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  • Sen. Bernie Sanders unveils bill to ban artificial superintelligence and create Department of AI

    Sen. Bernie Sanders unveils bill to ban artificial superintelligence and create Department of AI

    Washington — Two leading progressive lawmakers, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar, are unveiling legislation Wednesday that would ban artificial superintelligence and create a federal agency to oversee advanced AI as some of the industry’s own leaders urge Congress to impose guardrails on the advancing technology.

    The bill, provided first to The Associated Press, would also pause advanced AI development until guidelines are implemented while creating the Department of Artificial Intelligence. Multiple employees at leading AI companies are endorsing the bill.

    “It doesn’t take a genius to say, ‘slow it down,’” Sanders, I-Vt., said in an interview with AP. “Do we really want to develop a super intelligence that when it becomes smarter than human beings could act independently of human control? I don’t think we do.”

    Congress has so far done little to rein in the AI industry even as some of its most prominent leaders warn about potentially catastrophic risks. President Donald Trump has resisted recent calls for greater government oversight, putting him at odds with tech leaders including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk.

    The bill aims to dramatically slow down AI development

    The legislation would permanently prohibit artificial superintelligence, which it defines as a system that exceeds human cognitive ability or has sufficient capabilities to plan and execute the destruction or disempowerment of humanity.

    It would temporarily pause development of the most advanced AI systems until new federal safety rules are established by a new Department of Artificial Intelligence. Advanced AI systems would then need federal approval before they could be deployed. Violations could carry significant penalties, including up to 20 years in prison in some cases.

    A number of current employees at AI companies and experts signed on in support of the bill, according to a statement shared with AP.

    Juan Felipe Cerón Uribe, a researcher in OpenAI’s Safety Systems, said in a statement supporting the bill that “superintelligence could either go extremely right or extremely wrong” and that “we shouldn’t be playing such games.”

    Swante Scholz, a software engineer at Google DeepMind who said he was not speaking on behalf of his employer, said on the current path of development, the “most likely outcome is an existential catastrophe for humanity.”

    “A ban on superintelligence development would be a positive change for the foreseeable future,” Scholz said in a statement.

    The bill faces long odds but draws a line in a growing fight

    The bill from Sanders and Casar faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, where lawmakers have struggled to coalesce around even less sweeping AI regulations.

    But it offers a window into how the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is approaching AI regulation ahead of November’s midterms and a 2028 presidential campaign in which the technology is expected to be an increasingly prominent issue. Casar, a Democrat from Texas, is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

    Potential 2028 presidential candidates have rushed in recent weeks to release proposals showing they’re taking the issue seriously. Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore announced a plan to regulate AI on Tuesday, while California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to accelerate implementation of a California law that calls for independent oversight of AI companies last week.

    Sanders, a two-time presidential candidate who is now 85, has especially focused on the issue in recent months. In June, he introduced legislation to create a sovereign wealth fund financed through a one-time tax on the stock of the largest AI companies. Last week, he hosted colleagues for a briefing with experts and also attended a conference focused on the issue alongside Republicans, including former White House adviser Steve Bannon.

    The debate over AI regulations has scrambled political alliances both in Washington and for voters across the country.

    Americans have grown more concerned about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence over the last year, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

    The survey data say about half, 53%, of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about artificial intelligence’s environmental impacts. That is up from 41% last year. Democrats are driving much of the increase in environmental concern, but the poll also reveals broader worries about the local impact of data centers, which power AI and cloud computing.

    Trump has shown little interest in curbing AI risks

    While some industry leaders have called for new safeguards, Trump has pushed in the opposite direction. On Tuesday, Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that artificial intelligence will be renamed “super intelligence.”

    “I think Trump has very little understanding of what this issue is about,” Sanders said. “I think he’s mainly concerned about the economic implications of a slowdown.”

    AI safety is expected to be a central part of talks between Trump and China’s Xi Jinping at the White House this week as the countries compete for dominance in the sector. The prospect of slowing development in the United States while China continues on has also been one of the central arguments against sweeping restrictions.

    Sanders argued that avoiding the most dangerous forms of AI would ultimately require cooperation between the two countries, comparing the challenge to nuclear arms control during the Cold War.

    “Ronald Reagan, arch-conservative, was smart enough to understand that he had to sit down with Gorbachev, a communist, and work out a nuclear treaty that protected humanity,” Sanders said. “I think we can do that again now.”

  • One of the tastiest pizzas in the suburbs | Let’s Eat

    One of the tastiest pizzas in the suburbs | Let’s Eat

    Thin, chewy, and judiciously loaded, the Neapolitan pizzas at this suburban shop are worth the drive, writes Jenn Ladd.

    Also in this edition:

    • First bites: We check out two brand-new spots — Cecilia in Bridgeport and Panco in South Philly.
    • Craig LaBan goes northwest: He’s found “Chestnut Hill’s most intriguing restaurant in years,” but that comes with a caveat.
    • Saving a store: Neighbors come to support Sue’s Produce Market.
    • Read on for first word of a new Center City all-day cafe/wine bar, and the expansion of Esposito’s Porchetta.

    — Mike Klein

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Here’s one of the tastiest pizzas in the suburbs

    “The suburbs are a really tough place to get attention,” pizzaiolo Roberto Carollo was telling Jenn Ladd at his shop, Spuntino, in Doylestown’s Main Street Marketplace. Jenn says his puffy, leopard-spotted Neapolitan pies are worth your time, wherever you may be.

    Which got me to thinking about our recent pizza recommendations:

    🍕 In Crust We Trust celebrates celebrates Black culture in Fishtown.

    🍕 Waltz’s 800-degree wood-fired oven turns out tastiness in deep South Philly, per Craig LaBan.

    🍕 Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill sets a new standard for gluten-free pizza in the Philly, Craig also writes.

    🍕 Bluebird Distilling’s expanded Phoenixville flagship rocks naturally fermented dough for their pies.

    🍕 Dave Portnoy of the influential One Bite Pizza Reviews visited at least five area pizza shops and seemed to like them all.

    🍕 And there are more are on the way, including the Buttery in Northern Liberties, Alessandro’s Enoteca in Bryn Mawr, the Garden by Pieri Winery in Conshohocken, Martini & Roz in Wayne, and Pizzeria Cusumano in Collingswood. They’re among five dozen new restaurants due to open this fall.

    First bites of two new restaurants

    Chef Ryo Igarashi, who’s cooked everywhere around here over the last 25 years, is behind Panco, a Japanese comfort-food takeout spot in West Passyunk. Cutlets are his calling card.

    Cecilia, a sprawling, stylish restaurant from the team behind the Blue Bell Inn, is just days old in Bridgeport. It’s designed for locals as well as the greater Norristown/King of Prussia corridor.

