The Energy We Needed

This week felt like a turning point… or at least the kind of moment this city’s been waiting for.

There’s finally some life, some energy, and something to get excited about again, but not everything is trending in the right direction. One team is giving fans a reason to believe, another is still trying to figure itself out, and there’s no shortage of big decisions and bigger questions shaping what comes next.

We’re breaking it all down, reacting in real time, and trying to make sense of where things stand and where they might be headed.

As always, it’s real, it’s honest, and it’s exactly what you’d expect when you mix passion with Philly sports.

Transcript

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This city is never short on emotion, where the highs feel like everything and the lows feel like they're lasting forever. And right now, we're riding both. There's energy back in the city, there's frustration boiling over, and there's no shortage of opinions on where things are headed next. Some things finally went right, some things still don't make a whole lot of sense. But that's Philly Sports. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and let's talk about it. This is Brotherly Love Sports. And we got a lot to dig into. The Flyers took out the Penguins, game six at home. Great way to end the series in front of the fans. And what a hell of a game it was. Back and forth. Goalies absolutely stood on their head. Give it to Vladar. Had an excellent, excellent game. And they needed him to. He didn't allow anything easy. He made all the stops he needed to, and then some. And I gotta be honest, in that overtime period, players are looking gassed, and for a minute, it was not looking good for the Flyers. Credit to them. They stuck with it. Uh towards the end, Tippett makes a great move towards the net. Martone gets a beautiful rebound and just couldn't bury it. And from there they they peppered them with a three or three or four more shots, three of which I think were blocked. But the stake composed in the ensuing face-off, Cam York just buries it home. And as JJ said on the broadcast, rather fitting that another player got their first ever goal in the playoffs. So the Flyers are moving on. Thank God that we got some life back into this city. Because for a second there, the doubt starts to creep in, especially when you lose back-to-back games to the Penguins. So in the second round, the Flyers will take on Carolina, who swept the Senators. And you got to wonder what's going to play out here, especially to start off the series. Is it going to be Carolina got that extra rest? They're going to come out fresh, ready to go. Or is this energy that just carried Philly to a first round win gonna continue to persevere through this series with Carolina? I gotta hope it does. Tacket's got to have a few words of encouragement, and we'll we'll see. Or maybe he'll just keep it simple as fuck everybody. Either way, I'm excited. Playoff hockey is back. The Flyers are taking a big step forward, regardless of what happens, but God is a dude. Is it just exciting? They really needed this win. Not just for tonight to win the series, but they needed this series win. This just provides this jolt of just excitement for things to come. And while I truly believe they will, even if they don't beat Carolina, this this team is scrappy enough to give Carolina a run for their money. The last few games, Tockett's played around with the with the lineup. You know, game five, he he sat michkov, and you you always question how that's gonna affect a young player. Are they just going to sit on it and sulk? Or are they gonna come back and have this pep in their step and this drive to want to make an impact? And I think it had the exact effect that everybody was looking for. He came out tonight, first shift, looked good, was hustling towards the puck, was making good decisions. He he had a good game. I can't say anybody outside of the goalies had like an amazing game, but the players that you needed to play well did. And credit to to the to the defense as well. They towards the end of the game, yeah, looking gassed. I mean, they they played just about four periods of hockey. That's that's a lot of time on the ice. And only short breaks in between. But the defense did just enough of what they needed to do. They cleared the pucks out of the zone, even though there were times where it was like, yeah, you need to do better. But even as I say that, it's like, well, hey, they did it. We're moving on. All right. Enough about them. I'm just gonna soak this in. We're gonna enjoy the moment. We're gonna move on to the next big topic. The Eagles. So let's run down their draft picks. Round one, number 20. Makai Lemon, wide receiver, USC. Just to be upfront about this, I didn't do a lot of research on who they were targeting, or to be honest, any of the players that they actually drafted. I I usually save that for a training camp. Because coming out of college, yeah, you're you're gonna have speculation and stuff. I don't watch enough college football to be this critical of them. But taking Lemon with their 20th overall pick tells me a couple things. First of all, I I think they wanted to draft an offensive lineman, but the guys that they were going after were taken well ahead of them. Uh, I think there was a guard from Penn State that they that they really liked that they were hoping to get. And I think he went in like the mid-teens. So I guess the the next thing you do is take next to available or next best available. But I don't know that they liked any of the remaining offensive linemen to to use their first pick on, which still kind of surprises me that they didn't draft maybe a little more defensive help because you they need another edge rusher. I know they uh they they signed an edge guy, or traded for an edge guy, rather, and then signed him to an extension. The