Friday, December 30, 2011

NFC east battle concludes this weekend

Stuck at the airport Denver,CO- As I sit here at gate b22 waiting for my flight back home for NYE, I am watching a lot of sports on ESPN as I try to kill time. The biggest event this weekend is not the coming of a new year, but more so what will happen in the NFC East. Will the Cowboys or the Giants prevail?

Both teams had chances to pull away with the division. The Giants started the season 6-2, clear front runners for the NFC East crown, and potentially playing for first round bye. This was followed by the usual November/December collapse where they were a blocked field goal away from potentially losing 5 straight.

On the other side, Dallas had a chance to pull away with the division lead after passing the Giants in early December. Head coach Jason Garrett literally iced his own kicker, and lost to Arizona in OT. The Dallas D has not been what we all thought it would be after a phenomenal first half, and blew a 12 point lead with 5:31 to go against the Giants.

Now it all comes down to this final game in week 17. This is a playoff game for both teams. This game will come down to who posses the ball last. We all know that Eli Manning can perform in the crunch, and Romo has proved to posses a "clutch gene," however coaching and defensive issues have prevented the Cowboys from being a lock in the playoffs. This is going to be the game of the week, and I think the Boys will be focused, and determined to make the playoffs.

Keys to the game:

Its going to come down to how QBs Tony Romo and Eli Manning play. Although the running game will be a factor, both of these teams can put up numbers through the air more so then on the ground.

Each of the teams have some the leagues best pass rushers. DE/LB Demarcus Ware and DE Jay Ratliff (Both probowlers) will be key in creating pressure and cause Eli to be flushed from the pocket. For the Giants, rookie Jean-Pierre and probowler Justin Tuck will be doing the same on the other side of the ball.

Finally, how well can the Dallas secondary match-up against a very talented receiving core for the NYG. Still very much underrated WR Victor Cruz had an explosive November, but cooled off in December. He did torch the Jets D for a long TD reception. CBs Terrance Newman and Mike Jenkins will have their hands full. Going to need to disguise coverage and depend on the front 4 to get some pressure on Eli.

Dallas will make the playoffs this year and win by a score of 28-27

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

NJ Rolls, Wins Third Straight


Petr Sykora notched two goals, and Zach Parise added one as the New Jersey Devils win their third straight and collect points 40/41 in a 3-1 victory over Buffalo. Elias had a two point night with two assists bringing his season total to 30 points (17A 13G). Brodeur played a solid game in net stopping 21 of 22 shots and added an assist to Sykora for the first goal of the game. Thomas Vanek added a power play goal in the third to make it 3-1.

Game Notes:

Devils penalty kill stopped 3 of 4 attempts to lead the NHL with a 93% PK.

Sykora netted two making him tied for 4th on the team with 10 goals this season.

Thomas Vanek has scored in his past 5 games against the Devils.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Tebowing

Photo Taken by Joshua Kelsey
The newest craze since Planking has become bigger than anybody had ever imagined. Millions of fans have jumped onto the Tim Tebow bandwagon, including me. I love this guy. He just goes out and plays the game of football. Never complains or whines. He's got the rest of the team believing, while the rest of the world is Tebowing. I'm sure you've heard plenty about him and his 7-1 record this season, which has the Broncos a game up on the Raiders with just 3 games left. The Broncos aren't a huge threat to make a deep postseason run, but hey at this point, can you really count them out? The defense is playing like one of the best in the NFL and as we all know "defense wins championships". I'm certain there are plenty of haters out there and rightfully so as he is changing the game as we know it; however, for all people that can't accept the fact that Tim Tebow is a great quarterback. Just remember that the Broncos don't care what you think, cause all that matters is that he's winning football games.
Photo Taken by Stephen Siciliano

For all of you that have gotten Tebow fever, I have included a couple of pictures of Tebowing at its finest.  The picture above is self explanatory, while the one on the left (Jeff Cassel) is taken in front of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Fish Reel In Buehrle, White Sox Nation in Mourning

I was sitting at my computer today when I saw the news: Mark Buehrle, long-time ace of the Chicago White Sox, signs deal with Miami Marlins. As much as Sox fans knew this day might come, it still hurts. Mark was more to the team and the fans than a regular pitcher, and though Buehrle no longer pitching on the South Side makes sense for him and the organization, it still leaves White Sox Nation in mourning.

