The Best Postseason Tournament in Sports

In my opinion, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after Selection Sunday are three of the slowest days on the sports calendar.  That’s because Selection Sunday is one of the most exciting days on the sports calendar.  Most of the major conference tournaments conclude on Selection Sunday, or the day before, and then we all see the bracket released in the evening.  Then all the ESPN analysts begin to break it down and by the end of the night it seems like a lot of people who lock in on the coverage are ready to fill out their brackets.  But then there are still three days before the tournament really gets underway in earnest.

The First Four play-in games on Tuesday and Wednesday are a tease in my mind because it’s just a small sampling of what’s to come.  But once Thursday comes and the first weekend arrives, there’s no slowing down.  There’s something about just taking in game after game in the NCAA tournament, wire-to-wire finishes, and the unpredictability of the entire tournament that is unlike another other postseason in sports.  Consider that there are probably lots of people all across the country that haven’t watched a second of college basketball all season but are sure to fill out a bracket.  That’s when you know people are hooked.

Usually my bracket never turns out as planned.  Rarely does my national champion come close to winning it all (sorry Louisville) and once the regional finals roll around it’s usually tough for me to even look at what I predicted without cringing.  But that too, is the beauty of the next three weeks. Once we get to that first Monday in April and nets are being cut down, I often feel a unique sense of reflection about the entire tournament.  

At the end of it all, usually I can say that the last three weeks of basketball were still exciting, still kept me on the edge of my seat, and still very much worth paying attention to regardless of how good or bad my picks turned out.  Isn't that what it’s really about anyway? The intensity level and quality of play are usually very high for the entire tournament and the games are riveting no matter who everyone’s picking.  The bracket busting runs from teams like Florida Gulf Coast and La Salle last year are really definitive of what the NCAA Tournament is and why it’s called March Madness and how can anyone not enjoy it?

The close competition and excitement of almost every game is unparalleled to any of the professional sports postseasons.  So it leaves us with no chance but to take in the next three weeks and think about that while watching.  Rarely do we see a postseason tournament that provides so much surprise and nail-biting finishes left and right.  But the time has come yet again and it’s time to enjoy it.

Go Ahead and Tank

Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, DJ Augustin, Brandan Wright, Adam Morrison, Sean May, Raymond Felton, and Emeka Okafor.  What do they all have in common? That is a list of every single lottery pick the Charlotte Bobcats have ever made.

                                                                           CBSSports.com
Stan Van Gundy says the draft should be eliminated.
His Magic team that went to the NBA Finals in 2009 was
built around Dwight Howard, a number one overall selection.

Much has been made recently about teams with little to no incentive to win games in the NBA and building their rosters to lose lots of games and accumulate ping-pong balls for the NBA Draft Lottery.  Tanking, as it’s commonly referred to, can be the only way towards the top of the NBA for some teams.  Some feel the need to change the way NBA Draft is structured in a way that doesn’t reward losing since the lottery is a weighted system and the teams with more losses have a higher percentage chance of getting the first overall pick.  Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy went as far as to say the NBA should eliminate the draft and allow rookies to enter the Association through free agency.  I’m writing this to say not so fast.

In most NBA Drafts, there are usually only one or two players whose ceiling is a superstar, face of the franchise kind of player.  In some cases there aren’t any players that fit this description.  So I feel as if the recent talk of modifying the NBA Draft to discourage tanking is rather unwarranted.  If a team is going to throw a whole season away, actively make their team worse during that season, for a 25% chance at getting the first overall pick in the NBA Draft why should anyone stop them? Mathematically they’re throwing a season for a 75% chance to not get the first pick in the draft.  For a team to tank and try so hard to get the first pick, those odds don’t seem too favorable.

                                                           NBA.com
One team will get lucky on lottery night.
Some years, the draft isn't deep enough
and teams that don't get lucky have to hope
they get lucky in the lottery in the future.

