A Very Brief Review of the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles

I think we can all agree that when we look back on the 2007 Eagles season, all we'll be able to think is "If only this..." or "We should have that..." It was 4 months filled with heartbreak, disappointment and a lot of underachieving. And not even a 3-game winning streak to finish the year could make up for any of it. I bet at the beginning of the season if I were to tell you the Eagles would win at Dallas, at New Orleans and vs. Buffalo to finish the season, you would think they were a shoo-in for at least a playoff berth. I mean, the rest of the schedule wasn't that bad. But lo, for the second time in three years, the players will be watching the playoffs instead of partcipating.

The tone for the dismal season was set right away in the form of an UGLY 16-13 loss to Green Bay. Two muffed punts of all things did us in. And that's exactly how the rest of the season would go. Little things like that would continue to plague us until it was too late to recover. So here is my very brief season review. Hope it brings back good/bad memories.

THREE BEST GAMES OF THE SEASON:

3) November 11 - Eagles 33, Redskins 25
The Eagles sat at 3-5 halfway through the season, desperately needing a strong start to the second half of the season to keep their playoff hopes afloat. And thanks to a great performance by Donovan McNabb, they did just that. Despite falling behind 25-20 with just 4 minutes to play in regulation, McNabb found Brian Westbrook in the flat on the ensuing drive, and Westbrook broke it for a 57-yard touchdown to put Philly up 26-25. The Eagles got the ball back and scored again to seal a 33-25 victory. McNabb went 20/28 for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns with zero INTs. The comeback win put the Eagles at 4-5, only a game behind Washington and in the thick of the playoff hunt.

2) September 23 - Eagles 56, Lions 21
After dropping their first two games, the Eagles assured the fans they still had the offensive firepower to compete. McNabb threw 4 TD passes in the first half en route to a perfect QB rating for the game. Westbrook ran for 110 yards and 2 TDs. But the real story was the emergence of Kevin Curtis, who exploded for 11 catches, 221 yards and 3 TD receptions. The Eagles led 42-21 at halftime and didn't allow the Lions to come back in the second half. Philly got its first win of the season.

1) December 16 - Eagles 10, Cowboys 6
Of course this is the best win from 2007. Anytime you pull off an upset of the best team in the conference, let alone the Cowboys, it's pretty damn good. At 5-8 and with almost no shot at a postseason berth, the Eagles came out and derailed Dallas's plans to gain home-field advantage through the playoffs. A 7-3 lead at halftime never got bigger, but Dallas never regained the lead in the second half, and Westbrook's brilliant maneuver at the goal line just before the two minute warning sealed the most satisfying win of the season.

THREE WORST GAMES OF THE SEASON (this was not easy to wittle down)

3) October 21 - Bears 19, Eagles 16
This wasn't bad as so much the Eagles didn't play well, but instead they completely blew a hard-earned victory in the end. With a chance to get to 3-3, the Eagles trailed Chicago 12-9 late in the 4th quarter. Unable to reach the endzone all day, McNabb orchestrated a final drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Matt Schobel with just under 5 minutes remaining. The Eagles took a 16-12 lead over the defending NFC champions. The Bears started last drive with 1:57 to play on their own 3-yard line with a chance to win the game. And despite their offensive struggles in this game and all season, Brian Griese led the team 97 yards on the Philly defense, culminating in a TD pass with 9 seconds to play. Eagles drop to 2-4.

2) December 2 - Seahawks 28, Eagles 24
Bottom line, the Eagles should have had this one. And this was despite A.J. Feeley's absolutely horrendous performance. The Eagles let a 24-21 slip away, but found themselves in a position to win with under a minute to play. The Eagles drove the field on their final drive, getting the ball deep into the Seattle redzone with just a minute remaining. But Feeley threw his 4th interception when Lofa Tatupu picked him off at the 4-yard line, ending any Eagles chance at a win. The loss cost Philly another shot at .500, as they dropped to 5-7.

1) September 30 - Giants 16, Eagles 3
Most Philadelphia sports fans remember this as the day the Phillies triumphantly clinched the NL East for the first time in 14 years. However, later that night, there would be an equally disgraceful performance. McNabb was sacked 12 times, six times by Osi Umenyiora. The Eagles generated nothing on offense all game, settling for a field goal in the 4th quarter to avoid being shut out. To put things in perspective, Correll Buckhalter was the leading rusher AND receiver in this one. This certainly made everyone forget about the 56-point outburst the week before.

THE GOOD FROM 2007

Brian Westbrook - He continues to remind us why he's an elite running back even though people keep overlooking him. Rushed for 1333 yards and 7 TDs, and caught 90 balls for 771 yards and 5 TDs. His 2104 total yards from scrimmage is an Eagles franchise record. He was the lone consistent performer on this offense all season. Thankfully he was not passed on for a Pro Bowl spot.

Trent Cole - The Eagles have an emerging star in Cole. He led the team with 13 sacks, giving him 25.5 for his career in just three seasons with Philly. And he's only 25, meaning he could be doing this sort of thing for the next 5 to 7 years. He's a relentless pass rusher off the end and certainly everything we expected to get from Jevon Kearse when we signed him. The Eagles would be smart to hang on to him.

The Strong Finish - Don't try to tell me the Eagles didn't want to finish .500 for the season. Their performance in the final three games was exactly what we thought we were getting for the entire year. A great win at Dallas was followed up by delivering a shocking blow to the Saints' playoff hopes on the road. And then a final win at home against the Bills to finish at 8-8. Remember Andy Reid's first season in Philly, when the team was 3-11 and destined to finish with the same record as the year before? Well two surprising wins over the Patriots and eventual Super Bowl champion Rams gave the Eagles and upbeat finish to the season. And next year they carried that momentum to an 11-5 mark and a playoff win. Do I see a trend here? I certainly hope so.

