NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+48, or the Nelson Imposition

With all these legalities going on, the NFL Draft has officially begun for each of the respective teams as they wheel-and-deal to get the best upcoming rookies on their rosters.  Despite these festivities, these legal cases will still go on as Nelson expects an immediate appeal at the 8th District of Appeals in St. Louis. However, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has imposed the lift on the lockout on the NFL team owners.  These owners, of course, are appealing the ruling, but it does give hope to the players and their fans that the season may start on time — maybe.  The Draft will proceed although not with confusion.  The state of the use of the team facilities has been put on hold as the team owners seek clarification.  Additionally, the free agency contracts tendered in March before the work stoppage will be enforced using 2010 rules.  Lastly,  NFL’s free agency, should the lockout proceed after the appeal, could fall into a mess as players will be falling under two different contract litigations. Until the Appellate Court resolves Nelson’s ruling, the NFL is in a state of legal mire although the Nelson’s ruling has given players and fans early success.  This success may be short-lived and may cause irreparable damage in the long-term.

For now, the first day of the NFL Draft has proceeded with little hitch.  The rookies from the NCAA has at least determined which team they will potentially join.  This will give the coaches minimally ideas for gameplans as they will know where the new players will potentially fit.  For the Philadelphia Eagles, they should fill in the offensive line first and holes in their defense.  The offense, although highly potent and explosive, can take care of itself this potential upcoming season.  DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy are all fairly young in their respective positions, and wideouts DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are maturing nicely.

Until then, football fans will have to wait until May 16th until any significant progress will happen, unless there’s another round of mediation.

Brian Boucher and the Philadelphia Flyers Go to Round 2 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Is the Goalie Controversy Over?

With the Philadelphia Flyers defeating the Buffalo Sabres and continuing to round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, head coach Peter Laviolette and his Flyers fought hard and won last Tuesday, despite bending in the third period by Brian Boucher by allowing two points.  With the rotating goalies during these playoffs, it is a bit disconcerting since this is a vital position.

Of the three goalies, including Michael Leighton and Sergei Bobrovsky, Brian Boucher is currently the best goalie statistically.  He has played 34 games with 10 wins and 8 losses.  As a goalie, he has an admirable 2.4 GAA and a 91.6 save percentage currently.  Compared to his fellow goalie teammates, Michael Leighton presently has a 4.0 GAA and an 88.9 save percentage; and Sergei Bobrovsky has a  2.59 GAA and a 91.5 save percentage.

Into the Stanley Cup playoffs so far, Brian Boucher has been the best performer.  In the six games that he has played, he’s had four wins and one loss with a 2.10 GAA and a 93.4 save percentage.  Sergei Bobrovsky comes in second with a 3.38 GAA and a 87.5 save percentage.  And with Michael Leighton holding the rear, he has a 3.44 GAA and a 86.2 save percentage.

Brian Boucher has been performing better statistically than his career averages, and with Laviolette’s blessing, he should continue his goalie duties as he is the best of the trio currently.  Sergei Bobrovsky should remain as his backup.  The Stanley Cup playoffs aren’t easy and definitely more physical than the World Series and quite possibly the NFL playoffs.  The Flyers have a hard road ahead of them, and with goalies decided now, it will make the Flyers better as they can develop chemistry and formulate more effective gameplans against their opponents.

A Philadelphia Eagles Fan’s View About Michael Vick on Madden 12 Cover

So it’s down to two NFL players for this upcoming season’s Madden cover — Cleveland Browns power running back Peyton Hillis and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Comeback Player of the Year Michael Vick.  Even with the simplification of this long-running and derivative football game by Electronic Arts, some Eagles fans are wholeheartedly rooting for Michael Vick to push his stardom onto the cover of Madden, like he was on 2003 with the Atlanta Falcons.  For those concerned about my perspective concerning his dogfighting, sponsorship by PETA or his prison sentence, those things have sat on the backburner quite a while back.  All I am concerned with is his behavior with his Philadelphia Eagles teammates on the field and his presence off the field currently.

