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Latest on Wednesday, 9:18: Not gonna happen - makes too much sense.
: The Eagles should trade their 2009 first round pick and Lito Sheppard for Boldin.
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: Joe Horn got got by Atlanta, do we get him?
: Phelps Sweeps Olympics 8-8. Amazing!
Apr
30
Parface On the 2008 Eagles Draft
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Same scenario as last year. Once Albert went off the board, I knew the Eagles were trading out. Otah was there, and he probably would have been the pick. But once the clock ticked under 3 minutes, it was a done deal.
And they made a hell of a deal, imo. They raped Carolina. A #2 this year, a #1 next year…and a 4??? That is premium value, and the Eagles would have been crazy to pass on that deal. Panthers are a team on the way down, so next year’s #1 could be a top-10 pick.
No McFadden or (the real) Roy Williams for the Cowboys…no Chad Johnson for the Redskins…and the Eagles still have Sheppard to deal. And no WR’s taken in the first 25 picks.
So far, so good.
Apparently, the Birds had been targeting Albert for some time. The Eagles were trying to move up to #7, when the Saints topped their offer. When Albert was still on the board at #10, I thought the Eagles were going to get there. When that didn’t happen, I knew it would be tough for the Birds, because they didn’t have a good trade partner. Once KC moved up to #15, I knew Albert was gone.
But that said, the Eagles got very good value for a spot they didn’t really want to be in. Carolina is betting the farm on Otah. They don’t even have a QB right now (Delhomme?), so I found the move curious. Their defense has taken some serious blows, losing Jenkins, Morgan and Rucker. And Deangelo Williams is nothing special at RB. Stewart will have to be productive right away. I can see this team sinking to 6-10 or worse next year. If that happens, it will really set the Eagles up nicely in next year’s draft.
As for the 2 picks they did make, I’m fine with both. I would have preferred an OL or safety over Laws. But I like the Jackson pick, because he will be returning kicks. A lot of mocks had the Eagles taking him at #19, so it was nice to see him there at #49. If he works out as both a #3 or #4 WR and a KR, then he rids the Eagles’ roster of both Greg Lewis and Reno Mahe, which would be a win-win. Laws was not my first choice. But he graded pretty high, and he made a lot of tackles at ND. He certainly gives the Birds a nice rotation at DT.
Around the division, I like the Phillips pick for the Giants. It fills an immeidate need. Thomas was a reach, though. Washington tried their best to deal their #1 pick away, but they kept it and picked a pretty good player in Devin Thomas. I also like the Fred Davis pick, and was hoping the Eagles would have picked him - nice red zone target. And I was definitely concerned that Dallas was going to package one or both of those 1st-round picks to get McFadden or Roy Williams. Thankfully, it did not come to pass. Felix Jones is eh, not much of an upgrade over Julius Jones. I like Jenkins, though his hands aren’t very good. He’ll allow them to move Henry to FS though. Bennett is a complete reach. They would have been better off going with Fasano, and filling another need.
All in all, the Eagles didn’t exactly gain any ground against the division…but they didn’t really lose any, either. I don’t think any team in the East drafted a breakout-type player. There are still a lot of good players on the board, so tomorrow should be interesting.
As for day 2, nothing really outstanding for any NFC East team. Manningham is probably the standout pick of all of them. However, UM hs produced more than it’s share of busts at WR. Still a good value pick, though.
The Eagles had a lackluster Day 2, imo. Bryan Smith was a complete reach in Round 3. A 231-pound DE??? From McNeese State??? I didn’t get that one. My only thinking on this one is that they had a lot of scouting on him, and think he’s either going to bulk up 15 to 20 pounds at the NFL level, or the Eagles are going to be playing some more 3-4 this year, and using him as an OLB.
I like the kid from Wisconsin, legal troubles notwithstanding. Eagles took a flier on this guy, but he obviously has skills, and played at a high level for a big-time program. Will be IR in 2008, and will probably come back as a FS.
McGlynn will compete for starting RG when Andrews moves to RT.
Demps was a nice pick. I never saw him play, but 12 INTs in 35 starts as a safety says he has some ballhawking skills.
The rest of the guys appear to be STers or Training Camp bodies. Maybe there’s a diamond in the rough, but only time will tell. I’m just a little surprised that the Eagles didn’t do any moving around today. In prior years, they moved all over the place on Day 2, and if they had a lot of late-round draft picks, they traded them for future picks. They were very quiet today. They took some chances, though. Smith may turn out to be a player, and Ikeguono could return to pre-injury form. But nothing really stands out right now.
