In 1902, the new Philadelphia baseball rivalry spilled over to pro football

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The 1902 Philadelphia Athletics  (pic) rivalry with the Phillies spilled over to pro football

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, one of the biggest sporting days in the world. It is estimated that well over 100 million people worldwide will tune in to watch the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams battle to become this year’s champions of the National Football League at some point.

The game won’t hold the same edge-of-your-seat passionate interest that last year’s game did here in Philadelphia. A year ago, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated New England in a thrilling 41-33 contest to capture the first-ever Super Bowl crown in franchise history.

As soon as this year’s game ends and the last of the chicken wings, pizza, and beer has been consumed here in Philly, local sports fans will begin to much more seriously consider the upcoming Philadelphia Phillies baseball season.

The Phillies pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Clearwater, Florida exactly ten days from today for the official start of 2019 spring training camp. The position players will join later that week, and the first game of the Grapefruit League season is scheduled for Friday, February 22.

A fun fact that most Phillies fans are probably not aware of is that there was once a Philadelphia Phillies professional football team in town. In fact, there is a direct link, as the football team was actually owned by the baseball team.

In 1902 a first-ever attempt to form a pro football league took place right here in Pennsylvania. And in fact, that formation was a direct result of the beginning of the baseball wars the previous year with the formation of the new American League.

The Phillies had been in existence as members of the National League since the 1883 season, though they were often referred to as the ‘Philadelphia Quakers’ during their first seven seasons. The NL had been founded seven years earlier, on February 2, 1876.

Ben Shibe (2nd from left, front row) was the original owner of the Philadelphia Athletics – both the baseball and football versions. (Bain News Service/WikiCommons)

Founded on January 28, 1901 the American League set out to become an alternative “major league” and expand opportunities for both players and fans to participate in the game at the highest levels.

During the 1901-02 seasons there was outright war between the more established “Senior Circuit” of the NL and the new kids on the block, the “Junior Circuit” of the AL. The two would finally establish a ‘Pax baseball’ following the 1902 season, with establishment of rules regarding player contracts as well as a World Series between champions of the two leagues.

But while that initial war was still being fought, the idea of professional football was brought into the fray. Phillies owner John Rogers started a football team named after his baseball club. Ben Shibe, owner of the Philadelphia Athletics in the AL, decided to start one of his own in response.

Out in Pittsburgh, the Homestead Library & Athletic Club had what was considered the best football team in the nation made up of professional paid players. The team was funded by Pittsburgh Pirates minority owner William Chase Temple, and had not lost a game during either their 1900 or 1901 schedules.

Football promoter Dave Berry took many of those Homestead players and formed a pro team called the Pittsburgh Stars. The team is believed by many to have remained funded by either Temple or the Pirates majority owner, Barney Dreyfuss.

Can Eagles fly without Carson Wentz?

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Nick Foles takes over as Eagles QB after injury to Carson Wentz

This afternoon for the first time since the 2013 season the Philadelphia Eagles will take part in an NFL playoff game.

For my fellow Eagles fans, if it seems that we've suffered through a long drought without a postseason appearance, that's because we have.

In the last 30 years there has only been one other stretch, from 1997-99 prior to the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era, where the Eagles missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

The turnaround from the recent downturn for the franchise can easily be traced to one event, and basically to one person. That would be the selection of quarterback Carson Wentz with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Wentz somewhat unexpectedly became the starting quarterback immediately. He led the Eagles to a 3-0 start as a rookie that fall, demonstrating the talent and leadership that had inspired team management to make him such a high draft selection.

After the defense collapsed during a five-game late season losing streak, Wentz orchestrated a pair of 2016 season-closing victories over the division rival New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

Those late wins and his overall play buoyed the hopes and dreams of the Eagles rabid fan base for the 2017 season. Wentz and the team did not disappoint. He passed for over 3,200 yards and 33 touchdowns in leading the team to an 11-2 record this fall.

But the 13th game would prove to be unlucky in the extreme. Wentz was matched up against the quarterback chosen ahead of him with the top pick in that 2016 NFL Draft, Jared Goff, as the Eagles visited the Los Angeles Rams.

Wentz would throw four touchdown passes to out-duel Goff at the Los Angeles Colosseum in a 43-35 thrilling shootout. With four minutes to go in the third quarter, Wentz was hit awkwardly as he tried to score on a keeper from the Rams two-yard line.

Four plays later, Wentz passed to Alshon Jeffery to put the Eagles up by 31-28. However, on that earlier keeper play, Wentz had injured his leg. He would leave the game following the TD pass, replaced by backup Nick Foles for the first time all season.

A rusty Foles would go just 6-10 for 42 yards, but the Eagles defense took over. The 'D' forced a pair of fumbles, one setting up a Jake Elliott field goal and another returned for a touchdown by Brandon Graham.

It was learned following the game that Wentz had suffered major injuries. He would require surgery to repair a torn ACL and a partially torn IT band, as well as some meniscus damage. Not only would Wentz miss the rest of the 2017 season, but he is likely to miss much of the 2018 season as well.

