The Ol' AJ Feeley Bait n' Switch; and the Fullback situation

AJ Back: I'm happy to see AJ return in Eagle Green, although I'm surpised he selected a 3rd position in Philly over a 2nd slot in Minnesota; Brad Childress apparently really wanted him and it likely could have lead to more opportunity with Brad Johnson getting up there in years. But, I think if I was in his position I would come back to the warmth of the COBL over going to the frozen tundra of Minny, and I'm not merely talking about the temperature in each city....Philly fans have good memories of AJ from a few years ago - he helped us out of a bind and got us to the playoffs when Dmac and that 2nd string guy went down (his name has been washed from my memory, but I recall that he didn't bathe much). I also can imagine that he didn't want to go to a 4th city in 3 years. Plus, what's more warm and cozy than a 3rd string QB in the NFL...seriously, is that even a real job? You show up on Game Day with your baseball cap and a backup clipboard in case No. 2 collapses from heat exhaustion or something. Anyway, Big Red and Heckert did a great job getting all of the mileage possible from AJ - we traded him to Miami for an early 2nd round pick (35th overall) and landed none other than...Reggie Brown. Then, we ended up getting him back for nothing, with 3 more years experience under his belt, plus he knows our system already. Brilliant moves.

Fullbacks: From the Birds' website - "Who wins the fullback job? It is still an open competition. I know that last year Jon Ritchie didn't play in the final preseason game and Josh Parry still won the job. The Eagles want to see Thomas Tapeh for an entire game, and if he plays well, it will make for a very difficult decision for the coaching staff."

I'm not quite sure why this is a tough decision. Neither of these guys is impressive and I'm very worried about this gaping hole in our Offense. Parry can't block or catch and Tapeh is big and all but hasn't shown much athleticism. All we need is someone who can pass protect from time to time and bust a hole in the D line for one of our mini RBs to run through. I'm not sure either of these guys is up to the task. What should we do?

I'd like to Thank the Academy...

I'm speechless, I'm honored. It all happened so quickly...my eyes are welling up with tears: both Pinkston and Detmer are departing the COBL at once! I'm shocked really, but oh so grateful. Does anyone think the Birds are actually listening to their fans?? It'll be interesting to see if Pinky gets picked up by anyone. And AJ Feeley is coming back...to replace who however? I'm confused by this. Isn't Garcia and Chang enough? Some input please...anyone?

Need To Get This Off My Chest

I've been putting this off, but it's time to talk about the ESPN Monday Night crew (such as it is). After 3 games with them in 8 days (last Mon., Fri., and yesterday), I feel like my head is about to explode and I see why serial killers all have that glazed, dead look in their eyes.

First, the best Theisman-related comment I've heard about the MNF broadcast was from an Iggles fan of course, and I think it sums Theisman's broadcast career up perfectly: "Nothing good has come out of Theisman since his leg bone!" Honestly, he was a great QB once, but the ONLY thing I will ever remember about him is that he never shuts up about his own washed-up career, and that he crashed his car into a statue where I live in VA, while drunk driving, twice, on 2 different occasions. Oh, and get this, betcha didn't know this, but Theisman used to play football for the Washington Redskins. Yeah, that's obscure, isn't it? Never knew that, didja? Who knew? You learn something every day. Actually, you learn this fact every 3 friggin minutes of every broadcast he's ever been on. Talk about your rote memorization.

Now Kornheiser, he's just a hater. He *almost* makes me able to tolerate Theisman, who seems to always be having to defend some player against a Tony rip. Granted, Theisman gushes over almost every player in the league, so you end up with 2 extremes: hating and blowing, hating and blowing, hating and blowing - just like most of my romantic relationships. And just like me with those relationships, you appreciate the intensity, but you really just want some peace and quiet. That's why I find myself muting these guys so often.

And does Kornheiser really need a 3'x4' fact-filled chart to talk about football? Hell, give me 3 post-it-notes, 2 Red Bulls, a pack of smokes, and some scribbles on the back of a coaster and I'll do a better job. In fact, we all would.

