Eagles sign Trent Edwards, say goodbye to Vince Young?

According to Adam Schefter, the Eagles have signed QB Trent Edwards to a one year contract.  Edwards, who has played for the Bills and Jaguars, was cut right before the beginning of the 2011 season by the Raiders and didn't take a snap all season long.  His most significant playing time came in 2008 when he started 14 games for Buffalo.

What is the significance of the Eagles signing a quarterback who didn't even play last year?  Well, with Mike Vick locked in as the starter and Mike Kafka locked in as the quarterback of the future, Edwards figures to compete for the veteran backup role.  Given that his skills fit the Eagles offense much better than the 2011 backup, Vince Young, this signing could be a signal that Young won't be brought back this season.  If that's the case, so long Young and thanks so much for all the "Dream Team" crap.

More D help: Flyers acquire Pavel Kubina

The Flyers are wasting little time shoring up their defense.  Just two days after trading for Nicklas Grossman, the Flyers made another move for another defenseman, acquiring Pavel Kubina from the Lightning for forward Jon Kalinski and a 2nd round pick in 2012 or 2013 and a 4th round pick in 2013.  Kubina is a 14 year NHL veteran who has also played for the Maple Leafs and the Thrashers.  At 6 foot 4 and 258 pounds, Kubina is big and physical and can even contribute a bit on the offensive end with a big shot.

The acquisition of Kubina once again gives the Flyers one of the deepest groups of defensemen in the league.  With Chris Pronger out, the Flyers now go six deep with Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, Matt Carle, Nicklas Grossman and Kubina.  That group should supply enough physicality and puck-moving skills to improve on the inconsistency the Flyers have been getting from the younger players they have been trying to plug in to be their 5th and 6th d-men.

Acquiring Kubina probably won't be the last move the Flyers make.  With the Flyers still in possession of some cap space and rumors swirling that they are in on Rick Nash, expect another move or two in the coming days.

Flyers acquire D Nicklas Grossman

With Chris Pronger out for the season, we knew the Flyers would be looking to add help along the blueline.  They got some today, acquiring D Nicklas Grossman from the Stars for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and a 3rd round pick in 2013.  Grossman, 27 and on the last year of his contract, is earning 1.625 million this year and will be a UFA next year.

Grossman, a 6 year NHL veteran, doesn't put up big scoring numbers but that isn't what the Flyers are missing with Pronger out of the lineup.  Grossman will provide the Flyers with plenty of size (6 foot 3, 227 pounds) and quality defensive play in the back end.  He will also provide some physicality and can kill penalties and block shots.

Is the acquisition of Grossman enough to replace everything the Flyers have lost with Pronger out of the lineup?  No, but they at least add another piece without giving up anything on their current roster.  The Flyers routinely give up draft picks so it's not at all shocking to see them give a few away for immediate help.  With the NHL trade deadline approaching, expect more moves in the coming days.

Yes, the Sixers are for real

Are you convinced now, NBA?  After the Sixers coasted to one of the best records in the league, NBA experts warned that the team wasn't all it was cracked up to be and their record was simply the product of a cupcake schedule.  Well, after wins against the Magic, Bulls, Hawks and Lakers in the last week, it is fair to say the Sixers are for real.

Their latest win came on Monday night against the Lakers, where a packed house watched the hometown Sixers "BEAT LA" thanks to Lou Williams and his 14 4th quarter points.  The win was the Sixers 6th in their last 7 and gives them a 4 game lead over the Celtics in the Atlantic Division.

The Sixers are proving that, at least in this shortened season, having tremendous depth trumps having stars on the roster.  Night in and night out the Sixers are getting contributions from any number of players, including the eight that had at least 8 points for the Sixers against the Lakers.  While not having any stars will likely come back to haunt them in the playoffs, the Sixers are ridiculously fun to watch and are putting together their best regular season since 2003. 

The proving grounds continue for the Sixers on Wednesday and Friday when the Spurs and Clippers come to town.  Hopefully by then those so-called experts will finally be on board.

Phillies add Chad Qualls to the bullpen

The Phillies made a solid addition to their bullpen today, signing reliever Chad Qualls to a one year, 1.15 million dollar contract.  Qualls put up some decent numbers (3.51 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) last season, though he was pitching mostly in the pitcher-friendly confines of San Diego.  An 8 year veteran, the Phillies will be his 5th MLB team.  He is capable of pitching a lot of innings out of the bullpen and will be a good 6th or 7th inning option.

With the addition of Qualls, the Phillies appear to have completed their bullpen.  With closer Jonathan Papelbon, set-up guy Antonio Bastardo and Dontrelle Willis, Michael Stutes, Jose Contreras if he ever gets healthy and now Qualls, the Phillies have plenty of depth and versatility to make a solid 'pen.  While it would have been nice to let another young arm or two play a role in the bullpen, it's never a bad thing to have plenty of veteran depth.

Report: Eagles will retain Juan Castillo as Defensive Coordinator

The Juan Castillo experiment will continue for at least another year.  According to Jeff McLane of the Inquirer, the Eagles are going to hire Todd Bowles as their defensive backs coach and keep Castillo as the defensive coordinator.  Bowles, who was the interim head coach for the Dolphins for the final 3 games last season, brings more than a decade of NFL experience as a secondary coach and should help the talented Eagles secondary live up their potential.

As for Castillo, once the Saints hired Steve Spagnuolo, it seemed inevitable that he would be back as D.C.  I am of two minds when it comes to Castillo; on the one hand, he awful in the beginning of the season as the defense looked unorganized and confused; on the other, the defense was awesome down the stretch and Castillo showed real improvement in his game-planning.  Sure, the offenses the Eagles faced were terrible in the final few games but Castillo had the defense clicking in December.  Hopefully, given a full training camp to prepare, Castillo can get the defense rolling starting in Week 1.

It's telling that Andy Reid's job is on the line this season and he is willing to keep Castillo around as the defensive coordinator.  This could either be something that costs Reid his job or a move that makes him look like a genius.  At least the Eagles defensive coordinator in 2012 now has actual experience coaching defense.