Writer: Paul Bowman Feed

12/16/2018

Malcolm Jenkins Fined for Post-Game Comments

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The referees in the Eagles-Cowboys game last Sunday were absolutely awful. Clete Blakeman and his crew made so many terrible calls against both teams that it warranted the league taking action. Blakeman was the referee leading the “All-Star” crew that got switched to the Chiefs-Rams game a few weeks back.

Eagles fans were focused on two major calls that benefited the Cowboys: a fumble and recovery that was called neither a fumble nor a recovery on the field and failed when challenged and an offensive pass interference on Dallas Goedert that took a touchdown off the board. The calls were so bad, Malcolm Jenkins spoke to the media following the game. He said:

“That was a pretty terrible call. They reviewed it and the explanation I got was that it wasn't a clear recovery, although Kamu [Grugier-Hill] had the ball in his hand and there was only Eagles defenders on the ball in replay. So whoever's watching that in New York should stay off the bottle.”

Action had previously been taken against awful refereeing earlier this season when a referee had missed an offside during the Browns-Chargers game and allowed a touchdown on the board. Apparently, if you make terrible calls all game instead of just one, the NFL pays no mind.

Clete Blakeman game the same terrible excuse for not overturning the call on the fumble recovery after the game. What action did the NFL take about this utter incompetence?

Why, fine Malcolm Jenkins for speaking the truth, of course.

Tim McManus of 97.5 The Fanatic reported on Saturday night that Jenkins was fined $12,500 for his comments after the game.

While Eagles fans were outraged, Jenkins and teammate Rasul Douglas had a but of fun with the news.

Eagles fans responded quickly with at least three GoFundMe pages dedicated to paying off Malcolm’s fine. Ever the class act and connected with the fans, Jenkins quickly let everyone know that such an act was unnecessary and that they should instead consider contributing to his charity – the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation.

The move is a wise one and really turned the whole situation around. Instead of the NFL simply fining a player for speaking the truth, Jenkins took the situation in stride and used the fine as a platform to improve charitable giving and goodwill. It’s not everyday you find a player capable of doing something like that so quickly and easily.

Posted by on 12/16/2018 | | Comments (0)

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12/14/2018

Jordan Mailata Placed on IR

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

What has it been, three days without the Eagles placing someone on IR? Well, the Birds added promising young left tackle Jordan Mailata on that list today.

Mailata, a seventh-round pick in this year’s draft, is an Australian native who had never played football prior to this season. He was expected to be stashed on the practice squad as a developmental player, but his play in the preseason was so far advanced for someone who did not know the game that the Eagles had to keep him on the 53-man roster to make sure they wouldn’t lose him to another team.

Mailata has inspired international prospects already, so, if he should pan out, expect to see more international players drafted and the draft evaluation processes change around the league.

The Australian rookie had missed practice with a back injury on Thursday. With Mailata not expected to play anyway, this move may just be to protect him and pull someone who may be more ready to contribute to the active roster.

BJ Bello, an undrafted free agent linebacker in 2017, appeared in all 16 games with the Cleveland Browns last season, registering six tackles. In the 2018 preseaon, he registered 13 tackles and a sack with the team before being in the final round of cuts for the team.

He signed with the Eagles practice squad midseason when the Birds promoted Tre Sullivan back to the active roster in the wake of Jay Ajayi landing on IR.

His spot on the practice squad is filled by guard Kaleb Johnson.

Johnson was an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2015. He has yet to play in a NFL game, but has spent time with the Ravens, Browns, Cardinals, Bears, Chiefs and Vikings.

Posted by on 12/14/2018 | | Comments (0)

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12/13/2018

Phillies Select SS Drew Jackson in Rule 5 Draft, Trade Him for International Money

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Rule 5 Draft takes place each offseason giving teams the chance to grab some talent from other organizations that have so much talent that they cannot protect all the eligible players by placing them on the 40-man roster. The draft can lead to some productive major league players, just as it did for the Phillies when they selected Grover Cleveland Alexander, Shane Victorino or Odubel Herrera.

It can also mean losing players. George Bell is perhaps the most notable player the Phillies have lost in the Rule 5 Draft, with reliever Hoby Milner and outfielder Carlos Tocci being a few of the most recent players plucked from the Phillies farm system.

Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies did not lose any talent in this year’s Major League portion of the draft, but did pick up a new player.

