Philadelphia Eagles 2010 Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles are a team at the center of NFC East controversy, maybe even league controversy. Former franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb was unceremoniously given the boot from Philly, in what I believe to be a selfish act by the franchise. Granted McNabb didn't deliver on the grand stage, which is what QB's of his caliber are graded on, but he still has a few more prime years left in him. To add insult to injury, McNabb lands in the same division with the rival Washington Redskins. Competitively speaking, I would look for McNabb to find away to have a career day against the Eagles.

Then there is the Michael Vick experiment. On the whole, it was good to see Vick out of trouble for the football calendar year. On the field, he showed glimpses of the talent that made him the NFL's most exciting player, as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Even in the playoff loss to Dallas, Vick threw a TD pass that looked like the old Vick was back. The experiment, however, did not go as planned, as McNabb felt the 2 QB system would get him out of rhythm. In my humble put up points opinion, the Eagles offense could have been more explosive than it already was if McNabb could have found away to buy in to this and make it work.

So where does that leave the 11-5 Eagles of last year this year...

Offense
With the departure of McNabb, the Eagles will turn to Kevin Kolb to lead the offense onto the gridiron. Kolb is steady quarterback, who filled in well when McNabb was hurt. I look for Kolb to manage games this season, getting into a West Coast offense feel, rather than stretching the field for big plays. I also see Vick playing more of a roll this season at QB, since he can use his athleticism to buy time for the occasional big play. I also see Vick having a pretty descent year rushing the ball if those big plays are going to happen.

The rumor mill says, the Eagles may go with the 3-back approach to the running game. Led by LeSean McCoy, the RB group will also feature Mike Bell, Charles Scott, Eldra Buckley and J.J. Arrington. Look for Arrington to maybe get some looks out of the backfield, Bell and Scott swapping short yardage duty, while McCoy carries the bulk of the load. I think McCoy's versatility will be the key for the Eagles this season, since it could open up the one thing the Eagles are above average at, play action passing.

Which brings us to the wide receiver group. The explosive DeSean Jackson leads the way for this group, who can, if given some open field, can score with anyone. The Cal product had 9 tds last season, 7 of the 50yd + variety, not to mention 2 punt return tds. Jermey Maclin came into his own during the season, so look for that duo to try and prove they are a WR tandem to be taken seriously. Someone, however, will have to be the reliable move the chains type of player. I see that being tight end Brent Celek, who hauled in a team leading 76 catches and 8 tds of his own. My biased opinion says rookie Riley Cooper may fill that role at some point as well (Go Gators).

I still think the Eagles offense has the potential to score big points, but it depends on if Kevin Kolb gets to play free and spread the field. If Kolb can't manage, let Vick try and recapture the athletic magic he used to have. Fans could be in for an offensive treat if that happens, I won't hold my breath though.

Defense
Philly's defense was ranked middle of the pack in pretty much every category as a team. Look for the secondary to be the catalyst if anything were to change this year. They have an elite CB in Asante Samuel, who had 9 interceptions last season. On the other side CB Sheldon Brown held his own with 5 interceptions of his own. With Brown now a Cleveland Brown, the battle for the other CB spot is heating up in camp. SS Quintin Mikell led the team with 90 tackles and DE Trent Cole led the team with 12.5 sacks. LB by committee will be the theme in the middle of the defense, and that's all I have to say about that.

Prediction
My vision of a Michael Vick resurrection of the Philly offense will probably not happen, simply because Kevin Kolb is not a bad QB at all. Look for the Eagles to compete in the division but ultimately fall into 3rd place, I'm going 9-7 for the regular season.

- @lostherod

NFL: NY Giants 2010 Preview

Feels like the image above was an eternity ago when the underdog NY Giants stunned the sports world in by upsetting the undefeated New England Patriots, doesn't it?

The G-Men are coming off an underwhelming 2009 campaign that saw them sputter to an 8-8 record, missing the playoffs for the first time in 3 seasons. There haven't been any significant upgrades on either side of the ball, so you can expect much of the same in 2010.

Offense
NY's offense lives and dies with the consistency of franchise QB Eli Manning, who has shown progress every year he's been in the NFL. He's shown confidence running the Giants offense and should continue to grow and be a bright spot. After showing flashes late in the season last year's 1st round pick WR Hakeem Nicks appears to be up to the task of starting along side the steady and reliable 'other' Steve Smith, who was among the lead leaders in receptions (albeit for a paltry 11 yards a catch). Despite a solid line, the weak link of the offense will again be the running game, which just isn't what it was a couple seasons ago. Brandon Jacobs looks opposing before the snap but no longer runs like the beast he appears to be. Backup RB Ahmad Bradshaw lacks the size to run between the tackles consistently. Hopefully they can present enough of a threat to keep defenses honest and prevent this from happening repeatedly to Manning.

