NFL PREVIEW- WEEK 10

Looking at Week 10 in the NFL..


- Panthers at Steelers-

Two hot teams meeting on Thursday Night Football in Pittsburgh. Carolina is on a roll after their big comeback win against the Eagles. The Steelers, after a slow start, are taking control in AFC North. Gotta like the Steelers at home.

Lions at Bears-

Are the bears for real? Here's a chance for Chicago to stay with Minnesota and beat the inconsistent Lions, who all but signaled they were giving up on the season when they traded Golden Tate to the Eagles.

Saints at Bengals-

Get the Saints outside the dome in cold weather and see what happens. Cincinnati needs to hang with Pittsburgh. New Orleans, after several emotional wins, comes out flat here. I'll take Cincy getting 5 points at home.

Falcons at Browns-

Cleveland is better but still has a long way to go, especially since they recently fired their head coach. Atlanta can't let up, trying to stay with the Panthers and Saints, but they are a dome team outside in the cold weather.

Patriots at Titans-

Did Tennessee right itself after a big win in Dallas last Monday night? New England keeps rolling and they need every victory to claim home field advantage in the playoffs from Kansas City.

Jaguars at Colts-

Both of these teams should look to 2019, surprising for Jacksonville, which had Super Bowl hopes.

Cardinals at Chiefs-

Dome, warm weather bad team in Arizona playing hot squad at home in one of the toughest places for a visiting team to play in Arrowhead Stadium. No wonder KC is favored by as much as 16 1/2 points.

Bills at Jets-

Every year in AFC East, two disappointing teams that can never seem to get it right. Who cares?

Redskins at Buccaneers-

Eagles fans will be checking this game out and rooting for the Bucs early in the day. Washington needs a win to stay stop of NFC East. The Bucs are playing out the string after a promising start.

Chargers at Raiders-

The Chargers impressed with a big win in Seattle last week. They get a shot to stay with Kansas City. They may not catch the chiefs but LA should be a playoff team.

Dolphins at Packers-

Warm weather team playing in frigid Lambeau Field with little to play for. Green Bay needs to turn things around quickly if they even hope for a wild card berth.

Seahawks at Rams-

A must-win game for Seahawks if they have any hope in NFC West. Rams looking to rebound from first loss.

Giants at 49ers-

Two losers. Always good to see the Giants lose. Teams vying for a top 3 draft pick next spring.

My NFL picks this week. I was 2-1 last week, 13-6 for the year..



- Bengals plus 5
- Eagles - 7

CHIRPING BIRDS- EAGLES VS COWBOYS- MY PICK

- The Eagles had maybe their best week of the NFL season during their bye week. They're rested after they returned from a successful trip to London. They picked up wide receiver Golden Tate from the Lions. They saw all three division rivals, the Giants, Redskins and Cowboys, lose. And injured players, such as Sproles and Lane Johnson, have a good chance to play this week.

- True, Dallas needs to win Sunday night at the Linc to save their season, and maybe Had coach Jason Garrett's job. Dropping to 3-6 may be the end for Dallas. Fitting that the Eagles are wearing all black for the game?

But the Eagles need this game just as much. Winning brings the birds back above .500 at 5-4. Depending how Washington does earlier in the day against Tampa Bay, the Birds may have a shot for the lead in NFC East. Lose and the Eagles will have lost three straight home games, this one a division game, dropping the team to 4-5. The only hope Philly has for the playoffs is winning the division and getting a home playoff game. A defeat at the hands of hated Dallas would be another agonizing loss.

All signs point to an Eagle victory. The Birds had a week off to rest, whereas Dallas has a short week to play since they face Tennessee at home last Monday night. The Cowboys will be without LB Sean Lee again to injury, for 4-6 weeks. They have few weapons other than Elliot running the ball and now newly-acquired  WR Cooper. The 'Boys are in upheaval.

I hate facing a Dallas team with their backs against the wall. They have upset Eagle teams at the Linc and Vet when Philadelphia was expected to win. The Birds better not be too over-confident, like they were in the 4th quarter of the Carolina game  in which Philly blew a 17-point lead late. Kick the Cowboys while they are down but don't piss them off. Unfortunately, players have been talking smack this week in the papers and on the radio. Hopefully it's not bulletin board material for Dallas.

I can see a scenario where the cowboys want to pound the ball on offense, running Elliot 30 times, while their defense gets after Carson Wentz. Dallas would love to run time off the clock and make it a shorter game. Turnovers and penalties ,like usual, will be key. And it's a prime-time game, as Dallas plays the defending Super Bowl champs. All good reasons to give the Cowboys hope.

