The Sixers kept their winning ways at home going tonight with a fairly easy effort against the L.A Clippers. The Clippers came in winless on the road and figured to be easy pickings. In fact the Sixers really didn't play their best in this one and yet their performance was still more than enough, whereas against a better team it might not have been. Offensively they shot a decent 44% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc, while once again cleaning up at the line where they shot 82%. In all 5 Sixers scored in double figures. Andre Iguodala had 20 and 5 assists, Elton Brand had 15 and 6 rebounds, Spencer Hawes had 16 and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had a game high 24, 5 assists and 6 rebounds, and Thad Young chipped in with 12 and 5 rebounds off the bench. Defensively, the Sixers were outstanding holding L.A to just 39% shooting from the field and 25% from beyond, while racking 7 blocks and 9 steals, and forcing 14 turnovers.
Early on the Sixers played a little sloppily and their shooting was a little off. L.A was actually able to capitalize on that sloppiness to lead by 1 after a quarter of play and 3 at the half. It was all Sixers in the 3rd quarter though, as they finally woke up and outscored L.A 38-14, to a 13 point lead into the 4th quarter. In the 4th, they simply put it on cruise control and traded baskets with the Clips until they had put them away by 14, 105-91. With the win the Sixers move to 10-15 overall and 9th in the East, just .5 games out of 8th.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers and Penguins came into tonight's matchup as not just the top two teams in the Atlantic division or the Eastern conference but the top two teams in the NHL as well. Thanks to a 12 game winning streak, the Pens had unseeded the Flyers as the NHL's number 1, but this one was an opportunity for the Orange and Black to quickly return the favor and they took full advantage. Considering the offensive skills on both sides you'd think this would have been a high scoring back and forth affair. Instead it was a hard waged defensive battle, with the Flyer's emerging on top. They alloted Pittsburgh just 23 shots on goal , 21 of them stopped by Brian Boucher. They also did a decent job on the Penalty kill, wiping out 2 of the Pen's 4 man advantages.
A litte over halfway through the 1st period, Claude Giroux struck the night's first blow as Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell set him up to give the Orange and Black a 1-0 lead. Just before the halfway point of the 2nd period, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby teamed up to knot things up at 1. 4 minutes later James Van Reimsdyk fed Nikolay Zherdev for a 2-1 lead. A few minutes into the 3rd period Malkin and Crosby again hooked up to tie things up again at 2. Finally, just before the halfway point of the 3rd, Chris Pronger blasted a shot on net and watched as Scott Hartnell skillfully deflected it in off his stick for a 3-2 lead. Boucher and the Flyer's defense was poised to seal the deal from there but Darroll Powe took a foolish goaltender interference penalty which gave Pittsburgh a last gap with 6 men on the ice for the final 1 minute or so of play. Eventually, Boucher and the penalty kill somehow survived the final minute Pittsburgh onslaught and pulled out the huge 3-2 win.
A litte over halfway through the 1st period, Claude Giroux struck the night's first blow as Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell set him up to give the Orange and Black a 1-0 lead. Just before the halfway point of the 2nd period, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby teamed up to knot things up at 1. 4 minutes later James Van Reimsdyk fed Nikolay Zherdev for a 2-1 lead. A few minutes into the 3rd period Malkin and Crosby again hooked up to tie things up again at 2. Finally, just before the halfway point of the 3rd, Chris Pronger blasted a shot on net and watched as Scott Hartnell skillfully deflected it in off his stick for a 3-2 lead. Boucher and the Flyer's defense was poised to seal the deal from there but Darroll Powe took a foolish goaltender interference penalty which gave Pittsburgh a last gap with 6 men on the ice for the final 1 minute or so of play. Eventually, Boucher and the penalty kill somehow survived the final minute Pittsburgh onslaught and pulled out the huge 3-2 win.
SIXERS NEWS
Coming into tonight the Sixers were just 1-10 on the road for the season. Only the 0-10 L.A Clippers had fared worse. That said, the struggling and banged up New Jersey Nets were just what the doctor ordered to help the Sixers solve their road woes. No they didn't play their best but they did enough to finally get another win on the road. Offensively it was not exactly another banner night for the Sixers, as they shot just 40% from the field and 37% from beyond, but they did cash in big time at the free throw line, shooting a near perfect 84%. In fact, it was largely the foul line that allowed Jrue Holiday to put up a game high 19 and 5 assists. Spencer Hawes was close behind with 18 and 5 rebounds, while Elton Brand added another 15 and 4 rebounds and Jodie Meeks chipped in with 12, also largely from the foul line. Defensively, the Sixers also weren't exactly at their best in this one either, but they did enough, holding New Jersey to just 34% from the field and 30% from the line, while forcing 11 turnovers.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking a 6 point lead after the 1st quarter of play. They followed that up with just enough of an effort to stay up 6 at the half. The 3rd quarter was more of the same but the Nets did finally cut into the Sixer lead a little, dropping it to 4 at the start of the 4th quarter. There, the Sixers appeared to be cruising toward a win, up 11 with 3:38 left. Then switch briefly turned off for the Sixers as New Jersey pulled within 3 with 15 seconds left. Fortunately the Sixers hit their free throws from there and the rest of the Net's shots went begging as the Sixers hung on for an 82-77 win.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking a 6 point lead after the 1st quarter of play. They followed that up with just enough of an effort to stay up 6 at the half. The 3rd quarter was more of the same but the Nets did finally cut into the Sixer lead a little, dropping it to 4 at the start of the 4th quarter. There, the Sixers appeared to be cruising toward a win, up 11 with 3:38 left. Then switch briefly turned off for the Sixers as New Jersey pulled within 3 with 15 seconds left. Fortunately the Sixers hit their free throws from there and the rest of the Net's shots went begging as the Sixers hung on for an 82-77 win.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phils have in fact reached a deal with Cliff Lee to return to the city of brotherly love for 5 years and $120 million with a vesting option for a 6th year. The deal will be made official when Lee passes a physical Wednesday.
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles have placed Brandon Graham on IR with his ACL tear and to replace him they have signed Derrick Burgess, who memorably beat up on Mike Vick in the 2004 NFC championship game, and went on become a 2 time Pro Bowler after signing with the Raiders the following season. He had 5 sacks for the Patriots last season, but the Pats cut him before the season this year. He knows the Eagle's system already and has been successful playing it in the past so should be able to ease the sting of losing Graham. The Eagles just have to hope his skills haven't diminished too much.
Monday, December 13, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
Nothing has been made official yet, bet several prominent sources have confirmed that the Phils and Cliff Lee have agreed on a deal to bring the Lefty back to Philadelphia for 5 years and $100 million deal and an option for a 6th year. Joe Blanton will likely have to be moved to clear the cash needed for Lee.
EAGLES NEWS
While the defeated the Cowboys last night, they paid a hefty price to do so. Stewart Bradley dislocated his elbow and is out for at least the remainder of the regular season, but could return for the playoffs. Originally believed to have sprained his knee, Brand Graham actually tore the ACL in his knee and is done for the season. Finally, Desean Jackson suffered a sprained ankle and Mike Vick suffered a bruised thumb but both should be able to play against the Giants next week.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Birds renewed their fierce rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys tonight in Dallas, as they looked to continue their march toward the playoffs. It wasn't easy, thanks to turnovers and defensive miscues, but the Birds were eventually able to do just that. Offensively, Desean Jackson and Lesean McCoy were both huge. Jackson had 4 catches for 210 yards and a TD, including a near Eagle's record breaking 91 yard TD reception. McCoy rushed 16 times for 149 yards and although he never got in the endzone, he was instrumental in helping the Eagles run out the clock in the end. For his part, Mike Vick was solid completing 16 of 26 passes for 270 yards and 2 TDs, while running 8 times for 16 yards and a TD. He did throw 2 interceptions though, only one of which was his fault, that a better team might have cashed in on. Defensively, they were a little bit better than last week, forcing 2 turnovers, and stuffing the Dallas run game. They also put ample pressure on Jon Kitna on a good number of the plays. In the end, it was just good enough for the Birds to get a lead and hang on in the end.