With their NFL MVP candidate leader out, the Eagles turned the reigns of a playoff team over to Foles. The team won their first two games with the backup under center, but those victories over the Giants and the LA Raiders were marked by inconsistent play against inferior opponents.

Those two victories did allow the Eagles to clinch the top overall record in the NFC, and thus home field advantage for however long they last in the playoffs.

A season-closing 6-0 loss to the hated rival Cowboys continued the inconsistent play, with Foles seeing just limited action. Coach Doug Pederson took the meaningless contest as a chance to rest his regulars and get some game action for the new backup quarterback, Nate Sudfeld.

NFL players and other athletes getting it wrong with anthem/flag protests

President Trump takes on NFL player anthem protests

A major firestorm broke out in the American professional sports world this past week. That fire took the form of athletes protesting by kneeling, or not showing up at all, at the playing of the United States national anthem prior to games.

The protests were allegedly in response to comments made by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in regards to a small number of NFL players who had taken part in such protests during the league's opening week.

Trump stated that NFL owners should fire any player who undertakes such a protest, which he (and many others) deemed disrespectful to our nation. Specifically, the President was quoted:

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!'”

Various NFL teams responded by protesting the President's comments in different ways. Some linked arms while the anthem was played. In some of those cases, team owners and other management personnel linked arms with their players in a show of solidarity.

My Experience at the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia

Working the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia

To say that the 2017 NFL Draft, held in my hometown of Philadelphia over the last three days, was a major success would be an understatement.

I got to experience this signature event of the National Football League up close and in person as a Sergeant with the Philadelphia Police Department. It was just the latest in a number of high profile events that I've had the pleasure to enjoy while on-duty during my career.

Assigned to take charge of a group of police officers, we spent both days on the south side of the 2400 block of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

It was a slight surprise to me when my group actually took that position and found that we were at the very front lines of the stage and seating arena area. It turned out to be an exciting and rewarding assignment.

The crowd was massive, but Philly-friendly and cooperative. As far as their interactions with myself and my officers, I couldn't have asked for a more positive reception. Everyone was friendly to us and appreciative of our efforts, and quite a few let us know that fact.

One thing that none of us knew, from the top brass on down to rookie police officers, was exactly what kind of crowd we would be met with. It was the first time that the NFL had put on their annual Draft of college players in that big of a show.

Philly can be notorious at times for our fan reactions, especially where Eagles fans are concerned. You also had to add in the factor that this was a free event. Would the crowd turn surly at any point? Sometimes it only takes a few bad apples to spoil things for the whole bunch. If any officials held any concerns of a worst-case scenario, those never materialized. In fact, just the opposite.

Even when faced with moments involving the hated, rival Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, or Washington Redskins, the Philly faithful responded with spirited but controlled reactions.

The biggest target of the 'Boo Birds' over the first couple of days was easily the Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell. Yet even with the Commish, I witnessed first-hand a somewhat different reaction from the crowds.

Shady Tip-Gate

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McCoy during a December 2011 game with the Eagles

I've always operated by a credo that I heard Steve Martin use in the film "My Blue Heaven":

"It's not tipping that I believe in: it's over-tipping."

I almost always tip well. Check comes, I do the math out to 20%, and then usually round-up a bit. I realize this is how many servers make much of their real money.

But...and this is a key "but"...whether it's me, or Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean "Shady" McCoy, or you, or anyone else, a tip should always reflect what the customer feels is appropriate based on the service that they received in their given situation. 

I could care less if the server is a "great guy", or if everyone else on earth had them before and the server was "great" to them. What matters is how you are treated/served in your specific encounter.

If Shady felt that he was treated poorly in his encounter at the PYT restaurant in Philly, then he would have been reasonable in leaving nothing at all. A "tip" is something one has to work in order to earn, it is not something to be assumed. It is a bonus, something placed by the customer on top of the check. But only if the customer feels they received good service.

The Andy Reid Era

Another NFL season has now finally come to an end with my hometown Philadelphia Eagles failing to win the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. That's 0-46 if you're counting at home.

To listen to some fans around these parts, you would think that Andy Reid has been the head coach for all of them, that he is to blame for the team never having won the Big One.

Let's get a little perspective.

The Philadelphia Eagles regular season record in the 'Andy Reid Era' is now 126-81-1. He has guided the team to 9 playoff appearances in 13 seasons, with an overall 10-9 record in the post-season. He has guided the Eagles to 7 NFC East titles, and 9 times under his watch the Eagles have been ranked either #1 or #2 in the NFC at season's end. He led the team to the 2004 NFC Championship, it's lone Super Bowl appearance during his tenure.

I began watching the Eagles around 1971-72 when Veteran's Stadium opened with Eddie Khayat at the helm. Watched through the regimes of Mike McCormack, Dick Vermiel, Marion Campbell, Buddy Ryan, Rich Kotite, and Ray Rhodes.

During that time: 204-216-6, 10 playoff appearances, 1 Super Bowl appearance over 28 seasons.

NFL Playoff Predictions

There is really only one way to make predictions on the outcome of some game or tournament and have yourself taken seriously, and that is to make them before even a single moment has been played.

