Who are the best professional athletes playing in Philadelphia today? While everyone has their own list, chances are most lists contain at least half of the same names. With our list we look at the present but with an eye to the future as well.
1. Donovan McNabb
Leading his team to four straight NFC Championship Games including one Super Bowl, a perennial Pro-Bowl selection, the success of failure of the Eagles rests squarely on McNabb's shoulders. He is arguably the best quarterback in Eagles history. McNabb's ability to play through injury sets him apart from most modern athletes. In a city where football rules, McNabb is king and deserves to rank number one.
2. Allen Iverson
Always controversial and unpredictable, Iverson has been the only bright spot on a 76ers team that has been mediocre for most of his career. What Iverson brings to the 76ers is consistency. He can be counted on to average about 30 points a game every time he steps on the court. Nagging injuries throughout his career have failed to affect his performance on the court. With a head coach he respects and a healthy Chris Webber playing alongside, Iverson may be looking at his best year in 2005-2006.
3. Peter Forsberg
Many have forgotten that Forsberg was originally drafted by the Flyers in 1991 and then traded to Quebec in 1992 as part of the Eric Lindros trade. Lindros never lived up to Flyers' fans expectations and is long gone. Meanwhile Forsberg returns to the Flyers for the 2005-2006 season and is considered by many the best current player in the NHL. Can he help the Flyers achieve what they never could with Lindos. Our guess is that he can and that Flyers' fans will finally have their hero.4. Terrell Owens
Arriving in Philadelphia in 2004 as a sort of messiah, he led the team to Super Bowl XXXIX. His off-season contract demands and off-the-field antics which continue into the 2005 season, many fans are eager to bid Owens goodbye after this season. The problem with that thinking, however, is that he is the best wide receiver in the NFC and one of the top three in the NFL. The only thing that counts in my mind is how Owens performs on game day and for that reason he ranks number four on our list.5. Chase Utley
It's unusual for such a young player to make a list such as this, but Chase Utley showed us in 2005 everything that most of the veterans on the Phillies lack: ability, clutch performance, heart and leadership. Phillies fans may now actually someday forget that Ryne Sandberg once was Phillies' property. From the day he took over second base on a full-time basis, Utley became the one player that every fan wanted to see hit in a key situation. He is destined to be a perennial All-Star.6. Brian Dawkins / Jeremiah Trotter
How do you decide between these two? These are the heart and soul and on-the-field leaders of the Eagles defense. Both are perennial All-Pro players. Both have the ability to rally their teammates around them. Off the field both Dawkins and Trotter are perfect representatives of everything that the Eagles are all about. How could the Redskins have so misused and misjudged Trotter? We think that his heart was always in Philadelphia and we're so glad he's back in the Eagles' nest.
7. Simon Gagne
Often forgotten among other bigger names on the Flyers roster, Gagne is one of the NHL's top wings. He is the Flyers leader in even-strength goals and playing on a line with Peter Forsberg Flyers fans can expect to see a big season from Gagne. With seven goals and four assists in the team’s first six games, Gagne is off to the best start of his career. Our prediction for the 2005-2006 season is 50 goals and over 100 points.8. Billy Wagner
If anyone doesn't think that a relief pitcher should appear on this list, do you remember how much we loved Tug McGraw as he brought us a World Series championship? Do you remember how much we hated Mitch Williams as he lost us one? With 59 saves in just 65 save opportunities over his two years with the Phillies, Wagner has made himself one of the off-season's most sought after free agents. The Phillies may have blown their chance to sign Wagner to a new contract.9. Chris Webber
Many believe that Webber's carrier is on downside, but his numbers show that his sharpest decline coincided with his trade to the 76ers when he played under a coach who had no clue how to use him. While plagued with ongoing leg problems, we still think Webber has one good season left in him. Under new coach Maurice Cheeks and playing alongside Allen Iverson, we look for a big year from this player who has been one of the league's top power forwards over the past decade.10. Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard is the most exciting player to join the Phillies in the last decade. Everything comes to a halt at Citizens Bank Park when Howard comes to bat. Projected over a full season his 2005 stats would translate into 40 home runs and 116 runs batted in. He is a leading candidate to be named National League Rookie of the Year. With all due respect to Jim Thome, Howard is no longer the first baseman of the future, but rather the first baseman of the present.
