Extra Points
with Pete Thompson
Now that we are into September, I can officially write that football is back. Pick a level and football is operating in full force right now. High school football is back on Fridays, college football’s big day is Saturday, and the NFL is back on Sundays. Of course, I’m sure you’ve seen the things on Facebook titled “Football Rules” and rule #1 is “Do not call me after 8 p.m. on Thursday nights, after 11 a.m. on Sundays or 7 p.m. on Mondays”
Oh yes, football is back at all levels, and I couldn’t be happier!
When I last wrote, the Eagles were shaping their final 53-man roster. Now, as I write this, they have won their season opener and are trying to start the season off “two and oh” with a win at home over the Minnesota Vikings.
Since I last wrote, the Birds went to Detroit and jumped out to a 17 point lead over the Lions twice, but had to hang on as they only won 38-35. The Eagles are also dealing with a season-ending injury from one defensive player. In baseball, the Phillies have 22 games left as I write this, and have a game and a half lead over the Padres for the 3rd and final NL Wildcard playoff spot. The schedule is in their favor, but they must keep on winning if they want to play October baseball. The Flyers have made some news as they prepare for their first training camp under a new head coach. The Sixers make a trade to shore up the backup center position. On the local front, a Millville alum is going for an MLB record. Plus, let’s not forget about the other high school sports in the fall.
We’ll begin with the Eagles as they locked in a roster and also traded for safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and the Saints’ 7th-round pick in 2025. In return, the Saints receive the Eagles’ 5th-round pick in 2023 and the worst of their two 6th-round picks in 2024. To me, chalk this up to another “Howie being Howie” kind of move as he waited out the market, and landed a starting defensive back / safety that was an upgrade on anything the team already had. Brilliant.
Now to Week One, where the Eagles went to Detroit and once again put up big points against the Lions. The difference this year is that the Lions also had an answer. The Birds fell behind 7-zip early, but after a “pick-six” by James Bradberry, led 21-to-7 after the extra point. They went up 31-14 after a Kenneth Gainwell 3rd quarter touchdown, and also led 38-21 after a Boston Scott touchdown in the 3rd quarter as well. However, things got a little dicey as the Lions scored the next 14 points and cut it to a three-point margin
In the end, Jalen Hurts saved the Eagles with his legs and his decision making as he finished the game with 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown. Miles Sanders had a key first down run late to “ice” the game, and the Birds were able to leave Detroit with a season-opening win.
On the offensive side of the ball, Hurts targeted his new favorite weapon early and often as wide receiver A.J. Brown finished the game with 10 catches for 155 yards. Dallas Goedert caught three balls for 60 yards, while Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders and Zach Pascal were barely on the board. I admit, I am concerned that DeVonta Smith was targeted four times and finished with zero catches. It’s only Week One though, and for the most part, the offense looked good enough to win football games.
However, no one is pleased with the Eagles defense giving up 35 points to the Lions. Yes, Detroit is improved in year #2 under Dan Campbell, but many are questioning why Jonathan Gannon’s defense wasn’t able to stop Lions running back D’Andre Swift? Also, why did they make Jared Goff look so good? Goff finished the game 21-37 for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Up next, the Birds play their home opener against the Vikings on 9-19, and although there will be a sellout crowd for Monday Night Football, the Vikings looked pretty good in beating Green Bay in Week One.
For the most part, the Eagles made it through the game healthy, except for defensive end Derek Barnett. Barnett tore his ACL in the second half against the Lions and will miss the rest of the season now. I always think of him as the guy who recovered the fumble in the big Super Bowl win over the Patriots, so it’s a shame to see him go down in Week One.
This past offseason, Barnett tested the open market as a free agent, but he returned to the Eagles on a two-year contract that guaranteed him $4.5 million in the first year. After the Eagles finished second to last in sacks, they emphasized improving their pass rush, highlighted by the addition of edge rusher/linebacker Haason Reddick, who signed a three-year deal worth $45 million. Reddick leaped Barnett and veteran Brandon Graham on the depth chart; 2021 Pro Bowler Josh Sweat and Reddick started on the edges against the Lions. But with Barnett likely out for the rest of the season, the team’s depth will be tested. Second-year defensive end Tarron Jackson has been mentioned as a possible replacement.
