On Aug. 2, Katie LeGrand, Villanova’s senior associate athletic director for compliance, penned a letter to the Patriot League Policy Committee, urging the conference to grant quarterback Pat McQuaide eligibility for the upcoming season.
LeGrand wrote that “Pat has fought hard to stay positive throughout his collegiate experience. He is the epitome of the word resilience, something that many youth may lack in today’s society.”
McQuaide’s resilience would continue to be tested over the coming weeks, as the Patriot League maintained that McQuaide would not be eligible.
Still, there was a chance McQuaide, who continued to practice with the team, could suit up for Villanova’s opener against league rival William & Mary. That chance became a reality hours before kickoff on Friday.
On Friday, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court judge Timothy P. McCormick granted an emergency preliminary injunction that named the Patriot League as a defendant, clearing McQuaide to be eligible for league contests. Despite the quick turnaround, Wildcats coach Mark Ferrante opted to start McQuaide against the visiting Tribe.
“Yeah, we found out [Friday],” Ferrante said. “And once we found out, there really was no hesitation. I mean, if it was 6 o’clock and a 6:03 kickoff, he probably would have rolled out there. If it was two hours before, if it was yesterday, [McQuaide would start]. The plan was, get the other guys reps. But if it happens, we’ll roll Pat out there. And he’s had a lot of practice under his belt.”
Villanova lost, 35-32, to William & Mary after squandering a 10-point lead in the game’s final minute. McQuaide passed for 270 yards and a touchdown but threw three interceptions, including a pick with 9 seconds remaining that set up the Tribe’s game-winning field goal.
Up 32-22 with just over 2 minutes to go, Villanova had a 99.8% chance to defeat William & Mary, per @espn analytics.
“We made a lot more mistakes than they did,” Ferrante said. “Turnovers, penalties. Never comes down to one play, but unfortunately, it came down to one play.”
Although he struggled, McQuaide’s return was welcomed by his teammates. Last season, after being named the starter days before the season opener, McQuaide emerged as a team leader. During his first year on the Main Line, the Ohio native led Villanova to an FCS semifinal — the team’s best finish since 2010. If McQuaide had not been able to play Friday, senior Robert Russo or freshman Nolan DiLucia was expected to receive the starting nod. Neither has completed a pass in college.
“It’s kind of just second nature, having a guy like Pat back in the locker room,” junior running back Ja’briel Mace said. “Especially back in the offense, really helpful. … Finally get back to the flow of things.”
Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 270 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times on Friday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
For the foreseeable future, McQuaide is expected to stay on the field for Villanova. It remains to be seen if the Patriot League will appeal Friday’s preliminary injunction or if the conference will take additional steps to bar his participation.
The league previously denied McQuaide’s eligibility on Aug. 4, despite a preliminary injunction by McCormick, and then rejected Villanova’s appeal on Aug. 22. The NCAA supported the conference’s barring of McQuaide, contending that as the Patriot League was not “served process and is not a defendant” in the original lawsuit, the initial preliminary injunction could not be applied to the conference.
Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel, the liaison for the Patriot League Council of Presidents executive committee that denied the appeal on Aug. 22, attended Friday’s game.
The question around McQuaide’s eligibility pertains to his season at Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2022. Villanova, which submitted the waiver request to the NCAA on behalf of McQuaide, argued that the COVID-19 pandemic led to McQuaide’s single season at the junior college. McQuaide contends the pandemic stunted his development in high school, which led to him walking on at Kent State. After one year redshirting with the Golden Flashes, he transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast.
In its original eligibility waiver, the school described the move as a “necessary bridge rather than a choice to ‘use’ an additional season.” Additionally, juco programs are not under the purview of the NCAA, but seasons spent at that level have counted toward student-athletes’ eligibility in past decisions.
Pat McQuaide got the start for Villanova tonight.
Earlier today, a Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court Judge granted a preliminary injunction, specifically naming the Patriot League as defendant, allowing him to play: pic.twitter.com/KKywgmI6CT
After one season at Mississippi Gulf Coast, McQuaide played two seasons at Nicholls State before transferring to Villanova.
This year will mark McQuaide’s sixth in college. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nicholls State and a master’s in higher education and leadership from Villanova. In court documents, McQuaide contended that he is aiming to complete a certification in public administration at Villanova this year, with the goal of becoming an NFL general manager.
The battle between Villanova and the Patriot League over McQuaide’s eligibility comes during the program’s first year in the conference. The Wildcats announced last summer that they would leave their football conference of 18 seasons, the Coastal Athletic Association, to join the Patriot League. Unlike the Patriot League, the CAA supported McQuaide’s eligibility for this season, according to McQuaide’s attorney, Richard Hamilton Jr.
“[McQuaide] had a letter of support from the conference, the old CAA,” Hamilton said. “He had a letter of support from the president of the university and from the athletic department, all supporting the waivers.”
During Matt Campbell’s first year as the head coach at Toledo, he attended a high school coaching clinic in Michigan. There, Campbell discovered a concept that changed the way he concluded fall camp.
Aaron Segedi, a coach at Trenton High School in Michigan, was holding what he called “Victory Day,” on which children with disabilities participated in activities with the team. After seeing the impact it had on the children, Campbell knew he wanted to bring it to college football.
Victory Day became an annual training camp tradition under Campbell, and now he’s brought it to Penn State.
“Great night for our community. Great night for our kids,” Campbell said after Victory Day with the Nittany Lions. “Still, this world’s about giving back and making a difference. And to be able to do that [Friday night], and be able to be with so many great families and young people that may never get the opportunity to play the game of football, it’s a special opportunity for us.”
Friday was the first edition of the event in Happy Valley, as local children and their families joined the Nittany Lions inside Beaver Stadium. Kids could participate in activities like footwork drills, the Oklahoma drill, throwing balls into a net, and playing catch with players.