The Eagles started things off with a bang as Vick fired a bomb from about his 20 to Desean Jackson inside the Dallas 20, setting up Vick to take it in himself a few plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. Dallas battled back though, using a couple Eagle's penalties to move down the field for the score to tie it at 7 after the first quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter the Eagles finally put together another long drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard TD pass to Tod Herremans,the right guard, of all people for a 14-7 lead. The Eagles weren't quite able to put together another scoring drive for the remainder of the half, but Jon Kitna toughed out one more drive to close out the half with a 50 yard boot by David Buehler, cutting it to 14-10 at the half. In the 3rd quarter it was Dallas who struck first, scoring 10 unanswered points off Eagle turnovers for a 20-17 lead. After Akers booted a couple field goals, including a 50 yarder of his own to tie it at 20, just one play turned around all the Dallas momentum, as Vick hit Jackson on a short crossing pattern, just in front of Terence Newman, and then watched as Desean raced 91 yards for a score and a 27-20 lead.
A couple plays into the next Dallas drive, Dmitri Patterson intercepted Kitna, setting another Aker's field goal for a 30-20 lead. Still it wasn't over yet as Kitna drove to another TD on the following drive to cut it to 30-27. It was Lesean McCoy after that though, as he ran through Dallas and ran out the rest of the clock to close out an important 30-27 win, an impressive display for an Eagle's team not known for its running game. With the win the 9-4 Eagles stay first in the NFC East and 3rd in the NFC.
The Eagles started things off with a bang as Vick fired a bomb from about his 20 to Desean Jackson inside the Dallas 20, setting up Vick to take it in himself a few plays later for a quick 7-0 lead. Dallas battled back though, using a couple Eagle's penalties to move down the field for the score to tie it at 7 after the first quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter the Eagles finally put together another long drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard TD pass to Tod Herremans,the right guard, of all people for a 14-7 lead. The Eagles weren't quite able to put together another scoring drive for the remainder of the half, but Jon Kitna toughed out one more drive to close out the half with a 50 yard boot by David Buehler, cutting it to 14-10 at the half. In the 3rd quarter it was Dallas who struck first, scoring 10 unanswered points off Eagle turnovers for a 20-17 lead. After Akers booted a couple field goals, including a 50 yarder of his own to tie it at 20, just one play turned around all the Dallas momentum, as Vick hit Jackson on a short crossing pattern, just in front of Terence Newman, and then watched as Desean raced 91 yards for a score and a 27-20 lead.
A couple plays into the next Dallas drive, Dmitri Patterson intercepted Kitna, setting another Aker's field goal for a 30-20 lead. Still it wasn't over yet as Kitna drove to another TD on the following drive to cut it to 30-27. It was Lesean McCoy after that though, as he ran through Dallas and ran out the rest of the clock to close out an important 30-27 win, an impressive display for an Eagle's team not known for its running game. With the win the 9-4 Eagles stay first in the NFC East and 3rd in the NFC.
SIXERS NEWS
Just a few days after a heartbreaking near miss against the Celtics, you had wonder how the Sixers would respond this afternoon against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets. Last year they probably would not have responded well and would haven taken another loss. Not this year though. The one problem they've had during this current streak of hot play at home is uneven defense. Defense was no problem at all tonight, as the New Orleans had an awful shooting night at just 30% from the field and 41% from beyond. Some of that was just bad shooting by the Hornets, but the Sixer's D did have something to do with that, forcing 13 turnovers and out-rebounding New Orleans 49-47. It really was a true team effort.Offensively, the Sixer's offense shined again with 4 Sixer's in double figures and 42% from the field and 41% from beyond. Andre Iguodala had 16 and 10 rebounds, Elton Brand had 15 and 13 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 12, and Lou Williams came off the bench for a Sixer high 17.
Early on it was the Sixers jumping to a 7 point lead after a quarter of play. Things went from bad to worse for New Orleans in the 2nd quarter as the Sixers extended their to 22. New Orleans finally managed to fight back a little in the 3rd quarter but ultimately when all was said and done, they were still down 21 heading into the 4th quarter. There, New Orleans cut into the Sixer's lead again, but it was a too little too late as the Sixers eventually cruised to an 88-70 win, their first against a team with a winning record. Don't look now but the Sixers suddenly look like their real as a playoff contender in the Eastern conference.
Early on it was the Sixers jumping to a 7 point lead after a quarter of play. Things went from bad to worse for New Orleans in the 2nd quarter as the Sixers extended their to 22. New Orleans finally managed to fight back a little in the 3rd quarter but ultimately when all was said and done, they were still down 21 heading into the 4th quarter. There, New Orleans cut into the Sixer's lead again, but it was a too little too late as the Sixers eventually cruised to an 88-70 win, their first against a team with a winning record. Don't look now but the Sixers suddenly look like their real as a playoff contender in the Eastern conference.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Fresh off an easy versus the Leafs the Flyers significantly upgraded their competition level tonight as they traveled to Boston for a matchup with the Bruins. Last time these two teams met there wasn't much scoring. In fact, the Flyers were shut out for just the 2nd time all season. This time around there wasn't much scoring but it was the Flyer's whose goalie shined brigher. Brian Boucher was brilliant stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced, blanking Boston through 2 periods and 2 power plays before finally getting beat halfway through the 3rd. Meanwhile, the Flyers, who actually got out shot 36-33, got the better of the scoring opportunities for most part, and this time Tim Thomas couldn't stop all of them as James Van Reimsdyk and Mike Richards each registered goals on the night.
Neither team managed to score in the 1st period as they combined for just 19 shots. For a while it didn't look like either team would score in the 2nd period either. Then with about 2 minutes left the Flyers broke out 3 on 2 rush into Boston zone and Jeff Carter saucered a beautiful to a trailing JVR who one timed it in. Boucher played so well that you'd think that one goal would be enough but it was not. About halfway through 3rd Boston finally got one by him as David Horton jabbed on in. From neither team managed to scored in the remainder of regulation so the game went into overtime, usually not a good place for the Orange and Black. Tonight though, they were dominant in the overtime period and with just over 3 seconds left in OT Mike Richards faked out Thomas unassisted and scored for the 2-1 Flyer's victory, an impressive win to say the least.
Neither team managed to score in the 1st period as they combined for just 19 shots. For a while it didn't look like either team would score in the 2nd period either. Then with about 2 minutes left the Flyers broke out 3 on 2 rush into Boston zone and Jeff Carter saucered a beautiful to a trailing JVR who one timed it in. Boucher played so well that you'd think that one goal would be enough but it was not. About halfway through 3rd Boston finally got one by him as David Horton jabbed on in. From neither team managed to scored in the remainder of regulation so the game went into overtime, usually not a good place for the Orange and Black. Tonight though, they were dominant in the overtime period and with just over 3 seconds left in OT Mike Richards faked out Thomas unassisted and scored for the 2-1 Flyer's victory, an impressive win to say the least.
EAGLES NEWS
Asante Samuel and Winston Justice will both miss this Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys. That means King Dunlap will start in place of Justice and Joselio Hanson will continue to start in place of Samuel. In other words don't expect much defense in this one and expect Mike Vick to be running around a lot.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 09, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Coming off a gut wrenching shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks the Flyers found themselves with perfect opponent, in the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs, against which to rejuvenate themselves and they surely did so. Offensively, Danny Briere led the way with 2 goals and an assist while Andrej Meszaros chipped in with a pair of assists. Against the struggling Leafs the Flyers didn't really have to be that great defensively, but they were decent at least, allowing 32 shots on goal, and blanking the Leafs power play unit in four opportunities. Most credit there though should rigthtfully go to Brian Boucher who had a sparkly night with 31 saves out of the 32 shots he faced, essentially just what the doctor ordered.
