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Eagles 34, Bengals 27. Bo and Zach’s last ride, from the press box, is here. Five takeaways…

(1) Tanner McKee is just good. It was never fully a bit for Bo, but it might have been 25 percent of a bit at different points. No more, though. The Mormon Missile can sling it, plain and simple. Dime after dime after dime.

I will offer the following caveats before saying what I want to say…

OK, enough caveats: McKee is so clearly an NFL starting-caliber signal-caller in our current Quarterback Pandemic. That was apparent when he took over for Kenny Pickett in the Dallas game and the offense ran smoother. That was apparent when he went 27-41 for 269 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants the next week. And that was apparent when the Eagles moved on from Small Hands this offseason and bumped McKee up a spot. They were done pretending.

This being the QB factory and all, the Eagles place a premium on the backup spot. In fact, when the Birds’ last two Super Bowl MVPs were originally acquired, they were the No. 2 QB. With a starting-caliber quarterback currently in that spot, the organization is in a comfortable position. McKee will be on this excellent roster for the rest of the year, ready if needed… and then things get interesting next offseason with just one year left on his deal.

The Eagles are the 🐐s of trading backup quarterbacks: A.J. Feeley for a 2, Kevin Kolb for DRC and a 2. What might a Tanner McKee Bidding War look like? Juan Soto will have nothing on this one!

While we are here, two receivers that played well: Second-year Johnny Wilson, UDFA Darius Cooper FROM Tarleton State. Seems like Cooper has a decent shot of making the roster.

(2) Yikes, Kelee Ringo: Bo posited that the biggest winner of the night for the Eagles was Jakorian Bennett. Jakorian Bennett did not play.

In some more caveating, Ja’Marr Chase is a monster. He might be the best receiver in the league, at a time when the receiver position is absolutely loaded. But not at least getting him on the ground here is suboptimal.

(3) Tyler Steen, starting RG: Most of the Eagles’ projected starters sat this one out, except for the ones who are still battling for a starting spot. On offense, that meant Jahan Dotson (not really battling for a spot, but a guy who probably wants targets) and Tyler Steen were the only projected starters to suit up.

Not exactly the Steel Curtain on the other side, but My Guy had a nice block to spring Will Shipley for a long run. My guess is that Steen will get the night off in the following two preseason games, along with the other starters. Maybe he can get an Uncrustable from Landon Dickerson.

(4) Jihaad Campbell: Smael Mondon Jr. got the start next to Axe-Man Jr., which was a surprise. Campbell mixed in, looked fine, and dropped a tipped interception.

Sydney Brown played a good bit, no Drew Mukuba though. Very interested to see what Uncle Vic ends up doing with this unsettled secondary. I do not feel great about either of those open spots right now.

Kelce on Exciting Mics: Nice close to the season for the guys, welcoming Jason Kelce on the show. And I loved this answer from Jason on the 2017 vs. 2024 Super Bowl champ hypothetical matchup.

My two cents: 2017 is one of the most impressive Super Bowl wins we will ever see. Only one of two teams to win a Lombardi with their backup quarterback, and those Eagles were also without key players like Jason Peters, Jordan Hicks and Darren Sproles. In the middle of the season, they were doing the Electric Slide in the middle of games because they were clowning teams.

But, like, c’mon. I love Jalen Mills and Ron Darby, Super Bowl champs both of them. They would have to cover DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown in this fake game. Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor did work throughout the 2017 season. They did not have to play against Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Slay and Cooper DeJean. I am a huge fan of Jim Schwartz and what that four-man pass-rush did to teams. It just was not the same as Vic Fangio’s 2024 defense.

Jose Alvarado, throwing gas: Alvarado came back earlier this week and seemed to say all the right things, apologizing to his teammates and everything. And in his first rehab start in Lehigh Valley, Alvy looked like himself.

By now, we know the story. Alvarado says that he took a supplement for weight loss, and it was a banned substance. He cannot pitch in the postseason (a good rule, in my opinion), but can come back on August 19th and help the Phils try to secure the highest seed possible. It might be tough to catch Milwaukee, as the Brewers seem to never lose baseball games. But the Phils are within one game of the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed, in addition to being only 2.5 games up on the Mets for the division. Alvarado might not pitch in the playoffs, but hey, he can at least help the Phils get there.

Zack Wheeler, held back: Buried behind the Phillies’ loss and Zach-a-mania on Wednesday, this was not the greatest news from ol’ Topper…

It really might be nothing, but it certainly does not feel good to read. And luckily, we had Jimmy Steaks down at the ballpark to sort through it all for us….