Look at all those Bobcats lottery picks.  One specifically worth highlighting is Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.  Kidd-Gilchrist clearly is not the biggest bust on that list.  But in the 2011-2012 season, a shortened one due to the lockout, the Charlotte Bobcats went 7-59 en route to the worst winning percentage in a single season in NBA history.  Charlotte entered the lottery with the 25% chance at the first pick in 2012, did not get the first pick, and missed out on perhaps the only player who has a superstar ceiling from that draft as they saw New Orleans select Anthony Davis first overall.  So Charlotte had a historically bad season and did not get a superstar player out of it.

In 2006, Charlotte selected Adam Morrison third overall.  If you look back at the 2006 draft by no means was it rife with superstars but Rudy Gay, Rajon Rondo, and Kyle Lowry were all taken after Morrison and all have proved themselves to be viable NBA starters.

The point is if teams want to tank, they better draft well.  In setting up for a horrific season by blowing up the roster, odds come lottery night are not going to be favorable regardless of how horrendous the past season was.  Then, even if it works out teams picking in the top three better find the right player, or they’ll find themselves right back in the top three the following season.

The 2006 and 2012 drafts for Charlotte are good examples of different flaws that lie within tanking.  In both drafts, they had a high pick, and both times came out without a superstar player.  In 2006, they were the third worst team in the NBA and picked in that third slot accordingly but drafted a bust.  In 2012, they were historically bad and did not get the first pick and wound up missing out on Davis, who might be the only sure thing from that draft.

So if a team is going to position themselves to lose as many games as possible why should anyone stop them? Sure there is a reward at the end of it all but it’s easy to just assume that the process is going to work.  Teams need luck in the lottery, and good talent evaluators in the front office to make the right picks for tanking to work neither of which is a guarantee.  So if tanking isn’t even a guarantee to improve a team long term, again, why stop it?

Look at last year’s draft.  Four of the top five picks are averaging significantly less than 20 minutes a game for their respective teams this year.  First overall pick Anthony Bennett averages 12.8 minutes a game for Cleveland.  The third pick, Otto Porter, averages 9.3 minutes a game for Washington.  Cody Zeller, Charlotte’s pick at fourth overall, plays 16.8 minutes a game and lastly Phoenix selected Alex Len fifth overall who averages 9.1 minutes per game this season.

Now all four players are rookies and maybe just need time to develop but drafted that highly should be making more of an immediate impact.  Take a look at the fifth player in the top five from last year’s draft, Victor Oladipo.  He’s playing 32 minutes a game for Orlando and could win the Rookie of the Year award this year.  Oladipo is the only player in last year’s top five that is playing like a top five pick.

If last year’s draft is every reason not to tank, then this year’s draft is every reason to tank.  A draft loaded with depth and maybe more than just one or two superstars is perhaps the reason why all the tanking talk is so rampant this time of year as the regular season begins to unwind.  But the suggestions that the current model needs to be changed aren’t really suggestions as much as they are exaggerations.

                                  sloansportsconference.com
Adam Silver should not crumble under the
pressure of changing the format of the NBA Draft.

The classic example of a successful tank job is the Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics who drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden in three consecutive drafts.  Yes, a lot of losing went into drafting these three players.  But there was also a lot of luck through the lottery and the Oklahoma City/Seattle brass had to pick the right players for what they were trying to do and it happened to work out and so kudos to them for pulling it off because it’s easier said than done.

GMs prioritizing losing and a drop in attendance were some of the issues put in front of Adam Silver at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference regarding tanking.  The drop in attendance is really irrelevant.  It’s not like a team’s attendance was great prior to tanking and all of sudden their tank is ruining their high attendance marks.  The Sixers are a good example of that.  They are a team in full tank mode this season that draws terrible crowds, but hasn’t really consistently drawn good crowds since the Allen Iverson era. 

Maybe the fact that GMs prioritize losing is concerning for someone like Silver who just took over as NBA commissioner last month, but if I’m Silver, I’m saying go ahead and tank.  Charlotte got so tired of the lottery they went out and overpaid for Al Jefferson last summer and now may be a playoff team this year.  They went from terrible to now mediocre and will never be elite.