Defense
They may look to have a ton of talent on paper, but NY's defensive performance on the field leave much to be desired. They finished 30th in the league in points allowed, slightly better than STL & the Detroit Lions (ouch). This is a little shockingas the Giants have the luxury of fielding the deepest DE rotation in the league, with the ultra athletic tandem of Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, your mom's favorite DE Osi Umenyiora and 2010 1st round pick Jason Pierre-Paul. The retirement of Antonio Pierce leaves them inexperienced in their linebacking core with Michael Boley (27) being the only one having seen extensive time on the field. Jonathan Goff (24) has potential to be stellar and now has the opportunity to prove it.

The secondary is another area of concern for the G-Men. Neither of the projected starters Corey Webster & Terrell Thomas are considered lock-down corners and have tendencies to give up big passing plays. FS Antrel Rolle was a nice off-season pick up but Kenny Phillips' return from microfracture surgery will be something to keep an eye on. SS Deon Grant may not be enough to fill the void left.

Prediction
8-8
In a nutshell the Giants have som weapons on offense and can apply enough pressure on opposing QBs from the edge to remain competitive, but they have too many question marks and inexperience to challenge for a wild card spot in the NFC this season, which may eventually cause heavily-scrutinized Tom Coughlin to lose his job.

Hey, at least they'll always have memories of David Tyree and "The Catch".

-ALR

Washington Redskins 2010 Preview

2009 was expected to be a big year for Washington Redskin football. So was every season from 2008 back to 1999, back when owner Daniel Snyder first bought the team. Under Snyder's helm, the once mighty, and still proud franchise has managed a less-than-mediocre 80-96 record, only three playoff appearances ('99, '05, and '07), and no playoff wins.

Safe to say, expectations are not being met.

The blueprint for "success" has usually been the same: spend big money on veteran free agent pro-bowlers, tout the usually high draft picks, put the head coach on the hot seat, and watch the wins happen. They're super at doing everything but that last part.

This season, things will be different, allegedly. New GM (Bruce Allen), new head coach (Mike Shanahan), and a new quarterback (Donovan McNabb). Allen was brought in to make sure Snyder didn't overspend on free agents. Shanahan was brought in because Jim Zorn was incompetent. McNabb was gift wrapped and shipped from Philadelphia, probably for this.

Hope springs eternal.

Offense

Shanahan is known for using a stable of running backs, dating back to his days with the Denver Broncos. The Redskins will give him plenty of options, having signed former Pro-Bowlers Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to team up with former Pro Bowler Clinton Portis in the backfield (So much for not over spending on free agents). McNabb will probably have his most solid passing options at tight end with Pro Bowler Chris Cooley and third year USC alum Fred Davis. Davis filled in admirably last season after Cooley was injured, catching 48 passes for 509 yards and 6 TDs.

Washington will be looking for either Devin Thomas (11) or Malcolm Kelly (12) to step up at wide receiver. Sanatana Moss has led the team in that category for the last five seasons, but at 31 has seen his yards per catch drop each year (from 17.7 in '05 to 12.9 in '09). Both Thomas and Kelly were second round picks with high expectations that neither have lived up to (3 career TDs combined). Jamal Brown and rookie Trent Williams were added to an offensive line will also need to improve greatly this season as well. The 2009 Redskins allowed 46 sacks, fifth worst in the NFL.

Defense

Believe it or not, the Redskin defense was actually pretty stout. Their $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth, didn't light the world on fire statistically, but his presence was felt on a defense that allowed only 4 yards per carry rushing, and sacked the quarterback 40 times. The main problem with the Redskin defense was overuse, and the inability to force turnovers (17 total, dead last in the league).

Haynesworth has made the news a lot this off-season due to contract holdouts and conditioning issues, but having him on the field would make this defense that much more formidable. MLB London Fletcher is coming off his first Pro Bowl season at the tender age of 34, but he's surrounded by young players entering their primes. Linebacker Brian Orakpo (23) made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season last year, defensive end Andre Carter (30) had 11 sacks, DeAngelo Hall (26) has resumed the form that at one time had him ranked as one of the top cornerbacks in the league. This is a very formidable group.

