Negadelphia: November 2005

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

"AKERS GETS NFC'S WEEKLY AWARD " - WELL EARNED IF YOU ASK ME.

"November 30, 2005
By DAVE SPADARO

Placekicker David Akers was perfect on Sunday, nailing all four of his field goal attempts in the Eagles' 19-14 win over Green Bay, and has been named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
It is the seventh time he has earned the award.
Returning to the full-time kicking duties for the first week since he tore a hamstring against Oakland (Sept. 25), Akers handled the kickoff responsibilities and the field-goal duties flawlessly.
His kickoffs had good hang time and distance, allowing the Eagles to cover Green Bay's kick return game and even force a fumble, which the Eagles turned into three critical points late in the game.
On field goals, Akers was good on attempts from 44 yards, 38 yards, 37 yards and 33 yards.
Added up, he was the best in the business in the NFC during the week.
"I felt good out there and everything was good as far as timing and all that," said Akers. "It's a team effort, so Mike (Bartrum) and Koy (Detmer) and the blockers did a great job for me.
"I feel like every day I keep working hard on getting my leg right and I'm getting better and better.""

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

We won?

I had forgotten what this felt like. This win was just the kind of kicker we needed to make a playoff push! We're on a roll, now, baby! A 1-game winning streak! Detroit, here we come!

--The Eternal Optimist, J Dubya.

ps: Please notice the satire.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

THE NEGADELPHIA BLOG IS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

Due to general apathy which has been beaten into us, we have no more energy to rant about our once-beloved Eagles. We'll just quietly mumble to ourselves as we read the sports section every Monday morning until football season is over.

R.I.P. Negadelphia Blog

Friday, November 18, 2005

McNabb Surgery

OK, what do you guys think about McNabb getting it done now? I guess it seems like the right move, more time for him to recover and be ready next year esp since it's obvious that we're not a playoff team this year. Thoughts?

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

"Everyone's Doing a Heck of a Job!"

No, actually, you're all stinking up the joint.

Reid's quotes from Monday's game from the Birds' website are laughable...maybe Scoot is right, maybe Big Red's days should be numbered at this point:

on Donovan:
"I really thought he had a pretty good game yesterday and with the exception of one throw, he put together a pretty good game...He takes a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and he was devastated by the loss and the injury and how he felt. He was in quite a bit of pain. I really didn't talk to him much about the game part of it, as much as I was worried about the injury."

Donovan is the Man in my book, but it's obvious to everyone that he can't go on, and it was clear before this game. If you're gonna let him play, don't set him up for failure.

On Lito getting toasted for the 8th straight game in a row:
"They double moved (CB) Lito (Sheppard) and he was having a heck of a game. He thought he had a bead on him, they double moved him and he got passed him. We had a blitz on and we didn't get everybody rushing the passer like we needed to and in the right spots. The quarterback would not have been able to pump if that was the case. Lito was banking on that. When you do a max blitz, as a corner you bank on that the blitz is going to get home and you challenge that corner a little bit. We didn't execute it very well. We are going to get better at this stuff."

Ever heard of accountability Andy? Lito is having an EMBARASSING year. And it's not just the poor D-line's lousy rush 'cause Sheldon still knows how to tackle and still avoids getting burned deep EVERY SINGLE game! Rod Hood needs to replace Lito, that's how bad he looks...everyone, and I mean everyone including Mrs. Grundy notices...yeh, she is sitting next to me the watching the Monday night game and asks "Didn't Lito Sheppard used to be good?" wow, that question speaks volumes.

On the interception:
"What Donovan saw was that (WR) Reggie (Brown) was covered and it was press coverage. Reggie did a hitch route that converts to a fly and one of the options the QB has, when that CB is tight to him and equal to him, is to throw to the back shoulder. That was what Donovan chose to do. Like I said, the bottom line was the safety was there and made a good play on it."

The safety made a good play?? It was thrown RIGHT TO HIM. Roy had a look of shock on his face (from the replay that is - I didn't bother to even stay up for the end of this abortion because I knew it would be a waste of time).

