Tony B. Watlington Sr. took some razzing when he arrived in Philadelphia for a high-stakes job: superintendent of the city’s public school system.
Who was this outsider hired to run the nation’s eighth-largest school system?
Watlington was born in New Jersey — Fort Dix, to be exact — but spent most of his life and all of his career in North Carolina, with the lilting Southern accent to prove it.
Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Sr. at round table discussion at Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School Sept. 2, 2025.
But since 2022, Watlington has been a Philadelphian — a distinction he’s now proud to claim. (He’s staying around, too — the school board just extended Watlington’s contract through 2030.)
While most Philadelphians describe their perfect day away from work, Watlington couldn’t help himself.
5:45 a.m.
I’m up early, and I’m either out early getting a run on the Schuylkill or doing an indoor CrossFit workout. I work out for one hour — and I make sure to spend plenty of time stretching.
8 a.m.
I walk into my office, and it is clutter-free. All my emails are responded to from the evening before — though some come in overnight. All of my phone calls are returned from the previous day, so I get to hit the ground running, ahead and not behind. That is really important to me.
After I get a cup of coffee and look at that nice email inbox, I meet with the chief financial officer [Mike Herbstman] if it’s a Monday. He’s the first person I meet with every single week — we talk about district finances.
Philadelphia School District superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. (left) stops to talk with Marie Williams, the grandparent of a Building 21 High School student as he leaves a meeting with families, students and staff of the school at Strawberry Mansion High School Sunday Mar. 5, 2023.
Then I’m ready to gear up and hit the trail with district spokesperson Monique Braxton, or Deputy Chief [of Government and Community Relations Edwin] Santana, and we’re out and about. My perfect day would be to spend more than 50% of the day in schools, with teachers, principals, and students.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. eats lunch with students at Hunter Elementary in North Philadelphia: pizza, carrots and green beans, fruit cup. Watlington also drank chocolate milk and chatted with kids about the first day of school of the 2025-26 school year.
When I’m not in schools, during that 50% of the day that I’m out of the office, I’m engaging with other external stakeholders — everything from grassroots organizations, elected officials at the city and state level, and with our federally elected officials, and also with members of the philanthropic community. I believe strongly in this notion of “nothing for us without us.”
I want to see how well things are going, and get some real-time feedback. One thing I love about Philadelphia: you don’t have to guess what people think. We are a frank city.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason Kelce shares a laugh with School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, during Operation Snowball Media Day at Shipmates in Philadelphia, Pa.The team is giving gifts to Philly school children with the money raised from the Eagles holiday album A Philly Specials Christmas Party.
3-5:30 p.m.
On Mondays, myself, the deputy, and associate superintendents spend the latter part of the day into the evening in a cabinet meeting. I never get home in time for the 6:30 p.m. news, which I used to like to see as a teacher sometimes.
Evening
I try to eat a healthy dinner, get a good night’s sleep, and drink plenty of water.
Even though I’m an empty nester at this point, that’s the time to either get a quick phone call or check in with my family, including my three sons Tony Jr., Aaron, and Caleb, who love coming to Philadelphia.
By the time I get to the end of the week or the weekend, I’m ready for more of the robust things in Philadelphia, like cheesesteaks.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington, Ed.D, during State-of-the-schools address, High School of the Future, Philadelphia, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. .
I have found so many places in Philadelphia for good food. Today, I had a chicken gyro from the Reading Terminal Market.
The other day, I went back to the first restaurant where my predecessor in Philly [William R. Hite Jr.] first took me to lunch, Talula’s Garden.
Dr. William Hite (foreground) listens to Tony Watlington Sr., the Philadelphia Public School districts new superintendent. Photograph taken on the morning of his announcement at the School District Headquarters at 440 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia on Friday morning April 1, 2022.
Now I’ve learned here in year four to just kind of wander around the city and so I’ve got a two-page list of restaurants. Everywhere I go, I’m always adding something new.
If there’s time, I try to be very intentional about being able to get out and cheer for the teams here. I am a frequent visitor to the stadiums, to see the Eagles, the Phillies, and the 76ers. The only team I’ve not actually been to a sporting event for yet is the Flyers. That’s on my list for year four.
Dr. Tony Watlington Sr. Ed.D, Superintendent of Philadelphia schools helps kick off the Ring the Bell PHL campaign at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, August 13, 2024. This kick off starts the community thinking about upcoming school year.
After Luke Colella officially transferred to Villanova this offseason, someone stopped by his hometown outside of Pittsburgh for a visit.
It was Pat McQuaide, Villanova’s quarterback.
McQuaide was on his way home to the Cleveland area, but decided to make a pit stop in Wexford, Pa., to meet his new wide receiver and throw to him.
“I think that’s kind of where the chemistry started,” Colella said.
Fast forward seven games into the 2025 season, Colella has become McQuaide’s top target within Villanova’s offense. Colella leads the Wildcats with 41 receptions — 23 more than any other receiver — 630 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Of McQuaide’s 115 completions this season, 35% of them have gone to Colella.
Two weeks ago, McQuaide found Colella on back-to-back drives for touchdowns against Elon. The connection keyed a 26 -point second half for the Wildcats, who rallied from 11 down at the break to defeat the Phoenix, 29-21. Colella finished the game with a career-high 10 receptions and racked up 125 receiving yards to go along with the two touchdowns, while McQuaide threw for 255 yards and the pair of scores.
During last weekend’s dismantling of Hampton, when the Wildcats led 49-0 at halftime, McQuaide again turned to his go-to guy Colella, hitting the receiver for a 34-yard touchdown before Villanova’s starters were pulled in the second half.