    Love thy neighborhood market

    When Sue’s Produce Market in Rittenhouse shared word that it was struggling, the community jumped in to support. While I visited to report this story last week, a neighbor walked in and handed a $100 bill to owner “Tina” Shin. The GoFundMe is closing in on its $40,000 goal.

    Modern mooncakes

    Mooncakes, but make them 2026: Kiki Aranita stopped at A La Mousse, where Anna Chen is giving the Mid-Autumn Festival staple a playful spin with Dubai chocolate, Hong Kong milk tea, purple sweet potato, and other decidedly nontraditional flavors.

    Scoops

    Scarlet on Pine will be a Euro-style cafe and wine bar coming to Washington Square West next spring. Beth DeBruyn recently bought the building at 1108 Pine St., which last housed an art gallery across from Louis I. Kahn Park. With about 50 seats, she plans to serve coffee, viennoiserie, and lunch during the day, then transition to wine-bar service at night. There’s also a brick rear patio. DeBruyn’s husband, Chris, who works in construction and has about 20 years of hospitality experience, is also involved. DeBruyn, 60, who has a public-finance background, was a stay-at-home mother who started her food career as an empty-nester. She trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, did stints at Irwin’s, Dirt Candy, Rosemary, and High Street, and previously ran a cottage-baking business called Cakezilla. “When I left Rosemary, it happened to coincide with a time in my life when I could do something like this,” she said. “My dad passed away and left me some money, my kids were grown, and I had both the time and the resources to try to do something on my own.”

    Esposito’s Porchetta in South Philadelphia is going hog wild: an expansion to their shop at 10th and Mountain Streets, yielding a walk-in sandwich shop next door in early 2027. Jules Esposito Jr., 38, said he’ll move porcine production into the adjoining former apartment building and convert the current shop to retail, where he’ll sell porchetta — the slow-roasted, Abruzzese-style boneless pork found at block parties — as well as roast beef sandwiches, meats by the pound, and a small selection of homemade and imported specialties. The business traces its roots to Esposito’s grandfather, Elia, himself a second-generation meat man who arrived from Italy in the early 1950s. In 1985, Esposito’s father, Jules Sr., bought the former bakery that became the shop. (The Espositos are cousins of A. Esposito Meats in the Italian Market.) “Everybody has always asked us to make sandwiches,” Esposito said, “and here we are.”

    Restaurant report

    Craig LaBan has long felt that Chestnut Hill’s dining scene was underperforming. Then he visited the bustling Blue Warbler, where the globe-hopping, meat-free menu may be just what the neighborhood needs.

    Focaccia Affair, co-owned by a scion of the Santucci square-pizza family, is turning out sandwiches at Barstool Sansom, the Center City sports bar, as well as Fishtown’s Cannonball, where you can eat while gawking at classic cars.

    P.J. Whelihan’s has opened in Pike Creek Shopping Center in Wilmington; it’s the Westmont, N.J.-based group’s first restaurant in Delaware and its 27th overall.

    Briefly noted

    Shay’s Steaks’ 2½-year run at 16th and Race Streets will end today with a food-and-beverage giveaway from 5-7 p.m. Scott DiClaudio, the judge whose wife is listed as the owner, said the shop expects to relocate nearby. Its departure settles an eviction case with its landlord at Franklin Tower Residences.

    Fishtown Seafood x Hi-Lo Taco: Fishtown Seafood and Hi-Lo Taco will mark National Lobster Day with a lobster roll pop-up from 4-7 p.m. Friday at Hi-Lo Taco, 1109 Walnut St. Fishtown Seafood lobster rolls can be preordered in advance, with a limited number also available to walk-ins during the pop-up. The menu also includes Hi-Lo’s Tostilocos ceviche and mango margarita gelati.

    Sixers legend Julius Erving will sign prepurchased bottles of American Harvest organic vodka at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Fine Wine & Good Spirits store in Ardmore Plaza. Bottles will go on sale when the store opens at 9 a.m., purchase is limited to two bottles per customer, and the PLCB says Dr. J will not sign any additional items.

    Queen & Rook Fantasy Faire Block Party: Queen & Rook Game Cafe’s free Fantasy Faire takes over South Street between Front and Second Streets from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. More than 40 fantasy and craft vendors will join sword-fighting and fire performances, quests, tarot readings, and other activities. Food and drink will include soft-pretzel swords and potion shots.

    Lovat Square, the Chestnut Hill wine shop, will mark Sunday’s Chestnut Hill Fall for the Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a lamb roast from Erdenheim Farms. Sandwiches will be served on Downtime Bakery rolls; a vegetarian option will pair roasted squash with house ricotta, pomegranate, pine nuts, and radicchio on Downtime focaccia. Other locals will be involved, including Human Robot pouring its Hallertau pilsner and Tmavy Czech-style dark lager, while Local Operator will handle fancy wines by the glass.

    ❓Pop quiz

    Amaryllis Rivera Nassar of Amy’s Pastelillos has won a partnership, valued at $250,000, with a Philadelphia sports team. Which?

    A) Phillies

    B) Eagles

    C) Sixers

    D) Flyers

    Find out if you know the answer.

    Ask Mike anything

    I know that the Rittenhouse Hotel is getting a steakhouse next year. Where does that leave RJ Smith and his supper club? — Howard S.

    Just as your question reached my inbox, I got word that Smith’s Ocho Supper Club residency is sticking around indefinitely at the Rittenhouse Hotel. The 22-year-old Drexel grad is offering his six-course, $160 Afro-Caribbean tasting menus at 5 and 8 p.m. on select Sundays in the Lacroix dining room. Sample dishes: Trinidad doubles, oxtail festivals, madai with hibiscus aguachile, mole negro, scallops, and lamb saddle. Ocho is also expanding beyond the tasting menu to include à la carte dishes downstairs at Bar 210, including escovitch mussels, crab tostadas, braised oxtails, jerk-spiced New York strip, and curry lamb, with several dishes also available through hotel room service. Atlas Restaurant Group, which owns Center City’s Loch Bar, is moving ahead with its planned 2027 opening of Ruxton steakhouse in the Rittenhouse’s former Scarpetta restaurant space.

    📮 Have a question about food in Philly? Email your questions to me at mklein@inquirer.com for a chance to be featured in my newsletter.

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  • Meet the artist who makes art out of Ikea material board, steer horn, curtain rod, a toy velociraptor, and more

    Meet the artist who makes art out of Ikea material board, steer horn, curtain rod, a toy velociraptor, and more

    Calling Anna Tsouhlarakis’ sculpture She Dares You to Steal Her Hair mixed media doesn’t begin to describe the multitude of parts in Tsouhlarakis’ whole.