So here we are, just moments away from the kickoff of the first game of the NFL playoffs, and that makes it time for my personal predictions on how this month-long tournament will play out.

Let's start at home with our Philadelphia Eagles. What a tremendous, in some ways over-achieving season it has been for the Birds. When the team left training camp in early September, most fans were planning on a rebuilding year as Kevin Kolb took over at quarterback after a decade behind Donovan McNabb. An 8-8 finish that showed positive signs for 2011 would probably have been considered a success at that point.

But in the opening game against Green Bay, Kolb was injured. In stepped Michael Vick. The rest, as they say, is history. Vick emerged as an uncommon weapon, and an NFL MVP candidate. The team took off behind his acrobatics, bolted to the front of the NFC East, and then capped it all with a rally for the ages in a late December game against the rival New York Giants to take the division crown.

That the team faltered in it's final two regular season games should not be as much cause for concern as it seems to have become for some fans and members of the media. The team was obviously thrown off by the sudden switch of the Vikings game from Sunday night to Tuesday night due to snow a couple of weeks ago.

That surprising defeat led to the full-scale benching of regulars for the finale against Dallas, as Andy Reid basically gave them a bye week. The result was a close, last-minute loss by the Eagles subs to the Cowboys regulars.

The more important factors for the Eagles entering the opening week matchup are their opponents, and the condition of their own players. The Eagles have lost key contributors in the past couple of weeks, while the Packers have played extremely well since the return to health of their outstanding quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

I want the Eagles to win. I will be rooting hard for it to happen.

Goodbye, Donovan McNabb

There has been a battle brewing in my pro football-crazed town of Philadelphia over the past couple of football seasons. That battle has been over the fate and future of it's quarterback, Donovan McNabb.

Is McNabb good enough to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl? Should McNabb be traded away?

The answer apparently came on Easter Sunday night when the Eagles traded McNabb to the division rival Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks.

Some have been waiting for more than a decade for McNabb to stumble and fall. These were the Eagles fans infamously known as the 'Boo Birds', the fans who showed up for the NFL Draft in 1999 hoping and praying that their beloved Eagles would select running back Ricky Williams to lead them out of the wilderness of losing seasons that had befallen the team.

With the 2nd overall pick, Williams was there waiting for the Birds. But much to the chagrin of the rabid fan base, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped to the podium and made this announcement:

"With the 2nd pick the Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Syracuse University."

Never before has such a torrent of boisterous "boo" calls rained down upon an NFL Commissioner as the Eagles fans delivered on that infamous day. And that is saying a lot, considering the Draft is held in New York, rabid Jets fans show up regularly in numbers, and their team has made some awful picks over the years.

The Top Twenty QB's in Pro Football History

Every fan has their opinions and everyone has their favorites. The following list represents the opinion of this sports fan who has followed pro football for 30 years as to the greatest quarterbacks to ever have played the game of football at the highest level.

The only restrictive criteria for me was that he had to play in what I consider the 'modern era' of pro football, though that era stretches back further than it would for baseball and other sports. For me that era begins post-World War II, when the NFL truly began to racially integrate.

The quarterbacks on this list would probably make most lists of this type, but I know for a fact that there are a couple guys who would not make many lists, and others who would be listed in different orders. At the bottom of this post is a 'label' for comments. Feel free to leave your own commentary and your own ranking.

Some have said that a quarterback should be judged by the number of championships that he has won. I firmly disagree with that statement. There have been any number of marginally talented QB's who have won the Super Bowl, and there have been tremendous talents who never got it done. That said, most of these men have won championships, some of them multiple times.

My list reflects what I have witnessed personally and what I have learned about the history of the game over these three decades as a fan. I have judged the players on my own list according to their overall accomplishments and talents, as well as factoring in that championship factor when I feel it was the QB who particularly made the difference.

So in honor of tomorrow's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, two teams with great quarterbacks of their own in Peyton Manning (pictured here helmeted with fellow listee Tom Brady) and Drew Brees, and with particular apologies to Drew Bledsoe, Donovan McNabb and Boomer Esiason, here goes my listing of the 'Top Twenty Quarterbacks in Pro Football History':

#20> DAN FOUTS - the 9th-highest of all-time with 43,040 passing yards and 12th with 254 passing TD's who was selected for the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team. As leader of the storied San Diego Chargers 'Air Coryell' he was the first QB to ever throw for 4,000 in consecutive seasons, and is one of only 7 NFL QB's to throw 30 or more TD passes in consecutive seasons. He was a 2-time AP NFL and UPI AFC MVP including in 1982 when he was also selected as the NEA NFL MVP and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In last year's celebration of the franchise' 50th anniversary, Charger fans voted him the 'Greatest Charger of All-Time'.

#19> WARREN MOON - the 5th ranked yardage passer in NFL history with 49,325 yards and 6th with 291 touchdown passes, Moon was black-balled out of the NFL in the late 70's because he was a black QB who refused to change positions, and thus played his first six seasons in the Canadian Football League. There he helped Edmonton win 5 straight Grey Cups while throwing for over 21,000 more yards and 144 more TD's. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the CFL Hall of Fame.

