No more mock drafts. No more awkward green room interviews. And no more Mel Kiper. Hallelujah.

Even though the Sheldon Brown saga is far from resolved, the roster we see right now could be the one that opens the season in the fall of 2009. Regardless of whether Brown gets the Lito treatment and sees more pine than playing field, the Eagles seem to have made some very impressive pickups that have the notoriously fickle Birds fans remarkably uniform in their approval. Perhaps even more remarkable is that the additions have come in the wake of the departure of some long-tenured and tremendously adored franchise pillars in Brian Dawkins, Tra Thomas and (likely) Jon Runyan.

JASON PETERS (OT) Acquired for 1st round pick (28th overall) and 4th round pick in 2009 draft, as well as undisclosed pick in 2010…described by Andy Reid as “the best left tackle in football”, Peters fills a major need as the beast protecting Donovan’s blind side. For those grumbling about trading down in the 2008 draft and acquiring a low 1st round pick from Carolina, that extra pick allowed the Eagles to let an aging vet in Thomas walk and bring in Peters. Give Andy Reid credit: for all his play-calling woes, the man knows you win football games in the trenches and he is never afraid to solidify his lines before moving onto other personnel issues. Peters is also Shawn Andrews’ former college roommate at Arkansas, and his arrival (combined with Andrews’ older brother Stacy, see below) will hopefully help rejuvenate the former Pro Bowler who missed the majority of last season due to injury and depression.

STACY ANDREWS: Signed as a free agent in February…the addition of Andrews looks even better considering the other moves made to solidify the line. Andrews should slide into the right tackle spot vacated by the still-as-unsigned Jon Runyan, giving the Eagles massive bookend blockers still in the prime of their careers. The opportunity to play alongside younger brother Shawn will hopefully motivate both Andrews’ to perform at the high level at which they have shown to be more than capable of doing. There was some concern about his  right knee problems, as he had offseason surgery to repair a torn MCL and ACL, but those have largely been quieted in reports from the team thus far.

LEONARD WEAVER: Signing a fullback doesn’t generally make waves in most NFL cities, but those who watched the Birds stubbornly refuse to employ a legitimate professional at that position last season were legitimately excited to have someone of Weaver’s caliber on the roster. Granted, his initial interviews were less than enthusiastic (Weaver seemed to openly designate Philadelphia as his second choice behind returning to Seattle) but his diverse skill set should quickly enamor him to the Phaithful. Weaver is not only a strong blocker but an above-average pass catching fullback, a major plus in Reid’s West Coast offense. If nothing else, between Peters, Andrews and Weaver, Brian Westbrook should be able to convert those third and less than a yard plays that were such a bugaboo to the team in 2008.

ELLIS HOBBS: Acquired for two 5th round picks during 2009 draft…Though Big Red hasn’t said as much, Hobbs was ostenibly acquired to replace Sheldon Brown. With Asante Samuel locking down one corner spot and Joselio Hanson signing a contract extension during the winter, Hobbs likely wasn’t brought in to be a 4th CB. While the team would have preferred to keep a happy Sheldon Brown, the situation looks bleak for his future in green. Hobbs is a servicable corner who has started 16 games in each of the last two seasons for New England and is signed for one more season at a very reasonable cap number of just north of $2 million.

JEREMY MACLIN/LESEAN MCCOY: On paper, the Eagles’s top two draft picks look like excellent selections. Maclin was rated as the top WR in the draft on the draft boards of 18 teams and McCoy was a borderline 1st round pick on a number of mock drafts, not to mention an explosive performer in college at Pitt. Though the two rookies are extremely talented, they won’t be asked to carry the team this season, which should help their development significantly. Despite the continued questioning of the Eagles WR corps, Kevin Curtis, DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant form an above-average trio in my mind. Provided Maclin comes as advertised, he should take some of the burden off both Curtis and Jackson and add some skill to the return game as well. The additional benefit of that aspect of his game is that it should limit the pounding the fragile Jackson takes in special teams situations. McCoy should be an excellent back to spell Brian Westbrook and provides insurance should Westbrook’s balky body not allow him to go the full 16, something that has proven elusive over his time in green. McCoy is also an excellent pass-catching back, which as mentioned above, is of utmost importance in Reid’s offense. Both will be asked to contribute, but neither should need to be Pro Bowl caliber to make an impact this season.

