Philadelphia Freedom

Voting is allegedly a mess in Philadelphia, even as it just begins.  Clearly, it's Andy Reid's fault.

Yesterday Sucked

I have nothing to say about being a Philadelphia sports fan yesterday, except to say this video feels about right.

What Annoying Song Is Stuck In My Head Today?

If I need to suffer with a song stuck in my head, why shouldn't you have to do the same? Sometimes they're good, most times they're bad... but no matter what, they make you suffer. So I like to share the suffering whenever it happens.

This isn't annoying -- not this morning, not following the Iggles' 59-28 evisceration of the Redskins last night on Monday Night Football.  There's nothing better than watching the Birds beat up a division rival, particularly when you live in the town where that division rival is located.  In their honor, it only seems appropriate to play a little Sir Elton.



You're welcome.

A Comprehensive Eagles Draft Recap, Just Because I Wanted To Do One

Other people who have spent far more time than me on the topic evaluate the Iggles' draft as pretty good.  For my fellow diehards, I'll point to the analyses at Iggles Blog and Eagles Blitz (here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here) for stuff you won't get elsewhere regarding the individual draftees (to be fair, the guy at Eagles Blitz does blog on the team site, but his in-depth analysis blows away everything else on the individual players we drafted). 

With that out of the way, here are my thoughts, just because a couple people asked for them, and I was up late with the little one anyway (she is very upset with the failure to pick a corner, but likes the pickup of Nate Allen, thinks the fourth round QB and small college tight ends are going to be very good, and really loves the third round pick, since she's equally as capable as Daddy at prononoucing the guy's name).  Without further ado...

1.  Howie Roseman, the Eagles new GM, is a year younger than me.  Sometimes, I really hate my decisions on career choices.

2.  Jokes aside, I like the Eagles' first pick.  Brandon Graham fits in with the Birds' defensive philosophy (more on that in a moment) and with what I consider to be the hallmark of how this team operates.  I think the Eagles value certain positions as the ones where you spend your first round picks.  Defensive line is one of those positions, and this goes back to the idea Reid has expressed in the past of "throwing fastballs" at opponent's offenses in the pass rush. 

The pass rush last season basically consisted of Trent Cole and inconsistent appearances by Juqua Parker or (if lucky) Darren Howard and Jason Babin, augmented by the traditional blitzing package of JJ that had been tweaked by Sean McDermott.  The blitz will get you killed if you can't cover well enough, which is what started to happen as the season wore on.  The front four couldn't get to the QB fast enough, so the Eagles set to address the problem by loading up.  Two of their top three picks are d-ends, and they added a fifth round defensive end in Ricky Sapp whom many people viewed as third round value.  Add to that the off-season trade for Daryll Tapp, and the Birds are absolutely loaded at d-line.  The rotation at the end spot has seven guys competing for jobs: Cole (a Pro Bowler), Tapp, Parker (7 sacks last year), Graham, Victor Abiamiri, third rounder Teo'Neshaim, and fifth rounder Sapp.   I think Abiamiri may be moving inside on passing downs if he wants to keep a roster spot -- and he still may not make the roster, since there's plenty of competition behind Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson.  The team should not be moving late in camp to get an additional rusher off the waiver wire (as they did with Babin last year).  Think about this -- the Birds' d-line could have three first rounders starting next year (Patterson, Bunkley, Graham) next to the team's best defensive player (Cole, who may be the best player on the team, period).  Not bad.

The key here is obviously Graham.  If he's what the Eagles think he is, then you've got a high-motor pass rusher on the opposite side of Trent Cole to make life miserable for opposing o-lines, and that's before you throw in all the fresh legs the Birds can employ from the long list of ends they now have on the roster.  If Graham is good, then the Birds converted two third rounders (one of which was obtained basically by trading down repeatedly last year and still getting the player they wanted in the fifth round in Cornelius Ingram) to get a bookend pass rusher for Trent Cole.  It's hard to characterize that as a bad decision.  I just don't know from watching Graham whether he will be that guy, but the Birds have good company in evaluating him as a good prospect.

