Tebow is often criticized by the mass sports media for his quarterbacking mechanics, ability to read defenses, running too much, being too religious, and benefiting from a good defense. However, I feel the mass sports media needs to BACK OFF. Since the Tebow haters surfaced immediately after he led an improbable comeback at Miami in Week 7, I have been 100% in support of Tebow having success, primarily because everyone else wants to see him fail.

I have no problem admitting Tebow has a long way to go to develop into a long-term solution at QB in the NFL, but he possesses every intangible I would want in a team leader. Despite the criticism he has sustained, he regular conducts himself with class in interviews, is well-spoken, is active in the community, and instills confidence in his teammates. Where several professional athletes before him have buckled under media scrutiny, Tebow continues to believe and work hard.

Even Tebow’s own general manager, NFL Hall of Fame QB John Elway, publically panned him a couple of months ago. However, Elway finally drank his Kool-Aid yesterday and announced Tebow will enter training camp for next season as the number one QB. At the end of the day, despite his flaws right now as a QB and benefitting from the performance of the Broncos defense, Tebow has been a true leader, and a winner.

Furthermore, Tebow is now a playoff game winner, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in dramatic fashion in the Wild Card round. Unfortunately, the ride ended Sunday at New England, prompting a debate by ESPN First Take on whether or not Tebow is a bust. I have not watched the segment at length, because the whole subject is an abomination.

In spite of everything, Tebow still won a playoff game in his first season as a starter. Tebow now has the same number of playoff wins as Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo, and Romo has been a starting QB since 2006. ESPN ought to divert some of its resources to discussing whether Romo is a bust.

New York Jets QB Marc Sanchez (Saaannnchiiiseeeeee) has a similar story to Tebow’s, possessing sub-par skills, but winning games in the regular season and postseason in large part to his defense and ability to instill confidence in his teammates. Only now, three years after he became a starter, is the sports media starting to attack Sanchez. Perhaps it is because he is religious, but whatever the reason, there is a clear media bias against Tebow. I may feel differently if Tebow doesn’t improve over the next couple of seasons, but at this stage of Tebow’s NFL career, I can’t publish what I think all the Tebow haters can go do.

Even here at Taking Back Sports, we had a Tebow hater in The Phoenix (influenced by his strong support for Kyle Orton), but he finally came around, so the rest of the world should too!

• The Houston Texans — behind their unheralded defense and a rookie quarterback — bested the Cincinnati Bengals (playoff winless since the first Bush took office) and their seriously-playing-not-to-lose (and failing) head coach, his tough defense, and its own rookie quarterback.
• The New Orleans Saints out-gunned and the up-and-coming Detroit Lions, pulling away in the second half of their Saturday night affair.
• The New York Giants — especially their defensive line — looked positively ‘07 and Eli Manning and his receivers again made huge plays when it counted in a demolition of the Atlanta Falcons.
• Oh and someone named Tim Tebow threw all over the best defense in the NFL as the Denver Broncos shocked the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime of the weekend’s finale. You know, your normal, garden variety shocker.

This was one heavenly stiff arm by Demaryius Thomas, if I do say so myself.

And with that, Wildcard Weekend is in the books. Coincidentally, my playoff preview column is also in the books, and time has not been helpful to it in the least. Each of my four picks against the spread were wrong (maybe today is a good time to explain how I don’t bet on sports) and I led into them with an impassioned plea to retain public enemy number one to the Eagles 2011 Super Bowl hopes, none other than embattled defensive coordinator Juan Castillo.

Let’s ask Mr. Horse what he thinks about my last column.

(Me neither, Mr. Horse. Me neither. Also, a big thank you to Adio Royster for lending me that last joke.)

Luckily, the point of this column is not about my own prognosticative degeneration — feel free to have at it in the comments section at your own leisure — but instead to gripe about a few quirks in the way the NFL does its business.

