Nick Foles a Victim of Facial Prejudice

      Many moons ago a wise man said that the most popular Philadelphia Eagle is the backup quarterback.  That seemed like a truism when, after two sub-par outings by starter Nick Foles, Eagles fans were showing the mouth-breathing side of their collective personality and clamoring for backup Mark Sanchez.

   

      The sane among us wonder, how can this be?  How, after a historic season in QB rating (119.2), Touchdown-to-interception ratio (27-2), highlighted by a seven SEVEN touchdown performance against the Raiders, and a strong playoff game (23-33, 2 TD’S, 0 INT), was The Stork no longer good enough to start here and Sanchez is?  By the way, this vocal throng of Eagles fans were/are basing their opinion on Foles on their “gut” and the f@#$%&* PRESEASON!!!  Preseason: see also, small ass vanilla sample that can in no possible way be used to develop any type of informed opinion, other than the regular season will begin soon.

     There is clearly only one reason that The Stork’s competence as the starting QB has been under siege…  facial aesthetics.  Why else would Eagles fans think that Sanchez, with his CAREER 55% completion percentage, 68 TD’s to 69 INT’s for his career (lowest INT total for a season, 13), and the “butt-fumble,” be thought of as the player to lead the Birds to a higher elevation of success than what Foles can potentially do?

     The face card is often played with more subtlety than the race card but it applies here.  Let’s look at the two QB’s side-by-side.

     The Stork’s face suggests a nice guy, which it’s well know the handsome-challenged have to be to compensate for a lack of natural beauty.  Meanwhile, look at Sanchez.  Those dreamy eyes, strong cheek bones, the dark curly hair… Don’t look too long because you will get hypnotized. 

     Sure the Stork is not everything that you dream of when you think of your team’s starting QB, but he’s nice, respectful, he holds the door for us, and he’s good with kids.  On weekends in the off season, he will be perfectly happy renting a movie and making dinner.  The Stork is dependable.

     Sanchez on the other hand, seems like the type to party hard on a Wednesday and thus, late to work on Thursday.  When at the club, his eye will be wondering all over the place except for who he came with.  Which is ironic since he stares down receivers.  If you believe in him, he will hurt your feelings.  One shouldn't get caught up in his glamorous looks, or his decent PRESEASON performance.  Sanchez is not dependable.

     Eagles fans need to learn how to appreciate a stable relationship or they are always going to be looking.

HERE'S THE AFOREMENTIONED SANCHEZ BUTT FUMBLE:

     At the press conference of every big fight you see the steely-eyed tough guy stare down between the fighters.  UFC Light Heavyweight champ Jon Jones went a little extra with the tactic at the press conference for their upcoming fight when approached challenger Daniel Cormier, and proceeded to rub his forehead against Cormier's in a way that one can either describe as uncomfortable or downright homoerotic.

     A brief scrum ensued with the two combatants having to be separated, and the fight was officially promoted.  Jones curiously described the moment of doing the face-to-face on ESPN today as "intimate" and "passionate." That description caused a Dr. Spock like raise of my eyebrow as Cormier began to giggle.

(VIDEO OF JONES-CORMIER EXCHANGE YESTERDAY ON ESPN)

     What's interesting is that Jones seems to be trying to get into Cormier's head, talking trash as we've never seen him.  It's possible that Jones has taken notice of Cormier's resume.  Big wins over bigger opponents. The portly former Olympian grabbed my attention when he squared off Antonia "Bigfoot" Silva in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Silva, who seems much larger than the 6'4" he's listed at (same as Jones) towered over Cormier... and Cormier commenced to lay waste to Silva getting inside and ROCKING him with punches.  The final result was a TKO victory for Cormier in route to winning the title.

(CLICK THE VIDEO BELOW TO SEE FINISH OF CORMIER vs. SILVA.)

     But back to Jones.  All of a sudden from his actions the other day, which he then followed up by goading Cormier into an exchange of barbs on Twitter, to that flight watch-list type beard of his he is attempting to intimidate or irritate Cormier.  Think about it, the champion does not walk up to the challenger, it goes the other way around.  Is it possible that Jones is the one feeling intimidation or worry at what happens on September 27, at UFC 178.  Or... the whole thing could have been staged which makes today's blog worthless.