Mike Tirico, I wouldn't miss. Hell, I hardly know he's there in the first place. In fact, I never knew who he was (other than his name) until 2 weeks ago, and yes I follow sports pretty closely - not saying I could take on the Schwab or anything in trivia, but God, give us somebody with some street cred will ya, ESPN? He's like a poor-man's Brian Gumble (who himself is like a poor-man's Brian Gumble).

I have a question, how long is ESPN stuck with these guys? Can't they just dump them now and beg Aikman/Buck to break their contracts and fill in? Makes you really consider blowing off your plasma widescreen with HD satellite and going down to a sports bar for the MNF games, where you get to spend $75 (DC ain't cheap, people!) to drink beer-flavored water and eat bad wings (again, I live in DC, the wings here suck), where you can't hear the telecast anyway because some arsehole is playing 99 Luftballoons for the 25th time on the jukebox. Or, getting sirius radio and listening to the local broadcast which never matches up with what they're showing on TV anyway. But that's how desperate it's become, and desperate times call for desperate measures. At the least, if I went to a sports bar in DC, I wouldn't have to listen to as much Redskins talk as I would listening to this crew. In fact, Redskins fans only talk football in the offseason, when they and their owner think they're buying their way to the Superbowl every year. That usually quiets down sometime around early to mid-October... but I digress.

On the bright side, at least Paul "First down, AND A LOT MORE!" McGuire isn't a part of this. Hey Paul, the ball is spotted 4 inches past the sticks, I don't know what measuring system you use, but in your world you must have a 3-foot **** - congratulations, buddy.

That is all.

*** UPDATE ***

One thing I failed to mention (thought of it last night) was how sickening it is to know that every MNF game is now going to have Michele T. and Suzie K. on the sidelines with their gruff man-voices and neck-beards, doing some human interest fluff piece about whoever their player du jure (that's the soup of the day, sir) is that week. Oh, Matt Leinart loves cute widdle kittens, Pacman Jones always buys his woman flowers after he smacks her around in the club, T.O. loves his illigitimate kid and likes to bond with him once a year when he sees him, etc., etc.

At least 10 minutes of the broadcast is completely wasted doing this crap. If we wanted human interest fluff pieces, we'd watch Oprah. Or the end of the local TV news. Oh, Joe Horn loves cute fuzzy little baby sheep, and that's what makes him not just a football player, but a human being. So, ladies, go out and buy his jersey, and tune in here every week for pansy-assed soap opera BS that has nothing to do with the game...

Seriously, why don't they fire both of them, and cut to 10 minutes of stock footage of the Princess Diana funeral, and use the money saved to buy more cool cameras for the telecast?

Oh, and for the record: Michele, ya sure, but only after a 6-pack; and Suzie, not if we had to re-populate the earth to continue our species!

Speculation Time

With the addition of Stallworth, what will the final WR corps look like when we cut the roster down to 53? I think we only keep 5 on the roster (and I'm ok with this now that I know Pinky will not have to be one of the 5 or 6!)

These guys are locks:
- Brown
- Stallworth
- Baskett
- Avant

I think the 5th spot will come down to 1 of these 2 knuckleheads:
- Lewis (aka: Foots)
- McCants

McCants has had a good camp, and they love his special teams play. Lewis is a good special teamer, too, but he's had a quiet (but good) camp. Maybe b/c Baskett has taken all the headlines?... I'm intrigued by Lewis' plays the other day in the Pitt. game (2 long catches for 91 yds and a TD), as well as the fact that we know Reid drew those plays up especially for him. It *could* mean 1 of 2 things: (1) Reid expected to unload Foots after getting Stallworth, and is such a good cat that he made sure to make GLew look good so another team would quickly pick up one of his favorite players, or (2) he really wanted to see what GLew could do in a pressure situation ,knowing a roster spot was his destiny to control -- if he played well Reid would keep him over McCants... Guess we'll find out soon enough.

I bet Pinky gets rewarded for being another Reid favorite, with a nice, season-long trip to IR.


Gaffney - see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya. We've got a whole squad full of possession receivers with no top-end speed, and they actually learned the playbook already. Peace out!


