Cullen Jenkins feels our pain

After Thursday’s miserable loss by Philadelphia to Seattle, the postgame comments by Eagles players were all strikingly the same. We’re playing our hardest. It will get better.  We’re a good team, we’re just had a few problems tonight.

Are they simply saying what they think should be said, or do they truly believe what they are saying?

Only one player seems to be truly speaking from the heart, and saying the words that you would expect from a fierce competitor whose team all too often finds itself not meeting even the most basic of expectations.

That player is DT Cullen Jenkins.

Imagine the challenge of being a Super Bowl champion with the Green Bay Packers one season, and the next being on the most disappointing team in the NFL. It can’t be easy, but Philadelphia’s 4-8 record has not stifled Jenkins’ desire to fight hard each and every game.

Jenkins is saying not what he thinks he should say. He is the one player saying what his teammates need–and fans want–to hear.

“There’s going to be a lot of anger. I’m sure right now there’s a lot of people out there ticked off, and they should be. We’re going out there and we’re just giving away,” » Continue reading “Cullen Jenkins Gets It”

This post originally appeared on Aerys Offsides

Donovan McNabb: Number Five No Longer Alive in the NFL?

Donovan McNabb’s time in Minnesota has come to an end earlier than anyone expected. On Thursday, McNabb was released from the Vikings per the veteran quarterback’s request. Will this mark the end of McNabb’s career in the NFL?

The timing could work out in his favor–both the Texans and the Bears are dealing with injuries to their starters. The Bears have backup QB Caleb Hanie, who made his first start in the NFL on Sunday versus Oakland. He is green, but does the team want to provide their backup with the opportunity to gain valuable experience to see how much help he can be in the future?

Then there are the Houston Texans, who are reeling from first losing the team’s starting quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck. Matt Leinart  then replaced Hasselbeck, but after one game Leinart is  done for the season with a collarbone injury. The team is in desperation mode, recently holding a workout attended by old-timers like Jeff Garcia, and signing Jack Delhomme.

In theory, the timing of McNabb’s release could make him an attractive possibility for both of these teams. That may not be the reality, however. The NFL Network indicated that sources with the Texans stated that the team has no interest in McNabb. And while I would love the happy storyline of McNabb being able to return to his hometown of Chicago, if even for just the remaining games of this season, it doesn’t seem that there is strong interest from the Bears to sign McNabb.

It all begs the question: Why did McNabb ask for the release? Does he know something that he doesn’t? Or would he rather continue–or end–his career on his own terms? » Continue reading “McFive Finished in the NFL?”

Thoughts are with you, Jerome.

Jokes can no longer be made about the situation that voided the trade between Philadelphia and Detroit for Eagles RB Ronnie Brown and Lions RB Jerome Harrison. On Wednesday, one day after the trade, it was discovered that the transaction had been voided, as Harrison did not pass a physical.

How can an active player on an NFL team not be able to pass a physical, was the question that went through all of our minds. No further information was disclosed by either team.

ESPN obtained additional details, discovering that Harrison failed his physical because a brain tumor was discovered. Adam Schefter tweeted, “Without trade, Jerome Harrison doesn’t get physical. Without physical, doctors don’t find brain tumor. Trade might have saved his life.”

What seemed to be simply a strange situation yesterday now seems to be oddly fortunate, at least for Harrison.

Thoughts are with Jerome Harrison as he moves forward with discovering the reasons for and ways to treat this tumor. What a scary situation.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse

It's like you were here just yesterday, Ronnie.

Let’s just pretend that Tuesday never happened, and that the Eagles didn’t try to get rid of Ronnie Brown in exchange for Jerome Harrison from the Lions.

Because that’s the reality of the situation now. The trade was voided on Wednesday when Harrison failed a physical in Philadelphia.

One of the meanest men in the world needs to work on his conditioning, apparently. Neither the Birds nor the Lions have provided any detail regarding the failed exam.

