This trade surprises me because they had to give up so little to get him. Wells is a guy who has 90 starts in 104 career games for the Cardinals and they gave up next to nothing for him. The Cardinals did make a few big acquisitions on their o-line this off-season though so I guess they thought a late round pick was worth it.

This moves help the Eagles a lot. Kolb was sacked 5 times in just a few quarters of play this preseason and they are obviously banged up on their o-line. Combine those injuries with inconsistent play by players like Stacy Andrews and it’s clear the Eagles needed some help.

Wells is a 29 year old veteran originally from Pennsylvania. Although he has mainly played at left guard, he’s flexible when it comes to what position he plays on the offensive line which makes the trade even better.

The Eagles made some cuts today as well. Martell Mallett and J.J. Arrington were 2 of the biggest names released by the Birds. The release of Arrington means the Broncos owe the Eagles a 6th round pick down the road.

Matt Rourke, AP

Just when things are looking up again, the Phillies take us back down.

Last week they were swept by the Astros in an utterly embarrassing 4 game series. The Astros tend to give them trouble but no team that’s hoping to make a third straight World Series should be getting swept by one of the league’s worst this late in the season.

They proceeded to get our hopes back up in their next series with the Padres. Going into the series, the Padres were the best team in the NL and it made me kind of nervous that they just got swept by the Astros. We all know what happened though. They rebounded big time and swept the Padres.

Last night, they opened a series with another team with a record worse than theirs. In game one of the series they were shut out and didn’t get a hit until the 8th inning.

It seems to be a recurring problem that the Phillies have trouble beating some of the worst teams in the NL (Nationals, Astros, Dodgers, Mets, etc). If they don’t solve this problem fast, it could lead to them missing the playoffs- especially since they only play 6 games against teams with better records then them from here on out.

In an extreme example, if the Phillies win all of the games against teams with better records but lose all of the games against teams worse then them, they will go 6-25 from here on out.

1. Kevin Kolb looks solid.  While the starters failed to move the ball consistently against the Bengals, Kevin Kolb looked poised under pressure.  Even though he isn’t considered a really mobile quarterback, he can definitely move pretty well.  Another thing that impresses me about Kevin Kolb is really just how he handles himself.  Philadelphia is a tough place to play and in his very very very young career as a starter, this preseason he has really handled the attention well.
2. The Defense has a ton of potential.  With the key addition of Ernie Simms and a healthy Bradley, the linebackers are looking to be as good as they have been in a while.  I think Ellis Hobbs is a really good CB and I must say that Patterson is showing promise.   Obviously Trent Cole will be his usual self but I like what I’ve seen with the defensive line as a whole.  They really just need to pressure the QB on a consistent basis. Consistency is the key.
3. Nate Allen is the truth.  While he may have gotten trucked by Cedric Benson in the first half of the game against the Bengals, Nate Allen is becoming a key part of the Eagles defense.  He is reliable, can cover, and is smart.  One of the big questions during the draft was if Allen could play physical at the NFL level and tackle well.  I see him flying to the ball and really playing the run well.
4. Our offensive line needs to stay healthy.  I really can not see any type of success this year happening if the offensive line does not stay healthy.  Jason Peters looks like he is playing at a high level.  I am a little skeptical about Justice for some reason.  He really needs to prove himself as a capable full time starter.  The center position without Jackson looks shaky.  Stacy Andrews has been pretty consistent.  I don’t see the depth in the offensive line the Eagles usually have.
5. Mike Bell needs to play a vital role.  McCoy definitely has improved from last season.  He bulked up and still is quick.  He has shown a lot of burst.  However I am really excited to see how Mike Bell will contribute to this team.  I feel that if he plays a vital role in the run game the Eagles will finally be able to establish it.

The series starts off tonight with Brett Myers on the mound. It’s his first appearance in Philly since joining the Astros and it will be interesting to see how the fans greet the team’s former ace (my how things have changed…).

I would’t be surprised if he doesn’t get a warm welcome thanks to his remark that he promises to “stick it” to the Phillies every time he faces them. When you say things like that towards the Phillies, the fans never forget it.

The starter in Wednesday’s game will probably get a much warmer welcome than Myers. That guy is JA Happ and he’ll be making his 6th start since being shipped out of Philadelphia.

J.A. Happ was the man when he was here. He was cool, quiet and dependable in his time with the Phillies. He exceded expectations here and left respectfully which is why the fans still love him. He’s doing alright in Houston (2-2, 4.62 era) but he’s definitely missing the Phillies offense. When you join one of the worst teams in baseball, its not as easy to rack up wins.