THE BAD FROM 2007

Special Teams - Yes, we all know what happened in Week 1. But there was little improvement aside from actually catching punts. In a year where it seemed like every team was returning kicks and punts for TDs, the Eagles never once came close, except for the one Westbrook returned in the Seattle game. Truth is, if Westbrook isn't back there to return, there is no threat. Reno Mahe can catch, but he sure as hell can't break one loose. Is it because he's not good enough? Or is the coverage poor? Or maybe the reason is because John Harbaugh left his post as special teams coach. Whatever the reason, the Eagles have to find a weapon. Starting from your own 40 is much better than your own 25, but it was the latter for Philly throughout most of 2007.

Defensive Big Plays - Similar to the special teams problems. Not one TD was returned this season either via interception or fumble return. The Eagles were the only team in the league to accomplish that wonderful feat. Perhaps even worse was the complete lack of big-time plays from the defense. Jim Johnson's D is based on crazy blitz schemes that force the opponent into mistakes, which of course equal turnovers. Not this year. Only 19 takeaways all season for the Eagles, the least in the NFL. Only 11 interceptions. That element wasn't there for Philly this year, putting us at a significant disadvantage.

Jevon Kearse and L.J. Smith - Put a fork in these two. Kearse is old and presents nothing on defense. His 3.5 sacks is nothing compared to what he's getting paid. As for Smith, his once promising future is basically shot. He missed six games due to injury, but in the 10 games he actually did play in, he was ineffective. He caught one TD all year and never caught more than 4 passes in a game. Expect these two to be cut.

And that list could go on. Reggie Brown, Lito Sheppard and David Akers all had disappointing years. Home field advantage was non-existant. Brian Dawkins may be too old. Takeo Spikes wasn't exactly a big-time linebacker in the middle. But of course, the big issue is Donovan McNabb.

What do we make of McNabb's season? Well, here are his stats:
89.9 QB rating, 3324 yards, 61.5 comp pct, 19 TDs, 7 INTs, 14 games

Statistically speaking, McNabb had one of the best seasons of his career. And he completed over 60 percent of his passes for just the second time in his career. So how can the fans say he's done if those stats are true? To me it seems as if he can still throw the ball with a lot of efficiency. Sure, he had one or two HUGE games that kind of padded those numbers, but I'm pretty sure more than a handful of teams in this league would take that kind of production from their QB. And it looks like he can still move around. That run against New Orleans? Certainly looked like the McNabb of the early 00s out there. And what is there if there is no McNabb? Unproven Kevin Kolb? Feeley? Joe Banner/Jeff Lurie/Andy Reid would be wise to keep D5 in town for at least one more year. They insist the Eagles are just a couple of pieces from being a Super Bowl contender. How about give McNabb a big time receiver to complement Kevin Curtis and see where that takes us. 2007 was a disappointing season, but if the last three games are any indication, that proverbial window of opportunity is still open, albeit maybe just cracked.

-ajd

Jessica Simpson has a New Man

I found this picture on the facebook group "2/3 of the World is covered by water...the rest is covered by Brian Dawkins." Well done whoever made this picture.

New Year's Eve Daily Digest

What we've written:

• A Northeastern recap.
• Is McNabb staying or going?
• An Eagles recap.
• A Flyers and Sixers recap.

Philly themed linkage:

• Are the Eagles hypocrites?
• Indepth Eagles recap here, here, and here.
• Eva said the Sixers sucked last night, so does I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake.
• Jamie Moyer should face off in a cage match against a former teammate.

Syracuse themed linkage:

• TNIAAM's featured 'Cusian of the Year matchup today is Andrew Robinson vs. Jonny Flynn.
• Idiout Quotes of the Year. Yes the misspelling is by design.
• Paul Harris is Big East Player of the week.
• State of the Orange says these things should be outlawed.

'Cusian and Philadelphians of 2008

Part of our 2008 preview will include who bloggers think will be the most influential members of the Syracuse and Philadelphia athletic communities. I've contacted many of the blogs on our blogroll. If you read our site, I haven't contacted you, and have a Syracuse or Philadelphia blog email me at jsflemin@syr.edu with the 10 most influential people in 2008 for the city you cover.

Sixers Can't Stop the Blazers

The Trailblazers handed it to the Sixers, 97-72, for their 13th straight win. The game mirrored the teams' previous contest in which Philly overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat Portland, 92-88.

This time, the Sixers were up 45-36 at intermission but it was all Blazers in the end. A 21-0 run beginning on Portland's last points of the third quarter left Philly without an answer. The Sixers managed just nine points in the fourth-- that's not how you win basketball games. Portland's Travis Outlaw led the charge in the final period, scoring 10 points (including a sweet dunk over Rodney Carney).

The loss snaps a three game win-streak for the Sixers. Andre Iguodala led Philly with 24 points and Andre Miller continued his solid play with 17 and 11 assists. The Sixers finish up 2007 against the Sonics.

Nittymaki gets it done

As the time ticked away in the third period of a scoreless game between the Flyguys and Florida, I was trying to guess who would score if we were to get a goal in this one. I was thinking Briere or Lupul in dramatic fashion, or maybe Richards or Upshall as one of the young guys coming through.

But Derian Hatcher??

Yes, it really happened, a great play by the veteran defenseman gave the Flyers a 1-0win over the Panthers today. Not a conventional goal by any means, but that's exactly what Philly needed in a game where nothing else was getting past Tomas Vokoun. Of course, the real drama happened in the dying seconds of regulation.

With an extra attacker in the last minute, Florida put immense pressure on net. Several scoring chances emerged in the final minute, but everyone of them was turned away by Antero Nittymaki, who made a whopping 38 saves on the afternoon. I was screaming at the TV for a good 60 seconds. The Panthers were relentless in their quest to light the lamp, and they did everything they could right up until the clock read triple zeros. Great job by the backup Nittymaki to come in and get a well-deserved win on Biron's off-day.

So we have a nifty three-game winning streak going here. At 19-14-4, we've crept within three points of the damn Devils (albeit so has Pittsburgh and the Rangers). We're also the 5th seed in the East as of today (though, again, only 4 points ahead of the 13th seed in the East in this absurdly close race). The critical matchup will be after a 4-day rest when the Flyers head hit the road to face New Jersey. The Devils have taken the last three games from Philly, so hopefully the Flyers can get one back on Friday.