THE BEST OF THE REST: I may be in the minority, but I think Sean Jones will be a solid addition to this team. Jones has the unenviable task as being viewed as the safety that comes in to replace Brian Dawkins, but in reality, that isn’t quite true. The Eagles may go with a rotation of  Quintin Demps, Jones and fellow free agent Rashad Baker opposite of Quintin Mikell and that trio will hopefully be enough to hold the fort. Though they will miss Sean Considine in special teams, anyone with a pulse and a tendency to cover the opponent will be an upgrade at safety. Cornelius Ingram is an intriguing pick in the 5th round. An athletic tight end for Florida in college, Ingram missed all of his senior season with a knee injury. Despite the injury, he was still rated as the 2nd best TE in the draft by a number of scouting services and if he is healthy, he could provide Donovan McNabb with another pass catching weapon. There is some concern about Ingram’s blocking ability, however, I think this is largely due to the offense he featured in while at Florida. Regardless, Brent Celek will hold down the starting spot until further notice. CB Victor “Macho” Harris was selected in the 5th round out of VA Tech and though he had decent college numbers, may be outsized in the NFL. I’m more intrigued by 2008 4th round pick Jack Ikegwuono (triple word score baby!), a CB from Wisconsin who spent all of last season on the IR. Before his injury, Ikegwuono was a 1st round prospect that slipped to the Birds on the second day. If healthy, he could be the dark horse of the group. But that’s a big if.

Either way Birds fans, there will be a lot of new faces when the team lines up for the first time in 2009. On paper, there are weapons for Donovan, some fat linemen for Andy and some nice small pieces to plus holes. Most importantly, Cincinnati isn’t on the schedule.

Dan

…to a HUGE weekend of sports in the City of Brotherly Love.

Where to begin? How bout hoops?

The 76ers nearly did what they did all season; namely blow a seemingly comfortable lead and lose at the buzzer. Thankfully, a wonderfully designed in-bounds play (thanks Tony DiLeo!) was called to confuse the Magic by nearly getting called for a 5-second violation worked to perfection, as Thaddeus Young was able to get the baseline and put in the game winning bucket. In the regular season, Rashard Lewis’ half-court heave would have drawn nothing but net, but thankfully Devin Harris is playing golf or wearing board shorts. Neither of which sound particularly unappealing.

Despite Dwight Howard’s monster night (36 and 11) and the 76ers best attempt to give away the game by missing seven of eleven free throws down the stretch, they find themselves in the driver’s seat up 2-1, with Game 4 Sunday evening at the Wachovia Center. Though the building wasn’t full, the atmosphere was impressive for a joint that hasn’t exactly been rockin’ most of the season. Here’s hoping for a solid turnout to help inspire the guys to a commanding series lead.

Down in South FLA, the Fightins spent a good 8 1/3 innings trying to give Uncle Charlie an ulcer. After watching Dave Bush nearly no-hit his team on an assortment of average fastballs and below average breaking stuff, Manuel must have been fuming when his team failed to even make solid contact for the first 8 innings. Granted, Josh Johnson is  a horse. But this lineup is too good to be scuffling this badly right now.

Thankfully, Matt Lindstrom’s wildness allowed the Phils to keep their useless bats tucked away on their shoulders until fan-favorite Shane Victorino got his shot with two down and the sacks jacked. While it wasn’t as memorable as his NLCS salami off the hefty lefty from Milwaukee, Victorino’s slam could serve as a much-needed kick in the pantalones to a listless Phillies offense. It will be interesting to see how they respond tomorrow.