The Eagles need to come out and get off to a fat start, scoring early and feeding off the frenzied crowd. It is expected to be a cold, dry night in South Philly. Keeping the fans wild,e specially while on defense, is huge. Dallas hopes to hang in the game until late and take the fans out of the game.

I just think the Eagles have too much going for them to lose.  ( Late note: Looks like Sproles will not play, as he apparently aggravated his hamstring in practice on Wednesday. Bad news for the offense and punt return game. DeAndre Carter was returning punts but was waivered and claimed by Houston).

The line is the Eagles are favored by 7 points,originally starting at 6 1/2 points. I think this will be a statement game for the Birds, in front of the country, saying we are the reigning world champions and we are not giving up our crown so easily. I think they get ahead of Dallas and make them surrender. They pile on and crush the Cowboys, sending the rest ofthe NFL a message.

Eagles 37 Cowboys 10

PHILLY SPORTS CORNER- SIXERS, PHILLIES

- The Sixers won their first road game of the season last night in Indianapolis, beating the Pacers. Will this start a run for the 76ers? They have been wildly inconsistent so far in the early season. They play Charlotte at home Friday night.

- Reports are the Phillies are the "overwelming' favorite to land free agent Bryce Harper. Harper may not hustle all the time like Manny Machado, but he doesn't announce that he won't always hustle. Signing Harper not only gives the Phils a powerhouse duo in the middle of the line-up in Harper and Rhys Hoskins. Inking Harper weakens division rival Washington. Harper used to kill Philadelphia as a National. Harper would also prove to the fans that the organization is serious about winning.

Wrapping up an All-Star like Harper is paramount. Adding to him with a starting pitcher ( Corbin? Happ? ) or a reliever ( Kimbrel?) is key. I would love to get the catcher from Miami who is on the trading block. Send them Herrera and/or Franco, maybe Hernandez. Along with signing a free agent or two the front office needs to trade a few current players who need a change of scenery. Plus, opening up spots- like Kingery at second base or Hoskins at first base- will improve the defense.

I know GM Klentak loves Carlos Santana, but if the Phillies have a chance to unload him they should. He has no position on this team and should've never been signed in the first place, no matter how many walks he may accumulate during a summer.

With the General Manager Meetings taking place now, and the Winter Meetings not far off, it's time to make moves. Hopefully owner John Middleton, who has been silent all year, and even after the historic collapse to end the season, will step up and give the OK to spend some of the money he has been hoarding for so long to improve the club.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- NOVEMBER 8

For the Glory

"Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart and mind- confidence is the key to all the locks"

- Joe Paterno

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY- NOVEMBER 7

Timeless Benchmark

Who are the two NFL head-coaches with the most consecutive years with 1 team?

Answer: Tom Landry and Curly Lambeau

Tom Landry coached 29 consecutive seasons for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960-1988.

Curly Lambeau coached 29 consecutive years for the Green Bay Packers from 1921-1949.

On this date 25 years ago, Tom Landry was inducted into the Dallas Cowboy Ring of Honor.

IN THE NEWS- RECENT NATURAL DISASTERS TRIGGER COMPLAINTS FROM DISABILITY GROUPS

From Disability Scoop..

After a spate of recent natural disasters, some advocates are expressing alarm that federal emergency response efforts are failing to protect the well-being and civil rights of people with disabilities, including by sending them unnecessarily to nursing homes.

The national disability rights group ADAPT recently sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, criticizing the release earlier this year of a strategic plan without "preparedness, planning or response elements" specifically for people with disabilities, unlike past plans that addressed disability rights and accessibility. Meanwhile, the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies, a national coalition, has filed a civil rights complaint naming FEMA and three other federal agencies for failure to provide equal access to shelters.

During recent East Coast hurricanes, advocates say that shelters have lacked reasonable accommodations, including wheelchair accessible restrooms. In some cases, evacuees were sent to nursing homes if they couldn't return to their previous community residences because of damage when shelters shut down.

'These entities need to adhere to the existing laws,' said German Parodi, an ADAPT organizer in Philadelphia. 'You don't hear of 25-year-old able-bodied people being forced into a nursing home because they want to close a shelter.'

Marcie Roth. CEO of the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies and FEMA's former director of disability integration, said people with disabilities are disproportionately affected during natural disasters. She said barriers to help range from a lack of accessible transportation to the complexity of disaster assistance applications.