Halfway through the 1st period Ville Leino produced the biggest shocker of the night with a Flyer power play goal. A minute later Chris Pronger deflected one in off a Briere blast for a 2-0 lead. 12 minutes into the 2nd period, Briere struck again, with help from Meszaros for a 3-0 lead. Just 5 minutes later Briere and Meszaros teamed up again for a 4-1, to put the proverbial nail in the Leaf's coffin and this time it stuck. 10 saves from Boucher later, the Flyers had rebounded from the loss to the Sharks quite nicely, thank you, with a 4-1 win over the Leafs.
Halfway through the 1st period Ville Leino produced the biggest shocker of the night with a Flyer power play goal. A minute later Chris Pronger deflected one in off a Briere blast for a 2-0 lead. 12 minutes into the 2nd period, Briere struck again, with help from Meszaros for a 3-0 lead. Just 5 minutes later Briere and Meszaros teamed up again for a 4-1, to put the proverbial nail in the Leaf's coffin and this time it stuck. 10 saves from Boucher later, the Flyers had rebounded from the loss to the Sharks quite nicely, thank you, with a 4-1 win over the Leafs.
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers came within 6.6 seconds of extending their home winning streak to 6 and ending the currently Shaqless Boston Celtic's 8 game winning streak, but it just wasn't to be on this night. For the 2nd game in a row the Sixer's had 7 players in double figures, as they shot 45% from the field and a very impressive 47% from beyond. Andre Iguodala had 14 and 11 assists, Elton Brand had 13 and 14 rebounds, Spencer Hawes had 11 and 7 rebounds, Jodie Meeks went 4 for 4 from beyond and dropped 19, Jrue Holiday had 12 and 6 assists, Thad Young continued his huge play off the bench with 16 and 7 rebounds, and Lou Williams also chipped in with 16 off the bench. Once again, thanks to their strong offensive exploits the Sixer's defense did not have to be great overall, as Boston shot 50% from the field and from beyond. Still though not great, the Sixer's defense was effective, out rebounding Boston 39-33, forcing them into an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers, and holding Paul Pierce to just 10 points.
Despite the less than desired outcome it really was a great back and forth contest between two hot teams. In the first quarter it was the Sixers who nudged ahead and hung on for an early 3 point advantage heading into the 2nd. In the 2nd quarter the two teams locked in a tight battle with Boston clinging to a 1 point halftime lead after an Iguodala 11 footer went begging. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers came out firing and jumped to an 8 point lead at one point with about 2 and half minutes to play in the period, before an 8-0 Boston run, capped off by a Rajon Rondo trey, gave them a 1 point lead heading into the 4th. Like the 2nd quarter it was another tightly contested affair. Several times both teams got up by 3 or for and seemed in control before the other team quickly came back to even things up. So it was real edge of your seat thrills kinda stuff.
The last team to go up by multiple scores was the Sixers who led by 4 with 1:45 to play. Ray Allen erased that advantage on his own though, with 2 free throws and a trey to put Boston up 98-97. Twice after that Iggy sliced into the lane and scored to put the Sixers back up, first 99-98, and then 101-100 with 6.6 seconds left. Doc Rivers came up with a perfect in bounds play after that with Rajon Rondo fooling everyone by going under the basket to Kevin Garnett to who layed in what would be the game winner. The Sixers had no timeouts at that point, forcing Holiday to just heave a long pass down court which ended up in the arms of a Celtic for a 102-101 Boston win.
Despite the less than desired outcome it really was a great back and forth contest between two hot teams. In the first quarter it was the Sixers who nudged ahead and hung on for an early 3 point advantage heading into the 2nd. In the 2nd quarter the two teams locked in a tight battle with Boston clinging to a 1 point halftime lead after an Iguodala 11 footer went begging. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers came out firing and jumped to an 8 point lead at one point with about 2 and half minutes to play in the period, before an 8-0 Boston run, capped off by a Rajon Rondo trey, gave them a 1 point lead heading into the 4th. Like the 2nd quarter it was another tightly contested affair. Several times both teams got up by 3 or for and seemed in control before the other team quickly came back to even things up. So it was real edge of your seat thrills kinda stuff.
The last team to go up by multiple scores was the Sixers who led by 4 with 1:45 to play. Ray Allen erased that advantage on his own though, with 2 free throws and a trey to put Boston up 98-97. Twice after that Iggy sliced into the lane and scored to put the Sixers back up, first 99-98, and then 101-100 with 6.6 seconds left. Doc Rivers came up with a perfect in bounds play after that with Rajon Rondo fooling everyone by going under the basket to Kevin Garnett to who layed in what would be the game winner. The Sixers had no timeouts at that point, forcing Holiday to just heave a long pass down court which ended up in the arms of a Celtic for a 102-101 Boston win.
PHILLIES NEWS
Pending a physical, the Phils and left handed reliever Denys Reyes have agreed on a 1 year $1.1 million deal with an option for a 2nd year. Reyes is a solid lefty reliever who went 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA last season for the St. Louis Cardinals, and who should bee able to replace J.C Romero as the Phils lefty specialist. In addition to the Reyes signing, the Phils also selected infielder/outfielder Mike Martinez off the Washington National's triple A team in the annual rule 5 draft. Martinez is a versatile switch hitter who hit .272 with 11 homers, 56 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. Most likely he'll contend for a spot on the Phils bench this season.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Usually when you take a 4-1 lead early in the 3rd period it is game, set, and match. Unfortunately that was not the case for the Orange and Black tonight. Before that all was well. Offensively, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino each had a goal and an assist and Matt Carle collected another 2 assists. Defensively, Sergei Bobrovsky looked impenetrable, saving 14 of the San Jose Shark's measily 15 shots through 2 periods and the Flyers penalty kill had erased all 4 Shark's power play opportunities. They were basically in control. Then San Jose ratcheted up the pressure in the 3rd period. They had 15 shots on goal in the 3rd period and Bobrovsky only stopped 11 of them and that was that. Still, the Flyer's defense can't be blamed for this one. They also failed to score on the power play again, when even one power play score would have made the difference, and they lost twice as many faceoffs as they won. Frankly, it's hard to hold a lead late when you can't win faceoffs, particularly in your zone.
Tbe Sharks actually had the early lead as Ryan Clowe scored with 5 seconds left in the first period for a 1-0 lead. The 2nd period was all Orange and Black. 6 minutes into the period Jeff Carter setup Giroux to knot thing up at 1 apiece. 5 minutes later Hartnell and Kimmo Timmonen setup Leino for a 2-1 lead. Just a minute later Giroux and Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 3-1 lead and the route was on, seemingly. Just 6 minutes into the 3rd, Carle and Leino setup Hartnell for a 4-1 lead and proverbial nail in San Jose's coffin. Unfortunately no one told the Sharks the game was over. Just a minute later it was down to 4-2. Then 3 minutes after that it was 4-3 and just a minute after that Joe Pavelski tied it at 4 with a power play goal that. The two the teams went scoreless for the remainder of regulation. Then in the final seconds of overtime Mike Richards seemed to score the game winner, but it hit the back of the net just a second after time expired and did not count, forcing a shootout. There Bobrovsky was beaten twice while the Flyers failed to score to complete the collapse and a 5-4 loss to San Jose. It's now been a decade since they last beat the Sharks.
