Category Archives: Sports

The Curse of Old Dirty Knee

By GORDON GLANTZ

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE – I tried being Superman.

It didn’t work out too well.

It was that day in first grade when we got wear our Halloween costumes to school, and the Man of Steel was my superhero of choice.

There may be no comic book chronicling this adventure but Superman’s Kryptonite on this day was the double-knot on the back of the Woolworth’s get-up. While going to the little boys’ room, it didn’t come untied before a calamity occurred.

To raised eyebrows of classmates, I returned as Peter Pan – same as Kindergarten –that afternoon.

Although my grandmother’s first cousin created the Green Lantern, and pretty much got screwed out of royalties, my forever match to anyone sounding like a comic-book hero is, fittingly, out of the music world.

That would be Adam Ant, who scored a hit in 1982 – more than a decade after the Superman costume dried out — with the song “Goodytwoshoes.”

The otherwise forgettable new wave ditty featured the memorable line: “Don’t drink, don’t smoke – What do you do?”

That’s pretty much me these days.

I don’t drink. I don’t smoke.

For that matter, I don’t play golf or hunt or fish or hike or play poker with the boys.

What do I do?

I obsess over things I can’t control.

A lot of things I can’t control.

The list is so long that I can only go partial here:

-Snowstorms on days when you can’t stay home;

-Walking the dog in the rain (unless you don’t mind him pulling a “Superman”);

-People talking behind my back (probably about my dwelling on things I can’t control);

-People stabbing me in the back (probably because I act too much like Julius Caesar);

-A tick giving me Lyme Disease;

– iTunes changing the rules so that you need to give up your first born to shuffle songs;

– My real first-born, Sofia, having her feelings hurt at school and …

-The Philadelphia Eagles.

No matter what I want them to do, it seems that those Birds – with the brains to match — are going to do what they want anyway.

And the years pass, leaving me at 44^th anniversary of Superman’s most embarrassing moment, without the one thing I want most from the wild world of sports – a Super Bowl title for my Birds.

Just one.

Not two in a row. Not three in four years.

Just one.

But it remains elusive.

I have been a fan for long, long time.

How long? My first game by my father’s side was at Franklin Field in 1970, making Lincoln Financial Field my third stadium.

In second grade, I traded in my Superman outfit for an Eagles uniform – the one with the white helmet and green wings – and went accident-free that Halloween of 1972.

I have been through too many owners and coaches to name, dreadful seasons and many where they were just good enough to not be quite good enough.

In the last 25 years, as I have grown into an alleged adult, the Eagles have had the best record in football — for teams who haven’t won the Super Bowl, that is.

My mantra has been to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.

I protect myself in a veil of pessimism, trying to elude jinxes by exuding negativity.

This approach as kept me semi-sane.

But I went another way this year. I went public on www.phillyphanatics.com and predicted the Eagles would win it all this year.

And now, as it seems highly unlikely, I’m going for a ride on the crazy train.

I really had no basis for this out-of-character prognostication, other than that we were due.

And after Temple beat Penn State at the Linc, eliciting real post-game tears and leading to an item a notch below a Super Bowl win coming off my Sports Bucket List, I threw caution to the wind.

Hell had already frozen over, I surmised, so why not continue skating unfettered on the Pond of Dreams through the NFL the season?

Yeah, why not?

Well, because we have to consider the very real possibility that the Eagles are living under some sort of curse.

That’s why not.

It has become abundantly clear that the ice in hell was meant for only one bird, that being the Owl of my alma mater, and the wounded wings of the Eagles.

The 2015 Eagles now look more like Dream Team 2.0 (a reference to the 2011 Eagles that loaded up on free agents and failed to make the playoffs) than the one that will theoretically make my dreams come true.

While I don’t like to get my hands dirty – proven by the fact that I got a D-minus in Archaeology 101 while suffering from a bad case of Senioritis at Temple – I decided to go on my own dirt-free dig to get to the bottom of the source of the curse.

If all those annoying Bostonians can point to the selling of Babe Ruth to the Yankees – so that the team’s owner, Harry Frazee, could finance a musical called “No, No, Nanette” (no, no kidding … that was the title) – we can find something to that put a hex over our most beloved, and irksome, franchise, too.

The Eagles won titles in 1948 and 1949 and again in 1960, so the curse had to come shortly thereafter.

If JFK was assassinated here, we’d be set, but he wasn’t. He was shot dead in Dallas. How many Super Bowls the friggin’ Cowboys have won?

Five. That’s how many. Five.

See what I mean? Not that easy.

I came up with two finalists to match the since-broken “Curse of the Bambino” in Boston: “The Curse of the Dutchman” and “The Curse of Old Dirty Knee.”

It seems 1960 quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, aka The Dutchman, was promised the head coaching job here the following year but the promise was not kept.

Sounds plausible. A broken promise. A broken heart. Broken dreams for decades to follow.

But the numbers – like negative turnover ratio — don’t add up to a spiked ball in the end zone.

Van Brocklin did get his chance to coach in the NFL and the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback will not be confused with Vince Lombardi. He coached the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974 and got the playoffs just once. His career record: 66-100-7.

All due respect to the last guy to quarterback a team in this town to the Promised Land — not counting Chuck Fusina and Philadelphia Stars of the USFL or Willy Whoever and the Philadelphia Soul of the AFL — but we were probably better off.

That brings us to theory No. 2. Van Brocklin’s backup in 1960 was Sonny Jurgensen, whose primary role in 1960 was to hold for placekicker Bobby Walston (also the tight end, who kicked straight-ahead with more accuracy than Caleb Sturgis). That job earned him the short-lived moniker of Old Dirty Knee (only part of his uniform that got dirty was his knee from holding the ball).

Jurgensen got to take his place under center in 1961 and responded with 32 touchdown passes (still a franchise record that likely won’t be broken any time soon). For reasons that remain as mysterious as why Sam Bradford was seen as an upgrade over Nick Foles, Jurgensen was traded in 1964 to the Washington Redskins for a cornerback named Claude Crabb (I couldn’t make that up) and quarterback Norm Snead.

While Crabb was here for two seasons, ringing up a grand total of zero of his 10 career interceptions, Snead was an OK quarterback (think Mark Sanchez) on teams that ran the gamut from middling to hideous.

He actually scored the first touchdown of the game on a scramble when I made my aforementioned trip to Franklin Field in 1970 (a 35-20 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals). Snead made a Pro Bowl in 1972 (after moving on from the Eagles to the New York Giants, of course) but he was no Sonny Jurgensen, who was selected to the 1960s All-Decade Team and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983 after retiring in 1974.

And speaking of Lombardi, who made his household name in Green Bay (his only loss in a championship game was to the 1960 Eagles), he finished his career in Washington with Jurgensen as his quarterback. The legendary coach, for whom the elusive Super Bowl trophy is named, said Jurgensen was the best quarterback he had seen.

Note Jurgensen, not Norm Snead.

Ouch. It hurts my fingers just to type that.

Sure, opinions are like teeth, everybody has them until they fall out, at which point you are too old to really care anymore.

This is mine, the trade of an all-time great quarterback for a guy named Claude Crabb and a Tier II signal-caller named Norm Snead.

Forget the whiz and onions. Put that in your cheese steak and eat it.

We are now living under the Curse of Old Dirty Knee.

It sounds like a Spaghetti Western, but it is unfolding in the shadow of cash-only spaghetti restaurants in South Philly.

How do we break the curse?

Better call Superman.

A real one, not a first-grader who can’t untie the back of his costume.

I’m A Believer

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By GORDON GLANTZ

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — I have a sports bucket list, which certainly varies from my overall bucket list of life and how I’d like to live it here on the back nine (rare golf reference, so call the papers that are actually still in business).

Anyone who knows me, even a little bit, is aware that the Eagles winning a Super Bowl sits atop this list and is looking way down on all others. I would venture to say it laps the field so much that it occupies the top three spots.

The thing is this – I’m not a greedy dude.

I don’t need a dynasty. I don’t need three titles in four years or anything of the sort. My blood pressure probably couldn’t take it anyway.

Just give me one and I’m good.

And unless they are living under a curse, like the annoying Red Sox fans used to think they were under for selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees, it’s really not outlandish.

It’s like a kid just listing one nice toy for Santa to bring on Christmas, as opposed to 171 stocking-stuffers.

The Eagles have been around since 1933 (rising from the Depression-created ashes of the Frankford Yellow Jackets, who won the NFL title in 1926). Before we had Super Bowls, they reached the title game in 1947 and came back to win it all in 1948 and 1949.

And they have the distinction of being the only franchise to beat a Vince Lombardi-coached team in a championship game when they captured the flag again in 1960.

That’s all well and good. I can do book reports on all those teams that would be so detailed that would make my naysaying schoolmarm teachers from grade school jump out of their orthopedic shoes – not to mention their graves.

But there is a problem.

I’m old, recently turning 50, but not that old.

I was born in 1965.

That’s five years after Glory’s Road underwent construction.

The odds are really in my favor, as long as my health holds out. The Eagles have been to the playoffs a lot of times, and to the Super Bowl twice – once with me watching live – but until it happens, it seems like a dream for someone in a rent-a-city like Tampa Bay to enjoy.

I often wonder what my reaction would be if the seemingly impossible happened. Would I spontaneously dance an Irish jig, jump so high that I’d land on the moon, scream until my larynx became dislodged or run down the street seeking out high fives from strangers until I found myself at the Lehigh Valley Airport (I guess I’d jump in a plane and – despite having no clue how to fly one – I’d pilot it back home)?