The highlights of the event, however, were the rushing touchdowns. Children would line up for the chance to run a play with Penn State’s starting offense and defense while their names boomed from the stadium’s sound system. Campbell greeted every kid with a smile and a handshake before huddling everyone up for the play call.
“I know we had a couple of trick plays in there, some special calls in there that weren’t supposed to be leaked,” quarterback Rocco Becht said. “But they were out there for the kids.”
Inside Penn State’s Inaugural Victory Day🏈
I’ve been blessed to cover a lot of awesome things involving my Alma Mater. This is one that makes me proud to be a Penn Stater🦁 pic.twitter.com/mtAMdzBZoZ
Friday was Becht’s fifth Victory Day — he participated in four at Iowa State — so he’s seen firsthand the impact this event can have on a community and those who participate.
The highlight for him this year? Throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to a youngster down the sideline.
“I think it’s the best day of the year for me to give back to these kids, to see a smile on their face,” Becht said. “It’s truly the best thing in the world. We’re just glad to be here and put a smile on these kids’ faces.”
Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, an Iowa State transfer, is no stranger to Victory Day. Offensive lineman Trevor Buhr is a fellow Cyclones transfer.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
Although the Iowa State transfers have experienced Victory Day before, it was most of the team’s first time participating. Becht said some guys were a “little skeptical” when it began, but, by the end, there wasn’t a face without a smile.
Junior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins still believes THON, the dance marathon that raises funds to help children with cancer, is the best day of the year at Penn State. But Victory Day is now a close second.
“It was awesome seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, seeing every kid get the opportunity to score a touchdown was awesome, and really just seeing the family’s reactions,” Cousins said. “When you get the opportunity to come out here and hang out with the youth around the community, inspire them, and be with them throughout the night, it was awesome. It was a great time.”
Since becoming Penn State’s head coach in December, Campbell has made it a point to get out into the community and make a difference. From packing lunches for the YMCA of Centre County Backpack Program to doubling the amount of money players raised for THON, Campbell is determined for the Nittany Lions to have a charitable impact.
And Victory Day was the latest example.
“This isn’t a popularity contest. This isn’t trying to sell our program to anybody. This is to make a difference in the lives of other people,” Campbell said. “To be honest with you, the more people we can make a difference in their lives, the better this opportunity is, and the more special this day becomes.”
To help ease LeBron James’ transition to the 76ers, the team has added one of his most trusted confidants and longtime friends to their organization: Randy Mims.
According to the team’s website, Mims is now a part of the team’s basketball operations with the title “executive administrator, player programs and logistics.”
But Mims’ biggest role will be making sure James feels comfortable in Philadelphia with the Sixers. That’s what he has done ever since he met James when the two were living in Akron, Ohio, while James was in high school, according to a 2025 ESPN profile of Mims.
“Randy has been his co-pilot for 22 years,” Rich Paul, James’ agent and friend, is quoted as saying in the piece.
Mims held positions with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers similar to the one he will have with the Sixers. James’ camp, according to ESPN, did not react favorably to a decision from Miami Heat president Pat Riley to deny Mims a job with the franchise when James joined in 2010.
The ESPN profile also recounts a time early in James’ tenure with the Heat when the team was struggling, and James was doubting his decision to join the franchise. He drove to Mims’ house and had a late-night conversation with him that put his mind at ease.
“I needed him in that moment and he came through for me,” James told ESPN.
LeBron James will have a longtime confidant by his side as he transitions to Philly and the Sixers.Jessie Alcheh
Mims will handle a lot of logistics in James’ life, such as cultivating and developing relationships with companies interested in doing business with him to making sure James has his favorite foods on the road. He’s also a truth teller in situations where others might just be yes men.
“He’s there to be a rock,” Paul said in the ESPN profile. “He’s there to be a sounding board. He’s also there to give pushback when LeBron’s wrong.”
When Mims was with the Lakers, he was one of multiple employees who cooperated with a federal illegal gambling investigation that ended with arrests for former Heat guard Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, a former teammate of James in Cleveland.
Mims’ hiring isn’t the only one the Sixers have made to acclimate James to the team. The team also recently brought in Phil Handy, a well-respected player development coach who worked with James on the Cavaliers and the Lakers.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Alex McFarlane hadn’t planned on leaving his hometown in the U.S. Virgin Islands for high school. But the baseball fields were gone.
They were decimated in September 2017 when Hurricane Irma made landfall, and it was followed two weeks later by Hurricane Maria. Both Category 5 storms caused widespread, catastrophic damage to the Caribbean islands, including McFarlane’s home of St. Thomas.
The only hospital on the island was severely damaged. Trees were uprooted. Roads were obstructed. Buildings became rubble. It took months for power to be fully restored.
After witnessing how his community rebuilt after the devastation, the Phillies right-handed reliever had “VI STRONG” tattooed on his left arm. Last month, when he became the 16th player from the Virgin Islands to make his major league debut, McFarlane had a reminder from home with him.
“It’s just a testament to our community. We’ve got a strong community,” said McFarlane, 25. “Stick together, and rebuild everything together. I always carry that mentality throughout, when I play.”
Phillies reliever Alex McFarlane has a “VI Strong” tattoo on his left arm in honor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he grew up.Lochlahn March
The hurricanes cost McFarlane an entire year of baseball. He was 16 years old when they hit, and he stayed in St. Thomas at first to make sure his family was OK. But to continue his career after that, he had no choice but to leave the island.
It was not easy. McFarlane spent his senior year at Habersham Central High School in north Georgia. It was a culture shock, and not just because of the new environment and new school. It was also McFarlane’s first time playing organized high school baseball.
“It’s very similar to the Dominican Republic, as in who we play and stuff,” McFarlane said of youth baseball in St. Thomas. “We don’t have high school ball, but we’ll do interisland play.”
