A great return game in the NFL ensures that the offense will have a shorter field to work with to score points against the opposing team.  Watching the Eagles’ offense last year, it became apparent that their explosive offense of years past was now incapable of scoring a touchdown, even while in the red-zone.  Settling for field goals (3pts) rather than scoring touchdowns (6pts), usually leads to loses in today’s NFL.  This is exactly what all Eagle fans saw last year- loses.  To make matters worse, our special teams weren’t all that special.  In fact, they were dismal.    The opening day game last year versus the Green Bay Fudge-Packers was a perfect example of this mediocrity shown by the Eagles Special Teams.  Rather than start the season with a great win at Green Bay, the Eagles Special Teams embarrassed themselves and their fans as they blew the game in the closing moments of the game by fumbling a kick return that would have most likely ended the game in their favor.  From that moment on, the Eagles return game was at best shaky, making Philly fans nationwide squirm in their seats every time a member of the Eagles Special Teams squad was waiving for a fair catch.

This year the Eagles Special Teams coordinator, Rory Segrest, doesn’t anticipate having the problems of last year due to the two new faces he has chosen to run kicks back for the Birds this year.  Although, the elusive and speedy DeSean Jackson was the obvious choice at punt returner, the position of kick returner was open to many players including Quintin Demps, JR Reed, Correll Buckhalter, Jamal Jones, and Lorenzo Booker.  Out of this group of able returnmen, RB Lorenzo Booker in his second year out of Florida State seems to be emerging as the as the clear leader of the pack.  Not only is he doing well on special teams, but on offense as well as the back-up to RB Brian Westbrook.  In Monday’s practice, Booker broke a 60-yd touchdown run on a reverse play followed by some great returns on special teams drills.  Similar to other great returnmen (i.e. Deion Sanders, Dante Hall, Devin Hester) both DeSean Jackson and Lorenzo Booker not only have speed, but great vision.  Both players seem to be able to see space and creases very well, sometimes before these gaps to run in even occur.  These intangible skills that both Jackson and Booker possess will give the Eagles a chance to put up six points every time they touch the ball without the offense even stepping onto the field.  This indeed would be a welcome gift to the Eagles and their fans.

–  Jay Vaidya

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for coverage of the Sixers draft.

This comes via the Philadelphia Daily News:

The 76ers have extended qualifying offers to restricted free agents Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams. Financial terms were not released.

Teams must extend qualifying offers by June 30 in order to retain the right of first refusal on a restricted free agent. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but his previous team can opt to match.Iguodala turned down a 5-year extension worth $57 million before last season, figuring he would use his performance last season as leverage for a contract that would put him in the same astronomical salary range as the game’s elites.

Nobody knows for sure who Ed Stefanski and the Sixers have in mind with their 16th pick in tonight’s NBA draft.  There are more than a half-dozen names being tossed around by Sixers columnists.  These names include Darrell Arthur, DeAndre Jordan, Robin Lopez, and Anthony Randolph.  Here is another article where I look at potential Sixers draft choices.

Here’s what we know: the Sixers still think they can get a good “big” with the 16th pick.  You’re not going to get an immediate contributor at 16, but you can still get a guy that can develop into a solid low-post presence that can rebound, play defense, and score a little.  If the top “bigs” are no longer around, the Sixers wouldn’t rule out drafting a point guard at that point.

Stefanski says he has “about 8″ guys in mind that he could draft, but he wasn’t comfortable revealing anything about those players.

Tune in tonight for more coverage of the draft.

With the 16th pick the Sixers got a big man: Marreesee Speights.  The 6’10″ Florida PF/C.  He’s only a freshman and averaged 14.5 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.4 BPG.

Here is what NBA Draft Express had to add:

We walked away from the first day shaking our head at what we witnessed—a 6-10, 20-year old power forward who is about as skilled a big man facing the basket as you will find in this draft. “He’s really more skilled than anyone knows,“ Joe Abunassar told us. The first thing you notice is how fundamentally sound Speights’ shooting mechanics are. He’s got a natural, flawless stroke, showing small-forward like elevation creating separation from his defender, a high release point, excellent body control on his fade-aways, great technique squaring his shoulders and his hips simultaneously in perfect unison—and not surprisingly, getting unbelievable results in the process.

I like the pick.  He was the Sixers’ guy all along.

The Madden 09 player rankings for the Philadelphia Eagles are out.  You can check out the full rankings following this link to IGN.com.