Well, I had a test run Saturday, as one of the other items on my sports bucket list came to pass.

Temple beat Penn State – 27 to freaking 10! — in football for the first time since 1941.

There were 39 meetings in there, with one tie.

This was personal, very personal.

My father had Temple season tickets, so I was at a lot of those as a tyke. At the time, I was also a Penn State fan, leaving a stench I still can’t wash away, but I put that allegiance off to the side in honor of a family tree where most of the leaves blossom as cherry and white.

There were some games that Temple — where I attended myself, choosing it over Penn State and Kent State, and met my future wife — stayed in the same zip code on the scoreboard but really had no shot to win. There were some where the Owls were completely smoked, and Joe Paterno – great humanitarian that he was – ran up the score.

But there were others – including very recently — where Temple not only could have won, but should have won.

Just like EagleQuest, it only seemed like a matter of time.

And like EagleQuest, there was no greed involved. Just one Temple win, creating sadness in Happy Valley, and I’d be set for life.

But time was ticking, and not in my favor.

With Temple in the ever evolving American Athletic Conference and Penn State plummeting to the middle of the pack in the Big 10, there was no guarantee that this semi-annual Pennsylvania waltz – that always ends with the same dance to the same sad dirge – was going to go on forever.

I worried that it may not be in Penn State’s best interests to tempt fate and schedule a non-league game with a cross-state rival that treats the tilt as its Super Bowl when it could play the likes of Akron and Toledo.

There was a sense of urgency this time around. I secretly felt the Owls had a shot. Despite “Temple football” always spoken like a punch line to a joke and with a roll of the eyes, the Owls were 6-6 a year ago and had a lot of returning players. Penn State was 7-6, the extra game by virtue of a bowl appearance that should not have been (but don’t get me started on that).

Plus, it was the first game of the year. Weird things happen in Week 1. There are always upsets, and near-upsets, at all levels (prior to Saturday, Division III Ursinus beat Division II Millersville and Division 1-A Villanova hung tough against Division I Connecticut).

Why not us?

I ventured into the literal den of the Lion to watch the game – my next-door neighbor’s house. He is not only a Penn State alum, but from “up there,” having been a high school teammate of Jay Paterno. His oldest daughter goes there, and the whole family was born and bred on Penn State. My other neighbor, also a Penn State guy, came over and pronounced that it was “just a preseason game.”

I was all Templed-up, in terms of dress, and had my enthusiasm dashed early, as Temple’s stout defense was gashed for a long touchdown run and the seemingly overmatched Owls fell into a quick 10-0 hole.

“Gordon, you didn’t really think Temple was going to win, did you?” one asked.

Actually, I did.

“No,” I answered, explaining that I thought Temple had to hold its own in the trenches, where it was at a size disadvantage, to prevail.

Something happened. Temple got its equilibrium and started to own the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

A 10-0 deficit after one quarter didn’t feel so good, but 10-7 at halftime was a sign of life. Then it was 10-10. Then 17-10, Temple. Then, 24-10. Then, 27-10.

The minutes ticked down, but I still braced myself for the great collapse of 2015. Maybe Temple would turn it over. Maybe Penn State would score on special teams.

They all laughed when I said I been there before.

They had no idea how many times, or how painful.

Even though my neighbor was waving the white flag – and grudgingly giving Temple credit instead of pinning it all on Penn State failing to deploy a strategy to exploit Temple’s “inferior” talent – I needed to see Christian Hakenburg get sacked a few times and the clock hit zero.

I was told my wife was outside on the back deck, irritating the Penn State neighbors on all sides by banging celebratory pots.

My neighbor, who joked that he was going to call Homeland Security on me from running around his TV room yelling “Go Jahad, Go Jahad, Go Jahad” when Temple’s Jahad Thomas ran for a touchdown, followed me home and told my wife –jokingly, I think – that I wasn’t welcome to come back to watch any more games.

“Fine with me,” I said. “I got what I came for.”

I got to scratch one off the bucket list.

And I got a real taste of what it would be like if the Eagles won the Super Bowl.

After I got back into my house, I sat down on the sofa and removed my Temple cap. I buried my head in my hands and sobbed tears of joy for about five minutes.

I could not help but think of my dad.

If it were the Eagles, it would be longer. A lot longer.

But now I know.

And now I believe the seemingly impossible can happen.

I woke up Sunday morning with as much of an epiphany that a secular humanist who was raised Jewish could have.

Reunite the Monkees. I’m a believer.

I sat down worked out my NFL predictions for www.phillyphanatics.com.

And I picked the Eagles to win it all.

Why not?

Gotta happen sooner or later, right?

Rosterology 101

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By GORDON GLANTZ

@Managing2Edit

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

GORDONVILLE — Welcome, class, to Rosterology 101. Put away your iPads and laptops. Our supplies are simple. All your need is a calculator and some common sense.

As a proactive strike, I would ask that you place your head above your heart. As training camp evolves into the NFL preseason, you will read about – and catch glimpses of – long shot players and get visions of Rudy Ruettiger- and Vince Papale-like success stories.

The harsh reality is that those were movies. The real Rudy played college football when the only requirement was to suit up X amount of players on game day. Infinite players could don the golden dome helmets during the week.

Papale? Contrary to the myth spun by the flick “Invisible,” he had already been a pro player with the Philadelphia Bell of the ill-fated World Football League and was invited to try out for the Eagles (the silly open tryout in the movie was more reminiscent of what he experienced trying out for the Bell as a semi-pro player). He was, for lack of a better term, a preferred walk-on for an Eagles’ team in transition at a time in the NFL where training camp rosters were not limited to 90.

Unlike the team Papale made, this is an Eagles squad coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons. A large part of the roster is locked down by established players, newcomers acquired via trade or free agency, younger players that a significant amount of development time has been invested in already and 2015 draft picks that will have to play themselves off the active roster or 10-man practice squad.

For every guy who makes a diving catch or interception in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, keep in mind that someone ahead of them in the minds of coach Chip Kelly and his coaches would have to be X-ed out of the final equation based on a play that could be chalked up as an aberration.

For this exercise, we will keep the math simple and go with 25 players on each side of the ball and save three spots – etched in stone – for the kicker (Cody Parkey), punter (Donnie Jones) and long snapper (Jon Dorenbos).

So, while the cops may have busted Madame Marie for telling fortunes better than they do, it is not too hard to read the tea leaves here.

Barring injury, let’s look at a projected 53-man roster:

OFFENSE (25)

Quarterback (3): Sam Bradford, Matt Sanchez, Tim Tebow

What about me? Matt Barkley

What about you? A fourth-round pick in 2013, Barkley is likely to be showcased early in the preseason with the intent of being peddled to a quarterback-desperate team closer to the start of the season. If that doesn’t happen, the decision becomes more difficult. If it came down to starting, Barkley might be a better option than Tebow. As a third quarterback, the sense is that the Eagles would rather have Tebow.

Running Back (3): DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles

What about me? Kenjon Barner

What about you? With the curious release of previous preseason workhorse Matthew Tucker due to non-football injury, it leaves the undersized Barner (5-9, 195) to carry the load and take the hits they don’t want or need the three primary backs absorbing. It could be opportunity knocking for Barner, who racked up big numbers for Kelly at Oregon, but he is in the Sproles mold as a third-down back and return man and a needless duplication. He could be auditioning as much for other teams as he is for the Eagles.

Wide Receiver (6): Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff, Miles Austin, Seyi Ajiroututu

What about me? Jeff Maehl

What about you? A marginal NFL talent who has not distinguished himself on special teams – an area where Ajiroututu stood out with the San Diego Chargers to the extent that he could put some defensive players on the roster bubble. Maehl has milked this “Oregon thing” long enough. The CFL beckons.

Tight End (3): Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey Burton

What about me? N/A

Offensive line (10): Jason Peters (T), Jason Kelce (C), Lane Johnson (T), Allen Barbre (G-T), Matt Tobin (G-T), Andrew Gardner (T-G), Dennis Kelly (G-T), Kevin Graf (T), Jared Wheeler (G-C), John Moffitt (G)

What about me? David Molk, Julian Vandervelde, Josh Andrews

What about you? Molk did an admirable job as a undersized pivot when last year when Kelce was injured. Vandervelde, a fifth-round choice by the old regime in 2011, has been in and out of Philadelphia so many times that he has accrued enough frequent flyer miles for a round-trip to Bora Bora. He became a pet project for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, but newcomer Wheeler has collegiate ties to Stoutland and is a bigger version of Vandervelde. He can play center, as can Andrews, who is likely ticketed for a return trip to the practice squad. Expect him to be joined by some combination of rookie free agents (i.e. Brett Boyko, Mike Coccia, Malcolm Bunche and Cole Manhart).