1. Teams with better records should not be forced to travel to play teams with crappier records.

Did you know that the Sunday games featured 9-7 and 8-8 teams hosting 11-5 and 12-4 teams, respectively? Each won of course. That’s not to say that the Giants and Broncos wouldn’t have won those games on the road — well, maybe the Broncos — but the odds were clearly pushed in their favor by the home field advantage. (The Giants could have won in Atlanta with one arm tied around their collective backs based on the putrid Falcon showing.) The Giants and Broncos “earned” this right because no one else in their terrible divisions finished over .500. Good work, guys!

(Let’s not even talk about last year’s playoffs in which the 12-4 Saints traveled to Seattle to face the 7-9 Seahawks. Of course, we would not have been privy to last season’s Alpha Male Play of the Year. So I guess there are some positives to the way the NFL conducts its playoff seeding.)

2. Can we get rid of ALL inadvertent whistle calls?

Hey NFL, help the referees help themselves please!

For a maniacally successful league, the NFL does as good a job fixing its rules as Congress does before a holiday “recess”. I thought they fixed all of those inadvertent whistle calls a few seasons ago — incorrect. Luckily, for Broncos fans and Tebow lovers everywhere, that little blown call on the incomplete/lateral pass didn’t cost Denver the game yesterday.

Why do the members of the rules committees hamstring the referees with rules like these? Why, for instance, is a referee unable to overturn an obvious blown call because of a technicality when basically every player doesn’t even know that’s the case? I don’t know, and I know a lot of things. (For instance, I know that I am not always humble.)

3. New coaches shouldn’t be allowed to be hired during the playoffs for teams that are still alive.

This, of course, has to do with the hiring of Josh McDaniels in New England minutes after his former team, Denver, became the opponent. Granted, it shouldn’t matter anyway. On paper, the Patriots should handle the Broncos. Yet, the crafty Bill Belichick dialed up the old, hire one of your old employees before a big game with you trick. (I’m guess McDaniels wasn’t willing to part with his old practice video tapes without a job? ZING!)

I suppose with live in a free-market economy in this country, so I shouldn’t complain. Just leave it up to Belichick to look for every angle available in his disposal. Oh, I’d love to have him on my side…

That’s about it. I hope you enjoyed Wildcard Weekend!

I’m already on the bandwagon. All it took was a few optimistic preview stories touting Iggy’s top-notch training camp and his budding chemistry with the still-incredibly-young Jrue Holiday to get me all pumped up for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

YOUUUURRRRRR PHILADELPHIA 76ERS are back!

What can I say — I was feeling good about this coming season, and after the first two weeks, I’m positively ecstatic! There is plenty to root for in this collection of Sixers. They are a young, likable, overachieving team, and unlike their roommates and neighbors across the street and even in their own building — where expectations range from sky-high to astronomical — chances are that this is the one Philadelphia sports team unlikely to disappoint.

Without further ado, here is my 2011-2012 season preview for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Best Supporting Actor Iguodala?

Andre Iguodala, what more is there to say? Scottie Pippen is to the 1% as Iggy is to the 99%. He’s the working man’s Hall of Fame working man. (Yeah, that made sense.)

In Philly, we tend to get angry with our stars for what they aren’t instead of praising them for what they do well. Iggy is a classic example of that. I’m going to try to do that with Iggy, so please take a big swig of this half-full glass of Kool-Aid with me.

His team USA experience taught him his true value/role. He’s not a go-to scorer. Sorry, but he’s not a 20 points-per-game guy — not on a team such as this with better pure scorers. He will, however, show up all over the stat sheet and provide A-plus defense on the other team’s swing man. At his best, he’s one of the best role players in the league. Not too shabby, right?

(Mmm, this kool-aid is delish!)

