Balance

Eagles exhibit balance on Thursday night



The Eagles' running game was released from the witness protection program on Thursday night and the results were obvious.

48-20 was the final score and when Andy Reid was asked about balance on offense after the game.

"I tried to explain that," Reid said. "Efficient balance is . . . say you are running the football and for the first eight carries you average 1.2 yards, and you're throwing the football and averaging 10 yards per throw. To me, you're probably going to throw the football a couple more times than you're going to run the football.

"Efficient balance would be to get it up around 4 yards - 31/2 to 4 yards per carry - then let's have a good completion percentage, and let's go to work."

Rueben Frank grilled him further about it and Reid told him "he's probably right" and that he'd get his "little book out about the stats."

And, off camera when Reid was grilled about it further by our reporter on hand and he had this to offer. "Look I know my passing offense is a joke, but I'm in so deep that I have to continue to act like what I do is right. (cough) (cough) If I come out and say that passing the ball 50 times might not be such a good idea then I look like a complete a**hole."

As assistant coach on the Eagles chimed in with this nugget the day after the game at the Novacare complex. "I don't know how many times I tried to tell that a**hole (Reid) about running the godd**n ball more. Hell, just run the ball 7 more times a game. Andy, you'll be surprised to see the difference it makes. He told me to just shut the f**k up and let him run the team."

Ray Didinger spilled the beans when it comes to the Eagles and running the rock. Since 2000 when they have more rushing attempts than their opponent they're 52-10, and 37-5 when they run the ball more than 30 times.

Don't tell that to Andy though.

Brian Westbrook was giddy about his four touchdown performance. "About damn time Big Red let me do my thing. I was telling him that I was healthy and just let handle the rock. Look, I aint trying to hate on coach, but a blind man can see how good we are when we run the rock."

L.J. Smith threw a bottle of water at us when we asked him about his opinion on the Thursday night game. He's a little pissed at us about the you know-name of the blog and all.

The Eagles are off until next Sunday when they take on the Giants.

Blow it Up



When I think about the Giants anymore I am pretty envious. Hell, it borders on jealousy. They had one shot to win it all during their latest upswing and got the bleeping job done.

What comes to mind is the scene in Harold and Kumar when Anthony Anderson's character thinks of those tasty burgers at White Castle and how it's enough for him to "burn this motherf***er down."



With that said, it's time for the Birds to "blow this motherf***er up."

One of our insiders spoke of the prospect of blowing up the team to an unnamed source in the Eagles' organization. Here's what they had to say.

"Sure, we want to blow it up. Why the (expletive deleted) not? That means Reid must go though because if you mention "blow it up" to Reid and he thinks you mean the toilet after he takes one of his dumps following a meal from Wawa", said the unnamed source.

We ran into L.J. Smith after practice yesterday and he had this to offer. "I don't give a (expletive deleted) what they do. I'm just glad I suckered them into franchising my ass. Hopefully someone else thinks I'm not a stiff when I sign elsewhere next year", said Smith while drinking his 7th Corona at the Fox and Hound in Center City.

So, what about the game tomorrow night?

One of the coaches said we can expect the following in tomorrow night's game. "You'll get your usual 15 scripted plays. McScabb (I guess that's what the coaches call him now) will throw some worm burners at the receivers' (bleeping) feet and Reid will call passes on about 12 of those plays. They'll have a delay of game on at least one no huddle play. Then the defense will be on the field for 12 of the first 15 minutes, be gassed and game over. I'm just pissed I gotta miss the (bleeping) dinner for this sheep s**t."

This coach, who refuses to be identified despite not caring if he loses his job, had some other things to say about Reid and his kids but we will take the high road and not print it.

-------------------------------------------------

Utley's surgery is successful

Dr. Bryan Kelly said Chase Utley's surgery was successful. Then again, when the hell does a doctor not say a surgery is successful.

Sure, the doctor is gonna say this, "Yeah we (bleeped) up Utley's hip and he'll be lucky to be on the field in another year."

Ruben Amaro told us to leave him the hell alone when we tried to chase him down yesterday, but told the Daily News that "I don't think anyone can predict until he is into his rehab and moving around."

New Format

Starting today, we're going with a new format for the daily blog at Phillypurge.com. I decided to call it the L.J. Smith blog, because he epitomizes the muck and crap that has become the Philadelphia Eagles. And, the Philadelphia Eagles deservedly so are our whipping boy in this town.

Now that the blog format has changed this doesn't mean I won't continue with my observations of our teams, rather think of it as an evolution for Phillypurge.com. Rather than reveal the new style of my blog, I'll just let the words speak for themselves in the coming days and months.

I'd like to thank all of you for supporting my site and hope you enjoy the new format.

Dennis Bakay

Still Confident

Reid and McNabb still remain confident



I'm sure you know by now that Andy Reid abruptly cut his press conference short after 10 minutes when he was being harrassed by the media.

Howard Eskin, who is annoying me to no end with his defense of Reid insisted it was the PR department that cut it short and that radio stations and the TV media alike shouldn't ask the same questions over and over for their personal needs.

I've never heard such excuses. Eskin's defense of Reid is beyond ludicrous at this point. It's one thing to "be on an island" and defend somebody, but it's another to completely ignore the ship sinking into the ocean.

Merrill Reese was on WIP this morning and thinks Reid is as confident as ever and one thing is certain he won't quit. That might be the danger in all of this though. Just like when they were 5-8 last year and on the way to at least getting a better draft pick this team won 3 straight games almost out of spite-to prove a point how bad they weren't.

Now they're sitting at 5-5-1 and Reid and McNabb are confident once again and ready to shake off this latest calamity as but another bump in the journey.

This is the type of logic that an addictive gambler exhibits after losing 10 straight hands of blackjack, hoping to make it back on the 11th.

And, soon they end up with both legs broken.

On the other hand, you can't expect Reid and/or McNabb to just say they flat out give up. It sure would be great if Reid did though.

One guy Reid is pretty mad at is Sal Palantonio, who he got pissed off at during the press conference yesterday for talking about the team meeting, the same team meeting that was public knowledge.

And, Reid had this to offer later on yesterday.

Reid was quoted as saying, "I forgot more about this game last night then you people will ever know-you too Sal Palantonio" as he grabbed a cheesesteak at Geno's on Monday.

Emmitt Smith had an interesting comment too on Monday Night Countdown last night.