There are some really good Rob Thomson quotes in that piece. Topper is legitimately scared of complete games, because of what high pitch counts can do to starters in subsequent starts. For example, The Magnificent Cristopher Sánchez had his only bad start in 2.5 months right after the complete game against the Sawx. And Jim brought up the Michael Lorenzen example, which was the all-timer. Lorenzen through the 124-pitch no-hitter against Washington, which was an incredible moment. Nine days later, Lorenzen got tattooed by that same Washington team, the first of six appearances in which Lorenzen had an ERA over nine. That dude fell off a cliff.

Admittedly, Wheeler is a different animal. He has been incredibly durable since joining the Phils, throwing more innings than any MLB pitcher over the past 5.5 years. He throws over 100 pitches regularly. He pretty routinely shows Thomson up after getting pulled from a game, which backfired on Wheeler in this last start when Topper allowed him to stay in.

Wheeler clearly knows his body, and I think that a little too much is being made of the complete game against Cincy and its effects on him. The last four starts have not been up to his standard, but he still registered 34 strikeouts to 3 walks during that span. The Phillies could have decided to put Wheeler on the 15-day IL (like in 2022) or skip his turn. They did not do that. And they might consider going to a six-man rotation once Aaron Nola is ready to go, even if uttering the words “five days rest” seems to make Wheeler physically ill with rage. The man is a phenomenal pitcher, but he can be hard-headed at times.

Win or lose, I just hope he feels good and generally looks like Zack Wheeler on Sunday. He is one of the most important athletes in the city.

Back in Black: I believe it was Evan Sidery who first had the news, and it was confirmed by a few others including Austin Krell. No official word from the Sixers yet, but the black unis are gonna be back this year.

Derek and I talked about the new unis on the Sixers pod. If you will recall (and I did not, Derek brought this up to me), former Sixers president Chris Heck (he of “New Philadelphia” fame) was dead-set against bringing thes uniforms back five years ago.

I do not really care about #TheBrand one way or another, but nostalgia tends to be a pretty potent feeling. Objectively, I agree with Chris Heck about the black unis that are not a team’s primary color. Allen Iverson could make anything look cool. That said, I cannot blame anyone for pressing the nostalgia button. Since Heck is no longer with the Sixers anymore, the organization seems to be doing just that. Maybe they put their own spin on it, I am sure we will see more at some point.

Quentin Grimes and the qualifying offer: There are four key restricted free agents who are locked into staring contests with their teams: Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State), Josh Giddey (Chicago), Cam Thomas (Brooklyn), and the one we care about, Quentin Grimes with the Sixers.

Over on the Bleacher Report app, our friend Jake Fischer mentioned that there is some buzz that Grimes could decide to take his qualifying offer… right before expressing optimism that Grimes and the Sixers will get a deal done at some point.

But let’s talk about what the qualifying offer would mean. Derek laid out the specifics:

It just does not make a ton of sense for Grimes to take the qualifying offer. Becoming an unrestricted free agent sounds good, but the Sixers would have less of an incentive to play him for that very reason. They already have a super crowded backcourt, with three other young guys they have invested in. And if Grimes gets traded, the acquiring team would not get his Bird Rights… which the Sixers are currently trying to sign him with.

Add in the fact that Grimes would be turning down a big payday: He has made $11 million so far in his career, and the Sixers are likely gonna give him a multi-year contract which pays him more than that number every season. Never say never, but it does not make a ton of sense from his standpoint. If the Sixers are getting anywhere near $15 million per season, I would strongly advise Grimes to take that deal. “Betting on yourself” is awesome when the player balls out and cashes in, but it is risky. Old friend Nerlens Noel sued Rich Paul, because Paul advised him to take a qualifying offer instead of a four-year, $70 million offer. Nerlens did not play well and ended up making about $12.8 million over those next four seasons.

The Phillies are in Texas to take on the Rangers, and they will be looking for their first win ever at the house of horrors otherwise known as Globe Life Field. The Phils are 0-5 in that place, including a brutal sweep to start the 2023 season. If that building really is haunted for the Phillies, it might have been tough to win the World Series that year in retrospect. Welp, now we will never know.

Let’s see if we make that place less haunted this weekend, fellas. Three pretty interesting pitching matchups…

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Let's make it a good one.

Rich Hofmann
Daily Newsletter Editor
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