The Ace Up the Hole: Evan Turner

Think back to June of 2010. The Sixers, coming off a disastrous season that saw hand-picked head coach Eddie Jordan fired, beat the odds to draw the number two overall pick in the draft. The consensus pick: Evan Turner — at least that’s how I remember it. Granted, everyone is saying something different now, but at the time, I remember being very excited about the 2009-2010 collegiate player of the year. Turner was billed as sort of a cross between a point guard and a small forward — sounds like he’d fit in just right as our shooting guard, right?

Then the rookie summer league happened, and Turner was, let’s say, behind the curve a bit. When the season started, Turner struggled, only to play his best when filling in for an injured Iguodala. This, of course, fueled the trade Iggy moans from we the fans. The team’s star hopeful was blocked by an older player who seemingly maxed out his talent as a good-but-not-very-good player.

Fast-forward to this year, and Turner is a new man. He’s starting to look like a difference maker in his second year. (Sweet!) If the Sixers are to one day win the title with this current group, Turner must step up to the plate and become the star they hoped for when they drafted him. If he does, then all bets are off.

Of course, there’s something in the way of him starting right now, and it’s not Andre Iguodala.

The Emergence of Jodie Meeks

Did you know that Jodie Meeks holds the single-game scoring record at Kentucky? Look it up. Anyway, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd round and shipped — in what Adio Royster refers to as a two peas piece and a biscuit trade (thanks, Bill!) — to Philly as basically an after thought. Then his early season scoring spurt occurred and suddenly the 76ers had a shooting guard that could shoot a high field goal percentage — basically an endangered species in the city of Brotherly Love.

This season, Meeks has thus far taken a step back in the rotation. Still a starter, Meeks hasn’t been playing crunch time minutes. It’s not that surprising, considering that either Lou Williams and Turner are sitting on the bench when he’s out there. One EXTREMELY pleasant surprise though has been one starter who used to sit the bench during crunch time. He’s a BIG (pun intended) reason why the Sixers are looking pretty after their season opening road trip.

Well Hello, Spencer Hawes!

(I’m just going to treat this section as an open letter to the 76er center.)

Spencer Hawes, oh did I rip on you during last year’s playoffs. You were the weak link of the team’s playoff rotation — missing important jumpers and your poor passing led to countless turnovers — so much so that many — myself included — harkened back to the “good old days” of Sam Dalembert.

I’m ecstatic to say that I was wrong.

What in the name of Bill Walton has gotten into you? You opened this lockout-shortened season with a near triple-double — 10 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists — and have an early season 13.0 points- and 11.4 boards-per-game average.

Seriously, who the hell are you?

If you really are indeed the same Spencer Hawes that averaged 7.2 ppg and just 5.7 boards last season, thank you so very much for working on your game in the offseason. It paid off incredibly well, and you might have finally given the 76ers the big that almost all title contenders possess.

Sweet Lou and Thaddeus Off the Bench

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young are our co-sixth men, if you will. Each has the talent to start and the disposition to thrive off the bench. NBA players have egos, so it’s a testament to these two relatively young players that they’re willing to give quality minutes night in and night out without receiving the recognition/ego boost as starters. They are, without question, a huge reason for the success/turnaround of the 76ers.

Let’s start with Williams.

Sweet Lou was taken straight out of high school in the 2nd round of the draft by Billy King. (Say what you will about the man as a GM, but he sure did he kick ass in the 2nd round of the draft.) The details are sketchy, but I remember watching a documentary on a few high school standouts from his draft class. They profiled Williams and others like him, including eventual slam dunk champ Gerald Green. At the time, I had hoped they’d draft Green, who was bigger and probably better as a high schooler. Guess I was wrong about that one…

Anyway, Williams slowly worked his way into the rotation as an off-the-bench scorer/energy guy after Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. It makes sense because he’s basically a poor man’s A.I. — and, like Iggy, I mean that in a good way. Many a good NBA team has a guy like Williams coming off the bench to provide instant offense.