Tanking is risky a proposition.  It’s high risk-high reward.  The high reward part is getting the better of lots of GMs this season because of the depth of this year’s draft class.  But let’s not overlook the high risk part.  Sure, you might become the Oklahoma City Thunder.  But you might also become the Charlotte Bobcats.  

Photos:

http://www.sloansportsconference.com/?p=13694

http://www.nba.com/suns/opinion-even-einstein-would-think-suns-plan-makes-sense

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/51013_SVG.jpg

Recapping the Sixers trade deadline moves with Spike Eskin

                                                                            Bleacherreport.com
Sam Hinkie continues to implement his plan to build the Sixers up.

The Sixers were one of the more active teams on Thursday as we approached the NBA trade deadline at 3 PM.   Sam Hinkie wanted to take the next step in his long-term process to build a contender.  I talked with Spike Eskin from SportsRadio 94WIP to get some perspective on how he believes the Sixers are positioning themselves for the future after Thursday’s trades.

Entering the season the Sixers had three players on their roster that were viewed as the more seasoned ones in their fountain of youth.  Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young were viewed as expendable pieces for an organization that was clearly looking towards the future as opposed to competing right now.  Turner and Hawes were dealt on Thursday.

There were many rumors that the Sixers would be able to get a first round draft pick for Turner.  But one of the things Eskin observed as Thursday’s trade deadline came and went was that the value of first round picks seems to be higher than Turner’s value was even in a career year for Turner.

                                                                   philadunkia.com
Turner was bound to be traded by the Sixers on
Thursday.  It just took longer than expected.

“I think the biggest thing I took away wasn’t a Sixers thing but sort of an NBA thing,” Eskin said. When you look at a more national picture the deadline was kind of quiet and teams are just not trading first round picks.”

While the rumors were circulating, after the deadline, Eskin began to be skeptical of the validity of such rumors.

“They’re fun for the internet and fun for discussion but the fact is that Sam Hinkie isn’t telling anyone what the offers are or who he’s talking to so if you’re hearing rumors what that generally is is an agent trying to create value for his client,” Eskin added.

That left the Sixers to package Lavoy Allen with Turner to acquire veteran small forward Danny Granger from the Indiana Pacers.  Now while Eskin believes the Sixers will buy out Granger’s contract and in all likelihood Granger will not play a game for the Sixers, the trade was more about moving Evan Turner whose contract is set to expire in the summer.

“I think it was basically about the fact that they have no interest in re-signing Evan Turner,” Eskin said.

                                                                                 Wikimedia.org
Spencer Hawes tenure as a Sixer has come and gone.

The Hawes trade was just about the best the Sixers could do for him acquiring Henry Sims, Earl Clark, and two second round picks from the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Clark was recently released and Sims is nothing more than a bench player if he even stays around long term so the two second rounder picks for Hawes was “fine” in Eskin’s opinion.

That left the Sixers with Thaddeus Young.  The one trade asset they still have on the roster and of the three, Young was the only one under contract past this season.  While his name was still being thrown around in rumors, Eskin believes the chances of Young getting traded on draft night are higher than they ever were on Thursday.

“I think they could use him for a pick, I think they could use him to move up, I think people are more willing to trade first round picks when they know what pick it is,” Eskin said.

Now while the Sixers are positioning themselves for a big 2014 NBA Draft, the important thing is that they draft well and don’t remain at the bottom of the NBA for years to come.  Hinkie’s plan goes against what prior ownership and members of the front office have tried but one thing’s for certain, Hinkie’s trying to build a contender and not just a playoff team that will win at least 40 games every season.

“It says something about ownership,” Eskin said.  “They’re willing to put a team on the court that is barely even a team in a lot of respects and that says a lot about ownership that they trust Hinkie.”

Photos:

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/02/21/what-the-sixers-did-on-trade-deadline-day-and-what-it-means/

http://philadunkia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/evan-turner.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Spencer_Hawes_76ers.jpg

The real Sixers have arrived

It took a while.  But the team everyone was expecting to be far and away the worst in the NBA has finally showed up.  The Sixers have lost their last two games to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors by a combined 88 points.  Given the preseason expectations this can't come as too much of a surprise.  But there are some positives to extract from this season so far that is now 53 games old.

