The State of Philadelphia Sports

        What a difference a few months make.  In August, the hype surrounding the Eagles and 76ers was pretty large.  The Eagles were picked by many football pundits to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, with some choosing them to finally capture their elusive first title.  The 76ers were looked at as a threat to challenge as the number two seed in the Eastern Conference with the addition of oft-injured but talented seven-footer Andrew Bynum.  Things were looking bright.
       However, just like many things in life, both teams on paper were a lot better than on the field or court.  Rather than battle for home-field advantage against the Redskins today, the Eagles battled for a high draft pick.  Nick Foles, who has looked promising at times, missed Jeremy Maclin on a potentially game-tying touchdown and then ended the game with an intentional grounding call (yeah, its that a simple of a call Ed Hochuli.  Keep it short and simple).  At 4-11, the Eagles will almost certainly be playing their final game under Andy Reid next week at the Giants.  Come next September, its anyones guess who will be coaching and playing for the team.
        The 76ers, meanwhile, lost a game in Brooklyn today, dropping their record to 13-15.  Jrue Holiday has blossomed into a star while Evan Turner is finally showing why he was the number two pick three years ago.  However, Bynum has yet to see the court this season and fans have little hope he will play.  With his contract expiring at the end of the season, its a wonder as to whether Bynum will ever wear a 76ers uniform on the court.  As it stands now, it looks like the team will continue to be stuck in NBA purgatory: a middle-seed who may win a first-round series but has no shot of winning a championship.
       So, as the football season comes to a close and the 76ers remain mediocre, at least we can look forward to the Phillies, who look great on paper....if the paper was from 2006.

How far can the Knicks go?

The Knicks have gone under the radar somehow but Melo&Co. keep on rolling. He scored 45 tonight in their statement win over the Nets giving them a 16-5 record and the best record in the east. The perennial laughing stock is even killing the rap game these days. The squad is straight rolling and they have an undeniable swagger and edge that has been missing since the 90's. Melo's tenure with the Knicks has been controversial at best but he is having a career-year. After winning gold as the second leading scorer for the Olympic team, he has came back with a renewed commitment to defense and hustle. Paired with his always lethal half-court offensive skills, he is possibly the MVP thus far. Despite the early success, they will only get better once Shumpert and Amare' return.

Does this mean they can compete for the NBA Championship?

Yes, very much so. The east is down and Melo is up. Even without the ridiculous production they're getting from Melo, Smith, and Felton, they're still the most complete team in the east. They can't match the star power of the Miami but do have the best scorer and crunch-time player in the game and stud complimentary players in every facet. Steady point play, check Felton & Kidd. Three point shooting, check, every perimeter player they have. Lockdown D; check Chandler, Shumpert, and a suddenly-giving-a-shit Anthony. Scoring off the bench, check again, J.R. Smith is suddenly having the best season of his career after deciding it wasn't a good idea to black out every other night.  Woodson is 34-11 since taking over and clearly has created a system that fits the pieces they have and that Melo bought into like D'Antoni never could. Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, and Chicago aren't on a level to compete with a team this deep and talented. Therefore, expect a Miami-New York finals in the east and if they continue to personify their leader as well as they have then the Knickerbockers could very likely be just 4 great Melo performances during his career year away from a title.

Cam Cameron is Finally Fired

To the surprise of many but the disappointment of no one (barring AFC defenses), the Ravens have finally pulled the plug on offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. This is really something that should have happened at-least a year or two ago but the lockout and his relationship with Harbaugh allowed him to hold onto a job that he undeniably sucked at. Brought in five years ago with the new regime of Harbs, Flacco, and Rice; the team finally realized that an offense so talented shouldn't have been so inconsistent. An offense with the best backfield in football and a cannon-armed QB with 2 burners on the outside plus the sure handed Boldin and Dennis Pitta has NO EXCUSE to be middle-of-the-pack and as Jeckyl and Hyde as they've been. This probably comes off as a desperation move to the rest of the world, but it doesn't matter because there is nowhere to go but up based on the last 2 weeks. This is because there isn't really much to defend about Cameron and there is nothing successor Jim Caldwell can do worse. The fact that Caldwell, who took Indy from Superbowl contenders to the saggiest sacks in the league in two years is considered an upgrade tells you all you need to know about who he is replacing. Cameron should reimburse fans for all the remotes he caused to be thrown at the wall during his tenure due to the frequent abortions of offenses he trotted out. The timing of many play calls was simply bland and befuddling. The game plans, in which Rice sometimes saw under 10 carries in losses, made you vomit in your mouth. The plays themselves, which consisted exclusively of stretch runs to Rice, go's for the outside receivers, and underneath routs for the inside guys; was mastered by Flacco and hit its ceiling in his 2nd season. Rain man could've mastered that offense in a year and a half. Hopefully these last three weeks give the Ravens a chance to get their shit together and get the O clicking in time for the playoffs. Their future this year can now be summed up best by Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber,  "So you're telling me theres a chance." Don't let the door hit you on the way out Cam.