Mark Buehrle has created his share of special moments for White Sox fans to forever treasure. No one on the South Side will ever forget his 9 inning, 1 run performance in the world series in 2005. Nor will anyone forget the no hitter he threw against the Texas Rangers in 2007. Then, on July 23rd, 2009, Mark produced his most magical moment to date in the form of a perfect game. It was the 18th perfect game in the history of major league baseball, and it was saved by "the catch" shown here. http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5699255. As stated before, these are moments that White Sox fans will remember forever. But it is not Buehrle's flashy plays that endear him the most to Sox fans.

People outside of Chicago probably do not know much about the history of Mark Buehrle. They probably do not know how he got cut from his high school baseball team in his sophomore year, or how he was not drafted until the 38th round (thats right, 38th) by the White Sox. The guy does not have overpowering stuff, as his fastball has never, in recent memory, broken 90 mph. So how has Mark found so much success, and why do White Sox fans love him so much? It is because of his workman-like approach to the game, consistency, humble demeanor, and sense of humor. Buehrle hasn't ever missed a start due to an injury. When he plays, you know what you're going to get out of the guy: 6-8 innings, 2-3 runs, quality starts. You never hear a negative word out of Mark's mouth; by all accounts, he is a great teammate. In these ways and more, Buehrle really has a lot in common with his fans, South Siders who put in a long day's work, look down upon unnecessary flash, and play to win. We, as South Siders, are what Ozzie would call "grinders," and we see so much of ourselves in Mark Buehrle, the little guy who beat the odds but stayed true to his roots and upbringing.

Even as Mark continues to age, I'm sure he will do well in Miami, a city that more suits the LeBrons and Wades of the world than the Buehrles. He has a solid career ERA of 3.83, and will go to a much more pitcher friendly park than the bandbox that is U.S. Cellular Field. The move makes business sense. The Marlins are flush with cash (for now) and the Sox are strapped for money after last season's debacle. Despite everything, Sox nation will miss Mark Buehrle. One thing we have, though, are some pretty awesome memories of a guy that truly was a South Sider at heart. Best of luck Mark Buehrle.

San Diego State to the Big East? I Guess it's Official - Conferences Have Nothing to do with Geography Anymore

I posted the title as my Facebook status yesterday and one of our writers, Hardu, had a few ideas for the Collegiate Sports Conference known as the Big East - "The Transcontinental Conference... or just the Continental Conference."

Last night it was announced that the Big East Conference will be adding five schools. The University of Central Florida, Southern Methodist University, and Houston from Conference USA will be added for all sports while Boise State University and San Diego State University will be added as football-only schools. Navy may also join the conference soon but nothing is official yet.

These moves come after Syracuse and Pittsburgh have notified the Big East that they will be joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. West Virginia University plans to leave the Big East for The Big 12, but are currently in a lawsuit with the Big East for violating bylaws.

The Big East has been scrambling to add schools so that it in two years, it can retain it's automatic qualifier status - meaning the champion of the Big East automatically earns a Bowl Championship Bid, which allows them to play in one of the more "Prestigious Bowls" such as the Orange Bowl. Boise State has had a good team for the past four years including an undefeated season but has not been able to consistently obtain a BCS Bowl Bid.

Before conference realignment, The Big East Conference stretched as far west as Cincinnati, Ohio and as far south as Tampa, Florida. Now, the School Stretches as far southwest as San Diego, California, as far south as Houston, and as far Northwest as Boise Idaho. The Big East is really no more in my mind. As Hardu suggested, it might as well be the Transcontinental Conference. Or if Canadian Universities in the NCAA such as the University of British Columbia, the Big East could be renamed "The North American Conference."

In my opinion, it is sad day when geography has nothing to conferences anymore. And this maybe just the beginning; As more and more schools transfer from weak conferences, such as The Big 12 and the Big East, to stronger ones, such as The Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference, there may end up being two super-conferences.

