Birds fans traveled cross-country and pissed off Chargers fans by invading their place. It not only made it enjoyable for the road team, but also may have added fuel to the fire for the crowd that wants to move the Chargers back to San Diego already, as Sports Illustrated writes:
Chargers owner Dean Spanos couldn’t wait to high-tail it out of San Diego and this is what he gets. And, of course, Roger Goodell and the league were there to support the move. Now they all have a full-fledged problem on their hands, because the scene at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., yesterday was embarrassing and sad.
Eyyyy, ya boi DJacc might ain’t be da skin n e more ya herr !! Though his 20.9 yards per catch last season, the second highest total of his career (same with total receiving yards), led the league, he’s only played in 72.7% of his games in a Redskins uni (compared to 90.6% of his games as an Eagle from a much larger sample size). The Washington Post’s MIIIKE JOOOOONES, in his mailbag column, said that he would not be surprised if this is Jaccson’s last season in a ‘Skins uni:
“I’m expecting an overhaul of the receiving corps this offseason. I can’t see them bringing DeSean Jackson back to the tune of 9.25 million next season. He’s not reliable enough. Explosive, yes. But he’s not very versatile or dependable. Cutting him would save $8 million against the cap. Garcon has a cap number of $10.2 million next season, but the team could cut him and save another $8 million.”
I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t want to pay him over $9 million.
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Just last week was the tenth anniversary of the so-called “Allen Iverson rule,” more commonly known as the NBA’s dress code. In a piece by Yahoo’s Marc Spears, he says Iverson’s baggy clothing that inspired the rule also carried over to his suit game, but it was just a comfort thing according to Andre Iguodala:
Former Sixers forward Andrew Iguodala said Iverson bought several oversized suits to adhere to the dress code.
“Allen wasn’t a fan of it,” said Iguodala, now with the Warriors. “Allen just wanted to be comfortable. He wasn’t trying to just be a rebel without a cause. He was like, ‘I just want to be comfortable. I just want to go to the game and play basketball.’ He didn’t want to be uptight or feel restricted.
“You watched him play and his style was to be able to freelance and move carefree, just be comfortable in his own world. He said, ‘When I do that, I don’t want to be restricted with a tie or collar on my neck.'”
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What we’ve all been waiting for, a Chip Kelly emoji:
What play could he be calling here, other than “Cat Shit”? Matt Mullin at the PhillyVoice has a good theory: “Either Sam Bradford’s about to throw an interception or, more likely, someone needs to clean out his cat’s litter box.” You know what? Chip does feel like a cat guy to me.
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Chip bought a house in New Jersey? Kyle: Multiple tipsters giving slightly varying bits about Chip, but here seems to be the common theme: Chip bought a house in Haddonfield, very near Sam Bradford, perhaps across the street. Once again– free t-shirt to whomever gives some concrete info (link, picture, listing, deed, etc.).
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To the 94 people who beat me in Draft Kings… just waiting on emails from Draft Kings and you should have your code in the next day or so.
Things have picked up for NJ online sports betting. FanDuel Sportsbook launched their sports betting app in September and they, along with DraftKings, have quickly become the leaders in the space. If you want to know how the sites compare to each other, read our DraftKings Sportsbook vs. FanDuel Sportsbook post. Otherwise, keep reading to get our review of FanDuel and their current bonus offers. Bonus: First deposit matched up to $100 Minimum Deposit: $10 FanDuel
If you still haven’t gotten in on New Jersey’s legal sports betting action, now is a great time to check out the various promos some of the best betting apps are offering this weekend – just be sure to hit the “bet now” button or links to take advantage of these deals, as some of them are exclusive to our audience. For those of you in Pennsylvania, PA sports betting is coming soon. FanDuel Sportsbook FanDuel
The NFC playoff picture is a hot mess, but for the Eagles, things are pretty simple. Beat the Cowboys, move into first-place atop the NFC East, and live to fight for a division championship down the stretch. Lose and it’s over. Yeah, the Eagles wouldn’t be mathematically eliminated with a second loss to Dallas in five weeks, but they would need to run the table against a brutal schedule, while the Cowboys would need to
The Super Bowl this year will be the Patriots vs. the Seahawks — pretty much the opposite of the matchup most neutral fans wanted — so now we’re left rooting for either Peter Carrol or Bill Belichick. Football isn’t fair. So let’s just get to it.
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Another relic hanging on after the Phillies’ past success that we feel bad for? Charlie Manuel, who turned down some coaching offers to stay with the Phillies doing whatever he does. Cholly deserves better, but he just wants to help us:
“I figured if I was going to do what I really wanted to do, I was going to stay with the Phillies and going to work with some of the players. I want to be part of something and contribute and try to get back to the success that we’ve had and see our fans happy again.”
When I applied for this job, I wrote a sample post about when the next MLB All-Star Game will be held in Philadelphia. I surmised the Phillies would make a run at it in 2018 or 2019, but also considered that they’d wait longer to capitalize on some American history (as they did in 1976). According to the Washington Post, that’s exactly what they’ll do:
Ten of the 14 new stadiums built since 2000 are in the NL. Excluding Petco Park, five new stadiums have yet to host an all-star game: Tropicana Field in Tampa, Yankee Stadium in New York, Marlins Park in Miami, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia (the Phillies are waiting to bid for the 2026 edition to commemorate when America turns 250) and Nationals Park.