The two graduate students will look to continue their success Saturday when No. 11/12 Villanova hosts Albany (3:30 p.m., NBCSP+) on homecoming weekend. The 5-2 Wildcats are seeking their fifth consecutive win and 20th straight victory at Villanova Stadium dating back to 2022.
McQuaide and Colella’s chemistry extends beyond just quarterback and receiver. They have become close friends.
“Luke’s great,” McQuaide said. “First of all, he’s a great kid. He doesn’t technically live with me, but he pretty much lives with me. He lives across the hall. He’s in my room all the time. And I think that’s probably one of the reasons why it has been so big for us this year in the passing game.”
Villanova’s offensive coordinator Chris Boden has taken notice of the bond McQuaide and Colella have quickly cultivated.
“They’re very tight off the field,” Boden said. “They have a great relationship. I mean, it’s just nonstop back and forth, busting each other. They’ve just been on the same page. Personality-wise, they mesh really well. They’re high energy.”
McQuaide’s infectious energy seemingly doesn’t have an off switch. Every time he hits a receiver for a touchdown, the quarterback can be seen zipping down the field to celebrate with his teammates.
Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide has thrown 10 touchdowns compared to one interception this season.
Boden, a former Villanova quarterback himself, has nicknamed McQuaide the “juice captain” of the team.
“It’s a big part of my game, just trying to bring energy,” McQuaide said after the win against Hampton. “I just try to be a source of positive energy and try to remind everybody that we’re playing a game, and games are supposed to be fun. I think that positive energy is contagious.”
Boden echoed that statement when asked about McQuaide’s personality.
“He just has a very contagious personality,” Boden said. “He’s high tempo. He’ll bark at the guys, and he’s always talking. He breaks down the team. He breaks down the offense. He does it on the field as well. He’s got nonstop chatter on the field. And I’ve never had a quarterback that led with that much energy.”
Despite starting their college careers in different programs, McQuaide and Colella’s journeys have some similarities as graduate transfers. McQuaide, a Nicholls State transfer, and Colella, a transfer from Princeton, arrived on the Main Line this year with one final season of collegiate eligibility.
Both players also harped that the culture of the program was a big reason why they chose Villanova.
“A lot of people use the word culture, and I think that it’s really, really good here,” Colella said. “And I think that’s a testament to what the coaches bring to the table here. I think it’s just a really close group that gives us that feeling as soon as you walk in here, where it feels like I’ve known [McQuaide] for 10 years.”
McQuaide credits coaches who were once former Wildcats, like Boden, for helping foster that special culture.
Mark Ferrante has built a strong family culture at Villanova and has the Wildcats eyeing a fifth FCS playoff appearance in his nine seasons at the helm.
“I think it’s great when you have coaches that come back,” McQuaide said. “We talk all the time about protecting the brand, the ‘V’, it’s a sacred thing for us, and people hate the ‘V’ outside of here. It’s bigger than just the guys that we have on this team and on this staff. I think having guys like Coach [Mark] Ferrante, who spent his whole career [here] for the most part, and Coach Boden and Coach [Forrest] Rhyne. All of those guys that played here, you can’t put a price on that.”
For McQuaide and Colella, this season’s accomplishments are not just for them; they are for the Wildcats who played before them and the ones who will come after them. After just a few months spent on the Main Line, the two already feel the significance of what culture and family mean to Villanova as the Wildcats chase a Coastal Athletic Association title and third consecutive playoff appearance.
“The tightness of the group is obviously set by the coaches,” Colella said. “Like, you look to our left and all the coaches are running stairs together. I’ve never seen that before. I’m sure Pat hasn’t either. They’re together right now, doing their thing. I think it’s really reflective of what it means to be a Wildcat.”
Another experiential retail concept is coming to the region. This time it’s a live social-gaming venue at the King of Prussia Mall.
Massachusetts-based Level99 announced this week that it plans to bring its next “sprawling adult playground” to the Montgomery County shopping destination in 2027. The move marks the company’s first foray into the Philadelphia market.
The 46,000-square-foot venue will include 50 “life-size mini games” geared toward adults, according to a news release, and a full-service restaurant and bar serving local craft beer.
“Level99 goes beyond your conventional entertainment venue — it’s a place to play, explore, and actively connect,” Matthew DuPlessie, founder and CEO of Level99, said in a statement.
The venue is moving into the ground floor of the former JCPenney, which closed in 2017.
It will be across the mall from the 100,000-square-foot Netflix House. The immersive experience for fans of the streaming service’s shows is set to open Nov. 12 in the former Lord & Taylor department store.
Level99 customers race through the venue’s signature “Axe Run” game, one of 50 mini-challenges set to be part of King of Prussia’s location when it opens in 2027.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Level99 to King of Prussia, further elevating our commitment to delivering dynamic, experience-driven destinations,” Mark Silvestri, president of development for mall owner Simon Property Group, said in a statement. ”This innovative concept brings a new layer of interactive entertainment to King of Prussia and is a perfect complement to our growing lineup of immersive offerings.”
In the Philadelphia region, Cherry Hill Mall is set to open a Dick’s House of Sport next year. The 120,000-square-foot space will include a climbing wall, golf simulators, a running track, and batting and soccer cages.
And along with the forthcoming Netflix House, the King of Prussia Mall recently opened the Philadelphia area’s first Eataly, a 21,000-square-food Italian-centric marketplace and wine shop.
