Two new cornerstones | Sports Daily Newsletter

On the heels of an implosion last year, the Eagles lost cornerstone linemen on both sides of the ball when Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retired.

Suffice it to say that they have moved on quickly. Kelce’s successor at center, Cam Jurgens, earned his first Pro Bowl selection on Thursday. So did Jalen Carter after a dominant season at defensive tackle that was reminiscent of Cox’s finest days. Perhaps the best news here? Jurgens is 25 and Carter is 23. They could be anchors on their respective lines for a long time.

“It’s just the beginning,” Carter said. “I’m not perfect at anything I do right now. I still got a lot of stuff to work on and that’s just going to come with the years of experience that I gather up while I’m still here playing in the league.”

Ahead of a meaningless meeting with the New York Giants on Sunday, the Birds learned that they had six Pro Bowl selections, including Saquon Barkley (of course), guard Landon Dickerson, tackle Lane Johnson, and linebacker Zack Baun.

Here are our predictions for the Eagles-Giants clash, which will have a preseason feel for the Birds with many starters sitting out.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Eagles play their regular-season finale Sunday against the New York Giants. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.

Bradley Carnell is tasked with turning around the Union after the MLS team announced the 47-year-old manager’s hiring on Thursday. A native of South Africa, Carnell previously coached St. Louis City SC and the New York Red Bulls, and recently had a short stint as an assistant with Canada’s men’s national team.

Paul George has not gotten off to the smoothest of starts with the Sixers, but the nine-time All-Star says the referees are cutting him little slack these days. George went scoreless in the fourth quarter Wednesday in a loss to the Sacramento Kings and acknowledged his mistakes. He also mentioned unfair treatment by the officials.

“I understand it’s a tough job that they have,” George said. “But my problem is ticky-tack calls on me, and then they allow [the opponent] to play [with] more contact on me than in the contact that I’m dishing out. It’s unacceptable.”

The Sixers have some catching up to do in fan voting for the NBA All-Star Game, Tyrese Maxey is the team’s top vote getter, but he stands seventh among Eastern Conference guards in the balloting.

There was no catching up for the Sixers on Thursday night, as their poor defense saw them dig an early hole against Golden State. Steph Curry and the Warriors ran away and hid from there, with Curry pouring in 30 points and making all eight of his three-point attempts in a 139-105 blowout.

Notre Dame won its 12th straight game in convincing fashion Thursday with a 23-10 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Fighting Irish (13-1) will pose a significant test for Penn State in their College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9. Here are three things to know about Notre Dame.

The Flyers are in the midst of their annual extended road trip during the holiday season. In a five-game, 10-day journey, it’s all about routines and managing time for the players and staff. For Travis Sanheim, that means bringing along his noise machine and humidifier.

Thursday brought some road blues for the Flyers, as despite a quick start, the Orange and Black folded on the Vegas strip against the Golden Knights. Full coverage of the 5-2 loss can be found here.

Here is our Philly fan photo for this week as part of our Friday lineup. We’ll need you to submit photos with a Philly sports theme to keep this feature going. Send your photos here for the opportunity to be featured.

Before our holiday break, we asked you: Should Saquon Barkley pursue the rushing record Sunday against the Giants or rest up for the playoffs? Barkley will wind up sitting out Sunday’s game, but here’s what you had to say about the issue:

They should not allow him on the field. All the regulars should sit this one out. Winning the Super Bowl is more important than this meaningless game. — Jack W.

Absolutely not. Breaking the single-season record is not worth the risk of injury. Eagles need Saquon healthy for what will hopefully be a Super Bowl run. — Larry R.

The record is certainly within reach. I’m sure the team, Barkley and the O-line in particular would love to see it happen. However, there is a bigger, more important goal to be reached. A chance to rest and protect from injury is more important than any individual record. We’ve played 16 games in the brutal NFL. A chance to rest and protect for a meaningless game 17 is a gift, enjoy it! — Dave S.

I think Saquon and the offensive linemen should be given the opportunity to go for the rushing record. They are knocking at the door of history and they collectively have earned the right to at the very least try. Are there concerns, certainly but there is a risk on every play in the NFL. Do they have bigger team objectives? Sure, but that shouldn’t influence the decision. My gut tells me to let them play on for the rushing record and the Super Bowl, let’s see how it plays out! — Bill B.

Yes, the decision is up to the coach(es). It is traditional to sit starters in this situation. But, I haven’t seen [Patrick] Mahomes sit. ... Yes, this is very likely a once-in-a-career opportunity. No question on this. How many repeats do we have for 2,000-yard seasons? Yes, this is about the O-line as much as it is about Saquon. So, there are at least 5 others who would share in this once-in-a-career glory. They deserve it as much as Saquon. And, [Jeff] Stoutland. Don’t forget the man who created the entire operation. I say, give them a quarter — not more than the first half. As soon as he beats the record, sit him and the starting O-line. — Dorothy V.

I worry that if he goes for the record, he will be too tired to be effective in the first playoff game. He needs to rest especially after 31 carries. I say rest him as he is more valuable than a record! Team vs. individual. — Vince O.

Should he? Without doubt. What better opportunity for him to further solidify his gravitas with Eagles fans than by him pouring it on with another “Wham Bam” and Gone like performance. This time against the Giants. — John B.

Go for the record! — Joseph B.

Barkley should be pursuing a Super Bowl ring first. He’s had a great year! But with the Eagles having secured the 2 seed, the starters should sit. This is their bye week. — Bart S.

Personally if it was up to me, I would rest Saquon and as many starters as I could. Or play them minimally if possible. Next week’s game is meaningless and keeping the starters injury free is top priority. That being said, it is Barkley’s old team and I doubt anything will keep him from playing in this game. — Kathy T.

This is a tough one. You don’t want to take a chance of him getting hurt and missing the playoffs. Then again he may never get this close again. I’m thinking Nick will leave it up to him. Maybe play him till he gets the 101 yds. It will be interesting to see which way they go. — Jack H.

I wouldn’t want to make that decision. He deserves to get a chance to break the record, but an injury would really hurt the Eagles. He takes a lot of pressure off the quarterback. — John E.

I do not know how he feels but he should sit. He gets hurt and their playoff hopes are gone. — Nick B.

Carpe Diem! Saquon should definitely go for it! He should ride on the momentum of his amazing first season with the Birds and seize the brass ring of a new rushing record. — Antonina R.

The goal is a championship, right? Treat this game like a bye week or a preseason game. The Giants stink, so the only weapon they have is the possibility of causing an injury or two. The Birds need to be healthy week after next, and the week after that, and so on. The competition will be stiff, but the Eagles have all the requisite parts for another parade. — Joel G.

By all means. Who knows if he’ll get that opportunity again. Even though it’s not in the same amount of games as Dickerson, it’ll add to Saquon’s legacy. It’s good for him, the team, and for football. — Tom G.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Jonathan Tannenwald, Gina Mizell, DeAntae Prince, Jackie Spiegel, Devin Jackson, Katie Lewis, and Matt Breen.

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

Thanks for reading, newsletter fans. I’ll see you Monday in our next edition of Sports Daily. — Jim