Of course most good teams don’t also have another guy, like Young, as basically their 7th man. Thaddeus was a surprise pick from Billy King back in the ‘07 draft. Instead of getting what many presumed to be the team’s biggest need — a power forward — King drafted Young, who basically played a tweener forward position. His ascention to the starting lineup sparked back-to-back playoff runs from the Andre Miller/Iggy/Sam Dalembert nucleus and King — again in hindsight — looked like a smart man. Young has since settled nicely into his bench role by taking and delivering on high percentage shots and providing high energy — exactly what you’d want from the 6th or 7th guy in your rotation.

Speaking of the man that replaced him in the starting lineup…

The Evolved Elton Brand

As with Evan Turner, we often forget just how huge it was when the Sixers acquired Elton Brand as a free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brand was one of the free agent market’s crown jewel. I remember ESPN.com began talking about the Sixers as one of the conferences top four teams — along with Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. Bill Simmons, sort of a Clippers fan, famously ripped Brand’s agent for playing the Clippers in this process. It was a good time to be a Sixers fan. (As the 2011 Eagles have taught us, free agency is not when you want your season to peak.)

In hindsight, Atlanta power forward Josh Smith — the player the Sixers initially coveted — was the true prize. He, of course, resigned with Atlanta who, in turn, assumed the conference’s fourth best spot. Meanwhile, the Sixers finished again in the 7th spot as the injury-plagued Brand added a season-ending shoulder injury to his list of ailments.

The next year, under new coach Eddie Jordan’s Princeton style offense (whatever that means… help me out basketball experts?), Brand was your square peg in a round hole special. Your previous season’s star acquisition had turned into a bench player. Definitely not GM Ed Stefanski or Jordan’s finest hour. Then along comes Doug Collins who makes getting more involved Brand a high priority. Last season saw Brand evolve from star to a forgotten man to a solid starter on a young and up-and-coming team. Not exactly what you were hoping for when you signed him to a $80-plus million contract just three seasons ago. But, hey, we’re looking for positives here!

Speaking of Collins…

DOUGIE!!!

Screaming “DOUGIE!!” on Twitter is something that Adio Royster and I are quite fond of doing. Why? Well, there are few reasons to be more optimistic about the Sixers than Doug Collins. You’ve seen the commercials. He’s passionate, intense, and proud. Unlike most marketing, this is actually accurate. The former Sixers number 1 overall pick, back when shorts were shorts and hair was long and shaggy, has done wonders to revitalize this young team and — perhaps more importantly — our jaded fan base. I don’t know enough about the X’s and O’s of basketball to explain why, but, as a Sixers fan, I’ve seen enough bad ones toI know a good coach when I see one. Doug Collins is a good coach.

The only reason to be more optimistic about the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Continued Development of Jrue Holiday

I hear that the NBA is a point guard’s league. If that’s the case, then I like our chances going forward with young Jrue Holiday.

Drafted in the mid-first round out of UCLA after his freshman year, it was a surprise when the Sixers picked him. He was a developmental player with a lot of upside, but not too much in the way of experience. His pick was a bit of a peculiar pick at the time. Flash-forward to his third year in the league and Holiday is an up-and-coming star who many expect to make a few All-Star games before his hangs up his Air Jordans.

Yes, my fellow Sixers fans, it’s time to be optimistic. After a disastrous 2011 calendar year saw the Flyers, Phillies, and then the Eagles fall disastrously short of preseason expectations, it’s time to enjoy this young Sixers team. The expectations are low, and the payoff promises to be high. Sounds like a good way for Sixers basketball to get back into the Philly fan’s mind.

Enjoy tonight’s home opener and #ShowYaLuv!

But before I get to this week’s picks, I’d like to talk some Eagles. Now, please forgive me for what I’m about to say. I know it doesn’t make that much sense, but I think I’m right. The Eagles should retain defensive coordinator Juan Castillo for the 2012 season.