uh the consensus there is that this dude is gonna be better than Jalen Phillips. Uh, he's certainly cheaper. I I think the the Panthers may have overpaid for Phillips, but either way, drafting Lemon tells me that they didn't like any of the offensive linemen at that spot. Not only did they trade up to get him, which was a surprise, that tells me that AJ Brown's time is probably coming to an end post-June 1st in order to save some cap money. All signs indicate that he's gonna go to the Patriots. Now, I'll that's one of those, I'll believe it when I see it, because God knows how he will work something out, some way, somehow. I I pitched weeks ago that you could theoretically trade Brown for Max Crosby, and at the time I pitched it, financially, it didn't make sense. Since the Ravens have now backed out, I think that hurt Crosby's overall trade value, which plays in favor to the Eagles. Now, Brown is still still has a lot of value, and them drafting Mendoza with the number one overall pick. Yeah, you give him another target to throw to, I think it could be a win-win for both sides. You might have to sweeten that deal just a little bit, but I would love to see how he just work his magic. Anyways, with their second pick at number 54, they drafted Eli Stowers, a tight end at a Vanderbilt. Definitely a big need. I I think Goddardt's time here is coming to an end sooner than later. The injury bug has bitten him over the last few seasons. When he's healthy, one of the best players on the field. But I can I can see why they would have taken the Stowers. In the third round, number 68 overall, they took Markel Bell, offensive tackle out of Miami, potentially Johnson's replacement. Good pick. Uh I, you know, bit big dude. Definitely, definitely, I think he's gonna make an impact. I I could see him getting some rotation rotational starts once the season comes. Well, we'll see what happens. Now, they didn't have a fourth round pick. In round five at 178, they took Cole Payton, quarterback out of North Dakota State. That is a real questionable pick. You still have Hertz. Granted, he's due for a contract extension, so you don't know if he's gonna earn it this season or not. I understand maybe wanting to draft a quarterback for a just-in-case moment, but you still have Tanner McKee. You sign Andy Dalton, and if I'm not mistaken, I think Kyle McCord might still be in the mix. Regardless, you now have a rather crowded QB room. If you were going to take a shot at a QB, and especially a North Dakota State one, I don't know, maybe wait until round six, round seven. I would I would have loved to have seen what the discussion there was. Um I wish I could have been in the war room for that one. But moving on. Round six at 207, they took Micah Morris, offensive guard out of Georgia. Another good pick with the question of Dickerson remaining here after this season, because we didn't even know if he was going to come back for this season. That's potentially his replacement. I still think they need some more, they need more depth on the offensive line, but I I like those, the two picks that they that they got out of this draft. Round seven, they had three picks. Uh 244, they took Cole Wynitsky. Wisnitsky. I'm probably butchering that last name. He was a safety out of Texas tech. Good pick. They definitely need another safety. Uh, with the 251st pick, they took UR Bernard. This this guy. He's part of the international pathway. I'm sure most of you have probably already heard about him. But in case you haven't, he has never played a down of football. He is 6'4, 306 D-tackle. He ran, I think it was a 4'5 or a 4'6 at the Combine. Just an absolute beast of a human being. Oh, by the way, he has, I think, 6% body fat, maybe less. The guy for his height and size is like inhuman. And he's a D-tackle. I don't know if that he stays as a D-tackle. He's he's got the, you just look at him, he's got the build of being an edge rusher. They might try to transition him out there. Um, it was I I think Michael Strahan might have mentioned he's never played played a down of football. So he has no bad habits that you need to break, which like is perfect for them. I I just can't wait to see what Vic Fangio does with him. I I think he's gonna be be an absolute force to deal with. And hey, he's not the first time that they've taken a player that's never played a down of football, albeit rugby very similar to football, but Milato was a project, and he's turned out to be very good. Rounding out their last draft pick at number 252 was Keyshawn James Newby, an edge out of New Mexico. They drafted an edge. I I also think that's a bit of a let's see pick. Um, they may not even sign him. That's that's one of those guys that you know that's like a here's an invite to camp or earn your spot on the roster. Overall, I'm happy with their draft. I I think Lemon and Stowers are great picks. Um true, truly, truly needs, especially if AJ Brown is no longer gonna be here. And I've heard Lemon get compared to Amon Raz St. Brown. And if he's anything close to that, no, they they just got a very good pick. I pray that's true because over the last few seasons it's been very hit or miss on their wide receivers. You took a flyer on Jalen Reger, and we saw how that that turned out. Yeah, you hit cash money with with Devontae Smith. But you had some other draft wide receiver draft picks, not as high in in recent years, but or the last two seasons, I guess. But those guys have so far been rather forgettable. The only real questionable pick is the QB in the fifth round. Um I'm not a fan based on who they currently have on their roster. Like I I'm not a Hertz hater. I think he needs to make better decisions. I I also think it doesn't help that we rotate coordinators every year, maybe two. But to have no consistent voice, well, show me a quarterback that actually thrives in a system like that. And now we will move on to the