So, Brown will return to Philadelphia,  to the team that clearly did not want him. He is no longer LeSean McCoy’s backup–he is also behind rookie Dion Lewis in team’s depth chart. Which is ironic, as part of the excitement over Brown when he was signed this summer was his size. Lewis’ size is also a story, but on the other end of the spectrum.

As the trade deadline has passed, the Eagles are stuck with Brown and vice versa.  An unfortunate situation, as the Lions were incredibly excited about Brown, and he could have helped with the team’s running game immediately, as Jahvid Best recovers from a concussion.

Harrison would have had the benefit of the Eagles trust, which Brown unfortunately quickly lost this season.

Well, that was fun while it lasted.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

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EAGLES @ REDSKINS

1:00 PM

FOX

RADIO: 94 WIP

There isn’t much to say about the Eagles matchup with the Washington Redskins other than to point out that now the Birds truly are in a must-win situation. They need to win in order to have a chance to stay in the NFC East. They need to win to give their fans hope that they can turn things around. And they need to do it for themselves. The Eagles have an amazing collection of talent. They all need to start showing it.

Philadelphia finds itself at 1-4, trying to avoid a 5th straight loss. And they are 0-1 in the NFC East. The Redskins sit atop the division at 1-1. Right now, Rex Grossman’s preseason prediction that the Redskins would win the division no longer seems like sheer madness. And that fact is upsetting. Time to put a wrench into that plan, Eagles. » Continue reading “Eagles at Redskins Preview: Time to Turn Things Around”

Attention, Eli Manning & Co. You're going DOWN!

No sooner did the New York Giants step off the field from their Monday Night Football triumph over Saint Louis did the team start to focus on their next opponent: Division rival and increasing foe Philadelphia.

DE Justin Tuck had some things to say about the upcoming game. While Eagles fans recall the so-called Miracle at the Meadowlands with a mixture of awe and glee, the game, and specifically the 4th quarter Philadelphia comeback, will likely stay with Tuck forever.

“Last year will linger with me until I die,” he said.

Oh, goodie.

As the Eagles have won the past 6 games against the Giants, one would think that the team would be hoping for their best chance to win against Philadelphia. And that means a Vick-less Eagles squad. Right?

Not so, says Tuck.

“But you always want to be beat teams at their best. Me personally, yes I do, I would love for him to play. I think he brings the best out of us, too. Maybe we go down there and he’s not in there, and we think, ‘Oh we’ve got this thing won.’

“If he’s playing, then we know we gotta be on our toes. That’s not a shot at whoever would play if he doesn’t play. We all know that Philadelphia’s a great football team. They got a lot of pieces to the puzzle. We’re going to have play a great game, regardless of if Vick plays or not.”

Kevin Kolb's stylish new accessory

It’s been the talk of the football world for the past five months. When there was no other Eagles news out there, it was the topic of constant speculation.

Where would Kevin Kolb be traded for the 2011 season?

It was rumored that the Eagles could get whatever they wanted for him, as so many teams around the league were in need of a quarterback with some experience. The Arizona Cardinals seemed to be the perfect landing spot for Kolb. Kolb himself spoke highly of the opportunity to play with that team in a radio interview, and all signs pointed to the trade being all but signed.

When the lockout ended on Monday and trades could begin on Tuesday, getting the Kolb deal taken care of was thought to be the first order of business for the Birds. But then the waters got a little murky, with Kyle Orton joining the market, and the Seattle Seahawks quickly grabbing Matt Leinart and Tarvaris Jackson.

Seattle, as you may recall, was the team to be widely considered the back-up option for Kolb should a deal with the Cardinals not pan out. But it was no longer an option.

No deal took place on the first day of a return to NFL business, nor on the second. On its third day, the Eagles told Kolb not to come to training camp, signaling that they don’t expect him to be with the team much longer. But what was taking so long? » Continue reading “The Winner of the Kevin Kolb Sweepstakes is…”

At the end of last week, the Philadelphia Eagles began group workouts in order to lessen the impact of the lockout on their performance when the 2011 season begins.

