Rob Q. Ink - A Philly Sports Blog

I’m amazed that no matter how many times rushing to judgment makes people look like fools, they continue to do it. I was as stunned as anyone to hear reports that Terrell Owens had tried to kill himself, which ultimately proved to be an erroneous story. Yes, I believe Owens’ basic story that he did not attempt suicide. There’s no way he would have been discharged in less than a day if he had. I also believe his publicist’s comment that “Terrell has 25 million reasons to live” makes her the bitch of the decade . . . and I’m being nice. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as stunned by yesterday’s media frenzy. ESPN went to a day-long SportsCenter, which amounted to talking head after talking head offering “expert” analysis. What, exactly, they’re experts on is beyond me. My favorite was Michael Irvin, possibly the most annoying person on Earth, claiming to have been in constant contact with Owens since the previous night. Really? Even Owens said he was out of it, yet Irvin seems to think they were

With a day to reflect on the Eagles beating San Francisco, and since posting right after the game didn’t garner many hits and almost felt like actual work, here’s my Week 3 review: · The Eagles rushed for 150 yards — 71 of which came on one play. Media members can giggle about how “Andy Reid just doesn’t like to run” all they want. It’s ridiculous. If you don’t run, you can’t run when you need to. In the playoffs against good teams you need to. · The Eagles decided to call a QB sneak to pick up 1 yard and gain a first down. Too bad they couldn’t think of that last week. · If Mike Patterson doesn’t run back a San Francisco fumble on the Eagles’ 1 for an improbable TD, and the 49ers instead punch it in, the score is 24-10. The next score was a 49ers TD. Yeah, I know, “if and buts . . . ” but the Eagles are 2-1 with two wins over bad teams, and a loss via a complete choke against another team that may stink. · It looks like the Eagles finally drafted a good receiver. Reggie Brown is easi

“I hope they win, but I can’t get all the way onboard.” As the Phillies start what will hopefully be one of the most exciting 10-day stretches (and beyond) of baseball this town has seen in more than a decade, that is the wimpy refrain heard time and again from callers to sports talk shows. Yes, the Phils have been here before and come up short. Yes, they’ve had a poor history in recent years. Yes, they’ve only won one World Series in their 100+ year history. And, yes, there is plenty of reason to think that they might not capture their first playoff birth in years despite being tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the N.L. Wild Card as the Dodgers enter play tonight. Get over it, Philadelphia. Being a sports fan is all about weeks like this. The crisp fall air seems to be settling in, every game will likely mean something in the next 10 days, one eye will be on what the Dodgers are doing (along with an ear on the San Diego Padres), the chance to hang on every pitch is here after a lo

I warned you about the Eagles and home openers. Once again the Birds turned an easy win, and an almost guaranteed 4-0 start, into yet another nightmare for Eagle fans. Minutes after the overtime loss, here are my thoughts: · This team just cannot run the damn ball when needed. o With 9 minutes to go, they go for a fourth-and-1 and fail. o They get the ball with 6:09 left, and pass, call timeout, pass for a first, have a false start on Donovan McNabb doing God-knows what, run, and fumble. o With just over 3 minutes left, they run for 0, McNabb scrambles for 3, pass for a first, run for 1, run and lose 3, pass, and punt, giving the Giants 58 seconds to get a field goal. · The defense looks bi-polar. For two straight games they give up a TD on the opening drive, then look like world beaters. This week’s performance at the end isn’t something I can grill them for. They just wore out. · Doug Schoebel showed up for one moment so far…to drop a TD. · As good as they looked at the end of the 1

