SB Nation User Blog: D3Keith

Game Replays?

D3Keith — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:18:16 -0000

So I'm a proud user of the Sunday Ticket package, which helps me never miss an Eagles game (not in the Philly broadcast area anymore). However, I work in an industry and role that keeps me close to the NFL, and this year I am assigned to follow a team that is not the Eagles. So assuming they play a lot at the same time, and not against each other, I will miss just about every non-prime-time Eagles game. Which is unacceptable to me.

I used to have a roommate who was a die-hard Seminoles fan, and he found a guy who would tape the games, burn a DVD and next-day it so he could rewatch it by Monday night or Tuesday.

Anyone know of anything like that for the Eagles, or anything that would accomplish the same thing ... or do I just have to man up, quit whining and get TiVo AND The Ticket?

The Hindsight Files ...

D3Keith — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 02:57:54 -0000

Taking an opportunity to look at mock drafts from semi-respected (or better) sources like Rick Gosselin of DMN, SI.com, NFL N, et. al., there is no shortage of "experts" who had the Raiders taking Maclin at 7 instead of Heyward-Bey.

There are also a few, including Don Banks of SI.com and Peter King, who thought the Eagles wouldn't have been crazy to take McCoy at 21 overall.

I suspect the Eagles will mostly be either not mentioned at all or grouped with Day 1's draft winners or high grades when those columns come out, but if anyone wants a place to pat the Eagles on the back for getting with picks No. 19, 53 and 195 players that would have apparently been perfectly reasonable to take at Nos. 7 and 21, here's your space.

I think it would be most interesting to look back at what people had to say about Maclin and McCoy before we knew they'd be Eagles.

Eagles fans react to PFT Mock Draft

D3Keith — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:08:37 -0000

So I looked for the mock draft thread, but this place is so alive with fanposts its either buried or I'm just dumb and I missed it.

Anyway, was checking out the second half of the ProFootballTalk.com mock draft that was posted today. Has us taking Beanie Wells at 21 and William Beatty at 28. RB & OT is pretty on-point, but I felt inspired to post because here at BGN we've pretty well broken down six ways to Sunday why Wells is not really the fit for the Eagles that the other first-round RBs are.

Turns out there was no need for me to chime in. About five of the first seven posts were Eagles fans ripping the picks, with fairly decent reasoning too. You would've thought it was an Eagle-centric post.

Just thought I'd mention. Sometimes yous guys make me so proud.

Decent Kevin Kolb Piece

D3Keith — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:30:23 -0000

It's nice to know where the guy's head is at.

I like him more after reading this.

Based on what they've seen so far, plenty of people have grown skeptical about Kolb's ability. Kolb understands, and knows he can't change any minds without getting another chance.

"That's what they've seen," Kolb said when asked about the perception that he might be a busted draft pick. "If I introduce myself to an individual and he acts like a fool, I think he's a fool. But I've only known him for three minutes. I can't blame the fans for that. I just have to look forward to the next time I get a chance to prove myself."

The full piece from the Inquirer/Philly.com:

Eagles' Kolb Awaits Another Chance

I think this was spot-on too (sorry I'm spoiling all the good stuff):

"As an NFL player, you have to do that. You have to look at how fortunate you are in what you're doing, but at the same time not lose your drive and ambition. I'm trying to balance those two things."

More Bad News ...

D3Keith — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:49:58 -0000

Not devastating, but certainly not good.

Per PFT:

WARD SIGNS WITH BUCS

The Derrick Ward free agency tour has ended.

And the final resting stop was Tampa.

Per a league source, Ward has agreed to terms on a four-year, $17 million deal.

He’ll earn $6 million guaranteed in the first year, $9.25 million over the first two, and $13 million over the first three.

and

EAGLES' THOMAS VISITING JAGUARS

Philadelphia Eagles free agent offensive tackle Tra Thomas visited the Jacksonville Jaguars today, two league sources told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to the article, it’s unknown whether Thomas remains in Jacksonville.

Thomas’ agent, Peter Schaffer, declined comment.

Thomas has started at left tackle since being drafted by former Eagles coach Ray Rhodes in 1998 and is known as an extremely durable veteran blocker.

Thomas is a free agent as well as injured teammate Jon Runyan, another veteran offensive tackle.

Discuss.

Ways we can improve from within

D3Keith — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:57:46 -0000

Look, we all agree losing Dawkins stinks. Say what you will about Buckhalter, L.J. Smith, Lito Sheppard and Sean Considine. They too are gone.

Until the next shoe drops, there are no improvements to get excited about, and the draft is a ways off.

But the cupboard is most certainly not bare. For the optimists among us, aren't there ways we can improve from within?

