Offseason

THE OFFSEASON NFL players lost to the lockout last year has been blamed for just about every unfortunate thing that's happened, this side of the "Twilight" movies. Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson threw another log on the fire Monday, when he opined that the falloff in QB Michael Vick's play last season had a lot to do with Vick not being able to review mistakes with coaches and fine-tune this time a year ago. "Honestly, I think it was the offseason," Pederson said during a rare NovaCare media session with Eagles offensive position coaches, minus offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who isn't in town.

THE BLOOD HAS barely dried on the Flyers' season, yet so many questions remain after their shocking second-round departure at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. Here are answers to five burning questions: 1. Will Jaromir Jagr return? Judging by the way Jagr performed in the regular season, with 54 points in 73 games, the Flyers would love to have the No. 9 all-time point scorer in league history back for another campaign. Judging by the way Jagr performed in the postseason, with eight quiet points in 11 games, the Flyers could probably think of better ways to spend money in a salary-cap world.

With the draft and initial burst of free agency behind us, we have a pretty good idea of who the Eagles will be bringing into training camp to fight for spots on the regular-season roster. Here, then, is a look at the top position battles to look forward to as rookie minicamps and offseason practices arrive in May and June and lead up to training camp in July.   Linebacker Another summer, another new spin on the position that the Eagles can never quite seem to settle.

THIS TIME, when the draft was over, Howie Roseman felt energized. Not that Roseman had felt like jumping off a bridge following the 2010 and 2011 Eagles drafts, Roseman's first as general manager, but when this selection meet concluded, Roseman thought he and the Eagles had learned from their mistakes, had seen some gambles pay off, and had done everything they could do to make the 2012 offseason and the draft a success. Late Saturday evening, after the Eagles completed their nine selections in the seven-round draft and laid the groundwork for signing their 13 undrafted free agents, Roseman drove home.

The Eagles seem content to give youth a chance at safety, at least for now. "We're excited about our group of safeties," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Monday. "I don't think we need someone with more experience. We feel very comfortable with our group. " Roseman similarly said he feels good about the team's young running backs behind starter LeSean McCoy. His comments came during a wide-ranging meeting with reporters that also touched on his thoughts on drafting quarterback Nick Foles, defensive end Brandon Graham's progress and a few nervous moments during the draft.

What a difference a few months make. After a toxic 2011, Andy Reid and the Eagles management have restored a sense of optimism and hope around their team. Even the loudest Reid critic should be impressed with what the Eagles have done the last two months, including the draft that just unfolded. "It's a positive thing. When you're around the team right now you feel that," Reid said Saturday, wearing a signature Hawaiian shirt. "I think they're excited to get going. " For anyone else it would be a bit early for short-sleeves with a tropical motif, but as the weather warms and the Eagles' barren January fades in the distance, the team once again looks great in the offseason.

This is an excerpt by Daily News staff writer David Murphy, from the paper's Phillies blog, www.philly.com/HighCheese . THE EARLY part of the baseball season presents a challenge when it comes to evaluating the performance of a veteran who is on the downslope of his career. When a player is in his prime, an early-season slump is usually just that: a slump, a dry spell, a random dip in production that is destined to even out over the course of a 162-game season. It's why members of the Phillies' clubhouse would get that exasperated look on their faces in 2008 and 2009 when they fielded questions about their slow start.

There have been helicopters tracking Peyton Manning and secret workouts at Duke University. There has been $132 million devoted to a man they call Megatron. Ticket sales have erupted in Buffalo. And in the first few days of free agency, the NFL's summer shopping spree has played out on Twitter, the instantaneous medium seemingly made for the event - delivering information, signings, and updates (sometimes accurate, sometimes not; sometimes pertinent, sometimes not) as fast as you can consume them.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - It could be worse. While the Phillies and their fans are legitimately concerned about a few of the team's key body parts, a quick look around helps put things in perspective. Let's start with Dontrelle Willis, who had a pretty good outing against the Atlanta Braves Thursday afternoon. The onetime phenom was a low-risk signing, a lefthanded pitcher with a chance to win a job in the bullpen. If he didn't pitch well, no big deal. It was worth a shot. Those of us whose memories extend into the misty recesses of time beyond, say, 2001, can attest.

THE SOUL in the offseason added more all-stars than a Miami Heat limousine. Twelve of the 16 players in this week's expected starting lineup were with other teams last year. Five of those 12 were either first- or second-team All-Arena. And another guy, lineman Devin Clark, will make it six All-Stars when he comes off injured reserve in 3 weeks. New coach Doug Plank led Georgia to the Arena Bowl in 2005. New offensive coordinator Clint Dolezel was one of the league's greatest quarterbacks and is one of its brightest minds.