Well, that’s it. The Eagles won ten games and missed the playoffs. The Cowboys won the division and are really coming alive at this point. All is wrong with the world. Your next few months will be filled with getting excited over sporadic Flyers and Sixers wins (post coming later), bouncing about various Phillies and Ruben Amaro rumors, and wondering what the Eagles are going to do in the draft and next year. But first, we’ve got some things to get through.
Let’s hit it!
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The roundup:
At one point during yesterday’s games, your perfect fantasy lineup would have featured Geno Smith at quarterback. At some other point, Sanchez was in that role. Or, as Redzone put it:
Two birds, one stone.
Is LeSean McCoy worried his career as an Eagle might be over? Sure. Why?
“I’d be lying if I say it never flashes in my mind, because it happened to [Jackson], off his best year. So you never know.”
And, for no reason at all, this: “A burglar who masturbated while inside a woman’s apartment and then stole her dog was shot when he tried to break into a second Bucks County apartment, according to investigators.” So, you know, someone had a worse week than you.
That’s it.
Liberty Broadcast
We’ve got so much good stuff right now. Tony Bruno, Bleeding Green Nation, me, Eytan Shander, Jimmy Kempski and Tommy Lawlor. And we’re working on adding more. LibertyBroadcast.co.
After becoming the first female pitcher to ever win a game in the Little League World Series — and racking up all of the acclaim (and media coverage) that came with that — Mo’Ne Davis will release her memoirs next year. How a teen has memoirs, I do not know, but HarperCollins will publish Mo’ne Davis: Remember My Name under their children’s books umbrella, and the book will be co-written with (or “as told to”) Hilary Beard.
NCAA Tournament
Two great pieces of news on the March Madness front:
1. We get to start calling the round of 64 the “first round” again after the NCAA pretended those play-in games were anything other than a way for them to make more money.
2. The 2016 men’s basketball tournament’s East Regional games will be played at the Wells Fargo Center.
LaSalle will play the role of “host institution” and the other sites for the regional round are Chicago, Louisville, and Anaheim. The 2016 Final Four will be played at NRG Stadium, where they have some experience with basketball court-style floors.
The world loved Mr. Met’s boisterous performances during Mets games and the way he would walk calmly to the stadium’s boiler room after games and stand motionless, facing the wall, all night long until the next game began.
The Eagles already pulled out all the merch stops for this weekend’s Sunday Night Football matchup against the Giants, but now, they’re going all in on halftime. Promoting their new album Collide, Boyz II Men will perform live on the field at halftime, and those not at the game can catch their performance (likely of “Motown Philly,” but an audible into “One Sweet Day” would be weird and wonderful) on the Eagles’ website and mobile app. It’s going to be great, but it also reminds me of one of the greatest moments in television history: The sing-fight from Making the Band 4 set to “End of the Road”.
And if that wasn’t enough of an effort to up your gameday experience, the Eagles have been sending surveys out to game attendees to ask about their travel time, cell reception, and more:
In sending out the survey, the Eagles said: “With the help of the National Football League, we are working to ensure that we are meeting your expectations in every way … we invite you to share your thoughts with us by completing the following survey. Please take the next 15 minutes to express your opinions relating to your overall gameday experience, and if possible, please aim to complete your survey by this Saturday.” The league could probably be focused on some more pressing matters, but it’s nice that the Eagles care.
And finally, in the lowest form of pre-game smack talk, Prince Amukamara and Dominique “Still in the League” Rodgers-Cromartie posed with Giants super-fan “License Plate Guy” and his personalized Eagles jersey:
We can’t say it about Amukamara, but that zero DRC is holding up also represents the number of Super Bowls he’s won. Plus, I’d almost rather have zero Super Bowls than be seen with this guy. Almost.
Sixers Draft Pick You Forgot About Will Play in League You Didn’t Know About
Photo Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jordan McRae, one of the 400 players the 76ers drafted in the 2nd round this year, is going to be playing pro basketball in Australia. McRae was the 58th pick of the 2014 draft and traded to the 76ers from the Spurs, and will now suit up for Melbourne United in the NBL. McRae was named to the Second Team of the Summer League’s All-NBA squad when he averaged 21 points on 50% shooting in four appearances.
One report thinks the Sixers retain the right to call McRae back to the NBA until January, but if not, he’ll spend the year playing in the same league as Josh Childress. And that is what Josh Childress is up to.
This Evolution of Madden Video Reminds You How Many Hours and Hours You’ve Played These Games
The video above, via Barstool, shows the evolution of every few years of the Madden video game franchise over the past 26 years. It’s gotten me excited to play Madden 15, but I’d also be fine pulling out Maddens 02/03/04.
Soothsayer Larry Mendte Says the Eagles Won’t Win the Super Bowl
Call of the parade, Eagles fans, the harbinger of Eagles success has announced that they will not win a Super Bowl this year, so let’s just pack it up. That Nostradamus of professional football is Larry Mendte, and he just knows this year is not the year:
After false prophets who came to Philadelphia and fell short of leading us to the Promised Land, Eagles fans believe they have found their Messiah. And I am now put in the unenviable position of having to yell at the Chipnotized, “Snap out of it! It’s not going to happen this year!”
That hurts to admit. There are just way too many questions. I believe Nick Foles can and will be a star in this league. But, the defense is still suspect, as is the kicker. Depth is also a problem. What happens if offensive linemen Jason Peters or running back LeSean McCoy gets hurt? Injuries at key positions are inevitable. The Eagles don’t have the depth at most positions to compensate.
The great prognosticator of the Philadelphia fan has spoken, and his will shall be done.
