Liberty Ballers: All Posts by Brandon Lee

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterbacks Sack Responsibility

2013-05-22T15:00:10Z

Pro Football Focus recently released some interesting data regarding the responsibility of NFL quarterbacks taking sacks. Here, we'll focus in on how the Eagles QBs, Michael Vick and Nick Foles, ranked in 2012.

PFF defines QB sack responsibility based on the following:

[Q]uarterbacks who brought the most sacks on themselves or, to put it another way, those players who took too long to throw and got taken down or simply ran straight into a defender when other options were available.

Four seconds is the time over which we say the QB takes responsibility, but this excludes instances where they were pressured within that limit, had to take evasive action with no opportunity to throw the ball away, but got taken down after it.

You can see the complete charts for all qualified NFL QBs in the PFF article. Here's how Vick and Foles ranked:

Eagles Quarterbacks Responsible Sacks:

Rank (out of 33)	Name	Drop-backs	Sacks	%Sacks	Hits	Pressures
7	Vick	434	5	1.2%	3	0
25	Foles	313	1	0.3%	0	3

According to this data, not only was Vick responsible for more sacks than Foles was in 2012, but he was also among the highest in the league in this category. It should be noted that Vick's sample size was a little larger than his counterpart, but the data seems to match the eye test here. It's clear that Vick was guilty of holding onto the ball too long and is responsible for a number of sacks he takes.

This is important to consider when trying to place the blame of Vick's poor 2012 performance solely on the poor state of the Eagles offensive live. Was the Eagles O-Line bad at pass blocking? Absolutely. They were among the worst in the NFL. The offensive line wasn't doing Vick any favors at all. But Vick was also responsible for holding onto the ball for the second most-longest time on average in the league (3.07 seconds, only ahead of rookie passer Russel Wilson at 3.35). In short, both the OL and Vick were to blame.

This data also shows that Foles wasn't as responsible for the sacks he took.

Here's how the Eagles QBs ranked when throwing after 4 seconds:

Rank (out of 36)	Name	Drop-backs	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	QB Rating	Total PFF Rating	Rating/Drop-back
10	Foles	54	50	20	338	2	0	95.6	6.0	0.111
29	Vick	92	41	12	274	2	3	40.7	1.0	0.011

Here we see that Foles was proficient when throwing after 4 seconds or more. This data matches the eye test which tells us that Foles generally made some good decisions when throwing the ball. The same can't be said for Vick. The numbers show that Vick wasn't a good decision maker, especially when holding onto the ball.

* * *

The Eagles QB competition appears to be wide open going forward and will ideally be won by the best performing QB. If this data is any indication of future performance, it's an encouraging sign for Foles and bad news for Vick. It remains to be seen how these QBs perform in Chip Kelly's offense as compared to Andy Reid's, but I imagine coach Kelly values getting the ball out quick and not taking sacks. If that's the case, the data here confirms that Foles may have an advantage.

(h/t @PFF_John)

Sixers Interested in Houston Rockets Assistants Chris Finch and Kelvin Sampson

2013-05-21T12:30:05Z

New developments have been made in The Search For The Sixers Next Head Coach™. According to reports, the Sixers are interested in two assistants from the Houston Rockets. Specifically, they're rumored to be targeting Chris Finch and Kelvin Sampson. It's no surprise that the Sixers have interest in Rockets assistants considering new GM Sam Hinkie's background in Houston.

More: Sam Hinkie and Analytics

First, we'll take a look at Finch. Here's the report from Eskin:

Told 2day that in lead 4 next #sixers HC is Houston Rockets assistant Chris Finch. From Reading PA, and HC overseas 4 a few @fox29philly
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) May 21, 2013

As you can see, Finch (43) is originally "FROM HERE". Despite being a local guy, he's spent plenty of time overseas as both a player and a coach. Along with coaching some Euro teams, he oversaw the men's basketball British national team. Finch's coaching experience in the US includes a successful stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who won a NBA D-League championship under him in 2010.

From what I've gleaned, he is seen as an "offensive coach". Here's an interesting Finch nugget (yum) I found in a 2011 interview:

[Q]: I know you believe in freedom on offense and virtually no freedom on defense. What do you want to define this team offensively?

[Finch]: I want us to always be on the attack. I want us to look and feel like a herd of horses coming down the floor every single time. I want us to really, first and foremost, put the defense under pressure every way possible and I want to see us share the ball. We want to run and keep the tempo high, but to do that we have to value the right shots and we have to do it unselfishly.