On the O Line:
"I give credit to the offensive line. I think they did a heck of a job. They were geared up for it and I trusted it more than I had in the past. (Offensive line coach) Juan Castillo puts the run game together and does a nice job with that. He had a real good plan for it and our guys did a nice job."

ok, the O line did have a pretty good game.

BUT maybe Andy needs to stop patronizing everyone and instead put his boot up someone's ass. Super Bowl caliber coaches don't gush compliments and excuses like that after they GIVE the other team the game. Can you imagine Parcells out there after a loss like that congratulating everyone?? How about Lombardi? or Shanahan? or hell, even mild-mannered Belichick??

Look Andy, you've had your chances to "get better" at everything, but you've blown them. Took you 3 years to get an f'ing WR who actually belongs in the NFL and in the meantime the window had s shutTime to open your eyes and realize that not all of your players are playing that well...try new motivation techniques, like firing someone's ass. Start with Lito.

McNabb was Paid to Throw Monday's Game

I heard this through some reliable sources. Details should be out over the next few days. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

TIME TO BOYCOTT

Looking back over the last 5 seasons, the Birds have enjoyed some degree of "success", which has been interesting and occasionally fun, but it has also been the most tumultuous and frustrating time as a fan that I can remember. I don't think I will recall this period fondly in the future - I'll remember the stress and severe disappointment more. Following a sport and a team in particular for 30 years has been an investment of time and energy that doesn't seem worth it anymore until some things change. Because winning a Super Bowl is the POINT of this whole thing, I think the organization's commitment to investing in a team that can win the Super Bowl is one thing that could change which would pique my interest again; the other thing seems strange but it's the opposite - fielding a team that is purely entertaining and has no chance of winning but a couple times a season spoils another team's hopes ...like the Cowboys or Redskins (i.e. the Birds of the late '90s). As you've heard me say ad nauseam, the organization just is not committed to winning a Super Bowl - they care about fielding a team that can generate as much money as possible. Then, they don't share that money with the players. Evidence of their greed and ignorance of the fans desires is replete, but here are some highlights:

* Bringing back the same crew of crappy WRs for 3 shots at the NFCCG, only to lose because #5 has no one to throw to.
* Leaving $12MM of cap room on the table the year after you make a Super Bowl appearance...hmm, that's interesting, we can't "afford" Ike Reese or Simon or TO or until recently, Westbrook (they finally ponied up the cash for him). Having a dime of leftover cap money after assembling a team like 2004's is straight up stupid.
* Dealing with a WR like TO improperly - either pay him or replace him with another #1 WR, but not what they did. They were trying to have their cake and eat it too, getting TO as yet another bargain and expecting him to be happy.
* Signing as our main RB this year a guy who has been injured 2 of last 3 seasons (Buckhalter), because he's also a bargain.

For fans like me, it's no longer about just "being in contention" every year or "rooting for the hometeam" and other related aphorisms - it's about the organization's commitment to winning it all. The city has gone without a championship the longest of any major city. In short, we have been losers too long but we're not willing to do anything about it. To send the message home, we all need to boycott them until they make a commitment to winning the whole deal. I'm going to drum up support for this - or I'm not Paulomon Grundy...ok, I'm not but still, it's the only hope of waking these people up.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Under 4 minutes left, up 6 points, 2nd and 7, averaging 5 yards a carry in the game, great field position (so you can punt and pin them deep if you don't get the 1st), and what do we do? We throw, of course! And, lose the game AND our franchise quarterback in that one stupid, assenine play!

Andy, please, please, pick up a copy of Madden 2006 in the off-season (which will be here before you know it!) Your play-calling in pressure situations has been at or below the level of a six year old that just got an Xbox for Christmas.

INEXCUSABLE - and other random thoughts

NINETY-FIVE YARDS in penalties. Former Superbowl contenders don't make such mental mistakes.

Except for the penalties, up until the last 4 :40, we were really the better team, and by far. We had a much greater time of possession, I think we had 19 first downs to their 9, a lot more total offense, and really stopped their offense, especially the run.

Then we just forgot how to play. And coach... Why would we call an all-blitz at the end of the game, putting Lito in one-on-one coverage, which he has consistenly blown?