#18> JOE NAMATH - he would make this list if for no other reason than his incredible 'guaranteed victory' MVP performance in Super Bowl III which truly put the AFL on the map. A first round draft pick in 1965 of both the NFL and AFL, he was alternately known as 'Broadway Joe' or 'Joe Willie' and threw for over 27,000 yards and 173 TD's in an injury-plagued and shorterned career. In 1974 he was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Namath was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the AFL's All-Time Team.

#17> JIM KELLY - the 15th-highest yardage passer in NFL history with 35,467 and 18th with 237 TD passes, Kelly began his career with two seasons in the USFL. There he led was the league MVP in 1984 and threw for 9,842 more yards and 83 more touchdowns. When the USFL collapsed, Kelly moved to the NFL's Buffalo Bills where he led the team to the playoffs in 8 of his 11 seasons, including to the Super Bowl four straight years (losing each.) He was elected in 2002 to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#16> PHIL SIMMS - the MVP of Super Bowl XXI in 1987 and a career member of the New York Giants who ranks 20th in all-time NFL passing yards with 33,462 and threw for 199 career touchdowns. A two-time Super Bowl champ with the Giants, he was the winner of the NEA player's poll for 1986 NFL MVP, and was the MVP of the 1985 Pro Bowl. Coming out of college in 1979, Bill Walsh actually wanted to draft Simms rather than Joe Montana, but the Giants surprised many by taking Simms with their 1st round selection.

#15> TROY AIKMAN - the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 who threw for 32,942 yards and tossed 165 TD's as a 3-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and led the Cowboys franchise, which had fallen on hard times, back to prominence. He was the winner of the Walter Peyton Award as the NFL Man of the Year in 1997, and in 2006 was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#14> KURT WARNER - the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 when he threw for a record 414 yards who led two teams to the NFL's ultimate game. Warner threw for 32,344 yards and tossed 208 touchdowns and is widely recognized as one of the most accurate passers in NFL history. He holds the NFL record for highest completion percentage in a single game, is one of only 2 NFL QB's with a passer rating over 120 in 4 consecutive games, and is one of only 3 QB's to record 3 games with a perfect passer rating in their careers. He was the winner of the Walter Peyton Award as the NFL Man of the Year in 2008, as well as the 2-time AP and 3-time NEA NFL Most Valuable Player.

#13> KEN STABLER - the left-hander nicknamed 'the Snake' who threw for 27,938 yards and 194 TD's mostly with the Oakland Raiders. He led the Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XI and was selected for the NFL's All-1970's Team. He was the NFL passing champion in 1976, a 2-time AFC Player of the Year, the 1974 NFL MVP, the 1976 Bert Bell Award winner as the top pro football player, and also was the last winner of the Hickock Belt as the top pro athlete of the year in 1976. He has been black-balled by the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to off-field antics including at least 3 DUI arrests while in retirement.

#12> BART STARR - the Most Valuable Player of the first two Super Bowls in history and the iconic leader of the great Vince Lombardi-coached 1960's Green Bay Packers. He threw for 24,718 yards and 152 TD's for a team and in an era when running the ball was the dominant philosophy. Selected to the 1960's NFL All-Decade Team, he remains the only player to ever quarterback his team to 5 NFL Championships. He later went on to become the head coach of the Packers, leading them in 1982 to their only playoff appearance in a 2-decade period. He was the consensus 1966 NFL Most Valuable Player and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

#11> FRAN TARKENTON - the 1975 NFL MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year Award winner who led the Minnesota Vikings to three Super Bowls during a four year stretch in the mid-70's only to lose them all. He is 6th all-time with 47,003 passing yards in the NFL and 4th with 342 touchdown passes. Nicknamed 'The Mad Scrambler' early in his career, he is considered perhaps the greatest scrambling QB in NFL history and rushed for 3,674 yards and 32 TD's in his career. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

#10> DAN MARINO - ranked 2nd in NFL history with 61,361 yards and 420 TD passes, it's amazing that he is this low, until you see the nine names ahead of him and factor in that he never won an NFL championship, leading his Miami Dolphins to an appearance in the Super Bowl just one time early in his career. He was the consesus NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1984, and a decade later was still good enough to be named the 1994 UPI AFC Player of the Year and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He was the first QB to pass for over 5,000 yards and the first to pass for over 4,000 six times. He was the 1998 Walter Payton Award winner as the NFL Man of the Year, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

#9> TERRY BRADSHAW - the first player selected in the 1970 NFL Draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers won a coin toss for the chance to get him, he became a 4-time Super Bowl champion and the only back-to-back Super Bowl MVP in XIII and XIV. He threw for 27,989 yards and 212 passes in his career with the legendary 'Steel Curtain'-era Steelers teams before injuries derailed and then ended his career prematurely in the early 1980's. A member of the 1970's NFL All-Decade Team, he was the 1978 NFL MVP and Bert Bell Award winner. He has enjoyed a lengthy and popular post-playing career as a TV analyst. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

