Sports

[gardenman]

Nothing much to report for July as everyone is on vacation. DeSean Jackson's new show has aired its first episode and helps once again to show the world why Chip Kelly got rid of him. He made it clear he wasn't buying into Chip's way of doing things, so he's gone.

The Eagles signed a new offensive guard in John Moffitt. He's a guy who retired from football a couple of years ago, but decided to come back. He's been training with Jay Glazer in LA (as has our right tackle Lane Johnson) and despite other offers, decided to sign with the Eagles. I'm guessing he met up with Lane Johnson while training and Johnson recruited him. It seems like most of the Eagles are interconnected in some way now. DeMeco Ryans came and then brought in Connor Barwin, Jeff Maehl and others. Sam Bradford brought along DeMarco Murray and there are lots of other similar connections. Guys who have played with each other, who have each other's backs, who know one another, seem to be a big part of what Chip's trying to put together in Philly. Instead of six degrees of separation, there's usually just one or two for every player on the Eagles roster. It's making for a pretty tight and cohesive team unit so far.

This should be a pretty quiet month. At the end of the month the first training camps will open but between now and then we're in the doldrums of the NFL season. Any news that breaks in the first half of the month is likely bad news, so things being quiet is generally good.

[Harpa]

Thanks, gardenman, for posting Eagles news! Other than you, I've hardly paid attention to the changes.

I have a hankering to visit camp again, since they practice in my neck of the woods.

The biggest hope I ever have is that we win the division!

 Oh! so my question is, should I set my sights higher? 

[gardenman]

My 'no news in early July is good news' theory relative to the NFL was proven true yesterday when the NFL announced four big suspensions. The Cowboys gamble on high risk guys took a blow with the four game suspension of Rolando McClain. He was to be their starting middle linebacker. Now they've got to decide if they should move Sean Lee back inside or keep him outside and hope the backup middle linebacker can hold things together for four weeks.

The Chargers will be without Antonio Gates for four weeks too. The Jets lost Sheldon Richardson and the Packers Datone Jones. When there's breaking news about your team this time of year, it's very seldom good news.

[teganslaw]

DeSean Jackson has been with Washington for awhile, so it makes no sense to me why he now starts to criticize his former team. Does his dislike for Chip Kelly and the Eagles organization really run that deep? Whatever his problem is, he needs to get over it and focus on Washington. If he wants to show up Philly, he could play an outstanding game whenever the two teams meet.

Brandon Spikes pleaded guilty to hit and run accident and got probation. He also was uninsured. Who in their right mind owns a Mercedes Maybach and doesn't insure it? I can't comprehend what gets into some of these players.

No Colts have been suspended, at least not yet. The way things are going now, I wouldn't be shocked if it did happen. But, so far, so good.

[gardenman]

When the Eagles let DeSean Jackson go last year and then LeSean McCoy this year, many fans and the media were stunned and couldn't understand why they were let go. Both guys have now said more than enough to justify their departures. I suspect a poll of Eagle fans would have 90% (or more) saying both moves were good moves.

DeSean Jackson is using the Terrell Owens playbook. In your first year on a new team, play the role of solid teammate, get allies, have a good year, then create chaos afterwards. Expect to see him demanding a new contract about the midway point of this coming year. If the Redskins don't give him one, expect him to go on the warpath from the postseason through next year's training camp.

If I  had a Mercedes Maybach (and I've only ever seen one in my lifetime) it would not only be insured, but it would have a personal bodyguard (carguard?) with it and spend nearly all of its life in an air-conditioned/heated garage. They are very, very impressive cars. I'd be scared to death to drive it out on the road with all of the other idiots out there.

[teganslaw]

The Raiders' offensive coach has mentioned that Trent Richardson (remember him?) has lost weight and has shown quickness on the field. His weight was one of the problems Trent had in Indy: that, and he didn't seem committed to the team. There was no work ethic. I wouldn't be surprised to see him do better in Oakland. This is his last chance to get things right, and maybe he will finally come around.

I'll be paying attention to his statistics with Oakland. I would like to see him do well, but, on the other hand, thinking about the time he wasted in Indy when they needed him to perform and had such high expectations. It might be that there was a personality clash with the coaches in Indy. This season will tell.

[gardenman]

Now it's the Giants turn for bad news. Jason Pierre Paul, their defensive end, injured his hand trying to set off fireworks. The docs say his hand will be intact, but they're testing him for nerve damage. A good hand is vital for a defensive end. They've got to be able to grab the offensive linemen to move them, and if has to play one handed he'll be severely restricted in his capabilities.

[gardenman]

And now the Packers tight end Andrew Quarless has been arrrested for firing two shots into the air in Miami during a dispute. You always hate to hear news of your team breaking this time of year as it is never good.

The supplemental draft is coming up on Thursday and we could actually see a player drafted this year. Isaiah Battle the offensive tackle from Clemson is intriguing to a lot of teams. He seems to have a third round grade, but he's got some character issues.He took a cheap shot on an opponent throwing an uppercut and knocking the kid down. He was reportedly caught with drugs and thrown off the Clemson team. He's got good size, strength, and plays a valuable position, so someone's likely to take a shot on him, but I'm not sure he'll go before the fifth round. He's a guy who will likely need  a year or two of seasoning before he's ready to start and those character issues will offset his obvious physical talent. He could even slip all the way through the draft. I'm not sure any team will take a chance on him in the third round, but from the fourth round on, things could get interesting. If the Cowboys are still looking to load up on bad character guys, they may take a shot at him.

[gardenman]

The Giants have reportedly pulled a sixty million dollar contract offer off the table for Jason Pierre Paul and may be considering pulling the franchise tag from him depending on the extent of the hand injury he incurred. They've got to decide how much he's worth to them this year if he won't be able to play for a part of the season.

[gardenman]

The Jason Pierre Paul situation creates a bit of a problem for the Giants. They'd thought they could get him signed to a long term contract freeing up the franchise tag for Eli Manning if they needed it for next year. Now with the bad hand they've pulled their contract offer off the table and have to figure out their next move. If they don't get one of the two signed to a long term contract this coming season they could enter 2016 knowing they'll lose one of the two. There's only one franchise tag and the Giants would have two stars hitting free agency.

It's likely they'll have to over-pay one of the two now to free up the franchise tag for the other one. Agents for both players know the situation the Giants are in, and agents aren't known for their generousity to teams. Both agents will want the most money for their guy and the Giants will have to decide who to over-pay, or who they can afford to lose. If I was betting, I'd bet they'd be willing to lose Jason Pierre Paul over Eli Manning. Of course, if Eli has a bad year that could change things. It should be interesting to watch how all of this plays out.