As part of out 3rd Hall of Fame Class Philly Pressbox Radio is adding a new category, broadcasters. This first ballot is loaded with Philly broadcast legends. Bill Campbell, Gene Hart, Harry Kalas and Merrill Reese. You only get to pick one. Voting will last for 1 week. Attached is a link from our 8/10/16 show where Chet and Bill provide a thumbnail breakdown on each candidate. This review starts about the 30 minute mark. Enjoy!!!
The signings of Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin this week have solidified the offense for the 1014 season, and beyond, but what about the defense? It’s obvious that the Birds need help in the secondary and particularly at the safety position. If you’re the Eagles do you sign higher priced free agents and draft the best available position regardless of position or attempt to build the safety position through the draft?
Following is a look at the top rated safeties on the free agent market:
Jairus Byrd, S, Buffalo Bills: Byrd is the best safety on the market. The Bills will do everything they can to keep him. Byrd and Earl Thomas are the game’s top cover safeties.
T.J. Ward, S, Cleveland Browns: Ward is a bit of a reach. He’s better against the run than the pass.
Malcolm Jenkins, S, New Orleans Saints: It wasn’t long ago that Jenkins was viewed as one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Donte Whitner, S, San Francisco 49ers: Whitner is an 8 year NFL veteran. Can he fill the needs or the Eagles?
Louis Delmas, S, Detroit Lions: Delmas would come with a reputation as being a big hitter.
Antoine Bethea, S, Indianapolis Colts: Bethea is a solid cover guy. The Colts will try to resign him. If he hits the market he will be costly.
The draft is thin at the safety position with only two projected 1st round picks. Here they are:
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix – Alabama. CLinton-Dix is a solid player that will be gone before the Eagles pick.
Calvin Pryor – Louisville. Pryor’s stock has been all over the board. He has been projected as a mid to late 1st rounder all the way down to a mid 2nd round pick.
So Eagles fans here’s your chance to vote on what way the Eagles should go, sign the best free agent they can, select the best available safety in the draft or sit tight with what they presently have.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
Randall Cunningham will be doing a rare private signing. The deadline is quick to get these pre-order prices. deadline Tuesday January 21, 2014 by 12 noon!!
RANDALL CUNNINGHAM PRIVATE SIGNING.
Full Size Rep Helmet $140,
Mini Helmet $65,
16×20 – $60,
8×10 – $45,
Logo Football – $65.
Shipping will be additional.
Thanks for the interest!!!! Signing is 2/1. Prices include the item with the autograph it’s not just for the ticket.
When old-time Philadelphia Eagles fans talk about the greatest Eagles players of all time the first two names spoken are Steve Van Buren and Chuck Bednarik or Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren, and rightfully so. However, lost in the history of the Eagles and the NFL is the legend of Peter Louis (Pete) Pihos. Why should Pihos be mentioned in the same breath as Van Buren and Bednarik? Lets look at the numbers and career of the man.
Pihos played his entire professional career with the Eagles from 1947-1955. During that time the Eagles went to the NFL championship game in ’47 and lost, before winning the championship in ’48 and ’49. In the ’47 playoff game, to reach the championship, Pihos blocked a punt that set up a touchdown in the 21-0 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the ’49 championship game he caught a 31 yard touchdown pass. He made 6 Pro Bowls, 4 as a Tight End and 2 as a Defensive End. He was also named 1st Team All Pro 5 times. All the while he missed one game in his 107 game pro career. Pete Pihos excelled on offense, defense and special teams throughout his career.
So what else sets Pihos aside from the rest that he should be considered a legend. When he retired Pete was #4 in every receiving category behind fellow Hall of Famers Don Hutson, Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch and Donte Lavelli, the difference is that Pihos, 373 receptions, 5,619 yards and 69 touchdowns, was a tight end while the other three were wide receivers. Pihos was the pioneer of the Tight End position in the NFL. He led the NFL in receptions 3 times and receiving yards twice. He also had a 1,000 yard receiving year in 1953 with 1,049 yards. What fans have seen through the years from John Mackey, Mike Ditka to todays Tony Gonzalez all started with Pete Pihos.
