To the Playoffs... AND BEYOND!

That time of the year in the NHL is approaching fast. The time of year is approaching when even the most casual hockey fan gets excited for a month of intensity. And to get ready for this month of intensity and excitement, the Flyers decided to start practicing the one thing that wins series and wins the Stanley Cup: Defense.

"Follow me to the playoffs... AND BEYOND!"

As all of the complaints about Ilya Bryzgalov have come and gone, and all the critics have scrutinized one easy goal after another, there has always been one caveat to all of the complaints. That one caveat is the fact that the defense in front of either goaltender this year has not really been that amazing. We have a lot of talent at the position, but hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. And through most of this season, even though we have a lot of talent, it looked like we were getting outworked defensively. Whether we weren’t winning battles along the boards, blocking enough shots, or clearing away the garbage in front of the net, it just appeared as if our defense was slacking. As a result of this, it didn’t matter who was in net, there were going to be a lot of goals given up and a lot more offense needed to win games. We have the offense needed to win, but in the playoffs, teams are too good and goalies are too sharp to just try and win on offense alone.

Fast forward to February 28 versus the San Jose Sharks and you will see the beginning of the transformation that Peter Laviolette is trying to instill in this team. Since then, the defense as a whole has only given up three or more goals twice: a 4-1 loss to the Devils (Bobrovsky) and a 6-3 win versus the NY Islanders. Since that time, not only has the goaltending play gotten better, but the defensive intensity has gotten better too. It is easy to sit here and say that Bryzgalov is playing like the best goalie in the NHL right now (Even though he is), but the better answer may be that the defense as a whole is playing better. Laviolette has told these guys that it is time to get in playoff mode and practice the one thing that is proven to bring team championships: defense.

Now this isn’t letting Bryz off the hook just yet, because to be perfectly honest, he has let in a lot of easy goals throughout the year, but as the defense got better and his play started to improve, his confidence has gotten much better. The goalie position is as much mental as it is physical like any kicker in the NFL and if one is off, the other will be affected too. So for someone who is a philosophizer of sorts, the mental game is more important than his physical attributes. But a little bit better defense went a long way in fixing his game overall.

Another aspect going our way as of late has been health. Although we have had to battle through health problems much of the season (Pronger, Giroux, Timmonen…etc), we have battled through it and now are getting healthy at the right time. Angrej Meszaros is back from his injury, getting back in the groove and our new additions: Nicklas Grossman and Pavel Kubina, have added some much needed defensive depth that was lost with the Pronger concussion. Our forwards, especially Jagr, have had a couple of nagging injuries throughout the year, but all of them seem to be getting better at the right time as well, really hitting the peak of their performance.

Put all of these together with the youth and excitement some of our rookies are bringing to the games this year, and it is easy to see why we have a lot of steam going into the postseason race. Matt Read is easily one of the best rookies in the NHL this year who is 4^th among NHL rookies with 43 points (Second in Eastern conference to only Adam Henrique) and 2^nd among NHL rookies in goals scored with 21 (First in Eastern Conference).  Put him along with the speedy newcomer Wellwood, and our young Center Sean Couturier (25 pts, 12 G, 13 A) and we have some young ambitious legs on the ice all the time.

If all the rookies have a sophomore slump next year, we might be in trouble

 Let’s hope that with all of these things put together that this year is as exciting as and more prosperous than it was versus the Blackhawks just a couple of years ago. Maybe, just maybe, we can even end the drought that has been plaguing the city of Brotherly Love since 1975 and bring in Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Quick Hit: Demeco Ryans! (Cap)

The Eagles did what everyone said they needed to do - the Eagles landed the veteran linebacker that they needed to stabilize a defense that (frankly) needed help.

They have traded the Houston Texans  a 4th-round pick in this year's draft and swapped 3rd-round picks for Pro Bowl Lineback Demeco Ryans.

God Bless America... and Demeco Ryans

For many reasons, the twins are jacked about this move, and we'll tell you why.

The man has all the tangibles, stats, and accolades that you'd want in your starting linebacker.