SATURDAY’S EVENTS

While I will be at the Flyers game tomorrow, it’s not going to be a bad day to be a couch potato. The Orange and Black kick things off with a massive Game 6 against the Pens at 3pm in Philly. Just the thought of the electricity in the building has me jumping. If the Flyers can get on the board early, it will greatly increase their chances of forcing a Game 7 back in the ‘burgh. For one, the aforementioned crowd might blow the roof off the Wachovia Center. Secondly, it won’t allow them a chance to let MAF get in their heads. Thirdly, they’ll be coming out hard in the first period and if the Pens can withstand the early pressure, they will gain confidence the longer they stay in the game. My guess is that the Flyers win the game tomorrow but after that, all bets are off.

For those not interested in the happenings on the ice, 4pm brings us the NFL Draft. Since there is generally very little coverage and speculation leading up to the actual selection process, many Eagles fans are likely completely in the dark as to who the team likes.

Yeah right.

It seems as if every publication on the face of the earth has the Eagles selecting Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno. He supposedly would fit in nicely with Andy Reid’s throw every down, er, West Coast offense. Rather than attempt to tell you what you have likely already heard, my guess is the Eagles trade their first round pick to move up a few spots and grab a guy none of us have ever heard of. Only time will tell.

Once the interesting part of the draft is over, the night cap is at 7pm, when the Phils face the Fish with Chan Ho Park taking the mound, attempting to prevent relegation back to the bullpen which he so desperately tried to avoid in the first place. His first couple starts left a lot to be desired, mainly innings on the mound, but many of you will likely be too drunk from the earlier part of the day to care.

On that note, enjoy the day and the weather. Here’s hoping to another perfect sports day tomorrow!

Dan

Well that went a lot better than last year, huh?

Just over 11 months ago, the Flyers went out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a whimper, getting bum-rushed 6-0 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Pittsburgh. The 2008-09 squad fared a good deal better, with a convincing 3-0 win over the Pens Thursday night.

After weathering the storm in a first period that saw them outshot 15-5, the Flyers responded with the lone goal of the second, coming from noted sniper Aaron Asham. Yeah, exactly. But to win playoff games, you need contributions from all four lines and two days after he scored the lone goal in the 2-1 loss, Dan Carcillo made a nifty little drop pass to the oncoming Asham who rifled one top shelf past Marc-Andre Fleury for a CRUCIAL 1-0 lead. If you predicted that combo creating the offense for the first goal, hit me up. We’re going to Vegas.

Perhaps even more impressive was the way the Orange and Black jumped out in the 3rd period. Moments after missing a chance to double their lead on the power play (after ANOTHER marvelous sliding save by Fleury), the Flyers ramped up the intensity and were able to get the all-important second goal. What can I say about Claude Giroux that hasn’t been said by Jim Jackson already (JJ has a man-crush on the little playmaker for sure), but for a rookie to step up and get that goal in that situation, it’s speaks volumes about the type of player he is and is going to be. By the time Mike Knuble remembered what end to score on (seriously, WHERE has this guy been for four games??), the Flyers were well on their way to an impressive victory on the road that sees them breathe new life into the series.

Lastly, is there any coincidence that Marty Biron puts on a Cryin’ Crosby shirt from PhillyPhaithful and responds with a shutout? You know the answer. Without his stellar goaltending in the first period, the Flyers are likely behind the 8-ball, making a difficult challenge all that moreso. Way to be Marty!

PhillyPhaithful will be out in force at Game 6. Come find me beforehand!

LET’S GO FLYERS!!!!

Dan

76ers: Somewhat surprisingly, the team that stumbled to a 1-6 record down the stretch has taken a 1-0 series lead on the road over the favored Orlando Magic. This is the second year running an underdog 76ers squad has opened the playoffs on the road with a win, but few outside the area probably give them much of a shot to win the series. While the Magic did manage an impressive 20-9 mark after acquiring Skip-to-My-Lou, aka Rafer Alston, the loss of the dynamic point guard–and Chester native–Jameer Nelson gives the 76ers an edge at the 1. For all of Andre Miller’s strengths, speed and quickness have never been his fortay. While Alston is known for his impressive repetoire of playground moves, at age 32, his first step isn’t nearly on the same page as the explosive Nelson. Advantage, Philadelphia. If the 76ers can find a way to contain Dwight Howard better than they did in Game 1 and Sammy Dalembert can rake him across the face a couple more times–how bout that, Sammy D making an impact!–the underdog could find itself sitting pretty coming home for Game 3.

