NOTES FROM THE NOSEBLEEDS: Just when they bring you in, they always let you down

The Eagles loose to the Bears on Monday Night Football | Two wins and a loss for the Flyers | Jim Thome signs with the Phillies | The Philadelphia Union eliminated by the Dynamos | Smokin' Joe Frazier dies at 67

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NOTES FROM THE NOSEBLEEDS: Just when they bring you in, they always let you down

POSTED: Tuesday, November 8, 2011, 2:00 PM

Sports nut Massimo Pulcini rounds up a week of everything Philly sports. Nice pass!

EAGLES LOOSE TO BEARS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

After what seemed like a season-rejuvenating win last Sunday against Dallas, the Eagles took the field last night against the Chicago Bears on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. Both teams needed a win to remain in contention in a tight NFC-playoff race, but last week’s jaw-dropping performance against the Cowboys had the Eagles favored going into their duel with da’ Bears.

Most assumed the Eagles would come out fast and aggressive, playing a similar style to what we saw against Dallas last week, but the Eagles that played last night were far from the unstoppable machine from last Sunday. The team was were slower and sloppier, turning the ball over, getting called for penalties and not capitalizing on their opportunities.

Instead it was the Bears that jumped out of the starting blocks, taking a 10-0 lead after a Jay Cutler-scoring toss and a Robbie Gould field goal in the first quarter. The Birds then fought back with 10 points of their own in the form of an Alex Henery field goal and a Brandon Rolle fumble-return for a touchdown. That score had the Eagles in great a position, as the second quarter was running out and they were set to receive the ball at the start of the second half. The possibility of that seven-point lead was wiped away, however, when wide receiver/punt return man DeSean Jackson fumbled on a punt return, giving the Bears the ball back with ample time to score. The Bears did capitalize, as ex-Cowboy Marion Barber pounded into the end zone to make it 17-10.

The second half started out all-Eagles, as they drove down the field to start the second half and scored thanks to a four-yard run by the seldom used Ronnie Brown. After another Chicago fumble, Shady McCoy added a touchdown of his own, making it 24-17, Eagles. A Gould field goal then made it 24-20 going into the fourth quarter. After forcing an Eagles punt on the next position, the Bears drove 51 yards for the go-ahead score, with Cutler throwing a five-yard TD pass to Earl Bennett over Asante Samuel for a 27-24 Chicago lead. Bennett owned the Eagles last night, catching five balls for 95 yards and the score.

The Eagles would try a fake punt on the next drive, but rookie punter Chas Henry (pictured) bounced the pass to an open receiver and turned the ball over on downs to the Bears. The Bears took advantage of the botched fake and in turn took the win. After a pass-interference penalty on Nnamdi Asomugha at the Eagles 7 prolonged the drive, Gould hit a 22-yarder to extend the Chicago lead to 30-24.

On their last possession, the Eagles tried to drive down and score a touchdown to take the lead, but failed after Jeremy Maclin fell down and was tackled after a nine-yard catch on fourth-and-ten with just under two minutes left, and the Bears ran out the clock. He was just one-yard short.

The Eagles now sit at 3-5, three games behind the New York Giants in the NFC East. It’ll be an uphill battle for the Birds now, and they have to win out the rest of their schedule for a chance to squeeze into the playoffs this year. The Eagles will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, in what may be former Eagle quarterback Kevin Kolb’s first start against the Birds after being traded away this past summer, assuming he gets over the turf-toe injury that kept him sidelined last week.

FLYERS BEAT BUFFALO AND COLUMBUS, LOOSE TO DEVILS IN SHOOTOUT

Last Wednesday, the Flyers traveled to frigid Buffalo, N.Y. to face off against All-Star goalie Ryan Miller and his Sabres.

