Sports Talk Philly: Philadelphia Sports News and Rumors

Carter Hart Proving He Fits Right In at NHL Level

(Photo: Kate Frese)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

When Carter Hart received the call to the NHL in mid-December, the question was if he was ready for the big stage, especially with a team suspect on defense in front of him.

He won his first two starts, in large part to the best defensive efforts the Flyers had displayed all season. Since then, Hart has made 10 more starts. Sure, he’s allowed some goals he would like back and displayed his worst on one occasion, but the results so far has been as promising as it gets.

For a change, the Flyers 6-5-1 record since Hart’s call-up has nothing to do with goaltending. He’s been a big reason for the six wins since.

Make no mistake about it, Carter Hart has all the makings of an NHL goalie at 20 years old, and the numbers are backing it up.

Report: Phillies Interested in Josh Harrison

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By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Even if the Philadelphia Phillies cannot sign Manny Machado this offseason, it appears the club will still make at least one more addition to its infield depth chart.

Not only are the Phillies interested in Mike Moustakas, but according to Jon Heyman, they are one of five "in" on veteran utility infielder Josh Harrison, who is a "great and versatile defender."

Report: Carson Wentz Expected to be Healthy for Offseason Workouts

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles appear likely to have their franchise quarterback return sooner rather than later.

On Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Eagles expect Carson Wentz to be back and healthy by April and be able to participate in the offseason program.

Obviously this is good news for Eagles fans as the last time we saw a healthy Carson Wentz he was on his way to earning the MVP award. In just 13 games, he amassed 3296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also lead the league in QBR (77.2) and touchdown percentage (7.5%) even though he missed the final three games of the season.

Although he was still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL as well as dealing with a fractured back, Wentz still managed to improve his completion percentage from 60.2% to 69.6%. Rhar improvement may have beet the reason we saw an increase in yard per pass attempt from 7.5 to 7.7 and his yards per game (253.5 to 279.5).

What I am attempting to prove is that while it certainly seemed like a down year for Wentz, he was able to put up some decent numbers as well as improve in the some of the areas that he was worried about all while playing through multiple injuries, spending no time in training camp to get back into the swing of things and develop chemistry with new teammates and playing the difficult schedule that typically comes with being a Super Bowl Championship team, especially in the NFC East.

While we await the Eagles decision on what they will do with back up quarterback Nick Foles, fans should feel confident that their signal caller of the future should be healthy and can continue to build his game with a full offseason to prepare.

Soul's Dolezel Optimistic on Future of Arena Football League

Philadelphia Soul head coach Clint Dolezel speaking to open tryout participants at Total Turf Experience in Pitman, New Jersey, on Saturday, January 19, 2019 (Matt Rappa/SportsTalkPhilly.com).

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Arena Football League, whose newly released logo last month marked "the path moving forward as a next-generation sports league," is preparing for expansion ahead of the 2019 season.

With rumors of imminent announcements to bring a team to Atlantic City and to a yet-to-be-reported city, Philadelphia Soul head coach Clint Dolezel is "hearing nothing but great things" about where the AFL is headed.

"That's all I can ask for. Coming from last year where we didn't know if we were going to play the week before we started training camp, I was a little scared," Dolezel said before the Soul's last open player tryouts Saturday at Total Turf Experience in Pitman, New Jersey.

Soul GM Beau Bell: Ron Jaworski Is ‘Great Mentor, Inspiration, Leader’

Philadelphia Soul General Manager and Assistant Head Coach Beau Bell speaking to open tryout participants at Total Turf Experience in Pitman, New Jersey, on Saturday, January 19, 2019 (Matt Rappa/SportsTalkPhilly.com).

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Since its inception in 2004, the Philadelphia Soul have been guided by former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl quarterback, Ron Jaworski. Now the Philadelphia-headquartered Arena Football League's Chairman of Executive Committee, "Jaws" has positively and significantly impacted both the team and league overall amid its expansion and "new direction."

RELATED | GM Beau Bell to Tryout Attendees: ‘Keep Playing'

At the Soul's last open player tryout on Saturday at Total Turf Experience in Pitman, New Jersey, Soul General Manager and Assistant Head Coach Beau Bell said Jaws, the team's Majority Owner, a "great mentor" for himself, as well as a "great inspiration."

"He's a great leader. He's a great individual and great person, and I'm blessed to be able to have a relationship with him and with the Philadelphia Soul itself," Bell said.