8-8...whatever

My season in review post will probably come tomorrow, so for now I'll just reflect on the final game of the Eagles 2007 season. A 17-9 win over Buffalo wasn't very exciting, but the Eagles showed flashes of why they could have had a great season (and flashes of why they did not have a great season).

Donovan McNabb was relatively solid. My only issue was his interception in the red zone. Not a smart play by a veteran QB who should know NEVER to make that throw when you're that close to the endzone. That's one reason we came up short this season. Too many drives were killed with senseless turnovers (whether it be on McNabb's or Feeley's shoulders). Our redzone offense struggled this year, and that play was just a microcosm of the problems we have had.

Otherwise, good game from D5. He made some great throws, particularly the fade to Westbrook with Aaron Schobel covering him and the final throw to Greg Lewis which sealed the deal. He still has the game to be a starter, and I would hate to see him go. More on this heated topic at a later date.

I have always said Jim Johnson plays the "bend-don't-break" style of defense, and it was very evident today. Plenty of big plays given up between the 20s, but once again lock-down defense near the goal lines, a staple of the Eagles D since Johnson took over in 1999. Granted, we played the Bills, whose offense actually stinks, but to hold the opposition to only field goals is always good in the NFL.

So we're done. Another Eagles season has come to a close. And this was maybe the most maddening, disappointing season in awhile for Philly (on par with the 2005 debacle). I'll have plenty to write about it tomorrow when I feel like doing research. And then of course we'll preview what's to come for the Eagles in 2008.

Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon Should Not Announce Games Together

I pretty sure that's the biggest thing I got out of watching the Eagles-Bills game today.

Donovan McNabb looked solid again today. He looks like he's really starting to get his accuracy back. In years past, when he missed a wide receiver, he's always would under throw him. Earlier this year, when his accuracy was really off, he started over throwing wide receivers. He' started to under throw guys again which to me is a good sign if that makes sense.

Late in the fourth quarter when McNabb hit Greg Lewis down field, he showed he's still got great awareness. As soon as Lewis got off the line McNabb knew where he wanted to go with the ball. Lewis got two steps on his man and McNabb recognized with Lewis's speed that's all he needed to get the ball to Lewis. McNabb put the ball right where Lewis could catch it easily.

Earlier this year I wasn't sure what I wanted the Eagles to do with McNabb. As of three weeks ago, I was leaning towards the Eagles should probably cut ties if they could get something good in return through trade.

The last three weeks showed Donovan can still play and deserves another year with this team. I think he's a definite upgrade over A.J. Feeley and the "QB of the future" Kevin Kolb. I was at training camp this year almost every day covering it for ESPN radio. At training camp I saw McNabb and Kolb everyday running the same drills. Kolb just couldn't hit his wide receivers in simple 7 on 7 drills. Kelly Holcomb and A.J. Feeley had no problem doing it, but Kolb couldn't. Kolb didn't show much of a deep ball either. Now I understand, this was Kolb's first training camp, but when he's their top draft pick and "QB of the future," he should be able to easily hit wide receivers in non-contact drills.

The Eagles should have waited a year to draft McNabb's heir. There are much better QB's in the draft this year. I think Brian Brohm, Andre Woodson, Matt Ryan, and Colt Brennan should all prove to be better NFL quarterbacks than Kevin Kolb.

Syracuse Makes Huskies Lay Down and Play Dead

Syracuse rides a very strong second half to victory against Northeastern.

S.U. outscores N.U. 51-32 in the second frame behind strong performances from Paul Harris and Scoop Jardine. Jardine scored 18 filling in for Eric Devendorf on seven of eleven shooting. Harris got the closest to a triple-double as any member of the Orange probably will all year. He hit the glass hard all game, grabbing 15 rebounds, scoring 19 points - many of those on put backs - and 7 assists.

The 'Cuse once again shot very well from the field and got to the free throw line a lot. They shot 57% from the field and got to the line an astounding 38 times. They struggled a bit at times from the charity strip at just 66%. Arinze Onuaku was the biggest culprit again missing half of his eight free throws.

Northeastern shot well from the floor in the first half which kept the game close. A Johnny Flynn bucket with a second left in the half game Syracuse the lead going into the locker room 44-42.

It didn't take long for the Orange to get going in the second half. A 14-5 run to start the second frame gave the Orange the lead they would relinquish.

It was a good day for the Orange in several areas they have struggled. Three point shooting has been issue, but not today. The 'Cuse sank four of nine shots from beyond the arch. They also kept the turnovers down in a high paced game, turning it over just ten times.

Next up? St. John's Wednesday in the Dome.

Saturday's CuseAdelphia Game of Interests and Daily RPI report

I discovered there is a real time site that does both men's and women's college basketball. So from now on you'll get a nightly an RPI report for both Jimmy B's and Coach Q's teams.

Jimmy B's squad's RPI: 12th
Surprise team ahead of them: Mississippi at 11th. People knew Mississippi would be good, but undefeated good heading into conference play? All they have is one game against win less Alabama A&M between an undefeated non conference schedule. Wins against Clemson and South Alabama highlight their schedule.
Surprise team way behind them: Florida at 123rd. The two time reigning champs have only played two games against a team with some meat and they lost both to Florida State and Ohio State. There best win? Home against Temple. That's a great resume there they are building in Gainsville.

Coach Q's squad's RPI: 24th. That's right. I said 24th. Impressive eh?
Surprise team ahead of them: North Carolina at 21. It's not that the Tar Hells are ahead of them, its the fact that this top five team is only 21st.
Surprise team way behind them: Arkansas at 89. The Razorbacks are undefeated but only 89th in the RPI. Why? No games yet against RPI top 100 teams. Yikes. They are the lowest rated undefeated team.

Games of Interest:
NCAAB:
Ohio State 92, UMBC 83. Ohio State continues to win, making Syracuse's loss not look to bad.

Georgetown 78, American 51. Georgetown continues its joke of a schedule against American.