Tbe Sharks actually had the early lead as Ryan Clowe scored with 5 seconds left in the first period for a 1-0 lead. The 2nd period was all Orange and Black. 6 minutes into the period Jeff Carter setup Giroux to knot thing up at 1 apiece. 5 minutes later Hartnell and Kimmo Timmonen setup Leino for a 2-1 lead. Just a minute later Giroux and Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 3-1 lead and the route was on, seemingly. Just 6 minutes into the 3rd, Carle and Leino setup Hartnell for a 4-1 lead and proverbial nail in San Jose's coffin. Unfortunately no one told the Sharks the game was over. Just a minute later it was down to 4-2. Then 3 minutes after that it was 4-3 and just a minute after that Joe Pavelski tied it at 4 with a power play goal that. The two the teams went scoreless for the remainder of regulation. Then in the final seconds of overtime Mike Richards seemed to score the game winner, but it hit the back of the net just a second after time expired and did not count, forcing a shootout. There Bobrovsky was beaten twice while the Flyers failed to score to complete the collapse and a 5-4 loss to San Jose. It's now been a decade since they last beat the Sharks.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
It was a banner night for the Sixers offensively, as they extended their home winning streak to 5 at the expense of the Cleveland Cavaliers. in fact, by the numbers it was just about indisputably their best offensive display of the season thus far. Overall, they shot an impressive 51% from the field, 34.8% from beyond, and 82% from the line, producing 7 scorers in double figures, including all 5 starters. Andre Iguodala had 13, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds, Elton Brand had 12, Spencer Hawes had 10 and 12 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 16 and 7 assists, Jodie Meeks drilled 4 more threes and pumped in 16, Thad Young had a game high 26 off the bench, and Lou Williams chipped in another 19 off the bench. Thanks to the spectacular offense the Sixers really didn't need to play that well defensively, as Cleveland also shot 50% from the field and 41% from beyond. The Sixers did destroy Cleveland on the boards though, 44-29, and forced them into 11 turnovers. In the end that was enough to keep them at bay.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking as much as an 11 point lead in the first quarter, before settling for a 9 point lead as the quarter ended. From there on out they basically kept Cleveland at arm's length the rest of the way. In the 2nd quarter they jumped ahead by as many as 14, before settling for a 12 point advantage at the half. They came out blazing to start the 3rd quarter, extending to a 20 point cushion with 9 minutes left in the quarter before settling for a 15 point lead going into the 4th quarter. There another solid 12 minutes of play finished Cleveland off by 20, 117-97. The win is the Sixer's 4th in 5 games and at last moves them out of the cellar in the Atlantic division and up as high as 12th in the Eastern conference.
The Sixers jumped out early, taking as much as an 11 point lead in the first quarter, before settling for a 9 point lead as the quarter ended. From there on out they basically kept Cleveland at arm's length the rest of the way. In the 2nd quarter they jumped ahead by as many as 14, before settling for a 12 point advantage at the half. They came out blazing to start the 3rd quarter, extending to a 20 point cushion with 9 minutes left in the quarter before settling for a 15 point lead going into the 4th quarter. There another solid 12 minutes of play finished Cleveland off by 20, 117-97. The win is the Sixer's 4th in 5 games and at last moves them out of the cellar in the Atlantic division and up as high as 12th in the Eastern conference.
Monday, December 06, 2010
PHILLIES NEWS
ex Phils GM Pat Gillick will be inducted into the baseball hall of fame in 2011 along with players still to be determined. He will be the 32nd executive to be inducted as he beat out the recently departed George Steinbrenner and the original head of the player's association, Marvin Miller, now 93 and unsuccessful for a 5th time. If he's still alive a year from now, Miller might finally get in for 2012. Anyway, going back to Gillick, he was the GM of 3 teams that won world series, two in Toronto, and 1 here in Philly and certainly deserves induction.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and so the Flyers were this afternoon to be playing the lowly Islanders, instead of a team with actual talent. Otherwise, they might well have finished on the wrong side of things for the 4th time in 5 games. Instead New York provided it's usual 3rd period collapse to help the Flyers avoid that embarrassment. Like yesterday against the Devils this was not exactly the Flyers best effort but they did just enough. New York actually out shot them 30-27 and in someways out played them for a stretch late in the 2nd period and into the 3rd. In fact they really had every right to believe they were actually going to win for a change. Fortunately, for the Orange and Black after a struggle yesterday afternoon, the team's special teams rebounded in a big way this afternoon, blanking the Islander power play on 4 attempts and actually scoring on their power play for the first time in seemingly forever.
Late in the 1st period Andrej Meszaros and Mike Richards setup Matt Carle for a 1-0 Flyer's lead. From there all the way to the beginning of the 3rd period the Orange and Black just sat on that lead and seemed poised to ride it to a win, with Sergei Bobrovsky and the D holding up well. Then 5 minutes into the 3rd period New York finally broke the Flyer defenses with 2 goals in about 40 seconds to swiftly move ahead 2-1. It then looked like that lead might hold up before Matt Moulson took a foolish holding with just over half the period left to play. It was here on their 4 power play of the contest that the Orange and Black finally ended their streak of failed power plays, Andreas Nodl registering the tally as Meszaros picked up his 2nd assist. The final outcome was still in doubt though until Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell teamed up to assist Danny Briere on the game winner, as the Orange and Black pulled out a fairly lucky 3-2 win which actually moves them back to first in the Eastern conference and Atlantic division because they have fewer losses then everyone else in the conference and division.
Late in the 1st period Andrej Meszaros and Mike Richards setup Matt Carle for a 1-0 Flyer's lead. From there all the way to the beginning of the 3rd period the Orange and Black just sat on that lead and seemed poised to ride it to a win, with Sergei Bobrovsky and the D holding up well. Then 5 minutes into the 3rd period New York finally broke the Flyer defenses with 2 goals in about 40 seconds to swiftly move ahead 2-1. It then looked like that lead might hold up before Matt Moulson took a foolish holding with just over half the period left to play. It was here on their 4 power play of the contest that the Orange and Black finally ended their streak of failed power plays, Andreas Nodl registering the tally as Meszaros picked up his 2nd assist. The final outcome was still in doubt though until Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell teamed up to assist Danny Briere on the game winner, as the Orange and Black pulled out a fairly lucky 3-2 win which actually moves them back to first in the Eastern conference and Atlantic division because they have fewer losses then everyone else in the conference and division.
PHILLIES NEWS
Jayson Werth will not return to the Phils next season. Instead today he signed a stunning 7 year $126 million deal with the Washington Nationals. It's stunning because the $126 mil is probably way more than he's uh worth, and at age 32 he's unlikely to still be playing 7 years from now. It's also stunning because it's the Nationals, who even with Werth have little chance of rising out of the NL East cellar next season. Oh well. have fun in last place Jayson.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After 3 straight losses the Orange and Black were desperate for a win this afternoon against the rival New Jersey Devils. They did not play their best, with only 34 shots on goal and again 0 success on the power play but ultimately in the end they just enough to win. Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in goal with 23 saves out of 26 shots as was the Flyer's defense which held New Jersey to just 26 shots on goal. The Flyer penalty kill did have an uncharacteristically bad day though, allowing 2 goals on 3 penalty kills. Jeff Carter was the real Flyer hero of the afternoon with a goal and 2 big assists. Mike Richards also had a goal and an assist, and Matt Carle had 2 important assists early in the 3rd period.
Things started a bit sloppily for the Flyers as New Jersey took the early 1-0 lead with a power play tally just 3 minutes into the contest. Just 17 seconds later Mike Richards setup James Van Reimsdyk with the equalizer, but the tie was short lived as Travis Zajac with 8 minutes left in the period to put New Jersey back up 2-1. Just 58 seconds into the 2nd period Jeff Carter and Daroll Powe assisted as Claude Giroux jabbed home a rebound to tie it at 2. A little over 3 minutes into the 3rd period Carle assisted as Chris Pronger blasted one on net and Richards slapped in the rebound to give the Orange and Black their first lead at 3-2.
Just 5 minutes later Carle fed an open Carter who was stopped on the breakaway by Johan Hedberg, before a trailing Danny Briere knocked in the rebound for a 4-2 lead. After that the Orange and Black seemed to have things in control, before a late penalty on Scott Hartnell gave New Jersey new life. Patrick Elias took advantage of the ensuing power play to cut the lead to 4-3. New Jersey then pulled Hedberg in search of the equalizer, but instead Carter slapped one into the empty net to close out an important 5-3 victory. With the win the Flyers snap their mini losing streak and stay at least 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in Atlantic division.
Things started a bit sloppily for the Flyers as New Jersey took the early 1-0 lead with a power play tally just 3 minutes into the contest. Just 17 seconds later Mike Richards setup James Van Reimsdyk with the equalizer, but the tie was short lived as Travis Zajac with 8 minutes left in the period to put New Jersey back up 2-1. Just 58 seconds into the 2nd period Jeff Carter and Daroll Powe assisted as Claude Giroux jabbed home a rebound to tie it at 2. A little over 3 minutes into the 3rd period Carle assisted as Chris Pronger blasted one on net and Richards slapped in the rebound to give the Orange and Black their first lead at 3-2.
