Cut Throat Bay

Things took an interesting turn for the Detroit Pistons this past year. Gone are the days of the Eastern Conference supremacy, and gone are many of the familiar names we’ve been accustomed to seeing in a Pistons uniform over the years.

Being 39-43, most people agree doesn’t deserve a playoff birth but since they haven’t changed the rules the Pistons had to face the number one team in the East at the time.

In are Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, two capable scorers. In is Ben Wallace, a familiar face from the past, though not nearly as effective as he used to be.

With a new season comes new hope for Pistons fans. The Pistons acquired potential all stars in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva who both are coming off their best season of their young careers.

Villanueva comes in with some size. He can score points as well and with his presence on defense, he should help improve both sides of the ball.

This is the year nobody really knows what they will see from the Detroit Pistons. When teams get new faces people automatically assume the team will improve, that doesn’t always happen. Yes, the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team but can they compete with Boston? Cleveland? Orlando? The Pistons hope Rodney Stuckey is their franchise point guard for years to come. The Pistons still have Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince who have many playoff game experience.

One player who will need to average more in both rebounds and points is C Chris Wilcox. Wilcox has been on a few teams now since his career started in 2002, maybe Detroit is where he can finally shine as a player and contribute a good deal.

Head coach John Kuester will definitely have his hands full this season trying to acclimate the new talent with the old. Will Kuester be the coach to help the Pistons return to the top of the Eastern Conference? That’s why they play the games.

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Hopes are high for the 09′ Eagles. With the acquisition of Michael Vick, the Eagles fans should expect some wild cat offense perhaps – if Vick doesn’t amount to much then he wasn’t worth the headache.

In 09′, the Eagles are a team with one significant part, Michael Vick – whether Vick will be factor is yet to be determined. Sitting out a few years can really slow him down.

The Panthers nearly made the Super Bowl last season, and had one of the strongest finishes in the league. This was by all means an impressive victory, and the offense and defense alike both played their parts.

The Eagles still do not have an overwhelming wide receiving unit – the Eagles offense is “death by a thousand papercuts.” However, there’s definitely some potential out wide.

As a result, the Eagles were forced to play without their star quarterback during their showdown against the New Orleans Saints in Philadelphia in week 2. The Saints are highly effective on offense, but their defense was just as proficient when it came to shutting down backup quarterback Kevin Kolb.

The Eagles defense is doing fairly well holding their opponents to a limited amount of yards. The Eagles were torched against the New Orleans Saints for 48 points, thankfully the Eagles won’t play the Saints offense every week.

The Eagles are contenders to win the NFC East and possibly the NFC conference. Many believe Michael Vick will not be a major factor in the success in the Eagles – who will be is McNabb and how healthy he can stay during the course of the season.

Kevin Kolb has performed very well in McNabb absence – throwing for 300 yards in two of his starts, for a back up QB that is almost unheard of. Kolb would be taken by many teams as a starting QB if the Eagles were willing to part with him – that isn’t likely to happen.

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