    Part of the new exhibition “Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis” at Temple Contemporary, here is the full list of materials for the piece:

    A glass cast of Tsouhlarakis’ hand and forearm, found metal, horsehair, hardware, shed antler, bicycle mirror, beads, artificial sinew, ermine, Ikea remnant, curtain rod, steer horn, rope, thread, football face mask, adhesives, paint, marker nail, toy velociraptor.

    The ingredients come together like accidental theater, from the flimsiest of human creations — an exposed remnant of Ikea particleboard, a material she has been working with for the better part of a decade — to the sturdiness of the steer horn.

    In Coyotes Run From Her, there’s a similar clash of natural and manufactured ingredients: a security camera, press-on nails that form a cascading echo of nearby horsetails, a softly furred deer leg stands next to a tower of tin tobacco lids.

    Other materials used in Coyotes Run From Her: glass cast, found metal, deer hair, porcupine hair, yarn, leather, Aspen wood, saw blades, hardware, deer leg, spur artificial claws, beads, toy grenade, paint adhesives, tobacco lids, Ikea remnant, security camera, faux silver object, press-on nails, driftwood.

    Her art contains multitudes.

    “Coyotes Run From Her,” a sculpture from the exhibition, Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis, at Temple Contemporary, 2001 North 13th St., on Temple’s campus. Its materials include a glass cast, found metal, deer hair, porcupine hair, yarn, leather, Aspen wood, saw blades, hardware, deer leg, spur artificial claws, beads, toy grenade, paint adhesives, tobacco lids, Ikea remnant, security camera, faux silver object, press-on nails, driftwood.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff

    The materials come together to, as the exhibition says, “embrace irregularity as both a formal strategy and a conceptual framework.”

    “I’m a complex individual that comes from diverse heritages,” Tsouhlarakis, 49, a citizen of the Navajo Nation and Creek Tribe who also is of Greek descent, said in a recent interview. “I’ve lived all across the United States. When I’m bringing in those pieces, all of those disparate objects, that’s a representation of my narrative, and my experiences.”

    Her work is art that can be contemplated and processed for long stretches, ingredient by ingredient, or as a cascading whole. It can be picked apart, whimsically, then put back together, more profoundly as a whole.

    She said she starts with the titles first, but does not view the works as literal expressions of those. As an Indigenous woman, she said people often expect her to be a storyteller, but she purposely sees and conceives of her work in less linear terms.

    “It is complicated,” she said. “It seems disconnected. It forces people to reckon with it. I hate the idea of linear narrative. I fight back. What else can I do to throw in here to mess up?”

    Around the walls are five black-and-white collages with cheeky sentences that play off Native identity asserting itself in a modern white world: You know she buys her sage at urban outfitters,” “Her look might say rez but her accent says city,” and “Her eyes cut quicker than a switchblade.“ The text collages also contain faded out images of Native internet memes and other cutout images.

    Sculptor Anna Tsouhlarakis, photographed at the Whitney Museum in New York City, in front of a piece from the Whitney Biennial, “SHE MUST BE A MATRIARCH.”Amara Johnson.

    Tsouhlarakis says she’s been thinking about Navajo cultural taboos, “how one moves through the world, especially within this moment, within our country.”

    “How I have to hold myself when I walk through an airport, how I notice I’m not necessarily at ease,” she said. “The way my presence in a place is questioned or uncomfortable for people. It makes me more aggressive immediately.

    “How would this imaginative female figure that I have in my mind confront these things with all the power in the world,” she asks herself. “By having cultural taboos and flipping them.”

    This dynamic shows itself in the sculpture’s title, She Dares You to Steal Her Hair. “In Navajo culture, if somebody takes a lock of hair, it takes away your power,” she said.

    Tsouhlarakis was the Edgar Heap of Birds Family Artist in Residence at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture last year, where she worked with glass for the first time. The residency was established through a gift from Edgar Heap of Birds (MFA ’79), a leading Native American artist.

    Tsouhlarakis said she typically models casts of body parts on other Native women. But while in Philadelphia, she used her own body for the first time. One sculpture uses a cast of her arm and forearm, the other, her bent elbow.

    Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta, the curator of the exhibition, as well as another exhibition now at the gallery, “Dream Different: A Wonder Rebellion,” says Tsouhlarakis’ work recalls the line from Stephen King: Humor is almost always “anger with its makeup on.”

    In Tsouhlarakis’ work, “absurdity coexists alongside this stance of awe,” he said. “You are defamiliarizing yourself of things that seem mundane and everyday.”

    “It’s an accumulation of history, of uses,” he said. “Beautiful accumulations of different moments she’s experienced.”

    Of the wall pieces, Kenyatta called them “collections of absurd moments were she’s had to contort herself or people she knows contorting themselves.

    “I’m sitting with the absurdity,” he said.

    “Indigenous Irregularities: Anna Tsouhlarakis” is on display through Dec. 5 at Temple Contemporary, 2001 N. 13th St, Philadelphia. now.temple.edu

    An Artist Talk will take place Sept. 17, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.

  • SEPTA got 24 commuter trains from Montreal, but it could be months before you can ride one

    SEPTA got 24 commuter trains from Montreal, but it could be months before you can ride one

    It’s not easy to move 24 passenger train cars from Montreal to Philadelphia, especially amid trade tensions with Canada.

    The surplus Bombardier Comet cars SEPTA bought from Montreal’s Exo transit system for $8.58 million arrived Sunday, pulled by Canadian National and CSX locomotives.

    They’re headed to the transit authority’s Frazer Shops and Yard in Malvern for some modifications before joining the Regional Rail fleet in two to three months.

    No tariffs were added to the purchase price, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. The agency had estimated that it might have to pay up to $3.5 million extra in U.S. duties, but it was determined the cars did not fall under a complex web of new trade rules.

    It took months of research and discussion.

    “We sent someone to Montreal, and they crawled under the cars taking pictures of plates with serial numbers on the steel components that showed they were made in the USA,” Busch said.

    The pictures convinced U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the used rail cars were not subject to duties, he said.

    “We essentially repatriated those items by bringing them over,” Busch said.

    SEPTA also worked with the offices of Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators. Exo and Canadian transportation officials helped dig up contracts from when the cars were made to verify the origin of the steel.

    The Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff in March 2025 on imported Canadian goods not covered by a trade treaty between the two countries, one negotiated by the president. That surcharge was also extended to steel, aluminum, and automobiles.

    This month, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, agricultural items, and building materials.

    Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney retaliated with 50% tariffs on a number of imported U.S. products.

    The Exo cars from Montreal are intended as reinforcements after the fallout from five fires on SEPTA’s 50-year-old Silverliner IV Regional Rail cars last year, which disrupted service on the commuter lines for months.

    They will be mixed in with the rest of the Regional Rail cars, along with 10 coaches leased last year from Maryland’s commuter transit agency.

    Federal authorities last October ordered SEPTA to inspect all 223 Silverliner IV cars for safety problems and to fix them.

