Eagles Notebook - December 17, 2007
December 17, 2007
LIMITED ACTION
With Correll Buckhalter sidelined by a concussion suffered a week earlier, former Penn State running back Tony Hunt was among the Eagles' 45 active players for the first time in five games and only the eighth time this season.
Hunt was expected to see as much action as Buckhalter, who averages four carries per game.
But in a brief stint when Hunt spelled Brian Westbrook in the third quarter, he showed why he is still a work in progress: he missed a blitzing DeMarcus Ware on third-and-three at Dallas' 40, and Ware slammed into Donovan McNabb for a 9-yard sack.
INJURIES
Matt Schobel, who was filling in as the starting tight end for L.J. Smith (knee and ribs), sustained a concussion when he was hit helmet-to-helmet by Cowboys free safety Ken Hamlin in the first quarter.
Eagles coach Andy Reid expressed his displeasure to the officials, and after the game said, ''I wasn't happy.''
Right guard Shawn Andrews left the game in the second quarter with a sprained MCL, and Reid did not sound optimistic after the game about Andrews' chances of a quick recovery.
Rookie Brent Celek filled in for Schobel, while second-year guard Max Jean-Gilles took over for Andrews.
SMART MOVE?
Brian Westbrook's decision to stop at Dallas' 1 instead of scoring a TD that (with a good PAT) would have made it 17-6 with 2:00 left was subject to mixed immediate reviews in the press box -- including a very negative one from yours truly. But after the Eagles were able to kneel-down the rest of the way, Reid lauded the move in his postgame press briefing.
''Team guy and very brilliant guy,'' Reid said. ''He is able to take that Villanova education and transfer that onto the football field.''
NOTHING DOING
In addition to Buckhalter and Smith, the Eagles' inactive players were defensive end Jevon Kearse, cornerback William James, safety Marcus Paschal, guard Scott Young, defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey and third quarterback Kevin Kolb.
MOVING ON?
Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh, who spent the previous nine seasons as special teams coach before moving to his current job in hopes of improving his future job prospects, declined to comment on reports he is a candidate for UCLA's vacant head coaching job.
But a source confirmed Harbaugh interviewed with UCLA officials last week. John's brother Jim, the former NFL QB, just completed his first season as coach at UCLA's Pac-10 rival, Stanford.
GET BACK
Eagles backup quarterback A.J. Feeley was whistled for a 15-yard penalty after a referee collided with him as he ran the sidelines following a pass play.
HE'S NO. 1
With four points, Eagles kicker David Akers pushed his career total to 884 and passed Bobby Walston (881 career points) to become the Eagles' all-time leading scorer.
SPREADING IT AROUND
Brian Westbrook (83 catches, 705 yards), Kevin Curtis (64-970) and Reggie Brown (50-624) give the Eagles three players with 50-plus catches and 600-plus receiving yards in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
SHOWING IMPROVEMENT
Sav Rocca, the former Australian Rules football player in his rookie season as the Eagles' punter, was credited with five punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Larry O'Rourke
Copyright (c) 2008, The Morning Call
Aussie S14 teams to benefit from rule change
December 5, 2007
Law changes will give Australian sides an early advantage next year, writes Rupert Guinness.
Australian Super 14 teams are set to benefit from the raft of new laws to be introduced for next year's series to improve the game.
That is because it is in Australia where they have been most extensively trialled - in the Sydney Toohey's New Cup and Brisbane Premier Rugby competitions and then the Australian Rugby Championship.
However, from those Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) trialled at the ARC, three will not make it into the Super 14, SANZAR, the competition's ruling body, announced yesterday. They are the controversial hands-in-the-ruck law, the pulling down of the maul, and unlimited numbers in the lineout. It is possible they may be introduced at a later date.
The new Super 14 laws approved yesterday, which are expected to see the ball in play for up to five minutes longer, will also be used in next year's Tri Nations. And while incoming tours will see the Wallabies revert back to the former laws - making them play under two sets of laws in one season - it is envisaged that the International Rugby Board will approve the new ones across the board in time for 2009.
NSW Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie yesterday revealed that he has recruited his squad and trained it on the basis that the ELVs that would be approved, despite fears that the proposal might be still blocked.
Now, with South Africa and New Zealand supporting them, NSW, the Queensland Reds, Brumbies and Western Force have a chance to make use of their experience and get a jump on their rivals.
