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DeSean Jackson is in Your Head; What’s in His Head?

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DeSean Jackson is in your head. We already knew he was in the head of opposing cornerbacks, but now he’s looking to get into the head of his opponents on Madden NFL 12 . Of course, the real question is whether or not his contract will still be in his head come opening day. Most reports on the subject seem to suggest the Eagles will get Jackson signed to a new contract before the season starts. We’ll have to wait to see if that happens. Until then, a little Madden Smack Shack might keep fans amused.

Eagles Sign Vick to Long-term Deal

Multiple reports have the Eagles announcing that they have signed quarterback Mike Vick to a 6-year $100 million contract later today. It’s the move the Eagles had to make after they sent Kevin Kolb to Arizona. The initial numbers screamed “mistake!” to me. As I write on Tuesday night, the numbers have already come down in terms of real money though I’m still unclear on the number of years that the Eagles are now tied to Vick. At the moment, the contract seems to be guaranteed for $40 million, which apparently means Vick is going to be the Eagles starting quarterback for the next three or four years. With Vince Young and Mike Kafka currently the other Eagles quarterbacks, the number of years doesn’t scare me too much. The “next” franchise quarterback is not even on the roster. I think the fourth year may end up being a stretch given Vick’s style of play and the fact that he’s already 31 years old. I don’t buy the idea that his time in jail has saved his body all that much. But th

Crazy Suggestion for NCAA: Look the other way

College football returns this week, and that means so does talk of NCAA violations. The Miami Hurricanes are trying to dodge the “death penalty.” Terrell Pryor will be punished by the NFL for breaking NCAA rules (despite how they tried to couch it). And the endless debate about paying players – as if somehow attending college for free isn’t enough – marches on. I have a suggestion for the NCAA that I’m sure would never go anywhere even if I was one of the chosen ones blogging for espn.com, and I know it sounds absurd on the surface. I also think it’s the most workable solution to the problem of constantly punishing athletes and schools for violating rules, especially since most of these punishments rarely impact the people who commit the transgressions. Here’s my suggestion: The system is actually working, leave it alone. The “system” I’m referring to obviously isn’t quite the NCAA’s regulations for not paying athletes, recruiting, etc. I’m referring to the boosters. The people k

Eagles Preseason W versus Browns Not Exactly a Bounce Back

I’ve already seen last night’s Eagles preseason game against the Cleveland Browns called a “bounce back” for Philadelphia. While their regular players beat the Browns’ regulars, 17-0, I don’t understand that assessment at all. Mike Vick completed 10 of 18 passes for 98 yards in a half. That sounds ok, but he certainly didn’t dazzle anyone. When the fact that LeSean McCoy caught 7 of those passes for 69 – several on “check down” passes – there was little to get excited about for Eagles fans. In fact, at one point early in the first quarter color commentator Brian Baldinger suggested Vick should be taken out to preserve him because the offensive line was playing so poorly. Vick took a few big hits and was hurried a lot. DeSean Jackson caught as many passes as he did when he was holding out. Zero. The one real positive I saw offensively was that the Eagles did pound the ball a couple of times, including once for a touchdown, with Ronnie Brown. But even that doesn’t excite me becau

Rapid Fire Week-in-Review: Pay DeSean, Summit, Weaver, Ochocinco, more

It’s been a couple weeks since I did a Rapid Fire Week-in-Review, and tonight’s Eagles game will be tomorrow’s topic if there is one. So here it goes: • In the frenzy of the Eagles free agency signings, I missed the fact that Vince Young is being paid $3 million for this season. At least that’s what was reported on the broadcast of the preseason game last week. Yet, talks to sign DeSean Jackson to an extension have stalled. It will take more than $3 million to sign Jackson, but if Jeff Lurie is strapped for cash I have an idea where he could free up a few million. • Vance Worley is 9-1 with a lower ERA than Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt. Who would have thought “The Four Aces” would end up including a rookie? • On the flip side, Kyle Kendrick somehow continues to pitch at the major league level. I know yesterday technically wasn’t his fault, but when the bats started to get them back in the game after the 4-run first inning debacle he couldn’t hold the stinkin’ Mets. • Women’s sports