(This isn’t to say that hiring Steve Spagnuolo would be a bad idea. Before the Eagles’ 4-game winning streak — and during it — I could be heard talking about how “necessary” it was to hire Spags as the team’s defensive coordinator next year. I am apparently a “flip-flopper” a la John Kerry circa 2004. Sue me.)

There are plenty of reasons to fire him — plenty — but to keep this short and to the point, I’m just going to focus on reasons why he shouldn’t be fired.

The first reason is the Wide 9. This much ballyhooed defensive line alignment — to which we were subjected to article after article and talking head after talking head describing it — actually works with our defensive linemen.

Unfortunately for the rest of the defense, this new front caused problems for our young linebackers and safeties, the men charged with plugging the larger-than-normal interior gaps. It also caused problems for its neophyte d-coordinator.

Jason Babin, signed to a longterm and big-money deal, is a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive lineman in this scheme and a decent backup in a normal scheme. If you coaxed Jim Washburn out of Tennessee to run this system, don’t you want a defensive coordinator who knows how to run it? And wouldn’t this year be a complete waste if we scrap it altogether and start anew in ‘12? What happens to Babin or Washburn or even Cullen Jenkins, a 3-4 end by trade?

The next reason to keep Castillo is based on results. Call it fools’ gold if you like, but the defense started to click on all cylinders at the end of the season. The same defense that was gutted like a fish by John Skelton and Tavarus Jackson — wow, this season sucked — was the same defense that shutdown teams in the season’s final quarter. You can’t help who you’re playing and neither can Castillo. If we’re to believe that the team finally started clicking, why would we want to waste this progress and start anew?

One of the new wrinkles that Castillo implemented was that two-man front with two defensive tackles lined up in their Wide 9 alignment with Trent Cole and Babin acting as rush linebackers. It’s the closest thing to a 3-4 look the Eagles have run since I started watching football. In fact, now that I think of it, the Wide 9 is really close to a 3-4 front — only without a nose tackle. And haven’t we been asking for more 3-4 looks with our undersized and speedy defensive lineman? (I know I have.) The point is that it looks like Castillo is starting to figure this thing out.

Will Juan Castillo return in 2012 as the Eagles defensive coordinator?

Asante Samuel’s absence also showed the true potential of this defense. Part of the problem coming into this season was the fact that neither Samuel, Nnamdi Asomugha, or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie could play the slot consistently, to put it lightly. (Ironically, in Madden — where team chemistry and playing out of position are not applicable — these three corners are devastatingly effective. If only Madden translated to real life…) Without Samuel — who really hasn’t done anything to deserve the odd-man out status other than the fact that he’s not a press corner — and with the more than capable Joselio Hanson at home in the slot, Asomugha and DRC are free to play their game more often and this defense looks seriously imposing.

My final concern with firing Castillo is the fact that we’d have had three defensive coordinators in three season — four in five, counting Sean McDermott’s brief tenure. One the biggest keys to success in the NFL is consistency at coaching. Granted, consistently crappy coaching probably isn’t the answer either. I guess the opinion here is that Castillo is actually not a crappy defensive coordinator. Neither, for that matter, is Spagnuolo.

I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Spags returns to South Philly. However, as this season has taught us, what looks good on paper doesn’t always translate to wins on the field.

With that being said, let’s predict some wins on (virtual) paper.

Cincinnati (+3) over HOUSTON

Seriously, Jake Delhomme and TJ Yates? I don’t care if Andy Dalton is a rookie quarterback, the Texans are down to their 3rd or 4th quarterback. The last time Delhomme suited up for a playoff game, he threw five picks and fumbled once, and that was against the not so vaunted Arizona Cardinals defense. How is he going to fare against a Marvin Lewis coached defense? The guess here is poorly. Even if Yates plays, as expected, the guess here is that the Bengals get their first playoff win since I turned five, and the Texans remain winless in the postseason.

Hey, at least you finally made it to the playoffs, Houston!

