As many of you know, I am not a big fan of Number 5.  But I will admit that he has not been given a tremendous arsenal of weapons to work with throughout his career.   The only season, for instance, that he had a top flight Number 1 wideout, 2004, we went to the Super Bowl. 

Even  though I am not impressed by Donovan's statistics to this point in his career,  I will be the first one to say that with a better surrounding cast, maybe Number 5 can get us to a parade down Broad Street.

Let's hope that the Weaver signing is the first of several needed upgrades to Donovan's troops.  We still need a legitimate blocking tight end, for instance. It could very well be that if we add that tight end, with the addition of Weaver, and the restructuring of the offensive line, that the running and passing game will improve exponentially.

It wasn't that they split with the Rangers, it is the way they split with the Rangers.  The combination of the Devil's win in Montreal, and this split makes it very difficult, at this point,  to catch New Jersey.  So now is the time to watch our backs.  The number 4 seed is the best we are getting.  And if Carolina, Florida, Pittsburgh,  Buffalo, and the Rangers all finish with a flurry, this coud get more exciting than we want. 

If the Flyers continue to allow shots on goal at  40/game, they may be ice fishing in mid April.

Devendorf releases a shot at the end of regulation time of the marathon game between UConn and Syracuse last night.   It is too close to call.  The ref at the scene of the crime rules the basket counts.  Even after the reviewing the replay, which the whole country saw ad nauseum, it still appeared to close to call.  So, when it doubt, the ref should have left the call as it was.  I saw nothing on the replay to completely convince me that the basket should have been disallowed.

For the longest time I have argued against conference tourneys on the grounds that each year you end up with two or three teams stealing NCAA bids that they probably don't deserve.

Case in point, Cleveland State winning the Horizon league title, beating Butler.  No question Butler belongs at the big dance, but Cleveland State..I don't think so.  Somewhere some bubble team..pick any one you like..is staying home now.  The same thing may happen one or two more times before these conference tournaments are over.  Completely ridiculous and unfair.  If the NCAA needs money they should have a telethon before they resort to these tournaments.

Hey, it would be fantastic if we could get these two guys..but  I will believe it when the contracts are signed, and the ink is dry.  Remember we are dealing with people who have had a history of not caring about holes on the team that were created by their own stupidty.  Like fullback, punt returner, linebacker, a number one wide receiver, a blocking tight end, and a back up QB, just to name a few examples.

One other thing.  Does the dismissal of Dan Leone bother anyone else as much as it bothers me?

I, not only do NOT care for this meaningless tournament,  I believe it will hurt teams with players in it.  This WBC is taking players away from spring training with their own teams.  Shouldn't the shortstops and second basemen be working on timing for the double play.? Shouldn't the pitchers and catchers be using this time getting comfortable with each other? 

Play this thing sometime in November when there is no spring training to interrupt!!

Hey guys, don't look now, but this discussion takes on different meaning now.  We may have no choice in the matter.  When you lose close games as a habit, and lose to the Thunder at all, you are just playing yourself out of the playoffs.  Unless the Sixers get better quick, if the Bulls and Bucks put together any kind of a run, we are talking about the draft and free agency, and watching 8 other teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

And getting better quick may mean getting more out of Dalembert.  Now that is the definition of trying to get blood out of a stone.

Other than creating enough salary cap room to keep Giroux, I can't see what this trade accomplishes.  Do we need a goon to take penalties, or are we better off with as much speed as possible to force the opposition to take more penalties?

I say in today's NHL skating and speed are at a premium.  For my money Carcillo can be a healthy scratch every game except for occasionally spelling  Riley Cote.

The Eagles have taken over as the CHEAP KINGS in Philly.  The Phils have  put up $135 million to go  for another parade.

This team, on paper, appears to be in position to get to another World Series.  They did bring back the core of the Championship team..all happy with their contracts.

The starting pitching looks much better this year without Eaton's automatic forfeit every fifth day.  As long as Myers, Moyer, and Blanton  can be reasonably consistent, we seem to be in pretty good shape in this department.

The bullpen will miss JC  for the first 50 games, and Lidge will probably not be able to match last year's perfect season. Madson needs to maintain that velocity he found at the end of last season.  Kendrick, Durbin, Park, Happ, and Condrey should be pretty good in long relief.  Something we may not need as much of this year.