Just 5 minutes later Carle fed an open Carter who was stopped on the breakaway by Johan Hedberg, before a trailing Danny Briere knocked in the rebound for a 4-2 lead. After that the Orange and Black seemed to have things in control, before a late penalty on Scott Hartnell gave New Jersey new life. Patrick Elias took advantage of the ensuing power play to cut the lead to 4-3. New Jersey then pulled Hedberg in search of the equalizer, but instead Carter slapped one into the empty net to close out an important 5-3 victory. With the win the Flyers snap their mini losing streak and stay at least 4th in the Eastern conference and 2nd in Atlantic division.
SIXERS NEWS
The true mark of a team is not how they deal with a loss, but rather how they deal with the game after. No one would have blamed the Sixers tonight if they returned to Wells Fargo a little hung over from another near miss. Last season and at times early this season that's exactly what they would have done. Not anymore as the Charlotte Bobcats found out the hard way courtesy of Jodie Meeks. In his 2nd career start, Meeks had a record breaking night with 20 points in the first quarter, tying Allen Iverson's Wells Fargo center record for points in a quarter, and 7 three pointers, breaking Kyle Korver's Wells Fargo center mark for treys in a game by a Sixer. In all Meeks wound up game and career high 26, but he wasn't alone. Andre Iguodala had 15, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, Elton Brand had 15 and 10 rebounds, Jrue Holiday had 15 and 7 assists, and Thad Young came off the bench for 20 big points.
Overall the Sixers had their best shooting night, at 51% from the field, 52% from beyond the arc, and 84% from the line. Aside from the glittering offense, the Sixers also put some sparkling defense on display, holding Charlotte to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond. Once again with essentially the smaller team they out rebounded Charlotte 38-37. Finally they forced the Bobcats into 13 costly turnovers that led 25 of the Sixers 27 fast break points. Basically the Sixers did everything tonight that this team was built to do, fastbreak off turnovers, score easy points in the paint and deny the opponent the same advantages. A few more efforts like this and who knows this team could go places this season but we'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to Meeks hot hand the Sixers were able to jump on Charlotte early, taking as much as a 21 point lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Charlotte did make a run through to cut the lead to 16 by the end of the quarter. The Sixers spent most of the 2nd quarter keeping the Bobcats at arm's length, and actually pushed their lead back up to 19 at one point, before Charlotte made another run at the end half to cut the lead to 9, before Andre Iguodala converted a key deuce with 23 seconds left in the half for an 11 point lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers picked it up again and pushed the lead to 22 at one point before another late Bobcat run cut it to 18 going into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter the two teams basically traded baskets as the Sixers cruised to an 18 point win, their 3rd in 4 games and hopefully a sign of the things to come.
Overall the Sixers had their best shooting night, at 51% from the field, 52% from beyond the arc, and 84% from the line. Aside from the glittering offense, the Sixers also put some sparkling defense on display, holding Charlotte to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond. Once again with essentially the smaller team they out rebounded Charlotte 38-37. Finally they forced the Bobcats into 13 costly turnovers that led 25 of the Sixers 27 fast break points. Basically the Sixers did everything tonight that this team was built to do, fastbreak off turnovers, score easy points in the paint and deny the opponent the same advantages. A few more efforts like this and who knows this team could go places this season but we'll just have to wait and see.
Thanks to Meeks hot hand the Sixers were able to jump on Charlotte early, taking as much as a 21 point lead with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Charlotte did make a run through to cut the lead to 16 by the end of the quarter. The Sixers spent most of the 2nd quarter keeping the Bobcats at arm's length, and actually pushed their lead back up to 19 at one point, before Charlotte made another run at the end half to cut the lead to 9, before Andre Iguodala converted a key deuce with 23 seconds left in the half for an 11 point lead. In the 3rd quarter the Sixers picked it up again and pushed the lead to 22 at one point before another late Bobcat run cut it to 18 going into the 4th quarter. Finally in the 4th quarter the two teams basically traded baskets as the Sixers cruised to an 18 point win, their 3rd in 4 games and hopefully a sign of the things to come.
Friday, December 03, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers traveled to Atlanta tonight looking for their 3rd straight win and first against a team with a winning record. Unfortunately things have not gone well for the Sixers on the road this season, as they also came in having lost 8 straight road games. It looked like tonight might be different though as Elton Brand collected 16 and 14 rebounds, Andre Iguodala posted 10, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, and Lou Williams and Evan Turner each had double figures off the bench with 12 and 11 respectively. The Sixer defense was pretty impressive as well holding Josh Smith to just 9 points, and the Hawks to just 41% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond the arc. Also despite being the smaller team on the court, they out rebounded Atlanta 48-45. So there were was plenty to like about the Sixers tonight.
In fact, it was all Sixers early on as they raced out an 8 point lead after quarter. With just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter they had the lead as high 18, but that's when thing turned as Altanta cut it back down to 8 by the half. The Sixers had it back up to 17 by the 5:54 mark of the 3rd quarter, but again they cooled off and by the end of the 3rd quarter the lead was just 5. Finally the 4th quarter belonged to Altanta as they outscored the Sixers 24-14. Once again the Sixers couldn't make the shots and couldn't get it done when they really needed to. Ultimately they went from leading by 5 at start of the 4th, to losing by 5, 93-88, just another typical result thus far this season. Still they once again showed they can play with an elite team, now if they only they could actually beat one. In more sobering Sixers new, Phils Jasner, the team's long time beat writer for the Daily News, and a frequent visitor on Comcast Sportsnet's Daily News Live, lost his long battle with Cancer. He was 68 and will be missed. RIP.
In fact, it was all Sixers early on as they raced out an 8 point lead after quarter. With just under 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter they had the lead as high 18, but that's when thing turned as Altanta cut it back down to 8 by the half. The Sixers had it back up to 17 by the 5:54 mark of the 3rd quarter, but again they cooled off and by the end of the 3rd quarter the lead was just 5. Finally the 4th quarter belonged to Altanta as they outscored the Sixers 24-14. Once again the Sixers couldn't make the shots and couldn't get it done when they really needed to. Ultimately they went from leading by 5 at start of the 4th, to losing by 5, 93-88, just another typical result thus far this season. Still they once again showed they can play with an elite team, now if they only they could actually beat one. In more sobering Sixers new, Phils Jasner, the team's long time beat writer for the Daily News, and a frequent visitor on Comcast Sportsnet's Daily News Live, lost his long battle with Cancer. He was 68 and will be missed. RIP.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
One had to wonder how the Birds would come out tonight, just 4 days after a tough loss to the Chicago Bears, and with top corner Asante Samuel still sidelined. Ultimately it wasn't their best performance, with 11 penalties for 85 yards, but in the end it was enough to get the job done. Mike Vick threw for another 302 yards and 2 TDs, and rushed for another 48 yards a TD, but also tossed up another costly interception. Lesean McCoy continued to rack up Westbrook like yardage with 130 all purpose yards and 2 TDs. Desean Jackson also had 3 catches for 84 yards and Jeremy Maclin had 5 catches for 68 yards. So it was another banner night for the Eagle's offense. Not so for the Eagles' defense which was carved up for 431 yards, as Matt Schaub, Arian Foster, and Andre Johnson all had big nights. Still, they forced Matt Schaub into 2 turnovers and stopped Houston on downs when it mattered most in the 4th quarter.
