The Sixers ceremonial ringing of a replica Liberty Bell is officially a phenomenal tradition that is only so many years old. It's a tone setter for big games to get the crowd pumped up before public address announcer Matt Cord goes through the 76ers starting lineup.
"The bell is a symbol of the city's unity and passion," Cord shouts before every ringing. "Ringing tonight's bell…"
When the ceremonial bell ringer is a popular figure, Cord will pause for dramatic effect. That's the sign that someone big is about to do the honors.
Friday night as the Sixers were getting ready to host the Kings, Cord followed with more dramatic pausing: "From your Philadelphia Eagles…Welcome Back…"
At this point no more words were needed. The crowd knew who Cord was talking about.
NUMBER 10 OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, DESEAN JACKSOOOOON pic.twitter.com/vlZv3ErDQk
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 15, 2019"…Number 10….DeSean Jackson!"
It was arguably one of the loudest ovations someone ever received for ringing the Sixers ceremonial bell. The crowd rose to their feet and let out a thunderous roar in unison, a clear consensus that Philadelphia is thrilled No. 10 is back in midnight green.
While it's fair to be concerned about the amount of money the Eagles are spending on wide receivers, or the fact that the Eagles haven't done anything to improve their running back situation, you can't deny that bringing back Jackson will undoubtedly help an Eagles receiving core that sorely missed a deep threat last season with the injury to Mike Wallace.
And looking back, while it's debatable, the releasing of Jackson was by far Chip Kelly's worst decision during his forgettable time in Philadelphia.
Kelly did a lot of bad in just under three seasons with the Eagles. He traded Nick Foles and a second round pick to the St. Louis Rams for injury prone Sam Bradford. He traded LeSean McCoy, the franchise's all-time leading rusher, for Oregon product Kiko Alonso, a linebacker coming off a serious injury, who played only 11 games in Philadelphia before Howie Roseman sent him to Miami. He gave a lot of money to DeMarco Murray, and then essentially benched him. He gave a lot of money to Byron Maxwell, who was awful. Roseman traded those guys as well.
But, the worst of Kelly's moves was giving away Jackson for nothing. That's right, absolutely nothing.
Kelly made it seem like a football decision. Others speculated that it dealt with non-football matters. The bottom line is Jackson was cut loose, signed with division rival Redskins, and gave the Eagles fits over the next five seasons.
2014: Washington Redskins (1-1)
Jackson caught five passes in his return to Philadelphia for 117 yards and an 81-yard touchdown. But, the Eagles ultimately won 37-34, so no harm, no foul. But it was later in the season when Jackson lit the Eagles up for 126 yards in a 27-24 Redskins win that essentially knocked them out of playoff contention.
2015: Washington Redskins (2-0)
Jackson missed the first game against the Eagles that season, which was still a 23-20 Redskins win. It was the second game at The Linc that was the dagger in the back. Jackson only had four catches for 40 yards, but the 38-24 victory gave Washington the division and a chance for Jackson to celebrate in Eagles fans faces. It was something that never, ever should've happened.
2016: Washington Redskions (2-0)
The first Eagles loss to the Redskins was 27-20 and Jackson wasn't effective, racking up only four catches for 55 yards. But, the second loss was 27-22, and he caught three balls for 102 yards and an 80-yard touchdown.
2018: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Even though Jackson was no longer in the division, he was just as lethal, beating Jalen Mills for a 75-yard touchdown on the Buccaneers first play from scrimmage. Bugs won 27-21 and Jackson finished with 4 receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown.
All in all, Jackson has 24 receptions for 569 yards and three receiving touchdowns in six career games agains the Eagles. To give this some perspective, Jackson has six receiving touchdowns in 18 games against the Giants, five receiving in 12 games against the Redskins and four in 16 games against the Cowboys.
Jackson hasn't made a Pro Bowl since being an Eagle in 2013. His overall numbers have dipped, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he played a significant role in denying the Eagles two trips to the playoffs, and almost three if Foles didn't rally the Eagles at the end of last season.
Sometimes getting rid of a talented player in his prime can be negative more so for what they do against you rather than their big picture performance. Roseman righted a wrong that was long overdue.
Joel Embiid Turns 25
Happy Belated 25th Birthday to Joel Embiid, the most complete athlete in Philadelphia sports. Embiid can do it all—shoot, dribble, defend, entertain and lead. He's the total package.
That isn't a slight to Carson Wentz, who's a talented franchise quarterback in his mid-20s, yet hasn't proven that he can stay healthy into the postseason. Bryce Harper is certainly the most accomplished superstar in Philadelphia, and is just as marketable as Embiid, but until Harper starts launching home runs at Citizens Bank Park next month, Embiid reigns supreme. JoJo's partner in crime Ben Simmons isn't too shabby either, but the fellow All-Star needs to show that he can shoot jumpers in a game.
Embiid is arguably the best player at his position, and is the key to leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals.
Holding Your Breath For Bryce
How many of you and your friends held your collective breaths Friday afternoon when alerts started popping up on your phones about Bryce Harper getting clocked by a 96 mile per hour fastball in the ankle? My guess is every single one of you.
Harper gingerly walked to the clubhouse, and everything turned out to be fine. He suffered a contusion and was back in the lineup Sunday, albeit still searching for his first spring training hit.
That moment goes to show that fortunes and excitement can change in the blink of an eye, or in Harper's case, split second of an errant fastball. Thirteen-years and $330 million dollars doesn't guarantee a clean bill of no injuries. This time, trouble was averted.
Santana's Best Contact As A Phillie
What a great scoop by ESPN's Jeff Passan about the Phillies 2018 clubhouse.
We already learned in spring training that the clubhouse wasn't necessarily the best as the season went on, especially during the Phils epic collapse. Monday morning, Passan published a story about former Phillie Carlos Santana taking a bat and smashing one of the TV's in the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse because some players would play Fortnite amid a nine-game losing streak.
Kapler recognized the clubhouse needs to be better and he's come up with a solution heading into 2019, but let's take a moment to appreciate the actions of Santana, who displayed some of his best contact on a clubhouse television.
The Message The Flyers Are Sending For 2019-20
The Flyers are six points back for the last playoff spot with 10 games to go. It's very unlikely they're going to make the postseason unless they essentially win out and get some serious help. But to get to this point, the Flyers went on a tremendous run of 20-6-2. That's incredible. It showed the type of talent they've had all season, as well as the unacceptable jobs Dave Hakstol and Ron Hextall were doing. There's a lot to look forward to next season for the Flyers, whether they make the playoffs or not. They have a nice mix of young and veteran players, including a goalie, finally.
Mike Scott Wins The Weekend
Here's a tip of the ball cap to Sixers reserve forward Mike Scott, who admirably dove into the the first couple of rows Sunday in Milwaukee to save a ball, and then decided to take a sip of a fan's beverage, which was Jack Daniels according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com.
When in Milwaukee on Saint Patty's Day drink a -- during play ☘️☘️Mike Scott --#HereTheyComepic.twitter.com/djR7v8wDIa
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 17, 2019The best part about it was the fans around Scott loved his move, not to mention, it happened on Saint Patty's Day. Classic.