The NCAA failed to recognize this early enough and it is too late to stop it. If The University of Texas, which has the biggest market in Collegiate Athletics, and the University of Oklahoma transfer out of the Big 12, that will begin the massive realignment into the two conferences as the Big 12 schools will be sent scrambling - and sadly there are really no viable replacements that are not in strong conferences already except for Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut.

Rutgers and Uconn could also begin a massive realignment. If West Virginia leaves, those two schools will be powerhouses of The Big East, as far as the market goes. They have already stated that they are a package and if they move, both schools would have to go to the same school - whether that would actually occur. Both have expressed in the Big Ten and the ACC, even though more interest has been expressed in the ACC. However, they are not actively pursuing transferring conferences - only "interested."

The future of college sports looks somewhat bleak. This radical realignment may not happen today, but it will probably happen sooner or later. But for generally good "Basketball-Only Schools" and "smaller schools" they future looks even worse as they will be passed upon when applying to transfer conferences. In the end, if radical realignment starts to take place, the NCAA must break it up and completely realign conferences themselves based on geography like it was before all of this started to happen. aaahhhh the good ole' days.......

Week 14 NFL Predictions

Ah yes, it is indeed week 14! Only 1/4 of the season remains, and there are a lot of keys games this week. Let's check em out

Cleveland takes on Pittsburgh on Thursday night football. Should be a good match-up with Cleveland having one of the better secondaries in the NFL and BIG Ben coming off a very strong performance to defeat the Bengals last week. Pitt needs the win, since Baltimore plays a very weak Indianapolis team. Steelers win 17-14

One of my favorite match ups this week is Houston vs Cincinnati. The Bengals need a win to stay in the very close wild card race in the AFC and still have a slight chance of catching up to either Pitt or Baltimore with some key losses. Houston pulled off a surprising victory over Atlanta last week with third string QB T.J Yates at the helm. The leagues number one defense and rushing attack still makes them a very strong team, lots of credit to Wade Philips. Houston continues to win games and wins this week 27-24

Minnesota vs Detroit is a meaningful game for only one of these teams, and that is of of course the Detroit Lions. After starting 5-0 the Lions have dropped off significantly. Suh their top DE is still serving his 2 game suspension and are coming off a tough 31-17 loss to New Orleans. I see them rebounding against the lowly Vikings. Lions on top 31-21

New Orleans vs Tennessee is quietly a great match-up simply because no one has been paying attention to the Titans this year. They are 7-5 and in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Chris Johnson is finally playing up to his potential, and Matt Hasselbeck has been working with the receivers that he has had without No. 1 option Kenny Britt. Drew Brees and the Saints are looking for a fifth straight win tonight, and vomited on the Detroit D last week. The Saints keep rolling 45-34

Philadelphia vs Miami is not that intriguing, but if I were Andy Reid, I would not want to play the Dolphins right now. They are hot, and are looking to keep winning games, despite their lackluster season. Miami wins 28-27

Kansas City vs New York Jets. The Jets season hangs in the balance, and the chiefs have been super streaky this season. Mark Sanchez and the Jets do capitalize when they reach the red zone and are 5-1 at home. It is tough to play at Metlife Stadium and the Jets have everything on the line. Jets win 30-17

New England vs Washington has blow out written all over it. New England looks to keep pace in the AFC and retain that number seed going into the playoffs. Pats win it 34-10

Atlanta vs Carolina is also a must win for the Falcons who are coming off a gut wrenching defeat to Houston last week 17-10. The Falcons won last time and gave the Panthers a heavy dosage of Michael Turner. Falcons will have to lose this one on their own. Should be a win for the Falcons 31-20

Tampa Bay vs Jacksonville is a battle for instate supremacy. TBay has the better of the two offenses, which is not saying much. Jacksonville struggles greatly to score TDs with only 14 in twelve games....Tampa wins in a low scoring affair 17-7

Indianapolis vs Baltimore is a game that is being overshadowed by the Andrew Luck controversy in Indy. Frankly, If I were Luck I'd be the most excited kid in the world if I knew that Peyton Manning was going to be my mentor. I'd take a back seat and watch and still get paid millions of dollars to watch one of the best QBs ever do his thing. Early playing time is nice...but look what happened to Ryan Leaf of Jamarcus Russel. Any who, Baltimore should crush the Colts, even without the future HOFer Ray Lewis.