Last season, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was stellar throughout most of the beginning of the season and embraced and wrestled the starter position from Kevin Kolb mid-season.  Despite Vick’s displays off the field at schools and such, Michael Vick hasn’t changed sociably much from 20– when he was the Atlanta Falcons.  He has developed a better arm and was far more accurate and productive early in the season than he was with the Atlanta Falcons. He had an astonishing 100.6 quarterback rating on 3,018 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and 6 interceptions for the 2010 season overall.  However, defenses caught on to his act, and his productivity fell as the season progressed. From his dominance against the Washington Redskins in week 10 with a 150.7 quarterback rating, by the time he faced the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card game, his quarterback rating fell to a 79.9, only slightly better than his last season with the Atlanta Falcons at 75.7 in 2006.  Unfortunately, on the sidelines, he distances himself from his teammates consistently, like he was with DeSean Jackson, or not even there to support them, like with Kevin Kolb.  With his success, Vick could not share it with his teammates, like Donovan McNabb used to.

On the other hand, the Cleveland Browns had difficulties late in the season, with their young quarterback Colt McCoy and the injuries of their power running back Peyton Hillis.  Peyton Hillis dominated the Carolina Panthers with 3 touchdowns and 131 yards rushing in week 12 of the past season. Then he couldn’t score at all afterwards and his productivity declined as he contended with injuries.  Despite the management problems of Eric Mangini as their head coach, Peyton Hillis remained by his quarterback’s side — and Eric Mangini’s side as well.

Peyton Hillis is the better overall athlete of the two in that he appreciates teamwork and much harsher position overall on the body.  However, with the popularity of Michael Vick in most of Philadelphia and nationwide, I believe that Michael Vick will be chosen for the cover of Madden.  This will be beneficial financially for the Eagles organization and Philadelphia in general, but in my opinion, he is the less deserving of the honor.  However, with the Madden Curse, it might get its comeuppance on Michael Vick once again, and with the Philadelphia Eagles quite possibly without Kevin Kolb as backup, the Eagles may have to rely on a rookie quarterback or dilapidated veteran.

NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+41, or The Infinite Schedules…and Delay

This week, the NFL released the pre-season and regular season schedules for the 2011 season, perhaps in hopes of having one, perhaps merely to satisfy the NFL fans and the media.  In any case, it was interesting to see if these schedules become a reality, should the lockout will be resolved by August.  At this time though, the situation is looking bleak.

The NFL team owners and the dissolved NFLPA consulted with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan in his Minneapolis courtroom for four days.  Some players, including Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and their head of the dissolved NFLPA, DeMaurice Smith, sat with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league attorneys.   Unfortunately, a new group of NFL players supposedly dissatisfied with the progress of the talks may be creating a rift during these discussions.  To compound things further, Judge Arthur Boylan has postponed the current mediation talks until May 16 due to other matters on his judicial calendar.  Meanwhile, in other legal matters, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson may be making a decision on the players requests to lift the lockout.  Additionally, U.S. District Judge David Doty has scheduled a hearing on May 12 concerning the players damages in the negotiation of $4 billion in TV contracts.  Lastly, the NFL and the players are waiting upon the National Relations Labor Board on their decision concerning the legality of the work stoppage and the process whereby the NFLPA decertified. All in all, it may take about a month before the NFL, the players and their fans before they see any more progress.

In the meantime, while the federal courts ponder these decisions and sqander valuable taxpayer dollars, most fans have gone to viewing and supporting other sports.  Philadelphia fans have the Philadelphia Flyers facing the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies in their upcoming series against the San Diego Padres, and the Philadelphia Union scoring with their recent acquisition of Carlos Ruiz and the veteran Sebastian Le Toux.  Until the resolution of this work stoppage, Philadelphia fans have more sports currently on their plate to enjoy.