3.  While I like Graham, I absolutely love the pick of Nate Allen in the second round.  Put it this way -- he's a ballhawk at safety who can step in and cover slot receivers and big tight ends without missing a beat, and if the Birds weren't going to get Eric Berry, then Allen is as good as it gets.  I know they passed on Earl Thomas to grab Graham, but I think Allen will be really good, and the difference will be inconsequential.  The fact that one of Allen's coaches is former Eagle safety J.R. Reed makes me feel even better -- Reed's off-field injury after the 2004 season is one of the underrated losses this team has had in recent years.  But if he's confident that Allen can pick up the Birds' defensive playbook, we have a playmaker at free safety.  He won't be like the last playmaker at that position, but even being two-thirds the player Dawk was would be cause for celebration.  Getting him means Macho Harris might move back to corner, or least compete with Joselio Hansen for the nickel corner slot, which I think he can play.

4.  I have to give Roseman credit for trading down and converting the second second rounder into about five picks.  Whether they got value for those picks will be seen in time, but getting quantity isn't a bad thing.

5.  I'm stunned the Birds actually selected 13 players, but I think the team's hit rate on later draft picks is decent enough that increasing the number means we might get a surprise player.  Moise Fokou, last year's seventh-round LB, got on the field last season.  The sixth round WR we traded mid-season for LB help, Brandon Gibson, snagged 34 balls for the Rams. Perhaps one of this year's seventh rounders (from what I read, I like both the LB and the OSU safety) will also get on the field and impress. 

6.  The concerns are obvious.  Let's start with the real concern, which is at cornerback, where the Birds drafted only one player, a fourth rounder who isn't setting anyone's heart afire.  Paul Domowitch nails the issue in the Daily News.

I'm stuck wondering how much of this is by design, and how much of it came about because of how the draft shook out.  I think the Birds probably liked Kyle Wilson and Devin McCourty, who went in the late 20's in round one.  The run on CBs in the late first round meant the Birds, who had traded up to get Graham, had to make a decision on how to get back in the round if they wanted one of the stud corners.  My guess is that it would have cost them both second rounders to do it.  Instead, they took Allen with the Donovan pick, and traded the second second rounder to accumulate somewhere around five picks later in the draft.

I think that was a prudent decision.  As noted, I'm fine with Allen, so this becomes a question of Allen plus any one of the other guys drafted with the mass of picks in the fourth and fifth round being better than Wilson or McCourty.  But the real problem here is that the cupboard at corner is pretty thin.  Asante Samuel is fine on one side, assuming he really is spending the off-season bulking up.  Joselio Hansen is a good nickel corner coming off an inconsistent season.  Harris or free agent safety signee Marlin Jackson may be the solution as well.  But the Birds need someone to step up and play well at the other corner, or the pass rush may not matter.  Then again, this may play into two of my theories that I discuss below (see #8 and #12).

7.  The other concern is o-line.  The Birds usually draft o-linemen like candy, but they passed completely this year. 

I think some of the concerns here were a bit overblown, and based too much on the line's terrible play in the final two games.  I'm not enamored of the backup tackle situation if King Dunlap is still the guy, but the Birds are going to be hosed no matter what if Jason Peters goes down long-term.  The interior line positions were viewed as weak in this draft, and the Birds have had great success plugging in unknown and undrafted guys at center (Bubba Miller, Hank Fraley, Jamaal Jackson) throughout the Reid tenure.  Cole actually was fine blocking at center last year in the last two games (the snaps were a different story).  The real issue for the Eagles is that they lost every o-line starter for at least a couple games last year.  No matter how much depth you have, that would test it.

The Eagles basically were saying that they have confidence that they can find two decent lineman between Cole, Stacey Andrews, Dallas Reynolds, Mike McGynn, and A. Q. Shipley until Jackson gets back.  Or at least, that they have more confidence that they can do that than to grab a low round rookie just to provide depth. 

I'm okay with that, although I wonder what happens if they have another rash of injuries, particularly at tackle.  But in the end, if you're going to trust Andy Reid on anything, his instincts on o-linemen seem pretty good, and Juan Castillo has been a terrific line coach.  So I'm not sure this is as big a problem as everyone thinks.

8.  Back to defensive philosophy for a moment.  The late Jim Johnson (God rest his soul) was Sean Mcdermott's mentor, but it's clear McDermott comes at things a little differently.  I think the guys at Iggles Blog are on to something when they note that McDermott may want to do more coverage scheming then exotic blitzing.  The team traded for Ernie Sims and Alex Hall at linebacker, and the fourth round linebacker they drafted from Oklahoma appears similar to them, which seems to back the idea that Birds are looking for speed, speed, more speed to cover tight ends and running backs.  If you can do that and rush the passer, it makes a difference in a division where Dallas has multiple pass catchers who aren't receivers.  Jason Witten kills the Birds every year, but youth and speed at safety and linebacker are good attempts to stop the bleeding.