#8> JOHNNY UNITAS - the man nicknamed 'Johnny U' was also considered as 'The Man With the Golden Arm', an appendage that threw for 40,239 yards which is 11th all-time and 290 TD passes which is 7th all-time. Between 1956 and 1960 he threw a touchdown pass in 47 straight games, still a record. He led the Baltimore Colts to 3 NFL Championships, including the 1958 title that has been nicknamed 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' as well as a title in Super Bowl V in 1970. He was selected to the NFL 1960's All-Decade Team, is a 3-time winner of both the NFL MVP and Pro Bowl MVP honors, a 3-time winner of the Bert Bell Award, and was the 1970 NFL Man of the Year. In 1994 he was one of four QB's selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

#7> ROGER STAUBACH - 'Roger the Dodger' whose Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry described as "possibly the best combination of a passer, an athlete and a leader to ever play in the NFL." He threw for 22,700 yards and 153 TD passes, and ran for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns despite a career that started late due to a 5-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, which included a stint serving in Vietnam. He was a 2-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl VI. Upon his retirement, his 83.4 completion percentage was the highest of all-time. Selected to the NFL 1970's All-Decade Team, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

#6> STEVE YOUNG - the great-great-great grandson of Mormom icon Brigham Young and the 2nd lefty on this list, Young is also another who began his career in the USFL. Perhaps the greatest dual-threat QB in history, he threw for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns while rushing for another 4,239 yards and 43 TD's in the NFL. In his brief USFL career, Young became the first pro QB to ever pass for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 100 in a single game. He was a 3-time Super Bowl champion including as the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX. He was a 2-time consensus NFL MVP and 2-time Bert Bell Award winner and retired with a 96.8 career quarterback rating.

#5> PEYTON MANNING - the man best-positioned to some day move up on this list, he will try to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title for the 2nd time in 4 years tomorrow night. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, and is 4th in NFL history in passing yardage with 50,128 and 3rd with 366 touchdown passes. He turns 34 years old next month, is healthy, and appears poised for many more years of prolific passing. He is a 4-time AP NFL Most Valuable Player, and was selected for the NFL's 2000's All-Decade Team. There is no doubt that he will wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon completion of his playing career.

#4> BRETT FAVRE - the all-time NFL leader in passing yardage with 69,329 and passing touchdowns with 497 says (again) that he will retire, but might a shot at 500 career TD's and 70,000 career passing yards as well as another shot at a Super Bowl cause him to (again) reconsider? He was a Super Bowl champion as the long-time QB of the Green Bay Packers and was selected to the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team. He was named the AP NFL MVP three straight years from 1995-97, and is a 5-time NFC Player of the Year. He is also the NFL's 'Iron Man' having started a record 285 consecutive games, and as with Manning he will undoubtedly be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after his final legitimate retirement.

#3> JOE MONTANA - the 10th highest yardage passer in NFL history with 40,551 and 9th with 273 TD passes, he is widely considered the best 'big-money' QB the game has ever known. 'Joe Cool' won 4 Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and was named the MVP three times in XVI, XIX and XXIV. He was a 2-time winner of the AP NFL MVP Award including in 1989 when he was the consensus league MVP, the Offensive Player of the Year, and the Bert Bell Award winner. He won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1986, and was named to the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team. In 1994 he was one of four QB's selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

#2> JOHN ELWAY - perhaps the most naturally gifted quarterback in NFL history and arguably the flat-out strongest arm, he passed for 51,475 yards which is 3rd all-time in the NFL and for 300 touchdowns which is 5th all-time. He led the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl three times early in his career but lost all three times. After almost a decade passed he finally returned Denver to the NFL's ultimate game and they won Super Bowl XXXI in an upset over Favre's defending champ Packers. The following year he was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIII as he led the team to it's 2nd straight title, meaning that he led the team to five total Super Bowl appearances. He was named to the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team, won the 1987 NFL MVP Award, and was a 2-time AFC Offensive Player of the Year. In 2004 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#1> TOM BRADY - anyone surprised to see him at the top of the list should consider the offensive weapons that he has had to work with compared with those behind him. He has passed for 30,844 yards and 225 TD's in his career, and at age 32 is poised to make a big move on the all-time NFL leader boards in both categories over the next several years. He is the undisputed leader of what is already a 3-time Super Bowl championship dynasty with the New England Patriots, including as the MVP of both Super Bowl XXVI and XXXVIII. He was the SI Sportsman of the Year in 2005, and in 2007 was the AP Male Athlete of the Year, and both the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. This past year of 2009 he was selected as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of '08 with a severe knee injury. He has a career 93.3 quarterback rating, and will undoubtedly be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day after retiring, which may not happen until the 2nd half of this decade. To top things off, Brady is married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, with whom he now has two children.

The Philadelphia Eagles Are Winners

Within this same week we saw perfect examples in the tales of two Philadelphia pro sports organizations, one a winner and one a loser.

First, the big 'L' gets hung on the forehead of the Philadelphia 76ers organization for signing one of its all-time loser players in Allen Iverson. I covered that topic already earlier in the week.

It's time now to highlight Philly's winning winter sports organization, the Philadelphia Eagles. This past week the Birds signed head coach Andy Reid, the winningest coach in franchise history, to a contract extension that will keep 'Big Red' as the football boss through 2013. By the conclusion of the contract, Reid will have been the head coach for 15 seasons, nearly unheard of in today's pro sports world.