     At any rate the shenanigans at the press conference was extremely reminiscent of when Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis turned their press conference into an appetizer for their fight.  Thankfully Monday had no threats to by anyone to "f*** someone in the a** in front of everybody", etc.  And back then, it was the challenger who started melees.

(CLICK THE VIDEO TO SEE FINISH OFF THE PRESS CONFERENCE WITH "FLAIR")

Seven days until the season of Lin-t

And the NBA has found its Tim Tebow! Now we just have to await for the inevitable photo-op where Jeremy Lin and Tebow bump into one another at an airport.

Last night in Toronto "Lin-sanity" LITERALLY was a scene reminiscent of a Hollywood script. Like the Rocky IV scene when the Russian crowd began chanting, "ROCK-Y", the Raptors home crowd turned on them in admiration of the hot sens-Asian that has captivated international attention. And he rewarded their adoration with a game-winning three-pointer with half a second left and continue the script.

The NBA couldn't be happier. They have a story that has breathed life into the mid season lull (in a lockout shortened season), and in their biggest market to boot! Millions of people are inspired. Millions of dollars are being made. Fans are happy, they have something that will carry NBA conversations until the push for the playoffs begins. Billionaires are happy, shares for the New York Knicks owned Madison Square Garden are up 9.2% according to USA Today since Lin-sanity began.

At the risk of pissing on the parade, there is just one problem with all the hype and hoopla... this story is only unique in some of the details. There are, every season, at least two undrafted guys that are signed to a 10 day contract and give the momentary appearance of the second coming. For a few weeks those players become the fan's flavor of the month, fodder for local talk radio to pass time with such discussions as, "should they sign him to a long-term deal", and so forth. Then as equally as his streak of hungry play was greeted with adulation and squib, so too does that players falling to earth pass quietly as the news cycle moves along for its next piece of chum.

Floyd Mayweather tweeted this past Sunday, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian..."

Mayweather is correct, because for the first time ever... we agree with him on something.

Lin is not a seven-foot fella that looks as if he is a castoff from Red China's defunct super soldier program like Yao Ming and Zhaoxu Zhang. He is an Asian point-guard. And simply enough, ya don't see that everyday. He is no underdog. Despite sleeping on his brother's couch, Lin as a Harvard graduate, will be just fine. He has a piece of paper that virtually insures his success in this country.

We will be rooting, not against Lin who seems grounded enough, but against the hype machine that his story has become, as we await the eventual return to terra firma.

Incidentally, is this where the job market has arrived at; a Harvard economics grad has to turn to the NBA to find a job?!!

Patriots Nation is turning on itself

You certainly can tell that this is an election year; negativity abounds.

In the wake of the New England Patriots loss in Super Bowl XLII there is a boatload of finger-pointing going on in New England.

As you may have heard, at a team party after the game Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski was recorded dancing and taking his shirt off to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" which made former Patriot Rodney Harrison gallop along on his high horse.

Harrison had this to say about Gronk's rug cutting:

"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour or myself would have been at that party, he probably would have got his head rung.

When we lost the Super Bowl, any of my Super Bowl losses, I was so devastated the last thing I ever wanted to do was party, let alone dance or take off your shirt. It's just immaturity. It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point."

Yes, Rob Gronkowski should have handled the loss like Harrison likely would have, by taking an illegal supplement and hitting someone with a cheap-shot when no one was looking.

Harrison went on to say that he had not seen the video which shows that he needs to be working for Endlessly Speculating and Pontificating Network (ESPN), since he is quite adept at spewing without first trifling with things like facts.

We all grieve in our own way. Too bad Harrison will forever be too impressed with himself to keep such a thing in mind. We're willing to bet that the real reason Mr. Cheap Shot is incensed is because he can't get as close to a porn star (Bibi Jones) as Gronk did in the featured pic for today.

Then there was Tom Brady's wife Giselle Bundchen who, according to reports, told reporters after the game, "You have to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot throw and catch at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."

We can forgive the stick figure for her statement. After all, the closest she has come to a loss in life. We do wonder how much she busted her husband's chops for that crucial intentional grounding early in the game.