      - Six-year veteran from the University of Alabama (Second round pick)

      - 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year

      - Two-time Pro-Bowl linebacker

      - All-time leading tackler in Houston Texans' history (636 tackles, 479 solo)

      - Durability (missed a total 10 games in his six-year career from one achilles' injury in 2010)

      - 6'1" 247 pounds!

Now, take all of that and throw it out the window. Let's talk about what really matters - his intangibles.

We can sit here all night and rattle off stats to make a man sound impressive on the football field, but what this defense really needed (and what it got) was a leader. This man is widely known in the locker room as 'Cap' to show the respect that he deserves as a leader on and off the field for the Houston Texans. He was a defensive captain and was very influential for the Texans. He helped lead a team to its first Division Championship in 2011, and a defense to a second overall ranking (4th in scoring defense).

You can say what you want about last year's defense, but it was not short on talent. What it was really short on was leadership and a guy to pull them all together.

This defense has been looking for a guy to take the reigns like the incomparable Brian Dawkins ever since his departure. Now, we're not suggesting he's the second-coming of B-Dawk, but for all of our sakes, let's hope that he is (or at least a guy that will do the trick).

Andy and the boys made a great move today. Well done.

Last Laugh for Personal Friend-of-the-Blog Andy Reid? Let's hope so... 

Demeco, welcome. Get ready for a Super Bowl run. 

P.S. For those of you twitter people - Here's the newest person you should be following... @DRyans59

TebowMania?

The rumors have spread; all the idiots have given their own opinion, and now its time for these idiots to give an opinion as well.

Just thought of a positive: Looks AMAZING with his shirt off.

As some of you may have heard this guy… Peyton Namming… or something like that, signed with the Denver Broncos today. While normally that would be the most important news in the world of sports, it has already been forgotten, put aside, and made way for Tim Tebow. Since that time, rumors have been flying and teams have been named as Tebow’s next destination.

The one name that keeps coming up as a “makes perfect sense, but will never happen” scenario is the Philadelphia Eagles. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are obsessed with quarterbacks, and they have proven themselves to be somewhat of gurus when it comes to developing quarterbacks. Obviously, just with this first point being made, the debate starts. The real question is: Yay or Nay?

Why we should trade for Tim Tebow.

The reasons we should trade for Tebow actually make a ton of sense. The first thing is that getting him is not going to cost very much. Elway cannot keep him in house, because if Peyton struggles even one week, the high altitude is going to cloud some fans into believing that in some universe Tim Tebow should start over Peyton Manning. With this in mind, most people are not really sure about him anyway and that may mean a 4^th round pick could get him. The second reason we would want him is that he would definitely be an upgrade at backup quarterback. Right now our second and third options are Trent Green (Old and washed up) and Mike Kafka (Great looking, but not necessarily a winner). Tebow can be a winner as a backup and won’t turn the ball over which is pivotal at that positon. This is one of the most important positions on the football field when your Starting Arm is injury prone and has a hard time finishing seasons. Finally, the last one is a bit far fetched but still a possibility. If Tebow can learn for an entire year under Big Red, he could potentially take the reins in a year or two from Vick. He would have to improve in a big way, but people had just as many doubts as Michael Vick coming out of prison and look where he is now. If he sits behind Vick for a year or two, learns all he can from the quarterback gurus, and works hard (like we all know he will), he could go from freak sideshow to solid NFL quarterback.

Now to the Negatives

All right, there are a ton of positives to having Tebow on the Eagles, but there are always two sides to every coin. The other side of this is very simple: Tebow Mania is painful to deal with. All that the Philadelphia area had to hear was Tim Tebow would be a good fit and Philly blew up. Tebow mania has sparked on television, local sports talk radio, and even blogs like this one. Can you imagine if he actually came here? One interception by Vick and the brainless, idiotic fans that don’t know the sports of football would force Howie Roseman into the same stranglehold that John Elway was forced into. That was John Elway too, who is a superstar, role model in Denver, which is far from what Howie Roseman is here. Another problem that exists here is exactly opposite of what was stated in our “pros” section. This is still putting a lot of faith in the quarterback that Tebow COULD become. What if we give up this fourth round pick, bring him in, and he does nothing besides sit on the bench for two years? It would be the waste of a pick and a waste of time for the Eagles. There are still so many questions about his accuracy and QB IQ that it would really be a lot of work, even for our two gurus.