Finch has be touted by some as a potential successor to current Rockets coach Kevin McHale. If that's true, he could be hard to pry away from Houston if the Rockets really do value him for their future. It also means that Hinkie could indeed highly covet him for the open job in Philadelphia.

Sixers Coaching Targets: Quin Snyder Mike Malone/Jeff Hornacek Brian Shaw

The other Houston assistant's name that has come up in the coaching search is Kelvin Sampson. According to a report, the Sixers have received permission to interview him.

Sampson (57) has years of coaching experience in both the pros and the college ranks. Reports indicate that he's also a candidate for a number of other open coaching jobs this off-season.

Here's what The Dream Shake (Rockets SBN site) had to say about him:

In a lot of ways, Sampson is an old school guy. His father coached basketball, a hard brand of basketball, and those values clearly stuck with him. If you're not rebounding, hustling down the floor, or playing defense, say hello to the bench. At the same time, he is an incredibly hard worker. Players respect that, and he's managed to connect with stars at every step of the way. James Harden in particular has become close with Sampson, and I'm sure if the Sixers hired him, he'd build great relationships with star big men Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown as well.

* * *

Hiring a coach from Houston would make a lot of sense for the Sixers. The familiarity with Hinkie and the kind of expectations he has would help the new coach fit in here. It would also be ideal for creating an exciting offense that looks to take good shots, similar to the Rockets offense.

Keep an eye on these names as the Sixers continue their search.

Mailbag: Kenny Phillips, Reid holdovers, Super Bowl talk, and more

2013-05-17T14:26:55Z

Welcome to the BGN Mailbag!

First, thanks for all your questions. Be sure to keep sending them in! Remember, there's 2 ways to enter a question:

Email your question(s) to: BGNmailbag (at) yahoo.com
OR
Follow me on Twitter (@BrandonLeeSBN) and tweet me your question. (Using the hashtag "#BGNmailbag" is helpful so I know to save it for the mailbag.)

To the Q&A...

Brandon Lee:

@nyunole - If Spencer Hawes became an Eagle, would you switch allegiances, stop watching football, attempt suicide, homicide, other?

A: Oh man this is such a great question. And by that I mean it's an evil question. Why would you do this to me, nole?

For those of you who don't know, Spencer Hawes plays for the Sixers. He's a goofy big guy who loves America and Seattle. That's about all the nice things I can say about him. He's probably my least favorite Philadelphia "athlete" that I've ever had to deal with. He's just so bad and frustrating and it's painful watching him on a team that I cover.

If I had to compare him to a former Eagle, it would be Jarrad Page. To be fair, Hawes is a little more useful than Page was in their respective sports, but the feeling you have watching them is the same. Frustration. Anger. Pain. Indulging in incompetence.

But to answer the question... I'd wait it out. Just like Eagles fans had to do with Page. I know they would make the right move and cut him eventually. Thank goodness for non-guaranteed contracts in the NFL.

@tungeric - "Hotel California" or "Take It To the Limit"??

You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.

A: First, I recognize your attempt to be clever. I asked for "Eagles questions" on Twitter, so naturally tungeric gave me a question about the band, The Eagles. Congrats, you rascal.

Hotel California, easy. How can you not dig Joe Walsh on guitar?

@Randyljobst - - What can we expect from Kenny Phillips this year?

A: Health is obviously the major question mark here. If KP is 100% healthy, I don't see a good reason why he can't be at least a top 10 safety in the league this year. Yes, that good.

He has to win a job first though. He needs to prove he's healthy and that he can still play at the high level he was playing at prior to his injury.

@bebinabraham - Are you taller than a the tallest sky scraper and if so when will Chip Kelly have you in for a visit?

A: The tallest sky scraper in the world is Burj Khalifa, located in Dubai. It's approximately 2,722 ft high. I'm only 6'9" so no, I am not taller.

Neither Chip nor Howie have reached out to me or my agent yet so I don't think they're interested. Yet.

@Imperator415 - Why can the Eagles win the Super Bowl this year and why can't they?

A: It all revolves around the QB position. The Eagles probably won't have good enough QB play to win a Super Bowl this year. Other considerations such as players adjusting to the new schemes and new coaches might factor into the struggles of Chip Kelly's first year here.