And the play call that led to Roy Williams' interception was idiotic. Why would we pass? I don't see how it can be justified. Of course, I'm just a fan and not an expert, but it still makes NO sense -- especially when considering that McNabb has thrown horrible interceptions at the end of the last three straight games to end it. Now four.

Basically, the loss was our fault, not the cowgirls'. In my view, this makes it even more inexcusable. Sure, we had the benefit of a surprise comeback against the Chargers, but that was different -- it was one play. Last night, the cowgirls drove down the field and scored on us in FORTY SECONDS. And then came the interception... That's 14 points in just a couple minutes. Gross.

And about McNabb -- I still don't think we can conclude he's overrated because of his horrible performances in the last four games. I still think he's a great QB, but I think he's genuinely hurt. You can see him not be able to step into his throws. That, however, isn't a consolation for losing. AND, perhaps more importantly, he's been making some tremendously stupid decisions out there, which can't be attributed to his injury. He definitely seems to have lost some confidence in his game. I think that's pretty apparent, and is the reason why we hear him state that he's the team leader more and more often. He's trying to convince himself.

On WIP, Mark Eckel said No. 5 was really injured after the game, and even needed to be helped on and off of the podium for the postgame PC. He thinks it's likely No. 5 could be out for the season. Maybe that's not a bad thing. Then we can completely strip ourselves of whatever expectations we had, and just watch the games, being happy for any positives and just shrugging our shoulders when we screw up, since we'll be expecting it even more than we normally do.

The question: Coy or Mike? Although Reid is entrenched into his pecking orders, at this point doesn't it make sense to start grooming McMahon?

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Maybe the Birds are getting a little bad karma back

Interesting article below from FOXSports sent to me from Sheltdawg the Cowboy. Compares TO's situation coming into Philly with Kearse's (Rosenhaus was apparently Kearse's agent at that time - didn't know that). Anyway, Shelt didn't agree that TO deserved a big bonus coming into last year. I agree. But the Eagles played a big role in creating this mess which Popstar and I actually discussed in a blog-rant back in Sept: basically, the Birds are CHEAP, greedy biznatches and were getting TO for a steal this year esp in light of his performance last season and in the SB. They could have quietly re-negotiated TO's roster bonus this year (to be more in line with the top WRs in the League) and passed it off as an adjustment to his current value to the team...as I said to Shelt-pup, TO single-handedly transformed the passing game and made McNabb great in 2004. 2004 was McNabb's best by far...not a coincidence that TO was here. I know the Birds love to treat their players like commodities that can be swapped in and out, but sometimes special players need special treatment and TO is one of those players. I'm not defending his ridic actions, but they didn't do much to stop it either.

"T.O.'s a mess, but Philly asked for it
John Czarnecki / FOXSports.com
Posted: 12 hours ago

The Eagles knew what they were getting into when they signed Terrell Owens.

FOX Bite
Videos

T.O. comes clean
Philadelphia Eagles receiver Terrell Owens apologizes to his team and fans after being suspended from the Eagles and will not return to Philly this season.

You could even say they played a major role in the end results. Consequently, the Eagles got exactly what they deserved. A locker room divided, a quarterback upset and now a team that is one huge playmaker short of making the playoffs.
How can anyone blame the Eagles?

Easy. The contract they presented to Owens last year was basically structured as a two-year deal, allowing the team to escape the big $7.5 million roster-bonus in March of 2006.

Honestly, it was a contract that Drew Rosenhaus never would have approved had he been T.O.'s agent. One only has to look at the contract Rosenhaus structured for another new Eagle, defensive end Jevon Kearse, to see that. Kearse received $16 million to sign; a $12 million signing bonus and a $4 million roster bonus.

There were concerns about Kearse, but they were injury related. However, the bottom line was that the Eagles were confident that Kearse would never be a locker-room headache; so they paid him the market price for his services — basically, $23.75 million for three years.

Based on production, Kearse has been a little pricey by Philadelphia's standards.

On the flip side, the Eagles gave Owens only $2.3 million to sign and a $6.2 million roster bonus. They will now attempt to get $1.7 million of the signing bonus back. His two-year deal was worth $12.4 million.

It took Owens almost an entire season to figure out, when comparing his money to Kearse's, that he wasn't receiving the money he actually deserved for his performance level. Rosenhaus told him as much, and he had Kearse's contract to prove it.

