Morning Phil-Up: Spagnulo Still Believes In Sam Bradford

As the Phillies’ miserable season drags on, one of the most surprising stories at this point is that Domonic Brown remains buried in the minor leagues.

It speaks volumes about Brown that a team this bad would rather have guys like Grady Sizemore or Jeff Francoeur in their lineup everyday rather than a young, more talented guy like Brown.

Spagnulo: Great Things Ahead For Bradford – Birds 24/7

Former Rams head coach Steve Spagnulo was with St. Louis when they spent the first overall pick on Sam Bradford back in 2010.

Spagnulo says he doesn’t regret making the Oklahoma product his top pick, and also gave him a vote of confidence for the future.

Spags compared some of Bradford’s skills to that of the league’s elite quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning) and said that he expects great things out of him in Philadelphia.

Bradford’s talent and potential has never been in question. The guy has always had the skillset to great things, but has seen his career derailed by injuries and poor situations among other things to this point.

Certainly if Bradford will ever have a breakout year, it will be in Chip Kelly’s quarterback-friendly system, but I would still bet against it.

Bowa Talks Asche, Accountability – CSNPhilly

Former Phillies’ manager and current bench coach Larry Bowa spoke to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly, and opened up about some of the team’s struggles this year.

Bowa said that sending Cody Asche to the minors was the best thing for the roster, and that his development as an outfielder will be his best chance to help the team moving forward.

Bowa defended team manager Ryne Sandberg, who has drawn a considerable amount of criticism for the team’s lack of progress. Bowa said that Sandberg has done a remarkable job staying positive and remaining competitive while trying to work with players on the team. At the end of the day, Bowa believes that the players have to be accountable for execution.

I believe Bowa’s views of Sandberg, a close friend of his, are very skewed in this situation. Sandberg has been a disaster, and has brought very little to the table.

Tommy Joseph Suffers Another Head Injury – Philly.com

More cheery Phillies news!

Catcher Tommy Joseph, the centerpiece in the trade that sent Hunter Pence to the Giants, has been another enormous disappointment for the Phillies.

Joseph has not shown the skills that made him attractive several years ago, and instead has spent the majority of his Phillies’ career on the disabled list battling a seemingly endless hoard of concussions.

Now Joseph is back on the disabled list after taking another foul ball to his mask during a game and felt some of the symptoms he’s had in the past. He was placed on the disabled list as a precaution.

At this point, it would be foolish to expect Joseph to materialize into anything of value for the Phils. The guy just can’t stay off of the disabled list, and seems to be growing more and more injury prone.

Eagles’ Offensive Line Is A Concern, But No Need To Panic – Bleeding Green Nation

The Eagles’ offensive line was not addressed by the team over the last few months, leaving many to be concerned about a group that is dealing with age and injury.

Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation believes that the line should be fine for this season, however. With Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson still ascending, and Jason Peters and Evan Mathis still capable of performing at high levels, the Eagles still have a pretty good core intact. Right guard is an issue, but the team is confident in the talents of Allen Barbre and Matt Tobin.

I remain very concerned about the line this year. Jason Peters and Evan Mathis did not play at their top form a year ago, and I believe there’s very legitimate reason to be concerned as they now are both a year older. I’m fine with Kelce and Johnson, but right guard is a major concern. I think the Eagles are overrating Barbre based on his performance against the Green Bay Packers two years ago, and Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner didn’t strike me as anything more than patchwork players when they saw extended action a year ago.