Disgusted By Dawkins

"Everything you did and everything you said is bullshit." - This is a not so memorable quote from Rudy, as stated by the scrub, Jim, that Rudy eventually replaces on the roster. Unfortunately I am applying this not so memorable quote to quite possibly the most memorable Eagle in recent memory - Brian Dawkins.

Dawk was a man who left his heart and soul out there on the field, and one of the few that brought it with him into the locker room too. He cried when he signed contract extensions, cried when he thought about retiring, and seemed to be the opposite of a prototypical professional football player. He made the Philadelphia Eagles synonymous with his name and vice versa. While not unheard of, there aren't many players who have the loyalty and passion that Dawkins showed year in and year out.

Personally, I have given Dawkins a hard time for being old and losing a step. I went off on him in our first loss of the year to Dallas and his inability to cover TO or Jason Witten. I forgave him and apologized (as I do to the TV pretty often) and learned to appreciate his "big game" tendencies. He forced fumbles, intercepted passes, and flung through the air like his alter ego Wolverine to tackle the opposing team time after time.

But that is over now. The man that we thought bled green actually did end up bleeding green - it’s all about the Benjamin’s. Dawkins, an emotional, spiritual, and Philly-type-of-a-character signed his legacy away when the Denver Broncos signed him. I can understand a veteran signing with a perennial champion to chase that elusive Super Bowl ring, but this does B-Dawk no good. The Broncos finished 8-8 and should have been 7-9 if not for a bad call against the Chargers. Brian Dawkins will find himself in a crappy division with a brand new head coach and a hot and cold quarterback. Don't let anyone tell you this is about winning - it's about money.

Many blame the Eagles for not showering him with the dough, but remember - Dawkins is almost 36, well past the normal expiration date for any football player. With regards to his recent Pro-Bowl season, he deserved it based on merit. Quinten Mikell had better numbers and was more reliable that Dawkins, but I'm sure Mikell would be the first to tell you that Dawkins deserved the pro-bowl because of his heart and passion. No arguments there.

While this may be a sad day for Eagles fans, try to look at it as a step forward. Dawkins instilled his wisdom to the rest of the secondary and they have become a feared group for it. Look for Mikell to take over part of Dawkins' prior role of motivator. Dawkins resurrected himself at the end of last year. Let's not forget the beginning of the year where we thought it might be 2 years too much for Wolverine. He has not been consistent, has missed training camp over and over, and is not an investment. 1 year, yes of course. 5 years from the Broncos? Gimme a break.

2/3 of the world is covered by water; the other third is covered by Brian Dawkins. What a statement. Perhaps in 10 years we can look back on a statement like that and appreciate him for what he was. For right now, and for the rest of his career, Brian Dawkins is a liar and a name that will draw deep sighs and head shakes from the always-disgruntled Philadelphia fans - you know the ones that actually bleed green.

Are the Flyers For Real?

I don't enjoy writing this any more than you will enjoy reading it. But it is something that needs to be said. The Flyers are not that good. Sure they are 4th in the conference and have a shot at overtaking the Devils for the Atlantic Division title. Sure they have 6 players with 17 or more goals. Sure they have far and away the most shorthanded goals in the NHL. Sure Daniel Briere has not even played this season.

Here are my main gripes with the Orange and Black thus far.

My problem with the Flyers is that they are a "points" team, not a "win" team. 31 wins is just alright. It is the 9 overtime losses that kill me. Take away those 9 overtime loss points, and we are tied with Pittsburgh for 10th in the Eastern Conference. And folks come playoff time, points don't win you playoff series. An overtime loss in the playoffs means that you are one game closer to elimination. This team needs to start solidifying their dominance from start to finish and stop with the uninspired fluky play. The past two games the Flyers and "hot handed" Martin Biron have given up 3 goals in the second period alone. This is after taking leads and being given opportunities to score. Good teams just don't allow slides like this to happen. I will give the Flyers credit however, for coming back to dominate the third period against the Sabres. But why put yourself in that position?

Goaltending. Now I am not in any way, shape, or form for trading our number 2 overall draft pick James vanRiemsdyk for inconsistent Kari Lehtonen of the Hotlanta Thrashers. That would be one of the worst moves in Flyers history. But one of our two underachieving goalies needs to step up. I vote for Antero Nittymaki. This is the MVP of the '06 Winter Olympics and a Calder Cup winner for the Phantoms. I think that he needs to be shown the confidence to be the number 1 starter for the team, without having to look behind his back. As for Biron, there isn't a nicer guy on the team. His personality and kindness really speaks a lot about this man as a person. But as a goalie he flat out sucks. He doesn't have a strength and in my eyes he has never proven himself. Two good playoff rounds last year isn't enough for me to have full trust in a career backup. Biron doesn't control rebounds, makes saves that not even he realizes he's making, and as soon as he lets one goal in the rest of the cards that hold up the house crumble. I am nervous with him in net because he is flat out not dominant. He gets hot, but you never know when he'll start to cool off. Sorry Marty.