Jenkins, Gasperon, Sampy, I like all their potential, but as Paulumon will tell you, potential and a nickel will get you a cup of coffee. (Yes, Paulumon has not seen coffee prices in 50 years.)
- Sampy - practice squad. They really love this guy; maybe he beats out GLew next year.
- Gasperon - practice squad. Big, talented white boy. McCants' replacement if he doesn't step it up, next year?
- Jenkins - I just don't know what they do with him. Smells like he'll get cut. He's been on the P.S. for a couple of years already and made no headway towards a roster spot, but he had a knee injury a year or 2 ago so he may have 1 more left in him. We'll see. I like this kid's hands and route-running, but he seems like an Avant/Brown-type, and we already, uh, 2 of those.

Bloom - I.R. Pretty-boy surfer! He will spend the season rehabbing, getting into football shape, and maybe blowing guys in the park for drug money.
*** UPDATE: I called it - stick with the kid, baby! ***

What do ya'll think?

Optimism Growing Exponentially Today...

1. Westy is back on the practice field. And to think, we've moved the ball up and down against the starters for Pittsburgh and Baltimore, 2 of the best defenses in the league, without him.

2. We just signed one of the fastest and best big-play receivers in the NFL to add another weapon to 5's arsenal. No more Thrash/Pinkston, Johnson/Small. No, 5's got some legit fast, skilled young WRs to throw to now.

3. Sim, the Reno Mahe of our LB core, is gone.

4. Buck is back. and I don't want to hear another g-damned word about bringing Duce back. Sure, we all loved Duce. When he was in his 20s. Now, he's slow and too fat. We held him last week to 21 yards on 11 carries. Is that the kind of production you want out of your backfield? If so, just keep Reno. I think you guys just want someone who's name rhymes with "boo." In that case, when Buck scores, just yell "dooooooooooooo-bage!"

5. Akers is back. Tell me losing him to injury didn't cost us at least 2 games last year (think OT vs. the Giants?)

6. Howard might be the best free-agent signing of this offseason, and our best D-lineman, to boot.

7. D-mac looks sharp, trimmed down, elusive in the pocket, and he's making good decisions.

8. The D-line has gotten pressure all preseason, mainly with just a 4-man rush, and it look like it will carry over into the regular season (or at least on opening day against the Texans, who gave up the most sacks in the NFL last year...)

9. Trotter is ready to split some wigs... and if yo mamma comes on teh field, he'll split her wig!

10. AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, Weapon X is playing like a MAN POSSESSED, God-Dawg it!!!

Eagles Trade Half-Eaten Bag of Cheetos for Dante Stallworth!

Just kidding! Actually they did the N.O. Saints 1 step worse, they traded Sim and a 4th round pick in '07 (possibly a #3 if we work out his contract).

I see no downside to this (unless you're secretly a really big fan of Stinkston...)

The guy finally came into his own in '05 after a lot of injuries in his 1st 3 years: 70 catches, 945 yards, and 7 TDs (all led the Saints). When you consider he had Aaron "Wrong-way" Brooks throwin' to him all those years, actually pretty impressive. And, he runs a 4.3 40!

We now have an X receiver to stretch the field, ladies and gentlemen, can I get a a-men-ah?!

Review of "Invincible"

Boring. Corny. Predictable.

Those are all words that I would NOT use to describe this movie. I left the theater yesterday thinking that it was the best sports movie I've ever seen, but I think that I was just caught up in the emotion and dramatic portrayal of our Birds on the silver screen. Having slept on it, however I still think it's one of the best sports movies I've seen; I will admit that it probably has something to do with the fact that it was about the Birds and their turnaround in the mid-70s, but just a little. It was a great movie.

First, I should mention that a potential knock on the film is that the basic plot is seemingly well-worn territory: an underdog athlete from South Philly rises above his situation and captures the city's imagination....it was called "Rocky" and was made 30 years ago. However, I don't put a lot of weight on that analogy because the majority of this story is true to life and Papale's accomplishments are not blown out of proportion like Rocky's were - the movie doesn't stray from focusing just on the fact that Papale was able to walk on to an NFL team. That's an accomplishment in and of itself, but one to which we can still relate.