Things got off to a quick start for the Birds, as Jorrick Calvin returned the opening kickoff for a TD. Unfortunately, it was called back thanks to a holding penalty. Still, the Eagles followed that up with 2 long drives, as McCoy scored twice in the first 7 minutes for a 14-3 lead. After another long drive, David Akers booted a 36 yard field goal for a 17-3 lead and the route was on right? wrong. Houston fought back to cut it to 17-10 and then had the ball with a chance to tie it up , before Schaub was intercepted on a screen pass snuffed out by Trevor Laws. That setup another Aker's field goal to preserve a 20-10 Eagle's lead at the half. It didn't last though as Houston ate up the clock in the 3rd quarter with two long drives capped off by Foster scores to take a 24-20 lead. The Eagles fought back to start the 4th quarter with a 60 play drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard plunge to retake the lead at 27-24. After they finally held on defense, Vick marched the Birds 67 yards in 7 plays, before firing a 5 yard TD pass to Owen Schmitt for a 34-24 lead. After a Schaub fumble the Birds had the ball at midfield with a chance to put things a way but they couldn't convert on 3rd and short. Again on their next drive they were not able to run out the clock but the defense held again and the Birds eventually hung on for an important 34-24 win that keeps them in 1st place in the NFC East.
Things got off to a quick start for the Birds, as Jorrick Calvin returned the opening kickoff for a TD. Unfortunately, it was called back thanks to a holding penalty. Still, the Eagles followed that up with 2 long drives, as McCoy scored twice in the first 7 minutes for a 14-3 lead. After another long drive, David Akers booted a 36 yard field goal for a 17-3 lead and the route was on right? wrong. Houston fought back to cut it to 17-10 and then had the ball with a chance to tie it up , before Schaub was intercepted on a screen pass snuffed out by Trevor Laws. That setup another Aker's field goal to preserve a 20-10 Eagle's lead at the half. It didn't last though as Houston ate up the clock in the 3rd quarter with two long drives capped off by Foster scores to take a 24-20 lead. The Eagles fought back to start the 4th quarter with a 60 play drive, capped off by a Vick 2 yard plunge to retake the lead at 27-24. After they finally held on defense, Vick marched the Birds 67 yards in 7 plays, before firing a 5 yard TD pass to Owen Schmitt for a 34-24 lead. After a Schaub fumble the Birds had the ball at midfield with a chance to put things a way but they couldn't convert on 3rd and short. Again on their next drive they were not able to run out the clock but the defense held again and the Birds eventually hung on for an important 34-24 win that keeps them in 1st place in the NFC East.
PHILLIES NEWS
The Phillies announced today that they will tender contracts to their only 2 arbitration eligible players, Ben Francisco and Kyle Kendrick. Technically Jayson Werth was also arbitration eligible, but he turned it down in favor of becoming a free agent. With Werth's possible departure in mind, re-signing Francisco, the only other Phils outfielder who bats right handed and can hit for some power is a no brainer. Re-signing Kendrick is an interesting move, considering his struggles at times last season, and the fact that there's been some speculation that the Phils might pursue Cliff Lee this offseason. Still, given the low odds of the Phils obtaining Lee's services, and their lack of starting pitch depth and experience after the H2O and Joe Blanton (remember Jamie Moyer will not be back with the Phils next season, and their only other candidate for the #5 spot in the rotation, Vance Worley, had never started a major league game until this past September), retaining Kendrick is probably a smart move.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After back to back shootout losses the last the thing the Orange and Black wanted to see was the best goalie in the NHL, but that's exactly what they got as Tim Thomas with his league leading 1.44 GAA and .956 save percentage, and the Bruins rolled into town. The Flyers did what you have to do against a top goalie, peppering him with 41 shots, but not enough of them represented decent scoring opportunities and Thomas stopped them all. Moreover, the Orange and Black continued to struggle on the power play, going 0 for 4, and chances are you're not going to beat a top goalie with a poor power play. For his part Sergei Bobrovsky was pretty good too, with 29 saves out of the 31 shots he faced, but it wasn't good enough, not tonight and not against Thomas.
The Orange and Black got off to a bad start allowing Patrice Bergeron to score a Bruin power play goal for a 1-0 just under 6 minutes into the contest. 10 minutes later they allowed Tyler Sequin a free breakaway at Bobrovsky and he beat Bob with a wrister to make it 2-0. From there became a war between the Flyers and Thomas with Thomas winning all the battles. He just kept racking up one great save after another and Bruin's defense did just enough to keep the Flyers from getting totally set on offense. The Orange and Black also didn't necessarily try that hard to get set either and that didn't help matters. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Milan Lucic scored an empty netter to put the proverbial nail in the Flyer's coffin. Thomas took care of the rest as the Flyers lost their 3rd in a row, 3-0.
The Orange and Black got off to a bad start allowing Patrice Bergeron to score a Bruin power play goal for a 1-0 just under 6 minutes into the contest. 10 minutes later they allowed Tyler Sequin a free breakaway at Bobrovsky and he beat Bob with a wrister to make it 2-0. From there became a war between the Flyers and Thomas with Thomas winning all the battles. He just kept racking up one great save after another and Bruin's defense did just enough to keep the Flyers from getting totally set on offense. The Orange and Black also didn't necessarily try that hard to get set either and that didn't help matters. Finally with just under 2 minutes to play Milan Lucic scored an empty netter to put the proverbial nail in the Flyer's coffin. Thomas took care of the rest as the Flyers lost their 3rd in a row, 3-0.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers have had multiple opportunities this season to string together back to back wins for the first time. Tonight they finally took advantage of one, which is no small feat considering their opponent was the Portland Blazers, one of the most dangerous teams in the Western conference. Portland was struggling coming in, having lost 3 in a row, but struggle or not, they're still better than any team the Sixers had been able to handle before so you can hav stease like the Sixer's changes going in. In their 3 previuos wins this season, the key for the Sixers was defense an that was certainly the case again in this one. In fact the Sixer's defense was tremendous on this night holding the Blazers to just 37% from the field, and 27% from beyond, while collecting 9 steals. Even Bradon Roy couldn't get untracked in, as he settled for just 10 points. The Sixe,er's offense was not quite as impressive, but they did enough with Elton scoring 18, Spencer Hawes with 10, Jrue Hollidsy with 11 and Andres Nocioni with 3 treys for 11.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Early on in the first quarter both teams were deadlocked at 49. Eventually by the end of the half the Sixers had muscled their away ahead and actually stll held a 1 point lead at the conclusion of the 1st half. Portland fought back in3rd quarter and wound up with a 3 point advantage going into the 4th quarter. That's where the Sixers wrestled away control of the game away for good. They simply dominated the 4th, outscoring Portland 22-11 and controlling things defensively. By the time the smoke cleared and the final buzzer the Sixers had scraped away with a 9 point win, 88-79. There may not be many more Sixer top performances like this one so enjoy this one while you can. I for one though, am still hopeful this will be just the start of a much longer streak.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
Mike Vick continued his great play, throwing through the Bears cover 2 D for 333 yards and 2 TDs and rushing 9 times for 44 yards, but his first interception of the season, a back breaking one in the end zone in the final 2 minutes of the 1st half, loomed large. The Eagles defense also struggled mightily without Asante Samuel jumping routes and confusing Jay Cutler. In Samuel's absence, rookie Trevard Lindley, and Joselio Hanson combined to get beat several times as the Eagles allowed a plethora of 30+ yard plays. In fact Cutler had arguably his best game as a bear, throwing for 247 yards and 4 TDs and most importantly no Ints. In addition, Matt Forte rushed 14 times for 117 yards, which makes him the first 100 yard rusher the Eagles have allowed all season. So bottom line it was not a good afternoon for the Eagles defense and it cost them.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
The Eagles had the early 3-0 lead thanks to a 45 yard Aker's field goal, but the defense hit a rough patch after that and the Birds found themselves down 14-3 at the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd quarter the defense finally held a couple times and the Birds actually controlled the ball for most of quarter as another Aker's field goal and an 8 yard TD pass from Vick to Jeremy Maclin to cut the lead to 14-13. The Eagles drove down into red zone again in the final minute of the half and looked poised to take the lead, before a Vick pass on 1st and goal from the 4 was tipped and intercepted by Chris Harris who returned it to about midfield. Just 6 plays later Cutler's 3rd TD pass of the afternoon lifted the Bears to a 21-13 halftime lead. The Eagles never really recovered from that misstep and it was 31-13 Bears before the Eagles defense finally held again.