At Level99 venues, customers can choose from 50 mini-games that test mental and physical skills.
At existing Level99 locations, pricing starts at $29.99 per person for two hours of play, according to its website. Prices increase on weekends and holidays, and if a customer wants more time.
Level99 is supported by Act III Holdings, a $1.5 billion private-equity investment firm led by Panera Bread cofounder and Cava chairman Ron Shaich. Last month, Act III executives announced a $50 million commitment to the chain’s expansion into new markets, including Philadelphia.
The Eagles host the New York Giants in a Week 8 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know about the game:
When the Eagles have the ball
Wide receiver A.J. Brown is out with a hamstring injury. His presence is of obvious importance. DeVonta Smith has had more of the hot hand recently, but the attention his counterpart receives from defenses has helped Smith catch 21 of 26 targets for 346 yards over the last three games.
Jalen Hurts’ bounce-back performance against the Vikings will mean only so much if momentum is stalled a week later. And no Brown, despite whatever may be bothering him off the field, will make it that much harder on the quarterback. Receiver Jahan Dotson’s workload will increase. John Metchie, Xavier Gipson, and possibly Darius Cooper (shoulder) are next on the receiver depth chart. Tight end Dallas Goedert figures to be Hurts’ second option.
Can the Giants make it as hard on Hurts in the rematch? They play more man coverage than almost any other defense, and normally, that’s a recipe for passing success for the Eagles. But Hurts had his worst game of the season in the initial meeting. He saw blitzes only a quarter of the time, but he was sacked twice and tossed an interception when defensive coordinator Shane Bowen sent extra rushers.
The Giants’ strength remains their front four. Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux pressured Hurts a combined 11 times. The Eagles’ offensive line will be without center Cam Jurgens (knee). Brett Toth, his likely replacement, may be a marked man.
Brett Toth likely will fill in at center for the injured Cam Jurgens against the Giants on Sunday.
The Eagles still were unable to run the ball in Minnesota, but the increased use of under-center runs led to success off play-action. It’s a wonder it took Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo so long to get to it. But the hope is that the four passes for 121 yards and a touchdown that came after Hurts was under center will force the Giants to respect the pass.
Saquon Barkley has been facing six-man fronts and stacked boxes at an increased rate this season, and the only way to slow it is for Hurts to make defenses pay with his arm. The Giants, who ranked third-to-last in the NFL in expected points added per rush, offer another opportunity to get Barkley off the schneid. He would like nothing better than to do so against his former employer.
The Eagles were without star defensive tackle Jalen Carter in their first game against the Giants, a 34-17 loss in Week 6.
When the Giants have the ball
The Eagles found out 90 minutes before the last game vs. the Giants that they would be without defensive tackle Jalen Carter. They then lost cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the early going. The absence of two of their best defensive players wasn’t a fitting excuse for how Vic Fangio’s unit performed at the Meadowlands, but it helped explain a season-worst outing.
Carter (heel/shoulder) returned the following week and had arguably his best performance with two hurries that led to interceptions. He hasn’t quite looked like the game wrecker he was most of last season, but it was a step in the right direction.
Mitchell, meanwhile, had a lot to do with keeping Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson in check on Sunday. The other cornerback spot is a question mark with Adoree’ Jackson out with a concussion. Kelee Ringo has toggled back and forth at the spot and likely will start again with Jakorian Bennett (pectoral) still out.
One possible way to avoid the return of Ringo would be to move Cooper DeJean outside in all packages and play Parry Nickerson in the slot in nickel personnel.
The Giants may have Darius Slayton (hamstring) back, but their receiver group isn’t the same without Malik Nabers, even though the Eagles made them look superior in the first meeting. Safety has been an under-the-radar issue. Rookie Drew Mukuba has been out of position at times, which has stressed Reed Blankenship, who hasn’t been as impactful.
Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-17 victory over the Eagles in Week 6.
Tackling was an issue the first time around. The Eagles missed 11 and got bowled over by Giants running back Cam Skattebo (19 carries for 98 yards and three touchdowns). They also had trouble getting rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to the ground. He escaped several would-be sacks and scrambled five times for 42 yards — he rushed for 58 yards overall.
The Eagles are down another edge rusher with Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) sidelined. Brandon Graham came out of retirement this week, but he’s still ramping up. That leaves just Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, and Patrick Johnson at outside linebacker. Inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell helped on the edge the last game, but mostly on base downs and had only three pass-rush attempts. He may get more on Sunday.
The Eagles enter about as banged up as they’ve been all season with three starters sidelined. They’re already without outside linebacker Nolan Smith. Middle linebacker Nakobe Dean’s return helped settle the run defense last week, and he could do the same against the Giants. But Brown and Jurgens are key guys, and missing Jackson and Ojulari will test the team’s depth.
Still, it’s hard to win twice within the division, especially within a 17-day span. The Giants may be reeling from an epic choke against the Denver Broncos. It’s not like they have much to fall back on. Dart and Skattebo have brought energy to a floundering franchise, but I like the odds that Fangio won’t have another hiccup against an inferior opponent.
The Philadelphia region, at least the healthy portion of the population that cares deeply about the Eagles, went gaga this week over the news that Brandon Graham was coming out of retirement and re-signing with the team. That reaction was, of course, expected and understandable.
Graham was a terrific player, a favorite of the fans who rooted for him and the media who covered him. He made the most significant defensive play in franchise history. And he was now authoring a new chapter to his story — that of the old, beloved hero, riding back into town to save the day.