While General Manager Sam Hinkie is believed to have orchestrated this plan to tank the season and get a high lottery pick, the players and coaches aren't going out there trying to lose.  Hinkie just assembled the team so that they weren't talented enough to win a lot of games.  So it's important to realize how great of a job Head Coach Brett Brown has done in his first year as head coach.

The Las Vegas over/under on Sixers wins this season was 16.5.  After 53 games, the Sixers have already won 15.  While it sounds stupid to be taking positives from a 15-38 record, the fact of the matter is that it's surprising the Sixers have even won 15 games so far this year. It's really the best of both worlds for the Sixers.  Brett Brown has had the players fighting hard and hanging with lots of teams which should give the front office reassurance that they hired the right coach and when given more talent at his disposal should be able to win more games.

From a front office prespective, while the tanking efforts started off slowly with wins over the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls to start the season, the Sixers are currently the second worst team in the NBA.  They probably won't catch the Milwaukee Bucks who are five games worse, but the second worst record in the NBA gives the Sixers a 19.9% chance at the first pick in the draft and guarantees them a top-five pick.

So when you consider the way the season's gone understand that the last two games have been painful, but that's who the Sixers are. They are very much inferior to lots of teams in the NBA especially Western Conference playoff teams like the Clippers and Warriors.  So the fact that we haven't seen that Sixers team show up night in and night out speaks to the coaching job Brett Brown has done.

Also realize that the Sixers' acquiring their key players through the draft is similar to other NBA teams, except the Sixers are doing it a little bit quicker.  The Washington Wizards have been in the basement since Gilbert Arenas departed and it's taken the lottery selections of John Wall and Bradley Beal to finally have them relevant again.  But along the way the Wizards ceded their fifth overall pick in 2009 to Minnesota and drafted Jan Vesley sixth overall in 2011 who hasn't panned out.  The Wizards have not qualified for the postseason since the 2007-08 season and barring any unforseen injuries or a big collapse are in line to finally make the playoffs again this year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder became who they are today with three lottery picks in three consecutive seasons.  The, then SuperSonics franchise, drafted Kevin Durant second overall in 2007.  Durant won the rookie of the year in 2007 but the francise was still bad enough that they found themselves in the lottery again in 2008 and drafted Russell Westbrook fourth overall.  Yet again in 2009 they were in the lottery and selected James Harden third overall.  The Thunder finally made it to the playoffs in 2009-10 for the first time since the 2004-05 season and got to the NBA Finals featuring these three players in 2012.

Now while additional pieces have fallen in place for both these franchises, and while Harden was traded to Houston, the point is that the road back towards the playoffs was a long, arduous journey that took a while.  For the Sixers, it might not take nearly as long.  This is a team that just two seasons ago was one game away from the Eastern Conference finals.  Then after the Andrew Bynum debacle last year, the Sixers went from being a contender in the East before last season to a team that could be set up for a long stay at the bottom of the NBA similar to Oklahoma City/Seattle and Washington.

Those are two examples of teams that have made it out of the NBA's abyss but there are some teams that have been stuck in there for a while and still are like the Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Bobcats.  Sacramento is in contention for a high lottery pick this year, and while Charlotte may make the playoffs, that's only because the Eastern Conference is pitiful.  Both teams have been cellar-dwelling for quite a while and may continue to in the future.

All signs are indicating that the Sixers willl have four lottery picks in two years, after having acquired Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams in last year's draft and both their pick and the New Orleans Pelicans' pick will be lottery picks this year.  It doesn't appear that the Pelicans will be in the top five of the draft which means the Sixers would retain the pick and who knows what will come in the future and if Sam Hinkie will try and acquire a third 2014 first-round pick using Evan Turner as trade bait.  If they can draft well this year then they'll be on the way up after really only being all the way at bottom for this season.  Even with the Andrew Bynum debacle last season the Sixers weren't as bad as they are now.  But to climb back out after only one year is an accomplishment and says something about the front office and head coach.