Jackson, 25, is a middle infielder who slashed .251/.356/.447 with the AA Tulsa Drillers in 2018. He had 15 homeruns and 46 RBIs. He was originally drafted in 2015 by the Seattle Mariners before being sent , along with another prospect, to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Chase De Jong.

The Phillies adding another shortstop/second basemen may certainly seem odd, but it was almost immediately reported that Jackson would likely be traded. He was traded to the Orioles for international bonus pool money within the hour.

The Phillies frequently build up their international pool in order to sign more prospects through what is considered one of the best Latin-American pipelines in the league. The Phillies have signed players like Carlos Ruiz, César Hernández, Ranger Suarez and Freddy Galvis, as well as current prospects Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina, both of whom are in the MLB’s top 100 prospect list.

Posted by on 12/13/2018 | | Comments (0)

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12/11/2018

Eagles Sign CB Josh Hawkins to Fill Practice Squad

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles have signed another cornerback to the final spot on the practice squad. He comes with some experience playing meaningful NFL snaps.

Josh Hawkins is a former corner for the Green Bay Packers. Appearing in 26 games between 2016 and 2017. He registered 43 tackles, seven defensed passes and a forced fumble in his time there.

Hawkins had spent most of this season with the Carolina Panthers. He appeared in five games before he was released in favor of former Eagles running back Kenjon Barner. He may crack the 53-man roster before the end of the season. Should Sidney Jones hit IR, Hawkins and fellow practice squad teammate Jeremiah McKinnon would likely be the next in line.

Hawkins fills the final spot on the practice squad vacated by the recently re-promoted Bruce Hector.

Posted by on 12/11/2018 | | Comments (0)

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Eagles Place Clement, Sweat on IR

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles have officially placed Corey Clement and Josh Sweat on IR, becoming the twelfth and thirteenth players currently on the list. Richard Rodgers and Destiny Vaeao have also spent time on the list.

Clement’s season ends with a disappointing 68 rushes for just 259 yards (3.8 yard per carry average), 22 catches for 192 yards (8.7 yards per catch) and a combined two touchdowns.

Boston Scott, a sixth-round pick of the Saints in this year’s draft, takes his place and will look to make an impression on the Birds in a bid to stick around next season. He has appeared in just four preseason games for the Saints, gaining 121 yards on 25 carries and 18 yards on three receptions.

Boston is five foot, six inches tall and weighs only 203 pounds – the same height as Darren Sproles and a mere 13 pounds heavier. The Eagles may bring Scott in with the hope that he could learn from Sproles and be the young replacement for him in the future. Scott did return kicks during his college career, and, with his size, he could learn to hide behind his linemen and make cuts just as Sproles. If he proves to be successful at one or both, expect him to stick around in 2019 as he signed a two-year deal and is an exclusive restricted free agent following that.

Sweat played in only 68 defensive snaps, registering four tackles and two quarterback pressures across nine games. The Eagles hope that Sweat will develop into a larger role player next season

Hall was a third-round pick of the Panthers in the 2017 draft. He has played in only one meaningful game since then and has yet to register any stats. He has spent time with the Panthers, Texans and 49ers this season, but has not appeared in a game. In all four games with the Panthers during this preseason, he registered three tackles, a sack and a defensed pass.

Posted by on 12/11/2018 | | Comments (0)

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Vikings Fire Former Eagles QB Coach John DeFilippo

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Vikings have fired offensive coordinator John Defilippo in the wake of a 21-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

DeFilippo (Flip) served as the QB coach for the Eagles during their Super Bowl run last season. He was one of two coaches to leave the staff. With Frank Reich not expected to leave, Flip left for the offensive coordinator job in Minnesota before Josh McDaniels decided he had no need to uphold commitments and the Eagles lost Frank Reich to the head coaching job in Indianapolis.

The Vikings now stand at 6-6-1 on the year. While the Vikings ranked eight in the league in passing yards under Flip, but ranked 30th in total rush yards. It should be difficult to blame Flip for that, however as he is working with Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray, both of whom have been underachieving. It should also be noted that Flip, much like he did in Philly, has been utilizing the screen game as an extension of the run game. In fact, those top two backs have an additional 350 yards and two touchdowns through the air, much of which has come through the screen game.