Marquette 77, Savannah State 37. See Georgetown with a slightly tougher schedule.

Washington 73, LSU 65. Syracuse's win against Washington looks better every time the Huskies score another win.

Louisville 67, Iona 36. Louisville finally starting to get things going after a slow start.

Virginia Tech 54, St. John's 48. Yuck. St. John's losing to probably the ACC's worst team and scoring only 48 points while doing it.

Depaul 70, Detroit 64. Depaul wins! Depaul wins! They are bad, you might here that once, maybe twice in Big East play.

Oklahoma 88, West Virginia 82. (Double OT) The Mountaineers fall at home. They were the number one team rating wise team using Ken Pomeroy's statistics. Sometimes his stats do lie (not often though), they didn't take in the fact that they've also played nobody this year.

(25) Rhode Island 85, Georgia Southern 80. Nice win for the Rams, again helps Syracuse. Georgia Southern is a pretty decent team from the Southern Conference.

South Florida 87, Winston-Salem 48. The Bulls are looking half decent behind Kentrell Gransberry. In an 18 game Big East Schedule 8 or 9 wins for this team wouldn't surprise me.

Notre Dame 87, Brown 54. Fighting Irish 9-2, again they haven't really played anyone. Two of their three truly losable games, they've lost.

Villanova 71, La Salle 58. See almost every other Big East team under strength of schedule.

Pitt is losing by 20 right now to Dayton. Cincy in progress against Miami OH.

NBA:
Toronto, New Jersey, and Boston in progress. Their scores up later.

NHL:
Islanders 5, Devils 2. Flyers move to within five points of Devils.

Rangers 6, Maple Leafs 1. Rangers are now two points ahead of the Flyers in the division.

Saturday's Daily Digest

What we've written:

• Kyle Korver is gone.
• Women's Basketball continues to dominate.
• 76ers Recap.
• John Harbaugh is staying.
• Flyers-Tampa Bay recap.
• Games you should care about and a nightly RPI

What's going on in Philly:

• Is Lito on his way out of Philly?
• Westbrook wants McNabb to stay, do you?
• Troy Nunes was described as a magician, how bout Jon Dorenbos.
• Another look at the Korver deal.
• Another very good 76ers recap from last night.
• The Sports Hernia has a unique look at the Sixers trade.

And some news from the 'Cuse:

• Three Idiots on Sports give their year in review.
• Cuse Scoops has a list you do and don't want to see at the same time.
• Perry Patterson has a brother.

Harbaugh Stays Put

John Harbaugh will not being going to UCLA as their new head coach. Harbaugh, the secondary coach for the Eagles, interviewed for the spot, but UCLA named Rick Neuheisel head coach.

John Harbaugh would have joined his brother in the PAC-10 as his brother Jim is the head coach for Stanford.

Movin' On Up

Yes, one win can catapult you to bigger and better things if you're in the new NHL. Our Flyguys did just that today, with a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay. We're out of the basement and tied for second in the division just like that.

I could get used to this "finish strong" mentality the team has suddenly adopted after blowing lead after lead for the last two weeks. A 2-1 lead entering the third made me a bit nervous, especially on the road, but you gotta love the aggressiveness right out of the locker room. Two quick goals (one with an extra attacker because of a delayed penalty - way to take advantage) eased the tension pretty fast.

We were fortunate to be in that position though; we looked like the lesser of the two teams in the first two periods. The Lightning seemed quicker and hungrier, but that peculiar John Tortorella timeout seemed to spark something for the Flyers (Keith Jones made note of it in the broadcast).

And of course, another solid performance by Joffrey Lupul, the most underrated off-season acquisition on the team. Yet another multi-point output. Hard to believe his season +/- is right around even. It seems like only good things happen when he's on the ice.

18-14-4, 40 points, T-2 in the Atlantic. Five points behind the stinkin' Devils, tied with Pittsburgh and the Rangers. Back in action tomorrow on the road against the Florida Panthers. And wouldn't ya know it, but the win moves us from 9th in the conference to 6th. Let's ride this winning streak through the weekend before we're off for four days.

-ajd

Kyle, Join the Club...

What do Keith Van Horn, Matt Harpring, and Kyle Korver all have in common? I'll give you a hint-- they don't all share Korver's good looks. But they just so happen to be perimeter shooters who have followed the same path from the Sixers to the Jazz.

Just when you think things are peachy-keen in Sixerland and the team might not need so much rebuilding afterall, this happens. Ed Stefanski announces the Kyle Korver trade just four days before his team takes on Korver's new squad, the Jazz.

I don't like this trade one bit. With Billy King (finally) out of the picture, I thought my days of complaining about poor moves for the Sixers were over. Gordan Giricek and Utah coach Jerry Sloan were not on good terms after an in-huddle argument during the Jazz's game against Charlotte. Giricek was benched for three games. Now we all know Jerry Sloan's got a temper. One of the first live NBA games I ever saw was against the Jazz and Sloan was tossed. From that moment on he was labeled an angry man in my book. Chances are he overreacted to whatever the disagreement was with Giricek, but how can we be sure? Why trade for a potentially problem-causing player who only averages 4.3 PPG and has been a DNP-CD 13 times this season? It makes no sense.

True, the Sixers get a first round pick out of it. But what the world doesn't realize is.... what did Ed Stefanski do for the Nets after he took over as GM? No draft picks of note. Plus, they didn't get past the conference semis in the playoffs under Stefanski, so no first round draft pick was helping them there.

It just doesn't make sense. The Sixers didn't need to trade for a player like Giricek who, in his young age, already appears past his prime. I hope he proves me wrong.

Even more, I hope this trade is just acquiring the necessary pieces to make a bigger trade and acquire a star-caliber player or close to it. If not, at least the Sixers will have more cap room this summer-- Giricek is in the final year of his contract. Now they'd better use the cap space and use it well.

Looking at this trade from the perspective that it is only this trade and nothing else: Ed Stefanski gets a D for his first move as Sixers GM. And that's only because I'm too nice to give him an F.