It will be even tougher than normal for him to get the W on wednesday because he’ll be going up against Halladay who’s 3-0 in his last 3 starts.

Besides the starting pitchers, there will be other familiar faces in town including Jason Michaels, Nelson Figueroa and Michael Bourn.

When they’re playing the Natinals, the Braves will be playing the Cubs and the the two teams closest to them in the wild card standings (Giants and Cardinals) will be playing eachother. Here’s a preview of the starting pitchers for the next 3 games.

Friday: Roy Halladay (15-8, 2.24) vs Jason Marquis (0-5, 14.33)

This one is a lock. If I was in Vegas right now I would bet all of my money on the Phillies winning this game. Jason Marquis is having an aweful season and it won’t be easy for him to bounce back against an extremely hot Phillies team. Even if he did only give up a run or two, the Halladay’s on the mound which makes it even more unlikely that he’ll get the win. It’s safe to say the Phillies have a great shot at coming back from last night’s loss and getting on the right track again.

Saturday: Kyle Kendrick (8-5, 4.45) vs Stephen Strasburg (5-3, 2.97)

This is when it gets interesting. For the first time in HISTORY Stephen Strasburg will make an appearance at Citizen’s Bank Park. I said a while ago that I wouldn’t consider him a super star until I saw what he did against the defending NL Champs so this is it. It will be interesting to see how he does Saturday.

As for the Phillies, Kendrick is always up and down and you never really know what to expect. For his career, he doesn’t have a great track record against Washington. He’s 1-2 with an era close to 7.0.

Sunday: Roy Oswalt (2-1, 3.08) vs Scott Olsen (3-5, 5.14)

The Phillies send another one of their aces to the mound Sunday to close out the series. Since his first start in a Phillies uniform, he’s really settled down. In his last 3 starts, he’s 2-0 with an era of 2.21. You can’t really ask for more from a guy in his first month or so with a new team. This is what would have been happening to him all season if he wasn’t on the Astros and you can expect solid starts from him from here on out.

Scott Olsen, is having a rough month-he has a 10.95 era in his last 3 starts. He’s familiar with the Phillies and has a 5-6 record against them in his career. The record isn’t aweful but his era in those games is 5.37 which means the Phillies usually score runs off this guy. They will get some runs on the board so if Oswalt has a good game, expect the Phillies to win.

The winner will NOT receive this trophy...

For the first time EVER, PhillySportsChat.com will be searching for 9 other individuals to enter the Philly Sports Chat fantasy football league. We will have a team and there will be a contest to fill the other 7-9 spots (depending on how many worthy entries we recieve).

The fantasy league will be through Yahoo and the draft will be held online on Thursday, August 26th at 7:00 pm.

We’re pretty good so don’t expect to win. However, if the champion of the league happens to be somebody besides us, that individual will have the title of PhillySportsChat Fantasy King/Queen until next season, their picture and team record will be placed on the homepage for everyone to admire and they will recieve a small prize from us.

Here’s how to enter:

Submit an answer to the following question as a comment on this article. Include your email address so we can contact you and let you know you’re in the league. We are going to pick the most original and creative answers as the winners and you can only submit once. Here’s the question:

If you were in our fantasy league, what would your team name be?

good luck…

The Phillies took their series with the Mets 2 games to 1 but it didn’ t help them gain any ground on the Braves. Atlanta also took 2 games from the Dodgers and are still leading the division by 2 games over the Phils. The Braves finish their series with LA tonight and then get the Nationals for 3.

The fact that Atlanta plays one of the NLs worst teams makes it even more important for the Phillies to take this upcoming series with the Giants.

The good news for the Phillies in this series is that they won’t have to face Lincecum who pitched yesterday. Instead, they’re expected to see Barry Zito (8-6, 3.44), Matt Cain (9-9, 3.11) and Jonathan Sanchez (8-8, 3.60). If you add up all of their recent records against the Phillies, it comes to 5-4 so it’s not like any of them dominate our batters.

In the final game of the series Thursday, the Phillies send Hamels to the mound. They haven’t scored a run for him in his last 2 starts.

All of their series from here on out will be important but this one has a bit extra weight to it. They are playing one of the few teams fiercly competing for the NL Wild Card spot and can help themselves get a little bit of breathing room for the first time all year.

Hopefully Victorino is hot in his first full series since returning from his injury.

Coming off one of the most exciting games of the season (2nd to Halladay’s perfect game on my birthday), the Phillies travel down the road to New York to visit the 3rd place Mets.

They’re only about 5 days removed from their last series with the Mets in Philly. They took that series 2 games to 1 and really hurt the Mets chances at making a playoff push. A sweep this weekend will all but knock them out for good- how awesome would that be? Here’s a quick breakdown of this weekend’s games. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about who the Mets will send to the mound.