Summary: That takes us to 25, class. There is some flexibility if Kelly elects to go with nine offensive linemen and keep a fourth running back, all four quarterbacks or another tight end (three rookie free agents in camp), meaning guys like Graf and Kelly are very much on the bubble. A lot of that will be based on the versatility of offensive linemen to master multiple spots, as only seven or eight dress on game day anyway. You may now go to recess before we continue with the other side of the ball.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line (7): Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan (NG), Cedric Thornton, Vinny Curry, Beau Allen (NG), Frank Mays, Taylor Hart

What about me? Brandon Bair, Brian Mihalik

What about you? Bair lived out of a suitcase, bouncing around between NFL practice squads, before walking onto a field for the first time – and performing admirably – last year at age 29. This will be a tough cut, but the head wins out over the heart. They will keep his agent’s cell phone number in the rolodex, but it is time to get younger and go with players – like the massive Mays (6-9, 291) and Hart, a 2014 fifth-round pick out of Oregon – that offer more down the road, while placing 2015 seventh-rounder Mihalik onto the practice squad.

Linebacker (9): Connor Barwin, Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso, DeMeco Ryans, Brandon Graham, Jordan Hicks, Travis Long, Brad Jones, Najee Goode.

What about me? Marcus Smith II, Bryan Braman, Emmanuel Acho

What about you? None of these were easy cuts. More than likely, second-year man Brandon Hepburn will show enough for a return hitch on the practice squad. It just comes down to numbers, and also the fact that the Eagles didn’t make the playoffs last year because of a defense that was tired at the end of games and at the end of the season. The idea here is to rotate successfully at more spots than just defensive line, which benefitted from its depth last year but had guys huffing and puffing behind them. Smith was drafted in the first round in 2014 based on size, raw athletic ability and one year of production at Louisville. They knew he lacked technique, which can be culled from a willing pupil, but have had to learn first-hand that he lacks coachability and the high-motor needed for the NFL. Better to cut ties now. Braman was brought in last year to help solidify the special teams units, and fulfilled that task. However, he can only continue that role by suiting up on game days and he simply offers nothing at linebacker, at least not compared to Jones (a resume in Green Bays that includes starts, inside and outside, and solid special teams work) and Long. Additionally, others – like Burton – have emerged as special-teams aces, making Braman expendable. Acho, like Casey Matthews, only made the team in 2014 because of season-ending injuries to Long and Goode.

Defensive Back (9): Byron Maxwell (CB), Nolan Carroll (CB), Eric Rowe (CB-S), Malcolm Jenkins (S), Walter Thurmond (S-CB), Chris Maragos (S), Jaylen Watkins (S-CB), Ed Reynolds (S), Jacorey Shepherd (CB).

What about me? Earl Wolff, Chris Prosinski, Randall Evans, Jerome Couplin III, EJ Biggers.

What about you? As you can see from the notable cuts, the Eagles have gone for more of a quantity over quality approach to upgrade their depth in the secondary. Wolff was the red herring thrown out by Kelly to the media wolves early in the offseason when asked about who will start alongside Jenkins at safety, but the 2013 fifth-round pick continues to take up permanent residence in the trainer’s room. As is the case at linebacker with the likes of Braman, a special-teams specialist like Prosinski was a luxury they couldn’t afford. He and Couplin, poached from Detroit’s practice last year, needed to beat out Maragos, and there was no way that was going to happen. Maragos is an elite special-teams guy, not just a “good” one, and can play some safety in an extreme pinch. Shepherd and Evans were drafted in the sixth round and could certainly unseat the likes of Watkins or Reynolds, but they have one less year in the system and would be better served with a year on the practice squad. Biggers should be familiar to Eagles’ fans because he was victimized as a slot corner during Jordan Matthews’ coming-out party early last season against the Redskins. Perhaps he was signed in the offseason as a thank you for that non-effort. With Brandon Boykin recently traded cross-state to Pittsburgh for a bag of deflated footballs, the hope is that Biggers doesn’t beat out Shepherd or Watkins as the new slot corner.

Summary: That’s 25 more. Really not as much flexibility in the breakdown, as it is risky going with less than seven defensive linemen or just to accommodate a 10th linebacker or defensive back. The out-of-the-box projections here are Mays on the defensive line instead of Bair, Long and Goode at linebacker over Braman and Smith II, and Reynolds and/or Watkins at safety over Wolff and Prosinski. Mays has too much untapped potential to be stashed on the practice squad and, as stated, Goode is – pardon the pun – a good enough special-teams player to ease the loss of Braman. His presence will also allow third-round pick, Hicks, to cross-train at outside linebacker. Long makes it on his versatility and for bringing all the intangibles that Smith II will likely never have.

And there it is: 25 plus 25 equals 50. Now, class, add in three for the aforementioned specialists – kicker, punter and snapper – and you have your 53-man roster for the 2015 (and hopefully a little into 2016) Philadelphia Eagles.

There will be a pop quiz, so be prepared.

Class dismissed.

This analysis also appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

‘Aliens’ To Shake Up Planet NovaCare

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By GORDON GLANTZ

@Managing2Edit

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

GORDONVILLE – Cue up picture of the USS Enterprise with standard background music. The seen is bridge, where there are concerned looks on faces …

Captain Kirk: Captain’s Log, Stardate 93164.67. Our path to the Eagles’ opening of training camp has been obstructed by the appearance of some alien beings. We are in a holding pattern.

Mr. Sulu: Look, Captain, there’s another one.

Captain Kirk: Spock? Advise.

Mr. Spock (raising one eyebrow and appearing unfazed): Highly logical, Captain, and not without precedent. Without Andy Reid as the coach, there would be no reason to panic. It appears we are encountering the off-the-radar players who will shake up the depth chart once training camp and the preseason begins.

Dr. McCoy: Dammit, Spock! I don’t need anyone to shake up my depth chart. Just give me my flask of whiskey and a few snowballs to throw at Santa Claus – or Jimmy Johnson.

Captain Kirk: Are they dangerous, Spock?

Mr. Spock: To the contrary, Captain. They can be very helpful. Remember Trey Burton last summer? They may or may not make the team, but they are worth examining and pose little risk.

Mr. Chekov: I never understood that sport.

Dr. McCoy: That’s because you grew up with soccer.

Captain Kirk: Scottie, can you get us around this?

Mr. Scott: No way around it, Captain. I’ll need more time.

Lt. Uhura: I’m picking up a signal Captain, they wish to reveal themselves.

Captain Kirk: Spock, McCoy, Mandatory Expendable Extra in a Red Shirt … we’re beaming down.

Dr. McCoy: Oh no, not me, Jim.

Captain Kirk: Yes, you, McCoy. There could be injuries.

Mr. Spock: It’s football. Impossible – and highly illogical to assume – that there won’t be injuries, which means more opportunities for these beings.

With that, they are transported to the Planet NovaCare to investigate the players (indicated in bold letters) who are currently deep on the Eagles depth chart but are likely to rattle a few cages and make final cuts difficult. One or two, like Burton, might make the 53-man roster. Several will earn spots on the practice squad or get stashed on injured reserve. Others will, at the least, make the team better by creating competition (and giving us something to talk about besides Tim Tebow).

OFFENSE

LINE: The Eagles are entering the season with the belief that All-Pro tackler Jason Peters will remain in top form and former first-round pick Lane Johnson will evolve to that level, giving them two bookends at the tackle position. Add in Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce, and the theory seems to be that average lunch-pail types like Allen Barbe and someone else – likely Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner or Dennis Kelly – and they will be good to go. So much so, that Evan Mathis was allowed to walk for no compensation and no linemen were added in the draft. This opens up two or three roster spots, depending on how many active linemen they want to keep and on their versatility — for some guys whose jerseys are not exactly hot sellers. However, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has put a great deal of overtime drilling the likes of Kevin Graf and Josh Andrews (no relation to Shawn or Stacy), during their stints on the practice squad a year ago. Graf (6-6, 309) was a four-year starter at USC before signing with the Eagles as an undrafted rookie in 2014. He was even on the active roster for a spell. Graf was a college tackle but has likely worked inside. Andrews (6-2, 311), a guard out of Oregon State, has taken snaps at center. Stoutland also has connection to Jared Wheeler (6-5, 320) from Miami (Fla.), who is a guard/center. That versatility gives him a chance to beat out David Molk, who is strictly a center (except in an extreme emergency) or the more undersized center/guard Julian Vandervelde (6-2, 300 and no relation to the Flyers’ fourth-line forward Chris VandeVelde).

RECEIVER: The first five would seem to be set with Jordan Matthews, rookie Nelson Agholor, Riley Cooper, Josh Huff and Miles Austin. If they keep six receivers, special teams ace Seyi Ajirotutu, would likely have the edge over Jeff Maehl (despite Maehl’s Oregon connection). But training camp and preseason games, by nature, offer extended auditions unknown receivers. A year ago, Quron Pratt – unsigned out of Rutgers – did just that and earned a paycheck on the practice squad. The Eagles signed three undrafted free agents with intriguing size and upside in Philly native Rasheed Bailey (6-2, 205; Delaware Valley College), John Harris (6-2, 218; Texas) and Devante Davis (6-3, 215; UNLV).

TIGHT END: A year ago, the aforementioned Burton played so well in the preseason – catching every ball thrown his way and tackling anything that moved on special teams – that an exception was made and four tight ends were kept. After third tight end James Casey was released, it would have seemed logical that they would save the roster spot and go with three, with Burton getting an expanded role in the offense. However, the Eagles have brought in three tight ends – an excessive number– to likely battle it out for one practice squad spot. Eric Tomlinson (6-6, 263; Texas-El Paso) would not only seem to have the inside track, but also the chance to rival Kelce for the wildest beard.

