Grades for the Gridiron Gurus:

Brent Musberger & Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN/ABC): Hands down, the best broadcasting tandem calling football games today. Musberger is a legend. He has made some memorable calls over the years. And just hearing his voice means the game you are watching carries importance. Herbstreit, the former quarterback who could still pick up co-eds on any college campus, has a way of exhibiting his vast football knowledge without coming off as a know-it-all. Grade: A

Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf (CBS): This isn’t even the top team over at CBS, but they should be. Gumbel is quite possibly the most underrated football announcer out there. His calls are always spot on, and his energy matches the flow of the game. Dierdorf is a nuts and bolts analyst who has never tried to be anything he’s not. He breaks down the game the same way he played it. Tough and to the point. Grade: A-

Mike Patrick & Todd Blackledge (ESPN): While Musberger and Herbstreit are calling the headline college football game on ABC, Patrick and Blackledge make the call for sister station ESPN’s primetime affair. Patrick, who was solid in his former role on Sunday Night Football, is even better on the college game. Blackledge, who you can tell just loves college football when he speaks, is a very insightful color man. Although Blackledge’s weekly “Taste of the Town” segment may be a tad much. Grade: B+

Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer & Craig James (ESPN): You may be getting the idea that I’m a big college football fan, but they simply have better broadcasters than the pros. This trio, who call games on Thursday nights, are a great compliment to each other. Fowler is a seasoned pro while Palmer is a solid up-and-comer who will probably get bigger assignments in the not-to-distant future. It is hard to have a three man booth that doesn’t trip over each other, but this is that group. Grade: B

Jim Nantz & Phil Simms (CBS): The AFC’s top game gets called by this duo. They’re not bad, but they’re not great either. Nantz is a terrific golf announcer and is good on college basketball. But football is a distant third. Simms, whose hair is still stuck in the 70s, often seems like he’s trying too hard. And he loses points for his All-Madden rip-off Iron Man Awards. Grade: B-

Joe Buck & Troy Aikman (FOX): The so-called “A” team of FOX’s NFC package, Buck and Aikman are only slightly better than average. Buck lacks enough enthusiasm to be calling premiere football games. His style and delivery are much more suited for his natural sport of baseball. Aikman is a solid analyst, but often times gets repetitive in his analysis. Not to mention, he loses points for being a Cowboy. Grade: C+

Al Michaels & John Madden (NBC): John Madden is a groundbreaker in the world of football analysis. He was followed by a laundry list of wannabes who couldn’t match the original. But isn’t his schtick getting a tad tired? The answer is yes. Michaels calls a good game, but he just oozes arrogance. Grade: C

Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski & Tony Kornheiser (ESPN): Ron Jaworski may be an upgrade from Joe Theisman, but the compliments for this team end there. Tirico is not ready for primetime. And Kornheiser brings less than nothing to live football. It’s a shame because he is terrific in his role on PTI, but his doofus approach to the broadcast booth is annoying. Grade: D

Kenny Albert, Moose Johnson & Tony Siragusa (FOX): Kenny is a lesser version of his brother Marv. Moose is a lesser version of Aikman. And as for Siragusa, I just want less of him.Grade: D-

Pam Ward on college football (ESPN): No offense to women, but Pam Ward does no favors for female sportscasters of the world. Her manish voice—and look—are more suited for WNBA coverage. Grade: F

Machine's Healthy Living Tip of the Week

Kotite's Corner would like to introduce

Machine's Healthy Living Tip of the Week:

Core Strength

When working out, try to keep your core actively engaged...this will lead to better balance, stability and improve your overall performance. It is important to concentrate on core strength as this is where your power stems from...without sufficient core strength, your performance, no matter what the physical activity, will suffer.

Phillies Postseason Preview: Better Than Last Year?

When the Phillies clinched the NL East on the final day of the season last year, pandemonium was unleashed. The champagne flowed like Niagara Falls on a warm summer day. And deservedly so. It had been 14 years since Philly fans could cheer for October baseball. But the celebration was short lived. Four days after the postseason began, the Phils returned from Colorado the victims of a sweep.

But this year will be different. This team is better and more prepared to play in the fall chill. Let me explain:

Last year, the team—and the city for that matter—was just happy with getting to the postseason. A playoff berth was a win unto itself. So let’s chalk up last year as a learning experience. They got their first nibble, liked what they tasted, and now they’re back for a full meal.

The Phillies had the luxury of not playing catch-up the entire month of September this year. Coming back from 7 ½ games with 17 games to play took its toll on the 2007 club. No such hole this year. They even took a rest on the season’s last game. It gave them a chance to realize what they accomplished, celebrate and then get back to work.

The starting pitching is much better than it was a season ago. Cole Hamels’ durability issues were put to rest when the lanky lefty led the league in innings pitched. The Phils ace will start game 1 with a full week’s rest. Brett Myers, we hope, has gotten his bad starts behind him. And Jamie Moyer is the epitome of consistent.

The bullpen is experienced and ready to go. Brad Lidge anchors a bullpen who has been the anchor of this team all year. Even Ryan Madson seems ready to pitch in the postseason. JC Romero, Chad Durbin and Scott Eyre are all reliable arms with playoff experience.

And then there’s Ryan Howard. The big first baseman is hitting the ball better than he ever has in his short career. His 11 bombs and 32 RBI earned him player of the month honors, and put the slugger in the perfect mindset.