But those syrupy-sweet sentiments didn’t change the reality that the Eagles’ defense needed some saving. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Giants, the Eagles rank 25th in the NFL in sacks, 22nd in pressure percentage, and 24th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. Yes, they’ve been missing Nolan Smith, and his eventual return should help, but even with him active, their defense would be thin up front.
Look at it this way, from a colder, more clinical perspective: This week, the Eagles acquired a 37-year-old defensive end who retired after last season — a season in which he tore his triceps, sat out nine weeks, returned to play in the Super Bowl, then re-tore his triceps despite lining up for just 13 snaps in that game.
If this player’s name weren’t Brandon Graham, we’d be focused a lot more on how desperate this team was to improve its lousy pass rush and find a defensive end who can set the edge.
Sixers start with a win
The 76ers’ season-opening victory over the Celtics on Wednesday in Boston was significant not just because VJ Edgecombe announced his presence with 34 points or because Tyrese Maxey dropped 40, but also because it felt like a transitional moment for the franchise and its future.
Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe had a sensational debut in Boston with 34 points.
Joel Embiid did not play at all over the game’s final 9 minutes, 18 seconds, and when he did play, he spent most of his time on the perimeter, running two-man action with Maxey and heaving long three-pointers. Perhaps he simply needs more time and more games to get back into playing shape, but for at least that night, the Sixers were better — freer, younger, more athletic — when he wasn’t on the floor.
Recommended listening
The latest episode of the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, in which the host and one of his correspondents, author and reporter Dave Fleming, dive into the (often-exaggerated and self-aggrandized) background and football expertise of Mike Lombardi.
A former NFL executive and longtime acolyte of Bill Belichick, Lombardi is now the general manager of the University of North Carolina’s football program and is one of the sources of the controversy and ridicule that now surround the Tar Heels.
Around here, though, Lombardi probably is best known for his regular appearances on WIP during Doug Pederson’s tenure as the Eagles’ coach — and for saying, less than a year before Super Bowl LII, that Pederson was “was less qualified to coach a team than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
The episode is devastating for the way Fleming and Torre marshal facts and insights to demonstrate what some of us who have followed the Eagles for a long time have known for a long time: that Mike Lombardi is pretty much full of it.
Bits and pieces
A.J. Brown will not play Sunday. Which means somebody had better keep an eye on Jahan Dotson’s Instagram page. … Maybe, for all those years, Ben Simmons just had the under on himself. …
Over his first seven games this season, Sean Couturier led the Flyers in points (eight) and, among their forwards, ice time (19:42 per game). It sure seems that he still has whatever John Tortorella thought he didn’t. … The only way the last four weeks could have gone worse for James Franklin is if a ground ball back to the mound had caromed off his ankle.
The Eagles will be without A.J. Brown this week because of his hamstring injury.
I don’t want to talk about it
The Toronto Blue Jays are in the World Series for the first time in 32 years. The last time they were there, on Oct. 23, 1993, a group of friends and I were attending a Flyers game when we abruptly left in the middle of the third period, sprinted to my tuna-can ’85 Chevy Cavalier parked outside the Spectrum, piled in, and raced back to St. Katharine’s Hall at La Salle University … all to catch the final three innings of Game 6.
The rest of my memories of that night are hazy and not worth mentioning.
A lawsuit by online message board Reddit gives you a glimpse at the knockdown boxing match behind chatbot conversations.
In one corner are artificial intelligence services that gobble information from across the internet to help you plan a vacation or create silly videos. In the other corner are companies that are sometimes unwilling or overwhelmed sources of that data.
In its lawsuit, similar to ones against AI companies by news organizations, Hollywood studios, book authors, and others, Reddit alleges that the start-up Perplexity benefited from improperly using its website as AI fuel.
The claims are an example of warnings from Reddit, Wikipedia, and others that say if the boxing match continues as is, AI services may kill the websites and other source material that we love.
Dating back at least to the death of Napster a quarter-century ago, there have been constant fights over technology upstarts that remix media and information or deliver it in new ways. AI could be the most intractable fight of all.
AI ‘bank robbers’ vs. Reddit
The 20 years of our Reddit debates about the best Welsh restaurants and quiet air conditioners are gold for AI services. They typically need truckloads of online information like that to “train” their computers and serve up responses to your AI queries.
Reddit knows how valuable it is and laid out ground rules for AI companies that wanted to profit from siphoning Reddit message boards in bulk: AI companies needed a paid contract with Reddit and to respect its guardrails.
Some companies, including Google and ChatGPT parent company OpenAI, agreed to Reddit’s terms. For AI companies that didn’t agree, Reddit put up digital walls to block AI companies’ spiderlike software that crawls over websites to harvest their information.
According to Reddit, Perplexity’s CEO promised Reddit’s top lawyer more than a year ago to respect Reddit’s digital walls. Perplexity, which makes what it calls an AI “answer” engine and an AI-specialized web browser, instead found another way to siphon Reddit pages, the company says.
(The Washington Post has partnerships with Perplexity and OpenAI.)
Reddit’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a New York federal court, said that Perplexity hired at least one data-siphoning middleman to grab many billions of pages of Reddit material indirectly, from Google search results.
Those middlemen allegedly used technically sophisticated tactics to get around Google’s digital defenses against unwanted siphoning by bots. Reddit said that it obtained this information from a subpoena to Google in a different, secret lawsuit.
Reddit’s lawsuit compared what Perplexity and the bot-for-hire middlemen did to “bank robbers” who know they can’t get into the bank vault and “break into the armored truck carrying the cash instead.”