~emz

Kyle Korver Traded

Kyle Korver has been traded to the Utah Jazz for Gordan Giricek and a first round pick. This is the first move of new general manager Ed Stefanski. Giricek has seen his minutes drop this, playing just 12 per game and averaging four points per game. We'll have more on this later.


Gordan Giricek has had issues with coach Jerry Sloan during December. His feud culminated in Sloan sending him to the locker room December 19th. He hasn't played since. The move was to get Giricek out of Utah and it seems like the Jazz were willing to pay a price to get him out. They surrendered a first round pick which should turn out to be more valuable to the Sixers than Kyle Korver.

Syracuse Beats Siena Again

This time, it's the ladies who get the job done against Siena. Coach Q's teams got it done a little easier then the men did posting a 78-59 win. The Orange fell behind early 15-11, but went on a big 30-11 run during the first half to make it 40-22. From there S.U. never looked back as the lead rarely dipped below 15 points the rest of the game.

Newcomer Chandra Jones led the attack again scoring 24 and grabbing 12 boards. She was out rebounded by teammate Fantasia Goodwin who pull down 14 rebounds and scored 19 points.

S.U. severely struggled from the field in the second half, shooting just 22.2%, but Siena bailed them out by sending the Orange to line 34 times in the second half. The 'Cuse did struggle from the line hitting just 22 of 34 free throws, but it was enough to put Siena to bed. Syracuse also out-rebounded Siena 49-31.

The win is their 10th in a row and the Orange are off to an 11-1 start with the only loss to UNC. The Orange close out their non-conference schedule on the last day of 2007 against St. Bonaventure. Conference play will begin next Saturday against Louisville.

It's all about the Bench-amins, baby!

Two weeks ago Sacramento stormed into the Wachovia Center and took its first road win of the season. Mikki Moore tied a career high with 24 points and Brad Miller had a double-double with 25 and 10. Tonight those two combined for just 16 points as the Kings struggled to penetrate the Sixers zone all night.

The Sixers opened their six-game western swing with a 92-80 win over the Kings. The game stayed close until a 19-4 fourth quarter run put Philly up for good. A couple of guys crucial to that run were Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young, who helped the Philly bench along to 31 points (more than doubling the Kings bench).

I'll tell you something-- Lou Williams gains more confidence and gets better with each game. I was very VERY critical of him at first because I thought it would have been in his best interest to spend at least a year in college and beef up a bit. He did not impress me in his first two seasons, with a stint in the D-League and minimal production. With the departure of Allen Iverson and the uncertainty of Andre Miller's future with the team, "Sweet Lou" has taken the opportunity to play and run with it.

Thaddeus Young also has some major potential. His recent increase in playing time has been great for his development. He's a scrappy player. But enough on that for now, more player analysis to come in the 2008 team preview.

The Sixers have won three in a row and are 8-3 in their last 11 games.

The surging Trailblazers await the Sixers in Portland for a Sunday afternoon matchup. They’ve won 12 in a row and go for the baker’s dozen against Philly. A win over the Blazers could put the ever-improving Sixers on the radar for the rest of the NBA. Will Mo Cheeks' return to Portland be a successful one? Only time will tell.

~emz

Tonight's CuseAdelphia Games of Interest and nightly RPI update

Every night I'll provide the NBA, NHL, and college basketball scores that a CuseAdelphian should be aware of. They'll be the scores of division foes, conference foes, or non conference opponents of Syracuse basketball. I'll also give a SyracuseRPI update to the minute.

Syracuse's RPI: 12
Team you would be surprised to see ahead of Syracuse: St. Mary's at number 3. The Gaels are good and have showed it with wins over Seton Hall, Drake (the Missouri Valley leader), and Oregon.
Team you should be surprised is way below Syracuse: Georgetown at 69. The Hoyas haven't played anyone outside Memphis who they lost too. They have just one other game against an RPI top 150 team.

College Basketball scores of importance:
(25) Rhode Island 92, Eastern Michigan 75. The Rams continue to win as they played their first game as a ranked team in this millennium.

St. Joesph's 74, Siena 68. I guess it's better that St. Joe's won this game from the Syracuse standpoint because St. Joe's will probably be considered the better quality win come March.

Tulane 69, Alabama St. 60. Tulane has a top 75 RPI so Syracuse's pretty convincing win against the Green Wave actually looks half decent.

UCONN 85 Central Florida 82. If you think Syracuse schedules poorly. UCONN has played two games this year they could remotely lose. A game in Boston against Gonzaga and a game in MSG against Memphis. Of course they lost both. They finally went on the road tonight to UCF and won a squeaker.

Syracuse's first conference opponent is battling with Louie McCroskey's Marist Red Foxes right. St. John's 62 Marist 59. St. John's comes back and wins it.

NHL:
Devils 2, Sabres 1. Devils take it in a shootout. Jersey moves seven points out in front of the Flyers.

NBA:
Nets 109, Wizards 106. Jason Kidd nearly records another triple-double with 20 points, 8 boards, and 12 assists. The Nets move a half a game ahead of the Sixers with the Sixers game in progress.

Friday's Daily Digest of Linkage

What we've written.

• A Syracuse Northeastern Preview.
• What we'll be doing in 2008.
• The Flyers won last night thanks to two guys.

What's going on in Syracuse.

• TNIAAM gives one solution to Syracuse's football problems.
• Rony Seikaly is a very lucky man (via Hot Clicks on S.I.)

Can't forget about Philly.

• The 700 Level says Mo Cheeks still got it.
• Beer Leaguer says Chris Coste has an autobiography.
• You'll need an energy drink and to pull an all nighter to read A Citizen's Blog recount of the Phillies 2007 season. It's definitely worth the time you'll need to read it.

Northeastern Preview

The Three Idiots on Sports already did their preview on Northeastern. They looked at some of their performances against their opponents and noted of some common opponents between Syracuse and the Huskies. I'm going to take a look at Northeastern with some of Ken Pomeroy's statistics.