The keys to this series will be winning game 1, especially since Sabathia lined up to pitch game 2. Basically with Sabathia scheduled to probably pitch games 2 and 5, the Phillies need to at least win every game in which Sabathia does not pitch. Brett Myers will be a key, and hopefully can pitch well enough to steal a game away from Sabathia in Game 2. Rollins, Utley, and Howard will obviously need to hit, unlike last postseason, and the bullpen will need to continue to be strong and keep the Phillies in games.

Position for position (CC Sabathia notwithstanding) the Phillies have the edge in every match-up. From starting rotation to the bench, the advantage goes to Philly. This isn’t the Rockies who came into the postseason on a miracle run a year ago. This is the Brewers. They’re the Phillies of last year. They’re just happy to be there. And hopefully, like the Phillies, they’ll be swept.

TV Takes

THUMBS UP to Lee Corso. The elder statesman of ESPN’s College Gameday actually went against the crowd and picked a winner. The former coach, who’s mascot head gear picks usually fire up a crowd, went against the thousands of Georgia co-eds and picked Alabama. Corso drew boos for donning the elephant head of Big Al, but he looked like a genius when the Tide rolled the Bulldogs later that night. Kudos to Corso.

THUMBS DOWN to Fox Sports. When the Phillies clinched their second straight NL East title, the winning call was made by Tim McCarver. The bland former catcher—who infuriatingly kept mispronouncing Carlos Ruiz’s name—was all alone in the broadcast booth when Jimmy Rollins saved Brad Lidge’s perfect season. His call lacked the fun or excitement that Harry Kalas or even Tom McCarthy would’ve had. It just doesn’t seem fair that the local broadcasters who follow this club all season long are relegated to the radio when National TV comes rolling in.


THUMBS UP to the return of The Amazing Race. The best reality show is back for another trip around world. Before you lump this show in as “just another reality show”, give an hour and I guarantee you’ll be back every Sunday night for more.

Eagles Fall in Chicago

The Eagles came out flat in their game against the Chicago Bears, and drop to 2-2 on the season. Here are some "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" grades on how the Eagles played in their disappointing loss.

Andy Reid (Thumbs Down) - Andy Reid continues to come up small in big spots. He's not a good play-caller, he can't manage the clock, he doesn't challenge plays, and he doesn't make halftime adjustments. There were a couple plays that Reid should have challenged which may have turned the game around. Also, to not do a QB sneak from the one-yard line is ridiculous, and try to throw us some lame excuse about McNabb not being healthy enough to QB sneak, Funny how McNabb is apparently healthy enough for Reid to call 500 passes a game. Two short 4th downs in Chicago territory, and Reid runs out David Akers to miss 2 long field goals. Speaking of David Akers......

David Akers (2 Thumbs Down) - Akers gets 2 thumbs down for his 2 missed field goals. Half of the blame goes to Reid for kicking long field goals in a night game at Chicago, but let's be honest; Akers hasn't been in top of his game since around 2005-2006, and his best days appear to be behind him.

Offensive Line (Thumbs Down) - Had a couple false start penalties, and seemed confused when Chicago brought pressure from their linebackers. McNabb was sacked 3 times, and pressured numerous others.

DeSean Jackson (Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down) - Looked great at times, and looked like a rookie on others. Finally scored his first touchdown of the season on a great play down the middle in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, also dropped a few passes, and fumbled a costly punt return deep in the Eagles territory.

Tight Ends (Thumbs Down) - L.J. Smith sat out, which wouldn't have mattered anyways, since he is a bum, but Matt Schoebel, and Brent Celek didn't do too much. The most memorable play from the tight ends came when Schoebel blocked no one on the 4th and goal play, and let the defensive end come right in and make the stop on Buckhalter.

Turnover Ratio (Thumbs Up) - The Eagles won the turnover battle (again), and with the defense flying around creating turnovers, it looks like the Eagles should win most of their turnover battles this season, which will be a good thing in the long run.

Points Off Turnovers (Thumbs Down) - 6 points off of 4 Chicago turnovers is embarrassing. The defense was constantly put back out on the field, especially in the 2nd half, and came up with turnover after turnover. The offense just couldn't turn them into points.

Rory Segrest (Thumbs Down) - This is for one simple reason. The Eagles defense was shutting down the Chicago offense, and the Eagles had just kicked a field goal to make it 21-20. Segrest, the special teams coach, orders a short kick from Akers, which comes down at the 30, and the Bears run it to the 40. Only 2 first downs later, and the Bears are already in field goal range, and kick a field goal to make it 24-20. I understand the Bears have Devin Hester, but you can't play a game scared, and instead of being a girl and ordering a short kick, you should be firing your special teams unit up to actually go down field and make a freakin tackle.

Eagles Defensive Front 7 (Thumbs Up) - Probably the biggest thumbs up of the game goes to the Eagles defensive line, and linebackers. Just like Pittsburgh, the Eagles front 7 was in the backfield constantly. They never let Forte get going on the run, and they were constantly pressuring Orton. After a shaky first half, Jim Johnson make the necessary adjustments, and the defense played great in the 2nd half. Omar Gaither seemed like he was in the Bears backfield on almost every play. Same goes for Stewart Bradley. After getting burned for an early touchdown, Chris Gocong showed what he does best rushing the passer, and had a sack. Up front, Bunkley and Patterson did a great job stuffing the middle on run plays. Juqua Parker and Trent Cole were beating the offensive line around the edges, and each ended up with a sack a piece. The Eagles front 7 was the only reason the Eagles stayed close in this game in the 2nd half.