    Passengers dealt with canceled trips, delays, and skipped stops as the Silverliner IVs were fixed. Many trains were shorter than usual.

    Unlike Silverliner IVs and the newer V series, which both carry passengers and power the train, the Montreal cars must be pulled or pushed by locomotives.

    SEPTA has 15 electric locomotives, which it bought in 2019, and it operates 45 Regional Rail passenger cars that need to be pulled.

  • South Philly’s newest takeout shop specializes in Japanese cutlets

    South Philly’s newest takeout shop specializes in Japanese cutlets

    After 25 years in restaurant kitchens around Philadelphia, Ryo Igarashi was burned out. He left the business, started driving for Uber, and kept thinking about a different kind of restaurant: a tiny place he could largely run himself.

    “In Japan, a one-man operation is a real thing,” he said. “You’ll have ramen shops and little places where one person basically runs everything.”

    Katsu parmesan at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
    Katsu curry at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
    Crab cream croquettes at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
    Octopus sunomono at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
    Chef Ryo Igarashi with his daughter, Maya, at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff
    Beverages at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., on Sept. 20, 2026.Michael Klein / Staff

    That idea became Panco, the Japanese comfort-food takeout spot Igarashi soft-opened last weekend in West Passyunk. The kitchen is tiny, and the operation is deliberately lean, with his daughter, Maya, a high school senior, working the counter.

    Igarashi wants to see what catches on from his yoshoku-style menu before expanding. “I don’t want to become that person who just keeps adding more and more because we can sell more,” he said. “I really want to test the market.”

    There’s cold octopus sunomono marinated in sanbaizu, fried jumbo shrimp, and crab cream croquettes with demi-glace to start. Then there’s katsu, Japan’s adaptation of the cutlet: At Panco, chicken, pork loin, or soy-marinated eggplant and tofu are breaded in house-made panko. Igarashi serves them plain, or as katsu curry, with vegetable miso, rice, and pickles; katsu-don, over eggs and rice; or katsu Parmesan, essentially a Japanese take on chicken parm. (This is South Philly, after all.) Mains top out at $22, while appetizers run about $10.

    Katsu curry at Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St.Michael Klein / Staff

    Dessert is flan with caramel, candied sourdough crumb, and Chantilly — essentially purin, Japanese pudding.

    Panco had been in Igarashi’s head since the pandemic, but his restaurant career goes back to 2001. The Tokyo-born Igarashi moved from Seattle to Philadelphia and enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia. He knocked on the door at Hikaru in Queen Village looking for work, starting as a dishwasher before moving up in the kitchen.

    His resumé eventually included Raw, Fuji Mountain, Distrito, Amada, Morimoto, and Laurel. At Distrito and Amada, he learned high-volume cooking; at Morimoto and Laurel, he moved further into technique and fine dining. His last major job was as executive sous chef at the thousand-seat Liberty Point on Penn’s Landing.

    Panco is intentionally the opposite: small menu, small kitchen, small staff. Igarashi said he wants to bring the same deliberateness to a restaurant category that often gets the short shrift.

    “In Japan, takeout food is a really well-established market,” he said. “I’m trying to bring some of that idea here.”

    Panco, 2300 S. Croskey St., pancophilly.com. Hours: 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Check instagram.com/pancophiladelphia for updates.

  • Fans are paying $350 for signs at SEPTA’s vintage sale (yes, Broad Street already sold out)

    Fans are paying $350 for signs at SEPTA’s vintage sale (yes, Broad Street already sold out)

    Transit fans who asked what in the El was happening with SEPTA’s old stuff inspired a sale of vintage items from its vault this month, marking the first time in the agency’s six decades of existence that Philly’s biggest fleet has held anything close to a garage sale.

    Dubbed “RETROmania,” the sale began online Sept. 14 and is already proving to be a gravy train for SEPTA, with decommissioned transit signs selling out for up to $350 a pop.

    It’s no surprise that signs for the Broad Street Line, which has shuttled Philly sports fans to and from the stadium complex for decades, have been among the hottest-ticket items. Other available products include old street and transit maps and vintage TransPass design sheets.

    A TransPass sheet from 1994 is selling for $50 during SEPTA’s RETROmania sale.Courtesy of SEPTA

    The early success of the online sale has SEPTA Store manager Al’Lee Floyd and store supervisor Melissa “Meli” Smalls excited for the in-person sales at the store on Oct. 2 and 3.

    “It was a big surprise … we did not anticipate some of the signs would sell out in one day,” Floyd said.

    Since taking over the SEPTA Store at the agency’s headquarters on Market Street near 12th in Center City in 2021, Floyd has reinvigorated the agency’s merchandise and fan base with wildly popular items like viral pint glasses and must-have ugly Christmas sweaters.

    Al’Lee Floyd, manager of the SEPTA Store, outside of the store at the SEPTA headquarters in Center City in 2024. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    But SEPTA’s vintage sale — the first of its kind anyone can recall — was inspired squarely by its customers. Over the last two years, as SEPTA rebranded the names of its lines and signage, like switching the Broad Street Line to the B (a change many Philadelphians have neither accepted nor acknowledged), SEPTA fans have inquired about what’s happening to the signs with the old names on them.

    “When people started noticing the stations were switching over, a lot of people were coming into the store and asking what we were doing with the signs coming down,” Smalls said. “We got with our wayfinding team and asked what the plans were and they said they could get them to us if we wanted them.”

    Smalls and Floyd took their customers’ curiosity as a sign and went full steam ahead with a vintage sale, digging up other items from SEPTA’s warehouse.

    This 1984 street and transit map from SEPTA sold for $25 in its RETROmania sale.Courtesy of SEPTA

    Street and transit maps from 1966 to 1999, which were priced at $25 each, have already sold out, but a Delco Public Transit Map and Guide from the 2010s is still available. There are also plenty of vintage TransPass sheets from 1993 and 1994 still for sale at $50 each.

    Some decommissioned signs were still available as of publication, like one for Walnut-Locust / Avenue of the Arts that’s going for $350 and an Olney Transportation Center sign priced at $125.

    This Walnut-Locust sign was still available, as of publishing time, for $350 in SEPTA’s RETROmania sale.Courtesy of SEPTA

    Among the most popular items were what SEPTA calls its “lollipop” signs, circular plastic signs ringed in green with the SEPTA logo in the center, that sold for $350, and, of course, the Broad Street Line signs, which ranged from $125 to $350.

    “If a sign identified anything to do with NRG [Station] or any sports complex stuff, it was a little more of a higher ticket item,” Floyd said.

    Broad Street Line signs, like the one pictured above, quickly sold out in SEPTA’s RETROmania sale.Courtesy of SEPTA

    SEPTA had already sold more than 100 signs as of Sept. 18, when it dropped a new batch of signs into the mix — prototypes with the current names of the lines on them for $50 each.