Still the Birds did not give up, but they were forced to settle for field goals on their next 2 drives and that ultimately sealed their doom. Vick did manage get them in the end zone again with a 30 yard strike to Brent Celek to cut the lead to 31-26, but with only 1:48 left. The Eagles and failed to recover the ensuing onsides kick and just like that their winning streak had ended at 3. For now because, they beat the Giants last week, they stay in first place, but they'll need to withstand a short week and get a win Thursday night against the Texans if they want to stay there.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers welcomed the New Jersey Nets to the Wells Fargo center tonight, as they looked to snap a 3 game skid. This time it was the Sixers who got the early the edge and the Sixers who made it stand up the rest of the way. They shot well from the field again at 51% and solidly from beyond at 38%, both much better than New Jersey, but struggled at the line, shooting their free throws at just 60%. They weren't as quite as affected by that tonight as neither team got to the line all that much. Moreover, that got big nights, out of Jrue Holiday who had 20 and 13 assists, Elton Brand who 14 and 10 assists, Andre Iguodala who had 16 and 7 rebounds, Thad Young who had 13 off the bench and Lou Williams who had 15 and 5 assists off the bench. Put it all together and you've got the Sixers 4th win of the season.
As mentioned the Sixers did have the early edge with a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. New Jersey actually rallied back to take a 2 point lead at the half but that would be their only real momentum of the night. The Sixers rallied back to tie it up through 3 quarters and then dominated in the 4th quarter, outscoring New Jersey 36-20. When the smoke finally cleared at the end of the 4th they had won going away, by 16, in their easiest win of the season thus far, 102-86. Still, at only 4-13 overall the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division, but at least now they're right there on the Net's heals. This season may yet have some life to it.
As mentioned the Sixers did have the early edge with a 3 point lead after a quarter of play. New Jersey actually rallied back to take a 2 point lead at the half but that would be their only real momentum of the night. The Sixers rallied back to tie it up through 3 quarters and then dominated in the 4th quarter, outscoring New Jersey 36-20. When the smoke finally cleared at the end of the 4th they had won going away, by 16, in their easiest win of the season thus far, 102-86. Still, at only 4-13 overall the Sixers remain last in the Atlantic division, but at least now they're right there on the Net's heals. This season may yet have some life to it.
FLYERS NEWS
After a shootout loss to the lowly Flames, the Flyers looked to get back on track against the equally lowly New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, the Orange and Black once again seemed to have little energy when it mattered most. They did out shoot New Jersey 41-25 and they did blank them on 3 power plays while finally scoring a power play goal of their own, but there was just something missing. Too many of their shots were easy saves for Johan Hedberg. It's one thing to just put pucks on the net and another to actually create scoring chances and challenge the goalie to make saves. The Orange and Black simply didn't do enough of that tonight and paid for it.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Through 2 periods the Flyers were down 1-0 and looking miserable. That's not an unusual occurence for them against the Devils, that is when Marty Brodeur is in the net, but the mediocre Hedberg should not have been able to do that. Still, a few minutes into the 3rd period, Danny Briere finally helped the Orange and Black cash in on a power play to knot it at 1 a piece. However, neither he nor the rest of the Flyers could manage a goal the rest of the way and the game went into overtime. Neither team scored in OT so for the 2nd night in a row the Flyers went into a shootout and again they came up short. This time Nikolay Zherdev scored in the 3rd round of the shootout, but after that Jason Arnott and Travis Zajac both beat Brian Boucher while Mike Richards was thwarted by Hedberg to hand the Devils the 2-1 shootout win.
Friday, November 26, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers looked to continue to a 3 game winning streak as they welcomed the Calgary Flames to the Wells Fargo center. The Flames came in as the 2nd worst team in the western conference and so even a solid effort would likely have been enough for the Orange and Black in this one. Solid they were as Sergei Bobrovsky racked up another 28 saves, and the Flyers held the flames to just 30 shots on goal and 3 unsuccessful power plays. James Van Reimsdyk also scored his 3rd goal in as many games as another 5 different Flyers scored points in this one. However, the Flyers struggled again on the power play, going 0 for 6 and in the end that ultimately cost them.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
No one scored in a hard fought first period as the Flyers failed on their first power play. Just 3 minutes into the 2nd period though, Blair Betts and Matt Carle setup Nikolay Zherdev for a 1-0 lead. The Orange and Black then failed on 3 more power play opportunities, even allotting the Flames a shorthanded tally to knot the score at 1. Only a couple after their last power play, Mike Richards fed JVR who one timed one home to put the Flyers up 2-1. For a good while it looked like that would be enough to hold off Calgary but the Orange and Black failed on another power play in the 3rd, that would definitely have put things out of reach, and then seemed to run out of gas afterwards as Alex Tanguay and Jerome Iginla went other way on the rush and fed Steve Staios with the equalizer.
The Flyers continued to the look a bit tired as the game went in overtime from there. In OT the Orange and Black had another power play and this time Mike Richards appeared to score for the win, but Chris Pronger was called for a bogus penalty, nullifying goal and eventually forcing a shootout. Claude Giroux did score in the shootout, but Danny Briere and Richards both missed while Nikolas Hagman and Rene Bourqe both beat Bob to give Calgary a 3-2 shootout win. Oh well, better luck next time.
SIXERS NEWS
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Toronto Raptors, a matchup with Miami's big three at Miami offered little hope for the Sixers and that despite the fact that the Heat came in struggling a bit. Still, like the last meeting between these two teams the Sixers made a game of it. In fact they out shot Miami from the field and from beyond at 47% and 40% respectively and out rebounded them 40-39. Unfortunately they also killed themselves at the line, shooting just 57% while shot nearly 80% from the line and that's probably where they one game. That especially evident during crunch time when Miami was able to go to the hole and get their points when they had to while the Sixers could not. Evan Turner was also blanked for the 2nd game in a row which didn't help matters. Jodie Meeks with 21 and Thad Young with 11 did try to pick up the slack off the bench but it wasn't enough. Andre Iguodala also 20, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Elton Brand returned from his suspension to provide 12 and 8 rebounds but it was all a futile effort.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Early on Miami jumped out to an 8 point lead at the end of 1 quarter. The Sixers trailed by as many as 12 at one point in the 2nd quarter before Meeks came off bench for 18 quick points to spark a Sixer rally that saw them cut the lead to 4 by the half. The inspired Sixers trailed by just 2 heading into the 4th quarter but that's where everything got away again. Where Miami was able to raise their game pull out a nice lead, the Sixers, already playing at their peak, could only stand and watch. Eventually after a bunch of drives to the hope by Lebron the Heat were able to claw their way to a 9 point win, 99-90. For the Sixers it's their 13th loss of the season and another tough pill to swallow, as they continue to rapidly run out of time to find some kind of consistency before everything is too far out of reach.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers traveled to Minnesota tonight as Sergei Bobrovsky returned to lineup. Bobrovsky and the Flyers defense shutdown the Wild almost completely, holding them to just 16 shots on goal, 15 of them stopped by Bob, and blanking them on the power play. The Flyers also continued to flounder on the power play but they still racked up 6 goals, as 11 different Flyers racked up points on the night. Most notably, James Van Reimsdyk had his 2nd goal in as many nights, and Danny Briere and Andreas Nodl each had a goal and an assist. Really, it was pretty much all Orange and Black all night long. The Wild were just no match for the Flyers.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
Just 3 minutes into the 1st period JVR was setup by Braydon Coburn and Nodl for a 1-0 lead. A couple minutes later Jeff Carter scored unassisted for a 2-0 cushion. After Minnesota cut it to 2-1 late in the 2nd period, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino setup Briere in final minute of the period to make it 3-1. Early in the 3rd period Nodl scored shorthanded for a 4-1 lead. A minute later Briere repayed the favor to Leino, setting him up for a 5-1 lead. Finally Jody Shelley of all people, snuck one by Wild goalie, Nicklas Backstrom to end the scoring at 6-1 Orange and Black. The win was the Flyers 3rd in a row and gives them a league and Eastern conference leading 32 points.