As a kid, McFarlane sometimes had to take multiple flights hopping between small islands to get to baseball tournaments. They would play against teams from places like Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. One year, his team nearly qualified to represent the Caribbean in the Little League World Series but fell short in the championship game.
Once he arrived in Georgia, McFarlane said the coaching staff at Habersham helped him adjust quickly. From there, he was recruited to play college baseball at Miami, from where he was drafted by the Phillies in the fourth round in 2022.
Now, he’s representing St. Thomas on the biggest baseball stage.
“I just try to set the best example as I can, just go out there and work as hard as you can each day,” McFarlane said. “Stay consistent with your routines, and just go out there and do your best every time. No reason not to give your best. So that’s just what I carry with me.”
St. Thomas has a population of 42,261, as of the 2020 U.S. census. That’s smaller than the 42,901 capacity of Citizens Bank Park. It’s a tight-knit community that is proud of its own.
McFarlane pointed to Aliyah Boston, a star for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, and Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Duncan as Virgin Islander athletes whose footsteps he is following. There also happens to be another Virgin Islander in the Angels farm system, who McFarlane hopes will join him in the majors soon. Najer Victor, who also is from St. Thomas, currently pitches for Los Angeles’ triple A affiliate.
But McFarlane also has been making his mark on the Phillies. Since his debut on July 22 — when he secured his first major league out against Shohei Ohtani — he has impressed interim manager Don Mattingly, who said he can see McFarlane in higher-leverage spots.
“He’s throwing the ball good,” Mattingly said. “… Depending on their lineup and how they’re set up and everything else, there’s going to be times that he’s going to be in leverage.”
On Friday night against the Angels, McFarlane struck out Mike Trout on three pitches, all fastballs that clocked triple digits. With a scoreless eighth inning, McFarlane lowered his ERA to 1.08 in eight appearances.
“It’s been great,” McFarlane said. “I got all the support in the world. A lot of guys I played ball with, I’m still in contact with to this day.”
Edmundo Sosa celebrates after his pinch-hit grand slam won it for the Phillies in the ninth inning Friday.Mark J. Terrill
McFarlane keeps a gaiter with the Virgin Islands flag on it hanging in his major league locker, another reminder from home. He doesn’t take the position he’s in lightly. McFarlane grew up far from any major league team and as a child inherited a Red Sox fandom from his mother.
But he’s aware that each time he walks out to a major league mound, he might be converting kids watching from the Virgin Islands into Phillies fans. With every pitch, he is representing them.
“I take pride in that,” McFarlane said. “I take pride in taking the field, knowing exactly where I’m from, and where I got to, from the Virgin Islands.”
Seemingly everything that could have gone wrong for Villanova in the final minutes of its season opener did Friday night against William & Mary.
With less than a minute to play, the Wildcats led by 10 points and were staring down a win in their season opener, but a series of late-game mistakes paved the way for a collapse in the final seconds.
The result was a messy 35-32 conference loss to begin Villanova’s inaugural Patriot League season after the Tribe’s Max Lipinski hit a game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired.
William and Mary was down double digits to No. 7 Villanova with under a minute left to play.
“We made a lot more mistakes than they did,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said. “Turnovers, penalties. Never comes down to one play, but unfortunately, it came down to one play. And [William & Mary] played a cleaner game than we did, so they deserve the victory.”
Self-inflicted wounds
The Wildcats were plagued by penalties and mistakes against the Tribe.
“We gave them free yardage,” Ferrante said. “We set ourselves backward a few times. And then turnovers. I don’t care who you’re playing, if you lose the turnover battle four to one, you’re probably going to lose the game, especially when you have a team that’s the caliber of William & Mary.”
The Wildcats racked up 15 penalties for 107 yards, while William & Mary was penalized just three times for 22 yards.
“No matter what you do, no matter how good your scout team performs during the week, they never are able to execute the opponent’s schemes as fast as the opponent is able to execute their schemes,” Ferrante said. “So we do the best we can in our preparation. And I don’t know, they had three big plays over the top. Eliminate those three big plays, it’s probably a whole different ballgame. But, again, it doesn’t come down to just those three big plays.”
Ferrante also noted that his coaching decisions changed the outcome of the game.
“Maybe I should have gone for the field goal instead of the first down when we were down two. Maybe we got to recover an onside kick. So it’s a lot of things that build into it. We’ll grow off of this, that’s for sure. But there’s going to be a lot of correctables.”
Villanova ranked 108th in the FCS last season in penalty yards.
In addition to the penalties and four turnovers, Villanova failed to recover a crucial onside kick that would have iced the game. After William & Mary tied the game following the onside kick, Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide was picked off with 9 seconds left to set up the Tribe’s walk-off field goal.
Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said “there’s going to be a lot of correctables” after Friday’s loss.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
McQuaide eligible
After a summer-long battle over his eligibility, McQuaide started for Villanova.
Hours before kickoff, a Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court judge granted a preliminary injunction that named the Patriot League as a defendant, clearing McQuaide to be eligible for league contests.
“Yeah, we found out [Friday],” Ferrante said when asked about the court decision. “And once we found out, there really was no hesitation. I mean, if it was 6 o’clock and a 6:03 kickoff, he probably would have rolled out there. If it was two hours before, if it was yesterday, yeah. The plan was, get the other guys reps. But if it happens, we’ll roll Pat out there. And he’s had a lot of practice under his belt.”
The injunction came weeks after the Patriot League informed Villanova that it was deeming McQuaide ineligible for conference games.
Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide was allowed to play after being granted an injunction by an Ohio judge just hours before kickoff.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
McQuaide led Villanova to an FCS semifinal playoff appearance last season and threw for 3,123 yards and 25 touchdowns.