    Unsurprisingly, those haven’t been as popular as the old signs that are drenched in nostalgia (and probably other things) and aged with a fine Philadelphia subway patina.

    Anyone who buys a decommissioned SEPTA sign is required to sign an agreement that they will not use it for commercial purposes, Floyd said.

    Affectionately referred to by staff as “lollipop” signs, these circular signs already sold out at $350 a pop during SEPTA’s RETROmania sale.Courtesy of SEPTA

    The in-person sale at the SEPTA store will include merchandise similar to that in the online sale, along with vintage apparel. A preview sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 2 at the store, with the main sale taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 3.

    Floyd recommends getting in line early.

    “It’s first come, first served, once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she said.

  • A group of seniors is hunting for the best South Jersey cheesesteak. Have they found it?

    A group of seniors is hunting for the best South Jersey cheesesteak. Have they found it?

    On Friday, Ralph DiSibio and his friends arrived early, as they usually do, at a cheesesteak joint in Marlton between an Advance Auto Parts and a dry cleaner.

    The men wore matching T-shirts picturing a loaded cheesesteak set aflame, except for Gary Mazzucco, who hasn’t retired yet and doesn’t have the time, nor the medical clearance, to eat a pound of meat and cheese over and over again.

    “Ralph, I gotta order a salad. I can’t eat a cheesesteak,” Mazzucco, 78, said.

    “That’s why he doesn’t have a T-shirt,” one of his friends chimed in.

    Mazzucco ordered a salad. Then, he changed his order after he spotted wings on the menu, which opened the conversation to teasing. What kind of salad was that?

    “It’s got celery,” Mazzucco said.

    When he offered to share, most of the group passed.

    Johnny Longhots, a pizza and sandwich joint “where Philadelphia meets New York,” is the fourth stop on the retirees’ monthslong quest to find South Jersey’s best cheesesteak, preceded by trips to Donkey’s Place in Camden, Bricco Coal Fired Pizza, and Chick’s Deli in Cherry Hill.

    Ralph DiSibio (far left), 85, of Moorestown, watches as friends Mike Mouber (left), 79; Paul Ferretti, 79; and John DeSilvio, 74, enter Johnny Longhots in Marlton on Sept. 18.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    The crew refuses to cross the bridge for cheesesteaks. They want to avoid tolls, and with thousands of options in Philly, they’re not sure they’ll live long enough to eat them all. Sitting in a bright red booth, the seniors were close enough to the city, their backs to a wall of Philly motifs. A picture of the LOVE statue hung above Mike Mouber’s head.

    DiSibio, 85, used to work in the nuclear waste industry, and Mazzucco is an accountant. Mouber, 79, was a lawyer; Paul Ferretti, 79, an investment banker, and John DeSilvio, 78, a contractor. Bob McDermott, 83, worked for the U.S. Postal Service. None of them have long careers as food critics or restaurateurs, but they’ve eaten many a sandwich.

    The group hasn’t found its prized meal yet — Chick’s was the favorite so far — but they say they’re uniquely qualified to discover it.

    “If you count Gary, there’s over 400 years of experience,” DiSibio said, settled at the head of the table.

    Mike Mouber (center), 79, points to the Johnny Longhots menu as Bob McDermott, 83, enjoys his cheesesteak. Although the beloved sandwich was invented in Philadelphia, the group has no interest in trying out Philly cheesesteaks across the bridge.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    The seniors met years ago at a 55+ community in Moorestown, the Mews at Laurel Creek, where most of them still live. They’ve kept their friendship going at the poker table, where they compete every Thursday.

    To mix things up, the group recently visited Donkey’s Place to try what many South Jerseyans have called the best cheesesteak around. But the men weren’t fans, including those who have long frequented Camden’s food scene. They were put off by the kaiser roll.

    “We weren’t thrilled one way or another,” said DiSibio, a Camden native.

    So they decided to keep searching. They’re working on a spreadsheet, though there’s no formal rating system or numerical values attributed to each cheesesteak. They establish their thoughts on the firmness of the bread, the spice of the hot peppers, the meltability of the cheese, and how much meat they get for their money through overlapping conversations that usually drift into sports, politics, religion, and movie debates. Sandwiches are generally considered “good” or, well, not.

    Paul Ferretti (right), 79, greets Ralph DiSibio, 85, alongside Mike Mouber (center), 79, inside Johnny Longhots on Sept. 18.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    Their ultimate cheesesteak, at least according to a printed list in large text, must include: meat, onions, cheese, a roll, and seasoning. The “ambiance of the establishment” only matters if it’s particularly remarkable. They always get fried onions if they can, and hot peppers on the side.

    Jimmy Lees, an employee at Johnny Longhots, made sure most of their cheesesteaks came out quickly, after a lengthy back-and-forth between the men on whether to get provolone or Cooper Sharp. (The majority went with Cooper Sharp.)

    Lees, a Philly native, said it was a new thing to witness a group of seniors hunting for the region’s best cheesesteak, but it’s not so strange.

    “It’s something to do,” Lees said.

    The group of friends enjoyed their Johnny Longhots cheesesteaks. The group found the bread roll to not be as good as they hoped but appreciated the amount of steak that was provided.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    As they ate, there wasn’t much commentary about the cheesesteaks. They debated what year The Godfather novel came out, and DeSilvio’s forthcoming trip to Croatia. They compared their quest to Indiana Jones in 1981.

    “This is like Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark,” McDermott said. “We’re looking for the holy grail of cheesesteak.”

    Mike Mouber points to Gary Mazzucco (not pictured) when asked who’s the best poker player in the group while the rest of the friends (from left to right) Bob McDermott, Ralph DiSibio, Paul Ferretti, and John DeSilvio enjoy their meals.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    It didn’t take long for the group to finish their sandwiches, about a half hour or so. DeSilvio wrapped up half of his sandwich for his wife. McDermott said he enjoyed his. Others said the sandwich was good, but maybe the bread could’ve been crustier. It was the smallest of the cheesesteaks they’d eaten so far. They debated their choices again, both praising and regretting the Cooper Sharp.

    “I don’t have any of these opinions,” Mouber said.

    They joked about their cholesterol meds, and that it’s a good thing cardiologists live in their Moorestown development. They said they won’t know the true rating of their cheesesteaks until later in the day, when their digestive systems get to work.

    The group discusses what cheeses should be allowed in cheesesteaks. While DiSibio passionately believes only provolone cheese should be in the sandwich, Mouber (far left) doesn’t have a preference.Aidan T. Gallo / Staff Photographer

    The group plans to visit at least one cheesesteak joint a month for as long as they feel up to it. Their current list includes Irishtown Steaks, Pudge’s Pub, and Champs Cheesesteaks and Hoagies, among others. DiSibio said he hopes to get through at least 10 spots before they call it quits.

