Eagles lose final preseason game

The Eagles wrapped up their preseason tonight with a loss against the Jets, 21-17. Normally with preseason games, I like to run down some of the positives and negatives from both sides of the ball. Since no one really cares about the final preseason game because none of the starters play, I won't be doing that this time. With roster cuts coming by Saturday, the game was important for several players on the bubble, like Moise Fokou, Kelley Washington and Chad Hall, but it's difficult to drum up much excitement for a game where not even Michael Vick plays more than a quarter.

Clearly, the player of the game was Kurt Coleman, who had a pair of long fumble return touchdowns. Coleman looks like he's going to be a late-round draft steal and definitely has a roster spot locked up. Mike Kafka also deserves some recognition for how ridiculously awful he was, going 9 for 27 for 76 yards passing and an interception. Good thing he's the third string quarterback.

Now, who else is ready for the REAL games to start? Bring on the Packers!
(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Bill Guerin working out with Flyers, hopes for tryout offer

Just when you thought the Flyers roster was set, we might have a late addition to the team: veteran Bill Guerin is working out in Philly and hoping to get a tryout invite to training camp. Guerin, an 18 year veteran who has played for 8 teams in the NHL, put up decent numbers playing with Sidney Crosby on the Penguins last year, including 21 goals and 24 assists. The Penguins let him go, however, so the 39 year old Guerin is now hoping to stick on with the Flyers.

Whether the Flyers have room for him is another question. Sure, a veteran presence like Guerin would be nice to have in the locker room, but if he is signed by the Flyers, it will have to be at the expense of someone on their roster, likely Dan Carcillo. While there would be no harm in giving Guerin a training camp invite, the Flyers will have to figure out if Guerin has enough left in the tank to be a quality third line winger before they sign him to a contract. Given his age, one would think that Guerin is too old but when you see someone like Mark Recchi still producing at age 42, you can't assume that he's too old to contribute.

Signing Guerin would be a solid move if he proves himself in training camp. Adding a veteran, Cup-winning presence to the mix is always a good thing as long as he can be a solid contributor on the ice. As long as Guerin signs for a reasonable contract, if he can out-perform Dan Carcillo, he deserves a roster spot on the Flyers.

Projecting the 2010 Eagles 53 man roster, Ver. 4.0

With the all-important 3rd preseason game now out of the way, it's time for the Eagles to start putting the final touches on their roster. Having already cut their roster down to 75, the Eagles must now get down to 53 by Saturday, so look for lots of players to get the axe over the next few days. The 3rd preseason game was a crucial one for all the bubble players on the roster; a good effort could ensure them a spot while a bad one could force them to start packing their bags. This is my fourth and final attempt at predicting the Eagles Week One roster. Below my roster projection I have also listed several players who are on the bubble and I gave reasons why they might not make the final roster. Changes from my previous projection are listed in bold.


Offense:
QB(3): Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Mike Kafka

RB(3): LeSean McCoy, Mike Bell, Eldra Buckley

FB (1): Leonard Weaver

WR(5): DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Riley Cooper

TE(3): Brent Celek, Clay Harbor, FA Tight end

LT(2): Jason Peters, Austin Howard

LG(2): Todd Herremans, Max Jean-Gilles

C(2): Jamaal Jackson, Mike McGlynn

RG(2): Stacy Andrews, Nick Cole

RT(2): Winston Justice, King Dunlap

Defense:
DE(5): Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Juqua Parker, Darryl Tapp, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

DT(4): Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Trevor Laws, Antonio Dixon

LB(7): Stewart Bradley, Ernie Sims, Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither, Keenan Clayton, Moise Fokou, Jamar Chaney

CB(5): Asante Samuel, Ellis Hobbs, Joselio Hanson, Trevard Lindley, Dimitri Patterson

FS(2): Nate Allen, Macho Harris

SS(2): Quintin Mikell, Kurt Coleman

Special Teams:
K(1): David Akers

P(1): Sav Rocca

LS(1): Jon Dorenbos

Players on IR: Ricky Sapp
Sapp was shut down for the season and may require surgery. He's going to need to make tremendous improvements if he wants to make the team next year.

Could start season on injured reserve: Jamaal Jackson, Victor Abiamiri, Cornelius Ingram
It should be safe to take Jackson off this list now, it almost sounds like he is going to start for the Eagles in Week One. As for Abiamiri, I haven't heard much of anything about his health, likely meaning that he's nowhere close to returning. Ingram better hope he is put on IR, otherwise the Eagles will probably just cut him.

Players on the bubble:
RB: J.J. Arrington, Martell Mallett
Arrington didn't make any impression due to his injuries. I suppose there is a chance that the Eagles stash him on IR but it's more likely that they will just cut him. Mallett has looked impressive at times so expect him to be on the practice squad.

WR: Chad Hall, Kelley Washington
After not looking impressive in the return game this preseason, Chad Hall blew his chance. Perhaps he can be stashed on the practice squad. As for Washington, I still think he loses his battle with Hank Baskett. Unless Washington just amazes them with his special teams play in the last game, the Eagles will go with Baskett simply because they are more comfortable with his knowledge of the offense.