Asante Samuel (Thumbs Down) - Didn't play horribly, but unfortunately, when you signed as big a contract as he did, and you play on a team that is supposed to have a great secondary, you can't get burned on a touchdown pass, which Samuel did late in the first half. Samuel seemed to have good position on the play, but Hester simply ran by him, and Samuel stumbled slightly, and couldn't recover.

All in all, you can see more thumbs down than thumbs up, which is why the Eagles came out on the short end of a 24-20 decision. Bottom line, you just can't lose games like this when you have to play the Cowboys, Giants, and Redskins 6 times this year.

Hasta la Vista, Spectrum

Kotite’s Corner ventured to the Sports Complex campus Saturday afternoon to take part in the last NHL game to be played at the Wachovia Spectrum. After walking through the doors, I was automatically hit with memories that filled the hallways of the building. The ceremony prior to the game introduced 11 of the former team captains. Clarke and Primeau definitely received the loudest hootin’ and hollerin’. The cheering was infectious and all the fans gave a wonderful performance just like our “Fly-guys” did in the game. Of course one of the no-shows was Lindros. If I were him, I would not want to revisit Philly voluntarily either…chump! It’s better that he didn’t come, I know he would not have gotten similar warmth from the fans that the others received. All in all, the pre-game show was heartfelt and got the whole building ready to wipe the ice with the Hurricanes.

O.K., enough about that…. now for the game. A surprise entrance in the starting lineup, Gagne. It was great to see him out on the ice again; we all know it’s been way too long. Before he stepped out on the ice Gagne said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve played hockey and I need the extra practice”… “I feel good, but it’s going to take a while to get back where I was.” His performance proved these statements to be true. He didn’t look as sharp as I remember, but I’m confident he’ll find his groove very early on in the season. Our new captain Richards, showed us why he was awarded the big “C”, scoring two short-handed goals. Lupul and Coburn were responsible for the other two. Bryan Berard (tryout) chimed in with two assists, which is a great way to stay on the team. Sbisa, our number one draft pick this year, gave the impression that he was comfortable on the ice with the rest of our team and happy to be a Flyer. Biron had 25 saves and his moves were interpreted as quick and intelligent, confirming depth in that department. Overall, we played a very physical game (several hard hitting fights were witnessed) and it’s nice to see a fire lit under our butts before the regular season starts. Hopefully we’ll be able to carry that attitude throughout the whole season and not have the mid-end of the season slump that we’re so familiar with. Unfortunately, we lost to Carolina on Sunday, which puts us in second place behind Pittsburgh and ahead of the dreaded Devils. Our official season starts on October 11th at 7:00pm against the Rangers. GO FLYERS!

The Philadelphia Sepctrum: home to a combination of 10 NHL and NBA playoff championship series including two Stanley Cups (1974 & 1975) and 76ers Championship victory (1983), March Madness memories like the 1992 NCAA East Regional Final (site of the famous last-second shot by Christian Laettner of Duke to beat Kentucky) along with hosting the NCAA Final Four (1976 & 1981), the Broad Street Bullies, stars such as Dr. J, Bobby Clarke, Charles Barkley and Ron Hextall, two Calder Cups, Flyers vs. Soviet Red Army, and 53 sold out shows from the Grateful Dead. Thanks for all the good times and many memories, you’ll be missed.

Eagles Visit Bears Sunday Night

The Eagles travel to Chicago to face the Bears in a nationally televised Sunday night football game. Some have said this is a trap game after coming off the big win against Pittsburgh. The Bears have shown the ability to stop the run fairly well, but have yet to show the ability to stop the pass. Donovan McNabb, and Brian Westbrook have yet to practice this week leading up to the game. McNabb says that he is going to play, but it is a little less certain as to whether Westbrook will be suited up on Sunday. Either way, Correll Buckhalter has shown the ability to step into the starting halfback role, and do a good job. He can do all the same things that Westbrook can, just not on the same level. Then again, not many people are on the same level as Westbrook. In the passing game, if McNabb is healthy, look for him to spread the ball around again. Reggie Brown is getting closer to 100%, and even Kevin Curtis has been practicing this week. Look for Hank Baskett..... sorry HB3, to catch some more big passes.

The defense should have another solid game as they play a young quarterback in Kyle Orton. The Bears also have a young running back, Matt Forte. Forte leads all rookie running backs in rushing yards, however, our Eagles lead the NFL in rush defense through 3 weeks. If the defense can force the Bears into 3rd and long situations, look for Jim Johnson to bring the pressure, just like they did against the Steelers. The Eagles defense should be able to shut down the Bears, and hopefully take the pressure off of a banged up offense. The Eagles take on the Bears on NBC Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Top Fictional Seinfeld Movies

The show Seinfeld has given us so many classic moments and memories from all of their great seasons. We decided to make a list of the best fictional movies referenced in the show.

1. Rochelle Rochelle – The tagline pretty much says it all - “A young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk.” How can you honestly go wrong with a movie like that. Kotite’s Corner maintains that if this were made into a real movie, it may be one of the greatest of all-time. This movie is mentioned multiple times in multiple episodes. George rents the movie in the episode “The Smelly Car” and hides from Susan the fact that he rented it. The video ends up costing George $95 when it is stolen from Jerry’s car because the window was left open to air out the BO. This movie was so popular, it was made into a Broadway musical, starring Bette Midler. Elaine sums up the movie, and men in general best, when she states, “Men will sit through the most boring pointless movie if there’s the slightest chance a woman will take her top off.” Any man who says they have not done that before is a liar.

