Saturday, March 16, 2013
The free agent signings so far by the Philadelphia Eagles are very low-key and don't appear to return the team to stardom.
The Denver Broncos sign wide receiver Wes Welker. The Detroit Lions get Reggie Bush for their backfield. And the New England Patriots ink rising slot receiver Danny Amendola to replace Welker. The Philadelphia Eagles signed a bunch of free agents during the first day of NFL free agency late Tuesday too. But you probably never heard of most of the players. Such is the case maybe for how new Coach Chip Kelly is putting together the team's roster for next year. He seems to be focusing more on developing a unit—like a team of college players—than building a group of All-Pros and Dream Teamers. There's not much star power in these signings. It's nice, though, to hear Isaac Sopoaga, the new defensive tackle from the San Francisco 49ers, state at…
Saturday, February 2, 2013
It's been almost a decade since the Philadelphia Eagles last appeared in the Super Bowl.
When you're a Philadelphia Eagles fan, memories of Super Bowl appearances are few and far in between. 1981 and 2005. That's it. Two games. Two losses. Most years, we Birds fans are watching the game trying to find a link to our Eagles. This year, ex-kicker David Akers is playing for the San Francisco 49ers while Baltimore Ravens Coach John Harbaugh was once the Birds special teams coach under Andy Reid. But 1981 was really something special. The Iggles were finally putting it all together under energetic Coach Dick Vermeil. He built the team's confidence and they rallied around Ron Jaworski, Harold Carmichael and Bill Bergey. In 1981, it really didn't seem to matter that the Birds lost to the Oakland Raiders because the team really wasn't …
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The Philadelphia Eagles Are No-Shows in this Sunday's Pro Bowl game.
For the first time in forever, the Philadelphia Eagles will not feature a player in the Pro Bowl. That just goes to show how badly the team played this year with its 4-12 record and how bad the rest of the league measures the Birds' talent. Back in the day, this was a no-brainer. Birds were always among the elite. Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, David Akers, Reggie White, Jeremiah Trotter, Randall Cunningham, Brian Westbrook...to name a few. Now, normally, tackle Jason Peters would be in this game. He's ranked as one of the top tackles in the league, but Peters missed the entire season due to injury. Michael Vick has made it to the Pro Bowl before too, but due to injuries and inconsistency, that wasn't happening this year. DeSean Jackson …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid has a chance to rebuild the Kansas City Chiefs into a champion.
Can Andy Reid do it again? Can the former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles take another franchise and rebuild it into a champion? Hired Monday as the new coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Reid hopes to revive a franchise that was once the talk of the AFC, a terror that used to give the Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers a run for their money. The Chiefs have made two Super Bowl apperances, just like the Eagles. But they've already won a Super Bowl, something the Birds still have never done. Reid built a sound resume during his 14-year tenure as Eagles coach. He can count off numerous NFC East crowns, playoff appearances and lots of visits to the NFC Championship Game. He took the Birds to the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots. (…
Saturday, January 5, 2013
With Andy Reid gone, the path is clear for the Philadelphia Eagles to choose their next coach.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a big decision to make. It's a decision that will impact the direction of this franchise for at least the next few football seasons. Get it right, like when the team hired Andy Reid as coach 14 years ago, and fans can ride a wave of success for years to come. Maybe even a Super Bowl. Get it wrong and the team could sink to even lower depths than a 4-12 season. So many names are being tossed around right now about who the next potential coach of the Philadelphia Eagles may be. Which way should owner Jeff Lurie and General Manager Howie Roseman go? Find a proven winner? Grab someone from the college ranks? Or find a star rising up the NFL coaching ranks? The Birds interviewed Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator…
Friday, January 4, 2013
Former Philadelphia Eagles coach gets new gig in Kansas City.
Well, that didn't take long. Less than a week after being dismissed as coach of the Philadelpha Eagles, Andy Reid has landed his next gig as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. According to numerous sports websites, Reid was flying to Kansas City to accept the job. Reid's lawyers were ironing out details of the contract, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Kansas City Star was also reporting that the deal was done. Reid was fired Monday by Birds owner Jeff Lurie following a 4-12 season and ending a 14-year tenure. Reid suffered through a dismal season and also on a personal end this year. His son Garrett died of a heroin overdose during training camp. Reid is the winningest coach in Philadelphia Eagles history, having led the team to …
Monday, December 31, 2012
Same mistakes – turnovers, terrible tackling, etc. – haunt Philadelphia Eagles in season-ending loss Sunday to New York Giants.
After another ugly loss Sunday, this one a season-ender to the New York Giants, just how long will it take for Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid to be put out of his misery? He might be gone by the time you read this column. This loss wasn't even worth mentioning the final score, but the Giants put up more than 40 points as the Eagles made the same mistakes they made all year – terrible tackling, turnovers and horrible pass coverage. (Ok, it was 42-7.) Eli Manning looked more like Peyton Manning Sunday, tossing five touchdown passes in a game that the Giants needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Reid, on the other hand, was wrapping up his 14th season as coach, and the fans and media and everyone else have been calling for his…
Monday, December 10, 2012
Quarterback Nick Foles drives the Philadelphia Eagles to victory with two seconds left over Tampa Bay.
The losing streak eventually had to end. And rookie quarterback Nick Foles did it in grand fashion, throwing a last-second touchdown pass to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-21. "Fly Eagles Fly, on the road to victory." We haven't heard that theme song in some time. But the Birds battled all day, sparked by Foles and excellent games from receivers Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin. After an eight-game losing streak, the Eagles won a game they probably shouldn't have against a playoff-caliber team. While the Bucs shut down rookie running standout Bryce Brown to six yards, Foles found a way to get it done. Special teams once again hurt the team as Damaris Johnson muffed a punt return while kicker Alex Henrey – who made 22 straight field goals…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Philadelphia Eagles lose sixth-straight game to fall to 3-7.
Nick Foles wasn't the savior. The Philadelphia Eagles didn't beat the Washington Redskins to save the season. Instead, two field goals were all the offense the Birds could muster as they fell to the Washington Redskins 31-6 for their sixth-straight loss. Redskins rookie Quarterback Robert Griffin III was dazzling at times running the football, looking like a young Michael Vick in how he avoided sackers and tacklers. And Griffin showed off his cannon of an arm, tossing two long balls among his four touchdown passes. Once again, the Eagles defense continued to slide. And Foles, making his first NFL start, had a shaky performance. It didn't help when a ball bounced off tight end Brett Celek into the Redskins hands for an INT. Foles tossed …
Friday, October 26, 2012
Patch Editors predict which NFL teams will win in week 8. Who do you think will win?
Dino Ciliberti—The editor of the Palmer/Forks Patch writes a weekly Philly Sports Chatter column that appears every Saturday on all Patches in the Lehigh Valley, South Jersey and the Philadelphia suburbs. He's a long-suffering Philadelphia Eagles fan. Dino is overseeing Pigskin Picks. Daryl Nerl—Editor of the Bethlehem Patch. He's also a New York Giants fan. Rob Chakler—Editor for Upper Moreland and Lower Moreland Patches. Rob is also a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Elizabeth Rich—Editor of the Upper Saucon Patch. Believe it or not, she's a Kansas City Chiefs fan. (Elizabeth's note: What can I say, it's a bad relationship I keep going back to...) Thomas Sunnergren—Editor of the Phoenixville Patch. Tom gets to cover "Blobfest" since Phoenixville…
Dino Ciliberti
8:32 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Ah John, I've heard of these guys. But I gather that most people don't and I was making the point that these aren't household names or big time free agent signings. more ›