In a post on Reddit, Perplexity said that Reddit is after money. The lawsuit is a “sad example of what happens when public data becomes a big part of a public company’s business model,” Perplexity said.
Google said that it has “strong technical measures to prevent this type of malicious abuse, because it undermines the choices websites make about who can access their content.”
What this means for you
Experts have said that the law generally protects technology companies that take copyrighted materials like news articles, books, and movies and put them to a new, creative use. Many AI companies say that their products meet that legal standard.
Blake Reid, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Law School, said that Reddit’s case adds an extra wrinkle: The company doesn’t hold the copyright to Reddit posts. The people who created those posts do. Reid said that helps make the lawsuit’s outcome unpredictable.
Regardless, AI keeps running into a paradox: To be useful, new forms of AI rely on ingesting vast swaths of the past, present, and future internet. But doing so can increase costs and divert users from websites, which imperils the internet we use.
We’ve heard similar complaints before. Entertainment companies sued YouTube for giving you free access to their creations. Music companies have howled over TikTok letting you create dance videos to Taylor Swift tunes. News organizations have groused that Google and Facebook let you browse the news without buying newspapers or visiting news websites.
The content companies have typically found ways to grudgingly live with, and even profit from, the technology upstarts. AI is different, said Toshit Panigrahi, CEO of TollBit, which helps websites get paid for AI data collection.
AI services grab information at warp speed and at industrial scale from so many places, including news and entertainment sites, cruise operators, and furniture sellers. Panigrahi said that the old pattern — technology changes are good for us and the owners of digital creations — may no longer apply.
“This is changing how the internet works fundamentally,” he said.
Two weeks ago, the Eagles went into MetLife Stadium and suffered their worst loss of the season at the hands of rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo.
On Sunday, the Eagles have their opportunity for revenge at the Linc, with an improved passing game that showed its full potential against Minnesota. But they’ll have to do it without receiver A.J. Brown, who is out with a hamstring injury.
Here’s our viewer’s guide to get you ready for kickoff, with everything you need to know about the team’s Week 8 matchup …
How to watch Eagles vs. Giants
The Eagles vs. Giants game will air live on Fox at 1 p.m. Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will call the game from the booth, with Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi on the sideline.
If you’d rather listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick call the game, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP, and if you’re not heading to the Linc, but want to watch the game with your fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
As of Friday afternoon, the Eagles are 7.5-point favorites on FanDuel and DraftKings. The projected point total for Sunday is 43.5 for both sportsbooks.
Check out passing yard prop bets for Jalen Hurts and Jaxson Dart, and more here.
Story lines to watch
Brandon Graham goes through his first practice Wednesday after coming out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles.
Brandon Graham is officially back with the Birds, after initially deciding to retire in the offseason following the Super Bowl LIX victory. Is he ready to play Sunday’s game?
“We’re going to see, man,” Graham said. “I’m going to let coach do that. Honestly, I’m just here to continue to keep affirming everybody with what they are and their ability.”
But whether the Eagles’ longtime veteran edge rusher gets on the field this week or not, he’s already improving the team’s energy from the sidelines.
Here’s more from Graham’s return:
Graham brought the same old ‘juice’ in his first practice back with the Eagles.
What to expect from Graham? Here’s how other NFL players who unretired fared.
Graham said he didn’t want to retire — and this isn’t the first time the Eagles tried to bring him back.
One number to know
206 — Graham’s franchise record number of games played in an Eagles uniform. With his return, he retakes the mantle of longest-tenured Philly athlete from Flyers captain Sean Couturier.
Our Eagles-Giants predictions
Here are our writers’ predictions for Sunday:
Jeff McLane: It’s hard to win twice within the division, especially within a 17-day span. The Giants may be reeling from an epic choke against the Broncos. It’s not like they have much to fall back on. Dart and Skattebo have brought energy to a floundering franchise, but I like the odds that Fangio won’t have another hiccup against an inferior opponent. Eagles 26, Giants 19
Jeff Neiburg: What we know is that the Giants have been a much different offense since they handed the reins to Dart and Skattebo. The Eagles struggle with scrambling quarterbacks, and few this season have had as much success as Dart has when he’s on the move. Contain those players, which is easier said than done, and you’ll likely win the game. Eagles 30, Giants 18
Olivia Reiner: It seems unlikely that the Eagles will lose to the Giants twice. While their offensive issues are by no means fixed after one game, the Eagles showed some encouraging signs of evolution against the Vikings with their uptick in under-center runs and the play-action passes that were set up off them. Eagles 31, Giants 24
Matt Breen: The Giants limited Barkley two weeks ago to 58 rushing yards, but it’s hard to see them doing it again. The Eagles finally figured out their passing attack last week. This week is a chance to get their running game right. A big game for Barkley would be the perfect way to enter the bye week. Eagles 31, Giants 21
National media predictions
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Here’s a look at what our columnists are saying about the Eagles, starting with Marcus Hayes, who thinks the Eagles never managed to properly replace what Graham brought to the Birds, on or off the field …
Hayes: “Graham was a playmaker who loved to play, loved the game, and loved Philly. That guy does not exist today in the Eagles locker room. That guy will exist [again] in the Eagles locker room, in his cubicle stuffed with shoes and bobbleheads and an outrageous number of colognes. For the next 12 weeks and beyond, he will fill the void he left.” Read more.
Hayes: “Maybe the Giants weren’t so bad, and, clearly, the Eagles weren’t as deep as they needed to be. A lot has changed in two weeks. That should make all the difference come Sunday afternoon.” Read more.