2. Chunnel – Another movie which is mentioned in a few episodes. The name of the movie comes from the plot, which involves an explosion in the Channel Tunnel. The plot also involves the President’s daughter being trapped in the Chunnel between England and France. Jerry is unable to follow the plot, and discusses with Elaine in the movie theater, which causes Susan to get angry and break off her friendship with Elaine. The tagline for the movie reads “Chunnel: 32 Miles of Hell.”

3. Sack Lunch – Sack Lunch first appeared in the episode “The English Patient.” This movie was released the same day as the English Patient, and Elaine’s desire to see Sack Lunch is ignored by her boyfriend, who insists on seeing The English Patient. Elaine eventually sees the movie by herself, and later, while travelling to Tunisia, Elaine is happy to hear that the in-flight movie is Sack Lunch. Elaine wants to see the movie to see if the people on the poster for the movie were shrunk down, or if it is just a giant sack. The film is a reference to comedies which have large commercial appeal, however bad critical responses, as opposed to movies such as The English Patient, which earn large critical acclaim and Oscar nominations, but have little popular influence.

4. Death Blow – This is a film that appeared in the episode “The Little Kicks.” After Jerry finds out that Kramer’s friend Brody is bootlegging the movie, he talks to Kramer outside the theater. When they hear a loud explosion, Kramer yells “Ah man, we’re missin’ the death blow!” They both run back into the theater. Jerry bootlegs the movie, and becomes a bootlegging legend. The tagline for Death Blow, delivered by Kramer is, “Death Blow: When someone tries to blow you up, not because of who you are, but for different reasons altogether.”

5. Cry Cry Again – Also seen in the episode “The Little Kicks,” this movie is described as an “arty movie.” Kramer bootlegs it after Jerry refuses to do so, and is seen laughing hysterically in the theater while watching it. Elaine tapes over the movie with her dancing, and when Jerry and Kramer are forced to give the bootleg copy to Brody, they say that when observing the film, “You cry, then you see the dancer, and you cry again.”

6. CheckMate – Appears in the episode “The Movie” and is about chess and intrigue. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer all try to meet up to see the movie together, but due to a series of problems, 3 out of 4 of them end up watching Rochelle Rochelle independently. While in the movie theater, you heard the following Oscar-worthy dialogue come out of CheckMate—

Larry David: I didn’t know you enjoyed chess, your majesty.

King: Why wouldn’t I?

Larry David: Because the king is always in jeopardy.

King: Yes, but it’s only a game.

Larry David: (suspiciously) Yes, of course…. only a game.

That’s gold.

7. Prognosis Negative – This film is mentioned in many Seinfeld episodes. In the episode “The Dog,” George and Jerry go to the movie originally, and Jerry hates it, but does not tell Elaine he went and saw it. Jerry is then forced to go see the movie at a later point with Elaine. Prognosis Negative is supposedly about a man who receives a negative result on a medical test, which he mistakenly believes to be a bad thing.

8. Firestorm – This movie is mentioned in a few episodes, and is a blockbuster action film, starring Harrison Ford. Jerry mentioned at one point Harrison Ford “jumped out of the plane and was shooting back up at them while he was falling.” An “underwater escape” is also mentioned as having taken part in the movie. Because George just got engaged, Susan does not want to see the movie, and George is forced to go see The Muted Heart instead. After the movie, George sees Jerry discussing how great the film was with another person, as Firestorm was let out at the same time. In the episode “The Rye,” Firestorm starts an argument between Mr. Ross, and Frank Costanza, and Mr. Ross begins talking about it at a dinner party, and Frank Costanza yells that he hasn’t seen it yet, and likes to go into a movie fresh.

9. Flaming Globes of Sigmund – The movie appears in the episode “The Heart Attack,” when Jerry wakes up from a dream about a sci-fi film, and scribbles on a piece of paper “Like flaming globes of Sigmund.” He thought it was funny at the time, but spends the rest of the episode trying to figure out exactly what it means. Jerry turns on the TV and finds Flaming Globes of Sigmund on, with the dialogue, “It’s just as you prophesied. The planets of out solar system, incinerating. Like flaming globes, Sigmund. Like flaming globes. Ah ha ha ha..” (Voice of Larry David).

10. The Other Side of Darkness – This movie appears in the episode “The Comeback” and is a direct-to-video release about a female coma victim and her husband. The film is very long and ends with the coma victim regaining consciousness. Kramer rents the movie and the movie impacts him greatly. He visits a lawyer to deal with the possibility of being in a coma. He then sees the end of the movie, at which point he revokes his living will. He goes to the lawyer, however, the lawyer is at his tennis lesson. When Kramer goes to the tennis club, a ball machine is mistakenly turned and ends up firing at Kramer’s head at top speed, putting Kramer in the hospital. While Elaine is visiting, she looks for an outlet for the VCR, and pulls a giant plug. Kramer wakes up and thinks that his plus has been pulled.

Love-Hate Rivalry

There are only a few real passions that most men have room for in their lives. Women, obviously, top the list. Then followed in no particular order by food, beer, and sports teams. You can love many women, have dozens of favorite foods and enjoy beers from around the globe. But to love one sports team means you have to hate another. So an Eagles fan must loath the Giants and Cowboys. And a Phillies fan must curse the Mets.