Thome Rumors Say A Lot about Phillies

I’ve heard a couple variations on the story of Jim Thome possibly coming back to Philadelphia, and I have to admit I’m more interested in the potential backroom dealings that are reportedly going on. It’s not that I don’t think adding Thome as a bat off the bench would be a great move, because it obviously would be a nice piece to have in the playoffs. But the reported reaction from other teams to the possible move says a lot about how far the Phillies have come as an organization and team. I first heard Mike Missanelli talk about the possibility of Thome returning yesterday afternoon. Essentially, he suggested Thome had been put on trade waivers by the Minnesota Twins. But since Thome has a no-trade clause in his contract, he could only realistically be traded to the Phillies. Thome is known to be extremely fond of Phils manager Charlie Manuel, apparently wants to end his career in Philadelphia. He even praised Manuel, who coached the slugger early in his career, after recently hitt

Vince Young Talking Way Too Much for a Backup

Someone needs to remind Vince Young that backup quarterbacks are best when they are seen wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard – and not heard making comments that fire up the opponent. In other words: Shut up, Vince. It’s bad enough he is the guy who put the “Dream Team” moniker on this year’s Eagles team. Now he’s defending the comment – and looking like an idiot in the process. Despite a headline suggesting otherwise, a philly.com story, Eagles backup Young downplays 'dream team' comment , quotes Young as reiterating the dumbest comment of the NFL preseason. “Basically, what I meant is we really do have a talented bunch of guys,” Young said. “And I really feel if we continue to keep working and take care of our responsibilities and finish like we want to finish as a team, we can be where we want to be at. “That’s how the Miami Heat was. Those guys ended up there in the NBA Finals. It’s all about getting your chemistry right and playing together and taking

Sports Stupidity from this Weekend

Every now and then the news makes me wonder (more than usual) what the hell is wrong with people. There’s the daily insanity that we all have gotten far too used to. But there are still those moments that are able to jar us and make us realize just how far beyond acting civilized we’ve gone. My moment came in about two minutes on Sunday morning. A radio was on in another room, and I just happened to focus in on what the news broadcaster was saying at the right time to hear about the guy who was shot after a 49ers – Raiders preseason game because he was wearing an “F--- the Niners” T-shirt. A second later I was watching some idiot crew member of a NASCAR team pull the hair of a driver from another team. The worst part about these incidents may be that most of us probably heard them in one ear and let them slide out the other. If I didn’t hear about them in such a unique sequence, I likely would have done the same thing. Maybe the shooting still stops us for a second or two, but id

Eagles First-Teamers Destroyed in Pittsburgh

It was still just preseason, but last night the “regulars” on the Philadelphia Eagles got shellacked by the Pittsburgh Steelers regular players, 21-0. That was the halftime score before the scrubs came in for both teams, and most Philly fans flipped the channel to the Phillies game that was coming out of a rain delay around that time. I put some stock into last night’s game as far as determining what the Eagles will be this season and, more importantly, into the playoffs. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, the Steelers are obviously a contender for the championship again this year. (Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to say that about the Eagles? That they are “obviously” contenders, not because they won the off-season hype contest, but because they just do it right seemingly every year.) Plus, the Steelers, according to the broadcast, struggled last week and had some extra motivation for the game. Philadelphia fans are left to hope that the Eagles were far less motivated, and that M

Article Suggests Vick was Steered toward Eagles by NFL

In a GQ interview, Mike Vick revealed that coming to Philadelphia wasn’t his first choice – and it might not have even been his decision. Here’s the quote from the story followed by some commentary as it appears on Deadspin.com that has a lot of people ticked off: "I think I can say this now, because it's not going to hurt anybody's feelings, and it's the truth... I didn't want to come to Philadelphia. Being the third-team quarterback is nothing to smile about. Cincinnati and Buffalo were better options." Those two teams wanted him and would've allowed him to start, but after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell and other reps from the NFL, Vick was convinced—and granted league approval—to sign with Philly. "And I commend and thank them, because they put me in the right situation." So can we presume that Michael Vick was forbidden from signing with Cincy or Buffalo for big-time starter money two seasons ago because Goodell and other N

WIP Going to FM

In an obvious response to competition from 97.5 The Fanatic, 610 WIP has announced it is moving to FM. The new 94 WIP will replace WYSP, and feature a bit of a new lineup as the station adds Comcast SportsNet’s Michael Barkann as a host. The switch happens on September 6. Angelo Cataldi and crew will continue in their morning slot until 10 AM, followed by Barkann and Ike Reese from 10 AM to 1 PM. Then the somewhat anticipated move of Anthony Gargano taking over for Howard Eskin takes place, but with a twist. Gargano will still be paired with Glen Macnow, and they will be on from 1 to 6 PM. Remember when Mike Missanelli started at what is now 97.5 from 2 to 7 PM? The station was trying to get him on an hour before his main competition, Eskin, came on the air at 3 PM. WIP was apparently taking notes, and is now trying to turn the same trick. We can only wonder how fast the last hour of Gargano and Macnow becomes a “best of” segment. I was surprised that Gargano did not get the “dri