Prediction
10-6.

At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I believe they made the right moves this time, even if they seem to have done the same thing as every other off-season under Snyder. The Shanahan-McNabb combination > the Zorn-Jason Campbell combo. They could be just what the offense needs to score the extra TD a game that could've made last year's 4-12 team a potential playoff team. Their average point differential was 4 per game. This could be the year.

Just don't "expect" too much.

2010 NFL Preview: Dallas Cowboys

With the first week of "Los That Sports Blog" in the books, it's about time to get our NFL pre-season predictions kicked off. Check back frequently for our reviews of every division in the next couple of days. We'll get it going with the loaded NFC East, which saw a couple of teams switch QB's along with a few other changes. So with no further ado let's get into it:

Dallas Cowboys
Tough to expect a team in it's prime that had no major losses to not improve on 2009's 11-5 record.

Offense
The Cowboys are arguably the most offensively talented team in the NFL, returning starters in virtually every position. Suprisingly, despite ranking 2nd in the NFL in total yards per game the 'Boys only managed to rank 14th in PPG in '09 (22.6). All past off-season distractions aside, Tony Romo is coming into his own as a QB. Has he won a big game? No, but he's proven to be durable and reliable in the regular season while lowering his turnovers for the 2nd straight season, and he just turned 30 in April. After producing just 13 catches in 2008, Miles Austin exploded with 81/1320/11 in 2009 to emerge as a true no. 1 receiver. He has the size & speed combination to be a both reliable option in the short game and a threat down the field. Expect close the the same production from Austin in '10. Rookie 1st rounder WR Dez Bryant signed his contract early to avoid any holdouts and has looked like the real deal and will challenge the underwhelming but brash Roy Williams, who has yet to live up to his first round billing (and probably never will). Throw in perennial All-Pro TE Jason Witten who always produces and you have a loaded receiving core.

The Cowboys also have the luxury of a ton of depth in their backfield, with RB's Felix Jones & Marion "The Barberian" Barber both worthy of a starter's share of carries. Jones is an exposive runner & a threat to take it to the house on any given carry, and Barber is a nightmare to tackle. Tashard Choice (who might be this season's version of Michael Turner back when he was in SD) might even be the most well-rounded of the trio and can fill in without much of a loss in quality. As mentioned, on paper the offense appears to be top notch.

Defense
Again, Dallas retained almost all their pieces from a top 10 defense last year (ranked 9th overall & 2nd in points allowed per game), but their unit appears to be showing a little age. They do an excellent job against the run & DeMarcus WareDeMarcus Ware will continue to wreck havok off the edge, but the linebacking core up the middle could definitely use an upgrade. Keith Brooking is solidKeith Brooking, but not a playmaker than can run sideline to sideline and in a 3-4 scheme (and he's a little of a head case). The Cowboys have decent DBs, but Mike Jenkins is prone to gambling and giving up too many long plays and Terence Newman is aging and has a history of nagging injuries. They do have a bright spot in their secondary as Orlando Scandrick is considered a rising star in the nickel and routinely locks down opposing slot receivers. If the D-line can continue to put pressure on opposing QB's Dallas should be able to hold opponents to 3-&-outs, cause a few turnovers and keep their high power offense on the field.

Prediction: 13-3
Dallas is in my opinion by far the favorite to win this division. If Wade Phillips can keep them together, I see them emerging as the NFC's representative in Super Bowl XLV, which just so happens to be played in that monster of a stadium in Arlington.

Talk about a storybook ending.

-ALR

Los That Links 8-3-10

What's new in the world this morning?

- Reports that Brett Favre has informed Minnesota that he'll retire.

- Lebron James takes an ad out in a newspaper to thank... Akron?

- Albert Haynesworth skips practice.

- For Adam "Pacman" Jones, this is real progress.

- Chargers sneak dis a former teammate with the initials "L.T."

- Marky-Mark says ESPN employees are always boinking because Bristol is the most boring place on earth. Can't find anything wrong with his reasoning.

- Karen Sypher, the woman from the Rick Pitino extortion trial, seconds before "paying" her lawyer fees.

- In case you haven't heard, its a good time to feel sorry for Laurence Fishburne

Boxing v MMA The Weekend

When it comes to watching boxing and mixed martial arts, I'd take boxing all day. This past weekend was a sad, yet notable, exception...

