My humble opinion on the current state of Philly sports..and more..
EAGLES- I lost all respect for Doug Pederson. He choked during the Dallas loss last Sunday night. He coached not to lose, lost his aggressiveness and withered under the hot spotlight of a big , nationally televised game. What made it worse was AFTER the game. He won't admit that he was dead wrong regarding the terrible play call and the field goal he didn't attempt with 6 minutes left in the game.
He claims he has "confidence" in his players, yet he didn't trust his kicker- who had earlier made a 55 yard field goal and has not missed a kick since opening week-to try a 53 yard field goal to ice the game. Instead, he mumbled something stupid about "playing for field position" and letting his defense stop Dallas.
If you go up by 10 points with 6 minutes left, field position wouldn't matter and the defense has even more of a cushion.
More than the moronic decisions he made- suddenly reverting to rookie coach mode in the heat of a big contest- why not be a man and admit :I was wrong" and move on? It would be refreshing to see a coach to admit he screwed up instead of saying "We have to execute better".
Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry both got big contracts in the off season. Notice when a lot of players get paid, they suddenly stop producing? Curry has gone invisible and Cox has made little or no positive impact on the team during this current bad stretch. Players aren't as hungry after getting paid, and whether they are trying as hard or not, the results suggest they aren't producing.
There is still hope in this Eagles season. True, the loss to the Cowboys may have significantly hurt their chance to win the NFC East. I only see Dallas 3 more games at the most, which would put them at a 12-4 record. The Birds would have to lose only 1 more game this year to tie that record (plus beat Dallas in the final regular season game in Philadelphia). But I do see a path to the wild card and the playoffs. Two teams fighting for a wild card spot are Green bay and Atlanta, and both come to the Linc for November games. Plus road game against Cincinnati and Baltimore now don't look as daunting as before. So there is hope. Still, the loss to the Cowboys hurts and will conytinue to sting as the season moves on.
Let's hope GM Howie Roseman makes a deal for a wide receiver before today's 4:00 trade deadline. As noted before, the current batch of wide-outs suck.They drop too many passes and can't get separation to get open. At the very least, The Eagles should promoted WR Paul Turner from the practice squad. He almost made the team from training camp. He led all receivers in catches during the pre-season. He's not fast, but he can catch the ball.
Finally, a theme I've been talking about, even on WIP radio with Steve Trevelise on Friday nights. We need weapons. Chip Kelly let Jackson, McCoy and Maclin go, and didn't replace the talent. Chip, as we can see now, destroyed the franchise. He was a bad coach ( his offense sure is taking off in San Francisco!), poor personnel judge (bad drafts and free agents signings) and awful General Manager. Other than that, he was OK.
PHILLIES- All is quiet until after the World Series. Then comes the General Manager meetings followed by the annual Winter Meetings.That's the time we will see trades and free agent signings. I don't expect the Phils to do much in the off- season, especially free agent-wise, but it's always an interesting time, and gives one hope to look forward to spring training in February.
FLYERS- I was at the Flyers game last Saturday night vs. their dreaded rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. One thing was clear- the Flyers need more consistent goal tending. A true number one, solid goalie would be nice, and until that happens, the club may make the playoffs again, and continue to build with new, young talent. But without a real standout goalie, like all Stanley Cup contender have, the Flyers will go home early.
SIXERS- The 76ers need outside shooting, plain and simple. The excitement has waned since Ben Simmons got hurt in training camp, and the Sixers are again off to a poor start. I wouldn't call this another tank season, but I think the team will continue to lose-this time not on purpose but just because they aren't good enough. The rebuilding process continues, and another year of poor play may also result in a new coach with fresh ideas. Even with more talent, the Sixers need a new positive outlook, not the old, negative losers mentality which grinds you down-psychologically- over time.
AROUND SPORTS- Game 6 of the World Series is tonight. The Cubs need to win two in a row to win their first championship in 108 years. Cleveland is at home and is playing too well. So, it may be yet another season in Chicago of chasing the dream. At least they did get over the hump and made the World Series. A little more fine-tuning and the Cubbies may finally be world champs. But to win 103 games and have to start over is a chore. That's why so many losing teams in the World Series, Super Bowl, etc. don't get back to the big game the year after. You struggle all year to get there, can't get over the hump, then have to repeat the task?
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