Eskin Leaving His Daily Show on WIP

I was a bit surprised to read in the Inquirer this morning that Howard Eskin is leaving his daily sports talk show on 610 WIP. Of course, the fact that a lot of people learned the news by reading it – instead of hearing Eskin report it on the air – is likely a big part of the story. Despite the denials, it seems pretty clear that the presence of Mike Missanelli on 97.5 The Fanatic during three of the four hours Eskin is on the air has lead to this change. It’s laughable that the ratings apparently aren’t clear cut – or someone is just blatantly lying – because both sides claim their station does better than the other during drive time in the afternoon. But it doesn’t seem to matter now. WIP tried to shrug off the presence 97.5, which originally aired on 975 WPEN AM and still airs some programming there, when it first came on the air. Clearly they just can’t do that anymore. In fact, I don’t think they’ve been laughing for a while. Eskin was the first guy many people, including

Debating Retired Numbers for the Eagles

On Saturday, Joe DeCamara of 97.5 The Fanatic brought up the fact that new Eagles receiver Steve Smith will be wearing number 19 this season as opposed to his customary number 12 that he wore as a Giant. DeCamara suspected that this was due to the fact that Randall Cunningham wore number 12 as an Eagle, and though the number hadn’t been retired it had been “taken out of circulation.” The talk show host seemed to agree with this move, and, if I remember correctly, supported the notion that Cunningham’s number should be retired. It was a great topic for sports talk on a slow Saturday, and I just wanted to throw my two cents out there. I totally disagree that Cunningham’s number should be retired. In fact, I don’t really think it’s even debatable. A lot of callers into the show seemed to talk about some of the outstanding plays and games that Cunningham had in his career as support for retiring his number. I loved Cunningham as a kid, and certainly got caught up in the highlights of t

Glimpse of the Eagles

Remember when Roger Goodell was going to spare us from drek like last night called exhibition – I mean, “preseason” – football? Honestly, I don’t think fans could get any type of feel for the Eagles from last night’s glorified practice against the Baltimore Ravens. I mostly noticed that the play calling near the goal line when the Eagles first team offense played (one series) was business as usual with the team under Andy Reid – pass, pass, pass. In the end, if this team fails again, that type of play calling will be what people will have to blame. To be fair, they did pound the ball with the running backs on a couple short-yardage plays. Defensively, that Eagles got some pressure on Joe Flacco, and didn’t let the Ravens score a touchdown. But when the regular players get so little time, it’s impossible to tell what, if anything, that means. The only thing that is worth questioning from last night is why the game was played at all. With no off-season training, I actually thought

Rapid Fire Week-in-Review: Phillies Comeback, Eagles Receivers, NBA Europe? and Bruno Suspended

With the Eagles game tonight and not much going on, here’s a few quick thoughts on the week: • Yesterday’s comeback by the Phillies may have been the most impressive thing about the season so far. It was shaping up to be a classic getaway game – the last game of 20 games in 20 days, the end of a long road trip, and the Phillies had already put up a 8-1 record on the trip that included beating the Giants in a series, 3-1. And they went down 5-0 to the Dodgers in the first inning. To come back and win that game shows something rarely seen in sports. I don’t want to call it character, because it doesn’t really rise to that level, but it was good to see. • The Eagles signing of former Giants receiver Steve Smith, whose still recovering from micro fracture knee surgery should have fans concerned. They reportedly even reached out to Randy Moss – something they ought to keep doing. There’s no way anyone would have thought they would bother with such moves at the end of last season. Now, J

Suspension of Only Victorino is a Joke

There’s not much to add to what has already been said about the punishments doled out by Major League Baseball for Friday night’s shoving match between the Phillies and Giants. It’s a complete joke that Shane Victorino is the only guy getting a suspension, which he is currently appealing and I’m guessing will be knocked down from its current 3 games. Giants players Eli Whiteside and Ramon Ramirez were merely fined. In what might be an even more mind boggling move, MLB also fined Placido Polanco. Eli Whiteside must have a close relative working in the MLB offices to have received only a fine. Anyone with an active brain cell – just one – can watch the video and see that he was looking for a fight more than anyone on the field. Though the Phillies are downplaying it, I don’t see how Whiteside’s blatant attack on Polanco (who appeared to be jogging onto the field in the same mode as everyone else until Whiteside went at him) isn’t directly related to the third baseman missing the last t

