Monday Morning Mehta 11/21/05

Edition # 141
November 21, 2005

Eagles

Last Tuesday was shock and denial. Today, it's complete acceptance that this is a lost season and even to the point that we should've seen this coming. I have to give credit to Derreck Sura, our resident NBA expert (and clearly an NFL one too), who said the Eagles would suffer a "post Super Bowl loss type season ala Oakland or Carolina". He said this the day after the Super Bowl. That's why he gets the big bucks.

Anyway, onto the 27-17 loss:

Game Negatives:

- Whoever the punter is. He doesn't deserve to have a name. He stinks. Not only do his punts suck, but he has problems catching the snap. Is this really the 32nd best punter in the world? Cripes, find someone better! You can't give up 7 points on special teams and expect to win a road divisional game. (Note: even though the ball was spotted on the 1 yard line, that's 7 that's goes to the ST)

- Defense. Not only has the pass rush been from the front four been a problem this year, but when we've blitzed the last two weeks, we haven't gotten to the QB fast enough in crucial spots, and the cornerback has been burned badly. Last week it was Lito Sheppard, this week it's Sheldon Brown.

- DT's. There is nothing coming in terms of a rush from up the middle. I wish I didn't have to say we miss Corey Simon, but I do.

- Mike McMahon in the 1st half. Looked scared, couldn't hold onto the ball, and threw a bad pick when the Eagles could have put some points on the board late in the half.

Game Positives:

- Mike McMahon in the 2nd half. Still seems like he fumbles a lot.

- Trent Cole. I hope we have something here, because we really need it. 5 sacks in the last 3 games.

- Reggie Brown. Looked decent. He can certainly become a solid # 2 WR. It'd be nice to have a # 1, hehe.

Overall, it's time to just chalk up the season as a complete fiasco. The Owens fiasco which began in April, Jerome McDougle getting shot, the Corey Simon issue, the Owens controversy during camp, the Donovan McNabb injury in the first quarter of the first game, which just escalated all the problems every game from there.

Looking back, it's funny how much Roy Williams has effected the Eagles. He puts Owens out for the year last year. McNabb and Reid say "We can win without T.O.". Owens gets upset and feels disrespected. McNabb/Owens/Reid relationship hasn't been the same since. Then, to boot, with a fighters chance still left in the year, Williams decided to pick off a pass late in the 4th quarter, but a dagger into the Eagles hearts and gets McNabb hurt on the runback to only bury us further.

Roy Williams, the root of all evils.

Why do I get the feeling the T.O. saga isn't nearly over yet? The arbitrator will make his announcement by tomorrow, I can't even guess what will happen after that. I can even see a scenario where he ends up in a Seahawks or Redskins uniform, and ends up playing at the Linc this year.

Around the League

Indy/Bengals in what has to be considered the Game of the Year to this date was an awesome game. 45-37 tells most of the story, but one thing impressed me the most. Peyton Manning and the Colts get it now. With the score 35-34, both defenses reeling, the Colts took the ball with their first possession in the 2nd half and decided not to air it out and score in 2 minutes, but run the ball and give their defense a breather. They ran the ball 10 times, held the ball for over 8 minutes, and completely changed the complexion of the game. The Colts defense got their act together, only giving up a FG the rest of the way. This showed me the Colts and Peyton Manning get it this year, it's about winning, not putting up 300+ yards passing and losing in January.

(Note: If you watched the game you noticed that Manning had a brief lapse, where he threw the ball 3 times (audibling twice) with 4 minutes to go instead of running the ball. I'm going to let that one slide, but that was a major botch by Manning, and he was told about it on the sideline).

Speaking of which, Michael Vick throws for 300 yards in his best "passing" game, but who cares, they lost. Passing yardage has got to be the most overrated stat in the NFL. It was a key fumble by Vick that doomed him.

If there was any question about the Bears, they were answered yesterday. That defense is awesome and I've said for weeks how hard they play.

Jacksonville's schedule is very easy as we said last week. The AFC's last few playoff spots are going to shaft two of: Jax, SD, KC, Cincy or Pitt. Steelers better get Big Ben healthy. Some great teams, but it looks like NE, Indy, Denver, and winner of Pitt/Cincy division are locks for a spot. Only two left...No the Raiders aren't anywhere near the playoff picture even with a W yesterday.

The NFC picture is a jumbled mess. Dallas is getting hot at the right time, and there's a chance somebody's going to miss the playoffs in the NFC at 10-6 also.

Baseball

I haven't talked about baseball much since the horrible World Series, but the hot stove season is well underway. The Phillies are trying to figure out the Billy Wagner situation before anything else, and I expect that to be settled later this week (50-50 where he goes, IMO).