So why, as the Phillies close in on their 2nd consecutive NL East title, do I have this feeling that I actually want to see the Mets in the playoffs. I should be enjoying every second of New York’s annual September swoon. But instead, I go against all logic, and secretly hope that they grab the Wild Card.

On the surface this doesn’t make much sense. And believe me, it keeps me tossing and turning at night. But let me explain. The Phillies and Mets have a hated rivalry that is missing one crucial element: a postseason showdown.

All the great ones have done it. Where would the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry be without Aaron Boone’s homerun or the Red Sox historic 3 games to none rally? The postseason clearly makes a grudge greater.

A weekend series in June is nice, but a Phillies vs. Mets NLCS could stoke the flames of this heated rivalry. And wouldn’t it be sweeter if the Phillies slaughtered the Mets on the way to a World Series Championship!

Sun Shines On Thursday Nights

With the television landscape full of crap like “Opportunity Knocks”, “Big Bang Theory”, 4 hours of “CSI” and what seems like 7 different “Law & Order” varieties, there’s one show that must be seen.

You’ll have to flip over to cable to see it, but it’s worth the ride. Every Thursday night, a rag-tag bunch of losers-and I call them losers in the nicest sense-hang around their empty bar and stir up trouble. “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is the funniest show that nobody is watching.

It’s a show that doesn’t follow the standard sit-com format. You know, fat guy and hot wife bicker for twenty eight minutes before coming to an understanding right before the credits roll. No, this show dares to live on the edge, and in doing so, dares to actually be funny. The improve style banter is so funny that it needs to be watched twice.

Take this song from last season:
“Day Man / Fighter of the Night Man / Champion of the sun / You’re a master of karate and friendship for everyone”.

The lyrics may not make much sense at first glance, but take into consideration that one of the composers was hopped up on paint fumes.

So do us all a favor and swap from your been-there-done-that episode of “ER” and spend an hour over at FX watching the funniest show on television.

TV Takes

Weekend’s this time a year are wall to wall sports. From the college circuit to the pros, from the diamond to the golf course, there’s always something on. Here’s a quick re-cap.

THUMBS UP to Anthony Kim. The young American golfer actually made the Ryder Cup fun. With Tiger Woods still nursing a knee injury, Kim gave the gentleman’s game a much needed shot of adrenaline. From dominating his European counterparts to pumping up the crowd, Kim was surely enjoying himself. And thankfully, so were viewers.

THUMBS DOWN to the Emmy Awards. The annual gathering of TV’s best felt long, forced and awkward. Whoever came up with the idea of using 5 hosts is probably still nursing a hangover. Even the likeable Jeff Probst and Tom Bergeron couldn’t keep the ship afloat. The only highlight goes to Josh Groban whose trip down theme song memory lane was a delight.

Big Least

The Big 6. You know, the 6 conferences that make up the BCS. There’s the SEC, BIG 12, Big 10, Pac-10 and ACC. And then there’s the Big East. The Big East still holds a key to a BCS game in January, but one has to start questioning whether they deserve it. The conference was supposed to fall apart after Miami and Virginia Tech bolted for the ACC. As the Canes and Hokies struggled to find footing in their new conference, the Big East stood tall. The 8 team conference routinely grabbed the national spotlight with the likes of Rutgers and South Florida. But one glance at the Big East these days, and one has to wonder if they’re even better than the MAC.

West Virginia began the year as the hands down favorite. And it only took two weeks before they fell from the National Title picture. A dismal performance against East Carolina was followed up by rocky mountain loss in Colorado. The precipitous fall seems only to have just begun. Where are you Rich Rodriguez?

Remember “Pandemonium in Piscataway”. Two years ago, coach Greg Schiano was the coach of year for restoring fight to the Scarlet Knights. Now, he’s trying to keep his winless team from fighting each other. That’s directed at you Mike Teel!

South Florida and UConn appear to be the best of the bunch. But consider this: The Bulls barely slipped past interstate rival Central Florida—a middle of the pack Conference USA foe—and UConn needed late heroics to escape both Temple and Baylor, two perennial bottom feeders of the FBS. Can you imagine how they’ll fare in a Bowl game against a real opponent like Oklahoma or Florida!?

There is good news for fans of the Big East. Basketball season is just around the corner.

Eagles Drop Steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles won a tough, defensive game on Sunday at home versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles improved their record to 2-1 with the victory. Kotite's Corner was live at Lincoln Financial Field for the big game to watch the Eagles defense put together one of the most dominating performances in a while. The Eagles won the game 15-6, as the defense held Pittsburgh to 2 field goals, while recording 9 sacks, 2 turnovers, and a safety. Brian Dawkins sealed the deal in the 4th quarter stripping the ball from Roethlisberger while diving, and also recovered the fumble himself. On offense, Donovan McNabb did well against a tough defense, and managed the game well in the 2nd half to ensure a victory. Correll Buckhalter scored the only touchdown of the game on a 20 yard reception early in the 2nd quarter. The touchdown pass to Buckhalter was the 176th of McNabb's career, passing Ron Jaworski into 1st place on the all-time Eagles record for touchdown passes. Hank Baskett caught numerous big catches, a lot for first downs. Brian Westbrook left the game with an ankle injury, which as of right now, does not seem too serious. Right now, they are reporting an ankle strain, and he could miss a couple weeks.

Either way, if you combine the Eagles offense in the game against the Cowboys, and the Eagles defense in this game, you are looking at one of the best teams in football, and a team that can go very deep into the playoffs. The Eagles come back next weekend with a game at Chicago on Sunday night.