With Australian rugby in dire straits after poor results in last year's Super 14 and World Cup, and a drop in crowds, gate takings, and television ratings, quick on-field success next season would be the ideal medicine. The introduction of the ELVS into Super 14 will further help revive the 15-man code, as they have been designed to make the game more entertaining, faster, and simpler for players, referees and spectators.
"We have the benefit here in Australia of having seen it whereas others don't," McKenzie said. "I have been banking on the fact they will be in. We have been conditioning on the basis the game will be more free-flowing.
"We have certainly recruited on [that] basis. So the people we have got should sit in well with the way the game is going."
Western Force coach John Mitchell has also prepared his squad expecting the ELVs to be approved.
"We have been expecting them. But there is really not a lot of change, to be fair," he said. "It will just require better decision-making by players, probably quicker transitions between attack and defence.
"With the game in its previous form, there has been a lot of down time between when the ball is kicked out and the scrum and lineout."
However, Robbie Deans, the coach of six-time Super champions Canterbury Crusaders, believes the four Australian sides should still benefit from their experience of the ELVs.
"There will be an advantage for those that have experienced them. And they will have access to coaches who have worked with them," Deans said. "[But] in terms of understanding and initiatives there will be, hopefully, a temporary advantage."
Deans admitted he had not yet considered how - or if - the new laws might change the Crusaders' game.
"We have only just gathered [information]. We will now go back and look at some of the ARC footage and determine if it will make a significant adjustment to the way we play the game," he said. "I expect we won't. But that is the same with every campaign. It is a moving target and the game keeps evolving. Teams take initiatives that you have to keep up with."
McKenzie warned that any advantage to the Australian sides could be minimal. "There is a lot of pooled information there. I don't think anyone will be holding anything back," he said.
The ELVs are not just aimed at boosting the code in Australia but around the world, said Matt Carroll, the Australian Rugby Union's deputy chief executive.
"We are in a very competitive market. We know how strong football is around the world," he said. "We know how strong Australian rules and league are in Australia. Even in New Zealand they know how strong rugby league is."
www.brisbanetimes.com.au
Richards pins his hopes on the Tigers
Former Collingwood ruckman Guy Richards has begun training with Richmond in the hope of being picked up by the Tigers in December's pre-season draft.
Richards was dumped by the Magpies last month, after just 39 games in seven injury-plagued seasons, to make way for the arrival of talented young Brisbane ruckman Cameron Wood.
But at just 24, Richards believes he has years of good football still in front of him and hopes the Tigers will be the club to give him a second chance.
Richards, who played 16 games this season including all three of Collingwood's finals matches, was the most notable addition to the AFL's 'permission to train' list on Wednesday.
The Tigers have the first pick in the pre-season draft on December 11 and desperately need a boost to their ruck stocks.
Number one ruckman Troy Simmonds missed most of 2007 due to firstly a broken ankle and then a serious illness in which he developed a blood clot on the lung, although he is expected to be fit for the start of next season.
However the Tigers lack an experienced back-up to Simmonds, following the retirement of Trent Knobel, with their only other ruckman being youngsters Adam Pattison and recently promoted rookie Angus Graham.
The Tigers have four spots available on their list for next year, following the recent additions of Jordan McMahon from the Western Bulldogs and Mitch Morton from West Coast and the promotion from the rookie list to the senior list of Jake King and Graham.
However the Tigers are expected to use only three of those picks in the upcoming November national draft with the last spot to be filled following the pre-season draft given they have the prized first pick after finishing on the bottom this season.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Ben Cousins back in Australia: report
Former West Coast Eagles star Ben Cousins has reportedly arrived back in Australia from drug rehabilitation in the United States.
Cousins on Wednesday flew into Sydney, where he would continue his rehab before returning to Western Australia, Perth radio station 6PR said.
The one-time AFL star was last month sacked by the Eagles after a string of off-field incidents, some of them drug-related. He flew to Los Angeles for a second stint of rehab on October 25.
Cousins reportedly landed at Sydney International airport at 9am (AEDT) with his father Bryan Cousins.
The report said Cousins had completed some outpatient work in Los Angeles.
Earlier this month, the AFL charged Cousins with bringing the game into disrepute.
The former Eagles captain is due to answer the charge at AFL headquarters in Melbourne on November 19.
The AFL has not said whether the charge relates to a specific incident involving the 29-year-old or to his behaviour over a sustained period.