Defensively, the Phils look as good as anyone in MLB, as long as Howard has improved his fielding enough to avoid being called a butcher.

The bench looks better from the left side with Dobbs, Stairs, and Jenkins, than from the right.  Mayberry may be able to provide some pop from the right side.

The starting eight is strong, and particularly, the infield is outstanding offensively, as long as Utley and Feliz can stay healthy.

The catching with Ruiz and either Marson or Coste is more than adequate.

Ibanez will probably have to be moved to the 6 hole against most starting lefties, with either Werth or Victorino moving into the 5 hole for those games.  It all adds up to a much better season than last year..and an easier Division title..K-Rod or no K-Rod.

The biggest problem I see is the right handed power off the bench, or for that matter, any  right handed power at all.

It is obvious at this point that Dawkins really did not want to leave.  It is equally apparent that Dawkins left for respect as much as money.  Has anybody considered another reason?

I think aside from being fed up with Uncle Jeff and Accountant Joe, Dawkins had seen enough of the Donovan McNabb show.  Dawkins has seen all the same things we have.  He knew that our quarterback was just as likely to hit an ant or a helicopter as he was to hit his receiver in stride. Dawkins has also heard all of Donovan's whining, proclamations of having a great season,  and finally buck passing.  Yes, Donovan was quick to pass the blame to the defense for that last drive in Arizona, but never took responsibility for not showing up himself for most of the first half.  Would anyone blame Dawkins for wanting to get away from that?

I know I am fed up with Number 5, and would happily volunteer to drive him to the airport with his one way ticket out of town.

A quick apology before I begin here.  After re reading my last post which did take some heat, I decided that some of that criticism of my presentation of the subject was justified.  And maybe I could have handled my replies with a little more humor...

Moving on....

The question as to whether this team is better off in or out of the playoffs almost always comes up this time of the year.

They still could move into the fifth seed and play Atlanta in the first round.  But then they would end up being fed to Cleveland or Boston ( the 1/8 match up winner).

The other possibilities would be to finish in the 6, 7, or 8 seed spots.  The 6 seed gets you a match up against Orlando.  They could beat Orlando with Nelson out.  It's not real likely, but they could.  Then they would face the 2/7 winner and..well we are right back to either Cleveland or Boston again.  And if they finished 7 or 8, then they are done in the first round.

The law of probablility tells us we have little chance for one of the first three picks.  We would have to get real lucky to get one of the top three.  We probably wouldn't have enough ping pong balls

So falling down to somewhere between 9 and 12 puts them out of the playoffs, gives them, maybe a snowball in hell's chance of getting a lottery pick, and after that it will go by regular season record.

Is it that important to make the playoffs for the experience, or would we want to roll the dice a go for a top three pick? Or is finishing out of the playoffs, even without a lottery pick worthwhile?  At worst, finishing 9-12 puts you ahead of the playoff teams in the draft.  I am not a draftnick.  Is anyone out there worthwhile,  that we could get should we miss the playoffs and the lottery??

To me, it seems like we are better off making the playoffs, especially if  we can play either Orlando or Atlanta. At least with those teams there is a chance of advancing, an experience that would be good for the fans and the team.

The offense was stopped cold by some outstanding goaltending by Brodeur.  Our goaltending was more tha adequate, Biron did stop 39 shots.  True, he didn't stop three, but, after all, stopping 42 shots is asking too much of a goaltender.  Especially when the goaltender is asked to do this practically every game. 

There lies the problem.  Nitty amd Marty are put into a shooting gallery on a consistent basis.  It doesn't seem to be the result of odd man breaks.  Again, today, Marty was facing a barrage of shots because of that old and bad habit of  skating out of their own end before they had complete control of the puck.

This is one Flyers team that breaks the mold.  The roster doesn't have a bunch of slow methodical grinders.  These Flyers finally have  enough speed to stay with everyone.  The problem is they get a liitle too anxious to make something happen.  The result is the transition from defense to offense seems to get rushed just enough that the puck ends up  hitting a stray stick or skate, and next thing you know..bingo 42 shots..way too many.  Speed is great.  It would even be greater with the puck.

This team probably doesn't need a goaltender or even another defenseman. Not at this point.  They need time to grow together. They need time to solve that nagging weakness of the errant passes coming out of their own end.  Then, and only then,  will  they cut down on the shots the goaltenders are seeing.   Until then, no defenseman and no goaltender is going to make any difference.