Detroit (+10.5) to cover against NEW ORLEANS

With the firepower that Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and company boast, how can you turn down this lusty point spread? (You can’t — unless, like me, you refuse to gamble on sports.) That being said, I still expect the Saints to pull this one out. You remember how last year’s 12-4 Saints had to travel to 7-9 Seattle, where last year’s Taking Back Sports’ annual Alpha Male Play of the Year from Marshawn Lynch knocked off the defending champions? The Saints do too. Something tells me that Drew Brees and company won’t let that happen again this year — much less at home. Still, this game promises to be awesome.

Now, cue the unexpected defensive struggle…

Atlanta (+3) over NEW YORK

Let me start out by saying that I don’t really think the Giants are really that good. Eli Manning had a great year, and Victor Cruz had an even better year. Oh and Jason Pierre-Paul (great name) was awesome too. (Shame, he’d have looked great in midnight green.) But when I watched any Giants games this year, I saw a team get by on one or two incredibly big plays on offense from Manning or Cruz. I don’t think they can continue to do that. Then again I didn’t think they could do that before they won the Super Bowl after an up-and-down 2007 season. I have been wrong before, and I will be wrong again.

Oh and by the way, Matt Ryan’s next playoff win will also be his first. Shit, I’m starting to rethink this whole thing. I better stop before I — *gasp! — pick the Giants to win. Moving on…

Pittsburgh (-8.5) over DENVER

Defending conference champions, who boast a stout run defense, against an 8-8 team that backed into the playoffs with a running quarterback that doesn’t throw very well. Hmmm. Yeah, this one’s easy. Even if Big Ben is hobbled and shaky, there’s no way the Steelers defense let’s Tebow Time even think about making this one a game.

Then again, last year’s Saints-Seahawks game taught us that nothing’s easy in the NFL, and that’s precisely what makes it such a great game. Enjoy wildcard weekend everyone!

Ever since I started watching sports as a 7-year-old, my favorite teams (exclusively based in Philadelphia) have found a consistent way to lose big time games. Yesterday was no different as the Flyers lost to the Rangers in an unbelievably-exciting-if-my-favorite-team-didn’t-lose Winter Classic.

It felt so normal to lose this national showcase. That’s nothing new to us Philly fans, obviously, but I had actually thought we’d finally shed our town’s loser label. I thought that when the 2008 Phillies team had finally broken the threshold, a flood of championships were sure to follow as they had for Boston fans this past decade. Well, needless to say, I was wrong.

Welcome back to Hell, my fellow Philly sports fans.

The state of the Philadelphia sports fan is one of sad disallusionment — or in plain English, one of shock. The Eagles were supposed to fight for a berth in the Super Bowl after building and augmenting an “all-in” and “dream team” championship core, the Flyers watched their supposed championship core crumble and rebuilt behind a younger core, the Sixers apparently can’t find a championship core, and the Phillies championship core has begun to rot. Something is rotten in the state of Brotherly Love.

As a service to myself, I am publishing this list of New Year’s resolutions for the four major Philly sports teams.

Philadelphia Phillies

1. Chase Utley hits leadoff. He grinds out at-bats, gets on base, can steal a bag, and is an overall nuisance to the opposing team. What else do want from you leadoff batter? Plus, this allows you to move Jimmy Rollins and/or Shane Victorino further down in the lineup where either free swinger can be freed up to drive the ball more.

2. Resign Brad Lidge as a set-up man. As primarily a guy that retires righthanded hitters, a valuable situational, late inning role should be filled with our old buddy Lidge. As the Cardinals proved last year, you can never have enough roles filled in the bullpen.

3. Rehire Jimy Williams as bench coach. He coached in Philly for two years. The Phillies won their first division title in 14 years in the first and their second ever World Series in the second. Need I say anymore?