Emmitt Smith was quoted as saying, "Them Eagles is a bits off but and sure looking to make change to be on the right track for Friday Night's Thanksgiving game against my former team the St. Louis Cardinals."

So, am I the only one who's had an opportunity to get tickets to this game? The company I work for is putting them up in a raffle. And, my company rarely does this. They hold onto tickets like gold bulliion, but of course this is a game nobody wants to go to.

Hell, you couldn't pay me $200 to go to the game Thursday night.

I'll be relaxing comfortably in my apartment with drink in hand cursing at another Eagles loss on primetime TV.

That's all for now.

Gutless

Eagles lose to Ravens in blow-out fashion



The key thing I can take away from yesterday's 36-7 loss to the Ravens is that the Eagles are a gutless team and it stems from their gutless coach.

I happened to agree with the coach's decision to pull McNabb after a woeful first half. But, for him to have one of his cronies tell McNabb he was being benched is absolutely gutless.

Reid is gutless-period and it's ironic considering the one thing that stands out on him is his enormous gut. Week after week he refuses to answers questions head on and does nothing but speak in doubletalk.

He didn't have the guts to look his quarterback of ten years in the eyes and tell him he was being yanked. That's all you need to know about Reid as a head coach.

And, during the press conference today as the reporters continued to harangue Reid about McNabb's status and his control over the team he eventually walked out on the reporters.

Reid is one thing and it starts with the letter "P" and ends in "Y." Period.

He is an embarrassment to the organization and if he had any respect for the fans he would step down as coach of this team.

But, he won't because he's so full of himself and so committed to proving to us his pass-happy system works that he'll continue to run this franchise down the drain.

Is it any wonder that this team is collapsing further than oil futures? Yesterday you have the franchise quarterback looking like a rookie against one of the elite defenses in the NFL and he's yanked. So, what does this bumbling fool of a coach do? He throws a rookie quarterback out there to pass, pass, and pass some more.

I predict Reid will either be fired or forced to resign as coach at the end of the season. Nothing will save him at this point, not even trying to throw this all on McNabb's shoulders.

Let's not get things confused-McNabb has worn out his welcome too. You can't say he doesn't have the offensive personnel. If this team were run properly and there was a semblance of balance on the offense they'd have at least three more wins. But, the point is they're not because the coach is a gutless madman and he's determined to "do it his way" or else.

McNabb is slated to start on Thursday, but the real story is that Reid has lost this team and is clearly ready to lose it.

If you listened to or watched the press conference today then you witnessed someone on the brink of self destruction.

The Eagles have yet to hit rock bottom. Oh, if you think yesterday was rock bottom think again. The Eagles will lose by at least 3 touchdowns on Thursday night in front of their home crowd. The Cardinals will be hungry after taking a tough loss yesterday to the Giants. And, let's not forget that primetime is the Eagles' kryptonite.

Even when they lose on Thursday night it won't be rock bottom yet.

Rock bottom will occur when this team gets slaughtered by the Giants next weekend and falls to 5-7-1.

And, here's something I thought I'd never say. I actually think George Bush might be better at being a president than Reid is at coaching a football team.

My, my, my how far Reid has fallen.

We'd better hope whoever takes over this new regime knows if Kolb is the answer. Let's not judge him on that one half of football though. Remember John Elway was 1 for 8 in his NFL debut. And, Kolb was thrown to the lions yesterday.

The Eagles will take on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night. Who cares at this point?

Rocking The Boat?

Andy Reid reportedly rips into the players yesterday



In Bob Ford's column today for The Inky he states that Andy Reid "rocked the boat" when he had a meeting with the players yesterday.

Quinten Mikell reiterated what Reid brought up in the meeting yesterday. "That's what we need [to hear]. We need to get back to playing football and stop worrying about the B.S. that we can't control. Just play football. Sometimes you've just got to say what's on your mind, and he did that."

Wow. That's a quantum leap! On second thought, no not really.

If Reid would come out and say they are going to start running the ball 30-plus times a game, allow their offensive line to attack (instead of being attacked by pass blocking), utilize Brent Celek more, and try to find somebody, anybody to play fullback then maybe I'd be on board. The only chance they have of salvaging this trainwreck of a season is to do those aforementioned things and maybe by chance if their defensive tackles step up.

Otherwise, it's more of the same. And, that's what I expect to see on Sunday. I expect them to use Buckhalter two times, bench Brent Celek, throw to L.J. Smith (and he'll drop about 3 balls), force Westbrook to play on a bum leg, and get their asses handed to them by the Ravens' pass rush and running game.

I hate to sound so negative, but this team has done nothing to show me they can beat good teams. And, this coach has done nothing to convince me he'll consider adapting.

I'm not asking for Reid to blow up like Lee Elia or Tommy Lasorda, but he is delusional if he can't see the forest through the trees and adapt. Maybe he doesn't care because he knows he has job security.

My prediction for Sunday is the Ravens will win 21-7.

-------------------------------------

Who the hell is Mayberry?

That's probably what you were thinking when the Phillies made that trade with the Texas Rangers yesterday, a trade which sent outfielder Greg Golson to the Rangers for outfielder John Mayberry.

Just who is this Mayberry you're probably wondering? He, like Greg Golson was drafted in the first round, but in the 2005 draft. Golson was the Phils' first round selection in 2004.

Mayberry, 24, played in double-A and triple-A ball last year and hit a combined .264 with 38 doubles, 20 homers, 71 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 135 games. In 2007, he had 30 homers in single-A ball. So, the power numbers are there.

Could he be the next Pat Burrell?

He is a big kid, standing at 6'6" and 230 pounds. He comes from a baseball pedigree. His father John Mayberry Sr. played in the majors for 15 years and topped 20 homers eight times.

Greg Golson, who is thought to be the next Michael Bourn isn't what this team needs in the long run. They're going to need to add power to that outfield eventually and whoever replaces Burrell this year will likely be a stop-gap option until one of the youngsters is ready.

Could turn out to be a brilliant trade by Ruben Amaro. Only time will tell.

Spadaro-isms

Some classic quotes by our favorite Eagles' spokesperson Dave Spadaro



Gonna take a different track today. It's getting old talking about the same things everyday. We all know that the Eagles drink swamp water. Their coach is clueless. Their talent evaluation blows. And, McNabb has made an ass of himself.

But, let's have a little fun shall we?