With that being said, I really hope Stewart Bradley is back full-strength, because I'm not sure there's a decent option at MLB if he's not.

9.  Did I mention that the three day draft worked well?  I didn't watch much of Saturday anymore because of family obligations, but the Thursday night and Friday night sessions allowed me to flip in, flip out, then watch late night recaps on Sportscenter.

10.  My best guess for a sleeper?  I really like Riley Cooper, the fifth round wide receiver.  His resume looks similar to Jason Avant.  Great value pick who can play special teams, probably compete for the #4 receiver job right now (a position that doesn't actually get a lot of play for this team), and maybe be a red zone threat due to his height (perhaps we'll finally see the fade pass that Donovan seemingly never threw to Hank Baskett).  In fact, both fifth rounders and the sixth round running back, Charlie Scott, were good value picks.  The small college tight end is intriguing, because the Birds are basically loading up on tight ends who can catch and are works in progress blocking.  Speaking of which, count me among those hoping Ingram has recovered fully and gives us another option at tight end.  If he's as good as everyone thought before the second ACL tear last summer, the Birds offense may actually be able to play pitch and catch the way Reid likes.  I just hope Kolb's arm doesn't wear out.  Think about the personnel packages the team has available with Vick, McCoy, Bell, Weaver, Celek, Jackson, Maclin, Avant, and Ingram.  That's before we factor in contributions from Scott, Cooper, Baskett, or Harbor.  Options, baby, options. 

11.  I have no idea how to evaluate Teo'Neshaim, the third rounder whom some described as a reach.  I'm better off trying to pronounce his name.  But I like the fact that many people liked him as a sleeper pick.  The real question is whether the Birds passed on a corner they liked to draft this kid -- they say no, and the level of difference between the corners who went then and the one the Birds got at #105 may be inconsequential.  At the end of the day, the Birds think they got a player.  Football Outsiders' new SackSEER analysis says they may be right on the sleeper call.

12.  My last thought is somewhat of a downer.  I don't think the Birds are loading up for a Super Bowl run in 2010.  That's the first time I've said that in years.  A first-year starter at QB, even with all the skill position toys they have, is going to be tested, and that's before we consider the o-line question marks.  The defense will be better but young, and they may still need one or two pieces in the secondary.  I'd love to be wrong, but I think the team will come into the 2011 draft looking for one or two corners, a backup LB, a backup tackle, and perhaps a d-tackle for the rotation.  However, that wish list is not bad.  And if you're making a run in 2011 rather than 2010, it makes sense to accumulate picks, draft a bunch of prospects, and perhaps wait to get your top cornerback next year.  At least, I think it does.  It will depend on how the draft shakes out next year, but the Birds already have an extra third and fifth rounder next year (while missing a sixth).  That ammunition may help procure the playmaking corner that could push this defense to elite status.  The biggest counter to this theory is that the Birds should probably deal Mike Vick now for something (a fifth rounder that converts to a conditional 3?) for next year's draft, then sign Garcia as the backup.  If you're not going for broke this year, why not accumulate one more trading asset for next year?

Regardless, I think the Birds are still better right now than the Giants and Redskins, although the Giants are probably a toss-up.  Unlike many people, I don't fear Dallas long-term because (a) Wade Phillips is still going to screw things up eventually, (b) I think Jason Witten will wear down soon, (c) their o-line has issues, and (d) their defensive secondary can be had.  The Saints and Vikings are the best teams in the NFC, but I think the Birds are already on the same tier with Dallas, Arizona, the Giants, and Green Bay to break through and contend, and that's with a very young team.  Arizona is unsettled at QB, the Giants have defensive issues galore, and I flat-out like the Birds defense better than Green Bay's. 

Here's the good news -- I think the Birds are loading up for 2011 and 2012.  This team will contend for a playoff spot, but they will miss some of the veteran presence they once had.  But I think a strong nucleus has been built over the last five drafts for a terrific future, and they can top it off next year.  All of this presumes one important thing -- that Kevin Kolb can play.  I think he probably struggles a little next year, then breaks out in 2011... just in time for a run at finally lifting the Lombardi Trophy.

