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Ever since Donovan McNabb was traded by the Eagles, the city of Philadelphia has been split as to whether or not it was the right move. On one side, we have those fans who viewed McNabb as the Eagles only chance to win a Super Bowl and on the other side, we have those fans who believe that McNabb has been what is holding this team back.
I think every Eagles fan, and every person with half a brain, can agree that trading him to a division rival was really stupid, but for those of you who are dead set that McNabb was our only chance, I must respectfully disagree.
I appreciate what the man has done for the Eagles. He lead a marginal group of wide receivers to 3 NFC championship games in a row before the front office finally got him a true weapon with TO. This was enough to push the Eagles over the hump and into the Super Bowl for the 1st time since 1981, but as was typical with McNabb at the helm, the team came up just short. Finally, he lead a decent wide receiving core to a 5th NFC championship game, but once again came up just short. So McNabb has had an impressive run with the Eagles and has always made them a contender, but there is something to be said for those players who have the ability to push their team over the top at some point.
Here is my reasoning:
1. He is not getting any younger - If trading him was discussed 5 years ago, then I would have been completely against it. At this point, he is noticeably slower, which makes him far more susceptible to sacks. He never seemed to master the quick release with a good 2 step drop, but rather he relied on his speed and agility to shake off the pressure.
2. Going into the last year of his contract - With Kevin Kolb waiting in the wings, there is no way the Eagles were going to re-sign McNabb for big money, so why not get something for him rather then let him walk for nothing? Sure the Eagles had a chance to win with McNabb this year, but is this team so stacked that he is the X-factor to make it happen? Absolutely not, so why come up empty handed next year?
3. Same old story, different year - Ever since McNabb took over, it has been the same result for this team. They impress you and make a believer out of you all throughout the year and then when it is time to cash in and finish the job, they break your heart! This is not to say that McNabb is completely to blame in all of those situations, but just think about what the constant has been for the Eagles over the past 10 years. Sometimes it is time for new a new leader.
In summary, if McNabb's presence this year gave the Eagles a true shot at winning the Super Bowl, then it would be worth keeping him for one more year and letting him walk next season. The reality is, this team was probably not going to win it all this year with McNabb, so why not get the Kevin Kolb era under way and see if he has the tools to take the Eagles to the Promised Land? Who knows, maybe Kolb can build the type of synergy with these young receivers that McNabb could not.
People like to hold onto things that make them feel comfortable, even if they are no longer effective. Sure we will all miss his goofy grin after throwing one of his famous "worm burners" right at his receiver's feet, but it was time for a change and I applaud the Eagles for taking the plunge, even though I still can't understand why they traded him within the division, but that is for another post.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Ok hockey fans, this is your chance to chime in.
This past week, we saw the New Jersey Devils win out in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes by signing him to a whopping 17 year, $102 million deal. However, Kovy has generated as much drama as the celebrity wannabes from Real Housewives of New Jersey this offseason. Right on cue, the NHL has stepped in to reject the deal on the grounds that the contract is an attempt to circumvent the salary cap.
I am not a lawyer, so everything I am about to say is pure opinion.
I read through the CBA to see what I could find in terms of specific language about nixing deals due to cap circumvention. On a side note, if you are an insomniac, the NHL CBA could benefit you greatly on those tough nights.
Here is what I found in article 26 of the NHL CBA:
26.3 Circumventions.
(a) No Club or Club Actor, directly or indirectly, may: (i) enter into any agreements, promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent, or understandings of any kind, whether express, implied, oral or written, including without limitation, any SPC, Qualifying Offer, Offer Sheet or other transaction, or (ii) take or fail to take any action whatsoever, if either (i) or (ii) is intended to or has the effect of defeating or Circumventing the provisions of this Agreement or the intention of the parties as reflected by the provisions of this Agreement, including without limitation, provisions with respect to the financial and other reporting obligations of the Clubs and the League, Team Payroll Range, Player Compensation Cost Redistribution System, the Entry Level System and/or Free Agency.