I frequently check out Igglephans.com, which is the greatest thing since galvanized steel if you're a Birds fan. It's a great message board and there are many knowledgable posters on there, plus it's fun to rip on the Eagles haters and nitwits who post on there. A poster on there posted some Spadaro quotes, and I felt it would be a great idea to post them in a blog for you all to see.

Let er' rip.....

"I expect a great rest of the season." - October 14, 2008
"16-0 and here we come, NFC playoffs!!" - 4/13/05
"Eagles Better Now Than in 2004? I'm Saying Yes..." - 6/26/07
"Jeremy Bloom can play. It is time to take him seriously." - 7/28/07
"Jeremy Bloom is coming, folks." - 8/1/07
"J.R. Reed will run hard and break tackles and Greg Lewis will be sure on his punt
catches and has quick feet to get up the field."- 9/8/07
"Jevon Kearse is having such a good camp, it's ridiculous." - 8/6/07
"David Akers is the best in the history of the franchise and not ready to slow down
anytime soon." - 8/6/07
"Takeo Spikes is going to make a gigantic impact." - 6/26/07
"There is more young talent waiting in the wings along the offensive line than this
franchise has ever had. It isn't even close." - 6/26/07
"[Reggie] Brown is likely to be the "No. 1" receiver, whatever that means." - 6/26/07
"Brown Continues To Grow Into Top-Flight WR" - 7/10/2007
"The Eagles have used their salary-cap room brilliantly, locking up a gaggle of
young and talented players to long-term contracts and still having one of the most
-- the most, maybe, right there with New England? -- active off-seasons in the NFL."
- 3/27/07
"I watched [Winston] Justice with great interest, and he was extremely impressive.
He has outstanding mechanics and tremendous athletic ability. If something happens
with William Thomas at left tackle, there would be no qualms here if Justice were to
step in and start." - 5/16/06
"However, I will go this far: There is more talent here than I've ever seen." - 6/9/05
I have to tell you that I don't see one matchup that the Eagles are lesser than the
Bengals in. I'm being honest. It doesn't mean the game is going to play out this
way, but I think the Eagles are a far, far superior team. - 11/15/08

The Eagles are about to play the Bengals in a game that I just can't fathom the
Eagles losing. Oh, I know this is the NFL and I have respect for every team in the
league, but I just don't see it here. I don't see the Eagles losing. No way. -
11/15/08

Part of me, I admit, is stuck in the early part of this decade. I remember those
teams and I look at this team and I think there is no comparison. This team is far
superior -- on paper, which means nothing -- to the teams from the 2000-2003
seasons. - 11/1/08

Super Bowl? Yeah, the Eagles are good enough to win it all. I honestly believe that
as training camp races closer, ever closer. - 7/13/08

The idea that the Eagles haven't "significantly improved the offense" just doesn't
wash with me. - 5/26/08

Lorenzo Booker has lived up to the pre-camp hype. - 7/28/08

It is hard not to be impressed with Lorenzo Booker. - 5/23/08

Kris Wilson is an impressive player in this camp. - 5/23/08

I bristle when I hear that the Eagles are the same-old, same-old on offense. That
just isn't the case, and when you see the structure of the personnel and the way the
additions can help, I think you will agree that this offense has a chance to get to
where it wants to go -- the end zone -- on a much more consistent basis than a year
ago. - 5/26/08

...the combination of Smith and Celek recalls the primo combo the Eagles had years
ago with both Smith and Chad Lewis. - 6/2/08

What the Eagles surely will have is a threesome at tight end that can make a lot of
plays. - 6/2/08

Eat clock in the second half running the football behind a powerful offensive line.
- 7/19/08

Now, I've never been one to just bash the guy for the hell of it. He seems like a really nice guy who has fun with his job and at times gets carried away with his cheerleading for the Eagles' organization. But, he runs the website and it's his job.

I met the guy once when I was hanging out with some friends and one of them is a pretty good friend of his. I've never heard anything bad about the man on a personal level.

But.....yes but, these quotes are foremost ludicrious, but disturbing.

For him to honestly say that Lorenzo Booker lived up to the hype in training camp is preposterous. Number one, Low Rent as I call him was only hyped up by the organization. I call this Ryan Moats II. They figured Westbrook would probably hold out and his career would be done in Philly so they needed a back-up plan to Westy, much like when they drafted Ryan Moats-another jagoff.

Low Rent Booker is one of those guys the Eagles acquire or draft and you just know immediately it's a mistake. I knew it when they drafted Matt McCoy and I knew it when they wasted a fourth round pick in a trade for Booker. He couldn't get on the field in Miami last year when they lost Ronnie Brown for the season and didn't even play much after their back-up Jesse Chatman went down. And, Miami was a 1-15 team. If that doesn't tell you enough you need to know then I don't know what does.

The way this organization hyped him up in the offseason you'd think they have the next Marshall Faulk in the stable. Well, here's your Marshall Faulk for you Banner and Spadaro:

16 rushes for 32 yards, good for a 2.0 average and 5 catches for 10 yards, also good for a 2.0 average.

Woo hoo! Make that reservation for Canton! I'm friggin' stoked over those numbers!

There are so many other ridiculous statements in there that you have to question this guy's football knowledge. Or maybe it's all bullshit-just because Joe Banner forces him to say these things. But, why? Any football fan with any knowledge whatsoever would see through this slop.

Another classic was on November 1st of this year after the Eagles had many disappointing games when he said, "
Part of me, I admit, is stuck in the early part of this decade. I remember those
teams and I look at this team and I think there is no comparison. This team is far
superior -- on paper, which means nothing -- to the teams from the 2000-2003
seasons. - 11/1/08

That right there just blows my mind. Far superior on paper? Just what is he looking at? The defense is pedestrian at best. The offensive line stinks. McNabb's skills as an athlete have eroded. And, the Coach makes decisions as if his brain is comprised of cream of wheat.

And, here's the best one. "Jeremy Bloom is coming, folks." Let that one sink in for a second.

I could go on and on for the rest of the afternoon about this, but those are a few of the ones that really stood out to me. Hope you enjoyed.

Just 90 days until pitchers and catchers report. We better hope the Sixers play better this winter.

No Regrets

McNabb says at his press conference today he has no regrets about not knowing the rule



First there was "Practice Gate" with A.I. And, then there was "Hoagie Gate" in 2003 when the Eagles opened up The Linc and wouldn't allow hoagies into the stadium. Then, there was "TO Gate" in 2005. Alas, our latest controversy is here and it's called "OT Gate." Just flip them letters around and with the Eagles you get another controversy. With the Phillies flip 80 around to 08 and you get a winner. Just food for thought!

