Sunday, July 23, 2006
It's That Time Again
Training camp is here! Now I don't throw the exclamation point out there for just anything so you know I'm excited. The entire Philadelphia Eagles squad takes to the practice field for the first time on Monday at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Wherever that is. For some, it's a tryout. For others, it's preparation for what promises to be an interesting Eagles season.
Why is training camp exciting you ask? After a miserable Sixers season followed by the ongoing 'will they or won't they' trade Iverson saga and another disappointing early exit from the Flyers, football is the only savior. But I truly believe the underlying goal of Eagles training camp is to distract us Philly sports fans from watching another Phillies season go down the drain. Now I can deal with a losing Phils season because I expect it. I prepare myself for it every year. But the Eagles? No. It hurts when they lose. It hurt alot last year. And my body can't take things like this ultimate "what the f is he doing moment from last season" anymore.
Lots of questions going into this season:
- Has Donovan recovered from the sports hernia? More importantly, has he recovered mentally from the Terrell Owens comedy last year? Seriously, that guy was funny. Lifting weights on his lawn.
- Did the team address its pass rushing needs enough in the off-season?
- Will TO catch more passes than all Eagles receivers combined?
- Will Andy Reid stop appearing in those horrible weight loss commercials?
- Will every female fan pick Jeremy Bloom as her favorite player even if Bloom doesn't make the team? (Google him. I don't feel like linking to one of those slutty pics of him without a shirt).
This year's camp figures to be less of a circus than last year's. The reason: No TO of course. But even though he isn't here in the flesh, TO continues to dominate reporters' questions posed to McNabb and Reid. And with TO's recently released autobiography, T.O., came the inevitable stupid question from a reporter asking McNabb when his book was coming out. To which Donnie responded "Real soon. It'll be a children's book, right next to his." So the war of words continue. Unfortunately, it's not going to stop for a while.
So as for the season, maybe I'm kidding myself when I say I'm semi-optimistic about the Birds' chances. It's a little too early to tell. But I can say that I am really looking foward to the renewed rivalry between Philly and Dallas. Who knows? Dallas and TO could blow the Eagles out of the water. Or maybe last season was a fluke for Philly and Donovan. Would I wish death upon TO? Probably but his Web site, http://www.terrellowens.com/ is terrific. So maybe I'll just pray he gets seriously injured.
: Monday, July 24, 2006 << Home