The Eagles can win a Super Bowl if Chip Kelly can either find a way to minimize the importance of the QB position (good luck) or get one of the QBs on the roster to play like a top 10(ish) QB (also good luck).

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Dan Klausner:

@Bounce7 - Ertz, Casey, Celek. Which one is the best run blocker?

A: Travis Kelce. Fine, Celek.

[Ed. Note: Zach Ertz is going to be Dan's favorite player. He'll never doubt the Eagles not taking Kelce instead of him. I can just tell!]

@milroyigglesfan - - Every year the eagles seem to "neglect" a team area that fans see as plain as day. Which area do you believe is neglected?

A: Linebacker, interior OL.

@Southern_Philly - NFL does a Madden-like fantasy draft, but each team can hold on to 3 players. Who are you keeping?

A: Excluding the players just drafted a few weeks ago... Fletcher Cox is the first name that comes to mind. Let's go with LeSean McCoy, too. And for what might be considered a surprise pick: Brandon Graham. Expecting big things from him this season. HM: DeSean Jackson.

@cdjones34 - Are there any holdover players from the Reid era drafts who can make a year 2 (or 3) jump (like Curtis Marsh)? What is common jump for corners in years?

I'm still hopeful about Curtis Marsh -Dan Klausner

A: I'm still hopeful about Curtis Marsh. He had only played CB for two seasons at Utah State before being drafted and was acknowledged to be a project who'd take time to develop. I wanted to see him last season, especially when things were going to shit, and, well, now it's really put up or shut up in 2013. I'll always remember Marsh's 2010 performance against Boise State that proved to me he had legit NFL potential. As for players I think will make a year 2 jump: Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks. Year 4 guys: Brandon Graham and Riley Cooper.

@cquigs12 - What do you know about Benghazi?

A: Everything.

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That's it for this mailbag.

Thanks for the questions!

Mailbag: Matt Barkley, Eagles pass rushers, rookies, and more

2013-05-14T13:00:09Z

Welcome to the BGN Mailbag!

First, thanks for all your questions. Be sure to keep sending them in! Remember, there's 2 ways to enter a question:

Email your question(s) to: BGNmailbag (at) yahoo.com
OR
Follow me on Twitter (@BrandonLeeSBN) and tweet me your question. (Using the hashtag "#BGNmailbag" is helpful so I know to save it for the mailbag.)

To the Q&A...

JasonB:

milroyigglesfan - Which of the 8 drafted prospects has the best fit with Chip Kelly? Which of the 8 prospects has the least fit?

I think we have to start right at the top with Lane Johnson. We know Chip Kelly wants to run an uptempo system where he's running a play every 12 seconds or so and we know he's going to have his lineman out running in front of backs. There was no better potential fit for that in this entire draft than Lane Johnson. Eric Fisher may be the better overall prospect, but Johnson's athleticism is almost unheard of for an OT and I think that's something Chip Kelly is going to make good use of.

Least fit? I dunno, I don't see anyone as a bad fit. These guys won't all become good players and surely there will be a few full on busts there, but I think all fit the prototypes of what the scheme needs very well.

@milroyiggles fan - - Barkley is one of the most polarizing prospects we've had in awhile. Some love him, some loathe him. How are you sitting?

Even the Eagles passed on him 3 times, which is a pretty good indication that they didn't see Barkley as a sure fire franchise QB.

Somewhere in between. I wrote about this last week. I don't dislike the pick, but I'm also not getting super excited about what an amazing value he was in the 4th round. I think there's a reason that NFL teams with more knowledge and resources than anyone chose not to pick him until then. Even the Eagles passed on him 3 times, which is a pretty good indication that they didn't see Barkley as a sure fire franchise QB

@Lolarsystem - Who starts at safety?

Well I actually already did make this prediction a couple weeks ago, so I'll stick with my picks. Kenny Phillips & Nate Allen.

@The_Henf - which Philly team college or pro will be the next to win a championship?

Quick process of elimination. The college teams likely have no shot. Plus they're really only competing in one sport, basketball (unless you count Penn State as a Philly team which I don't.) So they're out.

Then you look at a team on the way down the like the Phillies and eliminate them. So we look at who is up and coming. The Sixers really don't fall into that category. So we get rid of them.

I think it comes down the Flyers or Eagles. You can see how by shedding some vets, the Flyers could find themselves as a much younger up and comer.The Eagles are really only a QB away from being a very young up and coming team.

@say_voy - Your most underrated team for the upcoming season?