The Flyers jumped to an early lead thanks to two goals from Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk early in the first period. Scott Hartnell added another opening period score with a hard slap shot from the top of the left circle that sailed over Miller’s left shoulder. The first period flurry saw Miller take 11 shots and save only eight — a performance that led to him being benched after Hartnell’s goal.

"We were really peppering him early," said Hartnell, "against a top goalie like that, to get him out of there, it was pretty good for us to get pucks on net."

Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who allowed two fluky goals in the second and third period, respectively, held strong when it mattered most, denying two legitimate shots by Sabres leading scorer Thomas Vanek's in the final 16 seconds, preserving the win at 3-2.

The Flyers then returned home to face the New Jersey Devils last Thursday night. In a back-and-forth match, the Flyboys and Devils found themselves in a 3-3 tie after regulation and the overtime period, thus sending the game into one of hockey’s most entertaining and exciting periods — the overtime shootout.

The Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds’ first shootout attempt failed and Buffalo’s Zach Parise scored on back-up goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, bringing up the always-clutch Danny Briere (pictured) to attempt to keep the Flyers alive. Briere took off before skidding to a near-complete stop, a move that sent ice flying into the air and drove Devil’s goalie Johan Hedberg to the rink’s floor, allowing for the forward to easily get a goal to keep his team in it. After misses by both teams on their next round of penalty shots, New Jersey’s Patrik Elias beat Bobrovsky to send the punk into the net and seal the victory for New Jersey.

Having Friday off, the Flyers took home-ice again on Saturday, this time in a match up against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the very team the Flyers shipped former scoring-leader Jeff Carter to over the summer.

Carter, who was injured and therefore didn’t participate in the contests, watched as the Flyers demolished the Blue Jackets 9-2, including five first-period goals. The Flyers held an 8-0 lead into the third period until Columbus scored a goal 13:13 into the final period, ending the shutout bid. Each team would score again, resulting in a 9-2 final score.

Led by the seemingly unstoppable line of Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr, and Scott Hartnell, the Broad Street Bullies had eight players score in a game for the fifth time in team history — the first time since a 1983 win against Toronto. In true irony, the Flyers also saw lots of production from the players gained from the Carter trade, with former Blue Jacket Jakub Voracek scoring in the first round pick Sean Couturier, a pick they received in the Carter trade, scoring twice. Even Wayne Simmonds, the player who now wears Carter’s old No. 17 uniform, scored for the Flyers.

This week the Flyers hit the road for three straight-away games. They will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow night, the Florida Panthers on Sunday and the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.

IN OTHER PHILLY SPORTS NEWS

➤ Now that the MLB post season is over, managers and GMs are now shifting their focus to the off-season and bringing in new talent to help out their squads. The Phillies’ made their first move this past week, signing Jim Thome (pictured) to a $1.25-million, one-year contract on Saturday. A former fan-favorite, this will be Thome’s second stint with the Phils, though the Phillies teams he played with during his first run here were nowhere nearly as talented as this current crop. An ageless wonder at 41, Thome, a long-time first baseman who has played designated hitter in the American League for the past five years, is expected to contribute off the bench for the Phils next season, and perhaps in relief of Ryan Howard who will be recovering from off-season Achilles surgery and is expected to miss the start of next season ➤ The Philadelphia Union were eliminated by the Houston Dynamo after a second-leg defeat in the MLS’ first round of playoffs. Thursday’s 1-0 loss ended a spectacular season that saw the Union rise from an obscure expansion team to MLS force ➤ Boxing legend and former heavy-weight champ Smokin’ Joe Frazier passed away last night due to the liver cancer he was diagnosed with in October. Perhaps most famously known for being the first man to defeat Muhammad Ali, the 67-year old Philadelphia native had been in special care when he lost his last fight last night. Ali issued this statement with regards to Smokin’ Joe, and the two boxers will forever be linked thanks to their thrilling bouts against each other three times in the early ’70s: "I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration," Ali said. "My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones."

(massimo.pulcini@citypaper.net) (@massimopulcini)

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