Vick led members of the offense on some drills and footwork. Joining him to practice in Marlton, New Jersey were TE Brent Celek, backup quarterback Mike Kafka, and wideouts Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant. Vikings RB Albert Young also joined in the practice.

Vick told CSNPhilly that the workouts served a number of purposes.

“Well, just basically, work on your timing. For me, my footwork … visualize some of the things I didn’t do well last year and, how can I make them better, and have a chance to just throw those routs each and every day. And, just try to get comfortable. Build that camaraderie with the guys and just try to get back.”

The players were optimistic about the ability to get up to speed quickly when the lockout ends. That will hopefully be the case, but it’s one of the big question marks of this entire lockout experience. » Continue reading “Mike Vick Leads Workouts for the Eagles Offense”

When are black people going to stop doing this to one another?

"In this corner, fighting for racial intolerance, Bernard Hopkins..."

In a press conference reported by the Philadelphia Daily News, boxing great Bernard Hopkins questioned Donovan McNabb’s “blackness,” stating the quarterback  hasn’t struggled enough in his life and dismissing his bad experience with the Washington Redskins with a disturbing assertion:

“Why do you think McNabb felt he was betrayed? Because McNabb is the guy in the house, while everybody else is on the field. He’s the one who got the extra coat. The extra servings. ‘You’re our boy.’ [patting a reporter on the back in illustration] He thought he was one of them.”

Reporter Marcus Hayes of phillynews.com explained further:

“According to Hopkins, McNabb had a privileged childhood in suburban Chicago and, as a result, is not black enough or tough enough, at least compared with, say, himself, Michael Vick and Terrell Owens.”

According to Hopkins, that means McNabb isn’t truly black: He’s got a suntan. That’s all.

Well, then.

Hopkins has  had an issue with Donovan McNabb for a long time. No one is really sure why.  But these comments are just delusional.  I want to chalk it up to a fighter who’s just gotten punched one too many times.

But I can’t because he’s not alone in thinking this way.

Look at the Jalen Rose/Grant Hill controversy earlier this year after the airing of the Fab Five documentary. In it, Rose revealed he felt jealous of Hill and his privileged upbringing and hated Duke because they only recruited “Uncle Tom’s.”  Aerys’ LA Lakers writer Sabrina Chappell wrote an excellent piece discussing how Rose’s statements display an all-too frequent practice among some in the black community who discount others for being or wanting to be “white” or not being black enough.

"...and in this corner, fighting for rational thought, Donovan McNabb!"

I will never fully understand what “not being black enough” means, other than vilifying those who work hard to achieve a crime-free, well-educated middle class existence. I guess being a good athlete and a decent human being and family man is just too much for some people to handle.

What’s more, why are so many African-Americans content to cling to the negative stereotypes about what makes you “truly” black and belittle the positive attributes? This kind of poisonous thinking does more to limit our progress than the most virulent and open racism. » Continue reading “Bernard Hopkins is a Lightweight on the Issue of Race”

We here at Philly Sports Muse love Twitter. We love athletes on Twitter. They pairing has been the source of and/or inspiration for several posts. The medium has allowed the mystique surrounding professional athletes  to  lessen. They’re just like you and me, only they talk about food and video games a whole lot more.

The ability to communicate your thoughts to the world in an instant can be highly entertaining. It can also be incredibly harmful. The past week must have NFL teams wishing they could contact their players in order to ask them to step away from their keyboards. But as  CBSSports.com’s Will Brinson points out, “Twitter doesn’t make people do stupid things — people make people do stupid things.”

Rashard Mendenhall was first up with his controversial tweets about the killing of Osama bin Laden and speculation about what really brought down the Twin Towers. His comments led him to be dropped by Champion, who I didn’t even know was one of his sponsors (in fact, I had no idea they endorsed any major athletes. You live and you learn). Mendenhall has since apologized and tried to explain further via his blog. Some topics just aren’t properly suited for a 140 character limit. » Continue reading “No News is Good News: Eagles Behaving Themselves on Twitter”