OT Gate has reached it's fourth day and McNabb spoke about it at his weekly press conference at noon.

When he was asked about whether he has any regrets about not knowing about the OT-tie rule he said he had "no regrets."

I'm not shocked by that one bit. How can he defend himself at this point? It's indefensible. When Andy Reid was grilled about it on Monday he tried his usual BS-spin tactics, but could only offer, "he's not responsible" when asked by a reporter about McNabb's ignorance to the rule.

While some may say we're making a mountain out of a molehill, I couldn't disagree more. This whole thing speaks to the incompetence of the Eagles' organization as a hole and is a microcosm of how far this team has fallen.

They used to be the class of the NFC. We expected them to make a trip to the Conference Title game, not just hope for them to make the playoffs. And, now they are the armpit of the NFC East, just an absolute joke.

When people rip me for destroying this team (like our one reader yesterday) my question to you is this. What exactly has this team done in the past FOUR years?

Four years is a long time.

A presidency lasts four years.

Four years ago our economy was in the midst of a boom. Now, our nation is on the verge of economic collapse.

Four years ago my father was alive.

Four years.

The Eagles are in the state they're in today for one primary reason-talent evaluation. It's horrific. Take a look at their drafts between 2003 and 2007. I'll leave out 2008 since it's unfair to judge rookies.

2003 Draft:

1-J. McDougale
2-L.J. Smith
3-B. McMullen
4-J. Green
6-J. Bridges
7-N. Lejune

2004 Draft:

1-S. Andrews
3-M. Ware
4-JR Reed
4-T. Darilek
5-T. Tapeh
6-A. Hall
6-D. Wynn
7-A. Clark
7-B. Perry
7-D. Furio

2005 Draft:

1-M. Patterson
2-R. Brown
2-M. McCoy
3-R. Moats
4-S. Considine
4-T. Herremans
5-T. Cole
5-S. Young
6-C. Armstrong
7-K. Marshall
7-D. Bergeron

2006 Draft:

1-B. Bunkley
2-W. Justice
3-C. GoCong
4-M. Gilles
4-J. Avant
5-J. Bloom
5-O. Gaither
7-L. Ramsey

2007 Draft:

2-K. Kolb
2-V. Abiamiri
3-S. Bradley
3-T. Hunt
5-C.J. Gaddis
5-B. Celek
6-R. Barksdale
7-N. Iloa

There were a total of 43 players drafted in those five drafts. Out of those 43 players just 17 players remain with the team. And, of those 17 players, just Shawn Andrews, Mike Patterson, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, Brodrick Bunkley, Omar Gaither, and Stewart Bradley are guys you can call difference makers. And, I'm being very generous because all of the above players have problems staying healthy or playing consistently throughout an entire year.

It's an indictment on an organization when you have five drafts and can come up with just seven players of consequence.

The drafts that really killed this team were in 2004 and 2005, they drafted 21 players and just six of them remain with the team. Just one player (Shawn Andrews) survived the 2004 draft class, where they had ten selections.

I bash Andy Reid and McNabb about as much as any person out there-be in in the blogosphere or in the media. But, he should be fired solely on his poor talent evaluation skills. The supporters or Reid will try to spin it and say how he just has "final say" and pin it on his flunkies like Tom Heckert and Howie Roseman, but the bottom line is he has a huge hand in who plays for this team.

And, you wonder why the Eagles can't get a fullback to block on a friggin' third and one play. Or, why they can't get a push up the middle. They don't learn from their mistakes. What the hell were they thinking of drafting an undersized lineman in Trevor Laws this past year when they clearly needed another playmaker like Felix Jones. Instead they drafted Laws (who stinks) and traded for Lorezno Booker who is more suited to play in the CFL than even on an NFL practice squad.

The only thing that outweighs the Eagles' arrogance is their utter incompetence. They truly are the laughing stock of the NFC East.

It didn't happen overnight as you can see. It started in 2003 after they fired a lot of their quality scouts and let Reid and his flunkies exercise more control.

And, you wonder why they'll be a bottom feeder once again in the NFC East.

McNabb should regret taking the field when he has to suit up with the likes of Low Rent Booker on Sundays. I'd be embarrassed if I had to share the field with stiffs like him and L.J. Smith.

It's been a long way down and the Eagles aren't there yet. And, it will be a long way back up again.

Replacements

Possible replacements for Reid the GM, and so forth



It's a sad state of affairs when your football team has played it's 10th game of the year and what you can look forward to is who they'll bring in to inject some life into the front office.

And, even more so it's a sad state of affairs when you start to look forward to the draft to see who your team will pick in April. But, wait a minute? This is the Eagles so we know they'll probably trade out of the first round again anyway so we don't even have that to look forward to.

What we can be pretty much certain of is that Kevin Kolb will be the quarterback next season. And, Andy Reid will likely return as the coach of the team for his 11th season.

G Cobb seems to think that Reid will step down if the Eagles ask him to relinquish his vice president of football operations title.

Hugh Douglas is hearing grumblings that Howie Roseman would be the new GM and Heckert will be forced out.

The word around the grapevine is that Roseman is Banner's guy and it would be a cluster F if he becomes the GM, because this guy is about as qualified to make football decisions as Scott Peterson is qualified to be a good parent.

The organization is without a doubt at a crossroads. Something is going to happen in the front office.

Whether this team lures Scott Pioli out of New England or even goes with somebody like Ron Jaworski, they need someone from outside the organization to come in and bring a fresh set of ideas to the table.

That's what the Phillies did when they fired Ed Wade and brought in Pat Gillick in 2005. And, look what it got them within 3 years.

The Eagles are probably a little behind where the Phillies were at that point because they are more than a few players away.

This team first off needs a quarterback who can get it done. Kolb is an uncertainity. You can't go by game film or what he did in Lehigh. They also need a stud left tackle, upgrades in the interior of the offensive line, a superior interior defensive lineman, a big pass rusher, fullback, and tight end.

We're talking massive changes and this is something that can't be done in all likelihood within the span of one offseason.

You can expect the Eagles to be players in free agency and the guy at the top of my wish list is Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, who is clearly playing for a new contract. He has 9 sacks on the year and is a one-man wrecking crew. Some other free agents include, Matt Birk (Vikings center), Mark Tauscher (OL Packers), and Albert Haynesworth (DT Titans).

