Week-in-Review: Phillies Concerns, Clueless Fans, LB Shuffle, more

          It’s time to rip off another Rapid Fire Week-in-Review:

*The Phillies have not won a game since they clinched the division, which doesn’t have me overly concerned. They’re resting players and probably bored. What does concern me is that they weren’t hitting before they clinched. This core group of players has always been streaky. Anybody who thinks they can just “turn it on” come October hasn’t been paying attention.

*It’s amazing how many fans are confident the Eagles could beat the Giants with Mike Kafka at quarterback. They see one decent drive from the guy, which came up short by the way, and they’re all convinced that the Eagles are “fine” if Kafka plays Sunday. We need Howard Eskin’s famous response as a sound drop – get a clue. Reportedly, Vick will play, and I’m still not convinced the Eagles win.

*The Eagles are reportedly shuffling all three linebackers to new positions, but nobody’s getting benched. Great, now Lamar Chaney and company can suck in new spots on the field.

*Some idiot tweeted me during the Eagles game because I criticized Juan Castillo. Apparently, it wasn’t the defensive coordinator’s fault that the Eagles were running the “Wide-9” highlighted by the broadcast that allows teams to run all over them. It’s the defensive line coach who is at fault. My mistake – I just assumed the coordinator had final say. Duh. It’s amazing the length to which people go to defend someone they support. Even if he was right, it’s only more reason to criticize Castillo if the Eagles are essentially dispersing his responsibilities.

*I’ve also been amazed by all the people calling sports talk radio to be the “tough guy” to say there was really nothing wrong with the Dunta Robinson hit on Jeremy Maclin. It’s bad enough to be ignorant, but to make a point to display it publicly is unbelievable. Concussions are a serious issue. If fans can’t comprehend that maybe they’ve had a few too many head traumas.

*Jon Marks tweeted earlier in the week that Mike Missanelli had “reported that an employee of that other station was fired after Mr Smug caught him listening to @975TheFanatic in his car.” Facebook comments suggested Smug was Glen Macnow. This is either a ratings war run amuck or totally made up, which would still be a ratings war run amuck. I’m guessing this was a bogus tale from Missanelli.

*ESPN.com reported that the “NFL sent a memo Wednesday to all 32 teams warning of fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks if the league determines players faked injuries during a game. Yet several players admit it's an accepted practice, and some coaches hinted they are not above condoning phony injuries if it provides a competitive edge.” As long as they’re not trying to call it on the field, I think this actually makes sense. If the film shows a guy suddenly running back on the field one or two plays after he limped off, I have no problem with the league taking away a draft pick.

*The Tweet of the Week comes from 97.5’s Harry Mayes, “#Saints screwed by a bull-shit ‘roughing the QB’ call on Roman Harper...flag football here we come! #NFL.”

*Finally, I just learned this week that John Gonzalez left the Inquirer to write for CSNPhilly.com. He apparently left in the summer. Way to increase the visibility, Gonzo.