What the Giants are saying
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart led the Giants to a 34-17 victory over the Eagles in Week 6.
The Giants haven’t won a game on the road in 2025, and Sunday will be rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s first time facing the same opponent more than once in his NFL career.
The environment should be raucous.
“It’s going to be intense, for sure,” said Dart, a first-round pick out of Ole Miss. “I can’t wait to go out there and compete and feel the hostility in the air and the rivalry between the two organizations. I kind of compare it to an SEC rivalry.”
Darius Slayton on the environment: “I mean, if [Dart] didn’t have any haters, he’ll find out where they all live. He’s about to get introduced to all of them.”
Daniel Bellinger on his advice for Dart: “You’ve got to stick close to your brothers in the locker room, just stay tight as one group, because that team and that fan base, they’re going to get a little gritty on the sidelines. I would tell him, ‘Listen, focus on you, focus on the team and stick together and not worry about the outside noise.’”
Brian Daboll on playing the Eagles again so soon: “I just know that [Vic Fangio is] a challenging coordinator to game plan against. Again, Jaxson’s played a good amount of football in his career. These last four weeks, he’s got a routine down, and we do everything we can do to get him ready to play.”
What the national media is saying
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had four catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings in Week 7. He’s been ruled out for Sunday with a hamstring injury.
Even a perfect passing day from Jalen Hurts wasn’t enough to silence the A.J. Brown trade speculation, this time from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, after Brown posted on his Instagram with the caption ‘using me but not using me.’
“I believe A.J. Brown prefers to be traded,” Orlovsky said. ”There’s been this consistent disconnect, whether it’s the lack of production, they don’t throw the ball enough, or they go on the road, he has [four catches for 121 yards], the game-sealer, and he’s still tweeting that out. I’m not trying to read too much into it, this is a Super Bowl-contending team, but for that to continuously happen, I do think there’s parts of A.J. Brown that would prefer to be traded.”
Here’s what else the national media is saying …
Mina Kimes on DeVonta Smith: “Because of all the attention on A.J. Brown, because of the drama, DeVonta’s kind of being overlooked as top-ten receiver in the NFL. I think he’s capable of that.”
Orlovsky on the run game: “This team can’t win a Super Bowl the way they’re running the football. They can win games, they can beat good teams, but they can’t run the football. My question is, is what we saw offensively last week going to be who you’re going to be for the rest of the season?”
Manti Te’o on the Giants recovering from their collapse: “When I see a team fall off like that, that’s just situational. Let’s be honest, I don’t think the Giants even anticipated they would be up that much. There’s a way to play the game, and there’s so much youth there that it may have slipped by them. I am buying that they will respond and build off it.”
What we’re reading
🚇 What’s the fastest way out of the Linc? Our reporters tried Uber, SEPTA, a car, and a bike to see who could get out of the sports complex the fastest after an Eagles game.
🏈 Grieving Roman Catholic coach Rick Prete and his family find solace in their football community.
When the Olympics come knocking, you drop everything to answer the door.
And by the time squash standouts Marina Stefanoni and Aly Abou Eleinen learned that their sport would be included in the Olympics for the first time in 2028, they already were a step ahead.
Stefanoni, the 25th-ranked women’s player in the world, moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Harvard last year to be closer to West Philadelphia’s Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center — the home of the U.S. national squash team.
Before joining the pro ranks, ninth-ranked squash player Aly Abou Eleinen competed for Penn.
Eleinen is the 11th-ranked men’s player in the world. A 2022 Penn graduate, Eleinen moved to his native Egypt a year after graduating to train at the national squash center in Cairo.
This week, both competed at the U.S. Open Squash Championships in University City and are continuing to put in the hard work on the professional circuit in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
“I am looking at it as ‘If I happen to make the Olympics, then I’ve probably achieved what I want to on the timeline that I want on the pro tour,’” Stefanoni said.
Added Eleinen: “[The Olympics] line up well with my [Professional Squash Association] World Tour goals. If I keep focusing on myself, keep focusing on my body, keep trying to rise up the rankings on the TSA World Tour, that’ll put me in a good position for the Olympics.”
Daunting tasks
Stefanoni is part of the Big Four of American women’s squash, along with No. 5 Olivia Weaver, No. 9 Amanda Sobhy, and Sobhy’s sister, Sabrina, who’s ranked 89th. The youngest of all four, Stefanoni feels a bond with her USA team members despite having less experience in the PSA.
What the other three have in experience, Stefanoni makes up for in youth — and fully expects to get her shot at Los Angeles come 2028.
“We are at very different stages of our career, which makes it extra interesting,” Stefanoni said. “… As you get deeper into your 30s every year, it’s massively more difficult to maintain that high level of squash.”
Aly Abou Eleinen returns the ball during the U.S. Open Squash Championships this week at the Arlen Specter US Squash Center.
Eleinen, having to earn his spot against an Egyptian field that holds seven of the top 20 men’s players in the world, knows that any chance of playing in the Olympics must come through dethroning the nation’s top talents, a plan made more difficult following recent ACL and MCL injuries that ended his 2024-25 season early.
With a burning need to get back on track, Eleinen knows there’s no better time than the present to begin improving.
“In Egypt, it is a bit more challenging than other countries,” he said. “But it is what it is. That’s the reality of the situation. And for me, yes, I’m competing with the guys that I’m training with, but that’s also helpful, because you get to raise the level, which also helps on the PSA World Tour.”
Love-hate relationship
Stefanoni calls Philly home, but it’s taken a while for her to come around.