Defense. Kimo Timonen may get the points, but I haven't seen the premiere defenseman that we saw from him last year. His shot isn't there and he hasn't been shut-down for long stretches of time this year. Randy Jones is probably the most frustrating blue-liner this team "boasts." This man makes too many bone-headed passes in our own zone and has trouble controlling the puck in the offensive zone. He just doesn't seem all there at times.

Just some notables and desires from a passionate fan...

Not to get too nit-picky but... where has Jeff Carter gone? 0 goals in his last 5, and just 2 goals in his last 9. Those wristers just don't seem to be finding the lanes that they were earlier in the year. I love you Jeff, and I've always supported you. But please don't fall into your streaky play that has defined you over the past 3 years. Personal goals can be unhelpful to teams, but putting this team on your shoulders can help elevate you to 50 goals. Give yourself a bar to meet and work towards it.

Let's get Braydon Coburn some more shots on goal. I see a powerful slapshot with some accuracy on days when he's feeling it. Some better designed power play shots for him might help break the slump that the 3rd ranked power play has been experiencing.

I'm not denouncing my support and belief of this team by any means. I am simply stating that they are not playing up to their potential. More goals, more power play goals, and Nittymaki stepping up.

Elton Bust

The big news on the front that shouldn't have shocked anyone is that Elton Brand, the 80 million dollar man, is out for the rest of the season - playoffs included. As I have spent a lot of time complaining about Brand ever since we signed him, it got me thinking... is this the worst big name signing in recent memory of Philadelphia sports? I'll be going down what is an unfortunately long list of big name signings and trades that haven't, ah, panned out is the term we will use here. In terms of "recent memory," I will only be including athletes from the past decade.

Elton Brand was the prize of the offseason. When the Sixers locked him up for 5 years and maxed out their salary cap with a cool 82 million dollar deal. Fans were somewhat excited to see the former College Player of the Year, but also a little worried about his ruptured Achilles tendon that he was apparently recovered from. Reason to worry? Hell yes, we just learned. This man is injury prone as can be. His numbers are down from his career averages and the Sixers record has been better without him than with him. Iggy was a different player with him on the court, and not for better. With 4 years left to prove something before his career is over, the verdict is not out on Brand yet. I'll tell you one thing though - Philadelphia is not a place where you are welcomed with open arms when you sustain injury after injury with a contract like Elton has.

Peter Forsberg signed a 2-year 11.5 million dollar contract to bring the Cup back to Philadelphia and finish what he never got a chance to start, when he was traded to the Quebec Nordiques (who later became the Colorado Avalanche) along with Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Chris Simon, Kerry Huffman, Steve Duchesne, a 1st round pick in 1993 and 1994, oh and a cool 15 million dollars all in exchange for Eric Lindros. The return of Forsberg, who won two Cups with the Avalanche proved to be a failure, as the Fly Guys lost in 6 games to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs. The following year the Flyers had their worst season in team history. Forsberg complained, and I quote, that "my boot doesn't fit." The center's chronic foot problems allowed him to play in just 40 games in the season to forget. I am far from a fan of this diva. Philadelphia is a place for the Chase Utley's and Allen Iverson's who play through injury after injury and give it their all. Peter - a "boot" that doesn't "fit" is not a good excuse to not play for the team that is playing you over 5 million dollars. The only solace in Forsberg came in Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent, who the Flyers received when they traded "Foppa" to Nashville. Verdict: BUST

Glenn Robinson was brought to the Sixers to be the second option behind Allen Iverson. That sentence recurred a lot over A.I.'s tenure in Philly eh? "Big Dog" posted career lows in points, games, and rebounds in his only season with the Sixers. He was traded to the Hornets the next year. Verdict: BUST

Takeo Spikes was once a big name linebacker for the Bengals and the Bills. When he decided he didn't want to be a part of the rebuilding process in Buffalo, he was shipped here. While his stats were decent, he lived up to his injury prone stamp when he tore his rotator cuff in week 14. No playoffs, no pro bowl, no great memory of Takeo. Verdict: Waste

Freddy Garcia came to the Phillies in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for deemed head case and underachiever Gavin Floyd. Just a year after leading the "other Sox" to their first World Series Championship in 88 years. Add him to an inexperienced and unproven Phillies rotation and hey - what could go wrong? Everything. Freddy started just 11 games. He brought us the infamous 10-million-dollar win, as he went 1-5 before being shut down with a shoulder injury for the rest of the season. Two years removed, Gavin Floyd picks up 17 wins for the Sox and boasts an era in the 3's. Verdict: MEGA-BUST - but I'm not complaining. World Champs baby.