Eagles try to Bounce Back vs. Steelers

The Philadelphia Eagles will try to get back on the winning track on Sunday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers (2-0) have looked good this season, and have established themselves as one of the teams to beat in the AFC this season. The Eagles look to bounce back after their deflating loss to the Cowboys. There are some reasons to feel good and bad about this game. We feel that if the Eagles can control the Steelers running game, which they have shown they are capable of doing in the early season, that we can win the game. If you put the Steelers in 3rd and long situations, then you bring the pressure on Roethlisberger, you can shut down the Steelers offense. The Steelers are effective when they can establish the run, because they then like to run, run, run, play action over the top. The Steelers also have a very strong run defense, so the Eagles need to find ways to get Westbrook out into the open field, with some screen passes, and maybe spreading him out wide. There are some things to consider when going into this game however. The Eagles never play well a week after they play the Cowboys. The Eagles never play well a week after they play on Monday night. Andy Reid's record as head coach of the Eagles against AFC teams that make the playoffs is 0-13. So it should be a good early season test, it would be good to get this win, as there are some winnable games on the Eagles schedule after this game. The game will be nationally televised on CBS Sunday at 4:15.

Mike Richards will lead the Orange and Black

Mike Richards was named captain of the Flyers. He will be the captain of the team for the next 10 years. To read more, check out the philly.com's article.

We are pumped at Kotite's Corner for Mike to lead this young talented team.

Best band right now in Philly. Even Kanye likes them

Dr. Dog released their 5th album, "Fate" a few months ago. We are really digging it at Kotite's Corner. Great follow-up to their last album "We All Belong." Take CNSY, the Beatles, and Beach Boys and give it a philly flavor and you have Dr. Dog. Enjoy the video for The Ark!


Dr. Dog "The Ark" from Adam kurland on Vimeo.

Kanye blogging about the video

The Wii Lebowski / The F*ck Lebowski

Celebrating 10 years of the Dude

Eagles fall in Tough Defeat at Dallas

Well this game had a little bit of everything, and unfortunately, the Eagles came out on the short end of this game. The Eagles lost a heartbreaker in Dallas to the Cowgirls 41-37. The Eagles played well, but also made plenty of mistakes. The Cowboys have multiple weapons on offense, and when one of them isn't playing well, the others usually are. On this night, the Eagles had a hard time containing Jason Witten, and keeping T.O. out of the end zone. Sean Considine jumped a route and T.O. ran right past him for a long TD. They said there was a communication issue on that play. The only communication issue I saw was someone telling Considine to go into the game. Dawkins was burned by T.O. on his 2nd TD, Bradley was burned by Barber on a receiving TD, both on single coverage. Dawkins, it pains me to say, was a step slow all night. The defense did do a good job against the run, but couldn't get any sacks on Romo. There were some pressures, but when the Eagles only rushed their front 4, Romo had all day. All of those mistakes aside, the Eagles had a 3 point lead with 9 minutes left at midfield, 1st and 10, and a botched handoff gave the Cowboys the ball to go down the field and take the lead for good.

Overall, this was definitely a disappointing game, but there was some stuff to build on. McNabb looked good, and DeSean Jackson, who still has 0 career TD's, looked good. Either way, the Eagles look like one of the elite teams in the NFC, and probably the entire NFL. It doesn't get any easier, the Eagles (1-1) come back with a short week to play the Steelers (2-0) at Lincoln Financial Field.

It's a celebration bitches

Hated former Phil Billy Wagner is out for the season, and possibly done for his career.

Quantum of Solace Preview

Trailer of the newest James Bond movie projected to be released later this year. But more importantly, see the newest bond chick, Olga Kurylenko below. Enough said.

Let's Get Ready for Monday Night

Tony Simpson, I mean Romo led the Cowboys to a convincing victory at Cleveland, while the Eagles destroyed the hapless St. Louis Rams last week. The offensive and defensive lines will be the key to this game and it is imperative that both offensive lines give their QB time to throw the ball. Also how the QBs react when they are pushed out of the pocket will be a key to victory. The Eagles need to mix the run and pass well, and use a lot of screen passes when the Cowboys (Ware) rush the passer. The Cowboys throw the ball very effectively no matter what, if we can keep that even to their average, we need to shut down the rush game, and control the line and the clock. Eagles need to put pressure on Romo, he has shown that if you put pressure on him, he starts to play poorly and get flustered. Trent Cole should provide much needed pressure and Jim Johnson should blitz the young LBs to knock over Romo. Covering Jason Witten, with a combination of Omar Gaither, and a safety will be key to the Eagles stopping the Cowboys potent offense. The Eagles on the other hard, should try to get Westbrook out into space and create some big plays.

Either way, it should be a good game. And after the Eagles victory, in honor of DeSean Jackson abusing Pacman Jones up and down the field, Kotite's Corner will be going to the Philadelphia strip clubs to make it rain in honor of the player Pacman used to be before the Eagles came to Dallas. We would just like to make in known that any local Cowboys fans in the Philadelphia region are clear front-running idiots, and should leave our blue-collar, hard working town as soon as possible, for the swamp that is known as Dallas.

Start Lito?