“I hated Philly before coming here,” Stefanoni said. “I was like, ‘This city is the worst.’ Cities are just so hectic … but I’ve slowly been becoming a fan.”
As the youngest-ever winner of the under-19 U.S. Junior Squash Championship at 13 years old, Stefanoni has been a star in the making since before she could remember. But as she continues her rise, she hopes to enjoy the ride more often on her way to the top.
“Sometimes I need to take a step back and realize that this is actually a big deal, and what I’m doing is pretty cool,” Stefanoni said.
On the other hand, Eleinen fell in love with the city during his time at Penn, and he said he frequently misses the area.
“I still have family in Philly, and every year since graduating, I’ve been coming [back] to Philly over and over,” Eleinen said. “… Philly’s always had a special place in my heart.”
Despite his fondness for the city, his career and family come first.
With his parents, coaches, and fiancée in Cairo, the Egyptian star says that’s the best place for him to prepare for 2028.
“Cairo has been amazing for me,” Eleinen said. “I see myself staying in Cairo for a while. I’m getting married next summer, in July, which is just so exciting. We’re going to have our wedding in Cairo; we’re going to settle in Cairo. So for me, Cairo is the place to be right now.”
Have you ever tossed and turned under a full moon and wondered if its glow was keeping you awake? For generations, people have believed that the Moon has the power to stir up sleepless nights and strange behavior — even madness itself. The word “lunacy” comes directly from luna, Latin for Moon.
The answer is, of course, more nuanced than folklore suggests. Research shows a full moon can modestly affect sleep, but its influence on mental health is much less certain.
I’m a neurologist specializing in sleep medicine who studies how sleep affects brain health. I find it captivating that an ancient myth about moonlight and madness might trace back to something far more ordinary: our restless, moonlit sleep.
What the full moon really does to sleep
Several studies show that people really do sleep differently in the days leading up to the full moon, when moonlight shines brightest in the evening sky. During this period, people sleep about 20 minutes less, take longer to fall asleep, and spend less time in deep, restorative sleep. Large population studies confirm the pattern, finding that people across different cultures tend to go to bed later and sleep for shorter periods in the nights before a full moon.
The changes are modest. Most people lose only 15 to 30 minutes of sleep, but the effect is measurable. It is strongest in places without artificial light, such as rural areas or while camping. Some research also suggests that men and women may be affected differently. For instance, men seem to lose more sleep during the waxing phase, while women experience slightly less deep and restful sleep around the full moon.
Modern science adds an important twist. Research is clear that sleep loss itself is a powerful driver of mental health problems. Even one rough night can heighten anxiety and drag down mood. Ongoing sleep disruption raises the risk of depression, suicidal thoughts, and flare-ups of conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
But here’s the catch: When researchers step back and look at large groups of people, the evidence that lunar phases trigger psychiatric crises is weak. No reliable pattern has been found between the Moon and hospital admissions, discharges, or lengths of stay.
But a few other studies suggest there may be small effects. In India, psychiatric hospitals recorded more use of restraints during full moons, based on data collected between 2016 and 2017. In China, researchers noted a slight rise in schizophrenia admissions around the full moon, using hospital records from 2012 to 2017. Still, these findings are not consistent worldwide and may reflect cultural factors or local hospital practices as much as biology.
In the end, the Moon may shave a little time off our sleep, and sleep loss can certainly influence mental health, especially for people who are more vulnerable. That includes those with conditions like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or epilepsy, and teenagers who are especially sensitive to sleep disruption. But the idea that the full moon directly drives waves of psychiatric illness remains more myth than reality.
The gravitational forces that move oceans are far too weak to affect human physiology, and studies of geomagnetic and atmospheric changes during lunar phases have yielded inconsistent or negligible results. This makes sleep disruption from nighttime light exposure the most plausible link between the Moon and human behavior.
Why the myth lingers
If the science is so inconclusive, why do so many people believe in the “full moon effect”? Psychologists point to a concept called illusory correlation. We notice and remember the unusual nights that coincide with a full moon but forget the many nights when nothing happened.
The Moon is also highly visible. Unlike hidden sleep disruptors such as stress, caffeine, or scrolling on a phone, the Moon is right there in the sky, easy to blame.
Lessons from the Moon for modern sleep
Even if the Moon does not drive us “mad,” its small influence on sleep highlights something important: Light at night matters.
Our bodies are designed to follow the natural cycle of light and dark. Extra light in the evening, whether from moonlight, streetlights, or phone screens, can delay circadian rhythms, reduce melatonin, and lead to lighter, more fragmented sleep.
In our modern world, artificial light has a much bigger impact on sleep than the Moon ever will. That is why many sleep experts argue for permanent standard time, which better matches our biological rhythms.
So if you find yourself restless on a full moon night – and you’ll have a chance to test this come Nov. 5 – you may not be imagining things, because the Moon can tug at your sleep. But if sleeplessness happens often, look closer to home. It is likely a culprit of the light in your hand rather than the one in the sky.
Cherokee Guido swung her legs and hips vertically above the lower uneven bar at Vare Recreation Center one recent evening as her coach steadied her. Guido had once mastered this handstand but lost it during a few months off. She wanted it back.
“I can’t be afraid to fall,” Guido, 19, coached herself out loud. Behind her hung a sign with rainbow borders: The way you speak to yourself matters.
Over the years, young gymnasts like Guido and their Vare coaches have learned to talk themselves to victory, first when they were practicing in a crumbling rec building before COVID, then when they were trekking from South Philadelphiato Brewerytown’s Athletic Recreation Center while Vare underwent renovations. They had gotten used to tumbling on mats that slipped around, without a regulation spring floor. They learned to train their minds as much as their bodies.
