Archive for May, 2011

  As if it weren’t enough to leave Shady McCoy and Jeremy Maclin out of the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2011 list, ESPN has apparently decided to blatantly ignore them as well. The sports media giant released an offensive power ranking earlier today (because, let’s face it, there’s not a whole lot else to talk about right now), based on the votes of all eight of its divisional bloggers, and not surprisingly both of the young Eagles guns found themselves shut out once again. I say not surprisingly, of course, because the final twenty-person list is a nauseating [...]

  Memorial Day is a holiday of remembrance, honoring the sacrifices and contributions of our nation’s military heroes. It is a day when we can step back from all the arguments and issues and difficulties that consistently divide our country and instead focus on the ideals and principles that unite all Americans, past and present. Even the diehard cynics – the rigid, uncompromising critics and steadfast anti-war protesters among us – find it hard to ignore the significance and bravery of our soldiers on a day like today. We can all recognize – even if only for 24 hours – [...]

  Asante Samuel, arguably one of the best cornerbacks in all of football, fell in at number 54 on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2011 list. He’s the first corner to appear on the list, with four more to come. Samuel first signed with the Birds in 2008, making an immediate impact on a defense that was ranked dead last in interceptions. He’s gone to the Pro Bowl every year since, leading the NFC in picks in both 2009 and 2010, despite missing two games last year. He holds the all-time record for Pick 6s in the playoffs [...]

Let’s face it. Eagle fans are some of the loudest, most opinionated fans in all of football. Every single one of us knows, at all times, exactly what is wrong with our team, exactly how we need to go about fixing it, and exactly what anyone who disagrees with us can do with their opinion. Sure, most fans will yell at the TV during a game. But very few of them yell at the TV during a review of the game, or during an offseason analysis show on ESPN. Seriously, is there anything more infuriating than watching Michael Strahan pick [...]

  Those of us trying to block out the lockout – to pretend that the NFL’s ongoing work stoppage is nothing more than a bad dream that we’ll all soon wake up from – were not exactly thrilled earlier this week to hear Colts owner Jim Irsay put a solid deadline on negotiations for a 2011 season. In an interview with the Indianapolis Star, he said: “There’s a window where we can get something done, but we really need to get something done by the Fourth of July.” Otherwise, he said, the loss of training camps and preseason games will [...]

  This Sunday night, Asante Samuel will become the second Philadelphia Eagle to appear on the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2011 list, landing somewhere between 60 and 51. Trent Cole, the Pro Bowl defensive end, fell in at 73. According to NFL Network analysts, there are four total Eagles on the list, two of which have already been revealed. Predictably, the next two are going to be Desean Jackson and Michael Vick – perennial Pro Bowlers and two of the most popular players in the NFL right now. But while these four Birds were expected to land on [...]

  by Ryan Thompson If there is one thing that the NFL lockout has taught us over the past few months, it’s that nothing in this league is certain. Especially not a roster spot. Looking back two years ago, one thing that Eagles fans would have been sure of is that when the Donovan McNabb era came to a close, it would be Kevin Kolb’s time to step in for good. Interestingly enough, those two players, who were once sure things for this franchise, have more question marks surrounding them during this time than anyone. And as fate would have [...]

  Earlier today, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeanne Graham ruled against the NFL owners’ request for more time to file a response with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the players’ antitrust suit against the league. The owners had originally requested an extra month – until July 6 – to formally respond to the players’ recently amended lawsuit against the NFL, but Graham, acknowledging that there are “significant factors weighing strongly in favor of moving forward with…the case,” squashed the motion and notified owners that they have until June 6th, the original deadline, to file their response. Also today, the [...]

  In a press release issued by TNT – the cable channel responsible for airing most NBA games in the U.S. – game one of this year’s Eastern Conference Championship series between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls was the most-viewed cable game in history, drawing more than 11 million viewers worldwide. Wednesday’s game two was no slouch itself, drawing more than 10 million viewers and outpacing not only all cable networks in the 8 to 11:30 pm time slot, but also trumping broadcast giants like ABC, NBC and CBS in prime time. Only Fox’s American Idol had a [...]

  It’s now 6:30 pm on May 21st, and chances seem pretty good that we’re not gonna die today. Even though most intelligent people weren’t exactly worried about the vague predictions of apocalypse or the coming of judgement day, I’ll admit I was a little hopeful. I had my end-of-the-world battle plan all laid out, I knew where I was going to go to stock up on ammunition and Chef Boyardee before hotwiring a motorcycle and lighting out for the badlands like Mad Max. But then 6pm, and nothing. I’m not afraid to say I was a little bummed. But [...]

    Yesterday, Mike Vick organized an unofficial team workout at an undisclosed location in South Jersey, drawing the likes of Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek and 11 other players from around the NFL. Like every other workout so far this offseason, the Eagles-sponsored session was devoid of pads or heavy contact, ultimately concluding without incident or injury. But like all things Philadelphia, the workout has become a hot topic of debate and criticism anyway. A number of reports – including one from our friends at Section 215 – discussed the “enormous personal risk” both Vick and his teammates [...]

  In an interview with Philly.com today, Andy Reid took time out to comment on the ongoing NFL work stoppage. Said the coach: “The further it goes in [to the offseason], the worse the product.” Reid, of course, is calling out the obvious, namely that the longer players are barred from OTAs, offseason workouts and training camp, the less physically and mentally prepared they will be if and when play finally resumes. This will lead to more injuries, poor execution and, ultimately, really bad football. He’s right, of course, as anyone who lived through the late-80′s work stoppage could tell [...]