2011 Philadelphia Eagles Regular Season Schedule: Game-By-Game Analysis

Despite the work stoppage still in effect in the NFL, the NFL has chosen to release regular season schedules for the teams, after their initial release of the schedules of pre-season games.  The Philadelphia Eagles will have a bumpy road ahead of them, even though the first half of the schedule is easier than the second half of the schedule after their bye in week 7.  Similar to their pre-season schedule, fair majority of their opponents will either have a dominating defense or powerful running back or a sordid combination of both which will test the Eagles on both sides of the ball.  Michael Vick will have  his health possibly tested in week 3 against the New York Giants, week 9 against the Chicago Bears, week 11 against the New York Giants again and especially week 15 against the New York Jets.  These defenses won’t bend easily to Michael Vick, much less break, with their blueprints from the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.

Now to the game-by-game analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles regular season:

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles @ St. Louis Rams

This is an intriguing game as the Philadelphia Eagles will face the St. Louis Rams offense, led by budding quarterback Sam Bradford, and steady and sturdy running back Steven Jackson at home.  I imagine  Steven Jackson will be the primary force of the Rams offense against the Eagles in this game as he was ranked eighth last season in total rushing yardage at 1,241.  Don’t forget that the Rams, especially their defense,  plays particularly well at home who won five out of eight games at Edward Jones Dome last season.

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

This is a tandem of one of the better developed quarterbacks Matt Ryan and one of the better running backs in the league, Michael Turner.  After the Eagles face the physical running of Steven Jackson, they will have to contend with the speed of Michael Turner.  Turner capped last season by ranking third in rushing yardage with 1,371 behind Houston Texans Arian Foster and Kansas City Chiefs Jamaal Charles.  Lastly, Matt Ryan had a fairly impressive 91.0 quarterback rating last season and with receiving threats in Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez, both could pose problems in the Eagles secondary.  Roddy White himself produced elite numbers last season as he had 1,389 receiving yards on 115 receptions and was ranked second overall.

Week 3: New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles

This game is a NFC East rivalry against an opponent that developed and refined the blueprint to stop against the revived Michael Vick last season.  This is also the same defense that crippled a number of quarterbacks in the opening weeks of the previous season before Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped in to limit the number of concussions and injuries.  The Giants still have the tandem running backs of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs which produced the sixth-ranked overall rushing offense.  Ahmad Bradshaw, by himself, was ranked ninth last season in total rushing yardage with 1,235 yards on 4.5 yards per carry.  Let’s not forget these wide receivers of the Giants.  The receiving corps of Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are all threats down the field, although Nicks is the better of the three and getting better.

Week 4: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

With the new coach in Jim Harbaugh, formerly of the Stanford Cardinals, the San Fransisco 49ers could undergo a heavy overhaul in both offense and defense.  Perhaps Eagles fans might get a showing of former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, but most likely not.  The Eagles will have to contend with a healthy running back in the name of Frank Gore.  Although he hasn’t been an elite rushing threat since ranking third overall in rushing yardage in 2006, there are still sea legs on this veteran running back. One of the primary issues with the 49ers will be their quarterback situation.  I imagine that sometime before the regular season starts, this situation will be resolved quite quickly with Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.  He won’t make the same mistake as his predecessor, Mike Singletary.

Week 5: Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills

This should be one of the Philadelphia Eagles easier games, but then again, this isn’t the same Buffalo Bills of the past.  They were competitive last season, and they won’t simply roll over.  Their defense was ranked third against the pass, but unfortunately, they were last in their division with a meager 4-12 record last season.  Their quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found a potent wide receiver Steve Johnson who had two games against the stiffer defenses of  two notable opponents of the Baltimore Ravens and the Chicago Bears last season with 130+ yards and one against the disorganized Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 6: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins

This was the same opponent last season which Micheal Vick absolutely dominated with a score of 59-28 on November 15th.  It was an unforgettable night for the Eagles team and their fans.  However, things have changed. Their quarterback Donovan McNabb has been released, and former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has taken over.  Although most of their offense and defense was ranked the bottom of last year, they found a glimmer of hope in their running back Ryan Torain.  Again, in this upcoming season, Ryan Torain may become a factor in Mike Shanahan’s offense.