There will be many rumors to come flying out there as the Eagles' season continues (goes downhill). In my opinion I can't see them winning more than two games the rest of the season.

I hate to ever say I root against my team, but if this team implodes it will be a catalyst for some real change.

Abominable

Eagles and Bengals play to a tie in horrid fashion



At approximately 4:45 PM on Sunday November 16 the Eagles became an abominable franchise. This didn't happen overnight though and I'm certain rock bottom hasn't arrived yet.

The Eagles seem to outdo themselves every week. If they shock you with their ineptitude at the end of a game, then they stupify you with a whacked out pass to run ratio. And, if that's not enough then they find a way to lose a game even when they protect their quarterback and score 31 points.

Yesterday was a new low for Donovan McNabb and the organization. Forget that they played a tie against a horrid 1-8 Bengals team. But, they threw the ball as if they were down by three touchdowns throughout the entire game.

McNabb went 28 for 58 and had 3 picks and a lost fumble. He should've thrown about five or six interceptions, but was saved by the ineptness of the Bengals' defensive backs.

Between McNabb's dreadful play and Reid's self destructive playcalling it's enough to make one vomit. Merrill Reese summed it up perfectly before signing off yesterday when he said you'd be torturing yourself if you rebroadcasted this game.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Donovan McNabb as you probably know, admitted to not knowing that a tied game after an overtime period is ruled a tie. Sure, there haven't been many ties since the AFL-NFL merger, but there was a tie in 2002. And, Donovan McNabb was in the league then. It's appalling that the quarterback of a team, and one who's been in the league this many years wouldn't know that.

At Reid's press conference today he was under attack from media and rightfully so. He can continue to try and dodge questions and use doubletalk, but it's not going to fly in this town.

There is an underlining problem going on with the team. Judging by their play yesterday it looks like this team is quitting on the coach. And, I'd be willing to bet many are giving up on McNabb.

Reid made a fruedian slip today when he said "Kevin would be the QB-I mean Donovan will be the quarterback and get through this."

I think even Reid knows that McNabb's time is up. You can't say that McNabb doesn't have the players. This is an offense that put up 31 points on the Giants. They have players that can make plays. The problem is the coach, who wants to keep "firing away" to try to get the job done is willing to piss the season away just to try and prove his system works.

And, for Reid to insinuate that a tie was better than a loss is a joke. New flash! The following teams in the NFC all have more wins than the Eagles: Giants, Redskins, Cowboys, Panthers, Bucs, Falcons, and Cardinals. That's seven teams! And, somebody from the NFC North has to win that division, despite three of the teams being 5-5. So, that's a total of 8 teams ahead of the Eagles for a playoff spot.

Doesn't this remind you of the latter stages of the Ray Rhodes and Kotite eras? You see a team of zombies out there. And, the head zombie is leading them down the sewar.



Here's your team people, the Philadelphia Bottom Feeders. But, they still think they're better than they are. The armpit of the NFC East, once again in the cellar will miss the playoffs for the third time in four years. And, they're one game above .500 since the meltdown in Jacksonville in Super Bowl XXXIX.

How bad can this team get? It could reach mythic proportions. You have a quarterback playing to get out of town and a team that's giving up on the coach. And, the coach doesn't give a damn.

Yesterday's game could be a harbinger of what will portend. You witnessed a comedy of errors on Sunday. But, it will get worse.

I'd be surprised to see this team win 3 games the rest of the season. They may not win another game and this team could outdo the epic collapse of the 1994 Eagles, which started out 7-2, only to lose the final seven games of the season to finish 7-9.

But, hey get this. It's only about three months until pitchers and catchers report in Clearwater! We can look forward to that.

No Buzz

This Sunday's game against the Bengals epitomizes Eagles franchise



There is just no buzz with the Eagles anymore. When they were in the their golden years, or as Jeffrey Lurie stated, when they were the "Gold Standard" of the league, each week was an event.

It didn't matter if they played the Houston Texans or the Arizona Cardinals; you looked forward to every game and expected this team to win. Most importantly, you expected the Eagles to display that Eagles brand of football we love.

Now that the Ray Rhodes holdovers are gone and Reid's defensive selections are in there this team's defense has about as much heart as a cadaver.

So what if they win this Sunday against the Bengals. They're supposed to beat a 1-8 team, especially one that is arguably the worst team in the NFL. When this team plays games that actually matter against division opponents they flat out stink on ice. They're 0-3 thus far this season and they were 2-4 against their NFC East foes last year.

Even though people have been saying it for years, they truly have become a predictable team and it's not an Eagles team that we can identify with-not like the ones of the Buddy Ryan era, early Ray Rhodes era, or the early years of the Reid era.

Brian Dawkins is coming to the end of the line. Mike Patterson and Brodrick Bunkley look overmatched anymore. Gocong looks like an experiment gone awry and Omar Gaither is just ok. Stewart Bradley aside from the game on Sunday night hasn't been the impact linebacker we hoped he would be. Asante Samuel isn't tough enough.

So, what's there to look for on Sunday? We want to see a win naturally, but we won't learn anything new about this team if they do win.

It's what football has become in this town-just another game each week.

The Ideal Eagles

Imagine the Eagles the way they should have been assembled



John Lennon's famous song "Imagine" spoke of a world without greed, war, or the yoke of religion.

Many of us have imagined what it would be like if the Eagles had hired Jeff Fisher or Jon Gruden instead of Rich Kotite, drafted Warren Sapp instead of Mamula, and if McNabb had an offense built around his strengths.

We can argue until we're blue in our face what this team would be like if certain conditions were satisfied, but the bottom line is we don't know. It's like the age-old argument as to who would win between the San Diego Chargers of the AFL and George Halas' great Chicago Bears-it's all theoretical. But, that's part of the fun about sports-imagining and debating.

I'm certain of one thing. Had the Eagles drafted Warren Sapp instead of Mamula and had he been on the Andy Reid-coached teams of the early 2000's they would've won at least two Super Bowls.

It's clear that the whole operation needs to be overhauled. Jim Johnson's defensive scheme is yesterday's flavor. The Eagles' opponents in the NFC East are making mince meat out of them and they can no longer stop the other teams in the red zone. Sure, they gave up chunks of yards on the ground during their other runs to the Super Bowl, but there were players with heart, whom offenses feared, that could stop them within the 20's.

That's no longer the case. Their under-sized defensive line is a joke. The linebackers look pedestrian at best and make a play once or twice a game. Lito Sheppard thinks he's Deoin Sanders and contributes to the defense about as much as a drug junkie contributes to society. Brian Dawkins, I hate to say it has to hang 'em up.