Friday: Hamels (7-8, 3.45) vs Dickey (7-5, 2.65)

Once again, the Phillies will be up against the Mets knuckleballer. He handled them the first time but last weekend, the Phillies got the best of him which is a good sign. He’ll but up against Cole Hamels which might not be a good sign cuz the Phillies NEVER score runs when he pitches. If you remember, he pitched a gem against the Mets in his last start but the Phillies were shut out. It could be a different story this time though because the Phillies proved they can crack open Dickey.

Saturday: Roy Halladay (14-8, 2.34) vs ????

The Mets aren’t saying much about the next two starters of the series so I guess we’ll find out when it happens. At least we know Halladay will be on the mound. We also know the Phils won’t see Santana who pitched on Thursday against Colorado. Halladay wasn’t himself in his last start against New York. He allowed 5 runs but still managed to get the win. If his previous starts are any indication, that was a fluke game and I expect him to be just fine.

Sunday: Kendrick (7-5, 4.60) vs ????

Kendrick’s last start was UGLY. It came Tuesday night against the Dodgers and he allowed six runs in less than four innings. Proir to that he was on a hot streak. It’s hard to predict the outcome of Kendrick’s games this season. Overall, he’s putting up a fair season with a record of 7-5 but his era is nearly five and he often times has very bad games. For his career, he is 2-2 against the Mets with a 3.34 era.

The Phillies can help themselves this weekend. They can put away the Mets and possibly make up some more ground on the Braves. They just lost Chipper Jones for the rest of the season and they are starting a series against those pesky Dodgers.

NFC EAST
Dallas 87
New York Giants 81
Philadelphia 80
Washington 76

The Eagles rank second to last in the NFC East which is a downgrade from last season. Overall in the NFC, there are currently 6 teams ranked above the Birds (Cowboys, Giants, Vikings, Packers, Saints, Falcons). If the Eagles were in the NFC West, they would have the highest ranking in the division. How sad…

The McNabb trade seems to have affected both teams involved. The Eagles’ rating dropped from last year and the Redskins saw the biggest rating increase of any team (+6)

As for individual player ratings, I mostly disagree with them:

I don’t agree with the way they represented the Eagles receivers and tight ends. They’re some of the youngest and most explosive players in the league and their stats last  year proved they are better than what their new ratings say. Jackson-who ended as one of the top receivers stat wise in the NFL last year- is only a 91 and Maclin got an 81. Brent Celek got the shaft as well. He’s not even in the top 5 tight ends and is only ranked 88. They did hit the nail on the head with Jackson’s speed though- 99!

As for the rest of the offense: Kolb is a 75, Vick is a 73 and McCoy is a 79 so it won’t be easy to light up opponents with this offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are some good and bad points. One thing I’m not happy with is the 79 rating they gave to Stewart Bradley. I know he’s coming off of a major injury but the year before he had great stats and was about to break through as a pro bowl player. 79 is a bit low for him.

On the other hand, I’m pleased with the 95 rating they gave Trent Cole. A Steelers fan I was talking to was shocked to see that he was rated so high. I think it’s just right for a guy who is in the top five in total sacks over the past few seasons.

For a more in depth look at the Eagles rankings, click here.

Heat: We already talked about this last week but the Heat will be in town to open up the 2010 season on October 27th. This may not be a great game but it’s our only chance to see D-Wade and company in Philly this season (unless the Sixers make the playoffs with a 7th or 8th seed). The Sixers will play the Heat 2 more times this year but both on the road.

Lakers: The Lakers also only come to town once this season. They play in Philly on December 15th which is right around the holidays so this could be an interesting gift for that special someone. The back to back champs are poised to have another great season and who would pass up on a chance to boo Kobe when he comes to town.

Wizards: The Wizards aren’t a great team but they do have John Wall. The top 2 picks will face off 4 times this season and twice in Philly. The first time they play in Philly is also right around the holidays (hint hint) and the second time is a month an a half later. Clear off January 5th and February 23rd if you want to watch two of the newest NBA stars do battle in the city of brotherly love.

Celtics: The Celtics are getting older but they made the NBA finals again last season and came 1 win away from being champions. They kept the big 3 in tact by bringing back Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and they just added Shaq. Last year it seemed like the Celtics kind of took the regular season off and only played hard in the playoffs. Either way, this team is packed with talent and is always brings a big crowd. They play in Philly December 9th and March 11th.

If none of these teams interest you, check out the complete 2010-2011 regular season schedule at right here.