Prior to joining the Eagles, Pihos was as a 5th round pick in the 1945 draft, he was a 2 time All American at Indiana University as an end and fullback.
Before he could join the Eagles and the NFL, Pihos served his country in World War II, 1944-46, for 14 months in Europe on the front line in the 35th Infantry Division under General George Patton as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was awarded the Bronze and Silver stars for bravery.
Pete Pihos did it all on the football field for the Philadelphia Eagles and deserves to be mentioned right there with the legends of Van Buren and Bednarik.
Following are some of Pihos career honors:
Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970
Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966
Selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All Time Team
Selected to the NFL 1940’s All Decade Team
Inducted in to the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame in 1987
Inducted in to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005
2 NFL Championships
6 – Pro Bowls, 4 on offense and 2 on defense
5 – 1st Team All Pro Selections
3 time NFL reception leader
2 time NFL receiving yardage leader
2 time NFL yards/game receiving leader
1 time NFL receiving TD leader
A Bronze Star from the US Army
A Silver Star from the US Army
The only thing missing from the career of Pete Pihos is to have his #35 retired by the Philadelphia Eagles along with his teammates Van Buren and Bednarik.
Pete Pihos passed away in 2011 at the age of 87 from Alzheimer’s disease.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears roll in to the week 15 Sunday night matchup with everything on the line, of course, this depends on whether the Dallas Cowboys show up to play the Washington Redskins or fold their tent and go home after last weeks 2nd half meltdown against the Green Bay Packers. Both teams sit atop their respective divisions by the slimmest of margins. For the Eagles, they need to take care of their own business so they won’t have to worry about Dallas. The Birds will face the most well rounded offense they’ve faced all season. The Bears have a terrific back in Matt Forte, who is currently 3rd in the NFL in rushing with 1200 yards while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He also has 66 catches for 522 yards Also, the Bears are the only team in the NFL with 2-1000 yard receivers in Alshon Jeffery, 1265 yards and Brandon Marshall with 1185 yards. The pair have combined for 170 catches. Offensively the Bears can be very good while the Eagles defense, that ranks #31 in the NFL in pass defense, can be very suspect. Jay Cutler will again be the starting QB for the Bears.
Offensively the Eagles have their own weapons. LeSean McCoy still leads the NFL in rushing with 1343 yards and has added 45 catches for 507 yards. DeSean Jackson is 5th in the NFL with 1275 yards on 75 catches with 9 TD’s. Jackson is also 134 receiving yards from tying Mike Quicks’ Eagles single season record. Nick Foles still leads the NFL in QB Efficiency with a 117.0 rating. Peyton Manning is second at 112.9.
What do the Eagles need to do to win the game? They will have to do something they haven’t done real well this season, be patient on offense and don’t panic! The Eagles have the #1 rushing offense in the NFL while the Bears have the #32, or last, rushing defense in the NFL. The Eagles boast the #2 statistical offense while the Bears have the #27 defense. The Eagles need to run the ball, throw screens, control the time of possession and strike big occasionally with Jackson, Riley Cooper and the Tight Ends. The O-Line must control the line of scrimmage, something they didn’t do as well last week. The flip side is the Eagles have the #31 ranked defense against the pass and the #30 ranked total defense. With the weapons the Bears have, keeping their offense off the field will be their best defense.
What the Eagles don’t need is a shootout! They have given up more than 21 points 5 times this season and lost 4 of the games. The only win coming in week 1 against the Redskins. The Birds need to play this one close to the vest early, get a lead and open the game up some after that. Also, control the field position, no 4th and 1’s from your own 26, and don’t get beat on special teams.
This should be a really good game!
Fly Eagles Fly!!!!!
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
Philadelphia Eagles and former Florida Gator Wide Receiver Riley Cooper will be signing autographs this week. the Philly Pressbox is offering pre-sales.