So, where do they go from here? The only way to go is to get a coach like Bill Cowher in here who adheres to a 3-4 philosophy. And, enough with drafting 290 lb. defensive tackles. They just can't cut it in the rough NFC East. I said it then and will say it now this team needed a force like Haloti Ngata in the 2006 draft. But, that would never fly with the Eagles' braintrust. A championship defense like New England's is built around an anchor like a Vince Wilfork or Sam Adams (2000 Ravens) and bigger ends that can rush the passer and stop the run.

The linebackers need to be more physical. Gocong is ok, but seriously have you heard Stewart Bradley's name called much this year?

And, we've seen how poor this offense is in contrast to teams that have a true tight end and fullback that can set up blocks for his comrades.

The wide receivers believe it or not aren't so much of a problem. Not many of us could have predicted that heading into the year. But, that's the organization's job to detect these faults before they come to a head!

My hope for the Eagles is they somehow lure Jimmy Johnson out of the Fox Studio and bring him in as the president of football operations. Then, they can lure Bill Cowher from North Carolina and hand him the reigns.

What would that portend for Kevin Kolb? It's hard to tell, but this team needs to be blown up. And, they need to build the defense around big, physical defenders that put the fear of God into opposing offenses.

I've spoken to a few people who are respected in the media and the verdict on Kolb ranges from tons of potential to "anybody's guess." I'm inclined to go with "anybody's guess." But, that's what the new regime can assess next year. Let Kolb take over the team and if he can get it done then go with him, if not then they'll stink and be in a position to draft a franchise QB.

It's better that this team start the process sooner than later. We all saw how long it's taken the Sixers to rebuild and so far they're not off to great of a start.

Decisions, Decisions

What should the Eagles do beyond this season?



I think we can safely say that the Eagles have to at the very least strip Andy Reid of his GM duties and move on from the McNabb era.

If your quarterback goes three seasons without leading his team to a 4th quarter comeback, continues to come up small in the big spots, and is injury prone then it's time to move on.

I defended McNabb until I was blue in my face. I did it last year when the team was throwing him under the bus and meanwhile he had little to no weapons to throw to.

But, the facts are the facts. McNabb comes up small in big spots. Years ago he used to come up with a big play by using his legs or finding the receiver when they needed it most. He was 50% of the reason why 4th and 26 became a reality and not fantasy.

Against the Giants in 2002 he came up big on Monday Night football when the Eagles had a 9-3 lead in the 4th quarter. But, he sealed the win with a 40 yard touchdown run.

He was a major reason why the Eagles were so successful in their early years of the Andy Reid regime. The other reason was their dominant defense.

Those years are in the past. It's been four years since this team was "that" team. They weren't even "that" team in 2006. This team was headed for a mediocre season before the defense woke up and Jeff Garcia played efficient football to lead the team into the playoffs.

Andy Reid, who for many years was great at preparing his teams is no longer that coach. And, his talent evaluation is sorely lacking. The years of bad drafts where they struck out on high draft picks like Jerome McDougle, L.J. Smith, Billy McMullen, Matt Ware, Reggie Brown, Matt McCoy, Ryan Moats, and Winston Justice have made this transformed this team into an also-ran.

And, those busts I mentioned were drafted between 2003-2006. Added to that, they were all drafted in the first three rounds.

The two drafts that were deathblows to the Eagles' team were the 2004 and 2005 drafts.

In 2004 and 2005 they ended up with just four quality players in Shawn Andrews, Mike Patterson, Todd Herremans (I'm being lenient there), and Trent Cole. The rest of the players are either out of the NFL or barely contributing to the team any longer (i.e. Considine).

Don't expect the Eagles to cut ties with Reid just yet though. He has three years remaining on his contract. They may take away his GM powers, much like the Seahawks did with Mike Holmgren.

Reid and McNabb have given us some great years of football and are their winningest coach and quarterback in franchise history, but 10 years has shown us they cannot get the job done.

I would cut ties with Reid completely if I were in Joe Banner's shoes and get Bill Cowher on the phone. And, perhaps entice Jimmy Johnson to come out of the Fox studio to handle GM duties.

We can wish can't we?

Two things are certain, Reid probably won't be the GM next year. And, McNabb won't be back.

Mark it down.

Primetime Pounding

Eagles lose their 8th straight prime time game



Remember when the Eagles used to be dominant on Sunday and Monday nights?

Remember when the Eagles used to be unbeatable once the calender turned to November?

Remember when Donovan McNabb would come up with a big play in the 4th quarter?

Remember when Donovan McNabb was in shape?

Remember when the defense would come up with a huge turnover in a big spot?

Remember when Andy Reid would seem to at least have his team prepared to play?

Ok, you get the point.

I went back in forth on this game so many times and on this very blog I predicted an Eagles win on Friday. I didn't expect it to be easy and in order to win they had to accomplish a few things: not making early mistakes and passing too much.

Well, it turns out they did a fantastic job in protecting McNabb, who had to pass the ball a lot. But, their defense couldn't stop a drop of water last night if they held up a bucket the size of the Hoover Dam.

Many will point to McNabb's choke job in the 4th quarter and rightfully so. But, they should have never allowed 37 points. I don't care who you're playing, but if a defense is any good they'll hold a team in the 20's at most.

When your defense gets abused over and over again, failing to stop the run, or rush the passer then you're not going to win many ballgames.

Andy Reid and McNabb have proven once again that they aren't able to get it done during the clutch.

Remember the last time McNabb had a 4th quarter comeback?

Keep thinking, because I have it right here. It was in 2005 against the Oakland Raiders.

Sure, many will say the Eagles had a 4th quarter come from behind win against the Redskins last year, but it was on 57 yard TD to Westbrook. Sorry, but that's not a 4th quarter drive, that's all Westbrook.

McNabb's last 4th quarter comeback occurred over three years ago on September 25, 2005 one Sunday against the Raiders.

This is a stat that can't be measured in a quarterback rating, clutch play. I feel the most important barometer of a quarterback's success is his ability to come up big in big spots. John Elway, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady come to mind. Hell, Ben Roethlisberger has 13 career 4th quarter comebacks and he's only been in the league half as long as McNabb!

The Eagles' braintrust will continue to tell us they're a hair off, or right there with everybody else, but the fact is they're 5-4 and there are several teams in the NFC with better records than them. 10 wins won't get them into the playoffs.