Chicago vs Denver is made so much more intriguing because of Tim Tebow. He just refuses to lose! It will be fun to watch how he does against one of the better defenses in the league, and to see how Urlacher and Co. handle the option offense of the Broncos. I'm going to get shot for writing this in Colorado, but Chicago wins it with Colorado State Alumni QB Caleb Hanie at the helm. Chicago wins 24-23

San Francisco vs Arizona should be an easy win for the 49ners. Alex Smith has blown up this year into everything we all initially thought he could be, and Frank Gore is just a BEAST! Plus Arizona had no right winning last weeks game vs Dallas. Niners win 37-20

Oakland vs Green Bay is not looking to bright for the Raiders. After a successful start, they are heading into a very tough match up versus the still undefeated (knock on wood) Packers. Aaron Rodgers had a key last minute drive to set up the game winning 37 yard field goal for Mason Crosby to win against the Giants. The Packers can use this to their advantage, and they know that no matter what, the Packers are always in every game. Packers roll 45-24

Buffalo vs San Diego is a must win for both teams. Both sit at 5-7 and they both got off to such hot starts. And of course they are both still in the playoff hunt. One of these teams dreams will die (baring a tie) and I think the Chargers will come out victorious 28-27

New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys. This is my favorite match-up of the week, not only because of my loyalty to the Cowboys, but also because of its implications. The Giants are one game back of the Boys and both teams suffered heart breaking losses last week. Dallas should walk into this game extremely confident, because they won that game against Arizona. On the flip side, Eli lead the Giants down the field for a TD to tie the game against the best team in the NFL right now, so they should also walk into Dallas with a large amount of confidence. The deciding factor to this game will come down to the QBs. Can Romo shrug off his December struggles, and can Eli prove he is a big time player. This is only the first meeting between the two teams and Dallas needs some separation heading into the last 1/4 of the regular season. Dallas wins in a nail biter 34-33

St. Louis vs Seattle was a sweet game to end the season last year, but only one of these teams can realistically win the NFC west. Lynch and crew keep rolling win by a large margin 34-7

Monday, December 5, 2011

Thank You

December 6th marks the One Year Anniversary for The Point After. This blog was created when Brendan Garrity and I were discussing just a simple way to express our love for sports. It has now grown to 16 writers and over 23,000 views in just one year. I would like to thank each and every writer, because their insight has been invaluable. They have helped this blog grow to what it is today and I am proud to say that these writers will carry The Point After in the future. I would like to think that we have created a solid message throughout the blog, in that we offer material and opinion that can't be found everywhere else. That was the ultimate goal, because if you just want the cold hard facts you could just go to ESPN. 

Brendan and I want to congratulate all of our writers for all of their hard work. We have reached out to different schools as well as areas around the country in hopes that we can become more than just a bunch of Villanova students. We have writers from Rutgers and UC Boulder, as well as High Schools in New Jersey. Our product only becomes better when we can reach more and more people while keeping our message intact.

Looking back at the year, I simply just think about how this all happened. Brendan and I were simply chatting on Facebook when we thought it'd be a good idea to just start a blog. He created a sample one that night and boom, we're in business. We quickly added writers (David Straple and Joe Balcom), who we felt comfortable with in terms of sports knowledge. They represented two of our best friends and go-to sports people. All of the sudden, we had people asking us to join The Point After. I was simply flattered by all of the offers and saw the opportunity to grow, so we accepted them into the family. Today we stand at 16 writers, but I expect more to join in the near future. We would love nothing more than to get people from outside of the Northeast and into the Midwest, South, and West.

So this is my Thank You to everybody from the The Point After. I would like to give a special Thank You to Anjali Soni, who came up with the name for the blog and was the key designer to the layout. She was instrumental in the initial output and is a key part of the blog. She may not be a writer, but she is simply vital to our operation. Secondly, I would like to thank the writers who have been willing to comment and offer their opinions on the controversial topics in the sports world. The blog would be nothing without the writers.