One more thing... E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

A Little April Football Update

Get your popcorn ready, Redskins fans!  Donovan McNabb wants the Skins to sign T.O.  I'm going to go out on a limb and predict the Skins still finish under .500.

Meanwhile, over at IgglesBlog, BountyBowl presents the best Soviet... err, Eagles propoganda piece I've seen in some time...

While some enemies of the People may suggest that the recent purges of veteran revolutionaries like Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Sheldon Brown, Darren Howard, Will Witherspoon, Jon Runyan, Tra Thomas and Brian Dawkins indicate that the Central Party is willing to trade success in our coming campaign for a more frugally compensated set of revolutionary comrades, we might remind you that the Central Party always has the People's best interests in mind! Have we not purged veteran revolutionaries with great success in the past? Have we not delivered semi-bountiful harvests and periodically reliable factories? Trust us, comrades, the fields of the NFL entry draft will be rich with opportunity this year! And if not this year, then they will be even richer next year (should we choose to stockpile resources for a coming harvest).

That's just an excerpt; read the whole thing. But still... E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

Best Trade Ever

Deion Sanders and Warren Sapp think the Eagles trade of McNabb was a bad idea, with Sanders going so far as to call it a "shebocle."  Based on the amount of credence I lend to Sapp and Sanders, I'm now fully on board with the deal as the best trade ever.  But I should thank Deion for the word "shebocle" -- just wish I'd had that term available during the health care reform bill debate.

20 Thoughts on the Departure of #5

So the Iggles have traded Donovan McNabb.  I kept planning to write a post about what I perceived to be the inevitable trade, but the Birds managed to make the trade quite suddenly on Easter Sunday.  20 trade thoughts, in no particular order...

1. From the Skins perspective, I agree with the belief that they overpaid. In fact, based on trade value chart calculations, the second/fourth combo is worth a late first round pick (between 25-30), and that's without consideration for the fact that this draft is considered very deep. Also, rumor has it the second pick could somehow jump to a third based on certain conditions (I have no idea what those might be -- assuming they are about as realistic as Andy Reid dropping 40 pounds, but who knows).

2. Though the Skins overpaid, I don't know that they overpaid as shamelessly as they did in the past. This is not like dumping a third round pick on T.J. Duckett. And I actually think this decision has more to do with Shanahan than Snyder. Shanahan is in win now mode -- I think he's close to 60 and wants this team to go for broke, rather than waste time building; this accounts for the signings of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to go with Portis. The Skins' current backfield would be the envy of fantasy football owners, circa 2005. I'm not sure it matters if the Skins' offensive line continues to made out of balsa wood, but Shanahan's a good offensive coach, so I think they'll be decent on offense.

3. Where I see the Skins' deficiencies is on defense, where they have been very strong in recent years. I don't know that the defensive line, save for Orakpo, does much for them, and I include Haynesworth, who was apparently made available in the McNabb trade (and after Snyder paid the guy $40 mill last year, that says A LOT). The defensive secondary also scares me if I was a Skins fan (LaRon Landry was rumored to be offered straight-up for McNabb, but the Eagles wisely decided they already have safeties who can't cover or tackle). I'd be worried because Shanahan's approach in Denver to defense was to bring in a few big-ticket acquisitions and have very little depth, which sounds like Dan Snyder's mode of operation anyway.

4. For the Eagles... man, they are arrogant as hell. It would be the good kind of arrogant, if I had any faith that they would now win a title. But trading a revenge-minded McNabb within division is pretty much daring him to prove them wrong. In the short term, I think this hurts them, because they do have to play Donovan twice this year, and probably for the next 3-4 years (because there's no way Snyder doesn't sign him long-term). I'm worried about 2010, although am pretty much certain the Eagles will be in contention again this year, and now every year going forward (as per what I will say below).

5. I don't know if I trust the Eagles' coaches to run a game, but I do trust them on identifying and understanding offensive talent. They don't tend to stick with guys whom they don't believe can play, and they have been pretty good at identifying quarterbacks starting with McNabb (this team also drafted A.J. Feeley in round six and turned him into an very good backup and later got a second-round pick for him). So if they like Kolb, and it's pretty clear they do, I'm good with the deal from that perspective. I wish they had another good QB on the roster, though, because Mike Vick may think he really does deserve a chance to start.