The other major thing that Kearse's contract proved was that Eagles vice-president Joe Banner could make a player-friendly deal with Rosenhaus. I'm sure this is something the agent told T.O., too, before he dropped long-time friend and former agent, David Joseph.

Granted, the Eagles decided to backload Owens' contract based on his San Francisco past and the fact that no one else really wanted him.

Well, the Baltimore Ravens did, but Owens fought successfully to free himself from that trade — the Eagles helped his cause there — and the rest is history. Owens didn't have any negotiating leverage, and the Eagles, who love being $10 million under the salary cap, decided not to pay him like a superstar. They took a financially cautious approach.

When Owens threatened his holdout in April, the Eagles dug their heels in. The only thing they offered Rosenhaus and Owens was a stiff $9,000 daily fine for missing training camp. There was no talk of insuring his 2006 roster bonus or even advancing him some of that money into the 2005 season. Owens was stomping mad, considering he had worked so hard to return to play in last season's Super Bowl.

Banner and owner Jeffrey Lurie have certain salary-cap and negotiation rules in place, and they were unwilling to break any of them in dealing with Owens. They refused to place him in a special category.

Yes, that is their right. They trusted coach Andy Reid when he said he could control Owens and deal with his distractions. Reid actually wanted to try to help Owens, but in the end, he stuck by Donovan McNabb and the vast majority of his players. Believe me, some league people wouldn't have begrudged the Eagles if they had reworked T.O.'s contract. He did score 14 touchdowns in 14 games.

Like one NFC salary-cap guru emailed me, "The Eagles were greedy. They had no real commitment to Owens like they made to any of their other players because the money wasn't in signing bonus form. Their hesitance to give Owens the deal he deserved illustrates that they were afraid of something exactly like this, but the irony is that the deal they wrote was so favorable to the team (that) it ensured this behavior."

The other issue for Owens was his jealousy of McNabb. He didn't forgive McNabb for saying the Eagles could make it to the Super Bowl and win without him last year. It never entered his mind that McNabb's words were simply coachspeak, innocuous words that any team spokesman offers when a star is injured. You think Andy Reid wanted McNabb to say, "We're finished. We don't have a prayer of winning anything without T.O."?

But Owens took those words personally. Plus, he never understood why McNabb was given a free pass by the coach (and the media) when he played poorly. The bottom line is that Owens holds a grudge longer than anyone on earth.

Last Friday, Owens had the opportunity to apologize to McNabb for saying the Eagles would have been unbeaten with Brett Favre, but he couldn't make himself say those words. He refused again on Saturday. He just couldn't do it, and now he's unemployed.

It's doubtful that any team will give him the type of signing bonus he feels he deserves ever again. A team (how about the Broncos?) will sign him, but it will be a one-year deal. Mike Shanahan may be willing to rent Owens for a season and see how he behaves."

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

T.O.'s "apology" to 5

"I apologize to him for any comments that may have been negative."

Wow, that's a pretty strong mea culpa, huh? It's like saying "I'm sorry if you decided to take offense when I said [X]". He could have simply said that he apologized for any comments that were negative -- which would have acknowledged that he did say negative things. Is he still trying to squirm out of this? Rosenmouse definitely wrote that garbage.

WHY T.O. IS A LIAR

Okay, I'm sick of hearing that T.O. just speaks his mind and gets in trouble because some of the things he says may not be politically correct because he is "such an honest guy". While I think he does speak his mind, I think his mind is not rooted in logic -- or honesty.

In my view the most recent example of how he is just a flat out liar was in the straw-that-broke-the-camel's-back interview on ESPN.com. In that interview with "espn.com contributor" Graham Bensinger (apparently one of the few remaining reporters who has sufficiently and shamelessly praised T.O. enough to get an interview with him) T.O. tried to re-characterize his infamous remark about McNabb running out of gas in the Superbowl:

GB: You just said that following the Super Bowl, you obviously said that you weren't the only one, or you weren't the one that got tired, in referring to Donovan McNabb. Do you think your honesty becomes detrimental at times?