Whomever the Sixers draft this summer, they should enter next season with a more clear vision on where they're headed and for most teams, building through the lottery takes more than two drafts and their team looks as bad as the Sixers have the last two nights on a consistent basis.  By no means are the Sixers having a good season, but given the preseason expectations it hasn't been as bad people thought it might. 

Michael Carter-Williams is the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, Nerlens Noel could wind up as the best player in last year's draft class, Brett Brown has done a phenomenal job coaching the roster at his disposal, and the Sixers should have two lottery picks to add to the mix this summer.  The future of the organization is very bright.

Super Bowl XLVIII

Much has been made of Richard Sherman’s continual penchant for opening his mouth and saying something that makes Twitter blow up and hits the back page in local tabloids in newspapers all over America.  Such is the frenzy of drama that ensues upon the conclusion of Championship Sunday and kickoff of the Super Bowl.  There are two weeks to break down every angle possible to this one football game.  Two weeks to talk about what this game means to Peyton Manning’s legacy as an all-time great.

As we’re closing in on 48 hours from kickoff, I figured I would chime in with some of my own thoughts.  Richard Sherman has done a lot of talking, and there has been a lot made of how this game will define Peyton Manning in comparison to some of the other legendary quarterbacks. 

                                                       Jeff Roberson/ Associated Press
Sherman smiles at Super Bowl media day.

My instant reaction after Richard Sherman broke off into his rant after breaking up Colin Kaepernick’s pass in the end zone intended for Michael Crabtree was very skeptical.  Why would Sherman talk trash and put the spotlight on him when his team just clinched a trip to the Super Bowl and there’s still one more game to be played? 

Granted Sherman’s play backs up his talk but what exactly was it accomplishing?  Now all the pressure is on Sherman to shutdown one of the game’s elite receivers Demaryius Thomas, who’s been rather quiet about the match up.  Sherman’s going to have to do just that if his Seahawks are going to win.  I can’t see Russell Wilson keeping up in a shootout with Peyton Manning. 

Seattle’s defense is going to have to turn in one more outstanding performance to get over the hump.  Offensively, Seattle isn’t built to score lots of points.  They like to run the ball with Marshawn Lynch and occasionally Russell Wilson will make plays but they win because their defense always plays well enough where they don’t have to score a bunch of points.  It’s a tall task for Seattle’s defense on Sunday going up against the best offense in the NFL.

From Denver’s perspective, obviously they need to score points.  It’s what they do.  While lots of conversation has been made about Denver’s offense against Seattle’s defense and how the two teams are mirror images of each other and have gotten here in different ways, Denver’s defense has played well in the postseason.

                                                            Chris Humphreys-USA Today Sports
Peyton Manning is in search of his second Super Bowl ring.

Tom Brady never really got going against the Denver defense, nor did Philip Rivers in the divisional round.  Now while both New England and San Diego don’t boast running backs of Marshawn Lynch’s caliber, ideally that won’t really matter for Denver.  It comes back to Denver scoring points.  If Denver can move the ball on the Seattle defense and score points then that’s going to force Seattle to do the same thing which will probably make the Seahawks throw the ball more than they would like.

Who knows what Seattle will get out of Percy Harvin through the air in this game, but the bottomline is that if Denver can play with a lead and make Seattle throw, I can’t see Seattle winning this game.  Ultimately, I think Peyton Manning has too much to play for.  I think he wants to silence the critics that believe he comes up small time and time again in the playoffs.  A motivated Peyton Manning should be a scary Peyton Manning for the Seattle defense.  If there’s a defense that can slow him down enough for their team to have a chance, it’s Seattle.  I think Seattle will slow them down to a degree and I don’t see Denver putting up video-game like numbers offensively, but enough to hoist the Lombardi. 