On Friday, McQuaide threw for 270 yards and one touchdown, and had three interceptions. McQuaide threw just four interceptions all season in 2025.
Up next
Villanova will prepare for back-to-back road games, beginning with a Patriot League contest against Bucknell on Sept. 5 (6 p.m., ESPN+). The Wildcats then will travel to Kentucky for an FBS matchup against Louisville on Sept. 11.
Tarron Jackson (No. 75), seen here with the team ahead of a 2022 preseason game. Doug Murray / AP
The Eagles are waiting edge rusher Tarron Jackson, according to a source.
Jackson was drafted in the 6th round by the Eagles in the 2021 draft. He was in his third stint with the Birds after being signed by the team on Aug. 10.
Samori Toure was one of several WRs fighting for a roster spot. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Eagles made their first post-preseason cut.
The team is waiving wide receiver Samori Toure, NFL Network reported Saturday afternoon. The 28-year-old signed with the Birds on the first day of free agency in June.
The Eagles are likely to keep five or six wide receivers. DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown and Darius Cooper are likely locks, while Elijah Moore, Britain Covey, Quez Watkins, Danny Gray, Erik Ezukanma and Tahj Washington duke it out for the sixth spot.
Giants trade for Ravens DT C.J. Okoye: NFL Network
Another John Harbaugh reunion: The #Giants are trading for DT C.J. Okoye, per me and @RapSheet, sending a 2028 7th-rounder to the #Ravens for the former International Player Pathway participant.
Okoye, who recovered a fumble for Baltimore last night, heads to East Rutherford. pic.twitter.com/r3A3kQpCo3
Final Eagles 53-man roster prediction features four QBs
Eagles quarterback’s (from left to right) Andy Dalton, Cole Payton and Tanner McKee.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Training camp is officially over, and Howie Roseman is on the clock.
The Eagles have to submit their initial 53-man roster by 6 p.m. Sunday, and there are key decisions to make at multiple positions, including the quarterback spot.
Projecting the 53-man roster has its twists and turns throughout a training camp. The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane revealed his one and only roster prediction earlier on Friday before the team’s 30-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the final preseason game.
But Friday night’s defeat provided some more data when it comes to decision making, both for Roseman and in this roster view. So, let’s get to our final projection of the 2026 training camp:
Quarterbacks (4): Jalen Hurts, Andy Dalton, Tanner McKee, Cole Payton
Well, this is quite a departure from every projection from this training camp. But if you watched Friday night, and saw the other two games, can you really imagine another NFL general manager parting with draft capital to acquire one of Hurts’ backups?
Dalton probably has more trade value at this time of year given his body of work. But trading him means the Eagles would be committing to McKee as the primary backup, and while that was fine last year, backing up Hurts with McKee and Payton seems a bit risky for a team that fancies itself a Super Bowl contender.
McKee was dreadful Friday night, though the necessary caveats need to be applied: he was playing with backups, and the only first-teamer who joined him on the field, Makai Lemon, was playing NFL football for the first time. But he was playing against backups, too. He finished the game 12-for-22 for 55 yards and an interception (that hit Lemon in the hands). A year ago, McKee dominated the Bengals in the first preseason contest of the season and cemented himself as the bona fide backup.
Keeping four quarterbacks would be a bit unusual, but it also gives Roseman some time to figure out what to do next. The first game is still two weeks away, and a lot can change on his roster and the other 31 between now and then.
The easy answer might be to cut Payton. The fifth-round pick has been turnover-prone during camp, but the Eagles may not want to expose him to waivers and ensure they’re the team that gets to develop him.
All of this uncertainty begs the question: Is the Week 1 backup quarterback even on the team’s roster right now?
Since 2021, when the NFL reduced the number of games from four down to three, 32 teams have gone winless during the preseason. Of those, 15 – about 47% – went on to make the playoffs.
That includes the Los Angeles Rams, who didn’t win a single preseason game in 2021 yet still managed to win Super Bowl LVI. The Kansas City Chiefs also advanced to the Super Bowl after their winless preseason in 2024, though they were blown out by the Eagles.
During that span, the Eagles have had winless preseasons twice, and in both years – 2021 and 2023 – the Birds secured a playoff spot. Though the less we remember about the final two months of 2023, the better.
All eyes are Howie Roseman ahead of NFL roster deadline
Eagles GM Howie Roseman might still have some outside moves to make before Sunday’s headline.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Howie Roseman has all the pieces laid out in front of him as he whittles the Eagles’ 91-man roster down to 53 players ahead of Sunday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
Most of the team is in place, but it isn’t like some piece of furniture from IKEA with specific parts. Roseman will build his makeshift roster by balancing the Eagles’ immediate needs with the long term, while also factoring in injury variables, the salary cap, and other potential moves.
The general manager is scanning the rest of the NFL for upgrades at positions that are in question. He’s yet to make any trades since camp started, but no one likes to wheel and deal as much as Roseman. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Jahan Dotson are just two of the players Roseman acquired in and around this time.
Wide receiver, tight end, and safety are among potential areas that could be addressed.
The 16-man practice squad will also afford the Eagles a landing spot for vested veterans, players they will taxi up on game days, or prospects they hope to develop. So while only 53 will make the initial cut, Roseman considers his roster a 69-man outfit (70 if they have an international prospect).
It is an ever-evolving list that will likely change ahead of the season opener vs. the Commanders on Sept. 13. But for one fleeting moment there will be those who make it, and those who don’t. Here’s one beat reporter’s predictions:
What we learned about the backup QB battle from Friday’s preseason game
Tanner McKee appeared to take a step back Friday night.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
After displaying signs of progress in the second preseason game against the New England Patriots, Tanner McKee took a step back on Friday.
He started and played the entire first half. In 32 plays, McKee went 12-for-22 for 55 yards and an interception, good for a 41.1 passer rating. He was sacked twice.