RUNNING BACK: Again, it comes down to math, and how many Chip Kelly wants to keep on the active roster. The three-headed monster of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles projects as the best in a league loaded with “by-committee” approaches. With each playing a vital role in the rotation, and given Murray’s and Mathews’ health histories, look for a lot Matthew Tucker and Kenjon Barner in the preseason. Neither is really an unknown, though. Tucker spent the last two years on the practice squad and could be eligible for one more. Barner was a standout for Kelly at Oregon who was in training camp briefly, cut and then brought back under the cover of darkness to the practice squad. The hard-running Tucker (6-1, 227) has always been a preseason standout and Kelly has mentioned Barner, who is more of a third-down back/return man (he is 5-9, 185), by name several times this offseason.

QUARTERBACK: N/A … We know the names, we are just sure who will be playing.

DEFENSE

LINE: Last year, the Eagles kept seven and six rotated enough to keep the unit highly effective on a weekly basis. The odd man out was fifth-round pick Taylor Hart, who was on the roster but never active on game day. While seventh-round pick Brian Mihalik is likely ticketed for seasoning on the practice squad, two guys who could press for a roster spot are Frank Mays and Travis Raciti. When players are cut but brought back a year later, it means the coaches saw something they liked. Such is the case with Mays (6-9, 291), who barely played until his senior year at Florida A&M but was likely asked to work on some skills on his own. Meanwhile, Raciti (6-5, 285) was rated as a high as a mid-round draft pick after racking up 14.5 career sacks as a two-year captain at San Jose State but somehow slid out of the seven-round meat market, only to be scooped up by the Eagles. For either, sticking would mean beating out Hart, or maybe even Brandon Bair, for the seventh spot. A tall order – given that Bair played well in a reserve role last year and that a draft pick and a year of development was invested in Hart – but not impossible (even though both Bair and Hart are Oregon guys).

LINEBACKER: So we have Kiko Alonso, Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans and rookie Jordan Hicks inside and the outside is set with Pro Bowler Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, last-year’s first-round bust Marcus Smith and special-teams ace Bryan Braman. Free agent Brad Jones, who can play inside or outside (and has some starting experience in Green Bay), would be there for insurance. Well, not so fast. Don’t count your eight or nine linebackers until they are hatched. Two players coming off injury, Travis Long and Najee Goode, are well-liked by the coaching staff. A year ago, Long (6-4, 255) had the team made, probably over Goode and certainly over Casey Matthews, having learned to man inside linebacker while still showing his pass-rusher burst from the outside. But the injury bug caught up to him yet again. A shoulder injury hurt his draft status in 2013, despite a solid career at Washington State (20 ½ sacks, 42 for a loss), and he tore his left knee ligament in the 2014 preseason finale. Assuming he stays healthy, which is a big assumption, his better grasp on the defense could push the likes of Smith onto the street. And with other special-teams specialists on the roster, one has to wonder if Braman becomes more expendable. Goode (6-0, 244), placed on injured reserve after the season opener last year, is a solid special teamer – lauded by Kelly for his “extra gear” — has played in 18 NFL games (making one start for the Birds in 2013) and could press Braman , or even Jones, for a roster spot.

SECONDARY: We have free agent prize Byron Maxwell at one corner and either Nolan Carroll or rookie Eric Rowe at the other. Brandon Boykin, much to his chagrin, is the slot corner and Malcolm Jenkins will likely be joined at safety by Walter Thurmond. All other spots are up for grabs, although one would think last year’s fourth-round pick Jaylen Watkins and special-teams standout Chris Maragos would be fairly safe. A guy to watch is 2014 fifth-round pick Ed Reynolds, who got a slow start last year because he was out of Stanford and missed all the post-draft mini-camps. In preseason games, he seemed active in pass coverage and a willing tackler, but was kept on the practice squad while more shovel-ready safeties – Jerome Couplin III and Chris Prosinki — were signed. While both those guys are back in the fold, Reynolds would seem to have to overtake 2013 fifth-round pick Earl Wolff to avoid a second year on the practice squad. Don’t be surprised if he does just that.

SPECIAL TEAMS

KICKER: N/A

PUNTER: While veteran punter Donnie Jones would not appear to be in any immediate danger of being out of work, he did slip a notch last season. It was enough for the Eagles to bring in a second leg in rookie Kip Smith of Oklahoma State. The 235-pound Smith, who can also double as a kickoff specialist, will get plenty of preseason work. If he excels, he could be kept around as an eventual heir apparent.

RETURNERS: Well, Sproles made the Pro Bowl last year as the return specialist (he was also used on offense more than he was by Kelly as the season wore on), and Huff showed promise after taking a kickoff back 106 yards (a franchise record). Meanwhile, Agholor was a lethal punt returner at USC and can handle kickoffs. That doesn’t mean others who are more expendable – like Barner — won’t get chances in the preseason, where long and exciting returns are the norm. It becomes a prime vehicle to get noticed. The ability to make something happen can tell coaches they have a “football” talent, even if they chances of them ever being regular-season options as returners are low. Sixth-round pick JaCorey Shepherd, a defensive back from Kansas State, is a former wide receiver and was a decent kickoff returner in college. And Raheem Mostert, a high-end backup running back at Purdue, was signed as an undrafted free agent for his return game prowess (26.0 yard average on kickoffs, including two for touchdowns, and is the school’s all-time leader in return yardage). He’ll also get some early-game snaps in the backfield.

The ‘Euro’ Effect

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By GORDON GLANTZ

GordonGlantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — The 2015 NHL Draft is considered stronger than the impressive Class of 2013 (Nathan Mackinnon, Sean Monahan, Seth Jones) and has the potential of being on a par with that of 2003 (three All-Stars in the first 14 picks, Shea Weber in the second round).

A lot of that impression has to do with the mortal-lock top two picks, franchise centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, but there is also exciting depth at all positions. In 2003, the back end of the first round included future standouts Zach Parise, Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and others. Meanwhile, Weber highlighted a second-round group that also featured David Backes and Joe Pavelski. (The Flyers didn’t have a second-round pick in 2003, but netted Jeff Carter and Mike Richards at No. 11 and 24, respectively, in the first round.)

Notice what is missing from those names?

They are easy to pronounce. They are all of North American – Canadian or US – origin.

While once-in-decade talents McDavid (Canadian) and Eichel (American) will make the 2015 draft (June 26-27, Sunrise, Fla.) historic, even if followed by 13 busts, the depth – projected to have first-round talents still into the second round and second-round talents well into the third – comes from a notable collection of European players.

It is not simply that they learned to play hockey in Europe. Some of the best players in the world spent all, or most, of their career overseas.

Finnish legend Raimo Helminen played 117 games in the NHL early in his career, as compared to 977 in Sweden and his native Finland, which he represented six times in the Olympics. Dieter Hegen and Udo Kissling (one NHL game) each appeared in five Olympics for Germany. Petterr Thoresen never played a shift in the NHL but is considered a hockey legend in Norway, having played in five Olympics.

And then there were all the former greats from the USSR squad that won seven gold medals from 1956 to 1988, with the only interruptions coming in the United States in 1960 and 1980, who never got to play in the NHL because of the Cold War.

Top-end European talents began to appear on NHL rosters in the 1970s – with Toronto setting the pace by importing Swedes Borje Salming and Inge Hammarstrom – but the NHL didn’t really reflect the best the world could offer until the 1990s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain.

Ever since professionals were allowed to participate in the Winter Olympics, Canada has captured three gold medals (2002, 2010 and 2014) and the USA two silvers (2002, 2006). The Czech Republic claimed a gold (1998) and bronze (2006), Sweden has taken gold (2006) and silver (2014), while Finland (silver in 2006 and bronze in 2010 and 2014) and Russia (silver in 1998, bronze 2002) are always in the highly competitive mix.

A scan of World Under-18 and Under-20 tournaments shows similar results, with the likes of Switzerland (fourth last year in the Under-18 fray) skating into the picture to further spread the wealth.

What, then, in the difference in more recent drafts – particularly in 2015?

NHL teams are less reticent to pull the trigger and invest in a high pick on Europeans. Why? They are less fearful that the picks would go wasted if European players that were not ticketed for superstardom (i.e. Peter Forsberg, taken fourth overall in 1991 by the Philadelphia Flyers, only to be the key piece in a trade for Eric Lindros, a Canadian) decided to play their careers overseas in leagues like the SEL (Swedish Elite League) and KHL (Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League) instead of accepting two-way contracts to toil in the minor leagues of North America in hopes of climbing the ladder to the NHL.

Draft-eligible Europeans, at age 18, are showing their willingness by increasingly playing Junior Hockey in Canada and enrolling in potentate NCAA schools in the United States. An example is Sweden’s Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson of Sweden. A likely second- or third-round pick this year, Forsbacka-Karlsson will be playing next year at powerhouse Boston University to help fill Eichel’s void. If he were playing in Sweden, there is a chance his draft stock would not be as high.

As a result, 36 of the top 100 players for this year’s draft –as rated by the Hockey News – are of European origin.

The group includes a fair share of Russians, Swedes, Czechs and Finns. But there are some notable additions to enhance the depth. Ranked No. 13 is Swiss winger Timo Meier.

Meier and man-child Russian forward Yevgeni Svechnikov might be the first two players draft out of the same Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QBJHL), where it was once an oddity for even a North American not of French-Canadian descent to lace up the skates.

But there is more, enough to prove 2015 is more the kicking in the door of a trend than an oddity.