The above article seems to state that the NHL has the right to nix any deal in which it is determined that the team signed a player to a contract with the intent of circumventing the salary cap. The NHL has the burden of proof to show that the Devils intended to circumvent the cap, which might not be so easy, given the broad language of the article. There seems to be a lot of grey area, which should give the NHLPA some wiggle room in their dispute that the contract should stand.
Speaking as a non-biased person, the NHL should have prevented these types of deals when they first began, but instead they set a dangerous precedent by allowing similar contracts to go through in prior years. The Devils should have heeded the warning that the NHL was getting ready to make an example of someone when they investigated both the Flyers and Blackhawks for the Pronger and Hossa contacts, respectively.
Here is a breakdown of the Kovalchuk contract, compared to the similar contracts mentioned above that the NHL has allowed.
Ilya Kovalchuk (Devils) - 17 years, $102 Million
Cap Hit - $6 million per year
Annual Breakout - Years 1-2, $6 mil per year; Years 3-7, $11.5 mil per year; Year 8, 10.5 mil; Year 9, $8.5 mil; Year 10, $6.5 mil; Year 11, 3.5 mil; Year 12, 750K; Years 13-17, 550K per year.
Marian Hossa (Blackhawks) - 12 years, $62.8 million
Cap Hit - $5.233 million
Annual Breakout - Years 1-7, $7.9 mil per year; Year 8, $4 million; Years 9-10, $1 million per year; Years 11-12, $750,000 per year.
Chris Pronger (Flyers) - 7-years, $34.45 million
Cap Hit - $4.92 million
Annual Breakout - Years 1-2, $7.6 million per year; Year 3, $7.2 million; Year 4, $7 million; Year 5, $4 million; Years 6-7, $525,00 per year.
The above numbers are courtesy of CapGeek.com
While the contracts are similar, the Devils should have known they would be investigated for this deal. If the similarly structured 12 year deal (Hossa) was investigated, why would they think they could get away with the 17 year deal? They gave the NHL the perfect chance to make an example of someone and set a new precedent. With Kovy making less then $1 million per year on the last 6 years of the contract, he has far more "garbage years" then either Hossa or Pronger.
My opinion is that the contract should stand, based on the NHL's inability to nip the problem in the bud when these contracts were first handed out. Every front loaded contract is a circumvention of the cap, but in years past, it was deemed acceptable. The Devils were asking for trouble by pushing the envelope with this contract, especially the year after 2 teams were investigated, but the NHL has been asking for it by allowing similar contracts in the past.
Please feel free to share your opinion on the matter.
No, I'm not here to talk about all the theories of what the end of the Mayan Calendar means to the world. My opinion about 2012 is that it will just be another year and all the doomsday prophets will have to decide on a new date.
Just because I don't believe in the 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy, that does not mean that I am not concerned about an impending disaster. In 2012, the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires and there are rumblings about the possibility of another lockout.
Donald Fehr, the former director of the MLBPA has been working as an unpaid advisor to the NHLPA and is rumored to be its next director. If you're a baseball fan, you will remember that Fehr was in charge when baseball players went on strike half way through the 1994 season, which caused the cancellation of the World Series. Now he is primed to take the reigns for the NHL players at a time when the present harmony is coming to an end. I feel a storm coming on.
Players and agents are rumored to be seeking an end to the hard salary cap, in favor of a soft cap and luxury tax. This would mean that teams can spend as high as they want, but if they go over the cap, they will be required to pay a luxury tax as punishment. This is currently how Baseball is structured.
From my perspective, being that my team is always spending in an effort to bring the Cup home, I love the idea of getting rid of the hard cap, but Gary Bettman and the owners will likely have a different opinion on this. They sacrificed an entire season back in 2004, in order to put the current system in place. So what makes the players and Donald Fehr think they will do away with it now? Hopefully the only thing that might bring Bettman to the table is the fear of losing another full season.