Other names to consider who were not considered stars when they came here...

Adam Eaton - We basically shoved 24 million dollars in his face and told him he was starting. Now in his final year of the contract, he may not even be at spring training.

Chris Webber - Knee problems and dwindling speed and numbers added up to boo induced career with the Sixers.

David Bell - A 4 year 17 million dollar contract for someone who didn't shave, didn't play, looked like a drunken mess at the plate, and was not good enough in the field.

Kevin Millwood - Coming off an 18 win season for the Braves, the Phils traded for this country man. He went 23-18 over two years for the Phils. It seems we paid Millwood enough money throw a no-hitter in the Vet. And that's it. The only memory he provided.

Keith Van Horn - One season, no defense... and yeah. That about sums him up.

Steelers Parade

I have an hour-and-a-half break in between classes and I was not intending to write a post. I was intending to prepare for a presentation for my Business Communications class. But turning on the television while I had some Special K, I flipped to the Steelers Super Bowl victory parade. I did not attend, because I am not a Steelers fan. I do not want to feel worse about my football team. That is the same reason I did not even look at the riot just two blocks from my apartment, I want my first football riot to be for the Eagles, not for jealousy.

First and foremost, congratulations to the Steelers. I am more than jealous, despite the Phillies high that I am still coming down from. Being in Pittsburgh for (another) Steelers Super Bowl victory really made me realize that we need a championship. More on that in another post. What I want to comment on, is how the Phillies parade dwarfed this one.

Pittsburgh is a tiny city in comparison to the millions that inhabit Philly, so it stands to reason that the 250,000 that showed up for the '06 parade wasn't anywhere close to the 2 million plus that swarmed Broad Street.

Having said all of that, Pittsburgh did create an intimate feeling with their fans at the parade. Rather than using giant vehicles and buses, they used small cars and SUVs. Not to belabor the point, but it was sorta cute. The street that the steelers paraded down was much smaller than Broad Street and the fans were much closer to the players. The players did get to talk into microphones so everyone could hear at the parade, but I haven't heard anything inspired. It has basically been the same phrases over and over...

"One for the other thumb!"

"Here we go Steelers, Here we go!" (which was said so many times that the crowd stopped chanting along)

"We have six Super Bowls!"

"This one is for the fans!"

Personally, I excuse them, because the truth of it is that the Steelers are used to winning. It's hard to say anything noteworthy or memorable when everything has already been said. These players are basically adding to their legends, building on their foundation. Most of this team has already won the Vince Lombardi Trophy. This championship did not get any monkeys off the city's back, nor did it end a combined drought longer than any other city's sports put together. One more Super Bowl with this core and it will become known as a dynasty.It is a luxury that I would very much like to have - who wouldn't love to have championship parades become old hat? I know I would never get sick of championship after championship. Good for Pittsburgh, I am officially jealous of your football success. Without the Steelers, the city's identity is largely taken away, and that is no slight to the city. They have a tremendous fan base and they care just as deeply about their football team as Philadelphians do. In my opinion the top football "nations" of America are Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay. The teams Sunday performance every week dictate these city's moods for the rest of the week. It's a fact. Without the Eagles, Steelers, and Packers, the characteristics of the city changes.

Maybe if the Phillies win it all again, we won't have anything memorable than "just another ring." Maybe Brett Myers won't cry at the podium, Chase Utley won't swear on live TV, Pat Burrell (obviously) won't feel the tension of the city taken off of his shoulders. Who knows? Hopefully we get to find out. I do know that if the Eagles become World Champs, that the parade would be just as dramatic and emotional as the Phillies. There would be moments hard to duplicate, tears cried that can never fall down the cheek the same way again. An Eagles Super Bowl parade would be like no other NFL franchise. We have never won it all, we have never experienced the Super Bowl elation.

We need a Super Bowl.

Super Bowl XLIII

Not much time to write this post but I'll offer some quick thoughts and predictions, and ultimately my game score.

-Most importantly, the coin toss will be heads.

-Steelers need to put double coverage on Larry Fitzgerald and let Boldin beat them.

-Steelers do not need to blitz a lot, Warner is the best QB in the league against the blitz, and that's by far.

-Blitz Roethlisberger and hit him hard. He gets thrown off his game if he is hit a lot. He is great game manager when asked to be, but not when he is hit a lot. Look at the Eagles game earlier this year, 8 sacks.

My score 27-24 Steelers.

One defensive TD by the Steelers, two offensive and two field goals.

Three Offensive TD's by the Cardinals and one field goal.

I am rooting for the Cardinals for my own sanity here at the University of Pittsburgh.