Week 7: Bye Week

With this season going at full steam by now, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has not endured any physical defenses aside from the New York Giants.  He should still be in good health, and Eagles coach Andy Reid shouldn’t have to resort to his backup, whoever he may be.  The Eagles record at this point should be 5-1 or at worst, 4-2.  In terms of injuries suffered during the Eagles pre-season, like every pre-season it seems, most of these players should have recovered at this time, and the Eagles should have a nearly healthy roster.  However, the second half of the schedule is not quite as easy as the first.

Week 8: Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

This is the same defense last season that nearly perfected how to hinder Michael Vick.  However, the offense this time quite possibly won’t be led by Jon Kitna.  Instead, Tony Romo should be at the helm once again.  Despite his occasional flaws, on and off the field, he should perform much better than Jon Kitna.  With wide receiver Miles Austin and the Cowboys backfield of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice blossoming, Jason Garrett’s offense will be one to contend with.  The Cowboys rushing defense performed admirably last season as it was ranked 12th.

Week 9: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles

This may a potentially dangerous outing for Michael Vick as he faces the taut Chicago Bears defense led by Brian Urlacher.  After the criticism of their quarterback Jay Cutler for leaving their conference game last season due to an injury, Cutler performed above average with 3,274 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and a 86.3 quarterback rating.  Let’s not forget that Cutler does have his moments.  Last season, he beat the Eagles 31-26 in week 12 in a stunner of a game.  The Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz found their running back Matt Forte after half the season was over, and again, Forte should become a factor in establishing the run against the Eagles.

Week 10: Arizona Cardinals @ Philadelphia Eagles

This could potentially become an intriguing game should Kevin Kolb or maybe Donovan McNabb be traded to this team.  With their quarterback and backfield problems, their only shining star was wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.  Despite all these problems with the Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald managed to ranked eighth in total receiving yards with 1,137.

Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

Like last season, it would be interesting to see if Michael Vick can pull another Miracle at the Meadowlands.  If the Eagles won the earlier game in week 3, I imagine the New York Giants could possibly win this one or vice versa.  After this game, Michael Vick could be hinting of potential injuries as this defense will remain unforgiving.

Week 12: New England Patriots @ Philadelphia Eagles

Not only will the Philadelphia Eagles be facing last season’s MVP New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, they will face the varied offense of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Deion Branch and Wes Welker.  Although Michael Vick was in the running as last year’s MVP, this season will test whether he can remain consistent throughout the season.  If this game doesn’t show if Vick can demonstrate consistency,  Tom Brady will show him how.

Week 13: Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks

The Philadelphia Eagles first trip to the West Coast as they will face the Cinderella team of last season, the Seattle Seahawks.  With their veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and wide receiver Mike Williams, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll found ways to defeat the New Orleans Saints in their Wild Card game last season and remain somewhat competitive in their final loss against Chicago Bears in their divisional title game. Pete Carroll has shown he can will his team to win, and the Philadelphia Eagles could potentially face one dangerous and adaptive opponent.  Compounding the fact that the Eagles don’t fare well on the West Coast, this could play to the Seahawks advantage.

Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles @ Miami Dolphins

Another road game…but this time, a return to the East Coast against the Miami Dolphins.  With the entire offense in shambles, the Miami Dolphins offense wasn’t much of a threat.  Neither running back Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams posed much of a threat like in previous seasons. However, the Dolphins defense was surprisingly effective.  They were ranked eighth against the pass and seventh against the rush last season.  Even if the Dolphins lose, I imagine that Michael Vick could be in for some jarring by the Dolphins defensive backs.