SIXERS NEWS
Things went from bad to worse for the Sixers tonight as they traveled to Toronto. Owing to his ejection against Washington Elton Brand was suspended for the night, as Craig Brackins finally made his Sixer regular season debut with a 6 point effort. Unfortunately he didn't do much on the defensive side of the ball with 1 rebound and 0 blocks. That kind of defensive effort wrote the story for the Sixers in this one. Coming off an OT loss the night before you couldn't expect much from the Sixer's defense anyway and they obliged allowing 62 first half point to Raptors. Andre Iguodala had another 17, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, Thad Young had 14 and 5 rebounds in his first start of the season, and Jrue Holiday had a solid 16, 6 assists and 7 rebounds, but it didn't really matter. When even Reggie Evans has a double-double, 12 points, 22 rebounds, you know you've got problems.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
By the end of the 1st quarter the Sixers were already down by 15. By the half they trailed by 19 and it was all but over. Somehow the Sixers figured out a way to battle back to within 11 at one point in the 3rd quarter, but by the start of the 4th quarter they were back down by 16. Again in the 4th quarter they managed to get back to within 11 again but turnovers got in the way and eventually Toronto cruised a 16 point win as the Sixers lost their 12th game of the season. Currently only the 3-13 Clippers have lost more than the 3-12 Sixers. What a team.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
SIXERS NEWS
The Sixers had seen this movie before, up 3 at Washington with time for the Wizards to take one more shot. Kinda makes you wonder why the outcome wasn't any different. Andre Iguodala had 23 and 8 asssists, and 11 rebounds, Elton Brand had 19 and 7 rebounds before being ejected after a flagrant foul late in the game, Jrue Holiday had 10, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, Evan Turner had 11, Mo Speights had 16 and 9 rebounds, Andres Nocioni had 11 as he went 3 for 3 from beyond, and Thad Young had 15 to round out 7 Sixers in double figures and yet they still came out on the short end of things. They weren't too shabby defensively either, out rebounding Washington 48-45, racking up 8 steals and holding John Wall scoreless deep into the 3rd period.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Thanks to their strong play on both sides of the ball the Sixers jumped ahead and early and took a 14 point lead into the half. As late as 8:38 in 3rd quarter they were up by as many as 16. Then wall finally got off the deck and by the start of the 4th Washington was within 4. Somehow the Sixers managed to keep finding ways to hold them off until they found themselves up by 3 with 8 seconds left and the ball. Unfortunately Evan Turner missed 2 free throws to give Washington 1 last chance to tie. With 4 seconds to play Wall threw up a prayer from half court that caught iron, but Holiday fouled him and Wall drilled all three freebies to tie the game at 106. Turner had another shot at the buzzer but missed a trey. The Sixers then had a 114-113 lead with 8 seconds left in OT as Young tipped in an Iggy runner. Unfortunately the 'Sixer killer' Nick Young hit a three over Turner to put Washington up 116-114. Once again Iggy got the last shot in OT and once again he caught iron to seal another win for the Wizards. There goes that winning streak.
Monday, November 22, 2010
FLYERS NEWS
After outlasting the Capitals on Saturday, the Orange and Black once again had revenge on their minds as they welcomed the Montreal Canadiens to Wells Fargo center. Carey Price was incredible again with 42 saves but this time so were the Flyers. They out shot Montreal 45-31 and blanked the vaunted Hab's power play. Moreover, Brian Boucher was solid in goal with 29 saves and the Flyers got goals from 3 different players and assists from 6 different players in a true team effort.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Thanks to Price, the Orange and Black actually trailed 2-0 with 6 minutes left in the 2nd period. Then Danny Briere setup Ville Leino to cut the lead to 2-1 and it was all Flyers from there. Montreal managed just 11 shots in the 3rd period while the Flyers kept the pressure on Price. Finally about 2 minutes into the 3rd the Habs defense finally broke, as Darroll Powe assisted Claude Giroux on the game tying goal. 6 minutes later Braydon Coburn setup James Van Reimsdyk on the go ahead score. The Orange and Black defense took care of business from there as the Flyers took the 3-2 win and sole possession of 1st in the Eastern conference.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
EAGLES NEWS
The Eagles welcomed the New York Giants to the Linc tonight in a showdown for sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East. Coming in the Eagles were looking to defeat New York for a 5th straight time. In the Eagles last two wins over the Giants, turnovers had played a big part in the outcome and they did again this one. Superb play by the Eagles defense and a tough but efficient night by the Eagle's offense were also factor in this battle. Offensively, Mike Vick threw for just 258 yards and 0 tds, and ran for only 34 yards and 1 td, not exactly the same numbers as last week. Still Vick made all the plays when he needed to so as to ensure the Eagles would come out on top. He also had help from Lesean McCoy who rushed for 111 yards and a TD, and Jeremy Maclin who hauled in 9 passes for 120 yards. Defensively, the Birds had an impressive night against the #1 ranked offense in the NFL. They forced 5 Giants turnovers, intercepting Eli Manning 3 times and causing 2 fumbles, held the vaunted Giants running attack to just 61 yards and held Eli to just 147 yards and 2 tds. Ultimately, if not for the Eagle's defense the mistakes and missed opportunities that continued to plague the Birds in this one, would likely have cost them another sure win.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
Games between divisional rivals always close battles, and this one was no exception, but it could have been. If not for some near misses by the Eagles' offense it could easily been a blowout win for the Eagles, but instead it went right down to the wire. Initially it was all Eagles as they took their 2nd drive of the game about 70 yards before Vick took a QB draw in from 4 yards out for a 7-0 lead. New York answered with a field goal but that would be their only score of the 1st half. The Eagles should have tacked on an additional 21 points before the half was over but Vick and Desean Jackson twice failed to hookup on sure tds, resulting in a couple Aker's field goals and a 13-3 lead. Then following New York's first turnover, a wide open Jason Avant dropped a sure td and the Eagles were force to settle for another FG, except Akers 3rd attempt of the evening was blocked as time expired in the half. The Eagles followed that disappointment by opening the 3rd quarter with a 7 minute drive, but again they couldn't cash in again and settled for another Aker's field goal for a 16-3 lead. All of those FGs nearly came back to haunt the Birds as New York answered with a quick TD drive and then turned a Vick fumble into another TD drive to jump ahead suddenly, 17-16. Eagles and most importantly Vick did not give up though.
On 4th and 1 from midfield with a little over 4 minutes to play the Eagles decided to go for it and the decision almost back fired as Vick stumbled on the snap and bobbled the ball, but somehow he hung on to it just long enough to execute a perfect pitch to McCoy just before getting clobbered by Osi Umenyiora. McCoy did the rest racing through a huge in the Giants line and untouched 50 yards for a TD. After a successful 2 point conversion the Eagles found themselves ahead 24-17 with under 4 minutes to play. Thank to penalties the Giants got to start their next drive at their own 40 and that's when things got wild. On the first play of the drive Manning was picked off by Asante Samuel, but Samuel attempted to return the interception, fumbled the ball away after a huge hit by RB Ahmad Bradshaw, the Giants recovered right back where they started at the 40. From there the Giants eventually found themselves with a 4th and long which Eli converted by running for it into the Eagle's territory. However, instead of sliding at the end of his run, he went down head first, without being touched and lost the ball. The Eagles recovered and marched 48 yards, thanks to another 40 yard run by McCoy, to an decisive Aker's field goal. Another Eli interception later and the Eagles had themselves a huge 27-17 win. They now move into 1st in the NFC East all alone at 7-3 overall and are near the top of the NFC standings with only the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons ahead of them.
FLYERS NEWS
The Flyers swapped AHL players with the Anaheim Ducks today. They sent David Laliberte and Pat Maroon to the Ducks for defenseman Danny Syvret, who was previously a member of the Flyer's organization before signing with Anaheim in the offseason, and forward Rob Bordson.
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