The 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford struggled to push the ball downfield. Most of his yardage came on short gains, namely check downs to the running backs. Running back Carson Steele was McKee’s most popular target in the first half, as he amassed five receptions on five targets for 32 yards. Steele had one long 17-yard catch-and-run gain, but he averaged 3.75 yards per reception on his other four.
The sacks that McKee took highlighted his inability to escape the pocket. Former Eagles defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland split a sack with Bengals defensive end Isaiah Foskey on the Eagles’ opening drive, collapsing on McKee from either side as he lingered too long in the pocket and eventually attempted to flee.
Right before the end of the first half, McKee took another sack from Foskey, who beat left tackle John Ojukwu. Again, McKee failed to get the ball out quickly, but this sack was less egregious than the first one.
McKee was nearly strip-sacked in the second quarter by Powell-Ryland after right tackle Cameron Williams gave up the pressure, but the play was eventually ruled an incomplete pass.
Andy Dalton wasn’t any better
Dalton, the former Bengals quarterback of nine years (2011-19), took over at the start of the second half. He wasn’t any more impressive than McKee was to start.
Dalton was handed favorable field position after Eagles receiver Jordan Mims, who signed with the team on Monday, forced a fumble on Bengals kick returner Tahj Brooks and Andre Sam came up with the recovery at the Bengals’ 43-yard line.
The 38-year-old quarterback didn’t do much with it. After a Steele five-yard run, Dalton threw two straight incomplete passes to Steele and Britain Covey. The Eagles settled for a 56-yard Jake Elliott field goal, trailing 9-6.
But Dalton heated up on his second possession. He led an 11-play, 76-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 26-yard play-action strike over the middle for Danny Gray that put the Eagles in the red zone. Steele continued his impressive preseason showing, as his five-yard touchdown reception made it 16-13, Bengals.
His ensuing two drives were less inspiring. Both accumulated just 20 net yards apiece, and the latter resulted in a turnover on downs after Dalton failed to convert on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles’ 40.
Dalton went 12-for-19 for 104 yards and a touchdown (95.1 quarterback rating) on 26 plays. Statistically, it was his best single-game performance of the preseason. But was it QB2 material?
Eagles roster hopeful Andre Sam carted off the field
Safety Andre Sam is taken off of the field in the injury cart during Friday’s preseason game.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Safety Andre Sam went down late in the third quarter after attempting to make a tackle. He did not put any pressure on his left leg as he was lifted off the field and carted indoors.
Sam, a 2024 undrafted free agent out of LSU, had a strong outing prior to his injury. He recorded a pass breakup, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries (one on defense, another on special teams), and three tackles.
In two weeks, Jalen Hurts will finally take the field for the Eagles.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Next up after roster cuts? Actual football games.
The Eagles 2026 season kicks off at home on Sunday, Sept. 13, against the Washington Commanders on Fox. Calling the game will be childhood Eagles fan Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, who is entering his third season as Fox’s top analyst.
Suzanne Edinger has lived in Pelham, Ala., since 2002, but a few months ago she began to receive an onslaught of messages from Philadelphians hundreds of miles away.
Most were Manayunk residents. Edinger’s family members reached out. Former neighbors reached out. Old classmates and friends reached out, tagging Edinger in photos and videos on Facebook.
They all had the same question.
“‘Is O’Brien’s Water Hole gonna be back?’” Edinger said. “He would be tickled to death. We’d probably have to come up there for a month if he was still around.”
The “he” is Edinger’s late father, Bill O’Brien, longtime steward of 320 Lyceum Ave. When the Philadelphia Cycling Classic came to town in 1985, its route ran right past his brick twin house.
Bill O’Brien was beloved by friends, neighbors and annual revelers at the bike race.provided by Suzanne Edinger
While this might not seem notable for a 14.4-mile race, O’Brien’s stretch was unique. He and his wife, Evelyn, were located right in the middle of the notorious hill known as the Manayunk Wall, scaling 250 vertical feet.
It became a pivotal point of the competition, 800 yards that could make or break a cyclist. So, the maintenance man did what he’d do for any struggling stranger: He tried to help them out.
Throughout the first iteration of the Classic, O’Brien stood in his yard with a hose in one hand, a beer in the other, dousing bikers as they rode by. This setup didn’t last long; O’Brien realized it would impede his Budweiser consumption, and race organizers wanted an option for cyclists to avoid the stream.
Undeterred, the North Philadelphia native headed to his workshop in search of a solution. He quickly found one. By 1986, he’d connected a single shower head to his hose, lightly spraying water atop the riders.
By 1987, he’d added another shower head. The year after that, O’Brien moved his hose alongside his fence, so spectators wouldn’t trip over it.
A white wooden sign with kelly green font dangled from the pipe: “O’Brien’s Water Hole.”
He built on this tradition over 23 years. Every version would be better than the last: a few more shower heads, “O’Brien’s Watering Hole” T-shirts, a Manayunk-themed banner, hung high above the street.
The O’Brien Water Hole became a key party spot for racegoers.provided by Suzanne Edinger
On race day, his house would be packed with people, some of whom O’Brien knew, and many he didn’t. But “The Mayor of Manayunk” was unfazed.
“Every year he ordered more kegs, and mom had more burgers, and she needed a bigger bowl of potato salad, and an extra bowl of beans,” Edinger said. “And he fed off of that. He just thought it was great. They saved [money] all year.
“‘I need to get plates.’ I’m like, ‘Mom, it’s February.’ ‘June will be here before you know it!’ So, it was always buying a little of this and that, when the budget permitted.”
The O’Briens moved to Alabama for work in 2008, and Bill died in 2019. But the lore of his Water Hole has endured.
And on Sunday, when the Philadelphia Cycling Classic returns for the first time in a decade, locals will remember the small Irishman with the big imagination.