The director did a great job portraying South Philly and the relationship we have with the Eagles - the overriding theme was that however bad it gets in life or on the field, the people in this city use the team as a crutch and as a way to identify themselves, from generation to generation. This is very true. The cinematography of the game action was fantastic, especially the first game of the regular season against Dallas. Marky Mark was actually believable as a football player and also didn't portray Papale as only the "good guy with a heart of gold" but also as a guy with problems, which apparently was the case with Papale...well, with anyone I guess. The film nailed a few other important qualities, which for reasons I don't understand often seem to be either overlooked or just done poorly in movies: the soundtrack, the dialogue and the supporting cast. From the opening song by Jim Croce to the end, the Soundtrack was perfect from the standpoint of capturing the 1970s as well as the emotional points in the movie. The dialogue was well thought out and not corny, which it usually is in feel-good movies like this. The cast was great too - Elizabeth Banks and Vince's group of friends all had good roles that didn't take away from his story.

The only knock I have on the movie was that it was a little too short - I was hoping to see more regular season games portrayed, but I guess they either were ending on a high note before wearing out the subject matter (which is a good thing) or they were saving people who brought children (which there were a lot in the showing I went to). In any case, they left me wanting more at the end.

So, the words I would use to describe this movie are: inspiring, emotional, and "pre-ordered" (for my DVD collection).

Steeler-Eagles Pics: Espn.com Hatin' on Us

look at the pics of the eagles-steelers game on nfl.com. so haterish i don't even know where to begin...

here are the subtitles:

Playing this team's a drag
Buckhalter stops here
Watch your blind side
Cool under fire

# 1 shows 5 getting sacked - oh, my, a team runs complex blitzes, during preseason, using stunts and delayed blitzes by their middle linebackers, and get sacks vs. our starters? whoopdie-doo! lookit the scoreboard assholes!

# 2 shows buck getting tackled - makes it sound like palumalu stopped him for little or no gain, right? no, it was 9 yards downfield, assholes. and that was the play shortly before he burned them again for 12 yard pickup on a screen. eat my cleats, assholes. and palumalu, most over-rated safety in the league next to roy williams, missed at least 4 tackes in that game in 1/2 of play. i used to think mccoy sucked b/c he'd fly in the backfield and miss a shoe-string tackle, but after watching this guy and listening to every white announcer in the league suck his nads, i now figure mccoy is destined for the hall of fame.

# 3 shows 5 getting sacked again! - see # 1 above, assholes. he finiedh 7 for 9, for 79 yards, by the way. ben threw for about 55 yards and a pickle.

and # 4, this is my favorite. entitled, "cool under fire," with the description "Ben Roethlisberger, left, gets off a pass as Philadelphia safety Michael Lewis, right, closes in during the first quarter."

No.....!!!! Big Ben got called for intentional grounding on that play, putting his team in 3rd and 33!! How can these assholes sleep at night? MLew didn't "close in" he knocked him down and scared him so shitless he decided to take a 10 yard penalty and loss of down rather than crap fear turds all over the ball.

Funny, they don't show our 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 2 recoveries... or how about the score? try showing the score, we won, in fact got the 3 first scores in the game, when all the starters were in. assholes. how about showing akers making 3 for 3 FGs of 40, 49, and 52 yards? or his several touchbacks? why not show trotter making tackle after tackle in the backfield? why not show the 1st 2 series for Pitt, where we knocked Ben down 5 times, hurried him twice, forced an INT and an int'l grounding, and sacked him once?

haters.

[Jdub's Post]

Lucky 7?

