From the Booth to Broad Street

The Philadelphia 76ers and former Head Coach turned analyst Doug Collins have reached an agreement on the vacant 76ers coaching spot.  Collins is 332-287 lifetime as a head coach, but the current state of the 76ers could help pad his loss column.  Collins was the 1st pick overall of the 1973 draft taken by the team he now has the daunting task of re-building.

The 76ers acquired the 2nd overall pick in this years Draft this week which will help Collins and the team in the re-building process.  Collins has a solid career coaching winning percentage, but he is largely known as the coach who couldn’t win with Michael Jordan.  Phil Jackson of course took over for him and began his run of championships shortly thereafter.

Why would a 58-year-old Doug Collins want to return to coaching at this point in his life?  Is it the fact that he feels he never really got a fair shot?  Is it his competitive nature as a former athlete?  I believe it is most likely his want to re-build the once proud 76ers franchise.  Collins spent his entire playing career in Philadelphia, retiring two seasons before Philadelphia won their last NBA Championship in 1983.  Collins has always been just a few years too early when it comes to winning the big one.

The challenge of the turning this team around is not going to be easy.  Collins is left with a ton of salary cap space tied up in players that aren’t worth nearly the amount of money the team is paying them.  They do have a decent young nucleus, the 2nd overall pick in this years draft (likely to be Evan Turner), and some contracts that will be coming off the books to free up cap space.

The questions remain to whether or not Collins can get a team over the hump.  The task will not be easy, but Collins at least is a man who cares about the 76ers organization.  Collins may not be the popular choice among fans, but he is the right choice.  Nobody can really question Collins’ basketball IQ, but you can question his ability to get his teams to the big one.  The 76ers aren’t really in a position, at this point, to worry about winning the big one.  They simply need to focus on making their basketball team relevant.

Doug Collins will not likely win a championship while coaching the Philadelphia 76ers.  The good news for Collins is that he will be given ample time to give it a shot.  Time is not something Collins has been awarded in the past regarding his coaching or playing career and it is something he feels he SHOULD have had.  A day late and dollar short has been the Doug Collins motto in his playing and coaching career.  For the sake of the Philadelphia 76ers, hopefully Collins will get his shot at a championship, or at the very least get it set up for the next guy.

The End of an Era

Easter Sunday 2010 marked the End of an Era in Philadelphia Eagles football.  The trading of Donovan McNabb officially finished off what is hands down the greatest 10 year run in Eagles history.  The Eagles sent the greatest QB in franchise history to the Washington Redskins for a 2nd round pick and a conditional 3rd or 4th rounder next season.

When you hear the words,”Donovan McNabb, Quarterback, Washington Redskins,” you can’t help but feel a little strange.  However, make no mistake about it, this was the right move for the Philadelphia Eagles and quicker than you can find an Easter egg, the Kevin Kolb era has begun.

It has been no secret that I have been of the opinion that it was time for the Eagles to move forward with Kolb at QB for some time now.  This Eagles team as it sits right now is not a legitimate Super Bowl contender and McNabb was a known factor, while Kolb was the unknown.  The McNabb vs Kolb debate was ramped up after the Eagles disappointing exit from the playoffs last season.  The Eagles finally made their decision and now go forward with the younger Kolb.

This off-season proved that the Eagles knew all along what most fans are finally coming to terms with, that this team needs to get better.  The fact that the Eagles made the playoffs last season was mostly based off of luck and an easy schedule.  They beat one team with a winning record last season, Atlanta, minus their starting QB and RB.  When the Eagles faced teams with winning records they were outclassed from start to finish.

I do believe the Eagles made the right decision to get younger and gear up for a potential run at the Super Bowl in the coming years.  I also realize that this upcoming season is going to be a season of ups and downs (quite possibly many downs).  I am prepared for the downs as long as I see a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully Kolb can be that light.

It is no secret that the Eagles need a lot of holes filled on this team to make a real run at a championship.  They are now one of the youngest teams in the NFL, and with a good draft they could be closer to another amazing ten-year run than people think.  Kolb told the media today,”Nobody is ever going to out-work me.”  For Kolb’s sake, I hope his statement is true.  I am one that thinks this is a re-tooling or tweaking of what could be a very special team down the road as opposed to re-building.

The Eagles will not win the Super Bowl next season with Kevin Kolb, but the reality is that they weren’t going to win it with Donovan McNabb either.  It will be a strange thing seeing #5 lined up under center for Washington, but it might be stranger seeing someone else besides McNabb line up for the Eagles.  Change is not always an easy thing, but to move forward a change is necessary.

Donovan McNabb will one day be in the Hall of Fame and is hands down the greatest Quarterback to ever play for the Eagles.  I am grateful for everything he did for the Philadelphia Eagles and the city of Philadelphia.  Kevin Kolb may never be the greatest statistical Quarterback to ever wear an Eagles jersey, but if he ends up holding the Lombardi Trophy one day….that will be enough for me.

To Trade or Not to Trade?? That is the Question

Jeff McLane of the Daily News sparked quite the Twitter debate today by posting that the Eagles and the Rams were in discussions involving Eagles QB Donovan McNabb.  It was quite an entertaining event to see which side of the issue Eagles fans were inclined to sit on.  I myself think that the Eagles would be wise to part ways with McNabb at this stage in his career.  The Eagles last season were lucky to be in the playoffs and not even close to making an actual Super Bowl run.