After a decade in Philadelphia, Andy Reid is now the 2nd longest tenured head coach in the entire NFL, trailing only Tennessee head man Jeff Fisher. He has already passed Greasy Neale (1941-50) as the longest tenured coach in Eagles history.

Reid has led the club to a regular season record of 105-66-1 and another 10 wins in the playoffs, which his teams have participated in 7 times. He has 5 NFC East titles and 1 NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance to his credit.

Andy Reid's teams have fashioned a regular season .614 winning percentage which is the 16th highest in NFL history. The names ahead of him are all legends of the game: Lombardi, Madden, Halas, Lambeau, Shula, and Walsh. But the list of the 15 coaches ahead of him also highlights what his detractors see as his one weakness: he has never won a Super Bowl.

Michael Vick Deserves a 2nd Chance

It was one week ago that the Philadelphia sports scene was thrown into a tizzy when the Eagles stole the headlines from the world champion Phillies, not with their efforts on the field in their first exhibition game, but off the field with the signing of quarterback Michael Vick.

For anyone who has been living in a cave during this past week, let's catch you up on the Vick story.

He first burst on to the scene a decade ago when as a freshman quarterback at Virginia Tech he finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Following his sophomore college season he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Over the next six seasons, Vick grew into one of the most dangerous rushing quarterbacks in NFL history, and took the Falcons to the playoffs twice.

Vick became a major sports celebrity for his on-field excitement, but it was something that he was involved with off the field that would define the last few years. It came to light that Vick was not only involved directly in, but was also the financial backer for a major dogfighting operation. The losing dogs in the already vicious fights would usually be tortured and/or executed, often by brutal methods. Vick took an active role in this illegal and immoral activity.

In August of 2007, Vick plead guilty to federal charges that had been brought against him for the dogfighting operation. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He was sued by the Falcons, and a court eventually ruled that he had to repay $20 million dollars in bonus money, some of which Vick had used to help finance the dogfighting. He went on to serve a year and a half in prison, then another couple of months under house arrest, and has filed for bankruptcy.

So a week ago when the Eagles announced the signing of Michael Vick, it wasn't only an announcement of the signing of a new player, but it was an announcement of the signing of a man who had become a social pariah in recent years. A man who was considered by many to be an outcast from society. Cruel, sadistic, manipulative, and even downright evil.

Faith in Eagles Management

There has been much lamenting and gnashing of teeth in Eagles Nation over the past week or so as players like Lito Sheppard, Sean Considine, Correll Buckhalter, and most especially Brian Dawkins have either been traded away or left the team via free agency.

You also have the two twin towers of the offensive line for the past decade, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, very much in doubt as to their own returns for next season. Tight End L.J. Smith is shopping his services and is believed not wanted back by the Birds. These players make up a huge portion of the success that the Philadelphia Eagles football team has enjoyed over the past decade.

But as they leave it is important to note that this current Philadelphia Eagles management team of owner Jeffrey Lurie, team President Joe Banner, and GM/Coach Andy Reid almost always knows when to say 'when' with a player, no matter that player's reputation or popularity. From Duce Staley to Jeremiah Trotter to Hugh Douglas, the Eagles knew when it was time to say goodbye.

Probably the lone exception was Terrell Owens, and is there anyone out there as an Eagles fan who really wanted him to stay after all the histrionics and drama that he created?

It's Easy to Root for Kurt Warner

He is 37 years old now, which is getting pretty long in the tooth for an NFL starting quarterback.

He is also a decade removed from his first trip to the Super Bowl, when he led Dick Vermiel's Saint Louis Rams to victory and was named the MVP of the Super Bowl. He also won the first of two NFL MVP awards that season.

The Midwest boy, born and raised in the Iowa corn fields, grew into one of the most accurate passers in the history of the National Football League. But perhaps more importantly, Kurt Warner grew into a leader of men, and a strong, positive example for mankind.

That's a mouthful to say about a football player, but the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is far from being your normal high-profile athlete. First, that football career.

Kurt Warner stayed home and played college ball at Northern Iowa. He was not able to win the starting job there until his senior year when he was named the Gateway Conference Player of the Year.

Still, the NFL did not come calling. Warner went undrafted in 1994, and so he went to work at a grocery store.

In 1995 the local Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League offered him a contract, and over the next three seasons he played well enough that he was considered the best quarterback in the AFL.

Officials with the Saint Louis Rams noticed, gave him a tryout, and signed him to a contract for the 1998 season. Warner spent that 1998 season riding the bench and went into 1999 expecting to again be a backup.

Playing With House Money

I just heard a reporter on the ESPN flagship program 'SportsCenter' mention that the Baltimore Ravens players feel that they are playing today's AFC Championship game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers with "house money."

It struck me because I had just prior to that been reading in the newspaper that some of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals were both using that same phrase this past week, that their respective teams would be playing the NFC Championship game with that same "house money."