My biggest shock of the offseason is that the Marlins are dumping everyone in sight as a salary purge again. First off, this is the 3rd time they've done this in the last 10 years or so. They shouldn't have a team if that's going to happen. Next, whoever gets Josh Beckett is getting a fantastic pitcher for the next 10 years. There should be people lining up to get him (currently the Rangers and Red Sox have the lead). I'm just peeved because I know there's no way they'll trade him inside the division.

Drexel Dragons' basketball team is 2-0 and will face Rider tonight, then travel to "The Mecca" on Wednesday to face the # 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils on National TV. The Big 6 is alive and well as is Bruiser Ball. More importantly, Drexel faces Penn on Saturday in a key Big 6 showdown.

NBA - Derreck Sura

- The Sixers (6-5) went 2-2 this week, winning and losing the games exactly like I thought they would. Philadelphia currently holds the 8th seed in the East, which is right where I expect them to be hanging around most of the year. I hate to sound like a broken record, but I still believe that the Sixers' defense is going to have to improve if they want to make the playoffs. Philly is currently 28th in opponents field goal percentage (48.1%). For those of you that I think I over do that stat, this research is just for you. Last season 13 of the 16 playoffs teams were in the top 15 in OPPFG%. Only Sacramento, Washington, and Seattle (all tied for 23rd at 45.9%) were not, but they were 2nd, 6th, and 11th in points scored respectively. If you're a glass half full kind of person, then you have some hope because the Sixers are 2nd overall in points per game (104.6 ppg). As of last Wednesday, Philly was also 3rd in the league in ESPN statistic guru John Hollinger's measure of offensive efficiency (108.68 points per 100 possessions). Another positive on the scoring front is that Allen Iverson (32.5 ppg) and Chris Webber (21 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in the NBA right now. Now comes the reality check, can the Sixers really keep shooting the ball this well (47.1%, 7th overall) as a team? I have my doubts there, but time will tell.
This week brings Philly: New Orleans/Oklahoma City, @Milwaukee, @New York. The Hornets are on a two game winning streak since revamping their starting lineup, so the Sixers better be ready to play tonight. Wednesday's tilt against the Bucks is a revenge game, so Philly should have no problem getting motivated there. All division games are must win's for the Sixers, and the contest against the Knicks on Saturday is no exception. I can actually see Philly going 3-0 this week, but 2-1 is probably more realistic.

- Taking a cue from guest columnist Frank Tang, I'm going to rant on my favorite team for a while. After looking like they might actually be mediocre early on, the Lakers (4-6) have slide back into terrible country. They are lost on offense, but that really doesn't concern me as it takes time for any team to develop a comfort level in the triangle offense. My gripe is that coach Phil Jackson has yet to improve their team defense. Sure Los Angeles' defensive numbers look better, but on the court it's still ugly. If they fall behind, you can forget about seeing any effort on the defensive end. The Lakers' transition defense, non-existent last year, is just as awful this season. GET BACK AND FIND YOUR MEN ALREADY GUYS! It's not a hard concept. And then there's Kobe Bryant. He looked awesome the first week of the season winning Western Conference Player of the Week honors by averaging over 36 points per game and shooting above 50% from the field. A day after winning the award Kobe sprained his right index finger on a dunk in Atlanta, and hasn't been the same since. Now he's the same volume shooter he was last year. Hence LA is the same bad team too.

The latest word on the Lakers is that Kwame Brown will miss two weeks with a moderate sprain of his right hamstring. Fine by me. I'm pretty confident LA can replace the 5.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 27.8 minutes he puts up a night. Where the Lakers might have trouble is finding someone to take the 3.9 fouls per game Brown does. The real reason I'm not upset about Kwame being out is that 18 year old rookie Andrew Bynum has looked surprisingly solid. By solid I mean that he doesn't get embarrassed when he's out there. Bynum is a decent rebounder, can block some shots, and won't shoot unless he's wide open. I think he's earned some minutes, and have been wondering why Phil wouldn't give him more burn.
Below are the five things I hate most about my boys right now.

5. Sasha Vujacic - 27th pick in 2004 was supposed to be a play maker/ball handler. All I've seen is a 3 point gunner (23.5% from 3) and a guy who's a step slow on defense. GM Mitch Kupchak could have drafted Beno Udrih, David Harrison, Anderson Varejao (the next 3 picks), Chris Duhon, or Trevor Ariza (played at UCLA for cripes sake) instead.