The other issue is his quarterback. The Vikings decided to let Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater walk this offseason to pay Kirk Cousins $84 million in guaranteed money. 6-6-1 is where you should expect to be with the wildly mediocre Cousins at quarterback. Afterall, this is the same guy that knelt instead of spiking the ball to gift the Eagles a win a few seasons ago. The man is now 4-24 against teams with records above .500. In the playoffs, almost every team is a winning team. You can’t expect to win a Super Bowl without beating winning teams.

Due to the Cousins commitment, Flip becomes the first casualty to take a fall for the Vikings not winning with Cousins at the helm. Expect to see more as the Vikings continue to struggle with an “elite QB” who is throwing to a receiving corps of Adam Thelien, Stefon Diggs, Laquon Treadwell and Kyle Rudolph.

For the Eagles, the move is a gift. The Birds could bring him in right away to help with coaching Carson Wentz and he might even be in line to be the team’s new offensive coordinator in 2019.

Posted by on 12/11/2018 | | Comments (2)

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12/10/2018

Eagles Plan to Sign RB Boston Scott

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles are planning to sign running back Boston Scott off of the New Orleans Saints practice squad roster, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

The move likely means that the Eagles got Clement’s MRI back and it was not good. Expect Clement to wind up on the injured reserve to make room for Scott. With three games remaining in the season, the move may only be a precautionary one. The injury could not come at a worse time for Clement, who had finally seemed to be getting over his early season injury to produce again. His season would end with a disappointing 68 rushes for just 259 yards (3.8 yard per carry average), 22 catches for 192 yards (8.7 yards per catch) and a combined two touchdowns.

Boston Scott, a sixth-round pick of the Saints in this year’s draft, would enter with no experience in NFL games that count. He has appeared only in the four preseason games for the Saints, gaining 121 yards on 25 carries and 18 yards on three receptions.

Scott’s teammate, All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan, took to Twitter to express his feelings on the potential of losing Scott to the Eagles.

Boston is only five foot, six inches tall and weighs only 203 pounds – the same height as Darren Sproles and a mere 13 pounds heavier. The Eagles may bring Scott in with the hope that he could learn from Sproles and be the young replacement for him in the future. Scott did return kicks during his college career, and, with his size, he could learn to hide behind his linemen and make cuts just as Sproles. If he proves to be successful at one or both, expect him to stick around in 2019.

Posted by on 12/10/2018 | | Comments (0)

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Doug Pederson Tiptoes Around Questions About Sidney Jones

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

When Doug Pederson met with the media on Monday, he faced many questions that could be anticipated: updates on the injuries to Corey Clement, Isaac Seumalo and Josh Sweat, how he felt about the poor officiating, not going for the two-point conversion and Carson Wentz’s inaccuracy among others. There was one question he did not see prepared for, questions about Sidney Jones.

When asked about the other injuries, Pederson noted that Clement and Sweat were still waiting on MRI results and Seumalo is “day-to-day”, but when asked about Jones, he had a far more puzzling response.

“Yeah, Amari is obviously a tremendous receiver and he has done some great things there for Dallas. Yeah, ok. Yeah, um… I gotta be careful because… yeah. Amari is a great receiver. He is hard to defend and, early on in the game, I thought Sidney did a nice job defending a couple passes, a couple tackles in there, so you’ll have to continue to ask Sidney on the rest of it. ”

you'd think he was answering a question about Amari Cooper with that response. When asked follow-up questions about Jones, he replied with an answer about how he was a “tremendous” player in college and then, after another question, about how the secondary was thin and that they think they can get Avonte Maddox back this weekend. Nothing more was shared about Jones. I might argue that Doug shared nothing at all other than he made a few plays early in the game Sunday.

Pederson seemed to be caught off-guard for some reason and commented that he needed to be careful there. His simply saying that raised eyebrows. That is not a response that is typically given for an injured player. It was no "we need to wait on MRIs" or "I haven't talked to the doctors yet". Why does he need to be careful? Was Jones lying to staff and hiding an injury that the staff was unaware of? Had the medical staff missed something and allowed an injury to get worse? Maybe it is some combination of the two and maybe there is a whole different reasoning. No matter the case, something is going on in the Eagles clubhouse.

Jones started the Cowboys game off pretty well making some nice tackles and breaking up a couple of passes prior to being removed from the game. Following halftime, Jones returned to the field, but he was more of a liability than a help. Jones was obviously favoring one leg for the entire second half and, as a direct result, he was not making plays. Jones could be seen visibly limping by the fourth quarter, so it’s no surprise that the Cowboys kept throwing at him.