For those who don't understand, what the term 'playing with house money' refers to is the attitude that you have nothing to lose. It is an old gambling phrase that alludes to being so far ahead already in your expected winnings that you are not playing with your own money, you are playing with that 'house money' (the casino or sponsoring organization of the gambling being referred to as the 'house'.)

So what the NFL teams here are saying is that they were not expected to get this far, or that they are such underdogs in todays games, that they have nothing to lose.

I would argue that this is nothing more than a way to handle the pressure that they actually are feeling. I would argue that this is misleading in the sports context, and the same goes with your own life.

Just as in today's respective conference title tilts, there is no such thing as a day in your life with nothing on the line.

It Is What It Is

Father Joseph Garvin was wrong. Man, I hope that doesn't get me in any trouble.

In his homily at the 10:30am Mass yesterday our Pastor at St. Christopher's Church in Somerton said that he hated the phrase "It is what it is." When the words came out of his mouth they hit close to home because I use that phrase all the time.

But as he went on to explain his opposition to the sudden popular usage of this phrase, I came to realize that there has obviously been a misunderstanding in either his interpretation or the use by some of the phrase.

Father Joe was making the point that the phrase lent itself to our having to accept certain situations, when in fact those situations were indeed subject to change, if we just wanted it bad enough and worked towards such change.

For instance, the statement "I am an alcoholic, and that isn't going to change. It is what it is." Now we all know that the alcoholic can indeed make a change in his or her life. Buying that bottle is a choice. Drinking the bottle is another choice.

Change our choices, we change our lives. Under these types of conditions "It is what it is" just doesn't hold water, and that is what Father Joe was pointing out. No one says it will be easy, but we can accomplish change if we really want it bad enough and are willing to dedicate ourselves to it.

The Philadelphia Eagles Need to Replace...

...Brian Westbrook.

What! What are you nuts, Veasey?

Well we already know the answer to that question. After all, you're the guy who picked George W. Bush as your website 'American of the Year' for 2008. You're the guy who has consistently supported Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.

You think Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are hot. You whole-heartedly believe in this Jesus fellow, and that he died on a cross specifically for your individual sins that would not even be committed for another two millenia.

But Brian Westbrook needs to be replaced? Well, now you are just simply over the top. If the old Byberry Hospital were still around, we might have you committed. Well gang, this is the response that I would expect, but let's talk about the facts that lead me to make this statement.

First let's dispense with the obvious. For right now Brian Westbrook is one of the most important players on the Eagles roster. Some would make a solid argument that he is the single most important player to the team. I concur with their assessment, for this particular playoff run. He does not need to be cut, does not need to be replaced right now.

But here is something to seriously consider, something the the Philadelphia Eagles management had better be seriously considering.

I Told Me So

I hate to write about the same thing so close together, but after writing about the Eagles just a couple of days ago, here we go again. That was the title of my article on Saturday: 'Here We Go Again', relating to the resumption of the Eagles rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys in the season finale. It was going to be the season finale, because there was only a slim chance that the Birds could slip into the NFL playoffs. A number of different things needed to happen, one in particular being a longshot at best. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to lose at home to the Oakland Raiders. The Bucs would make the playoffs if they won in front of their rabid fans. The Raiders seemingly had nothing to play for in a lost season. It had all the makings of a Bucs blowout, and when Tampa took a 10-point lead into the 4th quarter you expected the Raiders to coast out of 2008 and Tampa fans to celebrate heartily. But...wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, the Raiders did not roll over. They kept coming. They scored the final 17 points of the game. They beat Tampa Bay, and in doing so the Eagles fans watching at home or following the game in the Linc parking lot suddenly saw the door swinging open again. That door had seemingly been slammed shut a week earlier. Last weekend, the Eagles had this same scenario. The teams that they needed to lose did indeed lose, and the Birds went into their game in Washington needing to beat the 'Skins to take control of a playoff slot. They came out listless and lost without even scoring a touchdown, and thus were in this desperate position yesterday. When the Raiders sacked Tampa quarterback Jeff Garcia, the dead-armed maniac who had miraculously led the Birds to the playoffs just two seasons ago, the clock ran out on the Bucs season, and that door again opened for the Birds. Even with that little favor from Oakland, the Eagles still needed another thing to happen. Either the Houston Texans had to upend the Chicago Bears, or the Giants had to beat the Minnesota Vikings. So Eagles fans found themselves in the unusual position of rooting on the G-Men. They would not cooperate. Despite leading most of the game, the Giants lost to the Vikes on a last-second field goal. So the game in Houston was a must-win for the Eagles, and it didn't look good early as the Bears bolted to a 10 point lead. But once again things went the Birds way. Houston rallied and held off Chicago for a 7-point win. Suddenly, the Bucs and the Bears were eliminated from the playoffs thanks to their own inability to win the key game, and the Eagles playoff door was now completely wide open. It was down to a one game pre-playoff with those hated Cowboys. Whomever won the late afternoon game at the Linc would enter the playoffs on a high. The loser would see their season end in disappointing and disheartening fashion. You expected that it would be a great game, with both teams coming out firing with all guns. It didn't happen. The Dallas Cowboys showed up, but that was all they did. The Eagles, led by their fiery, rejuvenated, future Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins and their similarly revived quarterback Donovan McNabb delivered hit after hit, blow after blow, big play after big play. In the first half, McNabb led the Eagles to three touchdowns, sneaking in for one himself and firing a pair of TD passes for the others, and the Eagles opened up a 27-3 halftime lead. In the 2nd half it was the defense turn. Dawkins ripped the ball from two Cowboys carriers, and each time his defensive mates scooped up the fumbles and returned them for touchdowns. What was already a blowout turned into the greatest rout in the history of this legendary rivalry as the Birds finished up a 44-6 victory that put them into the playoffs. Dallas took their high-salaried, big name roster home on what had to be an extremely painful flight home to 'Big D'. No thought was sweeter for Birds fans than to send the Dallas party home in that manner. A couple of months ago when the buzzards began circling this Eagles team for the first time, and their quarterback for what seemed like the umpteenth time, I would frequently defend Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid to friends and family. Only folks with short memories could look past what Reid has done here over the past decade. He has now taken the Birds to the playoffs for the 7th time in 10 seasons that have included five NFC east titles, 4 trips to the NFC Championship game and one Super Bowl visit. There has never been such a sustained period of success in the history of this franchise. To even utter any phrase that would suggest he should be replaced as the head coach is naive at best, and now should be considered downright stupid at worst. As for McNabb, even being a longtime fan, and even believing that his physical skills would likely yield at least a couple of more strong seasons, I thought it might be time to turn the page and start to rebuild under the 'quarterback of the future' in Kevin Kolb. There were fewer low points than the back-to-back embarrassments of the tie in Cincinnati and the humiliating loss to Baltimore, and McNabb looked old and tired in those games. I joined the cause of calling for a change at the position, going back on my earlier defense of the QB. I was wrong, and so was everyone else who called for McNabb's head. The man has done nothing since he has been here, when healthy, but win for a decade. He is by far the greatest quarterback in the history of the Eagles franchise. He clearly is not physically old. He rose from the ashes of the Baltimore benching and proved as much over this last month. No matter what the Eagles do in these upcoming playoffs, both Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb should be back next year, and the year after that, and probably the year after that as well. I was right earlier in the season to defend them. Now after yesterday's historic, unforgettable victory, I can finally say it: I told me so.