Week 15: New York Jets @ Philadelphia Eagles

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan’s defense was formidable last season.  It was ranked sixth against the pass and third against the rush.  The New York Jets defeated both the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots in the playoffs, but they could not defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC title game. Their rushing tandem of LaDanian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene produced an effective rush as they were ranked fourth overall in total rushing yardage.  Facing this defense may not be desirable as it will be stifling and physical for Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles offense.  Even the wide receiving threats of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin may face considerable problems.

Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

The Eagles will face Jason Garrett’s Cowboys team again.  Again, I envision this game as a split.  With the Dallas Cowboys adapting to incoming blueprints from earlier games in the season with Michael Vick, this could be another long afternoon for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Week 17: Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles

With Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins still coaching, the Redskins team, however, will still remain mediocre without any potent offensive additions.  Not to discount the Redskins entirely, however, as Rex Grossman may show moments of brilliance, but whether at FedEx Field or Lincoln Financial Field, the Redskins can’t overcome their deficiencies.

2011 Season Forecast

I predict for this upcoming season a record 10-6 for the Philadelphia Eagles realistically.  Optimistically, they can possibly pull off a record of 11-5.  In either case, they should have a winning record and possibly enter the playoffs again.  Whether Michael Vick remains healthy through the end of the regular season, I remain tentative.  Lastly, given the parity in the league and the coaching changes in some of these teams, my prediction remains highly speculative and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies Squeak Past the Florida Marlins

With the Phillie Phanantic birthday yesterday, accompanied with his friends and Philadelphia Phillies fans on a sunny and windy Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Florida Marlins at Citizens Bank Park 3-2. The Marlins offense was persistent and efficient during much of the game, but Carlos Ruiz ‘s sacrifice fly brought home Ryan Howard for the winning run in the eighth inning.

Phillies starter Cole Hamels pitched quite efficiently in this game with 7 innings pitched, 101 pitches and a 4.32 ERA.  However, he did have difficulty in the top of the sixth inning.   Florida Marlins second baseman Omar Infante started off the inning with a double to the left. Mike Stanton singled to shallow left to bring in Omar Infante to bring the run, closing the Phillies lead to 2-1.   Logan Morrison sacrificed fly to right brought in Mike Stanton for the tie score of 2-2.

Going through the Phillies bullpen, Ryan Madson pitched in the eighth inning with 26 pitches and the win for this game.  He was extremely efficient in the inning that he pitched.

Phillies closer Jose Contreras, perhaps as erratic as injured Brad Lidge, kept things interesting on top of the ninth inning.  Marlins John Buck began the inning with a walk off of Contreras, and Scott Cousins came in to pitch run for John Buck.  Greg Dobbs, Marlins pitch hitter, grounded out to second and brought Cousins to second base.  Jose Contreras then walked Chris Coghlan.  By this time, Philadelphia Phillies fans are holding their breath as the Marlins have runners on first and third base.  But they would get little reprieve as Jose Contreras threw a wild pitch that was luckily blocked by Carlos Ruiz, but Chris Coghlan would earn a stolen base.  Fortunately, Omar Infante’s ground out to third closed the inning to keep the score 3-2.

This was a fairly exciting although low-scoring game.  The Milwaukee Brewers will come to Citizens Bank Park tonight at 7 PM.  The starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies will be Joe Blanton who has been less than spectacular this season.  So far, through this season, he has a 10.34 ERA on a 1.94 WHIP.  For the Brewers, they will start Shaun Marcum who has been much better.  Currently, he has a relatively efficient 2.55 ERA on 1.19 WHIP.  Unfortunately, tonight’s game may not go in Phillies favor again with Joe Blanton on the mound.

NFL and the NFLPA Lockout Countdown: Lockout Day+34, or the Nelson Imposition

With the NFL lockout still in progress, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson imposed mediation between the players and the team owners starting yesterday with U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan at his quarters in the Minneapolis federal courtroom.  The attorneys on both sides should not come to an agreement easily, if the mediation in Washington, D.C. showed anything at all.  If a federal mediator couldn’t get either side to reach common ground, I don’t see how a federal judge will.