The family of winger Daniel Spring, ranked 25^th, moved to Canada from the Netherlands so he could focus on hockey. One of the top-rated goalies, at No. 61, is Matej Tomek of Slovakia. Fellow Slovakian, winger Radovan Bondra, is ranked No. 81.

Before the seven rounds are complete, don’t be surprised to see Danes, Germans and Austrians have their names called.

And the net is only going be cast wider in years to come. An example is David Levin, who was born in Israel and was sent to live with relatives in Canada to develop his skills. He was recently drafted first overall in the OHL junior league, making him a hot name to watch come 2018.

This was once considered a situation where the risk portion of risk-reward of overloading on Europeans was simply too great for some teams to take. But not anymore.

It is a matter of survival, of staying competitive.

One of those teams was the Flyers, who have remained fairly xenophobic – as compared to other teams – until recently reaching across the pond to pad their roster with more venerable Europeans (Austrian Michael Raffl in 2013, Frenchman Pierre-Edoard Bellemare in 2014 and Russian Evgeni Medvedev this offseason).

In a bitter irony, the first NHL team to draft a Russian (“Soviet” at the time) was the Flyers, who tabbed Viktor Khatulev 160^th overall in 1975. He ended up not knowing he was ever drafted until years later and was allegedly murdered in 1994, at the age of 39.

Since then, the Flyers – while employing their share of Swedes and Finns – shied away from Russians and Czechs in the draft. They paid the ultimate price, getting swept in the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals by a Detroit team led by five Russians and four Swedes (the Flyers had zero Russians, one Swede who played in more than 34 games, one Finn and one Czech who played in more than 18 games).

In a recent Hockey News article about the tragic life and death of the volatile Khatulev, who lost his wife in a car accident was left to raise a young daughter while battling alcoholism, former Flyers star center and general manager Bobby Clarke denied any discrimination against Russian players, explaining it was more business that personal for the same guy who broke the ankle of the Soviet star Valeri Kharlomov with a vicious slash during the 1972 Summit Series.

“It was a time when you didn’t know if you could ever get them out of the country,” said Clarke, who added he didn’t know Khatulev was a draft pick of the Flyers until they met during a 1979 exhibition game that ended in a 4-4 tie. “The Soviets were producing some great players, but the next level below the greats was below mediocrity. We just thought we’d be better off with Canadians.”

But, just as Iron Curtains fall, times change.

The Flyers have gone 0-6 in Stanley Cup Finals since Clarke led them to their second in a row in 1975. That was 40 years ago. They have the seventh overall pick this year and could very well end up with Russian defenseman Ivan Proporov or Czech center Pavel Zacha, both of whom played junior hockey in Canada last season – and no one will give it a second thought.

Media Makes Philly Look Silly

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By GORDON GLANTZ

GordonGlantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — On the surface, Marcus Mariota and Mike Babcock have little in common.

Mariota is from Hawaii, and plays football. Babcock hails from Manitouwadge, Ontario. He coaches ice hockey, a sport that would seem as unlikely to thrive in Hawaii as surfing would in Canada.

But both were fed as red meat to the ravenous Philadelphia fan base as messiahs for the two teams that have gone the longest without championships – the Eagles (1960) and the Flyers (1975) – in the city of otherly angst.

And they were done so by a media that should be fined – or maybe forced to don those fluorescent jackets like first-time DUI offenders and cook and serve cheesesteaks at the Pat’s-Geno’s Mecca in South Philly – for being irresponsible to the disappearing craft of fair, impartial and accurate journalism.

And for leaving new Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and just-hired Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol under additional public scrutiny before taking a snap or making a line change.

Yes, Mariota was a hand-in-glove fit for the Eagles, as no other team’s system – for obvious reasons – matches his skill set. Drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans, Mariota has almost been set up to fail, meaning the Eagles could catch the coveted quarterback on the career rebound when his rookie deal is nearing an end in four years.

Even with that being a given, the odds of him coming to the Eagles in a draft day trade were probably less than Chase Utley winning the batting title.

And yet the pot was stirred right up until he was drafted by the Titans, and the flames were even kindled a bit in the days after (even though the NFL rarely sees trades involving just-drafted players not from the Royal House of Manning).

As far as Babcock goes, his name was fluttering around William Penn’s three-cornered hat as soon as Craig Berube’s stint as the Flyers’ 18^th coach ended after a season laden with enough close losses that any and all coaching decisions were placed under the magnifying glass.

But nobody bothered to read the small print.

If Babcock was going to move on to his next challenge – after building his long resume with the Red Wings in Hockeytown, U.S.A. (a much nicer way to describe the economic ghost town that Detroit became) – it would be with, at the very least, an officially unofficial “coach/general manager” name plate on his desk.

In Philadelphia, where general manager Ron Hextall has tentatively been given as much free reign as Grand Puba Ed “Al Davis” Snider is able, a power-sharing agreement in what was going to be Hextall’s first major decision in shaping the team in his own image after a year of toddler steps (a promising 2014 draft, a few deals) was not a hand-in-glove fit akin to Mariota playing for Chip Kelly.

To quote the late Johnny Cochran, “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Earning the acquittal here is Hextall, not the media – including the alleged “insiders” (anyone with a Twitter account) and the dudes who like to hear themselves yammer on talk-radio – which is guilty as charged for creating stories where there were none and not logically thinking through their concocted scenarios.

The logic – or lack thereof – with Mariota was that Eagles coach/general manager Chip Kelly would “find a way” to land Mariota, his college quarterback, as if it were as easy as Fonzie tapping the juke box for the song he wanted to hear so he could dance with the girl of his choice.

With Babcock, it was tunnel vision – and a true lack of overall hockey knowledge – in seeing the Flyers as the one and only pathway for Babcock.

The proof of the lack of hockey awareness was the first online headline about the hiring of Hakstol, which called him a “no-name” coach.

Anyone who at least casually follows college hockey should know that he is as big a name in his sport as any heavy hitter in college basketball or football – not to mention that college hockey in places like North Dakota is as engrained in the culture (with rabid fans with painted faces and cheerleaders) as football and basketball are in the mainstream.

The “no-name” mistake would be semi-excusable if not for the fact that North Dakota was on the ice at the Wells Fargo Center for the Frozen Four just a year ago.

He may not have been Babcock, or a recycled head coach making his next stop on the NHL carousel, but he carries more name value in legitimate hockey circles than most NHL assistants and/or AHL or junior-level head coaches.

And, with Hextall, Hakstol fits likes the hand in a glove that Mariota would have – if Kelly were able to pull a rabbit out of his visor.

The Hakstol hiring rings true with the rebuilding plan that will continue to unfold as veterans are slowly shed from the Flyers’ roster and are replaced by a semi-stocked stable of prospects that will, hopefully, be helped with two more first-round picks next month.

For thinking outside of the box (Hakstol is the first college-to-first-NHL-job head coaching hire since “Badger” Bob Johnson went from Wisconsin to Calgary before moving on and winning the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh) and being ahead of the curve (“real” insiders see this hire as a budding trend), Hextall should be lauded as much as those who created a superficial story should be taken to task.

The column originally appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

Building the Duck Dynasty

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By GORDON GLANTZ

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — If it walks like a Duck and quacks like a Duck, it is probably going to be an Eagle.

That sounds like a non-sequitur unless cast in an NFL context, where Eagles Emperor Chip Kelly has taken to padding his roster with University of Oregon products he coached first-hand or recruited before making the leap to the pro level in 2013.

It is not a new approach. A few generations back, Dick Vermeil had a few UCLA guys – from first-round pick Jerry Robinson to role players like John Sciarra, Wally Henry and Terry Tautolo – on the roster.

Kelly came to the Eagles after a 4-12 campaign in 2012 and posted a pair of 10-6 seasons and one division title.

Though the roster has been drastically, and shockingly, overhauled in Kelly’s first offseason while doubling as the personnel czar, the Oregon presence remains.

The pre-draft Eagles have eight Oregon products on their active roster. That number includes newcomers Kiko Alonso, the linebacker acquired in the LeSean McCoy trade, and free agent defensive back Walter Thurmond – while subtracting much-maligned linebacker Casey Matthews, now with the Minnesota Vikings.

Another ex-Duck, receiver Jeff Maehl, remains an unsigned exclusive rights free agent. Except in the unlikely event that someone beats down his door, expect Maehl back in the camp for another go-round as well.

A point of note, though, is that Alonso – presuming he is healthy – is the only projected starter. Thurmond and receiver Josh Huff, a third-round pick last year who showed flashes of potential but had plenty of costly mental miscues, have chances to either start or play key roles. Defensive end Brandon Bair was effective as a reserve in first year of live action at age 30. Another defensive end, Taylor Hart, was a fifth-round pick last year who never saw the field after a middling preseason.

Receiver Will Murphy somehow earned a second year on the practice squad over more talented camp hands, as did undrafted rookie nose tackle Wade Keliikipi. Running back Kenjon Barner was picked up late in the preseason, cut and then signed to the practice squad later on.

So, at present, that is really a whole lot of nothing – or next to nothing – overly meaningful from the Oregon contingent.

One would think that maybe Kelly is ready to do away with his green security blankie with the oblong O on it, but we all know that likely won’t happen.

With draft winds blowing, and rumors swirling, expect more Ducks to be drafted and others to be signed off the street after it all ends May 2.

As a primer, let us take a closer look at the crop of Ducks in the 2014 draft class, and where they could be plucked and how they would fit in once reunited with Kelly.

