🦅 Half and half | Sports Daily Newsletter

Well, it’s official.

Yesterday, the Eagles announced they weren’t going to waste time with an exhaustive search and appointed associate head coach Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator, as a replacement for the recently departed Kellen Moore.

Patullo, who’s already known as head coach Nick Sirianni’s right-hand man, gets the nod after suggesting he was already being groomed for the role, describing himself as “half head coach, half offensive coordinator,” in the lead-up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans two weeks ago.

Look at this from two points of view at how it all plays out. On one hand, Patullo is highly motivated, describing this as a dream position, one that keeps continuity within the Birds’ offense.

On the other hand, his appointment means the 12th signal caller in 10 seasons of Jalen Hurts’ career, both in college and as a pro. Patullo has never called plays in an Eagles game despite having a firm hand in the planning and execution of the offense.

So what can we expect? Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg has more on who Patullo as he is next up to lead the Eagles’ championship offense.

Yep, it’s still cold today with temps not expected to escape the 20s, so stay inside and play the role of Howie Roseman, as you decide position by position, which Eagles stay or go.

— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, [email protected].

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The inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off has been a smash hit so far and will culminate with one of the most anticipated hockey games of the past decade on Thursday night.

Not that the United States-Canada rivalry needed any more kindling but Saturday’s fight-filled round-robin matchup between the two teams, and the current political tension between the two nations, has elevated Thursday night’s to a 5-alarm inferno.

Will there be more fisticuffs in Boston? Can the U.S. finally seize the crown from Canada as the world’s lead hockey power? What impact will the Flyers’ two Canadian representatives have? We had to go to the tale of the tape to breakdown this heavyweight battle.

Meanwhile, the Flyers returned to practice Wednesday after a 10-day layoff and got good news on one of their newest players.

Trea Turner, who finished with 19 steals in 23 attempts after going 30-for-30 in 2023, usually bats in front of Bryce Harper, and the last thing the Phillies ever want to do is take the bat out of No. 3’s hands. Vacating first base can be an open invitation for the opposing manager to walk Harper intentionally. But the Phillies also ponied up $300 million to sign Turner to an 11-year contract in the 2022-23 offseason because he’s among the most dynamic athletes in the sport. And somehow he created only three runs on the bases last season. For all the breathless attention, then, on Turner’s approach at the plate, nothing will matter more than getting him back to changing games with his electric athleticism.

Part of getting Turner back to his old disruptive ways on the basepaths could be moving him to the leadoff spot. And he’s open to it.

The 76ers have struggled to stay healthy all season, with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey all facing injury at inopportune times. And while they’ve held out hope all year, the Sixers are still optimistic that they can turn things around after the All-Star break. The first step came Tuesday, when Embiid and Maxey were full participants in practice after missing their team’s 100-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 12.

“Everybody looked like they had some days off and fresh,” Nick Nurse said. “Again, I don’t think we ever notice anything. [Embiid] was a full participant. We went at it pretty hard, pretty long. I guess we’ve always got to wait to see how it turns out.”

With 28 games left in the regular season, the Sixers know every game down the stretch is crucial for their playoff aspirations. “I think we’re up for it,” Nurse said. “We certainly need and deserve some better health. We certainly need it. I think hopefully we can get some guys healthier and get them out there on a more consistent basis.”

It’s premature to say but it’s shaping up that this could be the third straight March Madness devoid of a Big 5 team in the tournament.

Where it could once be assumed that the likes of at least one of Philly’s six Division I programs would be dancing, all six currently wallow in the standings of their respective conferences with only upcoming conference championships in a few short weeks serving as a final lifeline.

The Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg takes a dive into what’s going on, and which coaches are currently on the hot seat or might be gone entirely once the dust settles.

Feb. 20, 2021: Joel Embiid drops the first 50-point game of his career and added 17 rebounds in a 112-105 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real-time.

We asked: Who are some of the area’s best high school athletes of all time and why?

Though I do realize that there have been many great high school athletes from the Philadelphia/Tri-state area, without a doubt the greatest high school football player I ever saw was Kevin Harvey from Paulsboro High School in southern NJ. Located right across the Delaware River from the Philadelphia Airport, Kevin was a four-year varsity starter at QB and also returned punts. It was during his playing time that Paulsboro only lost one game and, I believe, either set or tied the national high school record for consecutive victories. He was phenomenal and magical to watch running the football. From a small Group 1 school that also produced great athletes such as Kevin Ross, Flipper Anderson and Glenn Howard to just name a few, Harvey was hands down the most exciting and greatest high school football player I ever saw. — Bob A.

The top five I can think of are Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson who attended Cheltenham High School, Wilt Chamberlain, the greatest basketball player of all time who attended Overbrook High School and Del Ennis who attended Olney High School. Del was the starting left fielder for the Phillies for many years. And talking about Olney High, I sat next to Lee Elia in math class at Olney. Lee was the former starting third baseman and past manager of the Phillies. And one of my all-time favorite players, pitcher Bobby Schantz of Athletics and Phillies who attended Pottstown High School. I’m sure there are many more but growing up with these 5 athletes are the ones I have wonderful memories about. I just hit 85 and still have my seasons for the Eagles and Phillies. Gave up on the 76ers and wrote the Flyers off until they put the statue of Kate Smith back where she belongs! — Ron R.

​​Lawrence Reid football running back played varsity basketball for Cardinal Dougherty. Probably the best athlete ever in area. John Zeglinski. Archbishop Ryan quarterback football and baseball player. Gene Banks, West Philly Speedboys. Wilt Chamberlain. Overbrook HS. — Ermill W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Jonathan Tannenwald, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Marc Narducci, Gustav Elvin, Aaron Carter, Lauren Schneiderman, and Jenna Miller.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Enjoy your Thursday, Philly. I will be back in tomorrow to close out this week’s Sports Daily Newsletter — Kerith