6. My biggest worries about the Eagles are on defense, not offense; the offensive skill positions are loaded (Jackson, Maclin, Avant, Celek, McCoy, and Weaver, with good backups like Bell and Cornelius Ingram). Other than Trent Cole, I'm not sure the team had a playmaker on defense at the end of the season, and that includes Asante Samuel. While the Eagles definitely need to rebuild the right side of the o-line, they at least have some pieces in-house who are viable options. On defense, they really need another d-end, at least one cornerback, a safety (although Macho Harris played better than people think last year), a linebacker, and perhaps a defensive tackle for depth. They're now armed with the picks to fill those needs.

7. I would feel worried about Kolb having to deal with the shadow of McNabb while also playing against him twice a year, but I think if he's that much of a wimp, then you wouldn't make him your quarterback. Which makes me think they're really confident in Kolb.

8. As for McNabb... there are a couple perspectives here. I think if you put Donovan with a decent team with weapons (not the Redskins so far as I can see) and a good offensive line, he will still be a good top-10 QB in this league (though toward the bottom of that top 10). He's an older guy and a little too injury-prone in recent years. The guy misses too many open targets and I question his decision-making at times in the two-minute drill. But he's still a better QB than the Redskins have seen in God knows how long, and the best QB the Eagles have ever had.

And that does mean something. We may have forgotten, but we saw some very dark days of Eagledom from 1991-2000. After Randall Cunningham started getting hurt, we saw QBs like Bubby Brister, Rodney Peete, Ty Detmer, Koy Detmer (it always cracks me up a little that there were TWO Detmers, and BOTH started games for the Eagles), Bobby Hoying, Doug Pederson... put it this way -- none of those guys (with all due respect to the underrated Peete) would make you forget A.J. Feeley. The tough thing about the NFL is that it is exceptionally hard to win year after year without an elite-level QB. The Birds had that for the last decade, and here's hoping they still do, because without such a player (as the Skins know) it's awful hard to win.

9. Andy Reid says the fans in Philly treated Donovan fairly.  On the whole, I think he's right.  There were idiots on the extreme who never gave him the respect he deserved, but that's true of any fanbase  McNabb was a lightning rod in Philly, but every starting quarterback is going to get the lion's share of credit and blame for his team's success/failure.  Yes, Donovan won almost two handfuls of playoff games for the franchise, which pretty much blows away anything any other QB ever did.  Yet he never won the Super Bowl and lost four NFC Title Games.  He handled himself well, but also was the guy heading the team when it lost some very painful games, and bore his share of responsibility for those losses.

10.  McNabb was and is a great guy, a good teammate, and close to Hall-of-Fame caliber QB. He played hard, he gave his all, and he played hurt. The fact that he still wasn't embraced in Philly says as much about Philly as it does about McNabb. The fact that most of us (including me) still profess undying love for the safety who left us last season and aren't in tears this morning also says something about Donovan.

11. Back to the Skins.  Hearing DC sportstalk radio debate the trade is like hearing a rehash of everything I've ever heard about this team for the last decade in this town.  There's a contingent of devoted defenders of the team who think they have it made and/or this is a good move even if the team's not ready to contend (on the idea that they're "changing the culture"), and a contingent of people who are so cynical of Skins management that they could do well in Philly.  My beliefs on the upside of the trade for the Redskins are above, but I'd add this additional thought: part of the reason the Redskins have had depth issues the past several years has been a lack of appreciation for having multiple draft picks.  Donovan won't be able to help if they can't address the team's depth.

12.  Anyone else think the Eagles did this to try and steal some thunder from the Phillies on Opening Day?  As an aside, Roy Halladay kicks butt.

13. I have always been a Rick Reilly fan, but his column on the trade is insanely dumb. Reilly hits the Eagles for trading McNabb within the division and doing what's best for McNabb by saying Belicheck would never do something like trading a Pro Bowl QB with years left on the odometer in-division to an offensive genius like Mike Shanahan. Take out the offensive genius part, and Belicheck did trade a Pro Bowl QB with years left on the odometer in-division. The guy's name was Drew Bledsoe; if you want to fault Reid, perhaps the blame should be that he doesn't have Tom Brady waiting in-house to take the reins.

