LR BS ~ The Lion’s Eye LIER ‘Bve on Sports December 9, 2009 i TY TRY KARL EO AA 5 ER AE RR Philadelphia Flyers’ Poor Play Results in Coaching Change By Justin Park - Lion's Eye Sports Editor - jrp5321@psu.edu Undisciplined, unhealthy and underachieving. Three words that would sum up the Philadelphia Fly- ers season thus far. ~ The organization and fans alike had high hopes for the Flyers entering the 2009-2010 season due to the talented and experienced roster that has been pieced together. General Manager Paul Holmgren had mildly tweaked last year’s team and acquired the veteran defen- seman Chris Pronger along with goaltender Ray Emery to produce more team success. However, more than a quarter of the way in, this team continues to experience the same problems that stifled last year’s squad. 3 If the Flyers have been anything over the last three seasons under head coach John Stevens, it’s inconsistent and streaky. Stevens has even coached the Flyers through two 10 game losing streaks in his tenure. In the first 26 games of the season, the Flyers have been more of the same. They have only one inconsecutive be injuries and penalties. The All-Star left winger, Simon Gagne, will be side- lined until the final week of December along with the all important centers, Darroll Powe and Blair Betts. Also, the Flyers have had players such as Danny Briere and rookie James Van Riemsdyk miss games due to the flu. The team also has 478 penalty minutes, a league high. The Flyers are spending too much time on the penalty kill and it is costing them valuable points in the league standings. In Laviolette’s first game coaching for Philadelphia, Dan Carcillo attained 29 penalty minutes in one play (a NHL record), and gave the Washington Capitals a disas- - trous 9 minute power play, in which they scored three ~ times. The Flyers fell to the Capitals 8-2. Dan Carcillo also received an outrageous four game suspension for his play in Laviolette’s debut. This was the second time this season the Flyers had a player suspended “for multiple games this season. - a game. - Samuel was question- ~ in the game but he did win and one inconsecutive loss, meaning that the Flyers win and lose in streaks of at least two games or more. The orange and black have compiled two 3 game winning streaks (one lasting five games) and three 3 game losing streaks. Their inconsistent and disappointing play ultimately led to the firing of John Stevens. In Steven’s final seven games, the team had only one win and was outscored 23 to 12, including a scoreless streak reaching 8 periods in his final three games. With the firing of Stevens comes the hiring of Peter Laviolette. The Stanley Cup winning coach was handed avery talented hockey team that has seen its share of Peter Laviolette lost his first game behind the Philadelphia Flyers’ bench 8-2. . (Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com) the team. There has been a bit of controversy surrounding Mike Richards and his captaincy but following the embarrass- ing loss to Washington, he showed that he wants to lead "I'm confident in the leadership that I have to improve the team. I think it's going to get better," Richards said. "We're at a dead end right now. And I'm ready to move the team forward." In the upcoming weeks, Peter Laviolette will surely be infusing his playing system and crack down on team discipline. Hopefully, he and the Flyers can win games along the way. Eagles Defeat Redskins, Falcons to Tie Cowboys for Division Lead By Steven Scoleri Lion's Eye Staff Writer - sds5084@psu.edu A win is always hard to come by each week in the NFL and the Eagles proved that by coming back to win against the Washington Redskins 27-24. It marked the second week in a row the Eagles had to come back in the fourth quarter to win However, the Eagles were still able to pick up a valuable win in an all important division game. The play calling at the beginning of the game was question- able as head coach Andy Reid elected to try an onsides kick. The Redskins were able to recover and take the early lead. The bright spot on the day was Asante Samuel intercepting two passes to keep the Eagles in the game. able of even playing and came up big, prov- ing why is one of the best cornerbacks in the game. The entire Eagles team stepped up to finish off the Redskins. Being such a young team it is important to get the ex- perience of pulling out those close games. Jason Avant congratulates David Akers on his game winning field goal against the Washington Redskins (Photo Courtesy of sports.yahoo.com) When star wide receiver DeSean Jackson left the game in the second quar- ter with a concussion, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, and Ja- son Avant all stepped up. Veteran kicker David Akers proved he could still be counted on in the - game kicking four field goals including the game ‘winner to put the Eagles at 7-4 on the season. It ‘was.a huge win to keep in the standings in the division. This past Sunday, the Eagles rolled over the banged-up Atlanta Falcons, 34-7. ~The Falcons were without their starting quarterback, Matt Ryan, and star running back, Michael Turner. The Eagles were without Desean Jackson. The real story of this game was the return of Mike Vick to Atlanta. Vick came up big in little _ opportunity, scoring a rush- Leonard Weaver and Jer- emy Maclin also had a big game for Philadelphia. The two wins put the Eagles at 8-4 and tied with the Dal- las Cowboys for first place in the NFC East Division. The Giants are also close behind at 7-5. ? ing and passing touchdown. Andy Reid and Eagles Working Out Contract Extension : By Sean O’Connor Lion's Eye Staff Writer — smo5084@psu.edu Get used to it Eagles fans, Coach Andy Reid is being discussed for a con- tract extension covering anywhere from five to ten years. As little as three weeks ago, Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid was on the hot seat and Eagles’ fans every- where were screaming for both Reid and starting quarterback, Donovan McNabb to be sent off . : During the past three games, Reid seemed to change his philosophy and it has produced consecutive victories. Time management has become strength of the team, as quarterback Donovan McNabb engineered two game winning drives in the fourth quarter. LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver both powered a run- ning game that had been nonexistent in Andy Reid is expected to recieve his contract extension in the near future (Photo Couresy of sports.yahoo.com) At that point, the Birds were 5-4 and had suffered consecutive defeats. That, coupled with a loss to the Oakland Raiders and bouts of inconsistency had Eagles’ fans everywhere bombarding local radios and newspapers calling for Reid to be fired or let go after the season. Lack of time management and little commitment to the running game are repeating problems for Reid’s Eagles. Also, Reid vouched for the addition of Michael Vick and has installed him in his offensive drives for no reason but to disrupt the “flow of the game” throughout the season. However, this has all changed over the last three weeks. the first nine games. Also Michael Vick actually won a game for Philadelphia, accounting for two touchdowns in last Sunday’s 34-7 victory over the Falcons. The minor winning streak has propelled Philadelphia to the top of the NFC East and to rumors that Reid will be Philly’s coach for the next decade. ‘While fans never want to root against the Birds, it is hopeful that if Reid is going to be around, he repeats a similar - game plan that has won three games in as many weeks for the team. The deal concerning his extension is expected to be completed by the end of the week.
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