We all know what has transpired this off season. The Eagles sign the top defensive free-agent Asante Samuel. In doing so, the Eagles pissed off their best, but often injured corner back, Lito Sheppard. I believe Lito has handled this whole situation well, even when owner Jeff Lurie brought up the random stat of YPA (yards per attempt). Lito hired Drew "next question" Rosenhaus, and as a Eagles fan I was sure he would not be on this team for the beginning of the season. Sure enough he is and we are the deepest team in the league at corner, with Lito coming off the bench. Before I make the claim I am about to make, I would like all the readers to know, I am a huge Sheldon Brown fan. Lito Sheppard should start Monday night and line-up against Terrell Owens. Lito has always matched up well against TO. I compare this to the time we had Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor as our starting corners. Troy Vincent was the better corner, but for some reason Bobby Taylor had Michael Irvin's number so they would always match up. Samuel and Brown should be our starting cornerbacks every game except the two times we play Dallas, then our starters should be Sheppard and Samuel.

Jackson vs. Jackson - Advantage: DeSean

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the season with a 38-3 win over the hapless St. Louis Rams. Even though the Rams looked like an average college team, the Eagles took care of business, and a lot of players showed us something. DeSean Jackson led the Eagles with 6 receptions for 106 yards. The Eagles had 3 receivers with 100+ receiving yards, while missing their #1 and 2 options, in Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown. Donovan McNabb looked very sharp, was given time to throw, and executed the game plan. Brian Westbrook did what he always does, and was very dangerous in the open field. Not only contributing to the offensive side of the ball, DeSean Jackson showed a new element on this Eagles team, and almost returned a couple punts for touchdowns. Jackson looks like he has the potential to be the next best small weapon in the game. L.J. Smith got in on the action with a touchdown, and should help in the red zone this season. Westbrook scored 2 touchdowns, and Tony Hunt, and Hank Baskett each added one.

The defense had 4 sacks, and seemed to be all over the ball on runs and passes. Stewart Bradley and Quintin Mikell most notably seemed to be in on almost every play. The secondary looked very good, almost had numerous interceptions, and Sheldon Brown setting the tone by knocking Steven Jackson's helmet off going up the seam. Torry Holt's name was hardly mentioned, which is a credit to the secondary, and most notably Samuel.

Overall, you have to love what you saw in Game 1, great way to start off the season. The Eagles (1-0) will face a much tougher text next week at Dallas (1-0).

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!

Giants Season Preview

New York Giants suck.
Over/Under: Giants season wins: 7.5
Over/Under: Stupid looks on Eli Manning's face when he comes back down to earth this year, and realizes he will never get back to where he was last season: 5000

Philadelphia Eagles Preview

Well that time has come ladies and gentleman. The NFL season is upon us, and the first regular season game of the season will be played in 2 days. For our Philadelphia Eagles, we open the season at home against the St. Louis Rams. With some high expectations, but many questions coming into this season, let's break down how the Eagles are looking right now--

Offense--
QB - Looks like a healthy Donovan McNabb here. With a healthy McNabb, you have an elite QB, who can make all the plays. The Eagles are solid with a healthy McNabb.
RB/FB - Obviously you have one of the best players and weapons in the league with Brian Westbrook. Correll Buckhalter always seems to do what is asked of him, and always seems to do well when he is in the game. I am excited to see what we get out of Lorenzo Booker, a guy who it looks like has a lot of speed and athleticism. You can use him in a lot of different ways, and hopefully create some mismatches. Tony Hunt, who won the battle at fullback probably won't get much time. The Eagles obviously don't use the fullback very much in their offense, Hunt may get some short yardage carries, or goal line carries.
WR/TE - What you would think would be the most important positions in an Andy Reid offense, seeing as how he likes to throw the football so much, is probably the weakest position on the team. Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, and DeSean Jackson aren't exactly scaring too many defenses. Curtis put up good numbers, but would be more effective if he could line up in the slot with an elite #1 receiver on the side. And now that Kevin Curtis is injured, the Eagles bring in absolutely no one. Reggie Brown is consistently average, and Greg Lewis is built about as big as me... and that's not a good thing. Jackson has showed promise and looks like he may be a good player, but he doesn't exactly have #1 receiver quality or size. At tight end, you have L.J. Smith, Brent Celek, and Matt Schoebel. I've heard that L.J. Smith is going to have a breakout season it for the past 25 years, and it still hasn't happened. Let's hope this is his year.
O Line - Pretty much the same as it has been in years past. Runyan and Thomas are old, but solid, and both should have at least 1 more good year in them. With Shawn Andrews head on straight, we have one of the best guards in the league. Herramans and Jackson are okay, look for Jean-Gilles to maybe get some playing time this season. They seem to be a very good run blocking offense line, and very good on screen passes. They are good at pass blocking, not great. Overall - The offense should be solid this year. With McNabb and Westbrook, any offense should be. We don't have a lot of weapons at WR, but we never have recently, and that has not stopped this offense from putting up points. The key to this offense will be how they perform in the red zone, which has to improve from how they were last season.