    When asked for final thoughts on their sandwiches at Johnny Longhots, Mouber spoke for his friends.

    “We all hope it’s not our last,” he said.

  • DA Larry Krasner faces an uncertain political future as Democrats weigh what could come next

    DA Larry Krasner faces an uncertain political future as Democrats weigh what could come next

    After a federal judge said last week that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner may have committed federal crimes, questions quickly emerged about the prosecutor’s political future.

    Krasner, an outspoken Democrat and one of the nation’s most well-known progressive prosecutors, has recently entertained entreaties to run for higher office, including a possible bid for Philadelphia mayor next year.

    But in the week since U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond said he had referred Krasner and a top supervisor to the Department of Justice for investigation, Krasner has largely stayed quiet, and few elected Democrats have publicly come to his defense.

    Behind the scenes, many insiders asked: Could this episode damage Krasner too much for him to mount a campaign for another office?

    In a statement Tuesday, Krasner said he had already told another progressive considering a bid for mayor that he would defer to her.

    “I’m a big believer in Councilmember Kendra Brooks,” Krasner said, referring to the City Council member who The Inquirer reported is considering a run for mayor. “Prior to these accusations, I told her that if she runs for mayor, I will not consider running.”

    Philly City Councilmember Kendra Brooks is considering running for mayor, sources say

    And he framed the legal conclusions by Diamond — a federal jurist appointed by former Republican President George W. Bush — as merely “accusations,” citing others who have been targeted for investigation by the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.

    He referenced the New York attorney general, a former FBI director, and a DOJ employee who was charged after throwing a sandwich at a federal agent and has since become a symbol of resistance to Trump’s administration.

    “Ask Letitia James, James Comey, the ‘sandwich man’ or the guy who took peeling paint from the reflecting pool what they have to say about accusations,” Krasner said. “Or ask dozens of innocent people whose exonerations this DA’s office supported what they say about accusations.”

    Krasner’s statement Tuesday was one of the first public comments he has made regarding the case since Diamond’s criminal referral, aside from a brief statement last week saying that he disagrees with Diamond’s conclusions and could not comment further because the matter is pending in court.

    Philly DA Larry Krasner faces legal and political uncertainty after a judge said he may have committed crimes

    The uncertainty around Krasner also has some city Democrats contemplating a dramatic outcome: Could criminal charges or judicial discipline sweep Krasner from office before the end of his term in 2030?

    And if that happened, who would replace him as the city’s chief law enforcement officer?

    District Attorney Larry Krasner standing with District Council 33, for the 39th Annual Tri-State Labor Day Parade on Sept. 7.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    At least two elected Democrats have spoken to ward leaders about filling the district attorney’s role if Krasner were to be forced from office, according to sources familiar with the conversations who were not authorized to speak about them publicly.

    But some of Krasner’s allies say this is all much ado about nothing. They maintain that Diamond’s legal conclusions and the referral of the matter to the Department of Justice were politically motivated and that Krasner will weather it, as he has past tribulations.

    “They’re trying to do something that they’ve been trying to do for years, which is go after Krasner’s head,” said Sergio Cea, political director of the progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia, which has supported Krasner since his first run for office in 2017. “What they’re trying to do is roll back the gains that Philly voters pushed forward.”

    Silence from elected officials

    Krasner has always been something of a political outsider. He has never been endorsed by the city’s Democratic Party and has been critical of its leadership.

    Despite that, he maintained support among progressives and a significant contingent of Black elected officials last year when he prevailed over former Municipal Court Judge Patrick Dugan and skated to a third term in office.

    City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, a member of the progressive Working Families Party and a longtime supporter of the district attorney, said in a statement Tuesday that he has confidence in Krasner’s ability to lead his office.

    “There’s no question,” he said. “DA Krasner can and should be doing the work that Philadelphians have tasked him with through their votes.”

    Aside from O’Rourke, most of the city’s top officials have declined requests for comment about Krasner’s recent legal jeopardy, including some of his ardent supporters.

    Some say that Krasner has not asked them to weigh in, and that they are hesitant to take a position on a complex legal issue. Others say they do not want to distract from a midterm election that is just six weeks away.

    Jack Inacker, a Democratic strategist based in Philadelphia, said he was not surprised that few elected Democrats have spoken on Krasner’s behalf.

    In recent months, Krasner called on former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, the chair of the Democratic City Committee, to resign, and publicly confronted Ryan Boyer, the head of the politically powerful Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, over campaign contributions.

    “You’ve got these major dustups all the time, it seems now,” Inacker said. “Krasner being so antagonistic to everyone doesn’t get him allies.”

    Inacker also said the courtroom allegations are “esoteric in nature,” making it challenging for elected officials to stake a position.

    Newly reelected District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks to reporters during a news conference outside the District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 5, 2025.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    The case before the federal judge centers on Dennis Johnson, who has sought for more than a decade to have his 2009 murder conviction overturned. In 2022, a former assistant district attorney working for Krasner filed paperwork to support Johnson’s bid.

    But four supervisors in Krasner’s office later testified that they found errors in that 2022 brief, and that Krasner was involved in conversations about attempting to mislead the court to cast the former prosecutor as rogue.

    Krasner has denied wrongdoing.

    Brian Hart, a Democrat who has been critical of Krasner and served as a media adviser to Dugan’s campaign, said this episode is more fraught for Krasner than his 2022 impeachment.

    “The allegations aren’t coming from just Republicans,” said Hart, a public relations strategist. “They’re coming from testimony within his own office.”

    The mayor’s race question

    Some activists on the left wing of the city’s Democratic Party have said they feel emboldened to mount a serious challenge against Parker, who will be up for reelection next year. They cite recent wins by progressives both in the city and nationally.

    And eight months out from the May primary election, several prospective candidates, including Brooks, are mulling whether to launch a campaign.

    After earlier this year casting doubt on speculation that he could run for mayor, Krasner seemed open to the possibility in June.

    When asked then whether he might consider a future campaign for mayor — or even U.S. Senate — Krasner responded: “Do I have a plan to run for these offices today? No. But … it would be foolish for me to completely rule out those possibilities.”

    No Philly mayor has lost reelection in modern history. So does Mayor Parker have anything to worry about?
    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, seen here with Mayor Cherelle Parker at a news conference at Dilworth Park on Dec. 16, 2024.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive based in Philadelphia, said a federal criminal investigation of Krasner could pose a logistical problem if it was conducted while he was running for mayor.

    But politically speaking, Ceisler said, it might not be an impediment. An investigation by the Department of Justice under Trump — an entity many Democrats distrust — could rally progressive support.

    “I think he would probably run with it as a badge of honor,” he said.

    Ceisler pointed to former Mayor John F. Street, who in 2003 was locked in a tight race for reelection when police found an FBI bug in his office. Street blamed Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, and he went on to win the election a few weeks later.