I actually think the Bears could be very good next year. Maybe even win that division. I think they're already a better team than the Vikings.

-----------------------

Mike Kaye:

@ZipSquad_JihaD - Speculate: Does Chip feel comfortable [with] our remade secondary or do we look for help after camp cuts?

I think the only way to know if Chip is comfortable with his secondary, is to either guess or give him some truth serum. If you take the former route, I think it speaks to the team's approach to the draft. I think Bradley Fletcher is probably the most intriguing player we have had in the secondary since Lito Sheppard was drafted, in that, you know he has talent but how much he has is unknown. Fletcher could turn into a ten-year starter or he could fizzle out like Ellis Hobbs (talent wasn't utilized, even prior to the neck injury). I think Kenny Phillips deal makes you comfortable with him and the fact that Nate Allen has shown flashes in a plus. Pat Chung came here to start and I think Chip is fine with that (while I am not). I think Cary Williams is a number 2 cornerback but is being considered the one due to his higher-profile. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I am probably the biggest Jordan Poyer fan among those that write about the draft. He can play nickel and play outside. He and Fletcher are really the wild cards of the cornerback group. I am interested to see if Curtis Marsh stands out at all. I could see him moved to safety. Earl Wolff will likely be brought along slowly, but make no mistake, the kid can play and soon. I think the team will keep 10 DBs and the guys that are guaranteed to make the team really only Williams, Chung, Wolff, Fletcher, and maybe Allen. I think Allen, Phillips, Kurt Coleman, Colt Anderson, Marsh, Brandon Hughes, Poyer, Brandon Boykin, and Trevard Lindley are competing for like 5-6 spots. I don't see the team looking into cut vets for the secondary, simply because there was older talent out there that was pretty good (Marcus Trufant, Charles Woodson, Kerry Rhodes) and the team never budged.

@milroyigglesfan - - Between draft and UDFA, how many rookies will survive onto the first 53 man roster of Chip Kelly?

Great question. I think Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Bennie Logan, Matt Barkley and Earl Wolff are easy locks. I also would be surprised if Joe Kruger was let go, because he was an obvious "Chip pick." Aside from those six, I think Jordan Poyer is a good bet to beat out Brandon Hughes or Curtis Marsh. I think Dave King will likely be red-shirted on the IR. So I think all the draft picks will be on the team payroll in 2013, but I would say King and Kruger could be redshirted. As far as undrafted free agents go, I look at the running backs in Matt Tucker and Miguel Maysonet, just because I think the team could keep four running backs. Kelly did not draft a running back (which surprised me), so I would say his confidence in Chris Polk is pretty high. Two other guys that have a decent shot are Arizona center Kyle Quinn and Iowa State linebacker, Jake Knott, simply because the competition is not that overwhelming. I would say at least two UFAs make the team, so my number for the active roster would be 9 (with King IRed).

@GoingHard_inger - How do you think the pass rushing situation shakes out with Cole, Graham, Barwin, Curry, etc? Positions, results, etc

I believe Trent Cole is going to surprise us.

I believe Trent Cole is going to surprise us. He has been really working to lose weight and gain speed. I think he genuinely likes playing in Philadelphia and wants to retire here. The thing to remember is that while he is not much younger than Dwight Freeney, unlike the elder pass rusher, he played rush linebacker in college. His college measureables were also outstanding, so if he regain some speed, I think he starts. Brandon Graham is really interesting because he closed well last year and was considered a rush linebacker coming out of Michigan. I am pretty sure if he had not had those good games down the stretch, he would be another team's property by now. I think Graham and Cole are competing to start in the Predator position's rotation (they will rotate quite a bit I believe, given Graham's durability history and Cole's age). I think Barwin was brought here to be the SAM, despite what Howie said about playing on the open (weak) side when he was signed. Curry I think will play 5-tech and I think you will see Cox dominate as a 3-tech. The front-7 could be a sack machine or they can falter. It really all depends on Billy Davis's playcalling.

@EaglesJake - do you feel as though the defense is worse or equal to what they were last season?

Last year really had two defenses: the Juan defense and the Bowles defense. Juan really did some work to begin the year, and in my opinion, he was the reason the team won three of the four games that they emerged victorious. Against the Steelers and Lions, Juan questioned his own playcalling and that reverted it to 2011 and that is why he was canned. Todd Bowles was put in a horrible position, but his secondary really just was horrid in the last 8 games of the season. I was not impressed by that team at all. This year, the defense will be trying to find itself. That said, I would find it hard to believe that we would be as bad as the Bowles-tenured defense of 2012. I think it will have similar success to Juan's defense in the first 6 games. So, in short, I think they will rank in the middle of most statistical categories.