This summer the Wachovia Center “celebrate” it’s 10th anniversary. As the Flyers opened training camp to kick-off their second decade in the oft-renamed building, and as much as I hate flirting with Negadelphia, I can’t help but wondering . . . what the hell happened? Wasn’t Comcast supposed to usher in an era in which money was no object? I know Comcast’s purchase of the Flyers and Sixers didn’t exactly coincide with the opening of the bulding, but it was close enough. Wasn’t Philadelphia poised, about a decade ago, to become the next title town? Weren’t the new digs combined with deep-pocketed owners going to let the good times roll? Every year it seems, this year a rare departure, the Flyers are practically handed the Stanley Cup after signing some big-name free agent. Then the playoffs roll around, and someone else is seen hoisting the Cup. Then there’s the red-headed step-child of this little arrangement. The fact that the best player on the 76ers in the last decade was brought in

After a shakey start the Eagles cruised to victory against the Houston Texans. As fans gush over Donte' Stallworth, as they should, it should be remembered that the Texans are a pretty bad team. Here are my immediate reactions: · The defense was dominated in the opening drive. Could mean nothing, but it’s not what you want to see in the very first drive of the season when the team is hyped up even to play a bad team. · Donovan McNabb put up solid numbers, and deserves credit for getting into a rhythm with Stallworth so quickly. That said, on the first TD drive for the Eagles he threw a ball at Brian Westbrook’s feet, plus on other drives Stallworth and L.J. Smith made diving catches on crucial plays. · Brian Westbrook fielded a punt inside the 5-yard line to start the 2nd quarter. Mistakes like this will cost you against better teams. · Jeremiah Trotter had a stupid late hit penalty at the end of the 1st half. The drive only ended in a field-goal, but you need more from a guy consi

Instead of being able to sit back and enjoy the potential burgeoning legend — that’s right, legend — Ryan Howard, the media has started taking shots at the guy. The ridiculous debate over whether or not Howard is on steroids is actually gaining momentum. Even worse, those putting this garbage out there are doing it in the most spineless way possible. Consider the following, which I found this week at Blinq , from Yahoo! Sports columnist Dan Wetzel: Is Ryan Howard juiced? Don't blame me for wondering. It might not be fair, but it isn’t my (or your) fault for asking before plunging headlong into another home run chase. Blame baseball, blame society, blame a summer that has given us Floyd Landis, Justin Gatlin, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds and a host of other drug cheats who can make a cynic out of anyone. No, Dan, I’m ok blaming you, too. Yes, all the others deserve blame. But to use other examples as the basis of hinting at this type of accusation is as weak as it gets. Sadly, others

Despite some lukewarm results last year, and an 0-1 start to this season thanks to a potentially overrated Notre Dame squad, I’m back with my NFL season predictions for 2006. The biggest problem this year is that I don’t think there’s a dominating team out there. I think this helps the Eagles put up double-digit wins, but makes prognosticating even more of a crap shoot. The trend of the Super Bowl loser going nowhere the following year is just too strong to think Seattle will make a return trip, and I still can’t figure how Pittsburgh won it last year. If Terrell Owens wasn’t a 200+ pound baby that destroys every team he touches, I’d have Dallas as a serious contender. But he is, and they aren’t. For what it’s worth, here’s my season picks: · The Philadelphia Eagles: 10-6 record, make the playoffs, and win a game or two. I actually think if things break right, the Birds could return to the NFC title game, but will lose to a sleeper. · I don’t buy the hype surrounding the NFC East. Wash

The good news is that the Phillies enter September with a month of meaningful baseball ahead. The bad news is that they ended August having failed once again to complete a sweep of a team they should have finished off in the Washington Nationals. I began to wonder if I was imagining things, or if the Phils were really missing golden opportunities to sweep bad teams. I also wanted to get a feel for how they might do on their remaining schedule, instead of the constant noise put forth by some members of the media in Philadelphia based on nothing except how brilliant they think they are. So, I looked at the Phillies schedule and got some actual facts. Since July 4th: · The Phillies have won 2 of 3 games against the Pirates, Giants, Arizona, and Washington twice. They also took 3 of 4 from the Mets and Cubs. Only the Mets are currently above .500. · They swept the Cardinals in three games at St. Louis to open August. · Of the teams they play the rest of the way, the Phillies: o Lost 2 of 3