By the way, the officials made the right call. Brady, wearing a mic during the game, is heard in the NFL Films highlight package on Showtime's Inside the NFL saying that he didn't have anything and threw the ball away. Quick review, he was in the pocket and ditched the ball to no one in particular to avoid the sack... that's intentional grounding.

Finally, there's Pawngo and their tongue in cheek dig at Wes Welker. Welker's drop of a Brady pass that was high and somewhat behind him would have likely clinched the game for New England gave Pawngo, an online pawnshop, the idea to dump approximately 7000 Butterfingers candy bars in Boston's Copley Square as someone held a sign that read "Thanks Wes Welker."

It should be noted that Welker has AVERAGED 110.8 catches per season since arriving in Chowda Town in 2007; the law of averages finally kicked in at the worst time for him.

Pawngo probably would have been better served waiting until training camp for that one so as to not seem so malicious to a player that has given their team so much, or not do it directly in Boston where they were still stinging. However, ya can't beat the publicity they got out of it, even with the citation from the city for illegal dumping.

The truth is that we wished Pawngo would have dumped all that sugary goodness where we could have gotten our hands on them.

Hopefully next year we can celebrate the big game without playing the blame game immediately afterward.

Big Red is eating Coughlin's dust

When there's been talk of firing Andy Reid, he probably chuckles as he uses his prominent belly as a shelf for a bowl of ice cream that is a Ben & Jerry's test flavor: Mor(e) Mon'.

Twice in the past four seasons there has been talk akin to a wildfire of how the New York Giants should fire Head Coach Tom Coughlin. Both of those seasons Coughlin responded by guiding his team to a Super Bowl (XLII & XLVI). Obviously, unlike Big Red, Coughlin takes talk of his firing to heart for motivation.

Going into the 2007 season, it was the general feeling that the season would be Coughlin's swan song. Of course the season ended with the Giants' "upset" of the New England Patriots.

This season with two games left in the season and his team at 7-7, the G-Men began another march to quite possibly yet another Super Bowl title. Meanwhile, the Eagles sit at home at this time of year... again.

Perhaps it's because having once failed while coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Coach Curmudgeon has faced and surmounted the adversity that comes with the ups and downs of NFL pressure.

Which brings us back to Reid whose dismissal Birds fans have for seasons now been begging for. Ironically, it is likely their fault that Reid still enjoys the cozy job security he does. What incentive does Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie have to fire Reid? Lincoln Financial Field is jam-packed for eight Sundays each Fall, the season ticket waiting list is long as a lifetime and so forth. Since his bottom line is so healthy and Reid has come so close in the past, Lurie is likely inclined to believe that Reid will somehow someway eventually bring a Lombardi Trophy to Philly. That appears to be an optimistic view bordering on unreal with each passing year.

So, if Eagles fans truly want Reid gone they need to get Lurie's attention by not bolstering his coffers next season not filling the stadium, watching the games, and buying team gear. It should be made easier to do by stewing with envy over a highly probable New York victory this Sunday. Will Eagles fans show the necessary restraint to get Lurie's attention and send Reid packing as he mismanages the clock, stubbornly refuse to make in-game adjustments, and cover losses with those press conferences ("I need to do a better job...")?

Probably not. In fact they will do the opposite while groaning about the Mad Mormon.

Eagles Fans: Your lips will say "no," but your eyes will say "yes."

Another Miracle?

Last week, on the highest peak in the NFL, the passing Fullback that is Tim Tebow slayed Ben Rapistberger and James "Felonious" Harrison, casting them down into the Gehenna that is playoff futility.

This week, it is up to Timothy Richard again to punish evil. Evil in this case obviously being Bill "Videotaping Voyeur" Belichick and his super-twig wife having, devilishly handsome QB Tom Brady.

Tonight, it will be up to Tebow to take Belichick to task for his crimes against humanity and having cheated his way to three Super Bowls. Incidentally the New England Patriots have not really been competitive in a playoff game since Spygate and that is a beautiful thing.

Can God's Quarterback continue the penance of the Patriots?

