Eagles fall in franchise rankings

ESPN The Magazine is out with its annual "Ultimate Standings."

The series measures every professional franchise in the four major sports based on the following criteria:

Bang For The Buck: Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations: Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Ownership: Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Affordability: Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Stadium Experience: Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Players: Effort on the field and likability off it.

Coaching: Strength of on-field leadership.

Title Track: Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

The Eagles came in at No. 52 out of 122 franchises. They were 12th among NFL teams. And second among Philadelphia teams. The Phillies were 17th, the Flyers 60th and the Sixers 117th.

Last year, the Eagles were 44th overall.

The Eagles' best ctegory was bang for the buck, where they came in 19th overall. Their worst categories were affordability (93) and stadium experience (80), although this is a little puzzling because in the write-up, the Birds are praised for having tickets are at least $10 cheaper than any other NFC East squad.

Here's part of the passage:

Philly isn't all clouds, though: Tickets are at least $10 cheaper than any other NFC East squad ($90 cheaper than Dallas stubs); the Eagles Pep Band leads inspired pre-game renditions of "Fly, Eagles, Fly" in the concourse; and eight playoff appearances in 10 years! What more do you want Ownership to do? Besides, you know, not shipping your all-time greatest player to a division rival.

Here's how they ranked in the other categories: Fan Relations (65), Ownership (79), Players (58), Coaching (57), Title Track (79).

The Eagles were first among NFC East teams. The Giants were 66th; the Cowboys 67th; and the Redskins 105th.

MCNABB: PHILLY APPRECIATED ME

I was happy to see Donovan McNabb not take the bait during an ESPN interview with Adam Schefter. Many of the answers we had heard before from McNabb.

But when asked if it's fair to say he'll be appreciated more in Washington than he was in Philadelphia, McNabb responded:

"I was appreciated in Philadelphia. I think a lot of that is overblown. I was loved in Philadelphia."

He also spoke glowingly of Andy Reid. Here's what McNabb said when asked about what he'll remember about his time with the Eagles.

"The journey, the excitement, the big plays, the smile and just hugging the big fella," McNabb said. "The big fella with the black coat. He took a chance on me in '99 and we had a lot of success together."

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