Football is back.

The Eagles lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-14.

The season is over! (But the team lost their preseason opener last year and won the Super Bowl). So hold your horses.

There was plenty of good and bad from the preseason opener, but here were some of my notes:

  • The first team defense is still a unit I wouldn’t want to face. Especially with Long Cox.
  • Dallas Goedert had one easy drop, but looked like the real deal. Imagine him and Zach Ertz in the red zone.
  • Nate Sudfeld started off meh but rebounded very well.
  • One of Sudfeld’s best moments was a 63-yard bomb to Shelton Gibson. That was his only catch, but at least he didn’t drop any passes!

  • Kamu Grugier-Hill also showed that he isn’t just a special teams ace anymore. He was really good in his time at the WILL linebacker spot. Nate Gerry also had a good night.
  • Rasul Douglas got toasted twice for touchdowns, but did have an interception. He had a mixed night.
  • Tre Sullivan attacked a little too much. He’s had a solid camp but regressed a little in the loss.
  • Jordan Mailata gave up a strip sack in his first career snap. He held his own later, but it’s obvious he needs work.
  • Sidney Jones got hurt in the second quarter, but he said it was only an ankle sprain. Thank God. He also got the team’s first penalty with the new helmet rule. And it was obvious.
  • Cam Johnston boomed a punt, but it was called back due to a flag:

If you’re interested in the position battles, Donnel Pumphrey, Matt Jones, and Markus Wheaton didn’t play. That really hurts Pumphrey as we saw a ton of Josh Adams and Wendell Smallwood. The undrafted free agent from Notre Dame finished with six rushes for 30 yards and two catches for 11 yards.

We also have this?

Before the game, Malcolm Jenkins and De’Vante Bausby raised their fists during the national anthem. Chris Long put his hand on Jenkins’ shoulder in solidarity like he did for most of last year. Michael Bennett was the only Eagle to wait in the tunnel.

Two Dolphins players took a knee before their game against the Buccaneers. President Trump fired off more tweets about it.

At halftime of the game, owner Jeffrey Lurie announced Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons as the newest inductees into the Eagles Hall of Fame. They’ll be inducted on September 23 against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Birds are off today and have their second open practice tomorrow morning at 10 AM. They’ll play in Foxborough next week against the Patriots, who lost in the Super Bowl to the Eagles.

The Eagles also got a very special Bud Light can.

The Roundup:


The Phils had a day off as they get ready to take on the Padres tonight at 10:10 PM on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Zach Eflin will take the mound.

Pat Neshek believes the Phils can be the next Astros.

“I kind of went through this with the Astros in 2015,” Neshek said this week, reflecting on the Phillies’ progress. The Astros “had a good, young core. They had the resources to add free agents during the time I was there. It feels real similar to that. I think we’re actually ahead of where the Astros were in ’15. I think we’re in a lot better place.”

Neshek admitted he “didn’t have a clue” about which of the Phillies’ young hitters would emerge. His view of the team’s chances stemmed more from his belief in the potential of the young starting rotation.

Aaron Nola’s 3.00 ERA over his final 18 starts last season gave him the look of an ace-in-the-making. Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta, Jerad Eickhoff, and Zach Eflin all had their moments, inconsistent as they were, to make Neshek think they could be reliable.

“I thought, if you could get those guys to step up,” Neshek said. “And God, they’ve stepped up.”

The team unveiled their Players’ Weekend uniforms and nameplates for their series against the Blue Jays.

Did you know Gabe Kapler was a K-Swiss guy back in the day?


Zhaire Smith’s surgery went well. The team gave no timetable on his return:


Flyers prospect Matthew Strome is working on his skating with a former Olympian figure skater.

Barbara Underhill, who was a world pair champion in 1984, is now prominent in the hockey world. She’s worked with several NHL teams and is currently a skating development consultant for the Maple Leafs.

Strome connected with her through a friend. The two have worked together and are doing so again this summer in Toronto, practicing two to three times a week.

“She’s helped me so much the past couple of summers,” Strome said, “so it’s going to keep getting better.

“Just working on everything really — stride, fast feet and edges, just getting a bit of everything in.”


In other sports news, there were plenty of other preseason games.

Dez Bryant is going to start his visits next weekend with Cleveland.

It appears he’s a big Browns guy:

Cam Newton had some words for Kelvin Benjamin:

The latest edition of RADIO WARS features Mike Missanelli against Jimmy Kempski.

The NBA is really popular on social media.

Kate Upton helped save Justin Verlander from depression.

Jaylen Brown believes the Celtics will win the East.

Heath Evans says he was fired unfairly by the NFL Network.


In the news, two people are dead after a drive-by shooting in North Philly.

The new “Space Force” might be ready to go by 2020.

Starbucks is adding Kombucha. Whatever that is.