Prediction: Denver 28, Seattle 20

Photos:

http://www.xnsports.com/2014/01/23/super-bowl-preview-prediction-high-flying-broncos-face-stingy-seahawks/

http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/2014/01/28/seattle-seahawks-richard-sherman-on-his-controversy-his-image-and-his-fine-the-nfl-always-wins/#20064101=0

Recapping the 2013 Eagles and looking ahead to the future

As we watched the divisional round unfold this weekend, it’s tough knowing that the Eagles could still be playing and we wouldn’t be evaluating the season and looking ahead to next season right now.  But, when you put it all into perspective it’s very impressive that the Eagles were even able to host that home playoff game nine days ago against New Orleans, especially after winning just four games last season.  They won 10 games and the NFC East with two different quarterbacks, a defense that entered the season projected to be one of the worst in the NFL, and most importantly a brand new coaching staff headed by a man right out of the college ranks.  Chip Kelly was doubted by many as an NFL head coach.  No such cynicism now after the 2013 season.

                                             USA Today Sports
Nick Foles was exceptional upon
winning the starting quarterback job.

Offensively the Eagles had an outstanding season in 2013 and are in great shape for the future.  They appear to have found their franchise quarterback in Nick Foles, and have perhaps the best rushing attack in the NFL.  LeSean McCoy won the rushing title this season and figures to win another one in the future if he can stay healthy with Chip Kelly calling the plays and the offensive line of the Eagles opening up holes.  Desean Jackson had a strong season, Riley Cooper emerged as a viable secondary receiver, and the Eagles used tight ends Brent Celek and Zach Ertz effectively in the passing game.  Not to mention what the possibility of re-signing Jeremy Maclin can bring to an offense that didn’t have him all season.

The defense overachieved in 2013 but there are definitely some bright spots for the future and now it seems like the Eagles need to tie up some loose ends on defense as opposed to bringing in lots of new personnel.  Starting up front, down linemen Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan, and Cedric Thornton are all young and on the rise.  Linebackers Demeco Ryans, Trent Cole, and Connor Barwin bring some experience to the defensive unit and the young linebacker Mychal Kendricks appears to be a real nice find in the second round of the 2012 draft.   The secondary is where the Eagles need to improve this offseason.  Cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams showed flashes at times and Brandon Boykin certainly looks like a nice nickel corner but there was some inconsistency on behalf of the entire secondary including safeties Patrick Chung and Nate Allen. 

I’m not sure how the Eagles plan on addressing these needs as there are an abundance of good corners that are in this upcoming draft and you would have to figure one would be available at 22 when the Eagles pick in the first round.  There are a few solid safeties as well in the draft.  The Eagles have been linked to Buffalo safety Jairus Byrd who is going to be a free agent this offseason.   Byrd played for Chip Kelly at Oregon and would probably be a good fit.  In addition to help in the secondary, the Eagles could use a pass rusher who can generate more pressure on quarterbacks as they struggled particularly in the second Dallas game and the playoff game in getting to quarterback.

                                                                      Associated Press
Chip Kelly had a lot to smile
about during the 2013 season

While it may seem crazy after the Eagles are just one year removed from a 4-12 season in 2012, they are not far from a Super Bowl.  Now of course they need to stay healthy, and they’ll have to get a few good breaks here and there, but if they can make the additions they need to make on defense, we’re looking at a really talented and young football team.  The Eagles are back.  And they’re here to stay.

Photos:

http://www.zimbio.com/Blogging/articles/hiqSHvWSetr/Nick+Foles+ties+NFL+record+7+TDs+Eagles+roll

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/10/05/chip-kelly-says-his-approach-to-keeping-players-healthy-is-working/

Eagles Talk with Ray Didinger

Who would have thought that we would ring in the New Year with a home Eagles playoff game?  In a season in which seven or eight wins would have been viewed as a success, instead of arranging tee times, the Eagles are preparing for the New Orleans Saints in these first few days of 2014.  I caught up with Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger to talk about the 2013 regular season and preview the New Orleans game on Saturday.

