They have accumulated once again, like old traffic tickets stuffed in the glove compartment. Despite the best intentions and resolutions of each new year, a large number of corrections and clarifications that should have been published throughout 2011 did not appear because of the diligent efforts of the author.
The Eighth Annual Corrections Column is not something we're proud of, but it is time to come clean, ask forgiveness, and make a new start. Once more, promise, this won't happen again.
In a Sept. 9 column on the Eagles, Bob Ford wrote: "Don't worry about the linebackers. They're always a convenient target, but this group is very fast and can do what it is asked, which admittedly isn't very much. Will the Eagles get slashed by the run at times? Yes, and their scheme accepts that collateral damage as part of the package."
The Inquirer regrets that it does not worry more frequently about Mr. Ford.
In a Feb. 22 column on Villanova basketball, Bob Ford wrote: "They practice endlessly and slog through a four-month regular season designed to prepare them for what is to come, but sometimes, despite all the work, the study, and the planning, the game still comes down to the whim of the rubber basketball as it collides with the steel circle of the rim."
The Inquirer regrets Mr. Ford's fascination with the obvious.
In a column on Feb. 3, Bob Ford wrote: "There are many things you can say about Andy Reid's decision to make Juan Castillo, the team's offensive line coach since 1998, the new defensive coordinator. . . . You can say that it is another example of Reid's being too infatuated with the football organization he has built and its schemes. . . . You can also say that Reid led a whole bunch of defensive coaches around the NFL on a merry chase for the last few weeks, and some of them have the right to feel used by the process. . . . You can say that Reid, who only promoted Castillo when he was also able to hire legendary offensive line coach Howard Mudd, might have his football priorities a little out of order. . . . You can say all of that, and maybe a few things more, but you cannot say it is the wrong move, and you cannot say it won't work just because it looks different."
As a matter of fact, The Inquirer can say exactly that.