TO: No, not at all. I think with that comment, I said it probably in regards to my own conditions because I hadn't practiced with the team since my injury. I never referred to Donovan in that comment. A lot of people speculated, and they just assumed that I was talking about Donovan. That's not what I mean, and that's not what I meant. A lot of people, take a lot of things that I say out of context. If I didn't say his name in particular, then I wasn't talking about him. (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2214228&type=story)

In that question, "contributor" Bensinger made a pretty obvious mistake in quoting T.O. -- suggesting that T.O. previously said he wasn't "the only one" who got tired in the superbowl. What did T.O. do? He seized that language, even though it was incorrect, as it provided an easier, albeit dishonest, way to explain the "tired in the superbowl" comment. He claimed that he wasn't actually talking about Donovan, but about his own conditioning.

That suggestion is simply preposterous. What T.O. really said was:

"I played every snap they allowed me to play," Owens told ESPN.com. "I wasn't even running until, like, two weeks before the game. But I made sure I was in the best shape possible. I wasn't the guy who got tired in the Super Bowl." (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2049794)

Sure, his statement was about his conditioning in part. But T.O. clearly referenced the "one" who got tired, who obviously wasn't T.O. Perhaps more tellingly, he later spoke about the problems he had with McNabb (which started as a result of that comment). He described being frustrated and disappointed, and then referenced that comment, explaining that he spoke "out of emotion":

"It's not that I hate Donovan. I love Donovan. I don't hate him at all," Owens said, speaking publicly for the first time since he returned from a one-week exile from training camp three weeks ago. "I was just disappointed in a few things. I have the right to do that.

"Everybody speaks out of emotion. Everybody speaks out of frustration. Everybody's done it. That means I'm human. If you want me to go in and say I was wrong, maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't."

So here he singles out Donovan, at the same time he apologies for the statement. Hmmm. The statement wasn't about McNabb? Please.

Okay, now I know this is tired old news, but I think it's become clearer than ever that T.O. is both manipulative and dumb. I used to think he was just manipulative and maybe a little smart, but I'm starting to lean towards dumb now. In that espn.com interview, he takes a suggestion that was clearly wrong (i.e., "contributor" Bennsiger's misquoting him as saying he wasn't "the only one" who got tired in the superbowl) and then creates a new explanation using it -- even though he had to know it was false and a lie.

In Defense of Terrell Owens

Hah. Just kidding.

I've never seen so many people respond to a philly.com online poll, and have never seen such lopsided results. The question was: Did the Eagles do the right thing in cutting ties with Terrell Owens? A total of 11,138 people have voted (as of this post). Nearly 10,000 votes were yes -- 9924 votes or 89%. There were just 1214 no votes. So much for endearing himself to us by spiking the cowgirls' star; now he's hated almost as much as the cowgirls themselves.

Monday, November 07, 2005

The Passion of the McNabb

Boo'd on draft day... race-baited by Rush Limbaugh... forced to play on a broken ankle... forced to play with crappy starting receivers for most of his career... with a coach who doesn't know how to run a game clock, call a running play, or even call a play in in time to avoid a delay of game penalty... playing through a sports hernia that requires surgery as well as a myriad of other injuries... and finally threatened by the very receiver (Judas Owens) that he lobbied to bring in (for a mere 49 million pieces of silver over 7 years)... with only his sub-par teammates (who he earlier told "follow me, and I will make you catchers of footballs"), his wife Roxie Magdalene, and his mother, the Virgin Wilma, to cheer him on...

The Passion of the McNabb (A Spike Lee Joint), coming soon to a theater near you.

Good News for Eagles fans that live to the year 2015

Good news. The Eagles are a pretty good team every 10-15 years. 1980, 1990-91, 2001-2004.....So, if you can hold on long enough, and not throw away your Jaws, Cunningham, and McNabb jersey's you can cheer for them retro style in 2015. By then, the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins will have won at least one more title and throw in the Texans too.

So hold on, be patient. In the mean time, Go FLYERS!!!