Can he once more summon his the power of bruising runs and duck passes to take advantage of a Pats defense that is more inviting than the neighborhood "popular" girl (if ya know what I'm talking about)?

Can Tebow can turn the water that is his 47% career completion percentage into the wine of an AFC Title Game appearance?

If so, then that would be certainly be worth the packaging hype and hours of adoration that media outlets, foremost the Eternal Speculation and Pontification Network will heap upon the airwaves next week in order as they exploit Tebow for all he's worth .

This is a reading from the book of the postseason. Thanks be to Lombardi.

Owners Are Overrated

That is not meant to depreciate the legacy of the recently deceased George Steinbrenner. However, it is true. As is the case with The Boss, the owners of a dynasty usually got said dynasty by letting their people, in particular their general managers, do their job.

-The Boston Celtics, winners of 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons from 1957-1969, had multiple owners. The constant, besides Bill Russell, was General Manager Red Auerbach.

-The San Francisco 49ers of the 1980's, winners of Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, and XXIV were owned by Eddie DeBartolo and John York with Bill Walsh overseeing that successful run of their franchise as Coach and General Manager.

-New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft had the frigid Bill Belichick as de-facto G.M. to put things in order as the Pats won three Super Bowls in four years .

-The Edmonton Oilers of the NHL won five Stanley Cups in seven years during the '80s. The owner was the colorful Peter Pocklington. It is said that Pocklington once piled $100,000 cash on a ping pong table in the Oilers locker room and told his players it was theirs if they defeated the Los Angeles Kings. The steady Glen Sather put together the juggernaut team.

Locally, if the Philadelphia Eagles had been able to parlay all those conference title game appearances into a few titles, Andy Reid would be on this list. The Eagles did not turn around when Jeffery Lurie purchased them. However, they did turn around when Lurie hired Big Red.

Of course, there is one exception and it is a most dreadful one.

Jimmy Johnson, with Jerry Jones hanging over his shoulder, served as GM for the Dallas Cowboys that won three Super Bowls in four years in the early 90's. Of course Johnson got an assist from the worst trade in trading (player, stocks, trading cards, etc.) history.

"The Trade" made Johnson look like a genius as the Minnesota Vikings acquired Herschel Walker and two third, a fifth, and a tenth-round draft picks from the Cowboys. The Vikings exhibited that famous Midwestern friendliness as they gave Dallas two first, three second, and a sixth round draft picks, as well as four players. You don't even wanna know what players Dallas eventually turned those picks into!

Coming back to Steinbrenner whose team won four World Series in five years in the late 90's and early 2000's had three GM's. Steinbrenner also had a small nation's deficit to spend on players. But it's worth noting that the Yanks won under the boss when he backed off and allowed his people to do what he paid (and he paid well) them to do.

Colorful owners supplying soundbites is fun but when you get down to it, all an owner really need do is hire the right CEO and sign the checks. It's been proven time and time again in the world: if you have a problem, and you have enough money, then throw the money at said problem and everything will work out fine.

While we're discussing Steinbrenner, we would be remiss to touch on Rush Limbaugh's"eloquent" comments about The Boss after his death.

"That cracker made a lot of African American millionaires. And at the same time, he fired a bunch of white guys."

"That cracker," wow. Limbaugh said it in a tone like The Boss was the lowest form of white man

Of course, Mr. Limbaugh and his selective facts left out the part about "a bunch of white guys" usually getting rehired. And it's a good thing that Rush did not know that The Boss hired the American League's first black G.M. Bob Watson. Coincidentally, Watson was the G.M. of the first of those titles in the 90's.

It is curious that a right-wing, big business thinking guy like Limbaugh could not appreciate The Boss. Steinbrenner and his two sons were the Waltons of Major League Baseball; the Wal Mart owning Waltons, not the wholesome ones.

Finally, one has to wonder what would have been for Cleveland if Steinbrenner had not been rebuffed in his attempt to purchase his hometown Cleveland Indians before moving on to acquire the boys in penstripes. That depressing town might have a title by now and would not be wailing and whining about the departure of LeBron James.

A little fun fact about Steinbrenner: he served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State under Woody Hayes when the Buckeyes went 10-0 en route to a national title in 1954.