Here is who the Eagles’ top 10 players are according to the Madden rankings:

1.) Brian Westbrook – 97
2.) Asante Samuel – 96
2.) Shawn Andrews – 96
4.) Tra Thomas – 95
5.) Lito Sheppard – 94
6.) Trent Cole – 93
7.) Donovan McNabb – 92
7.) Brian Dawkins – 92
7.) Jamaal Jackson – 92
10.) Jon Runyan – 90

You can also follow Madden 09 at EA Sports Blog.

– For the last time, McNabb is fine [Bleeding Green Nation] –  What’s up with the media’s love affair with McNabb’s injuries.  This is TENDINITIS for Christ’s sake.  Since when is tendinitis a major news story on ESPN?  This is absolutely ridiculous.  If this were any other QB, this wouldn’t even be a story.  What’s next, “McNabb stubs toe, gets paper cut on throwing finger” as ESPN.com’s next story?  Well, McNabb spoke out and you can read what he had to say at BGN.

– Picture of McNabb at the OTAs [Iggles Blog] — In the quote from the BGN article, McNabb talks about how the media criticizes his weight.  This may be a bad picture, but he is looking a little chubbier than last year.

Keeping track of some signings:

– Eagles sign DT von Oelhoffen to a 1-year deal.  They also inked LB Andy Studebaker and OG Mike Gibson to 4-year deals.

– The Eagles also inked Quintin Demps, also a 4-year deal.  I’m excited to see what kind of player this guy turns out to be.  I see potential there.

– The Eagles also locked up their GM until 2011.

What else is going on:

– DeSean Jackson and Asante Samuel Tweaked Their Hammies [Iggles Blog] — You gotta stretch those out guys! Haven’t they seen The Cable Guy?

– Video: DeSean Jackson Interview [Inside the Iggles] — I’m on the DeSean bandwagon.  The video shows some highlights from minicamp: the dude looks good — Action Jackson!  Apparently, he’s Philly’s new A.I. [The 700 Level]

– So… what really happened this spring? [Dave Spadaro] — Spads goes over the major stories coming out of the OTAs.  We’re really beating a dead horse with the Lito Sheppard situation.  He also analyzes the state of the WRs and looks at the DL.

Spads poses the question, “Can J.R. Reed challenge Considine in camp?”  It should be the other way around.  Considine is a joke.  He has to earn the spot from Reed, not the other way around.

Curtis had a good camp, Brown is catching balls with more consistency, and DeSean Jackson has the mental part down.

The defensive line looks sick — I agree.  The Eagles have stockpiled talent on the line.  They should be able to let them loose this year.  I’ll be paying close attention to Abiamiri this camp.  If he steps up, with the outside rushers the Eagles have, and Trent Cole, they can be dangerous.

Jason Davis looks like a lock to be the starting FB.

The Eagles’ nickel package has me excited: Asante and Lito on the outside.  Sheldon playing the slot.  Gaither and Bradley in the middle.  Dawkins and Q roaming in the back.  I like it.

The Lito story leads me to the next story…

– An article Lito Sheppard should read… [Bleeding Green Nation] — The consensus amongst a few GMs is that Lito is nothing more than 3rd CB.  I.e., Lito should stop bitching about his contract, stay healthy, hit harder, make more plays, and then we can talk.

So I promised an Eagles link up and there you have it.  These days in Eagles news are slow.  We’ll really get into full gear when the Eagles kick off training camp in late July at Lehigh University.  Until then, we can keep hoping that the Phillies continue to put up 20 on the scoreboard.

Here’s what “they” (the NBA draft “experts”) are saying about the Sixers potential selections.  This comes via the Philadelphia Inquirer.  It gives you the down and dirty on the players that could be called with the Sixers 16th pick:
Center Kosta Koufos, 7-foot-1, 245 pounds, age 19, Ohio State freshman. “Unless a better option emerges, why not go for a scorer with shooting range to complement Samuel Dalembert?” writes Ian Thompson for Sports Illustrated’s Web site, SI.com. (Picks made June 11.)
– “Extremely high skill level … fairly mobile, not a stiff … can create shots for himself … outstanding shooting touch,” says DraftExpress.com (June 3)/
– “Put up solid numbers that would’ve been even better if he had someone the caliber of Mike Conley getting him the ball. … He could potentially emerge as a lottery pick,” says Tony Mejia of probasketballnews.com (May 27).
– Also the projection of mynbadraft.com (June 11).
Will he be there? Yes, says almost all the mocks quoted mentioned by this article.