What Northeastern does well: Not much frankly. They are in the top 75% percentile in the country in not turning the ball over. The Huskies give up on the ball on just under 20% of their offensive possessions. To put that into perspective, UCLA turns the ball over at the same rate and Syracuse is 190th in the nation at around 22%. For Northeastern to win this game, they are going to have be even better than their current rate of 19.7% and force Syracuse to up around 25%. That will create 8-10 extra possessions for Northeastern to score in.

Northeastern also hits the offensive boards pretty well. They are 83rd in the nation at getting to boards as they rebound 36% of their misses.

What Northeastern doesn't do well: A lot. Look for the Orange shot blockers to have a field day against this team. The Huskies are in the bottom fifth in the country at getting their shots blocked. They are 289th in the nation in block percentage at 11.8%. That means over a tenth of their possessions end in a blocked shot. Syracuse is 12th in country in defensive block percentage. It wouldn't be surprising to see double digit blocks for Syracuse, especially if this is a high tempo game. Let's see what else Northeastern does poorly. According to Ken Pomeroy's stats, they are 326th in the country in three point shooting, 212th in offensive efficiency (they are going to need a big edge in turnovers to make up for that), and 276th in allowing offensive rebounds.

General facts about how they play: They play really slow. Like snail paced slow. 64 possessions a game slow. Syracuse plays at 74 possessions a game. The Orange's game against East Tenn. State featured 90 possessions. Northeastern likes to grind out and get stops on the defensive end.

The Keys for Syracuse to come out with a win: Just clean up on the boards. Northeastern has a terrible offense, so don't give them second looks at the basket. Same thing on offense, Northeastern has a pretty solid defense, so get second looks. Syracuse might need them to put points up at times. The 'Cuse doesn't need to look to the outside shot in this game to win. Northeastern doesn't block shots very well and doesn't do a good job on the defensive glass. Give the ball down the low to the bigs and let them do their job.

The 2008 Preview: 366 Days of Posting

So it seems everyone and their mother is doing a 2007 year in review which are some of the best posts of the year, but since we here at CuseAdelphia don't have a thousand posts to link to for a year in review, we are going to preview 2008. We'll give you our complete breakdown of each team in Syracuse and Philadelphia of we think is going to happen during the upcoming leap year. We'll also pick the most influential people in the sporting community for each city. Starting January 2nd for 10 straight days we'll give you a preview of one the 8 teams, best/worst teams, and most influential figures in Syracuse and Philadelphia sports.

Thank you Joffrey

The Flyguys had a lead going into the third period tonight. Surely that translates into defeat, right? They sure looked like they were getting paid to lose leads over the last six games.

But behold, a strong third period! Joffrey Lupul netted two goals and Marty Biron stopped 34 of 35 shots in the 4-1 win tonight over the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. Can't say enough about Biron. Seems like every night this guy faces a barrage of shots from the opposition, usually in the high 20s. Sure, he'll let in some easy ones from time to time, but he's solid between the pipes for the most part and he showed it tonight. Better than Esche, that's for sure.

Saw an interesting stat from the AP report of the game. Mike Richards had an assist, tying Bobby Clarke for the team record for consecutive games with a point at home, at 16. I can't wait till this kid is the captain of the team. With him locked up through 2020, who knows how good the offense can be for years to come.

And of course, thank you Joffrey Lupul for your propensity to score multiple goals in one game. Two more tonight puts him up to 15 for the season in 35 games. He's turning into quite a playmaker for this team. Whether he's on the ice with Briere or Richards doesn't matter because he has great chemistry with either center. This was the kind of offensive production we were missing from last year.

So, the six game losing streak is snapped and the Flyers are at 17-14-4. Remarkably, we're still in the basement of this ridculously even division. We're just 5 points behind the stinkin' Devils, BUT we're also a point behind Florida for the final playoff spot. What the hell is going on? There isn't a team besides Ottawa right now that I could say will DEFINITELY make the playoffs. And it's the same way in the Western Conference.

You know the reason for this? That stupid rule that awards a point for an overtime LOSS. Worst rule in hockey. If you lose in OVERTIME, you deserve squat just like in every other sport known to man. However, if it is still tied after overtime and the game goes to a shootout and you lose the shootout, THEN you should get a point for earning what would have been a TIE in the old NHL. A little confusing, but my God, it would be better than this baloney that accomplishes nothing in seperating the best teams (6 points seperate the 2nd team and the 13th team in the East!!!!).

-ajd

Debut of the Daily CuseAdelphia Link Dump

Before I do the link dump, one quick note about this site. If you are only a fan of say one team we are writing about. You can go to the column on the left and find the team you're interested in. All our posts about that team will be found under its respective link on the left.

First What's going on in Philadelphia:

• The 700 Level takes a more in depth look of Sheldon Browns comments.
• The Fanhouse tells us the Cavs might want 76ers' Andre Miller.
• Balls, Sticks, & Stuff explains why Adam Eaton blows.
• Eagles Eye gives us some news and notes on the Iggles.
• Mike Zagurski was once part of the fattest blown save ever when he, Jose Mesa, and 6 Fingers Alfonseca all pitched the ninth inning of a game and blew a save. We Should be GM's tells us more about Zagurski.
• Like A.J. below, Sixers 4 Guidos took note of Shaq's demise.

And now for Syracuse:

• TNIAAM has a 'Cusian of the Year competition. The current matchup: Devo vs. D-Nic.
• Brian from Orange::44 is back for winter break and writing a lot.
• Cuse Chronicles has a look at the 2-3 Zone.
• State of the Orange welcomes us.
• The Big East thinks Arinze Onuaku is good.

Check those out for some high quality sports information.

Syracuse Women's Basketball Really Rocks

Who would have ever guessed that on December 27th, I would be writing the Women's team is receiving more AP votes in the polls than the men's team? Yes the women have seven votes and the men none. And why is this? Well the women's team has a sophomore by the name of Nicole Michael that had one of the best freshman seasons last year in the history of the Big East. They also brought in a top 15 recruiting class for this year and next year that I wrote about already here. The ladies stand at 10-1 with their only loss coming at the hands of North Carolina. Even that 25 point loss doesn't look as bad when you look at some of the numbers. The ladies couldn't hit a shot to save their lives that game, shooting just 22% in the first half. On the bright side they did get several of North Carolina's star players in foul trouble, forced 27 turnovers, and grabbed 24 o-boards. Not bad.