Elephant – or giant duck – in the room

First and foremost, we need to put aside all talk about Ducks morphing into Eagles and dispense with elephant in the room – quarterback Marcus Mariota, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.

One of the more intriguing mysteries around the draft is what will become of Mariota, whose unique skill set pretty much makes him a fit for only certain offenses, with the Eagles topping the list for obvious reasons.

But the Eagles pick at No. 20. After trading Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and declaring the oft-injured Bradford his quarterback – perhaps directly leading to the signing of DeMarco Murray, Bradford’s close friend – Kelly pronounced that he wouldn’t “mortgage the future” to trade up for Mariota.

But what Chip says and what Chip does are akin to comparing a quacking duck and a soaring bald eagle.

If Mariota falls past the top two slots, which is more than possible, Kelly can use semantics to wiggle his way out of the corner he painted himself into with the “mortgaging the future” talk.

Moving up to No. 6, where the Jets pick, would still be costly. But if Mariota is still around once the draft goes to the double digits, it would be shocking if the phone lines in the Eagles’ war room aren’t working overtime.

And don’t forget that when the Foles-for-Bradford bombshell was first dropped, it was initially reported that the Eagles were swapping first-round picks with the Rams, moving from 20 to 10.

That proved erroneous, without explanation – or even much in the way of a retraction from supposedly legitimate news sources — but perhaps it was partial information that leaked out and was misinterpreted. Do the teams have a handshake agreement on 20-for-10 deal should Mariota still be on the board?

Let’s say this, what once look like a five percent chance of happening is now more in the range of 30 percent.

Other Ducks

As the draft wears on, and familiarity with players becomes crucial, it is about 100 percent chance that at least a few Ducks will find their way from the pond to the Eagles’ nest.

One such player you could almost send a limo to Philly International Airport for now is offensive lineman Jake Fisher. A tackle by trade, Fisher, a 6-6, 300-pounder and three-year starter well-versed in all the mandatory blocking schemes, could slide inside at guard and eventually go to right tackle when Lane Johnson inevitably replaces Jason Peters at left tackle in a year or two.

The problem is that Fisher is not quite a first-rounder. He could last until the late second round, when the Eagles pick again. Then again, he may not.

Another player Kelly would ache to get is center Hroniss Grasu. But unless Kelly plans to make him an undersized guard at 6-3 and 295 pounds, or has notions to jettison Jason Kelce, it would not seem pragmatic to burn a Day 2 (second- or third-round) pick on the high-character Grasu.

The same goes for defensive end Arik Armstead, who is nearly 6-8 and in the 300-pound range. Seen as a more of a raw product with unlimited upside, Armstead could go to a good team willing to wait on his development at the end of the first round or last into the early second.

In the unlikely event he is still on the board when the Eagles’ come to bat in the second round? Not a position of need – with the likes of Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton and Vinnie Curry, not to mention Bair and Hartm around – but a tempting option, nonetheless.

Pass-rushing specialist Tony Washington was moved all around the defensive front at Eugene, but his size (6-3, 250) makes him more likely an outside linebacker project than a defensive end at the NFL level. Many mock drafts have the Eagles locking in on Washington in the seventh round, which is likely more probable than them getting Mariota in the first.

Derrick Malone Jr. was a productive inside linebacker in Oregon’s 3-4 scheme. However, he is too undersized (6-2, 220) to play inside in the NFL. He would have to be a weakside outside linebacker in a 4-3 alignment, which the Eagles don’t even play. It would make zero sense to burn a draft pick, even a late one, or even a roster spot for training camp. But they’d probably bring him in if he doesn’t get drafted.

Secondary Ducks

Going to the secondary, where Eagles’ fans are cautiously optimistic after Kelly broke the bank for Byron Maxwell and brought in Thurmond and E.J. Biggers, there are some Oregon products to keep an eye on.

Before tearing up his knee late last season, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu – despite his size (5-9, 195) – was considered a first-round talent.

Where the elite athlete (4.46 speed) ends up now is anyone’s guess, as he could be a redshirt as a rookie. For the Eagles, who might be looking for a long-term solution in the slot after this year – Brandon Boykin is entering the final year of his contract and is the subject of trade rumors – could it be worth a third-round pick to rip a page out of Sam Hinkie’s playbook?

Any other school or origin? Not likely. Oregon? Could happen.

It might be wise to pencil in another Oregon corner, Troy Hill, as either a late-round pick or priority free agent. He was suspended from the team a junior after a domestic dispute with his girlfriend.

A red flag? Not when viewed with green-and-gold-colored glasses.

At safety, there is a pretty solid Oregon product, Erick Dargan. He had 13 career interceptions in Eugene, including a PAC 12-leading seven in 2014, his first as a full-time starter.

He might be a tad short (5-11) and a step slow (4.62), but he weighs around 215 and plays with his heart on his sleeve.

Those intangibles would likely not be enough to trump the size-speed issues, but he walks like a Duck and quacks like a Duck.

In the late rounds, or beyond, expect him to be an Eagle.

This column originally appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

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Reality Bites

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By GORDON GLANTZ

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — Press “rewind.” Go ahead, I’ll wait.

When you hit “play,” you may find me on the floor, passed out from shock.

And not much shocks me anymore, particularly in the world of sports.

When I first saw something on my Facebook news feed about LeSean McCoy being traded to the Buffalo Bills, my inner cynic thought it was one of those prank stories that pop up.

When a second, third and 12^th story popped up, I knew something was up.

Being an old-school guy, trading a franchise back in his prime goes against the grain more than, say, a franchise back in his prime cutting back against the grain.

In my day – when we used large boulders instead of footballs to play rough-touch at playtime in our diapers preschool – running backs like McCoy were valued commodities that teams were built around.

As such, my initial impression – despite knowing the return of Bills’ linebacker Kiko Alonso, hurt or not, was far better than the zilch received for Desean Jackson – was that I was not impressed.

After going through the stages of grief – including denial (thinking maybe it’s just a ploy by the Eagles or Drew Rosenhaus, McCoy’s agent, in ongoing contract restructuring talks) – I came to accept the fact that McCoy was gone. And that the sun has set on “my day,” with a little help of Eagles’ Emperor Chip Kelly.

When I arose the next morning, it was time to deal with the reality.

Dealing with reality

Once my mind cleared, it occurred to that Kelly must feel pretty confident about other pieces falling into place to pull this trigger.

And after years of sort of being bold – but more calculated – maybe it’s time for this organization to throw the bomb and see what happens.

Alonso, if you haven’t seen him play, can be a keeper at the epicenter of the defense. He is a three-down linebacker, equally stellar at diagnosing the run and covering downfield while also getting to the quarterback on blitzes.

Alongside Mychal Kendricks – assuming Kendricks is not dangled as draft-day trade bait while the dice is rolled on a healthy return of DeMeco Ryans – the Eagles could have one of the best duos of 3-4 inside linebackers in the league.

But this is where “if” becomes a four-letter word.

It was a risk for Kelly to jettison McCoy in favor of the running-back-by-committee approach favored by a lot of teams, up to and including the standard-bearing New England Patriots, for the reward of a stud linebacker with health concerns (a serious knee injury while playing for Kelly at Oregon followed by a torn ACL while working out at Oregon than cost him all of last season) and some off-the-field questions (a few arrests while quacking like a Duck).

But the risk-reward is greatly mitigated by the fact that the Eagles have a king’s ransom to go shopping with when free agency officially begins this week.

The embarrassment of riches – projected at above $50 million – comes courtesy of a house-cleaning that goes beyond shedding McCoy’s contract before his trade-in value depreciates. Venerable veterans – offensive lineman Todd Herremans and converted linebacker Trent Cole – were stripped of their wings. Joining them was cornerback Cary Williams, who would be a Hall of Famer if he played as well as he talked. It seems unlikely free agent linebacker Brandon Graham will be back, as he will be in demand as a 4-3 defensive end with a mid-range price tag.

And my loyal dog, Rex, has more of a chance of being signed than corner Bradley Fletcher and safety Nate Allen.

Going on shopping spree

So now comes the time to shop. And it won’t be for special-teamers like Chris Maragos and Bryan Braman this time around (no offense to those guys).

This is Nordstrom’s now, not Wal-Mart.

But we all know that does not always mean it’s time to be fitted for Super Bowl rings. There was that ill-assembled Dream Team of 2011 that turned into a nightmare.

The difference, we hope, is that Kelly is as smart as he portends to be and knows what he wants and how to get it.

And when Plan A fails, and part of it surely will, he needs to be able to seamlessly shift to Plan B.

There are obvious areas the Eagles will address, and there are some high-end names they will target, knowing they can win most bidding battles.

The reality may be somewhat different. There are 31 other teams. While all might not be able to spend on multiple players, they could have enough to lure away a prime target for the Eagles.

So, as we depress the Play button and go to the oft-harsh reality of real time, begin chanting the mantra of the Eagle fan – hope for the best, be prepared for the worst – as the frenzy commences.

If we are to believe all shreds of speculation, the outside linebacker spot where Cole and Graham more or less platooned opposite Connor Barwin, who went to the Pro Bowl, will be filled by Jason Worilds, who has been dominant, when healthy and focused, in Pittsburgh.

Secondary concerns

In the secondary, where as many as three starters may be sought to join last year’s free agent prize, safety Malcolm Jenkins, the most money is likely to be allotted. While it would be nice to add a piece like safety Devin McCourty, whom the Patriots have reportedly decided to let walk while trying to keep corner Derrelle Revis, they may not want to overspend.