@milroyigglesfan - Do you see Eagles grabbing any more free agents near term? What about after teams cut to 53?

I really thought they would grab Karlos Dansby because of his familiarity with Davis, but that did not happen (Dansby signed with ARI). I just do not see "Chip guys" out there. I would not be surprised if the team brought back Jake Scott, because I am not so confident that Kelly is a fan of Dallas Reynolds or Danny Watkins. Another guy that I could see them take a flyer on is Ramses Barden, just because of his size, but I would not hold my breath. I think who the team goes after during final cuts depends on who gets cut.

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That's it for this mailbag. Look out for another edition coming soon.

And don't forget to keep the questions coming!

Casual Friday Sixers Links: Kwame Brown for Player-Coach Edition

2013-05-10T14:00:09Z

Welcome to another edition of the Liberty Links Lounge.

Quick things:

Who's all going to NBA Summer League in Vegas?
Our "Toot It or Boot It" series is over! It was fun while it lasted.
Keep an eye out for the SBN Network NBA playoff threads and join in the discussion! Non-playoff teams commiserating together all in one place!
Want to share some Sixers thoughts with the LB community? Write a FanPost. Do a good job on it and we may even promote it to the front page. I'll even link to it in this weekly links post too. You'll be famous!
Go like the LB Facebook page!
Follow LB on Twitter. We changed our handle from @Philly76ersBlog to the more aptly named @Liberty_Ballers!
Follow all of our wonderful writers on Twitter:
Mike Levin (@Michael_Levin)
Tanner Steidel (@tsteidel)
Derek Bodner (@derekbodner)
Dave Rueter (@wheresbenrivera)
Justin F. (@JustinF_LB)
Brandon Lee (@BrandonLeeSBN)
Roy Burton (@TheBSLine)
Rich Hofmann Jr. (@rich_hofmann)
Mike Baumann (@MJ_Baumann)
Sean O'Connor (@soconnor76)

BEST OF LIBERTY BALLERS:

Toot It Or Boot It Series!
"How many players are left on this [pooping] team?" - nyunole

76ers Sunday Morning Shootaround: The Skills Edition
Damien Wilkins is the best smelling Sixer. Obviously.

Sixers Free Agency Preview
This is the most thorough and comprehensive Sixers FA preview you will find. But what do YOU think the Sixers should do in free agency?

Sixers Want Thad Young to Work on Outside Game
Me too, but as the philosopher Jagger once said, you can't always get what you want. But can you imagine how awesome that would be if Thad added range?

Tony DiLeo searches for coach while Sixers search for GM?
I think DiLeo might be back with the Sixers in some role, but I don't think it'll be as the GM, you guys.

Coaching Search: Sixers Interested in Quin Snyder
A new and interesting name has emerged in the Sixers coaching search. Also, the Sixers probably won't start interviewing coaching candidates until this upcoming week at the earliest. SO BE PATIENT OR ELSE

SIXERS LINKS:

Collins Era Shot Selection Review: Finger-Pointing Through Comparative Shot Charts - FanPost by BHolly
Long 2s forever.

NBA 2K13 Sixers Simulation: Make it Happen, Front Office - FanPost by Wesley Share
Alternatively titled "How the Sixers Get Andrew Wiggins"

Ten Biggest Questions for the Sixers’ Off-Season: #6. What Players Are Worth Trying to Trade For? - The 700 Level
Eric Gordon, Marcin Gortat, Derrick Favors/Enes Kanter, Omer Asik, Jeff Green, Amar'e Stoudemire, Pau Gasol, Carlos Boozer.

Interested in any?

Austin Coach Quin Snyder Joining the 76ers Staff (from 2010) - Ridiculous Upside
Check out this old article on one of the Sixers new coaching candidates.

Getting right coach essential to Sixers' future - phillyBurbs.com
How can something both matter and not matter at the same time?

Could Larry Brown be in Sixers' future? - Philly.com
Promo code: No.

Five reasons to take Sixers' head coaching job - CSN Philly
I really don't think candidates are lining up for the job because Evan Turner is here.

