August 18, 2015
It’s late summer, time is ticking away toward the real football season, and, for the most part, there is a reason for optimism on several fronts, especially with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then again, Don’t Worry Be Happy has never been the mantra of the Philadelphia sports fan. With that in mind, and the Papal visit looming as a worse traffic jam than a Chris Christie bridge-crossing plan; here are a few things you might want to consider before dreaming of al those rainbows, unicorns, and Super Bowls:
Naturally, number one on the list is also number 1 on the roster, Eagles kicker Cody Parkey, who missed an extra point from the new distance of 33 yards and then a 34-yard field goal this past Sunday.
Overall, the kid was basically on the money with a 3-for-4 day for field goals and extra points. However, you have to more than “on the money” in the NFL from within the 35-yard line – you must be MONEY.
The general impression is that Parkey just had a goofy start to the new extra-point distance, and then booted an early field goal. However, kickers live with the voices that roar inside their heads, and if those voices become negative, bad things can happen.
Panic?
Hardly, but at least a little bit of concern.
Then again, if the usually on-target kicker is your biggest worry after one preseason game, you don’t have that much to worry about.
Right? Or is it wide right?
***
Second up is the position that has been the biggest concern of all, quarterback.
Coach Chip Kelly, who kept him under wraps, dashed the fans’ hope of seeing Sam Bradford last Sunday against the Colts. The Eagles were being cautious with the twice-sliced knee of Bradford, so unless you count warm up tosses, there was nothing to see there.
And that is the problem; we still have not seen Bradford, so there is no real proof of all those great tales from training camp. You can hardly call it a problem when he hasn’t taken a snap.
So, keep those worries in the back of your mind and hope for a great start on Saturday against Baltimore – a team with a defense that likes to damage quarterbacks.
***
Moving across the street, you can worry that the Philadelphia Phillies might be swayed by the play of some kids in their own dugout and the minor league system, and decide to bring back general manager Ruben Amaro.
That would be a mistake.
Well, if not a mistake, it would pose a huge risk in terms of the general feelings about the club. Although no decision should be made only in terms of selling tickets, in the case of Amaro there is certainly enough evidence piled up against his retention that it is understandable that the fan base would continue to stay away from the ballpark.
What the Phillies need is not the departure of Amaro so much as the hiring of some young baseball executive who brings with him the values of analytics and just a fresh approach.
It took a long time, but the Phillies have begun the process of getting to the next generation of the franchise, the only worry is that they will stop before the job is complete.
***
Meanwhile, the worries for the guys who play indoors are many and varied.
Start with the Sixers.
Then again, where do you start with the Sixers? Joel Embiid? Sam Hinkie? Joshua Harris.
Do you worry about a foot that will never heal? Or do you worry about a general manager that has decided to work in a vacuum? Or do you worry that the owner is a Wall Street guy who just might move this franchise across the street, or across the country?
All valid.
Of all the worries, these are the biggest, but the end result could provide the biggest impact.
It’s a boom or bust plan, but at least it’s a plan.
***
As for the Flyers, there is a lot of optimism that the team is set in a new direction under general manager Ron Hextall, and a so-called new culture around the club.
Funny.
Hextall made his front office bones with the Los Angeles Kings, who were led by another escapee from the Flyers Dean Lombardi, a former GM of the Sharks who was then a west coast scout for the Flyers.
The two paired up for what turned into Philadelphia west as the Kings took on board a couple of guys named Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and rode on to a couple of Stanley Cups – mostly on great goaltending from Jonathan Quick, and a great defense led by Drew Doughty
The biggest worry here is that Hextall’s decision to hire coach Dave Hakstol out of North Dakota and the NCAA is an enormous risk. It is not a conventional hire, and the NHL is a far different animal than the NCAA.
It’s a bold move by Hextall, but no matter how good the coach, he had better hope that goalie Steve Mason is as good as many people think, and that the group of young defenseman he has assembled can provide at least one of two legit stars.
So, heading into the home stretch of summer, the hope here is that all of he Eagles worries are cleared up by Labor Day, starting with a perfect day by Parkey on Saturday, and a great showing by Bradford.
And then we can all go into the season with the only worry about having great weather for the Super Bowl parade.