4. Slava Medvedenko - Why he was re-signed in the summer of 2004 still baffles me. He has done nothing in his six years in LA, not surprisingly having his best season (8.3 points & 5.1 rebounds) in his contract year. Now Slava is out six weeks with a herniated disc in his back. Good riddance.

3. Lamar Odom's 3 point shooting - Hey Lamar, you are NOT a 3 point shooter (27.3% from 3), and never have been. Get your ass into the low post and start showing some aggression down there.

2. Kwame Brown's hands - Just plain awful. People blamed the gunners in Washington for him not getting the ball more, now the Lakers' players are thinking twice about passing it to him too. All because he simply can't catch.

1. Full court pressure - Phil, this hasn't worked once yet. Not in the pre-season, nor in the ten games
that count so far. Unless you're purposely trying to get the other team lay-ups, SCRAP THE GIMMICK PRESS D ALREADY! There's a reason teams don't press in the NBA, in case you don't know.

- I'm starting to get a little concerned about the Denver Nuggets (6-5), my pre-season pick to win the Northwest Division. Their record is not horrible, but Nene Hilario is already lost for the year with a blown right knee, and he was the Nugs first big man off the bench. Now starting PF Kenyon Martin has been missing time with a sore left knee that has not fully recovered from the arthroscopic surgery he had this past summer. That is not a good sign so early on in the season. Sure Marcus Camby has been playing well so far, but what happens when he goes down with his inevitable injury? Dutch big man Francisco Elson has yet to step up at all, and I'm not confident he ever will. Not to mention Denver still needs to acquire a decent 3 point threat (last in the NBA in 3 point percentage at 19.1%). On the bright side, coach George Karl has finally started playing "big" free agent signing Earl Watson. Ugh. GM Kiki Vandeweghe is basically a lame duck, and I have to wonder how interested he is in his current job when there are new rumors almost daily about his destination this coming summer. I also have to question if he's really going to get fair offers from other GM's around the league while his status with the Nugs is in limbo. I still think Denver should make the playoffs with what they have, but being an elite team is looking more and more like a long shot.

- One deal that went unnoticed before the season was Houston (3-7) trading Mike James to Toronto (1-9) for Rafer Alston. Since I was not writing for MMM yet, only a select few saw my analysis of this trade at the time. A quick recap, "What was Rockets' Vice President Carroll Dawson thinking?" James is no where near a star, but his 3 point shooting was very instrumental in Houston's late season run last year, and he's a more consistent defender then Alston as well. So why trade Mike for a headache guy in Rafer, when you have the notoriously disciplined Jeff Van Gundy as your coach? It's tough to give Raptors' GM Rob Babcock credit for what he's done to the franchise, but he got this one right, and the numbers bear it out. James is arguably Toronto's second best player right now, and is averaging 17.3 ppg on 50.9% from the field and 40% from 3 in 32.7 minutes. Alston is putting up a measly 7.1 ppg on 32.3% from the field and 28% from 3 in 31.4 minutes. I didn't get it at the time, and still don't get it now.

- More bad news for the Utah Jazz (4-7). It was announced this past week that Andrei Kirilenko's sprained left ankle will keep him out two to four weeks now. It gets worse from there. Carlos Boozer re-injured his left hamstring last Monday, for the second time already (10/31), trying to get in shape before returning to action. Those two better get back in a hurry because Utah has lost five in a row, and is sinking fast. It's a shame really. My one worry about the Jazz was their PG play, but rookie Deron Williams looks like a player. Now with these injuries to their front court it could be another lost season in Utah.

- I have a memo for all foreign born players coming to the NBA from over seas to be role players, "choose your situation wisely." Take for example the cases of Sarunas Jasikevicius and Arvydas Macijauskas. Both of these guys were stars in Europe, and could have easily stayed there and made similar money. Sarunas choose to sign with Indiana (6-3), while Arvydas picked the Hornets (4-5). SJ has appeared in all of the Pacers' games so far and is averaging 17 minutes per game for a title contender. AM has only played in four of New Orleans/Oklahoma City's games (4.3 mpg) and is caught up in the franchise's youth movement. I'm not sure if Sarunas has a better agent the Arvydas or what, but it would behoove guys
that come over to know a little bit about the NBA landscape before making a decision.

*Note: All statistical data does not include Sunday's games.