Additionally, this week, the NFL proposed to adjust the rookie compensation system and hinder hold outs from veteran players by eliminating renegotiations of contracts if the player holds out prior to the pre-season.  This will limit some of the drama from players, similar to the drama of Washington Redskins Albert Haynesworth last season. The adjustments to the rookie compensation system should help those veterans already playing in the NFL system by allowing much more money available for their contracts.  There will no longer be a rookie wage scale and all rookie contracts will be made individually.  These contracts would last four years initially for players chosen between the second through seventh rounds, and these contracts would not directly affect the salaries for those specific rounds.

Pending a Friday Night Miracle, this second round of federal mediation should go on for some time.  In the meantime, it’s best to lean on other sports — baseball, hockey or NASCAR for those interested.  With the Philadelphia Phillies bursting in the opening of the season and the Philadelphia Flyers into the playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres, these two sports will be enjoyed by most Philadelphia sports fans, including myself.

Philadelphia Eagles Pre-Season Schedule: Preview of Strong Defenses Coming For Michael Vick (and the Eagles)

With the release of the pre-season schedule, despite the non-resolution of the work stoppage between the team owners and the players, it appears that the Philadelphia Eagles will have their work cut out for them, even in the initial few games.  Although these aren’t regular season games, they will face teams with potentially threatening defenses during the upcoming season.  The mediocre offensive line last season could potentially face some replacements from this upcoming draft, whether it be held with Commissioner Roger Goodell or with DeMaurice Smith of the dissolved NFLPA.  Several mock drafts that I have seen the Eagles picking offensive linemen and cornerbacks within the first few rounds, and those selections would be quite reasonable in light of the Eagles many revealing deficiencies last season.

The Philadelphia Eagles first face the Pittsburgh Steelers, the loser of the Super Bowl against the reigning Super Bowl Champions Green Bay Packers.  Not only will they face a stout defense that will still undoubtedly pursue Michael Vick and test the offensive line during the regular season, should there be one, they will face the physical running of Rashard Mendenhall.  And Michael Vick will deal with Troy Polamalu who led third in interceptions with seven during the previous season.  Unfortunately, for Eagles fans, this will be held at the Steelers home at Heinz Field.

Next, the Baltimore Ravens will come to Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Park.  Joe Flacco matured quite well last season, at least producing second-tier quarterback numbers during the regular season.  The Philadelphia Eagles will face another potent and versatile running back in the name of Ray Rice.  Their defense, with Ed Reed leading in interceptions last season with eight, will still be fast and physical at times.

The Cleveland Browns come afterwards for their pre-season game at Lincoln Financial Field.  With Eric Mangini out and Pat Shurmur in, this will be the first view of the Browns new offense, led by young quarterback Colt McCoy and power running back Peyton Hillis.

And, finally, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the New York Jets and their stiff defense.  This is the same team that defeated in the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots with their elite quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tom Brady respectively in the playoffs.  This will be the Eagles final test of their offensive line before the regular season starts, if the collective bargaining agreement is finally resolved.

The Eagles will at least have the first few games to test out their offensive line and whether their defense can be anyway be considered elite during the regular season.  The opponents will also gather to see if Michael Vick learned any new tricks during the off-season.  However, if he hasn’t, Vick, his Eagles teammates and their fans could be in for a long season.

Jayson Werth and the Washington Nationals Conquer Joe Blanton and the Philadelphia Phillies…For Now

Last night, the Philadelphia Phillies had their weakest link in the name of their fifth starting pitcher in the rotation, Joe Blanton, facing perhaps the strongest link in the Washington Nationals chain, their first starting pitcher Livan Hernandez, next to their third baseman and strongest batter Ryan Zimmerman.  However, Zimmerman was placed on the disabled list recently due to an abdominal injury caused by a slide into second base last Saturday against the New York Mets, and his power wasn’t missed too much in this game as Jayson Werth compensated for his absence.