Will the Eagles keep seven linebackers? If they do, six are fairly easy to figure out, but number seven coulfd be difficult. Trotter, Jones, McCoy:(, Barber, Simoneau, Gaither are locks. For me, it's Chris Gocong, hands down for #7, if he is healthy. He possess the size and speed for a linebacker in JJ's system. Actually, he is bigger than all of the OLB's we have, but still has the speed and "ballhawking" ability. That being said, it does look like Gocong may be headed for IR for a neck stinger. If so, I say keep Torrance Daniels over Dedrick Roper. Roper has a little more experience in the Eagles system especially on Special Teams, but Daniels is just a pure athlete. He is so fast and, like Gocong, has a nose for the ball. I think he brings more to the position with his size and abilities (6'3, 248). Not to mention, he has made several standout plays during the pre-season. I have not heard alot from Roper. With Gocong or Daniels as the back up OLB, we are good.

Posidelphia (or Things Paulomon Thankful For)

Despite my general negativity about our trophy-less, yet beloved, Birds, I'm putting out some positive vibes now that the end of pre-season is in sight. It's an early Thanksgiving for Grundy [mmmmm], and here is a list of Things Eagle for which I am thankful:

1) I'm back. I'm happy finally to be back in the City of Brotherly Love from a horrible stint in Redskins country...ok, I'm in a suburb of Philly, but nonetheless I'm being inundated with Eagles regalia wherever I go: Birds' tattoos, 1 year-olds with Eagles bibs, guys in Fraley jerseys who call me "Buddy", local chicks with "Philly" faces like our cheerleader Gina in the upper right corner, etc. So much attitude here; I love it. This is a football town and everybody is always talking Eagles (actually, one problem with where I live though - north of Philly - it's dangerously closer to NYC so there are a LOT of obnoxious BlueMenGroupies running around here - Philly may be blue collar but generally they're good people - Giants Fans are just f*ckers and would leave you lying dead in the street if it meant that they would miss a green light).

2) Last year is over. The Birds suffered through a terrible season and all the long-time Haters like Salisbury and Hairpiece Hoge ate it up. They were FINALLY right, after 5 years of predcting the Birds' demise. Wow, what great analysts. But now, with TO gone, McNabb healthy, tons of great young talent on staff, we're ready for a solid year...it'll be sort of a re-building year, but we're ready. And Brad Childress is gone - I know, he's head coach material right? wrong. Same broke-ass plays, year in, year out....Question: We have one of the best if not THE best running QBs in football - why don't we have at least 1 or 2 DESIGNED runs for him each game? or how about 1 per game?? Keep the D honest. Let McNabb naked bootleg once in a while - no one would even expect it in a lot of key situations. Whatever, I'm lecturing to deaf ears, I know. Let's force McNabb to be a pocket passer no matter how much it hurts...BECAUSE IT'S NORMAL DAMMMIT, IT'S NORMAL! Or let's just send Westbrook up the middle again and then throw 10 times in a row to fully-covered WRs...good strategy Brad, real good...um, sorry, I'm slipping to negative again.

3) I have season tickets, and good ones too! Section 136, Row 25 on the Birds side. Although I'm splitting them with a couple of my boys, I'm going to be living the dream ...or nightmare depending on how the season goes. In any case, I can wear my Dawkins jersey in public now, instead of the basement of Jdubs's broken down townhouse in Tysons Corner, VA. AND, I can throw rotten food at the Birds if they start stinking up the joint again..or maybe permanently injure Reno Mahe, or as an alternative Spadaro, and end our suffering forever. muhuhaha...MUHUHAHAHAAHAAAAaaaa..

4) Shawn Andrews. He's gonna COMETHEFUCKON this year. Man, this guy is the sh*t. Hell, forget the asterisk, he's the shit...yeh, the SHIT. As Joe pointed out in the Raiders preseason game, he's blocking 3 people at once. Pro Bowl.

5) Our D-Line. What an improvement over last year. Bunkley deserves his own item number for things for which I'm thankful, but I need to see him eat some people alive this year which he will do...all in good time my friends. "Bunkley" - what a great name to scream at the TV.

6) Duuuuuuuce. Alright, this doesn't count, but I just miss saying that. Talk of him being cut from Pittsburg excites me. Doesn't anyone else want him? What's wrong with you people? Don't you remember those tough yards he got, 4 guys piled on his back trying to cut his tree-trunk legs out? I really really really [deep breath] really really really (x infinity) want him back.