    How the discovery of an FBI bug and the political spin that followed changed the course of a race for Philly mayor

    “When these things happen, everybody puts on their respective jerseys, so the Krasner people are going to say, ‘It’s political,’” Ceisler said. “I think to the Krasner constituency, especially if he wants to run for mayor, or do something else, I don’t think this fazes them.”

    Weighing a post-Krasner future

    It is unclear where any potential criminal investigation or disciplinary probe of Krasner and his office might lead, and legal experts have said that a hypothetical investigation would likely take months.

    But some Philadelphia Democrats are already contemplating what would happen if Krasner cannot finish the term that he began this year and that ends in 2030, with some quietly discussing contingency plans to fill the office.

    Under state law, in the event of a vacancy, the city’s Common Pleas Court judges vote by secret ballot to appoint a new district attorney. The appointed interim district attorney would serve until the next general election. Those elections take place in even-numbered years.

    The last time the process played out was in 2017, when the Board of Judges selected former city prosecutor Kelley Hodge to lead the office as interim district attorney. She replaced former District Attorney Seth Williams, who resigned shortly before pleading guilty to federal corruption charges in a case also overseen by Diamond.

    During the three-week gap between when Williams resigned and Hodge was appointed, the district attorney’s office was led by Williams’ first assistant district attorney, Kathleen Martin.

    Krasner does not have a first assistant district attorney. Robert Listenbee, who formerly held the role, retired in January, and the legally required position remains unfilled.

    Staff writers Chris Palmer and Ellie Rushing contributed to this article.

  • Silas Graham’s path to St. Joe’s basketball comes with a familiar coaching connection

    Silas Graham’s path to St. Joe’s basketball comes with a familiar coaching connection

    Silas Graham’s first basketball memory came from the inside of a penalty box.

    His father, Nat Graham, was an assistant coach for Boston College at the time. Along with hosting basketball games, the Eagles’ Conte Forum doubles up as a hockey arena. When the hardwood is placed over the rink, the penalty box remained, and it was the perfect place to put a rambunctious toddler.

    It was easier to keep Silas contained when he couldn’t walk, Nat remembers. Silas would crawl by his father’s feet while Nat ran drills as an assistant at Cornell — one of his first coaching stops. With Nat on the staff, the Big Red made March Madness appearances in 2008, 2009, and 2010. In diapers, Silas attended all three tournaments.

    “It was such a part of his life at that stage,” Nat said. “He idolized the guys. By the time he was walking and talking, I can remember him playing in the living room and pretending to be the guys on the team.”

    Banking on Ball: Recruiting is the third rail of high school sports

    After a four-year stint at Boston College, Nat coached at Penn as an assistant from 2014 to 2025. Coaching alongside his father at Cornell, Boston College, and Penn was Steve Donahue. Silas and Donahue, now the head coach at St. Joseph’s, developed a strong relationship, and it continued once Silas picked up basketball.

    Last year, Silas — now a 6-foot-4 senior guard at the Haverford School — received scholarship offers from Notre Dame and Stanford. However, he gravitated toward Hawk Hill because of his familiarity with the program’s head coach. He announced his verbal pledge to St. Joe’s on Aug 4.

    “I don’t need to build a relationship with Coach Donahue,” Silas said. “He can coach me, and I’m going to understand that it’s not the same relationship that it was before, and that he’s going be tougher for me, and I have to be prepared for that.”

    Silas Graham committed to play basketball for St. Joseph’s.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Silas enters his senior year as the Fords’ all-time leading scorer. Last season, he averaged 20.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. 247Sports ranks Graham as the second-best player in Pennsylvania, trailing just Archbishop Wood’s Jaydn Jenkins in the class of 2027.

    “I never take it for granted how coachable he is and what a joy [Silas] is to coach,” said Fords coach Bernie Rogers. “Forget all the points and the wins. He’s enjoyable to coach every day and we don’t take that for granted.”

    ‘Seeing how he operates’

    Sitting in the Haverford School bleachers following a team workout, Silas wore a pair of red Cornell basketball shorts. After being dismissed by Penn following the 2024-25 season, Nat returned to Ithaca to serve as an assistant last season.

    But just like Donahue, Nat found himself back in the Big 5. This summer, Nat was hired by Drexel to coach on Zach Spiker’s staff. In the near future, Nat will likely see his son on the opposing sidelines of a Big 5 matchup. In the meantime, he has enjoyed coaching Silas during summer runs at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.

    “We would play with some Haverford kids,” Silas said. “My dad [has] never really been a coach on one of my teams, so it was kind of cool to see that. Obviously he likes to give me pointers about myself, but even him just telling other guys what to do and seeing how he operates basketball-wise is nice.”

    Silas Graham grew up around basketball with his father coaching at the college level.Courtesy of Nat Graham

    As a child, Silas rarely responded well to his father’s postgame pointers — and Nat offered plenty.

    “I have a friend who’s a trained musician,” Nat said. “He says when he goes to concerts or he goes to a small bar with live music, it’s hard for him to enjoy it because he’s always looking at it critically, and I think the same is true for coaches.

    “I can’t turn the coach off. There’s things I see that no one else here sees, and I can’t not tell you. But that process was very difficult. I think in the long run, it may have been beneficial, but it’s not easy as a kid.”

    Eventually, Nat broke through. Silas no longer brushes off his father’s criticism and welcomes the additional coaching. Last season, Nat attended two Haverford games while living in Ithaca. Silas is looking forward to having him back in the bleachers during his final high school season.

    ‘Want them to be well-rounded’

    With the recruiting process behind him, Silas is exploring who he is outside of basketball. Nat has long given Silas and his two other children the support to so.

    “As much as I love basketball and I can be on them about basketball stuff, I want them to be well-rounded, thoughtful [people],” Nat said. “More developed overall humans than sometimes can happen with sports people.”

    Silas has watched his father develop himself outside of basketball.

    Off the court, Nat is a committed racial justice advocate. He has written about several racial justice topics including white allyship and police brutality. In 2021, as a member of Penn’s staff, Nat sat during the national anthem to bring attention to institutional racism. Silas is taking an African American studies class, where he noted he is one of two white students.

    Penn’s Nat Graham has learned lessons that extend far beyond the basketball court | 2025

    “It’s cool to see another part of history,” Silas said. “Haverford, we say we’re like ‘woke’ and diverse, we don’t really like to go super deep into all that stuff. We kind of stay surface level, so this is the one class gets intense and emotional, but I think I like it. I think it’ll be interesting for me.”

    One area of importance for Silas is wanting to help Philadelphia’s homeless population. This, too, is because of Nat. Growing up, Silas would regularly drive through West Philadelphia with his father to Penn’s campus. From his booster seat, Silas saw how homelessness affected the area.