Here are a few:

-- Move Klecko back to DT to create a four-man rotation with Bunkley, Patterson and Laws.

-- Abiamiri looks pretty good, and he might just be scratching the surface, especially with his play against the run. Clemons really didn't do a whole lot until late in the year, we could probably get more out of him.

-- Shawn Andrews could play this year. That'd be nice. With him, Max-Jean Gilles, Herremans and Nick Cole healthy alongside Jamaal Jackson, we have the makings of a decent line even if Tra Thomas, Stacy Andrews or King Dunlap aren't able to give us anything (and one must suspect at least one of them will).

-- Reggie Brown. This is a peculiar case to me. Clearly he fell out of favor last year, and with DeSean, Curtis and Avant, we aren't desperate for his production. But unless he manages to get included in a draft-day trade, I figure he might still be around ... and he could be better than a rotational guy. We could certainly get more out of him than we did last year.

Kobe wants to be an Eagles WR

D3Keith — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:43:57 -0000

I don't know if any of you have Comcast, but their painfully unfunny sports blogger is fairly Eagles-obsessed (and I assume that's because Comcast has a strangehold on that market).

Anyway, I try not to read his stuff, but sometimes the headlines catch me. Today's had to do with Kobe Bryant making some off-hand remarks about wanting to play wide receiver, and while that guy could probably do anything he set his mind to, I found the most interesting thing to be that he was an Eagles fan and was wearing a McNabb jersey in the photo.

http://community.comcast.net/comcastportal/blog/article?blog.id=Russakoff&message.id=21676#M21676

This probably should not surprise me since he grew up in Philly and probably rooted for the Randall-Reggie teams, but we Philadelphia fans have not exactly been kind to the guy ... I'm surprised he associates with anything from our area. :)

"Storyline" you'll be most tired of

D3Keith — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:52:58 -0000

The problem with the media isn't that they're stupid, incompetent or incapable.

Reporters and talking heads just love an easy storyline.

Gathering new information is hard work. Research is time-consuming. Actually watching the games? Pffft.

Much easier to recycle the same old tired things everyone has heard before and will accept, regardless of their basis in fact or relevance:

With that in mind, here are some terms I think will be worn out over the next week or three:

1) "benched"

2) "booed on draft day"

3) "the same fans who wanted McNabb and Reid gone"

4) "Only went to the Super Bowl once, in 2004 with Terrell Owens"

T5) "wants out" and "who once booed Santa Claus"

What else is going to get run into the ground ad nauseam the longer the Eagles play?

Everybody Loves the Eagles

D3Keith — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:29:39 -0000

Granted this happens when you win, but suddenly everybody loves the Eagles.

The Birds have experienced enough downs this year that they know, as do we the fans, not to get ahead of ourselves or caught up in it. This team is special, but it hasn't won anything yet.

Perhaps it's the personalities, the compelling stories or their play, but put up against the oh-so-blah Ravens and Steelers, and the Cardinals, a team from which a lot of fans probably can't name a defensive player (Rod Hood, anyone?), and I can see why the Eagles are the talk of the final four.

I was driving in to work today (in D.C.), and the local sports radio guys were talking about how the Eagles find gems like DeSean Jackson, Stewart Bradley and Chris Gocong outside the first round. Then they were making fun of the Redskins for passing twice on DeSean and trading away their third-round picks every year. (in deals for Brandon Lloyd, T.J. Duckett and Jason Taylor, etc.)

Then, discussing the same trade that got panned heavily on draft day, the Birds moving out of the first round, trading back to pick up Jackson (or Laws?), an extra pick and Carolina's first-rounder this year, and the guys are calling that the key to building a franchise.

I happen to agree, but it's funny how much more love all the Eagles moves and decisions get when you win a couple playoff games.

Anyone else seeing examples of gratuitous Eagles love all of a sudden?

Ranking the NFC title games

D3Keith — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 06:35:35 -0000

Sorry, this is to balance out all my overconfident thoughts of the Eagles winning it all. If you have similar issues with superstition, feel free to join in.

I'll be honest. As far as the Cardinals, the Eagles SHOULD win this week.

If they were to lose, where would the disappointment rank?

I think my feeling is close to general consensus: The Rams were the better team in '01. Against Tampa Bay, we owned them to that point, that one hurt. Against Carolina, that Eagles team was banged up all year and in that game (Westbrook out, McNabb hurt, etc.) and sorta played over its head and maybe wasn't the better team, but that doesn't lessen the sting.

However, if the Cardinals were to beat the Eagles here, that might top them all. This year has a "destiny" feel since Week 17 and the Cardinals are even more beatable then we thought Carolina was at the time.

Would it be the worst disappointment?

I'm not even sure I can rank them.