Bleacher Report - Articles by Dan Kane

Phillies' Charlie Manuel Will Bring Second-Straight Division Title

Dan Kane — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:30:12 -0500

I can tell you right now the Phillies will win the NL East.

But it will not be because of their lineup—which is the best in the NL, if not the whole MLB. And it will not be because the last two NL MVPs were both Phillies.

Also, the reason the Phillies will win the NL East is not because they have three fabulous young pitchers.

(Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, and Kyle Kendrick, for those who don't know.)

They will win their second consecutive NL East title because of one person: Charlie Manuel.

Now let me tell you, I was never Charlie Manuel's biggest fan.

When the Phillies hired him over Jim Leyland, who had won a World Series as the Marlins' skipper, I was disappointed. While the Phils could've hired a baseball genius in Jim Leyland, I—and many other fans—believed they just hired some hillbilly moron instead.

As you can see, his Phillies tenure got off to a rocky start with the local fans and media, and rumors about his job security persisted throughout his first three years as manager.

Many fans were disappointed when his Phillies teams choked at the end of each of his first two seasons. But his third season, 2007, was his best. His Phillies started off the season 4-11, and at that time, the question wasn't whether he'd get fired, but when.

But Charlie rallied his team. April rolled into May and the Phils appeared to be getting back on track.

Then the team lost reigning NL MVP, Ryan Howard for three weeks.

This was a devastating blow, but Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins carried the team through this. Everything went smoothly until August, when Utley, the Phillies' All-World second baseman, was lost for a month with a wrist injury. And he wasn't the only one.

Shane Victorino, the team's right fielder, and Tom Gordon, the Phils' setup man, both were bit with injuries. It seemed to be catching!

The Phils played well, but on September 13th, they were seven games out of first place, behind the New York Mets.

The magic that ensued cannot truly be described in words. To prevent a tirade, I'll have to make a long story short: the Mets choked, the Phillies stepped up and won their first division title since 1993.

Throughout this season, there were two common variables for the Phightin' Phils. First, Jimmy Rollins’ superb play, which earned him NL MVP honors.

The second variable was Charlie Manuel.

I speak for all Phillies fans when I say Manuel isn't the smartest manager in the MLB. He isn't the best strategist, and he's not the most articulate, shall we say, manager either. But he knows how to keep a team together.

While Manuel's predecessor, Larry Bowa, was at the helm, bickering and complaining was the club's signature. Scott Rolen, their All-Star third baseman, demanded a trade due to his distaste for Bowa and the Phillies' lack of commitment to winning.

Players hated Bowa, and his over-the-top style scared away free agents. When Manuel was hired as manager, this all changed.

Manuel was a father figure to the players, and was beloved by them. Manuel kept the Phillies together in 2007, while Willie Randolph, the cold-hearted manager of the Mets, screwed his team over with strategy and clubhouse bloopers.

Manuel's paternal presence breathed life into the Phillies, while Randolph's corporate attitude killed the Mets.

The Phillies will repeat their division championship, and it will be because of Manuel's excellent clubhouse management will save the Phils.

Plain and simple, it won't be the Phillies vs. the Mets. It will be Manuel vs. Randolph.

Philadelphia Eagles' Offseason Need: Part Two

Dan Kane — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:18:48 -0500

While the Eagles have some offensive needs that I have already written about, their real area of need is on the defense. The front seven had trouble getting to the quarterback last year, and the secondary was killed by big receivers like Plaxico Burress and Terrell Owens.

Defensive End

Trent Cole really had a breakout season last year, recording 12.5 sacks and earning his first Pro Bowl invite. The other side of the line wasn't so fortunate. Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard both proved to be big-time free agent busts, and neither is likely to come back next year.

Juqua Thomas showed flashes of brilliance, but was inconsistent and is no more than a situational player. Andy Reid likes to draft lineman, so Calais Campbell of Miami or Vernon Gholston of Ohio State could be options.

The team is unlikely to go after a free agent at the position due to the failures of Howard and Kearse, but Antwan Odom and Jared Allen could be there, which might entice the Eagles to go after one of them. The Birds might also go after Justin Smith of the Bengals if they don't want to spend big money.

Safety

Sean Considine was having another disappointing season, and then got injured. Quentin Mikel and JR Reed filled in nicely, but one must wonder if they are bona fide NFL starters.

Also, Brian Dawkins is one of the greatest Eagles ever, but took a huge step back last year and probably has only another year or two left in the tank. The team could look at Kenny Phillips, the safety from Miami to use their first rounder on, or look for a guy like Craig Steltz later on in the draft.

Free agent possibilities include Mike Doss, who has played well with the Vikings and Colts, the Saints' Jay Bellamy and the Giants' Gibril Wilson. Another option would be moving Sheldon Brown to play this talent-depleted position.

Cornerback

The Eagles have two true gamer corners in Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown, but Sheppard was injured for much of last season and Brown may move to safety, so the team may be shopping for a cornerback this offseason.

Sheppard and Brown are both undersized, and the Eagles' one big corner, William James, can't play. Seeing this, it should come as no surprise to learn that the Birds' secondary is killed by big receivers.

Drafting Aqib Talib, the big speedy corner from Kansas could put an end to that, but he'd help little next season. The team probably won't spend big on the position this year, so you might as well count out Asante Samuel. Signing someone like Marcus Trufant or Randall Gay wouldn't be impossible though.

Return Specialist

The bottom line is, the Eagles return game sucked. Reno Mahe is a total joke at punt returner, and Brian Westbrook is too important to the offense to risk injury at punt return.

The free agent class is traditionally weak at the position so the Eagles should look at someone like DeSean Jackson. Jackson would not only do wonders for the special teams unit, he'd also help out at receiver. If they want to wait until later in the draft to address the need for a return specialist, perhaps Michigan State's Devin Thomas could be the choice.

After looking through this and my previous article, one might believe that the Eagles have their work cut out for them this offseason. This is probably true; if the team wants to be competitive, the must spend money and use their draft picks wisely.

Philadelphia Eagles Offseason Needs: A Guide

Dan Kane — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:53:07 -0500

The Philadelphia Eagles came into the 2007 season with high hopes.

They finished it 8-8, out of the playoffs, and looking for answers.

Now the real work comes for Tom Heckert, Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagles Front Office.

Some offseason priorities should be:

Part I: Offense

Wide Reciever

Although Kevin Curtis had a fabulous year, the rest of the team's recieving corps disappointed.

Reggie Brown was Mr. Invisible for the first half of the year, and Jason Avant and Hank Baskett are situational recievers at best.

The team is in need of a true gamebreaker with excellent speed, and Bernard Berrian fits the bill. There are very few recievers who are as fast as Berrian, and he would benefit from having a real QB in Donovan McNabb after years of Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton in Chicago. D.J. Hackett has proven to be a solid #3 in Seattle, and would fit in as well. If the Eagles are really looking to make a splash, a trade for Chad Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald could be in the works.

Tight End

L.J. Smith was the disappointment of the year for this team, and although injuries slowed him down, the Eagles have to be disappointed in him and he won't likely be back next year.

Brent Celek, the rookie from Cincinatti, really showed some promise towards the end of the year, but one has to wonder if he is ready to be an NFL starter. The team should look to Dallas Clark if he doesn't re-sign with the Colts.

The Eagles don't really spend big money on free agent Tight Ends, so drafting someone like USC's Fred Davis or Missouri's Martin Rucker and having them split time with Celek next year would also be an option.

Part II: Defense and Special Teams coming soon.