Just like old times

Tonight's Flyers game features the return of Bill Clement to the team's broadcast booth. Play-by-play man Jim Jackson said during the intro that Clement, the Flyers' first-round pick (18th overall) in the 1970 draft, will fill in for Keith Jones when Jones is working as a studio analyst for the Versus network. Clement will do nine Flyers broadcasts, according to a news release on the Flyers Web site.

The move harks back to 1989-92, when Clement and Mike Emrick were the Flyers' broadcasting team on PRISM and WPSG-TV Channel 57. Those two were, and still are, among the best voices in the sport.

A breakdown of the Reid Era

In the wake of the Eagles' come-from-behind upset win at FedEx Field in Washington, D.C., yesterday, a question popped into my mind: Under Andy Reid, how many upset wins do the Birds have? And on the flip side, how many games have they blown (yes, it has seemed like more than a season's worth).

So, using the invaluable resource pro-football-reference.com, I looked back at the 137 regular season games in the Reid Era and unscientifically placed each game into one of the following categories:

• Blowout Loss -- a defeat by 20 points or more
  
• Acceptable Loss -- a loss that had little chance of being a win
• They Blew It -- a game the Eagles should have won but found a way to lose
• Upset Win -- a case of snatching victory from the Jaworski of defeat
• Acceptable Win -- a game the Eagles should have won and did
• Blowout Win -- a game the Eagles won by 20 or more points

Now you see what I mean by "unscientific." Some games fit into more than one category, such as an upset win by more than 20 points. In such cases, I used my best judgment and put the game into the category I thought was most applicable.

The results

• Blowout Loss: 12 (three each in 1999 and 2005 -- two awful seasons)
• Acceptable Loss: 24 (this number seems low; I had none for 2002)
• They Blew It: 17 (I thought this tally would be high, but not this high. The only year that had zero was 2004. This year has two classic cases so far -- Green Bay and Chicago -- after three last year -- Giants I, Saints and Buccaneers. The question is, how has Andy Reid survived blowing 17 wins in less than nine seasons? That's more than a season's worth of games)
• Upset Win: 16 (I might have been a little stingy here, but I know it's not off by more than two)
• Acceptable Win: 47 (as expected, this category has the highest amount. I counted six such wins last season but only one so far this year, against the Jets)
  
• Blowout Win: 21 (this was the real surprise of the bunch -- exactly one-quarter of Reid's 84 wins in the regular season have been by 20 points or more. I doubt any other current coach is remotely close, though Bill Belichick might be getting there)

What about Reid's checkered postseason?

• Blowout Loss: none (gotta give a modicum of credit to Big Red here)
  
• Acceptable Loss: 6
• They Blew It: none (though I was tempted to place the NFC Championship Game losses to Tampa and Carolina here, the Eagles never has a clear chance to win either)
• Upset Win: 1 (2001 at Chicago; I can't track down the Vegas line on that game ... but how were the Bears 13-3 that year?)
• Acceptable Win: 6
• Blowout Win: 1 (2001 vs. Tampa)

The year-by-year breakdown

1999

They blew it: 1

Acceptable loss: 7

Blowout loss (-20): 3

Acceptable win: 1

Blowout win (+20):

Upset win: 4

2000

They blew it: 3

Acceptable loss: 2

Blowout loss (-20):

Acceptable win: 9

Blowout win (+20): 1

Upset win: 1

Playoffs: 1 Acceptable win, 1 Acceptable loss

2001

They blew it: 2

Acceptable loss: 3

Blowout loss (-20):

Acceptable win: 6

Blowout win (+20): 4

Upset win: 1

Playoffs: 1 Blowout win, 1 Upset win, 1 Acceptable loss

2002

They blew it: 3

Acceptable loss:

Blowout loss (-20): 1

Acceptable win: 7

Blowout win (+20): 5

Upset win:

Playoffs: 1 Acceptable win, 1 Acceptable loss

2003

They blew it: 1

Acceptable loss: 1

Blowout loss (-20 or shutout): 2

Acceptable win: 6

Blowout win (+20): 2

Upset win: 4

Playoffs: 1 Acceptable win, 1 Acceptable loss

2004

They blew it:

Acceptable loss: 1

Blowout loss (-20): 2

Acceptable win: 8

Blowout win (+20): 5

Upset win:

Playoffs: 2 Acceptable wins, 1 Acceptable loss

2005

They blew it: 2

Acceptable loss: 5

Blowout loss (-20): 3

Acceptable win: 3

Blowout win (+20): 1

Upset win: 2

2006

They blew it: 3

Acceptable loss: 2

Blowout loss (-20): 1

Acceptable win: 6

Blowout win (+20): 2

Upset win: 2

Playoffs: 1 Acceptable win, 1 Acceptable loss

2007

They blew it: 2

Acceptable loss: 3

Blowout loss (-20):

Acceptable win: 1

Blowout win (+20): 1

Upset win: 2

Are they who we thought they were?

The Philadelphia sports scene is teetering on the brink of an entire season of fan apathy. The Eagles are an ugly loss to the Cowboys (but what losses to Dallas aren't ugly) away from a "Fire Reid Rally", the Flyers are getting outshot by a 2-1 margin or worse every game, and the 76ers' offense is treating the lane as if it's coated with Chinese paint. Two months ago the once-infallible Eagles were "a hair off"; now it seems we're a follicle or two away from a winter of discontent, one in which playoff beards will be as rare as candidness at an NFL press conference.

Perhaps all of this is premature, and maybe the Flyers will find a consistent offense and the 76ers' bench will make up for their starting center, who looks to be more milquetoast than Wheaties material.

But attention has already begun to turn back to the Phillies, with clamors for the return of Curt Schilling and a deal for Mike Lowell, or anyone else who can play the hot corner and has a bigger bat than Wes Helms and Abraham Nunez.

After Sunday, the interest level in the Phillies will reveal a lot of about how long a winter it's going to be in Philadelphia sports.