NBA Draft 2013: Why Alex Len is a better prospect than Nerlens Noel - SB Nation NBA
I think Len is slowly moving up higher on my board. Oh wait I don't have a board? Well he's moving up somewhere. Either way, I'm intrigued. Too bad the Sixers probably won't be able to get either of these guys.

I am Royce White - SB Nation NBA (Longform)
This is a masterful piece and well worth your time. Anxiety is no joke.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

"Seeing hope for the Sixers is like reading the menu board at Dairy Queen: both are currently blocked by Charles Shackleford." - nyunole

"If you're 7 feet tall but act like you're 6 feet tall, are you really 7 feet tall?" - Sean O'Connor

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REMINDER - RULES OF THE THREAD: As long as you keep it clean (no cursing and please remember to bathe before threading) and respectful, it's fair game. It's your thread - use it as you see fit.

Now, discuss! Happy Friday!

The Philadelphia Eagles Most Bizarre Tweeter Award 2013 Goes To... Clifton Geathers

2013-05-09T15:00:04Z

Back in 2011, Jason put up a post with the same name as this one, except it was in honor of a different Eagle. That player was none other than Eagles great Eldra Buckley. He was the Eagles third string RB (2010-2011) who lacked natural NFL talent but ran hard whenever he got the chance. You may remember him from such plays as "The Eldra Buckley Wildcat Package" or "Put Eldra Buckley In On 4th and 1 and Have Him Run Hard But Ultimately Fall Short Of The First Down Marker". Or maybe you saw him in his interesting YouTube music videos. But even though Eldra may have been easy to forget as a player, no one could deny his unstoppable prowess as a bizarre tweeter, as evidenced in Jason's post.

Sadly, no Eagles player has been able to fill the void of "most bizarre tweeter" after the Eagles ended up cutting Buckley in 2011. That is... UNTIL NOW.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to your new champion of Eagles bizarre tweeting legacy... Clifton Geathers. In case you didn't know, Eagles DE Geathers was acquired from the Colts earlier this off-season in exchange for FB Stanley Havili. I followed him on Twitter after that trade as I try to follow all and any Eagles players. Shortly after following I noticed that this was no ordinary Twiter athlete account. It was something... special.

Here's a sample of Geathers best tweets:

Hated it men Wendy's had soggy fires and cold burger should have got burger king
— Clifton Geathers (@ClifGeathers) May 8, 2013

A fast food review. Me? I actually like Wendy's more than BK, but Clifton has spoken.

Working on the six pack today twitter.com/ClifGeathers/s…
— Clifton Geathers (@ClifGeathers) May 6, 2013

Next, Geathers reveals that he's Bane from Batman.

Dallas trying to be like Philly lol it alright but it does make you have bubble guts @diamonddowns twitter.com/ClifGeathers/s…
— Clifton Geathers (@ClifGeathers) April 10, 2013

Ah, the obligatory cheese steak initiation. But in Dallas? Well, OK... but oh no, not the BGs!

Going to sleep got to go to work in the am. :-) Don't we all? But I'm happy doing my job. Are you happy?. :'(
— Clifton Geathers (@ClifGeathers) April 10, 2013

Emoticon use is on point.

In blue fish
— Clifton Geathers (@ClifGeathers) April 5, 2013

I... I don't even know. But I love it.

And that's just a sampling. He also calls the Eagles fanbase "Green Nation" which I think is funny because I don't know of another Eagles player who refers to the fan base in that way. I've seen and heard things like Eagles nation, Eagles gang, Bird Gang, Bleeding Green Nation (OBVIOUSLY)... but I've never just seen simply "Green Nation". Fantastic.

Too many athletes on Twitter are just plain... boring. Their tweets lack creativity. That's certainly not the case with Clifton.

So do yourself a favor and follow @ClifGeathers. You won't regret it.

Coaching Search: Sixers Interested in Quin Snyder

2013-05-08T02:11:11Z

The latest Sixers coaching search rumor comes from none other than the great Tom Moore:

#NBA source: #Sixers may have interest in former #Lakers & #76ers assistant Quin Snyder, who coached in Russia last season.
— Tom Moore (@tmoorepburbs) May 8, 2013

Outside of his time as a Sixers assistant, Snyder has spent time as the Spurs NBA D-League team Austin Toros head coach (2007-2010), a Lakers assistant (2011-2012), and most recently as an assistant on the Russian basketball team CSKA Moscow. He also was an assistant for the LA Clippers and Duke basketball, and later Missouri's head coach from 1999 to 2006.