Reilly then tops one dumb example with anpther dumb example -- he cites the Brooklyn Dodgers trading Jackie Robinson to the Giants, a team he hated, so as to force Jackie's retirement. Maybe Reilly only covers baseball so he can mock steroid users, but he should know that the Dodgers and Giants are division rivals. You know, like the Eagles and Redskins.

14. Back on the conspiracy to upstage the Phillies point -- the trade can't be a bad thing if it annoyed Bud Selig. Hell, I'm now hoping the Eagles announce a trade of Michael Vick on the night of the All-Star Game.

15. I have to agree with Paul Domowitch, who is wondering why everyone believes Andy Reid's clout in the Eagles organization has diminished.  I think Reid's playing master politician here.  If the Birds lose now, it's because Joe Banner and Howie Roseman forced McNabb out of town.  If the Birds win with Kolb, it's because Reid and his staff got the young QB ready.

16.  McNabb is now taking on the number once worn by Heath Schuler in D.C.  As a result, I'm expecting Donovan to run for Congress in 2022.

17.  I'm now really looking forward to the Eagles draft.  Knowing that, they will probably trade out of the first round.

18. Peter King threw out the first "Tim Tebow to the Eagles" rumor.  Thank you for starting that train.

19. Anyone else want to see that first Eagles-Skins game at Fed Ex?  Or the matchup at the Linc?

20.  For the record, I will always like McNabb the QB and McNabb the person.  I hope he has a great year in 2010 while I also hope the Skins go 3-13 (two wins over Dallas and one win over the Giants).  In the meantime, I'm ready for the Kevin Kolb era.

Why Do I Have A Bad Feeling About This?

The NFL passes a new rule on playoff overtimes.  I think it's a good rule, but I'm relatively certain this will screw the Eagles at some point in the future.

Goodbye and Good Luck, #36

I knew it was coming, but it still sucks...

The Philadelphia Eagles announced Tuesday they will release running back Brian Westbrook.

A news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET Tuesday to announce the move.

"Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is an even a better person and leader," coach Andy Reid said. "In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen. I had a conversation with Brian this morning to let him know. This is by far the most difficult part of this job. We wanted to make this move in order to maximize Brian's chances of landing with another NFL team."

Westbrook, who has been with the Eagles since 2002, is the franchise's all-time leader in yards (9,785) after being selected in the third round from Villanova.

That's the NFL. But as an Eagle fan and Nova alum, it hurts a little more. Good luck, Brian -- thanks for stuff like this.

Let It Snow

I'm not condoning this in the least. It's just wrong.



(hat tip: KSK). I can't believe the brazen jerkwads who throw the snowballs from about a foot away. There's having harmless fun with a couple of playful throws of snow, and there's ganging up on people.

With that being said, it's generally just a dumb move to come to an Eagles game wearing an opposing team's jersey. To do it when Eagles fans are given a ready supply of free ammunition... yeesh.

Roll This

I think football's important. I'm not convinced it's important enough that a lawyer should get to file a motion asking to postpone a trial so he can see Alabama play in the BCS Championship Game. If you don't anticipate your team making the title game, that's your damn fault. If it's within your control, you should list important sporting events in your calendar, on the off-chance that you schedule something that might conflict with your attendance at a big game. This is one reason why my wedding was scheduled for late July (which is a veiled way of getting around to the fact that one of my closest friends has somehow scheduled his destination wedding for the same weekend as Super Bowl Sunday -- I'd say something unkind about what I might do should the Eagles make the Super Bowl, but he's one of the five people who occassionally read this blog... besides, the phrase "Eagles make the Super Bowl" probably got most people laughing).

Anyway, if I'm the judge, I'd deny the motion. I'm just guessing, but these guys will likely reach a settlement so fast it will make their heads spin.

A Blast From The Past

Ta-Nehisi Coates was talking about John Madden this morning, and put up a link to an old NFL Today. I was watching it just to hear Brent Musberger say "You are looking live...", but then it broke into the story of how the Eagles almost left Philly when I was ten years old. To say that this would have killed a significant number of people in Philly is an understatement.



It's surreal watching Jimmy the Greek Snyder again as well. We definitely didn't hear the end of Phoenix as a landing site for an NFL team. And at the end of the day, this was definitely near the beginning of the obscene giveaways cities have made to sports teams.

But it's worth remembering for Philly fans that 25 years ago this week, we almost lost the Birds. For Eagles fans, as much as we complain about not having a title in forever, it's especially worth remembering that we almost lost them.