“You couldn’t help but think of him when the race came up,” said O’Brien’s former next-door neighbor, Marty Costello. “Because it was his thing.”
The community’s handyman
O’Brien was raised with seven siblings on West Thompson Street, near the Church of the Gesú. Craftsmanship ran in his family; O’Brien’s father learned the trade from his father, who worked as a cabinet maker and carpenter in County Tipperary, Ireland.
The lessons Bill absorbed as a child served him for the rest of his life. After he and Evelyn moved to 320 Lyceum Ave. in 1961, the handyman refurbished pianos.
He then worked in carpentry, and then at a paper mill, before getting a job in maintenance for the Sisters of Mercy in Merion in the early 1970s. Evelyn was hired to operate the convent’s old-school switchboard a few years later.
The O’Briens stayed on with the Sisters of Mercy for three decades. Even amid a spiritual sanctuary, the couple showed the same fun-loving spirit they’d eventually bring to the Water Hole.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Bill would dress up as a leprechaun, with high white socks, a green sweater, and a little black pot of gold in hand. He and Evelyn would dole out chocolate coins to sick nuns receiving medical care on the property.
Bill and Evelyn were shocked to learn that word of The Water Hole had reached all the way to Ireland.provided by Suzanne Edinger
The sisters loved it.
“Those nuns were the first in line at both of their funerals,” Edinger said.
Bill wasn’t raised in Manayunk but embraced his neighborhood wholeheartedly. He ran the grade-school CYO at St. John the Baptist for over 20 years, taking local kids on annual ski trips to get them out of the city.
The Irishman could easily repair a leaking sink or a broken roof at his own house, but also made a point of helping neighbors with their needs, too. Before Marty Costello moved next door to the O’Briens, his grandmother, Concetta Pompizzi, lived in the same building.
In the 1980s, Bill fixed the railing on her front porch, a renovation so sturdy it lasted 35 years.
“Everybody loved Uncle Bill,” said O’Brien’s nephew, Patrick. “If he wasn’t your uncle, you still called him Uncle Bill.”
O’Brien’s handiwork and hospitality were well-known within Manayunk. But after the advent of the Water Hole, he became a much more prominent figure.
Longtime WMMR-FM host Pierre Robert, who died last year, was a frequent visitor to Bill O’Brien’s spot on the Manayunk Wall.provided by Suzanne Edinger
Every year, local reporters would flock to the brick twin house to interview him; Pierre Robert of WMMR was a regular visitor. This happened so often that friends began placing bets on how many TV appearances O’Brien would make in a given weekend.
On a typical race day, the family would welcome hundreds of people to their home. One neighbor, Gerry Boyle, said he met tourists from as far as Italy, Austria, and Germany. Policemen regularly stopped for sodas and waters, race officials for food and refreshments.
Despite all the chaos, the event was a testament to a community’s love. O’Brien never worked alone. The night before the Classic, locals would drop off kegs of beer.
Dennis Kelly, a friend who lived a few blocks away, would bring doughnuts to make sure Bill had something to eat before he started drinking. Cousins would stand on ladders, hanging banners and flags across Lyceum Avenue.
The work that went into assembling the Water Hole went on even after Bill and Evelyn O’Brien had left Manayunk.provided by Suzanne Edinger
Boyle would arrive at 6 a.m. on race day to set up the shower pipes. Fitzpatrick Funeral Home would lend its nearby parking lot to O’Brien’s friends and family.
An artistically inclined nun at the Sisters of Mercy even designed an “O’Brien’s Water Hole” T-shirt, written in Celtic font.
One of Edinger’s cousins wore it on a trip to Ireland years later. A passerby recognized the name.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, we see that on TV,’” Edinger said. “‘We know O’Brien’s Water Hole.’ It was just crazy. And that was a story that [my dad] just thought … that was it. His name had reached the motherland.”
Bill O’Brien and his wife, Evelyn, around 1970.courtesy of Suzanne Edinger
Continuing the tradition
After the O’Briens moved out in 2008, two friends, Gary Brett and Dan White, bought the property. They did so with the intention of keeping the Water Hole alive, and the Irishman was more than happy to assist.
He left them with his four shower heads attached to a pipe and walked the men through his setup with the hose and the fence. Brett and White put their own spin on it, adding spray nozzles to create more of a mist than a shower.
Just like O’Brien, the friends would host a party on race day. But it wasn’t the same without the handyman, and locals would often ask for him.
“All the time,” Brett said. “Every year. I mean, every single year. Like it could’ve been five years after he moved out, and they’re like, ‘Is Bill here?’”
The two men continued this tradition until the race was canceled in 2017 due to a lack of funding. O’Brien died of a stroke two years later, while visiting family in Phoenixville. He was 85.
When his body was transported from the viewing at Fitzpatrick Funeral Home to Mass at St. John the Baptist, the driver took a special route. Instead of turning onto Manayunk Avenue, she chose to stay on Lyceum, trudging up the hill, and pausing right outside No. 320.
The cars behind the hearse did the same, bidding a final farewell to a house that was a home for so many. It’s unclear whether the current owners will create a Water Hole of their own on Sunday.
But even if they don’t, locals will be thinking of the man who always showered his neighbors with water and warmth.
The 76ers are entering the 2026-27 season with an embarrassment of riches. LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and VJ Edgecombe have formed a group that president of basketball Mike Gansey dubbed the “Big Five.”
They’ve said and done the right things this summer, from team workouts during the offseason to discussing their willingness to give for the greater good.
During a recent interview, Maxey was asked about Edgecombe potentially needing to sacrifice in his second season. Maxey rejected the idea and said every player on the team will need to take a step back. But that made The Inquirer wonder: Who will sacrifice the most this season?
With that in mind, our Sixers team offers insight on who will need to embrace the most change in order for this star-studded roster to succeed.