Last but not least (actually most), I would like to thank all of you, the readers. 23,000 views in one year are not a joke. We couldn't have asked for a better group of readers, who have been instrumental in our growth. Whether it is comments or suggestions, our readers have played a key cog to our development. Thank You so much for everything that you have given us. If you have any ideas, please feel free to email us at pntafter@gmail.com or personally at sparikh51@gmail.com. 

Thank You very much for everything and I hope that you have enjoyed the past year. Keep reading and sharing and I promise you that we will get better. 


Sunday, December 4, 2011

Marlins sign Reyes for 6 Years, 106 Million Dollars; What's next for the Mets

Before the weekend started, Metsblog (metsblog.com) began to report that the Marlins may have set a deadline for former New York Mets Jose Reyes to sign a long-term deal with them before they retracted their offer.

Well, those rumors have appeared to be true. Late Sunday night, it was reported that Reyes signed a six year, 106 million dollar deal with the Miami Marlins (formally the Florida Marlins).

The Marlins, set to open a state-of-the-art ballpark in Miami this year, are looking to fill seats. Last year, playing at Landshark Stadium, the Marlins had to close the upper-deck halfway through the season because they were losing money by keeping it open for the few fans that sat there. In addition to signing Reyes, the Marlins signed former San Diego Padres Closer Heath Bell to a three year deal.

So what does this mean for the NL East? There could be a possible power shift. The Philadelphia Phillies, the 2011 NL East winning team ended the season and went into the playoffs with a lackluster offense - it does not help that on the last play of their last playoff game before being eliminated, Ryan Howard suffered a major leg injury and will out to start the regular season. The Braves, 2011 NL Wild Card winner, will probably keep improving. With great young pitching including Jair Jurrens and Kraig Kimbrel as well as good young hitting, including Freddie Freeman and Martin Prado. They may be the new favorites to win the East. Then come the Nationals who will have their young star Stephen Strasbourg back and are built on young talent.

The Marlins are still busy. Before they signed Reyes, they planned on submitting an offer to free agent first baseman Albert Pujols, star of the 2011 World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals.

So what do they Mets do? With the division mostly improving and the Mets payroll decreasing, is now the right time for a fire sale? In my opinion, yes, now is the time. Starting Pitcher Johan Santana should be healthy again next year, if he can prove that he can stay healthy, the Mets should try to trade him and offer to absorb some of his salary. Next, First Baseman/Second Baseman/Third Baseman/Left Fielder Daniel Murphy really only has a spot on the Mets at second base, but that's where he has received season ending injuries these past few years. His offensive production is very beneficial but his defense at second base is extremely subpar. They could possibly get a lot in return if they trade him to a team looking for a Designated Hitter (in the American League) or a utility player. Lastly, David Wright. Most mets fans may not agree, but after losing Reyes, the Mets chances of competing for the next few years have drastically decreased. If Wright, with the new dimensions at Citi Field, can prove that he can hit for power again, his trade value will soar and then the Mets need prospects.

The Mets have to think of the future. The Phillies are an older team and have a lot of money locked up in veterans. They may be considerably worse in three years when those same players are still on the books. The Braves may not be as successful in the future due to payroll. Lastly, the Nationals may improve but in three years, if the Mets farm system can bring up some good talent, they may be able to compete. The time for the Mets to compete in the division is not now. But in three years, the National League East may look very different....

Friday, December 2, 2011

More on the Eagles and NFL Disciplinary Actions


As I forget to mention in my last post, as I was disappointed with DeSean Jackson, I was by far, most disappointed with the lack of discipline by Eagles lineman, Trent Cole. As depicted in the bottom left of the picture, late in the fourth quarter, as Seattle was winding down the clock, left Tackle Russel Okung, Seattle's sixth overall pick two years ago continued his aggressive style of play against Trent Cole as he had been doing the whole game. Okung played until the whistle even though Cole was nowhere near the play. Angrily, clearly after the whistle, Cole flipped the 310 pound lineman who landed awkwardly on his hip.