4. Recapture the magic/spark that propelled those younger teams. This is a bit abstract. To be more specific, these players need to play with more passion and a greater burning desire. I love Chase Utley and Roy Halladay as leaders, but maybe a downside to them is a more cerebral and introverted team spirit.

The whole thing wreaks of the malaise that the Atlanta Braves, with their aces Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz, experienced in winning just one World Series in the midst of their 14-straight division title run. The regular season wins keep coming, but the postseason successes are now becoming fleeting. On paper, the 2008 Phillies would get smoked by the 2011 version. On the field in October, however, those 2008 Phillies were relentless and suffocating. The 2011 team just goes about its business. Can they rediscover what it means to be relentless and suffocating? That’s what will define the 2012 Phillies season.

Philadelphia Flyers

1. Find a goaltender. It’s been the same story since before I ever watched a hockey game. The Philadelphia Flyers must find a franchise goalie. Is Bryzgalov the Man or just a high-priced mistake? Can two or three months of up-and-down to mediocre play from the Bryz really give us a verdict? (No.) The point is that right now Bryzgalov hasn’t answered a two-decade-old question that has defined a franchise.

2. Invest in concussion prevention and concussion treatment research. Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau saw All-Star careers screech to a halt because of concussions. Is Chris Pronger next? Is he the latest franchise player to see his career end because of post concussion syndrome? If he is — and I’m Ed Snider — my newest charitable endeavor would be to donate a large sum of money to head injury research. He might even find an unlikely suitor in Pittsburgh, in light of Sidney Crosby’s latest setback. Unreal!

Philadelphia 76ers

1. Have patience with this young team. This is a resolution as much for the Philly organization as it is for we fans. This is an extremely young team with a lot of potential. We know what Iggy and Elton Brand bring to the table — large contracts and above average play — however, we are just scratching the surface of what Jrue Holliday, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner have to offer. Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams are perfect in their bench roles. If the young players can continue to progress, there is a deep pool of talent on this Sixers roster.

2. Develop Jrue Holliday, Evan Turner, and Spencer Hawes. This list would have been just Holliday and Turner if not for the eye-opening play of Hawes thus far. I thought he was just another stiff, white center. I might have been very, very wrong. Needless to say, I’m a bit optimistic about this Sixers team.

Philadelphia Eagles

1. Draft a linebacker in the first round. Preferably one of those “can’t miss” type of talents. PLEASE! While we’re on the subject, please draft better in general. Whatever it is that the Eagles are doing in the draft board room, it’s not working. Brandon Graham has an incomplete, Nate Allen is not performing up to his second round status, and that dude with the hyphenated name selected in the 3rd round that played defensive end (sorry, he wasn’t important enough to the team to remember his name or be worthy of Googling) isn’t even on the team anymore. Those are the first three draft picks of the Howie Roseman era. They’re all applying for residence in Bustville. Roseman’s back for another year, so let’s see if the young GM figures it out this year or if his draft picks pan out better in Year 3.

2. Pay the right ‘Seans. You’ve got to extend LeSean McCoy’s contract — this shouldn’t even be a question — and, if you can get on the same page money-wise with DeSean Jackson, resign the speedy receiver to a longterm contract. If he wants to be paid like Larry Fitzgerald, then let Speedy Gonzalez sign elsewhere. He’s too small and too moody to be paid like the best in the game. He does, however, deserve to be paid like an All-Star caliber wide receiver.

So that’s it. I’ll be back for more later in the week with a little Sixers preview I’ve been cooking up. In the mean time, try not to jump off a bridge after the next heartbreaking loss. I will do the same. Let’s call it our Philly fan New Year’s resolution.

Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor has had a rough last couple of months. Does he still have a football future? TBS discusses.

Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been accused of paying for tattoos with sports memorabilia as well as driving fancy cars with a suspended license.  The guys of Taking Back Sports discuss what kind of future Pryor can have and give the youngster some advice.