Chris Hine, Sixers beat writer: Joel Embiid
Never in his NBA career has Embiid had a usage rate below 32.9%, the statistic that calculates how often a team’s possessions end with the player generating a shot attempt, committing a turnover, or going to the free-throw line. Everyone else in the Sixers’ starting lineup has had fluctuations in their usage throughout their careers, while Edgecombe posted a usage rate of 20.1% as a rookie. Brown won a championship in 2024 alongside a higher-usage player in Jayson Tatum, while James had a career low in usage last season while ceding possessions to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves with the Lakers.
In other words, Embiid hasn’t often had to play in the NBA while not being the focal point of the offense or having the ball in his hands a lot. That likely will have to change this season. The seven-time All-Star center will have to make adjustments on how to impact the game more offensively while taking fewer shots and using the gravity he draws to generate good looks for his teammates.
Joel Embiid and LeBron James first played together as teammates in the 2024 Olympics. AFP via Getty Images
If his 2024 Olympics performance alongside James is any indication, though, Embiid has shown he is willing to do that in the name of winning. Perhaps a lower usage rate in games also equates to less wear and tear on his body over the course of the season and will allow him a better chance of being in peak form come playoff time.
One of the luxuries for this Sixers team is that anyone in the starting lineup is capable of carrying the team at any given moment, on any given night. There will still be nights on which Embiid does that, but perhaps not as much as he has had to throughout his career.
DeAntae Prince, Sixers editor: Tyrese Maxey
Maxey was selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NBA draft as a backup point guard to provide support for Ben Simmons and Shake Milton. During the subsequent regular season, he also played fewer minutes than Seth Curry and Furkan Korkmaz.
Let that sink in.
Of course, he did provide a few flashes that postseason and had a breakout of sorts in his second season, but the expectation still wasn’t for Maxey to become an All-NBA-caliber player. That changed in his fourth season, when he averaged 25.9 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds and was named an All-Star (alongside Embiid) and Most Improved Player.
Since then, Maxey has become the franchise, making good on the nickname Embiid gave him early in his career. Now an All-NBA player and two-time All-Star, Maxey served as his team’s unquestioned leader for the past two seasons as Embiid and Paul George struggled to stay on the court. This offseason brought about more change with the additions of James and Brown, and no player on the roster will experience a bigger change to their existence than Maxey.
What does all that mean for him? He will be asked to share more than ever since becoming a star with the Sixers. He will share the ball, leadership responsibilities, and accolades. He will be point guard for a new “Big Five″ in Philly after finishing fifth in NBA scoring at 28.3 points and maintaining a 28.6% usage rate, which sat among the top 30 players in the league last season. Brown, at 35.1%, was third behind Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James wasn’t far behind Maxey at 27%.
Add that Brown, a former Eastern Conference and NBA Finals MVP, was tasked with helping lead the Sixers by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment president of sports Bob Myers and that James, one of the best players in NBA history, has been lauded for his ability to lead since he was a teenager. It will be Maxey’s job to keep Brown, James, and Embiid happy and continue to nurture the development of Edgecombe. Still, after getting the keys to the franchise, Maxey will need to hand a piece of it back.
Ben Crimm slowly lifted his arm and began to point at different letters on a laminated alphabet board in front of him. The board is a means of communication for Crimm, who is a 34-year-old nonverbal autistic individual.
As Crimm continued to spell out his thoughts, his father, Allan, sat beside him and read his sentences aloud.
When Ben finished pointing, he put down his hand, and Allan read the sentence he had spelled out: Non-speaking does not mean we cannot think and learn.
“This organization has changed my life in so many ways,” Ben said. “Without the ability to communicate for the first 25 years of my life, I had no ability to tell anyone what I wanted to do. Now, I do. And I have a resolve to raise awareness about nonspeakers and our capabilities and our communication access needs. Without this, I would be trapped in silence.”
Alongside work with Spellers Empowering Education for Nonspeakers, a Philadelphia-based advocacy group founded in 2020, the Crimm family also is raising awareness through the Philadelphia Cycling Classic’s charity ride for the American Association of Cancer Research.
Ben and Allan will ride in Sunday’s charity ride to raise money and awareness for the AACR and I-ASC.
Both organizations are important to Ben. The I-ASC provides training and access for nonspeakers, and AACR is dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through research — a mission close to Ben’s heart after his uncle, Jon Shipp, died of lung cancer in 2006 at 49 years old.
The charity ride will feature a 14-mile loop along the course of the professional PCC race. As both Ben and Allan prepare for the event, Ben said he’ll be staying in the back of the pack.
“I’m not a fast cyclist,” Ben said. “[I’m looking forward to] good weather and being with so many wonderful folks.”
Proceeds will go to the AACR, the official charity partner of the charity ride. As of Friday afternoon, the total fundraising was over $145,000, all from small-dollar donations, according to the AACR.
“This is sort of a natural partnership where sports and healthcare come together,” said Steve Ryan, the president and chairman of the AACR Foundation. “So it’s really a natural fit for us, gives us exposure, gets people out, gets people to know what we do. It’s great for Philadelphia, great for us, great for everyone.”
Spelling to communicate
Ben was diagnosed with autism at 6 years old and struggled to communicate throughout everyday life. Without the ability to speak and engage in conversation, he felt “trapped” with no way to tell anyone what he was thinking or how he was feeling. Despite years of speech therapy and sign language lessons, he turned to spelling to communicate.
The Crimm family first found out about spelling to communicate through a family friend, who had a son who had a condition similar to Ben’s. They implemented the method in Ben’s daily routine in 2017. But they never expected it to work as well as it did.
“It was beyond our wildest dreams,” Allan said. “It has been so exciting to get to know [him], to get to know what is in that wonderful mind of [his], and to hear [his] sense of humor, [his] kindness, and [his] generosity. To know what’s inside of [him]. [He’s] such a fierce advocate for nonspeakers. [His] passion inspires everybody in the family, including me.”