Coach Q's squad hammered Penn State 72-53, a game after the Nittany Lions came off an upset of number one ranked Duke. The S.U. lead was around 25-30 all game. The Orange pounded the boards and forced PSU into terrible shots all game.

And of course I can't forget, they won the Taco Bell Warhawk Classic in Monroe, Louisiana.

What's ahead? Well the Big East is having somewhat of a down year once you get past the top tier teams. There are only four or five legitimate threats to go to the NCAA tournament besides Syracuse. This means a 10-6 record in the Big East is certainly not out of the question. Assuming they can beat Siena and St. Bonaventure before conference play begins, a the Orange could be looking at a record somewhere around 22-7.

Not bad Coach Q, not bad at all.

Gillick's Adventures Part Two

I thought I'd also take a look at what Mr. Gillick has done with the Phillies so far. I'm going to agree with A.J. and not criticize his moves because you can really never gauge how things will work. Like who remember Danny Tartabull back in the 90's? Now I know he was around 34 when the Phillies got him, but he was coming off a great year. I don't think anyone was expecting much more than 20-25 homers out of the guy, but he was suppose to be a solid addition to the outfield. Well three games into the year he fouls a ball off his toe. He finishes his Phillies career with just 7 AB's, not hits, and four walks. He'd never play major league baseball again. Oh the Philly curse.

With all that said, here's my look into their offseason.

I was really upset when Gillick chose not to go after Aaron Rowand and give him the big bucks. I understand he wanted five years, but when you finally get a player that fits in that well with that offense, sometimes you just got to gamble and give him the money. How much the team misses him will really depend in my mind on Pat Burrell. If Pat the Bat can play as well as he did down the stretch batting out of the five hole, they won't miss Rowand too much, but if Pat struggles, this offense won't nearly be as potent as last year. Ryan Howard needs someone to give him protection and Rowand was that man.

I'm still happy with a lineup that'll go something like this:
Rollins
Victorino
Utley
Howard
Burrell
Werth/Jenkins
Dobbs/Helms
Ruiz/Coste

That lineup should still be able to produce 800-850 runs a year, if not more.

I'm with A.J. on this one, So Taguchi was a great pickup. He's a solid player and with great experience.

I actually like the bullpen this year. You figure the Phillies will have Brad Lidge closing, Ryan Madson, J.C. Romero, and Tom Gordon setting him up, with the two Durbins-J.D. and Chad to pitch 6th and 7th innings, or Eaton if he falls out of the rotation. Also they will have Scott Mathieson back as well as Clay Condrey and Francisco Rosario who has a cannon.

I'm going to address the rotation and third base in another post down the road because it is an interesting group of guys that deserve their own post.

Shaq is Shot

One thought was in my head after the Sixers' 96-85 defeat of the hapless Miami Heat: where is the real Shaquille O'Neal? That couldn't have possibly been him out there tonight. Isn't this the guy who destroyed Dikembe Mutombo and the Sixers in the paint just six years ago in the Finals? He just doesn't have it anymore. Five and ten? He's just a shell of what he once was. Now I know first-hand why the Heat is 8-21. Their HOF center is cooked. Maybe he'll wake up as the season goes on, but I doubt it.

On the plus side, the Sixers figured out how to win a close game. Andre Iguodala led the charge, scoring 28 and doing his job in the late minutes to hold of a late Miami run. I liked the bench production, especially from little-seen Calvin Booth, who provided great defensive presence off the bench with five blocks. Kyle Korver and Louis Williams each scored 13, and how about Lou's move on Dwayne Wade in the 4th quarter? That's our future starting point guard - pretty exciting. Jason Smith - seven rebounds in 17 minutes. I like him. He gets down the floor, gets physical inside, and doesn't make many mistakes. He's pretty much the opposite of the guy taken ahead of him, Thaddeus Young. The Billy King legacy lives on.

So the Sixers move to 12-16. They're a half game out of that last playoff spot in the East. What a sad conference. It's Boston, Detroit and a bunch of teams with absolutely no shot at doing anything this year. The Sixers still have something to play for though, which makes me think they're going to hold off on any potential Andre Miller trade until later (his value keeps going up thanks to games like last night, 12 and 12). Miller's sudden spike in production means he's looking to get out of Philly, but Ed Stefanski will take his time if there's any deal to be done. Let's see first if the Sixers are a playoff-caliber team. By the All-Star break we should know.

The Sixers head west now for a six-game road trip, starting with Sacramento. Mikki Moore destroyed Philly back on December 14th, but if the Sixers get the same production from Booth on the defensive end as they did last night, things could be a lot different this time around.

-ajd

Gillick's Adventures

I'm not one to criticize off-season moves right away and jump to conclusions. You just never know how it's going to turn out. That's why even though I've heard grumblings about the Phillies' acquisition of Brad Lidge for our young talent, it's a move that could turn out VERY good if things go well.

Yes, losing Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo hurts. Fastest player on the team and third baseman of the future (supposedly). But it's not like you can get a proven closer for nothing, and I think the Phils got a good deal from Ed Wade's new team.

The most obvious result of the trade: Brett Myers can now move back into the rotation. So in essence the Phils got a starter out of the deal, just by the fact that Lidge will probably be the closer. It's an upgrade to the rotation, but you can argue it makes our bullpen slightly worse (Myers > Lidge).

Look at Lidge's numbers over the past three seasons:

2005: 42 saves, 2.29 ERA
2006: 32 saves, 5.28 ERA
2007: 19 saves, 3.36 ERA

He was one of the best closers in baseball just three years ago. But the next year his numbers significantly declined. Last year, despite a good ERA, he blew 8 saves and didn't even win the closer spot on the team until July. Bottom line, if Lidge can get back to '05 form, this is a terrific deal for the Phils, but how likely is that in a pitcher's purgatory like Citizens Bank Park? Bottom line, he's a better option than Flash Gordon.