The Eagles sacked Cousins after he was arrested in Perth and charged with possession of an illegal drug and failing to take a blood test.
The possession charge was subsequently dropped, but Cousins must return to Perth Magistrates Court next January to fight the charge of failing to take the blood test.
Cousins spent nearly a month at the exclusive $3,000 a day Summit Medical Centre in Malibu earlier this year.
The Seven Network reported on Wednesday that sources at the centre had said Cousins had been there at the weekend, but had never planned a permanent return.
He was being treated by experts at The Summit on an outpatient basis, Seven said.
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
League heading to Gold Coast with or without Kangas
The AFL has given the Kangaroos 30 days to decide whether to relocate to the Gold Coast or remain in Melbourne.
The Roos met with the AFL on Wednesday and produced a plan which would see them play up to eight games on the Gold Coast, with their base remaining in Melbourne.
While CEO Andrew Demetriou admitted he wanted a team based on the Gold Coast in the not too distant future, the league rejected the Kangaroos' plan.
"The AFL is going to the Gold Coast and whether it is with the Kangaroos or someone else we will be there and we will have no hesitation whatsoever in issuing a 17th licence," Demetriou said.
"We have got a responsibility and obligation to all our clubs and to the competition to grow our game nationally and south east Queensland we think is a great and exciting opportunity."
The Kangaroos have a deal with the AFL to play a total of 10 matches on the Gold Coast between 2007 and 2009.
While only one year into that deal, it looks likely that the Roos' only chance of continuing to play there once the deal expires is to relocate.
"The AFL clearly stated that nothing but relocation is an option in relation to the Gold Coast," said Kangaroos chief executive Rick Aylett.
"The Kangaroos Board intends to continue discussions with the AFL over the next few weeks."
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Tigers delist Krakouer
Talks between AFL and Gaelic football chiefs have failed to refloat the international rules series, though further discussions will be held early next year.
AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou and Gaelic Athletic Association president Nickey Brennan met in Paris on Thursday night with a view to reviving the concept.
The last international rules series in Ireland last year ended amid controversy, with several violent on-field incidents and Carlton forward Brendan Fevola kicked off the Australian team for putting a barman in a headlock at a nightclub.
The AFL said both sides reviewed the incidents during last year's second Test and discussed a number of other issues at Thursday night's meeting.
"It was agreed that further discussions were needed before the issue of a resumption of the International Rules series could be considered," the AFL said in a statement.
"Both sides emphasised their commitment to maintaining the longstanding relationship between the two bodies and a further meeting will take place early in the New Year."
Copyright 2007 Yahoo! Australia & NZ Pty Limited. All rights reserved.
Hawks look ahead
PORTAL - Saturday September 8, 8:04 PM
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson believes his young team will draw enormous confidence from Saturday's thrilling three-point elimination final win over Adelaide at Telstra Dome.
"It was an enormous effort to come from behind as we did," Clarkson told his post-match media conference.
"I know we're certainly the youngest list in the competition and I don't know whether Adelaide are the oldest but they'd be close to it so in those circumstances, to win a final, come from behind, big stage against seasoned finals performers like the Adelaide Crows was a real testament to the spirit of the group and probably in particular the respect that our boys have got for Richie Vandenberg and the role that he's played over the course of the last three years as the leader of the club."
"They just didn't want to leave anything out on the park today for him."
Vandenberg, who announced during the week that his career will finish when the Hawks' finals campaign comes to a close, was outstanding in keeping Adelaide playmaker Andrew McLeod to just 12 disposals and stopping his run from defence that Adelaide relies on so heavily.
"It's hard enough to keep McLeod down for one quarter, but to sustain that sort of effort for four quarters just says an enormous amount about the spirit of the bloke," Clarkson said of his captain.
"When someone puts his hand up to do a job like that we're only too happy to accommodate him and he did an outstanding job for us."
Clarkson was low-key on the contribution of Lance Franklin whose seven goals included the match-winner with just eight seconds on the clock.
"He's an exciting player and an important part of our mix," was about as effusive as it got.
Clarkson said he expected Luke Hodge, Chance Bateman and Brad Sewell, all of whom spent periods on the bench on Saturday nursing various knocks and strains to be right for next week's encounter with either Geelong or the Kangaroos.
"Hopefully somewhere down the track we can seriously challenge for a flag. We're still alive so it gives us the opportunity to keep the dream alive."
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