Looks like another year of mediocre football in Philly with our team watching the playoffs from home come January.

When will Lurie and Banner get a clue? Hell it only took the Phillies 8 years of the Ed Wade regime to make a change.

We are talking about Lurie and Banner though. Their prodigal son Andy Reid can never do any wrong.

And, we still suffer with mediocre football.

Showdown in South Philly

Eagles and Giants set to face off on Sunday



This is the Eagles' biggest game of the season thus far. And, the Giants will actually play a real team for once this season.

I've said it before and will say it again that the Giants are the luckiest 7-1 team ever. They've played ham and eggers and caught teams on bad weeks throughout the season. They only decent teams they've played (Pittsburgh and Washington) played their worst games of the year in those weeks.

The Eagles as we know are horrific in primetime games. That is the reason why I think they're in for a tough game. For whatever reason this team just doesn't perform on the national stage.

They have just one primetime victory since 2004. Now, that's pathetic. At some point this trend will come to an end.

I feel it will on Sunday night. I've gone back and forth on this game and it will come down to the Eagles' pass rush and pass protection-yes the cliche "whoever wins the battle on the lines of scrimmage" factor.

But, it's true. Eli Manning is a slightly above average quarterback. And, when he's under duress he's a bottom feeder.

The Eagles will need to utilize Westbrook all over the field and work Buckhalter into the mix as much as possible. The key is 30 and that's number of rushes. If the Eagles run for more than 30 times Sunday night they will win. Mark it down.

If they get down early and are forced to pass the ball a lot then it will be a very tough match.

The Birds will need to avoid making an early mistake on defense or special teams in order to set the pace for this game. And, they've had a plethora of early mistakes this season-against Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, and Chicago.

Fortunately they've woken up in the second half of games in the past month, but against a pass rush like New York's it will be a mountain to climb if they find themselves down by 14 or more points early on.

The Eagles have pretty much everybody healthy except for Shawn Andrews, but it's looking more and more like a lost season for him.

The Giants have a 7-1 record going into this and should the Eagles win they'll be just one game behind them.

----------------------------------------

Phillies interested in Holliday?

I thought this was a ridiculous trade rumor the first time I heard it and now I think it's even more ridiculous.

Todd Zolecki is reporting that the Phillies are talking to the Rockies about a potential trade for Holliday if they can't resign Burrell.

There's two problems though. Scott BorASS is Holliday's agent and he's scheduled to become a free agent after 2009.

That means the Phillies would be renting him for one year.

The other problem is the Rockies are asking for the world for him. They want Victorino, Carrasco and other prospects. Or, they'll take Werth, Carrasco, and other prospects.

They must be high if they think the Phillies will do that.

Sorry, but Holliday isn't coming here and they don't need him anyway. The Phillies already have a great team and need to re-sign Burrell for two years and develop Greg Golson and their other youngsters so they can have a left fielder of the future.

Hitting The Ground Running

Amaro heads to the GM meetings with a full slate



Many questions abound as Ruben Amaro Jr. has the most challenging job of any GM in town and much more pressure. Like newly-elected president Barack Obama, he has a full plate and many challenges ahead.

While he doesn't have the tough task of Barack Obama, he has about as challenging a job you could have in sports.

That's because the Phillies have a reputation to live up to now. They are the talk of the town and have eclipsed the Eagles as Philadelphia's team.

Sure, the Eagles may get better TV ratings, but make no mistake about it, we are crazy about our baseball now.

Win a title and that's what it takes.

Amaro and Charlie Manuel have headed off to the GM meetings in Cali and already are engaging Ryan Howard's agent.

That's about the least of their worries right now. Pat Burrell is a free agent. Cole Hamels is arbitration eligible. So is Jayson Werth. And, Ryan Madson. And, Joe Blanton.

Shane Victorino will need a new contract soon as well.

Don't expect Manny Ramirez to put on the red pin stripes though. Reports are he is being offered a three year deal from the Dodgers in the 23-27 million dollar per YEAR range. No, that's not a misprint people, they are going to offer him $70 to $80 million over three years.

Amaro has stated they'll try to keep Burrell if he accepts a two-year deal. It's been stated publicly that they offered him two years and $22 million, but his agent turned it down.

Don't expect Jake Peavy to wind up here either. We know the Phillies' brass abhors paying pitchers long-term deals for big money. He may end up in Atlanta or Chicago and that would be bad. The Yanks are a front-runner and have the most to offer in Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope he ends up in the AL.

Let's not expect the Phillies to make that big splash in free agency. They have a great team and will have plenty of work just trying to retain their players.

Now, a trade could happen. Look for them to find a diamond in the rough like Joe Blanton or Jayson Werth. And, since Burrell most likely won't be back all eyes will be on Amaro Jr. to find that diamond.

The GM Meetings are taking place this week.

Changing Of The Guard

Ruben Amaro Jr. named Phillies' GM; Gillick to say on as an adviser



The Phillies made it official yesterday (what we felt they would do all along) by naming Ruben Amaro Jr. as their new GM.

Pat Gillick, who is retiring, will stay on as an adviser.

If this would have happened last year I'd be pretty angry with the move. And, if the Phillies didn't win a World Series, I'd be angrier.

The bottom line is they're a winner and Amaro was part of it. Mike Arbuckle resigned when he got passed over once again for the GM job and I won't miss him. Nope, not one bit. The reason why is Chuck Lamar will be spearheading the youth movement for the Phils. He was the former GM of the Tampa Bay Rays and made that deal to get Scott Kazmir and drafted such elite talents as Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, and James Shields.

The word around the grapevine is that Amaro is one of the better young baseball minds in the business and he learned from one of the greatest GMs in major league baseball history.

Before we bury Amaro, let's give him a chance to do his thing.

He will have his work cut out for him though because Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels will need to be extended to long-term deals in the next couple of years. Ryan Madson and Jayson Werth are arbitration-eligible. And, Shane Victorino will need a long-term deal. Pat Burrell will most likely not be back. And, the free agent list this offseason includes some players that the Phillies would find in their best interests to target: Sabathia, Sheets, Manny, etc. And, Jake Peavy is being dangled by the Padres.

Amaro is walking into a great situation though. Their main cogs are in the prime of their careers. And, there's going to be some talented prospects ready to contribute to the everyday roster next year (Golson, Happ, Marson).