Center JaVale McGee, 7-0, 237, age 20, Nevada sophomore. Projected as the Sixers pick by three mock drafts: HoopsWorld.com. (June 7), NBAdraft.net (June 2), and probasketballnews.com (May 24).
Will he be there? Almost all mocks say yes.

Center Marreese Speights, 6-10, 245, age 19, Florida sophomore. The Sixers need a “low-post banger,” and might go for a veteran like Elton Brand. Speights is an alternative. “He does a lot of the same things that Brand does; he just doesn’t have the conditioning or motivation,” writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (June 2).
– Also projected to Sixers by insidehoops.com (June 6).
Will he be there? Most mocks say yes, although could go as high as 10, says realgm.com.

Center DeAndre Jordan, 7-0, 255, age 19, Texas A&M freshman. “A seven-footer with upside that the NBA will not allow to stay in school another year, even though he really needs it,” says Ray Glier of NBCSports.com (May 20) . “… Will pay off if he gets to the level projected.”
Will he be there? Nobody else seems to think so. At least four mocks project Jordan to go at No. 10.

Forward/center Robin Lopez, 7-0, 255, Stanford sophomore. “Energetic frontcourt player … shotblocker … exceptionally quick to the basket for rebounds, especially on the offensive end,” says realgm.com (June 3).
Will he be there? Yes, say almost all the mocks.

Power forward Darrell Arthur, 6-9 , 215, age 20, Kansas sophomore. “Smooth big man with a scoring mentality, and very nice potential both facing and with his back to the basket, said hoopshype.com (June 4). But he’s also a “… poor rebounder. Not particularly active – has a tendency to coast too often … poor passer. Needs to add strength. … Lots of potential, but will he achieve it?”
Will he be there? More mocks say he’ll be gone than say he’ll last to 16.

Forward Donte Green, 6-11, 226, age 20, Syracuse freshman. “There aren’t too many guys with Donte Greene’s size, athleticism and shooting range … But his draft stock is all over the board and he could use at least another year in college to get his body ready for the pros and to improve his consistency,” writes Jeff Fox of collegehoops.net (June 2).
Will he be there? He’ll last to No. 16, but not much longer, most mocks agree.

Guard/forward Chase Budinger, 6-7, 190, age 20, Arizona sophomore. Projected by RidiculousUpside.com (May 22).
Will he be there? He will, almost all mocks agree.

Elton Brand to Philly?  We all know the Sixers are two pieces away from being considered a legitimate playoff contender.  First, they need a low-post presence who can score and rebound.  Elton Brand, if healthy, would certainly be a great fit.  Second, the Sixers need a sharpshooter on the outside, which Stefanski thinks he can pick up in the draft.  Just look at how much Turkoglu helped the Magic and Stojakovic helped the Hornets.  The core of young players are there: Iguodala, Dalembert, Louis Williams, and Thaddeus Young all have bright futures in Philly.  With Brand in the mix, the Sixers will make a lot of noise next season.

Here is what Depressed Fan has to add:

ESPN 950 interviewed Elton Brand today and gave him the hard sell on coming to Philly to play for the Sixers. Click here to listen, sounds like he’d like to come to the Sixers and play with Andre Miller and Co.

Brand has two weeks to decide if he will opt out of his deal, and he talked about the talented young core in Philly, the fact that the Sixers are one of the few teams under the cap and how he’s in the process of weighing all of his options.

Another link up is coming soon.  There’s lots to talk about: Jason Taylor, Lito Sheppard, Quitin Demps, T.O., Chad Johnson.  There’s lots of stuff going on before training camp gets underway.  Anyway, I found this piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer interesting:

After finishing last season with a league-low 19 takeaways, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is stressing getting to the ball in these minicamps. In fact, the defensive players are required to pick up the football and sprint with it even after incomplete passes.

“I don’t know who started that, but it’s getting on my nerves,” safety Brian Dawkins said. “No, I’m just kidding. It’s different. To me, it’s all a part of conditioning also. You get to the ball and you pick it up. It’s about practicing turnovers and picking them up and scoring. At the same time, it’s about having a good time. You’re supposed to have a good time on the defensive side of the ball.”