Throughout practice, the girls cheer each other on across the gym, quick to compliment teammates they say are more like sisters.
“Nice, Laila!” Ariah Buzzetto, 10, called out to her friend Laila Godfrey, 12, across the floor.
“How you practice is how you compete. If you practice lazy, then you’re going to compete lazy,” said 12-year-old Meela Muhammad, sounding very much like an inspirational poster.
Notes written by 9-year-old Alessia Samson during practice.
Now, training in a new, state-of-the-art, 4,900-square-foot gym at the renovated Vare, which reopened in November 2024,the gymnasts have come a long way — but they’re still competing against private-club teams with sleek, matching uniforms who are better funded, and often better prepared for high-pressure USA Gymnastics (USAG) competitions.
“They have a lot more, bigger skills,” Guido said of their rivals. “At first, for me, I felt like how you go to a ball, you feel underdressed.”
Guido, for example, still wears an older purple leotard because she couldn’t afford a new one, while the rest of her team wears blue.
Head coach Kristin Smerker and Cherokee Guido, 19, laugh while working on the uneven bars during team practice.
Now, Vare Gymnastics is trying to raise at least$6,000 as soon as possible through a GoFundMefor new jackets and gym bags for this year’s competition season, which begins with the Liberty Cup, a December USAG meet at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.
If they don’t raise the money, they won’t be able to purchase full uniform sets. The team is also hoping to put some of the money toward financial aid for spring meets; most meets fill up by the end of the fall, and without the funds to enter, some girls won’t be able to attend.
USAG is the national governing body for gymnasts; the Vare Rec team competes in Xcel, a program that offers more accessible competitions than the parallel track that funnels athletes to world competitions and the Olympics.There are only two other city rec centers in Philly that compete in USAG competitions: Kendrick Recreation Center in Roxborough and the Water Tower Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill.
From left, Cherokee Guido, 19, and Alessia Samson, 9, train on the balance beam during team practice.
Though Xcel is supposed to be more affordable, gymnastics is expensive: Entrance fees and uniforms cost hundreds of dollars per child, plus tuition for practice. At $100 per semester, Vare’s rate is far less than at those private gyms, but many parents still struggle to pay.
Marie McBreen, 42, has two daughters in the program. Her oldest enrolled 10 years ago after McBreen begged the coaches for three weeks to find her a spot. She’s seen how positive the team is for them: It has boosted their confidence and they’ve made close friends. But this year, with two kids in the program, she can’t afford to send both to all the competitions.
“Most of us don’t have a whole lot of money. You do the fundraiser to help so they don’t have to miss out,” McBreen said.
Head coach Kristin Smerker is not sure whether the team will raise enough in time.
“Every club has a whole getup. And we don’t. We’re getting whatever we can,” Smerker said. “You can still compete, but they just don’t feel good about it … They’re so talented and they deserve better.”
Smerker is a Northeast native, an encouraging, pump-you-up kind of coach prone to wearing black leggings and mismatched grip socks at daily practice. She built the program from the ground up, starting in 1998 with two floor mats she had begged from nearby gyms.
Nearly 30 years later, Vare Gymnastics has 130 participants, plus a nine-page waiting list. In 2013, the team joined USAG. Alongside Smerker, the team has a beam coach and also a floor coach, Smerker’s sister. In 2017, Smerker brought the team to a USAG meet and lamented to the other coaches that the girls didn’t have a permanent building and were shuttling all over the city for practice.
“Our team won first place,” she said, laughing. “Our kids have heart.”
Head coach Kristin Smerker guides Ariah Buzzetto, 10, during practice. Alessia Samson, 9, (left) and Cherokee Guido, 19, (right) are guided by beam coach Natasha Rogers (middle) as Ariah Buzzetto, 10, looks on.
Guido has been practicing gymnastics at Vare since she was 2 years old, and is among the best at the gym. Last year she graduated from high school and technically from Vare, but she is now back working on her skills.
“I love it already!” she called to her teammate Suadaa “Susu” Muhammad, as Susu debuted her new floor routine.
Along with team captain Elianna Olsen,Muhammad and Guido call themselves the “OG gymnasts” because they’ve been at Vare the longest.
Perhaps like many young gymnasts, Muhammad, 19, started with enormous dreams.
In the beginning, she said, “I thought I was gonna be bigger than Simone Biles.”
These days, she fits practice in three times a week, alongside radiology classes in her freshman year at the Community College of Philadelphia, and a night job pushing wheelchairs at the airport. She was also just hired as a coach for the Vare team. In her own training, she’s focused on her round off back handspring back tuck for her floor routine, trying to get it ready for December’s meet.
“Some coaches say to our coaches, ‘Oh, wow, you’re from a rec center? I’m surprised your girls are doing this good,’” Muhammad said.
South Philly’s Vare Gymnastics Team is the subject of the short documentary “Underdogs,” which is executive produced by former Philadelphia Eagles Connor Barwin and Jason Kelce.
In the early years, Muhammad used to get points deducted at meets for wearing her headscarf, she said; the judges considered it in the same category as jewelry and nail polish, which are prohibited. Her family and coaches wrote letters to USAG, and the rule was changed, Smerker said.
This year, Smerker wants the girls to be wearing their matching uniforms when they walk out to meet their rivals.
“I want them to walk in there and feel proud of themselves and feel confident,” she said. “It’s important to them and important to me to do everything to make it happen.”