Eagles-Cowboys: Here We Go Again

No matter the circumstances, the playoff implications or the records of the two teams, football games between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys are the epitome of the word 'rivalry'.

In two different eras, the Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett days of the 1970's, and the Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith- Michael Irvin days of the mid-1990's, the Eagles and their fans had to sit through numerous defeats at the hands of the team from 'Big D'.

The Birds got some revenge during the bluster of the Buddy Ryan era, and even more during their emergence as a perennial contender this past decade. Along the way there have been numerous unforgettable games and moments.

This all started way back on September 30th, 1960, a full year before I was even born. The Cowboys were an expansion team that year, and the Eagles were on their way to winning their last NFL championship to this day.

But on that late September day it didn't matter that Dallas would end up winless, or that the Birds would win a title. The Cowboys fought the Eagles tooth and nail before the Birds finally overcame with a narrow 27-25 victory.

Veteran sports writer Stan Hochman has told the story that the real beginnings of the venom in the rivalry can be traced to the late 1960's and an Eagles running back named Tim Brown.

Donovan and Eagles at a Crossroads

Despite what the gloom and doom crowd at 610 WIP AM Sports Talk radio would tell you, the Philadelphia Eagles football team does not stink. Their coach does not need to be fired. Their quarterback is not washed up.

Eagles fans have become spoiled by the Andy Reid era. That is a fact. They must have forgotten the Ray Rhodes era that preceded it, when the team went 29-34-1 over a four year period. Or perhaps the Rich Kotite era before that, when the team went 36-28 over four years but only made the playoffs once.

Maybe they loved those brash Buddy Ryan years before that, every one a winning regular season. Of course there was that little matter of zero playoff wins. None. Marion Campbell, the 'Swamp Fox', and his 17-29-1 over three years and no playoffs? Forget those.

Fact is that since the end of Dick Vermeil's final full season in 1981 and the start of the Reid Era, the Eagles floundered, sputtered, and crashed after brief periods of soaring.

Who is This Marshawn Lynch Fella Anyway?

I used to play Fantasy Football regularly, and was usually pretty good at it too. With a bunch of guys that I knew from my former profession in banking, I kept playing into my early years with the police department.

But somewhere around the turn of the century, I dropped out. Part of the reasoning was that I just wanted to simplify things a bit, to get rid of some things that were taking up my time and effort.

You see, when I get involved in stuff like that, I get involved. It's fun, sure, but it's not all just fun, I have to win too. So that means that I have to know as much information as possible, which involves reading on the web and in magazines, watching TV shows, watching games, etc.

For the past decade without Fantasy Football, I have found that I enjoyed watching Eagles games so much more. Of course this may also have had something to do with the fact that during this period the Eagles got really good thanks to Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, et al.

I found that I didn't at all miss the Sunday ritual of checking the highlight shows to see if any of my guys had big games, scored touchdowns, and so on. I enjoyed football much more without the Fantasy element.