In the boxing world, Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz took to the ring in what turned out to be a lopsided affair that was nothing close to the epic bout that earned them fight of the year honors for 2009. Marquez (51-5-1) outpointed Diaz (35-4) for the easy unanimous decision. Quite disappointing when you consider the back and forth action of the first fight which resulted in a 9th round ko by Marquez. It seems Marquez is lobbying for a 3rd fight with Pacquiao, as one could argue Marquez actually was robbed in one of the decisions. I think the fight should happen since Pacquiao is gonna beat Antonio Margarito pretty decisively. Why not let the real Mexican warrior be the first to take down the mighty Pacquiao.

Over in the UFC, Jon "Bones" Jones (11-1) made his case to be added to the list of top light heavyweight contenders after he ran through Vladimr Matyushenko. The transitions into the eventual fight ending hammer elbows was exciting to watch in an eye popping 1:12 into the 1st round. Don't be surprised if Jones is ruling the Light Heavyweight division one day, this guy's talent and potential is ridiculous.

Again, I would take boxing over mma any day of the week, but there are a few fighters in mma who would get the nod. Anderson Silva who is going to beat the dog you know what out Chanel Sonnen this weekend, BJ Penn, and now Jon Jones. Let's go boxing, you've got a good fighter in Devon Alexander fighting this weekend, but if Anderson puts on the show I think he will, boxing may be in trouble again this weekend...

- @lostherod

Los That Links (UPDATE AGAIN)

Some Monday morning links to get people through their day.

The Serious

- Police search the home of Lorenzen Wright's ex-wife. This can't be good.

- "Stevie Franchise" is looking to take his talents to South Beach?

- Ozzie Guillen always makes some unconventional, yet salient points. His take on Latino players being treated differently than Asian players is no different.

- Tyreke Evans' reckless driving video.

- The latest on whether or not a fat man can run up and down a football field.

- Denver Broncos running backs dropping like flies. Maybe His Holiness, Tim Tebow, can lay hands on them?

Not So Serious

- Laurence Fishburne's daughter, Montana, getting it how she lives. Morpheus cannot be happy.

- Big Baby Davis teaches you how to Dougie. And you thought you couldn't have less respect for him.

- Hide ya kids, hide ya wife, hide ya husband, cuz they raping er'body out here.

- Dennis Rodman almost dies in a car crash. (Yawn)

- Kenny Powers + K-Swiss = Might get you fired if you're at work. (Courtesy of funnyordie.com)

- United Arab Emirates just say no to Crackberry. Not like you're going over there, but still.

- Kim K. takes her talent to Dallas (well technically, its San Antonio).

The Best Team Money Can Buy

Watching baseball early this AM, I had an epiphany... The Yankees have a boat load of money.

Amazing what a few billion dollars can buy you. Like the best team (on paper) in Major League Baseball. As yesterday's trade deadline passed, the "Evil Empire" NY Yankees again flexed their formidable financial muscles by acquiring 1B Lance Berkman, who in his prime was a perennial all-star and one of the top hitters in the league, reliever Kerry Wood & OF Austin Kearns, who at one time was considered a top prospect before injuries slowed his career.

How do the Yankees continue to stockpile such high-profile players, you ask? Could be the ire of playing for the storied NY Yankee franchise who have amassed more championships than any team in history, in any sport. Could be that the Yankees can offer top dollar to free agents with no regard for the dreaded MLB luxury tax. Rarely are they outbid. Smaller market franchises just can't compete with NY's buying power. Just 2 off-seasons ago, the Yanks added the best pitcher (CC Sabathia), top free agent bat (Mark Teixeira) and another top-tier pitcher in AJ Burnett. Those signings alone equaled a whopping $423 million combined. Put this into perspective: just the salaries of these 3 players is more than seven teams total payroll! Add in A-Rod, "Mr. Yankee" Derek Jeter, closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, and a circus monkey just for kicks, and you have the favorites to win the world series almost every year.

I can't fault the Steinbrenners for abandoning the traditional strategy of building your team through the farm system. They go out & repeated get players that have already established themselves as top players and worry about chemistry later. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes its a failed experiment (see Gary Sheffield). It definitely makes them mighty easy to root against.

Time will tell if this season's trade acquisitions will be enough to vault the Yankees to their second championship in as many years. Tampa Bay has been strong this season and will continue to present a challenge in the loaded AL East. But one thing is for sure; Money Talks.

-ALR