Bidding farewell, and thanks
When I first started back in 2008, in my introductory post, I tried to lay out exactly what this blog would be about. But the truth is, I really had no clue. And that was part of the fun.
Bidding farewell, and thanks
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
My phone rang at about 7 p.m. on a Friday evening in late February 2009.
On the line was a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, David White. Hours earlier, he reported that Brian Dawkins and the Denver Broncos had agreed to terms on a new contract.
It seemed strange for a San Francisco reporter to be breaking news that mostly involved the Broncos and Eagles, but White, who couldn’t have been nicer, explained to me that he had a rock-solid source. He said he had been receiving angry e-mails from Eagles fans, who were in disbelief that the franchise was letting one of its all-time greats get away.
There have been plenty of memorable moments during the last four years, but that night when I left my then-girlfriend (now-wife) waiting in a Center City restaurant for over an hour while I tracked down the Dawkins reports really stands out.
When I first started back in 2008, in my introductory post, I tried to lay out exactly what this blog would be about. But the truth is, I really had no clue. And that was part of the fun.
I guess that’s a long way of getting to the point here: This will be my final post on MTC.
The Eagles have been a lot of things over the last four years, but boring is not one of them.
There was the final Sunday of the regular season back in 2008 when the Bucs, a 12.5-point favorite, somehow fell to the Raiders to keep the Eagles’ playoff hopes alive.
Easter Sunday, when the Birds dealt Donovan McNabb within their division to the Redskins and moved on to the Kevin Kolb era.
Andy Reid surprising everyone by first signing Michael Vick and then handing him the starting job over Kolb a year later.
And of course, last summer’s spending spree.
There are countless others that have made this job such a blast.
Bill Walsh is known to have said that no football coach should stay in the same place for more than 10 years.
I don’t know what the proper expiration date is for a blogger, but it’s been a great run. I want to thank everyone who has read, commented, e-mailed, Tweeted, etc. You let me know when I was off-base and when I had stumbled upon something worthwhile.
I also have to thank my great colleagues at Philly.com. I was an avid reader of the site before I started working here, and that will continue now that I’m moving on.
So, keep in touch, get ready for training camp, and remember: Never call a run-pass option down by the goal line.
- It's the wife. Decisions this dumb always have a woman getting her way. Shouldn't have left her stuck in that cafe for that hour. Now you'll pay the price, while never getting the main course. Word of Advice: To her it's a contest, and there's no way you'll be getting the better of her. Word.
— mccloudmj - Shiel, always looked forward to reading your ink, Philly and Philly.com are going to miss you! Good luck with whatever your new endeavor is and thanks! Just sayin'...— DJ
- Good luck on your next venture man. I've enjoyed your thorough analysis and hope your replacement will spend as much time as you breaking down film and giving us the facts, and no agendas
- Of all the writers covering the Eagles, I thought your approach was the most interesting: combining stats, observation, and opinion in a fresh way. Plus, you always let us know what people outside the Delaware Valley were writing and saying about the Eagles which often provided excellent context of the team's successes and failures. Best of luck to you, I look forward to bookmarking your next gig as soon as we know it!
— chesapeake - Love your column man.. Eagles fans are some of the most passionate in the world and are the most reactionary people in the world. Your column brought an analytical side to things that really broke down how they use offenisve weapons, blitz packages, etc. It was great to finally not read the token "Andy Reid never runs the ball" or "Andys play calling is terrible" articles. Wish you the best.— FABER
- Agree with drbob1, you have raised Philly sports reporting to another level - like Moneyball did for baseball scouting. So tired of POV with no facts/stats to back it up.
Don't you ahve a #2 who can continue with MTC or did you have this trademarked and going to launch nationally? Please not with Huffington Post!!!— LA Mike - This is a real surprise. You're the best person covering the Eagles that these papers have. I'll miss your updates. Best of luck and please don't start covering some other NFC east team as that would really s___.— casehop
- I am going to greatly miss your training camp reports and over all your point of view.— dmanphilly
- If philly news was smart, they would figure out how to keep Sheil and dump Domo and Bowen. Those two are about as boring as it gets.— amblereagles
- now zero reason to read this site. I was so looking forward to enjoying the departure of mckee too— thefadd
- Thanks, SK!!! Best of luck to you in your future endeavors!— Clt Philly Fan
- Blessings, Sheil. Too bad we're losing another voice in Philadelphia that stands up to the homers who blindly think the Eagles will go 16-0 and always make the correct roster move.— rubicon24
- Keep Sheil and MTC! Get rid of Will Bunch if you want to save money.— STS_PA
- Best Wishes on a healthy, happy and prosperous future. You did us all a great service by being a professional and mastering your trade.— oldBird
- Sheil, congrats and good luck on your next endeavor. You've been a favorite of mine to read. Enjoyed your takes, insight, analysis, and opinion. Your Man Up section helped me realize which players stood out (positive or negative) and took out my bias based on the game's outcome. Like many of the other readers stated, your articles are fresh and stood out from the other Philly writes. The show goes on, but it usually isn't the same. Hope they find a comparable replacement for you.— saypro
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