Not only was a penalty not called for clear unsportsmanlike conduct, but Okung is now out for the year after tearing his pectoral, located in the shoulder, on the play. Seattle's main strategy for the past two years had been to build up the offensive line. Hence why they drafted Right Tackle James Carpenter (a projected second round pick) late in the first round this year. By doing so, they passed up on Andy Dalton, quietly having an impressive rookie season. Okung who has been plagued by injuries was finally healthy.

Okung, compliments of Trent Cole, will now join fellow rookie starters Right Guard James Moffitt and Right Tackle James Carpenter on the injured reserve. The Seahawks main goal this year was to build chemistry on the offensive line and get Marshawn Lynch going. After a terrible start, the offensive line had clicked and Lynch has been at a remarkable pace. If the Seahawks goals were to compete for the championship, they would not have signed Tarvaris Jackson. But, now they can only hope the chemistry will still be there next year as only the 25 year old center, Max Unger and Left Guard and veteran presence, Robert Gallery remain.

As for Trent Cole...Pete Carroll is calling for fines. But is that enough? Seattle rookie linebacker, K.J. Wright was fined $15,000 for apparently striking him in the neck, even though it appears like it was in the upper chest. Grossman was able to play the rest of the game. That is just one example. Nkadamakong Suh is currently serving a two-game suspension for stomping on a player. That player was able to play the rest of the game. What angers Pete Carroll as well as myself, is that no flag was called.

I am not a big fan of the fines for questionable late hits among other reasons. On the contrary, one of the major reasons why I like the NHL is because of the loose restrictions. Hits, Fights and other aggressive actions are apart of the sport. But, this is not hockey. The NFL has to enforce the rules it has. The NFL has to act like if Okung landed the wrong way and landed on his knee, (which along with a hamstring plagued him all last year) and his playing career ended because that was a possibility. As stated earlier, this isn't hockey. You can't fight someone and in hockey, if an injury occurs in hockey, it is all on the player. This injury did not occur during play and there was nothing illegal Okung did to deserve this.

In closing, Trent Cole has to be reprimanded simply because this is the NFL and in today's age when they are passing new rules seemingly everyday to protect its players, this is unexceptable. Trent Cole displayed no discipline and in my view, committed a penalty that was worse than anything Suh has ever done. Granted part of this is my Seahawks bias, but the NFL should take a deeper peek into this when reviewing the all questionable plays earlier on next week.

The injury takes at least six months to recover from, meaning Okung may not be ready for training camp if he suffers any setbacks.

Breaking Down The Eagles-Seahawks Thursday Night Game

As a Seattle Seahawks fan, nowadays, it is a rare occasion when I am able to watch the Seahawks live on TV out here on the East Coast. But, Thursday night was the first of two consecutive games in which the Seahawks will be on national television.

So, Thursday night, on the NFL Network, two of the 4-7 teams, the Philadelphia Eagles (4-8) visited the Seattle Seahawks (5-7) squared off. The Eagles were trying to salvage a season which started with so much promise. The Seahawks were trying to establish some consistency in what is becoming a top rushing attack, credit Marshawn Lynch who led the NFL in rushing in November.

To say that this game was dominated by the Seahawks was an understatement. LeSean McCoy was the Philadelphia Eagles team on Thursday night. The Eagles as a team looked unmotivated and unprepared. Vince Young, playing for the injured Michael Vick, was clearly butting forward his best effort - but that did not turn into competitive statistics as he threw four interceptions.

Early in the first quarter, after a monster gain through the air on third down, the Seahawks had the ball on 1st and 10 on the Eagles 20 yard line. Marshawn Lynch, the running back for Seattle, got the carry and appeared to run into a wall and disappeared for a minute, but then reappeared as he cutback and found the endzone. Lynch would carry the ball 22 times for 148 yards and two rushing touchdowns. In addition, Tarvaris Jackson, the Seattle Seahawks starting Quaterback, ended 13-16 with one touchdowns. The Seahawks as a team had no turnovers - a rare occurrence. Their defense intercepted Vince Young four times, and scored 21 out of their 31 points off of the turnovers, including a 77 yard interception return touchdown for Seattle Linebacker, David Hawthrone.