Flyers: Nobody in their right mind should be satisfied as the Flyers find themselves down 3-1 in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Pens, but those among the Philly Phaithful calling out the officiating or the play of goaltender Martin Biron are barking up the wrong tree. After laying a complete stinker in Game 1 that was remisicent of their efforts in the final weeks of the season, the team has responded with three impressive performances and is legitimately unfortunate to find themselves in a 3-1 hole. Granted, solid effort in the playoffs shouldn’t be rewarded with praise if it doesn’t result in a win, but how many times did the Flyers find themselves outshooting their opponents this season by a nearly 2-1 margin AND end up on the losing end? While this series isn’t over, the Flyers will need to find a way to win three in a row, including two in the Igloo; a truly daunting challenge.  For the Flyers to be successful, they need another solid 60 minute effort and they have to find a way to get in the crease around Marc-Andre Fleury and unsettle the effeminate Penguins goaltender.  Flyers in 7.

Phillies: Because it’s still quite early in the season, I don’t manage to quite as worked up about the results in the first few weeks of April. I’ve always adhered to the saying that while you can’t win the title in the early going, you can lose it. Essentially, as long as the Phils are in the hunt early on, they clearly have more than enough talent to play a major role in the pennant chase moving forward. If Cole Hamels is 0-4 in early May, talk to me then. If J-Roll continues to roll over every pitch and ground out to first base for another few weeks, come find me then. But there are more than enough positives in the early going–Pedro Feliz adding a bat to his sterling glovework, Chase Utley looking even better post-hip surgery, Eric Bruntlett’s beard in Stanley Cup form–to prevent me from worrying. And remember, the first at-bat by a visiting player at Bailout Ballpark in Queens was a home run. Ah the Mutts.

Eagles: Because Mel Kiper’s hair in HD makes me nauseated, let’s leave the draft talk on the back burner until we actually know who the Eagles have traded down three rounds to select. Kevin Kolb needs a backup. Get on that Andy.

My thoughts on the Sheldon Brown situation are somewhat undeveloped, but I can honestly see where both sides are coming from. It’s easy to jump on the “let’s-hate-Eagles-management-bandwagon” because they have done so many things in the Gold Standard Era to anger the fan base. But unless I’m missing something, Sheldon Brown doesn’t really have much leverage here. Sure, you’re underpaid by the standards of today’s NFL. You’re certainly better than the 33rd highest-paid corner in the league. But instead of opening your mouth and going public, why not try this novel idea? Make some plays on the field and earn a new contract. My biggest concern as an Eagles fan is that by yapping off to the media, Brown will enjoy a similar fate enjoyed by Lito Sheppard last year: a multi-million dollar clipboard holder. Do we really have the depth at the position to afford that luxury?

Thanks as always for your support of PhillyPhaithful and the Forum.

For your viewing pleasure…Tyronn Lue. Yikes.

Dan

Hey PhillyPhaithful fans!

I’m heading down to the Wachovia Center for Game 4 tomorrow night (I.E. the game that levels this series) and I hope to see you there. I’ll be at the Pavilion/Bud Light Bar from 5pm until game time and if you find me in attendance (I’ll be the one wearing a Cryin’ Crosby raglan, without a voice because of Game 3) and say you read this post on the website, I’ll give you $5 off any Flyers shirt that we offer. I’ll have them all at the game so you can walk out the door with it!

And for those of you who haven’t seen this post…check it out. Spread the word to all the Flyers fans you know! http://tinyurl.com/c2ey6j
LET’S GO FLYERS!!!

Dan