Following are the available signed items and price list for both Eagles and Gator items:
Full Size Pro Line Helmet $275
Full Size Replica Helmet $150
Mini helmet $45
16×20 $40
8×10 $30
Logo Football $50
Shipping cost will vary from $15 for the full size helmets, $7 for footballs and mini helmets and $3 for photos. Our deadline is 12/15 so we need to know before then. You don’t have a lot of time to decide.
All items will come with a Certificate of Authenticity and hologram from the promoter.
Payments will be by PayPal.
If you have any questions please leave them in the “comments” area below and we will respond quickly.
The Philadelphia Eagles have run off four victories in a row, however, there is no bigger game in the season to date than this weeks matchup against the Detroit lions at Lincoln Financial Field. Here’s why this is a must win for The Birds:
So what’s the good news?
The bottom line:
The Eagles must win Sunday against the Lions in order to keep pace. A Cowboys loss to the Bears would be helpful but not a must. An Eagles loss and a Cowboys win dropping the Birds back a game and behind in the tiebreakers, with 3 games to go, would nearly kill the season.
The Eagles control their own destiny, just keep winning!!!!!
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
4 WEEKS HAVE PASSED , WHERE DO THE EAGLES STAND NOW??
We wanted to revisit the article we wrote a month ago, see that article below, to see how our predictions were and where the Eagles stand going in to the home stretch. We will take a look at the Eagles, Cowboys and the resurgent Giants.
First the Eagles, we called the Giants game a MUST WIN and the Eagles lost, however, they were able to steal a game back by beating the Aaron Rodgersless Packers in Green Bay. We called for wins over Oakland and Washington and they got both of those. The bottom line is they go the 3 wins out of 4 games just not how we expected them. The Eagles still have games against three teams with 6-4 records, Arizona, Detroit and Chicago as well as 2-8 Minnesota before the final showdown with the Cowboys in Dallas. We see the Eagles needing to go 2-2 at a minimum, preferably 3-1 going to Dallas. That would give them a 9-6 or 8-7 record.
As far as the Cowboys, they got hammered by the Saints and lost to Lions while beating the Vikings. We said that would happen, however, losing to the Lions means they must beat the Bears in Chicago. They still have the Packers on December 15 so Rodgers should be back. We still call that a loss. They still have the Raiders and Redskins, both games they should win. That brings us to this weeks game against the Giants. Dallas must win to stay tied at the top of the NFC East with the Eagles and move the Giants 2 games back of The Birds with 5 to go. A Dallas loss and Giants win puts them in a tie one game behind the Eagles. Lets go with this scenario for Dallas, wins against the Raiders and Redskins, a loss to the Packers and a loss to the Bears, that makes them 7-7 not including the Giants and Eagles. A loss to the Giants this weekend puts the Cowboys in big trouble. They will have to beat the Bears or Packers to stay on pace.
That bring the Giants back in to the discussion. They’ve now won 4 in a row. Their schedule still shows a trip to San Diego and a home game against Seattle that will both be tough. They also have the Redskins twice, Detroit and this weeks game against Dallas. The Giants definitely have the toughest road. They will have to win 5 of the final 6 games to reach 9-7. We don’t see that happening with the remaining schedule. A loss to Dallas this week means the Giants will have to win out to stay in the mix.
Our conclusion: The Eagles are in the drivers seat. The schedule is in their favor among the three remaining teams. A Giants win Sunday would sure be helpful. The other key team in this mix is the Detroit Lions. The Lions are 6-4, tied for the NFC North lead, and play all three teams, the Eagles, Cowboys and Giants. This team is no pushover for anyone. It should be a fun final 6 weeks in the NFC East!!!!
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Here’s our view from the Philly Pressbox:
The Eagles have won 3 games going in to today. They’ve beaten the Redskins, Giants and Buccaneers who are a combined 3-17. They’ve lost to the Kansas City Chiefs who are leading the AFC West at 7-0, the Denver Broncos who are 6-1, and possibly the best team in football, the San Diego Chargers who are 4-3 and the Cowboys who are 4-3 and leading the NFC East. The combined record of those teams is 21-7.