disappointment that is the Phillies. They are currently 10 and 19 on the season, 11 games out of first place. Uh, I guess at least they have a half game up on the Mets. Even saying that is depressing since the Mets are in last place. Prior to Saturday the 25th, they went 0 and 10. Lost the series to the Cubs at home, and then got swept by the Braves at home, and then on the road by the Cubs again. And had a rather forgettable series against against Atlanta in Atlanta. The only positive in Atlanta was Wheeler came back and they won that game. Offense picked it up a little bit and everything was good. I do think losing that that Atlanta series, though, was the final straw as they opted to fire Topper. Now, I don't think anybody would really dispute that 99.9% of the time when a manager gets fired, it is not due to their inability to manage the team. It's when the players are no longer playing the game effectively, thus resulting in what you see with the Phillies right now. But ultimately the manager is held responsible. And Thompson came Thompson came out and said that they he was rightfully held accountable, like they weren't playing up to their potential, and they just looked bad. Ironically, though, Don Mattingley having his first game on the 28th, which was Tuesday, they crushed the Giants 7-0. Game got postponed on Wednesday, so they're gonna have a double header today. But the only part I don't agree with firing Topper is for anybody that says his managing style is what caused is what's got them into the hole that they're currently in. It's not. I don't think he made any horrendous moves that were costing him games. He may not have been doing everything he could to help contribute to them winning anything, but he's certainly not the reason that they're losing. I the strikeout rate over that span was insane from top to bottom. He's not out there with a bat, you know, racking up all these strikeouts that that the team accrued over over that time. And when it came time to put in relievers in certain situations, I don't think he made the wrong move, but guys just weren't executing. I will say, however, sometimes you just need that other voice, something different in in the clubhouse. And hopefully, hopefully, Matting Lee is the guy that can provide that new voice that gets him back onto the winning track. I'm not gonna put a whole lot of stock into the fact that they beat the Giants 7-0 in Matting Lee's first game as manager. I I don't think that's the reason. I think it's because they're playing sub-500 ball right now, and I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say that this is the move that they've they've been waiting on to just jolt them to start playing better. That will remain to be seen. I do think Dombrowski needs to be on the hot seat next, though. He's the one that's put this entire circus together. And if they don't make the playoffs, he should be fired. Even if they do make the playoffs, because I at this point I don't see them making a deep run into the playoffs. Like right now, 11 games out is not impossible for them to come back from, but the Braves have been playing so well and having an 11-game lead, you you gotta hope they go on any sort of skid for you to even make up ground. Now, still way too early in the season, but since I can see where they're at for the wild card, they last time I checked, they were about six and a half games out. Behind some good teams. They were behind the Padres uh because the Pirates have been playing well up to this point, they were still behind them. Like they to get in via wild card, not impossible. To get in via winning the the division, eh, that's unlikely at this point. You need a lot of things to go your way. And I know there's still a lot of season left to play, but I just I don't have the confidence that I wish I I did. Got a little bet going with a with a few friends, and we were all all betting on how many games are the Phillies actually going to win this season. You got one friend that said 93, one said 91, another said 89, one said 87, one said 86, and I said 83. So some of us are a little more optimistic than others, and I should double check to see if anybody's feelings have changed. But it is that they like to try our emotions and continue to ensure that we maintain our status as a it's complicated relationship, them being the Phillies. So last week I did another question of the week, and I asked, Who holds the record for most interceptions in their career as an Eagle? And I apologize, I did not get around to posting on Facebook. It's my bad, I will do better. But the answer was, or answers, I guess I should say, because there was a three-way tie, was Brian Dawkins, Eric Allen, and Bill Bradley. All had 34 over their careers with the with the Birds. So with that being the answer to last week's question of the week, time for this week's. And since the Flyers are moving on to the second round, I'll keep it hockey themed. So who has scored the most five on three shorthanded goals in the NHL ever? The answer will be revealed next week. And don't worry, I will be sure to post it on Facebook this time. A side note, for those that don't know, I am in the Army. The Army still owns me, and I have a two-week training course starting Sunday. So I will do my best to try and either have a friend jump on and do the show for me, or if I'm lucky enough to get all my equipment out there with what I need and have the time to record a show for you guys, I will be sure to do so. Either way, if I cannot. Record the show. I will be sure somebody is here to do it. Give you all the content that you you guys love to talk about. And we will keep this thing rolling. That's gonna do it here for me on the Brotherly Love Sports Podcast. If you like the show, give me a follow, share me with another fan, come engage us on Facebook or anywhere else you feel like engaging us. And I will talk to you guys next week.