Snyder was added to the Sixers staff in 2010 by former coach and now quasi-front-office-member-role Doug Collins. This makes me wonder if Collins has any influence in this coaching search. It's worth noting that Snyder was an assistant at Duke from 1993-1999 during the time Chris Collins, Doug Collins' son, played there (92-96).

As Liberty Ballers discussed yesterday, the coaching search is believed to be mainly headed by Sixers owner Josh Harris and current GM Tony DiLeo. According to a recent rumor it's possible that DiLeo might not be returning as GM, however. His contract expires in July of this year.

* * *

Tom reports that the Sixers will have to wait to interview some of those candidates until next week at the earliest. He also mentions that the Sixers will have some competition for their rumored targets.

The Bucks, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers and others are also apparently interested in Malone, who was a finalist for the Magic job last summer.

Hornacek, 50, is also being considered by the Suns and Bobcats.

LB has previously discussed the Sixers reported interest in possible coaching targets Mike Malone and Jeff Hornacek, along with Pacers assistant Brian Shaw.

Toot It or Boot It: Jrue Holiday

2013-05-06T13:30:05Z

TOOT IT. Done.

Oh, what's that? I have to actually explain why? Well, friends, it would be my pleasure because I just love talking about Jrue Holiday.

It's no secret that Jrue isn't going anywhere nor should he be. He's still a young talent (only 22 years old). He was rewarded with a reasonable contract. He took a step forward in the 2012-2013 season. He was an All-Star (Reserve) and could be again in the future. He dunked on LEAGUE MVP LEBRON JAMES. He LAWAD'd Kyrie Irving so hard that one night. And he's downright cute as a button. (Remember that time he was a Modell's employee?) What's not to love?

Jrue started the season hot and was on a tear prior to the All-Star Break. His perimeter defense was great. He was averaging 19 PPG with a 51.2% TS. Although Jrue's shooting numbers didn't take a huge leap forward, his passing improved dramatically. This season Holiday finished with an assist rate of 36.5% as compared to 21.6% in the previous season. Holiday didn't just initiate the offense, he was the offense.

And keep in mind those numbers are without having a reliable post presence (HELLO ANDREW BYNUM) to dish the basket to for high percentage shots. No, quite the opposite. The Sixers front court (aside from Thad Young) was just terrible. The addition of a competent big man could help Jrue evolve even more (from Jruetortle to Jruestoise).

It's not all sunshine and rainbows with the Sixers feature player though. Jrue really struggled as the season started to wind down. It's probably just because he's a sweetheart and understands the merits of tanking, but even so his slipping performance was a little concerning. There were logical reasons for his struggles however. It was clear that Holiday was not only exhausted from all the minutes he was playing, but also from the responsibility of solely initiating the Sixers offense at times. Jrue's end of season performance in low pressure, high garbage time basketball won't concern me much unless I see it carry over into a longer period of time. Hopefully that's not the case.

Jrue definitely has weaknesses that need work: namely drawing contact and getting to the free throw line. The Doug Collins Offense(TM) notoriously featured an over-reliance on the long 2 shot. In effect, it discouraged players from attacking the rim in fear of turning the ball over. Perhaps in a new system that emphasizes attacking the basket, Jrue could increase his FT numbers. Some like to say Jrue is contact-averse, and I can understand why that's said at times. He's surely not a master of drawing contact. Hopefully he can find a way to improve that.

All said, Jrue, by himself, isn't the difference between this Sixers team contending or not. He is, however, a valuable core member of such a hypothetical contending team. He was supposed to be the Robin to Andrew Bynum's Batman, but as we all know that didn't work out because Batman grew his hair out weird.

I just don't see a realistic situation where it makes sense to "Boot It". Jrue is too valuable for the Sixers to get rid of and it doesn't make sense to trade him unless it helps land a bigger star.

Plus we just decided to keep his brother Justin Holiday so if we booted Jrue the awkward tension would be unbearable.

He'd probably make a face like:

So there it is. Toot It for Jrue.

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Previous Toots: Dorell Wright, Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, Justin Holiday

Previous Boots: Nick Young, Royal Ivey, Lavoy Allen, Damien Wilkins, Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes

Poll

Jrue Holiday: Toot It or Boot It?

Toot It

214 votes

Boot It

15 votes

229 votes | Poll has closed