As far as the Eagles go, their statistics and highlights are not as pretty. LeSean McCoy had another great game as he had 17 carries for a 84 yards and a touchdown against a very strong Seahawks run defense. As mentioned, Vince Young, the Eagles quaterback had four interceptions but two out the four were not really his fault. Although, the two that could be considered his fault were balls that should have been thrown. DeSean Jackson several times showed absolutely no effort or motivation. Early in the game, Young was looking for Jackson. Jackson, who never bothered to look back at Young continued to jog his route. The Eagles would punt. Later, LeSean McCoy broke into the secondary. He came up on Jackson's side, but Jackson made no attempt at a block. If Jackson made the block, McCoy could have cut back and possibly scored.

So, what have we learned from the "[2011] Dream Team?" A simple concept; You can't build a football team like a fantasy football team. After the shortened off-season, the Eagles appeared to be a great team on paper:
-QB: Michael Vick
-RB: LeSean McCoy (So far no fumbles on the year; Also the leads leading rusher)
-WRs: Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson
-CBs: Nmandi Asamough, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie; Asante Samuel

Not to mention Jason Peters, who could be the best Left Tackle in football, among others. But the Eagles have struggled all year long. Despite acquiring several players through free agency and trades, they only acquired raw talent. They failed to create chemistry. With the addition of Rodgers-Cromartie and Asamough, the Eagles overcrowded the cornerback position with two many big names. Samuel reportedly wanted to get out of Philly, but regardless, he is still there. They also failed to take care of their own. I do not approve of how DeSean Jackson has acted in his contract year. But, the Eagles handed out contracts to several free agents without showing any form of interest in resigning several players on their team who were worthy of new contracts.

The Eagles will find themselves in an interesting position this offseason. They could use some help on the offensive line but there is not a position that desperately needs help. Asamough has not panned out and several players are unhappy. It is almost a given that DeSean Jackson will not be back. In my opinion, the Eagles must evaluate every player and coach and decide who to keep and how to dump. Because, if the Eagles roll the same team out in August of next year, the end result may very well be similar to this year's.

As for the Seahawks, they have really hurt their draft position, so look for another blowout against the Rams on Monday Night Football, next Monday at 8:30PM on ESPN.

Andy Reid: End of an Era?




Boulder, CO - After tonight's loss to the Seahawks, Andy Reid and the Eagles are in a bad situation. Now sitting at 4-8, the Eagles are off to their worst campaign since 2005 when they went 6-10. Only one other time did the team fail to reach .500, which was in 1999, Reid's first year as head coach. With only 4 games remaining this season, there is a chance that this could be the worst year for the Eagles in the past decade. This could have repercussions that go beyond just a losing year, but potentially costing Andy Reid his job.

"We're almost like a dream team" quoted Vince Young before the start of the season, but tonight it looked as if the entire team was asleep as Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks ran all over the Eagles defense. It was almost sad to watch what happened in the 4th, as Young threw his fourth pick of the game for a TD. At that point, you could feel that sense of hopelessness fall over the Eagles sideline. Young sagged his head, and Reid stood expressionless. Who can you blame for this team, which has some of best talent in the league, not winning games? Vick was bothered by injuries, Young is the back-up, the defense played alright, so that just leaves Reid.

Andy Reid has had a fantastic career in Philadelphia. 13 year head coach with a 122-80-1 record (.604), 7 division championships, and took them to the Super Bowl in 2004 (lost to NE). He is the longest tenured coach in the NFL, has won 2 NFL coaches of the year awards, and is only 53 years old. He still has a lot of coaching left in his tank, but fans are looking at this from the "What has he done for me lately" perspective. "Fire Andy Reid" was the chant that some fans were already saying, and maybe they have a good point. In the end it will be the owner's choice, Jeffrey Lurie.

He did while battling issues off the field as well, and deserves to be commemorated for what he did in Philly. Despite his great success in the past, if the Eagles finish that last quarter of their season going 0-4, than Andy Reid will be gone after the season is over. They close out with @Miami, NY Jets, @Dallas, and close out the season versus Washington.