Defense--
D Line - The defensive line looks good on paper, and I think will be good on the field. Cole and Parker starting at ends, and Bunkley and Patterson inside. I would have liked to see what Abiamiri can do, and I think he will eventually be the starter over Parker, but in injured right now. With Laws and Howard coming off the bench to spell the starters, all should be well rested this year. Look for another double digit sack season out of Trent Cole, and hopefully Bunkley and Patterson, with another year playing together, can clog up that inside, and get some push into the backfield.
Linebackers - The linebackers are young, which usually means there are a lot of questions. Gaither and Gocong on the outside, and Stewart Bradley in the middle. Sure, Bradley looked great in 2 meaningless games at the end of last season, how will he look Week 2 Sunday night in Cowboy stadium. I do think Bradley and Gaither are very good. Gocong can be good if used effectively and rushing the passer. We don't want Gocong to be caught out in space with a running back coming at him.
Secondary - The secondary has been one of the bright points for the Eagles basically since Brian Dawkins has been back there. Dawkins, Sheppard, and Samuel are pro-bowlers, and Sheldon Brown is probably good enough to be a pro-bowler. Dawkins is past his prime, but is still very effective. At strong safety, Mikell has proven that he is a very good tackler, and good player overall. Samuel and Brown will start at CB, which is a solid position, with Sheppard coming on as the 3rd corner. Demps looks to be a solid young safety there.

Special Teams--
Punting - Sav Rocca will be the punter again. You gotta love a guy like him who is looking to tackle all the time. Had an average season, probably will have about the same this season.
Kicking - David Akers is a rock at the kicking position, and is a former pro-bowler. Unfortunately, his stats keep going downhill. He can still kick the ball a mile, if he can improve his accuracy, we will be fine here.
Kick Return - Quintin Demps is the starting kick returner, and looks to be pretty solid. He is a rookie, and will have his growing pains, but cannot be any worse than what the Eagles have gotten here in the past few years. I can't even remember the last time a kick returner took a kick past the 40.
Punt Return - This is where DeSean Jackson will make his name this rookie season it looks like. A guy with a ton of skill, unbelievable speed and athleticism, don't be surprised if Jackson takes a few punts to the house. Another position the Eagles have been getting nothing out of the past few years with Reno Mahe.

Coaching/Management--
Not a big fan right now of the coaching/management of the Philadelphia Eagles. Andy Reid values some positions and does not value others. Andy Reid refuses to change his style of play for anything, even to adapt to the players he has on the field. They are really cocky, and talk as if they have won multiple Super Bowls in the past few years, when they actually have won as many Super Bowls with the Eagles as I have. You have a pro-bowl corner who isn't even a starter on your team, and two 1st-round draft picks next season, and you can't even get a #1 receiver, Anquan Boldin, who has asked to be traded. Give me a break.

Overall--
All that said, I am confident heading into this season. I think McNabb will have a great season, and remain healthy. The defense will be frustrating at times, but I think will improve all season. The schedule has some easy games, and some games that will be tough. Every game against the NFC East opponents will be tough, but overall the NFC is wide open. Let's get fired up and ready for another football season. E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!!!!!!

Prediction--
Mr. Green: 11-5
Roget: 9-7
Kotite's Corner Philadelphia Eagles 2008 record: 10-6

Pitt-iful

The first Pittsburgh Panthers football game is in the books, and what looked like a somewhat easy win going into the game, turned into a disaster. An offense that never got on track, a defense that couldn't come up with the big play, and 4 turnovers proved to be the difference in a 27-17 loss to Bowling Green, dropping my Panthers out of the national rankings, and to 0-1 on the season. Nobody looked sharp in the game, from the players to the coaches, which I guess can be somewhat expected in the first game of the season, but not to the extent that it was. Pitt opened up a 14-0 lead early in the game moving the ball at will up and down the field. From that point on, we would be outscored 27-3 the rest of the game, in what was a painful game to watch for all Pitt fans. Stull was forced to throw the ball 51 times for 264 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. LeSean McCoy could never get it going, and ended up with 23 carries for 71 yards, and 1 TD. The play calling was equally as bad as the play on the field. Pitt punted twice from the Bowling Green 35, and punted in the 4th quarter on a 4th and 1 from their own territory while down 10. LeSean McCoy, who can carry the ball anyway he is asked, simply ran the ball up the middle every time he seemed to get a touch. With his speed, you need to give him carries to the outside, and he will most likely break one. Bowling Green has run a spread offense for the past couple season, yet Wannstedt stated after the game, "They gave us some unusual formations and we had a tough time adjusting to it." Are you freakin kidding me? It looked as if Pitt didn't do any game planning at all for this game, and was not ready to play.

The most obvious thing to say after this loss is to fire Dave Wannstedt, and even offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, both Pitt graduates. I am trying not to jump to these conclusions, although it is hard not to. Dave Wannstedt recruits very well for the University of Pittsburgh, yet can't seem to win. I know I sound like a broken record, but you have to give Wannstedt this season to see what he can do over a full season. This season can still be a success, I believe we can compete with anybody in the Big East, and can still be in a decent bowl game, which would be an improvement over the past few seasons. I place a lot of the blame of this game on the scheduling. It is simply not smart to schedule this game, even if it is in our back yard; only bad can come out of this game for Pitt. We win, no one cares, cause all we did was beat a non-BCS team that we should beat. We lose, and it is the biggest upset of the week. You don't schedule a very good non-BCS team if you can help it, it is common sense. For example, Pitt basketball played at Dayton last season. Dayton was a very good team, however, no one cares or knew it, because they are not in a major conference. If you don't win a game like that, even if the other team is very good, you are going to get destroyed by the media. Instead of scheduling a good non-BCS team, you schedule an average BCS team. We play Michigan State in week 1, and lose, it's not a good thing, but it's not real surprising, we lose to another decent BCS team.

Either way, it is a tough loss to swallow, and made for a tough weekend watching college football. We still have a lot of good games left, and plenty of time to get back in the mix in college football. Next game, 09/06 at home vs. Buffalo at 6 p.m. Let's hope this turns out a little better.