"People with disabilities are by law a protected class that the federal government is required to provide equal access to," Roth said. :There are no disaster loopholes.  You can't say, 'There's a disaster so therefore we're going to get to this later."

Advocates have expressed concern that not enough federal disability integration advisors have been sent to assist with Hurricane Michael in Florida and Hurricane Florence that struck the Carolinas. As a result, they said some people with disabilities have not been able to get in-person help or information and have been instead directed to the FEMA website or toll-free number.

I think there's been a lack of understanding about how people that are in dire situations can be provided with a needed accommodation so they can benefit from services,' said June Isaacson Lailes, a California disability rights consultant who serves on FEMA's National Advisory Council.

A FEMA spokesperson said the strategic plan will be discussed this week with disability stakeholders. As for sending disability integration advisors, the agency said there is no set number of advisors who respond on the ground to disasters.

"The number of advisors assigned will ebb and flow based on the unique characteristics of the disaster, impacted communities and identified needs of disaster survivors with disabilities," the spokesperson said in a  statement.

Kailes said she plans to discuss disability response concerns at an upcoming advisory meeting, noting that the challenges of a disability intensify during a disaster.

"When you live with a disability, you always live in a heightened state of preparation. You're always problem-solving and thinking about things no one else has to think about," she said. "Planning for this in terms of protecting our independence, safety and health is a critical piece.'

IN THE NEWS- VOTER POSES ACCESSIBILITY CHALLENGES

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch..

On Election Day, as many as one in four voters may need help getting to the polling place, reading their ballots or filling them out. Advocates say inaccessibility at polling places can keep people with disabilities from voting altogether.

The voter turnout rate for people with disabilities is 5 percent lower than the general population, according to a 2016 study. In Missouri, the disability gap is even worse, at 10 percent  lower voting rates.

That difference translated to an estimated 2.2 million fewer eligible votes cast in the 2016 general election nationwide. Election officials say they are trying to close that gap and remove barriers to voting.

For the past few weeks, teams of election workers in St. Louis have been visiting local hospitals and nursing homes to get the votes of people who are sick or otherwise unable to make it to the polls today. People with disabilities are also eligible for the permanent absentee ballot list. Missouri and Illinois offer curbside voting if it is difficult for voters to get into their polling places.

"The goal is, we want your vote. We'll do everything we can to get your vote," said Steven Capizzi, director of the St. Louis City board of Election Commissioners.

The estimated 450,000 adults with disabilities in the St. Louis region should be able to vote independently and privately in the polling place assigned to them on Election Day if they choose, advocates say.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires equal access to public services but does not specifically address voting. Other federal guidelines require at least one accessible voting system at every polling place.

The efforts are working in eight states, including Illinois, where people with disabilities vote at higher rates than people without disabilities.

But in older cities like St. Louis, it's hard to come up with enough buildings that meet modern standards for accessibility, Capizzi said.

During the Aug. 7 primary election, a man who uses a wheelchair waited for a break in the rain to vote at St. Roch School, where a bipartisan team of poll workers helped him vote outside because the school's gymnasium is down a flight of stairs.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said he was frustrated to be forced to vote outside and he wouldn't have voted if it had rained all day.

It is likely that other polling places have barriers to people with disabilities such as the Carpenters Union hall , where a person using a wheelchair would have to travel down a steep driveway and over speed bumps to get into the building.

As many as 60 percent of polling places nationwide have potential impediments such as steep ramps or lack of signage, according to a 2017 Government Accountability Office study.

Voters with disabilities have also voiced concerns about poll workers who aren't trained in turning on audio features, changing the print size or adjusting the height of the voting machine, according to a recent survey of 30 participants of Paraquad, a local support organization.

'Generally speaking in the last few years the actual physical access of a polling place hasn't been the issue, it's more of the training of the polling workers for any type of accommodations,' said Kimberly Lackey, Paraquad's director of public policy and advocacy. 'There is a lot of hesitation and sometimes confusion from poll workers on what they can do."

Capizzi said poll workers are trained before every election about accommodating people with disabilities, but the assistive technology on the voting machines is 20 years old and needs to be updated.

Curbside voting can be problematic because voters have to alert poll workers that they need assistance. And when poll workers assist voters with their ballots, privacy can be lost.

'I have had to have folks read a ballot to me and fill it out because I have low vision and I'm just shouting out the way to vote,' Lackey said.

Roving election workers today will visit every polling place by 6 am. and again throughout the day to check on problems with equipment or accessibility, Capizzi said.

'We want the voting experience for all voters to be the same,' he said.