It seems like Jones never really got over that hamstring injury he suffered early in the season yet he has returned to the field twice now. At this point, the Eagles may be better off sitting Jones out of games until he is actually healthy. A practice squad level player in DeVante Bausby or Chandon Sullivan still has a better chance than a corner running on one leg every play. Who knows, maybe one of the two new guys can develop and become a long-term backup option.

The team is doing itself no favors allowing Jones no time to heal from his physical injury and leaving him in the game to confidence shattered throw after throw. Philadelphia Phillies fans often argue that the way that some prospects like Dominic Brown or Darin Ruf have been handled stunted their development and kept them from reaching their potential. If the Eagles continue to allow Jones to run on an injured leg and be a target for opposing offenses, the same might soon be said of Jones.

Posted by on 12/10/2018 | | Comments (3)

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12/08/2018

Eagles Place Jalen Mills on Injured Reserve

By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

When Doug Pederson gave updates on all the injured Eagles this Monday, he left the door open for a potential return of Avonte Maddox, Jordan Hicks and Jalen Mills. That makes the latest Eagles news rather shocking: Mills has been placed on IR.

Mills not being on IR gave fans hope that at least two of their three starting corners could be playing come the end of the season. With only nine weeks until the Super Bowl and a minimum stay of eight weeks on IR, the move ends The Green Goblin’s season no matter how deep the Eagles could get.

Despite missing the last four and a half games, Mills remains second on the team with nine defensed passes and fifth on the team with 42 tackles. With him officially out for the remainder of the season, Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas will be the starting outside corners while Cre’Von LeBlanc is likely to be the corner in the slot. The Eagles will hope that their improved pass rush will continue to benefit the corners and that Sidney Jones can play to the level that made him a potential number one overall pick in the draft prior to suffering an Achilles injury during his pro day workouts.

In his place, the Eagles have re-signed defensive tackle Bruce Hector to the active roster. The Eagles like Hector and think he could be a valuable contributor in the future. In his limited snaps across six games this season, he has registered only one assist and is credited with half a sack.

With the Eagles seemingly expecting to get receiver Mike Wallace back this season, Hector would seem like a likely candidate to be waived to create room. Should that be the case, Hector would almost certainly return to the practice squad should he clear waivers for the third time this season.

Posted by on 12/08/2018 | | Comments (0)

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12/07/2018

Rhys Hoskins Looking Forward to Playing First Base Again

HoskinsBattingSpecial Assistant Larry Bowa and Rhys Hoskins in Spring 2018

By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

On Monday, the Phillies announced that they were acquiring Jean Segura from the Seattle Mariners. While Segura is a huge upgrade, the deal also came with many other perks. In addition to acquiring two solid relief pitchers for the bullpen in Nicasio and Pazos, the deal also sent Carlos Santana to the Mariners and freed up first base for Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins is thrilled to return to the position where he has natural instincts and far more experience. He said as much in an interview with the MLB Network.

Hoskins notes that he was uncomfortable in the outfield and that, while he was playing left field, he was constantly thinking a lot about how he would play balls and defend in certain scenarios because they had not become “second nature”.

That makes sense for Hoskins, who spent four seasons moving up the Phillies minor league system playing exclusively at first base. It was not until he was ready to be called up in late 2017 that Hoskins began playing left field.

Hoskins played only three games at the position before he was called up to the major league level. He had been using Ben Lively’s pitching glove for the first few games as he had nothing other than a first baseman’s glove.

Knowing that, it should not come as a surprise that Hoskins told Jeff Skversky of ABC News that he was looking forward to moving back to first base.

In 2018, Hoskins committed six errors and posted a fielding percentage of .976. He also posted a -3.6 defensive WAR. That is the fourth-worst fielding percentage posted by any outfielder and is by far the worst defensive WAR in the major leagues.

A move back to his natural position will certainly improve those issues. If Hoskins felt himself thinking about how to field or an error he made while he was batting at times last season, the move may even prove to be beneficial to him at the plate.

The move also opens up a third outfield spot to start Roman Quinn, Aaron Altherr or perhaps a big name free agent who could play in the outfield. Whoever ends up playing there, fans should be happy to know that the Phillies players are happy and that the defense has already been improved at two positions this offseason.

Posted by on 12/07/2018 | | Comments (0)

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