So, the Eagles were able to tread water with the rest of the division, despite trading out of the 1st round. The Giants and Cowboys probably picked up the most immediate impact. But getting Jackson (especially at #49) should vastly improve the Eagles’ return game. Not only will Jackson he a homerun threat every time he returns a kick, he should increase the average starting field position by 5 to 7 yards, and not force the offense to start every drive deep in their own territory. The rest of the picks that make the roster will give the Birds some more depth.
I guess the next significant date on the NFL calendar is June 1st. After that date, players will be cheaper to trade, because their cap hit won’t be as severe. So one or more of the rumored wideouts (Williams, Johnson, Boldin) could be available. With that extra #1 pick next year and Lito, the Eagles have all kinds of packages to offer. I still think it’s 99% probable that Lito gets dealt before TC, and the best window for that is right after June 1st.
Apr
28
Scoreboard, assholes.
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Apr
23
A Whole Lotta Lovin
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Philly SportsCast #130 - April 23, 2008
Sponsored By: SportsCade.com - Today’s Sports News.
With the Flyers finally finishing off the Capitals and the Sixers coming home with a split in Detroit – it’s super all good in the hood in the Philadelph.
Phillies take two in Colorado – and they are getting it from all sides. The offense is taking care of business and it looks like that team is never really out of any game – even though they lost to the Brew Crew tonight.
Let’s go teams!
Apr
20
Phillies placed Rollins on 15-day DL
[Beerleaguer via SportsCade]
Apr
20
Site Update: Twitter
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Update - Had to dump this idea as I am having trouble mixing the feeds. If you are interested in a twitter feed for Philly SportsCast, here it is.
I’ve combined our Philly SportsCast twitter account RSS feed with our “All Posts” feed in order to keep everyone interested in Philly SportsCast totally updated with how we feel about the goings on in Philly Sports.
Our twitter account is “PhillySports” - Dave and I (along with a few guests) will updating it often. Subscribe to the feed today.
Apr
19
Anyone who know John from the radio know he was a Philadelphian all the way and that he’ll be missed.
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PHILADELPHIA — Former major leaguer John Marzano has died. He was 45.
Police say Marzano was found dead at his home in Philadelphia on Saturday. The cause was not immediately clear.
Marzano was from Philadelphia and had been working for Major League Baseball’s website, where he co-hosted a show on weekday mornings.
Previously, he had been an analyst for the Philadelphia Phillies on Comcast SportsNet.
Marzano played in the big leagues for the Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners before retiring in 1998. He also played in the minors for the Phillies and the Cleveland Indians.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters and two grandchildren.
The Associated Press News Service
[via SportsCade.com]
Apr
16
One Beautiful Weekend In Philly
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Sponsored By: SportsCade.com - Today’s Sports News.
Philly SportsCast #129 - April 16, 2008
With all of the tings going on in Philly sports these days we spend the most time tonight on the Eagles? Well, the Bird’s schedule has come out and we like it a lot.
Also, the Phillies offense is not coming to play and with the Mets coming into town this is no good. Who else is looking forward to a Hamels/Santana matchup this Friday? That is a baseball game I am planning to watch for sure.
Yeah yeah, the Flyers and the Sixers are in the playoffs – let me know what happens next and then we can start freaking out.
Apr
16
Video: Phils Comebck to Win Against Astros
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Apr
15
Bigger disappointment 1/15 into the baseball season, the Detroit Tigers (3-10) or the New York Mets (5-6)? Based simply on fan reaction, it might be the Mets. Yes, seriously. We made the mistake of listening to Mike & the Mad Dog for the first hour or so Monday, and fans were apoplectic about the season, and ready to do one of three things: a) Help Keith Hernandez move, and then jump off the upper deck at Shea, b) fire Willie Randolph, c) hunt down Luis Castillo and remove him from our lovely planet. So we found a Mets fan, commenter RomanWarHelmet, and asked him for his thoughts on why everyone’s so blue in flushing. His words after the jump.
Apr
9
Playoff Bound
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Sponsored By: SportsCade.com - Today’s Sports News.
Philly SportsCast #128 - April 9, 2008
There is so much to feel good about when it comes to Philadelphia sports, Dave and I are not going to let Kyle Kendrick and his lack of pitching skill at Shea get us down.
Let’s rejoice! The Flyers and the Sixers are in the playoffs and the Phillies took the opening day air our of the Mets balloon. Smile, you know you want to.