So keep in mind names like Will Hill (Ravens), Ryan Clark (Redskins), Rahim Moore (Broncos).

Clearly, as Kelly has learned the hard way, cornerback is the new running back in a pass-happy NFL, where receivers are built like NBA power forwards and run like Olympic sprinters while having oversized hands that seem to be laced with a natural form of adhesive.

And he needs two of them to go along with slot corner Brandon Boykin, who is aching for a shot outside but probably won’t get the chance until he tests free agency next offseason.

If they reel in the position’s top prize, Byron Maxwell, who is parlaying his spot in Seattle’s famed secondary into a once-in-a-career payday, they may have to face the reality that the other corner spot will be a training camp battle between Nolan Carroll and Jaylen Watkins and, maybe, a rookie.

Or they could get two guys – maybe Tramon Williams from Green Bay and Kareem Jackson – instead of Maxwell, but the upgrade over last year may be more of a 90-degree turn than a 180.

That would especially be the case if they do court McCourty and hand the world to Worilds in two scenarios that sources say seem somewhat plausible.

They could add another defensive piece, and they just might, but there are now complications of their own making.

Creating holes

On offense, the Eagles have now created needs where none existed before by trading McCoy and releasing Herremans. They also have to decide on how much money should be allotted to retain Jeremy Maclin, the No. 1 receiver coming off a career year after missing a year with a knee injury.

There are shovel-ready guards on the market – Fernando Velasco, Orlando Franklin, James Carpenter, Mike Iupati – and they don’t command as much of a breaking of the bank as tackles do, but someone younger and more the upswing than Herremans will want to be paid as such.

They could “coach up” someone in house – Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin, etc. – or look to the draft, where guards tend to go off the board in the second and third rounds after the premier tackles are snatched, but that is where they could have gone after other defensive needs.

Moreover, the quarterback situation seems more in doubt since the McCoy trade, as not having a featured back might be an indication that they are really eyeballing a running quarterback – not a drop-back, pocket-passer like Nick Foles – to keep defense more off-balanced.

It is wildly speculated that the Eagles would and could move up from No. 20 to No. 6 in the first round, sending Foles to the Jets in the swap, and taking Marcus Mariota (if he slips past the first two picks).

If not, maybe they would trade Foles to St. Louis, sign free agent Jake Locker and draft the likes of UCLA’s Brett Hundley.

There are running backs of note in free agency – ironically, former Buffalo Bill C.J. Spiller immediately lobbied to swap places with McCoy, but injuries have kept him from duplicating the numbers posted in his 2012 breakout season – and there is some chatter about Mark Ingram, although New Orleans is going to work hard to retain him or drive up the price.

Here, Ingram’s one-cut, north-south style would seem ideal – especially for a guy who has yet to break 1,000 yards (he had more than 900 last year for the Saints) and would be eager to completely shed the label as a guy who never lived up to his advanced billing.

Or, the Eagles could stay at No. 20 and take one of the two premier running backs – Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin or Todd Gurley of Georgia – sending me on a nostalgia trip back to “my day” when quarterbacks called their own plays and running backs were the centerpieces of franchises.

Maybe we should keep our fingers on the rewind button, just in case.

This column originally appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

Watching The Detectives

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By GORDON GLANTZ

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — In May of 1983, in celebration of my pending walking papers from Northeast High School, The Police – the new wave/pop band, not the fuzz that we used to hide from in alleys – released what was the top-selling song of the year and fifth-biggest of the “me” decade, “Every Breath You Take.”

The song’s writer, Sting (real name Gordon Sumner), said: “I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had it written in a half an hour.” While he added that the tune was simplistic, the ominous lyrics were “interesting.”

He added: “It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”

He was also looking 32 years into the future.

A clairvoyant Sting knew I’d be, well … stung by not getting a key role in the Eagles’ front office, the one since filled by Ed Marynowitz, to be in Chip Kelly’s right ear on personnel assessments (the fun part) and Howie Roseman’s left on making it all work within the unforgiving constraints of the salary cap (the hard realities).

You don’t want me in the inner circle? Fine. Whatever. I can take my heap of crow and eat it without crying over lost causes.

But that doesn’t mean that I, as one with an Eagles Super Bowl victory before I perish holding the top spot on my sports bucket list, won’t be watching you.

I will.

Every breath you take.

And every move you make.

Every bond you break, every step you take.

I’ll be watching you.

With the stopwatches dusted off for the NFL Scouting Combine and free agency pending, no one has any seeds of an inkling or clue what is up your sleeves.

I can only hope that your vision comes equipped with a plan, and that the plan has enough built-in vision to be flexible.

I know mine does.

Don’t believe me?

What good are cards if not laid out on the table? That’s what my grandfather, a former player for the famed Frankford Yellowjackets, used to say (not really, on both accounts, but it sounds good).

So here it is. It’s fourth-and-short, and I’m going for it.

I’m operating on the belief that this team is close, coming off a pair of 10-6 seasons, and taking two steps back for a step ahead is simply idiotic.

The line in the sand is no immediate fixes. I want to keep this team young and ascending with all moves, but no young and ascending assets will be jettisoned (you know, like that team with the eternal timetable that works across the street).

The risk – for a team that is close – outweighs the reward.

I guess you know where this is all going

Yes, for some inexplicable reason, I will have to start with a vision for the quarterback position. No, in the execution of my plan – within my broader vision – there will be no deal for Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.

Nick Foles is our guy, at least for now, folks.

I know it’s tempting to take Mariota as a plug-and-play option in Kelly’s up-tempo offense that sometimes makes Foles look like a foil for nay-saying fans, being that Kelly’s template at Oregon is what made Mariota a household name.

The irony is that there may not be any other place in the league for Mariota to thrive. Maybe a read-option team. Maybe.

A dink-and-dunk West Coast team, like Kansas City, might – with “might” being the operative word – work out.

But price tag to move up from No. 20 to grab Mariota – if not first or second, then probably at No. 6, when the Jets pick – would be too steep.

One of those teams will surely ask for Foles, who has already proven to be a quality pro quarterback who can make all the NFL throws, and an ascending defensive player (Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks) and maybe a third player (Brandon Boykin, Jaylen Watkins, Josh Huff). The outgoing UPS package would include multiple draft picks, beginning with firsts this year and next and Day 2 picks (seconds and/or thirds) for the next two or three years.

For one guy, who may or may not work out? Pardon the pun, but I’ll pass.

What would I do behind Foles? Try to bring back Mark Sanchez as the backup. That’s Plan A. Plan B, I go after Jake Locker. Yes, his was a sad lament in Nashville as a first-round bust, but he was in a toxic work environment with the Titans. The zip on the arm is there (better than Mariota, to be honest) and he was some running ability.

The one move I would make is with third-stringer Matt Barkley. I’m thinking about something like packaging Barkley with the 20^th overall pick, and the fourth-rounder obtained from Buffalo for Bryce Brown, and sending them to Houston for the 16th overall pick and a fifth.

At No. 16, we have a better chance of grabbing the best player available without sweating it out. And if contract negotiations with receiver Jeremy Maclin go sour (if I’m in charge, they wouldn’t), we could take someone like West Virginia receiver Kevin White.

Moving Barkley would open up a spot for developmental quarterback to be nabbed on Day 3 (fourth through seventh round) to compete with holdover G.J. Kinne, who might make a better third-stringer, in this system, than Barkley anyway.

File away the name of Bryan Bennent. He was recruited by Kelly at Oregon, waged a fierce battle with Mariota for the starting job and then transferred to Southeastern Louisiana and put up big numbers — albeit at a lower level of competition — and recently impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl and combine.

Again, his deep arm is probably better than that of Mariota. Doesn’t mean he has the same accuracy or release, let alone the mobility, but all the tools are there. Think of Tony Romo without the smirk and, hopefully, the penchant for losing in the clutch.

Aside from a developmental quarterback and receiver – someone like Washington State’s Vince Mayle in the middle rounds would be highway robbery – I’m not touching the offense.

Yes, third-string tight end James Casey was just released, but the trio of Zach Ertz – backed up by Brent Celek and Trey Burton – is sound.

No, not even the line. The numbers may say to cut guard Todd Herremans loose, but that would be a mistake. Not one, in this fantasy, that I would make.

Remember, top reserve Allen Barbre, who missed 15 ½ games last year, will be back. Ditto for Andrew Gardner, who finished the season at the right guard in place of the injured Herremans. Other lineman, from Matt Tobin to practice-squaders Kevin Graf and Josh Andrews are also in the mix.

The focus is on the defense, period. Substantially improving the defense – as opposed to some cost-effective tinkering — is what will turn 10-6 (and maybe making the playoffs) into 12-4 (and hosting, and winning, a playoff game) by next year and 14-2 (and going to, and winning, the Super Bowl) the year after that.

The Eagles’ had, to be kind, a porous secondary. And all the big-gaining, back-breaking plays were made more disturbing by the fact that the Eagles have an OK pass rush.

The only players that could return are Boykin at slot corner and safety Malcolm Jenkins, who had a knack for the being in the right place at the right time – even though he had a penchant for dropping interceptions after three in the first three games – but couldn’t be everywhere at once.