    Silas Graham averaged 20.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists last season at the Haverford School.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “That’s actually another big thing for my dad,” Silas said. “People don’t understand why people are homeless and they blame it all on them. There’s so many other factors that go into that, but like that’s something I took an interest in.”

    Silas is looking forward to his future at Hawk Hill, where he expects to play early. He’s also proud to stay in Philadelphia.

    “I love the Big 5,” Silas said. “I grew up around it, and I love like the history behind it. So many Philly guys leave now. Even in high school, Philly guys leave now. So l I think it’s cool that I’m one of the guys that stays.”

  • Does Zach Ertz still have the juice to contribute to the Eagles? Here’s what the film — and history — says

    Does Zach Ertz still have the juice to contribute to the Eagles? Here’s what the film — and history — says

    The Eagles’ depth at tight end was tested early when Eli Stowers and Grant Calcaterra both landed on the injured list before the season began. Two weeks in, the Eagles now are also down starting tight end Dallas Goedert, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Sunday’s win over the Titans.

    An old friend, Zach Ertz, reunited with the Eagles on Monday, signing with the team’s practice squad. Before suffering a season-ending injury last year, Ertz, in his age-35 season, finished with 50 catches for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games for the Washington Commanders.

    Ertz has spent the last nine months rehabbing from tearing both the anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament in his right knee, and with the Eagles in need of a receiving tight end, the reunion makes sense on paper.

    With tight ends hurt and blockers struggling, the Eagles need Zach Ertz to be more than a good story

    But does Ertz, who turns 36 in November, still have the skills to contribute in an offense that needs production from its tight ends? Here’s what his film over the last two years with the Commanders — and NFL history — says about Ertz, who is 11 receptions away from becoming the Eagles’ all-time leader.

    Manning the middle

    For the past 13 seasons, Ertz has thrived on targets over the middle of the field, including his last two seasons with the Commanders. According to Next Gen Stats, 90 of his 116 receptions and 919 of his 1,158 receiving yards over the last two years have come between the numbers.

    A route the Eagles are familiar with is his in-breaking route that is somewhere between a slant and dig route, and often mirrors a running back angle route out of the backfield. Ertz sets up the route by widening his route to the outside and sharply cutting upfield at an angle, allowing him to break open vs. both man and zone coverage.

    The route was especially effective in the red zone, where he scored all 11 of his receiving touchdowns with Washington. On this specific angle route, he scored five of those touchdowns, including against the Eagles in their Week 11 matchup in 2024.

    The big-bodied tight end (6-foot-5, 250 pounds) also thrived on traditional in-breaking routes, where he occupied the middle of the field, finding soft spots in zone coverage.

    About a third of his production in Washington came from in-breaking routes: According to Next Gen Stats, Ertz finished with 385 yards on 37 catches on those routes over the last two seasons, including eight of his 11 touchdowns.

    Though his speed to stretch the field vertically and athleticism to create after the catch are not what they were when he was last in an Eagles jersey in 2021, there is some route-running savvy he brings to his old team. Specifically, Ertz still showed the ability to break open on corner routes downfield, when matched up with safeties or linebackers.

    He uses his size to outmuscle smaller defenders and creates bigger target areas to throw the football. He takes his corner routes a few steps toward the middle of the field and breaks out toward the sideline at a sharp angle to allow the quarterback to throw him open. When he generated big gains over the last two years, they specifically came on those corner routes.

    While Ertz still can thrive as a receiver, he does not bring much as a blocker, an area where the Eagles have struggled through two weeks. Much of his time in Washington was spent as a detached slot receiver on run-pass option plays or as a lead blocker on the perimeter for zone-read runs with Jayden Daniels.

    He has not had an in-line blocking role for the majority of his career, and that is unlikely to change in this reunion. But with Goedert missing time, Ertz’s contributions as a pass catcher seemed to be what the Eagles are seeking in the franchise legend.

    Aging like fine wine?

    According to StatMuse, which has NFL data that goes back to 1932, only three tight ends eclipsed 500 yards in their aged-36 season: Tony Gonzalez (930), Travis Kelce (851), and Antonio Gates (548). Gonzalez repeated the feat at 37 and 38, Kelce appears on track to do so in 2026 at 37, and Gates failed to reach that marker again over his last two NFL seasons.

    If you widen the scope, two other players reached 500 receiving yards after their age-35 seasons, and one of those circumstances relates directly to Ertz. Jason Witten, who finished with more than 500 receiving yards in 2017 at 35 years old (560), retired in 2018, returned to Dallas in 2019 at 37, and finished with 529 yards in 2019. He did not reach 500 yards with Las Vegas in 2020.

    Benjamin Watson (82) had a late-career renaissance but like Zach Ertz, battled injuries in the twilight of his career. Patrick Semansky

    The other player in that category was Benjamin Watson, who had a career-best 825 yards at age 35 in 2015 with the Saints, but missed all of 2016. After returning at age 37, Watson finished 2017 with 522 yards on 61 catches, but he did not cross that threshold with the Saints in 2018 or Patriots in 2019.

    Injuries in 2022 and 2023 with the Cardinals prevented Ertz from reaching that marker, but Ertz played 17 and 13 games over his last two years, his most games in a two-year span since 2020 with the Eagles and 2021 split between Philly and Arizona.

    Gonzalez, Kelce, Gates, Witten, and Watson stayed remarkably healthy, though the latter faced injuries late in his career. With the exception of Kelce, they were two-way players as blockers and receivers. Ertz has missed time with injury in nine of his 13 seasons, suffering season-ending injuries in three of them, and does not offer much in the blocking department beyond doing so in space.

    Previous Goedert replacements

    When Goedert has been out of the lineup over the last four seasons, the Eagles have traditionally not relied on the backups for heavy receiving workloads. In 2022, when Goedert missed Weeks 10 through 14 with an injury, Jack Stoll caught seven passes for 74 yards in that time frame, while Calcaterra caught four passes for 41 yards.

    In 2023, when Goedert missed Weeks 10 through 12, Stoll had two receptions for 17 yards, and Calcaterra was inactive for two of those three games.

    In 2024, when Goedert missed Weeks 6 through 8, then 13 through 16 with injuries, Calcaterra had an increased role, catching 14 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown

    And last season, when Goedert missed only one meaningful game, Calcaterra had one catch for 6 yards in a Week 2 game in Kansas City.

    This offense under Sean Mannion requires more from tight ends than previous iterations of Eagles offenses, which made Ertz’s signing necessary, though learning the scheme could take time for the 13-year veteran to make a significant impact on the passing game.

    Expectations should be set low for Ertz, considering his age and return from a significant injury. But if the tight end can look somewhat like he did as a receiver last season, when he contributed a throwback performance against the Broncos one game before his injury (10 catches, 106 yards) the Eagles may get more than a feel-good story.