I also like the recent Pat Gillick signings: Geoff Jenkins, Chad Durbin, So Taguchi. Not great players, but I think they're guys who can be role players to complement the heavy hitters on the team.

Jenkins has the most promise of the three. He'll platoon with Jayson Werth in right field (Victorino moves to CF to compensate for the loss of Rowand), but his lefty bat will provide the Phils' offense with even more versatility. Take his 21 homers and 64 RBI from last year, combine it with Werth's production against lefties, and there's reason to believe we could see 30 homers and 100 RBI from right field. And you have to imagine Jenkins' numbers will only go up as he starts to hit in the friendly confines of the Bank.

Chad Durbin started 19 games for Detroit last year, and I have to imagine he's a better option in the rotation than Adam Eaton (isn't everything?). I wouldn't mind seeing him as the 5th starter in the rotation behind Hamels, Myers, Kendrick and Moyer. That would move Eaton to the bullpen, which would be iffy, but I think Durbin deserves the chance to start. At the very least Charlie Manuel should try it out, because I guarantee he turns out to be better as a starter than Eaton. Funny enough, he may be battling the other (J.D.) Durbin for that final starting spot.

And finally, the So Taguchi signing completes the bench (Werth, Coste, Bruntlett, Dobbs/Helms). He's a good player to have on the bench, as he batted .290 last year with an OBP of .350. Should an outfielder go down with injury, Taguchi's ability to play any outfield position makes him a valuable long-term solution to that problem (like if Victorino goes down again). He's also 37 and has been part of a World Series team, so his experience should suit the younger players well.

Gillick's moves haven't been flashy, but it looks to me as if the pieces are being put in place for another run n gun season. Pitching is still an issue - the rotation is shaky and the bullpen lacks depth. The lineup is poised to score a lot of runs again, but Gillick needs one more proven pitcher. I think adding one more big-time pitcher to either the rotation or bullpen puts the Phillies in the driver seat in the division. But they probably won't get that guy, so expect many more slugfests at the Bank in 2008.

-ajd

My First Thoughts

Hello there. My name is A.J. Donatoni and I'll be one of the writers here for CuseAdelphia. I'm a sophomore at Syracuse University and a native of Malvern, PA, which is about 45 mintues outside Philadelphia.

As a Philly sports phan for my whole life, I've had my heart ripped out at least once a year. And I haven't lived to see a parade down Broad Street. I'm still waiting for the day, because when it comes, we're going to throw a party like the city has never seen before.

I've only been a fan of SU sports for a couple years now, but the passion that Central/Upstate New York shows for SU lets me realize just how important the teams are to people. The energy at basketball games demonstrates the commitment that the people have for its sports teams, and it's exciting to witness.

Every Philadelphia team holds a place in my heart, and I will be sure to write plenty on each team. My first official post will be a review of the Phillies' offseason thus far and how they measure up to other teams in the NL East. Then, after this Sunday, I will post my thoughts on the Eagles' (maddening) season and what they have to do to return to NFC East supremacy. And seeing how it's hockey and basketball season, there will plenty of Flyers and 76ers posts to follow. For now, I leave you with a list of Philadelphia teams that have made the playoffs but failed to capture the title since I was born. The list is ridiculously long. For those of you keeping score at home, 36 times in all. 11 of those teams made it to at least their sport's conference finals. It's pretty sad.

1988 Flyers
1988 Eagles
1989 Flyers - CONFERENCE FINALS
1989 Eagles
1989 Sixers
1990 Sixers
1990 Eagles
1991 Sixers
1992 Eagles
1993 Phillies - WORLD SERIES
1995 Flyers - CONFERENCE FINALS
1995 Eagles
1996 Flyers
1996 Eagles
1997 Flyers - STANLEY CUP FINALS
1998 Flyers
1999 Flyers
1999 Sixers
2000 Flyers - CONFERENCE FINALS
2000 Eagles
2000 Sixers
2001 Flyers
2001 Eagles - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
2001 Sixers - NBA FINALS
2002 Flyers
2002 Eagles - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
2002 Sixers
2003 Flyers
2003 Eagles - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
2003 Sixers
2004 Flyers - CONFERENCE FINALS
2004 Eagles - SUPER BOWL XXXIX
2005 Sixers
2006 Flyers
2006 Eagles
2007 Phillies

-ajd

How We Are Going To Do Things Here At CuseAdelphia

My goal for my fellow writers and myself will be at least 20 posts a week, we'll probably do a lot more during college basketball season because I'll be providing nightly breakdowns of games that are important to basketball fans. Here are some features we'll most likely be doing.

• Nightly games of interest for Syracuse fans.
• As we near selection Sunday breakdowns of how Syracuse compares to other teams in the nation.
• Our ballot for the weekly Big East Blogger Poll.
• Previews and post games for Syracuse men's lacrosse, basketball, football games, and women's basketball game.
• Our thoughts on the latest news in the Syracuse world.
• Recruiting news for Football and both men's and women's basketball.
• Turning to the Philly side, post game reactions to the Flyers with select previews for certain games.
• Previews and post games for Eagles games (yes I know there's one left.)
• A draft preview for the Eagles and 76ers.
• Reactions to 76ers news, transactions, and games.
• Daily Phillies news, post game reactions, and columns.
• I'll also be creating a daily link dump around 3-5 EST everyday including weekends.
• A 2008 preview and predictions for what's in store for Syracuse and Philadelphia sports.

We'll be posting new content on here within the next couple days.

I'd like to thank Troy Nunes and Inside the Iggles for letting readers know of us.

Anything else you'd like to see us do. Comment below or e-mail me at jsflemin@syr.edu.

For now, check out every single link to the right. They are all goodies, if they weren't, they wouldn't be on the blogroll.

Inaugrual Post

If somehow you stumbled across this site and see it very bare and boring, come back in about a week and you'll see a guide to Philadelphia and Syracuse sports. We'll hopefully be officially launching this site on January 1st, 2008.