Didinger said there are a lot of factors that have contributed to the Eagles qualifying for the playoffs in a season that saw a six-game improvement over the previous season.  But above all he attributed the success in the regular season to Chip Kelly.  “I think he came in and changed the whole culture.  He changed the way they do things, brought in a lot of new ideas, and I think the team needed that.  I think it was clear that what [Andy] Reid was doing had gotten a little stale,” Didinger said.  He said that while you can point to other individuals and reasons for the Eagles winning the NFC East, all of those have grown out what Kelly brought to the table upon his hiring.

                                                        Associated Press
Chip Kelly has quieted the doubters and is
a viable coach of the year candidate.

What’s particularly amazing about this year’s Eagles and the job that Chip Kelly has done is that when he came into the NFL there were lots of doubters as to how he would fair.  “There were some people that thought it was going to be a disaster and doomed to fail.  I didn’t say that.  But I was a little skeptical.  I think Kelly handled it really well.  He didn’t get indignant about it or lash out he just kind of went to work.  He knew there was going to be a lot of people asking questions.  He knew it didn’t matter what he said.  What mattered was what he did and he took a four-win team and turned them into a ten-win team and won the division,” Didinger said when asked to evaluate how he felt about the Eagles’ hire.

The biggest key when it comes to Kelly’s up tempo offense in Didinger’s opinion is converting third downs.  That way a three-and-out in the span of a minute or less doesn’t happen and prevents the defense from getting gassed and spending too much time on the field.  However the criticism of Chip Kelly has dissipated win after win and with good reason.  “It’s at the point where you really can’t offer too much criticism for a guy that’s made the improvements he’s made from top to bottom,” Didinger said.

Now, the reason the Eagles are in this position to host a playoff game is because of their victory in Dallas on Sunday night to clinch the NFC East.  Most were expecting the Eagles to roll against Dallas without Tony Romo and Didinger said he was surprised the game stayed as close as it did.  “I thought the Eagles would score more points.  The Cowboys defense was so bad I thought the Eagles would score well up into the 30s.  But looking back on it was a divisional road game and it’s kind of silly to say ‘oh they’ll blow em out’” Didinger added.

When looking at this New Orleans game, one of the things that jumped out to me that the Eagles need to improve is their pass rush.  They struggled to get to Kyle Orton and I think it’s safe to say if they can’t wreak havoc for Drew Brees he may be able to sit back and pick the defense apart.  Didinger said that part of the reason the Eagles did not get tons of pressure on Orton was that Dallas did a good job designing a game plan that included Orton getting rid of the ball early before the rush came.  He added that Brees does a good job of finding his targets quickly which poses a challenge to Billy Davis and the defensive unit that, if you take away Minnesota, have played well since the Denver game in week four.

                                              Associated Press
LeSean McCoy  will have to turn in another stellar
performance to keep the Eagles season alive.

Offensively for the Eagles, Didinger said that the Eagles have to do what they do best and run the ball with LeSean McCoy.  The Cowboys were able to get to Nick Foles more than expected and made it hard for him to make some of the throws that he’s been making throughout his run that’s seen him throw 27 touchdowns to only two interceptions and also forced a Foles fumble.  Didinger noted that while New Orleans is known primarily for what they do offensively with Brees and tight end Jimmy Graham, their defense is quietly having a very nice season ranked fourth overall in total defense.

So Didinger expects New Orleans to be able to generate a pass rush and noted two key players to look out for on the New Orleans defense.  Defensive end Cameron Jordan is fifth in the NFL in sacks with 12.5 on the season and right behind him at sixth with 12 sacks this season is outside linebacker Junior Galette.  This perhaps explains why Didinger believes the Eagles win Saturday with a lot of Lesean McCoy.  “Luckily for the Eagles if there’s a weakness in the Saints defense it’s on the ground.  I think the Eagles will win the game but whenever it’s not worth getting overconfident about.  It’s a postseason game and your going up against Drew Brees,” Didinger said.

Home field and the weather certainly may play to the Eagles advantage on Saturday night as New Orleans went 8-0 in their Superdome but only 3-5 away from home and looked lost at times in road games against the Jets and Rams.  It will certainly be a fun game Saturday night.  But it’s important to realize that the fact that the Eagles are playing in this game is one hell of an accomplishment.

Photos:
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