Final Verdict: Even though he may have divine intervention (and that may very well be the only thing that ever brings Philadelphia a Super Bowl), he is just too much of a headache to deal with. Tebowmania sweeps a team and becomes an infectious disease. It would infect a locker room that already has leadership and ego issues. He may turn out to be a great quarterback one day, but for now, let Tebow go somewhere with an awful fan base that needs jersey sales. Philadelphia will be better off without him.

Would you do it?

A Note from Ruben...

Dear Philadelphia,

It is I, your once beloved, and often talked about, General Manager Ruben Amaro Junior. I have been with all of you for a while now, from highly touted prospect to major league stud to assistant GM and protégé of the Legend Pat Gillick. And here we are now. Where are we now you may ask? That’s a good question.

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I thought I was the toast of the city. I am the man who brought you almost everything that you people could have ever wanted.

You wanted the surgeon from Canada, and I brought you the man they call “Doc”.

You wanted the fun loving Cleveland kid with an attitude of gold, and I gave you Clifton Phifer.

“Oh no! We need more offense!” Boom, I give you the kid who loves post game eats, Hunter Pence.

The gap between Jimmy and I was not only between his teeth, but also between money and years of a contract. Yet, I closed the gap not only between his teeth (Liquid concrete did the trick), but also got the deal done.

Fast forward about 6 months, and we have our current state. You all look at me like some high school boy who wouldn’t know the difference between a 5 year, $40 million deal, and one of those damn Algebra problems about which train is going to get to some fictional stop before the other one does.

Well, I have some news for you. Not only do I know how to make the big deal, but I know how to answer that idiotic Algebra problem too. The answer: I don’t give a shit which train gets their first, because they are both going to Philadelphia and they both have some high price talent that I bring in while staying under the luxury tax.

You can all be mad at me as much as you want, but quite frankly, I don’t care. All I have done is what you ask and now, I can’t foresee lingering injuries to our major stars, and I am a pariah? I know I should be Ms. Cleo, but because I refuse to wear that awful psychic wrap on my head, I can’t see into the future. I mean with this hair would you wear anything on your head?

I put together an amazing bench behind our cast of talent that included some major power and some good matchup type hitters. Also, I brought in some good competition, which Charlie and I always believe drives performance. Injuries are one of those things that no one can predict, and even if I could, I have no more minor league pieces to trade. If you want to know why, see above. Also, because Big Bill Giles is riding me to make sure I don’t go over the luxury tax, I couldn’t sign anybody worthwhile in free agency anyway.

All I have to say to all of you Philadelphia is take a pill or start watching the Sixers, the bar is set much lower there. I have done all I can to help improve this club and it is just Spring Training, we haven’t even given this team a chance yet. We still have 3 starting pitchers who are capable of compiling 60+ wins, and then add in the solid 15 wins Joe Blanton is going to get us, and we are already right there (I know what you are thinking and yes, I am kidding about the Blanton total, I actually expect 20 wins from him also). The offense may not be the dynamo it has been in the past, but if Jimmy and Shane stay healthy, there is no reason we can’t produce enough runs to get the wins we need. And don’t forget, I am the magic man at the trade deadline so it is completely possible I can add one more piece at the end depending on what we need.

Before you start throwing beer on my car and calling for my head, remember I still have done more than any other GM has done for this team in years (unless you count Ed Wade as a member of the Astros). Be a fan, don’t be a critic, and trust in the lineup that we have. In time, all wounds will heal and if we can stay competitive until everyone comes back, we will be fine for the playoffs. We have a target on our back for a reason, we are still number ones in everyone’s’ minds.

If you don’t like what I am saying, go to CBP South and stay there.

Love always,

Ruben Amaro Jr.