(Click here to download Segment 4)

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is fueling the Cleveland Indians surprise season. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

What is going on in Cleveland, Ohio?  The Indians may be on a bit of a losing streak right now, but they still lead the AL Central by 1.5 games.  Could the Indians win the division?  In the National League, Adio, Kevin and Jason discuss the overblown situation surrounding San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey after his season ending leg & ankle injuries.

(Click here to download Segment 3)

The Stanley Cup Finals move to Boston for games 3 and 4.

With two games in the books, the Stanley Cup Finals shift to Boston for game 3.  After the 1-0 heartbreaker in game one, the Canucks followed it with 3-2 overtime backbreaker.  Where do these losses stack up on the “Levels of Losing” as written by ESPN’s Bill Simmons.

(UPDATE: The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 8-1 in Game 3 on Monday Night).

(Click here to download Segment 2)

Even more important than your hatred for the city of New York is your hatred for the city of Dallas, Texas.  A sports fan from Philadelphia is trained to despise the city of Dallas harder than any other city in America, but the 2011 NBA Finals has caused me to go against everything I have been taught from birth.

In the 2011 NBA Finals, my cheers are reserved for some fine German hops in the form of Dirk Nowitzki. (Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

I find myself cheering for the Dallas Mavericks harder and louder than I have ever cheered for any team from the city of Dallas in my entire life – which isn’t too hard to do considering I’ve been booing teams from that same town for the bulk of my fandom (except the Stars because I secretly had a man crush on Mike Modano in my young hockey watching career).

When the NBA Finals are displayed on my beautiful, high-def television, I’m sitting at the edge of my seat hoping beyond hope and wishing beyond wishes that every shot from Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, little J.J. Barea and every Mavericks player in between goes in.  I hope that LeBron and Wade go a combined 3-45 from the field.  I hope that Chris Bosh gets embarrassed trying to post up Tyson Chandler – something that wouldn’t happen because Bosh, a power forward, seems to have forgotten his post game since moving to Miami.

After game one, I started to feel a little down even though I’ve never cheered for the Mavericks before, but I absolutely lost it when Dirk Nowitzki drained a pretty three pointer and followed with game two winning lay-up after driving right by Chris Bosh from a high isolation set.

My friends and family back home in Philadelphia probably view this column as sacrilege or an act of Philadelphia sports treason. Still there’s reason to cheer for Dallas if you don’t live in the greater Miami metropolitan area. The Dallas Mavericks collectively represent George A. Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh playing the parts of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Chief Gall.  The Mavs are the last stand of true NBA basketball, and the basketball purist in me wants Dallas to win so badly just to protect the sanctity of the sport.

The best thing in any sports league is parity – the idea that any team can win a championship at any given time.  When the Heat brought James and Bosh to Miami to team with Wade, it, to me, started the beginning of the end of my NBA watching.  Even if Kobe Bryant had Pau Gasol, there was the chance that the Boston Celtics with their big three or the Orlando Magic with Howard, Turkoglu & co. could win a championship.

Call me a “Heat Hater”, a “LeBron Loather” or a “Bosh Basher” if you like, but I stand by my opinion that what came about in South Beach is absolutely bad for the NBA.  The Miami Big Three are three of the best players in the game today, and they’re young, which means they could theoretically win every NBA Championship until their contracts run out at the end of the 2014 season (unless they all accept their player options for the next two years).

The Philadelphia sports fan in me would pretend not to know me, but the NBA purist in me smiles proudly when I say: Go Dallas.

If you don’t win, I won’t be watching the NBA until 2016.

Miami leads the NBA Finals 2-1. Can the Mavericks tie it back up again tonight?

After three games of the 2011 NBA Finals, Adio, Kevin and Jason discuss what the Miami Heat are doing to keep the Dallas Mavericks down and what the Mavs aren’t doing to grab some victories from LeBron James and the Miami Heat.  With game 4 looming, what does Dallas have to do to stay in this thing?

(Click here to download Segment 1.)