State of the Phillies

No panic button, yet.

Momentum is an important companion to keep on your side. Coming into the All-Star break, the Phillies had the momentum and the "swagger" they've needed to spring them into playing winning baseball again. But, in a four game series against the below-average Cubs, the Phils lost three of four games. Roy Halladay, the ace of the pitching staff, was lit up for his worst start of the season and the offense is in a major funk. The only game they won in the series was handed to them by a circus inning lead by Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, who walked five in two-thirds of an inning.

While watching this club play, they don't seem like they're playing with any fight. Their at-bats aren't disciplined and their fielding has become sloppy, both aspects usually being strongsuits for the team. It looks as if they are trying to guess which pitch is coming and where the pitch is going to be, rather than just reacting. They're thinking too much in the field and making dumb mistakes. They don't seem relaxed and don't seem to be going out every night and just playing ball and letting their instincts take over. In the past, they've always seemed to play with a chip on their team shoulder. Whatever that is, they need to find it again, and fast. While I am not in panic mode quite yet, I'm getting dangerously close. It isn't just that they are losing games, it is the fashion in which they lose.

As bad as it seems, they are only five and a half games back in the division and only two games back in the wild card, and they seem to be hanging around. But play must improve if October baseball is in the plans. Here are a few concerns that will play into the fate of the 2010 Fightin' Phils...

Over the past three years or so, the front office has actually done a great job bringing in the right players during the season. Jamie Moyer, Tad Iguchi, Kyle Lohse, Joe Blanton, Matt Stairs, and Cliff Lee are among the talent Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro have brought to Philadelphia midseason. Not many other clubs can make the same claim. Well, its time to make another move because this team needs a jolt.

Amaro has said countless times that if he had to choose between pitching and an infielder, he would trade for a pitcher. But with a big contract, I don't see Roy Oswalt joining the Phils unless the Astros and Ed Wade eat some of the contract money. Even then, I don't think the Phillies have minor league talent the Astros would be looking for. Take a look at another man in that rotation though. Yes, Brett Myers. With a smaller contract, Myers has been pitching very nicely for the irrelevant Astros. He's got personality, energy, and a filthy curveball. And I would take him back. I'd rather have him than the Jeremy Guthries and the Jake Westbrooks of the world.

I listen to a lot of sports talk radio. There are many calls about dealing Jayson Werth for a big time pitcher such as Oswalt or Dan Haren. But what would Werth do for the Astros or Diamondbacks, who clearly aren't going anywhere this season. A free agent after the season, Werth would most likely walk from either team and all they would earn is another first round pick. If I'm a team like Houston or Arizona, I want top prospects in return for my ace, so if Jayson Werth is involved in a deal, a third team would have to be involved.

But don't be so quick to ship Werth out of Philly just yet. Apart from being the only right handed power bat in the Phils lineup, he brings the whole package to the game everyday. He can run, field, and throw. He provides protection for Ryan Howard, and if he ever gets back to his most successful approach to the plate (driving the ball the other way) he would become the feared hitter he was last year.

Even if Werth were to be traded, who do you replace him with? John Mayberry Jr. isn't performing well in the minors. And if blue-chip prospect, Domonic Brown, were to be called up, it would look like a panic move and all the pressure would be put on the kid as the hopeful saviour. He wouldn't have been eased into the Majors and if he fails, it could screw with the kid's head, which is a dangerous thing to mess with in this sport.

That assumption may not be any more obvious with the Phillies right now. If they can't find a way to relax and play their game, making the playoffs is going to be a reach. Although, I've seen this team do some extraordinary things and they're a tough team to count out.

2010 NFL Projections, Part I: The Bottom of the Barrel

It's July.  We're still weeks away from even being able to watch meaningless football, let alone the NFL regular season.  Fantasy football strategies and protocols are percolating, but almost all leagues are still a ways away from the unofficial drafting window, which lies between mid-August and Labor Day Weekend.  So with nothing real to sink their teeth into, writers and fans are left with a pastime as American as the game itself: speculation.  In the spirit of the season, I present to you the first installment of multi-part projection of the 2010 NFL Season.  We begin with the basement:


32. Buffalo Bills
Notable Arrivals: C.J. Spiller (RB), Torrell Troup (DT), Naaman Roosevelt (WR)
Notable Departures: Terrell Owens (WR)

No one circles the wagons quite like the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately for their fans, that doesn't seem to be a good thing, as the Bills haven't qualified for the playoffs since the Music City Miracle in 1999.  Between 2008's misleading 5-1 start, Leodis McKelvin's fumble to squander both a fourth-quarter lead and an upset bid against the perceived powerhouse New England Patriots last year, and questions surrounding the team's future in Buffalo, or lack thereof, the Bills organization has certainly seen better days.  What's worse, things seem like they could get worse before they get better, as Buffalo failed to address their most glaring weakness in the offseason. The carousel of ineptitude that is the Bills quarterback situation showcases a largely ineffective de facto starter in Trent Edwards, a young project that hasn't shown much through limited opportunity in Brian Brohm, and Levi Brown, a seventh-round draft pick out of Troy University.  Although Buffalo looks formidable in the backfield with the addition of C.J. Spiller to complement Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, the strengths pretty much end there.  Rumored to be heartbroken when the Broncos surprised most by drafting Tim Tebow late in the first round, Buffalo will struggle until one of their quarterbacks can raise their game to the professional level, or until they successfully draft one to be the future of the franchise.

