesota, Not So Wild

This would be Recchi's 100th career three point game. No score in the first period but then a couple of penalties gave the Flyers a 5 on 3 and Recchi sank the puck while wearing one of the Wild defensemen like a sweater. Just 2:42 later though the Wild would tie it up with a powerplay goal of their own. That goal was from former Flyer and moviestar wannabe Alexander "Watch Me Ring One Off the Goalpost" Daigle. The entire time he was with the Flyers (68 Games 31 pts) he could do nothing but skate really fast and make really loud ringing noises with the goalpost. Now he is scoring on the p-play, go figure! After that Recchi would score another goal and help Amonte get one too.

In the third period Williams threw an elbow and pissed off Brown. Then there is a scrum and out of the dust comes Vandermeer and Brown swingin'. Early in the fight it looked like Brown was really whooping up on Vandemeer. Brown pulled him to the ground and the linesmen tried to break up the fight but it was no use. These boys looked like two gladiators fighting to the death. After about 1:20 they were both exhausted and a little bloody. The crowd roared with delight of course. Twelve minutes later the game would be over and the Flyers would still be unbeaten at home. Esche had 22 saves for his sixth consecutive win. Fight video here, NHL.com Recap here.

Only Salisbury takes NO

Joe Theismann	Merril Hoge	Sean Salisbury	Mark Schlereth
Eagles	Eagles	Saints	Eagles
Mike Golic	Eric Allen	Ron Jaworski	C. Mortensen
Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	AWOL

All week 12 picks here.

McNabb gets award

I missed it on Wednesday that McNabb was named NFC offensive player of the week. As an advocate of benching him even before he played one of the worst games ever vs. the Giants it's good to see him healthy and back on track.

Fox Sports, proving they aren't to be outdone by the "news" division, hired Keyshawn Johnson as an analyst. McNabb supposedly is interested in a career in broadcasting after he's done playing. Unless he gets crackin' and starts beating his wife, doing some drugs in hotel rooms, making divisive comments (racial ones preferred), or complaining alot more about Reid and his teammates he has no chance.

Phantoms pick up Berube

37 year old Craig Berube was signed to a player tryout contract on Tuesday and will be making his debut tomorrow night with the Phantoms vs. the Lowell Lock Monsters. I was in the stands in 1986 when Berube made his debut with the Flyers vs. the Redwings (if my memory is correct). I also seem to remember him getting into a fight with reigning champ Bob Probert and getting the edge on him in their first meeting. The second meeting of the game Probert got his revenge but Berube proved he could hold his own with the league's top goons. Berube of course became an instant fan favorite. I'll go out on a limb and predict the same thing happens again with the Phantoms.

1 vote = a can of soup

Campbell's is donating a can of soup to the needy for every person that goes to their site and votes for their favorite NFL team. Despite being a shill for Cambell's it doesn't look like McNabb has influenced the voting as the Eagles are currently #9 and way behind the top 3 teams (but ahead of Dallass).

Flyers blow two goal lead to the 'Canes

The Flyers are on a roll. They beat the Canucks, who are the best in the west right now. They shutout (4-0) the Atlanta Thrashers who have been off to a pretty nice start, and last night they tied the Hurricanes on the road.

The first two periods were kinda boring, except for Claude LaPointe opening up the game by hitting Wallin like a freight train. For the first two periods it was the goalies putting on a show at each end of the ice. However in the third period Gagne opened up the scoring with a powerful slapshot that beat Weekes. The second goal for the Flyers came from our pair of former 'Canes, Sami Kapenen and Keith Primeau. But the Canes came back with former Flyer, Rowdy Roddy Brind'Amour scoring and then Wallin teamed up with Brind'Amour to tie the game.

Despite all the great saves and great goals, the highlight of the game came during one of the breaks as the fans got to take a look at J.R's ass bruise. He was hit in the ass by a puck during the Atlanta game on Saturday. Coatsey demonstrated his careful choice of words with the following quote:

"Its very rare that you see a guy get drilled that hard in the butt."

I offer this advice to Coatsey, be careful how you use the phrase "drilled that hard in the butt." Anyway next game is against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday NHL.com Recap.

Keyshawn the clown

As much as Eagles fans rip Andy Reid and the talent he has at wide receiver, one thing you have to give him credit for is the players are true team guys. Freddie Mitchell is a jackass but he's just a fan hater, he sticks up for the coach, the gameplan, and his teammates. Keyshawn Johnson on the other hand is everything that's wrong with sports - a complainer, a whiner, a baby, selfish, self-serving, and delusional about his own abilities to the detriment of the team. Here's a quote on ESPN:

"It [sic] a shock. I thought we would get through the year," Johnson said. "Why would you do that when you're trying to win another championship?

"You're talking about your best offensive player. And you're going to let him go? That's basically what they did. It doesn't make sense. ... But that's OK. I'll be fine. It didn't work out (with Gruden). It was a bad marriage. Now, I'll move on."

The emphasis is mine. ESPN immediately following the quote noted that Johnson is the Buc's third leading receiver. AJ Feeley on his show last night said the Eagles don't fear Keyshawn, they do fear Joe Jurevicius. (Gee, I wonder why).

So this brings us to this question: Did the Eagles do the right thing by passing over Randy Moss a few years ago? Are they going to do the right thing by ignoring Terrell Owens' free agency? Should character trump talent?

Eagles favored over Saints

11/23 1:00 PM ET BetWWTS Bet365 Intertops Skybook WSEX New Orleans Philadelphia 39 -5.5 39 -5.5 OFF -5.5 39 -5.5 39 -5.5

•Matchup

Giants go out like suckas

The Giants disappointed me with their weakness. I hope they at least try against Dallass (who lost 12-0 by the way) a couple weeks from now. But you knew it was the Eagles day when Chad Lewis was able to catch a football, which is a special kind of Kryptonite to his legs, remain upright, and actually hurdle a Giants defender. Brian Dawkins returned and with him the Eagles defense's swagger. How a guy can miss as many games as he did and come back and be totally in tune with the game is impressive. Look for him and Michael Lewis to destroy a few people by the end of the year. Also of note, Freddie Mitchell caught 4 balls yesterday for a new career high. He's on a pro bowl pace of 32 catches for the year. Westbrook, a third round pick, scored three touchdowns in his return and didn't feel the urge to tell the fans how to act.

Did I mention Dallass lost, 12 - NOTHING?