Since we are talking injuries, I have to mention the hand injury that Dallas QB Dak Prescott suffered in the Cowboys loss to Tampa Bay. Prescott needs surgery and is expected to miss at least six weeks. You never want to see a guy get hurt, but this has Eagles fans even MORE optimistic that the Birds can at least win the division and make the playoffs.
Speaking of the playoffs, the Phillies haven’t been there since 2011, and they’re hoping to end that drought this October. The team is calling it the “Hunt for Red October”, and with 22 games left on the schedule, they are in a position to make it to the postseason.
As I write this, they won five out of six in their homestand against the Marlins and the Nationals. Now, the Phillies are in Miami for three before they play three in Atlanta. That series against the Braves will be another “put up or shut up” moment as even though they look like they will qualify for the playoffs, I’m still not confident that they can actually win a postseason series!
But first, let’s see if they get there. I think they will. And when they do, it will be interesting because making the playoffs will mean different things to different guys. To Bryce Harper, it will signal a return to the national stage alongside many of baseball’s other superstars. To Jean Segura, it will mark a chance to experience the playoffs after more than 1,300 regular-season games. To John Middleton, it will be the payoff for authorizing a $240 million payroll to get back into the tournament and try to win it all.
To Aaron Nola though, it would be different. Nola has been here through the entire arc of the Phillies’ teardown, free agent-fueled rebuild, and four consecutive September swoons in which he was as complicit as anyone. He’s the link from Howard to Harper, from Ruiz to Realmuto, and also the constant, taking the ball more often than any starting pitcher in baseball since 2018.
However, Nola has made more starts without getting to the playoffs (198 entering the game with the Nationals on 9-11) than all but one active pitcher: Baltimore’s Jordan Lyles (209). Imagine, then, after all the changes that have swirled around him, how it would feel for the 29-year-old right-hander to finally see October from the other side? Here’s hoping that it happens.
Now to hockey where the Flyers are getting ready for their first training camp under new head coach John Tortorella. Many of the Flyers are eyeing the upcoming training camp with excitement but a good dose of nervousness, forward Kevin Hayes said recently. With “Torts” at the helm, they know this is going to be the hardest training camp of all their lives —”other than Cam [Atkinson’s],” Hayes said. Atkinson previously played for the demanding Tortorella in Columbus.
To this, I say “GOOD”, and I hope that the new Flyers bench boss holds the players accountable for their mistakes and also praises their successes. Although Tortorella didn’t have the chance to meet with everyone, he sent out an email to the entire team outlining his expectations for training camp, which begins Sept. 21 in Voorhees. In anticipation of the challenge and driven by a desire to bounce back from last season’s “embarrassing” results, as Hayes called them, the entire team returned to Philadelphia early.
I’m not optimistic about the Flyers chances, but I will say that if anyone can turn things around, I’m confident that Tortorella will definitely give it his all trying!
There’s just one item from basketball to catch you up on and that’s the fact that the Sixers went out and acquired Montrezl Harrell, who has connections to Doc Rivers and Daryl Morey, on a two-year deal. Harrell, a former sixth man of the year, adds to the impressive depth that Morey and the Sixers have built this offseason.
As always, I’ll close with some local items, and start with a quasi-local item as Mike Trout is on the verge of a possible record in Major League Baseball as I write this. The “Millville Meteor” has homered in seven straight games as I write this column. Pittsburgh’s Dale Long established the MLB record of eight straight games with a home run in 1956. Don Mattingly of the Yankees matched it in 1987, as did Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. in 1993. I’ll loop back in the next column and see if Trout is able to set this record or not.
Finally, I just want to acknowledge that even though this column is heavily about football, there are a lot of other fall high school sports that are just as worthy of praise. Don’t forget about girls field hockey, girls & boys soccer, and girls tennis as well. I know that football tends to get a lot of the attention, and understandably so, but let’s not forget all the OTHER local sports that take place in the Fall as well.
I’ll close with my usual thanks and let you know that I am very thankful for your readership and hope you will patronize the businesses you see in the pages here. Remember, the LOCAL in Shore Local comes from the support of those businesses, so please support them!
Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:00pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