The thought of seeing Briere and Gagne on the same power play unit may make Flyers fans salivate.  But some of the rumors circulating make me think it may never happen.  Gagne could be part of a package used to either bolster the defense or upgrade the goaltending.

The offense is fine and would probably get along alright without Gagne.  But I am not so sure that the goaltending or the defense is that much of an issue that we  need any additions.  What we need, is simpler than that.  The Flyers are a little too quick on the breakout for their own good at times.  A bad habit that has caused turnovers, and has increased the amount of time spent in their own end exponentially.  A little more discipline coming out of the defensive end solves the problem, and cuts down on the shots against.

Then the rumors about trading Gagne could just go away.

 I still think JC got the shaft.  And in the next three months we will feel the brunt of it.

It was no accident that Bud and his boys announced the suspension as the NFL playoffs were about to begin. The whole story was under the radar at that point.

JC was wrong, only to a point.  He asked about the substance.  Is he supposed to keep checking the banned substance list every day, or doesn't MLB have some responsibility here as well.  They knew he had inquired about it.  They know when they banned it.  Maybe they should have communicated with Romero.  Or is that too much to ask of Bud??

...but it is a big one.   There is no way they can beat any of the East's Big 3 this year, and probably not next either. 

Now there ARE reasons for this problem.  They are now stuck with Iguodola's oversized contract and undersized talent for starters.  Oh, did I mention that they are stuck with Dalembert period.  They can't trade a big man with hands of stone who dribbles too much, and still hasn't learned to keep the ball high after a rebound.  Nobody wants him.   What a surprise.

Here is a vote for trade bait.  Don't get me wrong,  I really liked this acquisition when it was announced last summer.  I also thought  Mo may have been somewhat at fault for the lack of fast breaks, and inconsistency of the half court offense early in the season.  But now that Brand is back, and we have a different coach, I am wondering how far we want to go down this road.  In the playoffs you need a half court offense which includes a real threat shooting the  three.  The best  way to accomplish this may be to unload Brand and get that three point threat.

Marc

www.phillyfansportstalk.com

Hey guy, I am a long time Philly fan.  Don't take this post the wrong way...after our Eagles did another flop in the NFC Title game, it was time to turn to basketball and hockey.  I did some research regarding the Champions of both sports that you may find interesting.

The Celtics, defending NBA Champs, certainly have a good enough team to repeat this year. The Bruins, even though they are a bit of a surprise, have had the best record in the Eastern Conference of the NHL all season, and barring injuries or a collapse, could be the number one seed in the East come playoff time. Put them into the Cup Finals, and even without tons of playoff experience, anything is possible.

However, history shows that no matter how good both these teams are in May, no city has ever won a Stanley Cup and NBA Title the same year.

See the rest of this post at Philly Fan Sports Talk and let me know what you think.

Marc

Long time Philly Fan here.  Your team played great last Sunday...They deserve to be in the Super Bowl.  Of course, it isn't that simple in Philly.  We have to criticize our team ( I think rightfully so, in this case), and find the players and coaches to whom we can assign the blame.   I think you may find our perspective interesting.  And I also think you will find the short analysis of the upcoming Super Bowl amusing.  Just log onto www.phillyfansportstalk.com  for that, along with some photos with humorous captions.

Let me know what you think.!!

Marc

It's that Eagles fan again.   Thank you all for all that great feedback on my previous posting.   Right now, I think that Warner and Fitzgerald may be a bit too much..

Well, I hope you take the picture I posted of your secondary in good fun..that is the way it is intended.   You can catch that, and my rationale for leaning toward the Cards on www.phillyfansportstalk.com.  Feedback is welcome either here or  on phillyfansportstalk!!   Have a nice weekend everyone.

Marc

Long time Philly fan here, just letting you folks know that you should not start planning your parade just yet.   The Cardinals played a great game Sunday.  They made plays when they had to, and I think they are going to give the Steelers quite a battle, and maybe even win the game.   That being said, there was also a part of that game on Sunday that the Eagles have to take ownweship of.  The QB play and coaching were awful.  Incidentally, I would trade QB's with you guys in a heart beat, and throw in Andy Reid for nothing.  If you are interested in the whole Philly debacle from Sunday, I would invite you to log into www.phillyfansportstalk.com.  This site has analysis of the game from a Philly perspective, as well as a survey and photos with humorous captions.

Marc