TE: Nate Lawrie
Instead of sticking with Lawrie, I'm betting the Eagles go with a free agent tight end that can block with their third tight end spot. With Celek and Harbor not exactly known as the best blockers, the Eagles would be smart to bring in a tight end that can help in short-yardage situations. Of course, the Eagles could always just go with two tight ends.

OL: Fenuki Tupou, Dallas Reynolds, A.Q, Shipley
Jackson's return makes it pointless for the Eagles to keep more than 10 offensive linemen at the start of the season. Tupou looks likely to spend another year on the practice squad.

DL: Jeff Owens, Pannel Egboh
Owens falls short in his bid to beat out Antonio Dixon for a roster spot. Look for him to spend the year on the practice squad. I don't know much about the recently acquired Egboh but his best case scenario would also be to spend the year on the practice squad.

LB: Tracy White
I've changed my thinking at linebacker and now think that the Eagles will go with a quality depth linebacker like Moise Fokou over a special teams "ace" like Tracy White. Although their coverage in the return game hasn't been great, I don't think the Eagles will just dump one of their starting linebackers from last year. Of course, the Eagles could always try to stash Jamar Chaney on the practice squad and keep both White and Fokou, but there is no guarantee that another team wouldn't try to swoop in and sign Chaney should the Eagles cut him initially.

CB: Geoff Pope, Jorrick Calvin
There isn't enough room for a 6th corner so Pope and the recently acquired Calvin have to go. The recently acquired Calvin has some potential in the return game so he is another solid practice squad candidate.

S: Quintin Demps
The move of Macho Harris to safety and the announcement that Ellis Hobbs will be the primary kick returner means that Demps should start packing his bags. While there is still an outside chance the Birds keep 5 safeties and decide they need a fallback option in the return game, the writing on the wall isn't good for Demps.

That's the team as I see it. Did I leave anyone off? Who needs to be cut? Discuss in the comments section.

Eagles place Sapp on IR, claim DE Egboh

Eagles 5th round draft pick Ricky Sapp hasn't lived up to expectations this camp, failing to establish himself as a viable defensive end in the NFL. While he was likely going to be cut before the beginning of the season, the Eagles have managed to hold on to him for this year after Sapp was placed on the injured reserve due to a bad knee. The rookie did have an MRI on the knee but there is no indication of how badly his knee is hurting, although there are rumors that he might need surgery. My guess is that the Eagles came up with a phantom injury as a way to hold on to Sapp for the year and they will give him another shot next year to earn a roster spot.

With Sapp's roster spot opened up, the Eagles claimed defensive end Pannel Egboh off waivers from the Houston Texans. Egboh, who played his college ball with Stanford, signed with the Niners as an undrafted free agent before last season but ended the season on the Texans practice squad. With the Eagles already set at defensive end, Egboh doesn't figure to have any chance of making the roster but he could end up on the practice squad.

Eagles trade RB Charles Scott to the Cardinals

The Eagles made a minor trade today, dealing rookie running back Charles Scott to the Arizona Cardinals for rookie cornerback Jorrick Calvin. Both players were 6th round picks in the draft this year and were taken back-to-back, with Scott being selected 200th overall and Calvin being taken 201st overall.

This deal boils down to two teams dealing away rookies who probably weren't going to make the final roster. For Scott, who was originally drafted with the idea that he would be a nice short-yardage back, it's a chance for a fresh start after the Eagles demoted him to backup fullback. For Calvin, who does have some kick-returning experience, he comes to a team that's already so loaded at cornerback that Macho Harris had to move back to safety. The best-case scenario for Calvin is likely a spot on the Eagles practice squad.

Who saw that coming? Phillies sweep Padres

Things looked pretty bad for the Phillies after they got swept in four games by the lowly Astros. With the offense struggling to score any runs against the mediocrity that is the Astros pitching staff, the Phillies headed to San Diego to face one of the best staffs in the league. Surely, the Phillies wouldn't be able to muster enough offense to beat the best team in the National League.

Not so fast. Behind great pitching performances by Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton and Cole Hamels and some timely hits, the Phillies swept the best team in the NL in their own ballpark. While the hitting wasn't much better than it was against Houston, averaging 3.7 runs per game, the Phillies starting pitching rose to the occasion, allowing only 2 runs in 22 innings against a Padres team that has their own offensive problems. As for some good news when it comes to the Phillies bats, it was nice to see a little power on display on Sunday as both Mike Sweeney and Jayson Werth went yard.

With the sweep, the Phillies have pulled to just 2 games behind the Braves and remain in the lead for the Wild Card. Now headed to LA to face the Manny-less Dodgers, things are looking up once again for the Phillies as they should be able to handle a Dodgers team that is sliding right out of playoff contention. Of course, we all thought they would easily push the Astros aside and that didn't exactly work out as planned. Still, if the Phillies continue to get solid outings from the rotation, they will only need to muster up a few runs to continue their winning streak.
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)