Losing another season would be detrimental to a sport that has slowly been climbing out of the doldrums. As a diehard hockey fan, I don't think I could take another winter/spring with nothing but Basketball to watch. I will be rooting hard for the players to get their soft cap, but when all is said and done, just do whatever is necessary to make sure we see a full season of hockey in 2012, because the world will not be ending and we are going to need a full season to keep us entertained!
At long last, Ilya Kovalchuk released the NHL offseason from his multi-million dollar cage and allowed it to fly off into the sunset when he made his decision to sign with the New Jersey Devils.
As a Flyers fan, my first thought was that, any minute, a story about Simon Gagne being traded to LA would flash up on the various sports websites and news networks. It seemed so obvious, since LA lost out on the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, that they would go after a good winger like Gagne, maybe even overpay for him a bit. I could not have been more wrong
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The Philadelphia Flyers recently inked Nikolai Zherdev to a 1 year, $2 Million deal. Here in Philly, it was met with little excitement, as Zherdev has a reputation of being soft, a defensive liabilty and a bad teammate in the locker room. As an avid Flyers fan and a season ticket holder, I had the same reservations, however; take into consideration the low cap hit and the high amount of potential this guy will bring to an already talented team.
In 365 NHL games, Zherdev has 99 goals and 140 assists, however, he is a -46 in his NHL career. Another positive aspect is that he has been able to stay healthy during his time in the NHL, which has been a problem for the rest of the players on the Flyers
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We all saw the disgusting display put on by Lebron James during his quest to find a new home. He was courted by the likes of Jay Z and Mayor Bloomberg, hoping that he would sign with their teams, and when this all important decision was finally made, Lebron took an hour of national television time to tell the world.
Now we have Ilya Kovalchuk being courted by several teams in the NHL, and at least one team from the KHL in Russia. The rumors have been plenty. First, he was destined for Mother Russia, then they had him with a signed contract in NJ and then he was in LA to sign a contract. All rumors turned out to be completely false, so this begs the question; who is putting out all these rumors and why? Is it his agent trying to get teams to up the ante or is it just overzealous reporters who heard it from a friend of a friend's brother-in-law who happens to scrub toilets at the Prudential Center in NJ? Whatever the case, it seems all other NHL transactions are on hold until Kovalchuk decides where he wants to play
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Australian motor sports fans will tune into tonight's German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring hoping our man can covert his first ever pole position into his first race win.
After 129 starts in the world's premier motor sport category, Webber is finally in a position to repay the faith and patience of his many fans throughout the country. Surely we will see him step to the top of the podium this time around. There is no doubt Webber is a good driver, however his career is littered with slow cars, poor career path decisions and shocking bad luck. While the performances of Braun GP and Red Bull have breathed new life into the series, Webber is enjoying his most impressive season to date. Currently sitting fourth in championship, a victory here will no doubt be the defining moment of his career and hopefully the launching pad for a late season championship challenge
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One of the world’s great sporting events begins tonight in what shapes as one of the most intriguing races in its epic 105 year history. While doping continues to cast a damming shadow over the sport and its competitors, the return of Lance Armstrong and race favourite Alberto Contador will no doubt captivate cycling fans across the globe.
What makes this edition of the tour so fascinating is the planning of the stages to hopefully keep the contest alive right until the end. Mount Ventoux on the penultimate day will no doubt be the highlight along with the return of the Team Time Trial and visits into Italy and Spain
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The NHL’s free agency meat market is underway so I thought I’d give some thoughts on who changed addresses and what it may mean for their respective teams.
Great
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Absolutely shocking decision by the Cervelo Test Team today to drop Simon Gerrans for this year’s Tour De France starting on July 4th.
Gerrans was recruited to Cervelo after the demise of the Credit Agricole team mainly on the back of an impressive 2008 that included a mountain stage win in the Tour de France (Stage 15 - Embrun to Prato Nevos) last year
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Braden Stokes
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