Phils Win 3 of 4 in San Francisco

In what I thought was a big series for the Phillies over the weekend, they beat the Giants, 3-1. It moved me a lot closer to the people who say don’t worry about San Francisco in the playoffs, though I’m not all the way there just yet. Except for Friday’s game, which is basically a throwaway game because Vance Worley versus Jonathan Sanchez won’t be happening in October, the Phillies scored 3, 2, and 1 runs. The other side of that is the fact that the Giants offense is almost non-existent. They are probably the only potential playoff team where it’s safe to say, yes, the Phillies can beat them 1-0 or 2-1. The problem for Philadelphia is that the Giants are the only potential playoff team they can beat that way. Of course, it’s Philadelphia so somehow the throwaway game becomes the talk of the town. Watching through heavy eyelids Friday night as the Phillies were up 4-1, I was just a little surprised to see Jimmy Rollins steal second base. Again, the Giants offense stinks. My pro

Responding to Lurie’s “State of the Eagles”

Jeff Lurie’s annual “state of the Eagles” press conference is usually as interesting as, well, Andy Reid’s post-game press conferences. Yesterday was really no different, and quite frankly listening to him generally makes me sick. Taken from the transcript of Lurie’s comments posted on philadelphiaeagles.com , here’s some of what he said and my responses: Opening remarks: " . . . The other thing is the formula the NFL has that's really the envy of all sports leagues around the world. We were able to maintain, and for all of us I think that was the most important thing. And that was that with guaranteed equal spending by all clubs and you have a sports league that doesn't favor big markets over small markets, more avid fan bases over less avid fan bases, whatever it is, we're always going to have a situation where every team at the beginning of the season is going to spend the exact same amount of money and have an equal opportunity to win big. You know, the comparab

Catching Up on the Phils

After an extended break from sports blogging, coming up with a post that sums up the Phillies season since the last post about the team is almost boring. They’re good. Really freakin’ good. And as they started to run away with the NL East, Ruben Amaro Jr. acquired Hunter Pence at the trade deadline. I honestly didn’t think the Phillies would make a move at the deadline, and thought people were dreaming thinking they absolutely had to add a bat. I just thought at some point the owners would say enough is enough. They’ve already created a pitching rotation that is something rotisserie players wouldn’t dream of. But then they do it anyway. I don’t know when we became the Yankees of the National League – admittedly without the many, many World Series championships – but, damn, it’s fun. I enjoy the everyday nature of baseball, and, like I said, it’s hard to offer a synopsis of the season so far. Instead, here’s some thoughts on the Phillies: • Can I say it again? I just love Chas

McNabb, National Media Love Affair Continues

Leave it to Donovan McNabb to take passive aggressive shots at the Eagles. This morning on Mike and Mike, the former Eagles quarterback alluded to potential problems awaiting the team as they try to satisfy the three star cornerbacks now on the roster. I don’t have the exact quote, but he essentially said, you can have a lot of guys on one team but if the chemistry’s not there you won’t be as good as you think. Then, of course, Mike Greenberg kissed McNabb’s ass, suggesting he never had any talent around him in Philadelphia. It’s utterly amazing how the national media simply refuses to accept the fact that McNabb is the most overrated quarterback in the NFL. Weren’t they the same national pundits who couldn’t wait to praise him in Washington after he was supposedly liberated from Philadelphia? No one would dare question Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. That would be the same guy who benched McNabb for a career backup, and couldn’t wait to ship McNabb out of town. I’d like to t

Great Off-Season Won’t Be Enough for Birds

August 1 is usually a New Year’s Day of sorts for the sports world in my mind. I really didn’t think it was going to feel that way this year, but the NFL surprised everyone by ending the lockout in time for an entire season in 2011. My time off from blogging was actually mildly productive, and I hope to continue with some of the other writing efforts I’ve been working on. And since we live in a Twitter world these days – I’m tempted to say, “for better or worse,” but I’m quite sure it’s for the worse – I thought I’d try the occasional rapid fire post for a while. So, catching up with the Eagles: • I rip the Eagles front office all the time so I have to give them credit for truly being “all in” this season. Mayor Nutter does not need to plan for a parade down Broad Street or anything – I said it – but Joe Banner, Jeff Lurie, and Howie Roseman, deserve a ton of credit for the incredible free agent class they’ve brought in this year. Even Andy Reid gets a slap on the back for his inv