NHL Week In Review By : Ed Wasser

- Being an author of national prominence I constantly get asked to attend events all over the country. Last Wednesday I was asked to go to the Flyers/Penguins game as a guest of long time MMM subscriber Christina Wichterman in a Comcast Cable luxury suite. Normally I'm not big on events like that because of all the questions I'm forced to answer from my public. "Yes I write my own jokes", and "yes I think the Flyers can win the Stanley Cup", and "just because the kid looks like me doesn't necessarily mean I'm his father". But since I've been sending Comcast cable ridiculous amounts of money every month just so I can watch television I felt Comcast owed me. So I went. I didn't think I could drink enough beer to equal the $10,000 + I've paid to Comcast over the years but dammit I was going to try. First the suite, the party suite at the Wachovia Center is certainly the best way to see a game, if you have the means I highly recommend it. The food was great. Pasta, hot roast beef, sandwich tray, salad, hot turkey, and desserts. There was a bartender who was a little ornery; when the national anthem was starting he yelled at the people in the suite "take off your caps!!!" Geez....how about getting me a beer Uncle Sam? There was a kid in the suite who saw me get a drink and asked me with a "this is way too good to be true" look in his eyes "are the drinks free?" I assured him they were and a massive grin appeared on his young face. But there is a little matter of the game....

- This was the first time I've seen the Flyers in person all year and they looked great, controlling the lion share of the play......for the first two periods. As I was watching the game it seemed that the Flyers chances were all coming from way far out, the were taking TONS of low percentage shots. The Flyers are a team that should be blazing across the blue line, wreaking havoc, and taking their shots from in deep. The dump and chase game is deader then Corey Feldman's acting career. But even with that the Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fluery, played great. (PS...Fluery was sent back to the minors the day after his superb performance against the Flyers. Ouch!!) In the third period the Penguins took it to the Flyers and scored two goals in what seemed like a few seconds. But the Flyers roared back and tied the game at two at the end of regulation. Overtime was a back and fourth affair until the Flyers got the puck deep in the Penguins zone, the Flyers defensemen were also in deep when the Flyers turned the puck over to Ryan Malone who passed the puck to Sydney Crosby who was standing (yes, standing) at center ice, miles away from the nearest Flyer, and he buried a break away shot to give the Penguins the 3 -2 win. Obviously that was my first time seeing Sydney Crosby play live and the kid had 2 goals and an assist. By the way, the kid turned 18 years old last August. Given the new rules and the fact that by the time this kid is Sergei Fedorov's age it will be his 18th year in the league I'd say he has a nice chance of breaking a hell of a lot of records.

- I have to make sure to extend a special thanks to Christina Wichterman who made our visit to the luxury box possible. My only regret is that I didn't bring a bigger suitcase so I could steal more sandwiches. I was always curious how far someone would go to get a mention in MMM, now I know. Christina has thrown down the gauntlet, you have to do better then that to earn a mention. The challenge is out there people. Seriously Christina, that was great, thanks.

- On the other end of that spectrum yesterday I attended the Eagles vs. Giants game at Giants Stadium. I won't comment on the game because that's Saurin's job but I'll tell you about the stadium. The place is a complete toilet. And what's worse is that it's a hard to get to and hard to leave toilet. And with Eagles fans mixing with Giants fans it's like a "Perfect Storm" type of convergence of jerks which lead to about 4 fights, at least that I saw. It's like the "Double Deuce" with a football game going on. That might be the last time I go to that crap house.

- Just in case you didn't know the Toronto Maple Leafs are like the New York Yankees in Canada, at least in terms of press coverage. Even when I'm watching games on the ticket from Calgary, Vancouver, or Edmonton they talk about the Leafs a lot of times. That being said, unless coach Pat Quinn raises the Stanley Cup next summer, he's going to be very fired. First of all he's giving more ice time to Eric Lindros then Mats Sundin which is driving Leaf fans insane. And at this point it seems like Quinn is doing it to spite his critics. Then Leaf Jason Allison politely, in private, asked Quinn for some time on the power play. Quinn told the media what Allison had asked him which was seen as a betrayal of trust by the Leaf players. Fortunately for Quinn the Leafs have been winning so the media scrutiny is as bad as it could be but he better win it all if he want to keep his job.

- Bad week for the Flyers. It started with the aforementioned overtime loss to the Penguins followed by a loss to the Thrashers which might have been the worst officiated game I've ever seen. I honestly believe that referee Chris Lee may be quietly suspended by the NHL because of his performance last Friday. Long time MMM subscriber John Miller attended the game and said that people in the crowd were throwing things at Lee. Now if you've read this column in the past you'll know that I rarely write about the officials and trust me, I could. I could probably write a whole piece on NHL officials. I could probably write a book on the NFL's pass interference penalty alone but I just figured it was too boring and it always sounds like sour grapes but last Friday Lee made it impossible to ignore him. The Flyers salvaged the week with a 6 - 3 win against the Penguins last Saturday.

Comments?
saurinmeht@aol.com
dsura@peacehealth.org
ewwasser@hotmail.com