That means another safety to replace the oft-exposed Nate Allen, who was caught with his pants down one too many times – despite a misleading team-high four picks. And it means two corners. Bradley Fletcher, who evoked memories of Izell “Toast” Jenkins (my friends and I used to call him “I Smell” back in the days when The Police dominated the radio), is a free agent who won’t be retained, if only for his own health and psychological well-being.

The other outside corner spot is a little trickier, with Cary Williams still under contract. He was not the disaster that Fletcher and Allen were, and we are talking about a guy who was a No. 2 corner on a Super Bowl winner in Baltimore just a few years back, but his escalating price may not be worth the lack of production (one interception) and constant motor mouth and locker-room lawyering.

My plan/vision – or is it vision/plan? – is to address the dire state of the secondary before the draft so that we have the freedom to draft the best player available without feeling we have to fill a need (i.e. Marcus Smith).

One way to shop is to go right to the high-end products, like Darrelle Revis (assuming he is not retained in New England) or Seattle’s Byron Maxwell, but either might cost so much that the option at the other corner would be to either ask Williams to restructure his contract – and then watch him laugh in our faces – or try to get by with Watkins, Nolan Carroll or even Boykin on the outside.

Or, draft a rookie high and live through the growing pains of having him tested while the highest-paid guy on the team barely sees any action.

A more prudent move would be a two-for-one deal. We could sign a pair of ascending corners that would cost the same as a pair as either Revis or Maxwell would after what would likely be a long bidding war that would cost opportunities to add other pieces.

Without getting too bogged down with names, guys like Kareem Jackson and Davon House of Green Bay would fit the bill. Jackson (5-10, 188) is 26. House (6-0, 195) is 25.

At safety, there is the draft, and I would rule it out in a “best player available” situation. A veteran like Troy Polamalu might be cut loose by the Steelers, or Tampa’s Bay’s Deshon Goldson could be had in a trade for probably not much in return.

In free agency, there could be an under-the-radar type, like Kansas City’s Ron Parker, who could fit the scheme of defensive coordinator Billy Davis, who really needs versatile defensive backs – guys who have played corner, safety and in the slot – to cover pesky extra receivers and tight ends and running backs over the middle of the field to make his system truly work.

But there are also a lot of in-house options – with Carroll, a physical guy who last year’s nickel linebacker and a leading special-teams tackler last year, heading a list that includes Watkins and fifth-round picks from the last two years, Earl Wolff and Ed Reynolds, to battle it out for one spot. For some reason, I’m not as worried about it.

I’m actually more concerned about inside linebacker, and the opportunity to line up Eric Kenricks of UCLA next to Mychal Kendricks, is tempting. That doesn’t preclude DeMeco Ryans returning as a mentor, but a does realism is needed. The front seven, at least at linebacker, is not as solvent as it seems.

This is what keeps me up at night.

And it should do the same for Kelly and Marynowitz, the “boy wonder” (my ageism lawsuit is in the works), with Roseman sitting in the next room with calculator and crying towel.

The frustrating part is that they can, and will, do what they want, and people like you and me can do nothing about it.

Except maintain surveillance.

I will.

Every breath you take.

And every move you make.

Every bond you break, every step you take.

I’ll be watching you.

This column initially appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

Hat In The Ring

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By GORDON GLANTZ

Gordonglantz50@gmail.com

@Managing2Edit

GORDONVILLE — There are jobs, and then there are callings.

And some people were made to fill roles, lest they not be self-actualized and the world a little bit a lesser and lonelier place for not having them there.

Imagine Shakespeare having never written a word.

Imagine Sinatra never singing.

Imagine Springsteen never picking up a guitar.

Imagine Spock not on the Enterprise to provide logic when others were losing their cool.

Here’s another example: Imagine me not in a NFL front office.

I was made to fill the type of role recently vacated by Howie Roseman, who was unceremoniously demoted into a promotion by being forced to trade in his stop watch used for the scouting combine in exchange for an updated salary cap computer program that is compatible with Windows 8.

Roseman was the GM, but now he is the executive vice president – and he even gets to oversee the training staff, equipment and hot dog vendors.

In his place, will be more of a “football guy” to, in theory, work more harmoniously with head coach Chip Kelly.

Who will it be?

Who knows?

For the record, I am using this missive to formally throw my hat – and I have many now, since there is a burgeoning bald spot to cover – into the proverbial ring for consideration.

I know I have no shot, which is kind of shame.

It’s a shame for Eagles Nation, which remains starved for a Lombardi Trophy. The last time the Eagles won the NFL title, it was against Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers in 1960, five years before I was born and seven years before there even was a Super Bowl.

And it’s a shame for me, because it would be more than just a job.

It would be a calling. I would not be some mercenary building his resume so I can move to another position with another franchise.

So far, and it’s not because I’m midnight green with envy or anything, the list of interviewees for the job has been a bit underwhelming.

I half expect the next guy to come through town to be the former assistant to the former assistant personnel/promotions guy for the Chicago Bliss in the LFL (Lingerie Football League).

Actually, I fully expect it – if they happen to have a surname with NFL royalty, like Polian.

And that ain’t me.

I ain’t no fortunate son.

But I am qualified.

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with drafts. Any draft. Any sport. Any time.

But the NFL draft is king.

I always purchased every reputable draft publication necessary, and the Internet has provided supplemental information.

Before you LOL (or is it “ha ha” these days?), don’t write me off as just another Draftnik.

My track record is pretty good.

I don’t take any one single publication or site as gospel, but I draw a consensus and match them up against the Eagles’ short- and long-term needs – and schemes – to lay a yearly strategy.

This may sound a bit sophomoric, but the sad truth is that I could have sat in a locked room with my information and easily done a better job than the Eagles, through different coaches and personnel “geniuses,” over the passage of generations (and three owners).

Imagine my crude approach if you gave me a few scouts – and a few “football” guys, namely coaches and an assistant with a draft track record (the Eagles employed a chap name Phil Savage a few years back as an adviser and netted some results) – to bounce names off of first.

This would be my main selling point in an interview. Teams are built through the draft. Period. You sign free agents to put you over the top after the foundation is built via the draft.

If the Eagles asked me what I would have done differently in the Kelly-Roseman era, I would tell them.

And tell them and tell them.

Not to go too deep into it now – I will lay out my full 2015 plan if and when they hire someone else for my job – but imagine Kelvin Benjamin, the guy who made two circus touchdown catches for Carolina against Seattle’s all-world secondary, as an Eagles instead of Marcus Smith (zero tackles all season).

However, I would also tell the Eagles I didn’t think Roseman was a bad GM, and certainly not one who should have been X-ed out of the equation after the second consecutive 10-6 season (after the Eagles were completely off the radar at 4-12 in 2012). He made mistakes in the past, particularly in what was an increasingly dysfunctional situation with the last coach, but I was always taught that mistakes are not mistakes unless one doesn’t learn from them.

Only a fly on the wall could tell who was to blame for what recent miscue, but I have a hunch it was a team effort.

It usually is.

For whatever reason, Roseman was pushed out – and Tom Gamble was escorted out – and a spot, the one seemingly tailor-made for me, has opened up.

I’m not a former player, at least not in the traditional sense. Yeah, I did play briefly in college, if special-teams duty in flag football counts (something about chasing after another dude, trying to pull a flag from his waist kind of ended that career).

Even though my preferred sport was hockey, a football game – touch, rough-touch, tackle in the snow – tended to break out more often than not. In Northeast Philly, one kid with a Nerf football emerging from his house was more realistic than two nets and two sets of goalie equipment – let alone enough sticks and a ball.

I was pretty good, though peaking in my middle teens. Couldn’t get deep too often as the years passed, but I hardly ever dropped a pass (picture Gregg Garrity with a Jewfro).

Every Friday after school, we used to play the same black kids in football – until the spring, when it was basketball – in some classic down-to-the-wire encounters. This was far from a race riot. We were all friends, often sticking up for one another in the hallways. We would bust on each other during the week about the previous week’s game and playfully trash talk during the games.

If the Eagles were to hire me, more on the merits of my innate personnel skills, the fans would be able to know I once knocked heads so hard with a kid that we both had concussions. In the ER, they had to give me a butterfly bandage around my swollen and discolored eye to stop the bleeding.

This battle scar, which can still be seen, left me having to convince members of the fairer sex that I had not been beaten up over the weekend.

I guess this would help me earn some street cred with the E-A-G-L-E-S hard-hat types, especially if they learned that my migraines – above this same eye – were worse ever since, leading to a seizure in 2005 that left me with a separated shoulder.

Personally, I still don’t quite get the wherefores and whys behind the need to have some oft-concussed ex-player sitting in the GM’s chair. Not knocking it, if it works out, but the front-office graveyard – in all sports – is littered with ex-jocks while those wearing those rings we find elusive often do not fit the mode.

But in Philadelphia’s blue-collar town, guys like Roseman – with a voice than sounds like it was created by deep inhale of helium – are trying to swim upstream with a cinder-block attached in the court of public opinion.

When the Eagles do well, it’s all Chip. When they fall short of expectations, Howie takes the fall.

Honestly, though, I would not be another Roseman. I would probably agree more with Kelly and his vision for building a long-range winner than with a bottom line that would create a turnstile at the locker room door at the end of each season, leaving the team safely under the cap and always able to retain a few targeted players, but not good enough to maintain the culture required for titles and … for matching the right people with the right callings.

Imagine that.

The column also appeared at http://www.phillyphanatics.com

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