7) Invincible opened this weekend. Nice. My sister went to highschool with Vince's son, Skip Papale. Good peeps.

8) Pinkston is limping/Detmer is ready for a bath. First, our "most experienced" WR as he's been dubbed by Big Red and others is still sorta limping around which is great news for me. He's the last bag of trash from our win-less NFC Championship streak that needs to be taken to Jersey, Delaware or wherever Philly dumps its trash. As Jdubs and Popstar know, it's my contention that our atrocious receiving corps is THE reason we didn't come away with at least one SB trophy from our last run. When FredEx got cut, things were looking up and I thought our management got smart finally (funny, FredEx still hasn't found work...interesting how we keep people that NO other team would even want, as a back up???!!). Also, it's finally clear that Detmer is on his way out...thank you thank you thank you...Jimmy Chang is running rings around you, Koy! Shave please, shave...and take a bath...and get a new car..and take Pinky with you on a long long drive and never ever come back and....oh wait, this was supposed to be a positive piece...sorry...GO Birds.

BTW, a couple things I'd like to be thankful for but can't be are:
**An improved return game - I was really hoping to see Jeremy Bloom do his thing but we're stuck with Dexter Wynn who will fumble and Reno who will run around alot and move his tiny, tiny stubby little legs and get nowhere;
**A thinner McNabb. I know he's muscular and all,but I'd like to see him at about 225 or 230 where he came into the league. It's the chunky soup man...

FINALLY

According to the website, they're going to work Barber in at strongside LB with the second team.

FINALLY, the coaching staff is acknowledging (in their own refusal-to-acknowledge way) that Dhani is one step behind...

To Duce or not to Duce?

Personally, I am torn whether to bring back Duce Staley if he is cut by the Steelers. Part of me does not want him back for reasons of his age and injury status. Not to mention, I would like to see another younger back get a chance with the Iggles. With Staley's proness to injury and his bulked up frame (242lbs) his position with the team would not be a full time RB. More than likely just for short yardage and "goal-line" stuff. Instead of Staley, maybe keep 2 fullbacks Parry, and Tapeh and use them for short yardage. I think Tapeh with his size and speed could handle the "goal-line" attempts very well. I say give him a chance.
If not, there has to be other options. Denver has to get rid of one of their 4 possible #1 backs. Perhaps RonDayne, Tatum Bell or the bruiser Cedric Cobbs. How about Adrien Petereson from Chicago? He is a talented back that has been buried in obscurity for years. Michael Turner of the Chargers? Chris Brown of Tennessee? William Green of Cleveland? The list goes on. Grnated some of the named players would probably require a trade of some sort, but definitely all do-able.
On the other hand, I believe once an Eagle always an Eagle. There is the other part of me, however, that says bring Duce back, especially if Buck can't make it through preseason. I would love to see #22 back in the line up. No, not because I still have his jersey, but we have a history of bringing back former Eagles and successfully working them into the line up as productive playeres ie., Trotter, H. Douglas and S. Barber(verdict is still out on him anyway). Maybe there is a chance he could be the compliment to Westy we need this year. His tough running style and new "beefy" frame could help us at 3rd and 1 or 4th and goal. He is not afumble concern like Moats or Perry. I am just not certain at this point and time. Maybe we should sign Stephen Davis instead, but then again you get into the same debate as you did with Staley; injury riddled veteran whose best days are behind him, maybe.
So, bottom line, I am not sure what to do about Duce. Let me know what you think.

10 Predictions for Eagles-Steelers on Fri. Night

1. 3 mentions of T.O. during the game,
2. 1 question about T.O. to a player or Reid at halftime,
3. 27 mentions of how mediocre and untested our WRs are,
4. 1 good play by B-Dawk, followed by 5 minutes of flexing and pantomiming to the crowd,
5. Detmer trips over a hashmark, throws a ball to absolutely no one out of blind fear in the face of a pass rush, or gets picked off underthrowing a deep post or fade pass,
6. 4 mentions about whether or not Cowher will retire after this season,
7. Reno will play just well enough not to get cut,
8. Bunk notches another sack and collapses the pocket with impugnity,
9. Lito gets burned on a deep ball, and
10. Matt McCoy comes flying in on almost every defensive play, just as the tackle is being made by another player.