My Career Change

You guys are weary of the bitchin' but how about that crazy, ridic "fake ball spike" at the end of the first half when Mcnabb got pummeled? That's just pathetic coaching - yet again, we left 3 points on the field. The execution isn't even pro football anymore - it's sandlot BS and it's Reid's fault IMO. The coaches obviously still haven't identified our 2 min drill as being a major, major problem since it's been executed like at the HS level team for the last few years. I've concluded that I am a football mastermind since no one in the organization realizes basic aspects of the game as being critically important: the 2 min drill, establishing the running game to set up the pass, adjusting for blitz packages...seriously, if all these coaches do is devote their time to football and STILL don't understand these things, then it's time for me to switch careers and go on to be Bill Walsh, Jr.

This Week's Player Spotlight: Lito Sheppard

Man, what happened to Lito? Anyone? Does he have an injury that's preventing him from tackling or covering? He's definitely not in Pro Bowl form...in fact, he just flat out sucks this year. He missed multiple tackles last night, a few for big key gains, and basically gave them their first TD on that horrible interference. It's been like that all year. He's just not the same player as last year. Sheldon has stolen his mojo I guess.

TIme for T.O. to G.O.

Good story by Michael Smith on the attached link. Precisely what we've been batting around - TO's a gifted WR but not worth the trouble anymore. It's been mentally draining on all these guys.

Friday, November 04, 2005

T.O. actually apologized?

Ive had an opportunity to talk with the Eagles organization and I have learned that the team does not recognize individual achievements.

It has been brought to my attention that I have offended the organization and my teammates. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any derogatory comments toward them.

Seems a little out of character, doesn't it? Something's going on here...

T.O. just keeps going, and going, and going...

T.O. just can't stop saying stupid, divisive things. From an article summarizing a recent ESPN interview of T.O. by Graham Bensinger:

ESPN analyst Michael Irvin recently said the Eagles would be undefeated if Favre was the starting quarterback.

Asked for his thoughts on Irvin's comment, Owens said: "That's a good assessment, I would agree with that, just with what [Favre] brings to the table.

"A number of commentators will say he's a warrior, he's played with injuries. I feel like him being knowledgable about the quarterback position, I feel like we'd probably be in a better situation."

And T.O. concluded:

"I just want to be happy," he said. "If it's here then I would love to be here, if not you got to move on. ... If there's a situation where they have a change of heart and come to their senses and pay me what I'm worth, then I'd be more than happy to be here.

"At this time I'm being honest with myself just trying to look toward the future and I just don't see myself really being here. It's not because I don't want to be here but I just don't foresee them doing the necessary things to keep me here."

I wonder if he doesn't realize that his comments can have the effect of hurting team unity, or if he just doesn't care. I can see either being the case. He might not realize it, because it seems that he's never been a team player and only plays for himself, so he might really not understand the real concept of a team. And of course, he might just not care, because he is T.O. and believes god is on his side, whatever he does. Being true to yourself is one thing. But when you're a jerk, I don't think god would support you in every stupid thing you do, even if it's just "who you are", etc.

Let's hope Reggie Brown develops quickly, so he can step into T.O.'s shoes next season. Once we cut T.O. loose, get No. 5 healthy again and resign Westy, maybe we have a chance to get back on track next season. This season is a wash. After this stretch of NFC East games, I think we should consider playing our rookies and younger guys a lot more.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

doubtful... yeah, no kidding

So T.O. apparently told the Eagles that he hurt his ankle and won't be able to play in the next games. I heard on WIP, and this article also implies, that T.O. did in fact tell them that he wasn't able to play. Like calling in sick. Okay, I know T.O. is supposedly the most competitive person who has ever participated in any sport in the world, etc., but does it seem like he's starting to dog it to anyone? It does to me. More often than not, when he's near the sidelines and has a choice of trying for a few more yards and taking a hit, or stepping out of bounds, he seems to prefer the latter. And I remember back when he first started his campaign for more money in the spring, he actually said something like he wouldn't play his hardest knowing the team isn't supporting him or paying him what he deserves. I know he hates losing -- name any real athlete who doesn't -- but I don't think he's above this B.S. He certainly isn't, and never has been, a team player. Right now, I guess he thinks the team can't help him, so he isn't going to try to help the team. Man, someone please tell me that everything isn't falling apart...

Ahhhh, memories... Unfortunately, the experiment failed. Miserably.

Negadelphia