Although Ryan Howard homered to the left in the second inning, Jayson Werth responded in kind in the fifth inning.  By that time, Washington Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa sacrificed fly to bring in Wilson Ramos to tie the game into the top of third inning.  Unfortunately, Blanton will be Blanton…and the collapse of the fourth inning as Wilson Ramos doubled to bring in Jayson Werth for another run and the lead. Nationals outfielder Laynce Nix got another run to close the fourth inning with the score of 4-1.  Into the eighth inning, Raul Ibanez started a mini-rally against the Nationals, but it was too little, too late, and Placido Polanco’s single in the ninth simply wasn’t enough.  The game ended on a low note for the Philadelphia Phillies with the score of 7-4.

Phillies Joe Blanton, the starting rotation’s weakest link, had a disastrous 10.45 ERA on six innings pitched.  Nationals starting pitcher Livan Hernandez had a solid night with 3.50 ERA on 6.2 innings pitched, 7 hits and 1 homerun.  Their closer Sean Burnett had an excellent night with 1.35 ERA.  But that was last night…

Tonight is a bit of a different story for the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies at 7 PM.  Phillies devastating starting pitcher Roy Halladay will go against John Lannan of the Nationals.  With Halladay focused and maintaining exceptional statistics in the beginning of the season, he is a force to be reckoned with his 0.92 WHIP and 0.69 ERA on 13 innings pitched.  Tonight’s game should have a completely different complexion, and Jayson Werth and the Washington Nationals will get their due.

Chicago Bears Jay Cutler Responds to His Critics: The Philadelphia Eagles Fan Response

During the Great NFL Lockout of 2011, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears finally broke out of his shell to retort against his critics of him and his Grade II MCL strain injury that occurred during the NFC Championship 21-14 loss to the Super Bowl Champions Green Bay Packers.  He took his time, but he or his agent found this time appropriate for his response against his critics.  In the game, he was replaced by backup Todd Collins and ultimately Caleb Hanie.  The issue to some Chicago Bears fans and NFL fans in general was that Jay Cutler did not argue with head coach Lovie Smith openly on the sidelines, even though it appeared he was not injured significantly while on the bench.  He recently told the Chicago Sun-Times that “[he] would have loved to play” and regarding his fellow teammates that criticized him, “they can think what they want.”  Bears coach Lovie Smith, during the owners meetings last month, endorsed Jay Cutler wholeheartedly despite the incident.

In Philadelphia, we have experienced similar to Donovan McNabb during his tenure here as quarterback.  If it wasn’t concerning a shoulder injury near the playoffs, it would be his miracle recovery and lackadaisical approach while into the playoffs.  In Super Bowl XXXIV against the New England Patriots, Donovan McNabb supposedly suffered from nausea and ultimately collapsed against the Patriots 24-21 with three interceptions.  During McNabb’s stay in Philadelphia, head coach Andy Reid admirably defended him until Michael Vick took over as starter last season and Donovan McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins for one short season.

If Michael Vick or for that matter, Donovan McNabb, had such an injury and did not debate with Andy Reid openly on the sidelines, the response from the Philadelphia Eagles fans would have been livid, boisterous and incessant.  If the local newspapers and sports radio shows didn’t criticize him, the Philadelphia Eagles fans would have surely responded in kind.  I would be fairly certain that some fans would be calling for Andy Reid’s head on a stake as well.  And if it happened again, the bleeding would not stop for Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb.

Jay Cutler should be grateful that he is not a Philadelphia Eagle.  As visceral as some Chicago Bears fans have reacted, they had an appropriate reasons to do so. It was their NFC Championship Game, and it was their rivals the Green Bay Packers whose season could have ended if they could have defeated them during their last game of the regular season.  Jay Cutler is still a quarterback for the Chicago Bears, but if the Chicago fans are anything like Philadelphia fans, they may be exhausting their patience for Cutler’s temperament soon.  We have experienced failure during the playoffs with both Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick, and you have already experienced it with Jay Cutler.  We feel your pain, Chicago Bears fans.