Eagles-Ravens Mess

Yeah, that's right, mess. It was sloppy, people. The 1s played well vs. the Ravens' 1s, going into the half with a 10-3 lead. But the 2s and 3s were out-classed big-time by the Ravens' backups.

Here are my 10(ish) quick thoughts:

1. I told you Juqua thomas was a playa! I'll take 2.5 sacks in 1 quarter any day. In total I think we got 7 sacks as a team. Juqua has 4.5 in 3 preseason games now. He, folks, is comin' on!!! What's great is we got to them with the blitz, but we also got lots of pressure with just the front 4. Ends were flying at their QBs left and right (literally!)

2. Bunk - 1.5 sacks, got great push and collapsed the pocket with regularity. Can't wait to see him in playing shape!

3. Reno - looked great with 2 8-yard runs up the gut early, right into Ngata, good TD catch, but the later fumble is inexcusable. what is up with our RBs this year? they can't stay healthy and they can't hang onto the rock!

4. Matry Johnson - it's a testament to how bad our RBs are when this guy comes in and learns 2 plays, then proceeds to be our best RB. I like him, though, 5-11, 230lbs, I hope he stays on.

5. Buck, my friends, is back. 48-yd catch. Damn you Ed Reed with your TD saving tackle!

6. B-Dawk - try 2 or 3 PDs, a fumble recovery, and he absolutely laid the wood on Jamal Lewis (not that it had any effect...) in 1 half of play. Also had 2 or 3 really good sideline celebrations and posing sessions. Your my boy, blue!

7. Gaffney finally emerged. Apparently he had a great week of practice, finally is getting the system down, and then grabbed 4 balls for about 70yds and looked very open late in the game. We'll see. Greg Lewis looked horrible, cut his a$$.

8. How'd ya like that no-huddle offense, bitches?! I've only been waiting 8 years to see us do this!

9. Bye, bye Koy. Wretched is the word that comes to mind. (Assisted by a horrible showing by our 2nd-string O-line.) On the other hand, Timmy Chang can play some ball! I think our 3rd QB situation is set.

And last, but certainly not least, I give you: 10. Shawn Andrews, "the best guard in the NFL" - this from the Ravens D.C., (Buddy Ryan's boy) - hooyeah!

I reserve the right to change my mind on this (again)

Okay, I know this sounds weird and possibly even hypocritical, but hear me out on this...

I think I'm gaining a newfound respect for Reno Mahe.

Don't get me wrong -- I still firmly believe he isn't a NFL-level player. But I respect the fact that he seems to recognize his limitations (i.e., his athletic ability in general) and is just happy to do whatever he can to be on the team.

To illustrate, an article in the Inky this weekend by Ashley Fox began with the following:

When Reno Mahe arrived in Philadelphia for the first time as a rookie free agent in 2003, Andy Reid's son, Garrett, a fellow Brigham Young student, picked Mahe up at the airport.

A wide receiver in college, Mahe asked Garrett for the lowdown on the Eagles' wideouts, to which Garrett replied, "You are playing running back here."

Mahe was stunned but didn't miss a beat. "Oh, really," he replied. "That's great. I'll clean laundry here if I can stay."

Her point was that unlike headcases like Maurice Clarett, Reno gets it -- he knows that being in the NFL is a huge privilege that should never be taken for granted. I respect the hell out of that. From the very beginning of his association with the team, he seemed to recognize how lucky he was to even get a try out (or perhaps more accurately, how lucky he was to have gone to Brigham Young -- Reid's feeder system).

In an earlier Ashley Fox article right before the Browns game, she quoted Reno as saying: "The reality is," Mahe said, "I'm a bubble player. I never know what's going to happen to me." He also seems to have a sense of humor about his role too. I remember he once described himself as "a smaller, slower Westbrook." Hell, that might even describe me (with the understanding that I'm much, much, much slower and smaller).