I love the fact that Gillick is staying on as an adviser. Amaro will not only have him to count on for some input, but Dallas Green as well, who has been an adviser for years.

Free agency is now underway.

Detroit Bound

Iverson to be traded to the Pistons



Already people are going crazy about the trade that will send Allen Iverson to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

I say bring it on. This trade will help the Sixers.

There's no question that Iverson is a great talent, but he'll never win a title as long as he's the go-to guy on a team.

It didn't work in Philadelphia and it didn't work in Denver.

Guess what? It won't work in Detroit either. Sure, he'll have some electrifying performances and get everybody talking about the Pistons (like with Denver in the early-going) but they'll turn into a poor defensive team faster than a dip in the stock market.

This is a boon to the Sixers because it will help them in the end. Heading into this season I was actually concerned that Detroit might give them some trouble. Not any longer.

It will be fun to watch though because now we'll get to see Iverson and the Sixers go at it more than twice a season.

Here's the Sixers' main competition in the East:

Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, and Orlando.

Out of those five teams I would have been worried about Boston, Detroit, and Orlando heading into the season. Now, this will make Detroit a worse defensive team and they'll ultimately be a 5-seed and nothing more.

The Sixers now just have to worry about Boston and Orlando-two teams with dominant big me in Garnett and Howard. And, it's unfortunate that they're in the same division with Boston, but with Elton Brand in the low-post they will be much more equipped to deal with KG.

In sports, defense is what ultimately wins and if you have a big men, then you're well on your way. Had Detroit landed Tim Duncan (which would never happen) then I'd be worried.

The Sixers will take on the Kings tonight at The Wach.

Spiteful?

Reid and Eagles' team leaders congratulate Phils, but Lurie and Banner remain silent



The Eagles recently released a tribute video on their website congratulating the Phillies on their World Series victory. They probably felt a little heat after being pretty much silent in regard to the Phillies throughout the playoffs and the World Series.

Andy Reid stepped up. So did Donovan McNabb. And, Brian Westbrook stepped to the plate. So did Brian Dawkins. They all congratulated them in a video that appeared on their website and on the local news stations.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the gigantic elephant sitting on the footstool in the living room. Where were Jeffrey Lurie and Joe Banner? They all of a sudden have a case of lockjaw that we haven't seen in quite some time-if ever.

Why are they completely silent on this? Is it really that much of an effort for them to simply congratulate a fellow team on a championship victory.

Their silence speaks volumes and further solidifies what we all know. They look down on other teams in town and are in fact most likely spiteful that the Phillies beat them to it. Sorry guys, but you had your chances in the early part of this decade and blew it. And, since then you've done little to get back to that point aside from making a PR move in signing Asante Samuel this past offseason.

The 76ers were willing to let fans into the game on Friday night for $10 if they wore any Phillies gear. Would the Eagles ever do something like that with say-some extra standing room only tickets. Obviously their games are all sold out, but wouldn't it be a good gesture for them to make say an extra 1,000 SRO tickets available at their next home game and give them to the first 1,000 people wearing Phillies gear?

That would never happen though. Lurie and Banner just see dollar signs. These are two businessmen from the New England area who when the day is said and done, don't have a real connection to this city. They just see us as dollar signs. That's fine and good if you're going to look at us like that, but then you should probably do everything it financially takes to win a friggin' championship. It's fine and good if they are Boston Red Sox fans. I understand, but they are burying themselves more and more each day by not taking the high road and at least offering a public congratulations to the Phillies. That's all we ask for.

And, the latest reason why they're unwilling to do that is by not getting Tony Gonzalez. And, instead of explaining why they failed to get him they mentioned how the Cowboys paid too much for Roy Williams and Joey Galloway in 1996-as if that was the sole reason they failed to win a playoff game in 10 years.

Say what you want about Jerry Jones as a football man, but at least he gives it his all to the fans that he's connected to. He might not have been born in the Dallas area (he was born in LA) but he's about as big of a Dallas fan you'll ever see. Just look at what he's doing with Mark Cuban in terms of uniting both teams so they can host the NBA All Star game in a few years.

That's the fundamental difference between an owner like Lurie and Jones. Jones gets it, gets his fanbase, and does whatever he can to make them happy. Lurie doesn't get the fans, allows Banner and Reid to do it their way, and sees the fans as strictly dollar signs.

I'm not prepared to agree with TO's comments in 2005 when he said the Eagles as a whole are a classless organization. After all, Andy Reid stepped up to the plate and congratulated them. However, Lurie and Banner are completely classless in this regard and they are further isolating themselves from the city by remaining silent.

I will give Andy Reid his due though. He made it public that he was rooting for this team and even was watching them while holed up in his office.

That small Phillies flag that was flown at the Eagles game last Sunday is about all Lurie and Banner are willing to express. Remember, they are the gold standard in this town because they won how many titles...

Oh yeah, none.

We all know who the real gold standard is in town and it's a team wearing red and white, not midnight green.

World F'ing Champions!

Phillies' parade draws over 2 million people



Alas after 25 long years we finally had our day to bask in the sun.

And, literally did we bask in the sun.

The temperature was 65 degrees yesterday, the antithesis of the weather during Game 5, parts I and II...

Chase Utley said it best yesterday when he said, "World Champions. World F---ing Champions!" when he stepped to the podium during the final ceremony at The Bank.



I personally don't have a problem with Chase Utley said. Everybody will point to the "protect the children" argument, well boo hoo. New flash. Children curse. I hear children curse when they're not around their parents in public and myself and many people I went to school with in elementary school cursed. Utley got caught up in the moment and was a human being. I'm fed up with people holding athletes to some higher standard like they're a politician-they're not. They are entertainers, plain and simple, and people like us. Utley's statement was a catharsis if you will and if you notice the stadium erupted in cheers because he felt our pain and frustration and boy was it great to let it out when we celebrated.

That's what yesterday was-the celebration of a triumph and a catharsis. I doubt you'll see many parades like this in the world anytime soon, if ever again. To see Broad Street covered in red like that is a testament to why we are the greatest sports fans in the world.

And, now begins the fun part of the offseason as we can expect the Phillies to make some serious moves to remain a World Series contender because now that this ownership group got a taste of how much money they can make in this situation, you can rest assured they'll make sure this team makes it back to the postseason and beyond.

Mark it down. The Phils will win another title within the next two years, if not next year.

But, we should still bask in the moment because it's been a hell of a long time.

Kudos to the Phils and our wonderful fans for a magical season!