***Projected Finish: 2-14 ; 4th in AFC East ; No Playoffs***

31. Carolina Panthers
Notable Arrivals: Jimmy Clausen (QB), Brandon LaFell (WR), Ed Johnson (DT)
Notable Departures: Julius Peppers (DE), Jake Delhomme (QB), Muhsin Muhammad (WR), Ma'ake Kemoeatu (DT)

Runner-up to the slot for the worst team in the league may be a little harsh for a Carolina Panthers club that won four out of its last five games to close out the '09 campaign, especially considering that two of those victories came against the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints, and the team they defeated to get to the big game, the Minnesota Vikings.  Undrafted quarterback Matt Moore and superstar wideout Steve Smith looked to be building a strong rapport, which led to substantial success on a team level.  That being said, this Panthers team is drastically different from the one that suited up Week 17 against those Saints.  I, just like you, witnessed Jake Delhomme transcend the limits of incompetence before he was benched in favor of Moore (or he got hurt, I don't remember.  I was going to look it up, but then I remembered I was writing about Jake Delhomme).  But, the fact remains that Delhomme was the leader of the team for the better part of seven years, including a surprising trip to the Super Bowl following the 2003 season.  Losing him, along with one of the most fierce pass-rushers in the league in Julius Peppers, will certainly shake up a roster that may not quite jell right away.  But back off the ledge, Panther nation, for there is a lot to be excited about here.  After almost every NFL team chose to pass on Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen for reasons ranging from stupid to just plain silly, the Panthers nabbed him with the 48th overall pick. Despite uncertainties about Clausen's attitude, his talent is very real, which is why many NFL experts and idiots who decided to make a sports blog when they were bored one day alike tend to agree that the Notre Dame product could catapult Carolina back to relevance sooner rather than later.  Hell, it could even happen this year.  Probably not, though.

Clausen (above) was probably the steal of the draft.  Unless he's actually terrible.

Image courtesy of Jacobx's Weblog (http://jacobx.files.wordpress.com)

***Projected Finish: 3-13 ; 4th in NFC South ; No Playoffs***

30. St. Louis Rams
Notable Arrivals: Sam Bradford (QB), Mardy Gilyard (WR), Bobby Carpenter (LB), Chris Hovan (DT), A.J. Feeley (LOL)
Notable Departures: Marc Bulger (QB), Isaac Bruce (WR), Alex Barron (OT)

The Rams are going to suck.  Moving on.

***Projected Finish: 3-13 ; 4th in NFC West ; No Playoffs***

29. Cleveland Browns
Notable Arrivals: Jake Delhomme (QB), Seneca Wallace (QB), Colt McCoy (QB), Joe Haden (CB), Sheldon Brown (CB)
Notable Departures: LeBron Ja Derek Anderson (QB), Brady Quinn (QB), Jamal Lewis (RB), Donte' Stallworth (WR), 

Not included above is probably the most notable arrival of all for tortured Cleveland...The Walrus.  Mike Holmgren's title within the organization is technically 'president', but I personally think 'emperor' is more accurate.  They hired GM Tom Heckert to help out in addition to deciding to keep Mangini on the sidelines, but make no mistake; This is Holmgren's show.  The Browns did exactly what they needed to do during the offseason by cleaning house and stockpiling draft picks.  They secured a temporary solution to their quarterback problem by bringing in Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace, both of which could be halfway decent.  They drafted Colt McCoy in hopes that after a season or two of tutoring from the veteran newcomers, he will be the future of a Browns organization that has been painfully irrelevant since it's reinstatement to the NFL in 1999.  The Browns know that to make any kind of noise this season will be highly unlikely, but the addition of McCoy and the stellar play from running back Jerome Harrison last season instills hope that the team isn't many years away from morphing into a contender.  The Indians traded away reigning AL Cy Young winners in back-to-back years.  And you certainly reserve the right to be incensed over the LeBron debacle, Cleveland fans.  But as for the Browns...try cautiously optimistic.

***Projected Finish: 4-12 ; 4th in AFC North ; No Playoffs***

Look for Part II later this week.

-TJ