So I imagine it does help to have a guy like that on the team. Obviously not for his ability, but to have a guy who really knows the offense inside and out, who tries extremely hard, and who is eager to do anything he can. Sort of like a less inspiring (and less talented) Rudy.

I am still not psyched that he's taking up a spot that should be used for a RB with real size and talent, but I am starting to understand -- and even accept -- his role.

That doesn't mean he should return kickoffs. Ever. But now I really am starting to believe that he does have a real place on the team. And not just to clean laundry.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/15256265.htm
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/15229002.htm

A Modest Proposal

The Browns just lost their second starting center in the last 2 weeks. We need a 2nd wideout to start opposite Reggie.

I propose we trade Honeybuns for Braylon Edwards, straight-up. Boo yow!

[UPDATE: NFL rumor mill is now talking Browns wanting a trade for Fraley! Ahh, I should be doing something else for a living.]

I Hate ESPN

Why, might you ask? Oh, I don't know, maybe because every time T.O. has to pick his friggin' nose they feel as if they have to run a story on it every :15 and :45 past the hour? I swear they're no better than a celebrity gossip column. This is the perfect time of year to be breaking down stats and schedules and making predictions for the season. Something the "experts" should be doing. Instead, it's, who will get angry first? Who will make a scene? Who just told off a reporter? Who's wearing speedos in Barbados and has cottage-cheese ass?

Yeah that, and they apparently can't hire any "football experts" capable of making a reasoned assessment or prediction of how well a team will fair this year based on any factor other than (a) what that team's record was last year, and (b) what high-profile free agents were gained or lost in the offseason. There's a lot more to it, guys, as you should well know. And just because you yell it early and often doesn't make it true. That goes for you, Hoge and Irvin!

E, A, G, L, E, S, Eagles!

Some Comments on Sunday's "Game"

McCoy...

I watched the game again last night, and scouted mainly the o-line, d-line, and some other specific players like McCoy. Based on 1 game, if that carries through and he gets better, I think we might have a Keith Brookings-type weakside 'backer.

Strengths: fast, aggressive, flows to the ball, hits pretty hard, and can apparently gnaw a QB's neck off
Weaknesses: took a couple of bad pursuit angles, & that late hit out of bounds on the QB was stupid, and a couple of times he was hesitant (I think all these are correctible with more playing time)

Watching the 1st time, he didn't look so good and lookde late getting to the ball, but on replay I realized that's cause he was on teh other side of the field.

But he plays the way we, and JJ, want him to, and that's downhill at all times. meaning, you can mess up, but you better mess up at full speed.

The fact of the matter is, you could put a potato truck in there at WLB and it would be better than Keith Adams was last year.

I think Bruce Perry got his bell rung in the 2nd quarter - got wood laid on him. I bet that contributed to the fumbles and the later concussion.

And that hit by JR Reed was killer!

JDub's gettin upset

"i'm bored, and i can't read any more "TO has a pulled hammy" or "TO showing what a great leader he's become by throwing a football around for 20 minutes on the sideline with a rookie reciever" stories.

seriously, and what the F has parcells done in the last 10 years that merits him being written up on a daily basis? and who is stephen a. smith anyway? did TO save him from drowning one day and now he owes him a life debt of unfettered punditry support forever?

and for that matter, when did aikman stop being gay and get married?

and why are madden's eyebrows orange when his hair is white? for that matter, why can't he EVER talk about the play on the field and shut the F up about TO, larry allen, and brett favre? were they the last big names he memorized before he completely lost his shite? seriously, they were on some diatribe about TO or something other than the game last night, while there were some nice plays being made (like gaither's 1st TFL, and i couldn't figure out who he was b/c he wears 96, a lineman's # - god forbid you actually announce the tackler on the play), and the ONLY thing that brought those 2 knuckleheads back to the game (and reality) was that somebody's show came off. i kid you not, michaels did not speak for 10 minutes, while jr "you'll never walk again" reed was flying around the field and madden was babblign on and on and on about nothing, and the only thing that got his attention back to the game that he is paid to call, was the camera focusing on a shoe that had slipped off." - JDub McGillicutty