BLOG: Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Pat Devlin, Paul Holmgren
By: Bill Campbell
It has been pointed out that the Eagles scored 4 touchdowns the other night in the first quarter before the Redskins made a first down. And I'm sure you've heard the question that if Donovan McNabb is worth that big new deal he received, what is Michael Vick worth – who is three years younger?
By now you have poured over all the things Vick did in that one game, that 88 yarder for a touchdown on the game's first play was just to get you interested.
It has been little more than a year since the Eagles signed Vick. He was a complete free agent, could have gone anywhere, and his signing hardly brought much applause inside or outside any area including here.
Andy Reid and Tony Dungy seemed to be the only two guys who thought it was a good idea. But there can be no doubt now that he has transformed what looked like a pedestrian season into one tingling with excitement. It is difficult to deny that the Eagles may be a solid Super Bowl contender.
Just imagine our area producing three championship contenders in the Phillies, the Flyers and the Eagles in the same season. Wow.
Penn State has continued its quarterback inconsistency, while a transfer player from Mt. Nittany is starring at Delaware. His name is Pat Devlin, who is in the running for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Delaware is 9 and 1, with a big one coming up this weekend against Villanova. The Main Line Wildcats have lost their last 2 games, back to back. Devlin, meanwhile, paced Delaware to victory over Massachusetts last week by throwing 4 touchdown passes to 4 different receivers.
The big money in sports this week was not restricted to one football player. The Flyers, who look solid indeed, just signed Jeff Carter to a contract worth $58 million. Last week they signed Claude Giroux to a 3-year extension worth over $11 million. Mike Richards and Danny Briere are also involved in long term deals. The Flyers have one of the best and, arguably, deepest and most talented group of centers in the NHL. That situation should extend well into the future. As they move into 2011 they have a payroll of $57.5 million for just 18 signed players and are approaching the league's highest payroll.
If we had taken a local vote for the most effective sports general manager somewhere around October 1st, Reuben Amaro would probably have won it hands down. The Phillies had a great summer selling out every game. But Paul Holmgren's superb job with the Flyers deserves much consideration on the ice and in the office. The Flyers, after all, did come within a game of winning the Stanley Cup.
Donovan McNabb didn't get all the sports money the other day. It just seemed that way.