Donovan McNabb is without question the greatest QB in Eagles franchise history, however to hold onto him on the downward cycle of his career just because of that fact is a huge mistake.  Fans tend to fall in love with a player’s history and past performance and they tend to forget the recent short comings and failures of these players.  Athletes tend to build up equity in their respective cities.  The quote, “if you listen to the fans, you will soon be sitting with them,” is a quote many General Managers and Front Office types tend to relay and it is an extremely accurate point.

It is hard to separate your love for a team and a player after watching them play for your team for so many years.  Some people remember their youth in a player, some people remember that one great play that player A made in the big game.  The reality is we all get older and we all remember how great we once were.  In the world of professional sports, people get paid a lot of money to separate their love for a player and the fact that they need to view them as an asset to their business.

This Eagles team as it stands right now is barely a playoff team with Donovan McNabb.  The cold hard fact that Eagles’ fans need to face is that this team needs a many pieces to complete the Super Bowl puzzle.  Trading a QB who will turn 34 during this upcoming season for future draft picks makes the most sense from the business side of the organization.  It will seem strange to Eagles fans (myself included) seeing McNabb line up under center for another team.  Emmitt Smith as a Cardinal, Joe Montana as a Chief are all distant memories to Cowboys and 49ers fans today, McNabb wearing unknown team jersey will one day be the same thing.

Donovan McNabb’s time here in Philadelphia will not be forgotten anytime soon.  When Donovan gets inducted into the Hall of Fame no one will remember the time he spent outside of Philadelphia.  Eagles fans need to take a step back and realize #5 is not the same QB that lead them to 5 NFC Championship games.  He is an inaccurate QB that can no longer scramble around and make the same plays he did in the past.  McNabb should not shoulder all the blame from this past season’s short comings, every member of the team is accountable for that fact.  The reality is that this team is not Super Bowl ready and holding onto a 34-year-old QB because of nostalgia sake is the wrong decision.

Toby Keith’s song says, “I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”  In the case of Donovan McNabb good once is just not good enough.  This team has parted ways with Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, John Runyan all in the last 2 seasons.  The new era in Philadelphia is about to begin and I for one am excited.  Thanks for the memories #5, we will see you in Canton.

For Whom the Mike Bell Tolls

Adam Schefter of ESPN has reported that the New Orleans Saints have no intentions of matching the Philadelphia Eagles offer for RB Mike Bell.  In an off-season of mostly inactivity for the Eagles the Bell signing is a positive step in the right direction.  Mike Bell is not the signing that lands the Eagles into the Super Bowl, it is however how you build a team that moves in that direction.  Bell is a solid but inconsistent RB who has his ups and downs.  I have always stated Free Agency is about building up depth and not grasping for straws(something the Redskins are finally figuring out).

The Bell signing also proves to what I believe is the re-building or re-tooling that the Eagles are planning come Draft Day.  I think the Bell signing shows that the Eagles are looking to build a younger core nucleus.  The Draft in less than 30 days will likely prove to be the end of the Donovan McNabb era in Philadelphia.  I am not going to go into the lengthy discussion of should they or shouldn’t they when it comes to McNabb, I am simply putting it in writing and saying the Eagles are looking to get younger at all positions, especially at QB.  Build around Kevin Kolb, who they believe has the stuff to be a top QB in this league for years to come.

I like the Bell signing, not because it puts the Eagles over the top, but because I believe it is a piece in the process of having a team that contends year in and year out once again.  Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, and Duece Staley were all let go and people could not figure out why.  3 years later we knew the answer, the Eagles were getting younger and prepared for a run in the future.  Only time will tell what the future holds for McNabb and these Eagles, but I think it is ultimately the right choice.

Bell and Shady McCoy will prove to be a nice compliment to one another.  For the Eagles fans wondering, RB depth also leads more to the Kolb side of the equation.  If the Eagles go forward with Kolb they are going to need to run the ball more.  Bell is a key piece to being able to let McNabb go.  Is it really possible that Andy Reid will run the ball? I really can’t speculate on that, but adding depth at the RB position is a step in the right direction.

Take Off Your Fan Hat

One advantage to living in Arizona has to be the giant mixture of people who are fans of different teams from different cities.  Throughout the course of a day here you will see a ton of people whose taste in sports varies from coast to coast.  The one common denominator, no matter what team people are a fan of is what I call “Fan Hat.”  Fan Hat is the person who always thinks their team is going to succeed no matter how much reality begs to differ.

They are the “we’ll get em next year” types.  It is a good quality to have I suppose, but it also leaves you open for disappointment come seasons end.  Good or bad I root for my team’s success, however, I can also take off my “Fan Hat” and see the reality of my team.  It is hard for people to separate their love for a team and the actuality of that team.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.  You can love your team if they are a pig, but it doesn’t mean you have to believe that good will come no matter what.  Cubs fans are the definition of this every year.  ”This is our year” has been quoted to me by friends of mine that are Cubs fans.  It could be I am a Philadelphia sports fan who has become accustomed to failure ( 08 Phillies excluded).  I love rooting for my favorite teams, but I can take an outside look at my teams and see where they really stand.

I recommend to fans of all teams to try this simple exercise:  Pretend like you just moved to the city of your favorite team and you need to write an unbiased article about them.  It is easier said than done, but you will find it gives you a realistic outlook on your team.  If you desire to live under a myopic vantage point and want to fight every time someone tells you, “your team stinks.”  Then feel free to keep your “Fan Hat” on, myself I prefer to see what it is I am really rooting for.