What does that tell us? The Eagles are a middle of the road team. They can beat the bad teams and not the good teams!!! So lets run with that thought for both the Eagles and the Cowboys through the rest of the season by looking at the schedules of both teams and see how it sorts out.
First, today is a MUST win for the Eagles! If they don’t beat the 1-6 Giants this conversation is over.
So let’s assume that the Eagles beat the bad teams:
Here’s the schedule, Giants (1-6) win, at the Oakland Raiders (2-4) win, home against the Green Bay Packers (4-2) loss, home against the Redskins (2-4) MUST WIN, home against the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) win, the 4-3 Detroit Lions and the 4-3 Chicago Bears, they have to win one of the those two home games. Those games are wrapped around a trip to the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings, win. That bring us to a season ending MUST WIN in Dallas.
This is doable but only because the schedule is so weak. If the Eagles are to accomplish this they will have to go 7-2 from here on out and MUST WIN the 3 remaining NFC East game. If so, they will finish 10-6. They may be able to absorb one more loss but only if the Cowboys slip up.
Here’s the catch, the Cowboys play almost the same schedule so a few of these bad teams will have to beat them. If we make the same assumptions with their schedule here’s what we come up with. They play the New Orleans Saints on the road and the Packers at home, 2 losses. If we assume they split with the Lions and Bears and beat the Giants, Redskins, Vikings and Raiders that would make them 9-6 going in to the final game against the Eagles in Dallas.
So is it possible for The Birds to make the playoffs as the NFC East Champion? Yes. Can they stumble anywhere along the line? No. Are they good enough to win 7 of the last 9? Not likely, but we will see. Is Dallas good enough to win 7 of their last 9? Probably not.
This we do know for the Eagles, it starts today with a MUST WIN against the Giants.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
As we reach the half season mark the question looms, can the Eagles make the playoffs?
We will provide a hypothetical breakdown of what needs to happen from here on out between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East and make the playoffs.
Here’s our view from the Philly Pressbox:
The Eagles have won 3 games going in to today. They’ve beaten the Redskins, Giants and Buccaneers who are a combined 3-17. They’ve lost to the Kansas City Chiefs who are leading the AFC West at 7-0, the Denver Broncos who are 6-1, and possibly the best team in football, the San Diego Chargers who are 4-3 and the Cowboys who are 4-3 and leading the NFC East. The combined record of those teams is 21-7.
What does that tell us? The Eagles are a middle of the road team. They can beat the bad teams and not the good teams!!! So lets run with that thought for both the Eagles and the Cowboys through the rest of the season by looking at the schedules of both teams and see how it sorts out.
First, today is a MUST win for the Eagles! If they don’t beat the 1-6 Giants this conversation is over.
So let’s assume that the Eagles beat the bad teams:
Here’s the schedule, Giants (1-6) win, at the Oakland Raiders (2-4) win, home against the Green Bay Packers (4-2) loss, home against the Redskins (2-4) MUST WIN, home against the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) win, the 4-3 Detroit Lions and the 4-3 Chicago Bears, they have to win one of the those two home games. Those games are wrapped around a trip to the 1-5 Minnesota Vikings, win. That bring us to a season ending MUST WIN in Dallas.
This is doable but only because the schedule is so weak. If the Eagles are to accomplish this they will have to go 7-2 from here on out and MUST WIN the 3 remaining NFC East game. If so, they will finish 10-6. They may be able to absorb one more loss but only if the Cowboys slip up.
Here’s the catch, the Cowboys play almost the same schedule so a few of these bad teams will have to beat them. If we make the same assumptions with their schedule here’s what we come up with. They play the New Orleans Saints on the road and the Packers at home, 2 losses. If we assume they split with the Lions and Bears and beat the Giants, Redskins, Vikings and Raiders that would make them 9-6 going in to the final game against the Eagles in Dallas.
So is it possible for The Birds to make the playoffs as the NFC East Champion? Yes. Can they stumble anywhere along the line? No. Are they good enough to win 7 of the last 9? Not likely, but we will see. Is Dallas good enough to win 7 of their last 9? Probably not.
This we do know for the Eagles, it starts today with a MUST WIN against the Giants.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
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