Spelling to communicate has transformed Ben’s ability to express himself and has led him to use his newfound voice as a tool to raise awareness for nonspeakers struggling to communicate and experiencing any sense of powerlessness in a world where they may feel invisible.
SEEN has met monthly for six years and has a mission to educate others about nonspeakers, autism, and apraxia. The organization conducts eight to nine presentations a year to legislators, schools, parent groups, and national conferences.
“It has been so incredible to have so many close friends that I can talk to over our shared life experience,” Ben said. “I love educating families of nonspeakers and especially healthcare professionals.”
According to the Autism Science Foundation, around 26% of individuals with autism are nonverbal or minimally verbal, meaning they have difficulty with speech.
However, this does not mean that they’re intellectually disabled. They can still form thoughts and communicate in ways that don’t rely on the voice. Allan and Ben are hoping they can continue to educate others on the topic.
“We’ve come to learn as a family and being in relationships with so many other nonspeakers that the popular understanding of what nonspeaking autism is is not what people think,” Allan said. “It’s time for people to engage with nonspeakers and learn from nonspeakers that the lived experience really is because almost a third of all autistics are [nonspeaking]. And people have total misconceptions of what their capabilities are.”
In 2017, Zach Brooks was watching the Little League World Series on TV when he asked his dad, Gary, if he could take him to a game in Williamsport, Pa.
The Brooks family and two of Zach’s teammates from the Berwyn-Paoli Area Little League’s challenger baseball team, which is designed for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges, went to a game. They returned the following year, this time to watch the Little League Challenger Division exhibition game.
Gary noticed the excitement on the players’ faces as they took the field and soaked up the energy of the environment. On the drive home, an idea began to formulate.
Brooks, who is the director of the BPALL Challenger Division and has been a coach for 13 years, wanted to get his team there.
“I remember distinctly on the way home talking to my wife and saying, ‘This is something we’ve got to do. I got to figure it out,’” Brooks said. “So that sort of planted the seed and put it on my bucket list.”
That bucket-list item will become a reality for Brooks and the team this weekend.
Berwyn-Paoli Area Little League will represent the area in a challenger baseball game at Williamsport on Saturday.Courtesy of Gary B
The BPALL Challenger Angels will compete in the 2026 Little League Challenger Division’s exhibition game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Williamsport as part of championship weekend. They will face the East County Little League from Oakley, Calif. WVIA, the PBS station for northeast and central Pennsylvania, has partnered with Little League to televise the game.
Fifteen players from BPALL were selected to participate based on their age and how long they’ve been part of the program. Each player will be introduced before the game, get an at-bat, and receive a medal. Little League teams from around the world will attend the exhibition, helping pack the stands and create an exciting atmosphere, Brooks said.
Challenger baseball counts roughly 950 programs worldwide and 30,000 players. In older and more skilled BPALL senior challenger games, they call balls and strikes, steal bases, and play on a 90-foot diamond. The only difference in challenger baseball is that players don’t pitch.
The Berwyn-Paoli program, started in 1991 by Bob and Jeannie Roggio, includes players ranging from 8 years old to 36. Brooks said the program is designed for young adults with disabilities who play baseball and have the skill and desire to play competitively.
“One of the things that I’ve seen and I’ve witnessed is when you teach the challenger players and keep raising the bar for them and the expectation of what you’re going to do on the baseball field — ‘I want you to throw the right way, I want you to hit the right way, I want you to feel the right way,’” Brooks said. “It’s not about wins and losses. It’s about you’re going to get more enjoyment and enjoy more success out on the field if you’re doing things properly”
Berwyn-Paoli Area Little League has fielded a challenger baseball team for 35 years.Courtesy of Gary B
Brooks first submitted an application in 2019 to take part in the exhibition game in Williamsport. Each team interested in participating must submit an application in November, including a written explanation of why the team deserves to compete in the game.
For years, Berwyn-Paoli was passed over. Now, this will be the first time in the team’s 35-year history that they will play in Williamsport.
The Brooks family first got involved with the Berwyn-Paoli challenger team in 2014 after Zach, who graduated from VUnited Scholars at Villanova in 2023, transitioned from Devon Strafford Little League to challenger baseball. Gary started out as a helper, but after seeing what happened during practices and games, he was “hooked” and became a coach.
“Once you start and you see the smiles on the players’ faces and the joy that they get from playing games, it encourages you to want to be out there helping these players,” Brooks said.
Brooks’ nephew is getting married this weekend, so he almost missed the opportunity to travel to Williamsport with the team. Initially, his wife, Wendy, wasn’t sure they would be able to make it work.
“I was like, ‘Wendy, with all due respect, I can’t say no. If I say no, the league might never get this opportunity again,’” he said. “I owe it to the league and the legacy of the Berwyn-Paoli challenger baseball league to go out there and do it right.”
Luck was on the Brookses’ side. The wedding falls on Sunday, allowing them to attend both events. Zach, 29, will assist as a “buddy” for players during Saturday’s game.
The weekend for Brooks is about more than the game itself. Being up in Williamsport and getting treated like “rockstars,” Gary said, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these players and families to represent the Berwyn-Paoli area.
A challenger baseball player high-fives the Philly Phanatic.Courtesy of Gary B
“You got to pinch yourself a bit because we’re doing this on the biggest stage in youth sports in the world,” he said. “Everybody knows the Little League World Series and ESPN is all over the place.”
And when the players step on the field Saturday morning, Brooks expects the significance of the moment to sink in for all of them.
“When the families start seeing the other Little League teams coming to the game and on the field afterward, by the end of the day on Saturday, they’ll have realized what an amazing opportunity this is,” Brooks said.
